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Viruses have become a major threat to human health. Interferon-β (IFN-β) has a key role in the antivirus process, as it can increase the expression of antivirus-associated genes. Itaconate and its derivatives can regulate the immune response, secretion of inflammatory factors, and pyroptosis of macrophages. The effect of itaconate on IFN-β secretion of double-stranded RNA-induced macrophages are not well known. A derivative of itaconate, 4-octoyl itaconate (4-OI), was used to treat mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) induced with 100 μg/mL poly(I:C). The IFN-β concentration was detected through ELISA, and IFN-β mRNA expression was detected through quantitative PCR. High-throughput transcriptome sequencing was used to analyze changes in the BMDM transcriptome after 4-OI treatment. The Nrf2 expression was knocked down with siRNA.4-OI inhibited poly(I:C)-induced IFN-β secretion and mRNA expression in BMDM. Results of transcriptome sequencing revealed that 4-OI downregulated 1047 genes and upregulated 822 genes. GO and KEGG enrichment of differently expressed genes revealed that many downregulated genes were related to the anti-virus process, whereas many upregulated genes were related to metabolism. The Nrf2 inhibitor ML385 and Nrf2 siRNA could partially reverse the inhibitory effect of 4-OI. In conclusion, 4-octyl itaconate could inhibit the poly(I:C)-induced interferon-β secretion in BMDM partially by regulating Nrf2.

Extractive automatic text summarization aims to extract the sentences that can best express the semantics of the full text from the original text to form a summary.It is widely used and studied due to its simplicity and efficiency.Currently,extractive summarization models are mostly based on the local relationship between sentences to obtain importance scores to select sentences.This method ignores the global semantic information of the original text,and the model is more susceptible to the influence of local non-important relationships.Therefore,an extractive summarization model incorporating global semantic information is proposed.After obtaining the representation of sentences and articles,the model learns the relationship between sentences and global information through the sentence-level encoder and global information extraction module and then integrates the extracted global information into the sentence vector.Finally,the sentence score is obtained to determine whether it is a summary sentence.The proposed model can achieve end-to-end training,and two global information extraction techniques based on aspect extraction and neural topic model are studied in the global information extraction module.Experimental results on the public dataset CNN/DailyMail verify the effectiveness of the model integrating global information.

Abstract In this paper, we give a new effective superpotential that makes clear Bethe/Gauge correspondence between 2d (and 3d) SO/Sp gauge theories and open XXX (and XXZ) spin chains with diagonal boundary conditions, and also works in the case of 2d (and 3d) BC N -type gauge theories which is not previously discussed in the literature. Especially, for exceptional Lie algebras F4, G2, we give the effective superpotential and vacuum equations. For E6,7,8, we only give theirs effective superpotential for convenience.

We provide here, for the first time, a new interfacial electron-induced electrochemiluminescence (IEIECL) system, realizing bionic construction of bioluminescence (BL) by exploiting electrochemiluminescence (ECL) and ITIES (the interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions). Significantly, the superiority of the IEIECL system is embodied with the solution of the two bottlenecks encountered in the conventional ECL innovation: that are (a) the applications of hydrophobic luminophores in more commonly used aqueous solution are inhibited tremendously due to the poor inherent solubility and the instability of radicals and (b) the analytes, insoluble in water, are hard to be discovered in an aqueous system because of too little content. More productive IEIECL radiation, analogous to BL, originates from the triplet excited state porphyrin in comparison to the homogeneous ECL. The mechanism of IEIECL, as well as the interaction mechanism between IEIECL and charge transfer (comprising electron transfer (ET), ion transfer (IT), and facilitated ion transfer (FIT)) at the ITIES, are explored in detail. Finally, we emphasize the actual application potential of the IEIECL system with the detection of cytochrome c (Cyt c); it is a key biomolecule in the electron transport chain in the process of biological oxidation and is also an intermediate species in apoptosis. Potentially, the IEIECL system permits ones to explore the lifetime and diffusion path of free radicals, as well as imparting a possibility for the construction of a bionic sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This note is an extension of [8] there the supersymmetric vacua of three-dimensional N=2 gauge theories with matter are shown to be in one-to-one correspondence with the eigenstate of XXZ integrable spin chain Hamiltonians with open boundary conditions. We consider the A2 quiver gauge theory, which is the simplest non-trivial quiver gauge theory, and sl3 open XXZ spin chain with diagonal boundary condition. We demonstrate the correspondence between the vacuum equations of different gauge groups and Bethe Ansatz equations with different boundary parameters. Not only that, but we furthermore push forward the program to the general Ar quiver gauge theory.

Abstract Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers are essential for the accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), yet their measurement levels vary widely across centers and regions, leaving no uniform cutoff values to date. Diagnostic cutoff values of CSF biomarkers for AD are lacking for the Chinese population. As a member of the Alzheimer’s Association Quality Control program for CSF biomarkers, we aimed to establish diagnostic models based on CSF biomarkers and risk factors for AD in a Chinese cohort. A total of 64 AD dementia patients and 105 age- and sex-matched cognitively normal (CN) controls from the Chongqing Ageing & Dementia Study cohort were included. CSF Aβ42, P-tau181, and T-tau levels were measured by ELISA. Combined biomarker models and integrative models with demographic characteristics were established by logistic regression. The cutoff values to distinguish AD from CN were 933 pg/mL for Aβ42, 48.7 pg/mL for P-tau181 and 313 pg/mL for T-tau. The AN model, including Aβ42 and T-tau, had a higher diagnostic accuracy of 89.9%. Integrating age and APOE ε4 status to AN model (the ANA’E model) increased the diagnostic accuracy to 90.5% and improved the model performance. This study established cutoff values of CSF biomarkers and optimal combined models for AD diagnosis in a Chinese cohort.

The western Kuqa fold-thrust belt of Xinjiang Province, China, hosts a series of surface salt structures. Here we present preliminary analysis of the geometry, kinematics, and surface processes of three of these structures: the Quele open-toed salt thrust sheet, Tuzimazha salt wall, and Awate salt fountain. The first two are line-sourced, the third appears to be point-sourced, and all are active. The ~35-km-long, 200-m-thick Quele open-toed salt thrust sheet features internal folding, salt-lined transfer structures, dissolution topography, flanking growth strata, and alluvial fan/stream-network interactions. The ~10-km-long, 50-m-wide Tuzimazha salt wall marks a local topographic high, such that fluvial stream networks are deflected by the rising weak tabular salt body. The salt wall is also flanked by growth strata and normal faults. The ~2-km-long Awate salt fountain represents salt exhumation coincident with the intersection of multiple structures and a river. Therefore this salt body may respond to local structural and/or erosional variations, or it may play a key role determining such variations-or both. Activity along all three structures confirms that active deformation occurs from foreland to hinterland across the western Kuqa fold-thrust belt. Gradual lateral transition from bedded strata to flow-banded halite observed within the Quele open-toed salt thrust sheet implies that similar transitions observed in seismic reflection data do not require interpretation as diapiric cut-offrelationships. The surface salt structures of the western Kuqa fold-thrust belt display a variety of erosiontectonics interactions, with nuances reflecting the low viscosity and high erodibility of salt, including stream deflections, potential tectonic aneurysm development, and even an upper-crustal test site for channel flow- focused denudation models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP04(2023)036

Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus), as one of the most important economic fish, was seriously infected by the nervous necrosis virus (NNV), especially in the larvae stage. PolyI:C is an effective stimulus of the antivirus system, but whether it can work in the larvae stage is still unknown. In this study, the transcriptomic profiles of 10 day-post hatching (dph) cod larvae challenged with polyI:C was analysed using next-generation sequencing technology. After assembly and annotation, a total of 77,562 unigenes were acquired and 780 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, including 508 upregulated and 272 downregulated genes. The DEGs were involved in diverse pathways including protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum, peroxisome, carbon metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, and PPAR signaling pathway. Gene expression patterns of five immune relevant genes belonging to IFN signal pathway, such as TLR3, IRF3, MDA5, IPS1 and ATG5, were detected using qPCR. The transcript levels of TLR3, IRF3, MAD5 and IPS1 in cod larvae seems very low, but these genes were upregulated significantly 48h post-challenged with polyI:C, while ATG5 was downregulated 12h after polyI:C challenged. The results indicated that IFN system of cod larvae can be induced by polyI:C, thus considering polyI:C as a potential antivirus agent for cod larvae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The P9-1 protein of Rice black-streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV) is an essential part of the viroplasm. However, little is known about its nature or biological function in the viroplasm. In this study, the structure and function of P9-1 were analyzed for in vitro binding to nucleic acids. We found that the P9-1 protein preferentially bound to single-stranded versus double-stranded nucleic acids; however, the protein displayed no preference for RBSDV versus non-RBSDV single-stranded ssRNA (ssRNA). A gel mobility shift assay revealed that the RNA gradually shifted as increasing amounts of P9-1 were added, suggesting that multiple subunits of P9-1 bind to ssRNA. By using discontinuous blue native gel and chromatography analysis, we found that the P9-1 protein was capable of forming dimers, tetramers, and octamers. Strikingly, we demonstrated that P9-1 preferentially bound to ssRNA in the octamer, rather than the dimer, form. Deletion of the C-terminal arm resulted in P9-1 no longer forming octamers; consequently, the deletion mutant protein bound to ssRNA with significantly lower affinity and with fewer copies bound per ssRNA. Alanine substitution analysis revealed that electropositive amino acids among residues 25 to 44 are important for RNA binding and map to the central interior structure that was formed only by P9-1 octamers. Collectively, our findings provide novel insights into the structure and function of RBSDV viroplasm protein P9-1 binding to RNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Undergraduate teaching audit and evaluation (UTAE) plays a substantial role in the teaching quality assurance and monitoring of universities. It achieves the goal of selecting the best university for promoting the quality of higher education in China. Generally, the UTAE is a complex decision-making problem by considering competing evaluation criteria. Moreover, the evaluation information on the teaching quality of universities is often ambiguous and hesitant because of the vagueness existing in human judgments. Previous studies on UTAE have paid subtle attention towards the managing of linguistic expressions and the performance priority of universities. The interval-valued hesitant fuzzy linguistic sets (IVHFLSs) can effectively describe uncertainty, hesitancy, and inconsistency inherent in decision-making process. The ORESTE (organísation, rangement et Synthèse de données relarionnelles, in French) is a new outranking decision-making method which can show detailed distinctions between alternatives. Therefore, in this study, we propose a new UTAE approach based on the VHFLSs and ORESTE method to resolve the prioritization of universities for selecting the optimal university to benchmark. Specifically, the presented method handles the hesitant and uncertain linguistic expressions of experts by adopting the IVHFLSs and determines the ranking of universities with an extended ORESTE approach. Finally, a practical UTAE example illustrates the feasibility the proposed approach and a comparison analysis provides grounding for the superiority of the integrated approach. When the obtained results are evaluated, U2 has been determined as the best university. The results indicate the good performance of the proposed UTAE approach in evaluating and improving the teaching quality of universities.

The range dependence is one of the intrinsic features for the clutter of airborne radar, which degrades the performance of conventional space-time adaptive processor (STAP). A novel algorithm of nonstationary clutter suppression, which is based on the joint-time secondary data selection, is presented. Due to the stationarity of radar echo in time domain and the slow change in the Doppler frequency with range, both the slow and quick time secondary data are used as the training samples for sub-CPI adaptive processing to mitigate the range dependence, and ultimately the loss of time aperture is decreased by summing the outputs of all the sub-processors coherently. The simulation results indicate that the algorithm can improve the precision of covariance matrix and the performance of main-lobe clutter suppression, and has a higher robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on EscA as a protein necessary in the accumulation and proper secretion of EseC, another translocon component. It provides the methods used in the investigation, involving bacteria strains, plasmids, culture media and growth conditions and construction of in-frame deletion mutants of Edwardsiella tarda. The results suggested that EscA serves as a particular chaperone for EseC and stimulates the virulence of Edwardsiella tarda, a significant Gram-negative enteric pathogen harming both animals and humans.

Heparin, including unfractionated heparin (UFH), low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) and heparin derivatives, are commonly used in venous thromboembolism treatment and reportedly have beneficial effects on cancer survival. Heparin can affect the proliferation, adhesion, angiogenesis, migration and invasion of cancer cells via multiple mechanisms. The main mechanisms involve inhibition of heparanase, P-/L-selectin, angiogenesis, and interference with the CXCL12-CXCR4 axis. Here we summarize the current experimental evidence regarding the anti-cancer role of heparin and its derivatives, and conclude that there is evidence to support heparin’s role in inhibiting cancer progression, making it a promising anti-cancer agent.

Quality function deployment (QFD) is a customer-driven quality management tool that can improve system quality, promote innovation, and enhance the core competitiveness of enterprises. Nonetheless, the traditional QFD method has defects in handling the experts’ assessments, measuring customer requirement importance, and prioritizing engineering characteristics, which affect its efficiency and limit its application in the real world. In this study, a new QFD approach based on spherical fuzzy sets (SFSs) and a combined compromise solution (CoCoSo) method is proposed to overcome the shortcomings associated with the traditional QFD. To be specific, the linguistic relationship assessments between the customer requirements and engineering characteristics provided by the experts were described by the SFSs, the relative weights of the customer requirements were obtained via the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method, and the importance ranking orders of the engineering characteristics were determined with an improved CoCoSo method. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed QFD approach are illustrated by an empirical case of accommodation service design. The results show that the new QFD approach provides a useful and practical way to represent the relationship assessment information of experts and determine the priority of engineering characteristics in product development.

Background:Rhodiola rosea L. has long been used as traditional medicines in Europe and Asia to treat a variety of common conditions and diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, cognitive dysfunctions, cancer, and stroke. Previous studies reported that Rhodiola rosea L. and its components (RRC) improve ischemia stroke in animal models. Here, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis for preclinical studies to evaluate the effects of RRC and the probable neuroprotective mechanisms in ischemic stroke.Methods: Studies of RRC on ischemic stroke animal models were searched in seven databases from inception to Oct 2021. The primary measured outcomes included the neural functional deficit score (NFS), infarct volume (IV), brain water content, cell viability, apoptotic cells, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells, B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) level and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) level. The secondary outcome measures were possible mechanisms of RRC for ischemic stroke. All the data were analyzed via RevMan version 5.3.Results: 15 studies involving 345 animals were identified. Methodological quality for each included studies was accessed according to the CAMARADES 10-item checklist. The quality score of studies range from 1 to 7, and the median was 5.53. Pooled preclinical data showed that compared with the controls, RRC could improve NFS (Zea Longa (p < 0.01), modified neurological severity score (mNSS) (p < 0.01), rotarod tests (p < 0.01), IV (p < 0.01), as well as brain edema (p < 0.01). It also can increase cell viability (p < 0.01), Bcl-2 level (p < 0.01) and reduce TNF-α level (p < 0.01), TUNEL-positive cells (p < 0.01), apoptotic cells (p < 0.01).Conclusion: The findings suggested that RRC can improve ischemia stroke. The possible mechanisms of RRC are largely through antioxidant, anti-apoptosis activities, anti-inflammatory, repressing lipid peroxidation, antigliosis, and alleviating the pathological blood brain barrier damage.

Background: Patients with traumatic injuries are often accompanied by emotional disorders, which seriously impede functional gains. The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence and risk factors associated with underlying anxiety and depression in orthopaedic trauma patients. Methods: From July 2015 to December 2017, all orthopaedic trauma patients were included in the retrospective study. Patients with conditions that might affect cognitive impairment were excluded from the study. Basic demographic data were collected. All patients were screened for emotional disorders on admission using a simple questionnaire called "Huaxi Emotional-Distress Index" (HEI). Bivariate analyses and logistic regression were used to identify the factors associated with a HEI score of > 8. Results: One hundred and sixty-two patients (8.1%) had a HEI score of > 8. About 1.0% of enrolled patients had severe emotional disorders (HEI score ≥ 17). The reasons caused by emotional disorders in patients with orthopaedic trauma were a higher Injury Severity Score (ISS), a higher visual analogue score (VAS) and type of surgery. On logistic regression, marital status was a protective factor for emotional disorders, while VAS and ISS were the risk factors for emotional disorders. Conclusions: Although a significantly low percentage of orthopaedic trauma patients in our setting have emotional disorders, traumatic orthopaedic surgeons still need to pay attention to the risk of emotional disorders and integrate effective screening tools into clinical practice to screen for these factors and stratify emotional disorders. Appropriate targeted psychological intervention and treatment should be adopted according to the stratification of emotional disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Social media key opinion leaders (SMKOL) and community-based organizations (CBOs) are two leading delivery strategies for HIV self-testing (HIVST). This study compared respondent characteristics, linkage to care, antiretroviral treatment (ART), and cost of HIVST among MSM recruited via SMKOLs and CBOs in China. Methods: Between January and December 2018, SMKOLs distributed HIVST advertisements to MSM through WeChat public platforms, Simultaneously, CBOs distributed HIVST program messages to local MSM. All participants were required to pay a deposit to apply for HIVST kit and had their deposit refunded after completing an online survey and uploading HIVST results. Trained staff provided HIV referral services by telephone and WeChat. Results: 1743 (63.0% [1743/2766]) and 1023 (37.0% [1023/2766]) individuals met criteria via SMKOLs and CBOs, respectively. MSM reached by SMKOLs had a lower HIV seropositive rate (2.1% [33/1561] vs. 12.5% [100/803]) and higher proportion received ART (94.4% [31/33] vs. 29.0% [29/100]) compared to CBO-recruited MSM (all p < 0.05). The average number of HIVST respondents recruited by each investigator in SMKOL-strategy was higher than that of CBO-strategy (290 vs. 49). The SMKOLs had lower cost of per person tested (USD 13.18 vs. USD 101.21) and per newly identified HIV infection case (USD 632.66 vs. USD 812.70). Conclusions: SMKOL has lower cost of per person tested while CBOs can reach MSM subpopulations with higher HIV seropositive rates. Both recruitment methods are efficient and should be utilized as complementary HIVST delivery strategies to address low HIV testing coverage among Chinese MSM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sun Z, Li L, Zhang L, Yan J, Shao C, Bao Z, Liu J, Li Y, Zhou M, Hou L, Jing L, Pang Q, Geng Y, Mao X, Gu W, Wang Z. Macrophage galectin-3 enhances intimal translocation of vascular calcification in diabetes mellitus. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 318: H1068-H1079, 2020. First published March 27, 2020; doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00690.2019.--The clinical risks and prognosis of diabetic vascular intimal calcification (VIC) and medial calcification (VMC) are different. This study aims to investigate the mechanism of VIC/VMC translocation. Anterior tibial arteries were collected from patients with diabetic foot amputation. The patients were then divided into VIC and VMC groups. There were plaques in all anterior tibial arteries, while the enrichment of galectin-3 in arterial plaques in the VIC group was significantly higher than that in the VMC group. Furthermore, a macrophage/vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) coculture system was constructed. VSMC-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) was labeled with fluorescent probe. After macrophages were pretreated with recombinant galectin-3 protein, the migration of VSMC-derived EVs and VSMC-derived calcification was more pronounced. And anti-galectin-3 antibody can inhibit this process of EVs and calcification translocation. Then, lentivirus (LV)-treated bone marrow cells (BMCs) were transplanted into apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mice, and a diabetic atherosclerosis mouse model was constructed. After 15 wk of high-fat diet, ApoE-/- mice transplanted with LV-shgalectin-3 BMCs exhibited medial calcification and a concentrated distribution of EVs in the media. In conclusion, upregulation of galectin-3 in macrophages promotes the migration of VSMC-derived EVs to the intima and induces diabetic vascular intimal calcification. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The clinical risk and prognosis of vascular intimal and medial calcification are different. Macrophage galectin- 3 regulates the migration of vascular smooth muscle cellderived extracellular vesicles and mediates diabetic vascular intimal/medial calcification translocation. This study may provide insights into the early intervention in diabetic vascular calcification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Halo nevus (HN) has been shown to be associated with vitiligo, but no standard signs are currently available to identify HN patients at risk of vitiligo, and the relevant data obtained in previous studies are somewhat conflicting. This study aimed to identify factors affecting the presence of vitiligo in HN patients. Methods: We performed a retrospective study on consecutive patients with HN at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between January 2011 and December 2016. Detailed demographic and clinical data were collected to identify the factors associated with the presence of vitiligo in this cohort of patients using uni- and multi-variate logistic regression analyses. Results: A total of 212 HN patients were included, 101 of whom had vitiligo-associated HN (HNV). Univariate analysis indicated that a personal history of thyroid diseases was positively associated with HNV (odds ratio [OR] = 10.761, P = 0.025), while the onset age of HN was negatively associated with HNV (OR = 0.537, P = 0.026). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the Koebner phenomenon (KP; OR = 10.632, P < 0.0001), multiple HN (OR = 3.918, P < 0.0001), and a familial history of vitiligo (OR = 3.222, P = 0.014) were independent factors associated with HNV. Conclusions: HN without vitiligo has clinical features distinct from HN associated with vitiligo. HN patients with KP, multiple lesions, or familial history of vitiligo are more likely to develop vitiligo and therefore should be monitored for clinical signs of such accompanied conditions.

Pyropia yezoensis is commercially the most important edible red alga in China, and red rot disease is viewed as one of the major constraints for its cultivation. Microbes within the oomycetic genus Pythium have been reported as the causative agents for this disease; however, little is known about the interactions between the disease and the epiphytic and planktonic bacterial communities. In the present study, bacterial communities associated with uninfected, locally infected, and seriously infected thalli collected from cultivation farms, and within seawater adjacent to the thalli, were investigated using in-depth 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing in conjunction with assessing multiple environmental factors. For both thalli and seawater, uninfected and infected communities were significantly different though alpha diversity was similar. Phylogenetic differences between epiphytic bacterial communities associated with P. yezoensis were mainly reflected by the relative changes in the dominant operational taxonomic units (OTUs) assigned as genus Flavirhabdus, genus Sulfitobacter, and family Rhodobacteraceae. The prevalent OTUs in seawater also differed in relative abundance across the communities and were affiliated with diverse taxa, including the phyla Actinobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, and Bacteroidetes, and the classes Alpha- and Gamma-proteobacteria. The differentiation of bacterial communities associated with P. yezoensis and seawater was primarily shaped by reactive silicate (RS) content and salinity, respectively. In particular, 14 potential indicators (two OTUs on P. yezoensis and twelve OTUs in seawater) were identified that significantly differentiated P. yezoensis health statuses and correlated with environmental changes. Overall, the present study provides insights into the alterations of bacterial communities associated with P. yezoensis and surrounding seawater co-occurring with red rot disease. Observed changes were closely associated with health status of algal host, and highlight the potential of using community differentiation to forecast disease occurrence.

AIM:To examine the morphological characteristics and antigen expression patterns of cultured human retinal glia to define novel subtypes.METHODS:Morphologic characteristics and marker expression were examined during cultivation using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and immunostaining for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and vimentin.RESULTS: A subtype of human retinal glia distinct from radial glia (Müller cells) was successfully isolated by digesting the retina first in diastase vera (pancreatin) and then in clostridiopeptidase, followed by culture on fibronectin substrate in human endothelial cell medium (supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum, growth factors, and heparin sodium). Adherence was detected at 72h and cell-cell coupling at 9-10d after seeding. These cells were extensively and strongly immunopositive for GFAP and vimentin, consistent with glial expression patterns in the human retina, but were morphologically and immunohistochemically distinct from previously reported cultured retinal glia, including GFAP-positive and glutamine synthetase (GS)-positive Müller cells.CONCLUSION:A unique human retinal glial cell type can be isolated using diastase vera and clostridiopeptidase and then maintained in vitro. Further studies are required to characterize the physiological and pathological functions of these cells.

Inflammatory responses are important aspects of the innate immune system during virus infection. We found that Newcastle disease virus can induce inflammasome activation in the human macrophage-like cell line THP-1. Viral replication was required for inflammasome activation, and small hairpin RNA knockdown experiments indicated that IL-1β secretion was mediated by the NLRP3 inflammasome. We also verified the results in LPS-primed bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) from NLRP3-deficient and wild type mice. NDV is considered to be a promising oncolytic virus. Stimulating the immune system has been proposed as a key mechanism of oncolytic specificity, and the inflammasome appears to be an important mechanism by which NDV is controlled. Knockdown of inflammasome components or chemical inhibition of caspase-1 activity shows that cell survival was augmented and benefited NDV replication. This study shows that NLRP3 inflammasome activation is an innate cellular response to NDV infection and offers insights into the oncolytic specificity of NDV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mobile revolution transformed the ways we socialize and conduct business. Today, mobile technology is an essential element of every aspect of digital success. More people are accessing the Internet through mobile devices than through wired connections. Mobile device users are always connected, actively leveraging information, knowledge and social activities. The rapid growth of mobile usage in the world created many opportunities that leverage the ubiquity of mobile networks. Clearly mobile revolution will continue, and organizations not only create mobile strategy, they devote more resources to deliver innovative mobile services and next must-have applications (apps) for the agricultural sector. There are many design challenges and considerations in developing mobile apps that can be widely accepted by users in agricultural communities. This paper discusses mobile apps in the agricultural domain, considerations and challenges for successful mobile app development and focuses on a cross-platform mobile development approach adopted by University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). This cross-platform framework is an intuitive approach to developing apps quickly, easily and cost effectively. A mobile portal and sample mobile apps developed at UF/IFAS are presented. Effective and quality mobile app deployment in agriculture needs a clear mobile strategy, creative ideas and collective efforts from developers, domain experts and organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nucleocapsid (N) protein of tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) plays key roles in assembling genomic RNA into ribonucleoprotein (RNP), which serves as a template for both viral gene transcription and genome replication. However, little is known about the molecular mechanism of how TSWV N interacts with genomic RNA. In this study, we demonstrated that TSWV N protein forms a range of higher ordered oligomers. Analysis of the RNA binding behavior of N protein revealed that no specific oligomer binds to RNA preferentially, instead each type of N oligomer is able to bind RNA. To better characterize the structure and function of N protein interacting with RNA, we constructed homology models of TSWV N and N-RNA complexes. Based on these homology models, we demonstrated that the positively charged and polar amino acids in its predicted surface cleft of TSWV N are critical for RNA binding. Moreover, by N-RNA homology modeling, we found that the RNA component is deeply embedded in the predicted protein cleft; consistently, TSWV N-RNA complexes are relatively resistant to digestion by RNase. Collectively, using homology modeling, we determined the RNA binding sites on N and found a new protective feature for N protein. Our findings also provide novel insights into the molecular details of the interaction of TSWV N with RNA components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Compound Taxus capsule, as an antineoplastic Chinese patent drug, has been increasingly applied as an adjunctive treatment for the management of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and some other malignancies, but research about its antitumor activity and radiosensitization effect on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells is very rare., Purpose: To investigate the antitumor activity and radiosensitization effect of Compound Taxus on HCC cells and to preliminarily explore the possible molecule mechanisms involved., Methods: Cell viability, cell cycle distribution, apoptosis, DNA damage repair and protein expression levels were detected by CCK-8 assay, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence staining, western blotting analysis and immunohistochemical staining, respectively. The migration and invasion activities and vasculogenic mimicry (VM) formation and angiogenesis were evaluated by tube formation and VM formation assay. Radiation survival curves were obtained from the colony formation assay in human HCC cell lines, Smmc7721 and Bel7402 cells, pretreated with or without Compound Taxus before receiving X-ray irradiation. A Bel7402 tumor-bearing mouse model was established and the radiosensitization effect of Compound Taxus in vivo was evaluated by analyzing tumor volume and tumor weight in different groups receiving different treatments., Results: Compound Taxus decreased viability, induced G2/M arrest, promoted apoptosis, suppressed migration and invasion, and inhibited VM formation and angiogenesis in Smmc7721 and Bel7402 cells. Furthermore, Compound Taxus inhibited irradiation-induced DNA damage repair, enhanced the radiosensitivity of Smmc7721 and Bel7402 cells and improved the anti-tumor therapeutic efficacy of irradiation in Bel7402 tumor-bearing mice. Radiotherapy in combination with Compound Taxus showed the best tumor inhibition compared to that of Compound Taxus alone or irradiation alone. In addition, Compound Taxus significantly down-regulated NF-κB p65, p-NF-κB p65 and Bcl-2, and up-regulated Bax in vitro and in vivo, yet NF-κB p65 overexpression reversed the proapoptotic effect of Taxus on HCC cells, indicating that the NF-κB signaling pathway might be an important signal mediator in the Compound-Taxus-modulated biological responses., Conclusion: Our findings suggest that Compound Taxus shows marked antitumor activity and significant radiosensitization effect on HCC cells, making it possible for Compound Taxus to become a promising auxiliary modality for HCC management and a potential radiosensitizer of HCC in the future., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

The unexpected discovery of hot Jupiters challenged the classical theory of planet formation inspired by our solar system. Until now, the origin and evolution of hot Jupiters are still uncertain. Determining their age distribution and temporal evolution can provide more clues into the mechanism of their formation and subsequent evolution. Using a sample of 383 giant planets around Sun-like stars collected from the kinematic catalogs of the Planets Across Space and Time project, we find that hot Jupiters are preferentially hosted by relatively younger stars in the Galactic thin disk. We subsequently find that the frequency of hot Jupiters declines with age as [Formula: see text]. In contrast, the frequency of warm/cold Jupiters shows no significant dependence on age. Such a trend is expected from the tidal evolution of hot Jupiters' orbits, and our result offers supporting evidence using a large sample. We also perform a joint analysis on the planet frequencies in the stellar age-metallicity plane. The result suggests that the frequencies of hot Jupiters and warm/cold Jupiters, after removing the age dependence are both correlated with stellar metallicities as [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], respectively. Moreover, we show that the above correlations can explain the bulk of the discrepancy in hot Jupiter frequencies inferred from the transit and radial velocity (RV) surveys, given that RV targets tend to be more metal-rich and younger than transits.

This paper provides a non-exhaustive analysis of the human rights-based approach to sustainable development (HRBA to SD) contained in the Draft Pan African Investment Code (Draft PAIC), the Southern African Development Community Model BIT (SADC Model BIT), and 37 Bilateral Investment Treaties (BIT) concluded by African countries between 2017 and 2021. The analysis was conducted through an analytical framework that breaks down the investors' human rights responsibility into five key analytical elements: the duty-bearer, the content of human rights obligation, the legal force of the standards, the enforcement of the human rights obligation and the legitimacy of the HRBA to SD. This paper shows that the HRBA has resulted in the linking of investment protection, the incorporation of mandatory human rights, and the promotion of SD goals in some African investment instruments. The paper also suggests that the HRBA to SD has limited influence on treaty practice, as it is adopted by a limited number of intra-African BITs. It appears that the HRBA as adopted in African investment treaty practice has a moderate influence on achieving SD objectives. This article is a valuable contribution to the literature on sustainable development, on "Africanization of international investment law", and on the responsibility of corporations in relation to human rights., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

This study aimed to explore the rule of Tibetan medicine in clinical treatment of hypertension( k Hrag-rLung-stod-vtshangs) and analyze the characteristics of its prescriptions. One hundred and thirty-seven cases of hypertension treated Tibetan medicine were collected. Data mining,Gephi,Cytoscape and other methods and software were used to analyze the characteristics of Tibetan medicine. The results showed that there were 44 cases of r Lung-type hypertension in clinical medical records,while 57 cases of k Hrag-type hypertension. There were 103 treatment prescriptions. The frequency of these prescriptions covered Twenty-five Yuganzi Pills( 96 times),Seventy Pearl Pills( 80 times),Eight Chenxiang Pills( 75 times),and Sanwei Ganlu Powder( 62 times),and they were highly correlated,with confidence greater than 95%. There were 332 prescriptions involved in the prescriptions which is core prescription medicines. This study first proposed the dosage analysis method of Tibetan medicine prescription medicines,and obtained the more dosage of Chebulae Fructus,Phyllanthi Fructus,Aucklandiae Radix,Aquilariae Lignum Resinatum and so on. The correlation analysis of the prescription medicines found that Carthami Flos,Myristicae Semen,Bambusae Concretio Silicea,Caryophylli Flos,Amomi Fructus Rotundus led by Tsaoko Fructus had a high correlation and a confidence greater than 75%. These herbs were guaranteed when Tibetan medicine was used in combination. The key drugs for protecting viscera and regulating the three gastric fires. The prescription is mainly cold,blunt,sparse and rough. Its efficacy focuses on the pathogenesis of blood fever,blood stickiness and venous blockage caused by heat,sharpness,odor and stickiness. It mainly treats Tibetan medicine diseases such as k Hrag-r Lung-stod-vtshangs and k Hrag-vpel( polyemia). It is suggested that Tibetan medicine has a three-in-one invisible treatment principle of " clearing blood-heat,opening vessel and regulating stomach-fire" in the treatment of hypertension,which attributed to both cardiovascular function and gastrointestinal metabolic function. This may be a significant and invisible knowledge of Tibetan medicine in the treatment of hypertension.

This research is launched to look for the medication rules and characteristics of Tibetan medicine in the treatment of gZav-Grib( apoplexy sequelae). HIS records of gZav-Grib patients were selected from the Tibetan Hospital of Tibet Autonomous Region and Tibetan Hospital of the city of Naqu. SPSS Modeler,Gephi and other data mining and visualization software were used to study the actual law of drug use in the treatment of gZav-Grib in Tibetan medicine. Finally,479 cases of gZav-Grib patients in Tibetan medicine were included. Their average age is 63 and average hospital stay was 32 days. In total,82 Tibetan medicine prescriptions were used for treating gZav-Grib. The frequency in the front is Twenty-flavor Chenxiang Pills( 338 times),Ruyi Zhenbao Pills( 322 times),and Seventy-flavor Zhenzhu Pills( 315 times). According to the regularity of Tebitan medicine,they were applied in different time periods including the early morning,morning,noon,and evening,for example,in the early morning: Seventy-flavor Zhenzhu Pills,morning: Ruyi Zhenbao Pills,noon: Eighteen-flavor Dujuan Pills,evening: Twenty-flavor Chenxiang Pills. In the clinical joint,18 groups were found in the 10% support and 70% confidence. There are two prescriptions confidence more than 80% which nature focus on Gan,Ruan,Xi,Liang,Dun,Han,Wen. gZav-Grib of Tibetan medicine can be divided into two types: r Lung-Grib type and k Hrag-Grib type,in which the medicine of r Lung-Grib type takes Seventy-flavor Zhenzhu Pills as the core prescription,while the medicine of k Hrag-Grib type takes Ruyi Zhenbao Pills as the core prescription. It is found that the treatment of gZav-Grib by Tibetan medicine is mainly dominated by the treatment idea about " Therapeutic r Lung and blood,Consideration of venous diseases". Treatment functions is promoting the circulation of Qi,clearing blood heat and getting rid of bad blood,achieving the purpose of treating both principal secondary aspect of gZav-Grib. The research methods based on the HIS can't only optimize the Tibetan treating gZav-Grib sequela treatment plan and rule of medication,but also provide the scientific basis for Tibetan medicine treat gZav-Grib.

Transplanting date and density are the important factors affecting the appearance quality of chrysanthemum. The study on the greenhouse single-flower cut chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium cv. Shenma) showed that within the ranges of test transplanting date and density, the plant height and neck length increased, while the leaf number per plant, stem diameter, plant fresh mass and flower diameter decreased with the delay of transplanting date and the increase of transplanting density. No effect of transplanting density was observed on plant height. For the production of single-flower cut chrysanthemum in non-heated greenhouse in Shanghai, the optimal transplanting date and density to achieve the top rank of quality (rank A) were the middle ten days of August and 64 plants x m(-2), and those to achieve the second rank of quality (rank B) were from mid August to early September and 72-80 plants x m(-2), respectively. The results obtained in this study offered references in establishing the prediction model of greenhouse single-flower cut chrysanthemum appearance quality based on light, temperature, and transplanting date and density.

Based on the effects of light and temperature on chrysanthemum quality and the experiments with different chrysanthemum varieties and planting dates, a quality prediction model of greenhouse standard cut chrysanthemum with the physiological product of thermal effectiveness and PAR (PTEP) as the measurement scale was developed and validated. The results showed that the predicted results, including the number of unfolding leaves, leaf area, plant height, stem diameter, internode length and flower diameter, accorded well with the observed ones, and the determination coefficient (R2) and relative prediction error (RSE) based on 1 : 1 line were 0.99, 0.98, 0.98, 0.92, 0.87 and 0.88, and 5.5%, 6.5%, 5.9%, 4.1%, 11.2%, 12.4%, respectively. This model was of high precision and practicable, which could be used in optimizing the light and temperature management for greenhouse standard cut chrysanthemum production.

Aim: To identify etiologic pathogens of acute diarrhea in children and to determine the diagnostic value of stool pH., Methods: From May 1988 to April 1992, 368 children with acute diarrhea were studied. Fresh stools were routinely examined, and stool pH was tested with pH paper. Samples were placed in Cary-Blair culture medium and were sent to the lab for bacterial isolation and identification. Rotavirus was identified in the supernatant by ELISA., Results: Thirty-one pathogens and 385 bacterial strains were found in the 368 samples, with a detection rate of 67.7%, including 37.8% of mixed infections. Among the bacteria families, vibrionaceae was the most common (39.7%), and among bacteria genera, aeromonas was the most common (26.8%). In bacterial diarrhea, stool pH tended to be basic, while in viral diarrhea it tended to be acidic., Conclusion: There are 31 pathogens for children's acute diarrhea in this area. It is quite difficult to make an etiologic diagnosis only by clinical signs. However, stool pH is of some value for early disease diagnosis.