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Recently, video summarization (VS) has emerged as one of the most effective tools for rapidly understanding video big data. Dictionary selection based on self‐representation and sparse regularization is consistent with the requirement of VS, which aims to represent the original video with little reconstruction error by a small number of video frames. However, one crucial issue is that the existing methods mainly use a single view feature, which is not sufficient enough for acquiring the full pictorial details and affects the quality of the produced video summary. Although a few methods use more than one features, they only directly concatenate the features, which does not take advantage of the relationship of different features. Considering the complementarity of shallow and deep features, multiview feature co‐factorization based dictionary selection for VS is proposed in this paper to use the common information of both view features for VS. Specifically, two view features are used to fully exploit the full pictorial information of video frames, then the common information of two different views is extracted through coupled matrix factorization to conduct the dictionary selection for VS. Experiments have been carried out on two benchmark datasets, and results have demonstrated the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic skyrmions are topologically protected noncollinear spin textures, which are regarded as promising information carriers for next‐generation spintronic devices due to their small size and the low current density needed to drive their motion. Stability of skyrmions in zero external magnetic field is important for promoting fundamental studies and device applications. A few zero‐field skyrmion‐hosting materials have been developed, but none of them have been successfully integrated into a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ), a crucial device for converting skyrmion information into an electrical signal. Here, a zero‐field exchange‐biased skyrmion material is developed and incorporated into an MTJ device. An Ir layer is inserted between the antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic layers, which plays a crucial role in prohibiting interlayer diffusion under thermal annealing, resulting in simultaneous enhancement of exchange bias and thermal stability. The smallest zero‐field skyrmions have a size of 100 nm at room temperature. The zero‐field skyrmion material is then integrated into a perpendicularly magnetized MTJ, leading to the first demonstration of zero‐field skyrmions in an MTJ, which is an important step toward developing skyrmion‐based spintronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is a common malignant tumor that threatens the health of women worldwide. Hsa_circ_0005273 has been identified as a carcinogenic factor in some solid tumors, including BC. However, the molecular mechanism of circ_0005273 in BC is poorly defined. Methods: The expression of circ_0005273, miR‐509‐3p, and hyaluronan‐mediated motility receptor (HMMR) mRNA in BC was detected by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction. Cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis were detected by 5‐ethynyl‐2′‐deoxyuridine, transwell, and flow cytometry assays. The glycolysis level was detected via specific kits. Western blot was used to detect protein expression. Binding between miR‐509‐3p and circ_0005273 or HMMR was also verified by dual‐luciferase reporter, RNA pull‐down, and RNA immunoprecipitation assays. Xenograft tumor model was used to detect tumor changes in mice, and immunohistochemistry assay was employed to detect Ki‐67 abundance. Results: Circ_0005273 was increased in BC tissues and cells. Circ_0005273 knockdown might inhibit BC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, glutamine metabolism, and induce apoptosis. Circ_0005273 was a miR‐509‐3p, and the repression role of circ_0005273 absence on BC cell development was weakened by miR‐509‐3p inhibitor or HMMR overexpression. Circ_0005273 up‐regulated the expression of HMMR by sponging miR‐509‐3p. Additionally, circ_0005273 silencing might hinder tumor growth in vivo. Conclusion: Circ_0005273 knockdown might repress BC cell malignant behaviors by regulating the miR‐509‐3p/HMMR axis, which might provide a potential therapeutic target for BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common cardiovascular disease that is inherited from a single gene. Its clinical manifestations range from asymptomatic mutant gene carriers to patients with severe left ventricular effluent tract obstruction and end‐stage HCM with motor restriction. In this case, we present a patient with the main presentation of heart failure and ST‐segment elevation of the lateral wall, as determined by electrocardiogram. The patient was finally diagnosed with HCM because of genetic testing and the presentation of extensive myocardial fibrosis with reduced systolic function on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. The patient's clinical findings, electrocardiogram, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging were different from those of typical patients with HCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic skyrmions are promising information carriers for dense and energy‐efficient information storage owing to their small size, low driving‐current density, and topological stability. Electrical detection of skyrmions is a crucial requirement to drive skyrmion devices toward applications. The use of a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) is commonly suggested for this purpose as MTJs are key spintronic devices for large‐scale commercialization that can convert magnetic textures into electrical signals. To date, however, it has been challenging to realize skyrmions in MTJs due to incompatibility between standard skyrmion materials and highly efficient MTJ electrodes. Here, a material stack combining magnetic multilayers, which host 100 nm scale skyrmions, with a perpendicularly magnetized MTJ, is reported. The devices are designed so that the skyrmions in the multilayer are imprinted into the MTJ's free layer via magnetostatic interactions. The electrical response of a single skyrmion is successfully identified by employing simultaneous imaging of the magnetic texture and the electrical measurement of the MTJ resistance. The results are an important step toward all‐electrical detection of skyrmions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Renal and liver dysfunctions are risk factors for mortality in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS). Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has the potential to break the vicious cycle between AS and hepatorenal dysfunction by relieving aortic valve obstruction. Hypothesis: A part of patients can derive hepatorenal function improvement from TAVI, and this noncardiac benefit improves the intermediate‐term outcomes. Methods: We developed this retrospective cohort study in 439 consecutive patients undergoing TAVI and described the dynamic hepatorenal function assessed by model for end‐stage liver disease model for end‐stage liver disease (MELD)‐XI score in subgroups. The endpoint was 2‐year all‐cause mortality. Results: Receiver‐operating characteristic analysis showed that the baseline MELD‐XI score of 10.71 was the cutoff point. A high MELD‐XI score (>10.71) at baseline was an independent predictor of the 2‐year mortality hazard ratio (HR: 2.65 [1.29–5.47], p =.008). After TAVI, patients with irreversible high MELD‐XI scores had a higher risk of 2‐year mortality than patients who improved from high to low MELD‐XI scores (HR: 2.50 [1.06–5.91], p =.03). Factors associated with reversible MELD‐XI scores improvement were low baseline MELD‐XI scores (≤12.00, odds ratio [OR]: 2.02 [1.04–3.94], p =.04), high aortic valve peak velocity (≥5 m/s, OR: 2.17 [1.11–4.24], p =.02), and low body mass index (≤25 kg/m2, OR: 2.73 [1.25–5.98], p =.01). Conclusion: High MELD‐XI score at baseline is an independent predictor for 2‐year mortality. Patients with hepatorenal function improvement after TAVI have better outcomes. For patients with irreversible hepatorenal dysfunction after TAVI, further optimization of the subsequent treatment after TAVI is needed to improve the outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supercapacitors are considered among the most promising electrical energy storage devices, there being a need to achieve the highest possible energy storage density. Herein small mixed Zn–Co metal oxide nanoparticles are grown on doped graphene (O‐, N‐ and, B‐doped graphenes). The electrochemical properties of the resulting mixed Zn–Co metal oxide nanoparticles (4 nm) grown on B‐doped graphene exhibit an outstanding specific capacitance of 2568 F g−1 at 2 A g−1, ranking this B‐doped graphene composite among the best performing electrodes. The energy storage capacity is also remarkable even at large current densities (i.e., 640 F g−1 at 40 A g−1). In contrast, larger nanoparticles are obtained using N‐ and O‐doped graphenes as support, the resulting materials exhibiting lower performance. Besides energy storage, the Zn–Co oxide on B‐doped graphene shows notable electrochemical performance and stability obtaining a maximum energy density of 77.6 W h Kg−1 at 850 W Kg−1, a power density of 8500 W Kg−1 at 28.3 W h Kg−1, and a capacitance retention higher than 85% after 5000 cycles. The smaller nanoparticle size and improved electrochemical performance on B‐doped graphene‐based devices are attributed to the higher defect density and nature of the dopant element on graphene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exportin 5 (XPO5) is a shuttle protein that mediates precursor miRNA (pre‐miRNA) export from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, an important step in miRNA maturation. We previously demonstrated that XPO5 was phosphorylated by ERK kinase and subsequently underwent conformation change by the peptidyl‐prolyl isomerase Pin1, leading to the reduced miRNA expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Protein phosphorylation modification serves as a reversible regulatory mechanism precisely governed by protein kinases and phosphatases. Here we identified that the phosphatase PP2A catalyzed XPO5 dephosphorylation. PP2A holoenzyme is a ternary complex composed of a catalytic subunit, a scaffold subunit, and a regulatory subunit that determines substrate specificity. In this study, we characterized the involvement of B55β subunit in XPO5 dephosphorylation that favored the distribution of XPO5 into the cytoplasm and promoted miRNA expression, leading to HCC inhibition in vitro and in vivo. Our study demonstrates the regulatory role of B55β‐containing PP2A in miRNA expression and may shed light on HCC pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Ear length (EL), which is controlled by quantitative trait loci (QTLs), is an important component of grain yield and as such is a key target trait in maize breeding. However, very few EL QTLs have been cloned, and their molecular mechanisms are largely unknown.Here, using a genome wide association study (GWAS), we identified a QTL, YIGE1, which encodes an unknown protein that regulates EL by affecting pistillate floret number. Overexpression of YIGE1 increased female inflorescence meristem (IM) size, increased EL and kernel number per row (KNPR), and thus enhanced grain yield. By contrast, CRISPR/Cas9 knockout and Mutator insertion mutant lines of YIGE1 displayed decreased IM size and EL.A single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located in the regulatory region of YIGE1 had a large effect on its promoter strength, which positively affected EL by increasing gene expression. Further analysis shows that YIGE1 may be involved in sugar and auxin signal pathways to regulate maize ear development, thus affecting IM activity and floret production in maize inflorescence morphogenesis.These findings provide new insights into ear development and will ultimately facilitate maize molecular breeding. See also the Commentary on this article by Cowling & Kelley, 234: 337–339. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the main causes of hypertrophied ligamentum flavum (HLF) and the possibility of using bipedal standing mouse model to simulate the pathological changes in human HLF. Methods: Thirty‐two 8‐week‐old C57BL/6 male mice were randomly assigned to the experimental group (n = 16) and control group (n = 16). In the experimental group, mice were induced to adopt a bipedal standing posture by their hydrophobia. The experimental mice were maintained bipedal standing for 8 h a day with an interval of 2 h to consume food and water. The control mice were placed in a similar environment without bipedal standing. Eight 18‐month‐old C57BL/6 male mice were compared to evaluate the LF degeneration due to aging factor. Three‐dimensional (3D) reconstruction and finite element models were carried out to analyze the stress and strain distribution of the mouse LF in sprawling and bipedal standing postures. Hematoxylin and Eosin (HE), Verhoeff‐Van Gieson (VVG), and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining were used to evaluate the LF degeneration of mice and humans. RT‐qPCR and immunofluorescence analysis were used to evaluate the expressions of fibrosis‐related factors and inflammatory cytokines of COL1A1, COL3A1, α‐SMA, MMP2, IL‐1β, and COX‐2. Results: The von Mises stress (8.85 × 10−2 MPa) and maximum principal strain (6.64 × 10−1) in LF were increased 4944 and 7703 times, respectively, in bipedal standing mice. HE staining showed that the mouse LF area was greater in the bipedal standing 10‐week‐old group ([10.01 ± 2.93] × 104 μm2) than that in the control group ([3.76 ± 1.87] × 104 μm2) and 18‐month‐old aged group ([6.09 ± 2.70] × 104 μm2). VVG staining showed that the HLF of mice (3.23 ± 0.58) and humans (2.23 ± 0.31) had a similar loss of elastic fibers and an increase in collagen fibers. The cell density was higher during the process of HLF in mice (39.63 ± 4.81) and humans (23.25 ± 2.05). IHC staining showed that the number of α‐SMA positive cells were significantly increased in HLF of mice (1.63 ± 0.74) and humans (3.50 ± 1.85). The expressions of inflammatory cytokines and fibrosis‐related factors of COL1A1, COL3A1, α‐SMA, MMP2, IL‐1β, and COX‐2 were consistently higher in bipedal standing group than the control group. Conclusion: Our study suggests that 3D finite element models can help analyze the abnormal stress and strain distributions of LF in modeling mice. Mechanical stress is the main cause of hypertrophied ligamentum flavum compared to aging. The bipedal standing mice model can reflect the pathological characteristics of human HLF. The bipedal standing mice model can provide a standardized condition to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of mechanical stress‐induced HLF in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent improvements in ophthalmic imaging have led to the identification of a thickened choroid or pachychoroid to be associated with a number of retinal diseases. The number of conditions linked to this phenotype has continued to widen with specific endophenotypes found within the pachychoroid spectrum. The spectrum includes choroidal features such as focal or diffuse choroidal thickening and thinning of the overlying inner choroid, and choroidal hyperpermeability as demonstrated by indocyanine green angiography. In addition, these diseases are associated with overlying retinal pigmentary changes and retinal pigment epithelial dysfunction and may also be associated with choroidal neovascularization. This article provides a comprehensive review of the literature looking at diseases currently described within the pachychoroid spectrum including central serous chorioretinopathy, pachychoroid pigment epitheliopathy, pachychoroid neovasculopathy, polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy/aneurysmal type 1 neovascularization, peripapillary pachychoroid disease and focal choroidal excavation. We particularly focus on clinical imaging, genetics and pathological findings in these conditions with the aim of updating evidence suggesting a common aetiology between diseases within the pachychoroid spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronary artery spasm (CAS) is considered an important mechanism of acute coronary syndrome but not very common in the clinical setting. We report a case of a 42‐year‐old woman with chest pain lasting for 4 h due to diffuse CAS, which led to widespread ST‐segment elevation in multiple leads of the electrocardiogram and elevated cardiac troponin T. Emergency coronary angiography at admission showed significantly different morphological results from the second angiography during hospitalization, indicating the patient's discomfort was due to CAS rather than stenosis. Our case illustrates that diffuse CAS can cause widespread ST‐segment elevation and severe ACS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most undergraduate programs of chemical engineering in Chinese universities, the batch fluidized bed drying (BFBD) experiment is commonly adopted as a part of the experimental course of chemical engineering unit operation. In those BFBD experiments, the students should dry the material in a dryer, repeatedly sample and measure it outside to get its moisture content. In most cases, each sampling and measuring operation needs more than 5 min. The BFBD drying experiment conducted in that manner cannot obtain adequate, accurate data, making it difficult for the student to perform proper calculation and data analysis. In this article, the authors build a small BFBD prototype equipment and mount a set of digital temperature/humidity sensors. Then they use a Raspberry Pi 3, a kind of mini‐computer, to automatically measure and record the process parameters values online. Aided by those modern information process methods, the data accuracy and amount are all enhanced. Based on the gotten big data set, the student can get much more accurate results and do a more thorough analysis. The data analysis based on the old BFBD equipment is too straightforward and simple because it only needs the mass balance calculations. On the contrary, although the new BFBD equipment adopts an indirect way to measure the drying process, it obtains much more accurate results than before. The students must also apply more theories to get the results, such as mass transmission, the thermal balance, which makes the experiment more comprehensive. That is meaningful and helps to achieve the objectives of the chemical engineering experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Low grain moisture at harvest is crucial for safe production, transport and storage, but the genetic architecture of this trait in maize (Zea mays) remains elusive. Here, we measured the dynamic changes in grain moisture content in an association‐mapping panel of 513 diverse maize inbred lines at five successive stages across five geographical environments. Genome‐wide association study (GWAS) revealed 71 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that influence grain moisture in maize. Epistatic effects play vital roles in the variability in moisture levels, even outperforming main‐effect QTLs during the early dry‐down stages. Distinct QTL–environment interactions influence the spatio‐temporal variability of maize grain moisture, which is primarily triggered at specific times. By combining genetic population analysis, transcriptomic profiling and gene editing, we identified GRMZM5G805627 and GRMZM2G137211 as candidate genes underlying major QTLs for grain moisture in maize. Our results provide insights into the genetic architecture of dynamic changes in grain moisture, which should facilitate maize breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI), the preferred reperfusion strategy for all acute ST‐segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients, is not universally available in clinical practice. Pharmacoinvasive strategy has been proposed as a therapeutic option in patients with STEMI when timely PPCI is not feasible. However, pharmacoinvasive strategy has potential delay between clinical patency and complete myocardial perfusion. The optimal reperfusion strategy for STEMI patients with anticipated PPCI delay according to current practice is uncertain. OPTIMAL‐REPERFUSION is an investigator‐initiated, prospective, multicenter, randomized, open‐label, superiority trial with blinded evaluation of outcomes. A total of 632 STEMI patients presenting within 6 hours after symptom onset and with an expected time of first medical contact to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) ≥120 minute will be randomized to a reduced‐dose facilitated PCI strategy (reduced‐dose fibrinolysis combined with simultaneous transfer for immediate invasive therapy with a time interval between fibrinolysis to PCI < 3 hours) or to standard pharmacoinvasive treatment. The primary endpoint is the composite of death, reinfarction, refractory ischemia, congestive heart failure, or cardiogenic shock at 30‐days. Enrollment of the first patient is planned in March 2021. The recruitment is anticipated to last for 12 to 18 months and to complete in September 2023 with 1 year follow‐up. The OPTIMAL‐REPERFUSION trial will help determine whether reduced‐dose facilitated PCI strategy improves clinical outcomes in patients with STEMI and anticipated PPCI delay. This study is registered with the ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04752345). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a serious cardiovascular disease. The ACS risk prediction model is of great significance during the hospitalisation of ACS patients. However, traditional machine learning methods are not effective in predicting risk events in the ACS treatment process because of sample imbalance and noise. In this letter, the multilayer perceptron (MLP) and ensemble method are combined and then ensemble‐MLPs are proposed, which has made two innovations: 1) increase the diversity of the base MLP classifier at the data level, structure level, and parameter level and 2) improve the ensemble performance by proposing a new ensemble method using f1‐score weighted average. Experiments have shown that the proposed method outperforms conventional ensemble MLP method and other traditional machine learning methods on the task of predicting risk events in the ACS treatment process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This study aims to investigate the current status of biventricular pacemaker and defibrillator implantation in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients with indications for primary prevention of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in China and the effects of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT)‐pacemaker (P) and CRT‐defibrillator (D) implantation on the clinical prognosis of CHF among patients undergoing CRT. Methods and results: Overall, 798 consecutive patients who had devices implanted (implantable cardioverter defibrillator: 199, CRT‐D: 362, and CRT‐P: 237) from May 2012 to July 2013 in POSCD‐China, a multicentric prospective cohort study, were enrolled. The primary endpoint was all‐cause death, and the secondary endpoint was SCD. In total, 71.3% of patients had non‐ischaemic CHF. The mean follow‐up time was 27.7 ± 12.0 months, and death occurred in 158 cases, with 35 cases of SCD. CHF was the main cause of death (68.4%), followed by sudden death (22.2%). In the CRT‐P group, the SCD rate was 8.0%, which was much higher than that in the CRT‐D (3.3%) and implantable cardioverter defibrillator (2.0%) groups. No significant differences were identified in the all‐cause death rate between the CRT‐D and CRT‐P groups (CRT‐D vs. CRT‐P, 20.4% vs. 19.4%, P = 0.840). Conclusions: In China, among CHF patients with indications for primary prevention of SCD who received device implantation, non‐ischaemic CHF was the main aetiology, and the most important cause of death was heart failure. No differences in all‐cause death were observed between the CRT‐D and CRT‐P groups, but the CRT‐D group had a lower SCD rate than the CRT‐P group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peach is one of the most perishable fruits. During forced‐convection cooling, the heat sources (respiratory and evaporative latent heat) internal to freshly harvested peaches have a remarkable influence on its evaluation of cooling characteristics with respect to various cooling strategies. Therefore, to improve the accuracy of simulation results in peaches cooling, the term of heat source was coded as detailed procedures and included into a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. By comparing the temperature simulated with and without considering these heat sources, it is found that a reasonable decrease in variations of cooling performances is obtained with sustained increase in air‐inflow velocities. A maximum discrepancy in peaches volume‐weighted average temperature (∆Tvwa‐max) is mainly concentrated in 0.1–0.3°C when the air‐inflow velocity not exceeds 1.7 m/s, and its corresponded 7/8ths cooling time (SECT) is also prolonged by 1–6 min. This means that, below 1.7 m/s, these heat sources should be added as a term into the heat transfer equations for modifying the mathematical model inside peaches computational domain. Furthermore, the feasibility of this modeling method is confirmed by a great agreement with experiments, and its modified model has a higher accuracy with the decreased RMSE and MAPE values of 6.90%–11.26% and 7.28%–12.95%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the crude oil produced in China is highly viscous and easy to condense, and the pipeline transportation method is mostly heated. At present, frequency conversion technology is gradually applied to oil pump units. In order to find the best pipeline operation scheme, this paper is based on MATLAB programming software and established a corresponding mathematical model of oil pipeline energy consumption. This model innovatively takes the rotational speed of the variable frequency pump as one of the model optimization variables, calculating the pressure change and temperature change between stations of the pipeline, predicting the energy consumption of the pipeline and can guide the optimized operation of the pipeline, which has a high popularization and application value. An example of Qingtie Fourth‐line crude oil pipeline shows that among the genetic algorithm, particle swarm optimization, and simulated annealing algorithms for solving the optimization model, the particle swarm optimization algorithm has fast convergence speed, short optimization time, obtains the most optimal scheme, and can reduce energy consumption by 7.84%, which proves the practicability and creativity of the optimization model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To quantitatively describe the stress of the ligamentum flavum (LF) using the finite element method and to compare the stress at different parts of the healthy LF. Methods: Based on the high resolution computed tomography imaging data of a healthy 22‐year‐old man, three‐dimensional nonlinear L4–5 lumbar finite element model (FEM) representing intact condition was developed. The LF, as the object of the present research, was incorporated into the spinal model in the form of solid three‐dimensional structure. The model's validity is verified by comparing its biomechanical indices, such as range of motion and axial compression pressure displacement, with published results under specific loading conditions. To authenticate the accuracy of the solid LF, the lamina attachments, the central cross‐section, and other anatomy indicators were compared with figures in the published literature. After the average and maximum von Mises stress on the surface of LF under various working conditions were measured using ANSYS and AutoCAD software, the surface stress difference in the LF between the ventral and dorsal sides as well as the lateral and lamina parts were determined. Results: The FEM predicted a similar tendency for biomechanical indices as shown in previous studies. The lamina attachments, the central cross‐section, and the height as well as the width of the LF in the healthy FEM were in accordance with published results. In the healthy model, the average and maximum von Mises stress in the shallow layer of the LF were, respectively, 1.40, 2.28, 1.76, 1.48, 1.38 and 1.79, 2.41, 1.46, 1.42, 1.71 times that in the deep layer under a compressive preload of 500 N incorporated with flexion, extension, and lateral and rotational moments (10 Nm). The most conspicuous difference in surface stress was observed with the flexion motion, with a nearly 241% difference in the maximum stress and a 228% difference in the average stress compared to those in other states. As far as the whole dorsal side of the LF was concerned, the maximum surface stress was almost all concentrated in the dorsal neighboring facet joint portion. In addition, the maximum and average stress were, respectively, 77%, 72%, 15%, 11%, 71% and 153%, 39%, 54%, 200%, 212% higher in the lateral part than in the lamina part. Conclusion: Based on the predisposition of LF hypertrophy in the human spine and the stress distribution of this study, the positive correlation between LF hypertrophy and its stress was confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the problem of the slack flow and waterhead having a huge impact on the low point of a pipeline during the water‐filling process of a large‐drop pipeline, the crossing section of the Nujiang China‐Myanmar crude oil pipeline (for which the maximum height difference is 1480 m) is taken as an actual case, and water filling of an oil pipe segment with a large drop is simulated based on an OLGA multiphase flow transient simulation. The maximum velocity, pressure, and corresponding liquid holdup at different low points of the pipeline are studied, and the variations of water flow velocity, pressure, and liquid holdup with time at different low points under different load conditions are obtained. A stress analysis of the pipeline is performed through CAESAR II. The results showed that, when the volume flow rate was 900‐2000 m3/h, the probability of slug flow in pipe could be reduced by 57%. Meanwhile, the tube pressure fluctuation and damage to the pipeline and equipment are reduced and pipeline transportation efficiency is improved, thereby providing an effective basis for engineering practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stromal cell‐derived factor‐1 (SDF‐1) is a well‐characterized cytokine that protects heart from ischaemic injury. However, the beneficial effects of native SDF‐1, in terms of promoting myocardial repair, are limited by its low concentration in the ischaemic myocardium. Annexin V (AnxA5) can precisely detect dead cells in vivo. As massive cardiomyocytes die after MI, we hypothesize that AnxA5 can be used as an anchor to carry SDF‐1 to the ischaemic myocardium. In this study, we constructed a fusion protein consisting of SDF‐1 and AnxA5 domains. The receptor competition assay revealed that SDF‐1‐AnxA5 had high binding affinity to SDF‐1 receptor CXCR4. The treatment of SDF‐1‐AnxA5 could significantly promote phosphorylation of AKT and ERK and induce chemotactic response, angiogenesis and cell survival in vitro. The binding membrane assay and immunofluorescence revealed that AnxA5 domain had the ability to specifically recognize and bind to cells injured by hypoxia. Furthermore, SDF‐1‐AnxA5 administered via peripheral vein could accumulate at the infarcted myocardium in vivo. The treatment with SDF‐1‐AnxA5 attenuated cell apoptosis, enhanced angiogenesis, reduced infarcted size and improved cardiac function after mouse myocardial infarction. Our results suggest that the bifunctional SDF‐1‐AnxA5 can specifically bind to dead cells. The systemic administration of bifunctional SDF‐1‐AnxA5 effectively provides cardioprotection after myocardial infarction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Flowering time is a trait vital to the adaptation of flowering plants to different environments. Here, we report that CCT domain genes play an important role in flowering in maize (Zea mays L.). Among the 53 CCT family genes we identified in maize, 28 were located in flowering time quantitative trait locus regions and 15 were significantly associated with flowering time, based on candidate‐gene association mapping analysis. Furthermore, a CCT gene named ZmCOL3 was shown to be a repressor of flowering. Overexpressing ZmCOL3 delayed flowering time by approximately 4 d, in either long‐day or short‐day conditions. The absence of one cytosine in the ZmCOL3 3'UTR and the presence of a 551 bp fragment in the promoter region are likely the causal polymorphisms contributing to the maize adaptation from tropical to temperate regions. We propose a modified model of the maize photoperiod pathway, wherein ZmCOL3 acts as an inhibitor of flowering either by transactivating transcription of ZmCCT, one of the key genes regulating maize flowering, or by interfering with the circadian clock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a previous study, we determined that plasma miRNAs are potential biomarkers for cigarette smoking-related lung fibrosis. Herein, we determine whether tissue-specific and plasma miRNA profiles could be promising biomarkers for histological classification and TNM stage in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Plasma mi RNA profiling preoperatively and seven days postoperatively, and cancer and normal tissue mi RNA profiling were performed in NSCLC patients and matched healthy controls. There was a > twofold change for all signature mi RNAs between the NSCLC patients and controls, with P values of < 0.05. We found that tissue-specific and plasma miR-211-3p, mi R-3679-3p, and mi R-4787-5p were promising biomarkers of different staging lung squamous cell carcinoma, and mi R-3613-3p, miR-3675-3p, and mi R-5571-5p were promising biomarkers of different staging lung adenocarcinoma. These results suggest that tissue-specific and plasma mi RNAs could be potential biomarkers of histological classification and TNM stage in NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Changes in the ECG indicator PtfV1 reflect left atrial pressure and left ventricular diastolic function in NSTE-ACS patients during hospitalization. The value of PtfV1 in the evaluation of long-term prognosis in NSTE-ACS is still not clear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the dynamic changes in P-wave terminal force in lead V1(PtfV1) in the ECG of non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) patients during hospitalization and the long-term major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) of patients.Methods: A total of 595 patients who received coronary angiography and were confirmed as NSTE-ACS in the coronary heart disease database of Department of Cardiology of West China Hospital were continuously included. The PtfV1 and other clinical data at admission and discharge were collected and dynamically observed. The end events of follow-up observation were MACEs.Results: Follow-up was performed on 595 patients for 24.71 ± 1.95 months. There were 127 PtfV1(+) and 468 PtfV1(-) at admission, and the incidences of MACEs were 14.2% and 11.1%, respectively (P = 0.731). Compared with patients with persistent PtfV1(-) ECG at admission and discharge, 53 patients with persistent PtfV1(+) ECG at admission and discharge had increased risk for MACEs (HR: 2.221, 95% CI: 1.072-4.601, P = 0.032); 94 patients with new PtfV1(+) ECG at discharge also had significantly increased risk for MACEs (HR: 2.993, 95% CI: 1.660-5.397, P = 0.000).Conclusions: NSTE-ACS patients with persistent PtfV1(+) ECG indicators at admission and discharge and new PtfV1(+) at discharge had significantly increased risk of MACEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cell-wall invertase plays an important role in sucrose partitioning between source and sink organs in higher plants. To investigate the role of cell-wall invertases for seed development in rice ( Oryza sativa L.), cDNAs of three putative cell-wall invertase genes OsCIN1, OsCIN2 and OsCIN3 were isolated. Semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed different expression patterns of the three genes in various rice tissues/organs. In developing caryopses, they exhibited similar temporal expression patterns, expressed highly at the early and middle grain filling stages and gradually declined to low levels afterward. However, the spatial expression patterns of them were very different, with OsCIN1 primarily expressed in the caryopsis coat, OsCIN2 in embryo and endosperm, and OsCIN3 in embryo. Further RNA in situ hybridization analysis revealed that a strong signal of OsCIN2 mRNA was detected in the vascular parenchyma surrounding the xylem of the chalazal vein and the aleurone layer, whereas OsCIN3 transcript was strongly detected in the vascular parenchyma surrounding the phloem of the chalazal vein, cross-cells, the aleurone layer and the nucellar tissue. These data indicate that the three cell-wall invertase genes play complementary/synergetic roles in assimilate unloading during the grain filling stage. In addition, the cell type-specific expression patterns of OsCIN3 in source leaf blades and anthers were also investigated, and its corresponding physiological roles were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil salinization and alkalization frequently co-occur in nature, but little is known about the mixed effects of salt-alkaline stresses on plants. An experiment with mixed salts (NaCl, Na2SO4, NaHCO3 and Na2CO3) and 30 salt-alkaline combinations (salinity 24–120 mmol/L and pH 7.03–10.32) treating Medicago sativa seedlings was conducted. The results demonstrated that salinity and alkalinity significantly affected total biomass and biomass components of seedlings. There were interactive effects of salt composition and concentration on biomass ( P≤ 0.001). The interactions between salinity and alkalinity stresses led to changes in the root activity along the salinity gradient ( P≤ 0.001). The effects of alkalinity on seedling survival rate were more significant than those of salinity, and the seedlings demonstrated some physiological responses (leaf electrolyte leakage rate and proline content) in order to adapt to mixed salt-alkaline stresses. It was concluded that the mixed salt-alkaline stresses, which differ from either salt or alkali stress, emphasize the significant interaction between salt concentration (salinity) and salt component (alkalinity). Further, the effects of the interaction between high alkalinity and salinity are more severe than those of either salt or alkali stress, and such a cooperative interaction results in more sensitive responses of ecological and physiological characteristics in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Selenoprotein K (SelK) is a newly identified selenoprotein. We showed that selenium incorporation into SelK was dependent on the 3′UTR of SelK mRNA. Sec insertion sequence (SECIS) RNA binding assays demonstrated that human SBP2 bound to the SelK SECIS element through the conserved non-Watson–Crick base pair quartet but not the AAT motif. Examination of the expression pattern revealed that human SelK mRNA was highly expressed in heart. Immunofluorescence analysis showed that SelK localized to the endoplasmic reticulum. Using SelK recombinant adenovirus, we found that overexpression of SelK attenuated the intracellular reactive oxygen species level and protected cells from oxidative stress-induced toxicity in cardiomyocytes. Our findings indicated that SelK is a novel antioxidant in cardiomyocytes and is related to the regulation of cellular redox balance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The variability in treatment responses and narrow therapeutic index of anticancer drugs are some of the key challenges oncologists face. The knowledge of pharmacogenetics can potentially aid in the discovery, development and ultimately individualization of anticancer drugs. The identification of genetic variations that predict for drug response is the first step towards the translation of pharmacogenetics into clinical practice. This review provides an update on the results of studies assessing the effects of germline polymorphisms and somatic mutations on therapeutic outcomes and highlights the potential applications and future challenges in pharmacogenetic research pertaining to cancer therapeutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although hypertension is highly prevalent among the elderly and significantly contributes to cardiovascular disease risk, studies focusing on male elderly individuals over 85 years old are relatively scarce. This study aimed to investigate ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) characteristics in male hypertensive patients aged over 85 years. These included demographic characteristics, antihypertensive drug use, 24‐h ABPM values, diabetes, coronary heart disease, sleep disorders, smoking history, and drinking history, and the differences in ABPM between the age groups over and under 85 years old were analyzed. A total of 585 elderly hypertensive patients were included. The mean systolic blood pressure in individuals aged over 85 years was significantly greater throughout the day (131.57 ± 12.52 mmHg vs. 123.75 ± 2.74 mmHg, p < .001). In the 85 years older age group, the nighttime variability coefficient of SBP was lower at 7.84 ± 2.9 than the under 85 years age group 8.92 ± 3.13 (p < .001). The 85 years older age group age group presented a significantly greater whole‐day systolic blood pressure standard deviation of ABPM (13.2 ± 3.19 vs. 12.47 ± 3.05, p = .005) compared with those under the age of 85 years. In the 85 years older age group, the proportion of individuals with the reverse dipper pattern was higher (48.15% vs. 38.31%, p = .017) than under 85 years age group. This study revealed that elderly male hypertensive patients aged over 85 years presented elevated average blood pressure levels. The research investigated ABPM characteristics. Older hypertensive individuals are more likely to have a reverse‐dipper blood pressure pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The accurate selection of patients likely to respond to renal denervation (RDN) is crucial for optimizing treatment outcomes in patients with hypertension. This systematic review was designed to evaluate patient-specific factors predicting the RDN response., Methods and Results: We focused on individuals with hypertension who underwent RDN. Patients were categorized based on their baseline characteristics. The primary outcome was blood pressure (BP) reduction after RDN. Both randomized controlled trials and nonrandomized studies were included. We assessed the risk of bias using corresponding tools and further employed the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach to assess the overall quality of evidence. A total of 50 studies were ultimately included in this systematic review, among which 17 studies were for meta-analysis. Higher baseline heart rate and lower pulse wave velocity were shown to be associated with significant antihypertensive efficacy of RDN on 24-hour systolic BP reduction (weighted mean difference, -4.05 [95% CI, -7.33 to -0.77]; weighted mean difference, -7.20 [95% CI, -9.79 to -4.62], respectively). In addition, based on qualitative analysis, higher baseline BP, orthostatic hypertension, impaired baroreflex sensitivity, and several biomarkers are also reported to be associated with significant BP reduction after RDN., Conclusions: In patients with hypertension treated with the RDN, higher heart rate, and lower pulse wave velocity were associated with significant BP reduction after RDN. Other factors, including higher baseline BP, hypertensive patients with orthostatic hypertension, BP variability, impaired cardiac baroreflex sensitivity, and some biomarkers are also reported to be associated with a better BP response to RDN.

In the title compound, C(14)H(16)N(4) (2+)·2C(7)H(5)O(6)S(-)·2H(2)O, the 3,3'-(p-phenyl-enedimethyl-ene)diimidazol-1-ium dication lies on a crystallographic inversion center. In the crystal structure, dications, anions and solvent water mol-ecules are linked via O-H⋯O, N-H⋯O and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, and C-H⋯π inter-actions, forming a three-dimensional network containing R(2) (2)(4), R(2) (4)(12), R(4) (4)(22), R(8) (10)(32) and R(12) (14)(66) ring motifs.