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The genus Maytenus is a member of the Celastraceae family, of which several species have long been used in traditional medicine. Between 1976 and 2021, nearly 270 new compounds have been isolated and elucidated from the genus Maytenus. Among these, maytansine and its homologues are extremely rare in nature. Owing to its unique skeleton and remarkable bioactivities, maytansine has attracted many synthetic endeavors in order to construct its core structure. In this paper, the current status of the past 45 years of research on Maytenus, with respect to its chemical and biological activities are discussed. The chemical research includes its structural classification into triterpenoids, sesquiterpenes and alkaloids, along with several chemical synthesis methods of maytansine or maytansine fragments. The biological activity research includes activities, such as anti-tumor, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory activities, as well as HIV inhibition, which can provide a theoretical basis for the better development and utilization of the Maytenus.

Vagal circuit-α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR, coded by Chrna7) signaling can modulate lung proinflammatory responses. Arginase 1 (ARG1) plays a crucial role in the resolution of lung inflammation. However, whether vagal-α7nAChR signaling can regulate lung inflammation and ARG1 expression during an influenza infection is elusive. Here, we found that lung and spleen IL-4(+) cells and lung ARG1 expression were reduced; however, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) protein and leukocytes and lung inflammatory cytokines were increased in PR8 (A/Puerto Rico/8/1934, H1N1)-infected vagotomized mice when compared to the control. In PR8-infected α7nAChR-deficient mice, lung Arg1, Il10, and Socs3 expression and BAL Ly6C(+)CD206(+) cells were reduced. PR8-infected Chrna7(+/+) recipient mice reconstituted with Chrna7(−/−) bone marrow had a lower survival as compared to PR8-infected Chrna7(+/+) recipient mice reconstituted with Chrna7(+/+) bone marrow. Mechanistically, the activation of α7nAChR by its agonist GTS-21 could enhance IL-4-induced Arg1 expression, reduced Nos2, and TNF-α expression in PR8-infected bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM). Stimulation with IL-4 increased phosphorylation of STAT6 and activation of α7nAChR increased STAT6 binding with the ARG1 promoter and relieved IL-4-induced H3K27me3 methylation by increasing JMJD3 expression in PR8-infected BMDM. Inhibition of JMJD3 increased H3K27me3 methylation and abolished α7nAChR activation and IL-4 induced ARG1 expression. Activation of α7nAChR also reduced phosphorylation of AKT1 and contained FOXO1 in the nucleus. Knockdown of Foxo1a reduced α7nAChR activation and IL-4 induced Arg1 expression in PR8-infected BMDM. Therefore, vagal-α7nAChR signaling is a novel therapeutic target for treating lung inflammatory responses during an influenza infection.

Many factors affect the movement of rockfall. Thus, this study explored the influence of rockfall shape, slope angle, angular velocity, slope hardness, rockfall mass, and slope surface roughness on the stopping position and potential energy loss rate based on an orthogonal experiment. To study the key factors affecting the movement of rockfall, 2500 sets of orthogonal tests were carried out by using ROCFALL 8.0 (ROCSCIENCE) numerical simulation program. SPSS19.0 software was used to perform importance analysis and correlation analysis on the test results. The analysis results show that rockfall shape has the greatest influence on the stopping distance. There is a significant positive linear correlation between the number of rockfall edges and the stopping distance of rockfall on the asphalt road. The slope angle has the greatest influence on the potential energy loss rate, and there is a significant negative linear correlation between the slope angle and the potential energy loss rate. In the case of a low angle slope, the stopping position of rockfall is more concentrated. Therefore, in the process of mountain engineering construction, more attention should be paid to the influence of rockfall shape and slope angle on rockfall hazard protection.

To find the causes of the failure in the first catheter removal (CR) after transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) and the related risk factors.We collected the clinical data on 285 BPH patients treated by TURP from June 2015 to May 2018. We divided the cases into a successful CR (SCR) and a failed CR (FCR) group and investigated the risk factors for the first CR after TURP by multivariate logistic regression analysis.CR was successfully performed in 246 and failed in 39 of the 285 cases. In the FCR group, post-CR urinary retention occurred in 15 cases immediately after, severe urinary tract irritation in 13, massive gross hematuria in 7 and urinary incontinence in 4 within 1 month. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the independent risk factors for CR failure included IPSS (OR = 5.106, P = 0.013), preoperative urinary tract infection (OR = 3.835, P = 0.041), prostate volume (OR = 4.160, P = 0.011) and catheter compression time (OR = 4.051, P = 0.017).The common causes of the failure in catheter removal after TURP included early postoperative urinary retention, urinary infection, secondary hematuria and urinary incontinence.

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a pathophysiological factor in acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) and is relevant to mood disorders after stroke. We evaluated the predictive value of IL-10 in patients with post-stroke depression (PSD).A total of 350 stroke patients were recruited at baseline, and 151 AIS patients were screened and completed a 1-month follow-up. Serum IL-10 levels were measured within 24 h of admission. We used the 17-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-17) to evaluate depression symptoms; PSD was defined as an HAMD score ≥ 7.Fifty-one (33.8%) patients showed a more serious stroke degree, larger infarction volume, and poorer daily life activities and prognosis (P0.05) and were diagnosed with PSD at the 1-month follow-up. Their IL-10 level decreased significantly compared to the non-PSD group (P0.001). After adjusting for confounders, IL-10 could be used as an independent predictor for PSD with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 0.615 (95% CI 0.410-0.923, P = 0.019). In addition, the optimal cut-off value of IL-10 was 0.615 pg/mL based on an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.692 (95% CI 0.604-0.781, P0.001), demonstrating that IL-10 could predict the occurrence of PSD. Moreover, IL-10 was an indicator of stroke severity, living ability, and functional outcomes (P0.05).IL-10 was only measured upon admission; dynamic changes need to be further monitored. This was also a single-centre study with a relatively small sample.Lower IL-10 levels may be used to predict PSD.

At present, most of the dynamic sign language recognition is only for sign language words, the continuous sign language sentence recognition research and the corresponding results are less, because the segmentation of such sentence is very difficult. In this paper, a sign language sentence recognition algorithm is proposed based on weighted key-frames. Key-frames can be regarded as the basic unit of sign word, therefore, according to key frames we can get related vocabularies, and thus we can further organize these vocabularies into meaningful sentences. Such work can avoid the hard point of dividing sign language sentence directly. With the help of Kinect, i.e. motion-control device, a kind of self-adaptive algorithm of key-frame extraction based on the trajectory of sign language is brought out in the paper. After that, the key-frame is given weight according to its semantic contribution. Finally, the recognition algorithm is designed based on these weighted key-frames and thus get the continuous sign language sentence. Experiments show that the algorithm designed in this paper can realize real-time recognition of continuous sign language sentences.

Background: Candida is a fungus that causes various types of candidemia, which is the fourth major infectious disease of the blood system. MALDI-TOF-MS is a simple and rapid detection instrument. The aim of the present study was to verify the accuracy of MALDI-TOF-MS in detecting Candida. Method: A pooled analysis of articles on MALDI-TOF-MS for diagnosis of candidemia was performed. The quality of original research was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) guidelines. Stata 12.0 software was used to merge the correct identification rates of Candida and Candida subspecies and obtain pooled sensitivity and specificity of the diagnostic methods. Heterogeneity was found in the subgroup analysis of the included articles. Hence, we explored the factors causing the heterogeneity and its impact on the overall situation. Sensitivity analysis was used to examine the effect of Candida level on total response. Egger’s test was used to evaluate the publication bias of the included articles. Results: A total of 16 articles in Pubmed, 79 articles in Embase, 1 article in Cochrane Library, 30 articles in Web of Science and 3 from other sources were identified, of which 10 articles were included based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The overall identification accuracy was 100%. Conclusion: The accuracy of MALDI-TOF-MS for the identification of Candida was 100%. Further research is necessary to determine whether MALDI-TOF-MS can be used as a clinical diagnostic standard for the identification of Candida.

Hydrogen-bonded supramolecular polymer nanoparticles (SPNPs), serving as a ratiometric oxygen nanoprobe for hypoxia sensing and photodynamic therapy (PDT) treatment, were designed. Herein, oxygen-sensitive phosphorescent Pt(II) porphyrin moiety and oxygen-insensitive fluorescent 9,10-diphenylanthracene moiety were assembled through quadruple hydrogen bonding into SPNPs. The efficient energy transfer between the monomeric donor–acceptor pairs in the SPNPs leads to enhanced phosphorescence with long lifetimes. The resulting bright phosphorescence can realize hypoxia sensing in living cells and generate singlet oxygen efficiently in SPNPs to kill cancer cells. This is the first example of a multi-functional supramolecular polymer-based nanoprobe for ratiometric hypoxia sensing, imaging and PDT treatment.

This study aimed to distinguish the rhizomes of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis (Franch) Hand Mazz (PPY) and Paris veitnamensis (Takht.) H. Li (PV) using metabolomics-based ultra high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-fligh mass spectrometry (UHPLC/Q-TOF MS). First, the UHPLC/Q-TOF MS approach was optimized for metabolite profiling. Then, the MS data were processed using UNIFI™ combined with an in-house library to automatically characterize the metabolites. Based on the exact mass information, the fragmentation characteristics, and the retention time of compounds, and the fragmentation mechanism and retention behavior of steroidal glycosides in the references, the structures identified by UNIFI were further verified. Overall, 146 metabolites, including 42 potential new compounds, were identified or tentatively identified. Pattern recognition analysis of the PPY and PV MS data revealed that they were clearly separated, and 15 potential biomarkers for differentiating between them were selected. These biomarkers were subsequently used to successfully predict the genus of PPY and PV samples. These results indicated that metabolite profiling by UHPLC/Q-TOF MS is an effective, robust approach for determining the characteristic biomarkers that differentiate between TCM species with multiple botanical origins.

This paper presents a class of primal-dual path-following interior-point algorithms for symmetric cone programming (SCP) based on wide neighborhoods and new directions with a parameter $$\theta $$ . When the parameter $$\theta =1$$ , the direction is exactly the classical Newton direction. When the parameter $$\theta $$ is independent of the rank of the associated Euclidean Jordan algebra, the algorithm terminates in at most $${\mathcal {O}}\left( \kappa r\log \varepsilon ^{-1}\right) $$ iterations, which coincides with the best known iteration bound for the classical wide neighborhood algorithms. When the parameter $$\theta =\sqrt{n/\beta \tau }$$ and Nesterov–Todd search direction is used, the algorithm has $${\mathcal {O}}\left( \sqrt{r}\log \varepsilon ^{-1}\right) $$ iteration complexity, the best iteration complexity obtained so far by any interior-point method for solving SCP. To our knowledge, this is the first time that a class of interior-point algorithms including the classical wide neighborhood path-following algorithm is proposed and analyzed over symmetric cone.

Trust is the premise and foundation of secure communication, no matter in the quantum communication or classical communication. In fact, the existing quantum secure communication protocols and technologies are implicitly related to trust; or assume some trust premise in advance; or create or obtain a trust relationship. This paper studies on quantum trust model using node trust evaluation based on author's own research achievements. We introduce the trust management into quantum communication network to build secure trusted quantum communication network based on evaluating the trust values of nodes, which are used to evaluate the reliability of each user. We put forward a scheme of quantum trust model based on node trust evaluation, and describe the thought and process of trust evaluation in detail based on the principles of quantum entanglement and quantum teleportation. We analyze the feasibility and safety of this scheme, which provides a new thinking and method for establishing a credible secure quantum communication network.

A protocol for quantum private comparison of equality (QPCE) is proposed based on five-particle cluster state with the help of a semi-honest third party (TP). In our protocol, TP is allowed to misbehave on its own but can not conspire with either of two parties. Compared with most two-user QPCE protocols, our protocol not only can compare two groups of private information (each group has two users) in one execution, but also compare just two private information. Compared with the multi-user QPCE protocol proposed, our protocol is safer with more reasonable assumptions of TP. The qubit efficiency is computed and analyzed. Our protocol can also be generalized to the case of 2N participants with one TP. The 2N-participant protocol can compare two groups (each group has N private information) in one execution or just N private information.

To determine the relationship between serum levels of 25(OH)D and 1, 25(OH)A cross-sectional study on a representative sample of 1 095 women aged 29-95 yr. in Sichuan Province was undertaken. Their hand-grip strength and balance ability were assessed using a hand-held dynamometer and the short physical performance battery (SPPB), respectively. The participants were divided into four groups according to the level of serum 25(OH)D: sufficient (75 nmol/L), insufficient (51-75 nmol/L), deficiency (25-50 nmol/L), and serious deficiency (25 nmol/L). General liner models were established to compare the differences of the four groups in balance ability. Logistic regression models were established to examine the associations of serum 25(OH)D and 1, 25(OH)About 70.9% of the participants had vitamin D deficiency. Those with vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency were more likely to reside in a higher latitudinal area (Serum levels of 25(OH)D and 1, 25(OH)2D are not associated with hand-grip strength and balance ability.

TRPV4 is a type of nonselective cation channel, and activation of TRPV4 in the gastrointestinal tract causes experimental colitis in mice. A previous study found that tyrosine-phosphorylated claudin-7 is increased in experimental colitis. The relationship between tyrosine-phosphorylated claudin-7 and TRPV4 remains undefined. In the present study, we developed a claudin-7 mutant by replacing tyrosine with glutamic acid at position 210, named cld7-Y210E colonic cells. We found that activation of TRPV4 by GSK1016790A increased the permeability of control colonic cell monolayers, which was decreased by the TRPV4 antagonist HC067047. In monolayers of cld7-Y210E colonic cells, no differences in permeability were found between GSK1016790A and HC067047 treatments. GSK1016790A increased the aggregation of claudin-7 at the cell membrane in control colonic cells, and the effect was diminished by HC067047. In cld7-Y210E colonic cells, neither GSK1016790A nor HC067047 apparently changed the aggregation of claudin-7. Neither GSK1016790A nor HC067047 altered the TRPV4 protein level in vector colonic cells. In cld7-wild colonic cells, GSK1016790A did not alter the TRPV4 protein level, while HC067047 increased the TRPV4 protein level. The TRPV4 protein level was increased in cld7-Y210E colonic cells, decreased by GSK1016790A and further decreased by HC067047. Calcium influx was not significantly changed in the control colonic cells treated with GSK1016790A. However, GSK1016790A significantly increased calcium influx in cld7-Y210E colonic cells. We concluded that tyrosine-phosphorylated claudin-7 affects the TRPV4-modulated intestinal epithelial barrier, TRPV4-mediated calcium influx, and the protein expression of TRPV4 in human colonic cells. We suggest that tyrosine-phosphorylated claudin-7 affects the TRPV4-modulated intestinal epithelial barrier, which might be related to TRPV4 expression and TRPV4-mediated calcium influx.

To investigate the correlation between the premature ejaculation diagnostic tool (PEDT) and International Index of Erectile Function-15 (IIEF-15) in different types of premature ejaculation (PE).We performed a cross-section survey among 352 PE patients received in the andrology clinic from December 2014 to December 2015 and 104 healthy men from the health examination center using basic demographic information (as on age, height, weight, education status, occupation, income, etc.), PEDT results, and IIEF-15 scores of the subjects.The PE patients had remarkably higher PEDT and lower IIEF-15 scores than the healthy men (P0.01). The PEDT score of the PE patients was negatively correlated with their total IIEF-15 score as well as with the scores in the domains of erectile function, sexual intercourse satisfaction, and overall satisfaction after adjusted for age (P0.01). The patients with acquired PE (APE) showed a lower IIEF-15 score than those with lifelong PE (LPE) (P0.01). The PEDT score of the APE patients was correlated negatively with the total IIEF-15 score (r=－0.391, P0.01) and the scores in the domains of erectile function (r=－0.362, P0.01) and overall satisfaction (r=－0.621, P0.01), but not correlated with intercourse satisfaction, sexual orgasm, or sexual desire. The PEDT score of the LPE group was correlated negatively with intercourse satisfaction (r=－0.286, P0.05) but not correlated with either the total IIEF-15 score or the scores in the domains of erectile function, overall satisfaction, sexual orgasm, or sexual desire.PE patients have a higher PEDT score and a lower IIEF-15 score than normal males. The PEDT score of APE patients is significantly correlated with the total IIEF-15 score, while that of LPE patients is correlated not with the total IIEF-15 score but with intercourse satisfaction.目的： 探讨不同类型早泄(PE)患者早泄诊断工具评分(PEDT)与国际勃起功能指数-15(IIEF-15）的相关性。方法： 选取2014年12月至2015年12月就诊于男科门诊352例不同类型PE患者及来自体检中心的104例自述无PE的健康体检男性作为研究对象，调查内容包括基本人口统计学信息(年龄、身高、体重、学历、职业、月收入等)、PEDT和IIEF-15。结果： PE患者的PEDT评分显著高于对照组［(13.22±3.25)分 vs (5.32±3.42)分］，而IIEF-15评分显著低于对照组［(43.54±7.17)分vs (52.66±6.86)分］，差异均具有统计学意义（P0.01）；PE组PEDT评分与IIEF-15总评分以及勃起功能、性交满意度、总满意度评分3个维度均呈负相关（P均0.05）。同时，获得性早泄（APE)患者的IIEF-15评分显著低于原发性早泄（LPE）患者（P0.01）。APE组中PEDT评分与IIEF-15总评分以及勃起功能及总满意度评分两个维度呈负相关，相关系数分别为 －0.391、－0.362、－0.621(P均0.01)，而与性交满意度、性高潮、性欲均无相关性；LPE组中PEDT评分与性交满意度呈负相关，相关系数为－0.286（P0.05)，而与IIEF-15总评分、勃起功能及总满意度评分、性高潮、性欲均无相关性。 结论： PE组较对照组具有较高的PEDT评分和较低的IIEF-15评分。APE患者PEDT评分与IIEF-15总分显著相关，LPE患者PEDT评分与IIEF-15总分无相关性，但与性交满意度具有相关性。.

A conventional electrospinning setup cannot work without a plug (electricity supply). In this article, we report a self-powered electrospinning setup based on a hand-operated Wimshurst generator. The new device has better applicability and portability than a typical conventional electrospinning setup because it is lightweight and can work without an external power supply. Experimental parameters of the apparatus such as the minimum number of handle turns to generate enough energy to spin, rotation speed of the handle and electrospinning distance were investigated. Different polymers such as polystyrene (PS), poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), polycaprolactone (PCL) and polylactic acid (PLA) were electrospun into ultrathin fibers successfully by this apparatus. The stability, reliability, and repeatability of the new apparatus demonstrate that it can be used as not only a demonstrator for an electrospinning process, but also a beneficial complement to conventional electrospinning especially where or when without a power supply, and may be used in wound healing and rapid hemostasis, etc.

The study was established an HPLC method for simultaneous determination of 8 steroidal saponins (polyphyllins Ⅶ, H, Ⅵ, Ⅱ, Ⅰ, and Ⅴ, dioscin, and gracillin) in Paridis Rhizoma, and made an evaluation by determining steroidal saponins in 15 kinds of genus Paris. The analysis was performed on a Waters Acquity H-ClassTM UPLC ultrafine liquid chromatography system coupled with a PDA detector. The chromatographic separation was achieved through a CAPCELL PAK ADME (4.6 mm× 250 mm, 5 μm) column and the optimal mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and water. The column was maintained at 21 ℃, and the flow rate was 0.8 mL•min ⁻¹. The UV detection wavelength was 203 nm. The results showed that ① the detected components can be well separated and all with good correlation coefficients. The standard calibration curves were linearly good (R20.999 9). The linearity was obtained over 0.041 70-3.812 00 μg. The average recoveries ranged from 95.91% to 103.8%. ② there are significant differences in the content of steroidal saponins from different species. The steroidal saponins are low content or almost none in P. mairei, P. polyphylla var. stenophylla, and P. delavayi have low content or almost did not contain, so these species are not suitable for medicinal use. The contents of steroidal saponins in P. polyphylla var. chinensis are varied from different places. There were high content of steroidal saponins in P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis, P. forrestii, P. daliensis, and P. axialis, even up to 5.0%, which indicated that they had the potential pharmic value of development.

Paris is a raw material of a variety of Chinese medicines, which has become deficient in resource due to market demand substantial growth and wild Paris resources reducing increasingly and the artificial cultivation slow growth. This study compared pharmacological activity in analgesia and anti-inflammatory and hemostasis effects of P. forrestii with pharmacopoeial Paridis Rhizoma to expand its range of Paris medicinal resources and protect wild resources of Paris and meet market demand. The experimental study showed that P. forrestii and P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis and P. polyphylla var. chinensis had analgesic, anti-inflammatory and hemostatic effects. They can significantly reduce the number of writhing and inhibit rat foot swelling induced by carrageenan and mice capillary permeability induced by acetic acid and short the bleeding time and clotting time. Their function is equivalent.

In order to study whether Paris forrestii could be developed as a substitute of Paridis Rhizome, chemical compositions of P. forrestii and P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis were investigated by UPLC-Q-TOF MS. In addition, the contents of eight primary steroidal saponins in 77 batches of P. forrestii samples from different habitats were simultaneously determined by HPLC-UV. The results showed that P. forrestii and P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis have similar chemical compositions, and all 22 major common peaks were identified as steroid derivatives. Meanwhile, there were some differences in the contents of saponins in P. forrestii samples from different habitats. The contents of 4 steroidal saponins in Chinese Pharmacopoeia ranged from 0.068% to 3.30%, and the highest content of the 8 kinds of steroidal saponins was 6.18%, while the lowest was just 0.71%. Moreover, 78% of P. forrestii samples were in conformity with the requirements of Chinese Pharmacopoeia, indicating that P. forrestii samples had relatively stable quality and could be further studied as a substitute for Paridis Rhizome.

Vagal circuits-α7 nAChR (α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, coded by Chrna7) signaling utilizes spleen as a hub to dampen systemic inflammatory responses. Vagal innervations also extend to the distal airways and alveoli. Vagotomy and deficiency of α7 nAChR deteriorate E. coli and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung inflammatory responses; however, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we hypothesized that vagal circuits would limit splenic release and lung recruitment of α7 nAChR+CD11b+ cells (CD11b is coded by Itgam, a surface marker of monocytes and neutrophils) via phosphorylation of AKT1 and that this process would define the severity of lung injury. Using both E. coli and LPS-induced lung injury mouse models, we found that vagotomy augmented splenic egress and lung recruitment of α7 nAChR+CD11b+ cells, and consequently worsened lung inflammatory responses. Rescue of vagotomy with an α7 nAChR agonist preserved α7 nAChR+CD11b+ cells in the spleen, suppressed recruitment of these cells to the lung and attenuated lung inflammatory responses. Vagal signals via α7 nAChR promoted serine473 phosphorylation of AKT1 in α7 nAChR+CD11b+ cells and stabilized these cells in the spleen. Deletion of Akt1 enhanced splenic egress and lung recruitment of α7 nAChR+CD11b+ cells, which elicited neutrophil-infiltrated lung inflammation and injury. Vagotomy and double deletion of Chrna7 and Itgam reduced serine473 phosphorylation of AKT1 in the spleen and BAL (bronchoalveolar lavage) Ly6CintGr1hi neutrophils and Ly6Chi monocytes, and they facilitated the recruitment of neutrophils and monocytes to the airspaces of E. coli-injured lungs. Double deletion of Chrna7 and Itgam increased lung recruitment of monocytes and/or neutrophils and deteriorated E. coli and LPS-induced lung injury. Thus, signals of vagal circuits engaging with AKT1 in α7 nAChR+CD11b+ cells attenuate E. coli and LPS-induced acute lung inflammatory responses. Targeting this signaling pathway could provide novel therapeutic strategies for treating acute lung injury.

In this paper, we proposed a method of calibrating the camera of smart phone based on web image. In order to achieve the goal, a website and the corresponding app are built: the website is used for displaying the calibrating pattern; the app is used to grab the image in real time and guide the user to rotate the smart phone so as to acquiring more precise parameters. Although the rough extrinsic parameters can be computed for the guiding procedure, the high computational complexity inhibits it from applying in the app. Instead, due to the regularity of the calibrating pattern-a chessboard, the vanishing points can be obtained by estimating the Intersection of parallel lines. The rotating angle can be roughly estimated by vanishing points. The proposed method can be applied in a number of different applications which need to calibrate the camera.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the value of systematic 12- and 13-core biopsies, guided by transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with regard to the prostate cancer detection rate (PCDR). Between July 1999 and June 2012, 2,707 patients were recruited to the Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (Nanjing, China). Prostate biopsies were performed via systematic 12- or 13-core biopsy and guided by either TRUS or MRI. The PCDR was established by retrospectively analyzing the distribution of positive cores, and it was assumed that all patients had undergone four biopsy schemes: Medial 6-core, lateral 6-core, 12-core and entire 13-core. In addition, the positive rate of the biopsies with the extra 13th core and the mean positive rate of systematic 12-core biopsies were compared. The PCDR of an entire 13-core biopsy was significantly higher than that of a lateral 6-core biopsy. The positive rate of the extra 13th core, which identified abnormal TRUS or MRI findings, was significantly higher when compared with that of the mean positive rate of the systematic 12-core biopsy. The results of the present study demonstrated that the entire 13-core biopsy was superior to the 6-core biopsy with regard to the PCDR. Therefore, the systematic 12-core biopsy with an extra 13th core is considered to be beneficial towards improving the PCDR.

For large scale electrospun (e-spun) nanofibre production, a variety of electrospinning (e-spinning) techniques such as multi-needle e-spinning and needleless e-spinning have been developed recently. In this paper, we propose a new design of efficient needleless e-spinning for fabrication of polymer nanofibres. A circular rotary bead wire driven by a DC motor is used as needleless electrode. When e-spinning, numerous solution jets are generated from the bead wire electrode through wrapping the electrode with solution from the solution brush. The design, construction and testing of the novel needleless e-spinning from rotary bead wire electrode are described in detail. The average diameter of the resultant polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) fibres produced under 15–30 kV is around 200 nm. This needleless e-spinning technique may be promising for mass production of nanofibres.

This paper presents two proximal-based pre-correction decomposition methods for convex minimization problems with separable structures. The methods, derived from Chen and Teboulle’s proximal-based decomposition method and He’s parallel splitting augmented Lagrangian method, remain the nice convergence property of the proximal point method and could compute variables in parallel like He’s method under the prediction-correction framework. Convergence results are established without additional assumptions. And the efficiency of the proposed methods is illustrated by some preliminary numerical experiments.

Besides the conductive patterning substrate, spatially well-defined microfibrous architectures can also be electrospun by using an insulating topographically structured collector (e.g.a nylon fabric). In both cases, it is proposed that the formation of the electrospun microfibrous patterns can be ascribed to the re-distribution of static electric field whenever collectors with different topography are introduced. Moreover, a series of simulation of the static electric field for various collectors (e.g.flat Al foil, conductive and insulating patterned substrates) have been systematically made to illustrate the formation mechanism, respectively. Our results are considered to warrant further scientific understanding on the formation of electrospun microfibrous patterning constructs, and helpful for easy generation of spatially defined architectures which have applications in a variety of areas such as tissue engineering, cell adhesion, proliferation and migration,etc.

We report an effective method to fabricate poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate)–polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PEDOT:PSS–PVP) fiber arrays doped with ionic liquid (IL). The twisted microropes were obtained by twisting the electrospun aligned polymer fiber arrays. It was found that the twisted rope exhibited higher electrical conductivity (∼1.8 × 10−4 S cm−1) after IL doping (1.96 wt%) than those without doping (∼0.8 × 10−5 S cm−1), and its conductivity was linearly correlated with strain up to 35% (which is one magnitude larger than previous reports) and showed repeatable cycle loops of tensile-resilience. The extensible rate could reach up to more than 90%, considerably higher than that of ropes without IL doping (∼17%). The results indicate that the twisted PEDOT:PSS–PVP ropes may be used as elastic semiconductors and stretchable sensors.

SIFT (Scale invariant feature transform) and correlative algorithms are now widely used in content based image retrieval technology. They compute distance and use neighbor algorithm to look for the optimal matching couples. The disadvantage of such way is high complexity, especially when huge amount of images need to be retrieved or recognized. To solve this problem, a new matching way based on feature space division under multi-scale is proposed. The algorithm will divide the feature space under multiple scales, so that those feature points which are located in somewhere can use a code to represent, and finally realize the matching through the code. Without calculating distance, the algorithm complexity is greatly reduced. Experiments show that, the algorithm keeps the matching accuracy and greatly enhance the efficiency of the matching at the same time.

The main research point is analysis of energy conservation on water cooling system in air conditioning engineering in this paper. After discussing the running characteristics for frequency water pump controlling variable speed and changing the flow. Then the cooling system adopts the new control method that constant branch pipe pressure difference in the most unfavorable end, and the water pump in parallel configuration, combined with the frequency conversion technology. At last from the experiment data and the actual test of the water cooling system, the energy-saving effect with variable pump of constant pressure control is validated.

Before putting air conditioner into market, it must be checked strictly by inspection department. Balanced ambient room-type calorimeter chamber is used to measure the conditioner performance according to energy balance principle. At present, the principle of conservation of energy is a method with higher accuracy for air conditioner test. In this paper, we focus on introducing the measuring method of condensed water in the test system after explaining the principle of the air conditioning performance test balanced ambient room-type calorimeter chamber. it is used to balance the capacity measured in evaporator air conditioner by controlling the water inflow of the humidifier. In this way, can we achieve precise measuring the cooling capacity of the air conditioner.

In order to test the effect on NRW(None Revenue Water) of one-household-one-meter conversion, find out key factors to influence the water supply efficiency and propose ways to reduce the rate of NRW, this article was based on the current practical engineering situation in Chongqing, China, by selecting 5 representative controlled fields for a six-month testing period. It shows that: different installation qualities of one-household-one-meter act different influences on NRW. The individual customer’s domestic water can be measured effectively by installing the drip-proof valve. The rate of NRW can be decreased at the beginning in the fields with “drip-proof valve + meter”. Water supply efficiency rate of the fields with “meter only” keep stable during 6 months, and meanwhile the fields with “drip-proof valve + meter” decrease over time. The function of drip-proof valve is found to stop at 147 days after installation due to the rust and sand getting into the valve. “Drip-proof valve + meter” is a practical and effective one-household-one-meter conversion method. Relevant standard atlas is recommended to be developed and implemented timely. Maintenance of pipeline and guarantee of water quality in pipeline are very important to keep the contribution of “drip-proof valve + meter” on NRW.

The cycle of Hemoglobin oxygenation and deoxidation plays an important role in driving structure and regulating function of red blood cell in vivo, has attracted wide attention. But it has not yet been reported about any studies on the oxygen-carrying function of individual living RBC in vitro with the incubation time. This study involved that using confocal Raman scanning microscopic technique, collecting the Raman spectra of living erythrocyte cultured in vitro at different time, analysing the peaks (1636, 1562 cm⁻¹) with characterization of hemoglobin oxygen carrying capacity and the amide III band (1240-1300 cm⁻¹) with sensitivity to conformation for understanding those changes both of hemoglobin oxygen carrying capacity and protein conformation over time. Meanwhile, its corresponding surface micromorphology was observed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicated that the during 24 h hemoglobin with stable structure and normal allosteric collaborative function occurred alternately with the oxygen uptake of increase and decrease and conformation K state and T state, while double concave disk red blood cells observed under SEM also alternately between stretch and shrink. The conclusion not only provides a multi-level characteristic parameter from a single living cell for the study of RBC oxygen-carrying function in vitro, but also the potential research ideas for the screening of the active component, the evaluation of drug efficacy and toxicity for RBC in vitro.

Orthoptera is the most diverse order among the polyneopteran groups and includes familiar insects, such as grasshoppers, crickets, katydids, and their kin. Due to a long history of conflicting classification schemes based on different interpretations of morphological characters, the phylogenetic relationships within Orthoptera are poorly understood and its higher classification has remained unstable. In this study, we establish a robust phylogeny of Orthoptera including 36 of 40 families representing all 15 currently recognized superfamilies and based on complete mitochondrial genomes and four nuclear loci, in order to test previous phylogenetic hypotheses and to provide a framework for a natural classification and a reference for studying the pattern of divergence and diversification. We find strong support for monophyletic suborders (Ensifera and Caelifera) as well as major superfamilies. Our results corroborate most of the higher-level relationships previously proposed for Caelifera, but suggest some novel relationships for Ensifera. Using fossil calibrations, we provide divergence time estimates for major orthopteran lineages and show that the current diversity has been shaped by dynamic shifts of diversification rates at different geological times across different lineages. We also show that mitochondrial tRNA gene orders have been relatively stable throughout the evolutionary history of Orthoptera, but a major tRNA gene rearrangement occurred in the common ancestor of Tetrigoidea and Acridomorpha, thereby representing a robust molecular synapomorphy, which has persisted for 250 Myr., Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo

The l-arabinose isomerase is an intracellular enzyme which converts l-arabinose into l-ribulose in living systems and d-galactose into d-tagatose in industrial processes and at industrial scales. d-tagatose is a natural ketohexose with potential uses in pharmaceutical and food industries. The d-galactose isomerization reaction is thermodynamically equilibrated, and leads to secondary subproducts at high pH. Therefore, an attractive l-arabinose isomerase should be thermoactive and acidotolerant with high catalytic efficiency. While many reports focused on the set out of a low cost process for the industrial production of d-tagatose, these procedures remain costly. When compared to intracellular enzymes, the production of extracellular ones constitutes an interesting strategy to increase the suitability of the biocatalysts. The l-arabinose isomerase (l-AI) from Lactobacillus sakei was expressed in Lactococcus lactis in fusion with the signal peptide of usp45 (SP Usp45 ). The l-AI protein and activity were detected only in the supernatant of the induced cultures of the recombinant L. lactis demonstrating the secretion in the medium of the intracellular L. sakei l-AI in an active form. Moreover, we showed an improvement in the enzyme secretion using either (1) L. lactis strains deficient for their two major proteases, ClpP and HtrA, or (2) an enhancer of protein secretion in L. lactis fused to the recombinant l-AI with the SP Usp45 . Th l-AI enzyme secreted by the recombinant L. lactis strains or produced intracellularly in E. coli, showed the same functional properties than the native enzyme. Furthermore, when mice are fed with the L. lactis strain secreting the l-AI and galactose, tagatose was produced in vivo and reduced the glycemia index. We report for the first time the secretion of the intracellular l-arabinose isomerase in the supernatant of food grade L. lactis cultures with hardly display other secreted proteins. The secreted l-AI originated from the food grade L. sakei 23 K was active and showed the same catalytic and structural properties as the intracellular enzyme. The L. lactis strains secreting the l-arabinose isomerase has the ability to produce d-tagatose in vivo and conferred an anti-hyperglycemic effect to mice.

Background Abnormal activation of STAT3 and miR-21 plays a vital role in progression and invasion of solid tumors. The cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) is reported to contribute to cancer metastasis by regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). However, the role of STAT3/miR-21 axis and CDK5 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma remains unclear. Methods We measured the expression of miR-21, CDK5 and EMT markers in 60 HNSCC tumor samples. We used Immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization assay to examine the role of STAT3/miR-21 axis and CDK5 activation in the invasiveness of HNSCC. The clinical survival relevance was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier analysis and univariate/multivariate COX regression model. Multiple approaches including scratch, transwell chamber assay and other molecular biology techniques were used to validate the anti-invasion effect of targeting miR-21 in Tca8113 and Hep-2 cell lines in vitro. Furthermore, whether miR-21 depletion inhibits HNSCC invasion in vivo was confirmed in Tca8113 xenograft tumor model. Results The expression of miR-21 and CDK5 were significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis in HNSCC. Hep-2 and Tca8113 cell lines showed co-overexpression of miR-21 and CDK5. WP1066 or asON-miR-21 treatment depleted miR-21 and CDK5 expression and significantly inhibited migration or invasion in Hep-2 and Tca8113 cells. The expression levels of CDK5/p35, N-cadherin, vimentin, β-catenin were inhibited while E-cadherin level was increased by miR-21 depletion in vitro and in vivo. Conversely, ectopic CDK5 overexpression significantly induced tumor cell motility and EMT. Moreover, ectopic CDK5 overexpression in Hep-2 and Tca8113 cells rescued the observed phenotype after miR-21 silencing or WP1066 treatment. Conclusions miR-21 cooperates with CDK5 to promote EMT and invasion in HNSCC. This finding suggests that CDK5 may be an important cofactor for targeting when designing metastasis-blocking therapy by targeting STAT3/miR-21 axis with STAT3 inhibitor or miR-21 antisense oligonucleotide. This is the first demonstration of the novel role of STAT3/miR-21 axis and CDK5/CDK5R1 (p35) in metastasis of HNSCC. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12943-015-0487-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A novel polysaccharide (LCP50S-2) with antioxidant activity was isolated from Litchi chinensis Sonn. The structure of LCP50S-2 was elucidated on the basis of physicochemical and instrumental analyses, and its average molecular weight was determined by gel permeation chromatography to be 2.19 × 10(2) kDa. The backbone of LCP50S-2 was composed of (1→3)-linked β-L-rhamnopyranosyl residues, (1→4)-linked α-D-xylopyranosyl residues, (1→4)-linked β-D-glucopyranosyl residues, and (1→4)-linked α-D-glucopyranosyl residues which branched at O-6. The two branches consisted of α-L-arabinopyranosyl residues and (1→6)-linked β-D-galactopyranosyl residues terminated with α-L-arabinopyranosyl residues, respectively. In the in vitro antioxidant assay, LCP50S-2 was found to possess DPPH radical-scavenging activity and hydroxyl radical-scavenging activity with IC(50) values of 220 and 266 μg/mL, respectively.

BACKGROUND: China is the largest producer and consumer of aquatic products in the world; however, many people in China suffer from allergies upon consuming crab. Stability in simulated gastric fluid is regarded as an important parameter for the estimation of food allergenicity. RESULTS: The digestive stability of allergenic protein tropomyosin (TM) and other food proteins from Chinese mitten crab in simulated gastric fluid (SGF) and simulated intestinal fluid (SIF) digestion assay systems was investigated and compared by SDS-PAGE, western blot and inhibition ELISA. In the SGF system, proteins such as the original band of myosin heavy chain (MHC) and actin were rapidly degraded within a short period of time, while TM was relatively resistant to pepsin digestion. In the SIF system, MHC was easily decomposed, while TM and actin were similarly resistant to digestion. Further study by IgE immunoblotting and inhibition ELISA using sera from crab-allergic patients indicated that allergenicity of TM was partially decreased. CONCLUSION: Chinese mitten crab major allergen TM was resistant to pepsin while relatively susceptible to trypsin and chymotrypsin digestion. Both SDS-PAGE using purified TM and western blot using myofibrillar proteins indicated that the degradation pattern of TM by SGF and SIF was not affected by the presence of other myofibrillar proteins. Inhibition ELISA results revealed that proteinase digestion is effective in reducing the allergenicity of crab TM. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry

Stability in simulated gastric fluid is regarded as an important parameter for the estimation of food allergenicity. In this study, the digestive stability of allergenic protein tropomyosin (TM) and other food proteins from mud crab in simulated gastric fluid (SGF) and simulated intestinal fluid (SIF) digestion assay system was investigated and compared by SDS-PAGE and Western blot. In SGF system, proteins such as actin and the original band of myosin heavy chain (MHC) were rapidly degraded within a short period of time, while TM was relatively resistant to pepsin digestion. In SIF system, MHC was easily decomposed, while TM and actin were similarly resistant to digestion. Further study by IgE-immunoblotting and inhibition ELISA using sera from crab-allergic patients indicated that allergenicity of TM was partially decreased, suggesting proteinase digestion is effective in reducing the allergenicity of crab TM.

Abnormal grain growth of single phase AZ31 Mg alloy in the spatio-temporal process has been simulated by phase field models, and the influencing factors of abnormal grain growth are studied in order to find the ways to control secondary recrystallization in the microstructure. The study aims to find out the mechanisms for abnormal grain growth in real alloys. It is shown from the simulated results that the abnormal grain growth can be controlled by the strain restored energy. Secondary recrystallization after an annealing treatment can be induced if there are grains of a certain orientation in the microstructure with local high restored energy. However, if the value of the local restored energy at a certain grain orientation is not greater than 1.1E 0, there may be no abnormal grain growth in the microstructure.

Tropomyosin (TM) from Chinese mitten crab ( Eriocheir sinensis ) was purified to homogeneity and TM genes were amplified from three species of crab (Chinese mitten crab, mud crab and swimming crab), respectively. Sequence analysis showed that all three cloned DNA fragments had open reading frames of 855 bp, predicted to encode proteins with 284 amino acid residues. Sequence alignment revealed that the three tropomyosins share high homology to tropomyosins from other crustaceans. Chinese mitten crab TM gene was further recombined with the vector of pGEX-4T-3 and expressed in Escherichia coli JM109. The expressed protein revealed a band of about 62 kDa on SDS–PAGE, suggesting the successful expression of glutathione S -transferase–tropomyosin (GST–TM) fusion protein. Immunoblotting analysis using sera from subjects with crustacean allergy confirmed that the expressed fusion protein reacted positively with these sera, indicating tropomyosin is a major allergen of Chinese mitten crab.

This paper proposes a Takagi-Sugeno-Kang (TSK) fuzzy approach to channel estimation for multiple-input multiple-output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing systems. The information of dispersive fading channel is described by using the TSK fuzzy model, which is updated by using the decision feedback symbol or the scattered pilot symbol. Space-time block coding is used to get the diversity gain. Computer simulations show that the proposed algorithm has the same word error rate of the minimum mean-square-error (MMSE) receiver. However, the proposed algorithm has a lower computational burden as the computation of the inverse matrix required by the MMSE receiver is not needed

A three-dimension chaos shape synchronized system is proposed and used in the secure communication. The proposed system consists of a Chaotic Secure Transmitter (CST) and a Chaotic Secure Receiver (CSR). Because of the driving signals are the shape features of drive systems, the attackers are highly unlikely to obtain reconstructing the chaotic dynamics of the drive systems. The simulation results show that encryption effect is well, and the recovered signal is less different from the original signal. The system has the high safety performance and wide application.

Summary Introduction To investigate the cardioprotective effect of MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) in murine myocardial infarction (MI). Methods Forty C57BL/6 male mice were divided into sham group, MI group, LV-GFP group, and miR-21 group. Mice in the MI group, LV-GFP group, and miR-21 group were subjected to MI by left anterior descending artery (LAD) ligation, while chest was opened/closed without ligation in sham group. In MI group, expression of miR-21 in the MI area and its surrounding areas was detected at 1st, 2nd, and 4th week after experiment. Subsequently, lentivirus expressing miR-21 and lentivirus that did not express miR-21 were transfected into mice left ventricular cavity of miR-21 group and LV-GFP group, respectively. Cardiac function, MI size, miR-21 expression, collagen I level, fibronectin content, number of α-SMA-positive cells, number of apoptotic cells, apoptosis-related factors were compared between the three groups. Results Compared with sham group, miR-21 levels in MI group were significantly decreased in the 1st week and 2nd week, but were almost the same in the 4th week. Left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in the miR-21 group improved compared to the LV-GFP group. In miR-21 group, myocardial infarct size reduced by 36.9% in comparison with LV-GFP group. Compared to sham group, miR-21 expression in the miR-21 group and LV-GFP group decreased significantly. In the miR-21 group, collagen I level, fibronectin content and number of α-SMA-positive cells of miR-21 decreased significantly compared to the LV-GFP group. The number of apoptotic cells in the MI areas of the miR-21 group was significantly less than the LV-GFP group. Compared with the LV-GFP group, Bcl-2 level and the ratio of Bcl-2 to Bax were significantly increased, and the levels of Bax and Caspase-3 decreased. Conclusions Our results suggest miR-21 is an important regulatory molecule in the pathophysiology of MI.

We have developed a highly effective method for in vivo gene silencing in the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) by a cationic lipid facilitated delivery of synthetic, small interfering RNA (siRNA). A siRNA to the delta opioid receptor (DOR), or a mismatch RNA, was mixed with the transfection reagent, i-Fect™ (vehicle), and delivered as repeated daily bolus doses (0.5 μg to 4 μg) via implanted intrathecal catheter to the lumbar spinal cord of rats. Twenty-four hours after the last injection, rats were tested for antinociception by the DOR selective agonist, [D-Ala2, Glu4]deltorphin II (DELT), or the mu opioid receptor (MOR) selective agonist, [D-Ala2, N-Me-Phe4, Gly-ol5]enkephalin (DAMGO). Pretreatment with the siRNA, but not the mismatch RNA or vehicle alone, blocked DELT antinociception dose-dependently. The latter was concomitant with a reduction in the spinal immunoreactivity and receptor density of DOR, and in DOR transcripts in the lumbar DRG and spinal dorsal horn. Neither siRNA nor mismatch RNA pretreatment altered spinal immunoreactivity of MOR or antinociception by spinal DAMGO, and had no effect on the baseline thermal nociceptive threshold. The inhibition of function and expression of DOR by siRNA was reversed by 72 hr after the last RNA injection. The uptake of fluorescence-tagged siRNA was detected in both DRG and spinal cord. The low effective dose of siRNA/i-Fect™ complex reflects an efficient delivery of the siRNA to peripheral and spinal neurons, produced no behavioral signs of toxicity. This delivery method may be optimized for other gene targets.

Rapid hemostasis of solitary organs is still a big challenge in surgical procedures or after major trauma in both civilians and on the battlefield. Here, we report the first use of an airflow-directed in situ electrospinning method to precisely and homogeneously deposit a medical glue of n-octyl-2-cyanoacrylate (OCA) ultrathin fibers onto a wound surface to realize rapid hemostasis in dozens of seconds. In vivo and in vitro experiments on pig liver resection demonstrate that the self-assembled electrospun OCA membrane with high strength, good flexibility and integrity is very compact and no fluid seeping is observed even under a pressure of 147 mm Hg. A similar effect has been achieved in an in vivo experiment on pig lung resection. The results provide a very promising alternative for rapid hemostasis of solitary organs as well as other traumas, providing evidence that the postoperative drainage tube may not be always necessary for surgery in the near future.

This paper presents a new way to transmit and retrieve an information signal via chaotic systems based on shape synchronization. In contrast to existing schema with chaotic synchronization, the scheme is adopted for the purpose of faster synchronization and high security. Firstly, the drive signals are synthesized chaotic signal instead of drive variables in order to high security. Secondly, the drive and available signal are separated, which avoid affecting the synchronization between master and slave systems thereby enhance confidentiality. In addition, the purposed control approach can complete faster synchronization so as to enhance synchronizing speed. The system has the high safety performance and wide application.

This paper investigates a general form of guaranteed descent conjugate gradient methods which satisfies the descent conditiongkTdk≤-1-1/4θkgk2 θk>1/4and which is strongly convergent whenever the weak Wolfe line search is fulfilled. Moreover, we present several specific guaranteed descent conjugate gradient methods and give their numerical results for large-scale unconstrained optimization.