Search

Reduced nerve growth factor (NGF) is associated with cardiac sympathetic nerve denervation in heart failure (HF) which is characterized by increased oxidative stress. Apocynin is considered an antioxidant agent which inhibits NADPH oxidase activity and improves reactive oxygen species scavenging. However, it is unclear whether apocynin prevents reduced myocardial NGF, leading to improvement of cardiac function in HF. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that apocynin prevents reduced myocardial NGF, contributing to amelioration of myocardial apoptosis and failure. Rabbits with myocardial infarction (MI) or sham operation were randomly assigned to receive apocynin or placebo for 4 weeks. MI rabbits exhibited left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, and elevation in oxidative stress, as evidenced by a decreased reduced-to-oxidized glutathione ratio and an increased 4-hydroxynonenal expression, and reduction in NGF and NGF receptor tyrosine kinase A (TrKA) expression in the remote non-infarcted myocardium. Apocynin treatment ameliorated LV dysfunction, reduced oxidative stress, prevented decreases in NGF and TrKA expression and reduced cardiomyocyte apoptosis after MI. In cultured H9C2 cardiomyocytes, hypoxia or hydrogen peroxide decreased NGF expression, and apocynin normalized hypoxia-induced reduction of NGF. Recombinant NGF attenuated hypoxia-induced apoptosis. Apocynin prevented hypoxia-induced apoptosis, and the suppressive effect of apocynin on apoptosis was abolished by NGF receptor TrKA inhibitor K252a. We concluded that apocynin prevented reduced myocardial NGF, leading to attenuation of cardiomyocyte apoptosis and LV remodelling and dysfunction in HF after MI. These findings suggest that strategies to prevent NGF reduction by inhibition of oxidative stress may be of value in amelioration of LV dysfunction in HF.

This study examines the impact of directors’ famine experience on the corporate donation decision. We use a unique data set of 16,082 firm-year observations from Chinese listed firms to show that d...

Crystal defects are crucially important in semiconductor photocatalysis. To improve the reactivity of photocatalysts and attain desirable solar energy conversion, crystal defect engineering has gained considerable attention in real catalysts. Herein, we engineered crystal defects and mediate oxygen vacancies in host Bi2WO6 crystal lattice via varying content of Ti dopant to fabricate single-unit-cell layered structure, resulting in enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic efficiency. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations verified that the substitution of Bi cation in the crystal structure of Bi2WO6 can induce a new defect level, and increase the density of states (DOS) at the valence band maximum, which not only improve the charge dynamic but also the electronic conductivity. Remarkably, the single-unit-cell layers Ti-doped Bi2WO6 structure casts profoundly improved photocatalytic performance towards ceftriaxone sodium degradation, Cr(VI) reduction, and particularly higher photocatalytic H2 production rate, with a 5.8-fold increase compared to bulk Bi2WO6. Furthermore, the photoelectrochemical measurements unveil that the significantly higher charge migration and charge carrier dynamic counts for the elevated photocatalytic performance. After careful examination of experimental results, it was proved that the Ti doping mediated crystal defects, and engendered oxygen vacancies are critically important for controlling the photocatalytic performance of Bi2WO6.

Background. Aidi injection (ADI) is being used widely for breast cancer in China. However, the efficacy and safety of it need to be summarized. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare ADI and non-ADI treatment for advanced breast cancer. Methods. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, CNKI, SinoMed, and CENTRAL from inception to Jan 2020 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with diagnosis of advanced breast cancer that compared the efficacy of ADI with non-ADI treatment. Two researchers screened the literature, extracted data, and evaluated risk of bias separately. The primary outcomes were overall response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR). The secondary outcomes included the QOL, immune cells, and adverse events. Review Manager software was used for estimating risks of bias of included studies, data analysis, and plotting. The sensitivity analysis and the publication bias test were performed using the R language. I2 and chi-square tests were used to estimate heterogeneity. If P>0.1 or I2 Results. We included 14 studies with 1006 patients diagnosed as advanced breast cancer in total. The pooled effect showed that ADI increased ORR in advanced BC patients as an add-on therapy with little heterogeneity (RR = 1.14, 95% CI 1.03–1.27). DCR in BC patients could not be improved by ADI. ADI improved the KPS score in BC patients compared with chemotherapy alone (MD = 3.26, 95% CI 1.74–4.78). There were no improvements on immune markers except CD4/CD8 and NK%. Serum tumor markers CEA and CA153 were decreased while treated with ADI, but only one trial was involved. ADI decreased the numbers of myelosuppression in advanced BC patients, and AST, ALT, γ-GT, and CK-MB were all decreased. The sensitivity evaluation indicated that the result of the pooled effect size had good stability. Conclusion. This meta-analysis suggested that based on the existing evidence, treatment with ADI significantly changed the ORR of patients with advanced BC and improved their quality of life with few side effects. However, more randomized trials involving larger samples should be considered, and detailed mechanisms are needed to be uncovered.

Study design Retrospective analysis. Objective Our goal was to provide a predictive model and a risk classification system that predicts cancer-specific survival (CSS) from spinal and pelvic tumors. Summary of background data Primary bone tumors of the spinal and pelvic are rare, thus limiting the understanding of the manifestations and survival from these tumors. Nomograms are the graphical representation of mathematical relationships or laws that accurately predict individual survival. Methods A total of 1033 patients with spinal and pelvic bone tumors between 2004 and 2016 were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Multivariate Cox analysis was used on the training set to select significant predictors to build a nomogram that predicted 3- and 5-year CSS. We validate the precision of the nomogram by discrimination and calibration, and the clinical value of nomogram was assessed by making use of a decision curve analyses (DCA). Results Data from 1033 patients with initially-diagnosed spinal and pelvic tumors were extracted from the SEER database. Multivariate analysis of the training cohort, predictors included in the nomogram were age, pathological type, tumor stage, and surgery. The value of C-index was 0.711 and 0.743 for the internal and external validation sets, respectively, indicating good agreement with actual CSS. The internal and external calibration curves revealed good correlation of CSS between the actual observation and the nomogram. Then, the DCA showed greater net benefits than that of treat-all or treat-none at all time points. A novel risk grouping system was established for CSS that can readily divide all patients into three distinct risk groups. Conclusion The proposed nomogram obtained more precision prognostic prediction for patients with initially-diagnosed primary spinal and pelvic tumors. Level of evidence 3.

Optical ultrasonic sensor multiplexing for partial discharge (PD) detection based on a single photodetector is a challenging task. In this paper, we propose a novel multiplexed optical ultrasonic sensing system based on swept frequency interferometry. Optical ultrasonic sensor multiplexing is achieved using different carrier frequencies that depend on the length differences between the sensing fibers and the reference fiber. Only one photodetector is required for multiple-point optical fiber ultrasonic sensing. The experimental results indicate that the ultrasonic signals generated by a partial discharge defect model can be simultaneously detected. Then, the PD defect was accurately localized based on the arrival times of an ultrasonic signal at the multiplexed sensors.

In cardiac myocytes in vitro, hydrogen peroxide induces autophagic cell death and necroptosis. Oxidative stress, myocyte autophagy and necroptosis coexist in heart failure (HF). In this study, we tested the hypothesis that excessive oxidative stress mediates pathological autophagy and necroptosis in myocytes in pressure overload-induced HF. HF was produced by chronic pressure overload induced by abdominal aortic constriction (AAC) in rats. Rats with AAC or sham operation were randomised to orally receive an antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) or placebo for 4 weeks. Echocardiography was performed for the assessments of left ventricular (LV) structure and function. AAC rats exhibited decreased LV fractional shortening (FS) at 4 weeks after surgery. NAC treatment attenuated decreased LV FS in AAC rats. In AAC rats, myocardial level of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine assessed by immunohistochemical staining, indicative of oxidative stress, was increased, LC3 II protein, a marker of autophagy, Beclin1 protein and Atg4b, Atg5, Atg7 and Atg12 mRNA expression were markedly increased, RIP1, RIP3 and MLKL expression, indicative of necroptosis, was increased, and all of the alterations in AAC rats were prevented by the NAC treatment. NAC treatment also attenuated myocyte cross-sectional area and myocardial fibrosis in AAC rats. In conclusion, NAC treatment prevented the increases in oxidative stress, myocyte autophagy and necroptosis and the decrease in LV systolic function in pressure overload-induced HF. These findings suggest that enhanced oxidative stress mediates pathological autophagy and necroptosis in myocytes, leading to LV systolic dysfunction, and antioxidants may be of value to prevent HF through the inhibition of excessive autophagy and necroptosis.

We use a unique data set of 6,954 firm-year observations to investigate the information content of comment letters released by the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE). The information role appears to be...

BACKGROUND The choice of optimal internal fixation device for distal tibial fractures remains controversial. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of open reduction and internal fixation, minimally invasive percutaneous osteosynthesis, and intramedullary nailing of distal tibial fractures in adults using network meta-analysis of data from clinical trials. MATERIAL AND METHODS The studies were abstracted from MEDLINE, EMBASE, CNKI, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Randomized controlled trials meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected. Statistical analyses were conducted using Stata software, version 13.0 (Stata Corporation, College Station, Texas, USA). RESULTS Eleven randomized controlled trials were included. The total number of participants was 710 and the studies were published between 2005 and 2017. There were no significant differences in rates of delayed union, nonunion, or malunion among the various treatments (all p>0.05). The intramedullary nailing group had a lower incidence of wound complications than did the open reduction and internal fixation group and minimally invasive percutaneous osteosynthesis technique group. The SUCRA probabilities were 28.6% for ORIF, 98.4% for IMN, and 22.9% for MIPPO. CONCLUSIONS Given the superior results for intramedullary nailing in terms of wound complications, we recommend this procedure for treatment of distal tibial fractures. More RCTs focused on distal tibial fractures are needed to support the current evidence.

Research Question/Issue. This paper studies the effect of top management team (TMT) network centrality on corporate bond yield spreads. In additional analyses, we examine the hierarchical structures of TMT and study which parts contribute to the decrease in bond yield spreads. We also examine the mediating roles (including informed trading probability, media coverage, political ties, financial ties, and bond ratings) and the moderating roles (including marketization and analysts following) in the correlation between TMT network centrality and corporate bond yield spreads. Research Findings/Insights. This paper finds that firms with high TMT network centrality are significantly negatively correlated with lower bond yield spreads. The findings are robust after controlling for a series of sensitivity checks and endogenous concerns. The results of the hierarchical structures show that the decrease of bond spreads is accounted for CFOs' networks and board members' networks, whereas the role of CEOs' networks is not apparent. More importantly, after controlling CEOs' networks, CFOs' networks, and board members' networks, the centrality of all TMT members' networks remains statistically significant, indicating that firms can benefit from the interlocking of all TMT members (not just the senior members). From the mediating effect results, we find that high TMT network centrality increases the value of a firm's probability of informed trading and its bond ratings while also increasing a firm's access to media coverage, political ties, and financial ties, which in turn can help lower bondholder' risk premiums. The moderating effect results show that the higher the marketization index and the more analysts following a firm, the higher the benefit of TMT network centrality to bond spreads. Theoretical/Academic Implications. The results provide strong evidence that bondholders require lower bond yield spreads for firms with higher TMT network centrality, which suggests that TMT network centrality is critically essential for firms to obtain resources and to build a good corporate image and reputation; TMT network centrality can also lead to better information flow. Practitioner/Policy Implications. This paper can inform various stakeholders about the impact of high TMT network centrality on bond yield spreads. It would be helpful to ensure the reasonable pricing of corporate bonds and to promote healthy and sound development of the bond market.

Complex civil structures require the cooperation of many building materials. However, it is difficult to accurately monitor and evaluate the inner damage states of various material systems. Based on a convolutional neural network (CNN) and the acoustic emission (AE) time-frequency diagram, we used the transfer learning method for classifying the AE signals of different materials under external loads. The results show the CNN model can accurately classify cracks that come from different materials based on AE signals. The recognition accuracy can reach 90% just by re-training the full connection layer of the pre-trained model, and its accuracy can reach 97% after re-training the top 2 convolutional layers of this model. A realization of cracking source identification mainly depends on the differences in mineral particles in materials. This work highlights the great potential for real-time and quantitative monitoring of the health status of composite civil structures.

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P)/S1P receptor 1 signaling exerts cardioprotective effects including inhibition of myocyte apoptosis. However, little is known about the effect of S1P treatment on myocyte autophagy after myocardial infarction (MI). In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that S1P induces myocyte autophagy through inhibition of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), leading to improvement of left ventricular (LV) function after MI. Sprague–Dawley rats underwent MI or sham operation. The animals were randomized to receive S1P (50 μg/kg/day, i.p.) or placebo for one week. H9C2 cardiomyocytes cultured in serum- and glucose-deficient medium were treated with or without S1P for 3 h. MI rats exhibited an increase in LV end-diastolic dimension (EDD) and decreases in LV fractional shortening (FS) and the maximal rate of LV pressure rise (+dP/dt). S1P treatment attenuated the increase in LV EDD and decreases in LV FS and +dP/dt. In the MI placebo group, the LC3 II/I ratio, a marker of autophagy, was increased, and increased further by S1P treatment. S1P also enhanced the autophagy-related proteins Atg4b and Atg5 after MI. Similarly, in cultured cardiomyocytes, autophagy was increased under glucose and serum deprivation, and increased further by S1P treatment. The effect of S1P on myocyte autophagy was associated with mTOR inhibition after MI or in cultured cardiomyocytes under glucose and serum deprivation. S1P treatment prevents LV remodeling, enhances myocyte autophagy and inhibits mTOR activity after MI. These findings suggest that S1P treatment induces myocyte autophagy through mTOR inhibition, leading to the attenuation of LV dysfunction after MI.

Soft tissue sarcoma (STS) of the extremities are a rare tumor. Metastases develop in about 40%-50% of patients, most of whom die from their disease. We sought to identify potential risk factors associated with metastatic diseases upon presentation for patients with STS and established a reliable nomogram model to predict distant metastasis of STS at presentation. The current study retrospectively analyzed 3884 STS of the extremities or trunk patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database between 2010 and 2015. Based on patient registration, all patients were randomly allocated to training sets and validation sets (2:1). Then, univariate and binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine the significantly correlated predictors of metastasis. Finally, the nomogram model was established, using these predictors and validated it. 311 (8.21%) of the cases experienced distant metastatic disease was present at the time of presentation. The nomogram was developed from age, histology subtype, primary site, tumor size, grade and depth. Encouragingly, the nomogram showed favorable calibration with C-index 0.790 in the training set and 0.801 in validation set. The DCA showed that the novel model was clinically useful. This nomogram model had a high precision to predict the metastasis of soft tissue sarcoma of the extremities. We expect this model could be used in different clinical consultation and established risk assessment.

Background: In the past few years, growing evidence supports a preventive role of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy for wheezing or asthma in offspring. However, the optimal dose o...

We analyze a model of evolution of fashion based on a social network game, to be referred to as a fashion game. Each agent in this model is either a conformist or a rebel. A conformist prefers to take the action that is most common among her neighboring agents, whereas a rebel prefers the opposite. When there is only one type of agents, the fashion game possesses an exact potential function and, thus, fashion cycles are unlikely to emerge. This confirms the insightful observation of Simmel (1904) that the heterogeneity of consumers is essential to the emergence of fashion cycles. However, the population composition is not so important. What matters is a more subtle structure factor called the homophily index. Our main finding is that a higher homophily index generally inhibits the emergence of fashion cycles. This is established through the potential analysis, the partial potential analysis, and the stability analysis of a system of ordinary differential equations that is transformed from the stochastic best response dynamic of the fashion game by applying mean-field approximations and the diffusion approximation. In particular, the partial potential analysis is introduced in this paper as an extension of the seminal potential analysis.

Increased oxidative stress and myocyte autophagy co-exist in cardiac remodeling. However, it is unclear whether oxidative stress mediates maladaptive myocyte autophagy in pathological ventricular remodeling. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that antioxidants prevent maladaptive myocyte autophagy in pressure overload-induced left ventricular (LV) remodeling. Sprague-Dawley rats underwent abdominal aortic constriction (AAC) or sham operation. The animals were randomized to receive an antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC), an autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) or placebo treatment for 2 weeks. We measured LV structure and function by echocardiography and hemodynamics, myocyte autophagy and oxidative stress assessed by 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG). AAC rats exhibited increased LV hypertrophy assessed by LV wall thickness and myocyte cross-sectional area. NAC prevented LV hypertrophy in AAC rats. There were no significant differences in LV fractional shortening, end-diastolic dimension and the maximal rate of LV pressure rise among the groups. AAC rats showed an increase in myocardial 8-OHdG that was prevented by NAC. The expression of LC3 II protein, a marker of autophagy, was increased at 2 weeks after AAC. Immunohistochemical scores further confirmed the increase in LC3 expression in AAC rats. The expression of autophagic proteins Beclin1 and Atg12 and ERK activity were also increased in AAC rats. NAC prevented the increases in LC3 II protein, LC3 scores, Beclin1, Atg12 and ERK activity in AAC rats. Inhibition of autophagy by 3-MA prevented LV hypertrophy after pressure overload. These findings suggest that antioxidants may be of value to prevent pressure overload-induced cardiac remodeling through inhibition of maladaptive myocyte autophagy.

This study uses Chinese listed firms during 2009–2014 to examine how conditional skewness (crash risk), the third moment of the return distribution, reacts to the information revealed by site visits. Our results indicate that crash risk increases with site visits. Our findings are robust for multiple measures of crash risk, site visits, firm-fixed effects, endogeneity issues, and different modeling techniques. The effect of site visits on crash risk is stronger for firms with lower disclosure, a high dispersion of investor opinions, in down markets, and at non-SOEs. In addition, we show that site visits provides more firm specific information to the market, reducing their return co-movements with the market. These results indicate that site visits are an important way for market participants to gain information about the firms.

Based on land-use data collected every five years from 1990 to 2010, we quantified land-use dynamics and resultant effects on the ecosystem services along urban-rural gradients of the Guangzhou-Fos...

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in many countries is still very serious. At present, there is no specific and effective drug for this disease. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has played a great role in fighting against COVID-19. However, their effectiveness and safety are still obscure and deserve further investigation. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TCM assisted in conventional treatment in the treatment of mild and common COVID-19. METHODS: PubMed, EMbase, MEDLINE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, WANFANG DATA, and VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized controlled trials of TCM assisted in conventional treatment. The RCT research quality was evaluated by Cochrane 5.1.0 bias risk scale and the non-randomized controlled trial research quality was evaluated by Newcastle Ottawa scale, and the statistical analysis was conducted by Revman 5.3 and R software. The bias and sensitivity of the statistical results were analyzed by STATA 14.0. Registration number: CRD42020210619. RESULTS: Fifteen studies were included with 7 RCT studies and 8 retrospective cohort studies, involving a total of 1623 patients. Compared with the control group, TCM can improve the main index clinical effective rate (odds ratio [OR] = 2.64, 95% Confidence interval (CI) [1.94,3.59], P   z = 0.266) and sensitivity analysis showed that the results were relatively stable. Toujie Quwen (OR = 4.9, 95%CI [1.9,14.0]), Shufeng Jiedu (OR = 2.9, 95%CI [1.5,5.7]), and Lianhua Qingwen (OR = 2.4, 95%CI [1.6,3.6]) were with the best. It can also improve the main clinical symptoms (fever, cough, fatigue, and the regression time of the 3 symptoms), severe conversion rate, and computed tomography improvement rate. Its safety was not significantly compared with conventional treatment. However, in terms of safety of a single TCM, Shufeng Jiedu (OR = -0.86, 95%CI [-1.89,0.09]) and Lianhua Qingwen (OR = -0.49, 95%CI[-0.94,-0.05]) were lower than those of conventional treatment. CONCLUSION: TCM as an adjuvant therapy combined with conventional treatment has good curative effect on mild and common type of COVID-19 patients. Its advantages lie in clinical efficacy and improvement of symptom group, and can prevent patients from transforming to severe disease. In terms of clinical efficacy and safety, Shufeng Jiedu and Lianhua Qingwen have obvious advantages, which are worthy of clinical promotion.

Ecological engineering-based diversified farming systems contribute to the delivery of ecosystem services, which is critical for biological control of pests in agro-ecosystems. In paddy ecosystems, rice stem borers are the most destructive lepidopteran pests that have been studied in detail, but the effects of meteorological factors related to global change on these pests have been scarcely explored. Our 9-year data from Chongming Island of China indicated that there was an exponential decay each year in the numbers of adult pink stem borers and striped stem borers trapped in the lamp in ecological engineering-based diversified farming ecosystems. By stepwise regression analysis, we found that both average daily temperature and average daily wind velocity had significantly negative effects while sunshine duration had a significantly positive effect on the number of adult pink stem borers, and that average daily temperature significantly and positively affected while average daily wind significantly and negatively affected the number of adult striped stem borers. Our study reveals that global warming might promote the occurrence of striped stem borers but inhibit the occurrence of pink stem borers in the future.

The micro-blog texts of the national grid provinces and cities will be analyzed as the main data, including the micro-blogs and corresponding comments, which will help us understand the events of power industry and people’s attitudes towards these events. In this work, the data set is composed of 420,000 micro-blog texts. Firstly, the professional vocabulary of electric power is extracted, and these vocabulary are manually labeled, thus proposing a new field dictionary closely related to the power industry. Secondly, using the new power domain dictionary to classify the 2018 electric micro-blogs, and we can find that classification accuracy increased from 88.7% to 95.2%. Finally, a classification model based on LSTM (Long Short-Term Memory) and RNN (Recurrent Neural Network) is used to deal with the comments under the micro-blog. The experimental result shows that the classification of the LSTM-RNN is more accurate. The rate was 83.1%, which was significantly better than the traditional LSTM and RNN text classification models of 78.4% and 73.1%.

Tritium that is released from nuclear facilities, especially from nuclear reactor units, may be the main origination of tritium in the environment. Atmospheric tritiated water (HTO) is the main chemical form of tritium that is released from nuclear reactor units. HTO in the air, drinking water and foods should be monitored routinely to protect public from the radiological hazards of tritium. Here, concentrations of HTO in the air, drinking water and foods in the vicinity of Qinshan Nuclear Power (QNP) base were measured from 2012 to 2016. And based on the concentrations of HTO measured, annual dose equivalent and collective dose equivalent for adults were calculated to evaluate the radiological hazards derived from HTO. The annual dose equivalent for adults in Qinshan and Wuyuan communities were both far below the dose limit for public exposure, and both showed an increasing trend, indicating that great attention still should be payed to the releasing of tritium from nuclear reactor units in the QNP base.

This study uses Chinese firms to show that CEOs with academic experience obtain bank loans with lower loan spreads, longer maturity, and fewer collateral requirements. They enhance goodwill of the firms (social capital and better-quality earnings reporting) and lower agency costs to reduce loan spread. Academic CEOs engage in a series of stewardship behaviors to improve financial performance. They play a critical role in determining the private debt contracts.

There is debate over the relationship between ownership structure and firm performance. Most existing studies look at established listed companies in developed countries, in which the market mechanism is well developed. Meanwhile, the relationship between ownership structure and firm performance in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in transition countries has been largely ignored. Drawing on endogenous ownership theory, this paper explores the impact of ownership structure on firm performance in SMEs in the context of an embryonic market environment. Using survey data for private firms in Shantou City, China, we find that ownership variables do not have a statistically significant relationship with firm performance. We examine the determinants of changing ownership shares and find that firm size and business instability are related to changes in ownership shares. Our findings support the central tenets of endogenous ownership theory and reveal factors that may lead to the change of ownership structure among SMEs in an emerging market.

We use a recent dataset of 16,082 firm-year observations from publicly traded Chinese firms to show that directors who have prior foreign study or work experience make more corporate donations, a result that supports the path dependency theory related to the effect of prior experiences on subsequent behaviors. The relationship between a director’s prior life experiences and corporate charitable contributions is robust across different types of ownership and industry. We show that corporate donations enable firms to have better access to bank loans, reducing their financial constraints. In addition, these directors appear to consume fewer perquisites, implying lower agency cost with corporate donations.

New findings What is the central question of this study? Does NADPH oxidase activation mediate cardiac sympathetic nerve denervation and dysfunction in heart failure. What is the main findings and its importance? Cardiac sympathetic nerve terminal density and function were reduced in heart failure after myocardial infarction in rabbits. The NADPH oxidase inhibitor apocynin prevented the reduction in cardiac sympathetic nerve terminal density and function in heart failure. This suggest that NADPH oxidase activation mediates cardiac sympathetic nerve terminal abnormalities in heart failure. NADPH oxidase may be a potential therapeutic target for cardiac sympathetic denervation and dysfunction in heart failure. Abstract Congestive heart failure (CHF) is characterized by cardiac sympathetic nerve terminal abnormalities, as evidenced by decreased noradrenaline transporter (NAT) density and cardiac catecholaminergic and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) profiles. These alterations are associated with increased reactive oxygen species (ROS). NADPH oxidase is a major source of ROS in CHF. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that NADPH oxidase activation mediates cardiac sympathetic nerve terminal abnormalities in CHF. CHF was produced by myocardial infarction (MI) in rabbits. Rabbits with MI or a sham operation were randomized to orally receive an NADPH oxidase inhibitor, apocynin (6 mg kg-1 day-1 ), or placebo for 30 days. MI rabbits exhibited left ventricular dilatation, systolic dysfunction, and increases in NADPH oxidase activity and 4-hydroxynonenal expression in the remote non-infarcted myocardium, all of which were prevented by treatment with apocynin. Cardiac catecholaminergic histofluorescence profiles and immunostained TH and PGP9.5 expression were decreased, and the decreases were ameliorated by apocynin treatment. NAT, TH and PGP9.5 protein and mRNA expression were reduced and the reduction was mitigated by apocynin treatment. The effects of apocynin were confirmed by utilizing the NADPH oxidase inhibitor diphenyleneiodonium in a separate experiment. In conclusion, the NADPH oxidase inhibitor apocynin attenuated increased myocardial oxidative stress and decreased cardiac sympathetic nerve terminals in CHF after MI in rabbits. These findings suggest that the activation of NADPH oxidase mediates cardiac sympathetic nerve terminal abnormalities in CHF, and the inhibition of NADPH oxidase may be beneficial for the treatment of heart failure.

Vestibular compensation is responsible for the spontaneous recovery of postural, locomotor, and oculomotor dysfunctions in patients with peripheral vestibular lesion or posterior circulation stroke. Mechanism investigation of vestibular compensation is of great importance in both facilitating recovery of vestibular function and understanding the postlesion functional plasticity in the adult CNS. Here, we report that postsynaptic histamine H1 receptor contributes greatly to facilitating vestibular compensation. The expression of H1 receptor is restrictedly increased in the ipsilesional rather than contralesional GABAergic projection neurons in the medial vestibular nucleus (MVN), one of the most important centers for vestibular compensation, in unilateral labyrinthectomized male rats. Furthermore, H1 receptor mediates an asymmetric excitation of the commissural GABAergic but not glutamatergic neurons in the ipsilesional MVN, which may help to rebalance bilateral vestibular systems and promote vestibular compensation. Selective blockage of H1 receptor in the MVN significantly retards the recovery of both static and dynamic vestibular symptoms following unilateral labyrinthectomy, and remarkably attenuates the facilitation of betahistine, whose effect has traditionally been attributed to its antagonistic action on the presynaptic H3 receptor, on vestibular compensation. These results reveal a previously unknown role for histamine H1 receptor in vestibular compensation and amelioration of vestibular motor deficits, as well as an involvement of H1 receptor in potential therapeutic effects of betahistine. The findings provide not only a new insight into the postlesion neuronal circuit plasticity and functional recovery in the CNS, but also a novel potential therapeutic target for vestibular disorders.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTVestibular disorders manifest postural imbalance, nystagmus, and vertigo. Vestibular compensation is critical for facilitating recovery from vestibular disorders, and of great importance in understanding the postlesion functional plasticity in the adult CNS. Here, we show that postsynaptic H1 receptor in the medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) contributes greatly to the recovery of both static and dynamic symptoms following unilateral vestibular lesion. H1 receptor selectively mediates the asymmetric activation of commissural inhibitory system in the ipsilesional MVN and actively promotes vestibular compensation. The findings provide not only a new insight into the postlesion neuronal circuit plasticity and functional recovery of CNS, but also a novel potential therapeutic target for promoting vestibular compensation and ameliorating vestibular disorders.

Background and purpose: epidemiological studies that assess the association of dietary total carbohydrate intake and inflammatory bowel disease risk (IBD) have yielded controversial results. Therefore, this study of various epidemiological studies was conducted in order to explore this relationship. Methods: a systematic literature search of the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Medline databases was performed up to September 2017. Cohort, case-control or cross-sectional design studies were included that reported the association of dietary carbohydrate intake and IBD risk. Summary odds ratio (OR) and the corresponding 95% CI were calculated using the random effects model. Results: a total of eight articles with 15 individual studies that included 1,361 cases were eligible according to the inclusion criteria. Dietary carbohydrate intake had a non-significant relationship with the risk of IBD (OR = 1.091, 95% CI = 0.817-1.455, I2 = 31.6%, pfor heterogeneity = 0.116). The pooled OR and 95% CI for ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) with regard to dietary carbohydrate intake was 1.167 (0.777-1.752) and 1.010 (0.630-1.618), respectively. These associations were also non-significant in both European and Asia populations. Conclusions: a higher dietary total carbohydrate intake had a non-significant relationship with IBD risk. Further studies with large populations are needed to verify this relationship.

With the variety of medical imaging equipment’s application in the medical process,medical image registration becomes particularly important in the field of medical image processing,which has important clinical diagnostic and therapeutic value. This article describes the matrix conversion method of the rigid registration model, the basic concepts and principles of the mutual information algorithm ,the basic idea of genetic algorithms and algorithm’s flow , and the application of the improved genetic algorithms in practice. The rigid registration of two CT brain bones images uses mutual information as a similarity measure, genetic algorithm as the search strategy and matlab as programming environment. Using the three-point crossover technique to exchange the three parameters in the rigid transformation repeectively to produce new individuals, the genetic algorithm’s local search ability enhanced and the prematurity phenomenon can be reduced through the depth study of the basic genetic algorithm. The experiments show that the registration has high stability and accuracy.

In order to improve the prediction accuracy of busy telephone traffic, this study proposes a busy telephone traffic prediction method that combines wavelet transformation and least square support vector machine (lssvm) model which is optimized by particle swarm optimization (pso) algorithm. Firstly, decompose the pretreatment of busy telephone traffic data with mallat algorithm and get low frequency component and high frequency component. Secondly, reconfigure each component and use pso_lssvm model predict each reconfigured one. Then the busy telephone traffic can be achieved. The experimental results show that the prediction model has higher prediction accuracy and stability.

Objective: This study was designed to develop a nomogram for assessing the survival of patients with Ewing sarcoma (ES). Methods: Data from patients diagnosed with ES between 2004 and 2013 were collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Based on patient registration, the primary cohort was divided into a training set (n = 479, data from 17 cancer registries) and a validation set (n = 137, data from 1 cancer registry). Then, the prognostic effects of variables were analyzed using Kaplan–Meier method and Cox proportional hazard model. Moreover, nomograms were established for estimating 3- and 5-year overall survival (OS) and cancer-special survival (CSS) based on Cox regression model. Last, nomogram was validated by training set and validation set. Results: According to the multivariate analysis of training set, nomogram which combined age, race, stage, tumor site, tumor size and chemotherapy was identified. The internal bootstrap resampling approach suggested the nomogram had sufficient discriminatory power with the C-index of OS: 0.754 (95% CI, 0.705–0.802) and CSS: 0.759 (95% CI, 0.700–0.800). The calibration plots also demonstrated good consistence between the prediction and the observation. Conclusion: Our nomogram is a reliable and powerful tool for distinguishing and predicting the survival of ES patients, thus helping to better select medical examinations and optimize treatment options in collaboration with medical oncologists and surgeons. Keywords: Ewing sarcoma, SEER, Nomogram

Objectives To investigate accuracy of high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of temporal bone in revealing fallopian canal fracture among the patients with traumatic facial paralysis. Methods HRCT of temporal bone with cross-sectional scanning and multi-planar reformation (MPR) was performed on 31 patients with traumatic facial paralysis, and fracture sites of fallopian canal revealed by HRCT were retrospectively analyzed and compared with surgical findings. Results HRCT of temporal bone showed fracture of fallopian canal at geniculate ganglion in 25 cases, at tympanic segment in 15 cases, at labyrinthine segment in 5 cases, at pyramid segment in 2 cases, and at mastoid segment in one case, while surgical findings revealed that fracture involved geniculate ganglion in 27 cases, labyrinthine segment in 5, tympanic segment in 19, pyramid segment in 12, and mastoid segment in 9; the sensitivity of HRCT of temporal bone to detect fracture at such sites was 88.9%, 100%, 52.6%, 16.7% and 11.1%, respectively, and the specificity was 96.0%, 100%, 66.7%, 100% and 100%, respectively. Conclusion HRCT of temporal bone was able to accurately reveal fracture of fallopian canal at geniculate ganglion and labyrinthine segment in the vast majority cases, but severely underestimated fracture at pyramid segment and mastoid segment of fallopian canal.

With the rapid development of multimedia technology and internet, video surveillance technology has been widely applied to various fields of people's daily life, and it is important to study the application of video surveillance in intelligent traffic . Object: The design is for traffic video monitoring, and the traffic lights can be controlled through the video processing technology. Studying the relevant information obtained from the traffic video, the traffic lights can be controlled. Step: First, use the improved frame difference method, which is called as finite difference method, to pick up moving vehicle. Then, remove the noise using dilation and corrosion algorithm, which belong to mathematical morphology operation. Finally, count the vehicle data using the virtual loop method, and return the traffic flow information which acts as reference information of traffic lights controlling.

Object: To optimize the rigidity registration algorithm between X-ray fluoroscopy and CT, and improve the accuracy of registration. Method: By changing the transmission parameters of the ray tracing, it can obtain the original DRR images and the float DRR image for registration. In trials, it uses ant colony algorithm as the optimized search strategy and Mutual information as the similarity measure. Result: ant colony algorithm and the improved ant colony algorithm compared to the classic Powell algorithm to improve the accuracy of registration about 10% and 20%, achieved good results. Conclusion: Ant Colony Algorithm as optimization search strategy can effectively solve the local minima problem in 2D-3D medical image registration, and further improve the accuracy of registration.

Isotropic consolidation test and consolidated-undrained triaxial test were first undertaken to obtain the parameters of the modified cam-clay (MCC) model and the behavior of natural clayey soil. Then, for the first time, numerical simulation of the two tests was performed by three-dimensional finite element method (FEM) using ABAQUS program. The consolidated-drained triaxial test was also simulated by FEM and compared with theoretical results of MCC model. Especially, the behaviors of MCC model during unloading and reloading were analyzed in detail by FEM. The analysis and comparison indicate that the MCC model is able to accurately describe many features of the mechanical behavior of the soil in isotropic consolidation test and consolidated-drained triaxial test. And the MCC model can well describe the variation of excess pore water pressure with the development of axial strain in consolidated-undrained triaxial test, but its ability to predict the relationship between axial strain and shear stress is relatively poor. The comparison also shows that FEM solutions of the MCC model are basically identical to the theoretical ones. In addition, Mandel-Cryer effect unable to be discovered by the conventional triaxial test in laboratories was disclosed by FEM. The analysis of unloading-reloading by FEM demonstrates that the MCC model disobeys the law of energy conservation under the cyclic loading condition if the elastic shear modulus is linearly pressure-dependent.

Purpose – Using panel data for the period 2004-2010, this study shows that political connections have a significant positive effect on corporate overinvestment in China while their interaction with related-party transactions has a negative effect. Results also indicate that state-owned enterprises (SOEs) controlled by the Chinese central government tend to have greater overinvestment than non-SOEs. However, their interaction with related-party transactions has an opposite effect on overinvestment, lending support to the conjecture that firm ownership structure plays a significant role in corporate overinvestment decisions. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Panel data analysis and regression. Findings – This study shows that political connections have a significant positive effect on corporate overinvestment in China while their interaction with related-party transactions has a negative effect. Results also indicate that SOEs controlled by the Chinese central government tend to have greater overinvestment than non-SOEs. Research limitations/implications – The research shows some Chinese firms' behavior that indicates expropriation of minority stockholders. Policymakers should be aware of this issue as overinvestment is not good for the economy as a while. The limitation of the study is based on six-year data. Practical implications – Stockholders should monitor the firms to mitigate the overinvestment problems in Chinese firms. Originality/value – This is the first paper to examine the overinvestment issue along with related-party transactions and political connections.

P/M main bearing caps are important structure parts in automotive engines. They have special shape and high precision and endure complicated load in using. After analysis the structure and property characteristics, we use Fe-C-Cu-Ni material, double-action-floating-pressing technology, liquid-phase sintering technology to develop the P/M bearing caps. After a series of test, inspection and loading test, we defined the manufacture technology of bearing caps and realized mass production.

Background/Aims: The alterations in myocyte autophagy after myocardial infarction (MI) and the underlying mechanisms have not been fully understood. In this study, we investigated the temporal changes of myocyte autophagy in the remote non-infarcted myocardium in rabbits after MI and the relationships between alterations of myocyte autophagy and left ventricular (LV) remodeling and myocardial oxidative stress. Methods: Rabbits were assigned to MI or sham operation. Rabbits with MI or sham were randomly assigned to receive chloroquine, an autophagy inhibitor, antioxidant vitamins C and E or placebo for 4 weeks. H9C2 cardiomyocytes were subjected to hypoxia or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) treatment. Results: MI rabbits exhibited progressive increases of LV end-diastolic dimension (EDD), and decreases of LV fractional shortening (FS) and dP/dt over 8 weeks. Myocyte autophagy assessed by the scores of LC3 and Beclin1 expression was progressively decreased at 1, 4 and 8 weeks after MI. The ratio of LC3 II/I and Beclin1 and Atg5 proteins were also decreased at 4 weeks after MI. There was a negative correlation between autophagy and LV EDD and a positive correlation between autophagy and LV FS and dP/dt. The autophagy inhibitor chloroquine worsened LV remodeling after MI. Decreased myocyte autophagy was associated with increased myocardial 4-hydroxynonenal. Antioxidant vitamins C and E prevented the decrease in myocyte autophagy after MI. In cultured H9C2 cardiomyocytes, the LC3 II/I ratio was decreased at 4 and 8 h after exposure to hypoxia, and the change was associated with increased 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine. A low concentration of H2O2 decreased the LC3 II/I ratio. Conclusion: Progressive reduction in myocyte autophagy in the remote non-infarcted myocardium was associated with myocardial oxidative stress and LV remodeling after MI. Antioxidants prevented the reduction in myocyte autophagy after MI, suggesting that oxidative stress mediates reduction in myocyte autophagy that contributes to post-MI remodeling.

This paper develops a theoretical model to study features of the evolving ownership structures of private enterprises in Zhejiang Province, China. The model predicts that in a developing economy where the market environment is immature or unstable, the ownership structure of a typical private enterprise involves a cooperative arrangement between a party with management skills and another party with Guanxi (connections). As the market environment becomes more stable, the ownership share of the party with management skills increases. This result is confirmed by empirical evidence of 296 surveyed firms in Ningbo city of China, showing that the perceived importance of both government and family Guanxi declined with perceived improvements in market stability.

There has been ample evidence suggesting that ¡°tunneling¡± or expropriation of minority shareholders by the controlling shareholders has been a serious problem in the share market in China. This remains the case, despite the fact that the share division arrangement has been discontinued, and shares owned by different shareholders are now treated equally in share market (full circulation). Empirical studies suggest that improved legal protection of investors and enhanced regulation are efficient and essential measures to restrict tunneling. There are, however, few studies that have explored this topic theoretically. Aiming to fill this gap in the literature, this paper sets up a mixed-strategy game between the regulator (the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC)) and a controlling shareholder of a representative company to analyze the strategies of both sides and investigate factors that may curb tunneling. Based on the model, recommendations on how to restrict expropriation of minority shareholders are presented. Results from this model provide theoretical support for empirical studies.

For the past few years, noise pollution has been more and more serious, and it may lead to several diseases. While the humans expose to noise in quantity for a long time, their blood pressure will change, and even cause changes in cardiac function. In our study, we attempt to find the relationship between occupational noise and hypertension and impaired hearing, cardiac function. It may be helpful to obtain some useful information on occupational noise exposure of humans. The participants were divided into noisy group ≥90 dB (A) and non-noisy group ≤70 dB (A). We performed this research in an automobile manufacturing company of Chongqing, China during 2011-2012. Our study showed that there may be positive associations between occupational noise and hypertension and impaired hearing, but no conclusion can be drawn between occupational noise and ECG.

Background: Cadmium is a widespread environmental and occupational pollutant that accumulates in human body with a biological half-life exceeding 10 years. Cadmium exposure has been demonstrated to increase rates of cardiovascular diseases. Whether occupational cadmium exposure is associated with the increase in the prevalence of dyslipidemia and hence contributes to the risk of cardiovascular diseases is still equivocal. To test the hypothesis that exposure to cadmium is related to the prevalence of dyslipidemia, we examined the associations between blood cadmium concentration and the prevalence of dyslipidemia in workers occupationally exposed to cadmium in China. Methods: A cross-sectional survey on demographic data, blood cadmium level and lipid profile in cadmium exposed workers from seven cadmium smelting factories in central and southwestern China was conducted. We measured blood cadmium concentration and lipid components of 1489 cadmium exposed workers. The prevalence of dyslipidemia was compared across blood cadmium quartiles. Associations between the blood cadmium concentrations and the prevalence of dyslipidemia were assessed using confounder adjusted linear and logistic regressions. Results: The blood cadmium concentration was 3.61±0.84µg/L ( mean ±SD). The prevalence of dyslipidemia in this occupational population was 66.3%. Mean blood cadmium concentration of workers with dyslipedemia was significantly higher than that of workers without dyslipidemia (p

A nondestructive measurement approach is presented in this paper, which is capable of determining sugar content in cantaloupe from the dielectric property. The approach is based on measured equivalent capacitance and equivalent resistance of the cantaloupe, and on data analysis using quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO) and Grey radial basis function (RBF) neural network. First, accumulated generating operation (AGO) in Grey forecasting is used to convert the initial observed data to obtain the accumulated data with strong regularity, which are employed to model and train the radial basis function neural network. Second, it adopted quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization algorithm to train the centers and widths of radial basis function. This model not only prevented the problem that the parameters of neural network are hard to be tuned, but also improved the network precision of prediction. Experimental results revealed that the predictive model as proposed has good predictive effect for the measurement of sugar in cantaloupes.

The aim of the study was to test whether calcium citrate combined with rhBMP-2 was able to enhance bone regeneration compared with a matrix containing only rhBMP-2. In each of experimental mice, one cylinder of calcium citrate–rhBMP-2 or rhBMP-2 alone was implanted into the thigh muscle pouches of the mouse. The following two treatment modalities were randomly allocated: (1) empty control with rhBMP-2 alone in a gelatin matrix and (2) a gelatin matrix including both calcium citrate and BMP-2. After several weeks, bone granules were obtained by histological analysis. Histomorphometric analysis showed the greatest amount of newly formed bone was observed in the group that contained 10.0 mg calcium citrate with 2.0 mg rhBMP-2 (p