Search

Background: Findings for associations between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and cardiometabolic risk (CMR) factors are inconsistent, and the interactive association between CRF and fatness with CMR factors is unclear in children. Our study aimed to examine whether CRF and fatness are independently and interactively associated with CMR factors.Methods: We included 5,869 children aged 6–13 years in the analysis. Physical examinations, blood tests, and CRF were measured at baseline and 1 year later. Cardiometabolic risk score (CMRS) was computed by summing Z scores of waist circumference (WC), averaged systolic and diastolic blood pressure, glucose, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C, multiplied by −1), and triglycerides.Results: There was a high correlation between fatness and CRF in both boys and girls. High baseline CRF was independently associated with favorable changes in CMRS, BMI, WC, percent body fat (PBF), total cholesterol, LDL-C, and HDL-C (all P < 0.025). Improved CRF was independently associated with favorable changes in CMRS, BMI, WC, PBF, total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, triglycerides, and fasting glucose (all P < 0.0321). Baseline BMI was positively associated with changes in CMRS, WC, blood pressure, triglycerides, insulin, and HOMA-IR (all P < 0.0462). Low PBF at baseline was associated with favorable changes in CMRS, BMI, WC, blood pressure, HDL-C, triglycerides, insulin, and HOMA-IR (all P < 0.0423). The percentage of the total effect of baseline CRF on changes in CMRS, triglycerides, HDL-C, PBF, and WC mediated by baseline BMI was 66.0, 61.6, 40.3, 20.7, and 9.2%, respectively. Baseline CRF was a significant mediator for the association between baseline BMI and changes in CMRS (mediated by 4.3%), triglycerides (5.1%), and HDL-C (12.0%). An inverse association was found between baseline CRF and CMRS in children with high baseline BMI/PBF only. Improved CRF was associated with decreased BMI and WC in children with low baseline CRF.Conclusions: Fatness and CRF are each independently associated with changes in CMR factors. Fatness is a major mediator for the association between CRF and CMR factors, whereas the association between fatness and CMR factors is also mediated by CRF. The beneficial effect of high CRF on CMR factors was more evident in obese or unfit children.

This paper presents a special type of truss-shaped deployable grasping manipulator (DGM) that is suitable for grasping the large-scale objects, but its dynamic modeling is a challenging task because of its multiple closed-loop structures. To address this issue, an iterative dynamic modeling approach is proposed. First, the mechanism structure of the DGM is introduced. Second, the kinematics of the basic deployable parallel mechanism unit with scissor-shaped elements is established, and then, its deployment dynamics are modeled based on the Lagrange method. Third, an iterative dynamic modeling approach for the DGM is proposed to realize the real-time computation based on the recursive Newton-Euler method. Then, a controller with the desired feedforward dynamic compensation for the DGM is proposed to improve the control performance in comparison with the one without feedforward. Finally, experiments are completed to verify the proposed controller on a DGM, and experimental results show that the proposed controller is effective.

Aging, resulting from degenerative changes in cell metabolism, affects fecundity and longevity. To increase lifespan in animals or plants, manipulation in gene modification or pharmacology intervention has been proved to be as feasible approaches. NAD+, spermidine, and rapamycin, as well as genetic editing, bring to light at the tunnel end for the longevity in animals. In plants, the existing evidence suggests that they may share common aging signaling pathway with animals. However, as sessile organisms, plants got to cope with complex environmental changes and evolved specific signaling pathways. Here, we reviewed the latest research advances in plant aging to make a gene network analysis of senescence-associated genes in annual plant and perform a comparative assessment of aging in perennials as well as animals. Keywords: Aging, Leaf senescence, Perennials, Gene network

Composite ultra-thin boom can be folded elastically. Moreover, such booms are able to self-deploy by releasing stored strain energy, which can be applied in deployable antenna, solar sail, and optical telescopes. Surrogate models for imperfection-sensitive quantities of interest and multi-objective optimization are developed for the design of a new N-shape cross-section composite ultra-thin deployable boom. The proposed optimal design method integrates four general steps: (1) design of experiments, wherein the sampling designs of the N boom are created on the basis of the two-factor five-level full factorial design of experiments method; (2) efficient computational analyses of each design sample, wherein the post-buckling behavior of the N boom are analyzed under three different axial directions using nonlinear finite element ABAQUS/Explicit solver; (3) establishing the surrogate models of bending stiffness around the $x$ -and $y$ - axes and torsional stiffness around the $z$ -axis by response surface method (RSM); (4) performing the multi-objective optimization design using modified non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm to realize the optimal design. The bending stiffness around the $x$ -and $y$ - axes and the torsional stiffness around the $z$ -axis are set as the objectives, mass is set as the constraint, and the bonded web height and the central angle of the middle tape spring of the N boom are set as the variables. The typical surrogate modeling method can be applied to different problems in structural and material design.

Considerable pharmacological studies have demonstrated that the extracts and ingredients from different parts (seeds, peels, pulps, and flowers) of Litchi exhibited anticancer effects by affecting the proliferation, apoptosis, autophagy, metastasis, chemotherapy and radiotherapy sensitivity, stemness, metabolism, angiogenesis, and immunity via multiple targeting. However, there is no systematical analysis on the interaction network of “multiple ingredients-multiple targets-multiple pathways” anticancer effects of Litchi. In this study, we summarized the confirmed anticancer ingredients and molecular targets of Litchi based on published articles and applied network pharmacology approach to explore the complex mechanisms underlying these effects from a perspective of system biology. The top ingredients, top targets, and top pathways of each anticancer function were identified using network pharmacology approach. Further intersecting analyses showed that Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), Gallic acid, Kaempferol, Luteolin, and Betulinic acid were the top ingredients which might be the key ingredients exerting anticancer function of Litchi, while BAX, BCL2, CASP3, and AKT1 were the top targets which might be the main targets underling the anticancer mechanisms of these top ingredients. These results provided references for further understanding and exploration of Litchi as therapeutics in cancer as well as the application of “Component Formula” based on Litchi’s effective ingredients.

In high spatial resolution remote sensing imagery (HRSI), ship detection plays a fundamental role in a wide variety of applications. Despite the remarkable progress made by many methods, ship detection remains challenging due to the dense distribution, the complex background, and the huge differences in scale and orientation of ships. To address the above problems, a novel, fully deformable convolutional network (FD-Net) is proposed for dense and multiple-scale ship detection in HRSI, which could effectively extract features at variable scales, orientations and aspect ratios by integrating deformable convolution into the entire network structure. In order to boost more accurate spatial and semantic information flow in the network, an enhanced feature pyramid network (EFPN) is designed based on deformable convolution constructing bottom-up feature maps. Additionally, in considering of the feature level imbalance in feature fusion, an adaptive balanced feature integrated (ABFI) module is connected after EFPN to model the scale-sensitive dependence among feature maps and highlight the valuable features. To further enhance the generalization ability of FD-Net, extra data augmentation and training methods are jointly designed for model training. Extensive experiments are conducted on two public remote sensing datasets, DIOR and DOTA, which then strongly prove the effectiveness of our method in remote sensing field.

Ethylene is a plant hormone that promotes fruit ripening. Here, the authors identify pyrazinamide, a drug used to treat tuberculosis, as an inhibitor of ethylene biosynthesis inArabidopsis thalianaand present the crystal structure of its active form (pyrazinecarboxylic acid) bound to ACC oxidase.

Abstract Insulin-producing cells (IPCs) derived from a patient’s own stem cells offer great potential for autologous transplantation in diabetic patients. However, the limited survival of engrafted cells remains a bottleneck in the application of this strategy. The present study aimed to investigate whether nanoparticle-based magnetic resonance (MR) tracking can be used to detect the loss of grafted stem cell-derived IPCs in a sensitive and timely manner in a diabetic monkey model. Pancreatic progenitor cells (PPCs) were isolated from diabetic monkeys and labeled with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs). The SPION-labeled cells presented as hypointense signals on MR imaging (MRI). The labeling procedure did not affect the viability or IPC differentiation of PPCs. Importantly, the total area of the hypointense signal caused by SPION-labeled IPCs on liver MRI decreased before the decline in C-peptide levels after autotransplantation. Histological analysis revealed no detectable immune response to the grafts and many surviving insulin- and Prussian blue-positive cell clusters on liver sections at one year post-transplantation. Collectively, this study demonstrates that SPIO nanoparticles can be used to label stem cells for noninvasive, sensitive, longitudinal monitoring of stem cell-derived IPCs in large animal models using a conventional MR imager.

Optoelectronics: Graphene breaks limit of silicon-based UV detection A high-performance graphene/silicon ultraviolet (UV) photodetector significantly increases the upper-limit of traditional silicon-based UV detectors. A team led by Yang Xu at China’s Zhejiang University fabricated silicon-based UV detectors using graphene with unique UV absorption property, leading to ultra-long lifetime of hot carriers that contribute to photocurrent, and even to carrier multiplication. In the near- and mid-UV regime, the improved performance parameters are photocurrent responsivity (0.20 A W−1), response time (100%). The key metrics of graphene/Si detector outperform those of UV detectors based on Si, GaN, SiC, etc. These results show great promise in applications such as wearable devices, secured mobile communication, and “dissipation-less” remote sensor networks.

BackgroundLittle evidence from developing countries on dietary transition demonstrates the effects of comprehensive childhood obesity interventions on dietary diversity and food variety among younger children. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of comprehensive childhood obesity interventions on dietary diversity among younger children.MethodsA total of 4846 children aged 7-13 years were included based on a multicenter randomized controlled trial for childhood obesity interventions in 38 primary schools. Nutrition education intervention (NE), physical activity intervention (PA) and comprehensive intervention including both NE and PA (CNP) were carried out separately for 2 semesters. Dietary Diversity Score (DDS9 and DDS28 for 9 and 28 food groupings, respectively), Food Variety Score (FVS, the number of food items) and the proportions of different foods consumed were calculated according to the food intake records collected with the 24-h dietary recall method.ResultsThe intervention effects per day of comprehensive intervention group were 0 (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0, 0.1; p = 0.382) on DDS9, 0.1 (95% CI: -0.1, 0.2; p = 0.374) on DDS28 and 0.1 (95% CI: -0.1, 0.3; p = 0.186) on FVS of overall diet, which was 0.1 (95% CI: 0, 0.1; p < 0.001) on DDS9, 0 (95% CI: 0, 0.1; p = 0.168) on DDS28 and 0.1 (95% CI: 0, 0.1; p = 0.067) on FVS of dietary scores of breakfast only. Additionally, CNP group had greater increases in cereals, meat and fruits, and more decreases in eggs, fish and dried legumes consumption proportions as compared with the control group. Decreasing side effect on dietary diversity and food variety were found for PA intervention, but not for NE intervention only.ConclusionsThough the comprehensive obesity intervention didn't improve the overall dietary diversity per day, the positive intervention effects were observed on breakfast foods and some foods' consumption.

The mushroom, Sanghuang is widely used in Asian countries. This medicinal fungus produces diverse bioactive compounds and possesses a potent ability to degrade the wood of the mulberry tree. However, the genes, pathways, and mechanisms that are involved in the biosynthesis of the active compounds and wood degradation by Sanghuang mushroom are still unknown. Here, we report a 34.5 Mb genome—encoding 11,310 predicted genes—of this mushroom. About 16.88% (1909) of the predicted genes have been successfully classified as EuKaryotic Orthologous Groups, and approximately 27.23% (665) of these genes are involved in metabolism. Additionally, a total of 334 genes encoding CAZymes—and their characteristics—were compared with those of the other fungi. Homologous genes involved in triterpenoid, polysaccharide, and flavonoid biosynthesis were identified, and their expression was examined during four developmental stages, 10 and 20 days old mycelia, 1 year old and 3 years old fruiting bodies. Importantly, the lack of chalcone isomerase 1 in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway suggested that different mechanisms were used in this mushroom to synthesize flavonoids than those used in plants. In addition, 343 transporters and 4 velvet family proteins, involved in regulation, uptake, and redistribution of secondary metabolites, were identified. Genomic analysis of this fungus provides insights into its diverse secondary metabolites, which would be beneficial for the investigation of the medical applications of these pharmacological compounds in the future.

Gut microbiota dysbiosis induced by antibiotics is strongly connected with health concerns. Studying the mechanisms underlying antibiotic-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis could help to identify effective drugs and prevent many serious diseases. In this study, in rats with antibiotic-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis treated with total alkaloids of Corydalis saxicola Bunting (TACS), urinary and fecal biochemical changes and cecum microbial diversity were investigated using 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis and untargeted metabolomics. The microbial diversity results showed that 10 genera were disturbed by the antibiotic treatment, and two of them were obviously restored by TACS. The untargeted metabolomics analysis identified 34 potential biomarkers in urine and feces that may be the metabolites that are most related to the mechanisms underlying antibiotic-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis and the therapeutic effects of TACS treatment. The biomarkers were involved in six metabolic pathways, comprising pathways related to branched-chain amino acid (BCAA), bile acid, arginine and proline, purine, aromatic amino acid, and amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism. Notably, there was a strong correlation between these metabolic pathways and two gut microbiota genera (g__Blautia and g__Intestinibacter). The correlation analysis suggested that TACS might synergistically affect four of these metabolic pathways (BCAA, bile acid, arginine and proline, and purine metabolism), thereby modulating gut microbiota dysbiosis. Furthermore, we performed a molecular docking analysis involving simulating high-precision docking and using molecular pathway maps to illuminate the way that ligands (the five main alkaloid components of TACS) act on a complex molecular network, using CYP27A1 (a key enzyme in the bile acid synthesis pathway) as the target protein. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the intervening effects of TACS on the host metabolic phenotype and gut microbiome in rats with gut microbiota dysbiosis, and it presents new insights for the discovery of effective drugs and the best therapeutic approaches.

BackgroundZanthoxylum nitidum (Roxb.) DC., also named Liang Mianzhen (LMZ), one kind of Chinese herb characterized with anti-inflammatory and relieving pain potency, which is widely used to treat injuries, rheumatism, arthralgia, stomach pain and so on in China. But its mechanism related to the anti-hyperalgesic has not been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the analgesic activity of Liang Mianzhen on mice with Complete Freund adjuvant (CFA)-induced chronic inflammatory pain. Meanwhile, the peripheral and central mechanisms of analgesic effect of Liang Mianzhen were further examined via observing the effects of Liang Mianzhen on the signal pathway associated with inflammatory induced hyperalgesia.MethodsThe inflammatory pain model was established by intraplantar injection of CFA in C57BL/6J mice. After 1 day of CFA injection, the mice were treated with LMZ (100 mg/kg) for seven consecutive days, and the behavioral tests were measured after the daily intragastric administration of LMZ. The morphological changes on inflamed paw sections were determined by hematoxylin eosin (HE) staining. Changes in the mRNA expression levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and nuclear factor κB p65 (NF-κBp65) were measured on day seven after CFA injection by using real-time quantitative PCR analysis and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method, respectively. Moreover, immunohistochemistry and western blotting were used to detect extracellular regulated protein kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) and NF-κB signal pathway activation.ResultsThe extract of LMZ (100 mg/kg) showed a significant anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect in the mice model. The paw edema volume was significantly reduced after the administration of LMZ compared to CFA group, as well as the paw tissues inflammatory damage was relived and the numbers of neutrophils in mice was reduced significantly. The CFA-induced mechanical threshold and thermal hyperalgesia value were significant improved with LMZ treatment at day three to day seven. We also found the mRNA levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and NF-κBp65 were down-regulate after 7 days from the LMZ treatment compared to CFA group. Meanwhile, LMZ significantly suppressed over-expression of the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and NF-κBp65 in peripheral and central.ConclusionThe present study suggests that the extract of LMZ attenuates CFA-induced inflammatory pain by suppressing the ERK1/2 and NF-κB signaling pathway at both peripheral and central level.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a frequent endocrine and metabolic syndrome in reproductive-age women. Recently, emerging evidence has shown that gut microbiota is closely related to metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity and PCOS. In the present study, we established dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-induced PCOS rats and used Illumina MiSeq sequencing (PE300) to examine the composition, diversity, and abundance of the gut microbiota in PCOS. We compared the effects of three PCOS treatments: Diane-35 (estrogen and progesterone), probiotics and berberine. The DHT-induced rats showed constant estrous cycles, the loss of mature ovarian follicles, insulin resistance and obesity. The reproductive and metabolic functions in the PCOS rats were improved by treatment with Diane-35 and probiotics. Diane-35 and probiotics could restore the diversity of the gut microbiota, and the recovery of gut microbiota disorders improved the reproductive function in PCOS-like rats. However, berberine drastically reduced the species diversity and amount of gut microbiota and showed no improvement in PCOS. The findings of this study will help us to better understand the influence of the gut microbiota in the metabolic and reproductive alterations in PCOS as well as suggest opportunities for future personal dietary guidance for PCOS.

Merge mode can achieve a considerable coding gain because of reducing the cost of coding motion information in video codecs. However, the simple adoption of the motion information from the neighbouring blocks may not achieve the optimal performance as the motion correlation between the pixels and the neighbouring block decreases with their distance increasing. To address this problem, the paper proposes a Euclidean distance-based weighted prediction algorithm as an additional candidate in the merge mode. First, several predicted blocks are generated by motion compensation prediction (MCP) with the motion information from available neighbouring blocks. Second, an additional predicted block is generated by a weighted average of the predicted blocks above, where the weighted coefficient is related to Euclidean distances from the neighbouring candidate to the pixel points in the current block. Finally, the best merge mode is selected by the rate distortion optimization (RDO) among the original merge candidates and the additional candidate. Experimental results show that, on the joint exploration test model 7.0 (JEM 7.0), the proposed algorithm achieves better coding performance than the original merge mode under all configurations including random access (RA), low delay B (LDB), and low delay P (LDP), with a slight coding complexity increase. Especially for the LDP configuration, the proposed method achieves 1.50% bitrate saving on average.

Leaf senescence is an essential physiological process that is accompanied by the remobilization of nutrients from senescent leaves to young leaves or other developing organs. Although leaf senescence is a genetically programmed process, it can be induced by a wide variety of biotic and abiotic factors. Accumulating studies demonstrate that senescence-associated transcription factors (Sen-TFs) play key regulatory roles in controlling the initiation and progression of leaf senescence process. Interestingly, recent functional studies also reveal that a number of Sen-TFs function as positive or negative regulators of plant immunity. Moreover, the plant hormone salicylic acid (SA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been demonstrated to be key signaling molecules in regulating leaf senescence and plant immunity, suggesting that these two processes share similar or common regulatory networks. However, the interactions between leaf senescence and plant immunity did not attract sufficient attention to plant scientists. Here, we review the regulatory roles of SA and ROS in biotic and abiotic stresses, as well as the cross-talks between SA/ROS and other hormones in leaf senescence and plant immunity, summarize the transcriptional controls of Sen-TFs on SA and ROS signal pathways, and analyze the cross-regulation between senescence and immunity through a broad literature survey. In-depth understandings of the cross-regulatory mechanisms between leaf senescence and plant immunity will facilitate the cultivation of high-yield and disease-resistant crops through a molecular breeding strategy.

This study proposes deployable units driven by elastic hinges and a double-layer hoop deployable antenna composed of these units. A rational modeling method based on the energy equivalence principle is presented to develop an equivalent model of the double-layer hoop antenna in accordance with the structural characteristics of the antenna. The equivalent beam models of the rods with elastic hinges are proposed. The relationship of geometrical and material parameters is established considering the strain energy and the kinetic energy of the periodic unit, which are the same as those of the equivalent beam in the same displacement field. The equivalent model of the antenna is obtained by assembling several equivalent beam models in the circumferential direction. The precision of the equivalent model of the antenna is acceptable as found by comparing the modal analysis results obtained through equivalent model calculation, finite element simulation, and modal test.

ObjectiveTo describe and analyze the clinical characteristics, laboratory data, management, and outcome of patients with onconeural antibody-associated disorders (OAAD) and identify predictors for poor outcome.MethodsThis was a retrospective review of all patients with potential OAAD, who were hospitalized in Jinan General Hospital between September 2009 and July 2017. We clarified the diagnosis, collected comprehensive information and categorized patients into three groups: paraneoplastic neurological disorders (PNDs), autoimmune encephalitis (AE), and possible OAAD. Within the three groups, we analyzed a range of clinical and laboratory parameters and used univariate and multivariate regression analysis to identify predictors for poor outcome [modified Rankin Scale (mRS) = 3–6].ResultsFrom 158 patients, we identified 70 who fulfilled the criteria for OAAD, including 44 men (62.9%) and 26 women (37.1%). There were 38 patients (54.3%) in the PNDs group, 14 patients (20%) in the AE group, and 18 patients (25.7%) in the possible OAAD group. After the last follow-up, 14 (36.8%), 9 (64.2%), and 12 (66.7%) had a good outcome (mRS = 0–2). However, 6 (15.8%), 2 (14.3%), and 3 (16.7%) died, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that duration prior to the hospital (p = 0.0224) and urinary incontinence/retention (p = 0.0043) were associated with poor outcome (mRS = 3–6). After multivariate regression analysis, urinary incontinence/retention (p = 0.0388) and an immunocompromised state (p = 0.0247) remained as significant factors for poor outcome.ConclusionUrinary incontinence/retention and an immunocompromised state represent significant predictors of a worse prognosis for patients with OAAD. By contrast, cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed that serum autoantibodies and tumor markers, the function of crucial organs, electrophysiology, and radiological findings were not associated with a poor outcome.

DNA methylation is associated with gene silencing in eukaryotic organisms. Although pathways controlling the establishment, maintenance and removal of DNA methylation are known, relatively little is understood about how DNA methylation influences gene expression. Here we identified a METHYL-CpG-BINDING DOMAIN 7 (MBD7) complex in Arabidopsis thaliana that suppresses the transcriptional silencing of two LUCIFERASE (LUC) reporters via a mechanism that is largely downstream of DNA methylation. Although mutations in components of the MBD7 complex resulted in modest increases in DNA methylation concomitant with decreased LUC expression, we found that these hyper-methylation and gene expression phenotypes can be genetically uncoupled. This finding, along with genome-wide profiling experiments showing minimal changes in DNA methylation upon disruption of the MBD7 complex, places the MBD7 complex amongst a small number of factors acting downstream of DNA methylation. This complex, however, is unique as it functions to suppress, rather than enforce, DNA methylation-mediated gene silencing.

According to the situation with the exhaustion of IPv4 addresses, Wuxi Telecom has carried on scale deployment of IPv6 transition mechanism（NAT444、DS-Lite）on metropolitan network 100 000 broadband users have been migrated. The background of IPv6 transition mechanism was described, IPv6 transition technology was summarized, and scale deployment scheme and situation of transition technology were introduced.

Previous studies have shown that constraining parking policy can alleviate air pollution and traffic congestion by reducing vehicle ownership and usage. The feasibility and efficiency of the parking policy are crucial to urban traffic planning and management. With the aim of exploring the elements related to parking demand and improving the policy efficiency, this study analyzed several factors relevant to vehicle ownership and usage which may affect the feasibility of policy. In all, 40,000 samples obtained from Beijing residents’ trip interview survey were used. A combined method with empirical study and network dynamic analysis is used to give a clear relationship between parking supply and private usage. The results, after conducting a quantitative analysis, show that vehicle ownership is related to family income, family size, geographic location, and parking fee, while trip purpose and parking fee in destination influence the frequency of car usage. It is noteworthy that the proportion of free parking in working trips is up to 96%, and single driving occupies a proportion as high as 90%. The research suggests that planners should be cautious of parking facility supply strategy and pay great attention to parking fees of working trip.

In this paper, a systematic method to synthesize parallel mechanisms for feed support mechanisms based on screw theory is proposed. First, the motion requirement of the feed support mechanism is studied. Then, a class of parallel mechanisms having a translational motion with different degrees of freedom is synthesized based on the constraint-synthesis method. Then, these parallel mechanisms are modified based on the specificities of deployable mechanisms, and two kinds of mechanisms are selected as the unit for the feed support mechanism. Finally, the deployment ratio of two kinds of mechanisms is optimized. The configurations obtained in this paper can enrich the types of feed support mechanisms.

In the above paper [1], the second author’s biography was incorrectly listed as:

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) can severely interfere with multiple animals and human systems. To explore the molecular mechanisms underlying 2, 3', 4, 4', 5- pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB118)-induced thyroid dysfunction, Fischer rat thyroid cell line-5(FRTL-5) cells were treated with either different concentrations of PCB118 or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The effects of PCB118 on FRTL-5 cells viability and apoptosis were assessed by using a Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and apoptosis assays, respectively. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to quantify protein kinase B (Akt), Forkhead box protein O3a (FoxO3a), and sodium/iodide symporter (NIS) mRNA expression levels. Western blotting was used to detect Akt, phospho-Akt (p-Akt), FoxO3a, phospho-FoxO3a (p-FoxO3a), and NIS protein levels. Luciferase reporter gene technology was used to detect the transcriptional activities of FoxO3a and NIS promoters. The effects of the constitutively active Akt (CA-Akt) and dominant-negative Akt (DN-Akt) plasmids on p-Akt, p-FoxO3a, and NIS levels were examined in PCB118-treated FRTL-5 cells. The effects of FoxO3a siRNA on FoxO3a, p-FoxO3a, and NIS protein levels were examined in the PCB118-treated FRTL-5 cells. The effects of pcDNA3 (plsmid vectors designed for high-level stable and transient expression in mammalian host)-FoxO3a on NIS promoter activity were examined in the PCB118-treated FRTL-5 cells. Our results indicated that relatively higher PCB118 concentrations can inhibit cell viability in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Akt, p-Akt, and p-FoxO3a protein or mRNA levels increased significantly in PCB118-treated groups and NIS protein and mRNA levels decreased considerably compared with the control groups. FoxO3a promoter activity increased significantly, whereas NIS promoter activity decreased. These effects on p-FoxO3a and NIS could be decreased by the DN-Akt plasmid, enhanced by the CA-Akt plasmid, and blocked by FoxO3a siRNA. The overexpressed FoxO3a could reduce NIS promoter activity. Our results suggested that PCB118 induces thyroid cell dysfunction through the Akt/FoxO3a/NIS signaling pathway.

Gaseous hormone ethylene regulates numerous stress responses and developmental adaptations in plants by controlling gene expression via transcription factors ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE3 (EIN3) and EIN3-Like1 (EIL1). However, our knowledge regarding to the accurate definition of DNA-binding domains (DBDs) within EIN3 and also the mechanism of specific DNA recognition by EIN3 is limited. Here, we identify EIN3 82-352 and 174-306 as the optimal and core DBDs, respectively. Results from systematic biochemical analyses reveal that both the number of EIN3-binding sites (EBSs) and the spacing length between two EBSs affect the binding affinity of EIN3; accordingly, a new DNA probe which has higher affinity with EIN3 than ERF1 is also designed. Furthermore, we show that palindromic repeat sequences in ERF1 promoter are not necessary for EIN3 binding. Finally, we provide, to our knowledge, the first crystal structure of EIN3 core DBD, which contains amino acid residues essential for DNA binding and signaling. Collectively, these data suggest the detailed mechanism of DNA recognition by EIN3 and provide an in-depth view at molecular level for the transcriptional regulation mediated by EIN3.

Ethylene has been regarded as a stress hormone to regulate myriad stress responses. Salinity stress is one of the most serious abiotic stresses limiting plant growth and development. But how ethylene signaling is involved in plant response to salt stress is poorly understood. Here we showed that Arabidopsis plants pretreated with ethylene exhibited enhanced tolerance to salt stress. Gain- and loss-of-function studies demonstrated that EIN3 (ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE 3) and EIL1 (EIN3-LIKE 1), two ethylene-activated transcription factors, are necessary and sufficient for the enhanced salt tolerance. High salinity induced the accumulation of EIN3/EIL1 proteins by promoting the proteasomal degradation of two EIN3/EIL1-targeting F-box proteins, EBF1 and EBF2, in an EIN2-independent manner. Whole-genome transcriptome analysis identified a list of SIED (Salt-Induced and EIN3/EIL1-Dependent) genes that participate in salt stress responses, including several genes encoding reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavengers. We performed a genetic screen for ein3 eil1-like salt-hypersensitive mutants and identified 5 EIN3 direct target genes including a previously unknown gene, SIED1 (At5g22270), which encodes a 93-amino acid polypeptide involved in ROS dismissal. We also found that activation of EIN3 increased peroxidase (POD) activity through the direct transcriptional regulation of PODs expression. Accordingly, ethylene pretreatment or EIN3 activation was able to preclude excess ROS accumulation and increased tolerance to salt stress. Taken together, our study provides new insights into the molecular action of ethylene signaling to enhance plant salt tolerance, and elucidates the transcriptional network of EIN3 in salt stress response.

It is very important for drivers to obtain driving information easily and efficiently. There are many advanced devices used for driving safety assistance. Of these assistance devices, the head-up display (HUD) system can promote the reduction of driver's reaction time and improve spatial awareness. The drivers' attitude towards and preference for HUD system are crucial to design the functional framework and interface of HUD system. This study explored the relationships between drivers' attitude and HUD presentation image designs using stated preference data from questionnaire survey. The questionnaire included drivers' attitude towards the use of HUD and the preference for the information display zone and information display elements of the HUD. Contrastive analysis was adopted to examine the variations in drivers' attitude and preference for age and driving skills. According to the results, the participants have varying attitudes to HUD system, but most participants show relatively unified preference for the information display zone and information display elements. The results can also be used to customize a HUD presentation image which is in accordance with the drivers' feelings and preferences.

Pedestrian’s street-crossing behaviour has a significant effect on traffic performance and safety. The crossing behaviour is determined by human factors and environmental factors. Aiming at examining the pedestrian perceptions toward crossing facilities and preferences for crossing locations, an observational study of pedestrian crossing behaviour at urban street is conducted. The perceptions and preferences of pedestrians are collected using stated preference technique. A specific questionnaire is designed to conduct the stated preference survey. A multinomial logit model is proposed to describe the perceptions and preferences of pedestrians on crossing facilities and locations. The sensitivity analysis is performed to discuss the influence of various factors on crossing behaviour. Then the relationship between crossing locations and crossing distances is analyzed by a new proposed method. With the theoretical analysis, the engineering solutions considering pedestrian behaviour are suggested. The results are helpful to design human-centered crossing facilities in urban traffic.

BACKGROUND:The dramatic rise of overweight and obesity among Chinese children has greatly affected the social economic development. However, no information on the cost-effectiveness of interventions in China is available. The objective of this study is to evaluate the cost and the cost-effectiveness of a comprehensive intervention program for childhood obesity. We hypothesized the integrated intervention which combined nutrition education and physical activity (PA) is more cost-effective than the same intensity of single intervention. METHODS:And Findings: A multi-center randomized controlled trial conducted in six large cities during 2009-2010. A total of 8301 primary school students were categorized into five groups and followed one academic year. Nutrition intervention, PA intervention and their shared common control group were located in Beijing. The combined intervention and its' control group were located in other 5 cities. In nutrition education group, 'nutrition and health classes' were given 6 times for the students, 2 times for the parents and 4 times for the teachers and health workers. "Happy 10" was carried out twice per day in PA group. The comprehensive intervention was a combination of nutrition and PA interventions. BMI and BAZ increment was 0.65 kg/m(2) (SE 0.09) and 0.01 (SE 0.11) in the combined intervention, respectively, significantly lower than that in its' control group (0.82 ± 0.09 for BMI, 0.10 ± 0.11 for BAZ). No significant difference were found neither in BMI nor in BAZ change between the PA intervention and its' control, which is the same case in the nutrition intervention. The single intervention has a relative lower intervention costs compared with the combined intervention. Labor costs in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Jinan was higher compared to other cities. The cost-effectiveness ratio was $120.3 for BMI and $249.3 for BAZ in combined intervention, respectively. CONCLUSIONS:The school-based integrated obesity intervention program was cost-effectiveness for children in urban China. TRIAL REGISTRATION:Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR-PRC-09000402 URL:http://www.chictr.org/cn/

Plants have evolved sophisticated systems for adaptation to their natural habitat. In response to developmental and environmental cues, plants produce and perceive jasmonate (JA) signals, which induce degradation of JASMONATE-ZIM-Domain (JAZ) proteins and derepress the JAZ-repressed transcription factors to regulate diverse aspects of defense responses and developmental processes. Here, we identified the bHLH subgroup IIId transcription factors (bHLH3, bHLH13, bHLH14 and bHLH17) as novel targets of JAZs. These bHLH subgroup IIId transcription factors act as transcription repressors and function redundantly to negatively regulate JA responses. The quadruple mutant bhlh3 bhlh13 bhlh14 bhlh17 showed severe sensitivity to JA-inhibited root growth and JA-induced anthocyanin accumulation, and exhibited obvious increase in JA-regulated plant defense against pathogen infection and insect attack. Transgenic plants overexpressing bHLH13 or bHLH17 displayed reduced JA responses. Furthermore, these bHLH factors functioned as transcription repressors to antagonize the transcription activators, such as MYC2 and the WD-repeat/bHLH/MYB complex, through binding to their target sequences. Coordinated regulation of JA responses by transcription activators and repressors would benefit plants by allowing fine regulation of defense and development, and survival in their frequently changing environment.

Clearance joints significantly affect the dynamic properties of deployable structures (DSs). This paper presents a spring-mass model with clearance for the study of the axial stiffness of a jointed structure. The nonlinear stiffness can be predicted by calculating the model's natural frequency which is the reciprocal of the motion period of the model. The results of the theoretical model show that the dynamic stiffness of the clearance joint increases with increases in the displacement amplitude; this finding is consistent with the experimental results. With the inclusion of sliding factors, contact friction, and impact, the established model of energy dissipation is useful for estimating the effects of joint damping on DSs. The energy dissipation model reveals the effects of joint features and excitation conditions on the dissipation of the jointed structure, that is, the excitation frequency and amplitude. Dynamic experiments were performed on jointed structures to characterize the dissipation variations. An exponentially fitting equation was developed based on the energy dissipation model and was verified through the experimental data. This formulation is more efficient than numerical integration for the calculation of the energy dissipation.

Bicyclists may cross the bicycle lane and occupy the adjacent motor lanes for some reason. The mixed traffic consisting of cars and bicycles shows very complicated dynamitic patterns and higher accident risk. To investigate the reason behind such phenomenon, the lifetime analysis method is adopted to examine the observed data for the behavior that bicycles cross the bicycle lane and occupy the adjacent motor lanes. The concepts named valid volume and probability of lane-keeping behavior are introduced to evaluate the influence of various external factors such as lane width and curb parking, and a semiparametric method is used to estimate the model with censored data. Six variables are used to accommodate the effects of traffic conditions. After the model estimation, the effects of the selected variables on the lane-keeping behavior are discussed. The results are expected to give a better understanding of the bicyclist behavior.

BackgroundThe association of dietary pattern with chronic diseases has been investigated widely in western countries. However, information is quite limited among children in China. Our study is aimed to identify the dietary patterns of Chinese children and examine their association with obesity and related cardiometabolic risk factors.MethodsA total of 5267 children were selected using multistage random sampling from 30 primary schools of 5 provincial capital cities in China. Dietary intake was derived from 24 hour dietary recall for three consecutive days. Anthropometric measurements, glucose and lipid profiles were obtained. Factor analysis combined with cluster analysis was used for identifying major dietary patterns. The associations of dietary patterns with obesity and related cardiometabolic risk factors were examined by logistic regression analysis.ResultsThree mutually exclusive dietary patterns were identified, which were labeled as the healthy dietary pattern, the transitive dietary pattern, and the Western dietary pattern. Compared with children of the healthy dietary pattern, the multiple-adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval (CI)) of obesity were 1.11 (0.89-1.38) for children with the transitive dietary pattern and 1.80 (1.15-2.81) for children with the Western dietary pattern, which was 1.31 (95%CI 1.09-1.56) and 1.71 (95%CI: 1.13-2.56), respectively, for abdominal obesity. The Western dietary pattern was associated with significantly higher concentrations of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (PConclusionsThe Western dietary pattern characterized by red meat, eggs, refined grain and products, was positively associated with odds of obesity, the levels of plasma glucose, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides, and was inversely associated with the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

Prion protein (PrP) is well studied for its pathogenic role in prion disease, but its potential contribution to other pathological processes is less understood. PrP is expressed in a variety of cancers and at least in pancreatic and breast cancers, its expression appears to be associated with poor prognosis. To understand the role of PrP in breast cancer cells, we knocked down PrP expression in MDA-MB-435 breast cancer cells with small interfering RNA and subjected these cells to a series of analyses. We found that PrP knockdown in these cells does not affect cell proliferation or colony formation, but significantly influences the cellular response to cytotoxic stimuli. Compared to control cells, PrP knockdown cells exhibited an increased susceptibility to serum deprivation induced apoptosis, no change to staurosporine- or paclitaxel-induced cell deaths, and a reduced susceptibility to chemotherapy drug doxorubicin-induced cell death. To understand the mechanism of unexpected role of PrP in exacerbating doxorubicin-induced cytotoxicity, we analyzed cell death related Bcl-2 family proteins. We found that PrP knockdown alters the expression of several Bcl-2 family proteins, correlating with increased resistance to doxorubicin-induced cytotoxicity. Moreover, the enhanced doxorubicin resistance is independent of DNA damage related p53 pathway, but at least partially through the ERK1/2 pathway. Together, our study revealed that silencing PrP in MDA-MB-435 breast cancer cells results in very different responses to various cytotoxic stimuli and ERK1/2 signaling pathway is involved in PrP silencing caused resistance to doxorubicin.

To investigate the relationship between cyclist violation and waiting duration, the red-light running behavior of nonmotorized vehicles is examined at signalized intersections. Violation waiting duration is collected by video cameras and it is assigned as censored and uncensored data to distinguish between normal crossing and red-light running. A proportional hazard-based duration model is introduced, and variables revealing personal characteristics and traffic conditions are used to describe the effects of internal and external factors. Empirical results show that the red-light running behavior of cyclist is time dependent. Cyclist’s violating behavior represents positive duration dependence, that the longer the waiting time elapsed, the more likely cyclists would end the wait soon. About 32% of cyclists are at high risk of violation and low waiting time to cross the intersections. About 15% of all the cyclists are generally nonrisk takers who can obey the traffic rules after waiting for 95 seconds. The human factors and external environment play an important role in cyclists’ violation behavior. Minimizing the effects of unfavorable condition in traffic planning and designing may be an effective measure to enhance traffic safety.

Intelligent traffic control is influenced by Stretching-segment design, parameters optimization of traffic control have to consider saturation flow rate in approach. Many intersections with different stretching-segment design forms are selected to study on saturation flow rate at peak rush hour and ordinary time hour, the characteristic of saturation flow rate in green time is analyzed. Based on the real traffic situation, the influence of the length of stretching-segment storage to straight-cross flow rate was explored in this study. The data showed that the duration and stability of saturation flow rate were highly influenced by the length of stretching-segment storage. A probabilistic computing model was proposed, which analyzed the effect of the length of stretching-segment to the flow rate and described the impact of vehicles in the upstream. Finally, the attenuate regulation of the straight-cross flow rate in green phase is developed by the analysis of vehicle's blocking.

Driver expectation is about driver's objective response and expectation for various traffic environments. It might directly influence the driving safety and traffic operation. This paper discusses in enough detail the shaping mechanism of driver expectation while considers road geometer parameters, driver behavior and vehicle performance in mountainous road. Combined various geometer parameters with different driving characteristics, the vehicle trajectory and speed were selected as key factors for describing completely the vehicle's operation condition. And then, the desired trajectory models were established using six basic forms of the desired trajectory. Based on the vehicle dynamics and control strategy, a desired speed model that consisted of the desired trajectory, the driver's experience and vehicle parameter was developed, the numerical simulation results show the simulation-based model of driver expectation is used to driving behavior analysis in mountainous road.

High-Efficient traffic system is very important for economy and society of cities. Previous studies on the traffic comparison mostly took a city as a whole, but ignored the differences among areas inside the city. But in fact, the traffic congestion in different areas with a city is mostly different. Taking typical mega cities like Beijing, London, New York, and Tokyo as objects, this paper makes cross-comparison in the traffic operation and performance based on intelligent algorithm. Transportation infrastructure and travel demand data are discussed and unbalanced transport system is found in Beijing because of the conflict between too much traffic demand and defect road networks. From the aspects of traffic load, operational efficiency and safety, indexes including traffic v/c ratio, average vehicle speed and accident rate are selected to assess the performance of road traffic. It is concluded that road networks of Beijing have the worst performance compared with other three mega-cities and the primary reasons are the inappropriate distribution of utilization rate among the freeways, arterials, and local streets, and the high traffic concentration in urban area. So, several measures are recommended to improve the operation efficiency of traffic in Beijing especially for the green intelligent traffic system. Keywords: Traffic operation; Operational efficiency; Intelligent traffic system (ITS); Traffic load; traffic safety; Intelligent algorithm.

The most difficult but important problem in advance driver assistance system development is how to measure and model the behavioral response of drivers with focusing on the cognition process. This paper describes driver's deceleration and acceleration behavior based on driving situation awareness in the car-following process, and then presents several driving models for analysis of driver's safety approaching behavior in traffic operation. The emphasis of our work is placed on the research of driver's various information process and multi-ruled decisionmaking mechanism by considering the complicated control process of driving; the results will be able to provide a theoretical basis for intelligent driving shaping model.

A total of 8898 Chinese children (4580 boys and 4318 girls) aged 7–13 years in 6 cities of east China were recruited. Data on height, weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, serum lipid profiles, glucose, and insulin were collected. The overall prevalence of hypertension was 11.1%. Overweight and obese children had a higher risk of developing hypertension than their counterparts (29.1%, 17.4%, and 7.8%, resp.) (P=0.0001). The means levels of triglycerides, glucose, insulin, and HOMA-IR (1.0 mmol/L, 4.5 mmol/L, 8.4 mU/mL and 1.7, resp.) among hypertensive children were all significantly higher than their normotensive counterparts (0.8 mmol/L, 4.5 mmol/L, 5.9 mU/mL, and 1.2, resp.) (P=0.0001). Compared with the healthy children, the risk (odds ratio, OR) of having hypertension among children with high triglycerides, hyperglycemia, and metabolic syndrome was 1.4 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.0–2.0, P=0.0334), 1.5 (95% CI: 0.9–2.5, P=0.0890), and 2.8 (95%CI: 1.5–5.4, P=0.0014), respectively, after controlling for age, gender, BMI, income level, parents' education level and puberty. In conclusion, overweight and obese children have higher risk of having hypertension and children with dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, and metabolic syndrome and higher HOMA-IR have higher risk of developing hypertension.

Objective. To investigate the association of weight status with physical fitness among Chinese children. Methods. A total of 6929 children aged 6–12 years were selected from 15 primary schools of 5 provincial capital cities in eastern China. The height and fasting body weight were measured. The age-, sex-specific BMI WHO criteria was used to define underweight, overweight and obesity. Physical fitness parameters including standing broad jump, 50 m sprint, and 50 m∗8 shuttle run were tested. Results. The prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity was 3.1%, 14.9%, and 7.8%, respectively. Boys performed better than girls, and the older children performed better than their younger counterparts for all physical fitness tests. No significant difference in all three physical fitness tests were found between children with underweight and with normal weight, and they both performed better than their counterparts with overweight and obese in all three physical fitness tests. The likelihood of achieving good performance was much lower among overweight and obese children in comparison with their counterparts with normal weight (OR=0.13–0.54). Conclusions. An inverse association of obesity with cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle explosive strength, and speed was identified among Chinese children.