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The Orang Asli (OA), Malaysia's indigenous minority, continue to experience ongoing soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections despite efforts including the Resettlement Programme (RPS). This study explores STH epidemiology and associated risks of moderate-to-heavy infections among 259 indigenous Negritos across four states in Peninsular Malaysia. Stool samples, anthropometrics, haemoglobin levels (finger-prick) and sociodemographic and environmental-sanitation factors via pretested questionnaires were collected. Parasitological examinations (direct faecal smear, formol-ether concentration, and Kato-Katz techniques) were thoroughly performed. The study revealed a 63.3% overall STH prevalence, with Trichuris trichiura (57.9%) being the most common, followed by Ascaris lumbricoides (35.5%) and hookworm (8.9%). Moderate-to-heavy infections were observed in 39.3% for T. trichiura and 48.9% for A. lumbricoides, with mixed infections of these two species being the most prevalent (50.6%). The risk for moderate-to-heavy infection increased significantly if other household members were infected (P < 0.001). Adults and adolescents also showed high infection rates, with no significant differences with children's groups. These findings emphasize the need for anthelmintic treatment across all age groups and strategize local policies targeting older groups of the OA community to control ongoing transmission and reduce the STH burden and protect the future well-being of OA children, who deserve a healthier future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current osteoarthritis (OA) diagnosis relies on radiographic abnormalities found in later stages of the disease, posing a challenge to the treatment efficacy. Therefore, earlier detection of OA is essential for improving therapeutic outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of shear wave ultrasound elastography (SWUE) to detect changes in cartilage mechanical properties under OA conditions ex-vivo. Bovine osteochondral units were harvested from femoral condyles and subjected to either trypsin degradation, cartilage surface roughness defect using varying degrees of sandpaper, or subchondral bone degeneration using formic acid (FA) injection. Shear waves were generated using a mechanical shaker, while a high-frequency ultrasound system operating at 18 MHz was employed to detect wave propagation along the samples. The elasticity of cartilage was estimated by the shear wave speed (SWS) through the auto-correlation method. Our results show that the estimated SWS of cartilage after 24, 48, and 72 hours of trypsin incubation significantly decreased by 37%, 43%, and 59%, respectively, compared to the control group. Surface roughness treatment using 150-grit sandpaper significantly decreased the SWS by 35% compared to the control. Samples treated with 7% FA showed a significant increase in SWS by 62%, 89%, and 53% compared to control, 1% FA, and 3% FA, respectively. Our findings demonstrate the feasibility of SWUE to differentiate the elastic properties of cartilage under different OA conditions. This study presents the potential of a noninvasive, nonionizing tool for early detection of OA, representing a significant step toward its clinical implementation. Highlights: • Shear wave ultrasound elastography noninvasively measure the elastic properties of soft tissue. • Increasing cartilage surface roughness and enzyme degradation results in slower shear wave speeds. • Subchondral bone degradation increases shear wave speed in cartilage. • Shear wave ultrasound elastography is a novel method for early osteoarthritis diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the issue of aircraft icing has gained widespread recognition. The breaking and detachment of dynamic ice can pose a threat to flight safety. However, the shedding and fracture mechanisms of dynamic ice are unclear and cannot meet the engineering needs of ice-shedding hazard assessment. Therefore, studying the fracture toughness of ice bodies has extremely important practical significance. To address this issue, this article uses a centrally cracked Brazilian disk (CCBD) specimen to measure the pure mode I toughness and pure mode II fracture toughness of freshwater ice at different loading rates. The mixed-mode (I–II) fracture characteristics of ice are discussed, and the experimental results are compared and analyzed with the theoretical values of the generalized maximum tangential stress (GMTS) criterion considering the influence of T-stress. The results indicated that as the loading rate increases, the pure mode I toughness and pure mode II fracture toughness of freshwater ice decrease, and the fracture toughness of freshwater ice is more sensitive to the loading rate. In terms of fracture criteria, the theoretical value of the ratio of pure mode II fracture toughness to pure mode I fracture toughness based on the GMTS criterion is in good agreement with the experimental value, while the theoretical value based on the maximum tangential stress (MTS) criterion deviates significantly from the experimental value, indicating that the GMTS criterion considering the influence of T-stress can better predict the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stem cell therapy holds great promise for future clinical practice for treatment of advanced liver diseases. However, the fate of stem cells after transplantation, including the distribution, viability, and the cell clearance, has not been fully elucidated. Herein, recent advances regarding the imaging tools for stem cells tracking mainly in chronic liver diseases with the advantages and disadvantages of each approach have been described. Magnetic resonance imaging is a promising clinical imaging modality due to non-radioactivity, excellent penetrability, and high spatial resolution. Fluorescence imaging and radionuclide imaging demonstrate relatively increased sensitivity, with the latter excelling in real-time monitoring. Reporter genes specialize in long-term tracing. Nevertheless, the disadvantages of low sensitivity, radiation, exogenous gene risk are inevitably present in each of these means, respectively. In this review, we aim to comprehensively evaluate the current state of methods for tracking of stem cell, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses, and providing insights into their future potential. Multimodality imaging strategies may overcome the inherent limitations of single-modality imaging by combining the strengths of different imaging techniques to provide more comprehensive information in the clinical setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aircraft icing can cause severe aerodynamic and flight mechanical effects, thus threatening aircraft flight safety. Understanding of aircraft icing, e.g., geometry shape of the ice accretion, is significant for its aerodynamic analysis, control methodologies, and continued design. In this study, a laser sheet scanning approach is developed to achieve the time-resolved geometry shape measurements of the ice accretion. By using the tridimensional calibration board consisted of two special checkerboard plates, all laser plane coefficients during laser sheet scanning could be obtained in advance. Then, based on the two-stage laser line extraction scheme that combined the Steger method with gradient centroid calculation, accurate positioning of the laser lines projected on the ice accretion surface was realized. The proposed approach is demonstrated in the large-scale icing wind tunnel tests of an airfoil model, conducted at the 3 m × 2 m Icing Wind Tunnel of China Aerodynamics Research and Development Center. Temporal evolution of the rime, mixed, and clear ice accretion shapes on the leading edge of the airfoil model was measured throughout the tests, respectively. The measurement at the end of ice accretion was compared with the results by a commercial 3D laser scanner, which showed highly consistent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The highly efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of NHC-VOCl3 containing symmetrical or unsymmetrical N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands by the transmetallation reaction of NHG·AgCl with VOCl3. The total isolated yield of VOCl3[1,3-(2,4,6-Me3C6H2)2(NCH=)2C:] (V4′) reached 86% by transmetallation reaction, which is much higher than that (48%) by direct coordination method. This methodology has also been used to synthesize the novel vanadium complexes containing unsymmetrical NHC ligands of VOCl3[PhCH2NCH=CHNR)C:] (V5′, R = 2,4,6-Me3C6H2; V6′, R = 2,4-Me2-6-Ph-C6H2; V7′, R = 2,6-iPr2-C6H3) with high yield, which could not be obtained by direct coordination method. The catalytic activity and copolymerization ability would be improved by introducing unsymmetrical NHC ligands due to their less steric bulky effect. The vanadium complex V5′ containing unsymmetrical NHC ligand exhibits higher catalytic activity (3.7×105 gcopolymer·mol−1 of V·h−1) than that of V4′ containing symmetrical NHC ligand. Moreover, the higher propylene incorporation ratio (45.6 mol%) in the copolymers of ethylene with propylene could be obtained by using V5′ than that (39.9%) by using V4′. The results would provide a highly efficient strategy for the synthesis of early transition metal complexes containing versitile NHC ligands, affording the catalyst with both high catalytic activity and copolymerization ability for the synthesis of high performance polyolefin elastomers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of slow shot speed on externally solidified crystal (ESC), porosity and tensile property in a newly developed high-pressure die-cast Al-Si alloy was investigated by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and laboratory computed tomography (CT). Results showed that the newly developed AlSi9MnMoV alloy exhibited improved mechanical properties when compared to the AlSi10MnMg alloy. The AlSi9MnMoV alloy, which was designed with trace multicomponent additions, displays a notable grain refining effect in comparison to the AlSi10MnMg alloy. Refining elements Ti, Zr, V, Nb, B promote heterogeneous nucleation and reduce the grain size of primary a-Al. At a lower slow shot speed, the large ESCs are easier to form and gather, developing into the dendrite net and net-shrinkage. With an increase in slow shot speed, the size and number of ESCs and porosities significantly reduce. In addition, the distribution of ESCs is more dispersed and the net-shrinkage disappears. The tensile property is greatly improved by adopting a higher slow shot speed. The ultimate tensile strength is enhanced from 260.31 MPa to 290.31 MPa (increased by 11.52%), and the elongation is enhanced from 3.72% to 6.34% (increased by 70.52%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the chemical composition and bioactivities of essential oils derived from Caryopteris terniflora and Aloysia citriodora. The essential oil from Caryopteris terniflora contains numerous compounds, with sesquiterpenoids being the most abundant. The essential oils from Aloysia citriodora, specifically the FEO, exhibit antioxidant, skin whitening, and antiproliferative activities. The FEO is particularly effective due to its higher content of Cedrol and alcohol-hydroxyl compounds, as well as enols. These findings suggest potential applications for these essential oils in various industries and clinical trials for cancer treatment. [Extracted from the article]

The Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) has profound impacts on weather and climate phenomena, and thus changes in its activity have important implications under human-induced global climate change. Here, the time at which the MJO change signal emerges from natural variability under anthropogenic warming is investigated. Using simulations of the Community Earth System Model version 2 large ensemble forced by the shared socioeconomic pathways SSP370 scenario, an increase in ensemble mean MJO precipitation amplitude and a smaller increase in MJO circulation amplitude occur by the end of the 21st century, consistent with previous studies. Notably, the MJO precipitation amplitude change signal generally emerges more than a decade earlier than that of MJO wind amplitude. MJO amplitude changes also emerge earlier over the eastern Pacific than other parts of the tropics. Our findings provide valuable information on the potential changes of MJO variability with the aim of improving predictions of the MJO and its associated extreme events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a four-participant scheme for the asymmetric circular controlled quantum states transmission. David is the controller, Alice, Bob and Charlie can complete the transmission of single-qubit, two-qubit and three-qubit states respectively. The scheme is discussed in ideal and noisy environments respectively. In an ideal environment, we first construct a quantum channel by using quantum gate operations. Secondly, the senders and controller choose an appropriate measurement basis to measure their own particles, and the receiver can use appropriate unitary operations to restore the quantum state according to the measurement results. All the measurement results and corresponding recovery operations are given. In the noise environment, we calculate the fidelities of the output states in the amplitude damping and phase damping noise environments, and observe the effect of noise according to the different values of the quantum state coefficient and noise factor. Finally, through the analysis of the scheme performance, it can be seen that our scheme has obvious advantages in quantum state transmission, including increasing the number of quantum state particles transmitted, reducing the consumption of classical communication and higher communication efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-assembled systems have recently attracted extensive attention because they can display a wide range of phase morphologies in nanocomposites, providing a new arena to explore novel phenomena. Among these morphologies, a bicontinuous structure is highly desirable based on its high interface-to-volume ratio and 3D interconnectivity. A bicontinuous nickel oxide (NiO) and tin dioxide (SnO2) heteroepitaxial nanocomposite is revealed here. By controlling their concentration, we fabricated tuneable self-assembled nanostructures from pillars to bicontinuous structures, as evidenced by TEM-energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy with a tortuous compositional distribution. The experimentally observed growth modes are consistent with predictions by first-principles calculations. Phase-field simulations are performed to understand 3D microstructure formation and extract key thermodynamic parameters for predicting microstructure morphologies in SnO2:NiO nanocomposites of other concentrations. Furthermore, we demonstrate significantly enhanced photovoltaic properties in a bicontinuous SnO2:NiO nanocomposite macroscopically and microscopically. This research shows a pathway to developing innovative solar cell and photodetector devices based on self-assembled oxides. Self-assembled nanocomposites present opportunities for a range of phase morphologies and desirable properties. Here authors present tuneable self-assembled nanostructures in the SnO2:NiO system; the double-percolated system expands the design of self-assembled oxides for practical applications, e.g. in optoelectronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquid trimethoxy silane-functionalized cis-polybutadiene (cis-PB-Si(OMe)3), possessing number-average molecular weights of cis-PB segments (Mn,PB) ranging from 1800 g/mol to 5400 g/mol, with cis-1,4 content of ca. 80% and high functionality (>96%) could be synthesized by coordination copolymerization of living cis-PB chain ends with ethenyltrimethoxy-silane with neodymium-based catalytic system. The silicon hydroxyl-functionalized cis-polybutadiene (cis-PB-Si(OH)3)-based micelles in water have been achieved by in situ hydrolysis of cis-PB-Si(OMe)3 in hexane/water mixture (pH=6.8) at 70 °C and by sequential removal of residue hexane. The size of the above micelles with soft elastic cis-PB cores could be remarkably enlarged by loading SiO2 nanoparticles on their surfaces via hydrogen bonding interaction. Giant supramolecular long chain aggregates or networks formed by hydrogen bonding interaction and possible O—Si—O chemical bonds between cis-PB-Si(OH)3-based micellar surfaces had relatively large size and thus precipitated from water after several months of storage, leading to production of cis-PB-Si(OH)3 solid elastomer with extremely low Tg at −107.0 °C. The left cis-PB-Si(OH)3-based micelles in water with relatively small size gradually formed the water-insoluble cis-PB-Si(OH)3-based supramolecular aggregates or networks. The cis-PB-Si(OH)3-based supramolecular elastomer exhibited excellent self-healing property within 60 s at 25 °C. The elastomer (20 mg) in a joint of 25 mm × 30 mm (2.7 mg/cm2) provided very strong adhesion for two pieces of glass and the bound glass keep unchanged at room temperature for 98 h even hung with 100 g of steel column below. The cis-PB-Si(OH)3-based supramolecular elastomer would have potential applications in adhesives, self-healing materials, damping materials and elastic materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-dimensional quantum error correction codes (QECCs) are widely used to enhance the security and coding capabilities of the entire quantum systems. While these codes show promise in achieving reliable quantum computing by executing a set of universal quantum gates, quantum gate faults present a challenge for implementing universal quantum computing. The ability to perform universal quantum gates in a fault-tolerant manner is required. In this paper, we propose a fault-tolerant error correction scheme which allows the entire correction process to proceed smoothly, even in the presence of quantum gate faults. Firstly, by equipping the syndrome-extracted circuit with a flag qudit, it is possible to parallel the error detection of coding blocks with the fault detection of quantum gates to detect noise and correlated errors. Then, by giving a feasible permutation of quantum gates, the syndromes can identify the error type and location. We interpret the permutation with an example of Hamming code [ [ 13 , 7 , 3 ] ] 3 , a three-dimensional QECC, using only two ancillary qudits. Finally, the results show that our scheme is valid for any quantum Hamming code. The overhead of qudits required in our scheme is independent of the weight and quantity of stabilizer generators, and only two ancillary qudits are involved. Consequently, our scheme is very promising for achieving a low logical error rate in a fault-tolerant manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of droplets on moving liquid surfaces is a ubiquitous phenomenon in nature and in industry. In the present study, we experimentally investigated the impinging process of a deionized water droplet on a shear-driven water film. A parameter study of the Weber number of the primary droplet and dimensionless moving water film thickness was carefully carried out. A high-speed camera was used to record the whole impact and splashing processes of the water droplet. The results showed that the shearing air could significantly change the crown morphology, causing the crown to tilt downstream. Besides, the droplet Weber number had a significant effect on the crown evolution. With the increase of the droplet Weber number, the spreading crown length, the maximum crown height, the upstream crown angle, and the number of secondary droplets increased. Besides, under the current experimental conditions, the moving water film thickness had a minor effect on the crown maximum height. Considering the influence of droplet Weber number and moving water film thickness, we proposed empirical correlations for the maximum upstream crown height and maximum downstream crown height. And the present empirical correlations agreed well with the experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of quantum networks, cyclic quantum information transmission provides a good solution for multi-party quantum communication. In this paper, by integrating the ideas of remote preparation with quantum teleportation, a neoteric multi-party controlled cyclic hybrid quantum communication protocol with n (n ≥ 3) observers is designed. In the protocol, by sharing an entangled quantum channel, each of these observers can simultaneously send two completely disparate arbitrary single-qubit quantum states to her adjacent observers under the assistance of the controller. It can realize bidirectional and cyclic transmission of any single-qubit states between observers. The observers only need to employ simple measurements and basic local unitary operations to implement the communication task, and our scheme can achieve a unit success probability. Furthermore, we provide a four-party controlled cyclic hybrid quantum communication scheme with three observers, and we also take into account the two kinds of important decoherent noises (amplitude damping and phase damping noises) that affect the proposed four-party communication protocol. Finally, by calculating the fidelity, it is discovered that the fidelity of the output state has something to do with the parameters of the initial states as well as the noise decoherence rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online sports gambling is a popular recreational activity. Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour as the theoretical foundation, the aim of this study was to examine for differences between gamblers and non-gamblers in terms of their attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control towards online sports gambling. 173 male students from a tertiary educational institution were recruited for this study of which 56 respondents (32%) were gamblers. A series of regression analysis revealed differences between gamblers and non-gamblers. While subjective norms and perceived behavioural control were significant predictors of gambling intentions for the gamblers group, only attitude was a significant predictor for the non-gamblers group. Further analysis showed that subjective norms had a larger effect on the gamblers group in comparison to the non-gamblers group. Physiological data from an eye tracker provided further empirical evidence that there were differences between gamblers and non-gamblers. Gamblers, perhaps because they are more familiar with gambling websites, take less time to process information. The findings from this study suggests that there are differences between gamblers and non-gamblers. To prevent problem gambling, there is a need to develop different communication messages for gamblers and non-gamblers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigates the splashing behaviors of droplets impacting on solid surfaces and mainly focuses on the characteristics of secondary droplets. According to the experimental results, two different splashing patterns, corona splash and levitating-lamella breakup, are observed. A new breakup mode, named rim-segmenting, is found during the levitating-lamella breakup. In particular, the detailed information of the splashing secondary droplets, including the size, velocity, angle, and total volume of the splashing secondary droplets is obtained from the experimental data. The size distribution of the splashing secondary droplets obeys the gamma distribution function. The average diameter and splashing angle of the secondary droplets are mainly related to the Reynolds number Re, and can be expressed as functions of Re. High impact velocity and liquid viscosity will result in a wider size distribution range of splashing secondary droplets. We also put forward an empirical model to predict the total splashing volume, which is consistent with the experimental data both in this work and previous studies. This work is believed to provide insights on the prediction of the characteristics of splashing secondary droplets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel amphiphilic acylated dextran-g-polyisobutylene (AcyDex-g-PIB) graft copolymers with different branch lengths (Mn,PIB, 2600–5800 g/mol) and grafting numbers (GN, 5–28 per 1000 Dex monosaccharide) were successfully synthesized via the nucleophilic substitution of the hydroxyl (—OH) side groups along AcyDex backbone by the living PIB-THF4+ chains prepared through cationic polymerization. The crystallization of AcyDex backbone in AcyDex-g-PIB graft copolymers was confined due to the presence of PIB branches and the morphology changed from short rod-like crystals to fragment-like crystals with increasing Mn,PIB and GN. The obvious microphase separation occurred due to the incompatibility between hard AcyDex backbone and soft PIB branches. AcyDex-g-PIB graft copolymers exhibit excellent biocompatibility towards HeLa cells and good hemocompatibility with red blood cells (RBCs), both of which increase with increasing GN. The increases of water contact angle and roughness on the surface of the graft copolymers with increasing Mn,PIB and GN manifest the anti-protein adsorption performance. The amphiphilic AcyDex-g-PIB graft copolymers could self-assemble in aqueous solution into nanospheres, which can be used as pH-sensitive drug carriers and can release 100% of the loaded drug within 72 h at pH=7.4. AcyDex-g-PIB graft copolymers bearing silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs, 0.8 wt%–3.9 wt%, 4.5–9.5 nm) show good antibacterial properties. This kind of amphiphilic graft copolymer would have a promising prospect in biological and medical fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research of quantum network will promote the application of quantum image to be more universal and widespread. Quantum image representation model is the basis of quantum image processing. Therefore, we propose a multimode quantum image representation (MQIR) and its preparation. In this representation, the image size can be arbitrary and the color can be in one of several color models, such as Gray, RGB, Lab, HSL. This improves the universality of quantum image applications, and our MQIR requires fewer qubits than other quantum image representations. Furthermore, an MQIR image encryption scheme is presented, which is based on three-dimensional non-equilateral Arnold transformation. We give the MQIR transformation (inverse transformation) algorithm and quantum circuits. Some of the transformation times and the parameters in the scrambling process can be used as the keys in the proposed encryption. Finally, we conduct some simulation experiments on the classical computer to analyze the performance such as histogram analysis, peak signal-to-noise ratio and the correlation coefficients of adjacent pixels between original images and encrypted images. Simulation results show that the proposed quantum image encryption scheme is efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel amphiphilic graft copolymers with hydrophilic hard polar hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) backbone and hydrophobic soft nonpolar polyisobutylene (PIB) branches have been successfully synthesized through nucleophilic substitution reaction of living PIB chains carrying oxonium ions with the −OH groups along HPC backbone. The PIB branch length in the graft copolymers could be designed by living cationic polymerization and the grafting density could be adjusted by PIB+/−OH molar ratio. The living PIB chains carrying oxonium ion were prepared by transformation of allyl bromide end groups in the presence of AgClO4 and silver nanoparticles (3.2±0.3 nm, 0.7 wt%–1.8 wt%) generated in situ from AgBr. The phase-separation morphology was formed in the graft copolymers due to their incompatibility between backbone and branches. The hydrophilicity on the surface of graft copolymer films could be turned to hydrophobicity by increasing grafting density or/and length of PIB branches. The soft PIB segments in graft copolymers provided an unique surface via self-assembly for anti-protein adsorption against bovine serum albumin. A small amount of Ag nanoparticles in the copolymers contributed to good antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus or Escherichia coli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(styrene-b-isobutylene-b-styrene) triblock copolymer (SIBS), a kind of thermoplastic elastomer with biocompatibility and biostability containing fully saturated soft segments, could be synthesized via living cationic copolymerization. A novel poly[(styrene-co-methylstyrene)-b-isobutylene-b-(styrene-co-methylstyrene)]-g-polytetrahydrofuran (M-SIBS-g-PTHF) block graft copolymer was prepared to increase the polarity and service temperature of SIBS by grafting polar PTHF segments onto SIBS. A series of the above block graft copolymers with average grafting numbers from 2 to 6 and molecular weights of PTHF branches ranging from 200 g·mol−1 to 4200 g·mol−1 were successfully synthesized via living cationic ring-opening polymerization of tetrahydrofuran (THF) coinitiated by AgClO4. The introduction of PTHF branches led to an obvious microphase separation due to thermodynamic incompatibility among the three kinds of segments of polyisobutylene (PIB), polystyrene (PS) and PTHF. Moreover, the microphase separation promotes the rearrangement of PTHF branches to form the nanocrystallization-locked physically cross-linked network after storage at room temperature for 2 months, leading to insolubility of the copolymers even in good solvents. The melting temperature and enthalpy of PTHF nanocrystallization locked in hard domains of M-SIBS-g5-PTHF-1.1k block graft copolymer increased remarkably up to 153 °C and 117.0 J·g−1 by 23 °C and 11.6 J·g−1 respectively after storage for long time. Storage modulus (G′) is higher than loss modulus (G″) of M-SIBS-g-PTHF block graft copolymer at temperatures ranging from 100 °C to 180 °C, which is much higher than those of the SIBS triblock copolymer. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of high performance M-SIBS-g-PTHF block graft copolymers containing segments of PIB, PS and PTHF with nanocrystallization-locked architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Mechanobiological stimuli, such as low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS), have been shown to promote bone regeneration and fresh fracture repair, but the fundamental biophysical mechanisms involved remain elusive. Here, we propose that a mechanosensitive ion channel of Piezo1 plays a pivotal role in the noninvasive ultrasound-induced mechanical transduction pathway to trigger downstream cellular signal processes. This study aims to investigate the expression and role of Piezo1 in MC3T3-E1 cells after LIPUS treatment. Immunofluorescence analysis shows that Piezo1 was present on MC3T3-E1 cells and could be ablated by shRNA transfection. MC3T3-E1 cell migration and proliferation were significantly increased by LIPUS stimulation, and knockdown of Piezo1 restricted the increase in cell migration and proliferation. After labeling with Fluo-8, MC3T3-E1 cells exhibited fluorescence intensity traces with several high peaks compared with the baseline during LIPUS stimulation. No obvious change in the fluorescence intensity tendency was observed after LIPUS stimulation in shRNA-Piezo1 cells, which was similar to the results in the GsMTx4-treated group. The phosphorylation ratio of ERK1/2 in MC3T3-E1 cells was significantly increased (P < 0.01) after LIPUS stimulation. In addition, Phalloidin-iFluor-labeled F-actin filaments immediately accumulated in the perinuclear region after LIPUS stimulation, continued for 5 min, and then returned to their initial levels at 30 min. These results suggest that Piezo1 can transduce LIPUS-induced mechanical signals into intracellular calcium. The influx of Ca2+ serves as a second messenger to activate ERK1/2 phosphorylation and perinuclear F-actin filament polymerization, which regulate the proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a novel quantum network coding scheme to achieve the perfect transmission of quantum states without loss of information. In our scheme, two pairs of non-maximally entangled states are pre-shared between senders. By applying the local operations at the sender, the perfect transmission of quantum states can be achieved on the butterfly network. Firstly, by adding auxiliary particles to the senders on the butterfly network, the senders can judge whether the quantum state transmission can be achieved or not in advance. The outstanding advantage of our scheme is that the transmission results of quantum states on the butterfly network can be predicted in advance. When the transmission fails, the quantum state will not be lost. The sender does not need to re-prepare the quantum state for retransmission. Secondly, in the proposed scheme, not only the resources of quantum channel and classical channel are greatly saved, but also only two-bit information is send through classical channel at the bottleneck. Thirdly, our scheme avoids preparing Bell basis to measure two-particle states and uses Z-basis and X-basis to measure single-particle states, which will make the experimental realization simplified. Finally, we also extend the scheme to the k-pair quantum network and give an example of quantum 3-pair network communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nucleus pulposus (NP) in the intervertebral disk (IVD) depends on diffusive fluid transport for nutrients through the cartilage endplate (CEP). Disruption in fluid exchange of the NP is considered a cause of IVD degeneration. Furthermore, CEP calcification and sclerosis are hypothesized to restrict fluid flow between the NP and CEP by decreasing permeability and porosity of the CEP matrix. We performed a finite element analysis of an L3–L4 lumbar functional spine unit with poro-elastic constitutive equations. The aim of the study was to predict changes in the solid and fluid parameters of the IVD and CEP under structural changes in CEP. A compressive load of 500 N was applied followed by a 10 Nm moment in extension, flexion, lateral bending, and axial rotation to the L3–L4 model with fully saturated IVD, CEP, and cancellous bone. A healthy case of L3–L4 physiology was then compared to two cases of CEP sclerosis: a calcified cartilage endplate and a fluid constricted sclerotic cartilage endplate. Predicted NP fluid velocity increased for the calcified CEP and decreased for the calcified + less permeable CEP. Decreased NP fluid velocity was prominent in the axial direction through the CEP due to a less permeable path available for fluid flux. Fluid pressure and maximum principal stress in the NP were predicted to increase in both cases of CEP sclerosis compared to the healthy case. The porous medium predictions of this analysis agree with the hypothesis that CEP sclerosis decreases fluid flow out of the NP, builds up fluid pressure in the NP, and increases the stress concentrations in the NP solid matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The convergence-confinement method is widely used in conventional tunneling at a preliminary stage of the support design. A circular tunnel through the ground in an initially isotropic stress state and the behavior of ground-support interaction simplified utilizing a two-dimensional plane-strain are postulated. From a point of view of practical application, the direct algorithm process so-called the direct calculation method (DCM) is proposed in this paper to deal with solving the solution of stresses/displacements between the ground reaction curve (GRC) and the support confining curve (SCC) in the final equilibrium state by applying the simultaneous equations in the elastic region and using the numerical analysis known as the Newton recursion method for finding roots of the non-linear equations in the plastic region. This explicit procedure also can realize the analytical solution to an executable computation that can be stepwise estimated by using a simple calculation spreadsheet. The validity of the developed method for the analytical solution was examined by the finite element analysis (FEM) to investigate the influence of mechanical properties of the ground and the time-dependent effects of the shotcrete lining-support on the GRC, SCC and stress path at the intrados of the tunnel. The agreement of results between DCM and FEM was found to be excellent in the elastic and elastic-perfectly plastic media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neodymium complexes containing N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands, NdCl3[1,3-R2(NCH=)2C:]·THFx(Nd1: R = 2,6-iPr2C6H3, x = 0; Nd2: R = 2,6-Et2C6H3, x = 1; Nd3: R = 2,4,6-Me3C6H2, x = 1) were synthesized and employed as precatalysts for the coordination polymerization of conjugated dienes (butadiene and isoprene). In combination with triisobutylaluminium (TIBA), Nd1 promoted butadiene polymerization to produce extremely high cis-1,4 (up to 99.0%) polybutadienes with high molecular weight (Mw = 250–780 kg·mol−1). The Nd1/TIBA catalytic system also exhibited both high catalytic activity and cis-1,4 selectivity (up to 97.8%) for isoprene polymerization. The catalytic activity, molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of resulting polydienes were directly influenced by Al/Nd molar ratio, aging method, and polymerization temperature. Very interestingly, the high cis-1,4 selectivity of the catalyst towards butadiene and isoprene kept almost unchanged under different reaction conditions. The cis-1,4 polyisoprenes with high molecular weight (Mw = 210–530 kg·mol−1) and narrow molecular weight distribution (Mw/Mn = 1.9–2.7) as well as high cis-1,4 selectivity (~97%) could be synthesized by using the aged Nd1/TIBA catalytic system in the presence of isoprene (100 equivalent to Nd) at low Al/Nd molar ratios of 6–10. Polyisoprenes with low molecular weights (Mw = 12–76 kg·mol−1) and narrow molecular weight distributions (Mw/Mn = 1.7–2.6) were obtained by using Nd2 and Nd3 as precatalysts, indicating that the molecular weight of resulting polyisoprenes can be adjusted by changing the substitutes of ligand in Nd complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel quantum blockchain scheme is proposed to optimize the security of blockchain. Firstly, we propose the definition of quantum blockchain and provide its construction in detail. Additionally, its advantages are also summarized in this work. Secondly, based on the quantum no-cloning theorem, we define a new type of cryptocurrency which we call it quantum coin. Meanwhile, we adopt quantum entanglement and DPoS to design a novel quantum blockchain scheme. At last, we analyze the security of this proposed scheme in terms of the secret keys and quantum coin. It is shown that some attacks, such as man-in-the-middle attack, double spending attack and state-estimation attack, can be resisted. More specifically, under quantum computing attacks, the scheme is also secure. To sum up, through the principles of quantum cryptography and DPoS, this novel quantum blockchain obviously provides better security and higher efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic solar cells are used in low-cost solar energy applications. Recently, organo-lead halide perovskite solar cells have attracted considerable interest. Low-temperature spin-coating is the simplest method to fabricate the low-cost solar cells; however, forming a continuous perovskite film by spin coating a precursor solution of lead iodide (PbI2) and methylammonium iodide (CH3NH3I) is challenging. This work investigated the characteristics of perovskite thin film, prepared using dimethylformamide (DMF) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)/γ-butyrolactone (GBL) solvents in the direct mixing of PbI2 and CH3NH3I. Perovskite films prepared using the DMSO/GBL solvent had greater crystallinity and compactness than those using the DMF solvent. Cell performance was improved by a perovskite absorber using the DMSO/GBL solvent to a power conversion efficiency of 8.87%, an open-circuit voltage of 0.82 V, a current density of 17.13 mA/cm2, and a fill factor of 63.01%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The (k, n)-threshold quantum secret sharing scheme is an important and difficult field in quantum information processing and quantum cryptography. In this paper, the (k, n)-threshold quantum secret sharing scheme based on local operations and classical communication (LOCC-QSS) is investigated. Firstly, in order to effectively study the LOCC-QSS scheme, digital and graphical representations of judgement space are introduced creatively. These representations are simple and convenient. Secondly, an algorithm is designed to search optional states for any given k and n. For optional states, the unambiguous probability equals 0 when x participants cooperate (x < k). Thirdly, a method is proposed to decrease the guessing probability. Some schemes which are more secure than existing ones can be obtained further. Last but not least, the conditions of optimal LOCC-QSS schemes are given for the first time. Our research will be helpful for the development of LOCC-QSS scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel quaternized hydroxypropyl cellulose-g-poly(THF-co-epichlorohydrin) graft copolymers, HPC-g-QCP(THF-co-ECH), have been successfully synthesized to combine the properties from hydrophilic hard HPC biomacromolecular backbone and hydrophobic flexible polyether branches. Firstly, the P(THF-co-ECH) living chains were synthesized by cationic ring-opening copolymerization of THF with ECH. Secondly, P(THF-co-ECH) living chains were grafted onto HPC backbone by reaction with —OH groups along HPC to produce HPC-g-P(THF-co-ECH) graft copolymers. Thirdly, the mentioned graft copolymers were quaternized by reaction with ternary amine to generate functionalized HPC-g-QCP(THF-co-ECH). The HPC-g-QCP(THF-co-ECH) graft copolymers exhibited good antibacterial ability against S. aureus or E. coli bacteria. The ibuprofen (IBU)-loaded microparticles of HPC-g-(QC)P(THF-co-ECH) graft copolymers were prepared by electrospraying. The in vitro pH-responsive drug-release behavior of IBU reached up to 75% of drug-loaded at pH = 7.4. This quaternized graft copolymer was beneficial to solving the problems of a burst effect and fast release of HPC as drug carriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The silicone rubber mold (SRM) has large applications for the pilot runs in the mold industry because it is capable of reducing the cost and time in a new product development phase. However, the cooling performance in the cooling stage is not acceptable after the injection molding due to low thermal conductivity of this material. To improve the cooling performance, five different fillers were added into the silicone rubber (SR) to develop SRM with better cooling performance in the cooling stage after injection molding. It was found that the alcohol used to remove the polyvinyl butyral resin cooling channels is less volatile, environmentally friendly, and less harmful to the operator compared with conventional method using acetone to remove the acrylonitrile butadiene styrene cooling channels. The cooling time of the molded wax pattern can be saved by 42.7%, 53.8%, 45.7%, 50.9%, and 16.7% for SRM with 60 wt.% Al, 80 wt.% Fe, 70 wt.% Cu, 25 wt.% graphite (G), and 20 wt.% carbon black powders compared with that for SRM without any fillers. The SR filled with 20 wt.% G powder seems to be the optimal method for producing an SRM with better cooling performance based on the heat transfer coefficient, production cost, and production yield of SRM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The time-domain multiple cavity scattering problem, which arises in diverse scientific areas, has significant industrial and military applications. The multiple cavities, embedded in an infinite ground plane, is filled with inhomogeneous media characterized by variable dielectric permittivities and magnetic permeabilities. Corresponding to the transverse electric, the scattering problem can be studied by the Helmholtz equation in frequency domain and wave equation in time-domain respectively. A novel transparent boundary condition in time-domain is developed to reformulate the cavity scattering problem into an initial-boundary value problem in a bounded domain. The well-posedness and stability of the reduced problem are established. Moreover, a priori energy estimates for the electric field is obtained with minimum regularity requirement for the data and an explicit dependence on the time by studying the wave equation directly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we evaluated the effect of functional disuse-induced bone remodeling on its mechanical properties, individually at periosteum and medullary endosteum regions of the cortical bone. Left middle tibiae were obtained from 5-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats for the baseline control as well as hindlimb suspended (disuse) groups. Micro-nano-mechanical elastic moduli (at lateral region) was evaluated along axial (Z), circumferential (C) and radial (R) orientations using nanoindentation. Results indicated an anisotropic microstructure with axial orientation having the highest and radial orientation with the lowest moduli at periosteum and medullary endosteum for both baseline control as well as disuse groups. Between the groups: at periosteum, an insignificant difference was evaluated for each of the orientations (p > 0.05) and at endosteum, a significant decrease of elastic moduli in the radial (p < 0.0001), circumferential (p < 0.001) and statistically insignificant difference in axial (p > 0.05) orientation. For the moduli ratios between groups: at periosteum, only significant difference in the Z/R (p < 0.05) anisotropy ratio, whereas at endosteum, a statistically significant difference in Z/C (p < 0.001), and Z/R (p < 0.001), as well as C/R (p < 0.05) anisotropy ratios, was evaluated. The results suggested initial bone remodeling impaired bone micro-architecture predominantly at the medullary endosteum with possible alterations in the geometric orientations of collagen and mineral phases inside the bone. The findings could be significant for studying the mechanotransduction pathways involved in maintaining the bone micro-architecture and possibly have high clinical significance for drug use against impairment from functional disuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The random copolymers of isobutylene (IB) with polar comonomers of 4-acetoxystyrene (ACS) or 4-tert-butoxystyrene (TBO), P(IB-co-ACS) and P(IB-co-TBO), could be successfully synthesized via cationic copolymerization with FeCl3-based initiating system. The kinetics of the cationic copolymerization process was in situ investigated by inserting a diamond probe into the reaction system by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. The chemical structure and incorporation content of polar comonomers in the copolymers were characterized by GPC with RI/UV dual detectors and 1H-NMR spectroscopy. The corresponding functionalized random copolymers of IB with vinyl phenol P(IB-co-POH) carrying phenolic hydroxyl side groups could be further prepared via the complete hydrolysis of acetoxyl side groups in P(IB-co-ACS) or tert-butoxyl side groups in P(IB-co-TBO) copolymers. The functionalized P(IB-co-POH) copolymers became hydrophilic with water contact angle (WCA) of ca. 80° for the self-assembly in hot water, compared to the hydrophobic polyisobutylene with WCA of ca. 110°. The functionalized P(IB-co-POH) copolymers also displayed an excellent self-healing property due to the interaction of intermolecular hydrogen bonding and formation of three dimentional supramolecular networks from phenolic hydroxyl side groups. Furthermore, P(IB-co-POH) copolymers also provided a good matrix for the homogeneous dispersion for silica nanoparticles due to the formation of hydrogen bonding between copolymer chains and silica nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, a fluorescent and antibacterial nanocomposite film based on Zinc sulphide (ZnS) quantum dots, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was successfully synthesized. CNCs were first decorated in situ with ZnS quantum dots, which were then introduced into a PVA matrix to prepare nanocomposite films with good fluorescent and antibacterial properties. The X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope analysis indicated that ZnS nanoparticles were well-dispersed and randomly coated on the CNCs with uniform particle size. The visible emission peak in the ZnS/CNCs nanocomposites was 473 nm with an excitation wavelength of 350 nm. The CNCs loaded with ZnS quantum dots exhibited bright blue fluorescence under the ultraviolet light. Additionally, CNCs/ZnS nanocomposite films also had good antibacterial properties (bacterial inhibition rate = 78.25%).Graphical abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have shown that intermittent hypobaric hypoxia (IH) preconditioning protected neurons survival from brain ischemia. However, the mechanism remains to be elucidated. The present study explored the role of nitric oxide (NO) in the process by measuring the expression of NO synthase (NOS) and NO levels. Male Wistar rats (100) were randomly assigned into four groups: sham group, IH + sham group, ischemia group and IH + ischemia group. Rats for IH preconditioning were exposed to hypobaric hypoxia mimicking 5000 m high-altitude (PB = 404 mmHg, PO2 = 84 mmHg) 6 h/day, once daily for 28 days. Global brain ischemia was established by four-vessel occlusion that has been created by Pulsinelli. Rats were sacrificed at 7th day after the ischemia for neuropathological evaluation by thionin stain. In addition, the expression of neuronal NOS (nNOS), inducible NOS (iNOS), and NO content in the hippocampal CA1 subfield were measured at 2nd day and 7th day after the ischemia. Results revealed that global brain ischemia engendered delayed neuronal death (DND), both nNOS and iNOS expression up-regulated, and NO content increased in the hippocampal CA1 subfield. IH preconditioning reduced neuronal injury induced by the ischemia, and prevented the up-regulation of NOS expression and NO production. In addition, L-NAME + ischemia group was designed to detect whether depressing NO production could alleviate the DND. Pre-administration of L-NAME alleviated DND induced by the ischemia. These results suggest that IH preconditioning plays a protective role by inhibiting the over expression of NOS and NO content after brain ischemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Sclerostin is an osteocyte-derived protein that has a potent inhibitory effect on osteoblast activity. The osteocyte apoptosis induced by various causes of osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) plays a key role in the promotion of femoral head collapse. But the effect of altering sclerostin level on the collapse of ONFH has not been studied. Our aim was to assess the role of sclerostin level in the collapse of ONFH.Methods: Between May 2016 and November 2016, 236 subjects were enrolled in the present study. The patients were classified according to the Association Research Circulation Osseous (ARCO) classification. The clinical bone histomorphology, the expression position, and level of sclerostin as well as the plasma sclerostin level were evaluated.Results: The sclerostin level was significantly lower in the non-traumatic ONFH group than those in the healthy control group (P = 0.002). The sclerostin level was negatively associated with ARCO stages (r = - 0.239, P = 0.009) and significantly lower in the postcollapse group (P = 0.025).Conclusions: The reduced expression of sclerostin may play a key role in the collapse process of ONFH and be predictive of the disease progression of ONFH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Red clay has obvious nonlinear dynamic characteristics during dynamic compaction. In this paper, based on equal energy level, the dynamic compaction model tests on red clay under different testing programs were conducted. Dynamic stress, duration of dynamic compaction and crater depth were measured. During dynamic compaction, the distribution and the variation of dynamic stress and the reinforcement effect were analyzed. The best fitting equation of crater depth was established. Test results show that during dynamic compaction, the peak dynamic stress decreased with the depth. In addition, dynamic stress at each point had obvious time lag. By increasing drop numbers, the peak dynamic stress in soil also increased. Until the peak dynamic stress variation fluctuated within a certain range and also the depth, the optimum number of the drop was achieved. When single tamping energy was the same, the peak dynamic stress with heavier tamper was larger than that with lighter tamper at same point. Dimensional analysis was applied to obtain the fitting equation of crater depth. The parameters of fitting equation demonstrated that the influence of the weight of tamper on crater depth was greater than that of the drop height under the identical tamping energy. Consequently, the utilization efficiency and reinforcement effects of heavier tamper with lower drop height are greater than that of lighter tamper with higher drop height at an identical energy level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates a new analytical technique for the quantitative detection of total sugar content in lignocellulosic hydrolysates by reaction headspace gas chromatography (HS-GC). By detecting the carbon dioxide (CO) generated from the reaction between sugars in lignocellulosic hydrolysates and potassium dichromate, the total sugar content in lignocellulosic hydrolysates can be quantified. The data illustrate that the conversion of sugars in lignocellulose hydrolysates can be achieved under the given conditions (at 90 °C for 30 min), the relative standard deviation of this HS-GC technique in the total sugar content determination was within 3.35%, and the measured total sugar content in 15 lignocellulose hydrolysate samples closely matched those measured by the reference spectrophotometric technique (relative differences <7.69%). The present technique is efficient, reliable and suitable to be used in the total sugar content quantification in lignocellulose hydrolysate related research and process control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposed a new reaction headspace gas chromatographic (HS-GC) method for efficiently quantifying the total starch content in wheat flours. A certain weight of wheat flour was oxidized by potassium dichromate in an acidic condition in a sealed headspace vial. The results show that the starch in wheat flour can be completely transferred to carbon dioxide at the given conditions (at 100 °C for 40 min) and the total starch content in wheat flour sample can be indirectly quantified by detecting the CO formed from the oxidation reaction. The data showed that the relative standard deviation of the reaction HS-GC method in the precision test was less than 3.06%, and the relative differences between the new method and the reference method (titration method) were no more than 8.90%. The new reaction HS-GC method is automated, accurate, and can be a reliable tool for determining the total starch content in wheat flours in both laboratory and industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on the development of a new full evaporation (FE) headspace technique based on multiple headspace extraction (MHE). Using multiple headspace extraction procedures, the sample volume used in the headspace can be dramatically increased, thereby significantly enhancing the sensitivity. The technique was applied to the quantification of ethanol. The results showed that up to 0.2 mL of ethanol solution can be used in full evaporation HS-GC analysis by adding multiple headspace extraction procedures. The sensitivity for ethanol content was ten times higher than that in conventional full evaporation HS-GC measurement without using multiple headspace extraction procedures. The present MHE-FE headspace analytical technique is accurate and automated and has great potential for the application in determining volatile analytes in aqueous samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two- and three-dimensional assemblies of carbon nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes and graphene are necessary to harness their remarkable physicochemical properties in many clean energy, electronics, and biomedical applications. Herein we report a facile, economical, and versatile method for layer-by-layer fabrication of chemically-crosslinked carbon nanomaterial assemblies by ultrasonic spray coating combined with radical-initiated crosslinking reaction. The chemical, surface, and mechanical properties of the carbon nanomaterial coatings were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning- and transmission-electron microscopy, and nano-dynamic mechanical analysis. Our results indicate that the macroscopic 2D assemblies of crosslinked carbon nanotubes or graphene nanoparticles have surface uniformity, are chemically-crosslinked, and are mechanically robust. We further provide proof-of-concept demonstration of fabricating free-standing, porous, 3D single-walled carbon nanotube structures. Taken together, the results opens avenues toward adapting our method to enable 3D printing or additive manufacturing of all-carbon nanomaterial structures. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The objective of the present study is to determine the role of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and downstream EP receptors in the development of human papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). A total of 90 thyroid specimens excised from patients undergoing total or subtotal thyroidectomy in the Department of General Surgery, the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, China, from August 2013 to September 2014, were analyzed. The quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemical analyses were employed to examine the messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression, respectively. The expressions and significances of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1), PGE2, and EP receptors in PTC and nodular goiter were investigated. The COX-2 mRNA and protein expression level significantly increased in the PTC tissues than in the paired noncarcinoma tissues adjacent to the PTC or nodular goiter tissues. The mPGES-1 protein expression was also significantly upregulated in the PTC tissues. All the four subtypes of EP receptors (EP1-4) could express in the thyroid tissues, while only the EP4 mRNA and protein levels significantly increased in the PTC tissues. The local production of PGE2 had a higher-level expression in the PTC tissues than in the noncarcinoma thyroid tissues adjacent to the PTC lesion and the benign nodular goiter tissues. The induction of PGE2 biosynthesis as well as the overexpression of EP4 in PTC suggested that this pathway might play an important role in the carcinogenesis and progression of PTC. These observations raise the possibility that pharmacological inhibition of mPGES-1 and/or EP4 may hold therapeutic promise in this common cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the density matrices derived from combinatorial Laplacian matrix of graphs is considered. More specifically, the paper places emphasis on the star-relevant graph, which means adding certain edges on peripheral vertices of star graph. Initially, we provide the spectrum of the density matrices corresponding to star-like graph (i.e., adding an edge on star graph) and present that the Von Neumann entropy increases under the graph operation (adding an edge on star graph) and the graph operation cannot be simulated by local operation and classical communication (LOCC). Subsequently, we illustrate the spectrum of density matrices corresponding to star-alike graph (i.e., adding one edge on star-like graph) and exhibit that the Von Neumann entropy increases under the graph operation (adding an edge on star-like graph) and the graph operation cannot be simulated by LOCC. Finally, the spectrum of density matrices corresponding to star-mlike graph (i.e., adding m nonadjacent edges on the peripheral vertices of star graph) is demonstrated and the relation between the graph operation and Von Neumann entropy, LOCC is revealed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cooperative communication is starting to attract substantial research attention in quantum information theory. However, given a specific network, it is still unknown whether quantum cooperative communication can be successfully performed. In this paper, we investigate network coding for quantum cooperative multicast (QCM) over the classic butterfly network. A very reasonable definition of QCM is first introduced. It not only perfectly focuses on the basic idea of quantum cooperative communication, but also wonderfully reflects the characteristic of classical multicast over a specific network structure. Next, we design QCM protocol for two-level systems and generalize the protocol into d-dimensional Hilbert space. It is shown that our protocols have significant advantages in terms of resource cost and compatibility with classical multicast. Besides, the success probability, which only depends on the coefficients of the initial quantum states, is carefully analyzed. In particular if the source nodes choose the quantum equatorial states, success probability can reach 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]