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Tumor cells establish a robust self-defense system characterized by hypoxia, antioxidant overexpression, DNA damage repair, and so forth to resist radiotherapy. Targeting one of these features is insufficient to overcome radioresistance due to the feedback mechanisms initiated by tumor cells under radiotherapy. Therefore, we herein developed an engineering biomimetic nanosystem (M@HHPt) masked with tumor cell membranes and loaded with a hybridized protein-based nanoparticle carrying oxygens (O2) and cisplatin prodrugs (Pt(IV)) to target multiple tumor radioresistance hallmarks for enhanced radiotherapy. After administration, M@HHPt actively targeted and smoothly accumulated in tumor cells by virtue of its innate homing abilities to realize efficient co-delivery of O2 and Pt(IV). O2 introduction induced hypoxia alleviation cooperated with Pt(IV) reduction caused glutathione consumption greatly amplified radiotherapy-ignited cellular oxidative stress. Moreover, the released cisplatin effectively hindered DNA damage repair by crosslinking with radiotherapy-produced DNA fragments. Consequently, M@HHPt-sensitized radiotherapy significantly suppressed the proliferation of lung cancer H1975 cells with an extremely high sensitizer enhancement ratio of 1.91 and the progression of H1975 tumor models with an excellent tumor inhibition rate of 94.7%. Overall, this work provided a feasible strategy for tumor radiosensitization by overcoming multiple radioresistance mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polaron, a quasiparticle system formed by the interaction of electrons and phonons in quantum well (QW) materials, is very important for the photoelectric properties of low-dimensional materials. Therefore, the ground state binding energy (GSBE) and vibration frequency (VF) of magnetic-impurity polaron in a QW system subjected to parabolic potential in x and y directions and semi-exponential potential in z direction are studied by unitary transformation and variational method. We found that the VF and GSBE with magnetic field cyclotron frequency (MFCF), the parameter of the asymmetrical semi-exponential confinement potential (ASECP), effective confinement lengths (ECL) of the Coulombic impurity potential (CIP). The above results not only show the quantum size effect of materials but also provide a theoretical idea for regulating the polaron effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to investigate the predictive validity of monocyte to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (MHR) for coronary artery lesions (CALs) and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) resistance in complete Kawasaki disease (KD). MHR values of a total of 207 complete KD patients were calculated and analyzed with regard to their clinical characteristics and outcomes. We compared the differences in clinical data and laboratory parameters between CAL+ group and CAL- group as well as between IVIG-resistant group and IVIG-responsive group. Spearman's correlation analysis was applied to evaluate the correlation between C-reactive protein (CRP) and MHR. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify risk factors of CALs and IVIG resistance. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was chosen to determine the optimal cut-off value of MHR and its validity in predicting CALs and IVIG resistance. The MHR level was significantly higher in the CAL+ group, with cut-off value of 1.30 g/L, yielding a sensitivity of 0.753 and specificity of 0.805, as well as in IVIG-resistant group, with cut-off value of 1.03 g/L, yielding a sensitivity of 0.97 and specificity of 0.485. Multivariate logistic regression showed that MHR was an independent risk factor for CALs but not for IVIG resistance. According to the Spearman's correlation analysis, CRP was positively correlated with the MHR. Conclusions: As a practical, cost-effective inflammatory biomarker, MHR has a significantly predictive value in complete KD children complicated with CALs and IVIG-resistance. Paying more attention to the changes of MHR in KD children may contribute to better understanding of KD development and prognosis in clinical practice. What is Known: • CALs are the most prevalent serious sequela of KD, and approximately 10%~20% of patients do not respond to IVIG therapy. • MHR could be a convenient biomarker to predict the development and progression of CVDs. It has been reported that the MHR is a new prognostic biomarker in several CVDs. What is New: • MHR has a significantly predictive value in KD children complicated with CALs and IVIG-resistance. • Compared with the molecular and immunological biomarkers that have been reported, MHR has the characteristics of practical, cost-effective, higher sensitivity and specificity, which can be used as a predictive indicator in complete KD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate quality and pricing decisions for two competing firms in an e-marketplace with online customer reviews. Through developing two-stage game-theoretical models and comparing the equilibriums, we examine the optimal choice among different alternative product strategies: static strategy, adjusting the price, adjusting the quality level, and adjusting both the quality and price dynamically. Our results show that the existence of online customer reviews tends to encourage firms to increase quality and charge low prices in the early stage, and decrease quality and raise prices in the later stage. Moreover, firms should choose the optimal product strategies depending on the impact of customers' private assessment of product quality from the product information disclosed by firms on the overall perceived product utility and customer uncertainty about the perceived degree of product fit. After our comparisons, the dual-element dynamic strategy is more likely to outperform other strategies financially. Furthermore, we extend our models to examine how the optimal choice of quality and pricing strategies will change if the competing firms have asymmetric initial online customer reviews. From the extended analysis, a dynamic pricing strategy may generate better financial performance than the dynamic quality strategy, which is different from the finding in the basic scenario. Firms should choose the dual-element dynamic strategy, the dynamic quality strategy, the dual-element dynamic strategy coupled with dynamic pricing, and the dynamic pricing strategy in sequence as the impact of customers' private assessment of product quality on the overall perceived product utility and the weight that the second-stage customers place on their private assessment increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cleft lip and/or palate (CLP) are the most common craniofacial malformations in humans. Speech problems often persist even after cleft repair, such that follow-up articulation training is usually required. However, the neural mechanism behind effective articulation training remains largely unknown. We used fMRI to investigate the differences in brain activation, functional connectivity, and effective connectivity across CLP patients with and without articulation training and matched normal participants. We found that training promoted task-related brain activation among the articulation-related brain networks, as well as the global attributes and nodal efficiency in the functional-connectivity-based graph of the network. Our results reveal the neural correlates of effective articulation training in CLP patients, and this could contribute to the future improvement of the post-repair articulation training program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing wireless signals for gesture recognition and human identification is an emerging type of technology for touchless user interface, which allows the computer to automatically identify the user and interpret his/her gestures as commands. Such techniques extract features to profile the fluctuation of time series wireless signals to infer human gestures/identities. Among which, device-free approach becomes more attractive because it does not need human to carry or wear sensing devices. Existing device-free solutions, though yielding good performance, require heavy crafting on data preprocessing and feature extraction. In this paper, we propose RFnet, a multi-branch 1D-CNN based framework, that explores the possibility of directly utilizing time series RFID signal to recognize static/dynamic gestures as well as the identity of users, which can benefit a large number of applications such as smart homes where security is also a prior concern. We conduct extensive experiments in three different environments. The results demonstrate the superior effectiveness of the proposed RFnet framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This correction notice is for an article titled "Predictive value of monocyte to HDL-C ratio for coronary artery lesions and intravenous immunoglobulin resistance in Kawasaki disease" published in the European Journal of Pediatrics. The correction addresses an error in the abbreviation used in the title and keywords, which should have been "HDL-C" instead of "HCL-C". The original article has been corrected. The publisher, Springer Nature, maintains a neutral stance on jurisdictional claims and institutional affiliations. The authors of the article are Jia-Ran Wang, Hai-Zhao Zhao, Lu-Jie Chang, Xue Xu, Yuan Gao, Meng Li, Qing-Yu Kong, Min-Min Wang, and Cui-Fen Zhao. [Extracted from the article]

Investigations on the properties of polarons in coupling quantum dots (QDs) are useful for the designs of quantum devices and applications of QDs. Based on accurately solving the time-independent Schrödinger equation, the famous Lee-Low-Pines unitary transformation (LLPUT) and variation methods, we have obtained the ground state energy of polarons in two spherical quantum dots (TSQD) with Coulomb interaction. The numerical results show that Coulomb interaction energy, electronic kinetic energy, induced potential and the ground state energy all decrease with increasing the interval of spherical centers or radius of quantum dot (QD). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We established a rabbit iliac artery restenosis model to explore the impact of Telmisartan on the expression of Connexin43 (Cx43) and neointimal hyperplasia. Thirty New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into three groups: control group (n = 10), restenosis group (n = 10), and Telmisartan group (n = 10). The restenosis model was established by high-cholesterol diet combined with double-balloon injury of iliac arteries. In addition, Telmisartan at 5 mg/(kg day) was administered to the rabbits of Telmisartan group on the second day after the second balloon injury. All rabbits were killed at the end of the experiment followed by institution policy. Before sacrifice, blood samples were obtained to test serum angiotensinII (AngII). Iliac arteries were isolated for morphological analysis and determining the expression of Cx43 by HE staining, immunohistochemical analysis, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and Western Blotting analysis. Then, the local AngII levels of arteries were measured by radioimmunoassay. As compared with controls, the expression of Cx43 mRNA (0.98 ± 0.08) vs. (1.27 ± 0.17), P < 0.01), and Cx43 protein [(0.75 ± 0.08) vs. (0.90 ± 0.08), P < 0.05] of restenosis group were increased, which were significantly higher than those of Telmisartan group [Cx43 mRNA: (1.27 ± 0.17) vs. (1.00 ± 0.20), P < 0.01; Cx43 protein: (0.90 ± 0.08) vs. (0.82 ± 0.05), P < 0.05]. Furthermore, The intima thickness [(266.12 ± 70.27) vs. (2.85 ± 0.19) μm, P < 0.01] and the local AngII [(115.6 ± 15.7) vs. (90.1 ± 7.7), P < 0.05] of restenosis group were raised when compared with controls. Telmisartan group exhibited thinner intima compared with restenosis group [(68.22 ± 24.37) vs. (266.12 ± 70.27), P < 0.01]. However, the local AngII levels between these two groups were approximate. In addition, the plasma concentration of AngII was not significantly different among three groups. In conclusion, Telmisartan can inhibit the expression of connexin43 and neointimal hyperplasia in iliac artery restenosis model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Breast cancer is the most common invasive type of cancer among women. Role of different microRNAs (miRNAs) and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs) in breast cancer has been well established. This study aimed to explore the effects of miR-891b on sensitizing breast cancer cells to alkylating chemotherapeutic drugs through PARPs.Methods: The expression of miR-891b and PARP1 in human breast cancer cells HCC1806 was overexpressed by transfection with their mimics or expressing vector. Then, the transfected cells were exposed to 40 µM N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) for 1 h. The correlation between miR-891b and PARP1 was detected by RT-qPCR, western blot, and dual-luciferase reporter assay. Besides, MTT assay and Annexin V assay were done to measure cell proliferation and apoptosis, respectively.Results: PARP1 was a target of miR-891b, and it was negatively regulated by miR-891b. MiR-891b increased the sensitivity of the HCC1806 cells to the cytotoxic effects of MNNG through suppressing cell proliferation and increasing the percentage of apoptotic cells. Restoration of PARP1 activity in the HCC1806 cells led to loss of miR-891b mediated sensitivity of the HCC1806 cells to MNNG.Conclusion: MiR-891b increases the sensitivity of the breast cancer cells (HCC1806) to the cytotoxic effects of the chemotherapeutic agent MNNG by suppressing the expression of PARP1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electronic structure and optical properties of VO and Au-VO were studied using density functional theory. The calculation results show that the interaction between Au and O is stronger than that between V and O. There exists not only the covalent bonding but also ionic bonding in Au-O bond. The band gap of Au-VO is smaller than that of VO, while the dielectric constant, conductivity, and intensity of optical absorption of Au-VO are larger than those of VO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crustal earthquake focal mechanisms are investigated in the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, where the Tibetan Plateau and stable South China Block merge. An updated database of focal mechanisms has been compiled by selecting 132 Global Centroid Moment Tensor solutions and by adding the 173 new solutions (3.5 ≤ Ms ≤ 7.4) estimated by waveform inversion in this study. A total of 305 mechanisms are included in this database. These solutions show regionally specific distributions with dominant strike-slip faulting and some normal and reverse faulting. Focal mechanism solutions have also been inverted for the stress tensor orientation to obtain the principal stress axes over the study region. Results show that the horizontal maximum principal σ axes rotate clockwise with a wider range than the geodetically measured surface motion in the east, which is not limited to the Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang fault, but has some overlap with the Zhaotong-Lianfeng fault. Localized normal faulting stress regimes are observed in the Jinshajiang-Litang fault areas and the Baoshan sub-block. The minimum principal axes are oriented with a gradually changing trend from north-south to northwest-southeast, from north to south, indicating diverse compression stress patterns. Significant changes in the crustal stress field after the Wenchuan earthquake are preliminarily observed in the Baoshan sub-block where orientations of two principal axes have changed, and in the Jinggu-Ximeng sub-block areas where the strike-slip faulting stress pattern has transformed to normal faulting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the extrapolation theory and a sixth order compact difference scheme, new extrapolation interpolation operator and extrapolation cascadic multigrid methods for two dimensional Poisson equation are presented. The new extrapolation interpolation operator is used to provide a better initial value on refined grid. The convergence of the new methods are given. Numerical experiments are shown to illustrate that the new methods have higher accuracy and efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A couple with a proband child of GJB2 (encoding the gap junction protein connexin 26)-associated hearing impairment and a previous pregnancy miscarriage sought for a reproductive solution to bear a healthy child. Our study aimed to develop a customized preconception-to-neonate care trajectory to fulfill this clinical demand by integrating preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT), and noninvasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD) into the strategy. Auditory and genetic diagnosis of the proband child was carried out to identify the disease causative mutations. The couple then received in-vitro-fertilization treatment, and eight embryos were obtained for day 5 biopsy. PGD was performed by short-tandem-repeat linkage analysis and Sanger sequencing of GJB2 gene. Transfer of a GJB2c.235delC heterozygous embryo resulted in a singleton pregnancy. At the 13th week of gestation, genomic DNA (gDNA) from the trio family and cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from maternal plasma were obtained for assessment of fetal chromosomal aneuploidy and GJB2 mutations. NIPT and NIPD showed the absence of chromosomal aneuploidy and GJB2-associated disease in the fetus, which was later confirmed by invasive procedures and postnatal genetic/auditory diagnosis. This strategy successfully prevented the transmission of hearing impairment in the newborn, thus providing a valuable experience in reproductive management of similar cases and potentially other monogenic disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the effects of external fields that are present in nanostructures and can trap particles and manipulate their quantum states. To obtain the effects of temperature on the strong coupling magnetopolaron's first-excited-state energy (FESE) and transition frequency (TF), we use the Lee-Low-Pines unitary transformation (LLPUT) and linear combination operation (LCO) methods. Numerical results, performed in the 2D RbCl parabolic quantum dot (QD), show that the magnetopolaron's FESE and TF (MFESETF) increase with increasing the effective confinement strength and cyclotron frequency (CF) of the magnetic field and temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic structures of monoclinic and hexagonal pyrrhotite were studied using density functional theory method, together with their flotation behavior. The main contribution of monoclinic pyrrhotite is mainly from Fe 3d, while that of hexagonal pyrrhotite is from Fe 3d, Fe 3p and S 3s. The hexagonal pyrrhotite is more reactive than monoclinic pyrrhotite because of large density of states near the Fermi level. The hexagonal pyrrhotite shows antiferromagnetism. S-Fe bonds mainly exist in monoclinic pyrrhotite as the covalent bonds, while hexagonal pyrrhotite has no covalency. The main contributions of higest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular obital (LUMO) for monoclinic pyrrhotite come from S and Fe. The main contribution of HOMO for hexagonal pyrrhotite comes from Fe, while that of LUMO comes from S. The coefficient of Fe atom is much larger than that of S atom of HOMO for hexagonal pyrrhotite, which contributes to the adsorption of CaOH on the surface of hexagonal pyrrhotite when there is lime. As a result, lime has the inhibitory effect on the floatation of hexagonal pyrrhotite and the coefficient of Fe is very close to that of S for monoclinic pyrrhotite. Therefore, the existence of S prevents the adsorption of CaOH on the surface of monoclinic pyrrhotite, which leads to less inhibitory effect on the flotation of monoclinic pyrrhotite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigations on the properties of excited states of complex quantum systems can not only reveal the internal structure and properties of the system but also verify the accuracy of quantum theory. In the case of strong electron-longitudinal optical phonon coupling in a quantum pseudodot with an external magnetic field, the first excited state and transition frequency can be obtained by using the Pekar variational method and quantum statistics theory. Numerical calculations for CsI crystal show that (1) they are increasing functions of the magnetic field, and (2) they will first decrease and then increase as the temperature is increased from a low value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A decreased radioiodine uptake is associated with high recurrence rate and reduced survival in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Sodium iodide symporter (NIS) expression status in aggressive PTC variants is unknown. Methods: NIS expression in conventional PTC and aggressive PTC variants such as tall cell variant (TCV) and diffuse sclerosing variant (DSPTC) was investigated using immunohistochemical detection. Results: Patients having TCV and DSPTC were significantly more likely to have extrathyroidal extension and lymph nodes metastases ( P < 0.05). Positive NIS staining was identified in 228 of 312 (73.1 %) patients with conventional PTC, 9 of 28 (32.1 %) patients with TCV and 12 of 30 (40.0 %) patients with DSPTC. NIS expression distinguished conventional PTC from TCV and DSPTC significantly ( P < 0.01). Conclusion: Due to their low NIS expression, TCV and DSPTC need higher cumulative doses of radioactive iodine therapy to improve their prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First-principles calculations are performed to investigate the relaxation and electronic properties of sulfide minerals surfaces (MoS, SbS, CuS, ZnS, PbS and FeS) in presence of HO molecule. The calculated results show that the structure and electronic properties of sulfide minerals surfaces have been influenced in presence of HO molecule. The adsorption of the flotation reagent at the interface of mineral-water would be different from that of mineral surface due to the changes of surface structures and electronic properties caused by HO molecule. Hence, the influence of HO molecule on the reaction of flotation reagent with sulfide mineral surface will attract more attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Broilers in four groups were fed a basal diet supplemented with 60 mg/kg zinc oxide (60-ZnO; control), or 20, 60, or 100 mg/kg ZnO nanoparticles (20-, 60-, and 100-nano-ZnO, respectively). Compared with the controls, after 14 days, birds in the 20- and 60-nano-ZnO groups had significantly greater weight gains and better feed conversion ratios. However, the body weight of birds in the 100-nano-ZnO group was dramatically reduced after 28 days. Relative to the control group, the total antioxidant capability (T-AOC) in serum and liver tissue was significantly higher in the 20-nano-ZnO group at all time points and also significantly higher in the 60- and 100-nano-ZnO groups in serum on days 28 and 35 and in liver tissues on days 21 and 28. Compared with the controls, the activity of copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu-Zn-SOD) was significantly greater in the 60- and 100-nano-ZnO groups in serum on days 28 and 35 and in liver tissues after 21 days. Catalase activity in serum samples was significantly higher in the 20- and 60-nano-ZnO groups relative to the control and 100-nano-ZnO birds, but catalase activity in liver tissue was not affected by different nano-ZnO levels. Malondialdehyde content in serum and liver tissues was significantly reduced in the 20-, 60-, and 100-nano-ZnO groups compared with that in the control group at all time points except day 42. Taken together, our data indicate that appropriate concentration of dietary ZnO nanoparticles improves growth performance and antioxidative capabilities in broilers, and 20 mg/kg nano-ZnO is the optimal concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gold–silver (Au–Ag) bimetal dispersed SiO2 composite films were fabricated via a chemical solution approach combining sol–gel with a spin-coating process, and they were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra. TEM image indicated that Ag and/or Au nanoparticles (NPs) had a spherical structure with large size distributions. The XPS results demonstrated that the presence of both Ag and Au NPs in the composite film is in each metal state. The optical absorption spectra of the composite film further confirmed the formation of nanosized Au and Ag particles, given by the two surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peaks. Unlike other Au–Ag composite films, these two SPR peaks had almost the same intensity, which is rarely obtained by a chemical approach. Compared to optical absorption spectra calculated by the modified Mie theory, the location and intensity of SPR peaks had a little difference, which could be attributed to large size distributions of Ag and Au bimetal NPs in the composite film along with the experimental process. In addition, the intensity of both SPR peaks was content-related. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Bioaugmentation with degrading bacteria is an effective method to improve the treatment of refractory industrial wastewater; nevertheless there were controversial opinions about the fate of inoculated bacteria and microbial community dynamics. In this study, two lab-scale sequencing batch reactors filled with modified zeolite were used to treat a coking wastewater with pyridine and quinoline shock load, and a bacterial consortium containing three degrading strains was added in one reactor for bioaugmentation. During 120-day operation, the bioaugmented reactor removed over 99 % pyridine, 99 % quinoline, 85 % TOC, 65 % COD, and 95 % NO-N with higher resistance to the shock load than the non-bioaugmented reactor. Based on the terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism of 16S rDNA, bacterial community diversity increased in the bioaugmented reactor. Principal component analysis revealed that, to cope with the shock load, the indigenous bacterial community recovered to the initial structure by acclimatizing itself constantly to the inhospitable environment; but bioaugmentation accelerated the shift of whole bacterial community, resulting in a far different structure from the initial one. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that the environmental parameters of pyridine, quinoline, TOC, and NO-N had close negative correlations with bioaugmentation; and NH-N and COD were the main parameters to impact on the bacterial community changes and treatment efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restriction site amplified polymorphism (RSAP) was used, for the first time, to analyze the genetic structure and diversity of four, mainly cultivated, varieties of the brown alga, Saccharina japonica. Eighty-eight samples from varieties ' Rongfu ', ' Fujian ', ' Ailunwan ' and ' Shengchanzhong ' were used for the genetic analyses. One hundred and ninety-eight bands were obtained using eight combinations of primers. One hundred and ninety-one (96.46%) were polymorphic bands. Nei's genetic diversity was 0.360, and the coefficient of genetic differentiation was 0.357. No inbreeding-type recession was found in the four brown alga varieties and the results of the ' Ailunwan ' variety using samples from 2 years showed that the variety was becoming less diverse during the selection inherent in the breeding program. Genetic diversity and cluster analyses results were consistent with these genetic relationships. The results show the RSAP method is suitable for genetic analysis. Continuous inbreeding and selection could reduce the genetic diversity effectively; therefore periodical supervision is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electronic structure and properties of FeS with the space groups of Pa3 and P1 were studied by the density functional theory. The generalized-gradient approximation exchange-correlation functional was used in conjunction with a plane wave-ultrasoft pseudopotential representation. Calculation results show that differences are observed in electronic structures and properties between Pa3 and P1 crystals. The band gap and energy loss of P1 are smaller than those of Pa3 crystal, while the dielectric constant, conductivity, refractive index, extinction coefficient, and intensity of optical absorption of P1 are larger than those of Pa3. These behaviors are attributed to the differences in symmetry, atomic arrangement, and Mulliken bond population of each unit for Pa3 and P1 crystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ag nanoparticles dispersed SiO2 composite films were successfully prepared by a sol–gel method. The structural transition, formation, and optical property along with relevant band gap of Ag/SiO2 thin films during the annealing process were studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry–differential thermal analysis, x-ray diffraction, and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, while the microstructure of thin films was revealed by transmission electron microscopy. The results indicate that the Ag spherical particles with the diameter of 10–20 nm were formed by breaking Si–O–Ag bonds above 200 °C and dispersed in the SiO2 matrix. The optical absorption property of Ag/SiO2 nanofilm in the visible range is enhanced, and the band gap (Eg) is widened with raising annealing temperatures, which is promising for the potential applications in nonlinear optical and related fields. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Little is known about the genome of Pacific white shrimp ( Litopenaeus vannamei). To address this, we conducted BAC (bacterial artificial chromosome) end sequencing of L. vannamei. We selected and sequenced 7 812 BAC clones from the BAC library LvHE from the two ends of the inserts by Sanger sequencing. After trimming and quality filtering, 11 279 BAC end sequences (BESs) including 4 609 pairedends BESs were obtained. The total length of the BESs was 4 340 753 bp, representing 0.18% of the L. vannamei haploid genome. The lengths of the BESs ranged from 100 bp to 660 bp with an average length of 385 bp. Analysis of the BESs indicated that the L. vannamei genome is AT-rich and that the primary repeats patterns were simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and low complexity sequences. Dinucleotide and hexanucleotide repeats were the most common SSR types in the BESs. The most abundant transposable element was gypsy, which may contribute to the generation of the large genome size of L. vannamei. We successfully annotated 4 519 BESs by BLAST searching, including genes involved in immunity and sex determination. Our results provide an important resource for functional gene studies, map construction and integration, and complete genome assembly for this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to determine the biological roles of the inhibitor of DNA-binding-1/inhibitor of differentiation-1 (ID-1) protein in MGC803 and AGS cell lines, we ectopically expressed or downregulated ID-1 in the both gastric cell lines and measured various parameters of tumor cell development, including cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, apoptosis and cell migration. The ectopic expression of ID-1 significantly enhanced cell proliferation, cell cycle progression and cell migration, and protected MGC803 and AGS cell lines from cisplatin-induced apoptosis. The opposite effects were observed after downregulation of ID-1, which in combination with cisplatin treatment enhanced apoptosis in a synergistic fashion. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that ID-1 plays pivotal and diverse roles in the biology of certain gastric cancer cells, further suggesting that ID-1 is implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antiglomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) disease is an autoimmune disorder that mostly presents as raised titers of antibodies against the GBM, rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis and pulmonary hemorrhage. The disease is caused by antibodies against noncollagenous domain of α3 chain of type IV collagen, which contains the epitopes E(A) and E(B). The humoral and cellular immunity contributing to the initiation of anti-GBM disease has been extensively studied as a model for autoimmune diseases, although most of the data come from animal studies. The disease is rare, but diagnoses have been made in hundreds of patients. Substantial advances have been made in the understanding of human anti-GBM disease, and it can be treated successfully. In this Review we summarize the current knowledge on the prevalence, clinical manifestations, treatment and outcomes of human anti-GBM disease. We discuss findings on pathogenesis from human studies, with close attention to disease initiation and the immunological features of progression from quiescent autoimmune homeostasis in healthy individuals to fulminant anti-GBM disease. Further studies on autoreactive T cells are expected to clarify specific features of human anti-GBM disease and could lead to the development of new therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Haishengsu (HSS) is a seashell protein extracted from Tegillarca L. granosa, a type of Malaysian shellfish. Previous in vitro studies showed that HSS might possess biological anticancer activity. In this combined in vitro and in vivo study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of HSS on tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis using human lung carcinoma cell lines A549 and NCI-H292, both intensely positive for matrix metalloproteinases-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9. HSS significantly inhibited the proliferation of A549 and NCI-H292 as estimated by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. The transwell chamber assay showed that HSS effectively blocked the invasion and migration of the carcinoma cells through the reconstituted extracellular matrix (Matrigel). Gelatin zymography analysis revealed that the secretion and activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the supernatants of the cultured cells A549 and NCI-H292 were decreased after treatment with HSS. The levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in these cancer cells were further examined by Western blot assay in which a significant decrease of MMP-2 and MMP-9 was observed in A549 and NCI-H292 cells after 24 h of exposure to HSS. The anticancer activity of HSS was verified in a mouse model in which HSS delayed the growth of A549 xenografts after 3 weeks of oral administration. Inhibition of MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression was also demonstrated in the A549 xenografts as determined by Western blot analysis. These results suggest that HSS is a novel seashell protein that cannot only inhibit tumor growth but also prevent tumor invasion and metastasis through suppressing the activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

u nanoparticles dispersed NiO composite films were prepared by a chemical solution method. The phase structure, microstructure, surface chemical state, and optical absorption properties of the films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Uv- vis spectrometer. The results indicate that Au particles with the average diameters of 35-42 nm are approximately spherical and disperse in the NiO matrix. The optical absorption peaks due to the surface plasmon resonance of Au particles shift to the shorter wavelength and intensify with the increase of Au content. The bandwidth narrows when the Au content increases from 8.4wt% to 45.2wt%, but widens by further increasing the Au content from 45.2wt% to 60.5wt%. The band gap E increases with the increase of Au contents from 8.4wt% to 45.2wt%, but decreases by further increasing the Au content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiments were conducted to provide data on the effectiveness of bioaugmentation in the removal of pyridine and quinoline from different wastewaters. A pyridine-degrading bacterial strain ( Paracoccus sp. BW001) and a quinoline-degrading strain ( Pseudomonas sp. BW003) were isolated from the activated sludge of a coking wastewater treatment plant. In this study, a consortium of these two bacterial strains was used as inoculum to simultaneously degrade pyridine and quinoline in three types of wastewaters: sterile synthetic, domestic, and industrial. In addition, variation of the bacterial community structures during degradation was monitored by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and amplicon length heterogeneity polymerase chain reaction techniques. The results of our experiments indicate that pyridine and quinoline can be removed efficiently using this inoculum but that the degradation process results in the production of ammonium as a by-product. Also, in the two actual wastewaters investigated, we observed that several autochthonous strains of bacteria in both the domestic and industrial wastewater were tolerant of pyridine and quinoline and grew rapidly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Acupuncture & Tuina Science is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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A novel functional gene P12 was isolated from neural stem cells cultured in differentiation medium. The fully length cDNA of P12 gene was cloned and sequenced. Result showed that it contains an open reading frame encoding a protein of 291 amino acids. Further, this gene was transferred into neural stem cell. Functional analysis suggests that the expression of pl2 protein is closely correlated with differentiation of neural dendrite configuration. In addition, to obtain encoding protein, P12 sequence was also expressed in Pichia pastoris yeast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the action of Apium graveolens L. on the growth and differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs), cells culture and animal experiment were performed. NSCs were isolated from the striatum of SD rat embryo were cultured in the medium containing aqueous extract from Apium graveolens L(AAG). and/or the serum derived from mice treated with Apium graveolens L (SAG). The results show that AAG promoted the survival and growth of NSCs in low concentration. Apium graveolens L. leaves aqueous extract promoted the proliferation of NSCs in relatively high concentration. SAG significantly accelerated the differentiation of NSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted moment tensor inversion and studied source rupture process for M S=7.9 earthquake occurred in the border area of China, Russia and Mongolia on September 27 2003, by using digital teleseismic P-wave seismograms recorded by long-period seismograph stations of the global seismic network. Considering the aftershock distribution and the tectonic settings around the epicentral area, we propose that the M S=7.9 earthquake occurred on a fault plane with the strike of 127°, the dip of 79° and the rake of 171°. The rupture process inversion result of M S=7.9 earthquake shows that the total rupture duration is about 37 s, the scalar moment tensor is M 0=0.97×1020 N·m. Rupture mainly occurred on the shallow area with 110 km long and 30 km wide, the location in which the rupture initiated is not where the main rupture took place, and the area with slip greater than 0.5 m basically lies within 35 km deep middle-crust under the earth surface. The maximum static slip is 3.6 m. There are two distinct areas with slip larger than 2.0 m. We noticed that when the rupture propagated towards northwest and closed to the area around the M S=7.3 hypocenter, the slip decreased rapidly, which may indicate that the rupture process was stopped by barriers. The consistence of spatial distribution of slip on the fault plane with the distribution of aftershocks also supports that the rupture is a heterogeneous process owing to the presence of barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paper, for the application of stochastic simulation of ground motion, we put forward a method to determine “the combined effect of amplification and attenuation” (combined effect for short) of soft rock site by using digital seismic data of moderate and small earthquakes. Our approach aims at solving the problem of the combined effect of soft rock site, which is difficult to determine in most regions of China because fewer measures were done for S-wave velocity structure. The combined effect of soft rock site can be determined by using the approach recommended by us. An example is given to discuss the practical application of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]