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The power conversion efficiency of inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs) based on p--i--n structure exceeds 25%, largely owning to the persistent improvement on the quality of heterojunction interface. Nickel oxide (NiOx) of low cost and superior chemical stability is one of the most promising candidates as hole-transport material that is suitable for large-scale fabrication. Meanwhile, the certified efficiency of inorganic NiOx-based inverted PSCs surpasses 25% via improving the poor quality of buried interface contact, which is originated from large offset of valence band energy level, as well as high density of interfacial defects between NiOx hole-transport layer and perovskite film. In this review, the development and progress in buried interface engineering of inorganic NiOx layer are systematically summarized, including strategies on energy level alignment and interfacial defect passivation, which are adopted to promote the better energy level alignment and suppress the defect-assisted nonradiative recombination at interface. On the basis of deeper understanding of buried interface features, some novel materials and methods for interface modification can be rationally designed. Perspectives on future development of efficient and stable large-scale perovskite solar modules and tandem cells are also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Cognitive and neuroimaging assessments are still the main clinical practice methods for screening and diagnosing vascular dementia (VaD) patients. This study aimed to establish the neuropsychological characteristics of mild‐tomoderate subcortical ischaemic vascular dementia (SIVD) patients, find an optimal cognitive marker for differentiating them from Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, and explore the correlation between cognitive function and total small vessel disease (SVD) burden. Methods: SIVD (n = 60) and AD (n = 30) patients and cognitively unimpaired healthy controls (HCs; n = 30) were recruited from our longitudinal MRI AD and SIVD study (ChiCTR1900027943) and received a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment and a multimodal MRI scan. Cognitive performance and MRI SVD markers were compared between groups. Combined cognitive scores were established for differentiating between SIVD and AD patients. Correlations between cognitive function and total SVD scores were analysed in dementia patients. Results: SIVD patients showed poorer performance in information processing speed and better performance in memory, language, and visuospatial function than AD patients, although all cognitive domains were impaired in both groups compared with HCs. Combined cognitive scores showed an area under the curve of 0.727 (95%CI 0.62–0.84, p < 0.001) for differentiating SIVD and AD patients. Auditory Verbal Learning Test recognition scores were negatively correlated with total SVD scores in SIVD patients. Conclusions: Our results suggested that neuropsychological assessments, specifically combined tests including episodic memory, information processing speed, language and visuospatial ability, are useful in the clinical differentiation between SIVD and AD patients. Moreover, cognitive dysfunction was partly correlated with MRI SVD burden in SIVD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crystal monochromators are indispensable optical components for the majority of beamlines at synchrotron radiation facilities. Channel-cut monochromators are sometimes chosen to filter monochromatic X-ray beams by virtue of their ultrahigh angular stability. Nevertheless, high-accuracy polishing on the inner diffracting surfaces remains challenging, thus hampering their performance in preserving the coherence or wavefront of the photon beam. Herein, a magnetically controlled chemical-mechanical polishing (MC-CMP) approach has been successfully developed for fine polishing of the inner surfaces of channel-cut crystals. This MC-CMP process relieves the constraints of narrow working space dictated by small offset requirements and achieves near-perfect polishing on the surface of the crystals. Using this method, a high-quality surface with roughness of 0.614 nm (root mean square, r.m.s.) is obtained in a channelcut crystal with 7 mm gap designed for beamlines at the High Energy Photon Source, a fourth-generation synchrotron radiation source under construction. On-line X-ray topography and rocking-curve measurements indicate that the stress residual layer on the crystal surface was removed. Firstly, the measured rocking-curve width is in good agreement with the theoretical value. Secondly, the peak reflectivity is very close to theoretical values. Thirdly, topographic images of the optics after polishing were uniform without any speckle or scratches. Only a nearly 2.5 nm-thick SiO2 layer was observed on the perfect crystalline matrix from high-resolution transmission electron microscopy photographs, indicating that the structure of the bulk material is defect- and dislocation-free. Future development of MC-CMP is promising for fabricating wavefront-preserving and ultra-stable channel-cut monochromators, which are crucial to exploit the merits of fourth-generation synchrotron radiation sources or hard X-ray free-electron lasers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spermatogenesis is a cyclical process in which different generations of spermatids undergo a series of developmental steps at a fixed time and finally produce spermatids. Here, we report that overexpression of PD-L1 (B7 homolog1) in the testis causes sperm developmental disorders and infertility in male mice, with severe malformation and sloughing during spermatid development, characterized by disorganized and collapsed seminiferous epithelium structure. PD-L1 needs to be simultaneously expressed on Sertoli cells and spermatogonia to cause spermatogenesis failure. After that, we excluded the influence of factors such as the PD-L1 receptor and humoral regulation, confirming that PD-L1 has an intrinsic function to interact with PD-L1. Studies have shown that PD-L1 not only serves as a ligand but also plays a receptorlike role in signal transduction. PD-L1 interacts with PD-L1 to affect the adhesive function of germ cells, causing malformation and spermatid sloughing. Taken together, these results indicate that PD-L1 can interact with PD-L1 to cause germ cell detachment and male infertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) can quantify the microstructural changes in the spinal cord. It might be a substitute for T2 increased signal intensity (ISI) for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) evaluation and prognosis. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate the relationship between DWI metrics and neurologic function of patients with CSM. Study Type: Retrospective. Population: Forty-eight patients with CSM (18.8% females) and 36 healthy controls (HCs, 25.0% females). Field Strength/Sequence: 3 T; spin-echo echo-planar imaging-DWI; turbo spin-echo T1/T2; multi-echo gradient echo T2*. Assessment: For patients, conventional MRI indicators (presence and grades of T2 ISI), DWI indicators (neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging [NODDI]-derived isotropic volume fraction [ISOVF], intracellular volume fraction, and orientation dispersion index [ODI], diffusion tensor imaging [DTI]-derived fractional anisotropy [FA] and mean diffusivity [MD], and diffusion kurtosis imaging [DKI]-derived FA, MD, and mean kurtosis), clinical conditions, and modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) were recorded before the surgery. Neurologic function improvement was measured by the 3-month follow-up recovery rate (RR). For HCs, DWI, and mJOA were measured as baseline comparison. Statistical Tests: Continuous (categorical) variables were compared between patients and HCs using Student's t-tests or Mann-Whitney U tests (chi-square or Fisher exact tests). The relationships between DWI metrics/conventional MRI findings, and the pre-operative mJOA/RR were assessed using correlation and multivariate analysis. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Among patients, grades of T2 ISI were not correlated with pre-surgical mJOA/RR (P = 0.717 and 0.175, respectively). NODDI ODI correlated with pre-operative mJOA (r = -0.31). DTI FA, DKI FA, and NODDI ISOVF were correlated with the recovery rate (r = 0.31, 0.41, and -0.34, respectively). In multivariate analysis, NODDI ODI (DTI FA, DKI FA, NODDI ISOVF) significantly contributed to the pre-operative mJOA (RR) after adjusting for age. Data Conclusion: DTI FA, DKI FA, and NODDI ISOVF are predictors for prognosis in patients with CSM. NODDI ODI can be used to evaluate CSM severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: CD8+T cell in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is closely related to the prognosis and treatment response of patients. Accurate preoperative CD8+ T-cell expression can better identify the population benefitting from immunotherapy. Purpose: To develop and validate a machine learning classifier based on noncontrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the preoperative prediction of CD8+ T-cell expression in patients with PDAC. Study Type: Retrospective cohort study. Population: Overall, 114 patients with PDAC undergoing MR scan and surgical resection; 97 and 47 patients in the training and validation cohorts. Field Strength/Sequence/3 T: Breath-hold single-shot fast-spin echo T2-weighted sequence and noncontrast T1-weighted fat-suppressed sequences. Assessment: CD8+ T-cell expression was quantified using immunohistochemistry. For each patient, 2232 radiomics features were extracted from noncontrast T1- and T2-weighted images and reduced using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator method. Linear discriminative analysis was used to construct radiomics and mixed models. Model performance was determined by its discriminative ability, calibration, and clinical utility. Statistical Tests: Kaplan-Meier estimates, Student's t-test, the Kruskal-Wallis H test, and the chi-square test, receiver operating characteristic curve, and decision curve analysis. Results: A log-rank test showed that the survival duration in the CD8-high group (25.51 months) was significantly longer than that in the CD8-low group (22.92 months). The mixed model included all MRI characteristics and 13 selected radiomics features, and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.89 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.77-0.92) and 0.69 (95% CI, 0.53-0.82) in the training and validation cohorts. The radiomics model included 13 radiomics features, which showed good discrimination in the training cohort (AUC, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.77-0.92) and the validation cohort (AUC, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.61-0.87). Data Conclusions: This study developed a noncontrast MRI-based radiomics model that can preoperatively determine CD8+ T-cell expression in patients with PDAC and potentially immunotherapy planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to (i) develop Magnetization-Prepared Golden-angle RAdial Sparse Parallel (MP-GRASP) MRI using a stack-of-stars trajectory for rapid free-breathing T1 mapping and (ii) extend MP-GRASP to multi-echo acquisition (MP-Dixon-GRASP) for fat/water-separated (water-specific) T1 mapping. Methods: An adiabatic non-selective 180° inversion-recovery pulse was added to a gradient-echo-based golden-angle stack-of-stars sequence for magnetization-prepared 3D single-echo or 3D multi-echo acquisition. In combination with subspace-based GRASP-Pro reconstruction, the sequence allows for standard T1 mapping (MP-GRASP) or fat/water-separated T1 mapping (MP-Dixon-GRASP), respectively. The accuracy of T1 mapping using MP-GRASP was evaluated in a phantom and volunteers (brain and liver) against clinically accepted reference methods. The repeatability of T1 estimation was also assessed in the phantom and volunteers. The performance of MP-Dixon-GRASP for water-specific T1 mapping was evaluated in a fat/water phantom and volunteers (brain and liver). Results: ROI-based mean T1 values are correlated between the references and MPGRASP in the phantom (R² = 1.0), brain (R² = 0.96), and liver (R² = 0.73). MPGRASP achieved good repeatability of T1 estimation in the phantom (R² = 1.0), brain (R² = 0.99), and liver (R² = 0.82). Water-specific T1 is different from in-phase and out-of-phase composite T1 (composite T1 when fat and water signal are mixed in phase or out of phase) both in the phantom and volunteers. Conclusion: This work demonstrated the initial performance of MP-GRASP and MP-Dixon-GRASP MRI for rapid 3D T1 mapping and 3D fat/water-separated T1 mapping in the brain (without motion) and in the liver (during free breathing). With fat/water-separated T1 estimation, MP-Dixon-GRASP could be potentially useful for imaging patients with fatty-liver diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are heterogeneous tumours originating from neuroendocrine cells (Pearse & Polak, Gut, 1971, 12,783). They were once considered as rare tumours, although their annual incidence has increased significantly and now exceeds seven cases in 100 000 in the USA (Dasari, et al., JAMA oncology, 2017, 3, 1335). They are a group of highly diverse neoplasms and can be classified into the spectrum of well‐differentiated neuroendocrine tumours to poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas. This is entirely based on the tumour differentiation and grade (low, intermediate, high), which is determined by the Ki‐67/mitotic index. The lower grades (G1/2) of the well‐differentiated group are characterised by a relative indolent clinical course and the ability to secrete a variety of peptide hormones (Kloppel, Visceral medicine, 2017, 33, 324). Higher grades and poorly differentiated tumours tend to be more aggressive and have limited therapeutic options (Sorbye et al., Neuroendocrinology, 2019, 108, 54). In the modern era of immuno‐oncology, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPIs) that target programmed cell death 1 (pembrolizumab, nivolumab), programmed cell death‐ligand1 (avelumab, atezolizumab and durvalumab) or cytotoxic T‐lymphocyte‐associated protein 4 (ipilimumab) have revolutionised the management of many solid tumours. In patients with gastro‐enteropancreatic (GEP)‐NENs, there is a limited data regarding the role of ICPIs either as a single agent or in combination regimens. Here, we review the current advances for ICPIs and where they fit in the management of GEP‐NENs. We review the current advances of immune check point inhibitors role in the management of neuroendocrine neoplasms of gastroenteropancreatic origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Huisgen's 1960 announcement of the concept of 1,3‐dipolar cycloadditions was published the year before Alder's study of the reaction of diazomethane and dimethylfulvene. The diazomethane reaction was studied again in 1970 by Houk et al. and shown to give a [6+4] adduct. Padwa's nitrile ylide cycloaddition to dimethylfulvene (1978) gave [6+4] and [4+2] adducts. We performed computational studies of these reactions with density functional theory (DFT) and show that they involve ambimodal [6+4]/[4+2] transition states that can lead to either type of cycloadduct from one transition state. We dedicate this paper to the extraordinary life and humanity of Rolf Huisgen, and to the undying influence of his discoveries on chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melt‐peridotite interaction has the ability to modify the δ56Fe of peridotite. However, iron isotopic fractionation during melt‐peridotite interaction is not well understood at present. In this study, we present high‐precision iron isotopic data for serpentinized and carbonated peridotite from the Yushigou supra‐subduction zone ophiolite in the North Qilian orogen of northern Tibet, to provide insights into iron isotope behavior during melt‐peridotite interaction in the mantle wedge. High‐Cr and high‐Al dunites coexist with harzburgite in the Yushigou ophiolite. The high‐Cr and high‐Al dunites were produced by interaction of peridotite with boninitic melt and tholeiitic melt, respectively. Serpentinization and carbonation have negligible influence on δ56Fe of the peridotite. The harzburgite mostly has δ56Fe ranging from -0.055 ± 0.029‰ to 0.056 ± 0.030‰, which overlaps with δ56Fe of abyssal peridotite. The high‐Al dunite is enriched in FeO, but it has δ56Fe (0.004 ± 0.034‰-0.083 ± 0.064‰) similar to the harzburgite. In contrast, the high‐Cr dunite displays a large range in δ56Fe from -0.173 ± 0.017‰ to 0.173 ± 0.057‰. Moreover, δ56Fe of the high‐Cr dunite is negatively correlated with its FeO content, which is ascribed to kinetic iron isotopic fractionation during melt‐peridotite interaction. Surprisingly, distinct iron isotope behavior during melt‐peridotite interaction recorded by the Yushigou peridotite can well explain the large variation of FeO and δ56Fe in abyssal peridotite and mantle wedge peridotite on a global scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increases in plant weight are strongly correlated with the amount of solar radiation that the plants receive. However, tea (Camellia sinensis) growth models are limited in their ability to integrate solar radiation into the predictions. In this study, we developed a predictive model for estimating tea shoot weights based on solar radiation and air temperatures. We combined information on daily solar radiation and daily air temperature to estimate the dry weight and fresh weight of a shoot in a tea crop. In addition, the range of shoot weights and leaf numbers could be estimated based on weather records. The estimated dry weight increases per unit of solar radiation for air temperatures of < 15, 15-17, 17-19, 19-21, 21-23, 23-25, 25-27, 27-29, and >29°C were 0.043, 0.074, 0.075, 0.334, 0.480, 0.283, 0.122, 0.079, and 0.028 g MJ-1, respectively. The model results suggest that the estimated shoot weights were highly correlated with the observed weights for both dry weight (r = 0.75, p < 0.001) and fresh weight (r = 0.79, p < 0.001). The estimated fresh weight ranges of shoots having two to six leaves were 0.31-3.48, 0.16-3.53, 0.44-5.60, 0.66-6.74, and 2.09-9.91 g, respectively. This study provided a statistical procedure that can be used to estimate the growth of tea crops for agricultural researchers. The results provide a means of assessing production and planning harvesting dates for tea farmers in Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Nearly 1400 Bacillus strains growing in the plant rhizosphere were sampled from different sites on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. Forty‐five of the isolates, selected due to their biocontrol activity, were genome‐sequenced and their taxonomic identification revealed that they were representatives of the Bacillus subtilis species complex (20) and the Bacillus cereus group (9). Majority of the remaining strains were found closely related to Bacillus pumilus, but their average nucleotide identity based on BLAST and electronic DNA/DNA hybridization values excluded closer taxonomic identification. A total of 45 different gene clusters involved in synthesis of secondary metabolites were detected by mining the genomes of the 45 selected strains. Except eight mesophilic strains, the 37 remaining strains were found either cold‐adapted or psychrophilic, able to propagate at 10°C and below (Bacillus wiedmannii NMSL88 and Bacillus sp. RJGP41). Pot experiments performed at 10°C with winter wheat seedlings revealed that cold‐adapted representatives of B. pumilus, B. safensis and B. atrophaeus promoted growth of the seedlings under cold conditions, suggesting that these bacilli isolated from a cold environment are promising candidates for developing of bioformulations useful for application in sustainable agriculture under environmental conditions unfavourable for the mesophilic bacteria presently in use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the intermittent power generation, wind farms integrated into the grid may cause a problem of large frequency fluctuation, when the capacity of load frequency control (LFC) is not enough to compensate the unbalance between the generation and the load demand. In this study, a new robust LFC strategy against load disturbance and wind power fluctuation is proposed to improve the disturbance-resistant performance of the power system with wind farms. First, a simplified model of the power system with wind farms is established without considering the accurate model information. Then, a control scheme based on the compensation of equivalent input disturbance (EID) is introduced, and a method of EID estimation is presented. The robust LFC design addresses various disturbances and internal/external uncertainties of power systems. Finally, to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method, two case studies are carried out and the performance comparisons with the classical proportional-integral-derivative control scheme are used to confirm the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Recent studies on the upgrade of cellulosic biomass to renewable chemicals and fuels based on Ru/ZrO2 catalysts have shown that the catalyst contains atomically dispersed, highly stable Ru atoms. FTIR spectra after CO dosage reveal a complex manifold of bands resulting from Ru‐CO carbonyl species. The nature of the atomically dispersed Ru species on monoclinic zirconia, and the origin of their thermal stability are the object of this investigation. Combining density functional theory (DFT) calculations on model systems of both tetragonal and monoclinic ZrO2, with novel experimental data, we provide a basis for the identification of the monoatomic Ru species. Various candidates are explored based on DFT calculations of their intrinsic stability and of the vibrational properties of adsorbed CO probe molecules. The results allow us to discard a number of possible structures, and restrict the analysis to a few potential candidates. Most likely, the atomically dispersed sites result from the interaction of Ru atoms with one OH group of the surface with elimination of H2 by condensation, leaving RuO species strongly bound to the zirconia surface. CO binds strongly to the RuO units forming (RuO)(CO)2 geminal complexes with characteristic signatures in terms of CO vibrational frequency. Despite the formal positive oxidation state of the Ru species, large negative shifts are found in the CO stretching frequency compared with the free CO molecule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work reports the synthesis of micro-meso hierarchical porous carbons prepared with sucrose as a carbon source. With properties characterised, dynamic adsorption performances of toluene on carbons were investigated at various initial concentrations. Results showed that adsorption capacities as high as 687.60 mg/g toluene/1 cm modified carbon can be achieved. Thus, large surface area, large volume of narrow microporosity and proper average pore size are the desired parameters to achieve strong toluene adsorption capacities. Moderate amounts of surface oxygen groups can also improve the adsorbents performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing contribution of the power production by the photovoltaic (PV) systems to the electricity supply, the PV power forecasting becomes increasingly important. There are many factors influencing the forecasting performance, such as the air temperature, humidity, insolation, wind speed, wind direction and so on. This study proposes a Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy model-based PV power short-term forecasting approach. First, by means of the correlation analysis, the influential factors are selected as the model inputs. Then, the fuzzy c-mean clustering algorithm and the recursive least squares method are used to identify the antecedent and the consequent parameters. The performance of the proposed forecasting approach is tested by using a large database of measurement data from the 433 kW PV array at St Lucia campus of The Queensland University of Australia. The forecasting results are compared with the support vector machine (SVM), the hybrid of empirical mode decomposition and SVM, the back propagation neural network and the recurrent neural network. The results indicate that, compared with the existing approaches, the proposed T-S fuzzy model-based forecasting approach is simpler and can forecast more accurately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen gas (H2) plays a crucial role in plant resistance to stresses, yet whether it affects plant growth and reproduction remains unclear. To detect the effects of H2 on plant fitness, we conducted a greenhouse experiment using hydrogen-rich water (HW) to irrigate conventional rice (Oryza sativa L.), insect-resistant Bt-transgenic rice expressing Bacillus thuringiensis, and two wild rice species (O. rufipogon Griff. and O. minuta J. Presl) from six habitats. Hydrogen-rich water inhibited the elongation of roots and shoots in conventional and transgenic rice. The impacts of HW on roots and shoots of wild rice varied with original habitats. Hydrogen-rich water decreased the fitness parameters of conventional rice, with lower pollen radius, thousand seed weight, and the number of full seeds. For transgenic rice, HW decreased pollen radius and thousand seed weight but increased ear length and the number of full seeds. Results indicate that HW can affect plant growth and reproduction, and the effects vary with the original habitats and genetic backgrounds of plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic waste gases from petrochemical industry cause air pollution. Due to the environmental effects of refractory organic gas, the development of effective adsorbent is imperative. The micro-meso hierarchical porous carbon with high surface area was synthesised by the hard-template method. With MCM-41 as template, this material was prepared using phenolic resin as carbon source. Dynamic adsorption performance of toluene on micro-meso hierarchical porous carbon was studied by gas chromatographic techniques. Effects of toluene initial concentration, temperature and bed height on adsorption capacity were also researched. The results showed that when toluene concentration was 1750 mg/m3, equilibrium amount of toluene adsorbed was 358.8 mg/g by micro-meso hierarchical porous carbon, 79.41 mg/g by MCM-41. The adsorption capacity increased with the increase of initial concentration and bed height, while the adsorption capacity decreased along with the increase of temperature. Due to strong toluene adsorption capacity, this micro-meso hierarchical porous carbon manifests profound theoretical and practical significance in petrochemical organic waste gas treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a hybrid inductive and active filtering (HIAF) method is proposed to dampen the harmonic resonance in distribution network with non-linear loads. At a first, a new topology of energy conversion system with active technique, which includes an inductively filtered converter transformer, fully-tuned branches and a controlled voltage source inverter (VSI), is proposed for large-power non-linear loads. The working principle of such a new topology is described, and the advantage of damping harmonic resonance of the distribution network is revealed by means of mathematical modelling and theoretical analysis. Then, the control system of VSI is designed with the multiple purposes of damping harmonic resonance from the grid side and isolating harmonic currents from the non-linear load side. A case study is carried out to validate theoretical results. By comparing with the traditional hybrid active filtering method and the passive filtering method, it indicates that the proposed HIAF method is more effective to dampen harmonic resonance in the distribution network and at the same time is able to significantly reduce the harmonic contents in the grid winding, which is good to both the public network and the energy conversion system connected with large-power non-linear loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors introduce the concept of a spline resampling in the particle filter to deal with high accuracy and sample impoverishment. The resampling is usually based on a linear transformation on the weights of the particles, so it affects the filtering accuracy. The spline resampling consists of two parts: the spline transformation of weights and the spread transformation of states. The former is based on a spline transformation on the weights of the particles to obtain highly accurate particle filtering, and the latter is based on a point spread transformation on states of particles to prevent sample impoverishment due to a decline in the diversity of hypothesis after resampling. Two transformations are sequentially implemented to incorporate with each other. Then, the authors propose a global transition model in the particle filter, which takes account of the background variation caused by the camera motion, to decrease error from real object position. The authors test the performance of their spline resampling and the global transition model in the particle filter in an objecttracking scenario. Experimental results demonstrate that the particle filter with the spline resampling and the global transition model has promising discriminative capability in comparison with others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on a study which examined the pinning synchronisation problem for Lur'e networks with directed topologies. Topics discussed include pinning control algorithm for Lur'e networks, pinning criteria for Lur'e network with fixed inner coupling and pinning criteria for Lur'e networks with designed inner coupling. Also mentioned is selective pinning scheme for directed Lur'e networks.

Background: Scientific evidence on the effects of chronic periodontitis on diabetes mellitus remains inadequate and inconclusive. This intervention study is designed to evaluate the effects of periodontal treatment on clinical response, systemic inflammatory parameters, and metabolic control in patients with Type 2 diabetes. Methods: A total of 134 patients were randomly allocated into two treatment groups and one control group. Treatment group 1 underwent non-surgical periodontal treatment at baseline and additional subgingival debridement at the 3-month follow-up. Patients in treatment group 2 received non-surgical periodontal treatment and supragingival prophylaxis at the 3-month follow-up, and those in the control group received no intervention throughout the study. All participants were reexamined at 1.5, 3, and 6 months after initial treatment. At each visit, clinical periodontal examinations were conducted and blood samples were taken to evaluate high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), tumor necrosis factor<α (TNF-α), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and lipid profiles. Results: Both treatment groups had a significantly lower hsCRP level after periodontal therapy (P<0.05). Although HbA1c declined significantly in treatment group 2 (P <0.05), the intergroup difference for HbA1c, FPG, TNF-α, and lipid profiles was not statistically significant after therapy (P>0.05). Conclusions: Non-surgical periodontal treatment can effectively improve periodontal and circulating inflammatory status. Despite a lack of strong evidence, trends in some results support improved glycemic control after periodontal treatment in patients with diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water-borne polyurethane with branched straight aliphatic chains (CWPU) was prepared and characterized by FTIR and TEM. The relationship between structure and water-resistance of CWPU was studied. The results showed that the particle size of CWPU emulsion increases and the round particle turns into the spindle-shaped particle with increasing of content of branched straight aliphatic chains. However, the particle size of CWPU emulsion is not sensitive to the increases of length of branched straight aliphatic chains. The water-resistance and hydrophobic property of CWPU film increase with the increase of content and length of branched straight aliphatic chains. It is attributed to the hydrophobic layer of aliphatic chains enriched on the surface of CWPU film. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melanoma cells are resistant to transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ)-induced cell-cycle arrest. In this study, we investigated a mechanism of resistance involving a regulatory domain, called linker region, in Smad2 and Smad3, main downstream effectors of TGFβ. Melanoma cells in culture and tumor samples exhibited constitutive Smad2 and Smad3 linker phosphorylation. Treatment of melanoma cells with the MEK1/2 inhibitor, U0126, or the two pan-CDK and GSK3 inhibitors, Flavopiridol and R547, resulted in decreased linker phosphorylation of Smad2 and Smad3. Overexpression of the linker phosphorylation-resistant Smad3 EPSM mutant in melanoma cells resulted in an increase in expression of p15 and p21, as compared with cells transfected with wild-type (WT) Smad3. In addition, the cell numbers of EPSM Smad3-expressing melanoma cells were significantly reduced compared with WT Smad3-expressing cells. These results suggest that the linker phosphorylation of Smad3 contributes to the resistance of melanoma cells to TGFβ-mediated growth inhibition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This open-label study evaluated the influence of hepatic insufficiency on the pharmacokinetics of laropiprant (LRPT), a prostaglandin D2 receptor-1 antagonist, to guide clinicians in the event of inadvertent dosing in patients with hepatic insufficiency. A single oral 40-mg dose of LRPT was administered to 8 patients with moderate hepatic insufficiency and 8 healthy control participants matched for important baseline characteristics. Blood samples were collected predose and up to 96 hours post-dose to assess LRPT pharmacokinetics. No clinically significant effect of hepatic insufficiency would be declared if the 90% confidence interval (CI) for the estimated geometric mean ratio (GMR; hepatic insufficiency patients/ healthy participants) of AUC0-∞ was contained within the prespecified bounds of (0.50-3.00). Estimated GMRs of AUC0-∞and Cmax (90% CIs) were 2.78 (1.71, 4.50) and 2.17 (1.33, 3.53), respectively. The median time to Cmax and apparent terminal t1/2 of LRPT were comparable between the 2 populations (P > .100). Single-dose LPRT 40 mg was generally well tolerated in all patients. The plasma pharmacokinetics of a single 40-mg oral dose of LRPT is not similar between patients with moderate hepatic insufficiency and matched healthy participants. The GMR (90% CI) of AUC0-∞for patients with moderate hepatic insufficiency versus matched controls was 2.78 (1.71, 4.50). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article describes the application of electron backscattered diffraction in studying the twinning relationships between three synthetic crystals of diopside dendrites. The crystallographic orientations of dendritic crystals was determined by obtaining Kikuchi diffraction patterns distributed on each dendrite. The symmetry of the distribution of the three dendrite crystals in the twin structure is also shown.

Objectives: Vocal fold injury can be irreversible, leading to vocal fold scarring, with permanent functional effects and no optimal treatment. A porcine model of vocal fold scarring was used to test effects of decorin and primed vocal fold fibroblasts in vitro using a cell migration assay and immunoblotting, and by using functional measurements of porcine larynges and excised porcine vocal folds. Methods: In vitro: primary pig vocal fold fibroblasts (PVFFs) were subjected to cell migration assays (scratch) and treated with decorin 20 μg/mL, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) 200 ng/mL, epidermal growth factor (EGF) 1 nM, or transforming growth factor-β1 10 ng/mL. Cells also underwent decorin dose response testing. Scratch assays were analyzed in MetaMorph® Imaging; cell lysates were processed for MMP-8 and type I collagen content. Eleven pigs underwent unilateral vocal fold stripping procedures. At day 3 postoperatively, subjects underwent superficial injection into the affected vocal fold either with decorin 20 μg/mL or 1 × 106 HGF-primed fibroblasts. Larynges were harvested and either used for ex vivo laryngeal testing or for rheological testing. Results: Scratch assay indicated significantly reduced cell migration in PVFFs treated with decorin or HGF. MMP-8 production was increased (P <0.01) and collagen was decreased in cells treated with decorin at increasing doses. Viscoelastic measurements suggested somewhat increased stiffness for decorin treated samples. Ex vivo aerodynamic testing suggested improved vocal efficiency scores in decorintreated larynges. Conclusions: Decorin has a noticeable effect on PVFF migration in vitro and appears to increase vocal fold stiffness but either does not change or slightly increases vocal efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new sesquiterpenes, stereumin F (1) and stereumin G (2), together with two known compounds (3β,5α,22E,24R)-5,8-epidioxyergosta-6,22-dien-3-ol (3) and 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)phenol (4), were isolated from the AcOEt extract of the culture broth and the MeOH extract of the mycelium of the fungal strain Stereum sp. CCTCC AF 207024. Their structures were established on the basis of spectral analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laropiprant, a prostaglandin D2 receptor-1 antagonist shown to reduce flushing symptoms, has been combined with niacin for treatment of dyslipidemia. This open-label, randomized, 2-period crossover study assessed the effects of laropiprant on the pharmacokinetics of digoxin, with 13 healthy subjects randomized to 2 treatments administered in random order with a 10-day or longer washout period: (A) single-dose digoxin 0.5 mg on day 1 and once-daily oral doses of laropiprant 40 mg for 10 days beginning 5 days prior to digoxin dosing (day -5 to day 5); (B) single-dose digoxin 0.5 mg on day 1. Blood was collected over the course of 120 hours post digoxin dose to assess pharmacokinetics of immunoreactive digoxin. Comparability was declared if the 90% confidence interval for the geometric mean ratio of laropiprant+digoxin to digoxin alone of the area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time 0 to infinity (AUC0-∞) for immunoreactive digoxin fell within 0.80 to 1.25. The AUC0-∞ and maximum observed plasma concentration (Cmax) geometric mean ratios of immunoreactive digoxin were 0.91 (90% confidence interval, 0.76-1.10) and 1.04 (90% confidence interval, 0.91-1.21), respectively. Median time of occurrence of Cmax and mean half-life of immunoreactive digoxin were comparable in the presence and absence of laropiprant. Coadministration of digoxin and laropiprant was generally well tolerated. The small decrease in exposure to immunoreactive digoxin (∼10%) following coadministration of laropiprant and digoxin is not considered to be clinically meaningful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphate (Pi) homeostasis in plants is required for plant growth and development, and is achieved by the coordination of Pi acquisition, translocation from roots to shoots, and remobilization within plants. Previous reports have demonstrated that over-expression of OsPHR2 (the homolog of AtPHR1) and knockdown of OsSPX1 result in accumulation of excessive shoot Pi in rice. Here we report that OsPHR2 positively regulates the low-affinity Pi transporter gene OsPT2 by physical interaction and upstream regulation of OsPHO2 in roots. OsPT2 is responsible for most of the OsPHR2-mediated accumulation of excess shoot Pi. OsSPX1 suppresses the regulation on expression of OsPT2 by OsPHR2 and the accumulation of excess shoot Pi, but it does not suppress induction of OsPT2 or the accumulation of excessive shoot Pi in the Ospho2 mutant. Our data also show that OsSPX1 is a negative regulator of OsPHR2 and is involved in the feedback of Pi-signaling network in roots that is defined by OsPHR2 and OsPHO2. This finding provides new insight into the regulatory mechanism of Pi uptake, translocation, allocation and homeostasis in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Properties of leaf and infusion colours, chemical components and volatile flavour compounds of oolong teas and their correlation with perceived quality score given by tea-tasting panel were analysed. The scores for appearance and infused leaf correlated strongly with concentrations of chlorophyll a (chl a), chlorophyll (chl b) and chlorophyll (chl) ( r = 0.355–0.433, P < 0.05) and the total quality score (TQS) positively correlated with concentrations of chl a, chl b and chl ( r = 0.517–0.533, P < 0.01). The perceived taste score and TQS positively correlated with the concentration of total free amino acid ( r = 0.514, 0.694, P < 0.01) and theanine ( r = 0.500, 0.684, P < 0.01). The volatile composition and their quantities varied widely among oolong tea samples. Nerolidol, indole, benzeneacetaldehyde, linalool, linalool oxide I, hexanal, benzyl nitrile, geraniol and 1-penten-3-ol were prevailing volatile compounds detected in most of oolong tea samples. Principal component analysis screened ten principal components with the first three (glutamic acid, total catechins and benzeneacetaldehyde) explaining 27.86%, 20.00% and 14.46% of the total variance, respectively. Regression analysis upon the ten principal components formulated a prediction model on the total quality score with 78.5% probability. The result showed that oolong teas could be partially classified by cluster analysis based on principal components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chlorinated ethenes such as tetrachloroethene and trichloroethene have been widely used as dry-cleaning and degreasing solvents. Under anaerobic conditions, microorganisms reduce these parent compounds to less-chlorinated daughter products such as cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cDCE), and often further to ethene. This process can be stalled at cDCE, due to insufficient supply of reductants and/or inadequate microbial-community composition. Recently, a novel bacterium, Polaromonas sp. JS666, was isolated that is able to aerobically oxidize cDCE as sole carbon and energy source. As such, it is a promising candidate for use as a subsurface, bioaugmentation agent at sites where anaerobic bioremediation is inappropriate or has stalled and cDCE has migrated to, and accumulated within, aerobic zones, or where it is practical to impose aerobic conditions. Subsurface sediments or groundwater from six such cDCE-contaminated sites were used to construct microcosms. In every sediment or groundwater inoculated with JS666, the organism was able to degrade cDCE, provided that the pH remained circum-neutral. Even when JS666 was challenged with an alternate carbon source, or in the presence of competitive/predatory microorganisms, there was a measure of success. Collectively, these microcosm studies suggest that JS666 is a viable candidate for the bioaugmentation of aerobic, cDCE-contaminated sites. A minimum inoculation level in excess of 105 cells per mL is recommended for field applications. At this level of inoculation, 100 L of inoculum culture grown to an OD600 of 1.0 should be able to treat a 10-m × 30-m × 80-m (24,000-m3) plot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backgrounds: Although worldwide evidence tends to prove that diabetes adversely affects periodontal health, there are insufficient clues indicating whether periodontitis may aggravate metabolic control and systemic inflammation. This study, as a preliminary part of an ongoing research project, aims to clarify the relationship of periodontal parameters with metabolic levels and systemic inflammatory markers in patients with diabetes. Methods: A total of 140 qualified, adult patients with type 2 diabetes and periodontitis were recruited into this study. Periodontal examinations, including a full-mouth assessment of probing depths (PDs), bleeding on probing, gingival recession, and clinical attachment level, were determined. Blood analyses were carried out for glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting glucose, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and lipid profiles. Subjects were divided into three groups according to tertiles of the mean PD and compared. Results: Upon an analysis of covariance, subjects with an increased mean PD had significantly higher levels of HbA1c and hsCRP (P <0.05). No significant difference was found among different groups in the levels of serum TNF-α, fasting glucose, and lipid profiles (P >0.05). After controlling for age, gender, body mass index, duration of diabetes mellitus, smoking, regular physical exercise, and alcohol consumption, positive correlations were found between mean PD and HbA1c (r = 0.2272; P = 0.009) and between mean PD and hsCRP (r = 0.2336; P = 0.007). After adjustment for possible confounders, the mean PD emerged as a significant predictor variable for elevated levels of HbA1c and hsCRP (P<0.05). Conclusion: Chronic periodontitis was associated with glycemic metabolic and serum hsCRP levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We previously showed that the rat dipeptidyl peptidase IV (rDPP IV) monoclonal antibody (mAb) 6A3 greatly inhibits the pericellular polymeric fibronectin-mediated metastatic cancer cell adhesion to rDPP IV. L311QWLRRI in rDPP IV has been proposed as the putative fibronectin-binding site. However, the inhibitory mechanism of 6A3 has been elusive. Epitope mapping of 6A3 may help to understand the interaction between fibronectin and rDPP IV. In the present study, we showed that 6A3 species-specifically recognized rDPP IV but inhibited fibronectin/rDPP IV-mediated cell adhesions of various cancer types and species, which was independent of rDPP IV enzymatic activity. The 6A3 epitope was stably exposed in both native and denatured rDPP IV. On the basis of the resolved structures and the species variations in DPP IV sequences, we finely mapped the 6A3 epitope to a surface-exposed Thr331-dependent motif D329KTTLVWN, only 11 amino acids away from L311QWLRRI on the same plane as the fifth β-propeller blade. The functionality of 6A3 epitope in rDPP IV was ultimately demonstrated by the ability of 6A3-recognizable fragments to interfere with the inhibitory effect of 6A3 on full-length rDPP IV binding to pericellular polymeric fibronectin. On the basis of structural analysis, and the fact that the preformed fibronectin fragment/rDPP IV complex was co-immunoprecipitated by 6A3 and fixing the rDPP IV structure with paraformaldehyde did not avert the inhibitory effect, the mechanism of 6A3 inhibition may not be the result of complete competition or conformational change. Structured digital abstract • : DppIV (uniprotkb: ) binds ( ) to FNIII14 (uniprotkb: ) by anti bait coimmunoprecipitation ( ) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We here report that miR-17-92 cluster is a novel target for p53-mediated transcriptional repression under hypoxia. We found the expression levels of miR-17-92 cluster were reduced in hypoxia-treated cells containing wild-type p53, but were unchanged in hypoxia-treated p53-deficient cells. The repression of miR-17-92 cluster under hypoxia is independent of c-Myc. Luciferase reporter assays mapped the region responding to p53-mediated repression to a p53-binding site in the proximal region of the miR-17-92 promoter. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), Re-ChIP and gel retardation assays revealed that the binding sites for p53- and the TATA-binding protein (TBP) overlap within the miR-17-92 promoter; these proteins were found to compete for binding. Finally, we show that pri-miR-17-92 expression correlated well with p53 status in colorectal carcinomas. Over-express miR-17-92 cluster markedly inhibits hypoxia-induced apoptosis, whereas blocked miR-17-5p and miR-20a sensitize the cells to hypoxia-induced apoptosis. These data indicated that p53-mediated repression of miR-17-92 expression likely has an important function in hypoxia-induced apoptosis, and thus further our understanding of the tumour suppressive function of p53. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The forward puzzle is traditionally explained as the presence of a covariance-risk premium, market friction or limits to arbitrage. Recently, Liu and Sercu, working on intra-ERM rates for the DEM, presented evidence consistent with career risk considerations: portfolio managers shun assets with danger signals. In this paper, we test the external validity of this finding: we compare floating rates to band regimes, and strong base currencies to weak ones. We find that both the exchange rate regime and base currency strength influence the evidence on various theories: floating and strong intra-ERM rates weakly support market friction or limit-to-arbitrage theories, while the HKD and weak intra-ERM strongly support the career risk effect. We also decompose forward premium into a short-term filtered component and a long memory trend. The filtered component is good at recognising danger signals or ‘extreme’ observation effects for band regime rates and weak floaters, while the trend works best for strong floaters. Lastly, the filtered premium provides the best fit, consistent with the idea that it has a closer link to expectations than the trend component. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]