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Integrating eye gaze data with chest X-ray images in deep learning (DL) has led to contradictory conclusions in the literature. Some authors assert that eye gaze data can enhance prediction accuracy, while others consider eye tracking irrelevant for predictive tasks. We argue that this disagreement lies in how researchers process eye-tracking data as most remain agnostic to the human component and apply the data directly to DL models without proper preprocessing. We present EyeXNet, a multimodal DL architecture that combines images and radiologists’ fixation masks to predict abnormality locations in chest X-rays. We focus on fixation maps during reporting moments as radiologists are more likely to focus on regions with abnormalities and provide more targeted regions to the predictive models. Our analysis compares radiologist fixations in both silent and reporting moments, revealing that more targeted and focused fixations occur during reporting. Our results show that integrating the fixation masks in a multimodal DL architecture outperformed the baseline model in five out of eight experiments regarding average Recall and six out of eight regarding average Precision. Incorporating fixation masks representing radiologists’ classification patterns in a multimodal DL architecture benefits lesion detection in chest X-ray (CXR) images, particularly when there is a strong correlation between fixation masks and generated proposal regions. This highlights the potential of leveraging fixation masks to enhance multimodal DL architectures for CXR image analysis. This work represents a first step towards human-centered DL, moving away from traditional data-driven and human-agnostic approaches.

This work aims to explore the efficiency of ZnO nanoparticles synthesized via the non-thermal gliding arc discharge-assisted plasma (NT-GAD) technique for inhibiting the corrosion of X60 API 5L steel in a 1M HCl environment. The XRD pattern revealed that the ZnO nanoparticles exhibit hexagonal wurtzite structure with average particle size of ∼24 nm. UV–visible spectroscopy analysis revealed an absorption peak centering at 365 nm, corresponding to an energy band gap of 3.29 eV. SEM and TEM analysis revealed that the nanoparticles exhibit an agglomerated and irregular morphology. The corrosion inhibition of ZnO NPs was investigated via the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization tests (PDP), while varying both concentration and temperature. The results revealed that the increase in inhibitor concentration resulted in a higher activity at ambient temperature, with an optimal efficiency of 93 % at a concentration of 100 mg/L. However, the increase in temperature remarkably reduced the inhibition efficiency, suggesting a physisorption behavior of ZnO NPs onto the steel surface. AFM and FE-SEM analysis confirmed the formation of a protective layer on the X60 API 5L steel surface. This study emphasizes the significant potential of ZnO NPs synthesized via the NT-GAD assisted plasma technique as corrosion inhibitor for X60 API 5L carbon steel in 1M HCl corrosive media.

Sol–gel method was used to prepare Sr1-xCdxZn2Fe4O11 (x = 0.00, 0.02, 0.06, 0.1) R-type hexaferrite. The synthesized materials were sintered at 850oC and desired phase was obtained. X-ray diffraction analysis confirms that R-type hexaferrite exists only as a single phase. Using the Scherer formula, crystallite size for all of the prepared samples was found to be in the range of 10.39–12.62 nm. Crystallite size (D), the lattice parameters (a, c), and the cell volume (Vcell), d-spacing, bulk density, X-ray density, porosity, dislocation density and micro strain were determined in structural analysis. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy method was used to identify the metal-oxygen vibrations at different locations. FT-IR verifies the presence of the Fe–O stretching vibration band at 743 and 867 cm−1. The typical grain size in surface morphology investigation ranges from 0.56 to 0.82 μm. Dielectric response of ferrite ceramic samples replaced with Cd2+ was investigated in the frequency range of 1 MHz–3 GHz. The AC conductivity rises with an increase in frequency because they are proportional to one another. This increasing tendency is effectively described by the theory of Maxwell-Wagner and Koop. Q-values remain constant as frequency rises and behaves independently of frequency as long as frequency reaches 1.7 GHz. These types of materials are utilized in high-frequency applications including frequency filters and resonant circuits. All of the magnetic properties determined by analyzing the M − H loops, including saturation magnetization (Ms), retentivity (Mr), and coercivity (Hc), exhibit an increasing trend as the substitution of Cd2+ rises. Ms (49.76–56.38 emu/g), Mr (15.82–18.30 emu/g) and Hc range from 203.20 Oe to 215.80 Oe. Grain size decreases cause arise in coercivity, which is caused by an enhancement in magneto-crystalline anisotropy. Overall results suggest that Cd2+ replaced R-type hexagonal ferrites are a great resource for longitudinal recording media; they have the potential to be used in a wide variety of electronic applications, including resonant circuits and high-frequency filters, security, detecting and switching.

Abstract This study investigates the effects of including patients’ clinical information on the performance of deep learning (DL) classifiers for disease location in chest X-ray images. Although current classifiers achieve high performance using chest X-ray images alone, consultations with practicing radiologists indicate that clinical data is highly informative and essential for interpreting medical images and making proper diagnoses. In this work, we propose a novel architecture consisting of two fusion methods that enable the model to simultaneously process patients’ clinical data (structured data) and chest X-rays (image data). Since these data modalities are in different dimensional spaces, we propose a spatial arrangement strategy, spatialization, to facilitate the multimodal learning process in a Mask R-CNN model. We performed an extensive experimental evaluation using MIMIC-Eye, a dataset comprising different modalities: MIMIC-CXR (chest X-ray images), MIMIC IV-ED (patients’ clinical data), and REFLACX (annotations of disease locations in chest X-rays). Results show that incorporating patients’ clinical data in a DL model together with the proposed fusion methods improves the disease localization in chest X-rays by 12% in terms of Average Precision compared to a standard Mask R-CNN using chest X-rays alone. Further ablation studies also emphasize the importance of multimodal DL architectures and the incorporation of patients’ clinical data in disease localization. In the interest of fostering scientific reproducibility, the architecture proposed within this investigation has been made publicly accessible( https://github.com/ChihchengHsieh/multimodal-abnormalities-detection ).

Musculoskeletal conditions affect an estimated 1.7 billion people worldwide, causing intense pain and disability. These conditions lead to 30 million emergency room visits yearly, and the numbers are only increasing. However, diagnosing musculoskeletal issues can be challenging, especially in emergencies where quick decisions are necessary. Deep learning (DL) has shown promise in various medical applications. However, previous methods had poor performance and a lack of transparency in detecting shoulder abnormalities on X-ray images due to a lack of training data and better representation of features. This often resulted in overfitting, poor generalisation, and potential bias in decision-making. To address these issues, a new trustworthy DL framework has been proposed to detect shoulder abnormalities (such as fractures, deformities, and arthritis) using X-ray images. The framework consists of two parts: same-domain transfer learning (TL) to mitigate imageNet mismatch and feature fusion to reduce error rates and improve trust in the final result. Same-domain TL involves training pre-trained models on a large number of labelled X-ray images from various body parts and fine-tuning them on the target dataset of shoulder X-ray images. Feature fusion combines the extracted features with seven DL models to train several ML classifiers. The proposed framework achieved an excellent accuracy rate of 99.2%, F1Score of 99.2%, and Cohen's kappa of 98.5%. Furthermore, the accuracy of the results was validated using three visualisation tools, including gradient-based class activation heat map (Grad CAM), activation visualisation, and locally interpretable model-independent explanations (LIME). The proposed framework outperformed previous DL methods and three orthopaedic surgeons invited to classify the test set, who obtained an average accuracy of 79.1%. The proposed framework has proven effective and robust, improving generalisation and increasing trust in the final results.

Hybrid nanogenerators based on the principle of surface charging of functional films are significant in self-powering sensing and energy conversion devices due to their multiple functions and high conversion efficiency, although applications remain limited due to a lack of suitable materials and structures. Here, we investigate a triboelectric-piezoelectric hybrid nanogenerator (TPHNG) in the form of a mousepad for computer user behavior monitoring and energy harvesting. Triboelectric and piezoelectric nanogenerators with different functional films and structures work independently to detect sliding and pressing movements, and the profitable coupling between the two nanogenerators leads to enhanced device outputs/sensitivity. Different mouse operations such as clicking, scrolling, taking-up/putting-down, sliding, moving rate, and pathing can be detected by the device via distinguishable patterns of voltage ranging from 0.6 to 36 V. Based on operation recognition, human behavior monitoring is realized, with monitoring of tasks such as browsing a document and playing a computer game being successfully demonstrated. Energy harvesting from mouse sliding, patting, and bending of the device is realized with output voltages up to 37 V and power up to 48 μW while exhibiting good durability up to 20,000 cycles. This work presents a TPHNG utilizing surface charging for self-powered human behavior sensing and biomechanical energy harvesting.

Introduction Circulating intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) levels include full-length (1-84) PTH and long C-PTH fragments, but primarily (7-84) PTH, which have been reported to have antagonistic effects on the bones and kidneys. However, their effects on the cardiovascular system remain unclear. In this study, the relationships between the plasma PTH fragments levels and heart rate variability (HRV) in stage 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD5) patients are explored. Furthermore, the effects of parathyroidectomy (PTX) on the above indices are investigated. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 164 healthy controls and 354 CKD5 patients, including 208 secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) subgroup with PTX, were enrolled. Circulating (7-84) PTH levels were calculated by subtracting plasma (1-84) PTH levels from iPTH levels. The HRV parameters were measured using a 24-hour Holter. Results The baseline levels of plasma iPTH, (1-84) PTH, and (7-84) PTH in the CKD5 patients were 930.40 (160.65, 1792.50) pg/mL, 448.60 (99.62, 850.45) pg/mL, and 468.20 (54.22, 922.55) pg/mL, respectively. In the CKD5 patients, plasma (1-84) PTH levels were independently correlated with the standard deviation of the normal-to-normal R-R intervals (SDNN) and the standard deviation of the five-minute average of the normal R-R intervals (SDANN). With a median follow up time of 6.50 months after PTX in the SHPT patients (n = 30), improved SDNN and SDANN markers were related with decreased (1-84) PTH levels. Furthermore, an improved SDNN was related with decreased (7-84) PTH levels. Conclusions The CKD5 patients’ baseline (1-84) PTH levels were correlated with the SDNN and SDANN. After PTX, an improved SDNN was related with decreased (1-84) PTH and (7-84) PTH levels, while improved SDANN was related with decreased (1-84) PTH levels. No antagonistic effects of (1-84) PTH and (7-84) PTH on HRV were found in the CKD5 patients.

Purpose Microwave ablation (MWA) is feasible for severe renal secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) and primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) patients ineligible for parathyroidectomy (PTX). Here we compared the clinical manifestations and characteristics of parathyroid glands in these two groups, and summarized the techniques, safety and efficacy of MWA. Methods Baseline clinical characteristics, ablation-related techniques, adverse events/complications, and efficacy were recorded. Results In SHPT group, malnutrition, cardiovascular/pulmonary complications, and abnormal bone metabolism were severe. SHPT patients had more hyperplastic parathyroid glands. The volume of each gland was smaller, and the time of ablation for a single parathyroid was shorter in the SHPT group, although there were no significant differences compared with patients in the PHPT group. Three patients in both groups had recurrent laryngeal nerve injuries and all recovered, except for one SHPT patient. By the end of follow-up, serum iPTH levels had decreased from 2400.26 ± 844.26 pg/mL to 429.39 ± 407.93 pg/mL (p

Despite their rapid growth, the utilisation of application programming interfaces (APIs) poses challenges for companies under pressure to yield productive systems integration. APIs of larger systems tend to be large, complex and have reduced modularity and quality, which makes them cumbersome to comprehend and use. These challenges can be addressed by static API analysis that focuses on studying API code itself and deriving business entities and dependencies from operational signatures. However, existing techniques for static analysis of APIs face the challenges in deriving a sufficient coverage of business entity relationship types from implementation-oriented API operational signatures carrying limited semantic insights. The paper aims to address such problems by supporting static analysis techniques for APIs that improve their modularity. Our approach adopts an object-oriented paradigm where the concept of “object” is exemplified by the notion of business entity. It systematically applies interface analysis methods and techniques for eliciting knowledge of business entities and their attributes, for deriving the temporal order of calling operations across multiple business entities, and for learning and extracting various ways of invoking a service via APIs. The approach is implemented as an open-source tool and applied to a group of widely-deployed services in practice for validation. The research contributes to identifying key aspects of both the structure and behaviour of APIs, which will lead to building a simplified but comprehensive interface (presentation) layer to assist service users in understanding complex and overloaded interfaces as well as to facilitate efficient and effective service integration.

Available, effectively converting low-frequency vibration into available electricity, triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is always research hot nowadays. However, the enhancing effect of the existing methods for the output have all sorts of drawbacks, i.e., low efficiency and unstable, and its practical applications still need to be further explored. Here, leveraging core-shell nanoparticles Ag@SiO2 doping into tribo-materials generates the surface plasmon effect to boost the output performance of the TENG. On one hand, the shell alleviated the seepage effect from conventional nanoparticles; on the other hand, the surface plasmon effect enabled the core-shell nanoparticles to further boost the output performance of TENG. We circumvent the limitations and present a TENG whose output power density can be up to 4.375 mW/cm2. Points is that this article novelty investigate the high-performance TENG applicating for traditional Chinese medicine and develop a pratical self-powered acupuncture system. This technology enables rapid, routine regulation of human health at any age, which has potential applications in nearly any setting across healthcare platforms alike.

Tensile tests of 8009Al alloy reinforced with SiC and Al₂O₃ particles fabricated by powder metallurgy (PM) were conducted at temperatures of 250–350°C and strain rates of 0.001–0.1 s⁻¹. The ultimate tensile strength and yield strength of the samples decreased while the temperature and strain rate increased. The elongation slightly decreased at first and then increased with growing temperature because of the medium-temperature brittleness of the alloy matrix. When the strain rate was 0.1 s⁻¹, the elongation of the 8009Al/Al₂O₃ composites always decreased with an increase in temperature because of the poorly coordinated deformation and weak bonding between the matrix and Al₂O₃ particles at such a high strain rate. The work-hardening rates of the composites sharply increased to maxima and then decreased rapidly as the strain increased. Meanwhile, the 8009Al/SiCₚ composites displayed superior UTS, YS, elongation, and work-hardening rates than those of the 8009Al/Al₂O₃ composites under the same conditions. Compared to 8009Al alloys reinforced with spherical Al₂O₃ particle, 8009Al alloys reinforced with irregular SiC particles exhibited a better strengthening effect. The fracture mechanism of the 8009Al/SiCₚ composites was mainly ductile, while that of the 8009Al/Al₂O₃ composites was primarily debonding at the matrix–particle interfaces in a brittle mode.

Purpose: Accurate preoperative parathyroid localization is important for successful parathyroidectomy (PTX). The aim of our study was to investigate whether SPECT/CT has enhanced effect in preoperative localization of parathyroids. Methods: In our retrospective cohort study, we evaluated the effects of technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile-single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (99mTc-MIBI SPECT/CT) on preoperative parathyroid localization for 645 secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) patients. Among them, 569 successful PTX patients were divided into group A (received 99mTc-MIBI scintigraphy, n = 175) and group B (received 99mTc-MIBI scintigraphy and SPECT/CT imaging, n = 394). Sensitivity, specificity, and consistency of two imaging methods in preoperative localization of parathyroids were compared. Results: Overall sensitivity and consistency were higher in group B, while there was no difference in specificity between the two groups. In group A, the sensitivity of 99mTc-MIBI was 50.00%, 77.11%, 61.76%, and 76.54% in the right upper gland (RU), right lower gland (RL), left upper gland (LU), and left lower gland (LL) subgroups, while the consistency was 52.00%, 76.57%, 61.71%, and 75.43%, respectively. In group B, the sensitivity of 99mTc-MIBI with SPECT/CT was 69.39%, 90.03%, 78.07%, and 84.27%, and the consistency was 69.54%, 88.32%, 78.43%, and 84.26%, respectively. The sensitivity and consistency in lower glands were higher than in upper glands in both groups. Sensitivity for eutopic parathyroid was higher in group B, while there was no difference for ectopic parathyroid. Conclusions: 99mTc-MIBI SPECT/CT can increase the sensitivity and consistency of preoperative localization of eutopic parathyroid glands, and it can accurately locate ectopic parathyroid without sensitivity improvement.

This study investigates the transportation of mass and heat in the 3D flow of hybrid nanofluids over a rotating disk in the presence of uniform magnetic field acting along the transverse direction to the flow. Water is being used as a base fluid mixed with nanoparticles of aluminum oxide and copper. The mathematical model of the nano-fluidic problem in terms of partial differential equations (PDEs) is formulated by considering the velocity slip at the boundary and heat transport mechanism due to thermal convection and radiation effects. Suitable similarity transformations are being used to transform the governing system of PDEs into a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The transformed model is then analyzed by employing the competency of the Lobatto IIIA technique. Numerical and graphical illustrations are presented for the analysis of different flow parameters by varying velocities and temperature profiles. The behavior of heat transfer rate and coefficient skin friction is also studied numerically for the presented flow model.

Film and TV productions, a key area in production screen business, comprise of processes with high demand for creativity and flexibility. However, despite the era of fast developing technology, film production processes are carried out in an old fashioned way. This is reflected, for example, by the fact that document processing accompanied by daily shooting activities is still paper-based and coordinating geographically distributed cast and crew is purely manual. There is an opportunity to bring process innovation into this industry, which can streamline and optimise film production processes and thus reduce production costs. Business Process Management (BPM) is the mainstream contemporary technology-enabled business improvement method. It is proven to provide significant benefits to an organisation in terms of cost savings and responsiveness to changes. In this paper, we apply BPM technology to process innovation for film production. We also share the experience in how to deal with the innovation barriers in the film industry. Over the course of the investigation, a prototype called YAWL4Film was developed on top of a state-of-the-art BPM system. YAWL4Film supports collection and entering of production related data and automatic generation of reports required during film production. The system was deployed in two student productions at the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS), as well as in a feature film production by Porchlight, an independent film production company.

The timely degradation of proteins that regulate the cell cycle is essential for oocyte maturation. Oocytes are equipped to degrade proteins via the ubiquitin-proteasome system. In meiosis, anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C), an E3 ubiquitin-ligase, is responsible for the degradation of proteins. Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 S (UBE2S), an E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme, delivers ubiquitin to APC/C. APC/C has been extensively studied, but the functions of UBE2S in oocyte maturation and mouse fertility are not clear. In this study, we used Ube2s knockout mice to explore the role of UBE2S in mouse oocytes. Ube2s-deleted oocytes were characterized by meiosis I arrest with normal spindle assembly and spindle assembly checkpoint dynamics. However, the absence of UBE2S affected the activity of APC/C. Cyclin B1 and securin are two substrates of APC/C, and their levels were consistently high, resulting in the failure of homologous chromosome separation. Unexpectedly, the oocytes arrested in meiosis I could be fertilized and the embryos could become implanted normally, but died before embryonic day 10.5. In conclusion, our findings reveal an indispensable regulatory role of UBE2S in mouse oocyte meiosis and female fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate chromosome segregation, monitored by the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), is crucial for the production of euploid cells. Previous in vitro studies by us and others showed that Mad2, a core member of the SAC, performs a checkpoint function in oocyte meiosis. Here, through an oocyte-specific knockout approach in mouse, we reconfirmed that Mad2-deficient oocytes exhibit an accelerated metaphase-to-anaphase transition caused by premature degradation of securin and cyclin B1 and subsequent activation of separase in meiosis I. However, it was surprising that the knockout mice were completely fertile and the resulting oocytes were euploid. In the absence of Mad2, other SAC proteins, including BubR1, Bub3 and Mad1, were normally recruited to the kinetochores, which likely explains the balanced chromosome separation. Further studies showed that the chromosome separation in Mad2-null oocytes was particularly sensitive to environmental changes and, when matured in vitro, showed chromosome misalignment, lagging chromosomes, and aneuploidy with premature separation of sister chromatids, which was exacerbated at a lower temperature. We reveal for the first time that Mad2 is dispensable for proper chromosome segregation but acts to mitigate environmental stress in meiotic oocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prenatal imaging phenotypes and genotypes were analyzed in 13 cases prenatally diagnosed with Joubert syndrome (JS), all of which underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, and genetic testing. Prenatal MRI diagnosed 10 cases as JS with a typical molar tooth sign (MTS), while prenatal ultrasound diagnosed or suspiciously diagnosed 11 cases as JS with typical or mild MTS in 10 cases. Mutations in JS-related genes and other prenatal JS imaging phenotypes were identified in 10 cases, including OFD1 in two cases [cerebellar vermis (CV) absence, posterior fossa dilation, ventriculomegaly, polydactyly, malformations of cortical development (MCD), and persistent left superior vena cava], TMEM67 in two cases (CV absence, polydactyly, hyperechoic kidneys or polycystic kidneys, posterior fossa dilation, and ventriculomegaly), CC2D2A in two cases (CV absence, polydactyly, MCD, agenesis of the corpus callosum, encephalocele and hydrocephalus, ventriculomegaly, and posterior fossa dilation), RPGRIP1L in one case (CV absence), TCTN3 in one case (CV absence, polydactyly, MCD, and posterior fossa dilation), CEP290 in one case (CV absence and polycystic kidney), and NPHP1 in one case (CV absence). The prenatal diagnosis of JS presents a number of challenges, including the variants of unknown significance, the lack of functional assessment in prenatal imaging, unclear phenotype-genotype relationships in prenatal evaluation, and the incorrect identification of the JS hallmark, the MTS, in prenatal imaging, especially on ultrasound. Although combined MRI, ultrasound, and exome sequencing could help improve the prenatal diagnosis of JS, there still exist significant challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Amelioration of depression in patients with post-stroke depression (PSD) remains challenging. Objective: The primary vision was to explore the effect of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in combination with citalopram on patients with PSD. Methods: One hundred eligible patients who were diagnosed with PSD were recruited and randomly assigned to the control group (n = 50) or the TMS group (n = 50). The controls were given citalopram (10 mg/d for consecutive 8 weeks), while, in addition to citalopram, patients in the TMS group were also given TMS at 5Hz once a workday for 8 weeks. The primary outcome was patient depression status as reflected by 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-17) score, and the secondary outcome was patient neuropsychological score determined by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Results: Patients treated with TMS in combination with citalopram had a drastic decrease in HAMD-17 score during treatment. Bigger changes in HAMD-17 score between baseline and 2 weeks as well as between baseline and 8 weeks in the TMS group were observed (P<0.01). Patients in both groups had increased MMSE scores after treatment. Data of WCST revealed patients with TMS treatment completed more categories (P < 0.01) and had a lower RPP in comparison to patients in the control group (P < 0.0001). Additionally, TMS in combination with citalopramstrikingly improved patients'MMSE scores when compared with those taking citalopramalone. Last, there was no striking difference in side effects between the two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Our study found TMS in combination with citalopram is conducive to improving depression status and neuropsychological function, which holds great promise for treating PSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mammalian early embryo cells have complex DNA repair mechanisms to maintain genomic integrity, and homologous recombination (HR) plays the main role in response to double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs) in these cells. Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) participates in the HR process and its overexpression has been shown to occur in a variety of human cancers. Nevertheless, the regulatory mechanism of PLK1 remains poorly understood, especially during the S and G2 phase. Here, we show that protein phosphatase 4 catalytic subunit (PPP4C) deletion causes severe female subfertility due to accumulation of DNA damage in oocytes and early embryos. PPP4C dephosphorylated PLK1 at the S137 site, negatively regulating its activity in the DSB response in early embryonic cells. Depletion of PPP4C induced sustained activity of PLK1 when cells exhibited DNA lesions that inhibited CHK2 and upregulated the activation of CDK1, resulting in inefficient loading of the essential HR factor RAD51. On the other hand, when inhibiting PLK1 in the S phase, DNA end resection was restricted. These results demonstrate that PPP4C orchestrates the switch between high-PLK1 and low-PLK1 periods, which couple the checkpoint to HR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Multiple studies showed that long-chain noncoding RNA H19 (LncRNA H19) is high-expressed in human and mouse abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). We speculated that it plays an important role in arterial disease, and therefore studied the role and mechanism of H19 in aortic dissection (AD). Methods: The expressions of related genes in human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) induced by platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB) or in the aortic tissue of AD patients/mice were identified by Western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The targeting relationship between H19 and miR-193b-3p was predicted and verified by bioinformatics analysis, dual luciferase assay, RNA pull-down assay, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), and Pearson correlation coefficient. The H19 and miR-193b-3p effects on the biological functions of tissues and cells were examined by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide, thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide) assay, wound-healing assay, and Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE) staining. Results: LncRNA H19 was abnormally high-expressed in thoracic aorta tissues of AD patients, and it could competitively bind to and inhibit miR-193b-3p. In the PDGF-BB group, the expressions of H19, matrix metallopeptidase (MMP) 2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 were up-regulated and the expressions of miR-193b-3p, a-SMA, and SM22a were down-regulated; moreover, the proliferation and migration rate of HASMCs were increased. However, H19 silencing reversed the regulation of PDGF-BB on HASMCs. More interestingly, miR-193b-3p inhibitor could partially reverse the effect of H19 silencing. In addition, the above results were verified by animal experiments, showing that shH19 and up-regulated miR-193b-3p could significantly reduce the thoracic aorta pathological damage in AD mice. Conclusion: LncRNA H19 regulated smoothmuscle cell function by spongingmiR-193b-3p and it participated in the development of AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main theme of the present communication is to analyze the flow of micropolar Casson fluid with the influence of dissipation effects and inclined magnetic field upon a stretching surface by incorporating the Lobatto IIIA based numerical solver. In the presented study, the Navier–Stokes theory is exploited to model the governing fluidic system and similarity variables are used to reduce the system of governing partial differential equations into the equivalent ordinary differential equation-based model. A graphical and tabular illustration of the result of the system using the Lobatto IIIA method for the study of influential effects of various sundry parameters against the velocity profile, temperature, and microrotation are presented with brief interpretations. Results show that the increment of the inclination angle diminishes the velocity and upsurges the temperature, while, the Eckert number reduces the rate of heat transfer and shear stress, however, on the other hand, enhances the temperature and velocity profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oocyte meiotic maturation failure is one of the major causes for female infertility. Meiotic resumption (the G2/M transition) and progression through metaphase I (MI) are two critical stages of oocyte meiotic maturation. Here, we report that centromere protein T (CENP-T), an internal kinetochore protein, plays a critical role inmeiotic resumption of mouse oocytes. Depletion ofCENP-T by siRNA injection increased the CDH1 (also known as FZR1) level, resulting in increased activity of the anaphase-promoting complex (APC)-CDH1 complex, and further leading to decreased levels of the cyclin protein CCNB1, attenuated maturation-promoting factor (MPF) activity, and finally severely compromised meiotic resumption. The impaired meiotic resumption caused by CENP-T depletion could be rescued by overexpression of exogenous CCNB1 or knockdown of endogenous CDH1. Overexpression of exogenous CENP-T resulted in decreased CDH1 levels, which accelerated the progression of G2/M transition, and accelerated meiotic cell cycle progression after germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD). Unexpectedly, spindle organization after GVBD was not affected by the overexpression, but the distribution of chromosomes was affected. Our findings reveal a novel role for CENP-T in regulating meiotic progression by acting through CDH1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chromosome segregation is driven by separase, activity of which is inhibited by binding to securin and cyclin B1/CDK1. In meiosis, premature separase activity will induce aneuploidy or abolish chromosome segregation owing to the untimely destruction of cohesin. Recently, we have proved that cyclin B2 can compensate for cyclin B1 in CDK1 activation for the oocyte meiosis G2/M transition. In the present study, we identify an interaction between cyclin B2/CDK1 and separase in mouse oocytes. We find that cyclin B2 degradation is required for separase activation during the metaphase I-anaphase I transition because the presence of stable cyclin B2 leads to failure of homologous chromosome separation and to metaphase I arrest, especially in the simultaneous absence of securin and cyclin B1. Moreover, non-phosphorylatable separase rescues the separation of homologous chromosomes in stable cyclin B2-arrested cyclin B1-null oocytes. Our results indicate that cyclin B2/CDK1 is also responsible for separase inhibition via inhibitory phosphorylation to regulate chromosome separation in oocyte meiosis, which may not occur in other cell types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the microelectromechanical systems area, micrometal devices can be fabricated by microelectroforming process. However, since the defect mechanism of crystal growth, the electroformed layer suffers from the large internal compressive stress. To reduce the large internal compressive stress, the effects of different current densities on the internal compressive stress are investigated. From the view of dislocation density, the mechanism to reduce the compressive stress by adjusting the current densities has been researched originally. The electroforming experiments were processed by several current densities. The dislocation density was measured by the X-ray diffraction method. The compressive stress was tested by side incline method. The nanocrystal structure was observed by the transmission electron microscopy method. The experimental results show that the dislocation density was decreased along with the decreasing of the current density, as well as the compressive stress. The mechanisms are that the crystal structures including the crystallite size, the microcrystal distortion and the dislocation density can be refined by adjusting the small current densities. Then, the compressive stress becomes lower. This work contributes to fabricate the electroformed layer with low internal compressive stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ni-P/TiN coating was used as bipolar plate by electroless plating on Ti. Surface morphology and phase structure of the coatings were characterized by SEM and XRD, respectively. Corrosion resistance of Ni-P and Ni-P/TiN coating was measured in the simulated solution of Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The interfacial contact resistance (ICR) was conducted by applied different forces. SEM images indicated that the particles of core-shell structure were formed on the surface of coating on Ti substrate. The core-shell structure was composed of TiN core and Ni-P electroless plating shell. Compared with Ni-P coatings, the Ni-P/TiN coating showed better corrosion resistance behaviors and low ICR (below 10m cm under pressure of 200 N/cm. TiN particles and distribution of core-shell were in favor of the formation of coating and compact surface morphology. The good conductivity was attributed to the compact surface morphology of coating. The Ni-P/TiN coating showed excellent interfacial conductivity and good corrosion resistance at applied high potential in simulated solution of PEMFCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cardiovascular calcifications can be prevented by vitamin K and are accelerated by vitamin K antagonists. These effects are believed to be mainly mediated by the vitamin K-dependent matrix Gla protein. Another vitamin K-dependent protein, Gas6, is also expressed in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). In vitro Gas6 expression was shown to be regulated in VSMC calcification and apoptotic processes.Methods: We investigated the role of Gas6 in vitro using VSMC cultures and in vivo in young and old Gas6-deficient (Gas6(-/-)) and wildtype (WT) mice. In addition, Gas6(-/-) and WT mice were challenged by (a) warfarin administration, (b) uninephrectomy (UniNX) plus high phosphate diet, or (c) UniNX plus high phosphate plus electrocautery of the residual kidney.Results: In vitro VSMC from WT and Gas6(-/-) mice exposed to warfarin showed increased apoptosis and calcified similarly. In vivo, aortic, cardiac and renal calcium content in all groups was similar, except for a lower cardiac calcium content in Gas6(-/-) mice (group a). Von Kossa staining revealed small vascular calcifications in both WT and Gas6(-/-) mice (groups a-c). In aging, non-manipulated mice, no significant differences in vascular calcification were identified between Gas6(-/-) and WT mice. Gas6(-/-) mice exhibited no upregulation of matrix Gla protein in any group. Cardiac output was similar in all treatment groups.Conclusions: Taken together, in our study Gas6 fails to aggravate calcification against the previous assumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In animals, mtDNA is always transmitted through the female and this is termed "maternal inheritance." Recently, autophagy was reported to be involved in maternal inheritance by elimination of paternal mitochondria and mtDNA in Caenorhabditis elegans; moreover, by immunofluorescence, P62 and LC3 proteins were also found to colocalize to sperm mitochondria after fertilization in mice. Thus, it has been speculated that autophagy may be an evolutionary conserved mechanism for paternal mitochondrial elimination. However, by using two transgenic mouse strains, one bearing GFP-labeled autophagosomes and the other bearing red fluorescent protein-labeled mitochondria, we demonstrated that autophagy did not participate in the postfertilization elimination of sperm mitochondria in mice. Although P62 and LC3 proteins congregated to sperm mitochondria immediately after fertilization, sperm mitochondria were not engulfed and ultimately degraded in lysosomes until P62 and LC3 proteins disengaged from sperm mitochondria. Instead, sperm mitochondria unevenly distributed in blastomeres during cleavage and persisted in several cells until the morula stages. Furthermore, by using single sperm mtDNA PCR, we observed that most motile sperm that had reached the oviduct for fertilization had eliminated their mtDNA, leaving only vacuolar mitochondria. However, if sperm with remaining mtDNA entered the zygote, mtDNA was not eliminated and could be detected in newborn mice. Based on these results, we conclude that, in mice, maternal inheritance of mtDNA is not an active process of sperm mitochondrial and mtDNA elimination achieved through autophagy in early embryos, but may be a passive process as a result of prefertilization sperm mtDNA elimination and uneven mitochondrial distribution in embryos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The adverse effects of maternal diabetes on oocyte maturation and embryo development have been reported. Methods: In this study, we used time-lapse live cell imaging confocal microscopy to investigate the dynamic changes of ER and the effects of diabetes on the ER's structural dynamics during oocyte maturation, fertilization and early embryo development. Results: We report that the ER first became remodeled into a dense ring around the developing MI spindle, and then surrounded the spindle during migration to the cortex. ER reorganization during mouse early embryo development was characterized by striking localization around the pronuclei in the equatorial section, in addition to larger areas of fluorescence deeper within the cytoplasm. In contrast, in diabetic mice, the ER displayed a significantly higher percentage of homogeneous distribution patterns throughout the entire ooplasm during oocyte maturation and early embryo development. In addition, a higher frequency of large ER aggregations was detected in GV oocytes and two cell embryos from diabetic mice. Conclusions: These results suggest that the diabetic condition adversely affects the ER distribution pattern during mouse oocyte maturation and early embryo development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parathyroid hormone-like hormone (PTHLH) was first identified as a parathyroid hormone (PTH)-like factor responsible for humoral hypercalcemia in malignancies in the 1980s. Previous studies demonstrated that PTHLH is expressed in multiple tissues and is an important regulator of cellular and organ growth, development, migration, differentiation, and survival. However, there is a lack of data on the expression and function of PTHLH during preimplantation embryonic development. In this study, we investigated the expression characteristics and functions of PTHLH during mouse preimplantation embryonic development. The results show that Pthlh is expressed in mouse oocytes and preimplantation embryos at all developmental stages, with the highest expression at the MII stage of the oocytes and the lowest expression at the blastocyst stage of the preimplantation embryos. The siRNA-mediated depletion of Pthlh at the MII stage oocytes or the 1- cell stage embryos significantly decreased the blastocyst formation rate, while this effect could be corrected by culturing the Pthlh depleted embryos in the medium containing PTHLH protein. Moreover, expression of the pluripotency-related genes Nanog and Pou5f1 was significantly reduced in Pthlh-depleted embryos at the morula stage. Additionally, histone acetylation patterns were altered by Pthlh depletion. These results suggest that PTHLH plays important roles during mouse preimplantation embryonic development [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) plays pivotal roles in various mitotic events, but its function in mammalian oocyte meiosis remains unknown. In this study, we found that no specific JNK2 signal was detected in germinal vesicle stage. JNK2 was associated with the spindles especially the spindle poles and cytoplasmic microtubule organizing centers at prometaphase I, metaphase I, and metaphase II stages. JNK2 became diffusely distributed and associated with the midbody at telophase I stage. Injection of myc-tagged JNK2α1 mRNA into oocytes also revealed its localization on spindle poles. The association of JNK2 with spindle poles was further confirmed by colocalization with the centrosomal proteins, γ-tubulin and Plk1. Nocodazole treatment showed that JNK2 may interact with Plk1 to regulate the spindle assembly. Then we investigated the possible function of JNK2 by JNK2 antibody microinjection and JNK specific inhibitor SP600125 treatment. These two manipulations caused abnormal spindle formation and decreased the rate of first polar body (PB1) extrusion. In addition, inhibition of JNK2 resulted in impaired localization of Plk1. Taken together, our results suggest that JNK2 plays an important role in spindle assembly and PB1 extrusion during mouse oocyte meiotic maturation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]