Search

O-GlcNAcylation is a post-translational modification of protein in response to genetic variations or environmental factors, which is controlled by two highly conserved enzymes, i.e. O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and protein O-GlcNAcase (OGA). Protein O-GlcNAcylation mainly occurs in the cytoplasm, nucleus, and mitochondrion, and it is ubiquitously implicated in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Alterations of O-GlcNAcylation could cause massive metabolic imbalance and affect cardiovascular function, but the role of O-GlcNAcylation in CVD remains controversial. That is, acutely increased O-GlcNAcylation is an adaptive heart response, which temporarily protects cardiac function. While it is harmful to cardiomyocytes if O-GlcNAcylation levels remain high in chronic conditions or in the long run. The underlying mechanisms include regulation of transcription, energy metabolism, and other signal transduction reactions induced by O-GlcNAcylation. In this review, we will focus on the interactions between protein O-GlcNAcylation and CVD, and discuss the potential molecular mechanisms that may be able to pave a new avenue for the treatment of cardiovascular events.

Background:. The scale assessment was helpful in predicting the presence of antibodies to autoimmune encephalitis. This study aimed to evaluate the application of antibody prevalence in Chinese patients with epilepsy and encephalopathy (APE2-CHN) and response to immunotherapy in Chinese patients with epilepsy and encephalopathy (RITE2-CHN) for patients with different neuronal surface antibodies. Methods:. A total of 1365 patients with epileptic seizures as the prominent feature in Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, from June 2016 to June 2020 were enrolled in our study. Of these, 915 patients with epilepsy of unknown etiology whose serum and/or cerebrospinal fluid samples were examined for autoimmune antibodies were selected. All patients were scored with antibody prevalence in patients with epilepsy and encephalopathy (APE2), response to immunotherapy with epilepsy and encephalopathy (RITE2), APE2-CHN, and RITE2-CHN scores. Results:. Of the 915 patients, 191 patients were positive for neural-surface specific antibodies (115 N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) Ab, 47 leucine-rich glioma-inactivated protein 1 (LGI1) Ab, 8 contactin-associated protein 2 (CASPR2) Ab, 4 AMPA2R-Ab, and 11 GABAR-B-Ab; 3 CASPR2-Ab and LGI1-Ab, 2 NMDAR-Ab and CASPR2-Ab, and 1 NMDAR-Ab and myelin-oligodendrocyte glycoprotein [MOG] Ab). The sensitivity and specificity of APE2 ≥4 in predicting the presence of neural-surface specific antibodies in our study were 74.35% and 81.77%, respectively, and the sensitivity and specificity of APE2-CHN ≥4 were 75.92% and 84.53%, respectively. Eight cases had an APE2 score

Aims Vascular adventitial fibroblasts (AFs) in the vascular remodeling during atherosclerosis are increasing arousing attention. Acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) is a soluble glycoprotein which is involved in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. However, it remains unknown if ASM is expressed in vascular AFs and regulates vascular adventitial remodeling and underlying mechanisms. Main methods and key findings ASM downregulation with gene silencing was used in the rat AFs treated with angiotensin (Ang) II, which is universally demonstrated to induce vascular adventitia remodeling. It was showed that ASM was indeed expressed in vascular AFs and ASM downregulation resulted in a significant decrease in the protein level of PCNA and collagen I and cell migration under Ang II stimulation. Such improvement of adventitial remodeling was not further augmented by Ang-(1–7), which is deemed as an endogenous Ang II blocker. We further found that ASM downregulation blocked the Nox2-dependent superoxide (O2− ) generation, which regulated vascular remodeling in AFs under Ang II. ASM siRNA decreased the aggregation of membrane rafts (MRs) and the consequent recruiting of ceramide and Nox2 in MRs. Significance In conclusion, these results suggested that ASM downregulation could improve vascular adventitial remodeling which was attributed to inhibiting MRs/Nox2 redox signaling pathway in AFs. Thus, these data supported the idea that ASM is a potential therapeutic target for diabetic vascular complication.

Our previous study found that mutations in the PTGIS gene contributed high susceptibility to pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). We have generated disease-specific induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines from a PAH patient carrying the heterozygous c.1339 G > A mutation in PTGIS gene. The generated iPSC lines can be differentiated into endothelial cells to investigate the pathogenesis of PAH associated with PTGIS gene, which could provide valuable resources for personalized medicine.

BACKGROUND This study aimed to explore the effects of plumbagin (PLB) on epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells and in proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) rabbit models. MATERIAL AND METHODS Rabbit RPE cells were exposed to various concentrations (0, 5, 15, and 25 µM) of PLB. Motility, migration, and invasion of PLB-treated cells were determined in vitro using Transwell chamber assays and scratch wound assays. The contractile ability was evaluated by cell contraction assay. Expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers were assessed by western blotting. Furthermore, PLB was injected in rabbit eyes along with RPE cells after gas compression of the vitreous. The presence of PVR was determined by indirect ophthalmoscopy on days 1, 7, 14, and 21 after injection. Also, optical coherence tomography (OCT), ultrasound images, electroretinograms (ERG), and histopathology were used to assess efficacy and toxicity. RESULTS PLB significantly inhibited the migration and invasion of RPE cells. The agent also markedly reduced cell contractive ability. Furthermore, PLB treatment resulted in the decreased expression of MMP-1, MMP2, α-SMA, and the protection of ZO-1. In addition, the PLB-treated eyes showed lower PVR grades than the untreated eyes in rabbit models. PLB exhibited a wide safety margin, indicating no evidence of causing retinal toxicity. CONCLUSIONS PLB effectively inhibited the EMT of rabbit RPE cells in vitro and in the experimental PVR models. The results open new avenues for the use of PLB in prevention and treatment of PVR.

1,7-Dihydroxy-3,4-dimethoxyxanthone (XAN) is a bioactive compound isolated from Securidaca inappendiculata Hassk. and exerts the inhibitory effects on fibroblast-like synoviocytes by targeting NF-κB and p38. This study was designed to elucidate mechanisms underlying the divergent regulation on the two pathways in HFLS-RA cells by XAN. Expressions of hallmark proteins and transcription of GADD45α mRNA were determined by Western-blot and RT-qPCR methods, respectively. Fluorescence staining was employed to evaluate intracellular oxidative stress. Effects of XAN and N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) on the proliferation of cells were investigated by MTT assay, and pro-apoptotic effects of XAN were assessed by Annexin V-FITC/PI method. It was found XAN blocked NF-κB signaling in HFLS-RA cells shortly after treatment. Moreover, it up-regulated both transcription and expression of GADD45α, and subsequently activated p38 pathway. As time went on, XAN significantly promoted the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which accompanied with sustained up-regulation of p-p38 and increased apoptosis. 48H later, dual-effects of XAN on NF-κB and p38 were reversed. As activation of p38 and increased apoptosis induced by XAN were antagonized by NAC, they were deemed as ROS mediated effects. Furthermore, the accumulated ROS should also account for the activation of NF-κB in the late stage of treatments via interfering in p38/MSK1/NF-κB feedback. Altogether, these findings suggested XAN-induced ROS contributed great importance to the proliferation inhibition of HFLS-RA cells by mediating NF-κB/p38 feedback loop and apoptosis, which provided us a panoramic view of potential target in the therapy of RA by XAN.

Protein kinase C (PKC) is a class of phospholipid-dependent serine/threonine kinases that contribute to cell survival, migration, and invasion. Previous studies demonstrated that PKC participates in insulin secretion. However, the role of PKC in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) remains unclear. Herein, we demonstrated that PKC is an important mediator of insulin secretion and revealed a close relationship between PKC activation and insulin secretion in INS-1E cells. Meanwhile, the presence of PKCα was found to induce TRPC1 phosphorylation in INS-1E cells. TRPC1 phosphorylation levels increased by activating PKCα activity. Inhibition of PKCα activity reduced TRPC1 phosphorylation. Finally, we showed that TRPC1 could reverse the decrease in intracellular Ca2+ levels and reduced insulin secretion induced by treatment with PKCα inhibitor under high glucose conditions. In conclusion, our findings indicated that TRPC1 and PKCα are involved in promoting insulin secretion and that PKCα promotes insulin secretion via TRPC1 phosphorylation in INS-1E cells.

Ultrathin metal-organic framework (MOF) nanosheets (NSs) offer potential for many applications, but the synthetic strategies are largely limited to top-down, low-yield exfoliation methods. Herein, Ni-M-MOF (M=Fe, Al, Co, Mn, Zn, and Cd) NSs are reported with a thickness of only several atomic layers, prepared by a large-scale, bottom-up solvothermal method. The solvent mixture of N,N-dimethylacetamide and water plays key role in controlling the formation of these two-dimensional MOF NSs. The MOF NSs can be directly used as efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction, in which the Ni-Fe-MOF NSs deliver a current density of 10 mA cm-2 at a low overpotential of 221 mV with a small Tafel slope of 56.0 mV dec-1 , and exhibit excellent stability for at least 20 h without obvious activity decay. Density functional theory calculations on the energy barriers for OER occurring at different metal sites confirm that Fe is the active site for OER at Ni-Fe-MOF NSs.

We were interested in further confirming whether D-dimers (DD) are indeed elevated in cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) as reported in those studies.CVST patients who had a plasma D-dimer test (139 cases) were included and divided into two groups: elevated D-dimer group (EDG) (0.5 μg/mL; 65 cases) and normal D-dimer group (NDG) (≤0.5 μg/mL; 74 cases). The two groups were compared in terms of demographic data, clinical manifestation, laboratory and imaging data, using inferential statistical methods.The chi-squared and Fisher exact test showed that, compared to the NDG (74 cases), patients with elevated D-dimer levels were more likely to have a shorter symptom duration (SD) (30 ± 83.9 versus 90 ± 58.9 d, p = 0.003), more risk factors (75.4% versus 52.7%, p = 0.006), higher multiple venous sinus involvement (75.4% versus 59.5%, p = 0.037), increased fibrinogen (43.1% versus 18.9%, p = 0.037) and higher levels of blood glucose (18.3% versus 11%, p = 0.037). According to correlation analyses, D-dimer levels were positively correlated with number of venous sinuses involvement (NVS) (r = 0.321, p = 0.009) in the EDG. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that SD (OR, 0.025; 95% CI, 1.324-6.043; p = 0.000), NVS (OR, 1.573; 95% CI, 1.15-2.151; p = 0.005) and risk factors (OR, 3.321; 95% CI, 1.451-7.564; p = 0.004) were significantly different between the two groups.D-dimer is elevated in patients with acute/subacute CVST.

Background: Myopathies with rimmed vacuoles are a heterogeneous group of muscle disorders with progressive muscle weakness and varied clinical manifestations but similar features in muscle biopsies. Here, we describe a novel autosomal dominant myopathy with rimmed vacuoles in a large family with 11 patients of three generations affected. Methods: A clinical study including family history, obstetric, pediatric, and development history was recorded. Clinical examinations including physical examination, electromyography (EMG), serum creatine kinase (CK), bone X-rays, and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed in this family. Open muscle biopsies were performed on the proband and his mother. To find the causative gene, the whole-exome sequencing was carried out. Results: Disease onset was from adolescence to adulthood, but the affected patients of the third generation presented an earlier onset and more severe clinical manifestations than the older generations. Clinical features were characterized as dysarthria, dysphagia, external ophthalmoplegia, limb weakness, hypophrenia, deafness, and impaired vision. However, not every patient manifested all symptoms. Serum CK was mildly elevated and EMG indicated a myopathic pattern. Brain MRI showed cerebellum and brain stem mildly atrophy. Rimmed vacuoles and inclusion bodies were observed in muscle biopsy. The whole-exome sequencing was performed, but the causative gene has not been found. Conclusions: We reported a novel autosomal dominant myopathy with rimmed vacuoles characterized by dysarthria, dysphagia, external ophthalmoplegia, limb weakness, hypophrenia, deafness, and impaired vision, but the causative gene has not been found and needs further study.

The study was designed to determine the safety and pharmacokinetics of intraocular crocetin and examine whether crocetin inhibits the development of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) in a rabbit model. In the toxicity study, the right eyes of rabbits were injected with 0.2 μmol or 0.4 μmol crocetin. The left eyes were injected with 0.1 ml phosphate buffered saline (PBS) containing the same concentration of DMSO. Fundus photography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and electroretinogram (ERG) were obtained at baseline and 14 days. Afterward, the eyes were enucleated for histopathological analysis and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferasemediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. In the pharmacokinetic study, the eyes received an intravitreous injection of 0.4 μmol crocetin to detect vitreous drug levels with HPLC at specific time points. In the efficacy study, PVR was induced with an intravitreal injection of ARPE-19 cells in rabbits. Then ten eyes were injected with 0.4 μmol crocetin, and the other 10 eyes received 0.1 ml PBS. Fundus photography, OCT and ERG were performed at days 3 and 7 and weekly for a total of 4 weeks after injection. Afterward, the eyes were enucleated and subjected to histological analysis and TUNEL staining. The results demonstrated no signs of retinal toxicity. Intravitreal injection of 0.4 μmol crocetin had a half-life of 4.231 h. Treatment with crocetin significantly inhibited the progression of PVR in parallel with a reduced expression of α-SMA, collagen fibers and Ki67. These results indicate that crocetin is an effective and safe inhibitor of PVR in rabbit models.

The T.118 and T.406 seedlings showed strong adaptability under Cd concentrations ≤ 50 µM. The mechanisms of photoprotection in T.118 and T.406 differed in high-Cd concentrations. To explore the physiological response characteristics of Taxodium hybrids to cadmium (Cd) stress and provide basis for screening of Cd-tolerant species, the hydroponic cultivation of T.118 and T.406 seedlings was conducted to demonstrate the effects of Cd stress on seedling growth, antioxidant system, and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters. After 35 days of Cd stress at a concentration ≤ 50 µM, the dry weight biomass of the two clones did not significantly differ from that of the control. T.406 exhibited a significant increase in POD activity compared to T.118 and maintained high SOD activity after exposure to high concentrations of Cd, whereas MDA levels showed little changes. Under low-Cd stress, chlorophyll content and fluorescence parameters remained stable, especially for T.406. Under high-Cd concentration stress, the above parameters were lower than the control, with a more significant decrease in T.118 than in T.406. The non-photochemical quenching coefficient (NPQ) of both clones increased with increasing Cd concentration. T.118 showed a greater increase than T.406, particularly under high-Cd concentration stress. The T.118 and T.406 seedlings adapted to low-Cd concentration stress by enhancing their antioxidant enzyme activity to maintain the balance of reactive oxygen metabolism and reduce cellular damage. The photochemical activity of mesophyll cells remained high to maintain photosynthetic capacity and normal seedling growth. T.406 showed stronger resistance to Cd than T.118. T.406 prevented photodamage by promoting the photochemical utilization of the excitation energy and maintaining a strong antioxidant stress ability. Enhancement of heat dissipation capability may be the main photoprotection mechanism of T.118.

In the field of object recognition, the SIFT feature is known to be a very successful local invariant descriptor and has wide application in different domains. However it also has some limitations, for example, in the case of facial illumination variation or under large tilt angle, the identification rate of the SIFT algorithm drops quickly. In order to reduce the probability of mismatching pairs, and improve the matching efficiency of SIFT algorithm, this paper proposes a novel feature matching algorithm. The basic idea is taking the successful-matched SIFT feature points as the training samples to establish a space mapping model based on BP neural network. Then, with the help of this model, the estimated coordinate of the corresponding SIFT feature point in the candidate image is predicted. Finally search the possible matching points around the coordinate. The experiment results show that using the prediction model, the number of mismatching points can be reduced effectively and the number of correct matching pairs increases at the same time

Casein-dextran nanoparticles (CDNs) were prepared from casein-dextran conjugates by heating in a dry/wet state and then adjusting the pH to the isoelectric point of the protein (pH 4.6) to investigate their physicochemical characteristics. The effects of the dry and wet heating methods on the properties of the CDNs were also evaluated. The CDNs were spherically shaped and uniformly dispersed, as confirmed by atomic force microscopy. Compared with CDNs prepared by wet heating (CDN-W), those prepared by dry heating (CDN-D) were much smaller (P

Background This study aimed to explore the effects of plumbagin (PLB) on ARPE-19 cells and underlying mechanism. Methods Cultured ARPE-19 cells were treated with various concentrations (0, 5, 15, and 25 μM) of PLB for 24 h or with 15 μM PLB for 12, 24 and 48 h. Then cell viability was evaluated by MTT assay and DAPI staining, while apoptosis and cell cycle progression of ARPE cells were assessed by flow cytometric analysis. Furthermore, the level of main regulatory proteins was examinated by Western boltting and the expression of relative mRNA was tested by Real-Time PCR. Results PLB exhibited potent inducing effects on cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase and apoptosis of ARPE cells via the modulation of Bcl-2 family regulators in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. PLB induced inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) signaling pathways contributing to the anti-proliferative activities in ARPE cells. Conclusions This is the first report to show that PLB could inhibit the proliferation of RPE cells through down-regulation of modulatory signaling pathways. The results open new avenues for the use of PLB in prevention and treatment of proliferative vitreoretinopathy.

The importance of identifying DNA bases at the single-molecule level is well recognized for many biological applications. Although such identification can be achieved by electrical measurements using special setups, it is still not possible to identify single bases in real space by optical means owing to the diffraction limit. Herein, we demonstrate the outstanding ability of scanning tunneling microscope (STM)-controlled non-resonant tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS) to unambiguously distinguish two individual complementary DNA bases (adenine and thymine) with a spatial resolution down to 0.9 nm. The distinct Raman fingerprints identified for the two molecules allow to differentiate in real space individual DNA bases in coupled base pairs. The demonstrated ability of non-resonant Raman scattering with super-high spatial resolution will significantly extend the applicability of TERS, opening up new routes for single-molecule DNA sequencing.

Currently, the evaluation methods of importance measures such as structure importance measure, criticality reliability importance and B-reliability importance, have some shortcomings that the evaluation results are not comprehensive enough and the scope of usage. In order to accurately evaluate the importance measures of equipment, and to reflect the impact of the equipment on the communication network, a comprehensive evaluation method of importance measure is put forward. According to the influence of inherent structure of system and service reliability, the importance measure of equipment is calculated. By the coefficient modification, it can accurately evaluate comprehensive evaluation of electric power communication equipment based on reliability importance measures. Example result verifies the feasibility and validity of the comprehensive evaluation method.

For scientifically distributing paths of relay protection services for power optical-fiber channel, ensuring the security of each path, meanwhile, reducing the amount of links that carry too many services, the improved Dijkstra algorithm is offered. As a preparation for path selection, the security are mapped to the weights of nodes and links; to avoid some links overloading, modify link weight by a dynamic weight update function during the search process; and the degree of security risk equalization is proposed to assess the security status of the whole network.

Multimedia assisted teaching plays a more and more important role in modern teaching. It not only can improve the teaching quality, but also provides a platform for the reform of traditional teaching mode and method. For at present classroom utilization rate is low, the fault report and maintenance is not timely, its separate control is not easy to manage, and so on, a set of centralized control system for multimedia classroom equipment is developed by increasing the necessary hardware on the basis of existing multimedia equipment, which is based on network and wireless data transmission technology. A main controller and its peripheral equipment interface circuit are designed, including hardware and software. The system can improve the utilization rate and service life of multimedia equipment, convenient the effective management.

The aims of the present study were to determine the effects of heparin-derived oligosaccharides (HDOs) on vascular intimal hyperplasia (IH) in balloon-injured carotid artery and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of action. An animal model was established by rubbing the endothelia within the common carotid artery (CCA) in male rabbits. The rabbits were fed a high-cholesterol diet. Arterial IH was determined by histopathological changes to the CCA. Serum lipids were detected using an automated biochemical analysis. Expressions of mRNAs for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI), and ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA-1) were analyzed using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assays. Expressions of VEGF, VCAM-1, MCP-1, SR-BI and ABCA-1 proteins were analyzed by Western blotting. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were used to quantify expression levels of VEGF and bFGF. Our results showed that administration of HDO significantly inhibited CCA histopathology and restenosis induced by balloon injury. The treatment with HDOs significantly decreased the mRNA and protein expression levels of VEGF, bFGF, VCAM-1, MCP-1, and SR-BI in the arterial wall; however, ABCA-1 expression level was elevated. HDO treatment led to a reduction in serum lipids (total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density and low-density lipoproteins). Our results from the rabbit model indicated that HDOs could ameliorate IH and underlying mechanism might involve VEGF, bFGF, VCAM-1, MCP-1, SR-BI, and ABCA-1.

Mullite can be prepared as lightweight refractories for its low thermal conductivity, advanced volume stability at high temperature environment. Using industrial alumina and nature silica powders as starting materials, the mullite aggregates with microporous structure were synthesized by adding some burning-out materials as pore forming agents. The effects of burning-out materials on the pore size distribution, mullite contents and microstructure of microporous mullite have been investigated. The results show that the effects on the mullite contents and microstructure of microporous mullite are significant. All the burning-out materials have a similar effect for the pore size distribution.

An experimental research was performed on the compressive strength and splitting tensile strength for HSC with various polypropylene（PP） fibers after exposure to temperatures 300°C, 500°C, 700°C, 900°C. Cubes of 150mm×150mm were designed and fabricated with C60, blended with silica fume and slag, mixed with PP fibers, respectively. These specimens were naturally cooled to room temperature after being heated in an electric furnace. No explosive spalling was observed during the fire test on all HSC with PP fibers. From the results of nine types of concretes, both the compressive strength and splitting tensile strength of HSC with PP fibers decreased with the increase of temperature. Through a series of measurement, the relationships between the mechanical properties and the various PP fibers in HSC were analyzed, including the dosage and length of PP fiber. Based on the comparison in the experimental results, the proposed optimum of PP fiber in HSC was 1.5kg/m3 under the test condition. In addition, PP fiber with the length of 8mm could be more applicable to use.

A multicentre prospective cohort study was performed in 17 intensive care units (ICUs) in tertiary care hospitals in Hubei Province, China. Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) was defined according to modified criteria from the published literature. Among 4155 ventilated patients, the crude incidence and incidence rate of VAP were 20.9% and 28.9 cases per 1000 ventilator-days. Multivariate analysis using logistic regression revealed risk factors including male sex [risk ratio (RR): 1.5; P0.001], coma (RR: 2.1; P0.001), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (RR: 1.4; P0.001), infections at other sites (RR: 1.6; P=0.001), serious disease predating the onset of VAP (RR: 1.6; P0.001) and interventions including antacid treatment (RR: 1.4; P0.001), antimicrobial treatment (RR: 5.1; P0.001), bronchoscopy (RR: 1.5; P=0.041) and tracheostomy (RR: 1.4; P=0.014). The most frequently isolated causative pathogens were Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii. Of all Staphylococcus aureus isolates, 45.7% were meticillin resistant. Rates, risk factors and causal pathogens of VAP in ICUs in Hubei differ from those reported from developed countries. These data show the need for more effective infection control interventions in Hubei, China.

According to the important status and practical values of geographical factors and genetic factors in protein content estimation of winter wheat, a method analyzing the relationship between factors and protein content was proposed in this paper. In the method, genetic, geographical factors were chosen as independent variables, multivariate nonlinear regression model was introduced to estimate protein content. Firstly, construct one-dimensional nonlinear regression model based on each factor. Secondly, analyze and select sensitive factors on basis of the above simulations. Finally, couple the selected sensitive factors into multivariate nonlinear regression model for protein content estimation. Winter wheat was chosen as experimental subject. The results showed that, at province scale and county scale, the proposed method could not only effectively improve simulation efficiency, but also enhance whole estimation accuracy.

Flammable liquid storage tanks usually plant a potential dangerous zone. The damage gets worse and worse. In order to avoid the tank fire, the tanks extended to the nearby storage tanks-facilities and buildings. In consideration of safety conditions, flammable liquid storage tanks for the safety and security distance is necessary. Through the FDS (Fire Dynamics Simulator) computer simulation of fire, flammable liquid storage tanks for spot the fires numerical simulation to detect a fire to happen. In order to establish an optimized model, the flammable liquid storage tanks save the temperature distribution by obtaining flammable safety distance of the liquid storage tank, by talking about the current laws and regulations, by looking forward to meeting the economic and security considerations.

Objective To determine the number of ultrasound examinations required to train sonographers to accurately measure the fetal frontomaxillary facial (FMF) angle at 11–13 weeks of gestation. Methods Eight sonographers accredited for nuchal translucency thickness (NT) measurement (and with different levels of experience) were trained to measure the fetal FMF angle using specially acquired three-dimensional (3D) volumes. Training was provided in cycles, and each cycle consisted of a training period on 20 randomly selected cases followed by an examination using 10 randomly selected cases. During training, the sonographer was informed of the true FMF angle value after each FMF angle measurement on a case-by-case basis. During examination, the difference between the measured and the true values of the FMF angle (i.e. the delta angle) was calculated. A measurement was considered accurate if the delta angle was less than 5°. The sonographer was considered to be competent and the training finished if all 10 examination cases satisfied this criterion. Otherwise, the sonographer would undergo further cycles of training–examination, until he/she became competent. Results The number of training cases required for a sonographer to become competent was 40 for two sonographers, 60 for one, 80 for one, 100 for two, 120 for one and 140 for one, with a median of 90. The median number of failed cases reduced from 2.5 (out of 10) at the first cycle to 0 by the 7th cycle. As training cycles increased, the mean angle deviation and measurement time required both reduced significantly. The average delta angle of the passing examination cycle was 2.06 ± 1.40°. The number of training cases required to become competent in FMF angle measurement was 40 for the two most experienced trainees and 80, 120 and 140 for the three least experienced ones. Conclusions We have demonstrated that competence in FMF angle measurement was achieved after a median number of 90 cases, with a range of up to 140. The number required was substantially lower, at 40 cases, among those with extensive experience of NT measurement. Copyright © 2010 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Enzymatic browning and bacterial putrefaction are mainly responsible for quality losses of Chinese Olive ( Canarium album ) postharvest and lead to very short shelf life on average. Screening anti-browning and anti-bacterial agents is important for preservation of Chinese Olive. Caffeic acid N -nonyl ester (C-9) and caffeic acid N - Heptyl ester (C-7) was synthesized as inhibitors of tyrosinase, which is a key enzyme in browning process. The compound of C-9 could inhibit the activity of tyrosinase strongly and its IC 50 value was determined to be 37.5 μM, while the compound of C-7 had no inhibitory ability. Kinetic analyses showed that compound of C-9 has been a reversible inhibitory mechanism below 50 μM and been irreversible mechanisms above 50 μM. For the reversible inhibitory mechanism, the values of inhibitory constants ( K I and K IS ) were determined to be 24.6 and 37.4 μM, respectively. The results of Chinese Olive fruit postharvest showed that the compound of C-9 could effectively anti-browning and anti-bacterial putrefaction. In addition, this compound had strong antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus , Escherichia coli , Bacillus subtilis and Salmonella . Therefore, C-9 could be a potential anti-browning and anti-bacterial reagent.

In this study, the interactions of different groups substituted isoeuxanthone derivatives with calf thymus DNA (ct DNA) were investigated by spectrophotometric methods and viscosity measurements. Results indicated that the xanthone derivatives could intercalate into the DNA base pairs by the plane of xanthone ring and the various substituents may influence the binding affinity with DNA according to the calculated quenching constant values. Furthermore, two tumor cell lines including the human cervical cancer cell line (HeLa) and human hepatocellular liver carcinoma cell line (HepG2) were used to evaluate the cytotoxic activities of xanthone derivatives by acid phosphatase assay. Analyses showed that the oxiranylmethoxy substituted xanthone exhibited more effective cytotoxic activity against the cancer cells than the other substituted xanthones. The effects on the inhibition of tumor cells in vitro agreed with the studies of DNA-binding.

Based on the concepts of brand equity, means-end chain, and Web site trust, this study proposes a novel model called the consumption decision-making process of adolescents (CDMPA) to understand adolescents' Internet consumption habits and behavioral intention toward particular sporting goods. The findings of the CDMPA model can help marketers understand adolescents' consumption preferences and habits for developing effective Internet marketing strategies.

Summary: Successive point-prevalence surveys were conducted annually from 2007 to 2011 to monitor the prevalence of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in a university hospital in Hubei Province in China. The surveys used the case definition criteria established by the Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China. In the 5 surveys, the overall frequency of HAIs was 3.16% (301/9533). No significant differences were identified in the point prevalence measurements of HAIs in any of the years from 2007 to 2011. Of all the cases, proportionally, the most frequent infection site was the respiratory tract (2.34%), followed by surgical sites (0.43%) and urinary tract sites (0.28%). Gram-negative aerobic bacilli were the most common organisms mentioned; the most frequently isolated organism was Pseudomonas aeruginosa, followed by Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter baumannii. Approximately one-half of the patients were receiving antibiotics at the time of the surveys. Cephalosporin, penicillin, and quinolone were most commonly used for treatment or prevention. The differences found in HAI prevalence data across the 5 surveys given in the hospital were not statistically significant. In conclusion, this successive point-prevalence survey provides information about the trend of HAI prevalence, epidemical character, and the use of antibiotics among the university hospital's in-patients. This information allows us to initiate targeted programs for infection prevention and control. Keywords: Healthcare-associated infections, Point-prevalence survey, China