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Because of structural complexity, a “biosimilar” will not be exactly the same as its reference biologic treatment, but is required to be equivalent in all relevant attributes, including efficacy. T...

The construction of the evaluation index system of employee satisfaction level is the basis for an enterprise to measure the level of employee satisfaction. In this paper, the author analyzes the employee incentive in supply chain network based on asymmetric information game analysis and fuzzy model. Through the correction of network weight and threshold value, the error function decreases along the gradient direction. The construction and training of the network can be realized by MATLAB. The newff function in the software is used to construct the network, and the train function is used to train. This evaluation index system is a multi-level target evaluation system based on asymmetric information game, and its basic principle is to simplify complex problems. Long term effort is bigger when the salesperson’s risk averse parameter is more than a certain value or risk averse parameter is less but discount factor is more than a threshold; short term effort is bigger when risk averse parameter and discount factor is both less. For both information scenarios, the compensation contracts are designed and comparison analyses are conducted.

Many clinical trials of treatments for patients hospitalised for COVID-19 use an ordinal scale recommended by the World Heath Organisation. The scale represents intensity of medical intervention, with higher scores for interventions more burdensome for the patient, and highest score for death. There is uncertainty about use of this ordinal scale in testing hypotheses. With the objective of assessing the power and Type I error of potential endpoints and analyses based on the ordinal scale, trajectories of the score over 28 days were simulated for scenarios based closely on results of two trials recently published. The simulation used transition probabilities for the ordinal scale over time. No one endpoint was optimal across scenarios, but a ranked measure of trajectory fared moderately well in all scenarios. Type I error was controlled at close to the nominal level for all endpoints. Because not tied to a particular population with regard to baseline severity, the use of transition probabilities allows plausible assessment of endpoints in populations with configurations of baseline score for which data is not yet published, provided some data on the relevant transition probabilities are available. The results could support experts in the choice of endpoint based on the ordinal scale.

Purpose This study aimed to explore the potential role and mechanism of garlic-derived S-allylmercaptocysteine (SAMC), the major water-soluble fraction of garlic, in osteoarthritis (OA) both in vivo and in vitro. Methods The effect of SAMC in a surgical-induced OA model was examined by X-ray, staining, ELISA, and immunoblotting. Then the key role of Nrf2 by SAMC treatment in IL-1β stimulated chondrocytes in vitro was determined by gene-knockdown technique. Results SAMC could stabilize the extracellular matrix (ECM) by decreasing metalloproteinase (MMPs) expression to suppress type II collagen degradation in OA rats. The inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6, were elevated in OA, which could be down-regulated by SAMC treatment. This effect was parallel with NF-κB signaling inhibition by SAMC. As oxidative stress has been shown to participate in the inflammatory pathways in OA conditions, the key regulator Nrf2 in redox-homeostasis was evaluated in SAMC-treated OA rats. Nrf2 and its down-stream gene NQO-1 were activated in the SAMC-treated group, accompanied by NAD(P)H oxidases 4 (NOX4) expression down-regulated. As a result, the toxic lipid peroxidation byproduct 4-hydroxynonenal (4HNE) was reduced in articular cartilage. In IL-1β-stimulated primary rat chondrocytes, which could mimic OA in vitro, SAMC could ameliorate collagen destruction, inhibit inflammation, and maintain redox-homeostasis. Interestingly, after Nrf2 gene knockdown by adenovirus, the protective effect of SAMC in IL-1β-stimulated chondrocytes disappeared. Conclusion Overall, our study demonstrated that SAMC targeted Nrf2 to protect OA both in vivo and in vitro, which would be a new pharmaceutical way for OA therapy.

In many application scenarios of chemical sensors, it is vital to obtain the sensing results rapidly. An economic and effective solution for that is through predicting the final value from the earlier transient response. However, conventional approaches require large amount of measurement data to build relationship between the concentration and the feature of the transient response. In this work, a systematic scheme including data collection and prediction is proposed to minimize both the required time and amount of measurement data for training, while achieving high prediction accuracy. A sliding window sampling approach with data augmentation is developed to generate more sequence sets for training from limited amount of measurement data. With this method, any small segment on the early transient response curve can be used for data sampling and test, enabling ease of implementation for practical applications. Further, a model combining long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network and polynomial fitting is designed for mixed feature extraction with less required data, which are then input to multilayer perceptron for prediction. The scheme is applied to real measurement data, showing significant improvement of prediction accuracy compared to previous methods.

A flexible hybrid integration strategy combing both advantages of the silicon chip and the printed polymer sensors is demonstrated for low cost smart packaging with internet-of-things connectivity. In the system, the silicon chip, as the general part, performs wireless energy harvesting, sensor signal acquisition, data processing and transmission through mature standard interfaces. The functions, form factor, and substrate of the printed polymer sensors can be customized according to the packaging requirements. To prove the feasibility, a 13.56 MHz radio frequency identification (RFID) chip with multi-sensor interface is designed and taped out. Ammonia and anti-open sensors are fabricated using the same conducting polymer (PEDOT:PSS) through solution printing processes. After characterization of their performance individually, a flexible smart packaging system is implemented with packed pork by integrating the RFID chip and the sensors onto a packaging film. Both the product quality and the integrity of the packaging are able to be conveniently inspected with a smartphone.

Objective Urinary incontinence is highly prevalent among women, with a substantial effect on health-related quality of life. This article aimed to investigate the independent factors for urinary incontinence (UI) and the relative importance of each factor. Methods This study was a cross-sectional survey of Chinese women in Guangzhou. Female 20 years and older were invited to participate. The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence Short Form was used to determine whether respondents are experiencing UI. Univariate and multivariate unconditional logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the significant risk factors associated with UI. Results A total of 2626 women were invited to participate in the survey. The response rate was 80.5% (2114/2626). The prevalence of UI among the study population was 31.2%. Old age, increased body mass index, childbirth, family history of any female pelvic floor disorders, symptoms of chronic cough or rhinitis, wearing a corset, and often drinking were independent risk factors for UI. Conclusions Urinary incontinence is common among Chinese women in Guangzhou. Among the factors that we are concerned with, old age and vaginal delivery are the two with greatest impact. Moreover, wearing a corset and drinking are the 2 lifestyle factors associated with UI.

This paper presents the fabrication of novel flexible sensors from metalized polymer films and their subsequent utilization for environmental applications. Polyethylene terephthalate films coated with thin-film of aluminum was used as a singular material to form the sensor patches. Optimization was done on the laser parameters to form laser-inscribed interdigitated electrodes on the aluminum side of the polymer films. The sensors were then used to detect the presence of sulfate ions in the water samples. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to detect the resistive and reactive changes with respect to the corresponding changes in the concentration of the tested solutions. Experiments were conducted using five different concentrations ranging between 0.1 ppm and 1000 ppm. The sensitivity, limit of detection and response time of the salts were 0.874 Ω/ppm, 0.1 ppm and one second, respectively. The repeatability of the sensors was also tested to validate their responses for the target analyte. An optimal frequency was chosen to form an IoT-based system that consisted of an impedance analyzer AD 5933, Wi-Fi embedded Arduino and 2:1 multiplexer ADG849. The interfacing of the microcontroller-sensed data was also done with the cloud server to showcase the potentiality of the developed systems as portable devices for real-time applications. Published version

Using 318 household data concerning children during middle childhood (8–13), we examined the association among each parent’s marital satisfaction, the child’s perceived family functioning, and the child’s anxiety and depression. Second, we investigated whether the other parent could buffer or facilitate this chain effect by co-viewing programs via various devices with their child so as to improve the child’s perceived family functioning. Results verified the mediation effect that maternal marital satisfaction was positively associated with the child’s perceived family functioning, which, in turn, decreased the child’s depression. In addition, the results indicated that increased paternal co-viewing enhanced the positive association between maternal marital satisfaction and the child’s perceived family functioning and then decreased the child’s depression. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed within the framework of family systems theory, parental media interventions, and the different roles of the father and mother in family functionality.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) targeted nano-drugs facilitate effective diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Herein, the therapeutic efficacy of nano-drugs targeting EGFR was evaluated from the perspective of cell entry efficiency and induced cell mechanical properties using force tracing and nano-indentation techniques at the single particle/cell level in real time.

ObjectivePsoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease with autoimmune aetiology. A possible link between psoriasis and autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) has been suggested in some studies with inconsistent findings. This meta-analysis aims to determine the association between psoriasis and AITD.DesignA meta-analysis of observational studies.Data sourcesPubMed, EMBASE, Scopus and the Cochrane Library were searched up to 1 November 2021.Eligibility criteria for selecting studiesWe included non-randomised studies, each with over 50 cases in every group, focusing on the rate of comorbidity between psoriasis and AITD.Data extraction and synthesisTwo independent reviewers screened the articles and extracted data. The restricted maximum-likelihood was applied to perform the meta-analysis. OR and 95% CIs were pooled to compare the prevalence of AITD in psoriasis and control groups. Heterogeneity was assessed with I2 statistic. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality were applied for quality assessment. The risk of bias was assessed with Risk Of Bias In Non-randomised Studies-of Interventions (ROBINS-I).ResultsEleven available studies with data on 253 313 patients with psoriasis and 1 376 533 controls were included. Meta-analysis showed that patients with psoriasis had a higher prevalence of AITD (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.35 to 2.28, Z=4.25, pConclusionsOur study indicates that the rate of co-occurring AITD was significantly increased in patients with psoriasis. It suggests that the increased risk of AITD should be concerned in patients with psoriasis.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020206005.

Most conventional drugs accumulate in non-target areas in the body of patients and are responsible for adverse side effects due to poor solubility and poor selectivity after injection, with only a tiny portion of drugs reaching their targets (cells or tissues). Drug delivery is believed to overcome this challenge by allowing control over drug distribution, metabolism, and excretion, which also improves drug safety and efficacy. Nano-drugs (nanoscale particles and vehicles) have attracted great interest because of the enhanced permeation and retention (EPR) effect for tumors. In this review, we summarized the types of nano-drug carriers, described the advantages and adverse effects of the carriers, and discussed the mechanism of single nano-drug transport in living cells. Better understanding the nano-drug delivery mechanism is necessary to ensure the potential chemotherapy of nano-drugs.

In this study, a coaxial electrospray process was used to produce nanoparticles, in which thymol was encapsulated in a core–shell of zein and shellac. We then investigated fluid velocity and solution concentrations on the electrospray. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the thymol/zein/shellac particles prepared at a flow rate ratio of 0.6:0.3 mL/h were rounder with smaller diameters. The highest encapsulation efficiency of thymol was 81.34%, the average particle size was 606.53 nm, and the retention rate of thymol was 68.74% after 30 days. Moreover, we investigated the thermal stability, antimicrobial activity, and simulated gastrointestinal release curves of the nanoparticles. Finally, the nanoparticles were used as a coating for fresh-cut cantaloupe. Compared with the blank nanoparticle control group, the coating significantly extended the shelf life of cantaloupe to 16 days. Our results indicate that these nanoparticles have great potential for application in food preservation.

In this study, poly (e-caprolactone) (PCL)/zein/Ag nanoparticle (AgNP) fibrous membranes were prepared by ultrasonication-assisted electrospinning. The effects of the AgNP content and ultrasonication time on the membrane morphology, chemical structure, biodegradability, mechanical properties, antibacterial/antiviral activity, and air filtration performance were studied. The best-performing membrane (AgNP content = 1% (w/v), sonication time = 30 min) exhibited a bead-on-string morphology, an air permeability of 93.6 ± 1.5 mm s−1, and the Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus removal efficiencies of 98.1 ± 1.2% and 97.4 ± 2.5%, respectively. In an experiment with E. coli phage, the above-mentioned membrane exhibited a 97.1 ± 2.1% virus removal efficiency after 60 min. The high performance of this bead-on-string membrane for air filtration was ascribed to the low packing density due to the presence of open interconnected beaded airflow channels and small beads.

To explore the relationship between the mitfa gene and intestinal microbiota, the 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing was performed to compare the intestinal microbiota composition of the mitfa knockout zebrafish line (CKO group) and the wild-type zebrafish (WT group) in this study. The results showed that the Fusobacteria and Firmicutes were significantly decreased and the Dependentiae and Patescibacteria were significantly increased in the CKO group at the phylum level. Furthermore, the relative abundance of Citrobacter, Gordonia, Mesorhizobium, Legionella, and Bradyrhizobium were extremely higher in the CKO group, whereas the other four genera Nocardia, Pannonibacter, Shinella, and Cetobacterium were significantly declined in the CKO group at the genus level. Due to these changed intestinal microbiota appear to be related to lipid metabolism and immunity, eight lipid metabolism-related genes and nine inflammation-related genes were detected in the intestinal. The results showed that the expression levels of these genes were significant differences between the CKO and WT group. These results indicated that the deletion of mitfa can affect the expression levels of immune and metabolism-related genes, and causing changes in the composition of the intestinal microbiota.

Using 318 household data concerning children during middle childhood (8–13), we examined the association among each parent’s marital satisfaction, the child’s perceived family functioning, and the child’s anxiety and depression. Second, we investigated whether the other parent could buffer or facilitate this chain effect by co-viewing programs via various devices with their child so as to improve the child’s perceived family functioning. Results verified the mediation effect that maternal marital satisfaction was positively associated with the child’s perceived family functioning, which, in turn, decreased the child’s depression. In addition, the results indicated that increased paternal co-viewing enhanced the positive association between maternal marital satisfaction and the child’s perceived family functioning and then decreased the child’s depression. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed within the framework of family systems theory, parental media interventions, and the different roles of the father and mother in family functionality.

Stochastic second-order cone programming (SSOCP) is an extension of deterministic second-order cone programming, which demonstrates underlying uncertainties in practical problems arising in economics engineering and operations management. In this paper, asymptotic analysis of sample average approximation estimator for SSOCP is established. Conditions ensuring the asymptotic normality of sample average approximation estimators for SSOCP are obtained and the corresponding covariance matrix is described in a closed form. Based on the analysis, the method to estimate the confidence region of a stationary point of SSOCP is provided and three examples are illustrated to show the applications of the method.

As potential ligands, targeted peptides have become an important part in the construction of intelligent drug delivery systems (DDSs). The targeting interaction of peptides with receptors is a key point affecting the efficacy of targeted nano-drugs. Herein, three common peptides (HAIYPRH (T7), YHWYGYTPQNVI (GE11), and RGD) that have been widely used in cancer targeted therapy and tumor diagnostics, targeting the corresponding receptors (transferrin receptor (TfR), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and ανβ3 integrin receptor), were selected as examples to study the targeting interacton on living cell surface at the single-molecule level by using single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) based on atomic force microscopy (AFM). The dissociation activation energy in the absence of an external force (ΔGβ,0) of T7-TfR, GE11-EGFR, and RGD-ανβ3 integrin is evaluated at single-molecule level. Among these three peptide-receptor pairs, the T7-TfR bond is the most stable with a smaller dissociation kinetic rate constant at zero force (Koff), larger kinetic on-rate constant (Kon), and shorter interaction time (τ). Furthermore, T7 can target TfR even more effectively on A549 cell membrane after treatment with drugs. Our methodology can also be applicable to the study of other ligand targeted DDSs.

The problem of the aging of the world's population is becoming more and more serious. Home care based on the Internet of Things technology is one of the solutions to the problem of elderly living alone. Elderly emotion recognition is an important challenge facing smart home care. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a deep learning based emotion recognition framework for the elderly living alone, composed of four deep learning networks, of which three deep learning networks process speech, text, and image data respectively. These data come from companion robots deployed in elderly homes is used as input data for the fourth deep learning network. Through the training of the annotated data set, an elderly emotion recognition model that can handle heterogeneous data (i.e., voice, text, and image data) is obtained.

The segmentation of sensor data plays an important role in the Recognition of the activities of daily living. In this paper, we summarize the state of the art of data stream segmentation in the past five years and divide them into four categories, i.e., change point detection based method, semantics based method, window based method, and deep learning-based methods. The summary shows that there are relatively few studies on segmentation using deep learning methods. Besides, there is a lack of a general platform, which can be used in comparing different methods.

Numerous neuroimaging studies have investigated the neural mechanisms of two mutually independent yet closely related cognitive processes aiding humans to navigate complex societies: social hierarchy-related learning (SH-RL) and social hierarchy-related interaction (SH-RI). To integrate these heterogeneous results into a more fine-grained and reliable characterization of the neural basis of social hierarchy, we combined coordinate-based meta-analyses with connectivity and functional decoding analyses to understand the underlying neuropsychological mechanism of SH-RL and SH-RI. We identified the anterior insula and temporoparietal junction (dominance detection), medial prefrontal cortex (information updating and computation), and intraparietal sulcus region, amygdala, and hippocampus (social hierarchy representation) as consistent activated brain regions for SH-RL, but the striatum, amygdala, and hippocampus associated with reward processing for SH-RI. Our results provide an overview of the neural architecture of the neuropsychological processes underlying how we understand, and interact within, social hierarchy.

Background and purposeMedullary infarction (MI) caused by spontaneous vertebral artery dissection (sVAD) is an important type of stroke. It is important to distinguish sVAD from other causes of stroke since the treatment strategies and prognosis were different between them. In this study, we aimed to explore the clinical and radiological features of MI in patients with acute MI caused by sVAD.MethodsPatients with acute MI caused by sVAD and non-sVAD in a single tertiary hospital were enrolled from 2010 to 2020. Epidemiologic, clinical and image features were collected and analysed. MI lesions were categorised into three levels rostrocaudally and four arterial groups: anteromedial, anterolateral, lateral and posterior.ResultsA total of 128 patients with MI were enrolled with 47 cases of sVAD and 81 cases of non-sVAD. Patients with sVAD were younger than those with non-sVAD (med 44 years old vs 58 years old). The sVAD group was less likely to have hypertension (44.68% vs 67.90%; p=0.010) and diabetes (19.15% vs 45.69%; p=0.003), but more likely to have non-sudden onset (27.66% vs 9.87%, p=0.009), minor neck injury (19.15% vs 1.23%; p=0.001) and headache (46.81% vs 7.41%; p=0.000). Vertically, sVAD became more common in caudal medulla than in rostral medulla. Horizontally, the sVAD group was more likely to have lateral MI (91.48% vs 2.96%, p=0.000). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, age, non-sudden onset and headache were independently associated with sVAD with ORs of 0.935 (95% CI 0.892 to 0.981, p=0.006), 3.507 (95% CI 1.060 to 11.599, p=0.040) and 5.426 (95% CI 1.673 to 17.599, p=0.005).ConclusionsVAD was not uncommon in patients with MI, especially in patients with lateral MI. Young patients with headache and non-sudden onset should remind clinician the possibility of sVAD.

Under adverse conditions, such as sustained or chronic hyperglycemia or hyperlipidemia, ROS (reactive oxygen species) or/and ER-stress (endoplasmic reticulum stress) will be induced in pancreatic β cells. ROS or ER-stress damages β-cells even leads to apoptosis. Previously we found ROS or ER-stress resulted in JNK activation in β cells and overexpressing NR4A1 in MIN6 cells reduced JNK activation via modulating cbl-b expression and subsequent degrading the upstream JNK kinase (MKK4). To search other possible mechanisms, we found the mRNA level and protein level of MKP7 (a phosphatase for phospho-JNK) were dramatic reduced in pancreatic β cells in the islets from NR4A1 KO mice compared with that from wild type mice. To confirm what we found in animals, we applied pancreatic β cells (MIN6 cells) and found that the expression of MKP7 was increased in NR4A1-overexpression MIN6 cells. We further found that knocking down the expression of MKP7 increased the p-JNK level in pancreatic β cells upon treatment with TG or H2O2. After that, we figured out that NR4A1 did enhance the transactivation of the MKP7 promoter by physical association with two putative binding sites. In sum, NR4A1 attenuates JNK phosphorylation incurred by ER-stress or ROS partially via enhancing MKP7 expression, potentially decreases pancreatic β cell apoptosis induced by ROS or ER-stress. Our finding provides a clue for diabetes prevention.

As the driving force of the evolutionary game, the strategy update mechanism is crucial to the evolution of cooperative behavior. At present, there has been a lot of research on the update mechanism, which mainly involves two aspects. On one hand, all players in the network use the same rule to update strategies; on the other hand, players use heterogeneous update rules, such as imitate and innovate. A sophisticated update mechanism is available. However, most of these studies are based on node dynamics, that is, individuals adopt the same strategy to their neighbors at the same time. Considering that in real life, faced with complex social relationships, the code of conduct generally followed by individuals is to adopt different decision-making behaviors for different opponents. Therefore, here, we are based on edge dynamics, which allows each player to adopt different strategies for different opponents. We analyze how the mixing ratio of the two mechanisms in the network affects the evolution of cooperative behavior based on imitation and myopic. The parameter u is introduced to represent the proportion of myopic players. The simulation results show that in the edge dynamics behavior patterns, compared with the myopic rule, the imitate rule plays a leading role in promoting the group to achieve a high level of cooperation, even when the temptation to defect is relatively large. Furthermore, for players who adopt the imitate update mechanism, individuals with high cooperation rate dominate when u is relatively high, and individuals with low cooperation rate dominate when u is relatively large. For players who adopt the myopic update rule, regardless of the value of u, the individual’s cooperation rate is 0.25 and 0.5 is dominant.

The influence of neuroinflammation in the development and progression of Parkinson's disease (PD) remains unknown. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a multipotent and key cytokine involved in the pathogenesis of acute and chronic inflammatory and immune disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the neuroprotective effects mediated by MIF in PD. Cellular apoptosis was measured by RT-qPCR analysis, fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis and western blotting. JC-1 staining was used to analyze the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). The formation of autophagosomes was detected by western blot analysis. Autophagic flux was assessed by tandem mRFP-GFP-LC3 fluorescence microscopy. Expression of MIF, cleaved-PARP and LC3B-II was increased significantly in both acute and chronic PD animal models. MIF was positively associated with IL-10 (P 0.001), but inversely with TNF-α (P 0.05). The PD cells (1 mM MPP+ treated group) showed an increase in early-apoptotic cells by FACS. Upregulating MIF expression resulted in a lower concentration of cleaved-PARP than the control group (P 0.001). The MMP was higher in the MIF upregulated group than in the MIF knockdown group (P 0.001). Upregulating MIF expression resulted in a higher concentration of LC3B-II than the control group (P 0.001). Finally, LC3 puncta were markedly increased in the MIF upregulated group and in the MIF + MPP+ group. This study indicates that MIF mediates a neuroprotective effect via suppressing inflammatory responses, inhibiting apoptosis and inducing autophagy in PD.

Background Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae (RSM), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine, has been shown to inhibit tumorigenesis in various human cancers. However, the anticancer effects of RSM on human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the underlying mechanisms of action remain to be fully elucidated. Methods In this study, we aimed to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms of RSM in the treatment of HCC using a network pharmacology approach. In vivo and in vitro experiments were also performed to validate the therapeutic effects of RSM on HCC. Results In total, 62 active compounds from RSM and 72 HCC-related targets were identified through network pharmacological analysis. RSM was found to play a critical role in HCC via multiple targets and pathways, especially the EGFR and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways. In addition, RSM was found to suppress HCC cell proliferation, and impair cancer cell migration and invasion in vitro. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that RSM induced cell cycle G2/M arrest and apoptosis, and western blot analysis showed that RSM up-regulated the expression of BAX and down-regulated the expression of Bcl-2 in MHCC97-H and HepG2 cells. Furthermore, RSM administration down-regulated the expression of EGFR, PI3K, and p-AKT proteins, whereas the total AKT level was not altered. Finally, the results of our in vivo experiments confirmed the therapeutic effects of RSM on HCC in nude mice. Conclusions We provide an integrative network pharmacology approach, in combination with in vitro and in vivo experiments, to illustrate the underlying therapeutic mechanisms of RSM action on HCC.

Cigarette smoke (CS) is the major cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). CS heightens inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis. Ergosterol is the main bioactive ingredient in Cordyceps sinensis (C. sinensis), a traditional medicinal herb for various diseases. The objective of this work was to investigate the effects of ergosterol on anti-inflammatory and antioxidative stress as well as anti-apoptosis in a cigarette smoke extract (CSE)-induced COPD model both in vitro and in vivo. Our results demonstrate that CSE induced inflammatory and oxidative stress and apoptosis with the involvement of the Bcl-2 family proteins via the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB)/p65 pathway in both 16HBE cells and Balb/c mice. CSE induced epithelial cell death and increased the expression of nitric oxide (NO), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), malondialdehyde (MAD) and the apoptosis-related proteins cleaved caspase 3/7/9 and cleaved-poly-(ADP)-ribose polymerase (PARP) both in vitro and in vivo, whereas decreased the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). Treatment of 16HBE cells and Balb/c mice with ergosterol inhibited CSE-induced inflammatory and oxidative stress and apoptosis by inhibiting the activation of NF-κB/p65. Ergosterol suppressed apoptosis by inhibiting the expression of the apoptosis-related proteins both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, the usage of QNZ (an inhibitor of NF-κB) also partly demonstrated that NF-κB/p65 pathway was involved in the ergosterol protective progress. These results show that ergosterol suppressed COPD inflammatory and oxidative stress and apoptosis through the NF-κB/p65 pathway, suggesting that ergosterol may be partially responsible for the therapeutic effects of cultured C. sinensis on COPD patients.

Soil aggregates are the basic units of soil structure. Water-stable aggregates (WSAs) are greatly influenced by tillage practices. The main objective of our study was to assess the effects of different tillage practices on water aggregate stability on hillslope cropland in northern China and to identify the relationship between soil aggregates and soil structure stability. The study was conducted under on-farm conditions. Soils from plots with no tillage (NT), rotary tillage (RT), and conventional tillage (CT) treatments were sampled for 2 years (2016–2017) in the study area (Xiangyang village, Harbin city, Heilongjiang Province). Soil aggregates were collected, and the mean weight diameter (MWD) and geometric mean diameter (GMD) were calculated. The relationships between the soil aggregate variables and soil structural stability were determined using multivariate stepwise analysis. The results indicated that for macroaggregates, the MWD and GMD increased under NT and more readily formed WSAs > 5 mm. The effects of the different treatments on microaggregates were similar among the different slope positions. The variation in the proportion of macroaggregate across all the treatments was lower in 2017 than that in 2016. The reduction in soil macroaggregates under NT was much smaller than the reductions under RT and CT, suggesting that soil structure can be maintained under NT. The multivariate stepwise analysis showed that the proportion of WSAs > 5 mm were positively and significantly correlated with MWD and GMD and represented the predominant factor influencing soil structure according to the discriminant coefficients. The proportion of microaggregates also affected the MWD and GMD of the soil aggregates but had negative correlations with these variables. There were significantly positive correlations between the soil organic matter content and soil structure stability variables (macroaggregate content, MWD, and GMD). Overall, macroaggregates in soil likely play a key role in soil structure stability. The soil aggregate stability is also affected by slope position. Comparing RT and NT, soil structure can be better maintained with NT.

Highly efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based on metal halide perovskites with green, red, and near-infrared electroluminescence have been widely demonstrated. However, the development of the...

Nowadays, the number of collaborative tools has increased significantly. This makes it difficult for users to find the collaborators that are most relevant to their needs among these tools. Besides, their needs can also be influenced by the context of collaboration (e.g., workplace, tools, and resources). This raises an issue: how to help users find their collaborators within the collaboration context. In our research, we propose an ontology-based semantic similarity and employ it in a collaboration context ontology to generate context-aware collaborator recommendations for users. In this paper, we present how to calculate and apply the semantic similarity in context-aware recommendation algorithms.

Two narrow-bandgap block conjugated polymers with a (D1-A1)-(D2-A2) backbone architecture, namely PBDB-T-b-PIDIC2T and PBDB-T-b-PTY6, are designed and synthesized for single-component organic solar cells (SCOSCs). Both polymers contain same donor polymer, PBDB-T, but different polymerized nonfullerene molecule acceptors. Compared to all previously reported materials for SCOSCs, PBDB-T-b-PIDIC2T and PBDB-T-b-PTY6 exhibit narrower bandgap for better light harvesting. When incorporated into SCOSCs, the short-circuit current density (Jsc ) is significantly improved to over 15 mA cm-2 , together with a record-high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.64%. Moreover, these block copolymers exhibit low energy loss due to high charge transfer (CT) states (Ect ) plus small non-radiative loss (0.26 eV), and improved stability under both ambient condition and continuous 80 °C thermal stresses for over 1000 h. Determination of the charge carrier dynamics and film morphology in these SCOSCs reveals increased carrier recombination, relative to binary bulk-heterojunction devices, which is mainly due to reduced ordering of both donor and acceptor fragments. The close structural relationship between block polymers and their binary counterparts also provides an excellent framework to explore further molecular features that impact the photovoltaic performance and boost the state-of-the-art efficiency of SCOSCs.

This paper investigates the scheduling strategies for the virtual power plant (VPP) considering different development stages of the electricity market. Firstly, the operation models are formulated to characterize the aggregated components of VPP, including the distributed photovoltaic (PV), wind turbines, demand resources (DRs), electric vehicles (EV) and combined heat and power (CHP) unit as well as conventional units. Next, different operating frameworks have been proposed in order to derive the scheduling strategies of VPP for different development stages of the electricity market. Specifically, a price taker-based scheduling model is developed for VPP during the early stage of market construction. For the mature stage of market development, a bi-level framework is introduced to simulate the bidding and scheduling strategies of VPP acting as active participates. Moreover, the bi-level framework is further recast as a solvable problem. The proposed method is capable to characterize the scheduling strategies of VPP in different stages of market development.