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With the healthy food decision trends and conflicting taste preferences, wide array of experience augmentation strategies have been developed to maintain healthy diet without reducing sensory expectations. Employed appropriate physical, chemical, biological, and psychophysics strategies in the preparation and consumption of enhanced-flavor dairy products were assessed in this review. Multimodal perception to adjust flavor at the neurosensory level through visual, olfactory, and individual differences have been successfully applied to reduce sugar content in milk dessert products targeted at children to avoid the childhood obesity epidemic. Natural plant-based homogenates can also replace sugar to achieve healthy and all-natural goals in dairy production. Innovative and emerging physical methods used as alternative to traditional thermal processing to remove odors of fermented dairy products and contribute to new flavor, nutty, savory, and fresh. This review indicated that flavor experience augmentation strategies show promise in predicting flavor formation mechanisms, facilitating the synthesis of desirable flavor compounds, and tackling the contradictory information between health and flavor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated the impact of cervical cerclage combined with one or more uterine contraction inhibitors in persistent inhibition of uterine contraction for the treatment of late abortion and premature delivery. This retrospective case series study analysed the medical data of 58 patients who underwent cervical cerclage for cervical insufficiency and simultaneously received one or more uterine contraction inhibitors (indomethacin, ritodrine, and atosiban) and magnesium sulphate at the Zibo Maternal and Child Health Hospital between January 2019 and December 2020. Patients are normal pregnancy who received cervical cerclage without complications. The rate of successful treatment was 74.14% (43/58). The prolonged gestation duration was 16.42 ± 7.84 weeks, and the average delivery gestational age was 35.91 ± 5.16 weeks. The longest duration of treatment with a uterine contraction inhibitor or inhibitors in combination or with magnesium sulphate alone was 15.34 ± 13.16 days, and nine cases developed adverse reactions. Persistent uterine contraction inhibition after cervical cerclage could prolong pregnancy and improve pregnancy outcomes. What is already known on this subject? A crucial reason for treatment failure of cervical cerclage is that uterine contraction was not effectively inhibited. What do the results of this study add? Persistent inhibition of uterine contraction after cervical cerclage prolonged pregnancy duration, increased gestational age at delivery, and improved pregnancy outcomes. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? This study may provide a clinical basis for prolonging gestational age, preventing late abortion and premature delivery, and improving the survival rate and quality of life of premature infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While flipped learning has attempted to explain the benefits of technology applied to educational settings, this study aims to validate research questions and test the theory of the learning strategies in flipped learning. A self-designed questionnaire, consisting of 17 critical indicators of online self-regulation, project-based learning and 5-competence development, was administered to collect data from 87 college students in China. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the relative factors. The results indicated that an integrated model, combining online self-regulation and project-based learning, provided a marginally better explanatory power; project-based learning had a better prediction of 5-competence development than online self-regulation. An integrated model is proposed to detect the latent relationships among the data with structural equation modeling (SEM). The SEM provides a clear picture of the relations among the variables, and shows that online "Help seeking" in MOOC lecture videos and engagement in "Teamwork" in class are the key indicators of student engagement in flipped learning. This study adopted an innovative approach which emphasizes the diagnosis of students' engagement, and proposes an integrated model combining online self-regulation and project-based learning constructs for a theoretical framework to predict learning performance in flipped learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aging process of paper will be accelerated by acidification behavior during the storage process of paper archives, and the mechanical properties of paper archives will be weakened. By deacidizing and strengthening, the further aging of the acidified archives paper can be delayed or prevented, and the mechanical properties can be improved, so that the service life of paper archives is prolonged. To delay even to prevent the aging process, deacidizing and strengthening technology is employed. Herein, the "hybrid" system was reported by combining nano-calcium carbonate as deacidification agent, modified hydroxypropyl cellulose as reinforcement agent and ethanol as dispersant. The artificially acidified paper was brushed with it, and the pH value, mechanical properties and whiteness were measured to study the effect of deacidification and reinforcement. The results showed that oleic acid was successfully grafted onto hydroxypropyl cellulose by N,N′-carbonyl diimidazole mediated method to obtain oleic acid grafted hydroxypropyl cellulose with good dispersion in ethanol. After treating acidified paper with "hybrid" system, the pH value and the tensile strength index increase, the whiteness is almost unchanged, that is, the use of "hybrid" system plays a good deacidifying strengthening effect. The acidified paper samples before and after treatment with "hybrid" system were subjected to dry-heat aging treatment. Compared with acidified paper, the pH value, tensile strength index and whiteness of acidified paper treated with "hybrid" system are effectively inhibited, that is, the use of "hybrid" system can effectively delay the aging and acidification process of paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aging behavior occurs in the storage process of paper archives, which accelerates the aging process of the paper. Therefore, it is important for paper archives management to explore the aging behavior of acidified paper (AP) and to delay or prevent its further aging. The aging behavior of the commonly used university archives paper with artificial acidification were studied by measuring pH value, electrical conductivity, mechanical properties and whiteness. The results show that the pH value, conductivity, mechanical properties and whiteness of AP change significantly compared with the non-acidified raw paper (P). After dry-heat aging treatment, the pH value of AP decreased more obviously than P, which shows more obvious aging degradation and further acidification of AP. During the aging process of AP, the molecular and structural degradation are promoted by the presence of acidic substances, which increase the electrical conductivity of the system. The microstructures of the paper are changed by acidification and aging treatment, and more fiber fracture, etching and microscopic holes are found in the surface SEM images. The reductions of the tensile index and whiteness of AP are also more significant because of the degradation acceleration of the acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence suggests that periconceptional folic acid supplementation may prevent congenital heart disease (CHD). Methionine synthase reductase (MTRR) is one of the key regulatory enzymes in the folate metabolic pathway. This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the maternal MTRR gene with CHD risk in offspring. A hospital-based case-control study involving 740 mothers of CHD cases and 683 health controls was conducted. The study showed that maternal MTRR gene polymorphisms at rs1532268 (C/T vs. C/C: aOR = 1.524; T/T vs. C/C: aOR = 3.178), rs1802059 (G/A vs. G/G: aOR = 1.410; A/A vs. G/G: aOR = 3.953), rs2287779 (G/A vs. G/G: aOR = 0.540), rs16879334 (C/G vs. C/C: aOR = 0.454), and rs2303080 (T/A vs. T/T: aOR = 0.546) were associated with the risk of CHD. And seven haplotypes were observed to be associated with the risk of CHD, T-G-A haplotype (OR = 1.298), C-A-C-C (OR = 4.824) and A-G haplotype (OR = 1.751) were associated with increased risk of CHD in offspring; A-A-A (OR = 0.773), T-A-A (OR = 0.557), G-A-C-C (OR = 0.598) and G-C (OR = 0.740) were associated with decreased risk of CHD in offspring. Maternal MTRR gene polymorphisms were associated with CHD in offspring, and its haplotypes have affected the occurrence of CHD. Furthermore, given the complexity and heterogeneity of CHD, the mechanisms by which these factors influence offspring cardiac development remain unknown, and studies in larger samples in an ethnically diverse population are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To describe the ultrasonographic appearance of congenital anaplastic astrocytoma, so as to provide diagnostic clues for it. An updated review of the literature was also carried out. Results There was a case of fetal anaplastic astrocytoma detected by ultrasound at 37 + 1 weeks of gestation. It showed that a hypoechoic mass was located in the left hemisphere with a relatively clear margin and subtle color flows. Prenatal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which was taken subsequently confirmed the result of ultrasound. Intratumoral hemorrhage was observed in later follow-up and further confirmed by histological examination. The fetus was delivered vaginally at 39 + 6 weeks. The infant died 2 h after delivery due to respiration failure. The histological examination confirmed an anaplastic astrocytoma. Conclusions Congenital anaplastic astrocytoma commonly detected by ultrasound has a relatively better perinatal prognosis, especially compared with glioblastoma. Prenatal ultrasonography diagnosis accurately is of critical importance. The anaplastic astrocytoma should be considered in cases in which fetal images reveal a heterogeneous echogenic mass in the brain, especially in the presence of intratumoral hemorrhage, subtle color flow, and relatively clear margin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the role of postoperative gonadotrophin releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a) therapy before treatment with intrauterine insemination (IUI) for infertile females with stage I-II endometriosis. Ninety-seven patients diagnosed with stage I-II endometriosis before IUI were enrolled in this study. The clinical pregnancy rate, cumulative pregnancy rate, live birth rate and newborn conditions were compared between the two groups with and without GnRH-a therapy. The clinical pregnancy rate of IUI in the GnRH-a group was higher than that in the control group (15.29% vs. 11.82%, p =.035). By logistic regression analysis, patients treated with GnRH-a had a higher clinical pregnancy rate than those without (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 23.190, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.238–434.312). The live birth rate per IUI cycle in the GnRH-a group was also higher than in the controls (12.94% vs. 10%). However, the difference was not statistically significant (p =.311, AOR 4.844, 95% CI 0.229–102.320). The patients with GnRH-a therapy had a similar incidence of multiple pregnancy rate (0% vs. 0%), miscarriage rate (2.35% vs. 0.91%) and ectopic pregnancy rate (0% vs. 0.91%) as compared to the control group. The cumulative pregnancy rates were all higher in patients administered with GnRH-a than those without GnRH-a treatment in different cycles (one cycle: 17.07% vs 12.50%; two cycles: 29.27% vs 19.64%; three cycles: 31.71% vs 23.21%; ≥four cycles: 31.71% vs 23.21%), but the difference was not statistically significant. Notably, there was no more pregnancy after the third IUI cycle. The gestation weeks of delivery in the two groups were 39.09 ± 1.04 and 38.60 ± 1.17, respectively (p =.323). Nor was there difference in birth weight between the two groups (3236 ± 537 g vs 3435 ± 418 g, p =.360). The administration of GnRH-a in patients with stage I-II endometriosis could be beneficial to the outcomes of IUI. It is recommended that IUI should be discontinued after three failed attempts. Endometriosis is a common cause of infertility, but the exact mechanism remains unclear. The administration of GnRH-a before IUI treatment is beneficial for patients suffering from stage I-II endometriosis. After three failed attempts, IUI should be stopped in patients with stage I-II endometriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aging and acidification behavior of paper archives affect their long-term preservation. Therefore, delaying or preventing aging and acidification has become an important topic in the field of paper archives management. the aging and acidification behavior of commercial archival paper were studied by measuring pH value, electrical conductivity, mechanical properties and whiteness in this work. The results show that the aging and acidification phenomena are obvious after dry-heat aging treatment. The molecular degradation of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and other components results in the decrease of pH value of the system, which decrease with the increase of the treatment temperature and time. The electrical conductivity of the system increases because of the molecular degradation and structural degradation, and with the increase of the treatment temperature and time, the electrical conductivity increases more significantly. After aging treatment, the paper appears etching and increasing microcosmic pores. With the occurrence of molecular degradation and structural degradation, the tensile index and whiteness of the paper decrease, and with the increase of the treatment temperature and time, the tensile index and whiteness decrease more significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the impact of cognitive style on change of concept of engagement in the flipped classroom, a sequential analysis from the perspective of Bloom's Taxonomy was conducted to establish if significant differences existed between the learning achievements and engagement of students with different cognitive styles. The participants were pre-service teachers who had registered for a school-based curriculum development methodology course in China, with a total of 53 students from two classes, who performed a total of 1,599 behaviors in the discussion sections. The results show that the concepts of "evaluate" (31.52%) and "analyze" (27.77%) were the two most frequent behaviors in the Bloom's Taxonomy. The "remember" and "evaluate" were the significant starting behaviors for all of the students; "remember" and "evaluate" were the significant starting behaviors for the intuitive-style students, while "understand" was a significant starting behavior for the analytical-style students. This confirms that the students with different cognitive styles implemented multiple strategies for learning. It is also found that the flipped learning promoted the students' achievement. The conclusions suggest that it is important to match the cognitive styles of students as well as the instructional methods in order to improve students' learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a common liver disease with a global average prevalence of about 25%. In addition to the incidence of NAFLD being related to obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, etc., genetic factors also have an important impact on the incidence of NAFLD. Current experimental results and clinical studies show that the transmembrane 6 superfamily member 2 (TM6SF2) gene plays an important role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. The research on genetic polymorphism of TM6SF2 gene mainly focuses on rs58542926 locus (rs58542926 c.449 C > T, p. Glu167Lys, E167K). The Mutations of this site might increase the risk of NAFLD in carriers. The mutation of this site causes the disorder of triglyceride metabolism in the liver, which leads to the deposition of a large amount of lipids in the liver, and further induces the incidence of NAFLD. With the study of the mechanism of TM6SF2 gene polymorphism in the pathogenesis of NAFLD, it is helpful to understand the molecular mechanism of the pathogenesis of NAFLD, which has a great value for the treatment of NAFLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How can one construct a test that provides accurate measurements across the range of performance levels while providing adequate coverage of all of the critical areas of the domain, yet that is not unmanageably long? This paper discusses the approach taken in a linear test of academic English language, and how the transition to a computer-based test allowed for a design that better fit the demands of the test. It also describes the multi-stage adaptive approach that was devised. This approach allows for a test that covers a broad range of performance levels while including items that assess the language of the content areas as described in the English language development standards underpinning the test. The design also allows for a test that is closely tailored to the ability level of the English learner taking the test, and that therefore produces a more precise measure. The efficacy of the design in enhancing measurement of two versions of a high-stakes English language assessments is explored, and the implications of the results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the possible aetiology of subchorionic haematoma (SCH), especially its association with autoantibodies. Early pregnant women who were detected SCH through ultrasonography were identified as the study group and those without SCH at comparable ages who visited the clinic at the same period of time were compared as the control group. Indexes of laboratory immune tests were compared between the two groups, as well as their pregnancy outcomes. A total of 97 SCH patients and 130 control cases were recruited in this study. A higher proportion of women was detected autoantibodies in the SCH group compared with control group (45.36% vs 21.54%, p =.000). Positive rates of ANA (24.74% vs 10.77%, p =.005) and laboratory antiphospholipid antibodies (ACL, anti-β2 GP1 or LA) (25.77% vs 11.54%, p =.005) showed significant differences between the two groups. The incidence of vaginal bleeding was significantly higher in the SCH group (43.30% vs 20.00%, p =.000). While the miscarriage rates were not significantly different (17.53% vs 15.38%, p =.666). And there were no significant differences in terms of preterm delivery rate, caesarean section rate, birth weight and pregnancy complications. Most SCHs (96.25%) were absorbed before 20th gestational week. In the SCH group, the average birth weight was significantly lower in women with autoantibodies. Clinical features and other pregnancy outcomes showed no significant differences between SCH patients with and without autoantibodies. The occurrence of SCH may be associated with autoantibodies. The pregnancy outcomes were comparable between women with and without SCH. Subchorionic haematoma (SCH) is increasingly commonly observed in early pregnancy period, but the aetiology is uncertain and the clinical significance of SCH is controversial. The occurrence of SCH may be associated with autoantibodies. The pregnancy outcomes were not significantly different between women with and without SCH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon-carbon composites (C/C composites) is typical high temperature resistant material. Therefore it is applied in solid rocket motor (SRM) throat mostly. Because the throat is mostly single piece and mini-batch, which is not suitable for mold forming. Usually, numerical control machining is still the main method. Due to high strength and heterogeneous composites, the machining damage defects are obvious and quality is poor. Thus, from the perspective of C/C composites ablation resistance, rotary ultrasonic machining technology effect on C/C composites surface defects and damage is investigated. Moreover, the influence of ultrasonic vibration on fiber cutting angle and machined surface morphology is analyzed. Meanwhile, based on comparative experiment, fiber pull-out length and surface porosity are presented as characterization parameters. The results show that ultrasonic vibration not only improves fiber cutting angle effectively, but also reduces pores and cracks on machined surfaces. Moreover, it reduces fiber pull-out length by 10%–50% numerically when along fiber milling. When fiber is perpendicular to the cutting direction, the pull-out length becomes shorter. The above study provides a theoretical basis for subsequent machined damage influence on ablation resistance of C/C throat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mg(OH)2 nanorods were successfully prepared by two-step method. The precursor was obtained by hydrolyzed the MgCl2 in NH3·H2O solution, and then, it transformed into Mg(OH)2 nanorods by a simple solvothermal method without any surfactant or catalyst. The influences of synthesis parameters on the morphological characteristics and sizes of Mg(OH)2 nanoparticles were investigated, such as the proportion of EtOH–H2O solvent, the reaction temperature, and the treatment time. XRD and FESEM were used to characterize the structure, morphology, and composition of the samples. This method is lower costing, simple and environmentally benign, thus, it should be easy to be scaled up for industrial production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel thiouracil derivatives 9 containing an oxadiazole moiety have been synthesized by structural modification of a lead SecA inhibitor, 2. These compounds have been evaluated for their antibacterial activities against Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. Among them, compounds 9g and 9n exhibited promising antibacterial activities against the tested strains. Compound 9g was also tested for its inhibitory activities against SecA ATPase, and the IC50 value of compound 9g was 19.9 μg/mL, lower than that of compound 2 (20.8 µg/mL). Molecular docking work indicates that compound 9g likely occupies the pocket formed by SecA IRA2 and NBD domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patrinia monandra C. B. Clarke is traditionally used for the treatment of inflammation, typhoid fever, injuries due to falls, abdominal pain, malaria, and acute appendicitis ulcers in China and Korea. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome of P. monandra was sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq X-Ten platform. It had a circular shape and a length of 158,940 bp, with 38.51% GC content. It contained a large single-copy region of 87,641 bp, a small single-copy region of 12,807 bp, and two inverted repeat regions of 29,246 bp. In total, 128 different genes, including 83 protein-coding genes, 37 distinct tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes, were identified. Maximum-likelihood phylogenomic analysis showed that P. monandra is closely related to Patrinia scabiosifolia and Patrinia villosa in the Valerianaceae family. There were 4535 variable sites, 157,354 conserved sites, and 3085 singleton sites in the six Patrinia chloroplast genomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the adsorption capacity of CNT modified polyacrylonitrile (PAN) film on copper ions under different conditions was studied by the adsorption experiment of the prepared multilayer diazo resin acidified carbon nanotubes/PAN composite film. The concentration of copper ion solution before and after adsorption was measured by inductively coupled plasma (ICP). The results show that the adsorption capacity of the pan film modified by CNT increases first and then reaches the adsorption equilibrium with the increase of the adsorption time of copper ion, and the adsorption capacity of the pan film modified by CNT increases with the increase of the initial concentration of copper ion and the external temperature With the increase of solution pH, the adsorption capacity of CNT modified polyacrylonitrile membrane to copper ion increases first and then decreases; after multiple desorption/adsorption of the modified membrane which has reached adsorption equilibrium, the membrane still has CNT adsorption capacity to copper ion, indicating that the membrane has excellent recycling performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, multilayer diazo resin acidified nanotubes/polyacrylonitrile composite films were prepared by grafting diazo resin (DR) and acidified carbon nanotubes (CNT) onto the surface of commercial PAN hollow fiber films by layer by layer self-assembly method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectroscopy, contact angle, thermogravimetry (TG), water flux and adsorption of heavy metals were used to study. The results showed that the diazo resin (DR) and acidified carbon nanotubes (CNT) were successfully grafted onto PAN Membrane by layer by layer self-assembly method, and carbonyl and carboxyl groups appeared on the surface of modified PAN Membrane; the layer by layer self-assembly did not damage the original morphology of PAN membrane; the hydrophilicity of modified PAN-(DR-CNT)3 membrane was improved, and the water flux was increased. The PAN membrane before and after modification has similar heat and weight loss, and the PAN membrane before and after modification has good thermal stability; the PAN membrane after modification can reach adsorption equilibrium in a relatively short time, and has good adsorption performance for heavy metal copper ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to explore the latent effect of elementary student engagement in a Spherical Video-based Virtual Reality (SVVR) environment for a school-based course on higher level competence development. Student engagement and higher level competence development were investigated using a valid sample of 324 students from five elementary schools in China. Factor analysis and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were used to analyze the data. The fitness of the items for each scale of the student engagement survey and higher level competence development survey indicated a sufficient fit and also confirmed the questionnaire's structure. The relevant factors of student engagement promote their higher level competence development in the model. The SEM analysis shows that student engagement has a significant positive impact on higher level competence development. The findings could be a good reference for those who intend to develop a specific topic of school-based courses on technology for fostering students' higher level competence development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the adsorption of copper ions on the prepared multilayer diazo resin-graphene oxide/polyacrylonitrile composite membranes was studied, and the adsorption capacity of GO modified polyacrylonitrile membranes to copper ions under different conditions was explored. The concentration of copper ion solution before and after adsorption was measured by inductively coupled plasma (ICP). The results showed that the adsorption capacity of GO modified polyacrylonitrile membrane to copper ion increased first and then reached adsorption equilibrium with the increase of adsorption time of copper ion. With the increase of initial concentration of copper ion and external temperature, the adsorption capacity of GO modified polyacrylonitrile membrane to copper ion followed. With the increase of solution's PH, the adsorption capacity of GO modified polyacrylonitrile membranes for copper ions first increased and then decreased. After several desorption/adsorption of the modified membranes which have reached the adsorption equilibrium, the membranes still have good adsorption capacity for copper ions, indicating that the membranes have excellent reuse performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a multilayer diazo resin-graphene oxide/polyacrylonitrile composite membrane was prepared by layer-by-layer self-assembly and UV-induced modification of commercial polyacrylonitrile (PAN) hollow fiber membranes grafted with diazo resin (DR) and graphene oxide (GO). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectroscopy, contact angle, thermogravimetric analysis (TG), water flux and adsorption properties of heavy metals were studied. The results showed that diazo resin (DR) and graphene oxide (GO) were successfully grafted onto PAN membranes by layer-by-layer self-assembly. Carbonyl and carboxyl groups appeared on the surface of the modified PAN membranes; layer-by-layer self-assembly modification did not destroy the original morphology of PAN membranes, resulting in smaller pore size and higher surface roughness; hydrophilicity of the modified PAN-(DR-GO)3 membranes. The contact angle of pure water decreases from 87.8 degrees to 55.5 degrees, and the water flux increases from 733.30 g.m−1.h−1 to 1250.48 g.m−1.h−1. The thermo gravimetric curves of PAN films before and after modification did not change significantly, and the PAN films before and after modification had good thermal stability. The modified PAN membrane can achieve adsorption equilibrium in a relatively short time, and has good adsorption performance for heavy copper ions, with the adsorption rate as high as 92%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study evaluated the bioactive composition of tempeh products and examined the effects of tempeh on BV-2 microglial cell cytotoxicity, neurotrophic effects, and expression of inflammatory genes. Methods: Tempeh products included soybean fermented by Rhizopus, soybean fermented through cocultivation with Rhizopus and Lactobacillus, and red bean fermented through cocultivation with Rhizopus and Lactobacillus (RT-C). We analyzed the bioactive contents of tempeh extracts and evaluated the effects of tempeh water extract on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated BV-2 cells. Results: The results showed that RT-C water extract had the highest concentrations of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and anthocyanin. The tempeh water extracts, especially RT-C, reduced the formation of LPS-induced reactive oxygen species, downregulated the levels of nitric oxide synthase and phospho-cyclic-AMP response element-binding protein, and upregulated the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Discussion: Our data demonstrate that RT-C has the highest concentrations of GABA and anthocyanin, more effectively reduces oxidative stress and inflammation, and increases the expression of BDNF in LPS-induced BV-2 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatic steatosis is one of the most important features of the pathogenesis for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Fat deposition in liver cells can influence hepatic lipogenesis along with other metabolic pathways and further lead to the irreversible liver cirrhosis and injury. However, the underlying mechanism of steatosis remains largely unexplored. Our previous study revealed that AQP7 played an important role in liver steatosis. In this study, we determined that the transcriptional level of AQP7 was up-regulated by estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) upon 17β-estradiol (E2) and oleic acids treated HepG2 cells. Furthermore, we identified long non-coding RNA nuclear enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1) as a potential hallmark which was down-regulated in ERα silencing HepG2 cells by RNA-Seq. Finally, we validated that the 3' terminal nucleotides of NEAT1 were contributed for the interaction with ERα to facilitate AQP7 transcription to suppress liver steatosis. Overall, our study gave evidence that NEAT1 played an important role in the activation of ERα to regulate AQP7-mediated hepatic steatosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objectives of this study were to examine the clinical profile of critically ill patients with septic acute kidney injury (AKI) and to investigate clinical characteristics associated with the outcome of patients. Methods: Data from 582 critically ill patients were collected and retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups: without AKI development and with AKI development. Baseline characteristics, laboratory, and other clinical data were compared between these two groups, and correlations between the characteristics and AKI development were examined. Patients with AKI development were further divided into two groups according to the survival outcome, and variables associated with the outcome were determined. Results: AKI was developed in 54.12% (n = 315) of patients, and these patients had blood pressure, SOFA score, APACHE II score, GCS, and various blood chemistry and hematology characteristics significantly different from the patients without AKI. Demographic characteristics (e.g. age and weight) were comparable between the two groups of patients. Among the 315 patients with AKI, 136 of them died during the study period. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the outcome of patients was associated with lung infection, coagulation system dysfunction, staphylococcus aureus infection, and use of various treatments (epinephrine, norepinephrine, and the use of mechanical ventilation) after AKI development. Conclusion: AKI occurred in approximately half of the critically ill patients admitted to ICU. The site and type of infections, as well as the use of vasopressor agents, were associated with the outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PAN hollow fiber functional membrane with heavy metal ion adsorption capacity was prepared via layer-by-layer method using diazo-resin (DR). Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and graphene oxide (GO) with chelating function were used as modifier. Modification effect was studied by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR), contact angle test, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the copper ion adsorption capacity measurement. The result showed that EDTA and GO were successfully grafted on the surface of modified membrane and the hydrophilicity of the modified membrane increased. Roughness of membrane surface increased when the functional groups introduced on the surface. Adsorption for Cu2+ of modified membrane significantly improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of adaptive iterative dose reduction 3 D (AIDR3D) on the improvement of shoulder image quality in low-radiographic dose head and neck CT angiography (CTA).Materials and Methods: Ninety patients who underwent CTA examination were randomly divided into two groups, namely group A (n = 45) and B (n = 45). Patients in group A were scanned under 120 kV and 300 mA, with images reconstructed by filtered back projection (FBP), and patients in group B were scanned under 80 kV and auto mA with images reconstructed by AIDR3D. Image quality was accessed by two experienced radiologists. The noise, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of common carotid artery (CCA) at C7 level, and radiation dosage were compared between the two groups.Results: The score of CCA in group B was significantly higher than group A (p < 0.05), and there were no significant differences in the scores of carotid sinus and internal carotid artery between the two groups (p > 0.05). The score of intracranial artery in group B was lower than that of group A, however, the image quality in group B can meet the requirement of clinical diagnosis. The noise value of CCA at C7 level in group B was significantly lower than that of group A (p < 0.05). SNR and CNR values of CCA at C7 level in group B were significantly higher than those of group A (p < 0.05). Effective radiation dose in group B was significantly decreased compared with group A (p < 0.05).Conclusion: AIDR3D remarkably improved image quality in low-radiographic dose head and neck CTA over FBP, which made the low-dose CTA images meet the requirement of clinical diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a feasibility study to examine the effects of a partnership and coping enhancement program (PCEP) on improving the psychological well-being and marital functions of couples undergoing in vitro fertilization treatment. A total of 100 couples were recruited consecutively and assigned to a PCEP intervention group or a routine care control group. The couples in the PCEP group received an additional face-to-face, couple-based, 90-minute session on enhancing partnership and coping on the day of the embryo transfer (ET). The outcome measures were assessed at baseline (T0), 10 days after the ET (T1), and one month after the ET (T2). The level of anxiety of the women was lower in the intervention than in the control group at T1. Significant improvements in partnership and dyadic coping were seen in women at T2. The men of infertile couples reported a significant improvement in the scores for partnership at T2. The PCEP had no significant effects on marital satisfaction and marital adjustment for both the females and males of the infertile couples. The findings indicated that the PCEP is feasible and acceptable. Before a larger simple-size randomized controlled trial with participants drawn from multiple reproductive medical centers is conducted to further confirm its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/objectives: Infertility affects both women and men in the physical, emotional, existential, and interpersonal realms. When couples seek in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment, they further suffer from the difficulties of the treatment and the uncertainty of its outcome. The aim of this study was to develop a preliminary conceptual framework for couples undergoing IVF treatment to give health professionals a better understanding of the experiences of such couples, and to guide the development of an intervention.Methods: The process of identifying frameworks adopted in intervention studies confirmed that there is no established framework for infertile couples undergoing IVF treatment. A skeletal framework identified from previous studies provides an internal structure for the proposed framework for couples undergoing IVF treatment, filled out with concepts drawn from a concept analysis and a qualitative study, knitting the structure together.Results: This preliminary framework is the Endurance with Partnership Conceptual Framework (P-EPCF). It consists of four domains: the impacts of infertility and stressors, dyadic mediators, dyadic moderators and dyadic outcomes. According to the P-EPCF, the impacts of infertility and IVF treatment can be mediated by the couples’ partnership and dyadic coping. Improvements in the psychological well-being and marital functioning of IVF couples can then be expected.Conclusions: The P-EPCF would be potentially valuable in guiding the development of a complex, couple-based intervention, which could focus on enhancing the partnership of couples and their coping strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a method of synthesis of block copolymers drug-loaded is mainly described. Firstly, SN38 was modified with cystamine, and then the modified SN38 and prepared PCL-PEG-PCL triblock copolymer were prepared into drug-loaded micelles. Finally, the delivery system also has a response-to-release mechanism since disulfide bonds contained in cystamine can be released by capping cleavage by higher levels of GSH in tumor cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We, the Editors and Publisher of the journal Inorganic and Nano-Metal Chemistry, have retracted the following article: Lin Xu, Jia Sun & Shu-Jing Xu (2021) Two Co(II)-based coordination polymers: treatment activity on patients with renal failure during pregnancy by reducing the death of renal tubular cells, Inorganic and Nano-Metal Chemistry, DOI: Since publication, concerns have been raised about the integrity of the data in the article. When approached for an explanation, the authors have been unable to address the concerns raised and have not been able to provide sufficient supporting information. As verifying the validity of published work is core to the integrity of the scholarly record, we are therefore retracting the article. The corresponding author listed in this publication has been informed. We have been informed in our decision-making by our policy on publishing ethics and integrity and the COPE guidelines on retractions. The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as 'Retracted'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reaction of complex [μ-SCH(CH3)CH(CH3)S-μ]Fe2(CO)6 (1) with trans-1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethylene (trans-dppv) in the presence of Me3NO∙2H2O in CH2Cl2/CH3CN afforded complex {[μ-SCH(CH3)CH(CH3)S-μ]Fe2(CO)5}2(trans-dppv) (2) with a bridging dppv. Complex [μ-SCH(CH3)CH(CH3)S-μ]Fe2(CO)4(cis-dppv) (3) was prepared by the reaction of 1 with cis-dppv and Me3NO∙2H2O. The new complexes 2 and 3 were characterized by elemental analysis, spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we prepared a porous poly (glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) microsphere by modified seed-swelling emulsion polymerization. The structure and morphology of the porous microspheres were characterized by SEM. We discussed the effect of the ratio of crosslinker and monomer on microsphere formation and micropores, and found the most favorable conditions for the preparation of porous PGMA microspheres. The great structure and specific surface area of the porous microspheres and the active functional groups on the surface indicate a wide range of applications. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A novel method to prepare capillary coatings using dopamine (DA) and hyaluronic acid (HA) was mentioned in this paper. Firstly, dopamine was oxidized to form polydopamine and attached to the inner wall of the capillary spontaneously. HA attached to the polydopamine by electrostatic interaction to form a polydopamine-hyaluronic acid (PDA-HA) coating. Protein adsorption on the inner surface of capillary was suppressed, and the proteins of lysozyme (Lys), cytochrome c (Cyt-c), bovine serum albumin (BSA) and ribonuclease A (RNase A) were baseline separated obviously using capillary electrophoresis (CE) within 20 minutes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Fullerene (C60) was successfully grafted on cellulose following with the modification of cellulose by acid chlorination and subsequently azidation. The structures of modified cellulose made by sulfonation, acylating chlorination, Azidation, ionization and fullerenated were determined by infrared spectroscopy. The results show that the raw cellulose can obtain good dissolution property when the methyl imidazole-chloropropylene ionic liquid is used as the solvent system. The choice of intermediates has an important effect on the modification. The better grafting efficiency can be obtained with acyl chlorinated cellulose, and the reactivity and reactivity control of the azided chlorinated cellulose fibers are more easily to obtain. The azided chlorinated cellulose can be grafted by fullerene successfully. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, PVDF hollow fiber membrane with high adsorption performance was prepared by coating polyvinyl alcohol on the surface of commercial PVDF hollow fiber ultrafiltration membrane and initiating partial hydroxyl acetalization. The modification effect was studied by scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, contact angle test and organic dye adsorption capacity test. The results show that the polyvinyl alcohol is effectively fixed on the surface of PVDF hollow fiber membrane with polyvinyl alcohol used as coating agent to initiate partial acetalization reaction in the presence of glutaraldehyde and acid catalyst. The pure water contact angle of PVDF hollow fiber membrane decreases from 76.20° to 57.56°, which greatly improves the of PVDF hollow fiber membrane. The incorporation of the coating and cross-linked structure results in a decrease in the micro-porous permeability of the modified PVDF hollow fiber membrane. The adsorption performance of PVDF hollow fiber membrane modified by hydrophilic coating and cross-linked for organic dye Rhodamine B is significantly improved. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The cluster of polystyrene (PS) porous microspheres was synthesized using the modified seeded polymerization. The cluster of PS porous microspheres was constituted by a number of small PS particles with porous structures. The cluster of PS porous microspheres had a good property in the extraction for iodine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the stainless steel-tube, there will be volume shrinkage during preparing a polymer monolith. Stationary phase can not be completely filled in the column, and the gap will appear. This will seriously affect the separation. In this paper, we use a new device to prepare polymer monolith. And it effectively solves the problem. The resulting monolith has good porous structure and separation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geographically weighted generalised linear models are an extension of the geographically weighted regression models in order to handle such types of the response variables that their distributions follow a member of the exponential family of distributions. In view of the advantages of the local-linear fitting technique, we propose in this paper a local-linear likelihood estimation approach for geographically weighted generalised linear models to improve the accuracy of the coefficient estimators. A Fisher scoring algorithm is formulated to compute the estimators of the coefficients. Simulations are conducted for some typical geographically weighted generalised linear models to evaluate the performance of the proposed estimation method and the results show that, compared to the existing local-constant likelihood estimation, the local-linear likelihood method can evidently improve the accuracy of the coefficient estimators. A real-world data-set is finally analysed to demonstrate the application of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A polypropylene hollow fiber membrane (PPHFM) was obtained by UV grafting polyacrylic acid (PAA) on the surface. The hydrophilicity of PPHFM was improved with water contact angle reduced from 82.3°° to 73.6°. The photoinitiator and monomer concentration conditions had significant effects on the grafting rates. After modification, the pure water flux decreased, but the rejection rate was improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superhydrophobic coatings based on PDMS and TiO2-NPs/SiO2- NPs were prepared. Due to the photocatalytic property of TiO2-NPs, th e PDMS/TiO2-NPs coatings could remove the organic pollutes efficiently, and showed an excellent self-cleaning properties. The superhydrophobicity of the PDMS/TiO2-NPs coatings was still remained after 6 months in the open air, which is much better than the PDMS/SiO2-NPs coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two hydrazone ligands, (E)-N′-(3-bromo-2-hydroxybenzylidene)-2-methoxybenzohydrazide (HLa) and (E)-N′-(2-hydroxy-3-methylbenzylidene)-2-methoxybenzohydrazide (HLb), were prepared and characterized by IR, UV–vis, and1H NMR spectroscopy. The corresponding vanadium(V) complexes, 2[VOLaL]·CH3OH (1) and [VOLbL] (2), where L is the monoanionic form of benzohydroxamic acid (HL), were prepared and characterized by IR and UV–vis spectroscopy, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Complex1crystallizes as the monoclinic space groupP21/c, with unit cell dimensionsa = 14.4161(16) Å,b = 14.0745(16) Å,c = 24.069(2) Å,β = 96.247(2),V = 4854.5(9) Å3,Z = 4,R1 = 0.0541,wR2 = 0.1423, Goof = 1.032. Complex2crystallizes in the orthorhombic space groupPbca, with unit cell dimensionsa = 13.5906(6) Å,b = 18.1865(11) Å,c = 18.4068(11) Å,V = 4549.5(4) Å3,Z = 8,R1 = 0.0549,wR2 = 0.1397, Goof = 1.054. X-ray analysis indicates that the complexes are mononuclear octahedral vanadium(V) complexes. The thermal behavior of the complexes was investigated. The hydrazone ligands and their complexes were also evaluated for their antibacterial (Bacillus subtilis,Staphylococcus aureus,Escherichia coli,andPseudomonas fluorescence) and antifungal (Candida albicansandAspergillus niger) activities using the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay. The two complexes have moderate to good activities againstB. subtilisandS. aureus, and1has moderate activity againstE. coli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article described the preparation of opal ball with enhanced structural colors by using silica microspheres droplet templates on polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) superhydrophobic surfaces. The structural colors of the opal ball wasgreatly enhanced by incorporating carbon black nanoparticles (CB-NPs) into the voids of silica colloidal crystals in the dry self-assembly (DSA) process.The presence of CB-NPs in the structure did not lead to a shift of the reflection band, but enhanced the diffraction color by increased reflectance and suppressed transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The composite particles with litchi-like morphologies attributing to the combination of inorganic silica seed and polymer nodules were synthesized successfully using a modified dispersion polymerization method. Dispersion polymerization of styrene was achieved in the presence of silica particles and the formed polystyrene nanoparticles were absorbed onto the surface of silica particles. The effects of the adding amount of St monomer on the particle morphologies was investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The extraordinary optical transmission (EOT) phenomenon is usually more outstanding in optical and near-infrared frequency band than that in mid-infrared and other lower frequency range. In order to expand the high-quality EOT to a lower frequency, this paper proposes an effective redshift method which can cause the resonant frequencies of the EOT redshift greatly. Using this method, an EOT in mid-infrared frequency is achieved and the transmission of which is compared with that achieved via a conventional method. It is found that the peak transmission of the red-shifted EOT is enhanced greatly and can be as high as 90%, at the same time the resonance quality is preserved very well. The reason of the enhanced transmission is analyzed using the effective medium theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel series of pyrazole derivatives containing substituted phenylsulfinyl/sulfonyl group have been synthesized via the oxidation of intermediate pyrazole sulfoether with H2O2in acetic acid. The novel compounds were characterized by melting point,1H NMR, FT-IR, MS, and elemental analysis or HRMS. The biological activity results showed that most of the title compounds exhibit significant fungicidal activities against Alternaria solani Sorauer, Phytophthora capsici, and Corynespora cassiicola. [Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition ofPhosphorus, Sulfur, and Silicon and the Related Elementsfor the following free supplemental files: Additional text and figures.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) hollow fiber ultrafiltration (UF) membranes were prepared via wet spinning method using lithium chloride (LiCl) and calcium chloride (CaCl2) as pore-foaming agent. Influences of PAN, LiCl and CaCl2contents to water flux, rejection rate, breaking strength and breaking elongation of the membrane were discussed. Results indicated that the comprehensive performance of the membrane was the best when the PAN/LiCl and PAN/CaCl2ratios in the spinning solution equaled to 18:1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) hollow fiber ultrafiltration (UF) membranes were prepared via wet spinning method using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as pore-foaming agent, mixture of dimethyl formamide (DMF) and dimethyl acetamide (DMAc) as solvent, and pure water as an external coagulation solution. Effects of PVDF, PVP and PMMA concentration on performance of the membrane were discussed. The surface and cross-sectional morphology, hydrophilic property, the tensile strength and elongation of the hollow fiber membrane were measured, respectively. Results indicated that the performance of the membrane is the best with a pure water flux of 124 L/m2·h and rejection rate of 73% to bovine serum albumin (BSA), when the concentration of PVDF, PMMA, PVP, DMF and DMAc are 18, 0.5, 1.5, 40 and 40 wt%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report on the effect of micropatterned SU-8 photoresist surfaces to self assembly of ordered colloidal crystal arrays. SU-8 microstructures are photopatterned onto glass substrates with minimal feature resolution of 1.5 μm using ultraviolet (UV) exposure. By simply controlling the colloidal concentration of the self assembly solution and the dimensions of the micropatterns, ordered colloidal crystal arrays are formed inside the SU-8 micropatterns. The method may have potential applications in photonic crystal device and chip fabrications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]