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Background Tumor resistance to radiotherapy is one of the main obstacles to the clinical treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Improving the radiosensitivity of tumor cells has an important clinical significance in treatment of clinical NPC. This study aimed to identify that miR-138-1-3p as a novel therapeutic target in radioresistant NPC cells and found its targets, CRIPTO and the JAK2/STAT3 pathway. Methods Radioresistant C666-IR and HK-1R cells were derived from the NPC cell lines C666-1 and HK-1. The different microRNAs (miRNAs) and their targeting genes were analyzed between C666-1 and C666-IR cells using microarray bioinformatics. Western blot, qRT-PCR, gene transfection, Luciferase reporter assay, and confocal laser scanning microscopy were applied for the analysis of the different genes. Results MiR-138-1-3p was found to target CRIPTO, which involved in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathways. The luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR-138-1-3p targeted CRIPTO and downregulated the expression of CRIPTO. Furthermore, miR-138-1-3p affected the stability of the CRIPTO-GRP78 complex on the cell membrane and also reversed the radioresistant characteristics of NPC stem cells, which affected EMT and the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. Conclusions The miR-138-1-3p is a small molecule that can modulate radiosensitivity in the radioresistant C666-IR and HK-1R NPC cell lines by inhibiting EMT and targeting CRIPTO to reduce the activation of the JAK2/STAT3 pathway.

Microgrid (MG) technologies facilitate reliable, efficient, and economic operation of distributed resources such as photovoltaic and battery storage systems. The well-known droop method controls different sources in an MG to properly share power supply. However, utilizing the droop method poses two major challenges. First, while the droop method can prevent converter overloading, it cannot protect them from overstressing, thus deteriorating system reliability. Second, operating a 100% renewable-based MG requires a supervisory unit to monitor and control energy flow for load-generation balance. However, the supervisory unit relies on communication systems which impacts overall system reliability by being exposed to single-point failures and cyberattacks. This article proposes a decentralized power sharing approach that restricts thermal damage of converter components to avoid over-stressing converters. The main goal is to improve overall system performance and reliability by appropriately sharing active and reactive power among different sources without using communication systems. The simulations and numerical analysis show that the proposed decentralized strategy will properly control the power and energy flow among different sources. Moreover, it prevents over-stressing converters, consequently enhancing the overall reliability of the MG. An experiment is also presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed decentralized control approach.

Distributed maximum power point tracking (DMPPT) is an effective method to address the problem of photovoltaic (PV) mismatch and improve the utilization of PV elements. Differential power processing (DPP) is considered a very satisfactory power processing method for submodule level DMPPT. This paper introduces two power processing methods, FPP and DPP, analyses the three DMPPT power transmission architectures based on DPP, PV-PV, PV-bus and PV-IP, and compares the implementation complexity, converter volume, control difficulty, and hardware cost of various typical implementation topologies, and finally analyses the two most common control methods of DMPPT, voltage equalization (VE) and true MPPT.

This paper proposes a single-stage three-phase grid-connected inverter with the center-tapped energy storage inductor, which is suitable for low-voltage and high-current conditions. By adding the center-tapped inductor, the circuit has two controllable boost parameters, i.e. energy storage switch duty ratio and center-tapped inductor turn ratio, to ensure that the circuit has a larger step-up ratio. Moreover, the active-clamped branch in the circuit can effectively suppress the drain-source voltage spike of the energy storage switch to ensure the efficient and stable operation of the system. According to the proposed improved dual-loop interval sinusoidal pulse width modulation (SPWM) control strategy, the circuit can stably provide high-quality grid-connected current in any working intervals. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed circuit and control strategy are verified by the experiments on the 3kW 96VDC/380V50HzAC prototype.

The exploitation of efficient and stable non-noble-metal bifunctional electrocatalysts is key to the development of hydrogen production technology. Although some progress has been made in the synthesis of transition-metal selenide nanostructures, the preparation of metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived transition-metal selenide electrode materials with more active sites and nanosheet structures remains a significant challenge. Herein, on the basis of the MOFs, the hierarchical CoSe

Background. Sepsis is a common complication of acute cholangitis (AC), which is associated with a high mortality rate. Our study is aimed at exploring the significance of white blood cell (WBC), C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (sTREM-1), and temperature (T) alone or combined together in early identification and curative effect monitoring of AC with or without sepsis. Methods. 65 consecutive cases with AC and 76 control cases were enrolled. They were divided into three groups: Group A (AC with sepsis), Group B (AC without sepsis), and Group C (inpatients without AC or other infections). The levels of WBC, CRP, PCT, sTREM-1, and temperature were measured dynamically. The study was carried out and reported according to STARD 2015 reporting guidelines. Results. CRP had the highest AUC to identify AC from individuals without AC or other infections (AUC 1.000, sensitivity 100.0%, specificity 100.0%, positive predictive value 100.0%, and negative predictive value 100.0%). Among various single indexes, PCT performed best (AUC 0.785, sensitivity 75.8%, specificity 72.2%, positive predictive value 68.7%, and negative predictive value 78.8%) to distinguish sepsis with AC, while different combinations of indexes did not perform better. From day 1 to day 5 of hospitalization, the levels of sTREM-1 in Group A were the highest, followed by Groups B and C (P<0.05); on day 8, sTREM-1 levels in Groups A and B declined back to normal. However, other index levels among three groups still had a significant difference on day 10. Both in Groups A and B, sTREM-1 levels declined fast between day 1 and day 2 (P<0.05). Conclusions. CRP is the best biomarker to suggest infection here. PCT alone is sufficient enough to diagnose sepsis with AC. sTREM-1 is the best biomarker to monitor patients’ response to antimicrobial therapy and biliary drainage.

As the demand for power reliability keeps rising in modern society, the integration of energy storage systems into power networks increases at an unprecedented rate. Meanwhile, reliability analysis and enhancement of a power network attracts more and more attention. This paper explores the impact of four different energy management strategies (EMSs) on the reliability of microgrids, which play an important role in future distribution networks. The reliability performance is analysed on different levels, including converter interfaces and battery storage units on device level as well as power supply reliability on system level. The numerical analysis has shown that the employed EMS can remarkably affect the reliability indices of the system. The battery lifetime can be increased by more than 50% and annual energy loss can be reduced by up to 92%. Since the economic decision-making depends on the components lifetime and overall system performance, this paper provides deep insights for power engineers to properly design, plan and control future microgrids.

Fabricating efficient and low-cost noble-metal free electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction has been considered as a top priority for developing renewable energy devices. In this work, a series of CoxFe1−xF2 (x = 0.33, 0.50, 0.66, 0.75 and 0.80) with porous structure were prepared through low-temperature fluorination of MOFs precursors with controlled molar ratios of cobalt and iron and used as electrocatalysts for OER. Significantly, the Co0.66Fe0.33F2 exhibited the most excellent OER catalytic performance with a low overpotential of 260 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and a small Tafel slope of 54 mV dec−1. Moreover, it has an ultra-long durability of 50 h at current densities of 10 mA cm−2 and 50 mA cm−2, which is superior to most of non-noble metal and RuO2 electrocatalysts. The outstanding performance could be addressed to the porous structure and synergistic effect of CoF2 and FeF2 and in situ formed oxides, which could increase the active sites for electrochemical reactions and promote the proton transport and ion diffusion during the reaction process. This work proposes a brief and efficient way to design three-dimensional porous structure electrocatalyst.

HD-Zip is a plant-specific HB transcription factor, which participates in plant development and stress response. In this study, we identified 63 poplar HD-Zip transcription factors, which were randomly distributed on 19 chromosomes of poplar. Based on the gene structure and phylogenetic relationship, these members are divided into four groups, which have a variety of collinear evolutionary relationships. They also have rich segmental replication events and experienced strong purification selection. Based on RNA-seq analysis, we profiled the expression pattern of the 63 HD-Zip members under salt stress. Subsequently, we carried out in-depth study on the significantly up-regulated PsnHDZ63 in the stems and leaves. The transgenic Populus simonii × P.nigra plants over-expressing PsnHDZ63 displayed better morphological and physiological indexes than WT under salt stress. In addition, PsnHDZ63 enhanced salt stress tolerance of transgenic lines by combining effective stress-resistant elements to improve reactive oxygen species scavenging ability. These studies laid a foundation for a comprehensive understanding of poplar HD-Zip family members, and revealed the important role of PsnHDZ63 in plant salt tolerance.

This paper proposes a circuit topology of a single-stage three-phase current-source photovoltaic (PV) grid-connected inverter with high voltage transmission ratio (VTR). Also, an improved zone sinusoidal pulsewidth modulation (SPWM) control strategy and an active-clamped subcircuit that can suppress the energy storage switch's turn-off voltage spike are introduced. The circuit topology, control strategy, steady principle characteristics, and high-frequency switching process are analyzed profoundly, as well as the VTR's expression and design criterion of the center-tapped energy storage inductor. The improved zone SPWM control strategy consists of two control loops, namely, the outer loop of input dc voltage of PV cells with the maximum power point tracking and the inner loop of the energy storage inductor current. The experimental results of a 3-kW 96VDC/380V50Hz3ϕAC prototype have shown that this kind of a three-phase inverter has the excellent performances such as single-stage power conversion, high VTR and power density, and high conversion efficiency. Nonetheless, it has small energy storage inductor and output CL filter, low output current total harmonic distortion, and flexible voltage configuration of the PV cells. This study provides an effective design method for single-stage three-phase inverting with high VTR.

Nitrogen and sulfur co-doped carbon quantum dots (N,S-CQDs) with a high quantum yield (69%) and excellent photoluminescent properties were synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method using citric acid and cysteine as precursors. The cytotoxicity of N,S-CQDs was evaluated through the MTT assays using HepG2 cells as the target. The cell viability is still >95% after a 24 h incubation with particles in a concentration of up to 300 μg·mL−1, thereby indicating low cytotoxicity and excellent biocompatibility of N,S-CQDs. The emission spectra of the N,S-CQDs are nearly independent of the excitation wavelengths in the range from 280 to 380 nm and have the strongest fluorescence emission centered at 415 nm. Co-doping with N and S promotes the electron-transfer rate and coordination interaction between N,S-CQDs and Fe(III) ions which acts as a quencher of fluorescence. Fluorescence can be recovered, however, by addition of L-Cys. Hence, the N,S-CQDs act as a highly sensitive and selective “turn-off-on” probe for the determination of Fe(III) or Cys. The limits of detection are 14 nM for Fe(III) and 0.54 μM for Cys. The interferences by 17 common metal ions and heavy metal ions, 12 other quenchers and 16 amino acids were investigated and found to be tolerable. The probe was successfully applied for cellular imaging of Fe(III) in HepG2 cells by using fluorescence microscopy.

Exposure of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is closely related to induction of obesity, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and other lipid-metabolism diseases. Herein, we compared the effects of three EDCs exposure (triclosan, bisphenol A and fluorene-9-bisphenol) on lipid metabolism in zebrfish (Danio rerio). The differential lipid-metabolism disorders were analyzed in depth through RNA-Seq and qRT-PCR, as well as assessment of the relationship between lipid disorder and RNA methylation. Histopathological observation along with varying physiological and biochemical indexes all identified that triclosan and bisphenol A induced liver fat accumulation in acute and chronic exposure. RNA-Seq analysis showed that triclosan exposure disrupted multiple physiological processes including drug metabolism, sucrose metabolism, fat metabolism and bile secretion. The dysregulation of lipid-metabolism related genes indicated that liver steatosis in triclosan and BPA-exposed zebrafish resulted from increased fatty acid synthetase, and uptake and suppression of β-oxidation. Besides, the dysregulation of pro-inflammatory genes and endoplasmic reticulum stress showed that triclosan and bisphenol A exposure not only induced occurrence of NAFLD, but also promoted progression of hepatic inflammation. However, no significant effect on lipid metabolism was observed in fluorene-9-bisphenol-exposed treatment although the larval phenotypic malformation was found compared to the control group. Moreover, EDCs exposure led to decreased global m6A level and abnormal expression of m6A modulators in larvae. Especially, the expression of demethylase FTO (fat mass and obesity-associated protein) was significantly increased in triclosan-exposure treatment. These findings are conductive for us to deeply understand the underlying molecular mechanisms regarding the obesity and NAFLD from EDCs exposure.

Triclosan (TCS) is ubiquitous in a wide range of personal care and consumer products, and it is acute/chronic exposure may result in several nervous system disorders. Previous studies demonstrated TCS-induced abnormal expression of miRNAs, but no investigations focused on upstream changes of miRNAs and associated molecular mechanisms. Herein, phenotype observation and behavioral analysis confirmed that TCS exposure (0, 62.5, 125, 250 μg/L) led to developmental neurotoxicity in zebrafish larvae, especially for oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs). High-throughput sequencing demonstrated the critical role of miR-219 in the differentiation of OPCs. Larvae with miR-219 depletion showed the same phenotype caused by TCS. Functional tests with miR-219 knock-down and over-expression showed that miR-219 promoted differentiation of OPCs by acting on myelination inhibitors. The miR-219 also protected against TCS-induced inhibition of cell differentiation. Several epigenetic features were identified to reveal potential upstream regulatory mechanisms of miR-219. In particular, five CpG islands hyper-methylated with increasing TCS concentrations in the promoter region of miR-219. TCS inhibited OPC differentiation by influencing epigenetic effects on miR-219-related pathways, contributing to severe neurotoxicity. These findings enhance our understanding of epigenetic mechanisms affecting demyelination diseases due to TCS exposure, and also provide theoretical guidance for early intervention and gene therapy of environmentally induced diseases.

An accurate reactive power sharing scheme aiming to prioritize renewable sources is proposed and implemented under modified droop control in islanded microgrids. In order to improve reactive power sharing accuracy, an interfacing inductor and grid voltage estimation strategy is used. Simulation and experimental results show the efficacy of the approach.

Aiming at shortcomings of single new energy power generation, such as unstable power supply, discontinuity and changing with climate conditions, a quasi-single-stage isolated Buck-Boost mode multi-input inverter and master-slave power management SPWM control strategy with smooth and seamless switching in different power supply modes are proposed. The circuit topology, characteristic of steady principle and power management strategy are fully investigated. The circuit topology is composed of a bidirectional isolated Buck-Boost DC converter with a multi-input selector switch in series, and a polarity inversion bridge. The master-slave power management strategy is consisted of n-1 input voltage control loops, n power distribution circuits and instantaneous output voltage control loop with independent power control, it can realize smooth and seamless switching in different power supply modes. Designed and implemented 500VA 80-110VDC/220V50HzAC prototype has excellent performances such as high conversion efficiency, high quality of output waveforms, strong load adaptability, smooth and seamless switching in different power supply modes, etc.

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Additional file 1: Figure. S1. Co-culture of Acinetobacter baumannii (Ab) and epithelial cells.

In order to improve the shortcomings of low heat and mass transfer efficiency and uneven heating of freeze-drying technology, microwave heating and pulsed fluidized bed technology have been introduced, and ultrasonic-assisted osmotic dehydration (USOD) has been used for pretreatment of strawberries in this study. Using different ultrasonic power (180W, 240W, 300W) and different osmotic sugar solutes (sucrose, trehalose, sucrose and maltodextrin combination) to pretreat strawberries, and determine the dielectric properties, mass transfer, and water status and distribution of strawberries. The drying performance is evaluated by the drying rate, and the drying quality is determined by the color, texture, and total polyphenols and total flavones content. It was found that compared with freeze-drying, pulsed fluidized bed microwave freeze-drying (PFBMFD) can reduce the drying time by 45%, while USOD treatment helps to further increase the drying rate and reduce drying time by 10% because it increases water loss. In addition, dried strawberries pretreated with USOD may have better texture and nutritional quality, and sugar with low hygroscopicity and low sweetness value is more suitable for the USOD process of strawberries.

Pyrosequencing analysis of intestinal microflora from healthy Thai vegetarians and non-vegetarians exhibited 893 OTUs covering 189 species. The strong species indicators of vegetarians and non-vegetarians were Prevotella copri and Bacteroides vulgatus as well as bacteria close to Escherichia hermanii with % relative abundance of 16.9 and 4.5-4.7, respectively. Core gut microbiota of the vegetarian and non-vegetarian groups consisted of 11 and 20 different bacterial species, respectively, belonging to Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria commonly found in both groups. Two species, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Gemmiger formicilis, had a prevalence of 100% in both groups. Three species, Clostridium nexile, Eubacterium eligens, and P. copri, showed up in most vegetarians, whereas more diversity of Collinsella aerofaciens, Ruminococcus torques, various species of Bacteroides, Parabacteroides, Escherichia, and different species of Clostridium and Eubacterium were found in most non-vegetarians. Considering the correlation of personal characters, consumption behavior, and microbial groups, the age of non-vegetarians showed a strong positive correlation coefficient of 0.54 (p = 0.001) to Bacteroides uniformis but exhibited a moderate one to Alistipes finegoldii and B. vulgatus. Only a positive moderate correlation of body mass index and Parabacteroides distasonis appeared. Based on the significant abundance of potential pathogens, the microbiota of the non-vegetarian group showed an abundance of potential pathogen varieties of Bilophila wadsworthia, Escherichia coli, and E. hermannii, whereas that of the vegetarian group served for only Klebsiella pneumoniae. These results implied that the microbiota of vegetarians with high abundance of P. copri and low potential pathogen variety would be a way to maintain good health in Thais.

Novel gel beads were prepared using sodium alginate and polyethylene glycol to remove Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions. The biopolymeric beads were characterized through scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy analyses. Effects of experimental parameters including initial pH, adsorbent dosage, reaction temperature, contact time, and initial metal ion concentration were discussed. The adsorption of Pb(II) ions followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics and fitted the Freundlich adsorption isotherm. Thermodynamic study also suggested that the adsorption reaction was spontaneous and exothermic. Chemical adsorption was found to be the main mechanism of Pb adsorption. The fabricated biosorbent exhibits potential for removal of Pb(II) ions.

Microplastics (MPs) have been widely detected in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) due to their small particle size, wide distribution, and difficulty in removal. Previous studies, however, mostly focused on MPs in wastewater, thereby neglecting sludge. To comprehensively understand the changes of MPs in WWTPs, we investigated the quantity and characteristics of MPs in wastewater and sludge of a WWTP in Harbin, a typical inland city in China, and calculated the MPs removal rate. The results showed that there were 126.0 ± 14.0 particles/L MPs in the influent and 30.6 ± 7.8 particles/L in the effluent, about 75.7% MPs were removed and transferred to the sludge during this WWTP. The abundance of MPs in dewatered sludge and sludge filter cake was 36.3 ± 5.7 and 46.3 ± 6.2 particles/g (dry sludge), the sludge disposal scale of this WWTP can reach 1300 tons/day, which was equivalent to about 7.74 × 1012 microplastic particles accumulated in sludge per year. These sludges were used as fertilizers in the soil, which will cause secondary pollution of MPs. Raman spectroscopic analysis showed that about 89.5% of particles were plastic polymers, such as polyesters, polyamide (PA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene (PE), which suggested that MPs may be derived from laundry and personal care products. Therefore, we recommend that more work should be devoted to how to control the release of MPs at the source and the reuse of sludge after treatment by WWTPs.

In power converter, the system model has a significant meaning of the design of the controller and the dynamic characteristics. In this paper, the switching network average method is used to set up the small signal model of flyback circuit, which is operating in discontinuous current mode(DCM). A controller with single zero and single pole is designed based on the small signal model which is set up in this paper. Moreover, the analysis of system stability and dynamic response is proposed. Finally, the system is simulated and verified by a flyback LED constant current drive circuit (220AC input, 0.7A/16W output).

The semi-liquid paste made from various dietary fibers is very popular among Chinese community and is often used as a complementary food for increasing the appetite. The purpose of the study is to develop a yam/chicken semi-liquid with both dietary fiber and animal protein to facilitate consumers’ intake of multiple nutrients. Besides, the development of foods with Chinese characteristics not only enriches space recipes, but will also help meet the psychological needs of Chinese astronauts. Because the traditional thermal sterilization affects the sensory properties and nutritional value of the product, the study plans to use radio frequency heating in combination with natural preservative (chitosan/e-polylysine) to reduce the negative effects. The results showed that at 6 kW, 27.12 MHz, 20 mm plate spacing, RF heating for more than 20 min could exert the thermoelectric effect better. Improved thickening and antiseptic effects were obtained with the chitosan concentration of 2 g/kg, and the e-polylysine concentration of 0.2 g/kg. The heating parameters of 100 °C for 20 min or 110 °C for 20–30 min can be selected as the final sterilization conditions providing equivalent quality parameters of conventionally high-pressure steam (HPS, 121 °C, 30 min) product.

Microgrids provide an effective way to increase renewable energy (RE) penetration level in the power network. The cooperation of renewable microsources, energy storage systems (ESSs) and conventional dispatchable microsources is an important issue in the operation of an islanded microgrid. In this paper, the designed power sharing scheme aims to maximize renewable penetration level by giving RE the priority of power supply. This requires RE to be able to regulate grid voltage rather than only operating under power control mode (PCM) in the conventional way. Droop control strategy is modified to support a microsource operating under both voltage control mode (VCM) and PCM, and switching between both modes automatically. It also enables “peer to peer” and “plug and play” operation of a microgrid. Meanwhile, the characteristics of power sources (photovoltaic and batteries) are considered. DC/DC converter controller is proposed correspondingly with the aim of keeping the system stable. Simulations have been conducted to verify its effectiveness.

To integrate more renewable energy (RE) into the power grid, an effective control strategy for photovoltaic (PV) sources in an islanded microgrid is investigated. A power sharing scheme is designed to give PV sources the priority of power supply. Based on the scheme, adjusted droop control strategy is employed for voltage source inverters (VSI). Considering PV power characteristics, a DC/DC converter controller is also designed for PV panels. There are two operating modes of PV sources: maximum power point tracking (MPPT) mode and power curtailment (PC) mode. MPPT mode is supported by MPPT technique combining with a frequency increment on the VSI droop controller. The traditional droop controller and DC bus voltage tracking loop support PC mode. Stability analysis is conducted. Simulation results show the control strategy can share power demand effectively among different kinds of power sources even under varying weather conditions.

Multiplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) has found an increasing range of applications. The construction of a reliable and dynamic mathematical model for multiplex qPCR that analyzes the effects of interactions between variables is therefore especially important. This work aimed to analyze the effects of interactions between variables through response surface method (RSM) for uni- and multiplex qPCR, and further optimize the parameters by constructing two mathematical models via RSM and back-propagation neural network-genetic algorithm (BPNN-GA) respectively. The statistical analysis showed that Mg2+ was the most important factor for both uni- and multiplex qPCR. Dynamic models of uni- and multiplex qPCR could be constructed using both RSM and BPNN-GA methods. But RSM was better than BPNN-GA on prediction performance in terms of the mean absolute error (MAE), the mean square error (MSE) and the Coefficient of Determination (R2). Ultimately, optimal parameters of uni- and multiplex qPCR were determined by RSM.

WNT pathways are critically involved in the cardiac hypertrophy growth. Porcupine, an acyltransferase that specifically enables secretion of all WNT ligands, became a highly druggable target for inhibiting WNT pathways. Here we test if a novel small-molecule porcupine inhibitor CGX1321, which has entered human clinical trials as an anti-cancer agent, exerts an anti-hypertrophic effect. Transverse aortic constriction (TAC) was performed to induce cardiac hypertrophy on four-month-old male C57 mice. Cardiac function was measured with echocardiography. Histological analysis was performed to detect cardiomyocyte size and molecular expressions. CGX1321 was administrated daily for 4 weeks post TAC injury. As a result, CGX1321 improved cardiac function and animal survival of post-TAC mice. CGX1321 significantly reduced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, cardiomyocyte apoptosis and fibrosis induced by TAC injury. CGX1321 significantly inhibited TAC induced nuclear translocation of β-catenin and the elevation of Frizzled-2, cyclin-D1 and c-myc expression, indicating its inhibitory effect on canonical WNT pathway. Furthermore, CGX1321 inhibited TAC induced nuclear translocation of nuclear factor of activated T-cells and the elevation of phosphorylated c-Jun expression, suggesting its inhibitory function on non-canonical WNT pathway. We conclude that CGX1321 inhibits both canonical and non-canonical WNT pathways, and attenuates cardiac hypertrophy. Our findings support the porcupine inhibitors as a class of new drugs to be potentially used for treating patients with cardiac hypertrophy.

Mitochondrial (mt) dysfunction and oxidative stress are involved in the pathogenesis of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-injury. Lycopene, a lipophilic antioxidant found mainly in tomatoes and in other vegetables and fruits, can protect mtDNA against oxidative damage. However, the role of mtDNA in myocardial I/R-injury is unclear. In the present study, we aimed to determine if and how lycopene protects cardiomyocytes from I/R-injury. In both in vitro and in vivo studies, I/R-injury increased mt 8-hydroxyguanine (8-OHdG) content, decreased mtDNA content and mtDNA transcription levels, and caused mitochondrial dysfunction in cardiomyocytes. These effects of I/R injury on cardiomycoytes were blocked by pre-treatment with lycopene. MtDNA depletion alone was sufficient to induce cardiomyocyte death. I/R-injury decreased the protein level of a key activator of mt transcription, mitochondrial transcription factor A (Tfam), which was blocked by lycopene. The protective effect of lycopene on mtDNA was associated with a reduction in mitochondrial ROS production and stabilization of Tfam. In conclusion, lycopene protects cardiomyocytes from the oxidative damage of mtDNA induced by I/R-injury.

Microgrids provide an effective way to integrate distributed energy sources, particularly renewable energy sources, into the power system. Renewable energy sources differ from traditional microsources as their generation is variable depending on weather conditions. To achieve the highest renewable energy utilisation, photovoltaic (PV) panels tend to be operated at their maximum power point which also forms the boundary for stable operation. In this arrangement the DC bus voltage can collapse should the PV panels be overloaded. In an islanded microgrid, a droop controller is adopted to limit reactive power as well as distribute real power demand amongst the microsources. This paper proposes a modification to the droop controller to ensure a PV source remains within its maximum power limit. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the controller's effectiveness.

Rationale: Transplantation of stem cells into damaged hearts has had modest success as a treatment for ischemic heart disease. One of the limitations is the poor stem cell survival in the diseased microenvironment. Prolyl hydroxylase domain protein 2 (PHD2) is a cellular oxygen sensor that regulates 2 key transcription factors involved in cell survival and inflammation: hypoxia-inducible factor and nuclear factor-κB. Objective: We studied whether and how PHD2 silencing in human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) enhances their cardioprotective effects after transplantation into infarcted hearts. Methods and Results: ADSCs were transduced with lentiviral short hairpin RNA against prolyl hydroxylase domain protein 2 (shPHD2) to silence PHD2. ADSCs, with or without shPHD2, were transplanted after myocardial infarction in mice. ADSCs reduced cardiomyocyte apoptosis, fibrosis, and infarct size and improved cardiac function. shPHD2-ADSCs exerted significantly more protection. PHD2 silencing induced greater ADSC survival, which was abolished by short hairpin RNA against hypoxia-inducible factor-1α. Conditioned medium from shPHD2-ADSCs decreased cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) levels were significantly higher in the conditioned medium of shPHD2-ADSCs versus ADSCs, and depletion of IGF-1 attenuated the cardioprotective effects of shPHD2-ADSC–conditioned medium. Nuclear factor-κB activation was induced by shPHD2 to induce IGF-1 secretion via binding to IGF-1 gene promoter. Conclusions: PHD2 silencing promotes ADSCs survival in infarcted hearts and enhances their paracrine function to protect cardiomyocytes. The prosurvival effect of shPHD2 on ADSCs is hypoxia-inducible factor-1α dependent, and the enhanced paracrine function of shPHD2-ADSCs is associated with nuclear factor-κB–mediated IGF-1 upregulation. PHD2 silencing in stem cells may be a novel strategy for enhancing the effectiveness of stem cell therapy after myocardial infarction.

New energy such as photovoltaic, wind, fuel cells has many advantages, but the distributed power generation system (DPGS) supplied by single kind of new energy cannot provide sustained, stable and continuous power because of the instability and non-continuity of new energy. In order to improve the stability and flexibility of the power supply system and realize the prior or full use of new energy, the multi-energy DPGS is adopted. The two-stage single-input DC-DC converter mode, two-stage multi-input DC-DC converter mode, quasi-single-stage multi-input DC-DC converter mode multi-energy DPGS are systematically presented, their circuit structures, circuit topology examples, energy management control strategies (EMCSs), characteristics and design examples are given in this paper, which will provide a guidance to the research and application of the multi-energy DPGS.

Alginate–carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) gel beads were prepared in this study using sodium alginate (SA) and sodium CMC through blending and cross-linking. The specific surface area and aperture of the prepared SA–CMC gel beads were tested. The SA–CMC structure was characterized and analyzed via infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Static adsorption experiment demonstrated that Pb(II) adsorption of SA–CMC exceeded 99% under the optimized conditions. In addition, experiments conducted under the same experimental conditions showed that the lead ion removal efficiency of SA–CMC was significantly higher than that of conventional adsorbents. The Pb(II) adsorption process of SA–CMC followed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm, and the dynamic adsorption model could be described through a pseudo-second-order rate equation. Pb(II) removal mechanisms of SA–CMC, including physical, chemical, and electrostatic adsorptions, were discussed based on microstructure analysis and adsorption kinetics. Chemical adsorption was the main adsorption method among these mechanisms.

Asia differs substantially among and within its regions populated by diverse ethnic groups, which maintain their own respective cultures and dietary habits. To address the diversity in their gut microbiota, we characterized the bacterial community in fecal samples obtained from 303 school-age children living in urban or rural regions in five countries spanning temperate and tropical areas of Asia. The microbiota profiled for the 303 subjects were classified into two enterotype-like clusters, each driven by Prevotella (P-type) or Bifidobacterium/Bacteroides (BB-type), respectively. Majority in China, Japan and Taiwan harbored BB-type, whereas those from Indonesia and Khon Kaen in Thailand mainly harbored P-type. The P-type microbiota was characterized by a more conserved bacterial community sharing a greater number of type-specific phylotypes. Predictive metagenomics suggests higher and lower activity of carbohydrate digestion and bile acid biosynthesis, respectively, in P-type subjects, reflecting their high intake of diets rich in resistant starch. Random-forest analysis classified their fecal species community as mirroring location of resident country, suggesting eco-geographical factors shaping gut microbiota. In particular, children living in Japan harbored a less diversified microbiota with high abundance of Bifidobacterium and less number of potentially pathogenic bacteria, which may reflect their living environment and unique diet.

At present, micro ecological preparation is widely applied in aquaculture with good effect. The application of micro ecological preparation in sea cucumber culture can effectively improve the economic benefits. The micro ecological preparation can play the role of inhibiting harmful bacteria, purifying water quality and saving culture cost in the process of sea cucumber culture. We should select appropriate bacteria, guarantee stable environment and use with long-term in the applications of microbial ecological preparation in sea cucumber culture to obtain good effects.

Mitochondrial (mt) dysfunction and oxidative stress are involved in the pathogenesis of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-injury. Lycopene, a lipophilic antioxidant found mainly in tomatoes and in other vegetables and fruits, can protect mtDNA against oxidative damage. However, the role of mtDNA in myocardial I/R-injury is unclear. In the present study, we aimed to determine if and how lycopene protects cardiomyocytes from I/R-injury. In both in vitro and in vivo studies, I/R-injury increased mt 8-hydroxyguanine (8-OHdG) content, decreased mtDNA content and mtDNA transcription levels, and caused mitochondrial dysfunction in cardiomyocytes. These effects of I/R injury on cardiomycoytes were blocked by pre-treatment with lycopene. MtDNA depletion alone was sufficient to induce cardiomyocyte death. I/R-injury decreased the protein level of a key activator of mt transcription, mitochondrial transcription factor A (Tfam), which was blocked by lycopene. The protective effect of lycopene on mtDNA was associated with a reduction in mitochondrial ROS production and stabilization of Tfam. In conclusion, lycopene protects cardiomyocytes from the oxidative damage of mtDNA induced by I/R-injury.

In this paper the method of generalized quasilinearization has been extended to system of reaction diffusion equations with initial and boundary conditions. Quadratic convergence of the sequences of lower and upper solutions to the unique solution of the nonlinear system of reaction diffusion equations has been proved. This has been achieved by using a comparison theorem of the system of reaction diffusion equations with the system of ordinary differential equations. Finally, numerical scheme for the generalized quasilinearization method has been developed for reaction diffusion systems.

Pyrosequencing-based 16S rRNA profiling has become a common powerful tool to obtain the community structure of gastrointestinal tract microbiota, but it is still hard to process the massive amount of sequence data into microbial composition data, especially at the species level. Here we propose a new approach in combining the quantitative insights into microbial ecology (QIIME), Mothur and ribosomal database project (RDP) programs to efficiently process 454 pyrosequence data to bacterial composition data up to the species level. It was demonstrated to precisely convert batch sequence data of 16S rRNA V6-V8 amplicons obtained from adult Singaporean fecal samples to taxonomically annotated biota data.

Even though most universities in China have successively introduced digital resources, traditional paper-based resources still share major percentage in the whole library resources. In the current library management schemes, the information of the resource requirement and usage record is not utilized effectively either in resource purchase decision or in resource allocation plan. Furthermore, there is no efficient approach proposed to utilize the advanced information technologies in library management. In this paper, we firstly analyze the patterns of the current library services in Chinese universities and points out some problems existing in the current resource management systems. We then propose several approaches attempting to improve user satisfactory and resource utilization by considering customer behavior and requirement information.

Objectives Recent studies suggest that oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction are involved in the pathogenesis of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-injury. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is highly vulnerable to oxidative stress and lycopene is found to protect mtDNA against oxidative damage. Our recent study indicates lycopene reduced I/R-injury in vitro by alleviating oxidative stress and preventing mitochondrial dysfunction. This study was aimed to determine whether mtDNA damage is involved in the I/R-injury and whether lycopene can protect cardiac myocytes from I/R-injury by inhibiting mtDNA damage. Methods We established I/R-injury model with rat in vivo and we also established hypoxia/ reoxygenation-injury model with H9c2 cells to simulate I/R-injury in vitro . Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial superoxide levels were determined. Mitochondrial 8-hydroxyguanine (8-OHdG), mtDNA content and mtDNA transcript levels were detected to find out if mtDNA were damaged; The protein expression of mitochondrial transcription factor A (Tfam) in mitochondrial, a key protein for mtDNA transcription, replication and component for nucleoid organisation were also determined by western blot. Results I/R significantly increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and mitochondrial superoxide levels. In addition, I/R increased mitochondrial 8-hydroxyguanine (8-OHdG) content, while reduced mtDNA content and mtDNA transcript levels. Consistent with these findings, I/R was found to decrease the protein expression of Tfam in mitochondrial. Lycopene pretreatment efficiently attenuated the oxidative damage to mtDNA induced by I/R both in vivo and in vitro . Conclusion Our results suggest that mtDNA damage may account for I/R-injury. Lycopene has a great pharmacological potential in protecting mtDNA against the I/R-injury in the heart.