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Streptococcus mutans has been implicated as the primary pathogen in childhood caries (tooth decay). While the role of polymicrobial communities is appreciated, it remains unclear whether other microorganisms are active contributors or interact with pathogens. Here, we integrate multi-omics of supragingival biofilm (dental plaque) from 416 preschool-age children (208 males and 208 females) in a discovery-validation pipeline to identify disease-relevant inter-species interactions. Sixteen taxa associate with childhood caries in metagenomics-metatranscriptomics analyses. Using multiscale/computational imaging and virulence assays, we examine biofilm formation dynamics, spatial arrangement, and metabolic activity of Selenomonas sputigena, Prevotella salivae and Leptotrichia wadei, either individually or with S. mutans. We show that S. sputigena, a flagellated anaerobe with previously unknown role in supragingival biofilm, becomes trapped in streptococcal exoglucans, loses motility but actively proliferates to build a honeycomb-like multicellular-superstructure encapsulating S. mutans, enhancing acidogenesis. Rodent model experiments reveal an unrecognized ability of S. sputigena to colonize supragingival tooth surfaces. While incapable of causing caries on its own, when co-infected with S. mutans, S. sputigena causes extensive tooth enamel lesions and exacerbates disease severity in vivo. In summary, we discover a pathobiont cooperating with a known pathogen to build a unique spatial structure and heighten biofilm virulence in a prevalent human disease.

The introduction of carbon interstitials into high-entropy alloys (HEAs) provides an effective way to improve their properties. However, all such HEA systems explored so far are limited to those with the face-centered-cubic (fcc) structure. Here we report the structural, mechanical and physical properties of the refractory (Nb0.375Ta0.25Mo0.125W0.125Re0.125)100−xCx HEAs over a wide x range of 0 ≤ x ≤ 20. It is found that, whereas the starting HEA (x = 0) is composed of a major body-centered-cubic (bcc) phase with significant impurities, the bcc phase fraction increases with the C concentration and achieves almost 100% at x = 20. Moreover, the increase of C content x results in an expansion of the bcc lattice, an enhancement of the microhardness, an increase in residual resistivity and a small variation of density of states at the Fermi level. All these features are consistent with the expectation that carbon atoms occupy the interstitial site. For x ≥ 11.1, the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicates the bond formation between the carbon and metal atoms, suggesting that some carbon atoms may also reside in the lattice site. In addition, a semiquantitative analysis shows that the enhanced mixing entropy caused by carbon addition plays a key role in stabilizing the (nearly) single solid-solution phase. Our study not only provides the first series of carbon interstitial HEAs with a bcc structure, but also helps to better understand the alloying behavior of carbon in refractory HEAs.

$\beta$-ThRhGe, the high-temperature polymorph of ThRhGe, is isostructural to the well-known ferromagnetic superconductor URhGe. However, contrary to URhGe, $\beta$-ThRhGe is nonmagnetic and undergoes an incomplete structural phase transition at 244 K, followed by a superconducting transition below 3.36 K. Here we show that the isovalent substitution of Ir for Rh leads to a strong enhancement of superconductivity by suppressing the structural transition. At $x$ = 0.5, where the structural transition disappears, $T_{\rm c}$ reaches a maximum of 6.88 K. The enhancement of superconductivity is linked to the proximity to a structural quantum critical point at this Ir concentration, as suggested by the analysis of thermodynamic as well as resistivity data. First principles calculations indicate that the Ir doping has little effect on the electronic band dispersion near the Fermi level. $\beta$-ThRh$_{1-x}$Ir$_{x}$Ge thus provides an excellent platform to study the interplay between superconductivity and structural quantum criticality in actinide-containing compounds., Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, 1 tables

Aflibercept, as a soluble decoy vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, Which has been used as a first-line monotherapy for cancers. Aflibercept often causes cardiovascular toxicities including hypertension, but the mechanisms underlying aflibercept-induced hypertension remain unknown. In this study we investigated the effect of short-term and long-term administration of aflibercept on blood pressure (BP), vascular function, NO bioavailability, oxidative stress and endothelin 1 (ET-1) in mice and cultured endothelial cells. We showed that injection of a single-dose of aflibercept (18.2, 36.4 mg/kg, iv) rapidly and dose-dependently elevated BP in mice. Aflibercept treatment markedly impaired endothelial-dependent relaxation (EDR) and resulted in NADPH oxidases 1 (NOX1)- and NADPH oxidases 4 (NOX4)-mediated generation of ROS, decreased the activation of protein kinase B (Akt) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) concurrently with a reduction in nitric oxide (NO) production and elevation of ET-1 levels in mouse aortas; these effects were greatly attenuated by supplementation of L-arginine (L-arg, 0.5 or 1.0 g/kg, bid, ig) before aflibercept injection. Similar results were observed in L-arg-pretreated cultured endothelial cells, showing markedly decreased ROS accumulation and AKT/eNOS/NO signaling impairment induced by aflibercept. In order to assess the effects of long-term aflibercept on hypertension and to evaluate the beneficial effects of L-arg supplementation, we administered these two drugs to WT mice for up to 14 days (at an interval of two days). Long-term administration of aflibercept resulted in a sustained increase in BP and a severely impaired EDR, which are associated with NOX1/NOX4-mediated production of ROS, increase in ET-1, inhibition of AKT/eNOS/NO signaling and a decreased expression of cationic amino acid transporter (CAT-1). The effects caused by long-term administration were greatly attenuated by L-arg supplementation in a dose-dependent manner. We conclude that aflibercept leads to vascular dysfunction and hypertension by inhibiting CAT-1/AKT/eNOS/NO signaling, increasing ET-1, and activating NOX1/NOX4-mediated oxidative stress, which can be suppressed by supplementation of L-arg. Therefore, L-arg could be a potential therapeutic agent for aflibercept-induced hypertension.

A path factor of G is a spanning subgraph of G such that its each component is a path. A path factor is called a P≥n-factor if its each component admits at least n vertices. A graph G is called P≥n-factor covered if G admits a P≥n-factor containing e for any e ∈ E(G), which is defined by [Discrete Mathematics, 309, 2067–2076 (2009)]. We first define the concept of a (P≥n, k)-factor-critical covered graph, namely, a graph G is called (P≥n, k)-factor-critical covered if G-D is P≥n-factor covered for any D ⊆ V(G)with ∣D∣ = k. In this paper, we verify that (i) a graph G with k(G) ≥ k + 1 is (P⊆2, k)-factor-critical covered if bind $$\left( G \right) > {{2 + k} \over 3}$$ ; (ii) a graph G with ∣V(G)∣ ≥ k + 3 and k(G) ≥ k + 1 is (P≥3, k)-factor-critical covered if bind $$\left( G \right) \ge {{4 + k} \over 3}$$ .

Let a, b and k be nonnegative integers with a ≥ 2 and b ≥ a(k + 1) + 2. A graph G is called a k-Hamiltonian graph if after deleting any k vertices of G the remaining graph of G has a Hamiltonian cycle. A graph G is said to have a k-Hamiltonian [a, b]-factor if after deleting any k vertices of G the remaining graph of G admits a Hamiltonian [a, b]-factor. Let G is a k-Hamiltonian graph of order n with n ≥ a + k + 2. In this paper, it is proved that G contains a k-Hamiltonian [a, b]-factor if δ(G) ≥ a + k and $$\delta \left(G \right) \ge I\left(G \right) \ge a - 1 + {{a\left({k + 1} \right)} \over {b - 2}}$$ .

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are at the focus of current research for their diverse properties, including superconductivity and structural polymorphism. However, the polymorphic transition has been observed only in nonsuperconducting HEAs and mostly under high pressure. Here we report the discovery of superconductivity and temperature-driven polymorphism in the (V$_{0.5}$Nb$_{0.5}$)$_{3-x}$Mo$_{x}$Al$_{0.5}$Ga$_{0.5}$ (0.2 $\leq$ $x$ $\leq$ 1.4) HEAs. It is found that the as-cast HEA is of a single body-centered cubic (bcc) structure for $x$ = 0.2 and a mixture of the bcc and A15 structures for higher $x$ values. Upon annealing, the bcc structure undergoes a polymorphic transformation to the A15 one and all HEAs exhibits bulk superconductivity. For $x$ = 0.2, whereas the bcc polymorph is not superconducting down to 1.8 K, the A15 polymorph has a superconducting transition temperature $T_{\rm c}$ of 10.2 K and an estimated zero-temperature upper critical field $B_{\rm c2}$(0) of 20.1 T, both of which are the highest among HEA superconductors. With increasing Mo content $x$, both $T_{\rm c}$ and $B_{\rm c2}$(0) of the A15-type HEAs decrease, yet the large ratio of $B_{\rm c2}$(0)/$T_{\rm c}$ signifies a disorder-induced enhancement of the upper critical field over a wide $x$ range. The decrease in $T_{\rm c}$ is attributed to the decrease in both the electronic specific-heat coefficient and electron-phonon coupling strength. Furthermore, the valence electron count dependence of $T_{\rm c}$, which is different from both the binary A15 and other structurally different HEA superconductors, suggests that $T_{\rm c}$ may be increased further by reducing the number of valence electrons. Our results not only uncover HEA superconductors of a new structural type, but also provide the first example of polymorphism dependent superconductivity in HEAs., 8 pages, 4 figures, Sci. China Mater., in press

Chronic Liver Diseases (CLD) are characterized by abnormal accumulation of collagen fibrils, neo-angiogenesis, and sinusoidal remodeling. Collagen deposition along with intrahepatic angiogenesis and sinusoidal remodeling alters sinusoid structure resulting in portal hypertension, liver failure, and other complications. Efforts were made to develop treatments for CLDs. However, the success of such treatments is limited and unpredictable. We report a strategy for CLD treatment by induction of integrin αvβ3 mediated cell apoptosis using a rationally designed protein (ProAgio). ProAgio is designed to target integrin αvβ3 at a novel site. Integrin αvβ3 is highly expressed in activated Hepatic Stellate Cells (HSC), angiogenic endothelium, and capillarized Liver Sinusoidal Endothelial Cells (LSEC). ProAgio induces apoptosis of these disease causative cells. Tests with liver fibrosis mouse models demonstrate that ProAgio reverses liver fibrosis and relieves blood flow resistance by depleting activated HSC and capillarized LSEC. Our studies demonstrate an effective approach for CLD treatment., As activated hepatic stellate cells and liver sinusoidal endothelial cells express high levels of integrin α v β3, Turaga et al. present a strategy for treatment of chronic liver disease using their rationally designed protein (ProAgio) which targets integrin α v β3. They find that ProAgio –mediated apoptosis of these disease-associated cells reverses liver fibrosis and ameliorates intrahepatic vascular resistance in a mouse model

A new noncentrosymmetric phosphide ThIrP has been synthesized and characterized.X-ray diffraction analysis shows that this compound crystallizes in a LaPtSi-type tetragonal lattice (space group $I$4$_{1}$$md$, $Z$ = 4), whose lattice parameters are $a$ = $b$ = 4.0676(1) A $c$ = 14.3354(2) A and $V$ = 237.191(8) A$^{3}$.Moreover, ThIrP is discovered to be an intermediately coupled, type-II superconductor with possibly multiple gaps below $T_{\\rm~c}$ = 5.07 K. The upper critical magnetic field, Sommerfield coefficient, and Ginzburg-Laudau parameter are determined based on physical property measurements, which are $B_{\\rm~c2}$ = 0.83 T, $\\gamma$ = 7.5 mJ mol$^{-1}$ K$^{-2}$, and $\\kappa_{\\mathrm{GL}}$ = 7.5, respectively.The electronic band structure calculations point out nearly equal contributions of Ir and Th atoms on the density of states around the Fermi surface. In addition, the spin-orbit coupling induced band splitting reaches as large as 270 meV along the $\\Gamma$-$Z$ line. Our results suggest that ThIrP provides a platform to study the interplay between inversion-symmetry breaking, strong spin-orbit coupling, and superconductivity.

Superconductivity frequently appears by doping compounds that show a collective phase transition. So far, however, this has not been observed in topological materials. Here we report the discovery of superconductivity induced by Ga doping in orthorhombic Re$_{3}$Ge$_{7}$, which undergoes a second-order metal-insulator-like transition at $\sim$58 K and is predicted to have a nontrivial band topology. It is found that the substitution of Ga for Ge leads to hole doping in Re$_{3}$Ge$_{7-x}$Ga$_{x}$. As a consequence, the phase transition is gradually suppressed and disappears above $x$ = 0.2. At this $x$ value, superconductivity emerges and $T_{\rm c}$ exhibits a dome-like doping dependence with a maximum value of 3.37 K at $x$ = 0.25. First-principles calculations suggest that the phase transition in Re$_{3}$Ge$_{7}$ is associated with an electronic instability driven by Fermi surface nesting and the nontrival band topology is preserved after Ga doping. Our results indicate that Ga-doped Re$_{3}$Ge$_{7}$ provides a rare opportunity to study the interplay between superconductivity and competing electronic states in a topologically nontrivial system., 11 pages, 7 figures

We report the superconductivity of a new quaternary compound ThMo$_2$Si$_2$C, synthesized with the arc-melting technique. The compound crystallizes in a tetragonal CeCr$_2$Si$_2$C-type structure with cell parameters of $a$ = 4.2296 \r{A}and $c$ = 5.3571 \r{A}. An interlayer Si-Si covalent bonding is suggested by the atomic distance. The electrical resistivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate a Pauli-paramagnetic metal with dominant electron-electron scattering in the normal-state. Bulk superconductivity at 2.2 K is demonstrated with a dimensionless specific-heat jump of ${\Delta}C/\gamma_{\rm n}T$ = 0.98. The superconducting parameters of the critical magnetic fields, coherence length, penetration depth, and superconducting energy gap are given., Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in SCIENCE CHINA Physics, Mechanics & Astronomy

Carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bonds have long been considered unreactive and are inert to traditional chemical reagents, yet new methods for the transformation of these bonds are continually being developed1-9. However, it is challenging to achieve such transformations in a highly selective manner, especially if the C-H bonds are unactivated10 or not adjacent to a directing group11-13. Catalyst-controlled site-selectivity-in which the inherent reactivities of the substrates14 can be overcome by choosing an appropriate catalyst-is an appealing concept, and substantial effort has been made towards catalyst-controlled C-H functionalization6,15-17, in particular methylene C-H bond functionalization. However, although several new methods have targeted these bonds in cyclic alkanes, the selectivity has been relatively poor18-20. Here we illustrate an additional level of sophistication in catalyst-controlled C-H functionalization, whereby unactivated cyclohexane derivatives can be desymmetrized in a highly site- and stereoselective manner through donor/acceptor carbene insertion. These studies demonstrate the potential of catalyst-controlled site-selectivity to govern which C-H bond will react, which could enable new strategies for the production of fine chemicals.

Background As one of the non-pharmacological interventions to control the transmission of COVID-19, determining the quarantine duration is mainly based on the accurate estimates of the incubation period. However, patients with coarse information of the exposure date, as well as infections other than the symptomatic, were not taken into account in previously published studies. Thus, by using the statistical method dealing with the interval-censored data, we assessed the quarantine duration for both common and uncommon infections. The latter type includes the presymptomatic, the asymptomatic and the recurrent test positive patients. Methods As of 10 December 2020, information on cases have been collected from the English and Chinese databases, including Pubmed, Google scholar, CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) and Wanfang. Official websites and medias were also searched as data sources. All data were transformed into doubly interval-censored and the accelerated failure time model was applied. By estimating the incubation period and the time-to-event distribution of worldwide COVID-19 patients, we obtain the large percentiles for determining and suggesting the quarantine policies. For symptomatic and presymptomatic COVID-19 patients, the incubation time is the duration from exposure to symptom onset. For the asymptomatic, we substitute the date of first positive result of nucleic acid testing for that of symptom onset. Furthermore, the time from hospital discharge or getting negative test result to the positive recurrence has been calculated for recurrent positive patients. Results A total of 1920 laboratory confirmed COVID-19 cases were included. Among all uncommon infections, 34.1% (n = 55) of them developed symptoms or were identified beyond fourteen days. Based on all collected cases, the 95th and 99th percentiles were estimated to be 16.2 days (95% CI 15.5–17.0) and 22.9 days (21.7‒24.3) respectively. Besides, we got similar estimates based on merely symptomatic and presymptomatic infections as 15.1 days (14.4‒15.7) and 21.1 days (20.0‒22.2). Conclusions There are a certain number of infected people who require longer quarantine duration. Our findings well support the current practice of the extended active monitoring. To further prevent possible transmissions induced and facilitated by such infectious outliers after the 14-days quarantine, properly prolonging the quarantine duration could be prudent for high-risk scenarios and in regions with insufficient test resources.

The blender of active material R6G and film forming agent PDMS are spincoated onto a sandpaper substrate to fabricate the random laser of thin layer. The sandpaper provides support for the random laser and the sand particles on the sandpaper substrate provide the scattering mechanism of random lasing output. The random lasing emission centres at 560 nm, with a threshold of about 13 mJ/cm2. This design provides a new and cheap method to fabricate random lasers.

The fate of electric dipoles inside a Fermi sea is an old issue, yet poorly-explored. Sr$_{1-x}$Ca$_x$TiO$_{3}$ hosts a robust but dilute ferroelectricity in a narrow ($0.002, Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures

Let G be a graph and k ≥ 2 a positive integer. Let h: E(G) → [0, 1] be a function. If $$\sum\limits_{e \mathrel\backepsilon x} {h(e) = k} $$ holds for each x ∈ V (G), then we call G[Fh] a fractional k-factor of G with indicator function h where Fh = {e ∈ E(G): h(e) > 0}. A graph G is fractional independent-set-deletable k-factor-critical (in short, fractional ID-k-factor-critical), if G − I has a fractional k-factor for every independent set I of G. In this paper, we prove that if n ≥ 9k − 14 and for any subset X ⊂ V (G) we have $${N_G}(X) = V(G)if|X| \geqslant \left\lfloor {\frac{{kn}}{{3k - 1}}} \right\rfloor ;or|{N_G}(X)| \geqslant \frac{{3k - 1}}{k}|X|if|X| < \left\lfloor {\frac{{kn}}{{3k - 1}}} \right\rfloor ,$$ then G is fractional ID-k-factor-critical.

The original version of this article was updated to correct the misspelling of Li-Ping Liu's name.

To investigate the potential radiosensitization of S-1 and gefitinib in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in vitro and in vivo. The impact of radiation, 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu), and gefitinib on the proliferation and apoptosis of human NSCLC A549, H1299, H1975, and HCC827 cells was examined by MTT and flow cytometry. The effect of radiation, 5-Fu, and gefitinib on the clonogenicity of H1975 and HCC827 cells was determined by colony formation assay. The effect of radiation, 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu), and gefitinib on the EGFR, AKT, and ERK1/2 activation in H1975 cells was determined by Western blot. The therapeutic efficacy of radiation, S-1, and gefitinib in the growth of implanted H1975 tumors and the AKT activation in the tumors were examined in vivo and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Combination of radiation, 5-Fu, and gefitinib significantly inhibited the proliferation of H1975 cells and triggered their apoptosis, but not other NSCLC cells tested. The combination therapy significantly mitigated the clonogenicity and attenuated the activation of EGFR and AKT signaling in H1975 cells. Furthermore, combination of S-1, gefitinib, and radiation significantly inhibited the growth of implanted H1975 tumors in mice and remarkably reduced the AKT phosphorylation in the tumors. Our data indicated that combination of S-1 and gefitinib significantly increased radiosensitivity of H1975 cells. The triple combination therapies may benefit patients with the EGFR T790M mutant NSCLC.

The behaviors of the precipitation and decomposition of carbides in AISI M2 high-speed steel modified by nitrogen and mischmetal were investigated using DSC, XRD, SEM and TEM. The as-cast microstructure of the experimental steel consists of dendrites of iron matrix, networks of eutectic carbides and secondary carbides. The average distance between networks is about 34 μm. The carbides mainly include M2C, M(C,N) and M6C, and their relative contents are 58.5%, 30.3% and 11.2%, respectively. The average spacing between the M2C fibers is 1.5 μm. The decomposition of M2C occurs from 897.2 to 1221.5 °C (heating rate of 200 °C/h). Some precipitated carbide particles occur in the M2C matrix after holding for 15 min at 1100 °C. With increasing holding time, the carbide fibers neck down more and more obviously until they are broken down. The spectral peaks of M2C almost disappear after holding for 60 min. The spectral peaks of M6C gradually strengthen with the holding time, and the relative content of M6C increases to 79.8% after holding for 60 min. After holding for 180 min, the carbide fibers disappear, and the decomposition products consist of fine carbide particles (about 300 nm) and short rod-like carbides (about 3.5 μm).

Die-less spinning has high flexibility in aeronautics, aerospace vehicles and other manufacturing fields; however, the wall thickness of the workpiece is hard to control in die-less shear spinning. A flexible control method of wall thickness distributions on the truncated cone shape is attempted using double-sheet shear spinning. The fundamental approach entails the adjustment of original thickness during forming. In double-sheet die-less shear spinning, two aluminum disk blanks arranged concentrically are formed for truncated cone. The cover thicknesses of the spun workpieces are smaller than the value that conforms to the sine law using the same blank thickness. The wall thicknesses of base spun workpieces are bigger than the sine law value under the same circumstances. The theoretical mechanics analysis of the double-sheet shear spinning process is carried out through mechanics and finite element analysis.

In this study, effects of modified silica on the microstructure of polyvinylidene fluoride and its microporous membranes were investigated. The silica was modified by 3-Methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane to improve its compatibility with the polyvinylidene fluoride matrix. The relaxation time of polyvinylidene fluoride was markedly improved by modified nano-silica, especially at the loading of 0.1 wt‰. Effects of the modified silica on the nanocomposite microstructure, such as crystallization and orientation behavior, were studied in the manuscript. Furthermore, adding 3-Methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane modified silica could effectively handicap the relaxation of orientation structure in polyvinylidene fluoride and facilitate the formation of uniform lamellar structures which could be described by two-dimensional small-angle X-ray scattering testing. Finally, casting films with more uniform lamellar structure was also in favor of fabricating polyvinylidene fluoride microporous membranes by melt-stretching method.

The relative stability between disordered L21B structure and ordered XA structure in Heusler alloys CoFeVSi and CoFeMnSi has been compared by using first-principles calculations. It has been found that the L21B structure is lower in energy and stable in CoFeMnSi while in CoFeVSi, the ordered XA structure has a higher stability. The SGS character in XA-type CoFeVSi and CoFeMnSi may be disturbed by L21B disorder. CoFeMnSi becomes a half-metal while CoFeVSi becomes a normal ferromagnetic metal when L21B disorder occurs. The SGS character in XA-type and half-metallicity in L21B-type CoFeMnSi are insensitive to lattice distortion, which is interesting to technical applications. Finally, our results suggest that the relative stability of L21B structure and XA structures in Heusler alloys may be composition dependent, and the possibility of L21B structure should be considered, when designing and preparing Heusler alloys.

Inactivation of hedgehog-interacting protein (HHIP) and overexpression of Gli1 play vital roles in the development of diverse human cancers. The aim of this study is to examine the association of HHIP and Gli1 with the clinicopathologic features and prognosis of patients with glioblastoma (GBM). The expression of HHIP and Gli1 in 103 patients with GBM and 32 control patients was investigated by immunohistochemistry. Statistical analysis was utilized to evaluate the association of HHIP as well as Gli1 with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of patients. HHIP and Gli1 were dysregulated in GBM. Spearman's rank analysis showed that HHIP and Gli1 had an inverse correlation (r = -0.386, P = 0.000). Expression of HHIP was significantly correlated with age (P = 0.000), gender (P = 0.003), seizure (P = 0.013), resection degree (P = 0.033), adjuvant treatment (P = 0.030), and O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) methylation (P = 0.021), while Gli1 expression was significantly correlated with age (P = 0.002), gender (P = 0.033), Karnofsky performance status (KPS) score (P = 0.028), resection degree (P = 0.000), adjuvant treatment (P = 0.014), and MGMT methylation (P = 0.030). Kaplan-Meier method showed that patients with low Gli1 expression had longer overall survival (OS) than those with high Gli1 expression (P = 0.000) and the OS of the patients with HHIP-positive GBM was significantly longer than that of the patients with HHIP-negative GBM (P = 0.000). Univariate and multivariate analyses confirmed that HHIP expression and Gli1 expression were independent prognostic factors. Our data suggested that expression of HHIP could be considered as significant prognostic marker for patients with GBM.

Along with the development of digital manufacturing level, to eliminate digital measurement error becomes very important in the production and manufacturing process. In order to effectively eliminate measuring datum error, a novel algorithm for digital measurement error rectification is proposed. According to the principle of graphics transformation, a nonlinear objective function with constraints is developed. Through nonlinear programming, the optimal parameters are achieved in the feasible region, which are the theoretical adjustment basis for parts. Finally, an example using the rectification algorithm is presented in this paper and reveals that the rectification algorithm reduces the comprehensive deviation of measured data and has an impact on the production and measurement for mechanical parts.

The effect of infection by the fungal endophyte Neotyphodium, host genotype, and their interaction on growth and physiology, as well as photosynthesis, was investigated in the native grass Achnatherum sibiricum. We artificially inoculated the endophyte into mature tillers of endophyte-free A. sibiricum. Plants were clipped to 5 cm height after recording growth traits, and analyzed for total nonstructural carbohydrates (TNC %), the percentage of nitrogen (N %), and carbon (C %) in leaves before and after clipping. In our study, the prominent host genotype–endophyte infection interactions detected in A. sibiricum indicates that, for many growth and storage traits, endophyte infection can impact a little change. However, there is no overriding consistently positive effect of the endophyte on growth or storage in A. sibiricum before or after clipping. Our study showed that the interaction between endophyte and host grasses was highly contingent on plant genotypes. We found host genotype overrode fungal endophyte infection in influencing tiller number and photosynthetic properties of A. sibiricum before clipping. After clipping, host genotype accounted for more of the variation in regrowth and above-ground biomass of A. sibiricum than endophyte infection. Our study showed that host genotype affected the total nonstructural carbohydrates of A. sibiricum before and after clipping, whereas endophyte infection increased the carbon content after clipping. Genotype by infection interactions for plant height, leaf mass, total nonstructural carbohydrates, and photosynthetic characteristics indicated genotype-specific effects of endophytes on A. sibiricum physiology and photosynthetic capacity. The host genotype–endophyte infection interactions detected in A. sibiricum suggest that host genotype overrides fungal endophyte infection on growth, physiology, and nutrient content of this native grass. In contrast, endophyte effects did not appear to positively affect growth, physiology, or photosynthetic capacity before or after clipping.

Let a, b, k, r be nonnegative integers with 1 ≤ a ≤ b and r ≥ 2. Let G be a graph of order n with $n > \tfrac{{(a + b)(r(a + b) - 2) + ak}} {a} $ . In this paper, we first show a characterization for all fractional (a, b, k)-critical graphs. Then using the result, we prove that G is all fractional (a, b, k)-critical if $\delta (G) \geqslant \tfrac{{(r - 1)b^2 }} {a} + k $ and $|N_G (x_1 ) \cup N_G (x_2 ) \cup \cdots \cup N_G (x_r )| \geqslant \tfrac{{bn + ak}} {{a + b}} $ for any independent subset {x 1, x 2, …, x r } in G. Furthermore, it is shown that the lower bound on the condition $|N_G (x_1 ) \cup N_G (x_2 ) \cup \cdots \cup N_G (x_r )| \geqslant \tfrac{{bn + ak}} {{a + b}} $ is best possible in some sense, and it is an extension of Lu’s previous result.

Integrin αvβ3 expression is altered in various diseases and has been proposed as a drug target. Here we use a rational design approach to develop a therapeutic protein, which we call ProAgio, that binds to integrin αvβ3 outside the classical ligand-binding site. We show ProAgio induces apoptosis of integrin αvβ3-expressing cells by recruiting and activating caspase 8 to the cytoplasmic domain of integrin αvβ3. ProAgio also has anti-angiogenic activity and strongly inhibits growth of tumour xenografts, but does not affect the established vasculature. Toxicity analyses demonstrate that ProAgio is not toxic to mice. Our study reports a new integrin-targeting agent with a unique mechanism of action, and provides a template for the development of integrin-targeting therapeutics., Integrins are transmembrane proteins that have important roles in cell adhesion and signalling. Here the authors design a therapeutic protein that binds integrin αvβ3, has anti-angiogenic activity, and reduces tumour growth in xenograft models, while being seemingly well tolerated.

ZigBee Specification defines a distributed address assignment mechanism (DAAM) for assigning addresses to nodes in ZigBee networks. However, some nodes are likely not to get addresses as DAAM limits the number of child nodes of a router in advance. To address this problem with the spare addresses that DAAM does not use, we first derive an upper bound of the probability that DAAM exhausts the 16-bit address space, and then propose a segmentation-based algorithm (SBA) for on-demand scalable address assignment in ZigBee networks. Through segmenting the 16-bit address space according to the maximum address predefined by DAAM, SBA enables a router to use the addresses in new space segments if it has insufficient addresses to accommodate child nodes. In addition, the tree routing protocol is improved to suit extended addresses. Performance analysis and numerical results reveal that SBA outperforms DAAM and its two improvement versions in terms of the success rate of address assignment, communication overhead, and the average time spent to assign an address.

The defect mode in silver-doped photonic crystals is investigated. 1D and 3D photonic crystals were made by holography using dichromated gelatin mixed with silver nitrate. By controlling the concentration of the silver nitrate, the defect mode was observed in the bandgaps of the holographic photonic crystals. The numerical simulations were made, and the results showed the consistency with the experimental observations.

Symbiotic relationships with microbes may influence how plants respond to environmental change. Here, we investigated how fungal endophyte infection affected the growth of a native grass under altered water and nutrient availability. In a two-month field experiment, we compared the performance of endophyte-infected (EI) and endophyte-free (EF) Achnatherum sibiricum subjected to four treatments comprised of a factorial combination of two levels of water availability and two levels of fertilization. The greatest benefits of endophyte infection occurred in the well-watered fertilized treatment. With reduced water and/or nutrient availability, the benefits declined. EI plants subjected to drought and fertilization had higher root:shoot ratios and allocated more nitrogen to photosynthetic machinery and thus had a higher net photosynthetic rate than EF counterparts. In the well-watered unfertilized treatment, EF plants allocated more nutrients to photosynthetic machinery, while EI plants allocated more resources to defense. Thus EI plants were superior to EF plants in terms of nutrient conservation. In the drought unfertilized treatment, no significant difference occurred between EI and EF plants. Our results support the idea that the endophyte-grass interactions are dependent on available resources. However, we did not find a clear cost of endophyte infection. For A. sibiricum, fertilizer addition resulted in greater benefits of the symbiosis for plant growth, but this advantage decreased under drought.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common primary malignant tumor of the liver, often associated with the dysregulation of transcriptional pathways involved in cell growth and differentiation. The hematopoietically expressed homeobox protein (Hhex) is an important transcription factor throughout liver development and is essential to liver bud formation and hepatoblast differentiation. Here, we report a relationship between Hhex expression and HCC. First, adenovirus-mediated Hhex delivery into the hepatoma cell line, Hepa1-6, resulted in decreased expression of several proto-oncogenes (c-Jun and Bcl2), increased expression of some tumor suppressor genes (P53 and Rb), and enhanced expression of a cluster of hepatocytic and bile ductular markers. Second, Hhex expression significantly attenuated Hepa1-6 tumorigenicity in nude mice. Third, we report a correlation between Hhex expression and the differentiation state of human HCC. In 24 cases of clinical specimens, there was a significant difference in Hhex expression between poorly differentiated HCC and well-differentiated HCC (P < 0.001). Taken together, these results indicate that Hhex is a potential candidate molecular marker for HCC pathological evaluation, suggesting a need to evaluate Hhex as a potential target for therapeutic intervention.

Upconversion luminescence was obtained from CdSeS nanocrystals (NCs) under 800 nm femtosecond laser excitation. The structural and optical characteristics of the CdSeS NCs were investigated experimentally by use of UV–visible absorption spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and time-resolved luminescence dynamics. Peak shift of luminescence in CdSeS NCs can be readily observed under different wavelength femtosecond excitation. The pump power dependence of the luminescence intensity and time-resolved decay revealed that one, two, and three-photon absorption occur. It was found that upconversion luminescence is composed of photoinduced trapping and a band-edge excitonic state, and two types of species are involved in the biexponential luminescence decay kinetics. With increasing Se-doped composition, luminescence lifetimes of CdSeS NCs with similar sizes become shorter. This is not consistent with the changes of undoped CdS NCs and is ascribed to impurity level increased doping in the energy gap, which is favorable for trapping luminescence. A simple energy level of doping NCs is used to interpret upconversion luminescence and the peak shift of steady-state emission.

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate a novel protein-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent that has the capability of targeting prostate cancer and which provides high-sensitivity MR imaging in tumor cells and mouse models.A fragment of gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) was fused into a protein-based MRI contrast agent (ProCA1) at different regions. MR imaging was obtained in both tumor cells (PC3 and H441) and a tumor mouse model administrated with ProCA1.GRP.PC3 and DU145 cells treated with ProCA1.GRPs exhibited enhanced signal in MRI. Intratumoral injection of ProCA1.GRP in a PC3 tumor model displayed enhanced MRI signal. The contrast agent was retained in the PC3 tumor up to 48 h post-injection.Protein-based MRI contrast agent with tumor targeting modality can specifically target GRPR-positive prostate cancer. Intratumoral injection of the ProCA1 agent in the prostate cancer mouse model verified the targeting capability of ProCA1.GRP and showed a prolonged retention time in tumors.

Primary hepatic leiomyosarcoma (PHL), a malignant mesenchymal tumor of myogenic origin, is exceedingly rare. Patients may be afflicted with a wide spectrum of nonspecific symptoms, and most of the laboratory data are unhelpful to diagnosis. Here, we report a 44-year-old woman with anorexia and right upper quadrant pain who was diagnosed as having malignant hepatic tumor within the Milan criteria and treated by orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), the pathologic diagnosis of PHL was made by postoperative immunohistochemical study. She underwent six courses of intravenous chemotherapy and enjoyed a 14-month tumor recurrence-free survival until the lymph node metastasis was detected, then we switched the tacrolimus to sirolimus and the patient survived for 20 months additionally. Unfortunately, she finally died of extensively lymphatic metastasis and cachexia. The diagnostic and therapeutic features of PHL are also discussed by reviewing the literatures. To our knowledge, this is the second report of administering OLT to PHL patients.