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Web applications, as a conventional platform for sensitive data and important transactions, are of great significance to human society. But with its open source framework, the existing security vulnerabilities can easily be exploited by malicious users, especially when web developers fail to follow the secure practices. Here we present a distributed scanning system, FalconEye, with great precision and high performance, it will help prevent potential threats to Web applications. Besides, our system is also capable of covering basically all the web vulnerabilities registered in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE). The FalconEye system is consists of three modules, an input source module, a scanner module and a support platform module. The input module is used to improve the coverage of target server, and other modules make the system capable of generic vulnerabilities scanning. We then experimentally demonstrate this system in some of the most common vulnerabilities test environment. The results proved that the FalconEye system can be a strong contender among the various detection systems in existence today.

Introduction: The morbidity of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) was found in an increasing trend, progressive worsening of symptoms and deterioration in lung function tend to trigger off a lower quality of life (QoL). Only pirfenidone and nintedanib have been recommended in the guidelines, which can modify the disease process. However, no evidence was verified to significantly alleviate the main clinical manifestations of IPF. At present, Chinese herbal formula (CHF) is widely prescribed as an adjunct to western medicine to treat the disease, and have shown promising benefits on clinical symptoms and QoL. There are mainly 3 Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatment methods guiding the composition of CHFs, which are devoting to comfort the common symptoms of IPF. Nevertheless, the paucity of direct comparative evidence of them posed a challenge for clinicians to determine the relative merits options. Therefore, we formulate this protocol, which is described for a systematic review to investigate relative advantages among different TCM treatment method and provide more reliable evidence for clinical decision-making. Methods and analysis: A systematic literature search will be employed in 10 electronic databases. Inclusion criteria are randomized control trials of CHFs composed based on the 3 TCM treatment methods, which act as an adjuvant treatment with routine drugs, compared with routine drugs alone. The primary outcomes we focus on include St George's Hospital Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) scores, TCM symptom (dyspnea, cough) scores. The research screening, data extraction, and methodological quality assessment will be conducted by 2 individuals separately, and dispute will be adjudicated by a third senior reviewer. We will employ network meta-analysis (NMA) in a Bayesian framework with vague priors and the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) to obtain the comprehensive rank for the 3 TCM treatment methods. Results: This systematic review will provide an evidence of CHFs composed under the guidance by 3 TCM treatment methods with routine drugs, compared with routine drugs alone for IPF, and will submit to a peer-reviewed journal for publication. Conclusion: The conclusion of this systematic review will provide evidence for relative advantages among the 3 TCM treatment methods.

This paper aims to introduce a novel maximum power point tracking (MPPT) strategy called transfer reinforcement learning (TRL), associated with space decomposition for Photovoltaic (PV) systems under partial shading conditions (PSC). The space decomposition is used for constructing a hierarchical searching space of the control variable, thus the ability of the global search of TRL can be effectively increased. In order to satisfy a real-time MPPT with an ultra-short control cycle, the knowledge transfer is introduced to dramatically accelerate the searching speed of TRL through transferring the optimal knowledge matrices of the previous optimization tasks to a new optimization task. Four case studies are conducted to investigate the advantages of TRL compared with those of traditional incremental conductance (INC) and five other conventional meta-heuristic algorithms. The case studies include a start-up test, step change in solar irradiation with constant temperature, stepwise change in both temperature and solar irradiation, and a daily site profile of temperature and solar irradiation in Hong Kong.

Neuropathic pain is the direct result caused by lesions or somatosensory nervous system diseases that are associated with emotional regulation. The incidence of neuropathic pain in the general population is 7-10% and the mechanisms of neuropathic pain are largely unknown. It is often related to structural and functional abnormalities in multiple brain regions. The forebrain, including nucleus accumbens (NAc), medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and periaqueductal gray (PAG) have been shown to correspond with the regulation of neuropathic pain. To investigate the molecular mechanism of neuropathic pain across different brain regions, we identified the differentially expressed genes between the spared nerve injury model (SNI) mice of neuropathic pain and the control Sham mice in NAc, mPFC and PAG and mapped these genes onto comprehensive functional association network. With Random Walk with Restart (RWR) analysis, we identified more novel neuropathic pain genes in NAc, mPFC and PAG, such as Asic3, Cd200r1 and MT2, beside well known Capn11 and CYP2E1. What’s more, we discovered their interactions or cross talks. Our results provided novel insights of neuropathic pain and provided therapeutic targets for treating neuropathic pain.

Introduction Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness with a genetic predisposition. Genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) have identified the α‐1C subunit of the L‐type voltage‐gated calcium channel (CACNA1C) gene as a significant risk gene for schizophrenia. However, there are inconsistent conclusions in case–control studies. Methods We performed a comprehensive meta‐analysis of all available samples from existing studies under four different genetic models (recessive model, dominant model, additive model and allele model) to further confirm whether CACNA1C rs1006737 is an authentic risk single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) for schizophrenia. Results A statistically significant difference under the four models (all p

The automatic transfer switch (ATS) is a medium-voltage switchgear, which can improve the reliability and quality of the power supply. The mechanical switch is an important part of the ATS based on the LC resonance, and its breaking time directly affects the overall switching time of the ATS. In order to reduce the breaking time and improve the breaking performance, the optimal design of the mechanical switch is made. Firstly, the working principle of the ATS based on the LC resonance is introduced, the general technical scheme of the magnetically controlled mechanical switch is given, and then, two aspects of increasing the voltage of the driving power supply and the size of the discharge capacitance are considered to reduce the breaking time. Experimental results show that the breaking time of the magnetically controlled mechanical switch is significantly reduced from 15 down to 6.39 ms or so by optimising the design, and the breaking performance is effectively improved, which is conducive to the design of the ATS based on the LC resonance.

Prior work on corporate social responsibility (CSR) has focused mainly on its effects on the short-term performance of firms from developed countries. In this article, we shed light on its effects on organizational resilience, which is defined as the firm&rsquo, s ability to positively cope with environmental turbulence, and operationalized by long-term, improved sales growth and financial volatility. In line with this operationalization, we adopt CSR&rsquo, s performance-enhancing and performance-insuring mechanisms to disentangle the relationship between CSR and organizational resilience. Furthermore, we divide CSR into five dimensions, namely shareholder, employee, business, society and environment-related CSR, and respectively examine their impacts on organizational resilience. The empirical study on a large sample of public firms in China from 2010 to 2017 shows that CSR as a whole significantly increases the firms&rsquo, long-term growth and reduces their financial volatility. As for the five specific dimensions, they all have a significant negative effect on financial volatility, and the employee, business, environment-related CSR are positively associated with long-term growth. Yet, the empirical results did not indicate significant associations between shareholder and society-related CSR and firms&rsquo, long-term growth. This study first explores the impacts of CSR&rsquo, s different dimensions on organizational resilience. Also, we contribute to enriching the literature on CSR by examining the long-term performance-insuring effect of CSR with a quantitative analysis of emerging markets. Finally, we discuss some important managerial implications, as well as promising directions for future research.

Group VIB transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have been successfully demonstrated as saturable absorbers (SAs) for pulsed fiber lasers. For the group comprising IVB TMDs, applications in this field remain unexplored. In this work, ZrS2-based SA is prepared by depositing a ZrS2 nanostructured film onto the side surface of a D-shaped fiber. The nonlinear optical properties of the prepared SA are investigated, which had a modulation depth of 3.3% and a saturable intensity of 13.26 MW/cm2. In a pump power range of 144&ndash, 479 mW, the Er-doped fiber (EDF) laser with ZrS2 can operate in the dual-wavelength Q-switching state. The pulse duration declined from 10.0 &mu, s down to 2.3 &mu, s. The single pulse energy reached 53.0 nJ. The usage of ZrS2 as a SA for pulse generation in fiber lasers is presented for the first time. Compared to the experimental results of dual-wavelength Q-switched fiber lasers with two-dimensional (2D) materials, our laser performance was better. Our work indicates that the group comprising IVB TMD ZrS2 has bright prospects for nonlinear optical applications.

HongJing I (HJI), a traditional Chinese herbal formula, has been confirmed to be effective for the clinical treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). However, the mechanism of action of HJI remains unclear. Here, we aimed to investigate the effect and underlying mechanisms of HJI against ED in a rat model of bilateral cavernous nerve injury (BCNI). Rats were divided into five groups: normal control (NC), BCNI-induced ED model (M), M + low-dose HJI (HL), M + medium-dose HJI (HM), and M + high-dose HJI (HH). All groups were treated with normal saline or the relevant drug for 28 consecutive days after inducing BCNI-ED. At the end of the treatment period, the intracavernous pressure (ICP) was recorded, and histological examination was conducted using Masson’s trichrome staining. Immunofluorescence staining and western blotting were applied to detect the changes in fibrosis protein and Ras homolog A (RhoA), Rho-associated protein kinase 1 (ROCK1), and ROCK2 expression. We found that HJI effectively improved the ICP in the treatment groups. In addition, RhoA, ROCK1, and ROCK2 expression levels were increased upon BCNI-ED induction, and HJI successfully inhibited cavernosum fibrosis and the activation of RhoA/ROCK2 signaling. Overall, these results suggest that the effects of HJI in attenuating ED may be caused, at least in part, by the suppression of RhoA/ROCK2 signaling and alleviation of fibrosis. However, the precise mechanism surrounding this requires further investigation in future studies.

To investigate the effects of metabolic syndrome (MS) and its components on the pathological manifestations and metastasis of colorectal cancer (CRC).Clinical and pathological data of inpatients with CRC admitted to our hospital from January 1st 2010 to December 31st 2017 were collected, including the patients' general information, initial symptoms, previous history, family history, whether MS or related components were complicated, endoscopic description, imaging diagnosis, pathological diagnosis and metastasis. According to the diagnostic criteria of MS, the patients were divided into MS group and non-MS group, and then patients in non-MS group were further grouped based on whether they met MS single component. The clinical and pathological characteristics in each group were analyzed by SPSS 20.0 statistical software.Among 1528 CRC patients, 76 (4.9%) were complicated with MS. CRC patients complicated with MS and those complicated with hypertension alone or diabetes alone were diagnosed at higher age, and most of them were elderly (p0.05). CRC patients with body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m2 were diagnosed at lower age (p0.05). The infiltration depth of CRC patients with diabetes was higher than that in the non-diabetic group, and it was more likely to invade the whole layer (p0.05). The locations of CRC lesions in different BMI subgroups, fatty liver and nonfatty liver subgroups had statistically significant differences (p0.05). In BMI ≥25 kg/m2 group, CRC was mostly located in the left colon and rectum, while it was mostly located in the rectum in CRC patients with fatty liver.Reducing the occurrence of MS and its components can reduce the incidence of CRC, and reduce its pathological manifestations and affect its metastasis at the same time.

To investigate the effect of cathode materials on organics degradation in a cathode/Fe

Objective Recovery of hand motor function after surgical treatment in myelopathy patients is commonly observed. Accurate evaluation of postoperative hand function contributes to assessing the efficacy of surgical treatment. However, no objective and effective evaluation method has been widely accepted in clinical practice. Therefore, the study aimed to explore the value of Myelopathy-hand Functional Evaluation System (MFES) in assessing the postoperative hand function for myelopathy patients. Material and method MFES mainly consist of a pair of wise-gloves and a computer with software. One hundred and thirty myelopathy patients were included and all of them received optimal surgery treatment. The Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores were marked at preoperative and at 6 months after surgery. All patients were asked to perform the 10-s grip and release test, and the hand movements were simulated and converted into waveforms by MFES. The waveform parameters were measured and analyzed. Results The JOA scores and the number of grip-and-release (G–R) cycles significantly increased after surgery. Correspondingly, the waveforms of ulnar three fingers were significantly higher and narrower, along with the significantly declined average time per cycle in postoperative. The a/b ratio (Wave height/wave width) of five fingers were significantly higher in postoperative than that in preoperative. Based on the improvement rate of a/b, the excellent and good rate of surgical outcomes was 62.30 %, which was significantly higher than that (47.69 %) based on the improvement rate of JOA scores (P = 0.019). Conclusion MFES is an effective assessment tool in evaluating the postoperative hand function for myelopathy patients.

This paper proposes a multi-objective optimization dispatching method for the Integrated Energy System (IES), in which cooling/heating/electricity multi-load demand are included, and IES’s requirements in terms of energy efficiency, economy, and emissions are considered. We established an IES model for multi-objective optimal dispatch, and simulated cooling/heating/electric multiple load variations in it; then we established multiple objective functions based on IES’s scheduling requirements in terms of energy efficiency, economy, environmental issues. The model is solved by finding the pareto front based on genetic algorithm (GA), so that the decision makers can filter out the scheduling plan based on their preference, in which single-objective optimization is used first to find out the initial population for GA. Finally, the proposed method’s effectiveness is verified by case studies.

Competitive kinetics and scavenging assay are commonly used for radical quantification. However, the accuracy of the two methods has been challenged in electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs) since the strong reactivity of electrode against organic indicators may disrupt the quantitative relationship between indicator consumption and radical concentration. The present study focused on screening suitable indicators and developing suitable methods for determining the steady-state concentrations of SO4•- and HO• ([SO4•-]ss and [HO•]ss) in several EAOPs for water treatment based on competitive kinetics and scavenging assay. The applicability of the modified methods and available indicators were investigated through experimental and kinetic analysis. In anode alone process, the competitive kinetics was more appropriate than scavenging assay and benzoic acid (BA) met the basic requirement of being a competitor to determine the [HO•]ss. In cathode alone process, BA was more resistant to interfering factors than other competitors (ibuprofen, atrazine and nitrobenzene) and its reaction rate involved only the radical oxidation even when the reaction conditions varied over a wide range. Therefore, the [HO•]ss could be obtained by the competitive kinetic equation of BA when HO• existed alone. When HO• coexisted with SO4•-, a two-step method combining scavenging assay and competitive kinetics was proposed to measure [SO4•-]ss and [HO•]ss, in which tert-butyl alcohol and BA were added as scavenger and competitor, respectively. Furthermore, the reliability of each approach was verified by the experimental results and kinetic analysis.

A coumarin-appended rhodamine derivative was prepared by reacting rhodamine hydrazide and coumarin-3-carboxylic acid, which fluorescence sensing behavior toward Zn2+ against other metal ions was investigated in CH3CN. Significantly, the rodamine-coumarin derivative exhibited highly selective and sensitive recognition toward Zn2+ with a limit of detection (LOD) down to 10−9 M. Upon addition of Zn2+, remarkable fluorescent intensities enhanced and also clear color changed from colorless to pink. The Job’s plot indicated the formation of 1:1 complex between the rhodamine-coumarin derivative and Zn2+. The presence of common coexisting alkali, alkaline earth, and transition metal ions showed small or no interference with the detection of Zn2+. The conjugate dye could be used for “naked-eye” detection of Zn2+.

In this work, nanocellulose was extracted from bleached corncob residue (CCR), an underutilized lignocellulose waste from furfural industry, using four different methods (i.e. sulfuric acid hydrolysis, formic acid (FA) hydrolysis, 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO)-mediated oxidation, and pulp refining, respectively). The self-assembled structure, morphology, dimension, crystallinity, chemical structure and thermal stability of prepared nanocellulose were investigated. FA hydrolysis produced longer cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) than the one obtained by sulfuric acid hydrolysis, and resulted in high crystallinity and thermal stability due to its preferential degradation of amorphous cellulose and lignin. The cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) with fine and individualized structure could be isolated by TEMPO-mediated oxidation. In comparison with other nanocellulose products, the intensive pulp refining led to the CNFs with the longest length and the thickest diameter. This comparative study can help to provide an insight into the utilization of CCR as a potential source for nanocellulose production.

The effects of co-processing sewage sludge in cement kiln on NOx, NH3 and PAHs emissions were systematically investigated in a cement production line in Beijing. The results show that co-processing the sewage sludge was helpful to reduce NOx emission, which primarily depends on the NH3 amount released from the sewage sludge. Meanwhile, NOx and NH3 concentrations in the flue gas have a negative correlation, and the contribution of feeding the sewage sludge to NOx removal decreased with the increase of injection amount of ammonia water in the SNCR system. Therefore, it is suggested that the injection amount of ammonia water in SNCR system may reduce to cut down the operating costs during co-processing the sewage sludge in cement kiln. In addition, the emission of total PAHs seems to increase with the increased amount of the sewage sludge feeding to the cement kiln. However, the distributions of PAHs were barely changed, and lower molecular weight PAHs were mainly distributed in gaseous phase, accounted for the major portion of PAHs when co-processing sewage sludge in cement kiln.

Subpixel mapping techniques aim to obtain the spatial location and distribution of subpixels by transforming the information coming from a set of input abundance maps into a classification result with higher spatial resolution. However, traditional subpixel mapping algorithms generally ignore the possible errors that are due to abundance estimation inaccuracies by spectral unmixing techniques. In this paper, we propose a new genetic algorithm-based subpixel mapping technique that solves the subpixel mapping problem by correcting the potential errors in the estimated abundance fractions used as input to the subpixel mapping process. The proposed algorithm has been compared with other two genetic subpixel mapping methods, using both synthetic and real hyperspectral images. Our experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms traditional subpixel mapping algorithms, thus providing an effective option to improve the accuracy of subpixel mapping for remotely sensed hyperspectral images.

Changes in catalytic performance and catalyst structural evolution during the deactivation of the CuCo/TiO 2 model catalyst for higher alcohol synthesis via syngas were investigated. The catalytic activity decreases continuously with time-on-stream, although there is no obvious change in total alcohol selectivity. Meanwhile, the products shift gradually to low carbon number, and the chain growth probabilities of both alcohols and hydrocarbons decrease with reaction time. Using ethane hydrogenolysis as the probe reaction, the catalytic activity also declines with time-on-stream, indicating the decrease in the number of surface metallic cobalt ensembles. To elucidate the structural evolution of the catalyst, the calcined, reduced, and used catalysts were analyzed by various techniques. The bulk crystalline phase of the calcined catalyst is CuCo composite oxide, with small CuO nanoparticles spreading on the catalyst surface. After reduction, the oxides are transformed into CuCo alloy and Cu nanoparticles. For the used sample, severe sintering occurs and Co x C forms on the catalyst surface, both of which reduce the number of surface Co atoms and leads to catalytic deactivation.

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) can be used as building blocks for the production of many renewable and sustainable nanomaterials. In this work, CNCs were produced from bleached eucalyptus kraft pulp with a high yield over 75 % via FeCl3-catalyzed formic acid (FA) hydrolysis process. It was found that the particle size of resultant CNC products (F-CNC) decreased with the increase of FeCl3 dosage in FA hydrolysis, and a maximum crystallinity index of about 75 % could be achieved when the dose of FeCl3 was 0.015 M (i.e. about 7 % based on the weight of starting material). Thermogravimetric analyses revealed that F-CNC exhibited a much higher thermal stability (the decomposition temperature was over 260 °C) than S-CNC prepared by typical sulfuric acid hydrolysis. In the FeCl3-catalyzed FA hydrolysis process, FA could be easily recovered and reused, and FeCl3 could be transferred to Fe(OH)3 as a high value-added product. Thus, the FeCl3-catalyzed FA hydrolysis process could be sustainable and economically feasible. In addition, F-CNC could be well dispersed in DMSO and its dispersibility in water could be improved by a cationic surface modification.

In order to study the effect of the operational loads on the ground-borne vibration of the high-speed train, a train-track coupling model with considering the vertical and horizontal effects is established and applied to calculate the impact of different operational speeds on vibration acceleration. As shown in the results, the vibration acceleration is largely affected by different frequencies generated from different train speeds. By means of an indoor dynamic triaxial test, the impact of different vibration frequencies of a train on soil body is simulated. And a large number of medium- and low-frequency vibration tests are conducted according to the settings of load form, drainage requirement and vibration number of train vibration loads. The experimental results are analyzed to study the effect of different frequencies on dynamic characteristics, and a dynamic strain-time calculation formula, that takes the frequency factor into consideration, is proposed. Meanwhile, the improved formula that considered frequency is substituted into the finite element model (FEM) of the train, so as to analyze the impact of different vibration frequencies on the settlement, is applied. As shown in the results, the proposed improved formula, that considered the frequency, is good at prediction. The effect of vibration efficiency on the engineering can be reflected by a simulated high-speed train model. Based on the simulation model, a reinforcement measure is conducted for the ground-borne, and it is calculated that the settlement is obviously reduced and the service time of the train ground-borne is increased. This paper can provide a reference for a theoretical research and engineering practice.

Triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive tumour subtype associated with poor prognosis. The mechanisms involved in TNBC progression remains largely unknown. To date, there are no effective therapeutic targets for this tumour subtype. Paired‐related homeobox 1b (Prrx1b), one of major isoforms of Prrx1, has been identified as a new epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) inducer. However, the function of Prrx1b in TNBC has not been elucidated. In this study, we found that Prrx1b was significantly up‐regulated in TNBC and associated with tumour size and vascular invasion of breast cancer. Silencing of Prrx1b suppressed the proliferation, migration and invasion of basal‐like cancer cells. Moreover, silencing of Prrx1b prevented Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway and induced the mesenchymal‐epithelial transition (MET). Taken together, our data indicated that Prrx1b may be an important regulator of EMT in TNBC cells and a new therapeutic target for interventions against TNBC invasion and metastasis.

Purpose Using a network meta-analysis approach, our study aims to develop a ranking of the six surgical procedures, that is, Plate, titanium elastic nail (TEN), tension band wire (TBW), hook plate (HP), reconstruction plate (RP) and Knowles pin, by comparing the post-surgery constant shoulder scores in patients with clavicular fracture (CF). Methods A comprehensive search of electronic scientific literature databases was performed to retrieve publications investigating surgical procedures in CF, with the stringent eligible criteria, and clinical experimental studies of high quality and relevance to our area of interest were selected for network meta-analysis. Statistical analyses were conducted using Stata 12.0. Results A total of 19 studies met our inclusion criteria were eventually enrolled into our network meta-analysis, representing 1164 patients who had undergone surgical procedures for CF (TEN group = 240; Plate group = 164; TBW group = 180; RP group = 168; HP group = 245; Knowles pin group = 167). The network meta-analysis results revealed that RP significantly improved constant shoulder score in patients with CF when compared with TEN, and the post-operative constant shoulder scores in patients with CF after Plate, TBW, HP, Knowles pin and TEN were similar with no statistically significant differences. The treatment relative ranking of predictive probabilities of constant shoulder scores in patients with CF after surgery revealed the surface under the cumulative ranking curves (SUCRA) value is the highest in RP. Conclusion The current network meta-analysis suggests that RP may be the optimum surgical treatment among six inventions for patients with CF, and it can improve the shoulder score of patients with CF. Implications for Rehabilitation RP improves shoulder joint function after surgical procedure. RP achieves stability with minimal complications after surgery. RP may be the optimum surgical treatment for rehabilitation of patients with CF.

We present a novel visual saliency detection method using covariance matrices on a Riemannian manifold. After over-segmentation, superpixels are generated and featured by the region covariance matrix. The superpixels on image boundary are regarded as possible background cues and are used to build the background dictionary. A sparse model is then constructed based on the background dictionary, where a kernel method, embedding Riemannian manifolds into reproducing kernel Hilbert space, is used. For each superpixel, we compute sparse reconstruction errors as a saliency measurement, which are then weighted based on the local context and global context information. Finally, multi-scale reconstruction errors are integrated to reduce the effect of the scale problem, and an object-biased Gaussian model is adopted to refine the saliency map. The main contribution of this paper is using a kernel sparse representation of the region covariance descriptors for saliency detection. Experiments with public benchmark dataset show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the state-of-the-art methods in terms of precision, recall, and mean absolute error, which demonstrate that our method is more effective in uniformly highlighting salient objects and is robust to background noise.

In order to understand the characteristics and relationships between indoor and outdoor PM_(2.5) during the heating period of 2014 in Beijing, the investigation of PM_(2.5) and associated species including organic and elemental carbon (OC/EC), water soluble ions, metal elements and trace organic matter (OM) were undertaken at a residential apartment. The average PM_(2.5) concentration was 55.2 ± 47.3 μg m^(-3) for indoor and 100.4 ± 82.1 μg m^(-3) for outdoor, and the indoor PM_(2.5) was found to be mainly from outdoors. OM and (NH_4)_2SO_4 were the dominated components of PM_(2.5), accounted for 71.5% in indoor PM_(2.5) and 52.4% in outdoor PM_(2.5), followed by fine soil and NH_4NO_3 (23.7% and 27.9%). The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) concentration was 187.3 ng m^(-3) and 387.0 ng m^(-3), and the phthalic acid esters (PAEs) concentration reached 1054.2 ng m^(-3) and 515.3 ng m^(-3), for indoor and outdoor, respectively. Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) only existed indoors (5.5 ng m^(-3)). HCB and most PAEs in indoor PM_(2.5) were dominated by indoor sources whereas other species were greatly influenced by outdoor sources especially during the pollution period.

This study aimed to assess the short-term effects of orthodontic pain on quantitative sensory testing (QST) in subjects receiving fixed orthodontic treatment. Twenty patients and 12 healthy volunteers (as controls) participated. All 20 patients had bonded AO self-ligating brackets, with a 0.014 super elastic nickel-titanium arch wire placed in the brackets. Pain [self-reported on a visual analog scale (VAS)], and thermal and mechanical thresholds, were tested at six time points - before (baseline), and 2 h, 24 h, 7 d, 14 d, and 30 d after, force application - in the treatment group. The attached gingiva adjacent to the left upper central incisor (21 gingiva) was hypersensitive to cold stimuli (i.e. increased cold detection thresholds were detected) in the treatment group. The pressure pain thresholds of the left upper central incisor (21) and 21 gingiva were significantly reduced. Our results suggest clear signs of sensitization of the trigeminal nociceptive system up to 1 month after force application and orthodontic pain. Quantitative assessment of somatosensory function may help to provide a better understanding and profiling of the underlying neurobiological mechanisms related to orthodontic pain.

Background The therapeutic strategies of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) tend to be comprehensive. Improving the major symptoms and quality of life (QoL) is as important as postponing the process of fibrosis. However, only pirfenidone and nintedanib conditionally recommended by guidelines and no definite proof indicate that they can significantly ameliorate the main symptoms and QoL of IPF sufferers. At present, multiple types of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) interventions alone or in combination with conventional western medicine managements are widespreadly applied in IPF treatment, which seemingly have a promising clinical effect, especially in ameliorating the main symptoms and improving QoL. Subsequently, the number of relevant studies in systematic reviews(SRs) and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials(RCTs) increased significantly. Hence, we plan to implement an overview to collect, evaluate, and summarize the results of these SRs. Methods An all-round literature retrieval will be conducted in 9 electronic databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Epistemonikos, CNKI, CBM, Wanfang, and VIP. We will focus on the systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs for multiple TCM interventions alone or in combination with routine western medicine measures in IPF treatment. The main outcomes we follow with interest include the improvement of major symptoms (cough, dyspnea) and QoL. Secondary outcomes will consist of minor symptoms improvement, clinical total effective rate, lung function, blood gas analysis, 6-minute walk text, adverse events, acute exacerbation, all-cause mortality, and IPF-related mortality. Two reviewers will independently select the SRs satisfactory with the enrolling criteria, extract key characteristics, and datas on predefined form, evaluate methodological quality by AMSTAR-2, ROBIS and PRISMA tools, and the quality of evidences adopting GRADE method. In case of any divergence will be reached an agreement by discussion or adjudicated by a third senior reviewer. We will perform a narrative synthesis of the proofs from SRs included. Results The findings of this overvew will be presented at relevant conferences and submitted for peer-review publication. Conclusions We expect to obtain comprehensive and reliable evidence of IPF treated by diversified TCM interventions from the potential standard SRs, which may provide suggestions for future RCTs and SRs. Registration number INPLASY 202080110.

With the widespread use of ammonia in the process industry, more and more accidents were caused by ammonia leakage and dispersion. The dispersion of ammonia is determined by its physical properties, release source conditions and atmospheric environment. Full-scale numerical simulation based on CFD theory was carried out to study the dispersion law of ammonia in a food factory. It was found that ammonia concentrated on the symmetric plane and showed an upward movement near the source. Moreover, the effect of pressure on the dispersion of ammonia was explored showing that the concentration of ammonia near the source increased with the increase of pressure, while the dispersion of ammonia far from the source is mainly influenced by wind field. Last but not the least, the dangerous area completely covers the obstacle region according to the harmful concentration, but the lethal concentration range and explosion range both only existed near the release source. Correspondingly, the concentration of ammonia in the region far from the symmetric plane can be regarded as a safe area. When the accident happens, one should stay away from the release source and evacuate towards the sides in a timely manner. We hope that this work can provide an effective method in predicting the impact of ammonia dispersion and can arouse concerns over the public safety.

Introduction Abundant myxoid stroma rarely occurs in urothelial carcinomas (UCs). We report an 83-year-old woman with UC of the urinary bladder with abundant myxoid stroma. We summarized the clinicopathological features, immunophenotype, diagnosis, and differential diagnosis of this type of bladder cancer, in order to improve the understanding of surgeons and pathologists. Patient concerns An 83-year-old female presented with hematuria and frequent micturition, without odynuria, hypogastralgia, or fever. Diagnosis The computed tomography scan demonstrated extensive tumors in the anterior wall of the bladder and a soft tissue shadow anterior to the sacrum. Cystoscopy showed massive wide-based tumors located on the anterior and lateral walls of the bladder, with no tumor involving the bladder neck. Multiple punch biopsies were performed, the histologic evaluation of which revealed a poorly differentiated invasive UCs with myxoid stroma. Interventions The patient underwent a laparoscopic radical cystectomy and cutaneous ureterostomy. Outcomes The patient discharged without any complications. Histologic evaluation revealed an invasive UC; the most prominent feature was an abundant myxoid stroma that covered approximately 80% of the lesion and the tumor cells were arranged in cords, small nests, or a sheet-like structure. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were positive for CK19, CK20, VEGF, EGFR, p63, 34βE12, MUC1, GATA3, uroplakin3, and TopII (rate = 15%), while the Ki-67 proliferation index was 10%. The myxoid stroma in the mesenchyme stained positively with AB-PAS and colloidal iron, and some tumor cells stained positive for colloidal iron. Considering the histologic, histochemical, and immunohistochemical findings, a diagnosis of UC with abundant myxoid stroma was made. After surgery, the regular follow-up was continued in clinic, and there was no recurrence for 2 years. Conclusion Morbidity associated with UC with abundant myxoid stroma is very low. The diagnosis mainly depends on histopathological and immunohistochemical findings.

Water-induced shape memory polymers (SMPs) are the desired candidates for the uses in the fields of surgical operation, smart textile, and aerospace. However, most of water-induced SMPs are non-biodegradable petroleum-based polymers, and a quick response to water of SMPs is usually accompanied with the loss of wet strength due to the over hydration. To address this issue, in this work, a water resistant cellulose nanopaper (CNP) was firstly prepared with the cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) produced by formic acid hydrolysis, and then the obtained CNP was modified via immersing in chitosan (CS) for the preparation of a robust CNP with quick water and humidity responses. Results showed that the original shape of the modified CNP after folding could immediately respond to water (

Introduction Zhisousan is a classical prescription consisting of seven Chinese herbal medicines and has been used historically in the treatment of chronic cough. The aim of this study was to identify the chemical constituents and targets of Zhisousan using network pharmacological analysis. Methods Parameters such as the oral utilization rate and the drug similarity of ingredients in Zhisousan were obtained. The effective ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine were screened, and targets of effective ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine were collected by the TCMSP database. Genes related to chronic cough were collected by the GeneCards database, and key targets were obtained after intersecting with the targets of Zhisousan. The above targets were analysed using the String database, and a protein-protein interaction network (PPI network) was constructed. Finally, GO functional enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were carried out on key targets. Results After iteratively screening and removal of duplicates, 151 active ingredients and 2022 targets of Zhisousan were obtained. There were 2348 genes related to the chronic cough disease and 79 targets for drug and disease identified. PPI network analysis suggested that IL6 (Interleukin-6), VEGFA (Vascular endothelial growth factor A), EGFR (Epidermal growth factor receptor) and CASP3 (Caspase-3) may be the key targets of Zhisousan in the treatment of chronic cough. Conclusion Network pharmacology systemically describes the pharmacological mechanisms of Zhisousan in the treatment of chronic cough and suggests they are associated with multiple signaling pathways such as hepatitis B, Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus infection, microRNAs in cancer, non-small cell lung cancers, P53 signaling pathway, and apoptosis.

Myc proto-oncogene (MYC) is an oncoprotein that promotes proliferation and apoptosis. MYC mutations frequently disrupt the apoptotic processes during tumorigenesis. In the present study, the effects of the MYC point mutation T58A on the progression of a cellular tumor antigen p53 (p53)−/− human breast cancer cell line was analyzed, and the mechanism of p53-independent MYC-induced apoptosis was investigated. HCC1937 cells were transfected with mutant (T58A) or wild-type (WT) MYC using lentiviral vectors. The proliferation of transfected cells was evaluated by colony formation and MTT assays, and apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling assays. WT MYC was transfected into HCC1937 cells exhibiting p14/p21 silencing through lentivirus-mediated RNA interference. The expression levels of Bim were detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses. Mutant MYC proteins retained the ability to stimulate the proliferation of HCC1937 cells, although they were defective at promoting apoptosis due to a failure to induce the Bcl-2 homology 3 domain-only protein Bim. When p14 was silenced, the effects of mutant MYC on proliferation and apoptosis were weakened. When p21 was silenced, the effects of mutant MYC were strengthened. Breast cancer-derived T58A MYC mutations are unable to activate Bim due to their failure to regulate p14/p21. It was concluded that mutant MYC was more effective compared with WT MYC at promoting the progression of breast cancer.

The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is an important protein degradation regulatory system in cells. This pathway is also a reversible process that is strictly regulated, and the regulation of deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) represents an important facet of the process. Ovarian tumor-associated proteases domain-containing proteins (OTUDs), as a subfamily within the DUB family, serve an important role in regulatory mechanisms of several biological processes, through the regulation of gene transcription, cell cycle, immune response, inflammation and tumor growth processes, and may be important in the diagnosis of various diseases and constitute novel drug targets. However, the role of OTUDs in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has not been fully elucidated. In the present study, the Oncomine database was used to examine gene expression in NSCLC, and the prognostic value of each gene was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier analysis. The results indicated that high mRNA expression levels of OTUD1, OTUD3, OTUD4 and putative bifunctional UDP-N-acetylglucosamine transferase and deubiquitinase ALG13 were associated with improved prognosis in all NSCLC and adenocarcinoma, but not in squamous cell carcinoma. By contrast, high expression levels of OTUD2 mRNA were associated with poorer overall survival in patients with NSCLC. These data suggested that these OTUD isozymes may be a potential drug target for NSCLC.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive breast cancer subtype. The aim of our study was to investigate the functional role of microRNA-135b (miR-135b) in TNBC. A real-time polymerase chain reaction assay was used to quantify miR-135b expression levels in 90 paired TNBC tissue and adjacent normal tissue samples. Wound-healing and transwell assays were performed to evaluate the effects of miR-135b expression on the migration and invasion of TNBC cells. Luciferase reporter and western blot analyses were used to verify whether the mRNA encoding APC is a major target of miR-135b. In the current study, we found that miR-135b was highly expressed in TNBC tissue and cells, and the expression levels were correlated with lymph node status and TNM stage. In TNBC cells, the ectopic expression of miR-135b promoted cell proliferation and invasion in vitro. In addition, our study proved that the overexpression of miR-135b significantly suppressed APC expression by targeting the 3'-untranslated region of APC, whereas enhanced APC expression could partially abrogate the miR-135b-mediated promotion of carcinogenic traits in TNBC cells. Taken together, our study demonstrated that miR-135b expression promoted the proliferation and invasion of TNBC by downregulating APC expression, indicating that miR-135b may serve as a promising target for the treatment of TNBC patients.

The SAP97 gene is located in the schizophrenia susceptibility locus 3q29, and it encodes the synaptic scaffolding protein that interacts with the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, which is presumed to be dysregulated in schizophrenia. In this study, we genotyped a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (rs3915512) in the SAP97 gene in 1114 patients with schizophrenia and 1036 healthy-matched controls in a Han Chinese population through the improved multiplex ligation detection reaction (imLDR) technique. Then, we analyzed the association between this SNP and the patients' clinical symptoms and neurocognitive function. Our results showed that there were no significant differences in the genotype and allele frequencies between the patients and the controls for the rs3915512 polymorphism. However, patients with the rs3915512 polymorphism TT genotype had higher neurocognitive function scores (list learning scores, symbol coding scores, category instances scores and controlled oral word association test scores) than the subjects with the A allele (P = 4.72 × 10−5, 0.027, 0.027, 0.013, respectively). Our data are the first to suggest that the SAP97 rs3915512 polymorphism may affect neurocognitive function in patients with schizophrenia.

An efficient total synthesis of scrodentoid A was accomplished starting from a Hagemann's ester and a substituted (2-bromoethyl)benzene. Key reactions in this synthesis include C-alkylation of the Hagemann's ester, 6-endo-Trig cationic cyclization of an enone and Lewis acid promoted isomerization of a cis-fused ketone.

Copper was used as a non-inert cathode material in a Cathode/Fe

To understand the effects of co-processing sewage sludge in the cement kiln on non-criterion pollutants emissions and its surrounding environment, the flue gas from a cement kiln stack, ambient air and soil from the background/downwind sites were collected in the cement plant. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals of the samples were analyzed. The results show that PAHs in flue gas mainly exist in the gas phase and the low molecular weight PAHs are the predominant congener. The co-processing sewage sludge results in the increase in PAHs and heavy metals emissions, especially high molecular weight PAHs and low-volatile heavy metals such as Cd and Pb in the particle phase, while it does not change their compositions and distribution patterns significantly. The concentrations and their distributions of the PAHs and heavy metals between the emissions and ambient air have a positive correlation and the co-processing sewage sludge results in the increase of PAHs and heavy metals concentrations in the ambient air. The PAHs concentration level and their distribution in soil are proportional to those in the particle phase of flue gas, and the co-processing sewage sludge can accelerate the accumulation of the PAHs and heavy metals in the surrounding soil, especially high/middle molecular weight PAHs and low-volatile heavy metals.

Phthalates (phthalates esters, PAEs) are ubiquitous contaminants in various indoor and outdoor environment. Exposure to PAEs exerts adverse effects on human health. Seasonal variations of air phthalate concentrations and paired indoor and outdoor air phthalate level are rarely known. In this study, six priority phthalates in PM

In this work, the effectiveness of hydrogen peroxide-assisted sodium carbonate (HSC) pretreatment of corn stover to produce fermentable sugars was investigated. It was found that the addition of H2O2 (a green oxidative agent) in Na2CO3 pretreatment could enhance the lignin removal and increase the hydrophilicity of the residual lignin, leading to the improved enzymatic digestibility and the yield of fermentable sugars. Also, results showed that lignin removal (in the range of 12-65%) was positively and linearly correlated with final total sugar yields. Post PFI refining could further improve the enzyme accessibility by increasing porosity of substrates. After HSC pretreatment (40 wt % Na2CO3 and 15 wt % H2O2 120 degrees C for 60 min) and enzymatic hydrolysis, the final total sugar yield could achieve 79%, which was about 10% higher in comparison with the conventional Na2CO3 pretreatment under the same conditions. HSC pretreatment will have less environmental impact and less barriers for large scale production.

The sequent phase transition and band structure of ZrO 2 under pressure are systematically investigated using first-principles simulations. The main findings are summarized as follows: (I) The monoclinic structure transforms to the tetragonal structure via a first-order phase transition and subsequently to the cubic structure via a second-order transition, which are driven by the dynamical instability. (II) Both monoclinic and tetragonal phases can display either indirect or direct band structures at different pressures, whereas the band gaps of cubic phase are always direct. Furthermore, as pressure increases, the band gap is enhanced for monoclinic and cubic phases and is reduced for tetragonal phase. Our calculated results are compared with the available theoretical data and good agreements are obtained.

Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are naturally occurring inorganic nanotubes, which have similar chemical constitution with Kaolinite. Due to their abundance and low cost, combined with superiorelastic modulus and high aspect ratio, HNTs have been widely employed to reinforce and toughen polymer materials. In this review, we briefly summarize the structural characteristics and surface chemical properties of HNTs. Moreover, to improve HNTs dispersion and increase the interfacial interaction between HNTs and polymers, covalent or non-covalent surface functionalization methods for HNTs are utilized. Most importantly, the research progressin the past decade on HNTs reinforced polymer materials which includethermosetting resins, polyamides, polyolefins and rubbers are carefully shown and discussed in detail. Finally, the scientific trends of HNTs/Polymer nanocomposites are proposed.

Aim Hyperlipidemia is a disease with abnormally elevated levels of lipids/lipoproteins in the blood, and it is regarded as an important risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Statins have been found to prevent vascular diseases by reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and regulation of immune responses. Here, we aim to study the expression change of immune-related microRNA and genes in older patients with hyperlipidemia after treatment with simvastatin. Methods A total of 25 older male patients with hyperlipidemia were included in the study and received simvastatin treatment (20 mg/day). Clinical characteristics of these patients were examined, including lipoprotein cholesterol, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, blood routine and biochemical characters. We tested miR-146a, interleukin-1-receptor-associated kinase 1, tumor necrosis factor-receptor-associated factor 6 and cyclooxygenase-2 level by real-time polymerase chain reaction, and expressions of advanced glycation end-products, p53 and p21 were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results Simvastatin treatment effectively reduced total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, but had little effect on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein was slightly reduced. Expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and advanced glycation end-products were significantly reduced. Furthermore, simvastatin effectively reduced the expression of p53 and p21. Significantly downregulated miR-146a, and an obvious reduction of interleukin-1-receptor-associated kinase 1were also detected, whereas tumor necrosis factor-receptor-associated factor 6 remained unchanged. Besides, there was a significant reduction of alanine transaminase, aspertate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase. Conclusion Simvastatin treatment could inhibit inflammation and senescence-associated genes in older patients with hyperlipidemia, suggesting its application in inflammatory and age-related diseases. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2015; ●●: ●●–●●.

Aiming at solving problem of points’ redundancy caused by full automatically detecting points and the problem of large workload caused by picking all points manually, I advanced a new method of picking points which is based on Human-Computer Interaction in our 3D reconstruction platform after automatically detecting points. We first detected and matched points automatically and got the homograph matrix between two images, then projected points which were picked by hand on the one image to the other image, at last we would search the interesting feature points in the neighborhood of corresponding points in the two images. Experiments have shown that this method decreases the redundancy brought by large number of points and successfully finds the important feature points, so it lays a good foundation for 3D reconstruction.