Search

The lipids in the domestic biodegradable waste (DBW) pose a challenge to resource regeneration, and few studies have examined the evolution of lipid profiles during the process of black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens L., BSFL) bioconversion. This study aimed to explore the dynamic features of lipid fraction and their associated responses of microbial community succession in residue during a full-scale BSFL bioconversion. Data showed that the lipid content decreased by 95%, while the seed germination index increased by 20% through the synergistic effects of BSFL and microbiota. The results of spectral and Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry showed that free fatty acids and medium-chain fatty acids were given first priority in degrading in larval and microbial coexistence systems, resulting in the relative accumulation of sterols. The lipid content was the prime environmental factor (71.1%, P = 0.002, Redundancy Analysis) that promoted the succession of the bacterial community. The diversity and structure of the bacterial community varied at different stages of the bioprocess, where BSFL induced Corynebacterium, Marinobacter, and Brevibacterium. EC: 4.2.1.17 (Enoyl-CoA hydratase) and EC: 1.1.1.35 (3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase) were the key lipid metabolic enzymes, promoting the degradation and transformation of materials and lipids. The synergistic effect of BSFL and microbiota promotes lipid metabolisms in DBW, which is conducive to the sustainable utilization of BSFL biotechnology to convert wastes into high-value resources. Highlights: The lipid content was reduced by 95% by a combination of larvae and microbiota. MCFAs were more rapidly degraded than LCFAs and sterols during BSFL bioconversion. Lipid content is the key driver of microbial community during BSFL bioconversion. BSFL enhance fatty acid β oxidation and biosynthesis of microbiota in the DBW. Corynebacterium, Marinobacter, and Brevibacterium are key taxa in lipid degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The drying process of the lithium battery pole pieces makes extensive use of the suspension nozzle. It is of great significance to study the heat transfer and pressure steady-state characteristics of the suspension nozzle and to select the appropriate nozzle structure for the production of pole pieces. Based on the SST k - ω turbulence model, this article numerically simulates the impact jet process of suspension nozzles with slits, injection holes, and effusion holes. There is a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the distribution of their velocity field, temperature field, local Nusselt number, average Nusselt number, local pressure coefficient, and average pressure coefficient, and the comprehensive performance index of the nozzle is proposed. The results show that when the weight factor of heat transfer performance α is less than 21.61% and the weight factor of pressure performance β is more than 78.39%, the comprehensive performance of the traditional suspension nozzle with double slits is the best. As the α is increasing, the β is decreasing. The comprehensive performance of the suspension nozzle with effusion holes is the best. The turbulent intermittence, interaction between neighbouring jets, and edge effects affect the heat transfer and pressure uniformity of the suspension nozzle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through preferential treatment by education officials or through bribery, some adolescents can obtain admission to a junior high school. However, it is unclear whether it affects the mental health of adolescents. This study used Propensity Score Matching to examine the effects of corruption on adolescent mental health. A total of 17,254 junior high school students sample (11–18 years old; 48.7% girls and 53.1% boys) were used from the China Education Panel Survey. 14.1% of adolescents attended a junior high school by corrupt means, corruption had a significantly negative effect on the mental health of these adolescents (ATT = −0.388, p < 0.01), the reasons grounded in the fact that they received more criticisms from teachers and wanted to leave their current school. In general, corruption in the admissions process can have detrimental effects on the mental health of adolescents. This study extends the previous articles on how to improve adolescent mental health and complements the application of cognitive dissonance theory. Findings from this study revealed that anti-corruption in the education sector is necessary, and the institutional design to ensure fair enrolment in basic education will contribute to the mental health of adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel monolithic amidogen-rich biomass adsorbent was successfully prepared. Corn bract (CB) was employed as adsorbent matrix, and arginine (Arg) was selected as a bonding bridge between the hydroxyls on cellulose that came from CB and modifier molecules to enrich reactive sites and improve reaction activity. Polyethyleneimine (PEI) was then grafted to the surface of CB in a heterogeneous reaction. The resultant CB-g-PEI (CB-grafted-PEI) held a grafting ratio of 60.6%. And the maximum adsorption for (acid red 18) AR18 was reached 506.7 mg/g. As a necessary content of adsorption behavior research, models about isotherm adsorption, adsorption kinetics and adsorption thermodynamics were all inspected. According to the research conclusions obtained, the pseudo-second-order model provides the best explanation for the kinetics of adsorption. The adsorption isotherm of AR18 is in better agreement with the Langmuir isotherm model. The adsorption and desorption experiments were conducted over 6 times. The samples were characterized using FT-IR, SEM and EDS. The study suggests that the CB-g-PEI is an available adsorbent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metaphors play a crucial role in facilitating the comprehension and analysis of knowledge. "Knowledge as energy" is a well-established metaphorical framework that provides unique benefits for comprehending the dissemination of knowledge and enabling its quantification. Nevertheless, empirical studies employing this framework are limited, especially in the area of the work–energy metaphor, which primarily remains theoretical. This paper proposes an application scheme for the work– energy metaphor in interdisciplinary citation analysis. In this scheme, disciplines are considered entities; various factors that drive the progress of a discipline are considered forces; energy is considered the knowledge produced or transferred in the citations. Building upon the work–energy theorem in physics, this study developed indicators reflecting citation quality and velocity to assess interdisciplinary research progression. An empirical investigation was carried out, utilizing these indicators to evaluate the influence of interdisciplinary citations on disciplines. In the experiments, we used Library and Information Science (LIS) from 2012 to 2021 as an example to analyze the impact of interdisciplinary citations from LIS on other disciplines over two time periods. The experiments demonstrated the feasibility of the work–energy metaphorical framework proposed in this paper. It was also found that Computer Science, Management, and Business experienced the highest impact from LIS interdisciplinary citations and exhibited steady growth over a 10-year period. Environmental Science has substantial potential for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work considers the flow field as two-dimensional turbulent flow and studies the steady-state properties of heat transfer and the pressure of the suspension nozzle. An adiabatic wall parallel to the moving wall and two slit entrances at either end of the adiabatic wall make up the rectangular flow field. The SST k - ω turbulence model is used in the turbulence computation. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses are conducted on the distribution of the flow field, temperature field, local Nusselt number, local pressure coefficient, average Nusselt number, and average pressure coefficient under various combination conditions. The findings indicate that when the suspension nozzle's flow field varies greatly, wall-jet velocity ratio is 0.1. A rise in Jet inclination angle is not helpful for the wall's suspension, and it has minimal effect on the flow field. The flow field is greatly influenced by separation space-slit width ratio. Larger separation space-slit width ratio values are advantageous for the wall's heat transmission but unfavorable for the wall's suspension. The flow field is most influenced by wall-jet velocity ratio. The wall's ability to convey heat is stronger the higher the wall-jet velocity ratio, but its ability to support weight falls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black soldier fly larvae have been proven to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the treatment of organic waste. However, the microbial mechanisms involved have not been fully understood. The current study mainly examined the dynamic changes of carbon and nitrogen, greenhouse gas emissions, the succession of microbial community structure, and changes in functional gene abundance in organic waste under larvae treatment and non-aeration composting. Thirty percent carbon and 55% nitrogen in the organic waste supplied were stored in larvae biomass. Compared to the non-aeration composting, the larvae bioreactor reduced the proportion of carbon and nitrogen converted into greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, and N2O decreased by 62%, 87%, and 95%, respectively). 16S rRNA sequencing analysis indicated that the larvae bioreactor increased the relative abundance of Methanophaga, Marinobacter, and Campylobacter during the bioprocess, enhancing the consumption of CH4 and N2O. The metagenomic data showed that the intervention of larvae reduced the ratio of (nirK + nirS + nor)/nosZ in the residues, thereby reducing the emission of N2O. Larvae also increased the functional gene abundance of nirA, nirB, nirD, and nrfA in the residues, making nitrite more inclined to be reduced to ammonia instead of N2O. The larvae bioreactor mitigated greenhouse gas emissions by redistributing carbon and nitrogen and remodeling microbiomes during waste bioconversion, giving related enterprises a relative advantage in carbon trading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulating the immune-environment is essential for treating acute liver injury (ALI). However, the deficiency of an effective immune balancer restricted progress. Herein, we reported an oligosaccharide from Fructus lycii oligosaccharide (FLO). To investigate the effects of FLO, we adopted primary macrophages and LO2 for experiments in vitro. In vivo, we assessed the influence of FLO in ALI with histochemical staining and enzyme indicators detection. Following that, we clarified the underlying mechanisms using western blotting and immunofluorescence. Our results indicated that FLO (100 μg/mL) showed apparent inflammatory reversal effects by shifting the phenotype of macrophages from M1 to M2 without causing any cytotoxicity. Furthermore, CCl4-induced mice were significantly improved by FLO intragastric administration. Meanwhile, PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway was confirmed for the up-regulation of IL-10 via M2 polarization of macrophages. Collectively, our findings highlight the beneficial effects of FLO on ALI therapy via M1 to M2 macrophage conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Studies indicated that inflammatory cytokines involved in the occurrence and progression of DLBCL and it is challenging to discern causality from the effects due to the presence of feedback loops. We conducted a bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) study to investigate the potential causal relationship between DLBCL and inflammatory cytokines. The genetic variants associated with inflammatory cytokines were obtained from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 8293 European participants, and the data on 1010 individuals with DLBCL were sourced from the FinnGen consortium. The primary method employed in this study was the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method, with supplementary analyses conducted using the MR-Egger, weighted median, and MR-PRESSO approaches. Based on the IVW method, genetically predicted that increasing level of Monokine induced by interferon gamma (MIG/CXC chemokine ligand 9, CXCL9) [OR: 1.31; 95% CI: 1.05–1.62; P = 0.01] and interferon gamma-induced protein 10(IP-10/CXC chemokine ligand 10, CXCL10) [OR: 1.30; 95% CI: 1.02–1.66; P = 0.03] showed suggestive associations with DLBCL risk. DLBCL may increase the level of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) [OR: 1.12; 95% CI: 1.01–1.2; P = 0.03], tumor necrosis factor beta (TNF-β) [OR: 1.16; 95% CI: 1.02–1.31; P = 0.02] and TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) [OR: 1.07; 95% CI: 1.01–1.13; P = 0.02]. This study presents evidence supporting a causal relationship between inflammation cytokines and DLBCL. Specifically, MIG/CXCL9 and IP-10/CXCL10 were identified as indicators of upstream causes of DLBCL; while, DLBCL itself was found to elevate the levels of M-CSF, TNF-β, and TRAIL. These findings suggest that targeting specific inflammatory factors through regulation and intervention could serve as a potential approach for the treatment and prevention of DLBCL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opinion statement : Myeloid sarcoma, a rare malignant tumor characterized by the invasion of extramedullary tissue by immature myeloid cells, commonly occurs concomitantly with acute myeloid leukemia, myelodysplastic syndromes, or myeloproliferative neoplasms. The rarity of myeloid sarcoma poses challenges for diagnosis and treatment. Currently, treatments for myeloid sarcoma remain controversial and primarily follow protocols for acute myeloid leukemia, such as chemotherapy utilizing multi-agent regimens, in addition to radiation therapy and/or surgery. The advancements in next-generation sequencing technology have led to significant progress in the field of molecular genetics, resulting in the identification of both diagnostic and therapeutic targets. The application of targeted therapeutics, such as FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3(FLT3) inhibitors, isocitrate dehydrogenases(IDH) inhibitors, and the B cell lymphoma 2(BCL2) inhibitors, has facilitated the gradual transformation of traditional chemotherapy into targeted precision therapy for acute myeloid leukemia. However, the field of targeted therapy for myeloid sarcoma is relatively under-investigated and not well-described. In this review, we comprehensively summarize the molecular genetic characteristics of myeloid sarcoma and the current application of targeted therapeutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ectoderm-derived mesenchymal stem cells (EMSCs) were used as potential seed cells for bone tissue engineering to treat bone defects due to their capability of rapid proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling was reported to play an important role in the development of bone tissue, but its role is not understood. The present study investigated the role of Shh molecule in osteogenic differentiation of rat EMSCs in vitro. Rat EMSCs were isolated form nasal respiratory mucosa and identified with immunofluorescence and analyzed with other methods, including reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blotting. EMSCs expressed CD90, CD105, nestin, and vimentin. On the seventh day of osteogenic induction, expression levels of Shh and Gli1 was higher according to the result of qPCR and Western blotting. After induction for 14 days, higher alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and more mineralized nodules were seen in comparison to the cells that did not undergo induction. Shh signaling appears to enhance osteogenic differentiation of rat EMSCs, suggesting that Shh signaling directs the lineage differentiation of ectodermal stem cells and represents a promising strategy for skeletal tissue regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the phonon properties and thermal conductivity of a new clathrate SrB3C3 are investigated by utilizing first principles calculations combined with phonon Boltzman transport equation. Through analyzing the intrinsic symmetry, four Raman active phonon modes (2T2g and 2Eg) are revealed in the phonon spectrum, and their corresponding vibrational features are presented as well. The lattice thermal conductivity of SrB3C3 at room temperature is calculated to be merely 8.69 W/mK, which is evidently smaller than that of traditional Si-based clathrates. Meanwhile, owing to the comparable group velocity with acoustic phonon modes, the optical phonons of SrB3C3 abnormally contribute 40% to the total thermal conductivity. Such low thermal conductivity in SrB3C3 is mainly attributed to the strong phonon anharmonic including both scattering strength and channel. The findings clarify the intrinsic phonon property of SrB3C3, and could help us to pave the way for its future applications in ferroelectric devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens L. BSFL) bioconversion is a promising biotechnology for food waste recycling, yet little is known about how BSFL vermicompost affects soil health in terms of element availability and related microbial response. In this work, a field soil experiment for luffa (Luffa cylindrica (L.) Roem.) growth was conducted to examine the impacts of BSFL vermicompost (BV, 9750 kg ha−1, equal to total N input rate of chemically treated soil (CK)) on soil biochemistry and bacterial communities. Relative to CK, application of BV significantly increased total soil carbon by 149% and enhanced catalase and urease activity by 59.2% and 16.2%, respectively. BV increased the degree of aromaticity and humification in dissolved organic matter (DOM) in soil by 28.6% and 27.3%, respectively, compared to CK treatment. Among bacterial communities in soil, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria were the phyla that showed the most substantial alteration in response to BV. Redundancy analysis further revealed that the bacterial community structure was affected by DOM and total phosphorus. Functional analyses indicated that BV enhanced xylanolysis (55.4%) and nitrogen fixation (46.3%), but inhibited nitrification (59.8%). BSFL vermicompost input might effectively prevent the harm of soil borne pathogens (e.g., wilt). Moreover, these function groups strongly correlated with Clostridiales, Actinomycetales, and Nitrospirales. Our study reveals that BSFL vermicompost promoted soil nutrient availability, microbial community succession, and biochemical function optimization, which is conducive to the popularization and application of BSFL vermicompost in the field of soil health. Key points: • Vermicompost enhanced catalase and urease levels while increased DOM aromaticity. • Vermicompost enriched Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes and improved soil health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many cities in China have invested in the city's rail transit system to reduce urban air pollution and traffic congestion. Earlier studies rarely compare the effects of rail transit on urban air quality in different cities, providing little guidance to urban planners in solving traffic congestion and air quality. Due to the same opening date, we regard Chengdu Metro Line 4 and Nanchang Metro Line 1 as case studies. This paper attempts to examine the effects of the opening of rail transit on local air quality on the same opening date. Data were collected from 17 monitoring stations distributed along the chosen rail transit lines in both cities from 2015 to 2016 and analyzed using the regression discontinuity design to address the potential endogenous location of subway stations. The results show that subway opening in Nanchang has a better reduction from automobile exhaust than that in Chengdu. Specifically, carbon monoxide pollution, one key tailpipe pollutant, experienced a 10.23% greater reduction after Nanchang Metro Line 1 opened. However, the point estimate for carbon monoxide in Chengdu is 22.42% and statistically significant at the 1% level. Nanchang Metro Line 1 does play an important role in road traffic externalities, but the benefit is not huge enough to change the overall air quality. On the contrary, the opening of the Chengdu Metro Line 4 is unlikely to yield improvements in air quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To estimate the range of information diffusion is critical for social network and user behavior analysis. Selecting nodes to constitute the range of information diffusion is challenging by the classic independent cascade and linear threshold models, due to the unknown topology of large-scale online social networks (OSNs). In this paper, we start from the mining of frequent itemsets in historical records of information diffusion, and adopt Bayesian network (BN) as the framework to represent and infer the implied dependence relations among frequent items. To make probabilistic inferences to infer the range, we first propose a greedy algorithm to select the observed nodes as the evidence of BN inference, for which we propose the metric of proximity degree and prove its submodularity. Then, we give the algorithm to construct the item-association BN (IABN) to represent the dependencies among frequent items. Following, we present an approximate algorithm to infer the range of information diffusion w.r.t. the observed nodes. Experimental results show that the observed nodes could be selected and the range of information diffusion could be inferred effectively. Empirical studies also demonstrate that our proposed IABN outperforms some state-of-the-art methods to obtain relatively complete nodes in the range of information diffusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Recent clinical trials with agents targeting immune checkpoint pathway have emerged as an important therapeutic approach for a broad range of cancer types. Resveratrol has been shown to possess cancer preventive and therapeutic effects and has potential to be chemotherapeutic agent/adjuvant. Here, we assessed the effect of resveratrol on immune checkpoint pathways. Methods: The expression patterns of Wnt components and PD-L1 were examined by Western blot, Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) was used for analysis of DNA–protein interaction, the promoter activity was determined by luciferase reporter assay, apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry and the ability of the resveratrol to modulate T cell function was assessed in a co-culture system. Results: Although the dose-, and cell-type dependent effects of resveratrol on PD-L1 expression have been reported, we show here that resveratrol dose-dependently upregulates PD-L1 expression at the range of pharmacologic-achievable concentrations in lung cancer cells and that is essential for suppression of T-cell-mediated immune response. We also found that Wnt pathway is critical for mediating resveratrol-induced PD-L1 upregulation. Mechanistically, resveratrol activates SirT1 deacetylase to deacetylate and stabilize transcriptional factor Snail. Snail in turn inhibits transcription of Axin2, which leads in disassembly of destruction complex and enhanced binding of β-catenin/TCF to PD-L1 promoter. Conclusion: We conclude that resveratrol is capable to suppress anti-tumor immunity by controlling mainly PD-L1 expression. This finding will extend the understanding of resveratrol in regulation of tumor immunity and is relevant to the debate on resveratrol supplements for lung cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transplantation of tissue-engineered scaffolds with stem cells is a promising therapeutic approach for bone defect repair. To improve the therapeutic efficacy of this approach, in this study, a novel biofunctional live tissue-engineered bone-like graft was designed and constructed using a fibrin scaffold loaded with TG2 gene-modified ectomesenchymal stem cells (TG2-EMSCs) derived from nasal respiratory mucosa for bone defect repair. Autocalcification of the cell-free fibrin gel in osteogenic medium with additional alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and the osteogenic differentiation of TG2-EMSCs on the fibrin scaffold were assessed in vitro. The results indicated that the cell-free fibrin gel could autocalcify in the osteogenic medium with ALP and that the overexpression of TG2 by TG2-EMSCs could promote the osteogenic differentiation of these stem cells in the fibrin scaffold. Moreover, TG2 could enhance the deposition of extracellular matrix proteins in the fibrin scaffold, followed by calcification of the bone matrix in vitro. After transplantation into critical-sized cranial defects in rats, the functional tissue-engineered bone-like grafts improved bone regeneration. These results indicate that this tissue-engineered bone-like graft could improve the process of bone defect repair. Tissue engineering: Improved bone grafts from nasal stem cells A spongy biomaterial containing olfactory stem cells can successfully repair skull injuries in rats. Marrow-derived stem cells show promise for initiating cell growth and mineralization in studies on bone reconstruction, but harvesting these cells can be traumatic for patients. Naiyan Lu from Jiangnan University in Wuxi, China, and colleagues report that stem cells located in easy-to-access nasal cavities can also be used for next-generation bone grafts. The team genetically modified olfactory stem cells from rats to enhance differentiation into bone-forming cells, and then seeded the cells onto a porous scaffold made of fibrin proteins. Implantation experiments with rats with millimeter-scale cranial defects revealed that after four weeks, the stem cell-loaded scaffolds promoted regenerative growth of thick bone tissue. In contrast, scaffolds with non-genetically modified stem cells showed little bone growth. In this study, ectomesenchymal stem cells (EMSCs) were modified with the transglutaminase 2 (TG2) genes and tested for their ability to enhance bone regeneration on fibrin scaffold. In vitro analyses revealed that osteogenic differentiation of the EMSCs on the fibrin scaffold was promoted by TG2 expression. Transplanting fibrin scaffold loaded with TG2 gene-modified EMSC into bone defects on rat skull induced significantly faster bone regeneration compared with non-genetically modified EMSC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using panel data from a nationally representative survey in China, this paper simultaneously examines the impact of relative status of reference points from various categories on individual happiness. We find strong evidence supporting asymmetric and adaptation effects in internal comparisons. The marginal effect of current absolute status decreases as achieved relative status rises, and future (positive) status changes matter more than current (negative) status changes, respectively. With respect to external comparisons, the results suggest that relative status of both spatial and predicted reference groups exerts a favorable influence on happiness, whereas those of social reference groups substantially decrease individual happiness. This result remains qualitatively unchanged even correcting for the possible endogeneity of the current absolute status and reference relative status. The two opposite effects are magnified when people are temporarily unemployed or experience high volatility of economic status. A series of further sensitivity tests are consistent with our tunnel and comparison effects conjecture but rule out some alternative explanations, despite suggestive rather than conclusive. Finally, the findings also survive a large set of robustness checks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae in treatment of livestock manure is a promising technology. In this study, high-throughput sequencing was used to analyze the microbial community in chicken manure before and after treatment with H. illucens larvae. In fresh chicken manure, the most abundant bacterial phylum was Firmicutes (55.58%) followed by Bacteroidetes (24.52%) and then Proteobacteria (12.29%). After treatment of the manure with H. illucens larvae for 15 days, the abundance of Firmicutes increased to 97.72% while that of Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria decreased. Concomitantly, the most abundant genera of fungi in chicken manure changed from Kernia (46.19%) and Microascus (17.22%) to Penicillium (46.82%) and Aspergillus (45.22%). Correlation-network analysis showed the existence of strong and complex correlations between the dominant operational taxonomic units (OUT) of bacteria and fungi. While most of these correlations were positive, three specific genera, namely g_norank_f_Bacillaceae, Penicillium, and Aspergillus exhibited negative correlations with the remaining genera. These three genera were highly abundant in the intestines of H. illucens and in chicken manure treated with H. illucens larvae. Based on 16S rDNA microbiome-function predictions, the metabolic pathways associated with sugars, amino acids, and organic pollutants inside the intestinal tract of H. illucens were enriched versus those of the other three groups. In summary, the treatment of chicken manure with H. illucens larvae significantly reduced the microbial diversity, while strongly increasing organic metabolism in the intestinal bacteria. This technology shows the potential for applications in livestock manure treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a promising cell therapy, neural crest-derived ectoderm mesenchymal stem cells (EMSCs) secrete high amounts of extracellular matrix (ECM) and neurotrophic factors, promoting neural stem cell (NSC) differentiation into neuronal lineages and aiding tissue regeneration. Additionally, the forced overexpression of secreted proteins can increase the therapeutic efficacy of the secretome. Tissue transglutaminase (TG2) is a ubiquitously expressed member of the transglutaminase family of calcium-dependent crosslinking enzymes, which can stabilize the ECM, inducing smart or living biomaterial to stimulate differentiation and enhance the neurogenesis of NSCs. In this study, we examined the neuronal differentiation of NSCs induced by TG2 gene-modified EMSCs (TG2-EMSCs) in a co-culture model directly. Two weeks after initiating differentiation, levels of the neuronal markers, tubulin beta 3 class III and growth-associated protein 43, were higher in NSCs in the TG2-EMSC co-culture group and those of the astrocytic marker glial fibrillary acidic protein were lower, compared with the control group. These results were confirmed by immunofluorescence, and laminin, fibronectin and sonic hedgehog (Shh) contributed to this effect. The results of western blot analysis and the enzyme-linked immunoassay showed that after TG2-EMSCs were co-cultured for 2 weeks, they expressed much higher levels of Shh than the control group. Moreover, the sustained release of Shh was observed in the TG2-EMSC co-culture group. Overall, our findings indicate that EMSCs can induce the differentiation of NSCs, of which TG2-EMSCs can promote the differentiation of NSCs compared with EMSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: ESRD (End-stage renal disease) treatment is a comprehensive medical process and requires numerous serological biochemical tests (SBTs) in diagnosis. To reduce these invasive, expensive, cumbersome, and time-consuming SBTs, there is a need to develop an alternative serological biochemical composition evaluation method. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is affected by body's chemical and physical components, which might be correlated with serological biochemical composition and can be potentially used to evaluate biochemical composition in hemodialysis patient treatments. In this work, the relationship of classic and specific bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) with major serological biochemical indexes in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients was examined. Methods: Bioelectrical and biochemical datasets were measured from 280 women and 408 men and formed 3872 effective biochemical-bioelectrical records in total. Statistical analysis was performed. Results: The results show that BIVA vectors have strong relationship with phosphorus, hemoglobin, and PTH in both male and female groups. Strong correlation was also observed between Ca, albumin, CHOL, LDLC, and BIVA vectors in the male group. In the female group, a significant correlation was observed between classic BIVA values and NT-proBNP. SVM models are effective for classifying biochemical indexes. Conclusions: The obtained correlations and SVM classification models imply that BIVA can be used as a preliminary tool to evaluate and classify the degree of anemia, malnutrition, fluid overload, and mineral and bone disorder (MBD) in MHD patients by reducing the number of SBTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particulate matter and NO pollution caused by automobile exhaust cause severe air pollution and respiratory diseases. Traditional gasoline particulate filter and three-way catalysts face the problem of high cost and no resistance to high temperature. Development of multifunctional filtration purification media with low cost and temperature resistance is necessary. In this paper, Ni nanofibers filter is easily fabricated by electrospinning, suitable for working environment with variable temperature. Moreover, between adjacent nanofibers, the preferable fused junction was formed which is beneficial to mechanical properties of the filter. The Ni nanofibers filter exhibits outstanding PM1 and NO gas removal ability. The PM1 filtration efficiency up to 99.86% @300 nm was achieved under wing speed of 5.3 cm/s. Moreover, the Ni nanofibers also achieve impressive NO-to-N2 and NO adsorption ability owing to the high specific surface area and activity of Ni nanofiber itself. As such, the multifunctional Ni nanofibers filter equips the potential for the actual application in automobile exhaust purification converter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient viral vectors for mapping and manipulating long-projection neuronal circuits are crucial in structural and functional studies of the brain. The SAD strain rabies virus with the glycoprotein gene deleted pseudotyped with the N2C glycoprotein (SAD-RV(ΔG)-N2C(G)) shows strong neuro-tropism in cell culture, but its in vivo efficiency for retrograde gene transduction and neuro-tropism have not been systematically characterized. We compared these features in different mouse brain regions for SAD-RV-N2C(G) and two other widely-used retrograde tracers, SAD-RV(ΔG)-B19(G) and rAAV2-retro. We found that SAD-RV(ΔG)-N2C(G) enhanced the infection efficiency of long-projecting neurons by ~10 times but with very similar neuro-tropism, compared with SAD-RV(ΔG)-B19(G). On the other hand, SAD-RV(ΔG)-N2C(G) had an infection efficiency comparable with rAAV2-retro, but a more restricted diffusion range, and broader tropism to different types and regions of long-projecting neuronal populations. These results demonstrate that SAD-RV(ΔG)-N2C(G) can serve as an effective retrograde vector for studying neuronal circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous materials have received significant attention for catalyst, electrochemical energy storage, sensing and compound capture. Large surface area and connected inner channel make porous materials outstanding in the applications of catalyst, batteries and biomedicine. Glass is a traditional material and has the advantages of high stability and other physical properties. By combining the advantages of porous materials and glass, porous glass has been researched widely and applied to many leading-edge fields, such as batteries and sensors. This review presents common methods for synthesizing porous glass, including phase separation process (PSP), direct leaching process (DLP) of acid, sintering and so on. Three main steps for fabrication of each process are concluded. The recent applications are support, capturer and matter transport, and they are highlighted in this review. Future directions for preparing these materials are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensory processing is strongly modulated by different brain and behavioral states, and this is based on the top–down modulation. In the olfactory system, local neural circuits in the olfactory bulb (OB) are innervated by centrifugal afferents in order to regulate the processing of olfactory information in the OB under different behavioral states. The purpose of the present study was to explore the organization of neural networks in olfactory-related cortices and modulatory nuclei that give rise to direct and indirect innervations to the glomerular layer (GL) of the OB at the whole-brain scale. Injection of different recombinant attenuated neurotropic viruses into the GL showed that it received direct inputs from each layer in the OB, centrifugal inputs from the ipsilateralanterior olfactory nucleus (AON), anterior piriform cortex (Pir), and horizontal limb of diagonal band of Broca (HDB), and various indirect inputs from bilateral cortical neurons in the AON, Pir, amygdala, entorhinal cortex, hippocampus, HDB, dorsal raphe, median raphe and locus coeruleus. These results provide a circuitry basis that will help further understand the mechanism by which olfactory information-processing in the OB is regulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to represent and discover social links from the perspective of implied behaviors, in particular latent links, is critical for social media analysis. In this paper, we discuss latent link analysis for community detection in social behavioral interactions. We adopt Markov network (MN) as the framework and propose the algorithm to discover latent links among social objects implied in their behavioral interactions without regard for the topological structures of social networks. First, starting from the frequent itemsets of the behavioral interactions, we propose the algorithm to construct the item-association Markov network (IAMN), which establishes the inherent relationship between frequent itemset and MN. Then, we propose the algorithm to detect communities by incorporating the concepts of k-clique and k-nearest neighbor set, as the typical application of the constructed IAMN Experimental results show the effectiveness and efficiency of the method proposed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Microbial-driven biogeochemical cycles of phosphorus (P) in wetlands subjected to global climate warming result in a downstream eutrophication risk. However, how warming influences P associated with microbial shifts in wetland soils is largely unknown.Methods: A custom-built, novel microcosm that simulated climate warming was established under ambient temperature and elevated warming conditions (+ 3 °C). 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (31P-NMR) technology was used to characterize different P forms and high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene was used to identify microbial community and functional potentials in wetland soils varied with nutrition status.Results: Soil P forms were dominated by orthophosphate. The dynamic changes of different P forms in response to warming were mainly observed in high nutrition wetlands. The relative abundance of orthophosphate and polyphosphate (inorganic) significantly (p < 0.05) decreased, which was accompanied with increased phosphonate (organic) under warming. Consistently, soil microbial community shifts were also found in high nutrition wetlands, especially in fall with significantly (p < 0.05) increased relative abundance of Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria and decreased Clostridia under warming. The microbial functions related to catabolism, the transport, degradation and release of P were enriched under warming. Changed microbial community may have altered the overall functional potentials which were responsible for P dynamics.Conclusions: Soil microbial community shifts in response to experimental warming were season-based. Microbial changes and P shifts from high nutrition wetlands were more sensitive to warming. The changed microbial community under warming conditions may trigger the loss of orthophosphate through the altered functional potentials. These findings aid to better understand microbial-driven biogeochemical cycles of P in wetland soils under future climate changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To fight against environmental pressure arising from growing municipal solid waste (MSW), the program of MSW source-separated collection has been launched in eight pilot cities of China since 2000. What is the impact of this pilot program on waste generation? Based on the city-level data for 1998-2012, this study examines its impact on per capita amount of MSW by employing panel data model and inverse probability weighting method. It is shown that the policy of MSW source-separated collection has insignificant influence on reduction of per capita quantity of MSW while consumption expenditure per capita, average household size and average education level significantly accelerate per capita waste generation. Although the program of MSW source separation has not led to significant waste reduction in our analysis, source separation has provided the basis for reuse, recycling and recovery of MSW by classifying waste into categories of recyclable and recycling materials. In response to the pressure of growing MSW as a result of industrialization, urbanization and economic growth, source separation is the best approach to waste management to reduce the burden of waste disposals. Therefore, it is necessary to facilitate public participation in source separation by adoption of mixed policies combining voluntary with mandatory as well as education approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LiMnO coated spinel lithium manganese oxide (LiMnO) materials have been successfully synthesized by a sol-gel method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results demonstrate that LiMnO is uniformly coated on the surface of LiMnO. Compared with the pristine sample, 3 wt% LiMnO-coated sample demonstrates an excellent cycle performance with a capacity retention of 94.17 % after 500 cycles at 25 °C and 89.75 % after 200 cycles at 55 °C. Furthermore, the composite material exhibits an excellent rate performance with a capacity of 97.6 mAh g at 12 C, which can be mainly attributed to the stable phase interface between LiMnO coating layer and host LiMnO material. Therefore, the functionalized LiMnO coating is an effective way to enhance the electrochemical performance of LiMnO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the role of anthrax toxin receptor 2 (ANTXR2) gene polymorphisms and capillary morphogenesis protein 2 (CMG2) expression in susceptibility and pathogenesis to ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in the Han Chinese in Beijing. A case-control study was performed using 602 AS patient samples meeting the revised New York criterion and 619 matched controls from Han Chinese individuals. Nineteen single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of ANTXR2 genes were selected and genotyped using the Sequenom iPlex platform. Real-time polymerase chain reaction and flow cytometry were performed to investigate the impact of SNP polymorphisms on ANTXR2 transcription and CMG2 expression, respectively. The association of variants with AS was examined with UNPHASED 3.1.5. A novel association was observed between AS and three SNPs in the ANTXR2 gene (rs4690127, rs6823031, and rs4333130; P = 0.004, 0.011, and 0.013, respectively), confirming the association between rs433130 and AS in the Han Chinese. The strongest haplotype association was observed with rs4690127-rs6823031-rs4333130 ( P = 2.5 × 10). rs6534639 and rs4333130 showed a cis-interaction ( P = 0.027) in AS. ANTXR2 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression was significantly higher in the AS group than in the control group ( P = 0.039). CMG2 expression in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated group was significantly lower than that in the control group ( P = 0.018). This study reports a novel association between ANTXR2 and AS in the Han Chinese. ANTXR2 genetic polymorphisms affect ANTXR2 mRNA transcription and CMG2 expression. The opposing results observed for ANTXR2 transcription and CMG2 expression suggest a complex role of ANTXR2 polymorphisms in AS pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Wetlands store a substantial amount of soil organic carbon (SOC), and their response to climate warming is critical for predicating global carbon (C) cycling in future climate change. Methods: To understand whether warming causes substantial C loss in wetland soils, a 6-year microcosm experiment was carried out to examine the impact of rising temperature (3-5 °C) on SOC and its two fractions (labile versus recalcitrant) in six types of wetland soils with varied nutrient status. Results: Warming decreased SOC contents in nutrient-enriched soils by invoking a large loss in recalcitrant organic C fractions, while in nutrient-poor soils SOC loss was limited by substrate limitation. With low temperature ranges in the winter (1-10 °C), warming increased the microbial capacity for recalcitrant organic C acquisition greater than that for labile organic C fractions. A relatively higher cross-site contribution of fungi in warmed soils as one strategy of microbial acclimation to rising temperature implies an adjustment of microbial C utilization patterns, leading to substantial C loss in wetland soils. Conclusions: In order to maintain the functional roles of wetlands for C sequestration, our results further suggested that more attention should be paid to nutrient-enriched wetlands in future climate warming scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) usually results in acute renal failure. Matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) and vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) may participate in disease progression.Aim: To investigate the renal expression of MMP-9 and VASP in SAP rats with acute kidney injury.Methods: A total of 100 rats were randomly assigned to sham 6-h, sham 12-h, sham 24-h, sham 36-h, sham 48-h, SAP 6-h, SAP 12-h, SAP 24-h, SAP 36-h, and SAP 48-h treatment groups (n = 10 per group). Levels of serum amylase (AMY), creatinine (Cr), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were determined. Renal pathology and ultrastructural examinations were performed, and renal mRNA and protein expression of MMP-9 and VASP were determined by real-time RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. The activity of MMP-9 was assessed by gelatin zymography.Results: In the SAP groups, serum levels of AMY, Cr, and BUN were markedly higher than in the sham groups. The peak value of AMY was observed from 12 to 24 h, but that of Cr and BUN was observed at 36 h. Capillary endothelial cells in the renal interstitium were impaired and expression of MMP-9 and VASP in the kidney was significantly increased when compared with the sham groups. Expression of MMP-9 and VASP declined when renal damage reached a maximum after 24 h.Conclusions: In the presence of acute kidney injury in SAP, the renal expression of MMP-9 and VASP is related to damage of endothelial cells in capillaries, which reached a maximum at 24 h and declined afterwards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing evidence indicates that microRNAs (miRNAs) are important mediators of brain development and neurite growth. However, the affected signaling mechanisms are not clearly clarified. In the present study, we confirm that miR-29c is expressed during mice brain development and increases neurite outgrowth via decreasing PTEN expression. We first screen the picked-out miR-29c up-regulated in PC12 cells induced by nerve growth factor (NGF). In silico analysis of possible miR-29c targets, VEGFA, MAPK3, PDGFB, and PTEN mRNA are proposed as relatively likely putative binding sites for miR-29c. Subsequently, we detect that miR-29c is involved in brain development and has a negative relationship with the expression of PTEN. Then, using luciferase reporter assay,we demonstrate that miR-29c could directly target to the 3′-UTR of PTEN mRNA and result in down-expression of PTEN. By infecting PC12 cells with lentiviral pLKO-miR-29c or control, we also find that increasing levels of miR-29c markedly increase Akt phosphorylation level, and thus, promote neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells. Together, our results identify that miR-29c is required for mice brain development and modulates neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells via targeting PTEN and has a promising therapeutic target for neural disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial-driven biogeochemical cycles in wetlands impacted by global warming pose a potential downstream eutrophication risk. However, the consequences of ongoing warming on the functional and metabolic potential of sediment microbial communities are largely unknown. We incubated sediment samples under both ambient temperature conditions (control) and simulated warming conditions of 5°C above ambient temperature (warmed) using a novel field microcosm system. In warmed samples, we observed in situ a decreased thickness of the oxidized sediment layer and associated lower sediment redox potential. GeoChip 4.0, a comprehensive functional gene microarray, demonstrated that many functional genes that are involved in oxidation-reduction reactions and in phosphorus (P) degradation were preferentially enriched under warming conditions. The enriched genes included those genes encoding carbon monoxide dehydrogenase, acetyl-CoA carboxylase biotin carboxylase ( ppc), and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco) for carbon fixation; nitrate reductases ( narG) and nitrous oxide reductases ( nosZ) for denitrification; cytochrome c for metal reduction; and exopolyphosphatase ( ppx) for polyphosphate degradation. The redox potential was one of the most significant parameters linked to microbial functional gene structure. These results demonstrate that the enhanced hypoxia and anaerobic metabolic pathways accelerated sediment P mobilization in freshwater wetland subject to warming, raising the potential of water eutrophication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present theoretical studies of three regions for plasmonic focusing, which are surface plasmon-dominating, Fresnel, and Fraunhoffer regions. The boundaries of the three regions are defined and the physical behaviors of plasmonic lenses in terms of focal length and focus size in these regions are investigated. A plasmonic lens that renders a subdiffraction-limit focus in the Fresnel region is presented and the lens performance with respect to the design parameters is studied by using finite-difference time-domain simulations. This work can serve as a basis for understanding plasmonic-focusing phenomenon and designing plasmonic lenses for various applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The newest trend in the field of thoracic surgery, thoracic natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES), is still in the early stages of development and limited to animal experiments. Transumbilical endoscopic surgery could work as a viable intermediate step before pure NOTES. We describe our experiences performing transumbilical-diaphragmatic thoracic sympathectomy with an ultrathin flexible endoscope for palmar and axillary hyperhidrosis in human patients. Methods: From April 2010 to January 2012, a total of 38 patients underwent transumbilical-diaphragmatic thoracic sympathectomy. Through the incision in the umbilicus, a newly developed long trocar was inserted into the abdominal cavity. An ultrathin endoscope was introduced through the long trocar and then passed through the rigid incision made in the left and right diaphragm and into the thoracic cavity. The ganglion was ablated at the desired thoracic level. Results: Sympathectomy was performed successfully in all patients. Mean operation time was 68 ± 16 (range, 48-107) minutes. There was no mortality and no conversion to open surgery during the operation of any patient. At a median follow-up of 11 (range, 4-12) months after surgery, no diaphragmatic hernia was observed. The rate of palmar hyperhidrosis and axillary hyperhidrosis resolution was 100 and 75 %, respectively. Conclusions: Transumbilical endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy is technically feasible and safe, which has the possible advantages of pure NOTES and can be performed in routine clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to investigate the hepatic protective effect and the molecular mechanisms of andrographolide in concanavalin A-induced liver injury model. Results showed that andrographolide (Ag) attenuated concanavalin A (Con-A)-induced liver injury and inhibited hepatocyte apoptosis. Further results showed that oxidative stress response genes were significantly elevated during the pathogenesis induced by Con-A. Meanwhile, gadolinium chloride and N-acetyl- l-cysteine (NAC) treatment, which inactivates Kupffer cells or reduces reactive oxygen species, respectively, prevented the liver injury. So the messenger RNA levels of the oxidative response genes mentioned above were detected, and the following results showed that Ag treatment reduced their expression. Besides, serum lactate dehydrogenase and myeloperoxidase activity was significantly reduced by Ag. Finally, Ag treatment did not further reduce serum tumor necrosis factor-α production compared with NAC treatment alone. Thus, our results indicate that Ag prevents Con-A-induced liver injury and reduced the hepatic oxidative stress response. The hepatic protective effect of Ag indicates that Ag supplementation may be beneficial in the treatment of immune-mediated liver injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies indicate that neural progenitor cells seeded in fibrin can differentiate into the glia cells and neurons. However, whether fibrin gel can induce differentiation of neural progenitor cells of spinal cord into motoneurons remains to be elucidated. In this study, we prepared a fibrin-based hybrid gel incorporated with laminin and fibronectin using rat fresh plasma as a crosslinking agent. The physical properties of this hybrid gel were examined with electron microscope, as well as its degradation and vascularization after subcutaneous transplantation with histological methods. Immunofluorescence stainings were used to study the proliferation and differentiation of the neural progenitor cells seeded in this 3D hybrid gel. The results indicate that such a hybrid gel possesses the unique physical characteristics, and the ability to promote both the proliferation and differentiation of the neural progenitor cells into neuron, including ChAT-positive motoneuron. Thus, it is suggested that this hybrid gel might be suitable for a mimetic tissue transplant for central nerve system injury, such as injured spinal cord repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of rebamipide on symptom, histology, endogenous prostaglandin, and mucosal oxygen free radicals in chronic erosive gastritis (CEG) patients by using sucralfate as a control. The trial also examined whether Helicobacter pylori infection would affect rebamipide-induced protection. A total of 453 endoscopy-confirmed CEG patients from 11 hospitals in China were enrolled in the study. They randomly received either rebamipide (100 mg t.i.d) or sucralfate (1.0 t.i.d) for 8 weeks with a ratio of 3:1. Per-protocol analysis (n = 415) showed the accumulated symptom score in the rebamipide group dropped from 5.54 +/- 0.97 to 0.80 +/- 0.47 after 8 weeks (P < 0.001 versus control). The endoscopic inflammation score in rebamipide group also decreased from 2.65 +/- 0.09 to 0.60 +/- 0.10, which showed better effects than sucralfate. It was shown a significant improvement (P < 0.01) in prostaglandin E2 (PGE(2)) contents in rebamipide-treated subjects mucosa (225.4 +/- 18.3 pg/g versus 266.7 +/- 14.7 pg/g) compared with that in sucralfate group after 8 weeks of treatment. Malondialdehyde (MDA) contents were significantly depressed both in the trial and control group. When Helicobacter pylori infection was considered, no statistically difference was found in the effect of rebamipide on either symptom or inflammation scores. In conclusion, Rebamipide demonstrated a stronger suppressive effect on the mucosal inflammation in chronic erosive gastritis than sucralfate. The gastroprotection induced by rebamipide is not influenced by H. pylori infection, which indicates its usage in the treatment of H. pylori-associated CEG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of transmembrane receptors are targeted to the nucleus and convincingly localized therein. However, what remains a conundrum is how these cell-surface receptors end up in the nucleus. In this study, we reported that the transmembrane receptor phosphorylated TrkA was located in a series of carrier vesicles, including ring-like vesicles near the plasma membrane, large core vesicles and small dense core vesicles around the nuclei, as well as in the nucleus in human glioma cell line U251 using immunocytochemistry and immunofluorescence staining. Meanwhile, we also showed that small dense core vesicles budded from large core vesicles, and interacted with the nuclear envelope. Accordingly, our results suggested that such a series of membrane compartments might be involved in the pathway of nuclear translocation of the transmembrane receptor TrkA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the therapeutic efficay of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (PRFA) for hepatic malignancies and to define its indications and its criteria of the curative effect. In 100 patients with histologically or clinically confirmed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or liver metastases we performed PRFA under ultrasound guidance using LeVeen multipolar array needle electrode and RF 2000 generator. All patients were followed to identify complications and to assess treatment response. PRFA was performed in 76 patients with HCC and in 24 with liver metastases. The Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels of the AFP positive HCC patients with inoperable small HCCs decreased to normal in 75.0% (21/28) and decreased markedly in 21.4% (6/28). Complete necrosis of small hepatic malignancies, documented by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was achieved in 85.9% (61/71). If the tumor shows iso-or hyper-intensity on T1-weighted images, and relative hypointensity on T2-weighted images, and no enhanced intensity on dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging, it is considered completely coagulated. PRFA is a novel local thermal palliative therapy for small hepatic malignancies that is minimally invasive, safe and effective. In patients with large lesions it can be combined with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). Critera for curative treatment are normalization of serum AFP and/or MRI or CT scan findings showing complete necrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internal events of nuclear power plant are complex and include equipment maintenance, equipment damage etc. These events will affect the probability of the current risk level of the system as well as the reliability of the equipment parameter values so such kind of events will serve as an important basis for systematic analysis and calculation. This paper presents a method for reliability parameters calculation and their updating. The method is based on binomial likelihood function and its conjugate beta distribution. For update parameters Bayes' theorem has been selected. To implement proposed method a computer base program is designed which provide help to estimate reliability parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deployment cost of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), one of the key elements for smart grid, often arises from three sub-systems, respectively referred to as data management system, communication network, and smart devices. Among them, the costs of communication network account for a considerable proportion. In smart grid, smart devices are generally fixed in a certain position and schedule reading of interval meter data. They do not only cover smart meters, but also extend gas, water meters, and other sensors measuring light, humidity, and temperature. Many of them are often with battery supply, and this will bring utilization constraints especially in communication network. The deployment needs of reducing cost and the energy-constrained network for an extremely large-scale AMI infrastructure both require optimum communication technologies that consider energy consumption, minimize energy use, simplify network topology, and prolong network lifetime. As an emerging 3GPP radio interface technology specifically designed for low power wide area networks (LPWANs), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) inherits from the existing LTE but does many simplifications. Its most prominent features, enhanced coverage and low power consumption, are being pursued for a large-scale AMI communication network. In this paper, we provide a survey of AMI communication, emphasize on the key technologies of NB-IoT, analyze the performance of NB-IoT network over a real-world, and demonstrate the potential of NB-IoT to support and boost AMI in smart grid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the adverse impact of DDTs on ecosystems and humans, a full fate assessment deems a comprehensive study on their occurrence in soils over a large region. Through a sampling campaign across China, we measured the concentrations, enantiomeric fractions (EFs), compound-specific carbon isotope composition of DDT and its metabolites, and the microbial community in related arable soils. The geographically total DDT concentrations are higher in eastern than western China. The EFs and δ13C of o,p'-DDT in soils from western China show smaller deviations from those of racemic/standard compound, indicating the DDT residues there mainly result from atmospheric transport. However, the sources of DDT in eastern China are mainly from historic application of technical DDTs and dicofol. The inverse dependence of o,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDE on temperature evidences the transformation of parent DDT to its metabolites. Initial usage, abiotic parameters and microbial communities are found to be the main factors influencing the migration and transformation of DDT isomers and their metabolites in soils. In addition, a prediction equation of DDT concentrations in soils based on stepwise multiple regression analysis is developed. Results from this study offer insights into the migration and transformation pathways of DDTs in Chinese arable soils, which will allow data-based risk assessment on their use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]