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Background and Objective: Chronic prostatitis (CP) is one of the most common diseases in young and middle-aged men but lacks effective treatment. Shuangshi Tonglin Capsule (SSTLC) is a clinical drug for the treatment of chronic prostatitis. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of SSTLC in treating CP are still unclear. In this study, we researched the underlying mechanisms of SSTLC in treating chronic prostatitis. Methods: The ingredients of SSTLC were received from the TCMSP and BATMAN databases, and the CP targets were collected based on GeneCards and OMIM. Then, the PPI network and the “drug-ingredient-target” network map were constructed. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses by using DAVID. Molecular docking was performed by using AutoDock 4.2 and PyMol. And using animal experiments to verify the potential effect of SSTLC in CP. Results: SSTLC contained 10 herbs, 158 chemical ingredients and 277 targets, 2002, diseaserelated targets were obtained. Network analysis outcomes indicated that VEGFA, TNF, MAPK1, EGFR, and MAPK8 are the key targets of SSTLC in treating chronic prostatitis. Furthermore, molecular docking revealed that quercetin, luteolin, and kaempferol exhibited a strong binding effect. Animal experimental indicated that SSTLC can reduce the pathological damage to prostate tissue. And, we found that high-dose SSTLC significantly reduced the level of TNF-α and downregulated the expression of EGFR, p-p38 and p-ERK1/2 (P Conclusions: This study determined the pharmacological effects of SSTLC and the potential mechanism of action on SSTLC to treat CP, it provides a new idea for traditional Chinese medicine to treat chronic prostatitis.

Advantages of microgrid integrated with a renewable energy system have been acknowledged in more and more applications. Operating steadily during different modes is of great significance, and different modes transferring must be transient, seamless, and reliable to maintain the continuous electricity supply for loads, especially sensitive ones. As a semicontrolled switch that is unable to shut instantly until the zero point of its current, thyristors should be forced to be turned off by certain strategies to minimise the influence brought by the delay of modes transferring. In this paper, a compulsory turn-off strategy based on fuzzy logic control of converter output voltage is proposed. With the strategy, an alterable reverse voltage is applied across the conducting thyristor by dynamically adjusting the output voltage reference instruction and closed-loop control parameters depending on the changing rate rather than detecting the polarity of voltage or current. Constraints from acquisition of analog data and error of digital calculation will be eliminated. Finally, simulation and experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.

Background Genetic and functional genomics studies require a high-quality genome assembly. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), an important horticultural crop, is an ideal model species for the study of fruit development. Results Here, we assembled an updated reference genome of S. lycopersicum cv. Heinz 1706 that was 799.09 Mb in length, containing 34,384 predicted protein-coding genes and 65.66% repetitive sequences. By comparing the genomes of S. lycopersicum and S. pimpinellifolium LA2093, we found a large number of genomic fragments probably associated with human selection, which may have had crucial roles in the domestication of tomato. We also used a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population to generate a high-density genetic map with high resolution and accuracy. Using these resources, we identified a number of candidate genes that were likely to be related to important agronomic traits in tomato. Conclusion Our results offer opportunities for understanding the evolution of the tomato genome and will facilitate the study of genetic mechanisms in tomato biology.

Flux-reversal permanent magnet (PM) machines can be considered as stator-surface-mounted PM (SSPM) machines, where normally a pair of magnets with reversal magnetization polarities is mounted on the surface of each stator tooth. Hence, the SSPM machines and the conventional rotor surface-mounted PM (RSPM) machines are rather similar since both machines house the PMs in the air-gap, and the only difference is the location of magnets in the stator side and rotor side, respectively. In this study, a comparative study between SSPM and RSPM machines is conducted to investigate the difference including topology, operation principle and performance. First of all, the topology of both machines is compared. Then, the operation principle in both machines is analysed based on the air-gap field modulation theory. Correspondingly, the characteristics of flux density harmonics either due to PMs or armature reaction are obtained. Therefore, the harmonics that make contribution to back-electromotive force and rated torque are quantified. Besides, other electromagnetic performances, e.g. overload capability, flux weakening ability and loss distribution are also evaluated. Finally, a 12/14 prototyped SSPM machine is manufactured and tested to verify analytical and finite element method-based prediction.

The grafting of horticultural crops enables breeders to induce phenotypic changes in rootstocks and scions. A number of signaling molecules, including RNAs and proteins, were recently shown to underlie these changes; however, little is known about the composition of ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes or how these macromolecules are transported. Here, we used a polypyrimidine tract-binding protein, PbPTB3, as a bait to screen a library of phloem cDNA from a pear variety 'Du Li' (Pyrus betulaefolia). We identified a new protein constituent of the RNP complex, TRANSPARENT TESTA GLABRA1 (PbTTG1), a WD40 protein that interacts with PbPTB3 to facilitate its transport with PbWoxT1 mRNA through the phloem. Overexpression experiments indicated that PbTTG1 binds to PbPTB3, facilitating its transmission from the leaf through the petiole, while silencing of PbTTG1 expression prevented their translocation. Heterografting experiments also showed that silencing of PbTTG1 prevented the transport of PbPTB3 from the rootstock to the scion. Collectively, these findings established that PbTTG1 binds to PbPTB3 and PbWoxT1 to form an RNP complex, which facilitates their long-distance movement.

Wider applications of integrated microgrids have been significantly restricted by converters with the sole function of power regulation. In microgrids with distributed generation and energy storage equipment, it is crucial for converters to be capable of reactive power compensation, harmonic suppression, voltage support, and other functions simultaneously. To achieve this, it is essential to modify the discrepancy between different control modes, both in control architectures and input signals. However, previous researches have focused on the stability and robustness of the system’s operation, rather than the instantaneous tracking performance of instructions during the mode switching. Instead, a unified control strategy based on the two-degree-of-freedom theory is conceived in this paper, to impose no reconfiguration of the inner current loop, so that the inherent stability can be guaranteed. In the proposed strategy, mode transition is replaced by the readjustment of referring instructions, and the complex tuning of filter parameters is abandoned. Thus, a desirable performance in a wide range of operating conditions for the microgrid system is provided and the effects of the disturbances associated with the mode transitions are eliminated. The simulations studied in MATLAB and experimental evaluations of the prototype both corroborate the simplicity and effectiveness.

The purpose of this paper is to propose and implement a novel rotor position detection method for permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs) based on linear Halls, which are embedded inside of stator of PMSMs. A three-phase 9-slots/8-poles PMSM is exampled to verify the method. Firstly, a special point located in stator yoke (back-iron) is found by two-dimensional finite element analysis (2D-FEA), where the open-circuit flux-density due to permanent magnets versus rotor position (BPM) shows a high amplitude and good linearity, while the armature-reaction flux-density (Barmature) due to armature currents exhibits a low amplitude and good linearity versus armature currents. Then, an analytical model is built and the analytical relationship between armature currents and the Barmature is derived. Based on the analytical mode, BPM can be obtained by separating the Barmature from the synthetic magnetic field (BSynthetic). Thereafter, the resultant BPM can be used to detect the rotor position information with differential-type piecewise-linear analytical method. The feasibility of the proposed detection method is verified by co-simulations and experiments. The simulation results show that the novel linear Hall-based angle sensor can achieve the accuracy equivalent to 3000-line. The experimental results indicate that compared with an encoder, the maximum error of electric angle position at different speeds is less than 0.3%.

Apple exhibits typical gametophytic self-incompatibility, in which self-S-RNase can arrest pollen tube growth, leading to failure of fertilization. To date, there have been few studies on how to resist the toxicity of self-S-RNase. In this study, pollen tube polyamines were found to respond to self-S-RNase and help pollen tubes defend against self-S-RNase. In particular, the contents of putrescine, spermidine, and spermine in the pollen tube treated with self-S-RNase were substantially lower than those treated with non-self-S-RNase. Further analysis of gene expression of key enzymes in the synthesis and degradation pathways of polyamines found that the expression of DIAMINE OXIDASE 4 (MdDAO4) as well as several polyamine oxidases such as POLYAMINE OXIDASES 3 (MdPAO3), POLYAMINE OXIDASES 4 (MdPAO4), and POLYAMINE OXIDASES 6 (MdPAO6) were significantly up-regulated under self-S-RNase treatment, resulting in the reduction of polyamines. Silencing MdPAO6 in pollen tubes alleviates the inhibitory effect of self-S-RNase on pollen tube growth. In addition, exogenous polyamines also enhance pollen tube resistance to self-S-RNase. Transcriptome sequencing data found that polyamines may communicate with S-RNase through the calcium signal pathway, thereby regulating the growth of the pollen tubes. To summarize, our results suggested that polyamines responded to the self-incompatibility reaction and could enhance pollen tube tolerance to S-RNase, thus providing a potential way to break self-incompatibility in apple.

Apple (Malus domestica) exhibits classic S-RNase-mediated gametophytic self-incompatibility. Previous studies have shown that the S-RNase secreted from style cells could trigger signal transduction and defense responses mediated by Ca2+ and reactive oxygen species (ROS) after entering into the pollen tube. In this study, we investigated the downstream genes activated by ROS during S-RNase-mediated gametophytic self-incompatibility in pollen tubes. A substantial increase in ROS, as well as up-regulated expression of a serine-threonine protein kinase gene, OXIDATIVE SIGNAL-INDUCIBLE1 (MdOXI1), was detected in apple pollen tubes treated with self-S-RNase. A kinase assay-linked phosphoproteomics (KALIP) analysis suggested that MdOXI1 could bind and phosphorylate the downstream protein kinase Pto-interacting protein 1-like (MdPTI1L). The phosphorylation level of MdPTI1L was significantly reduced after silencing MdOXI1 with antisense oligonucleotides in the pollen tube. Silencing of either MdOXI1 or MdPTI1L alleviated the inhibitory effect of self-S-RNase on pollen tube growth. Our results thus indicate that MdPTI1L is phosphorylated by MdOXI1 in the pollen tube and participates in the ROS signaling pathway triggered by S-RNase.

In order to effectively improve the heat resistance of anti-frictional bushing material, the porous Tin-Bronze alloy ZCuSn6Pb6Zn3 was used in plain bearing. Microscopic tests on ZCuSn6Pb6Zn3/Steel layered bimetallic composite specimens were conducted using such methods as SEM, EDS and XRD. The results indicate that the bonding surface forms a powder metallurgy interface without transition layer under the action of mechanochemistry when ZCuSn6Pb6Zn3 was sintered with Steel, and the porosity is calculated about 15.414%. Based on the results, the molecular model was constructed using Materials Studio and optimized by Newton-Raphson method. The mathematical model of the interface bonding energy is optimized considering the effect of porosity and simulation ensemble. The calculated results proved that the optimal bonding temperature and pressure are 920 °C and 3.8 MPa respectively.

A static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) with a delta configuration is able to compensate for reactive currents, unbalanced currents and harmonic currents in a three-phase three-wire system. A method is proposed for balancing the harmonic currents among three phases of the STATCOM without affecting line harmonic currents injecting into the grid. The rating of the STATCOM can be lower because the maximum phase current is reduced. Simulation and experimental results are provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Single-phase traction loads generate negative sequence currents, reactive current and harmonics to the power grid. Modular multilevel converter (MMC) is a better alternative to implement railway power conditioner (RPC), which is connected to 25 kV supply system. A MMC with delta configuration is fit for controlling negative-sequence current because circulating currents across delta-connected clusters provide extra flexibility in unbalance control. A RPC based on delta-connected MMC is developed. Steinmetz theory is used to calculate fundamental frequency phase reference current. Since the obtained fundamental frequency phase reference current always has a 90 degree phase difference with the line voltage, the dc voltage balancing of the MMC is easy to achieve. In addition, harmonic reference current among the three phases are balanced to reduce the total rating of the converter. The design and control of the RPC based on delta-connected MMC are validated by simulation results.

Background Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a complex, pandemic disease contributing towards the global burden of health issues. To date, there are no simple clinical tests for the early detection of T2DM. Method To identify potential peptide biomarkers for such applications, 406 sera of T2DM patients (n = 206) and healthy controls (n = 200) were analyzed using MALDI-TOF MS with a cross-sectional case-control design. Result Six peptides (peaks m/z 1452.9, 1692.8, 1946.0, 2115.1, 2211.0 and 4053.6) were identified as candidate biomarkers for T2DM. A diagnostic model constructed with the 6 peptides was able to discriminate T2DM patients from healthy controls, with an accuracy of 82.20%, sensitivity of 82.50%, and specificity of 77.80% in the validation set. Peptide peaks m/z 1452.9 and 1692.8 were identified as fragments of the complement C3f, while peptide peaks m/z 1946.0, 2115.0, and 2211.0 were identified as the fragments of kininogen 1 isoform 1 precursor. Conclusion This study reinforces proteomic analyses as a potential technique for defining significant clinical peptide biomarkers, providing a simple and convenient diagnostic model for T2DM in clinical examination. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

To understand type B insulin resistance syndrome (B-IRS) by reviewing 3 cases from our center and cases from literatures.The clinical characteristics, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up data of the 3 patients with B-IRS were evaluated.All the 3 patients were middle-aged women with severe hyperglycemia or paradoxical hypoglycemia. The clinical findings were as follows. (1)B-IRS was associated with several autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and sclerosis. (2) The metabolic abnormalities of B-IRS include weight loss, severe hyperinsulinemia, high level of adiponectin, and low level of insulin-like growth factor type 1(IGF-1) and TG. (3)B-IRS was characterized with nonspecific serological disorders (such as leukopenia, thrombocytopenia and hypoalbuminemia) and changes (decreased complements and elevated IgG and/or IgA), and with specific immunological abnormalities[such as high titer of antinuclear antibody(ANA), positive in anti-SSA, anti-SSB and anti-dsDNA antibodies). Positive in anti-insulin receptor antibody was of diagnostic value but not necessary. (4) Treatments include insulin in combination with immunosuppressive therapy. Patients with H. pylori (Hp) infection may be benefit with eradication therapy.B-IRS is rare but not difficult to identify. Treatments include therapy of the underlying diseases and high dose of insulin.

To evaluate the association between calcaneus bone mineral density (BMD) and metabolic syndrome (MS).A cross-sectional study was carried out in 5 552 subjects with 1 987 men and 3 565 women (age:40-87 years old). MS was defined according to Chinese Diabetes Society criteria. BMD was assessed by quantitative ultrasound.The proportion of MS was 29.0% in male and 24.4% in female. There were no differences in BMD between MS and non-MS subjects in both genders. Linear trend analysis displayed that BMD was positively associated with the increase of MS components in post-menopausal women after adjustment of age, ALT, creatinine and exercises (P0.05). Moreover, multiple regression analysis showed that BMD was inversely correlated with age (β = -0.034, P0.001) and positively correlated with BMI (β = 0.046, P = 0.001) , TG (β = 0.066, P = 0.034) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) (β = 0.007, P = 0.039) in post-menopausal women with MS.BMD tended to increase with the numbers of MS components in post-menopausal women. It was positively correlated with BMI, TG and SBP in postmenopausal women with MS.

The aim of the present study was to assess the relationship between night sleep duration and glycemic and triglyceride (TG) levels among people with different glycemic status.In all, 18,121 subjects aged ≥40 years were enrolled in this cross-sectional study, including 4318 with impaired glucose regulation (IGR), 4225 with diabetes, and 9578 with normal glucose regulation (NGR). The IGR + diabetes and NGR groups were divided into three subgroups according to self-reported night sleep duration as follows: (i)6 h; (ii) 6-9 h; and (iii)9 h. The associations of sleep duration with HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-h post-load plasma glucose (PPG), and TG levels were examined.Long night sleep duration (9 h) was associated with higher HbA1c, FPG, PPG, and TG levels compared with sleep duration of 6-9 h (P 0.01 for all) in the IGR + diabetes group, but not in the NGR group. This association was adjusted for potential confounders, including body mass index and depressive symptoms, and remained significant even after adjusting for snoring. A significant interaction between sleep duration and TG or snoring was observed for HbA1c levels, which attenuated the sleep-HbA1c association in the IGR + diabetes group. However, no significant association was observed between short night sleep duration and HbA1c levels.Long night sleep duration is associated with higher HbA1c, FPG, PPG, and TG levels in IGR and diabetes patients, independent of potential confounders. This may be important in clinical management of IGR and diabetes patients.

To evaluate the effect of targeted percutaneous injection of medical ozone through the posterior approach via the spinal canal and dural sac under CT guidance for treatment of lumbar disc herniation.In 262 patients with lumbar disc herniation, medical ozone was injected percutaneously under CT guidance into the lumbar intervertebral disc by the posterior approach at paramedian 1-2 cm from the spinous process, targeting the affected lumbar discs, protruded nucleus pulposus and ipsilateral lateral recess. The concentration of ozone was 40-50 µg/ml in the disc/protruded nucleus pulposus and 30 µg/ml in the lateral recess (around the nerve root).The treatment procedures were successfully completed in all the 262 patients. The average scores of JOA and VAS before treatment were 8.30∓1.4 and 8.73∓0.8, and changed significantly to 24.16∓3.2 (P=0.0158) and 2.41∓0.2 (P=0.0242) after treatment, respectively. According to the modified MacNab criteria, the therapeutic effect was excellent in 165 cases, fair in 64 cases, acceptable in 20 cases, and poor in 13 cases, with a total success rate of 87.4%. No patient showed serious complications after the treatment.Compared with routine ozone therapy by the posterior-lateral approach, targeted percutaneous ozone injection into the intervertebral disc by the modified posterior approach is safe and yields better therapeutic effect for lumbar disc herniation.

Using self-exchange electron transfer (ET) as the basis, three scale methods and the ab initio compute the inner-sphere reorganization energy (RE) of redox couples participating in ET reactions in the gaseous phase. The parameters involved in the scale formulae were determined by using ab initio calculations at different HFSCF basis-set levels, and the results were compared with the experimental findings. The inner-sphere REs were calculated for the AH 2 /AH + 2 (A = B, C, N and O) system. As an approximation the bond-angle coupling interaction constrast was neglected in building up the scale formulae via the function model; the reasonableness of this approximation is discussed. The results show that values obtained from ab initio calculations and using the most accurate theoretical scale method give the best agreement with values obtained with function scale methods.

This paper designs a rectifier load simulative generator, which can produce harmonic current, active current and reactive current to test the performance of power quality amelioration equipments conveniently and economically. The characteristics of rectifier circuit with a large inductance loading or with capacitive load are analyzed. The circuit structure and control strategy of the simulative generator are introduced in detail. The energy consumed by the PWM rectifier can be fed back to the grid by the inverter. Thus, the generator can achieve energy conservation, and will need a little power capacity to complete the test. PSIM simulation verify that the proposed generator can simulative actual loads, such as rectifier circuit with a large inductance loading or with capacitive load.

This paper deals with a high-powered, low-loss and digital current disturbance generator. It can produce harmonic current, active current, inductive reactive current and capacitive reactive current, so it is able to simulate kinds of actual industrial situations. By using energy feedback technology, the generator feeds the power consumed by the current disturbance back to the grid. Thus, it can save a lot of energy, and the lab will need less power capacity. The unit of feedback can also compensate the harmonic current and reactive current, so the generator has little impact on the power grid. Simulation result verifies the correctness of analysis and the validity of the project.

The paper analyzed the defects and causes of shunt APF and serial APF when they are used to suppress the distortion in load current or in source voltage separately. It also introduced the operation principle of unified power quality compensator (UPQC), which is able to compensate for both the source voltage and load current at the same time. The paper proposed the reference criteria comparison detection method for voltage distortion, dq0 detection method for current distortion and PI control strategy for stabilizing the voltage of DC capacitors. Simulation result verified the correctness of analysis and the effectiveness of UPQC design.

Filters are used to implement signal transforms, and filter design is a very important part of the signal processing field. There are currently 2 types of filters available: the finite impulse response (FIR) filter, and the infinite impulse response (IIR) filter. While FIR filters have desirable traits such as stability (an absence of poles), IIR filters are able to generate outputs more efficiently. This paper combines the two types of filters by introducing an output slope trigger, to make a hybrid impulse response (HIR) filter with desirable traits from both FIR and IIR filters

Filters are used to implement signal transforms, and filter design is a very important part of the signal processing field. There are currently 2 types of filters available: the finite impulse response (FIR) filter, and the infinite impulse response (IIR) filter. While FIR filters have desirable traits such as stability (an absence of poles), IIR filters are able to generate outputs more efficiently. This paper combines the two types of filters by introducing a zero-counter, to make a hybrid impulse response (HIR) filter with desirable traits from both FIR and IIR.

The complete nucleotide sequences of two Chinese isolates of Beet soil-borne virus (BSBV) from the Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang provinces (designated BSBV-IM and BSBV-XJ, respectively) were found to share around 99% sequence identity with that of a previously reported German isolate (BSBV-G). The genome organization of the three isolates was identical. A diversity index (Pi) analysis indicated that the overall nucleotide variability of all RNAs among the three isolates was 6%. Although the 3' end of BSBV RNA 3 was previously reported to be highly variable, the results of this study show that the total BSBV genomes are considerably conserved, especially RNAs 1 and 2.