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As3+ cations possessing stereochemically active lone pairs (SALPs) lead to high SHG coefficients of nonlinear-optical crystal LiAsS2, but the role of SALPs in determining the thermal transport behavior of LiAsS2 is still unknown. In the present work, first-principles based lattice anharmonic dynamic studies are performed to reveal the underlying science of how the SALP influences the thermal conductivity of LiAsS2. On the one hand, layered-structural LiAsS2 exhibits anisotropic thermal transport behaviors due to SALPs. The different bond strengths of Li–S and As–S bonds lead to diverse phonon group velocity along the a direction and in the bc plane, which is the source of anisotropic lattice thermal conductivity of LiAsS2. On the other hand, the existence of SALPs dramatically modifies the phonon anharmonic behavior of LiAsS2. Lattice vibrational results demonstrate that the rigidity of pyramidal units AsS3 in LiAsS2 is weaker than that of tetrahedral units GaS4 in LiGaS2, which induces the positive Gruneisen parameters in the low frequency domain of LiAsS2. As a result, the decrease of phonon lifetime and reduction of lattice thermal conductivity of LiAsS2 are generated. Nevertheless, high-power nonlinear optical devices can be fabricated along the bc plane of LiAsS2 due to the remarkably high thermal conductivity in the bc plane and the intrinsic high nonlinear optical coefficients.

Graphene grown epitaxially on SiC(0001) substrates always exhibits n-type doping due to the coupling interaction between the substrate and graphene. The electronic properties of epitaxial graphene are thus impaired relative to those of free-standing graphene, limiting its potential in device applications. In this work, by using first-principles calculations, we show that charge neutrality can be achieved by growing an FeSi intercalation layer between the SiC substrate and the buffer carbon layer. The formation of an atomic Si layer between FeSi and the buffer carbon layer prevents electron transfer to the subsequent graphene layer. The subsequently grown graphene therefore displays the electronic characteristics of quasi-free-standing graphene with charge neutrality. The calculated surface energy of the FeSi-intercalated structure shows considerable stability compared to elemental Fe- and H-intercalated structures over a wide range of temperature and pressure. This will promote the practical application of FeSi-intercalated epitaxial graphene on SiC(0001) at high temperature as a core element of microelectronic devices.

At present, the development of the regional economy is very rapid and widespread. However, due to increasingly prominent problems such as the low level of technological innovation and the unreasonable industrial structure, the economic growth rate has declined. Therefore, it is particularly important to use the circular economy network to study the transformation and upgrading of the regional economy. It clarifies the stakeholders in the process of transformation and upgrading of manufacturing enterprises. Its benefits in the network are given, and symptoms and mobilization methods and the obstacles and solutions to the development of mobilization among various subjects are drawn. In addition, it also emphasizes the equivalence between intelligent products and human subjects in this network. Because of the intelligence carried by products under the current background, diversified connotations and functions are becoming more and more abundant. The empirical results show that the pulling coefficients of residents’ consumption level, the development of modern service industry, and urbanization rate to economic growth are 0.1812, 0.7165, and 0.1635, respectively, while the pulling coefficient of Gini coefficient to economic growth is −0.1785.

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) tend to differentiate into adipocytes rather than osteoblasts in osteoporosis and other pathological conditions. Understanding the mechanisms underlying the adipo-osteogenic imbalance greatly contributes to the ability to induce specific MSC differentiation for clinical applications. This study aimed to explore whether DEP-domain containing mTOR-interacting protein (DEPTOR) regulated MSC fate and bone-fat switch, which was indicated to be a key player in bone homeostasis. We found that DEPTOR expression decreased during the osteogenesis of BMSCs but increased during adipogenesis and the shift of cell lineage commitment of BMSCs to adipocytes in mice with osteoporosis. DEPTOR facilitated adipogenic differentiation while preventing the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. Deptor ablation in BMSCs alleviated bone loss and reduced marrow fat accumulation in mice with osteoporosis. Mechanistically, DEPTOR binds transcriptional coactivator with a PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) and inhibits its transactivation properties, thereby repressing the transcriptional activity of RUNX2 and elevating gene transcription by peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor-gamma. TAZ knockdown in BMSCs abolished the beneficial role of Deptor ablation in bone-fat balance in mice. Together, our data indicate that DEPTOR is a molecular rheostat that modulates BMSC differentiation and bone-fat balance, and may represent a potential therapeutic target for age-related bone loss.

The C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CXCL2), a member of the CXC receptor ligand family, is involved in various immune and inflammatory processes, but its effect(s) on bone formation have not yet been reported. We report here that CXCL2 is enriched in bone marrow and show abundant expression of CXCL2 in osteoblasts of osteoporotic mice. CXCL2 neutralization within the bone marrow by using antibody alleviated bone loss in mice, indicating a negative role of CXCL2 in bone formation. In line with this, CXCL2 overexpression attenuated proliferation, as well as differentiation, of osteoblasts in vitro By contrast, CXCL2 downregulation promoted osteoblast expansion and differentiation. Mechanistically, CXCL2 inhibits the ERK1/2 (MAPK3/1) signaling pathway in osteoblasts. Activation of ERK1/2 abolishes the inhibitory effect of CXCL2 in osteoblasts, whereas inactivation of ERK1/2 reverses the osteogenic role of CXCL2 inhibition. These results show that CXCL2 attenuates osteoblast differentiation through inhibition of the ERK1/2 signaling pathway. We demonstrate here that CXCL2 is a negative regulator of bone formation and clarify the responsible mechanisms. Therefore, pharmaceutical coordination of CXCL2 and of the pathways through which it is regulated in osteoblasts might be beneficial regarding bone formation.

Osteogenic and angiogenic properties are two most valued factors for bone grafting materials. Biomedical materials with synergistic promotion effects on these two properties would be highly desirable. In this study, we showed that a recently developed pH-neutral bioactive glass (PSC) possessed such characteristics. Compared to two classical biomaterials, 45S5 bioactive glass and beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP), PSC markedly improved BMSCs' proliferation, migration and mineralization as well as their osteogenic and angiogenic differentiation. In vivo, PSC showed better performance on inducing bone regeneration than both 45S5 and β-TCP, as featured by elevated bone mineral density (BMD) and new bone areas. PSC also significantly promoted new blood vessels formation compared with those in control groups. Furthermore, we revealed that PSC induced osteogenic and angiogenic differentiation of BMSCs through the PI3K/Akt/HIF-1α pathway, which had not been reported before. This synergistic effect of the PI3K/Akt/HIF-1α pathway on osteogenesis and angiogenic differentiation of BMSCs suggested that biomedical materials may promote new bone formation through multiple signal pathways, thus shedding light on the future development of materials with better performance.

Recent years, the transportation efficiency and related issues have become one of the main focuses of the global world. Along this line, intelligent transportation systems (ITS) based on Internet of Things (IoT) has become a common solution to may transportation problems, such as traffic prediction, road status evaluation, traffic accident detection, etc. In this paper, we focus on the traffic accident detection in the IoT platform. Specifically, we propose an overall framework of intelligent transportation. Then, for traffic accident detection, we proposed a Support Vector Machine (SVM) modified by Ant Colony Algorithm (ACA) as the solution. We conduct experiments on real world traffic data to predict 7 types of traffic accidents. The results show that our proposed method is effective and efficient.

Metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1), one of the first found cancer-associated long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), involves in the development and progression of many types of tumors. An aberrant expression of MALAT1 was observed in hepatocellular carcinoma, cervical cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and colorectal cancer. However, the exact effects and molecular mechanisms of MALAT1 in osteosarcoma progression are still unknown up to now. Here, we investigated the role of MALAT1 in human osteosarcoma cell lines and clinical tumor samples in order to determine the function of this molecule. In our research, the MALAT1 messenger RNA (mRNA) was highly expressed in human osteosarcoma tissues, and its expression level was closely correlated with pulmonary metastasis. Then, we employed lentivirus-mediated knockdown of MALAT1 in U-2 OS and SaO2 to determine the role of MALAT1 in osteosarcoma cell lines. Lentivirus-mediated MALAT1 small interfering RNA (siRNA) could efficiently downregulated the expression level of MALAT1 in osteosarcoma cell lines. Knockdown of MALAT1 inhibited the proliferation and invasion of human osteosarcoma cell and suppressed its metastasis in vitro and vivo. At the same time, the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP-9), phosphorylated PI3Kp85α, and Akt expressions were significantly inhibited in MALAT1-deleted cells. These findings indicated that MALAT1 might suppress the tumor growth and metastasis via PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Taken together, our data indicated that MALAT1 might be an oncogenic lncRNA that promoted proliferation and metastasis of osteosarcoma and could be regarded as a therapeutic target in human osteosarcoma.

Clay mineralogy and bulk mineral composition of Tertiary sediments in Qaidam were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy in order to better understand regional climate change resulting from uplift of the Northeast Tibetan Plateau. Climate change in Qaidam since ∼53.5 Ma could be divided into four stages: a warm and seasonally arid climate between ∼53.5 and 40 Ma, a cold and arid climate from ∼40 to 26 Ma, a warm and humid climate between ∼26 and 13.5 Ma, and a much colder and arid climate from ∼13.5 to 2.5 Ma, respectively. The illite crystallinity and sedimentary facies suggested that uplift events took place around >52–50, ∼40-38, ∼26-15, ∼10-8, and

Clay mineralogy analyses were carried out on Cenozoic sedimentary rocks collected from the southwestern margin of the Tarim Basin, northwest China, using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) methods. These investigations were aimed at determining the paleoclimate of the area in early Cenozoic times, especially during the late Eocene to early Oligocene. The proportion of clay mineral species and clay mineral indices, as well as the proportion of non-clay minerals, gypsum, and morphology of the clays showed that the paleoclimate of the Tarim Basin underwent a distinct change from warm and humid to cold and dry during the late Eocene to early Oligocene. The climate evolution derived from the clay mineralogical study in the Tarim Basin is consistent with the effects of Eocene–Oligocene climate cooling. Combined with the retreat of the Neo-Tethys Sea, cooling of global ocean temperatures reduced the moisture supply to continental interiors, leading to cooling and aridification in the Asian interior.

This study aims at developing and testing a pragmatic expert system for HIV voluntary counseling (VCT-ES) that leverages best practices. The VCT-ES was developed via evolutionary prototyping and piloted in 10 voluntary HIV counseling and testing (VCT) clinics from Anhui and Beijing representative of prefecture and county level VCT clinics in China. All counselors with the clinics and the clients to the clinics within selected two weeks at baseline and the end of study were invited to participate. Assessment measures included essential counseling procedures (ECPs); clients' satisfaction, knowledge, and behavior efficacy. VCT-ES was developed which tries to model and facilitate standard VCT operation procedures and best practices. One hundred and eighty-two (96 at baseline vs. 86 after intervention) cases recordings, 172 (96 vs. 76) client questionnaires, 10 counselor, and 2 expert rating instruments were collected; and 17 clients and 8 counselors participated in qualitative interviews. VCT-ES increased delivery of ECPs from 18.94% to 66.39% on average; increased clients' knowledge from 40.51% to 86.34% and self-efficacy by 22.42%. The VCT-ES applications listed were rated 9.1 on average (maximum = 10). The VCT-ES could be an easy and effective solution to better routine VCT and merits further research.

OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN This paper describes one option to select populations for randomized, controlled trials (RCT). We used a popular opinion leader intervention in Fuzhou, China, to: (1) identify population selection criteria; (2) systematically examine the suitability of potential target populations and settings; (3) briefly evaluate risk and stability in the population; and (4) evaluate regional and organizational support among administrators and government officials. METHODS AND RESULTS After comparing migrant villagers, truck drivers, factory workers, construction workers, and market employees in five regions of China, market employees in Fuzhou were identified as the optimal target population. Markets were the optimal sites for several reasons: (1) the population demonstrated a sufficient base rate of sexually transmitted diseases; (2) the population was stable over time; (3) a sufficient number of sites of manageable sizes were available; (4) stable networks existed; (5) local gatekeepers/stakeholders supported the intervention; (6) there was organizational capacity in the local health department to mount the intervention; (7) the demographic profile was similar across potential sites; and (8) the sites were sufficiently distanced to minimize contamination. CONCLUSIONS Evaluating intervention efficacy in an RCT requires a time-consuming and rigorous process that systematically and routinely documents selection criteria, evaluates multiple populations, sites, and organizations for their appropriateness.

The objective of the study was to identify risk factors associated with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among rural-to-urban migrants in Beijing in 2002. Migrants with STDs consisted of 432 migrants who sought STD care in two public STD clinics. Migrants without STDs included 892 migrants recruited from 10 occupational clusters. Multiple logistic regression was used for data analysis. Compared to migrants without STDs, migrants with STDs were more likely to report having engaged in commercial sex (selling or buying sex) (odds ratio [OR] = 2.70, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.71–4.25), multiple sex partners in the previous month (OR = 6.50, 95% CI: 3.73–11.32) and higher perceived HIV-related stigma (OR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.30–2.75). Being a migrant with an STD was also associated with female gender (OR = 4.10, 95% CI: 2.89–5.82), higher education (OR = 2.92, 95% CI: 1.40–6.06), and higher monthly salary (OR = 1.68. 95% CI: 1.23–2.29). Migrants with STDs visited their hometowns more frequently and had more stable jobs than migrants without STDs. Approximately 10% of the migrants with STDs and 7.7% of the migrants without STDs always used condoms. This study suggests that among migrants, acquisition of an STD is associated with higher participation in risk behaviors as would be expected, but also with higher perceived stigma, education, stable jobs, salary, and with female gender. Appropriate behavioral intervention programs are advocated to reduce the risk and stigma among the special population.

Background and Objectives: Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) have soared in China. To address the impact, we studied market stall vendors in eastern China. Goal: The goal was to determine STD prevalence and predictors. Study Design: A total of 1536 randomly selected market stall vendors were interviewed and tested for STDs. Results: The prevalence of any STD was 20.1% among those reporting sexual intercourse and 5.5% among those reporting never having sexual intercourse. Among those reporting sexual intercourse, chlamydia was most common (9.4%), followed by herpes (9.3%). A total of 4.5% of those reporting never having sexual intercourse had herpes infection, but none had chlamydia. Prevalence of all STDs was higher among females, and those with low education and multiple partners. The pharmacy was the major source of health care (48.8%). Conclusion: Generalizing from the results, targeting only STD clinic patients and persons reporting multiple partners for intervention will exclude a high proportion of those with STDs. More effective, less stigmatized sources of STD treatment should be developed. IN THE LAST DECADE sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) have risen rapidly in China. 1– 8 This increase has been concurrent with the shift to a market economy and changing attitudes toward sexual behavior. 9 The increase in STD rates portends badly for the rapid spread of HIV in China as well; persons with current or past STDs are 2–9 times more likely to be infected with or to transmit HIV than those without disease. 10 Because of the disastrous im

High mobility group N (HMGNs) are members of the high mobility group protein family, and are involved in the development and progression of several tumors. HMGN1 and HMGN5 were previously shown to be associated with the bioactivities of osteosarcoma. However, the effects and molecular mechanisms of HMGN2 on osteosarcoma progression remain to be determined. In order to characterize the endogenous expression of HMGN2 in osteosarcoma cell lines, RT-PCR and western blot analysis were performed. Recombinant HMGN2 lentivirus was used to infect the osteosarcoma cell lines with relatively low HMGN2 expression to determine the functional relevance of HMGN2 overexpression in osteosarcoma cell growth and migration in vitro and in vivo, and to investigate the expression levels of Ki-67, PCNA, cyclin D1 and cyclin E. The results showed that osteosarcoma cell proliferation and migration were significantly reduced by HMGN2, as indicated by cell count and wound-healing assays. Cell apoptosis was markedly induced and HMGN2 increased the sensitivity to chemotherapy. When HMGN2 expression was enhanced, the expression of cyclin D1 and PCNA was downregulated in osteosarcoma cells. In addition, the tumor volumes in SaO2 and U2-OS subcutaneous nude mouse models treated with HMGN2 lentivirus were significantly decreased as compared to those of the GFP group. These results suggested that the enhanced expression of HMGN2 in osteosarcoma cells by HMGN2 lentivirus, exerts inhibitory effects on growth and migration of osteosarcoma cells.

The goal of this study was to explore gender difference in HIV-related perceptions according to a social cognitive theory and sexual risk behaviors and to examine associations between mobility, sexual risk, and history of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among male and female migrants visiting STD clinics. A cross-sectional study among migrants visiting STD clinics in three large cities in China assessed HIV-related perceptions, sexual activity, condom use, and history of STDs was used. Among participants, 20% of women had ever sold sex and 33% of men had paid for sex. Women and men were similar in multiple partnerships in the last month (23% versus 22%), consistent condom use during last three sexual encounters (14% versus 15%), and a history of STDs (57% versus 53%). However, more women who reported a history of STD had contracted at least two STDs than men (55% versus 36%, p < 0.001). Increased sexual risk was associated with increased perception of extrinsic rewards for both genders, but was associated with increased perceptions of intrinsic rewards and response cost in women only, and with decreased perceptions of vulnerability and response efficacy in men only. High mobility was associated with increased sexual risk in women. Self-reported history of STD was associated with a high rate of past multiple partnership and low education among both genders, but was associated with high mobility and commercial sex in women only. Fifty-four percent of women with a history of STDs informed their partners about their infections, compared to 36% of men (p < 0.001). Married women, both women and men who did not engage in commercial sex, and women and men who used condoms were more likely to inform their partners about their STD infections. Gender differences in HIV-related perceptions and sexual behaviors underscore the importance of gender-specific intervention efforts to prevent the spread of HIV/STD in China.

An austenitic stainless steel 21-6-9, with improved cryogenic magnetic properties by manganese additions and strengthened mechanical properties by nitrogen additions, is currently being considered for critical components of various superconducting equipment, such as the bore tybes and flanges of superconducting magnets for magnetohydrodynamic generators.