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Objective: To investigate the therapeutic effect and mechanism of sivelestat sodium on acute lung injury (AIL). Methods: A rat model for ALI/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS) was established. Pathological examination of lung tissue was conducted to assess lung injury. Blood gas in the arteries was measured using a blood analyzer. Changes in PaO2, PaO2/FiO2, and lung wet/dry (W/D) weight ratio were carefully compared. ELISA assay was conducted to estimate cell adhesion and inflammation response. Finally, real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blotting assay was used to determine the activation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Results: ARDS in vivo model was successfully constructed by LPS injection. Compared with the sham group, PaO2 and PaO2/FiO2 were significantly lower in the vehicle group, while the lung W/D ratio, the lung injury score, NE, VCAM-1, IL-8 andTNF-αwere significantly increased. After treatment with different doses of sivelestat sodium, we found PaO2, PaO2/FiO2 were prominently increased, while the lung W/D ratio, the lung injury score, NE, VCAM-1, IL-8, TNF-α levels were decreased in the dose-dependent manner. Meanwhile, compared with the vehicle group, the expression levels of Bax, PI3K, Akt and mTOR were significantly lower, and the expression of Bcl-2 was significantly higher after injection with sivelestat sodium. Conclusion: Sivelestat sodium has an interventional effect on ALI in sepsis by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: A poly-o-phenylenediamine film modified glassy carbon electrode (PoPD/GC) was successfully prepared by cyclic voltammetry in acetate buffer solution. The polymerization mechanism of oPD is discussed. The impedance behavior and morphology of the PoPD membrane were characterized using cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. It is discovered that the PoPD/GC prepared only in acetate buffer solution had dual electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation and reduction of [H.sub.2][O.sub.2]. The optimal buffer solution pH, scanning rate, monomer concentration, and number of scannings for film forming were 4.2, 0.05 V [s.sup.-1], 6.0 mmol [L.sup.-1], and 30, respectively. The linear ranges between the anodic (Δ[i.sub.a]) or cathodic (Δ[i.sub.c]) current and [H.sub.2][O.sub.2] concentration were 0.07-1.0 x [10.sup.4] and 0.04-4.5 x [10.sup.4] µmol [L.sup.-1], respectively. The corresponding calibration curves were Δ[i.sub.a] (μA) = 8.03c (mmol [L.sup.-1]) + 6.36 (n = 18, [R.sup.2] = 0.9989) and Δ[i.sub.c] (μA) = -5.52c (mmol [L.sup.-1]) - 0.77 (n = 18, [R.sup.2] = 0.9990) with a detection limit of 0.03 and 0.02 µmol [L.sup.-1] (S/N = 3), respectively. The PoPD/GC prepared in the optimal conditions showed good stability and quick response ( Key words: poly(ortfio-phenylenediamine), glassy carbon, electrocatalysis, hydrogen peroxide. Une electrode de carbone vitreux modifiee par un film de poly(o-phenylenediamine) (CV/PoPD) a ete preparee avec succes par voltammetrie cyclique dans une solution tampon d'acetate. On a examine le mecanisme de polymerisation de l'oPD. Pour caracteriser les caracteristiques d'impedance et la morphologie de la membrane de PoPD, on a fait appel a la voltammetrie cyclique, la spectroscopie d'impedance electrochimique et a la microscopie electronique a balayage, respectivement. On a constate que seul la CV/PoPD preparee dans une solution tampon d'acetate possedait une double activite electrocatalytique envers l'oxydation et la reduction de [H.sub.2][O.sub.2]. Les valeurs optimales du pH de la solution tampon, de la vitesse de balayage, de la concentration du monomere et du nombre de balayages pour la formation du film etaient 4,2, 0,05 V [s.sup.-1], 6,0 mmol [L.sup.-1] et 30, respectivement. Les plages lineaires entre le courant anodique (Δ[i.sub.a]) ou cathodique (Δ[i.sub.c]) et la concentration de [H.sub.2][O.sub.2] etaient 0,07-1,0 x [10.sup.4] et 0,04-4,5 x [10.sup.4] mmol [L.sup.-1], respectivement. Les courbes d'etalonnage correspondantes etaient Δ[i.sub.a] (mA) = 8,03c (mmol [L.sup.-1]) + 6,36 (n = 18, [R.sup.2] = 0,9989) et Δ[i.sub.c] (mA) = -5,52c (mmol [L.sup.-1]) - 0,77 (n = 18, [R.sup.2] = 0,9990) avec une limite de detection de 0,03 et de 0,02 mmol [L.sup.-1] (S/N = 3), respectivement. La CV/PoPD preparee dans les conditions optimales presentait une bonne stabilite et une reponse rapide ( Mots-cles: poly(ortho-phenylenediamine), carbone vitreux, electrocatalyse, peroxyde d'hydrogene., Introduction [H.sub.2][O.sub.2] is widely used in many fields, such as the chemical, environmental, textile, food, and medicine industries. Thus, the sensitive detection of [H.sub.2][O.sub.2] in an environmental and biochemical system [...]

Copper hydroxide (oxide) / multiwalled carbon nanotubes nanocomposite-modified glassy carbon electrode ([Cu.sub.hydmxide/oxide]/MWCNTs/GCE) was successfully prepared by a novel film plating / cyclic voltammetry (CV) method, which exhibited marked synergistic catalytic effects on the electro-oxidation of N[O.sub.2.sup-]. The preparation process, impedance behavior, and surface morphology of [Cu.sub.hydroxide/oxide]/MWCNTs/GCE were investigated by CV, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The optimum preparation and test conditions for the electrode to have high catalytic activity were acquired. The linear range between the anodic current (Δ[i.sub.a], μA) and N[O.sup.2-] concentration (c, mmol [L.sup.-1]) was 1.0 X [10.sup.-4] to 14.0 mmol [L.sup.-1] , and the corresponding calibration curve was Δ[i.sub.a]- -0.1504 + 57.954c (R -0.9990, n - 32) with a detection limit of 0.03 µmol [L.sup.-1] (S/N = 3). The [Cu.sub.hydroxide/oxide]/MWCNTs/GCE prepared in the optimal conditions showed good stability, high selectivity, low detection limit, and quick response ( Key words: copper hydroxide/oxide, multi-walled carbon nanotube, nitrite, catalytic oxidation., On a reussi a preparer une electrode d'hydroxyde (oxyde) de cuivre / nanotubes de carbone vitreux multicloisonne nanocomposite modifie ([Cu.sub.hydroxyde/oxyde]/MWCNTs/GCE) en faisant appel a une nouvelle methode de plaquage de [...]

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a highly heterogeneous disorder with remarkable intersubject variability in clinical presentations. Previous neuroimaging studies in SCZ have primarily focused on identifying group-averaged differences in the brain connectome between patients and healthy controls (HCs), largely neglecting the intersubject differences among patients. We acquired whole-brain resting-state functional MRI data from 121 SCZ patients and 183 HCs and examined the intersubject variability of the functional connectome (IVFC) in SCZ patients and HCs. Between-group differences were determined using permutation analysis. Then, we evaluated the relationship between IVFC and clinical variables in SCZ. Finally, we used datasets of patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) to assess the specificity of IVFC alteration in SCZ. The whole-brain IVFC pattern in the SCZ group was generally similar to that in HCs. Compared with the HC group, the SCZ group exhibited higher IVFC in the bilateral sensorimotor, visual, auditory, and subcortical regions. Moreover, altered IVFC was negatively correlated with age of onset, illness duration, and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale scores and positively correlated with clinical heterogeneity. Although the SCZ shared altered IVFC in the visual cortex with BD and MDD, the alterations of IVFC in the sensorimotor, auditory, and subcortical cortices were specific to SCZ. The alterations of whole-brain IVFC in SCZ have potential implications for the understanding of the high clinical heterogeneity of SCZ and the future individualized clinical diagnosis and treatment of this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How corporate governance mechanisms function in transition economies is a key topic for corporate governance researchers and policy makers. We propose that alternative governance mechanisms are in place to mitigate corporate fraudulent behaviors in the fluid state of transition economies where the establishment and enforcement of corporate governance legislation are presently insufficient. Drawing on the twin set of institutional logics—the institutional embeddedness logic and the institutional substitution logic—we posit that three salient types of prevailing alternative governance mechanisms (relational, administrative, and foreign governance) play important roles in transition economies because they are complementary to the institutional conditions at the time of the transition process. Conducting a bivariate probit analysis of a matched sample of corporate financial fraud cases in China, we find that strategic alliances, business group affiliation, nontradable state shares, local government ownership, use of foreign auditors, and foreign listing can deter corporate financial fraud, while foreign listing is also effective in detecting fraud. We also find that the deterrence effects of strategic alliances and business group affiliation become weaker as law development improves, while foreign listing and legal governance are completely substitutive. Our study provides a contextualized view of corporate governance that connects its effectiveness with institutionalization and the institutional state of a country. Our study also enriches our understanding of some unfamiliar forms of governance mechanisms that are in place and complementary to a country's institutional conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beam search is commonly used to help maintain tractability in large search spaces at the expense of completeness and optimality. Here we study supervised learning of linear ranking functions for controlling beam search. The goal is to learn ranking functions that allow for beam search to perform nearly as well as unconstrained search, and hence gain computational efficiency without seriously sacrificing optimality. In this paper, we develop theoretical aspects of this learning problem and investigate the application of this framework to learning in the context of automated planning. We first study the computational complexity of the learning problem, showing that even for exponentially large search spaces the general consistency problem is in NP. We also identify tractable and intractable subclasses of the learning problem, giving insight into the problem structure. Next, we analyze the convergence of recently proposed and modified online learning algorithms, where we introduce several notions of problem margin that imply convergence for the various algorithms. Finally, we present empirical results in automated planning, where ranking functions are learned to guide beam search in a number of benchmark planning domains. The results show that our approach is often able to outperform an existing state-of-the-art planning heuristic as well as a recent approach to learning such heuristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]