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Refereed/Peer-reviewed Microplastics exposure is a new human health crisis. Although progress in understanding health effects of microplastic exposure has been made, microplastic impacts on absorption of co-exposure toxic pollutants such as arsenic (As), i.e., oral bioavailability, remain unclear. Microplastic ingestion may interfere As biotransformation, gut microbiota, and/or gut metabolites, thereby affecting As oral bioavailability. Here, mice were exposed to arsenate (6 μg As g−1) alone and in combination with polyethylene particles of 30 and 200 μm (PE-30 and PE-200 having surface area of 2.17 × 103 and 3.23 × 102 cm2 g−1) in diet (2, 20, and 200 μg PE g−1) to determine the influence of microplastic co-ingestion on arsenic (As) oral bioavailability. By determining the percentage of cumulative As consumption recovered in urine of mice, As oral bioavailability increased significantly (P < 0.05) from 72.0 ± 5.41% to 89.7 ± 6.33% with PE-30 at 200 μg PE g−1 rather than with PE-200 at 2, 20, and 200 μg PE g−1 (58.5 ± 19.0%, 72.3 ± 6.28%, and 69.2 ± 17.8%). Both PE-30 and PE-200 exerted limited effects on pre- and post-absorption As biotransformation in intestinal content, intestine tissue, feces, and urine. They affected gut microbiota dose-dependently, with lower exposure concentrations having more pronounced effects. Consistent with the PE-30-specific As oral bioavailability increase, PE exposure significantly up-regulated gut metabolite expression, and PE-30 exerted greater effects than PE-200, suggesting that gut metabolite changes may contribute to As oral bioavailability increase. This was supported by 1.58–4.07-fold higher As solubility in the presence of up-regulated metabolites (e.g., amino acid derivatives, organic acids, and pyrimidines and purines) in the intestinal tract assessed by an in vitro assay. Our results suggested that microplastic exposure especially smaller particles may exacerbate the oral bioavailability of As, providing a new angle to understand health effects of microplastics.

The primary aim was to identify potential risk factors for early conversion to total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in patients with high tibial osteotomy (HTO) surgery. A retrospective study was conducted and 240 patients received HTO surgery between January 2008 and January 2014 were included in this study. The associations between different clinical factors and HTO survivorship were analyzed. A logistic regression analysis was performed to detect independent risk factors for HTO survivorship. The cut-off value, sensitivity and specificity of these independent factors were calculated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. In this study, thirty-five (14.6%) patients were early conversion to TKA within a 5-year follow-up. These results indicated that age, body mass index (BMI), preoperative Kellgren-Lawrence (K-L) grade and preoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) score were potential risk factors for HTO survivorship. The cut-off values of those factors were 60 years, 25.35 kg/m

Standard reference materials (SRMs) have been commonly used to perform quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) in soil total metal concentration analyses or bioaccessibility assessment. In this study, 10 experimenters from 4 laboratories determined bioaccessibility of lead (Pb) in 4 widely-used SRMs (NIST 2710a, NIST 2587, BGS 102, and GBW 07405). Based on the gastric phase (GP) of the unified BARGE bioaccessibility method (UBM) and the Solubility Bioavailability Research Consortium procedure (SBRC), Pb bioaccessibility in SRMs was compared within and between laboratories to assess their intra-laboratory repeatability and inter-laboratory reproducibility. Lead bioaccessibility was 14.1 ± 2.44%-101 ± 2.48% in the 4 SRMs. The values were in vivo validated based on a mouse model in previous studies (R

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary malignant bone tumor in adolescents. The molecular mechanism behind OS progression and metastasis remains poorly understood, which limits the effectiveness of current therapies. RNA NLiquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), dot blotting, and colorimetric ELISA were used to detect mWe observed the abundance of mOur study revealed that METTL14 contributes to OS progression and ATRA resistance as an mThis work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants 81972510 and 81772864).

Toxoplasmosis post serious threaten to human health, leading to severely eye and brain disease, especially for immunocompromised patients and pregnant women. The multiple side effects and long dosing period of current main treatment regiments calls for high effective and low toxicity anti-toxoplasmosis drugs. Herein, we report our efforts to synthesize a series of 2-(piperazin-1-yl)quinazolin-4(3 H )-one derivatives and investigate their acivity against Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites in vitro based on cell phenotype screening. Among the 26 compounds, 8w and 8x with diarylether moiety at the side chain of piperazine exhibited good efficacy to inhibit T . gondii, with IC 50 values of 4 μM and 3 μM, respectively. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies implies that hydrophobic aryl at the side chain would be preferred for improvement of activity. Molecular docking study reveales these two compounds appeared high affinity to Tg CDPK1 by interaction with the hydrophobic pocket of ATP-binding cleft.two compounds appeared high affinity to Tg CDPK1 by interaction with the hydrophobic pocket of ATP-binding cleft.

Atmospheric fine particulate matters (PM2.5) pose significant risks to human health through inhalation, especially in the rapidly developing China due to air pollution. The harmful effects of PM2.5 are determined not only by its concentrations and hazardous components from diverse sources, but more by their bioavailable fractions actually absorbed by human body. To accurately estimate the inhalation risks of airborne metals, a physiologically based bioaccessibility method combining Simulated Lung Fluid (SLF) extraction and Diffusive Gradients in Thin-films (DGT) approaches was developed, representing the dissolution of particulate metals into lung fluid and the subsequent lung absorption of free metal cations in solution, respectively. The new method was used to compare the lung bioaccessibility of typical trace metals in PM2.5 from three China megacities (Shanghai and Nanjing in the east, Guangzhou in south) during heavy pollution seasons. Generally, the SLF bioaccessibility (%) simulating the solubility of particulate metals in alveolar lung fluid was in order of Ni > Cd > Mn » Pb, while the succeeding DGT bioaccessibility representing labile metal fractions in solution phase absorbed directly by lung was lower and ranked as Ni ∼ Mn > Cd » Pb, thus Ni and Cd posed relatively higher potential risks owing to their high air pollution level and higher pulmonary bioaccessibility. Due to varied particle sources such as coal combustion and traffic emissions, some airborne metal concentrations (Pb, Ni) showed inconsistent spatial patterns with bulk PM2.5 concentrations, and also varied bioaccessibility in different regions. The framework for PM2.5 pollution risk assessments should be refined by considering both aerosol components and associated pollutants' bioaccessibility.

Geogenic Ni exposure via food consumption and soil ingestion was assessed by analyzing Ni concentration and oral bioavailability in soil, wheat, and rice Accumulation and oral bioavailability of nickel (Ni) were rarely assessed for staple crops grown in high geogenic Ni soils. To assess exposure risk of geogenic Ni, soil, wheat, and rice samples were collected from a naturally high background Ni area and measured for Ni oral relative bioavailability (RBA, relative to NiSO4) using a newly developed mouse urinary Ni excretion bioassay. Results showed that soils were enriched with Ni (80.5 ± 23.0 mg kg−1, n = 58), while high Ni contents were observed in rice (2.66 ± 1.46 mg kg−1) and wheat (1.32 ± 0.78 mg kg−1) grains, with rice containing ∼2-fold higher Ni content than wheat. Ni-RBA was low in soil (14.8 ± 7.79%, n = 18), but high in wheat and rice with rice Ni-RBA (85.9 ± 19.1%, n = 9) being ∼2-fold higher than wheat (46.1 ± 21.2%, n = 16). A negative correlation (r = 0.61) was observed between Ni-RBA and iron content in rice and wheat, suggesting the low iron status of rice drives its high Ni bioavailability. The higher Ni accumulation and bioavailability for rice highlights that rice consumption was a more important contributor to daily Ni intake compared to wheat, while Ni intake from direct soil ingestion was negligible. This study suggests a potential health risk of staple crops especially rice when grown in high geogenic Ni areas. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

To understand how Cd in different fractions contributes to Cd bioaccessibility by in vitro assays, Cd bioaccessibility in 12 contaminated soils was determined by four assays (UBM, SBRC, IVG, and PBET) and correlated with different Cd fractions based on a sequential extraction scheme. The Cd bioaccessibility in the gastric phase (GP) was high (35–107%, averaging at 77%), implicating high risk to human health, while it decreased to 19–88% averaging at 47% in the intestinal phased (IP). From the GP to IP, the reduction of extractable Cd (0.45–48 mg kg−1) and Fe (118–3884 mg kg−1) showed significant correlation (R = 0.54–0.74) via UBM, SBRC, and IVG, suggesting co-precipitation with Fe and/or sorption onto Fe oxides maybe responsible for decrease in Cd bioaccessibility. Although Cd bioaccessibility varied among assays, their results show some consistency based on their correlation in the GP (R = 0.56–0.90) and IP (0.34–0.73, excluding UBM-IP and PBET-IP). Sequential extraction data show that Cd was primarily associated with the exchangeable fraction (E1; 7.05–72.9%, averaging 39.4%). The carbonate (C2; 6.86–44.8%, 21.9%) and Fe/Mn oxides fraction (F3; 12.5–53.6%, 28.2%) were similar, while organic (O4; 0.62–25.0%, 7.91%) and residual fraction (R5; 0.22–8.54%, 2.62%) were the lowest. Significant correlation (R = 0.59–0.88) between the first two fractions (E1+C2) and bioaccessible Cd suggest they were the main sources of bioaccessible Cd in those contaminated soils.

Cancerous human liver cell line has been used to test the hepatic toxicity of indoor dust, showing its organic extract decreases cell viability. However, little is known about its impact on normal human liver cell line. In the present study, we compared the cellular responses between carcinoma cell line (HepG2) and normal cell line (HL-7702) after exposing to 10-640 μg/100 μL organic dust extract for 24 h. The dust extract caused cytotoxicity, oxidative damage, inflammatory response and loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential (MMP) in both cells. The inhibition of cell viability in HL-7702 cells was stronger than that in HepG2 cells, with HL-7702 cells having lower LC50. Higher production of oxidative stress, more loss of MMP and stronger suppression of antioxidant enzymes mRNA level occurred in HepG2 cells, while mRNA expression and hepcidin secretion were enhanced in HL-7702 cells at 40/100 μL, indicating the dust extract probably perturbed their liver Fe homeostasis. Our data showed considerable differences in cellular responses between normal and cancerous cell lines. To obtain accurate data, normal hepatocytes should be employed as they better match with the in vivo tissue than cancerous cell lines.

Arsenic contamination in drinking water is a worldwide issue, posing threat to human health. Arsenic is an endocrine system disruptor, however, limited information is available regarding its long-term effects on thyroid endocrine system at low exposure. In this study, we assessed the thyroid toxicity of arsenate (AsV) and arsenite (AsIII) at 10–100 μg L−1 in juvenile mice after 8-week of exposure via drinking water. After 1–2 week, AsV and AsIII had little influence on thyroxine (T4) level (56.3–64.7 μg L−1) in mouse blood compared to control mice at 57.3–60.7 μg L−1. However, after 4–8 weeks, 10 μg L−1 AsIII or AsV increased T4 levels to 83.8–88.8 μg L−1 compared to control treatment at 77.2–80.0 μg L−1, while 100 μg L−1 AsV or AsIII decreased T4 levels except for 100 μg L−1 AsIII for 8 weeks. Based on transmission electron microscopy, exposure to 100 μg L−1 AsIII or AsV for 8 weeks caused thyroid gland damage. In addition, exposure to AsV or AsIII at 10 or 100 μg L−1 impacted gene transcription of hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis including thyroid stimulating hormone and iodothyronine deiodinases. Our data demonstrated that exposing to low levels of AsIII or AsV disrupted T4 homeostasis, influenced the related gene transcription and damaged the thyroid glands in juvenile mice.

Increasing studies have suggested that microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the development of gliomas. MicroRNA-216a has been reported to be a tumor-associated miRNA in many types of cancer, either as an oncogene or as a tumor suppressor. However, little is known about the function of miR-216a in gliomas. The present study was designed to explore the potential role of miR-216a in gliomas. We found that miR-216a was significantly decreased in glioma tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of miR-216a significantly suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of glioma cells. Leucine-rich repeat-containing G protein-coupled receptor 5 (LGR5) was identified as a target gene of miR-216a in glioma cells by bioinformatics analysis, dual-luciferase reporter assay, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and Western blot analysis. Moreover, miR-216a overexpression inhibited the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. The restoration of LGR5 expression markedly reversed the antitumor effect of miR-216a in glioma cells. Taken together, these findings suggest a tumor suppressor role for miR-216a in gliomas, which inhibits glioma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by targeting LGR5. Our study suggests that miR-216a may serve as a potential therapeutic target for future glioma treatment.

Arsenic (As) in soils is of major environmental concern due to its ubiquity and carcinogenicity. Pteris vittata (Chinese brake fern) is the first known As-hyperaccumulator, which is highly efficient in extracting As from soils and translocating it to the fronds, making it possible to be used for phytoremediation of As-contaminated soils. In addition, P. vittata has served as a model plant to study As metabolisms in plants. Based on the recent advances, we reviewed the mechanisms of efficient As solubilization and transformation in rhizosphere soils of P. vittata and effective As uptake, translocation and detoxification in P. vittata. We also provided future research perspectives to further improve As phytoremediation by P. vittata.

Lead bioavailability in contaminated soils varies considerably depending on Pb speciation and sources of contamination. However, little information is available on bioavailability of Pb associated with different fractions. In this study, the Tessier sequential extraction was used to fractionate Pb in 3 contaminated soils to exchangeable (F1), carbonate-bound (F2), Fe/Mn oxides-bound (F3), organic-bound (F4), and residual fractions (F5). In addition, soil residues after F1–F2 extraction (F345), F1–F3 extraction (F45), and F1–F4 extraction (F5) were measured for Pb relative bioavailability (RBA) using a mouse kidney model. Based on the mouse model, Pb-RBA in the soils was 44–93%, which decreased to 43–89%, 28–75%, and 15–68% in the F345, F45, and F5 fractions, respectively. Based on Pb-RBA in the soil residues, Pb-RBA in different fractions was calculated based on a mass balance. The data showed that Pb-RBA was the highest (∼100%) in the exchangeable and carbonate fraction, and the lowest (15–68%) in the residual fraction. In addition, Pb in the first three fractions (F1–F3) contributed most (83–89%) to bioavailable Pb in contaminated soils. Our study shed light on oral bioavailability of Pb in contaminated soils of different fractions based on sequential extraction and provide important information for soil remediation.

Environmental air pollutants pose significant threats to public health, especially the toxicity and diseases caused by the atmospheric fine particulate matters (PM2.5). Since the health risks vary with both the concentrations and compositions of PM2.5 which are determined by aerosol sources, how are their toxic effects relevant to the pollution level becomes an important issue, such as the haze episodes covering clean and polluted days. With the transition from non-pollution to pollution stage, daily PM2.5 samples were collected from both the urban and industrial areas of Nanjing city, eastern China, covering a typical haze event in autumn-winter. Their unpropitious effects on human lung epithelial cells (A549) were compared by in vitro toxicity assays and chemical component analysis. Both air levels and cytotoxic effects of PM2.5 varied with the transition of haze event. Although the concentration of PM2.5 in air is of course the highest in pollution stage driven by local stable meteorological condition, unit mass of them posed higher toxicity (lower cell viability and higher IL-6) but induced lower cell oxidative (evidences of ROS and NQO1 mRNA expression) and inflammatory cytokine TNF-α responses than those particles during non-pollution stage. These patterns were explained by the metals and water-soluble components decreased with the haze development. Non-soluble particulate carbonaceous aerosol compositions might play a significant role in inducing cytotoxicity. Moreover, the regional pattern of episode pollution weakened the spatial variation within a city scale. Since the haze development intensified both the quantity and toxicity of PM2.5 in air, the health risks of overall aerosol exposure were synthetically amplified during haze weather, so the increased air particles with higher toxic components from fuel combustion sources should be key targets of pollution control.

Lead (Pb) exposure is known to affect the health of children while soil Pb is an important contributor to human Pb exposure. To analyze the effects of both environmental and other factors, especially total and bioaccessible Pb in neighborhood soil, on school-aged urban children’s blood lead level (BLL), 75 children (6–11 years old) were recruited from an industry city in eastern China for BLL measurement and questionnaire survey. Soil samples were collected from their living neighborhoods and measured for total and bioaccessible Pb. The mean BLL was 4.82 μg dL−1, with 42 out of 75 children having BLL exceeding the international guideline of 5 μg dL−1. Low Pb contamination was observed in soil with total Pb ranging from 12.5 to 271 mg kg−1 (mean 34.3 mg kg−1). Based on the in vitro Solubility Bioaccessibility Research Consortium (SBRC) gastric fluid extraction, bioaccessible Pb in soil ranged from 0.40 to 79.1 mg kg−1 (mean 7.58 mg kg−1) with Pb bioaccessibility ranging from 1.74 to 68.1 (mean 19.9%). When BLL was correlated with total Pb in soil, insignificant linear relationship was observed (P > 0.05, correlation coefficient 95%CI = −0.047–0.40, R2 = 0.07). However, when BLL was correlated with soil bioaccessible Pb or Pb bioaccessibility, much stronger linear relationships were observed (P

Arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) are ubiquitous in the environment and they are both toxic to humans. When present in soils, they can enter food chain, thereby threatening human health. Water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) is an important leafy vegetable, which is widely consumed in Asian countries. However, it is efficient in taking up As and Cd from soils and accumulating them in the edible parts. Therefore, it is of significance to reduce its As and Cd content, especially in contaminated soil. In this study, pot experiments were conducted to investigate the ability of As-hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata in reducing As and Cd uptake by water spinach under different phosphorus treatments. P. vittata was grown for 60 d in a contaminated-soil amended with P fertilizer (+P) or phosphate rock (+PR), followed by water spinach cultivation for another 30 d. Plant biomass, As and Cd contents in plants and soils, and soil pH were analyzed. We found that, P. vittata coupled with PR decreased the As concentration in water spinach shoots by 42%, probably due to As uptake by P. vittata. Moreover, P. vittata decreased the Cd accumulation in water spinach by 24–44%, probably due to pH increase of 0.47–0.61 after P. vittata cultivation. Taking together, the results showed that P. vittata coupled with PR decreased the As and Cd content in water spinach, which is of significance for improving food safety and protecting human health.

Breed improvement is an important genetic process affecting meat quality. Compared with Kazakh cattle, Xinjiang brown cattle have significantly improved carcass quality and meat quality. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the improvements in Xinjiang brown cattle and the differences in beef quality between the two breeds, we used RNA-Seq to study differentially expressed genes and miRNAs and regulatory pathways related to adipogenesis, myogenesis and fibrogenesis in the longissimus dorsi muscles of Xinjiang brown cattle and Kazakh cattle. The results showed that 1669 genes were differentially expressed in the longissimus dorsi muscle tissues of Xinjiang brown cattle and Kazakh cattle; 879 genes were upregulated and 790 genes were downregulated in Xinjiang brown cattle compared to Kazakh cattle. These genes were mainly involved in PPAR signaling, unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis and vascular smooth muscle contraction. Additionally, 346 differentially expressed miRNAs were identified, of which 265 miRNAs were downregulated and 81 miRNAs were upregulated in Xinjiang brown cattle compared to Kazakh cattle. Association analysis of the differentially expressed genes and miRNAs revealed that 86 differentially expressed miRNAs related to adipogenesis were associated with 31 differentially expressed genes, 76 differentially expressed miRNAs associated with myogenesis were associated with 28 differentially expressed genes, and 54 differentially expressed miRNAs associated with fibrogenesis were associated with 19 differentially expressed genes. miRNA-target gene networks were also constructed. Finally, the expression levels of 19 genes and miRNAs were verified by qRT-PCR. Some differentially expressed genes, including FABP4, ACTA2 and ACTG2, were shown to play an important role in beef meat quality. This is the first study to perform transcriptomic analysis of muscle tissues from Xinjiang brown and Kazakh cattle.

We conducted a phase II, noncomparative, multicenter study to assess the efficacy and safety of allogeneic bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BM‐MSCs) expanded in vitro for patients with aplastic anemia (AA) refractory to immunosuppressive therapy. Seventy‐four patients from seven centers received allogeneic BM‐MSCs at a dose of 1–2 × 106 cells/kg per week for 4 weeks. Responses were assessed at 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after the first cells infusion. Patients with response at 1 month continued to receive four infusions. All patients were evaluable. The overall response rate was 28.4% (95% confidence interval, 19%–40%), with 6.8% complete response and 21.6% partial response. The median times to response of leukocytic, erythrocytic, and megakaryocytic linages were 19 (range, 11–29), 17 (range, 12–25), and 31 (range, 26–84) days, respectively. After median follow‐up of 17 months, overall survival was 87.8%. Seven patients developed transitory and mild headache and fever, but no other adverse events were observed. Antithymocyte globulin used in previous treatment and no activated infection throughout treatment were predictors for response. Allogeneic BM‐MSCs infusion is a feasible and effective treatment option for refractory AA. The trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00195624. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2017;6:1569–1575

Biochar produced by thermal decomposition of biomass under oxygen-limited conditions has received increasing attention as a cost-effective sorbent to treat metal-contaminated waters. However, there is a lack of information on the roles of different sorption mechanisms for different metals and recent development of biochar modification to enhance metal sorption capacity, which is critical for biochar field application. This review summarizes the characteristics of biochar (e.g., surface area, porosity, pH, surface charge, functional groups, and mineral components) and main mechanisms governing sorption of As, Cr, Cd, Pb, and Hg by biochar. Biochar properties vary considerably with feedstock material and pyrolysis temperature, with high temperature producing biochars with higher surface area, porosity, pH, and mineral contents, but less functional groups. Different mechanisms dominate sorption of As (complexation and electrostatic interactions), Cr (electrostatic interactions, reduction, and complexation), Cd and Pb (complexation, cation exchange, and precipitation), and Hg (complexation and reduction). Besides sorption mechanisms, recent advance in modifying biochar by loading with minerals, reductants, organic functional groups, and nanoparticles, and activation with alkali solution to enhance metal sorption capacity is discussed. Future research needs for field application of biochar include competitive sorption mechanisms of co-existing metals, biochar reuse, and cost reduction of biochar production.

We investigated the effects of arsenic species on As accumulation, plant growth and rhizospheric changes in As-hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata (PV). PV was grown for 60-d in a soil spiked with 200 mg kg(-1) arsenate (AsV-soil) or arsenite (AsIII-soil). Diffusive gradients in thin-films technique (DGT) were used to monitor As uptake by PV. Interestingly AsIII-soil produced the highest PV biomass at 8.6 g plant(-1), 27% and 46% greater than AsV-soil and the control. Biomass increase was associated with As-induced P uptake by PV. Although AsIII was oxidized to AsV during the experiment, As species impacted As accumulation by PV, with 17.5% more As in AsIII-soil than AsV-soil (36 vs. 31 mg plant(-1)). As concentration in PV roots was 30% higher in AsV-soil whereas As concentration in PV fronds was 7.9% greater in AsIII-soil, suggesting more rapid translocation of AsIII than AsV. These findings were important to understand the mechanisms of As uptake, accumulation and translocation by PV.

A machine intelligence assistant BCI fusion navigation method of an outdoor mobile robot is put forward in view of the problem of BCI’s low signal-to-noise ratio, bad accuracy and long time delay. A vehicle navigation system based on BCI and dual laser radar is designed and implemented. First, improved angle potential field method based on dual laser radar is used for local path planning, then with navigation intention from BCI system, control commands are generated by fusion decision and used for driving a electric vehicle with modified mechanical system. Experiments show that the system can realize intelligent obstacle avoidance and human-machine collaborative navigation based on environmental obstacle information and brain machine interface control intention and it has higher accuracy, fault tolerance and robustness

Based on the theory of target curve, a method of improving flatness target curve is proposed. The transverse temperature distributions of strip are measured and described with a biquadratic expression, and the statistics method is used to analyze the temperature distributions. Finally, the additional temperature stress compensation is calculated to improve the strip shape.

In order to objectively evaluate the input-output efficiency of the construction industry in the western region, this passage analyzes the input and output status of each construction areas in the west in 2012 by establishing DEA model , and in compare with the national average. Results showed that: in 2012, the input-output efficiency of construction, the highest values in the western region is Guangxi Province, the lowest in Tibet, and the overall efficiency of the majority of the western region higher than the national average, Finally, the passage pointed out the insufficiencies about input-output of construction industry development in some western areas, and propose recommendations for improvement.

This paper deeply researches on successive action zone and dead zone of transverse differential protection in parallel lines, and improves the existing analysis software for relay protection action. First determine which zone the fault point belongs to, and then analyze the protection action according to the different zone concretely. This improvement will greatly increase the accuracy to analyze the relay protection action, and will be significant to the safe and stable operation of regional networks.

In this paper, research the hypereutectic high chromium cast iron by the methed of semi-solid method for cooling inclined plate. Influence of cooling rate on size of primary carbides and mechanical property of hypereutectic high chromium cast iron. The results showed that, speed up the cooling speed can effectively refine eutectic primary carbides in hypereutectic high chromium cast iron. The primary carbides was globularity and slug, provided with excellent mechanical properties. But when the cooling speed is too fast, the pouring temperature is too low, so that the liquid metal has high viscosity, poor mobility. there were a small amount of inclusions in the Preparation of casting. Although still generate pieces of fine carbides in the matrix, but the distribution is not uniform. disadvantage of the comprehensive performance.

This paper applies the theory of expert system to analysis for relay protection action based on PAS. And it also summarizes various rules according to the experience of operating personals and relay protection personals for several years. All these rules are suitable for 110kV and 66kV regional networks. This paper not only analyzes three-phase current protection, zero-sequence current protection, distance protection etc, but also discusses some special situations such as under voltage lockout over-current protection for transformer, remote backup protection etc.

By analyzing the two lightning accidents happening to a 500kV substation situated in the lightning-prone northeastern Guangdong Province, I conclude as follows, there should be some problem in the equipotential earthing of the secondary system of this substation. Specifically, the existing potential difference in the secondary equipment gave rise to the meltdown of it which finally caused the accident. In the context,I build the one-point earthing parallel system simulation model according to ATP graphic pretreatment program, then by using slope-ramp simulation I study the lightning current which leaked into the grounding grids of the substation.In conclusion, the application of high frequency signal mixed low frequency signal earth system in the secondary system and the equipotential bonding is key to preventing accidents.

In this paper, the transient characteristics of the permanent magnet synchronous motor based on the space vector pulse width modulation technology are researched in detail. Firstly, the mathematical model of the control system is established. Secondly, the simulation model based on MATLAB/Simulink is built. Thirdly, the transient simulation is implemented by the constructed model. It is proved that the mathematical model is valid and effective, which provides a theoretic base for the design of an actual permanent magnet synchronous motor control system.

Temperature and pesticide are two important factors that affect survival, reproduction and other physiological processes of insects. To determine interactions of elevated temperature and avermectins treatment on the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, newly emerged adults were exposed to combinations of three temperatures (21, 26 and 33 °C) and two avermectins concentrations (0, 45 ppm), and survival rate, reproduction, longevity, antioxidant enzymes activities and heat shock proteins (hsps) induction were analyzed. The results showed that the survival, longevity and reproduction of F. occidentalis decreased with increased temperature and avermectins treatment. While elevated temperature and avermectins treatment significantly decreased activity of SOD, activities of POD and GST significantly increased after exposure to elevated temperature, avermectins or their combination. Elevated temperature had no effect on activity of CAT, but it was obviously improved by the combination of temperature and avermectins treatment. Expression analysis of hsps showed that four heat shock proteins (hsp90, hsc702, hsp60 and hop) were up-regulated by the induction of elevated temperature with small fold changes. After treatment with avermectins, expression levels of hsp90, hsc701, hsc702 and hop were significantly up-regulated with increased temperature and higher than those of their respective control at higher temperature. Surprisingly, expression level of hps60 was down-regulated with increased temperature, but the expression level at 21 or 26 °C remained higher than that of control. Overall, our studies suggest that elevated temperature enhance toxicity of avermectins and their combination induced acute oxidative damage to F. occidentalis. Therefore, consideration of temperature in evaluating avermectins toxicity is necessary to make accurate prediction of its effect on F. occidentalis and other insects.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of SiC particle pretreatment, aluminum matrix particle size and sintering temperature on relative density, hardness, microstructure and wear resistance to SiC particle einforced aluminum matrix composites. To this end, the amount of 16.7 wt.% SiC with average particle sizes 20μm was used along with pure aluminum of average particle size of 75 μm and 25μm. Powder metallurgy is a method used in the fabrication of this composite in which the powders were mixed using a planetary ball mill. By analyzing SEM micrograph and the Property test, it is concluded that SiC particle pretreatment has significant effect on the morphology of pecimens. pretreatment increase the interface adhesion, improve the wettability. SiC is uniformly distributed in the matrix, with good relation to the substrate, the maximum hardness is 51.1HB, the minimum wear rate is 0.1684%, while the density is 97.3%.For the same SiC content and particle size, the smaller the particle size of aluminum matrix is, the higher wear resistance of composite materials is on condition that others are same, the higher sintering temperature and the higher the wearability of composites, the wear resistance of the composite material is significantly improved after SiC pre-processing.The relative density increases with increasing aluminum matrix particle sizes under the same pressure and the holding time. The actual density of all samples reached the theoretical density over 96%, to a maximum of 98.9%.

Affordable housing is an important part of China's housing security system. This policy is adapted to the actual situation of our country. The core advantage of the affordable housing is prices. It is to ensure the healthy development of affordable housing and a premise for the real role. How to make affordable housing for protection of the population can not only afford but also comfortable stay, developed pricing is the most important issue of its construction, it relates to the different interests of the class, a scientific and reasonable to take into account the different interests sectors of the pricing model. It helps to achieve social stability, improve the construction, regulatory and pricing mechanisms of affordable housing, and has a theoretical and practical significance.

The current two-dimensional (2-D) parameters for surface assessment (Ra and Pc) could not actually reflect functional properties of bearing and lubricant retention capabilities of steel sheets and rolls surface. Based on ARM9 development board, this paper has been working on secondary development of M1 mobile surface roughness meter, creating a model of calculating three-dimensional (3-D) functional characteristic parameters with 2-D profiles, and optimizing influence factors with Genetic Algorithms (GA). By comparing with measurement results by white-light interfering profile meter, the measurement error of the developed system is within10%, which was proved to be practical in the factory.

This paper presents the data fusion survivability analysis model of wireless sensor network (WSN) based on stochastic Petri net (SPN). First, the definition of data fusion survivability is put forward, and the data fusion model of WSN is constructed. Second, the SPN modeling method of security events, which influences the WSN, is described. Lastly, simulation experiment proves the correctness and effectiveness of the modeling of WSN data fusion survivability analysis based on SPN. This model can provide the theoretical basis and guide for designing a survivable WSN.

mi-rigid base on crack resistance, using orthogonal experimental design method, arranged 16 groups of orthogonal test and conducted the water content test and drying shrinkage test that aimed at various ages from 5d to 50d respectively. The results indicated that with the increasing of waste asphalt content, the shrinkage gradually increasing and the maximum reached when the dosage of waste asphalt concrete was 55%, since then, with the increasing of waste asphalt content, the shrinkage gradually decreasing and the range was largely. Fiber has little effect on moisture loss and shrinkage, with the increasing of fiber content, the moisture loss of materials with different ages increased gradually and the maximum loss rate reached when the dosage of fiber was 4, then the moisture loss decreased gradually after that. As for shrinkage, it reached minimum value when the dosage of fiber was 2.5. Mixing waste asphalt concrete and fiber in reasonable dosage can improve the crack resistance of materials.

Pharmaceutical compounds were increasingly detected in environmental matrices but little is known whether these compounds would transport to coastal zones via watersheds. Three typical tidal rivers in southeastern China were selected and 15 surface sediment samples (0-10 cm) were collected along a 50-km tidal section of each river. Surface sediment samples were frozen-drying and then extracted for pharmaceutical compounds by an accelerated solvent extraction system. The pharmaceutical compounds in extracts were scanned using a high-performance liquid chromatography/tandern mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Three hundred and thirty compounds from nine pharmaceutical groups were detected with signal-to-noise above three (detectable level) in the surface sediments, of which 186 compounds were with a signal-to-noise above ten (measurable level). Of all, 291 and 80 compounds were detectable and measurable in all the three rivers, respectively. The Jiulong River showed a high load of pharmaceutical compounds in surface sediment than other two rivers. Of the nine pharmaceutical groups, the antihistamines and detoxification group and anti-infective drug group contributed five dominant compounds in the surface sediments in all the three rivers. Natures of pharmaceutical compounds rather than the sediment properties (pH, EC, and total carbon content) might influence their residues. The incredible number and intensity of pharmaceutical residues were detected in tidal surface sediments of the three rivers indicating that the pharmaceutical contamination should be strongly considered in China. Source identification and eco-toxicity assessment should be taken into account in the future study. Therapeutic medicine managements need to be strictly improved at a watershed scale to reduce loads of pharmaceuticals into aquatic ecosystems.

the control strategy has a direct impact on the performance of active power filter. Creating system model in the simulation software to research and analyze. Results show that the hysteresis comparison control method can track the harmonic current accurately, and control inverter circuit generate compensation current quickly and accurately. And doing spectrum analysis for the power grid currents before, the spectrum figures show that the power grid current harmonics has been suppressed greatly, and the compensation effect is very significant.

Simple joint is a common connection type in tubular structures. In this joint, one or more tubes are welded directly on the surface of another tube. Local buckling occurs in panel zone when the joint load is heavy, and such local buckling will reduce the bearing capacity and stiffness of the joint. In order to improve bearing capacity of tubular joints, the joint needs to be strengthened. In this paper, the bending performance of the joint will be enhanced by welding two annular plates inside the surface of panel zone of chord member. By ANSYS finite element program, the bearing capacity of the joint with different inner annular plate was analyzed, including design bearing capacity and ultimate bearing capacity. The results showed that comparing to annular plate thickness variation, the width variation and interval variation have much more influence on the bearing capacity of the joint.

Parthenolide (PN), a sesquiterpene lactone isolated from the herbal medicine feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium), was reported to possess neuroprotective activity. However, the neuroprotective effect of PN against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury remains unclear. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to explore the neuroprotective effects of PN against oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD)-induced apoptosis in PC12 cells and the underlying mechanisms. Our results demonstrated that PN ameliorated OGD/R-evoked neuronal injury and oxidative stress in PC12 cells. In addition, PN notably decreased HIF-1α expression, as well as inhibited apoptosis in PC12 cells after OGD/R. Furthermore, PN pretreatment significantly enhanced the phosphorylation of Akt and GSK-3β in PC12 cells exposed to OGD/R. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that PN exhibits a neuroprotective effect against OGD/R through activation of the Akt/GSK-3β signaling pathway. Our findings suggest that PN has the potential to serve as a novel therapeutic agent for cerebral I/R injury.

Previous studies have shown that biochar enhances microbial reduction of iron (Fe) oxyhydroxide under anaerobic incubation. However, there is a lack of data on its influence on arsenic (As) release from As-contaminated paddy soils. In this study, paddy soil slurries (120 mg As kg −1 ) were incubated under anaerobic conditions for 60 days with and without the addition of biochar (3%, w/w) prepared from rice straw at 500 °C. Arsenic release, Fe reduction, and As fractionation were determined at 1, 10, 20, 30, and 60 d, while Illumina sequencing and real-time PCR were used to characterize changes in soil microbial community structure and As transformation function genes. During the first month of incubation, As released into soil solution increased sharply from 27.9 and 55.9 to 486 and 630 μg kg −1 in unamended and biochar amended slurries, with inorganic trivalent As (As III ) being the dominant specie (52.7–91.0% of total As). Compared to unamended slurries, biochar addition increased As and ferrous ion (Fe 2+ ) concentrations in soil solution but decreased soil As concentration in the amorphous Fe/Al oxide fraction (F3). Difference in released As between biochar and unamended treatments ( Δ As) increased with incubation time, showing strong linear relationships (R 2 = 0.23–0.33) with Δ Fe 2+ and Δ F3, confirming increased As release due to enhanced Fe reduction. Biochar addition increased the abundance of Fe reducing bacteria such as Clostridum (27.3% vs. 22.7%), Bacillus (3.34% vs. 2.39%), and Caloramator (4.46% vs. 3.88%). In addition, copy numbers in biochar amended slurries of respiratory As reducing ( arrA ) and detoxifying reducing genes ( arsC ) increased 19.0 and 1.70 fold, suggesting microbial reduction of pentavalent As (As V ) adsorbed on Fe oxides to As III , further contributing to increased As release.

BDET might be effective for the patients with OME, and proved to be an efficacious and mini-invasive treatment for OME.To evaluate the therapeutic benefits of balloon dilation eustachian tuboplasty (BDET) in the treatment of adult patients with otitis media with effusion (OME) caused by eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD).After informed consent, eight adult patients with OME were included in this study. After investigated patients' case history and oto-function, all patients underwent BDET treatment. Then four criteria including tympanic membrane, pure tone audiometry (PTA), tympanometry, and subjective symptoms were adopted to evaluate the therapeutic benefits of BDET.None of the involved patients complained of problems or complications during the post-operative period, or with absence of pain and bleeding after the operation. Prominent post-operative improvement was observed in tympanic membrane and otoscopic appearance. In addition, cure rates after 3 months and 6 months post-operatively were gradually increased.

Objective To assess the three dimensional (3D) accuracy of deciduous tooth surface model reconstruction from cone-beam CT(CBCT) scans using image superimposition method. Methods 14 sound extracted human deciduous teeth were scanned by micro-CT and CBCT scanner. The digital tooth models reconstructed from CBCT scans were superimposed onto the standard model from micro-CT scans respectively. Distribution patterns of shape discrepancy were presented using histogram, as well as shown in different colors on the superimposed images. The voluminal discrepancy versus the volume of the standard image (RVD/VS) were calculated and analyzed, using t test. Results There was no statistically significant difference between deciduous anterior teeth and molars(P>0.05). The mean RVD/VS of digital tooth images obtained by CBCT scans was 3.932±4.038%, and significant difference were found (P

To decrease short-circuit current, adjusting the power network operation by breaking transmission lines is the most economic and convenient measure. For large power grid, breaking transmission lines has thousands of combinations, so it's very difficult to find the best combination in a short time. Firstly, this paper formulated the sensitivity relationship between transmission line outage and impedance change. Then preliminary combinations schemes of transmission line outage were selected according to the sensitivity. Index values of factors were given using the fuzzy control evaluation. Finally, this paper determined optimal scheme from maximum priority and accomplished the accessorial intelligent optimize system of limiting short-circuit current. The rapidity and rapidity of the proposed control strategy was verified by calculating the actual power grid.

The existing research on flange focused on bearing capacity, and there were few reports on the rigidity of flange. In this paper, rigidity test was carried on for the connection of rigid flange and flexible flange in power-transformed frames. According to the test results, the axial rigidity, shear rigidity and flexural rigidity was compared. The results indicated that the axial rigidity, shear rigidity and flexural rigidity of flexible flange connection was lower than those of rigid flange connection for both the plain bolt and high strength bolt.

Test items include compressive strength, anti-breaking strength and split strength of standard concrete, rubber concrete and fiber-rubber concrete, and 43 groups test were conducted. In order to investigate the influence of the synergistic reaction between fiber and rubber powder on force-bearing performance of concrete used in subgrade, and different blended ratio effect on strength and extension of concrete were studied. The results indicated that with the increasing of content of 40 mesh rubber powder, the compressive strength of concrete decreasing regularly; with adding the blends of fiber and rubber powder, the anti-breaking strength and extension of concrete were promoted, as to fiber - 40 mesh rubber powder concrete, the content of rubber control less than 6%, and the fiber less than 0.5%，as to 60 mesh rubber powder -10mm fiber concrete, the content of rubber control less than 6%, and the fiber less than 0.5%; as to 60 mesh rubber powder -20mm fiber concrete, the appropriate adding quantity of rubber less than 2%, and the fiber less than 0.5%.

Four different types of full-scale slotted end plate (SEP) connection joints are tested to determine their failure modes and damage mechanisms under ultimate load, also analyze their force-displacement behaviors and developing processes of deformation and stress. The results show that ultimate bearing capacity of the I-type SEP joint is only approximate 1/2 of the other three types of SEP joints, which indicate the SEP’s type have great influence on the ultimate strength of joints. The instability of SEP is the main factor to cause the loss of bearing capacity of the connection joints, which is shown through the development of stress, that SEP enters into plastic stage and the other regions still are elastic.

In this paper, the 35 tons steel coil overturning machine is used in metallurgy industry. Its own weight is very great, the weight of the steel coil is also very great, whether can realize the smooth movement is a very crucial problem .By using COSMOSMotion to simulate and analyse the movement function of overturning machine, some graphics can be obtained. Through graphics some Performance parameters can be collected. Motion analysis promotes the reliability of the design also provide extremely important design parameters for the design of the overturning machine. So COSMOS Motion can provide the theoretical foundation for the product design.

Flange connection has been applied widely, and many researches have been done on flange connection both at home and abroad. But the existing research on flange focused on bearing capacity, and there were few reports on the rigidity of flange. In this paper, rigidity test was carried on for the connection of rigid flange and flexible flange in substation frameworks. According to the test results, the tensile rigidity, shear rigidity and flexural rigidity was compared. The results indicated that the tensile rigidity, shear rigidity and flexural rigidity of flexible flange connection was lower than those of rigid flange connection with high strength bolts.