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Abstract Multivariate time series are widely used in industrial equipment monitoring and maintenance, health monitoring, weather forecasting and other fields. Due to abnormal sensors, equipment failures, environmental interference and human errors, the collected multivariate time series usually have certain missing values. Missing values imply the regularity of data, and seriously affect the further analysis and application of multivariate time series. Conventional imputation methods such as statistical imputation and machine learning-based imputation cannot learn the latent relationships of data and are difficult to use for missing values imputation in multivariate time series. This paper proposes a novel Time and Location Gated Recurrent Unit (TLGRU), which takes into account the non-fixed time intervals and location intervals in multivariate time series and effectively deals with missing values. We made necessary modifications to the architecture of the end-to-end imputation model $${E}^{2}$$ E 2 GAN and replaced Gated Recurrent Unit for Imputation (GRUI) with TLGRU to make the generated fake sample closer to the original sample. Experiments on a public meteorologic dataset show that our method outperforms the baselines on the imputation accuracy and achieves a new state-of-the-art result.

Abstract Background The B-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (B-PLL) diagnosis is challenging due to the superposition with mature B-cell leukemia and/or lymphoma. Objective An insight case study of trisomy 5 with complex karyotype abnormalities in B-cell prolymphocytic leukemia. Subject and methods A 72-year-old man was referred to the Hematology Department, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, because of persistent fever (10 days) and lymphocytosis. A detailed diagnostic methods including complete blood count, bone marrow aspiration, flow cytometry, conventional karyotype analysis, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), next-generation sequencing technology (NGS) used to detect 41 kinds of mutant genes related to hematological malignancies were conducted and reasonable therapeutic regimens including emergent leukapheresis accompanied by basification of urine and hydrotherapy, followed by a regimen of cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone. Results Subject white blood cell count was 143.43 × 109/L, and 56% prolymphocytes. He did not show lymphadenopathy but splenomegaly. Immunophenotyping of prolymphocytes was CD5(+low), CD10(−), CD11c(−), CD19(+), CD20(+), cCD22(+), CD23(−), cCD79a(+), CD79b(+), FMC7(±), CD43(−), CD3(−), CD56(−), CD103(−), HLA-DR(+), and Lambda(+). R-banding and FISH revealed that leukemia cells carried extra chromosome 5. Considering the rare occurrence of trisomy 5 found in prolymphocytic leukemia, especially in Asians, with rapid disease progression. We know that median survival of B-PLL is three years after diagnosis, while survival time of this patient was only 1 month. Conclusion This study could provide the firsthand materials for precision, medicine and mechanism research in cytogenetics and molecular biology. It inferred that trisomy 5 might be a poor prognosis indicator, providing directions for clinical practice in the foreseeable future.

Context As a well-known traditional Chinese medicine for protecting the liver, the mechanism of Radix Gentianae (RG) remains unclear. Objective The hepatoprotective effect and metabonomics of RG were studied to explore the molecular and metabolic mechanisms of RG protecting the liver. Materials and methods Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control and model group (n = 10, orally given distilled water), intervention group (4 subgroups, n = 10, prophylactically and orally given 0.63, 2.5 and 5.6 g/kg RG and 0.2 g/kg bifendatatum for 7 d). On day 7 of the intervention, all rats except the control were injected intraperitoneally with 2.5% carbon tetrachloride vegetable oil solution (1.5 mL/kg) to induce liver injury. After 24 h of carbon tetrachloride injection, rat serum and liver tissue were collected for determining AST, ALT, TNF-α, MCP-1, IL-6, SOD, MDA, GSH, and GSH-PX. Rat serum was used for analysing endogenous metabolism by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS. Results Different doses of RG can significantly decrease the levels of AST, ALT, TNF-α, MCP-1, IL-6 and MDA, and increase the levels of SOD, GSH, and GSH-PX in rats with liver injury (p

In this work, bio-hydrometallurgy technology was employed and a novel two-stage method based on successive chemical and bio treatments was proposed to collaboratively utilize manganese–silver ore and silver-bearing pyrite. In the optimization research of the chemical leaching stage, the sensitive factors for the Mn leaching efficiency were screened by Plackett–Burman design, and central compound design was performed to settle the optimized parameters. A mixed strain of bacteria containing Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans, At. caldus and Leptospirillum ferrooxidans was applied in the bioleaching stage. A conventional cyanidation process carried out with the Mn leaching residuals suggested an efficient recovery of Ag. Applying a two-stage method with the optimum conditions, the leaching efficiency of 95.3% (Mn) and 96.3% (Ag) were obtained with 284.94 kg/t silver-bearing pyrite addition and 277.44 kg/t sulfuric acid consumption with a temperature at 77.73 °C and stirring speed at 287.76 rpm. Mineral behaviors were investigated with XRD and SEM/EDS analysis, and it was revealed that the oxidation of sulfur is the crux in reducing the usage of reagents, and the presence of leaching bacteria enhanced the oxidation efficiently. Through optimization and mechanism study, this paper provides an opportunity to co-leach the manganese–silver ore and silver-bearing pyrite process in a more economical and environmental way.

Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune hemorrhagic disease. Endothelial cell activation/injury has been found in some autoimmune diseases including SLE, systemic sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis, but its role in ITP pathogenesis remains unclear. This study attempted to elucidate the correlation between endothelial dysfunction and disease severity of ITP and find related markers to predict response to low-dose decitabine treatment. Compared with healthy volunteers, higher plasma levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and Angiopoietin-2 were found in adult corticosteroid resistant ITP patients. Notably, ICAM-1 levels were negatively correlated with the platelet count, and positively associated with the bleeding score. Recently, we have reported the efficacy and safety of low-dose decitabine in adult patients with ITP who failed for the first line therapies. Here, we evaluated the correlation of plasma ICAM-1 level with the efficacy of low-dose decitabine therapy for corticosteroid resistant ITP. A total of 29 adult corticosteroid resistant ITP patients who received consecutive treatments of low-dose decitabine were enrolled in this study. Fourteen patients showed response (nine showed complete response and five showed partial response). The levels of ICAM-1 before and after treatment were significantly higher in the non-responsive ITP patients than in the responsive patients. As shown in the multivariable logistic regression model, the odds of developing no-response to low-dose decitabine increased by 36.8% for per 5 ng/ml increase in plasma ICAM-1 level [odds ratio (OR) 1.368, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.060 to 1.764]. In summary, this was the first study to elucidate the relationship between endothelial dysfunction and corticosteroid resistant ITP and identify the potential predictive value of ICAM-1 level for response to low-dose decitabine.

This work investigated the effects of Fe3+, H+ and adsorbed leaching bacteria on the bioleaching of pentlandite. Collectively, an integrated model for the oxidation and decomposition of pentlandite was built to describe the behaviors of different components in a bioleaching system. Proton ions and ferric ions could promote the break and oxidation of Ni-S and Fe-S bonds. The iron-oxidizing microorganisms could regenerate ferric ions and maintain a high Eh value. The sulfur-oxidizing microorganisms showed significant importance in the oxidation of polysulfide and elemental sulfur. The atoms in pentlandite show different modification pathways during the bioleaching process: iron transformed through a (Ni,Fe)9S8 → Fe2+ → Fe3+ → KFe3(SO4)2(OH)6 pathway; nickel experienced a transformation of (Ni,Fe)9S8 → NiS → Ni2+; sulfur modified through the pathway of S2−/S22− → Sn2− → S0 → SO32− → SO42−. During bioleaching, a sulfur-rich layer and jarosite layer formed on the mineral surface, and the rise of pH value accelerated the process. However, no evidence for the inhibition of the layers was shown in the bioleaching of pentlandite at pH 3.00. This study provides a novel method for the extraction of nickel from pentlandite by bioleaching at elevated pH values.

This paper puts forward an innovative theory and method to calculate the canonical labelings of graphs that are distinct to N a u t y ’s. It shows the correlation between the canonical labeling of a graph and the canonical labeling of its complement graph. It regularly examines the link between computing the canonical labeling of a graph and the canonical labeling of its o p e n k- n e i g h b o r h o o d s u b g r a p h . It defines d i f f u s i o n d e g r e e s e q u e n c e s and e n t i r e d i f f u s i o n d e g r e e s e q u e n c e . For each node of a graph G, it designs a characteristic m _ N e a r e s t N o d e to improve the precision for calculating canonical labeling. Two theorems established here display how to compute the first nodes of M a x Q ( G ) . Another theorem presents how to determine the second nodes of M a x Q ( G ) . When computing C m a x ( G ) , if M a x Q ( G ) already holds the first i nodes u 1 , u 2 , ⋯ , u i , Diffusion and Nearest Node theorems provide skill on how to pick the succeeding node of M a x Q ( G ) . Further, it also establishes two theorems to determine the C m a x ( G ) of disconnected graphs. Four algorithms implemented here demonstrate how to compute M a x Q ( G ) of a graph. From the results of the software experiment, the accuracy of our algorithms is preliminarily confirmed. Our method can be employed to mine the frequent subgraph. We also conjecture that if there is a node v ∈ S ( G ) meeting conditions C m a x ( G − v ) ⩽ C m a x ( G − w ) for each w ∈ S ( G ) ∧ w ≠ v , then u 1 = v for M a x Q ( G ) .

Atractylodis Rhizoma is the dried rhizome of Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC. or Atractylodes chinensis (DC.) Koidz and is often processed by stir-frying with wheat bran to reduce its dryness and increase its spleen tonifying activity. However, the mechanism by which the processing has this effect remains unknown. To explain the mechanism based on the pharmacokinetics of the active compounds, a rapid, sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed to analyze atractylenolides I, II, and III, and atractyloside A simultaneously in rat plasma after oral administration of raw and processed Atractylodis Rhizoma. Acetaminophen was used as the internal standard and the plasma samples were pretreated with methanol. Positive ionization mode coupled with multiple reaction monitoring mode was used to analyze the four compounds. The method validation revealed that all the calibration curves displayed good linear regression over the concentration ranges of 3.2⁻350, 4⁻500, 4⁻500, and 3.44⁻430 ng/mL for atractylenolides I, II, and III, and atractyloside A, respectively. The relative standard deviations of the intra- and inter-day precisions of the four compounds were less than 6% with accuracies (relative error) below 2.38%, and the extraction recoveries were more than 71.90 ± 4.97%. The main pharmacokinetic parameters of the four compounds were estimated with Drug and Statistics 3.0 and the integral pharmacokinetics were determined based on an area under the curve weighting method. The results showed that the integral maximum plasma concentration and area under the curve increased after oral administration of processed Atractylodis Rhizoma.

This paper provides a full theoretical and experimental analysis of a serial algorithm for the point-in-polygon test, which requires less running time than previous algorithms and can handle all degenerate cases. The serial algorithm can quickly determine whether a point is inside or outside a polygon and accurately determine the contours of input polygon. It describes all degenerate cases and simultaneously provides a corresponding solution to each degenerate case to ensure the stability and reliability. This also creates the prerequisites and basis for our novel boolean operations algorithm that inherits all the benefits of the serial algorithm. Using geometric probability and straight-line equation F ( P ) = ( y i − y i + 1 ) ( x p − x i ) − ( y i − y p ) ( x i + 1 − x i ) , it optimizes our two algorithms that avoid the division operation and do not need to compute any intersection points. Our algorithms are applicable to any polygon that may be self-intersecting or with holes nested to any level of depth. They do not have to sort the vertices clockwise or counterclockwise beforehand. Consequently, they process all edges one by one in any order for input polygons. This allows a parallel implementation of each algorithm to be made very easily. We also prove several theorems guaranteeing the correctness of algorithms. To speed up the operations, we assign each vector a number code and derive two iterative formulas using differential calculus. However, the experimental results as well as the theoretical proof show that our serial algorithm for the point-in-polygon test is optimal and the time complexities of all algorithms are linear. Our methods can be extended to three-dimensional space, in particular, they can be applied to 3D printing to improve its performance.

This paper describes a simple, sensitive and environmentally benign method for the direct determination of aniline and its derivatives in environmental water samples by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with field-enhanced sample injection. The parameters that influenced the enhancement and separation efficiencies were investigated. Surprisingly, under the optimized conditions, two linear ranges for the calibration plot, 1–50 ng/mL and 50–1000 ng/mL (R > 0.998), were obtained. The detection limit was in the range of 0.29–0.43 ng/mL. To eliminate the effect of the real sample matrix on the stacking efficiency, the standard addition method was applied to the analysis of water samples from local rivers.

This paper presents a novel theory and method to calculate the canonical labelings of digraphs whose definition is entirely different from the traditional definition of Nauty. It indicates the mutual relationships that exist between the canonical labeling of a digraph and the canonical labeling of its complement graph. It systematically examines the link between computing the canonical labeling of a digraph and the k-neighborhood and k-mix-neighborhood subdigraphs. To facilitate the presentation, it introduces several concepts including mix diffusion outdegree sequence and entire mix diffusion outdegree sequences. For each node in a digraph G, it assigns an attribute m_NearestNode to enhance the accuracy of calculating canonical labeling. The four theorems proved here demonstrate how to determine the first nodes added into M a x Q ( G ) . Further, the other two theorems stated below deal with identifying the second nodes added into M a x Q ( G ) . When computing C m a x ( G ) , if M a x Q ( G ) already contains the first i vertices u 1 , u 2 , ⋯ , u i , Diffusion Theorem provides a guideline on how to choose the subsequent node of M a x Q ( G ) . Besides, the Mix Diffusion Theorem shows that the selection of the ( i + 1 ) th vertex of M a x Q ( G ) for computing C m a x ( G ) is from the open mix-neighborhood subdigraph N + + ( Q ) of the nodes set Q = { u 1 , u 2 , ⋯ , u i } . It also offers two theorems to calculate the C m a x ( G ) of the disconnected digraphs. The four algorithms implemented in it illustrate how to calculate M a x Q ( G ) of a digraph. Through software testing, the correctness of our algorithms is preliminarily verified. Our method can be utilized to mine the frequent subdigraph. We also guess that if there exists a vertex v ∈ S + ( G ) satisfying conditions C m a x ( G − v ) ⩽ C m a x ( G − w ) for each w ∈ S + ( G ) ∧ w ≠ v , then u 1 = v for M a x Q ( G ) .

In this paper, MoO3 microrods were prepared using corn straw as biological template via roasting process The components and crystal characterization of the material were investigated via X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the electrochemistry property and mechanism were studied. The results showed that the MoO3 material synthesized by template method is orthorhombic structures. The MoO3 particles were submicron and micron rods with uniform distribution and a smooth surface. MoO3 microrods had an average diameter that ranged from 1 to 2 μm. The result indicated that the MoO3 as the new negative of aluminum battery delivers a higher discharge capacity of 190 mA·h·g-1 at a scanning rate of 1 mV·s-1, which showing good capacity and cycling performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, MoO3 microrods was prepared using corn straw as biological template via roasting process．The components and crystal characterization of the material were investigated via X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), and the electrochemistry property and mechanism was studied．The results show that the MoO3 material synthesized by template method is Orthorhombic structures．And the MoO3 particles were submicron and micron rods with uniform distribution and a smooth surface. MoO3 microrods had an average diameter that ranged from 1 to 2 μm. The result indicated that the MoO3 as the new negative of aluminum battery delivers a higher discharge capacity of 190 mAh/g at a scanning rate of 1mv/s, which showing good capacity and cycling performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atractylodis rhizoma is a frequently-used traditional Chinese medicine in clinical practice, which have the effect of eliminating dampness and tonifying spleen. And after being processed with wheat bran, the dryness of A. rhizoma is reduced, and the function of tonifying spleen is enhanced. Atractylenolides are the major bioactive components of A. rhizoma, including atractylenolide I (AI), atractylenolide α (Aα) and atractylenolide β (Aβ). The present study aimed to develope a new UPLC-MS/MS method for simultaneous quantification of three atractylenolides in rat urine, and applied to the excretory kinetics in Sprague-Dawley rats after oral administration of crude and processed A. rhizoma extracts. Analytes and internal standard were detected without interference in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode with positive electrospray ionization. The excretory kinetics parameters were calculated by a urine drug analysis model of drug and statistics (DAS) 3.2.8 software. The t1/2 and Ke of three atractylenolides had no significant difference between crude and processed A. rhizoma, but the recovery accumulative excretion of them in processed A. rhizoma were apparently higher than the crude ones (p<0.05, p<0.01). The results showed that only a small amount of atractylenolides excreted in urine and processing A. rhizoma with wheat bran by stir-frying could promote the urinary excretion of them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a simple, sensitive and environmentally benign method for the direct determination of aniline and its derivatives in environmental water samples by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with field-enhanced sample injection. The parameters that influenced the enhancement and separation efficiencies were investigated. Surprisingly, under the optimized conditions, two linear ranges for the calibration plot, 1-50 ng/mL and 50-1000 ng/mL (R > 0.998), were obtained. The detection limit was in the range of 0.29-0.43 ng/mL. To eliminate the effect of the real sample matrix on the stacking efficiency, the standard addition method was applied to the analysis of water samples from local rivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the role of Notch signaling pathway in immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), we measured the expression of 11 Notch pathway molecules in ITP patients and evaluated their clinical relevance. Real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction results showed there was aberrant expression of some Notch molecules in ITP. Notch1 and Notch3 expression elevated, while Notch2 decreased statistically in ITP patients. As for Notch ligands, only DLL1 was found downregulated in ITP. The expression of Notch target gene, Hes1, was also upregulated. In accordance with the mRNA level, Notch1 and Hes1 protein expression was also found elevated by Western blot. Immunocytochemistry showed that Notch1 expressed highly in the cytomembrane, cytoplasm, and part of cellular nucleus for ITP while weak in cytomembrane for controls, and Hes1 of ITP was found expressed higher in cellular nucleus than that of controls. Our findings suggest that the aberrant expression profile of Notch pathway may be involved in ITP, and blockage of Notch1 pathway is likely a promising therapeutic concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prussian Blue type Na2MnFe(CN)6 was prepared by direct precipitation method and a subsequent drying procedure as a cathode material for aqueous rechargeable sodium-ion batteries. XRD patterns showed that Na2MnFe(CN)6 has a typical Prussian Blue structure with space group Fm3m. Na2MnFe(CN)6 presents good electrochemical behaviors at 10 mAg-1 discharge current density with specific capacity 73.1 mAhg-1 after 30 cycles. The results show that Na2MnFe(CN)6 could be a potential cathode material for aqueous Sodium-ion battery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The data on polarization of the immune system towards T helper 1 (Th1) or T helper 2 (Th2) cells in immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) are limited and contradictory. Th17 characterized by the production of Interleukin 17 (IL-17) has been shown to play a crucial part in the induction of autoimmune diseases. To further investigate the role of Th cytokines in the pathogenesis of ITP, we measured the plasma concentration of three Th17-associated cytokines [IL-17, transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß), IL-6] and Th1 cytokine interferon-γ (IFN-γ) in ITP patients, and evaluated their clinical relevance. The concentration of IL-17, TGF-ß, IL-6, and IFN-γ in plasma specimens from 29 adults with chronic ITP and 38 controls was analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. No significant differences of Th17 cytokines (IL-17, TGF-ß, and IL-6) and Th1 cytokine (IFN-γ) concentration were observed between patients with active ITP and the control group. And the IFN-γ/IL-17 ratio representing Th1/Th17 cytokine profile was not significantly different between ITP patients and control, either. However, significantly positive correlation between IL-6 and IFN-γ in ITP patients was observed ( r = 0.48, P = 0.01). Among the ITP patients, Plasma IL-17 levels in male were marginally higher than those in female, while similar for TGF-ß, IL-6 or IFN-γ. There was a significantly positive correlation between age and IL-6 concentration in ITP patients ( r = 0.56, P = 0.0002), while no statistical significance between age and the other three cytokines. No significant correlation between cytokine concentrations and platelets or megakaryocytes number was found in ITP patients. In summary, ITP may not be associated with changes of plasma Th17 and Th1 cytokine concentrations relative to control population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orthosilicate MgMnSiO4 was prepared by sol-gel route and a subsequent heating procedure as a cathode material for rechargeable magnesium batteries. XRD patterns showed that MgMnSiO4 has a orthorhombic system with space group Pbnm(62). MgMnSiO4 presents good electrochemical behaviors at 10 mAg-1 discharge current density with specific capacity 130.1 mAhg-1 after 20 cycles. The results show that MgMnSiO4 could be a potential cathode material for high-energy magnesium secondary battery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]