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Background/Aims: Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) and their high-affinity receptors contribute to autocrine and paracrine growth stimulation in several human malignant tumors, including breast cancer. However, the mechanisms underlying the carcinogenic actions of FGF18 remain unclear. Methods: The transcription level of FGF18 under the hypoxic condition was detected with quantitative PCR (qPCR). A wound-healing assay was performed to assess the role of FGF18 in cell migration. A clonogenicity assay was used to determine whether FGF18 silencing affected cell clonogenicity. Western blotting was performed to investigate Akt/GSK3β/β-catenin pathway protein expression. Binding of β-catenin to the target gene promoter was determined by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays. Results: FGF18 promoted the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and migration in breast cancer cells through activation of the Akt/GSK3β/β-catenin pathway. FGF18 increased Akt-Ser473 and -Thr308 phosphorylation, as well as that of GSK3β-Ser9. FGF18 also enhanced the transcription of proliferation-related genes (CDK2, CCND2, Ki67), metastasis-related genes (TGF-β, MMP-2, MMP-9), and EMT markers (Snail-1, Snail-2, N-cadherin, vimentin, TIMP1). β-catenin bound to the target gene promoter on the ChIP assay. Conclusion: FGF18 contributes to the migration and EMT of breast cancer cells following activation of the Akt/GSK3β/β-catenin pathway. FGF18 expression may be a potential prognostic therapeutic marker for breast cancer.

This study focuses on the vegetation dynamic caused by global environmental change in the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (EMQTP). The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) is one of the most sensitive areas responding to global environmental change, particularly global climate change, and has been recognized as a hotspot for coupled studies on changes in global terrestrial ecosystems and global climates. An important component of terrestrial ecosystems, vegetation dynamic has become a key issue in global environmental change, and numerous case studies have been conducted on vegetation dynamic trends using multi-source data and multi-scale methods across different study periods. The EMQTP is regarded as a transitional area located between the QTP and the Sichuan basin, and has special geographical and climatic conditions. Although this area is ecologically fragile and sensitive to climate change, few studies about vegetation dynamics have been carried out in this area. Thus, in this study, we used long-term series datasets of GIMMS 3g NDVI and VGT/PROBA-V NDVI to analyze the vegetation dynamics and phenological changes from 1982 to 2018. Validation was performed based on Landsat NDVI and Vegetation Index & Phenology (VIP) data. The results reveal that the year 1998 was a vital turning point in the start of growing season (SGS) in vegetation ecosystems. Before this turning point, the SGS had an average slope of 9.2 days/decade, and after, the average slope was 3.9 days/decade. The length of growing season (LGS) was slightly prolonged between 1982 to 2015. Additionally, the largest national alpine wetland grassland experienced significant vegetation degradation; in autumn, the degraded area accounted for 63.4%. Vegetation degradation had also appeared in the arid valleys of the Yalong River and the Jinsha River. Through validation analysis, we found that the main causes of vegetation degradation are the natural degradation of wetland grassland and human activities, specifically agricultural development and residential area expansion.

Abstract Background Bone segmentation is important in computed tomography (CT) imaging of the pelvis, which assists physicians in the early diagnosis of pelvic injury, in planning operations, and in evaluating the effects of surgical treatment. This study developed a new algorithm for the accurate, fast, and efficient segmentation of the pelvis. Methods The proposed method consists of two main parts: the extraction of key frames and the segmentation of pelvic CT images. Key frames were extracted based on pixel difference, mutual information and normalized correlation coefficient. In the pelvis segmentation phase, skeleton extraction from CT images and a marker-based watershed algorithm were combined to segment the pelvis. To meet the requirements of clinical application, physician’s judgment is needed. Therefore the proposed methodology is semi-automated. Results In this paper, 5 sets of CT data were used to test the overlapping area, and 15 CT images were used to determine the average deviation distance. The average overlapping area of the 5 sets was greater than 94%, and the minimum average deviation distance was approximately 0.58 pixels. In addition, the key frame extraction efficiency and the running time of the proposed method were evaluated on 20 sets of CT data. For each set, approximately 13% of the images were selected as key frames, and the average processing time was approximately 2 min (the time for manual marking was not included). Conclusions The proposed method is able to achieve accurate, fast, and efficient segmentation of pelvic CT image sequences. Segmentation results not only provide an important reference for early diagnosis and decisions regarding surgical procedures, they also offer more accurate data for medical image registration, recognition and 3D reconstruction.

A new multi-mode node was designed for the emergency communication with the demand of electricity.The node had the multi-mode communication capability of the private network and the public network technology,which could switch smoothly in three modes:the power private network,the wireless Ad Hoc network and the wireless public network.Data were automatically uploaded to the multi-mode terminal,multi-mode terminal through the mode of rapid switching,with the public network resources to achieve rapid network recovery and continuous transmission of data to achieve off-line emergency communications.Meanwhile,an intelligent routing algorithm based on smoothness was proposed,and the three principles of edge network communication were defined.Through the edge calculation method,the calculation and updating of the smoothness were realized to ensure the intelligent,efficient and reliable operation of the edge network in the offline state.

Nanoparticles and macromolecular carriers have been widely used to increase the efficacy of chemotherapeutics, largely through passive accumulation provided by their enhanced permeability and retention effect. However, the therapeutic efficacy of nanoscale anticancer drug delivery systems is severely truncated by their low tumor-targetability and inefficient drug release at the target site. Here, the design and development of novel l-peptide functionalized dual-responsive nanoparticles (l-CS-g-PNIPAM-PTX) for active targeting and effective treatment of GRP78-overexpressing human breast cancer in vitro and in vivo are reported. l-CS-g-PNIPAM-PTX NPs have a relative high drug loading (13.5%) and excellent encapsulation efficiency (74.3%) and an average diameter of 275 nm. The release of PTX is slow at pH 7.4 and 25 °C but greatly accelerated at pH 5.0 and 37 °C. MTT assays and confocal experiments showed that the l-CS-g-PNIPAM-PTX NPs possessed high targetability and antitumor activity toward GRP78 overexpressing MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells. As expected, l-CS-g-PNIPAM-PTX NPs could effectively treat mice bearing MDA-MB-231 human breast tumor xenografts with little side effects, resulting in complete inhibition of tumor growth and a high survival rate over an experimental period of 60 days. These results indicate that l-peptide-functionalized acid – and thermally activated – PTX prodrug NPs have a great potential for targeted chemotherapy in breast cancer.

Optimum grain size and effects of crystallographic textures on magnetic properties of Fe-0.65%Si non-oriented electrical steel produced by compact strip production (CSP) process were investigated by optical microscope, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Magnetic induction and core loss show a decreasing trend with the increase of grain size, and grain sizes for optimal magnetic properties are in the range of 26–30 μm. Core loss would be mainly affected by grain size, whereas crystallographic texture would primarily affect magnetic flux density. Magnetic properties increase with increasing of texture factor (volume fraction ratio of {100}/{111}) and magnetic texture factor (volume fraction ratio of /), and increasing with the decrease of A-parameter (minimum angle between magnetization direction and the closest direction) and A(h→), respectively. Simultaneously, with increasing of A-parameter and A(h→), a linear decrease of B50 was obtained.

Two new series of betulin derivatives with semicarbazone (7a–g) or thiosemicarbazone (8a–g) groups at the C-28 position were synthesized. All compounds were evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxicities in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2), human breast carcinoma cells (MCF-7), human lung carcinoma cells (A549), human colorectal cells (HCT-116) and normal human gastric epithelial cells (GES-1). Among these compounds, 8f displayed the most potent cytotoxicity with an IC50 value of 5.86 ± 0.61 μM against MCF-7 cells. Furthermore, the preliminary mechanism studies in MCF-7 cells showed that compound 8f could trigger the intracellular mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis pathway by losing MMP level, which was related with the upregulation of Bax, P53 and cytochrome c expression; the downregulation of Bcl-2 expression; activation of the expression levels of caspase-3, caspase-9, cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-9; and an increase in the amounts of intracellular reactive oxygen species. These results indicated that compound 8f may be used as a valuable skeleton structure for developing novel antitumor agents.

As a form of clean and low-carbon green energy, offshore wind power occupies an important position in the global energy structure. With the rapid development of the wind power industry, wind power projects gradually develop from offshore to far-offshore sea areas. The multi-bucket jacket foundation is a considerable foundation type for far off-shore projects, but high installation costs involving ship transportation with parted components and field installation has significantly hindered its wide application. In this study, based on a 6.7-MW triple-bucket jacket foundation (TBJF) project of a deep-sea wind farm in China, a new integrated wet-towing method of “jacket + triple-bucket foundation” composite structure was proposed, which is suitable for far long-distance transportation of far-offshore applications. The static-model test of both self-stability and wet-towing stability was conducted. Based on the test and the numerical results, the natural period of the foundation for different draft depths in hydrostatic water and the stability for different eccentric loads were first evaluated. Then, the effects of different wet-towing modes and sea conditions on the stability of the TBJF were investigated. Finally, the optimal wet-towing mode and applicable sea conditions for the TBJF structure were proposed.

The online prediction of friction stir welding quality is an important part of intelligent welding. In this paper, a new method for the online evaluation of weld quality is proposed, which takes the real-time temperature signal as the main research variable. We conducted a welding experiment with 2219 aluminum alloy of 6 mm thickness. The temperature signal is decomposed into components of different frequency bands by wavelet packet method and the energy of component signals is used as the characteristic parameter to evaluate the weld quality. A prediction model of weld performance based on least squares support vector machine and genetic algorithm was established. The experimental results showed that, when welding defects are caused by a sudden perturbation during welding, the amplitude of the temperature signal near the tool rotation frequency will change significantly. When improper process parameters are used, the frequency band component of the temperature signal in the range of 0~11 Hz increases significantly, and the statistical mean value of the temperature signal will also be different. The accuracy of the prediction model reached 90.6%, and the AUC value was 0.939, which reflects the good prediction ability of the model.

Abstract Background Hypoxia Inducible Factor 3 Alpha Subunit (HIF3A) DNA has been demonstrated to be associated with obesity in the methylation level, and it also has a Body Mass Index (BMI)-independent association with plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT). However, the relation among obesity, plasma ALT, HIF3A polymorphism and methylation remains unclear. This study aims to identify the association between HIF3A polymorphism and plasma ALT, and further to determine whether the effect of HIF3A polymorphism on ALT could be modified by obesity or mediated by DNA methylation. Methods The HIF3A rs3826795 polymorphism was genotyped in a case-control study including 2030 Chinese children aged 7–18 years (705 obese cases and 1325 non-obese controls). Furthermore, the HIF3A DNA methylation of the peripheral blood was measured in 110 severely obese children and 110 age- and gender- matched normal-weight controls. Results There was no overall association between the HIF3A rs3826795 polymorphism and ALT. A significant interaction between obesity and rs3826795 in relation with ALT was found (P inter = 0.042), with rs3826795 G-allele number elevating ALT significantly only in obese children (β’ = 0.075, P = 0.037), but not in non-obese children (β’ = −0.009, P = 0.741). Additionally, a mediation effect of HIF3A methylation was found in the association between the HIF3A rs3826795 polymorphism and ALT among obese children (β’ = 0.242, P = 0.014). Conclusion This is the first study to report the interaction between obesity and HIF3A gene in relation with ALT, and also to reveal a mediation effect among the HIF3A polymorphism, methylation and ALT. This study provides new evidence to the function of HIF3A gene, which would be helpful for future risk assessment and personalized treatment of liver diseases.

Abstract Background Pituitary adenoma (PA) is a common intracranial tumor and surgical treatment is considered to be the best treatment for most patients. The extended endoscopic endonasal approach (EEEA) has been used to treat increasing numbers of patients with PA in recent years. We conducted this study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this approach for PA resection. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of all patients who underwent an EEEA to remove PA by a binostril, four-handed technique between October 2013 and April 2016 in our department. The medical information of the patients including gender, age, tumor size, hormone level, clinical outcome, and complications were collected and analyzed. Results From a total of 593 pituitary adenoma surgeries, 171 patients (101 male and 70 female, mean age 47.4 ± 12.8 years) underwent EEEA, including 96 with functional adenomas (56.14%) and 75 with nonfunctional adenomas (43.86%). The most common symptoms were headache and vision change. Gross total resection was achieved in 126 patients (73.68%). Common complications were hyposmia or anosmia, diabetes insipidus, hypopituitarism, postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leak, cerebral hemorrhage, and epistaxis. The mean duration of follow-up was 14.6 months (range: 6–31 months). Conclusions The application of EEEA for PA resection by a binostril, four-handed technique provided great surgical freedom with minimal invasion, and resulted in few complications. EEEA is a secure and effective surgical method that could be used for the majority of PAs.

Objective: To investigate the incidence and trends in colorectal cancer (CRC) among Asian American populations in the United States. Methods: CRC incidence data from 1994 through 2013 were obtained from 13 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registries. SEER*Stat and IBM SPSS Statistics were used. Results: The age-adjusted incidence of CRC among Asian Americans decreased from 45.6 per 100,000 in 1994 to 33.0 per 100,000 in 2013, with the annual percent change being −1.8% (P

The kernel minimum square error classification (KMSEC) algorithm has been widely used in classification problems. It shows a good performance on image data besides the following drawbacks: not sparse in the solutions and sensitive to noises. The latter drawback will result in a decrease in the recognition performance. To this end, we propose an improved (IKMSEC) by using the L2,1-norm regularization, which can obtain a sparse representation of nonlinear features to guarantee an efficient classification performance. The comprehensive experiments show the promising results in face recognition and image

The surveillance channel of passive bistatic radar (PBR) is always interfered by strong direct-path and multi-path clutter signals. Based on the radar polarisation theory and the operation mode of PBR, the cross-polarisation reception can suppress the strong direct-path interference (DPI) in surveillance channel, however, which is far from perfect. By using Digital Television Terrestrial Broadcasting (DTTB) signal, several polarisation diversity reception experiments of PBR are carried out. The performance of DPI suppression is tested in different receive polarisation. The bistatic polarisation scattering properties of the civil aeroplane and clutter are obtained. From experimental results, cross- polarisation reception can suppress DPI instead of helping receive stronger echoes for better detection performance. In order to solve this problem, a non-coherent integration approach in terms of polarisation diversity reception is given and verified by a tracking experiment for civil aeroplanes. It demonstrates that polarisation diversity reception not only suppresses DPI but also improves detection performance of DTTB-based PBR under comparison with the fixed polarisation reception.

Background. Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is the commonest gynecological disorder in young women of reproductive age, and there is not always satisfactory relief of pain treated by common medications. Therefore, acupuncture has been used as an alternative therapy to relieve the symptoms of PD. In clinical practice, a penetrating method of acupuncture with long needle has been shown to be particularly effective for improving primary dysmenorrhea. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of this technique for pain relief in patients with primary dysmenorrhea as compared with a conventional pain medication. Methods. The present study is a perspective, randomized, ibuprofen-controlled trial. Sixty-two eligible participants were randomly assigned in a 1 : 1 ratio to receive either acupuncture treatment or ibuprofen administration. The treatment lasted for three menstrual cycles for both groups. The primary outcome was the intensity of menstrual pain measured by using the visual analogue scale at the completion of treatment. Secondary outcomes included the severity of symptoms associated with menstrual pain, responder rate, and safety of acupuncture treatment. The clinical outcomes were measured on each menstrual cycle at baseline, treatment course (3 cycles), and follow-up period. Results. Sixty-four patients of primary dysmenorrhea were recruited, and 62 subjects were included in the final analysis. At trial completion, acupuncture was shown to be associated with a significantly lower pain intensity and decreased symptom severity of primary dysmenorrhea as compared with ibuprofen (p

Starch nanocrystals (SNCs) are a biodegradable polymer which has been widely studied and used in many fields. In this study, we have developed an efficient procedure for the preparation of SNCs. First, sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) and vinyl acetate (VAC) were used to modify waxy potato starch (WPS). Then, the modified starches were hydrolyzed with sulfuric acid to prepare SNCs. Results showed that SNCs prepared with modified starch had higher zeta potentials and better dispersion properties than the original starch. After modification, WPS still maintained its semi-crystalline structure, but the surface became rougher. SHMP-modified WPS showed a decrease in viscosity peak and an increase in gelatinization temperature. VAC-modified WPS showed increased swelling power. Additionally, SNCs prepared with VAC-modified WPS had better water redispersibility and dispersion stability than those from SHMP-modified starch—which will have broader application prospects in the field of safe and biodegradable food packaging.

Abstract In this paper, we discuss generalized hierarchical minimax theorems with four set-valued mappings and we propose some scalar hierarchical minimax theorems and generalized hierarchical minimax theorems in topological spaces. Some examples are given to illustrate our results.

Background: Malate involves in the citrate/malate and transhydrogenase cycles to provide precursors for docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) synthesis. The optimal strategy was investigated for increasing DHA production in Schizochytrium species during fermentation. Results: DHA production increased by 47% and reached 5.51 g/L when 4 g malate/L was added during the rapid lipid accumulation stage in shake-flasks culture. Inducing effects of malate was further investigated through the analysis of three kinetic parameters, including specific cell growth rate (μ), specific glucose consumption rate (qGlu) and DHA formation rate (qDHA). DHA concentration was enhanced through a novel fed-batch strategy to a maximum value of 30.7 g/L, giving a yield of 0.103 g DHA/g glucose and a productivity of 284 mg L-1 h-1. Conclusion: A novel malate feeding strategy was developed that enhanced DHA yield and productivity of Schizochytrium species which may offer a desirable method for industrial applications.

Early intervention of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is effective in reducing pregnancy disorders. Fetal growth, measured by routine ultrasound scan a few weeks earlier before GDM diagnosis, might be useful to identify women at high risk of GDM. In the study, generalized estimating equations were applied to examine the associations between ultrasonic indicators of abnormal fetal growth at 22–24 weeks and the risk of subsequent GDM diagnosis. Of 44,179 deliveries, 8324 (18.8%) were diagnosed with GDM between 24 and 28 weeks. At 22–24 weeks, fetal head circumference (HC) < 10th, fetal femur length (FL) < 10th, and estimated fetal weight (EFW) < 10th percentile were associated with 13% to 17% increased risks of maternal GDM diagnosis. Small fetal size appeared to be especially predictive of GDM among women who were parous. Fetal growth in the highest decile of abdominal circumference (AC), HC, FL and EFW was not associated with risk of subsequent GDM. The observed mean difference in fetal size across gestation by GDM was small; there was less than 1 mm difference for AC, HC, and FL, and less than 5 g for EFW before 24 weeks. Despite similar mean fetal growth among women who were and were not later diagnosed with GDM, mothers with fetuses in the lowest decile of HC, FL and EFW at 22–24 weeks tended to have higher risk of GDM.

A series of novel steroidal 5α,8α-endoperoxide derivatives bearing semicarbazone (7a−g) or thiosemicarbazone (7h−k) side chain were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their cytotoxicities in four human cancer cell lines (HepG2, HCT-116, MCF-7, and A549) using the MTT assay in vitro. The results showed that compound 7j exhibited significant cytotoxic activity against HepG2 cells (IC50 = 3.52 μM), being more potent than ergosterol peroxide. Further cellular mechanism studies in HepG2 cells indicated that compound 7j triggered the mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis by decreasing mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), which was associated with up-regulation of Bax, down-regulation of Bcl-2, activation levels of the caspase cascade, and formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The above findings indicated that compound 7j may be used as a promising skeleton for antitumor agents with improved efficacy.

Low-temperature discharged water from thermally-stratified reservoirs in spring and summer will have a negative environmental impact on fish breeding and agricultural irrigation downstream. The temperature-control curtain (TCC) is a selective withdrawal structure that can effectively change the discharged water temperature. Compared with a traditional selective withdrawal project, a TCC project has the advantages of low cost and simple construction and can even be added to operating reservoirs without impacting power generation. Analysis of the load characteristics is the key to the application of TCC engineering. This paper establishes a three-dimensional numerical model simulation and verifies it with physical model experimental results. The crucial parameters affecting the load characteristics of TCC are investigated, including the water blocking rate, area ratio, inclination ratio, inflow velocity, and water temperature stratification ratio. The results show that: (1) This numerical simulation approach can be used to predict the drag coefficient and the load of a TCC; (2) the water blocking rate has the greatest influence on the drag coefficient, and it is the most critical indicator of the TCC load; and (3) the drag coefficient exponentially increases with an increasing water blocking rate, quadratically increases with an increasing area ratio, linearly increases with an increasing inclination ratio, and linearly increases with an increasing water temperature stratification ratio.

Evaluation of slope stability under water level fluctuations is an important topic in the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) in China. However, most of the previous studies regarded slope soil as isotropic material, or only considered the influence of anisotropy ratio (kr = kx/ky) but ignored the anisotropy direction (α). Meanwhile, the pore pressure−stress coupling was rarely considered in the previous numerical simulations. In the present study, the SIGMA/W and SLOPE/W modules in Geo-studio are utilized to carry out the numerical simulation of Caipo slope under the drawdown of the reservoir water level, and the anisotropy ratio (kr) as well as the anisotropy direction (α) of two kinds of soils (clay and sand) are included. Results show that the anisotropy ratio kr and anisotropy direction α decrease the infiltration capacity of the soil, which increases the infiltration line hysteretic elevation (ILHE) as well as maximum horizontal displacement (MHD), and reduces the minimum safety factor (MSF). The slope toe firstly fails with the drawdown of water level. The influence of reservoir water level drop on seepage, deformation, and stability of the sand slope is less than that of the clay slope. For the sandy soil slope, it is not only necessary to consider the influence of kr, but also the influence of α. For the soil slope, we can only consider α in order to simplify calculation.

Evaluation of slope stability under rainfall is an important topic of Geotechnical Engineering. In order to study the influence of anisotropy ratio (kr = kx/ky) and anisotropy direction (α) on the seepage and stability of a slope, the SEEP/W and SLOPE/W modules in Geo-studio were utilized to carry out the numerical analysis of a homogeneous slope in Luogang District, Guangzhou City, China, which is based on the theory of unsaturated seepage and stability. Two kinds of soils (clay and sand) were included. Results show that: For sandy soil slope, the increase of kr promotes the rainfall infiltration, and the decrease of α prevents the rainfall infiltration. The maximum water content of the surface (MWCS) reaches maximum with the increase of kr and α. The rising height of groundwater (RHG) is −3−4 m and the safety factor (SF) is 1.3−1.7. For clayey soil slope, variations of kr and α have little impact on the seepage characteristics and slope stability. The MWCS remains almost the same. The rainfall infiltration depth (RID) is 0.5−1 m and the SF is about 1.7. Therefore, for sandy soil slope, it is not only necessary to consider the influence of kr, but also the influence of α. For clayey soil slope, it can be treated as isotropic material to simplify calculation.

When monitoring the environment with wireless sensor networks, the data sensed by the nodes within event backbone regions can adequately represent the events. As a result, identifying event backbone regions is a key issue for wireless sensor networks. With this aim, we propose a distributed and morphological operation-based data collection algorithm. Inspired by the use of morphological erosion and dilation on binary images, the proposed distributed and morphological operation-based data collection algorithm calculates the structuring neighbors of each node based on the structuring element, and it produces an event-monitoring map of structuring neighbors with less cost and then determines whether to erode or not. The remaining nodes that are not eroded become the event backbone nodes and send their sensing data. Moreover, according to the event backbone regions, the sink can approximately recover the complete event regions by the dilation operation. The algorithm analysis and experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can lead to lower overhead, decrease the amount of transmitted data, prolong the network lifetime, and rapidly recover event regions.

Recent studies indicated that eating behaviors are under genetic influence, and the melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) gene polymorphisms can affect the total energy intake and the consumption of fat, protein and carbohydrates. Our study aims at investigating the association of the MC4R polymorphism with appetite and food intake among Chinese children.A family-based association study was conducted among 151 Chinese trios whose offsprings were overweight/obese children aged 9-15 years. The rs12970134 near MC4R was genotyped, and the Children Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ) and a self-designed questionnaire measuring food intake were performed. The FBAT and PBAT software packages were used.The family-based association analysis showed that there was a significant association between rs12970134 and obesity (Z = 2.449, P = 0.014). After adjusting for age, gender and standardized BMI, rs12970134 was significantly associated with food responsiveness (FR) among children (β'b = 0.077, Pb = 0.028), and with satiety responsiveness (SR) in trios (P = -0.026). The polymorphism was associated with beverage intake (β'b = 0.331, Pb = 0.00016 in children; P = 0.043 in trios), but not significantly associated with vegetable, fruit or meat intake (P>0.050). We further found a significant mediation effect among the rs12970134, FR and beverage intake (b = 0.177, P = 0.047).Our study is the first to report that rs12970134 near MC4R was associated with appetite and beverage intake, and food responsiveness could mediate the effect of rs12970134 on beverage intake in overweight and obese Chinese children population. Further studies are needed to uncover the genetic basis for eating behaviors, which could lead to develop and implement effective interventional strategies early in life.

The School-based Education Program to Reduce Salt Intake in Children and Their Families study was a cluster randomized control trial among grade five students in 28 primary schools and their families in Changzhi, China. It achieved a significant effect in lowering systolic blood pressure (SBP) in all family adults by 2.3 mmHg and in elderlies (aged > = 60 years) by 9.5 mmHg. The aim of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of this salt reduction program.Costs of the intervention were assessed using an ingredients approach to identify resource use. A trial-based incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was estimated based on the observed effectiveness in lowering SBP. A Markov model was used to estimate the long-term cost-effectiveness of the intervention, and then based on population data, extrapolated to a scenario where the program is scaled up nationwide. Findings were presented in terms of an incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY). The perspective was that of the health sector.The intervention cost Int$19.04 per family and yielded an ICER of Int$2.74 (90% CI: 1.17-12.30) per mmHg reduction of SBP in all participants (combining children and adult participants together) compared with control group. If scaled up nationwide for 10 years and assumed deterioration in treatment effect of 50% over this period, it would reach 165 million families and estimated to avert 42,720 acute myocardial infarction deaths and 107,512 stroke deaths in China. This would represent a gain of 635,816 QALYs over 10-year time frame, translating into Int$1,358 per QALY gained.Based on WHO-CHOICE criteria, our analysis demonstrated that the proposed salt reduction strategy is highly cost-effective, and if scaled up nationwide, the benefits could be substantial.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01821144.

In 2012, an FHV-1-like virus was isolated from a tiger that presented with clinical signs of sialorrhea, sneezing and purulent rhinorrhea. Isolation was performed with the FK81 cell line, and the virus was identified by PCR, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the phylogenetic analysis of the partial thymidine kinase (TK) and glycoprotein B (gB) genes. A total of 253 bp of the TK gene and 566 bp of the gB gene were amplified from the trachea of the tiger by PCR/RT-PCR method. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the isolate belonged to the same cluster with other FHV-1 strains obtained from GenBank. Herpes-like viruses with an envelope and diameters of approximately 200 nm were observed in the culture supernatants of FK81 cells inoculated with samples from the tiger. The FHV-1 infection was confirmed by an animal challenge experiment in a cat model. Our finding extends the host range of FHV-1 and has implications for FHV-1 infection and South China tiger conservation.

A new cyan fluorescent probe, MIPY-DNBS, using an imidazo[1,5-α]pyridine derivative as the fluorophore and 2,4-dinitrobenzensufonate as the recognition site for the selective detection of thiols (Cys, GSH, and Hcy), was designed and synthesized. Probe MIPY-DNBS exhibited a 172 nm Stokes shift, a fast response time (400 s), low cytotoxicity, low detection limits (12.7 nM for Cys), and excellent selectively in the detection of thiols. In addition, MIPY-DNBS was successfully applied to imaging thiols in living MCF-7 cells and zebrafish.

Inspired by the significant bioactivity of ergosterol peroxide, we designed and synthesized four fluorescent coumarin and ergosterol peroxide conjugates 8a−d through the combination of ergosterol peroxide with 7-N,N-diethylamino coumarins fluorophore. The cytotoxicity of synthesized conjugates against three human cancer cells (HepG2, SK-Hep1, and MCF-7) was evaluated. The results of fluorescent imaging showed that the synthesized conjugates 8a−d localized and enriched mainly in mitochondria, leading to significantly enhanced cytotoxicity over ergosterol peroxide. Furthermore, the results of biological functions of 8d showed that it could suppress cell colony formation, invasion, and migration; induce G2/M phase arrest of HepG2 cells, and increase the intracellular ROS level.

Stochastic dynamic analysis of an offshore wind turbine (OWT) structure plays an important role in the structural safety evaluation and reliability assessment of the structure. In this paper, the OWT structure is simplified as a linear single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) system and the corresponding joint probability density function (PDF) of the dynamic response is calculated by the implementation of the path integration (PI) method. Filtered Gaussian white noise, which is obtained from the utilization of a second-order filter, is considered as horizontal wind excitation and used to excite the SDOF system. Thus, the SDOF model and the second-order linear filter model constitute a four-dimensional dynamic system. Further, a detailed three-dimensional finite element model is applied to obtain the natural frequency of the OWT and the efficient PI method, which is modified based on the fast Fourier transform (FFT) convolution method, is also utilized to reduce the execution time to obtain the PDF of the response. Two important parameters of wind conditions, i.e., horizontal mean wind speed and turbulence standard deviation, are investigated to highlight the influences on the PDF of the dynamic response and the reliability of the OWT.

In this study, curcumin-loaded porous poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared and surface modified with red blood cell membranes (RBCM) to yield biomimetic RBCM-p-PLGA@Cur NPs. The NPs displayed a visible cell-membrane structure at their exterior and had a uniform size of 162 ± 3 nm. In vitro studies showed that drug release from non-porous PLGA NPs was slow and that much of the drug remained trapped in the NPs. In contrast, release was accelerated from the porous PLGA NPs, and after the RBCM coating, a sustained release over 48 h was obtained. Confocal microscopy and flow cytometry results revealed that the RBCM-p-PLGA NPs led to a greater cellular uptake by H22 hepatocarcinoma cells than the uncoated analogue NPs, but could avoid phagocytosis by macrophages. The drug-free formulations were highly biocompatible, while the drug-loaded systems were effective in killing cancer cells. RBCM-p-PLGA@Cur NPs possess potent anti-tumor activity in a murine H22 xenograft cancer model (in terms of reduced tumor volume and mass, as well as inducing apoptosis of tumor cells), and have no observable systemic toxicity. Overall, our study demonstrates that the use of the RBCM to cloak nanoscale drug delivery systems holds great promise for targeted cancer treatment, and can ameliorate the severe side effects currently associated with chemotherapy.

This paper focuses on the suitability of urban expansion in mountain areas against the background of accelerated urban development. Urbanization is accompanied by conflict and intense transformations of various landscapes, and is accompanied by social, economic, and ecological impacts. Evaluating the suitability of urban expansion (UE) and determining an appropriate scale is vital to solving urban environmental issues and realizing sustainable urban development. In mountain areas, the natural and social environments are different from those in the plains; the former is characterized by fragile ecology and proneness to geological disasters. Therefore, when evaluating the expansion of a mountain city, more factors need to be considered. Moreover, we need to follow the principle of harmony between nature and society according to the characteristics of mountain cities. Thus, when we evaluate the expansion of a mountain city, the key procedure is to establish a scientific evaluation system and explore the relationship between each evaluation factor and the urban expansion process. Taking Leshan (LS), China—a typical mountain city in the upper Yangtze River which has undergone rapid growth—as a case study, the logic minimum cumulative resistance (LMCR) model was applied to evaluate the suitability of UE and to simulate its direction and scale. The results revealed that: An evaluation system of resistance factors (ESRFs) was established according to the principle of natural and social harmony; the logic resistance surface (LRS) scientifically integrated multiple resistance factors based on the ESRF and a logic regression analysis. LRS objectively and effectively reflected the contribution and impact of each resistance factor to urban expansion. We found that landscape, geological hazards and GDP have had a great impact on urban expansion in LS. The expansion space of the mountain city is limited; the area of suitable expansion is only 23.5%, while the area which is unsuitable for expansion is 39.3%. In addition, it was found that setting up ecological barriers is an effective way to control unreasonable urban expansion in mountain cities. There is an obvious scale (grid size) effect in the evaluation of urban expansion in mountain cities; an evaluation of the suitable scale yielded the result of 90 m × 90 m. On this scale, taking the central district as the center, the urban expansion process will extend to the neighboring towns of Mianzhu, Suji, Juzi and Mouzi. Urban expansion should be controlled in terms of scale, especially in mountain cities. The most suitable urban size of LS is 132 km2.This would allow for high connectivity of urban-rural areas with the occupation of relatively few green spaces.

The offshore wind turbine (OWT) supported by bucket foundations can be installed in the integrated transportation process by a dedicated vessel. During the integrated transportation process, the wind turbine is considered as a coupling system with the transport ship, which is easily influenced by waves and storms. In view of the motion response and influential factors, the heave and rock stiffness of the entire floating system was proposed, and then the analytical dynamic motion model of the coupling system was established based on the movement mechanism of the traditional floating body in the wave in this paper. Subsequently, the rationality of the proposed motion model was verified based on the field observation data, with the maximum deviation of the motion responses less than 14%. Further, the influence on the heave and pitch motion of the coupling system considering different factors (vessel speed, wave height, wind speed and wave angle) and the factor sensitivity were discussed by the novel analytical model. It is explained that the heave and pitch motion responses rise with the increase of the wave height and wave angle. Simultaneously, the responses decrease as the vessel speed increases considering sailing along the waves. On the contrary, the responses show an obvious increasing trend with the increase of vessel speed in the case of the top wave sailing. In addition, it is also illustrated that the wave height has the greatest influence on the heave and pitch motion responses, followed by the vessel speed. The wave angle has the lowest sensitivity when the heave and pitch motion are far away from its harmonic resonance region.

Stainless steel wire mesh supported molecularly imprinted composite membranes for selective separation of Ebracteolata Compound B (ECB) were prepared based on surface polymerization using ECB separated from Euphorbia fischeriana as a template, acrylamide as a functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a cross-linker, azodiisobutyronitrile as an initiator, and stainless steel wire mesh as support. Structure and purity of ECB were characterized by nuclear magenetic resonance (1H-NMR, 13C-NMR) and ultra high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC). The molecularly imprinted composite membranes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The membrane adsorbed on the ECB reached equilibrium about 30 min later, with a maximum adsorption amount of 3.39 μmol/cm2. Adsorption behavior between ECB and the molecularly imprinted composite membranes followed pseudo-second-order kinetics equation and Freundlich isotherm model. The molecularly imprinted composite membranes that could selectively identify and transport ECB in similar structures have a permeation rate of 38.71% to ECB. The ECB content in the permeation solution derived from the extract of Euphorbia fischeriana through the imprinted membrane was 87%. Overall, the obtained results demonstrated that an efficient approach with the molecularly imprinted composite membranes for selective separation of ECB from Euphorbia fischeriana.

We present a fast and robust object tracking algorithm by using 2DPCA and l2-regularization in a Bayesian inference framework. Firstly, we model the challenging appearance of the tracked object using 2DPCA bases, which exploit the strength of subspace representation. Secondly, we adopt the l2-regularization to solve the proposed presentation model and remove the trivial templates from the sparse tracking method which can provide a more fast tracking performance. Finally, we present a novel likelihood function that considers the reconstruction error, which is concluded from the orthogonal left-projection matrix and the orthogonal right-projection matrix. Experimental results on several challenging image sequences demonstrate that the proposed method can achieve more favorable performance against state-of-the-art tracking algorithms.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133983.].

Offshore wind turbine (OWT) structures are highly sensitive to complex ambient excitations, especially extreme winds. To mitigate the vibrations of OWT structures under windstorm or typhoon conditions, a new eddy current with tuned mass damper (EC-TMD) system that combines the advantages of the eddy current damper and the tuned mass damper is proposed to install at the top of them. In the present study, the electromagnetic theory is applied to estimate the damping feature of the eddy current within the EC-TMD system. Then, the effectiveness of the EC-TMD system for vibration mitigation is demonstrated by small-scale tests. Furthermore, the EC-TMD system is used to alleviate structural vibrations of the OWT supported by composite bucket foundations (CBF) under extreme winds at the Xiangshui Wind Farm of China. It is found that the damping of the EC-TMD system can be ideally treated as having linear viscous damping characteristics, which are influenced by the gaps between the permanent magnets and the conductive materials as well as the permanent magnet layouts. Meanwhile, the RMS values of displacements of the OWT structure can be mitigated by 16% to 28%, and the acceleration can also be reduced significantly. Therefore, the excellent vibration-reducing performance of the EC-TMD system is confirmed, which provides meaningful guidance for application in the practical engineering of OWTs.

Research on the safety of powerhouse in a hydropower station is mostly concentrated on the vibration of machinery structure and concrete structure within a single unit. However, few studies have been focused on the vibration transmission among units. Due to the integrity of the powerhouse and the interaction, it is necessary to study the vibration transmission mechanism of powerhouse structure among units. In this paper, field structural vibration tests are conducted in an underground powerhouse of a hydropower station on Yalong River. Additionally, the simplified mechanical models are established to explain the transmission mechanism theoretically. Moreover, a complementary finite element (FE) model is built to replicate the testing conditions for comprehensive analysis. The field tests results show that: (1) the transmission of lateral-river vibration is greater than those of longitude-river vibration and vertical vibration; (2) the vibration transmission of the vibrations that is caused by the low frequency tail fluctuation is basically equal to that of the vibrations caused by rotation of hydraulic generator. The transmission mechanism is demonstrated by the simplified mechanical models and is verified by the FE results. This study can provide guidance for further research on the vibration of underground powerhouse structure.

In many incidents involving amateur drones (ADr), the big challenge is to quickly deploy a surveillance system that countermeasures the threat and keeps track of the intruders. Depending on the area under concern, launching a single surveillance drone (SDr) to hunt the intruder is not efficient, but employing multiple ones can cope with the problem. However, in order to make this approach feasible, an easy to use mission setup and control station for multiple SDr is required, which by its turn, requires a communication infrastructure able to handle the connection of multiple SDr among themselves and their ground control and payload visualization station. Concerning this Issue, this paper presents a proposal of a network infrastructure to support the operation of multiple SDr and its practical deployment. This infrastructure extends the existing Micro Air Vehicle Link (MAVLink) protocol to support multiple connections among the SDrs and between them and a ground control station. Encouraging results are obtained, showing the viability of this proposed protocol extension.

The crystallization behavior of poly(butylene adipate) (PBA) in the sheared PBS/PBA blend, as well as on highly orientated poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) substrate, was studied by means of DSC, POM, Raman microscopy, and XRD. The results showed that the pre-existing orientated PBS crystals exhibit a very strong nucleation ability toward PBA as reflected by the increased crystallization temperature and the occurrence of heteroepitaxy and transcrystallization of PBA on the PBS substrate. The epitaxial crystallization of PBA on the PBS substrate results in the formation of α-form PBA crystals in any crystallization conditions.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II), Simplified Acute Physiology Score 3 (SAPS 3), and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IV (APACHE IV) in patients with cancer admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) in a single medical center in China.This is a retrospective observational cohort study including nine hundred and eighty one consecutive patients over a 2-year period.The hospital mortality rate was 4.5%. When all 981 patients were evaluated, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC, 95% Confidential Intervals) of the three models in predicting hospital mortality were 0.948 (0.914-0.982), 0.863 (0.804-0.923), and 0.873 (0.813-0.934) for SAPS 3, APACHE II and APACHE IV respectively. The p values of Hosmer-Lemeshow statistics for the models were 0.759, 0.900 and 0.878 for SAPS 3, APACHE II and APACHE IV respectively. However, SAPS 3 and APACHE IV underestimated the in-hospital mortality with standardized mortality ratio (SMR) of 1.5 and 1.17 respectively, while APACHE II overestimated the in-hospital mortality with SMR of 0.72. Further analysis showed that discrimination power was better with SAPS 3 than with APACHE II and APACHE IV whether for emergency surgical and medical patients (AUROC of 0.912 vs 0.866 and 0.857) or for scheduled surgical patients (AUROC of 0.945 vs 0.834 and 0.851). Calibration was good for all models (all p > 0.05) whether for scheduled surgical patients or emergency surgical and medical patients. However, in terms of SMR, SAPS 3 was both accurate in predicting the in-hospital mortality for emergency surgical and medical patients and for scheduled surgical patients, while APACHE IV and APACHE II were not.In this cohort, we found that APACHE II, APACHE IV and SAPS 3 models had good discrimination and calibration ability in predicting in-hospital mortality of critically ill patients with cancer in need of intensive care. Of these three severity scores, SAPS 3 was superior to APACHE II and APACHE IV, whether in terms of discrimination and calibration power, or standardized mortality ratios.

A measles outbreak occurred in a western county of China in 2013, the year after China's historic nadir of measles. We conducted a field investigation to identify gaps in measles vaccination coverage and immunization program weaknesses, and to provide recommendations for measles outbreak response and immunization program improvement.We analyzed surveillance data from 2008 to 2013 to describe the measles epidemiology of the county. Measles-containing vaccine coverage was estimated using two methods: previously-reported administrative coverage and an estimation of coverage by clinic-kept vaccination records (n = 542). We conducted a rapid field coverage assessment in a migrant population village to evaluate coverage after emergency vaccination. We conducted a review of hospital records of measles cases to address the role hospital transmission played during the early stage of this outbreak.There were 153 cases in the outbreak, primarily among children too young to vaccinate, unvaccinated children less than 3 years old, and adults. Measles-containing vaccine coverage by the field assessment showed that 20% of children aged 8-17 months had zero doses, and 9% of ≥2 years old children had fewer than two doses. The vaccination statuses of all adult cases were either zero doses or unknown. At least 61% of cases had been hospitalized. The proportion of cases who had been hospital-exposed 7 to 21 days prior to rash onset decreased from 52% to 22% after hospitals strengthen their isolation measures.This outbreak was a result of measles vaccination coverage gaps among young children and adults, and insufficient hospital isolation of cases. The lower coverage seen in the field estimation compared with reported coverage showed that reported coverage could have been overestimated. Hospitals were sites of transmission in the early stage of the outbreak. A strict hospital isolation policy could decrease spread of measles. Emergency vaccination was associated with stopping measles transmission in low coverage areas.

The present study aimed to explore the inter-relationships among maternal death, household economic status after the event, and potential influencing factors.We conducted a prospective cohort study of households that had experienced maternal death (n = 195) and those that experienced childbirth without maternal death (n = 384) in rural China. All the households were interviewed after the event occurred and were followed up 12 months later. Structural equation modeling was used to test the relationship model, utilizing income and expenditure per capita in the following year after the event as the main outcome variables, maternal death as the predictor, and direct costs, the amount of money offset by positive and negative coping strategies, whether the husband remarried, and whether the newborn was alive as the mediators.In the following year after the event, the path analysis revealed a direct effect from maternal death to lower income per capita (standardized coefficient = -0.43, p = 0.041) and to lower expenditure per capita (standardized coefficient = -0.51, p

Gene polymorphisms associated so far with body mass index (BMI) can explain only 1.18-1.45% of observed variation in BMI. Recent studies suggest that epigenetic modifications, especially DNA methylation, could contribute to explain part of the missing heritability, and two epigenetic genome-wide analysis studies (EWAS) have reported that Hypoxia Inducible Factor 3 Alpha Subunit (HIF3A) methylation was associated with BMI or BMI change. We therefore assessed whether the HIF3A methylation is associated with obesity and other obesity-related phenotypes in Chinese children. The subjects included 110 severe obese cases aged 7-17y and 110 normal-weight controls matched by age and gender for measurement of blood DNA methylation levels at the HIF3A gene locus using the Sequenom's MassARRAY system. We observed significantly higher methylation levels in obese children than in controls at positions 46801642 and 46801699 in HIF3A gene (P

Our previous study indicated that anti-Fas antibody/actinomycin D (AF/AD) induced apoptosis of human hepatocellular carcinoma Bel-7402 cells; however, crosstalk influence between P38MAPK and autophagy on mitochondria-mediated apoptosis induced by AF/AD in Bel-7402 cells remains unclear. Therefore, effect of AF/AD on apoptosis, autophagy, phosphorylated-P38MAPK (p-P38MAPK), and membrane potential (ΔΨm) with or without the P38MAPK inhibitor SB203580 or the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) in Bel-7402 cells was investigated in the present study. The results showed that AF/AD resulted in induction of apoptosis concomitant with autophagy, upregulation of p-P38MAPK and autophagy-associated gene proteins (Atg5-Atg12 protein complex, Atg7, Atg10, Beclin-1, LC3 I, and LC3 II), and downregulation of ΔΨm in Bel-7402 cells. In contrast, SB203580 attenuated the effects of AF/AD in Bel-7402 cells. Furthermore, the findings also demonstrated that 3-MA inhibited the impact of AF/AD on autophagy, Atg5-Atg12 protein complex, Atg7, Atg10, Beclin-1, LC3 I, LC3 II, and ΔΨm, and promoted the influence of AF/AD on apoptosis and p-P38MAPK in Bel-7402 cells. Taken together, we conclude that crosstalk between P38MAPK and autophagy regulates mitochondria-mediated apoptosis induced by AF/AD in Bel-7402 cells.

Reducing inappropriate antibiotic prescribing is currently a global health priority. Current guidelines recommend against antibiotic treatment for acute uncomplicated bronchitis. We studied antibiotic prescribing patterns for uncomplicated acute bronchitis and identified predictors of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing. We used the Epic Clarity database (electronic medical record system) to identify all adult patients with acute bronchitis in family medicine clinics from 2011 to 2016. We excluded factors that could justify antibiotic use, such as suspected pneumonia, COPD or immunocompromising conditions. Of the 3616 visits for uncomplicated acute bronchitis, 2244 (62.1%) resulted in antibiotic treatment. The rates of antibiotic prescribing were similar across the years, p value for trend = 0.07. Antibiotics were most frequently prescribed in the age group of 18–39 years (66.9%), followed by the age group of 65 years and above (59.0%), and the age group of 40–64 years (58.7%), p value < 0.001. Macrolides were significantly more likely to be prescribed for younger adults, while fluoroquinolones were more likely to be prescribed for patients 65 years or older. Duration of antibiotic use was significantly longer in older adults. Sex and race were not associated with antibiotic prescribing. Our findings highlight the urgent need to reduce inappropriate antibiotic use for uncomplicated acute bronchitis, particularly in younger adults.