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MOCA1 encodes the last key glucuronosyltransferase for ionic stress sensor glycosyl inositol phosphoryl-ceramide (GIPCs) biosynthesis in Arabidopsis, which indicates that the MOCA gene family play important role in plant tolerance to salt stress. However, the isolation and function of MOCAs in staple crops have not been reported and the downstream targets of MOCAs in salt stress tolerance signalling pathway are not clear. In this study, we identified 110 MOCA genes in wheat which were classified into five clades and they differed in gene structure, protein length, conserved motifs and expression profiles in different tissues and under salt stress. TaMOCA1 was selected for further functional study in response to salt stress. TaMOCA1 was rapidly induced by NaCl treatment. The 35S::TaMOCA1-GFP construction showed the cell nucleus and cytoplasm location in wheat protoplast. TaMOCA1 over-expressing Arabidopsis seedlings formed longer primary roots and more lateral roots than the wild type ones under 50 mM NaCl treatment. The over-expressing Arabidopsis had higher expression levels of HKT1, but lower expression levels of NHX1 and SOS genes than the wild type. Also, the transgenic plants had higher SOD activity and lower MDA content than the wild Arabidopsis seedling under salt stress. These results may indicate that TaMOCA1 increases salt stress tolerance through decreasing Na+ loading from the xylem parenchyma cells to the xylem via SOS1 and HKT1, hence lowering root-to-shoot delivery of Na+ and superior antioxidant ability. All these results lay a foundation for further functional study of MOCAs in wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractPropolis is a natural resinous compound produced by bees, mixed with their saliva and wax, and has a range of biological benefits, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. This article reviews the in vivo transformation of propolis flavonoids and their potential influence on drug efficacy. Despite propolis is widely used, there is little research on how the active ingredients of propolis change in the body and how they interact with drugs. Future research will focus on these interactions and the metabolic fate of propolis in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate solutions of telegraph, Laplace and wave equations within the local fractional derivative operator by using local fractional Sumudu decomposition method. This method is coupled by the Sumudu transform and decomposition method. The method in general is easy to implement and yields good results. Illustrative examples are included to demonstrate the validity and applicability of the presented method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expectations can profoundly modulate pain experience, during which the periaqueductal gray (PAG) plays a pivotal role. In this article, we focus on motivationally evoked neural activations in cortical and brainstem regions both before and during stimulus administration, as has been demonstrated by experimental studies on pain-modulatory effects of expectations, in the hope of unraveling how the PAG is involved in descending and ascending nociceptive processes. This motivational perspective on expectancy effects on the perception of noxious stimuli sheds new light on psychological and neuronal substrates of pain and its modulation, thus having important research and clinical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The actual positive rate of interferon gamma release assays (IGRAs) in patients with nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections remains unclear. This review and meta-analysis present the prevalence of positive IGRAs (T-SPOT.TB and QuantiFERON [QFT] tests) among patients infected with NTM isolates (with or without ESAT-6/CFP-10). Methods: Several databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science were searched (until June 18th, 2022). Studies that had the following data were included: (1) results of T-SPOT.TB, QuantiFERON (QFT) test, or both, (2) NTM species, and (3) NTM diseases, or NTM colonization. The metaprop command that incorporates a Freeman-Tukey double arcsine transformation is used for pooling proportions. Results: A total of 11 articles (n = 929) were deemed eligible for inclusion. Meta-analysis identified that the overall pooled positive and indeterminate rates of IGRA results in patients with NTM infections was 16% and 5%, respectively. Subgroup analysis showed that the positive rate of IGRAs in patients infected with NTM (without ESAT-6/CFP-10) was 7% (95% CI, 1%-18%), and 44% (95%CI, 22%-68%) in patients infected with NTM (with ESAT-6/CFP-10). In addition, the indeterminate rate of QFT (7%, 95% CI: 4%-12%) was higher than that of T-SPOT.TB (0%; 95% CI, 0%-2%) among the overall population with NTM infections. Conclusions: The IGRAs have a moderate positive rate for the diagnosis of NTM (expressing ESAT-6/CFP-10) infections, and a significant indeterminate rate is observed among the overall population infected with NTM. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution because of the high heterogeneity among studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The habenula has been implicated in the pathogenesis of pain and analgesia, while evidence concerning its function in chronic low back pain (cLBP) is sparse. This study aims to investigate the resting‐state functional connectivity (rsFC) and effective connectivity of the habenula in 52 patients with cLBP and 52 healthy controls (HCs) and assess the feasibility of distinguishing cLBP from HCs based on connectivity by machine learning methods. Our results indicated significantly enhanced rsFC of the habenula‐left superior frontal cortex (SFC), habenula‐right thalamus, and habenula‐bilateral insular pathways as well as decreased rsFC of the habenula‐pons pathway in cLBP patients compared to HCs. Dynamic causal modelling revealed significantly enhanced effective connectivity from the right thalamus to right habenula in cLBP patients compared with HCs. RsFC of the habenula‐SFC was positively correlated with pain intensities and Hamilton Depression scores in the cLBP group. RsFC of the habenula‐right insula was negatively correlated with pain duration in the cLBP group. Additionally, the combination of the rsFC of the habenula‐SFC, habenula‐thalamus, and habenula‐pons pathways could reliably distinguish cLBP patients from HCs with an accuracy of 75.9% by support vector machine, which was validated in an independent cohort (N = 68, accuracy = 68.8%, p =.001). Linear regression and random forest could also distinguish cLBP and HCs in the independent cohort (accuracy = 73.9 and 55.9%, respectively). Overall, these findings provide evidence that cLBP may be associated with abnormal rsFC and effective connectivity of the habenula, and highlight the promise of machine learning in chronic pain discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To explore the correlation between pulmonary function and chest radiograph fibrosis score among patients with pneumoconiosis. Methods A total of 100 patients with pneumoconiosis treated at the Shandong Academy of Occupational Health and Occupational Medicine from November 2020 to April 2021 were studied. The chest digital radiography of these patients was evaluated, and the fibrosis score was assessed based on the density of shadow in each lung area on the chest X -ray. The relationship between the score of pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary function was analyzed. Results Among 100 male cases of pneumoconiosis, 37 cases were in the first stage, 41 cases in the second stage, and 22 cases in the third stage. 34 cases had lung function impairment, including 22 mild, 11 moderate, and 1 severe case, with an incidence of 27.02% in the first stage, 29.26% in the second stage, and 54.54% in the third stage; the difference was significant (P < 0.05). The fibrosis score increased with the pneumoconiosis stage (P < 0.01), and the forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC, 75% maximal expiratory flow (MEF75), and 50% maximal expiratory flow (MEF50) decreased (P < 0.05). The scores of pulmonary fibrosis were negatively correlated with FVC, FEV1, MEF75, MEF50, 25% vital capacity (MEF25), and the single breath diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO SB) (r = - 0.339, - 0.431, - 0.334, - 0.362, - 0.369, - 0.245, P < 0.05). The patients with more severe pulmonary function had a higher score of fibrosis (P < 0.05). Conclusions The fibrosis score on the chest radiograph of pneumoconiosis patients is a useful indicator for the clinician to evaluate the lung function damage caused by pneumoconiosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context • China is a country in which frequent natural disasters occur, but there is a lack of disaster education in Chinese institutions of higher education. Nursing students should receive disaster and emergency training in addition to their professional medical training. Objective • Our study aimed to investigate the current situation and disaster knowledge and training needs of nursing students and to increase the disaster first aid knowledge of college nursing students. Design • This was a cross-sectional study. Setting • The study took place at Taizhou University in Taizhou, Zhejiang, China. Participants • Participants were 443 full-time undergraduate nursing students at Taizhou University in China. Outcome Measures • This cross-sectional survey included a general questionnaire and an undergraduate nursing student disaster nursing ability questionnaire. Results • The survey results were from the first to the third year of study. Students were age 20 to 23 years, with an average age of 20.57±1.85 years. The largest group (35.44%) was made up of juniors. The scores of 3 dimensions of this survey were: dimension of physical and mental quality dimension (3.76 ± 0.71), theoretical system dimension (3.00 ± 0.57) and practical competencies dimension (2.89 ± 0.68). The ability to adapt to rescue needs at the disaster site and whether or not the student had heard of the term “disaster nursing” is the dominant factor affecting the disaster nursing skills of undergraduate nursing students. Conclusions • The disaster relief of male undergraduate nursing student seniors is more positive and their physical and mental quality is better than female nursing students, but knowledge of disaster prevention and practical capability in disaster relief remain weak and there is a lack of a corresponding theoretical system and competence in practical knowledge and skills. It is recommended that systematic disaster nursing education at universities be improved. Knowledge of disaster rescue should be taught systematically to improve awareness of disaster procedures and response and improve the level of practical skills in disaster rescue. We should learn from the educational approach and models of disaster nursing training in developed countries in order to establish a disaster nursing education model in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complexation of dibromo‐fluorenylborane (FluH‐BBr2) with bulky bis(2,6‐diisopropylphenyl)imidazol‐2‐ylidene (IPr) afforded N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) borane adduct 1, which could be subsequently dehydrobrominated by smaller 1,3‐diisopropyl‐4,5‐dimethylimidazol‐2‐ylidene (IPr2Me2) to give the alkylideneborane‐NHC complex 2. Species 2 readily binds with potassium ion to form a potassium alkylideneborane complex 3 through exclusive cation‐π interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context • Undergraduate, professional education in midwifery is essential. Teaching professional knowledge while guiding students to develop positive career values is one of the tasks of midwifery educators. Studies in China have shown that the stronger the ego-identity of students, the stronger their professional identities will be. Objective • The study intended to investigate the occupational self-efficacy and ego-identity of midwifery students, to analyze the correlation between the two characteristics, and to explore the factors influencing their occupational self-efficacy. Design • The research team designed a cross-sectional survey. Setting • The study took place at Taizhou University in Taizhou, Zhejiang, China. Participants • Participants were 232 full-time, undergraduate, midwifery students at the university. Selection of participants occurred between November 2018 and December 2018. Outcome Measures • The cross-sectional survey included a demographic questionnaire, a career self-efficacy questionnaire, and a ego-identity status. Results • For the students: (1) the mean career selfefficacy of the midwifery students was 3.34 ± 0.58, at a moderate level; (2) the mean overall ego-identity score was 47.44 ± 5.92; 189 (81.47%) of students were those who hadn’t yet formed a ego-identity (identity-diffusion status). The multiple gradual regression showed that present selfengagement; per-capita, monthly household income; and midwifery as the first choice of major were the main factors affecting the self-efficacy of midwifery students. Conclusions • The occupational self-efficacy and egoidentity of midwifery students urgently need improvement, and ego-identity has a predictive value for occupational self-efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ubiquitin-binding enzyme E2T (UBE2T), a member of the E2 family of the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway, is associated with tumorigenesis of varioustumours; however, its role and mechanism in ovarian cancer remain unclear. Results: Our study revealed that UBE2T is highly expressed in ovarian cancer; this high expression was closely related to poor prognosis. Immunohistochemistry was used to validate the high expression of UBE2T in ovarian cancer. This is the first study to demonstrate that UBE2T expression is higher in ovarian cancer with BRCA mutation. Moreover, we demonstrated that UBE2T gene silencing significantly inhibited ovarian cancer cell proliferation and invasion. The epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of ovarian cancer cells and phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K-AKT) pathway were significantly inhibited. Adding the mechanistic target of rapamycin activator MHY1485 activated the PI3K-AKT pathway and significantly restored the proliferative and invasive ability of ovarian cancer cells. Furthermore, a tumorigenesis experiment in nude mice revealed that tumour growth on mice body surface and tumour tissue EMT were significantly inhibited after UBE2T gene silencing. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that UBE2T regulates EMT via the PI3K-AKT pathway and plays a carcinogenic role in ovarian cancer. Moreover, UBE2T may interact with BRCA to affect ovarian cancer occurrence and development. Hence, UBE2T may be a valuable novel biomarker for the early diagnosis and prognosis and treatment of ovarian cancer. Further, UBE2T inhibition may be effective for treating ovarian cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional estimation of tea yield significantly depends on fields observation, which is facing operational and management challenges due to increasing farm sizes and rising labor costs. Development of artificial intelligence such as deep learning (DL) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) provide opportunities where intelligent system of tea fields will be constructed. This study carried out the application of tea yield estimation model to practical field scenarios. A large dataset of UAV tea buds' images was built, which contained 5899 images and 29,958 labelled tea buds. Based on the large dataset, YOLOv5 model was used to train, and CSPDarknet53 performed best over Swin Transformer and ConvNeXt as backbone. The mean average precision (mAP), precision, recall and F1 score of CSPDarknet53 were respectively 85.63%, 84.91%,72.19% and 78.00%. Meanwhile, the large database weakened the differences among models of different sizes. Squeeze-and-excitation (SE) block was inserted, and the mAP of all models with CSPDarknet53 and SE was over 85.00%, indicating models could be applied to tea fields. To reduce the number of repeated tea bud detection boxes in the prediction process, a second non-maximum suppression (NMS) filter was used with threshold value of 0.20. The yield of fresh tea leaves before and after picking was estimated according to the number of tea buds detected in different seasons and different types of tea plants. The yield of fresh tea leaves in spring before picking was estimated to 1223.22 kg/ha. This study is a complete report from model training to tea field application, and will advance the industrialization development of agriculture. [Display omitted] • A large dataset with 5899 images and 29,958 labelled tea buds was built. • The mean average precision of tea bud detection was over 85.00%. • CSPDarknet53 as backbone of YOLOv5 performed best. • Tea yields in spring and summer were accurately estimated in tea fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Osteitis fibrosa cystica is a rare, benign and osteolytic lesion attributed to hyperparathyroidism. The high level of parathyroid hormone cause rapid bone loss.Case Presentation: The patient is a 50-year-old male complaining of severe and persistent pain in the right knee joint. Imaging studies were suspicious for a benign tumor in the right distal femur. Biopsy under CT guidance showed numerous osteoclast aggregation and hemosiderin deposition around the bone trabeculae. Blood tests disclosed significantly elevated parathyroid hormone, serum calcium, serum alkaline phosphatase. Parathyroid ultrasonography and CT scan showed a solid mass in front of the trachea at the thoracic entrance plane. After resection of the mass, the clinical symptoms were relieved and the radiological results were significantly improved, which further confirmed the diagnosis.Conclusions: Metabolic diseases-associated bone lesions require a comprehensive diagnosis of multiple inspection items. An interprofessional team approach to the diagnosis and treatment of osteitis fibrosa cystica will provide the best outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Thalamocortical dysrhythmia is thought to underlie the pathophysiology of chronic pain. • CLBP is associated with increased anatomical connectivity of the left thalamo-motor pathway revealed by DTI. • Resting-state functional connectivity between bilateral motor/somatosensory cortex and the thalamus is increased in CLBP patients. • Somatosensory-thalamic resting-state functional connectivity is correlated with back pain intensity. • Abnormal thalamocortical connectivity might indicate disrupted communication between motor/somatosensory cortex and the thalamus in cLBP. Thalamocortical dysfunction is thought to underlie the pathophysiology of chronic pain revealed by electroencephalographic studies. The thalamus serves as a primary relay center to transmit sensory information and motor impulses via dense connections with the somatosensory and motor cortex. In this study, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) (probabilistic tractography) and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (functional connectivity) were used to characterize the anatomical and functional integrity of the thalamo-sensorimotor pathway in chronic low back pain (cLBP). Fifty-four patients with cLBP and 54 healthy controls were included. The results suggested significantly increased anatomical connectivity of the left thalamo-motor pathway characterized by probabilistic tractography in patients with cLBP. Moreover, there was significantly altered resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of bilateral thalamo-motor/somatosensory pathways in patients with cLBP as compared to healthy controls. We also detected a significant correlation between pain intensity during the MRI scan and rsFC of the right thalamo-somatosensory pathway in cLBP. Our findings highlight the involvement of the thalamo-sensorimotor circuit in the pathophysiology of cLBP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main failure mode of a wheel–axle assembly, which is an important moving part of rail vehicles, in the interference fit zone is partial fatigue. Given that neither the plane analytical method nor the axisymmetric finite element method can reveal the local and stochastic contact stress concentration at the end of the wheel seat, this study analyzed various factors influencing a machined mating surface and found that the cylindricity error is a key factor in transforming the plane contact into a 3D contact. In addition, the experimental data of the pressing force applied to 60 groups of wheel–axle assemblies were analyzed, and the circumferential contour of the mating surface was found to conform to a beta distribution. Accordingly, a method for obtaining random interpolation points on the circumferential contour was proposed. To ensure the continuity of the mating surface, the circumferential Hermite interpolation method and the axial cubic interpolation method were employed, and the contact surface with random characteristics was modeled. Based on the random ergodicity of the mating surface, a small-sample 3D finite element model of a wheel–axle assembly was established using the random cylindricity error, and a calculation method for the 3D contact stress was proposed. Taking the RE2B axle of railway locomotive as an example, compared with the axisymmetric method, the inhomogeneity analysis of the contact stress of the small-sample model proposed in this paper could help explain the problem of local stress concentration at the end of the wheel seat. The analysis results showed that the maximum stress of the 3D model based on the cylindricity is greater than that of the axisymmetric model, enabling strength evaluation in the design of wheel–axle assemblies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Race disparities exist in bone metastasis (BM) development and survival in lung cancer (LC) patients. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was used to investigate different patterns of BM development and survival in different races. Design: LC patients with BM were identified from the database from 2010 to 2014. Risk factors were investigated by univariable and multivariable logistic regression. Potential factors for prognosis were evaluated by univariable and multivariable Cox regression. Results: Asian and Pacific Islander (API) patients presented the highest prevalence of BM (24.6%), followed by white (20.7%) and black patients (19.9%) (χ2 = 78.74; p <.001). After adjusting for the demographic and clinical factors, API race was independently associated with a high risk of BM development. The median survival times for the API, white and black LC patients with BM were 16 months (95% CI: 15.2–16.8), 11 months (95% CI: 10.9–11.1) and 10 months (95% CI: 9.7–10.3), respectively, with significant differences (p <.001). Multivariable Cox regression showed that API race was positively associated with greater overall survival compared with white and black patients. Male gender, larger tumor size, lymph node involvement, lower tumor differentiated grade, and the presence of lung, liver and brain metastases were independently associated with a high risk of developing BM and worse survival with LC across all races. Age, income, insurance and histological types had different impacts on BM among different races. Conclusion: Homogeneous and heterogeneous associated factors for BM were revealed among different races. Individualized screening and treatment should be performed race-specifically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Amygdala contains heterogeneous nuclei presented with distinct functions. • Low back pain accompanies by negative emotion related to amygdala function. • Dynamic causal modelling can describe the connectivity direction in chronic pain states. • Greater resting-state functional connectivity of amygdala-medial prefrontal pathway was seen in chronic low back pain. • Lower effective connectivity of medial prefrontal-to-amygdala pathway was suggested in chronic low back pain. Chronic nonspecific low back pain (cNLBP) is a leading contributor to disease burden worldwide that is difficult to treat due to its nonspecific aetiology and complexity. The amygdala is a complex of structurally and functionally heterogeneous nuclei that serve as a key neural substrate for the interactions between pain and negative affective states. However, whether the functions of amygdalar subcomponents are differentially altered in cNLBP remains unknown. Little attention has focused on effective connectivity of the amygdala with the cortex in cNLBP. In this study, thirty-three patients with cNLBP and 33 healthy controls (HCs) were included. Resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) and effective connectivity of the amygdala and its subregions were examined. Our results showed that the patient group exhibited significantly greater rsFC between the left amygdala and left dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), which was negatively correlated with pain intensity ratings. Subregional analyses suggested a difference located at the superficial nuclei of the amygdala. Dynamic causal modelling revealed significantly lower effective connectivity from the left amygdala to the dorsal mPFC in patients with cNLBP than in HCs. Both groups exhibited stronger effective connectivity from the left amygdala to the right amygdala. In summary, these findings not only suggested altered rsFC of the amygdala-mPFC pathway in cNLBP but also implicated an abnormal direction of information processing between the amygdala and mPFC in these patients. Our results further highlight the involvement of the amygdala in the neuropathology of cNLBP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new ring-intact limonoid, ciliatonoid D (1), five new 7,8- seco limonoids, ciliatonoids E–I (2 – 6), three new 7,8- seco -29-nor limonoids, ciliatonoids J–L (7 – 9), and a new 7,8:9,11- diseco limonoid, ciliatonoid M (10), together with eleven known limonoids were isolated from the twigs of Toona ciliata. Their structures were established by comprehensive analyses of spectroscopic, electronic circular dichroism, single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. Compound 6 bears an uncommon 1,30-oxygen bridge. Compound 10 represents a rare example of a structure with 9,11- seco limonoid from Meliaceae. The orientation of the 14,15-epoxy moiety in a known limonoid, toonayunnanae C (12), was revised as in a β -orientation by quantum NMR calculations with ML- J -DP4 probability analysis. Compound 9 and a known analogue, toonanoronoid C (11), were found to show modest in vitro cytotoxicity against HL-60 (human premyelocytic leukemia) and P-388 (murine leukemia) cell lines. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• To solve the noise interference in the process of acoustic emission health monitoring of bridges, • The components of the noise in the process of bridge operation were analysed. • The characteristics of tire-road AE noise signal generated by different vehicles at different speeds were studied. • The differences of AE noise measured by sensors in different monitoring positions were compared. • A prediction method considering the non-stationary characteristics of tire–road AE noise is proposed. During the acoustic emission (AE) monitoring of bridge, the AE signal we need can be easily masked by tire–road noise. To find out how much this noise affects the AE monitoring results of the bridge. In this study, controlled pass-by tests were carried out to collect the tire–road AE signals made by cars, buses, and heavy trucks with different speeds, where AE sensors are placed at multiple positions on the pavement and bottom deck of the bridge. In each case, the intensity and spectrum of AE noise were analyzed. Results show that the intensity of the tire–road AE noise increases with the speed, and the bandwidth of the main frequency increases slightly with the increasing speed. The peak frequency of the tire–road AE noise produced by the vehicles is approximately 2 kHz, and the AE energy distributes between 0 and 25 kHz. The proposed prediction method based on the characteristics of tire–road AE noise can effectively predict noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the most basic structure, the concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) frame has been widely used in various structures and systems. Compared with conventional reinforced concrete structures and steel structures, CFST structures in strong earthquake showcase more complicated strength and deformation behavior because there are many factors underlying the failure mode. Furthermore, according to the specifications at home and abroad, the corresponding design method to achieve reasonable failure modes for CFST structures has not been clarified. Based on a destructive test on steel beam-CFST plane frames under constant axial load and lateral load, the fiber mode method and solid element model method are adopted to simulate the failure process of the test frames. Based on finite element model simulations and tests, the fiber model method is proposed to carry out the pushover analysis on the CFST frame structures. The factors behind the reasonable failure mode of steel beam-concrete-filled circular steel tubular (CFCST) frame structures are analyzed. Furthermore, the law and influencing factors behind the ratio of flexural capacity of column to beam, the ratio of line stiffness of beam to column, and the ratio of axial compression on the deformation, bearing capacity, and failure modes of the structure are discussed. Some suggestions on the design of reasonable failure mode of steel beam-concrete-filled circular steel tubular (CFCST) frame structures are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the traveling wave fronts for a lattice dynamical system with global interaction, which arises in a single species in a 2D patchy environment with infinite number of patches connected locally by diffusion and global interaction by delay. We prove that all non-critical traveling wave fronts are globally exponentially stable in time, and the critical traveling wave fronts are globally algebraically stable by the weighted energy method combined with the comparison principle and the discrete Fourier transform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Polysaccharides were extracted from red grape pomace by hot water extraction. • The clarified polysaccharides were separated into four fractions by the DEAE resin. • All the four fractions were negatively charged and contained uronic acid. • The 3rd fraction contains arabinose, xylose, mannose, glucose, galactose, rhamnose. • The 3rd fraction exhibits flake-like and triple helix structure with -O- linkage. Polysaccharides were recovered from red grape pomace by hot water extraction and then subjected to deproteinization, decolorization, fractionization, and characterization. The extraction process conferred a crude polysaccharide yield of 8.45 % (w/w) and the highest decolorization rate of 63.12 % was obtained by soaking the crude polysaccharide solution with 0.20 g/mL HPD-300 macroporous resin for 3 h. Separation with the anionic DEAE Fast Flow column generated four fractions, which were negatively charged according to zeta potential measurement. All the fractions contained uronic acid and their weight-average molecular weights were within the range 2 × 106–4 × 106 Dal. The most abundant fraction GPP-3 was composed of arabinose, xylose, mannose, glucose, and galactose in molar ratio 8.05:1.37:2.85:1.30:7.81 and rhamnose was also present according to FTIR and NMR analysis. AFM observation revealed that aggregation occurred in GPP-3, while the Congo red and β-elimination tests indicated the existence of triple helix and -O- linkage in the fraction. Hence, red grape pomace is a potential source of water-soluble polysaccharides and their bioactivity needs further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Main observation and conclusion: Transition metal‐rare earth oxide catalysts had the ability to catalyze ammonia decomposition according to recent years' scientific reports. However, most of those catalysts had their own limitations: the catalytic activity was poor, and/or the active species could not clearly be identified. Here we report the CoaSmbOx catalysts with good dispersion, controllable content, and excellent catalytic performance for ammonia decomposition. The various content catalysts were synthesized by aerosol‐assisted self‐assembly approach. These catalysts had high dispersion and great morphology according to the images of the transmission electron microscope (TEM) and the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The temperature‐programmed reduction by hydrogen (H2‐TPR) and in‐situ X‐ray diffraction (XRD) results indicated that the interaction between cobalt oxide and samarium oxide influenced the redox properties of cobalt oxide. Combined with in‐situ Raman, we found that Co0 was an active species of the CoaSmbOx catalysts in ammonia decomposition. Moreover, the temperature‐programmed desorption of NH3 (NH3‐TPD) data illustrated that the addition of Sm was beneficial to the adsorption of NH3. In general, we successfully obtained the CoaSmbOx catalyst with high activity and good stability. More importantly, we have identified the structure‐function relationship of catalysts by exploring the active species in the reaction process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of whey protein isolate (WPI)–low methoxyl pectin (LMP) particles generated by complex coacervation as a food-grade high internal phase Pickering emulsion (HIPE) stabilizer was investigated. The coacervation pH greatly influenced the emulsification ability of the resultant WPI–LMP particles and those separated in pH 3.5 could generate a HIPE with oil fraction of up to 79.02%, which could be ascribed to their small particle size and moderate contact angle. The emulsification ability of the WPI–LMP coacervates was quite sensitive to ionic strength and their concentration, in which, HIPEs could be fabricated only in the absence of NaCl and stabilizer concentration 1.5% (w/v) or higher. The HIPEs showed decreased droplet size with WPI–LMP coacervate concentration rise and were of the oil-in-water type according to confocal laser scanning microscope observation. The HIPEs stabilized by the WPI–LMP coacervates were stable only in solutions with pH of 4.0 or lower and were resistant to centrifugation and heating, but collapsed readily upon freezing and thawing; meanwhile, a higher stabilizer concentration conferred better stabilities. Hence, the WPI–LMP coacervates could find potential applications in the food industry as a HIPE stabilizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Ni/Co co‐catalyzed reductive hydrocyanation of various alkynes was developed for the production of saturated nitriles. Hydrocyanic acid is generated in situ from safe and readily available formamide. Formamide played multiple roles as a cyano source, dehydrant, and reductant for the NiII pre‐catalyst and vinyl nitriles, along with acting as the co‐solvent in this reaction. Detailed mechanistic investigation supported a pathway via hydrocyanation of C≡C bond and the subsequent reduction of C=C bond. Wide substrate scope, the employment of a cheap and stable nickel salt as pre‐catalyst, a safe cyano source and convenient experimental operation render this hydrocyanation practical for the laboratory synthesis of saturated nitriles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An energy pile with U-tubes is a special type of ground heat exchanger (GHE) formed by setting U-tubes into a concrete pile during the construction of building foundations. The parallel U-tubes increase heat transfer area, thereby improving energy pile performance. The analytical and numerical heat transfer models of U-tube energy piles are established in this study, considering homogenous and heterogeneous thermal properties of the pile and surrounding soil. Analytical solutions are obtained using the Laplace method and superimposition principle. The solutions of the analytical heat transfer model are verified using the numerical model with finite element method. The results provide a method for designing pile heat exchangers with U-tubes in parallel. • Develop numerical and analytical heat transfer models for energy pile with U-tube. • Obtain analytical solutions of the temperatures of the pile and soil. • The influence of different properties between pile and soil to thermal performance is analyzed. • The thermal effectiveness is defined and investigated by analytical model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider the Riemann-Liouville-type general fractional derivatives of the non-singular kernel of the one-parametric Lorenzo-Hartley function. A new general fractional-order-derivative Goldstein-Kac-type telegraph equation is proposed for the first time. The analytical solution of the considered model with the graphs is obtained with the aid of the Laplace transform. The general fractional- order-derivative formula is as a new mathematical tool proposed to model the anomalous behaviors in complex and power-law phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online instruments have been widely applied for the measurement of PM2.5 and its chemical components; however, these instruments have a major shortcoming in terms of the lack or limited number of species in field measurements. To this end, a new mass closure PM2.5 online integrated system was developed and applied in this work to develop more comprehensive information on chemical species in PM2.5. For the new system, one isokinetic sampling system for PM2.5 was coupled with an aerosol chemical speciation monitor (Aerodyne, ACSM), an aethalometer (Magee, AE-31), an automated multi-metals monitor (Cooper Corporation, Xact-625) and a hybrid synchronized ambient particulate real-time analyzer monitor (Thermo Scientific, SHARP-5030i) to enable high-resolution temporal (1 h) measurements of organic matter, SO42- , NO3- , Cl- , NH4+ , black carbon, important elements and PM2.5 mass concentrations. The new online integrated system was first deployed in Shenzhen, China, to measure the PM2.5 composition from 25 September to 30 October 2019. Our results showed that the average PM2.5 concentration in this work was 33 µgm-3 , and the measured species reconstructed the PM2.5 well and almost formed a mass closure (94 %). The multi-linear engine (ME-2) model was employed for the comprehensive online PM2.5 chemical dataset to apportion the sources with predetermined constraints, in which the organic ion fragment m/z 44 in ACSM data was used as the tracer for secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Nine sources were determined and obtained reasonable time series and diurnal variations in this study, including identified SOA (23 %), secondary sulfate (22 %), vehicle emissions (18 %), biomass burning (11 %), coal burning (8.0 %), secondary nitrate (5.3 %), fugitive dust (3.8 %), ship emissions (3.7 %) and industrial emissions (2.1 %). The potential source contribution function (PSCF) analysis indicated that the major source area could be the region north of the sampling site. This is the first system in the world that can perform online measurements of PM2.5 components with a mass closure, thus providing a new powerful tool for PM2.5 long-term daily measurement and source apportionment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abundant and diverse domestic mammals living on the Tibetan Plateau provide useful materials for investigating adaptive evolution and genetic convergence. Here, we used 327 genomes from horses, sheep, goats, cattle, pigs and dogs living at both high and low altitudes, including 73 genomes generated for this study, to disentangle the genetic mechanisms underlying local adaptation of domestic mammals. Although molecular convergence is comparatively rare at the DNA sequence level, we found convergent signature of positive selection at the gene level, particularly the EPAS1 gene in these Tibetan domestic mammals. We also reported a potential function in response to hypoxia for the gene C10orf67 , which underwent positive selection in three of the domestic mammals. Our data provide an insight into adaptive evolution of high-altitude domestic mammals, and should facilitate the search for additional novel genes involved in the hypoxia response pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the performance of an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) power generating system operating with refrigerant R245fa was investigated when heat source temperature was below 200 °C. It was found the system thermal efficiency increased but the exergy efficiency of the evaporator decreased with the increase of the heat source temperature. It was also obtained that the exergy efficiency of the evaporator could reach70% when the heat source temperature was 80 °C, which was high enough to prove that the transformation efficiency between the waste heat and the electricity power was ideal. In the simulation model, the area of different parts of the heat exchanger were considered to be varied, flow rate of the waste heat and working medium, the system thermal and exergy efficiency of the evaporator were respectively calculated, the different parameter change regarding the performance influences of the ORC system were simulated. The results can be considered as a reference to research on the design of ORC power generating systems and heat exchangers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online instruments have been widely applied for the measurement of PM2.5 and its chemical components; however, these instruments have a major shortcoming in terms of the lack or limited number of species in field measurements. To this end, a new mass closure PM2.5 online integrated system was developed and applied in this work to achieve more comprehensive information on chemical species in PM2.5. For the new system, one isokinetic sampling system for PM2.5 was coupled with an aerosol chemical speciation monitor (Aerodyne, ACSM), an Aethalometer (Magee, AE-31), an automated multimetals monitor (Cooper Corporation, Xact-625), and a hybrid synchronized ambient particulate real-time analyzer monitor (Thermo Scientific, SHARP-5030i) to enable high-resolution temporal (1 h) measurements of organic matter, SO42-, NO3-, Cl-, NH4+, black carbon and important elements as well as PM2.5 mass concentrations. The new online integrated system was first deployed in Shenzhen, China to measure the PM2.5 composition from 25 September to 30 October 2019. Our results showed that the average PM2.5 concentration in this work was 33 μg m-3, and the measured species well-reconstructed the PM2.5 and almost formed a mass closure (94 %). The multilinear engine (ME-2) model was employed for the comprehensive online PM2.5 chemical dataset to apportion the sources with predetermined constraints, in which the organic ion fragment m/z 44 in ACSM data was used as the tracer for secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Nine sources were determined and obtained reasonable time series and diurnal variations in this study, including identified SOA (23 %), secondary sulfate (22 %), vehicle emissions (18 %), biomass burning (11 %), coal burning (8.0 %), secondary nitrate (5.3 %), fugitive dust (3.8 %), ship emissions (3.7 %), and industrial emissions (2.1 %). The potential source contribution function (PSCF) analysis indicated that the major source areas could be the region north of the sampling site. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first system that can perform online measurements of PM2.5 components with a mass closure, thus providing a new powerful tool for PM2.5 long-term daily measurement and source apportionment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common complication of cisplatin, which is characterized by intolerable paresthesia, burning, and hyperalgesia, and severely impacts the life quality of patients. However, no clearly potent drug has been found for clinical medication due to its undefined mechanism. Corydalis Saxicola Bunting, a traditional Chinese medicine, has been proven to work well in anti-inflammation, blood circulations improvement, hemostasis, and analgesia. This study was designed to observe the effects of Corydalis saxicola Bunting total alkaloids (CSBTA) on cisplatin-induced neuropathic pain and to explore its potential mechanisms. In this study, the rats received intraperitoneal injection of 2 mg/kg cisplatin twice a week for five weeks. Meanwhile, oral administration of low (30 mg/kg)-, medium (60 mg/kg)- and high (120 mg/kg)-dose CSBTA were given daily for five weeks. By using Von-frey hair, heat radiant and − 8 0 ∘ C cold acetone, we found that CSBTA could obviously relieve cisplatin-induced mechanical, heat, and cold hyperalgesia. It has been verified that cisplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy is related to intraepidermal nerve fibers loss and activation of inflammation downstream. Our research found that Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF- α), Interleukin-1beta (IL-1 β), and Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were significantly increased by 10 intraperitoneal injections of cisplatin, and such pro-inflammation cytokines could be reduced via CSBTA administration. Besides, in the cisplatin model group, the neuronal structures of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) were severely damaged and the loss of intraepidermal nerve fibers occurred; but in the CSBTA administration groups, all above pathological changes were improved. Moreover, CSBTA could normalize the overexpression levels of p-p38 and Transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor (TRPV1) induced by cisplatin in DRG, trigeminal ganglion (TG), spinal cord, and foot of rats. In summary, we considered that CSBTA exerted its therapeutic effects by ameliorating neuronal damages, improving intraepidermal nerve fiber (IENF) loss, and inhibiting inflammation-induced p38 phosphorylation to block TRPV1 activation. These findings were the first to confirm the analgesic effect of CSBTA on CIPN and suggested a novel strategy for treating CIPN in clinic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IL-37, the anti-inflammatory cytokine of the IL-1 family, plays several key roles in the regulation of autoimmune diseases. Yet, its role in Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is not clear. In the present study, we found that, in tissues from HT patients, most of the follicular epithelial cells were positive for both IL-37 and single Ig IL-1-related receptor (SIGIRR) by immunohistochemical staining, while the infiltrating lymphocytes and other inflammatory cells hardly expressed any. Meanwhile, mRNA expression levels of IL-37 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of HT patients were significantly higher than those in normal controls measured by quantitative real-time PCR. Finally, we studied the possible role of IL-37 in IFN-γ-stimulated rat FRTL-5 cells. The results showed that IL-1β, TNF-α, and MCP-1 mRNA levels were significantly decreased, while the expression of IL-4 mRNA was dramatically up-regulated in IFN-γ-stimulated rat thyroid cell line FRTL-5 pre-treated with IL-37. The current study, for the first time, demonstrated that the IL-37 network is involved in Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and IL-37 signaling pathway may ameliorate the excessive autoimmune responses in this chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The HprK serine kinase is a component of the phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase system (PTS) of bacteria that generally regulates catabolite repression through phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of the PTS protein PtsH at a conserved serine residue. However, many bacteria do not encode a complete PTS or even have an HprK homologue. Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) is a pathogen that cause black rot disease in crucifer plants and one of the few Gram‐negative bacteria that encodes a homologue of HprK protein (herein HprKXcc). To gain insight into the role of HprKXcc and other PTS‐related components in Xcc we individually mutated and phenotypically assessed the resulting strains. Deletion of hprKXcc demonstrated its requirement for virulence and other diverse cellular processes associated including extracellular enzyme activity, extracellular‐polysaccharide production and cell motility. Global transcriptome analyses revealed the HprKXcc had a broad regulatory role in Xcc. Additionally, through overexpression, double gene deletion and transcriptome analysis we demonstrated that hprKXcc shares an epistatic relationship with ptsH. Furthermore, we demonstrate that HprKXcc is a functional serine kinase, which has the ability to phosphorylate PtsH. Taken together, the data illustrates the previously unappreciated global regulatory role of HprKXcc and previously uncharacterized PTS components that control virulence in this pathogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An exact quantum master equation formalism is constructed for the efficient evaluation of quantum non-Markovian dissipation beyond the weak system-bath interaction regime in the presence of time-dependent external field. A novel truncation scheme is further proposed and compared with other approaches to close the resulting hierarchically coupled equations of motion. The interplay between system-bath interaction strength, non-Markovian property, and required level of hierarchy is also demonstrated with the aid of simple spin-boson systems.© 2005 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The graphene oxide-coated SnO2-Li1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 (GO-SnO2-NCM) cathode material was successfully synthesized via a facile wet chemical method. The pristine NCM and GO-SnO2-NCM were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results showed that the double-coating layer did not destroy the NCM crystal structure, with multiple nano-SnO2 particles and GO uniformly covering the NCM surface. Electrochemical tests indicated that GO-SnO2-NCM exhibited excellent cycling performance, with 90.7% capacity retention at 1 C after 100 cycles, which was higher than 74.3% for the pristine NCM at the same cycle. The rate capability showed that the double-coating layer enhanced surface electronic–ionic transport. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results confirmed that the GO-SnO2-coating layer effectively suppressed the increased electrode polarization and charge transfer resistance during cycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Wound dehiscence is a surgical complication and its management is inevitable because 25% to 35% of patients suffered from post laparotomy wound dehiscence. The excellent biodegradability and biocompatibility of chitosan and alginate have provided ample space for future developments in biomedical applications. Hence, the present work is directed towards the synthesis of robust biofilm made up of chitosan (CS), zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles and Alginate (Alg). Chitosan and alginate were used for their pore forming ability, and ZnO is for its antibacterial action. The proposed biofilm was characterized with different characterization techniques such as Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, UV–vis spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron microscopy (TEM) analyses. FTIR results inferred the strong interaction between the three components. The surface morphology of ZnO-CS/Alg. biofilm was exhibited as the spherical shaped nanoparticles which are firmly anchored on the polymer matrix. TEM analysis also confirmed the formation of biofilm. The XRD analysis confirmed the presence of ZnO in the biopolymer. The line broadening suggests that the crystallize size is in few nanometers. The average crystallite size was estimated as 50 nm using Scherrer formula. The antibacterial activity of the biofilm was successfully established against bacterial pathogens. Therefore, the developed materials have a potential play as antimicrobial role for the abdominal wound healing and biomedical fields. Graphical Abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Synthesis of robust biofilm made up of chitosan, ZnO nanoparticles and Alignate • Biopolymers were used for their pore forming ability, and ZnO is for its antibacterial action. • Microscopic and spectroscopic analysis also confirmed the formation of biofilm. • Developed materials have played for antimicrobial and abdominal wound site healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Ensemble local kernel principal components analysis (ELKPCA) is proposed. • ELKPCA model makes width parameter selection easier. • Both global and local structure information of the original data are preserved. • E T 2 and E S P E are constructed by Bayesian inference approach. • Two case studies demonstrate the effectiveness of the ELKPCA model. Abstract A new nonlinear process monitoring algorithm called ensemble local kernel principal component analysis (ELKPCA) is proposed. Conventionally, the performance of kernel-based model depends on the width parameter selected empirically in Gaussian kernel function, which means a single parameter corresponds to a single model. Once a poor width parameter is decided, a single kernel-based model may be only effective for part faults. As a typical kernel-based method, the local kernel principal component analysis (LKPCA), considering both global and local structure information of the original data, faces the problem of width parameter selection as well. Since a single model is one-sided, an available way is to combine different single models and take advantage of them. The ensemble kernel principal component analysis (EKPCA) uses single KPCA models as its sub-models and ensemble learning approach is used to combine them. Due to inherit drawbacks from KPCA models, EKPCA only preserves global structure information of data, but ignores important local structure information. In this paper, to solve the above issues, both LKPCA and EKPCA is unified in the proposed framework. First, single LKPCA models are chosen instead and combined by using ensemble learning strategy. Then two monitoring statistics are turned into fault probabilities through Bayesian inference approach and weighted combination strategy, which makes the monitoring behavior easier and more clear. The result shows that ELKPCA model can not only take advantage of sub-LKPCA models effectively, allowing it selecting width parameter more easily and stably, but also retain both global and local structure information from input data by introducing the local structure analysis in the EKPCA model. Case studies on synthetic example and Tennessee Eastman process demonstrate the proposed method outperforms LKPCA and EKPCA and enhances monitoring performance significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The autotoxicity of root exudates and the change of rhizosphere soil microbes are two important factors that affect the quality and yield of Lanzhou lily (Lilium davidii var. unicolor). Phthalic acid (PA) is a major autotoxin of the root exudates in Lanzhou lily. In this study, we treated plants with different concentrations of PA from the Lanzhou lily root exudates and then analyzed the effects of autotoxins on fresh weight, shoot height, root length, and Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity in root. The diversity of soil fungi in Lanzhou lily soil was analyzed using MiSeq. The results showed that PA induced oxidative stress and oxidative damage of Lanzhou lily roots, improved the level of the membrane lipid peroxidation, reduced the content of antioxidant defense enzyme activity and the nonenzymatic antioxidant, and eventually inhibited the growth of the Lanzhou lily. We found that continuous cropping of Lanzhou lily resulted in an increase in fungal pathogens, such as Fusarium oxysporum in the soil, and reduced the size of plant-beneficial bacteria populations. The results in this study indicate that continuous cropping would damage the regular growth of Lanzhou lily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the stability of traveling wave fronts for a coupled system of non-local delayed lattice differential equations with a quiescent stage. It shows that under certain conditions all non-critical traveling wave fronts are globally exponentially stable, and critical ftraveling wave fronts are globally algebraically stable by applying the weighted energy method and the semi-discrete Fourier transform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, mesoporous Cu and N co-doped TiO2 crystals were synthesized with Cu and N co-doped titania xerogel by solvothermal treatment in different alcohols and the characteristics of Cu and N co-doped TiO2 were investigated with XRD, SEM, UV-vis and N2 sorption analysis. Results indicated that different alcohols facilitated formation and stability of pure anatase phase. The photocatalytic activity of samples was evaluated by the photocatalytic oxidation of acetone under visible light. The extraordinary photocatalytic performance of the Cu and N co-doped TiO2 crystals were synthesized with titania xerogel by solvothermal treatment in ethyl alcohol. This enhanced photoactivity is related to the bandgap narrowing, good dispersibility, the smaller pores and the larger specific area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bovine serum albumin (BSA)-loaded microcapsules were prepared at pH 3.0, 4.5, and 6.0 through O -carboxymethyl (O-CMC) – gum Arabic (GA) coacervation followed by genipin crosslinking to explore the effects of coacervation acidity on the intestine-targeted delivery potency of resultant microcapsules. Confocal laser scanning microscope observation revealed that microcapsules with the multilayer structure were successfully prepared. As the coacervation pH rose from 3.0 to 6.0, the amount of O-CMC deposited on the microcapsule surface and the particle size increased accordingly. Swelling and BSA release results indicated that coacervation at higher pH conferred greater stability against simulated gastric fluid and better intestine-targeted delivery potency to the microcapsules. Circular dichroism analysis demonstrated that the structural integrity of entrapped BSA was well maintained during microencapsulation and incubation in simulated gastrointestinal fluids. Hence, genipin-crosslinked O-CMC – GA coacervates could be used to deliver nutraceuticals to the intestine and its delivery performance could be tailored by varying the coacervation pH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Vitiligo, an acquired pigmentary disorder of the skin, is characterized by a chronic and progressive loss of melanocyte from the epidermis and follicular reservoir. Growth factor of surrounding cells impacted on melanocytes survival. In this study, lower level of IGF-1 in the lesion was found than that in the donor area of vitiligo patients. IGF-1 improved activation of Nrf2, and inhibited ROS generation and endoplasmic reticulum dilation in HaCaT. C57BL/6 mice were treated with 5% H 2 O 2 , and combined with 50 μg/kg of IGF-1 pre-treatment or not once every day for 50 consecutive days. After 50 days, IGF-1 obviously ameliorated depigmentation of mice skin and reduced hair follicle length, skin thickness and Tyrosinase induced by H 2 O 2. Moreover, IGF-1 significantly suppressed CD8+ T cells infiltration in mice skin, inhibited the production of IL-2 and IFN-γ, and decreased the expression of CXCL10 and CXCR3. Thus, the results indicated that IGF-1 could resist oxidative damage to HaCaT, suppress CD8+ T cells infiltration and pro-inflammatory cytokines secretion, and suppresses the thinning of epidermal layer in vivo. It suggests that IGF-1 inhibits oxidative damage to HaCaT and immunosuppressive effects on CD8+ T cells proliferation and activation to resist depigmentation induced by H 2 O 2. This disclosed its multiple roles in the vitiligo, and shed a light on developing the application potential for IGF-1 in vitiligo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caustic esophageal stricture (CES) in children still occurs frequently in developing countries. We aimed to evaluate the long-term outcomes of endoscopic balloon dilatation (EBD) in treating CES in children and the influencing factors associated with outcome. We retrospectively reviewed the data of all patients who had a diagnosis of CES and underwent EBD from August 1, 2005, to December 31, 2014. The primary outcome was EBD success, which was defined as the maintenance of dysphagia-free status for at least 12 months after the last EBD. The secondary outcome was to analyze influencing factors associated with EBD success. Forty-three patients were included for analysis (29 males; mean age at first dilatation 44 months with range 121 months). 26 (60.5%) patients had long segment (>2 cm) stricture. A total of 168 EBD procedures were performed. Twenty-six (60.5%) patients were considered EBD success. Seventeen (39.5%) patients failed EBD and required stent placement and/or surgery. Patients in the EBD success group had significantly shorter stricture segments when compared to the EBD failure group (t=2.398, P=0.018, OR=3.206, 95% OR: 1.228–8.371). Seven (4.4%) esophageal perforations occurred in 6 patients after EBD. Stents were placed in 5 patients, and gastric tube esophagoplasty was performed in 14 patients. In conclusion, 26 (60.5%) of 43 children with CES had EBD success. Length of stricture was the main influencing factor associated with EBD treatment outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated the effect and underling mechanisms of aclidinium bromide, a novel, inhaled long‑acting muscarinic antagonist, on the development of gastric cancer. Human gastric cancer MKN‑28 cells, as a model in vitro, were treated with aclidinium bromide and dimethyl sulfoxide. Cell Counting Kit‑8 assay, transwell assay and flow cytometry were used to assess cell proliferation, invasion/migration and apoptosis, respectively. In addition, western blotting was performed to determine the relative expression of proteins associated with apoptosis and the phosphatidylinositol‑3‑kinase (PI3K) signaling pathway. Optical density values of MKN‑28 cells were decreased in a time‑ and dose‑dependent manner in the aclidinium bromide treated group. Matrigel invasion analysis demonstrated the number of invasive cells were significantly decreased in the aclidinium bromide‑treated group when compared with the control group. Furthermore, aclidinium bromide led to the marked reduction of the number of MKN‑28 cells passing though the microwells of the transwell chamber. The expression levels of the anti‑apoptotic protein B‑cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl‑2) decreased, and the expression of pro‑apoptotic proteins active Caspase3 and Bcl‑2‑associated X protein increased concurrently following aclidinium bromide stimulation using western blotting. The phosphorylation of protein kinase B and mechanistic target of rapamycin were significantly inhibited in MKN‑28 cells treated with aclidinium bromide; and the activity of the downstream proteins such as p70S6K and Cyclin D1 were also significantly decreased. In conclusion, aclidinium bromide could inhibit gastric cancer cell proliferation and metastasis, which may be associated with the enhancement of apoptosis induced by the PI3K signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord (SCD) is often found in vitamin B-12 deficiency and typically shows hyperintensity on T2-weighted images of the lateral and posterior columns. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the use of conventional magnetic resonance examination in diagnosing SCD. Thirty-six patients were clinically confirmed and retrospectively analyzed; conventional spine MRIs were available for all patients and eight of them had contrast enhancement MRIs. 19 out of 36 patients showed abnormal signal intensity on T2 weighted images with a sensitivity of 52.8%, among which 18 in the posterior aspect of the spinal cord and 1 in the anterior horn of the thoracic spinal cord The spinal cord abnormalities were seen at the cervical spine in 12 patients (33.3%) and at the thoracic spine in the other 7 patients (19.4%). Axial T2-weighted images showed symmetric linear T2-hyperintensity as an "inverted V" at the cervical spinal cord in 5 patients, which has been reported as a typical sign of SCD. For patients with thoracic spinal cord abnormalities, the bilateral paired nodular T2-hyperintensity looked like "binoculars" at the thoracic spinal cord. Only one out of the eight patients showed slight enhancement after injection with contrast agent. All the 36 patients reported clinical improvement after appropriate vitamin B-12 treatment. The two follow-up spine MRIs showed a decreased extent of the lesion. Therefore, conventional MRI is useful in the diagnosis and management of SCD caused by vitamin B-12 deficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been emerged as significant wound healing agents because of their improved mechanical properties. However, the green synthesized silver nanoparticleshave reported significant wound healing action in Albino rats which was validated by the measurement of wound closure rate. Silver nanoparticles were efficiently synthesized using Euphorbia milii leaf extract. The UV–visible spectra recorded the effect of the reaction time on AgNPs synthesis and was indentified that the peak became shaper with an increase in time, which corresponds to increase in the number of nanoparticles formed from the reduction of silver ions present in the aqueous solution. X-ray diffraction technique and corresponding XRD patterns confirmed the biphasic nature of the biosynthesized silver nanoparticles. However, low magnification TEM images presented monodispersed AgNPs with their size ranging from 20 to 30 nm while SAED diffraction pattern disclosed their crystalline nature. Furthermore, the wound healing activity of AgNPs was examined through the excision wound model by measuring the rate of wound closure and Group II (treated with 10% Ointment base with biosynthesized AgNPs) revealed significant wound healing activity over Control group and Group I (treated with Standard Nitrofurazone ointment) in Albino rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the famous logistic map is studied in a new point of view. We study the boundedness and the periodicity of non-autonomous logistic map xn+1=rnxn(1−xn),n=0,1,…, where {rn} is a positive p-periodic sequence. The sufficient conditions are given to support the existence of asymptotically stable and unstable p-periodic orbits. This appears to be the first study of the map with variable parameter r. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]