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It is recommended that pregnant women be physically active to promote maternal and child health. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of physical inactivity and its modifiable predictors in the three trimesters in Chinese pregnant women. Four hundred forty-four pregnant women completed the Pregnant Physical Activity Questionnaire in the first, second, and third trimesters. The prevalence of physical inactivity reached its highest (66.2%) in the first trimester and lowest (19.4%) in the second trimester. Pregnant women with inadequate physical activity knowledge and low self-efficacy were at higher risk for physical inactivity. Monitoring physical inactivity could be incorporated into antenatal care and start from the first trimester. Prenatal care professionals should take action to increase pregnant women's physical activity self-efficacy and knowledge to enhance their physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have revealed cellular heterogeneity in intervertebral discs (IVDs). However, the cellular and molecular alteration patterns of cell populations during degenerative progression remain to be fully elucidated. To illustrate the cellular and molecular alteration of cell populations in intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD), we perform single cell RNA sequencing on cells from four anatomic sites of healthy and degenerative goat IVDs. EGLN3+ StressCs, TGFBR3+ HomCs and GPRC5A+ RegCs exhibit the characteristics associated with resistance to stress, maintaining homeostasis and repairing, respectively. The frequencies and signatures of these cell clusters fluctuate with IDD. Notably, the chondrogenic differentiation programme of PROCR+ progenitor cells is altered by IDD, while notochord cells turn to stemness exhaustion. In addition, we characterise CAV1+ endothelial cells that communicate with chondrocytes through multiple signalling pathways in degenerative IVDs. Our comprehensive analysis identifies the variability of key cell clusters and critical regulatory networks responding to IDD, which will facilitate in-depth investigation of therapeutic strategies for IDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biological functions of short open reading frame (sORF)‐encoded micropeptides remain largely unknown. Here, we report that LINC00998, a previously annotated lncRNA, was upregulated in multiple cancer types and the sORF on LINC00998 encoded a micropeptide named SMIM30. SMIM30 was localized in the membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria. Silencing SMIM30 inhibited the proliferation of hepatoma cells in vitro and suppressed the growth of tumor xenografts and N‐nitrosodiethylamine‐induced hepatoma. Overexpression of the 5′UTR‐sORF sequence of LINC00998, encoding wild‐type SMIM30, enhanced tumor cell growth, but this was abolished when a premature stop codon was introduced into the sORF via single‐base deletion. Gain‐ and loss‐of‐function studies revealed that SMIM30 peptide but not LINC00998 reduced cytosolic calcium level, increased CDK4, cyclin E2, phosphorylated‐Rb and E2F1, and promoted the G1/S phase transition and cell proliferation. The effect of SMIM30 silencing was attenuated by a calcium chelator or the agonist of sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA) pump. These findings suggest a novel function of micropeptide SMIM30 in promoting G1/S transition and cell proliferation by enhancing SERCA activity and reducing cytosolic calcium level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out with the objective to identify function prediction of novel microRNAs (miRNAs) in immature boar Sertoli cells (SCs) treated with 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-ß-D-ribofuranoside (AICAR), which is an agonist of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) for regulating cellular energy homeostasis. Two small RNA libraries (control and AICAR treatment) prepared from immature boar SCs were constructed and sequenced by the Illumina small RNA deep sequencing. We identified 77 novel miRNAs and predicted 177 potential target genes for 26 differential novel miRNAs (four miRNAs upregulation and 22 miRNAs down-regulation) in AICAR-treated SCs. Gene Ontology enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway suggested that target genes of differential novel miRNAs were implicated in many biological processes and metabolic pathways. Our findings provided useful information for the functional regulation of novel miRNAs and target mRNAs on AMPK-activated immature boar SCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In engineering practice, the Voronoi diagram is often used to plan electric vehicle (EV) fast‐charging stations but it does not consider the spatio‐temporal distribution of EV trip. Research on the spatio‐temporal distribution of EVs mainly uses the shortest path method to reduce the amount of iterative calculations. The influence of the external environment and traffic congestion on the travel of EVs has not been considered, which results in the inaccuracy of the EV charging demand. To solve the above problems, this study proposes a method for predicting the spatio‐temporal distribution of EVs based on quasi‐dynamic traffic flow. This method takes into account the external environment and the impact of traffic congestions on EV trips and balances the problem between simulation accuracy and calculation efficiency. Based on this, the particle swarm optimisation algorithm is used to optimise the travel cost of the EVs and the cost of the construction and operation of the charging infrastructure. An optimal siting and sizing model for the fast‐charging station based on quasi‐dynamic traffic flow is established. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blood brain barrier (BBB) disruption is an important contributor to brain edema and neurological deficits following intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Macrophage stimulating protein (MSP) is a hepatocyte growth factor-like protein that mediates its functions via activating receptor tyrosine kinase recepteur d'origine nantais (RON). Grb2-associated binder 1 (GAB1) is a docking protein that mediates downstream receptor signal transduction pathways. This study aimed to evaluate the role of MSP and RON activated signaling pathway in preserving BBB integrity after collagenase-induced ICH. ICH mice received recombinant human MSP (rhMSP) or rhMSP combined with siRNA knockdown of RON or GAB1. rhMSP was administered by intranasal route 1 h after ICH. Brain edema, neurobehavior, BBB tight junction protein expression, and BBB permeability were evaluated. The expression of endogenous MSP and p-RON was decreased after ICH. Exogenous rhMSP administration reduced brain edema, neurological deficits, BBB permeability, and increased the expression of tight junction proteins in ICH mice. rhMSP administration increased the expression of p-RON, p-GAB1, p-Src, nuclear b-catenin, and tight junction proteins after ICH. These effects were reversed with RON and GAB1 siRNA. We conclude that MSP activation of RON preserved BBB integrity via GAB-1/Src/b-catenin pathway, thereby reducing brain edema and neurological deficits after ICH in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To stimulate the participation of electric vehicles (EVs) in vehicle-to-grid (V2G) activities, some economic incentives should be offered to the EV owners and the discharging price is negotiated by EV aggregator and electricity grid. Here, this study proposes a negotiation strategy between EV aggregator and electricity grid which focuses on how to develop a reasonable mechanism for discharging price, and then the bilateral negotiation function models of discharging price based on fuzzy Bayesian learning are established. In the models, the certain parameters are calculated according to the profits and cost of the EV aggregator and electricity grid; and the fuzzy probability calculation method is formulated to estimate and calculate the uncertain parameters of the functions of both sides, respectively. Additionally, the negotiation function models based on fuzzy Bayesian learning is utilised for updating and correcting the deviation of estimates and the discharging price is finally found out by the parameters above. Through numerical cases, the negotiation strategy proposed in this study is verified to be effective in the early promotion of V2G. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a new zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) three-phase current-fed push-pull converter is proposed for voltage step-up applications such as interfacing between the low-voltage high-current input sources such as photovoltaic, fuel cells and high-voltage dc bus. The proposed converter realises ZVS for all of the primary switches and zero-current-switching for secondary diodes that improves the conversion efficiency. In comparison with the existing three-phase current-fed push-pull converters with a voltage-clamped, one simpler active-clamp circuit is employed to reuse the leakage inductance for softcommutation and suppress the transient surge voltage enabling the use of low voltage-rated switches with low on-state resistance. The theoretical analysis, design guidelines, comparative study, experimental results and loss breakdown for this topology are presented in the text. Finally, a 1.2 kW prototype has been implemented and tested in the laboratory to verify the effectiveness of the proposed concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boiling water resistance, an important indicator of wood adhesives, represents the capability of adhesives for exterior woodwork applications. However, soy-based adhesives show poor behaviors in this respect, which limit their applications in outdoor environments. In this article, we report a synergistic modification method of integrating a cocrosslinking system of epoxied polyamideamine- epichlorohydrin (PAE) and organosilicon-acrylate copolymer latexes (OACLs) to improve soybean meal (SM)-based adhesive properties. Tailored PAE and OACL SM-based adhesives demonstrated robust crosslinking structures via multi-interfacial interactions, where PAE and OACL served as building blocks of an interpenetrating network, which was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy. The dry-shear strength, wet-shear strength and boiling water strength of the resulting SM-based adhesives were 1.4160.13, 1.3260.17 and 1.2060.11 MPa, respectively, with 15 wt % OACL loading; these were 41, 45 and 90% increases, respectively, over the SM-PAE adhesive with which we compared them. Most importantly, the excellent boiling water resistance of the adhesives make them practical for exterior plywood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: In recent years, pyridylpyrazole derivatives, such as pyridylpyrazole-containing anthranilic diamide have attracted much attention by virtue of their useful insecticidal properties and unique action mode. Moreover, some pyridylpyrazole-containing compounds have also been found to possess significant fungicidal activities. With the aim of discovering new bioactive agrochemicals for crop protection, a series of poly-heterocyclic compounds containing pyridylpyrazole and aziridine, or β-lactam, or thiazolinonemoieties were synthesized. RESULTS: A series of pyridylpyrazole-containing poly-heterocyclic compounds were obtained, and confirmed through IR, ¹H NMR, 13C NMR, HRMS and elemental analysis. The crystalline structure of 4-(3-bromo-1-(3-chloropyridin-2-yl)-1H-pyrazol-5-yl)-3-chloro-1-mesitylazetidin-2-one (compound 13f) was determined to further illustrate a trans- configuration of the β-lactam motif. In addition, bioassays showed that most of these new compounds exhibited modest insecticidal activity towards Mythimna separate Walker at 200 μgmL-1. Some of the compounds displayed excellent fungicidal activity towards some plant fungi, including Cercospora arachidicola (13j: EC50 =14.5 μgmL-1), Physalospora piricola (12d and 13d: EC50 =10.5 and 9.70 μg mL-1), Alternaria solani Sorauer (13j: EC50 =7.29 μg mL-1), Puccinia sorghi Schw. (13d: control efficacy 99.0±2.1% at 200 μg mL-1) and Erysiphe graminis (14d: control efficacy 95.0±1.4% at 200 μgmL-1). CONCLUSION: Compounds 12b–12e, 13a, 13d, 13f, 13j, 13 k and 14d could be considered potential fungicidal lead compounds to do further structural optimization. The structure–activity relationship analysis in this study brings some new understanding to the biological activities of N-pyridylpyrazole-containing compounds, and provides important information for the research and development of novel agricultural fungicides with poly-heterocyclic structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient gradient-based optimisation method is proposed for designing pixel antennas with hundreds of connections, where the connections between adjacent square pixel patches are modelled by lossy materials with continuous density variables. The gradients of antenna objective functions with respect to these density variables are derived by the adjoint variable method, at the cost of less than two times of simulation. With a gradient-based optimisation solver, four antennas with 220 connections are optimised. The optimised antennas achieve different expected polarisation and/or radiation patterns. All the optimisations in this work converge in only 80 iterations which is considerably faster than the heuristic algorithms handling the same number of variables. Two of the optimised antennas are fabricated to validate the optimisations. The simulated and measured results verify the accuracy and effectiveness of this method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) based polymers are attracting tremendous interest because of their potential applications in advanced energy storage devices. Fundamental understanding of their crystal structure evolution has been proved elusive due to the nature of rapid crystallization rate. Fortunately, flash differential scanning calorimeter (Flash DSC) with a precise control of cooling rate helps to investigate an understanding of structure-property relationships. For the first time, a bimodal distribution of the crystallization rate of P(VDF-chlorotrifluoroethylene) (CTFE) in the whole temperature range, and a 3D profile of melting point and enthalpy dependence of annealing temperature and time, which is the corresponding crystal structure evolution and the mechanism of crystal nucleation and growth, are revealed by flash DSC. Based on the above conclusions, fast cooling or annealing at low temperature regulates the crystallization behavior, favors a tiny ferroelectric β-phases, drastically reduces paraelectric spherulite sizes, and leads to greatly enhanced energy storage capacity, but reduction in discharged efficiency. For instance, compared with other processing methods, P(VDF-CTFE) quenched by liquid nitrogen achieves the highest discharged energy of 10.6 J cm−3 at the maximum electric field of 270 MV m−1. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017, 55, 1245-1253 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Annular through-silicon via (TSV) is one of the promising solutions for vertical interconnects in threedimensional integration, which diminishes mismatch effects of the coefficients of thermal expansion between two different materials and saves cost, as compared with other TSV structures. In this study, an analytical impedance model is proposed. Closed-form formulas for calculations of the per-unit-height resistances and inductances are derived by calculating the electromagnetic field quantities in the cylindrically multilayered media, via solving the longitudinal current densities in the conducting layers. Combining with the conventional admittance model, a compact transmission line model is obtained, which can be used to model the electrical properties of annular TSVs. These formulas appropriately capture the real current distribution because of skin effects in metal conductors as well as the eddy current loss in semiconductor regions. The results from these analytical formulas have comparable accuracy as those obtained by the full-wave solver in a wideband frequency range, yet much higher computational efficiency than existing modelling methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, an accurate and efficient quantum genetic algorithm (QGA) combined with an improved self-adaptive (SA) scheme is proposed to solve electromagnetic optimisation problems. QGA is employed as the main optimisation frame because of its wider search range and higher efficiency than the conventional genetic algorithm. By introducing an improved SA scheme, the population at each generation is divided into two groups for crossover operation according to the magnitudes of individual fitness values. The crossover probability and mutation rate remain unchanged at the early stage of iterative process while the SA scheme will be carried out for the rest of the iterative process. Moreover, the elitist model is introduced to save the optimal father-individuals and abandon the worst ones. All these strategies make the whole population nearly converge to the optimal solution very fast. In two numerical examples of filter design and linear array synthesis, the effectiveness of the author's proposed optimisation algorithm, combined with the finite-difference time-domain method and finite-element method in HFSS, respectively, is verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

* Premise of the study: Expressed sequence tag (EST)-derived simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were developed in Dendrobium officinale by screening a cDNA library. The loci were verified by sequencing and explored for polymorphism among 19 genotypes and transferability among 30 other distantly related Dendrobium species. * Methods and Results: One hundred ten EST-SSRs were developed, and a set of 20 amplified two to six nucleotide repeats with a mean number of 2.5 alleles per locus and with an observed heterozygosity and polymorphism information content per locus ranging from 0.3463 to 0.9003 and 0.0997 to 0.6537 in 19 D. officinale genotypes, respectively. Furthermore, 92 of these markers have cross-taxa transferability, ranging from 6.45% to 100% among 30 other distantly related Dendrobium species. * Conclusions: The developed markers have potential for application in germplasm appraisal, genetic diversity study, genetic mapping, and molecular breeding in D. officinale and other congeneric species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors have studied the statistical characteristics of China's molybdenum deposits to establish the grade-tonnage model based on the data updated to the end of 2010. The results showed that each type of China's molybdenum deposits complied with Lasky's law approximately and the characteristics of grade-tonnage model obey the lognormal distribution. However, there are poor correlations between grade and tonnage respectively. Ultimately, we aimed to fit the grade-tonnage model through the known distribution function, draw the cumulative probability curves, and evaluated undiscovered mineral resources of China's molybdenum deposits by means of Monte Carlo simulation integrated in MRAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel toughening modifier, styrene-isoprene-butadiene rubber (SIBR), was used to improve the impact resistance and toughness of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) resin via bulk polymerization. For comparison, two kinds of ABS samples were prepared: ABS-1 was toughened by a conventional modifier (a low-cis polybutadiene rubber/styrene-butadiene block copolymer), and ABS-2 was toughened by SIBR. The mechanical properties, microstructures of the as-prepared materials, and fracture surface morphology of the specimens after impact were studied by instrumented notched Izod impact tests and tensile tests, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The mechanical test results show that ABS-2 had a much higher impact strength and elongation at break than ABS-1. The microscopic results suggested that fracture resistance of ABS-1 only depended on voids, shear yielding, and few crazing, which resulted in less ductile fracture behavior. Compared with ABS-1, ABS toughened by linear random SIBR (ABS-2) displayed the synergistic toughening effect of crazing and shear yielding, which could absorb and dissipate massive energy, and presented high ductile fracture behavior. These results were also confirmed by instrumented impact tests. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of isosteric analogs of mandipropamid were designed and synthesized via 'click chemistry'. The amide bond of mandipropamid was substituted by a 1,2,3-triazole functional group. The bioassay results have indicated that some of the title compounds exhibited moderate fungicidal activity against Pseudoperonospora cubensis, and the activity has been systematically studied as a function of molecular structure. The low activity of the mandipropamid analog that contains a lipid chain is likely due to the presence of a weak hydrogen bond donor in the 1,2,3-triazole. Furthermore, we have performed the molecular modeling and found that N-methylamide could be more effective than amide as the surrogates to 1,2,3-triazole, which ultimately leads to a longer distance (1.1 Å longer) between the two substitutes in the 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazole compound. A series of isosteric analogues of mandipropamid were designed and synthesized via 'click chemistry'. The bioassay results have indicated that some of the title compounds exhibited moderate fungicidal activitiy against Pseudoperonospora cubensis, and the activity has been systematically studied as a function of molecular structure [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2009, the Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) recommended the combination of rbcL and matK as the plant barcode based on assessments of recoverability, sequencing quality, and levels of species discrimination. Subsequently, based on a study of more than 6600 samples belonging to 193 families from seven phyla, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 2 locus was proposed as a universal barcode sequence for all major plant taxa used in traditional herbal medicine. Neither of these two studies was based on a detailed analysis of a particular family. Here, Zingiberaceae plants, including many closely related species, were used to compare the genetic divergence and species identification efficiency of ITS2, rbcL, matK, psbK- psbI, trnH- psbA, and rpoB. The results indicate that ITS2 has the highest interspecific divergence and significant differences between inter- and intraspecific divergence, whereas matK and rbcL have much lower divergence values. Among 260 species belonging to 30 genera in Zingiberaceae, the discrimination ability of the ITS2 locus was 99.5% at the genus level and 73.1% at the species level. Thus, we propose that ITS2 is the preferred DNA barcode sequence for identifying Zingiberaceae plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel inorganic compound, aluminum hypophosphite (AP), was synthesized successfully and applied as a flame retardant to glass‐fiber‐reinforced polyamide 6 (GF–PA6). The thermal stability and burning behaviors of the GF–PA6 samples containing AP (flame‐retardant GF–PA6) were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis, vertical burning testing (with a UL‐94 instrument), limiting oxygen index (LOI) testing, and cone calorimeter testing (CCT). The thermogravimetric data indicated that the addition of AP decreased the onset decomposition temperatures, the maximum mass loss rate (MLR), and the maximum‐rate decomposition temperature of GF–PA6 and increased the residue chars of the samples. Compared with the neat GF–PA6, the AP‐containing GF–PA6 samples had obviously improved flame retardancy: the LOI value increased from 22.5 to 30.1, and the UL‐94 rating went from no rating to V‐0 (1.6 mm) when the AP content increased from 0 to 25 wt % in GF–PA6. The results of CCT reveal that the heat release rate, total heat release, and MLR of the AP‐containing GF–PA6 samples were lower than those of GF–PA6. Furthermore, the higher additive amount of AP affected the mechanical properties of GF–PA6, but they remained acceptable. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water hyacinth ( Eichhornia crassipes) is a cause of great concern in terms of environmental and agricultural impacts in many parts of the world. Phytochemical investigation of water hyacinth led to the isolation of six new phenylphenalenes, 2,3-dihydro-3,9-dihydroxy-5-methoxy-4-phenyl-1 H-phenalen-1-one (), 2,3-dihydro-8-methoxy-9-phenyl-1 H-phenalene-1,4-diol (), 2,3-dihydro-4,8-dimethoxy-9-phenyl-1 H-phenalen-1-ol (), 2,3-dihydro-9-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-8-methoxy-1 H-phenalene-1,4-diol (), 2,6-dimethoxy-9-phenyl-1 H-phenalen-1-one (), and 7-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-5,6-dimethoxy-1 H-phenalen-1-one (), together with the four known compounds -. Their structures were elucidated by spectrometric methods including 1D- and 2D-NMR, and MS analysis. These compounds may be involved in allelopathic interactions of water hyacinth with neighboring plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Type - Therapy (RCT) Level of Evidence 1b OBJECTIVE To present 2-year follow-up data of a randomized clinical trial comparing bipolar transurethral resection in saline (TURIS) with monopolar transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). PATIENTS AND METHODS In all, 100 consecutive patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) were randomized to TURIS or TURP. The breath ethanol test was used before and every 10 min during surgery to assess fluid absorption. Complications and treatment efficacy were evaluated after surgery. RESULTS The operative duration and resected tissue weight were similar between the groups. The mean decreases in serum sodium and haemoglobin after surgery were significantly less in the TURIS group. The mean (standard deviation) irrigant absorbed was significantly less in TURIS than in the TURP group, at 208 (344)mL vs 512 (706) mL respectively ( P < 0.001). In both the TURIS and TURP groups there were significant improvements in International Prostate Symptoms Scores and maximum urinary flow rates. The acute and late complications in the groups were statistically similar. CONCLUSION Bipolar TURIS seems to be a safe and effective procedure, which is associated with significantly less fluid absorption and similar efficacy as traditional monopolar TURP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a compact and wideband planar inverted-F antenna is introduced.The bandwidths for s11 < -10 dB are up to 790 MHz (a fractional bandwidth of 38.2%) with bending a part of metal radiator down and notching a rectangle slot. Measured results show that the designed antenna can meet the requirements of the DCS/PCS/UMTS/WLAN communication system. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 1097–1100, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.25138 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wang J-P, Zhang Y, Wei X, Li J, Nan X-P, Yu H-T, Li Y, Wang P-Z, Bai X-F. Circulating Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2, TLR4, and regulatory T cells in patients with chronic hepatitis C. APMIS 2010; 118: 261–70. The mechanism of hepatitis C virus (HCV) involvement in innate immune responses and immune modulation has not been well characterized. In the present work, we studied Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 and TLR4, which were recently recognized as the important components of innate immunity, as well as CD4+ CD25+ CD127low/− regulatory T cells (Tregs), which actively suppress pathological and physiological immune response during HCV infection. The study involved 31 chronic hepatitis C patients and 20 healthy controls. TLR2 and TLR4 expression in peripheral blood monocytes and the number of Tregs were examined by flow cytometric analysis. Overexpression of TLR2 and TLR4 was found in chronic hepatitis C patients as compared with controls. Furthermore, increased cytokine production, including that of β-interferon, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-8, was observed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from chronic hepatitis C patients after challenge with TLR2 and TLR4 agonists. The number of Tregs was significantly higher in chronic hepatitis C patients and the increased Tregs were associated with HCV genotype 1b. In vitro studies demonstrated that circulating Tregs suppress T-cell responses in chronic hepatitis C patients. Significant correlations were found between the viral load and Treg number and between TLR2 and TLR4 level in chronic hepatitis C patients. Taken together with other published data, these results suggest that TLR2, TLR4, and Tregs correlate closely with chronic HCV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an insight into some developments in flame retardants for different polymeric materials in China, primarily based on the publications that have appeared in the last 15 years. It focuses on the following aspects: halogen-containing flame retardants, inorganic flame retardants (e.g. metal oxides and hydroxides, silicon-containing materials, ammonium polyphosphate, red phosphorus, and expandable graphite), and organic flame retardants (e.g. aliphatic and aromatic phosphonates, nitrogen-containing organics, and multi-element organics). The inherently flame-retardant polymer systems are also reviewed. The exploration of the novel flame retardants and flame-retardant systems provides a powerful basis for the construction of flame-retardant technologies and industrial applications in China. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: MicroRNAs are a class of small non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate the expression of their target genes. The aim of the present study was to explore the effects of microRNA on biological behaviors of HepG2 cells and further analyze its characteristics. Methods: We detected different expression profiles of miRNAs in HepG2 and L02 cell lines by microRNA microarray. Northern blot, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, methylthiazolyl tetrazolium, fluorescence-activated cell sorting, scratch wound, transwell migration and Matrigel invasion assays and western blot were carried out to determine whether or not microRNA-224 ( miR-224) can influence the biological behaviors of HepG2 cells. Results: MiR-224 was significantly upregulated in HepG2 cells. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion, but not cell cycles, were altered after changing the expression of miR-224. Taking invasion and migration as a breakthrough, a close relationship between the expression of miR-224 and its proteins such as PAK4 and MMP9, which were involved in the invasion of tumor, was found. Conclusions: Overexpression of miR-224 was involved in the malignant phenotype of HepG2 cells, and it may be an important factor in regulating the migration and invasion of HepG2 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptations of existing triaxial cells for ultrasonic P- and S-wave measurements are well documented. This paper proposes further modification of such a cell so that also resistivity measurements can be carried out simultaneously at reservoir conditions. By employing the top cap and the pedestal of the cell as electrodes, axial resistivity measurements are now feasible. In order to minimize the polarization effect of this two-electrode arrangement, careful analyses have been carried out to optimize the choice of electrode coating and measurement frequency band. Radial resistivity measurements are also included in the system by introducing a strap-electrode system. In a reservoir under production changes in both saturations, temperature (if steam injection) and stresses can take place. Therefore the modified triaxial system should be able to measure the integrated effects on the acoustic parameters and electric responses caused by variations in each of these parameters. The feasibility of the system to obtain such reliable information is demonstrated, employing a small selection of core samples. In the future such combined measurements on reservoir core samples can be used to link both seismic and electromagnetic observations to the actual earth model and constrain both modelling and inversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RNA interference (RNAi) is an ancient defensive mechanism in eukaryotes to control gene expressing and defend their genomes from foreign invaders. It refers to the phenomenon that double-stranded RNA results in the sequence-specific silencing of target gene expression. Although it was documented in a relatively short time ago, intensive research has facilitated making its mechanism clear. Researchers have found that it was a powerful tool for analyzing the functions of genes and treating tumors, infectious diseases and genetic abnormalities that are associated with a dominant gene defect. However, delivery in vivo, low blood stability and poor intracellular uptake present significant challenges for the development of RNAi reagents in clinical use. Thus, long-term inducible RNAi was designed. There are hundreds of millions of hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers in the world at present, a portion of whom will lose their lives after several years due to chronic complications such as cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinomas or both. Although a preventive vaccine is now available, the present therapeutic options for chronically infected patients are limited and of low efficiency. Admittedly, to date most RNAi experiments have been done in vitro, but it is hoped that they may be developed into a therapeutic strategy for HBV in the near future. In this article the principles and construction of long-term RNA are discussed. Its therapeutic potentiality and attention to the potential hazards will also outlined. We conclude that this ancient defensive mechanism can be recruited as a powerful weapon in the fight against HBV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A compact ultrawideband (UWB) bandpass filter with a controllable notched band within the UWB passband is proposed on the basis of a stub-loaded modified stepped impedance resonator (SIR) and two identical interdigital feed-lines. In the design, the modified SIR and the interdigital feed-lines can work together properly to make up the desired UWB passband. The stubs loaded at each side of the modified SIR can generate a desired notched band within the UWB passband to avoid the interference from wireless local-area network. There are good agreements between the simulated and measured results. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 1745–1748, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24455 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, several discontinuous microstrip periodic slow-wave structures, which possess equal electrical length but different number of unit cells, have been designed and measured. The performance of the periodic structure improves when the number of unit cells increases. However, when the number of unit cells increases to some degree, its characteristics, including cutoff frequency, dispersion, and group delay, get better slightly because of the influence of parasitic parameters. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 1455–1458, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24402 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ten novel pleuromutilin derivatives with thioether moiety and heterocyclic carboxamide or chloroformate group in the side chain were synthesized and confirmed by 1H NMR, IR and HRMS. The results of the antibacterial activity showed that the title compounds had excellent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, among which the MIC of 5f reached 0.03125 μg/mL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this letter, the compact coplanar designs of the microstrip antenna are performed to suppress the harmonic radiations. The antennas with the second-order harmonic suppression as well as the second- and the third-order harmonic suppressions are designed, respectively. The results indicate that good harmonic suppression performance is achieved without increasing remarkably additional circuit area and decreasing antenna performances. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 1326–1329, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24317 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Riverine runoff samples were collected monthly from March 2005 to February 2006 from the eight major outlets of the Pearl River Delta (PRD), South China, and analyzed to obtain the concentrations of n-alkanes in both the filtrate and particulate phases. The average concentrations of Σ(C15-C34) (i.e., sum of C15 to C34 normal alkanes) ranged from 0.06 to 2.97 µg/L (mean, 0.64 µg/L) in filtrate samples and from 1.00 to 98.8 µg/g (average, 19.8 µg/g dry weight) in particulate samples. Compared to results from around the world, the levels of hydrocarbon compounds in the PRD were at the high end of the global range. Evaluation of compositional indices of n-alkanes indicated that petroleum-related sources are the main contributor of n-alkanes found in the PRD, with minor contributions from high plant wax. Regression analyses appeared to suggest that n-alkanes are transported into the aquatic environment of the PRD via various pathways, and the transport mechanisms also are considerably influenced by the complex hydrologic conditions in the PRD. The annual riverine input of Σ(C15-C34) from the PRD to the coastal ocean was 360 tons/year, or the equivalent of approximately 8,800 tons/year of petroleum hydrocarbons. The emission of Σ(C15-C34) from all sources in the PRD was estimated at 39,000 tons/year, or 2.4 g/day per capita. Overall, the PRD contributes approximately 0.2% of the annual global input of n-alkanes to the coastal oceans, similar to the contributions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, further indicating that the PRD has been a significant source of hydrocarbon contamination to the global coastal marine environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two-layer microstrip bandpass filter using aperture-coupled topology is proposed in this article. The filter is composed of two uniform impedance resonators and two stepped impedance resonators located on two stacked microstrip layers, and the couplings between the resonators on the upper layer and those on the lower one are obtained by using three coupling apertures etched on a common ground plane placed between the two layers. With this two-layer configuration, the proposed filter becomes very compact. To demonstrate the design, a four-order bandpass filter is designed at 2.33 GHz. Compared with a single layer structure filter, a significant size reduction of about 50% is obtained. Furthermore, a stop-band is extended to 8 GHz (3.43 f0) with a rejection better than -20 dB. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 2357–2360, 2008; Published online in Wiley InerScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23680 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES To report a retrospective series of 130 Chinese patients with penoscrotal extramammary Paget’s diseases (EMPD), with a long-term follow-up, and thus improve the diagnosis and therapy of this disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS The history, clinical presentation, pathology, treatment, and prognosis of 130 patients were analysed. All cases were confirmed by skin biopsy, and then the patients had local wide resection to remove the involved skin and subcutaneous tissue. The large defective wound was reconstructed using a split-thickness skin graft or local flap. RESULTS Forty-five patients were evaluated by frozen-section biopsy of the margins during surgery, five of whom had positive margins and then had an extended resection immediately. Most of these patients had local skin or adjacent scrotal flaps to cover their skin defects. Of the 130 patients, 81 had a mean (range) follow-up of 3.2 (0.5–10) years after surgery. Five of nine patients with positive margins and three (4%) of 72 with negative margins had tumour recurrence. Five patients died from metastatic disease. CONCLUSIONS Penoscrotal EMPD needs be differentiated from other chronic dermatitis. A 3 cm surgical margin should be sufficient and frozen-section pathological examinations are necessary for some complicated conditions. Skin grafts or local flaps are good for large skin defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To simulate periodic structures efficiently, Floquet's theorem is applied to a compact finite-difference method for the analysis of dispersion characteristics of general periodic guided wave structures. By solving the full-field-component Eigen equations, dispersion characteristics and modes are obtained. The proposed method shows good applicability to the periodic guided structures where complex mode pairs, radiation modes, or leaky modes, etc., may exist. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 1941–1944, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23520 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work describes the use of switched slits and slots to reconfigure the operating frequency and the radiation pattern of a Yagi patch antenna. The Yagi patch antenna is fabricated on the top side of a grounded substrate and is fed by a coaxial probe. By using switches to reconfigure the silts etched on the driven patch, the antenna can operate at two frequencies of 8.175 and 9.31 GHz. By changing the states of the slots etched on different parasitic element patches, directions of the radiation pattern can be changed. Thus, a design that is reconfigurable in both frequency and radiation pattern is accomplished. As a proof of concept, five models are fabricated and tested. Three of them operate at the higher frequency and two of them at the lower one. The main beams of these models point to different directions in the E-plane. Simulated and measured results are given and they are in good agreement. The antenna can be used in radar, satellite communications, etc. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 716–719, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23214 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To investigate the effects of hepatitis B virus X ( HBx) gene on apoptosis and cell cycle in hepatocyte line HL-7702 and to discuss the possible mechanisms in the pathway. Methods: The recombinant plasmid pcDNA3-X and vector pcDNA3 were transfected into HL-7702 cells and selected by G418 to construct two new cell lines, which were named HL-7702-HBx and HL-7702-con, respectively. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR) and western blot analysis were used to confirm that HBx gene was expressed steadily in the HL-7702-HBx cells. Then apoptosis and cell cycle of the two cells were detected by DNA ladder, flow cytometric analysis, and electronic microscope observation. Apoptosis and cell cycle gene expressions in the two cells were subsequently evaluated by using gene arrays. Some of results were further confirmed by real-time PCR and western blot analysis. Results: RT–PCR and the western blot analysis showed that HL-7702-HBx expressed the HBx gene steadily. Comparedwith the HL-7702-con cells, there was increased apoptosis and accumulation of the S phase in the HL-7702-HBx cells. The gene array analysis indicated that some DNA repair genes ( XRCC1, DDB1, etc.) and DNA damage checkpoint-related genes ( Cdc47, RAD17, etc.) played roles in the HBx-mediated imbalance of apoptosis and cell cycle. Both cDNA array analysis and real-time RT–PCR showed that mRNA of XRCC1, Cdc47 and RAD17 were upregulated by HBx. Unexpectedly, the western blot analysis revealed that HBx inhibited their protein expression. Conclusion: The expression of HBx in HL-7702 cells promoted apoptosis and accumulation of the S phase through the inhibition of DNA repair and checkpoints via post-transcriptional mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Element-free Galerkin method (EFGM) is extended to simulate transient electromagnetic field. EFGM, which is based on moving least-square interpolations for the test and trial functions, is a promising method that needs no element connectivity data but only a set of nodes in computational domain and boundaries and does not suffer much degradation in accuracy when nodal arrangements are very irregular. EFGM is applicable to arbitrary shapes; therefore, it can solve some problems that traditional grid-based methods cannot solve effectively in time-domain electromagnetic field, such as thin plate problems, narrow gap problems, antenna structure optimization, etc. The numerical examples present the validation of EFGM in transient electromagnetic field and its advantages compared with traditional numerical methods. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 134–138, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23017 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The depressor mechanism of imidazoline-like drugs is believed to result from activation of I1-imidazoline receptors (I1R) and/or α2-adrenoceptors within the central nervous system, which are associated with the glutamatergic system. The rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) has been recognized as a specific target area that mediates the depressor action of imidazoline-like drugs. The objective of this study was to determine the comparative effects of blockade of the central glutamate receptor subtypes N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) or α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA)/kainate on the cardiovascular actions of imidazoline-like drugs (clonidine and moxonidine) in anaesthetized rats. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of the NMDA receptor antagonist MK801 or the AMPA/kainate receptor antagonist 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX) produced similar reductions in blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) to those induced byi.c.v. injection of clonidine. Intracerebroventricular injection of the glutamate receptor antagonist kynurenic acid not only abolished clonidine-induced hypotension and bradycardia but converted the responses to a pressor action and tachycardia. Unilateral injection of MK801 or CNQX into RVLM significantly attenuated intra-RVLM clonidine-induced decreases in BP and HR. We also found that unilateral injection of a selective I1R agonist, moxonidine, significantly decreased BP and HR, which were also attenuated to a similar extent by prior injection of MK801 or CNQX. In conclusion, these data show that blockade of central (RVLM) NMDA and AMPA/kainate receptors produces similar attenuation of the decrease in BP and HR induced by clonidine or moxonidine. It is suggested that both NMDA and AMPA/kainate receptors are involved in the cardiovascular inhibition produced by imidazoline-like drugs, which is probably at least partly dependent on an I1R mechanism in the RVLM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel wideband coplanar waveguide-fed double folded-slot antenna with back ground conductor is proposed and studied. The design considerations for achieving broadband operation of the proposed double folded-slot antenna are described. Return loss and radiation pattern are measured. The obtained results show that the impedance bandwidth, determined by 10 dB return loss of the proposed double folded-slot antenna can be greater than 30%, and can be used for the engineering. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 1829–1833, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22603 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eshelby proved in 1957 that the strain field within a homogeneous ellipsoidal inclusion embedded in an infinite isotropic media is uniform, when the eigenstrain prescribed in the inclusion is uniform. This uniform strain field property was conjectured to hold exclusively for the ellipsoidally shaped inclusions. In recent studies the authors have discovered the arithmetic mean properties of the strains for N-fold (N is greater than 2 but unequal to 4) rotational symmetrical inclusions with uniform eigenstrains, called the arithmetic mean theorem of the Eshelby tensors. In this paper, we investigate the two-dimensional rotational symmetrical inclusions with rotational symmetrical eigenstrains. It is shown that for N-fold (N is greater than 4) rotational symmetrical inclusions with the same fold rotational symmetrical eigenstrains which are constant on the boundary of the inclusion, the arithmetic mean of the strains at N rotational symmetrical points presents special properties: For the points outside the inclusion, the arithmetic mean vanishes; for the points inside the inclusion, the arithmetic mean is in direct proportion to the eigenstrain on the boundary of the inclusion, with the coefficient tensor equal to the Eshelby tensor for circular inclusions. It is followed that the average strain over the inclusion domain and the line average of strains along a concentric circle inside the inclusion also equal the eigenstrains on the boundary of the inclusion multiplied by the Eshelby tensor for circular inclusions. These properties obtained in this paper can be safely reduced to the results for uniform eigenstrains shown in our former works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Method of designing a modified Chebyshev bandpass filter with controllable transmission zeros in the stopband is described. A novel compact structure of this kind of filter with a transmission zero located at higher stopband for low temperature co-fired ceramic implementation is proposed. The filter has promising potential applications in miniaturized wireless communication systems. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 48: 2261–2264, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.21916 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: To investigate whether the polymorphisms in TNF-αgene, IL-10 gene and IL-6 gene were associated with the outcomes of chronic HBV infection. Methods: The genotypes at the position −238 and −308 of TNF-αgene, −1082, −819 and −592 of IL-10 gene, −174 of IL-6 gene in the promoter region were detected in 62 chronic hepatitis B patients, 60 asymptomatic carriers and 63 heath controls by polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific primer assay. Results: The frequency of G/G genotype at the position −238 in the promoter region of TNF-αgene increased significantly in hepatitis B patients, in comparison with that in controls (83.9% versus 66.7%, P <0.05), whereas the frequency of G/A genotype at the same position decreased significantly in hepatitis B patients comparing with that in controls (16.1% versus 33.3%, P <0.05). Between chronic hepatitis B patients, asymptomatic carriers and heath controls, the genotypes frequency at the position −308 of TNF-αgene, −1082, −819 and −592 of IL-10 gene, −174 of IL-6 gene in the promoter region showed no significant differences (P >0.05). Conclusions: The presence of G/A genotype at the position −238 may contribute to virus elimination, whereas the presence of G/G genotype at the position −238 may lead to virus persistent infection. There were no association between IL-10 gene and IL-6 gene polymorphisms and chronic HBV infection. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An ideal gene transfer vector for chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) would provide local transgene expression only when the disease is active. To determine whether adeno‐associated virus (AAV) possesses this ability, the effects of inflammatory cytokines on transgene expression were evaluated in human RA fibroblast‐like synoviocytes (FLS).Human FLS were infected with AAV in the presence or absence of inflammatory cytokines or synovial fluid obtained from patients with RA. Transgene expression was monitored by either enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay or flow cytometry. Transgene messenger RNA (mRNA) was measured by real‐time quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction.Inflammatory cytokines increased transgene expression in FLS by up to 60‐fold. Synovial fluid from patients with RA, but not from patients without arthritis, was also able to increase expression in synoviocytes. Protein expression correlated with transgene mRNA levels. The enhanced expression required the continued presence of cytokines because, upon removal, transgene expression returned to baseline levels. Expression could be repeatedly reinduced by reexposure to cytokines. The effect was not promoter specific and was demonstrated to be phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase–dependent.These results suggest that expression of a therapeutic transgene can be controlled by the presence of inflammation following AAV gene transfer, making it an attractive vector for chronic inflammatory diseases such as RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the mechanism of resistance to wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) powdery mildew, suppression subtractive hybridization was conducted between an isogenic resistant line carrying Pm21 and its recurrent parent Yangmai 5 to isolate the resistance relative genes. A cDNA fragment specifically expressed in the resistant line was obtained and its full length was cloned by in silico cloning and RT-PCR. This gene encoded a deduced protein of 219 amino acids with a leucine-rich repeat (LRR) motif, often found in plant resistance genes, and was designated as Ta-LRR2. Ta-LRR2 had an increased expression level in the resistant line after inoculation with Erysiphe graminis DC. f. sp. tritici Marchal. PCR analysis with different cytogenetic stocks suggested that Ta-LRR2 was specifically associated with chromosome arms 6VS and 6AS. Linkage analysis further showed that Ta-LRR2 could be used as a resistance gene analog polymorphism marker of Pm21 for marker-assisted selection in germplasm enhancement and breeding practice. Moreover, how to isolate Pm21 based on the information obtained for Ta-LRR2 is discussed. (Managing editor: Li-Hui Zhao) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]