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BackgroundPsychological distress is highly prevalent and has a severe impact on the quality of life among breast cancer survivors. This type of distress is associated with cognitive failure. However, previous studies have focused solely on the total scale scores of these two concepts while ignoring the unique relationship between specific components. In the present study, we utilized network analysis to explore the relationship between psychological distress and cognitive failure in breast cancer survivors.MethodsThe network analysis approach was adopted to estimate the regularized partial correlation network in a cross-sectional sample of 409 breast cancer survivors. All participants were assessed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale and the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire. The Gaussian Graphical Model was employed to estimate the network, centrality indices, and edge weights, providing a description of the characteristics of the network.ResultsThe results indicated that anxiety–stress and depression–stress were the strongest edges in the community of psychological distress. Distractibility–memory was the strongest edge in the community of cognitive failure. Distractibility and memory were the most central nodes, with the highest expected influence in the network. Depression and motor coordination acted as important bridge nodes with the highest bridge expected influence.ConclusionDistractibility and memory in cognitive failure played important roles in activating and maintaining the relationship network. Motor coordination was identified as the crucial pathway for the impact of cognitive failure on psychological distress. Interventions targeting these specific issues might be more effective in improving cognitive failure and reducing psychological distress among breast cancer survivors.

There are two sets of thermal reservoirs with different rock types in the Gucheng geothermal field of Hebei Province, namely the Ordovician fractured carbonate thermal reservoir and the Neogene Guantao sandstone thermal reservoir, each developed using independent well networks. The energy demand per unit area in the region is high, and the existing geothermal development methods cannot meet the regional energy demand. For this type of block, combined with the development characteristics of different types of thermal reservoirs, numerical simulation methods were used to study the geothermal development trends of Ordovician fractured carbonate reservoirs and Neogene Guantao Formation sandstone reservoirs. When simulating sandstone thermal storage, priority should be given to demonstrating the optimal recharge flow rate, while in simulating carbonate thermal storage, the focus should be on considering the influence of fracture development direction on development trends. Through numerical simulation of thermal storage development and combined with well network design, the optimal well spacing, production reinjection flow rate, and reinjection temperature for two sets of thermal reservoirs developed using the same well network were determined. It is predicted that the average heat flow in the study can increase by 47.8 %. This study presents reasonable development technical countermeasures to maximize the heating capacity of the geothermal development zone and provides an effective reference for the efficient development of similar geothermal resources in the Bohai Bay Basin.

Abstract Cholesterol homeostasis is crucial for cellular and systemic function. The disorder of cholesterol metabolism not only accelerates the onset of cardiovascular disease (CVD) but is also the fundamental cause of other ailments. The regulation of cholesterol metabolism in the human is an extremely complex process. Due to the dynamic balance between cholesterol synthesis, intake, efflux and storage, cholesterol metabolism generally remains secure. Disruption of any of these links is likely to have adverse effects on the body. At present, increasing evidence suggests that abnormal cholesterol metabolism is closely related to various systemic diseases. However, the exact mechanism by which cholesterol metabolism contributes to disease pathogenesis remains unclear, and there are still unknown factors. In this review, we outline the metabolic process of cholesterol in the human body, especially reverse cholesterol transport (RCT). Then, we discuss separately the impact of abnormal cholesterol metabolism on common diseases and potential therapeutic targets for each disease, including CVD, tumors, neurological diseases, and immune system diseases. At the end of this review, we focus on the effect of cholesterol metabolism on eye diseases. In short, we hope to provide more new ideas for the pathogenesis and treatment of diseases from the perspective of cholesterol.

Abstract Baicalin magnesium is a water-soluble compound isolated from the aqueous solution by Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi. Preliminary experiments have demonstrated that baicalin magnesium can exert protective effects against acute liver injury in rats induced by carbon tetrachloride or lipopolysaccharide combined with d-galactose by regulating lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of baicalin magnesium on non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in rats and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. NASH was induced through a high-fat diet (HFD) for 8 weeks, and Sprague-Dawley rats were intravenously injected with baicalin magnesium, baicalin, and magnesium sulfate for 2 weeks, respectively. Serum was obtained for biochemical analyses and the determination of oxidative stress indicators. Liver tissues were collected for use in liver index assessment, histopathological examination, inflammatory factor analysis, and protein and gene expression analysis. The results revealed that baicalin magnesium markedly improved HFD-induced lipid deposition, inflammatory response, oxidative stress, and histopathological impairments. And baicalin magnesium may exert a protective effect on NASH rats by inhibiting the NLR family pyrin domain involving the 3 (NLRP3)/caspase-1/interleukin (IL)-1β inflammatory pathway. Additionally, the effect of baicalin magnesium was remarkably superior to that of equimolar baicalin and magnesium sulfate in regard to ameliorating NASH symptoms. In conclusion, the findings suggested that baicalin magnesium may represent a potential drug for the treatment of NASH.

Due to the harsh working environment of hydraulic excavators, the actuators are subjected to high intensity and long duration, resulting in fatigue-induced cracks, fractures, and other failures, leading to work interruptions and delays, reducing the operational efficiency of the excavator. Therefore, fatigue life prediction is of great significance in improving its safety, reliability, and operational efficiency. The load-time history at each articulation point of the working mechanism is the basis for fatigue life prediction. Due to the complex and variable forces experienced during the excavation process, it is difficult to obtain the working load spectrum through direct measurement, which can provide a more realistic prediction of the fatigue life. In this study, the excavation process of different materials under different working conditions of the excavator is studied to obtain a more accurate load spectrum and complete the life prediction of the working mechanism based on the discrete element principle. Taking the hydraulic excavator’s actuators as the research object, the load spectrum of each articulation point under extreme conditions such as eccentric load and impact is obtained for different excavation materials, and the minimum life prediction of the boom is completed. The Genetic algorithm (GA) and Self-Adaptive Fast Fireworks Algorithm (SF-FWA) are used for life prediction, and function fitting is performed using historical failure data for life calculation and comparative analysis. The analysis shows that SF-FWA is more effective than GA. The advanced algorithm provides more accurate predicted values for estimating fatigue life, but less accurate for estimating MTBF.

Abstract The volume detection of medical mice feed is crucial to understand the food intake requirements of mice at different growth stages and to grasp their growth, development, and health status. Aiming at the problem of volume calculation in the way of feed bulk in mice, a method for detecting the bulk volume of feed in mice based on binocular stereo vision was proposed. Firstly, the three-dimensional point coordinates of the feed's surface were calculated using the binocular stereo vision three-dimensional reconstruction technology. The coordinates of these dense points formed a point cloud, and then the projection method was used to calculate the volume of the point cloud; and finally, the volume of the mice feed was obtained. We use the stereo matching data set provided by the Middlebury evaluation platform to conduct experimental verification. The results show that our method effectively improves the matching degree of stereo matching and makes the three-dimensional point coordinates of the obtained feed's surface more accurate. The point cloud is then denoised and Delaunay triangulated, and the volume of the tetrahedron obtained after the triangulation is calculated and summed to obtain the total volume. We used different sizes of wood instead of feed for multiple volume calculations, and the average error between the calculated volume and the real volume was 7.12%. The experimental results show that the volume of the remaining feed of mice can be calculated by binocular stereo vision.

Motivated by the need for enhancing sorbent affinity for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), we demonstrate the possibility of rationally designing clay-based material (FluoroClay) with a pre-selected intercalant and predicting sorbent performance using all-atom molecular dynamics simulation coupled with density functional theory-based computation. Perfluorohexyldodecane quaternary ammonium (F6H12A) as the selected intercalant revealed significant enhancement in adsorption affinity for hard-to-remove compounds, including perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) and polyfluoroalkylethers (GenX and ADONA). The adsorption is thermodynamically entropy-driven and dominated by the hydrophobic effect. The incorporation of fluorine atoms into clay intercalants gave rise to a hydrophobic and fluorophilic “cavity” structure for targeted PFAS. The self-assembly of intercalant-PFAS under the negative electric field of clay sheets created a unique configuration that significantly enlarged the contact surface area between PFAS and F6H12A and was quantitatively driven by their intermolecular interactions, e.g., CF chain-CH chain, CF chain-CF chain, and charge-CH chain interactions. Collectively, our work demonstrated a new approach to select fluorinated functionality for designing a new adsorbent and estimating its performance via molecular simulation. It also provided an in-depth understanding of the underlying fundamental physics and chemistry in the adsorption of PFAS, suggesting a new strategy for PFAS removal, particularly for short-chain PFAS and new chemical alternatives.

Portunus pelagicus inhabits coastal muddy or sandy seabed, and are often exposed to rotten sewage containing a large number of bacteria. In this study, RT-PCR technology was used to clone peroxiredoxin (prx) genes prx1, prx3 and prx6 of P. pelagicus. Genes expressed in normal tissue, gills and hepatopancreas after Vibrio alginolyticus stress were tested by RT-qPCR. The full-length coding sequences of prx1, prx3 and prx6 were 597 bp, 690 bp and 660 bp, which encode 198, 229 and 219 amino acids, respectively. Prx1 and prx3 are typical 2-cys peroxiredoxins, while prx6 is a typical 1-cys peroxiredoxin. RT-qPCR revealed widespread expression of prx1, prx3 and prx6 in all the tested tissues, and their expression was the highest in gills (93.81-fold vs muscle tissue), hepatopancreas (28.95-fold vs thoracic ganglia) and gonads (219.43-fold vs thoracic ganglia), respectively. The highest expression of prx1, prx3 and prx6 in the hepatopancreas of surviving individuals belonging to the experimental group were 1.67-, 1.86- and 2.11-fold higher than the control group after V. alginolyticus challenge, and the highest expression in gills was 5.99-, 5.51- and 6.11-fold higher than in the control group, respectively. However, the expression of prx genes in dead individuals of the experimental group was lower than the surviving individuals. These results revealed that prx genes play an important role in the defense against V. alginolyticus stress. The cause of death under sublethal concentration may be related to the regulation of prx genes expression.

Based on the lever method， the possible connection schemes are obtained via matching the components of leverage node of double row parallel planetary gear mechanism （PGM）. A layout scheme with less linking elements and more gears is achieved by analyzing the arrangement of engine， motor and linking elements. According to the gear ratio range of existing double row parallel PGM transmissions， the PGM connection scheme is screened， and finally 17 configurations of SMT are obtained. Arbitrary selected a configuration of SMT and topologized， the operation mode and power flow of the configuration of SMT are analyzed. It is obtained that not only can it realize engine driving， motor driving， hybrid driving， driving power generation， braking power generation and parking power generation working modes， but also is no cycle power in each working mode.

In order to effectively reduce the fuel consumption of the whole vehicle， development of a multi-speed four-row planetary gear mechanism （PGM） automatic transmission （AT） transmission scheme， with a reasonable transmission ratio interval， has become a new trend. Based on the principle of lever method， the input and output positions of single-row and three-row parallel PGM series are analyzed separately. On the basis of the possible arrangement of the engaging elements， the lever structural diagram of single-row in series with three-row parallel PGM （referred to as "1-row+3-row parallel PGM"） is proposed. Through the analysis of the "1-row+3-row parallel PGM" lever speed diagram， according to the design requirements of AT， the five reasonable transmission schemes are compared and the optimal transmission scheme is selected. Comparing this optimal transmission scheme with the Chrysler 45RFE AT， adding a row of PGM based on the 45RFE AT can design a "1-row+3-row parallel PGM" AT transmission scheme with more gears and better performance. Compared with the four-row hybrid PGM AT transmission scheme formed by two double-row parallel PGM in series， also increases 2~3 forward gears and reduces the difficulty of shift control.

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of bovine serum albumin (BSA) on the Lactobacillus-strain-mediated removal of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP). A combination of 0.5 mg/mL of BSA with 1.0 × 1010 CFU/mL bacterial cells had a removal of 49.61% BaP for strain 121, while a combination of 0.4 mg/mL of BSA with 1.0 × 1010 CFU/mL bacterial cells had a removal of 66.09% BaP for strain ML32. The results indicated that the binding of BaP to Lactobacillus-BSA was stable. BSA maintains Lactobacillus activity and BaP removal in the gastrointestinal environment. Heat and ultrasonic treatment of BSA reduced the BaP-binding ability of Lactobacillus–BSA. With the addition of BSA, the surface properties of the two strains affected BaP binding. The Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) data demonstrated that O-H, N-H, C=O, and P=O groups were involved in the binding of BaP to Lactobacillus–BSA. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results revealed that the morphology of Lactobacillus–BSA bound to BaP was maintained. The adsorption of BaP by Lactobacillus–BSA was appropriately described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Freundlich isotherm model. BSA enhances the affinity between the bacterial cells and BaP.

Abstract Background Ubiquitin-specific protease 7 (USP7) is a de-ubiquitin enzyme that plays an essential role in multiple cancers and becomes a target for treatment. However, the role of USP7 and its therapeutic value for HCC remains unclear. Methods USP7 expression was examined in HCC tissues by western blot and immunohistochemistry. The correlation of USP7 and HCC prognosis was analyzed by Kaplan–Meier survival method. Mass spectrometry was determined and cell proliferation and tumorigenicity assays were conducted in vitro and in vivo treated by P22077 and sgRNA-USP7. Results USP7 expression was significantly increased in HCC and associated with its progression. Interestingly, many HCC cells are sensitive to USP7 inhibition by using P22077. P22077 treatment not only induced cell death but also inhibited cell proliferation and migration in Huh7 and SK-Hep1 cells. In a xenograft model, P22077 efficiently inhibited tumor growth. In chemo-resistant HCC cells, P22077 decreased cell sensitivity to chemotherapy. In addition, mass spectrometry reveals 224 of significantly changed proteins upon P22077 treatment. Conclusions We demonstrate a critical role of USP7 in HCC devolvement and chemoresistance. Disruption of USP7 function results in dis-regulated several key biological processes and subsequently activates BAX. USP7 might be a novel and drug-able target in HCC.

We examined the influence of Montreal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents on two top predators, Walleye (Sander vitreus) and Sauger (Sander canadensis), with a focus on δ15N isotopic signatures and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These two fish species were collected in the summer 2013 in the St. Lawrence River upstream and downstream from a major WWTP, as well as in background sites (semi-remote lakes). Most of the δ15N variations for Sauger and Walleye are attributable to 1) δ15N values of the primary producers and sewage-derived particulate organic matter (SDPOM) at the base of the trophic food chain, 2) agricultural activities combined with biogeochemical processes, and 3) food web length. δ15N was significantly lower in fish collected in the effluent-mixed water masses than other sites of the St. Lawrence River, attributed to the SDPOM of the WWTP effluent. Relative to the background sites, certain PFAS were present at much higher levels in the St. Lawrence River, with profiles dominated by perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFSA). However, PFSA profiles generally remained consistent along the St. Lawrence River. PFOS levels in fish from the St. Lawrence exceeded the current Federal Environmental Quality Guidelines for protecting piscivorous mammals or birds. However, the human chronic daily intake of PFOS remained below current thresholds suggested by national agencies.

With the rising mining mechanized level, the conical pick is widely used in mining machines. The structure and mechanical properties of rocks and minerals are important factors affecting the cutting characteristics of the conical pick. In this paper, how the coal cleats affect the cutting process of shearers was researched, which will be of great significance to mining technology design. After analyzing the cutting process of conical pick and the test of coal mechanical properties, a group of coal cutting models of conical pick was established based on the empirical cutting parameters, various cleat spacing, simulation of mechanical performance of coal specimens, profile of conical pick, and SRM (synthetic rock mass) method in PFC (Particle Flow Code). Then, the simulations of the cutting process were carried out. The simulation results show that lump coal chips begin to form and fall off after the conical pick cuts to 50°; the cleats near the conical pick grow to be more obvious fractures; the mean and maximum fluctuations of cutting force increase with the increase of face and butt cleat spacing; the lower the density of cleat is, the more the cracks are formed during the cutting process; the face cleat spacing has greater influence on the service life of conical pick than the butt cleat spacing. This study more vividly reflects the influence of cleats on coal cutting process of the conical pick and plays a guiding role in design of mining technology.

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are molecular chaperone proteins that can help maintain cellular protein homeostasis, assist in correcting the folding of cellular proteins, and protect organisms from stress when the body is under stress conditions such as temperature changes or bacterial infections. In this study, the HSP10 and HSP40 genes of Eriocheir hepuensis were cloned and named Eh-HSP10 and Eh-HSP40. The results show that the coding sequence length of the HSP10 and HSP40 genes of E. hepuensis was 309 bp and 1191 bp, encoding 102 and 396 amino acids, respectively. The results of protein domain prediction show that Eh-HSP10 has a Cpn10 domain. The Eh-HSP40 protein contains a DnaJ domain, which is characteristic of the HSP40 gene family. The results of qRT-PCR show that the Eh-HSP10 and Eh-HSP40 genes were expressed in different normal tissues, with the highest expression in the heart. Under Vibrio parahaemolyticus stress, the Eh-HSP10 genes peaked at 6 h, and the Eh-HSP40 peaked at 9 h in the hepatopancreas. In the gill, Eh-HSP10 showed a double peak at 24 and 48 h, and the expression of Eh-HSP40 was time-dependent. In the heart, the expression of Eh-HSP10 increased first and then decreased, whereas Eh-HSP40 peaked at 48 h. The results indicate that the Eh-HSP10 and Eh-HSP40 proteins may play a role in protecting E. hepuensis under V. parahaemolyticus infection and that they may be involved in the innate immune response of E. hepuensis against bacteria.

An electrochemical-DNA (E-DNA) sensor was constructed by using DNA metallization to produce an electrochemical signal reporter in situ and hybridization chain reaction (HCR) as signal amplification strategy. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) technique was used to characterize the electrochemical solid-state Ag/AgCl process. Moreover, the enzyme cleavage technique was introduced to reduce background signals and further improve recognition accuracy. On the basis of these techniques, the as-prepared E-DNA sensor exhibited superior sensing performance for trace ctDNA analysis with a detection range of 0.5 fM to 10 pM and a detection limit of 7 aM. The proposed E-DNA sensor also displayed excellent selectivity, satisfied repeatability and stability, and had good recovery, all of which supports its potential applications for future clinical sample analysis.

Abstract Background Mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatases-4 (MKP-4) is reported to exert a prognostic merit in hepatocarcinogenesis. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms have not been clearly defined. Methods Immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry (IP-MS) approach was used to identify interactive proteins with MKP-4. Western blot and immunohistochemistry were employed to detect proteins in HCC tissues. Cell counting kit-8, colony formation, Edu incorporation and sphere formation assays were performed to investigate functions of MKP-4/ERK1/2 interaction. Tumor xenografts in nude mice were used to determine effects in vivo. Results Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) were identified as binding partners of MKP-4. Knockdown of MKP-4 increased cell proliferation and cancer stem cell (CSC) traits while upregulation of MKP-4 or pre-incubation with ERK1/2 inhibition reversed these effects. Mechanistically MKP-4 negatively regulated phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and reduced expressions of CyclinD1 and c-Myc. Both xenograft tumor models and clinical analysis of HCC patients indicated that lower expression of MKP-4 and higher expressions of ERK1/2 were associated with worse prognosis. Conclusions MKP-4-mediated dephosphorylation of ERK1/2 might serve as a novel tumor-suppressive mechanism and provide a potential therapy for HCC.

Dodonaea viscosa is widely cultivated in the karst graben basin and is crucial for recovering land after rocky desertification. However, the effect of long–time D. viscosa afforestation on changes in the quality of soil remains unclear. Soil nutrients and aggregate composition can be used to evaluate the beneficial effects of afforestation of D. viscosa in improving soil functional stability. In this study, soil nutrients and aggregate stability were investigated using cropland, 10–year, 20–year, and 40–year D. viscosa afforestation and secondary succession shrub. Compared to the cropland, D. viscosa afforestation significantly increased the soil water content (WC), soil organic carbon (SOC), and total nitrogen (TN) contents, with an enhanced effect observed with prolonged afforestation. Soil nutrient contents under D. viscosa afforestation rapidly reached the level of the shrub. Dodonaea viscosa afforestation promoted the formation of >2 mm aggregates and decreased the ratio of 0.053–0.25 mm aggregates, which varied with afforestation years. Compared to the cropland, the content of >0.25 mm water–stable aggregates (R>0.25), mean weight diameter (MWD), and geometric mean weight diameter (GMD) of soil increased exponentially. However, soil erodibility factor (K) and unstable aggregates index (EIt) decreased exponentially with prolonged D. viscosa afforestation, and the latter two indicators did not reach the level of the shrub. These results indicated that soil nutrients, aggregate stability, and erosion resistance increased with prolonged D. viscosa afforestation. However, the aggregate stability and erosion resistance exhibited by D. viscosa could not reach the level of secondary shrub for a long time.

Azadirachtin is a rapidly developing botanical pesticide with toxicity to arthropods. GST is a multifunctional biological enzyme that can remove peroxide and promote drug metabolism. In this study, RT-PCR technology was used to clone the GSTM3, GSTT1 and GSTD1 genes of Eriocheir hepuensis. The results showed that the coding sequence (CDS) lengths of the GSTM3, GSTT1 and GSTD1 genes were 675 bp, 687 bp and 666 bp, encoding 224, 228 and 221 amino acids, respectively. The deduced protein domain prediction showed that the GSTM3, GSTT1 and GSTD1 proteins of Eriocheir hepuensis had the GST-N-Mu and GST-C-family, GST-N-T and GST-C-T, and GST-N-D and GST-C-D domains, respectively. In normal tissues, the expression levels of GSTM3, GSTT1 and GSTD1 were highest in the hepatopancreas. Under azadirachtin stress, compared with the control group, the GSTM3, GSTT1 and GSTD1 genes showed a double peak (both at 6 h and 24 h) in the hepatopancreas and a single peak (peak of GSTD1 in gills at 9 h, others at 6 h) in the heart and gills, while the expression of GSTM3, GSTT1 and GSTD1 in the dead individuals in the experimental group was lower than that in the surviving individuals. These results showed that individual death under azadirachtin stress is related to its ability to regulate the expression of GSTM3, GSTT1 and GSTD1, and the three GST genes played an important role in Eriocheir hepuensis regulating azadirachtin stress.

The converted electric field in the seismoelectric effect can be used to monitor the salinity of the reservoir. Compared to some conventional excitation methods (e.g., Monopole source), the response law of borehole shear-horizontal transverse-electric (SH-TE) seismoelectric waves to fluid salinity is unique. In order to explore its physical mechanism, we study the influence of fluid salinity on borehole SH-TE wave fields in this paper. First, to analyze the effect of salinity on the electric field, we simulate the response for different salinity levels inside and outside the borehole. Then we study the wave fields in case of a radial salinity discontinuity outside the borehole, and simulate the interface response by the secant integral method. Finally, we show the feasibility of using the borehole SH-TE wavefields to estimate the salinity interface position combining the slowness-time coherence (STC) method. The results show that the electric field amplitude changes monotonously with the pore fluid salinity level. However, the borehole fluid salinity has almost no effect on the electric field. This is caused by the excitation method and the low frequency of the sound source. An interface converted electromagnetic wave response is generated when an SH wave passes through the salinity discontinuity interface. The interface position estimation examples show that the borehole SH-TE wave field is a potential method to evaluate the behavior and the location of the interface next to the borehole.

Determining the availability and supply capacity of soil inorganic nitrogen (N) can effectively guide the appropriate application of N fertilizers during crop cultivation. However, the mechanism underlying soil inorganic N production remains unknown for cash crops in karst regions. In this study, the rates of organic N mineralization to ammonium (NH4+) and NH4+ nitrification to nitrate (NO3−) were determined using a 15N tracing technique to evaluate the supply capacity of inorganic N in soils from woodland and pitaya plantations with different cultivation years (3, 9, and 15 years) in the subtropical karst region of China. The conversion of woodland to pitaya plantations significantly decreased the content of soil organic carbon (SOC), total N, calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg), along with the soil pH and cation-exchange capacity (CEC), but significantly increased the content of available potassium, available phosphorus, iron, and aluminum, in a more pronounced fashion with the increasing length of pitaya cultivation. The conversion of woodland to pitaya plantations has not significantly changed soil NH4+ and NO3− content, but this land use has resulted in divergent effects on mineralization and nitrification rates. Compared to woodland (5.49 mg N kg−1 d−1), pitaya cultivation significantly reduced the mineralization rate to 0.62–2.38 mg N kg−1 d−1. Conversely, the nitrification rate significantly increased from 4.71 mg N kg−1 d−1 in soil under woodland to 9.32 mg N kg−1 d−1 in soil under 3-year pitaya cultivation, but this rate decreased to 1.74 mg N kg−1 d−1 under 15-year cultivation. Furthermore, the mean residence time of inorganic N was significantly higher in long-term than in short-term pitaya plantations, indicating the decline in inorganic N turnover with the increasing length of pitaya cultivation. Taken together, long-term pitaya cultivation could significantly decrease the supply capacity and turnover of inorganic N in soil. The Ca, Mg, SOC, and total N content, as well as CEC, were significantly and positively related to the mineralization rate, but negatively related to the mean residence time of NH4+ and NO3−, suggesting that the incorporation of organic matter can accelerate the soil inorganic N supply and turnover for long-term pitaya plantation in subtropical regions.

Background Pancreatic cancer is one of the most common malignant cancers worldwide. Currently, the pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer remains unclear; thus, it is necessary to explore its precise molecular mechanisms. Methods To identify candidate genes involved in the tumorigenesis and proliferation of pancreatic cancer, the microarray datasets GSE32676, GSE15471 and GSE71989 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and nonmalignant samples were screened by GEO2R. The Database for Annotation Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) online tool was used to obtain a synthetic set of functional annotation information for the DEGs. A PPI network of the DEGs was established using the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) database, and a combination of more than 0.4 was considered statistically significant for the PPI. Subsequently, we visualized the PPI network using Cytoscape. Functional module analysis was then performed using Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE). Genes with a degree ≥10 were chosen as hub genes, and pathways of the hub genes were visualized using ClueGO and CluePedia. Additionally, GenCLiP 2.0 was used to explore interactions of hub genes. The Literature Mining Gene Networks module was applied to explore the cocitation of hub genes. The Cytoscape plugin iRegulon was employed to analyze transcription factors regulating the hub genes. Furthermore, the expression levels of the 13 hub genes in pancreatic cancer tissues and normal samples were validated using the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) platform. Moreover, overall survival and disease-free survival analyses according to the expression of hub genes were performed using Kaplan-Meier curve analysis in the cBioPortal online platform. The relationship between expression level and tumor grade was analyzed using the online database Oncomine. Lastly, the eight snap-frozen tumorous and adjacent noncancerous adjacent tissues of pancreatic cancer patients used to detect the CDK1 and CEP55 protein levels by western blot. Conclusions Altogether, the DEGs and hub genes identified in this work can help uncover the molecular mechanisms underlying the tumorigenesis of pancreatic cancer and provide potential targets for the diagnosis and treatment of this disease.

Lung cancer is a common malignant tumor in clinic. Morbidity and mortality are the first place in cancer, which seriously threaten the health of human beings. Due to the lack of effective and specific screening methods, most patients were found already at an advanced stage, and often combined with bone, brain, liver, adrenal and other parts of the metastasis. Symptoms of patient resulted from the primary tumor, metastatic spread, or paraneoplastic syndrome commonly cause the medical attention. For the syndrome related to the distant metastatic spread as the first manifestation, diagnosis would be a challenge. Retinal metastasis is very rare as the first symptom of squamous cell carcinoma of the lung. This paper reviewed a case, in which a patient developed the retinal metastasis as the inital presentation. After systemic evaluation, our patient was managed in multidisciplinary treatments, including surgery and chemotherapy. Now, the patient has a good short-term prognosis and is still in fellow-up condition. Later, we summarized the characteristics of the diagnosis and treatment of this case and provided experience for clinicians. At the same time, reviewing the relevant literature on tumor metastasis provides a window for our understanding of the rare manifestations of lung cancer.

Exploration of the geothermal resources in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region has been kept for tens of years, and the recent success of geothermal exploration in the Xiongxian County provides a new model for the utilization of geothermal resources in this area. This research integrates the formation of temperature obtained from hydrocarbon drilling, experiments of reservoirs’ micro-characteristics and physical property, and employs the previous works on the regional geological settings to investigate the geothermal reservoirs and geothermal status. The microphotography indicates that the reservoir space is dominated by supergene karst in the Wumishan Formation which is mainly controlled by the topography when the interval emerged. The groundwater in the Pre-Paleogene has the similar composition of the hydrogen and oxygen isotope with the atmospheric precipitation, and the salinity of the groundwater has an increasing trend from the Taihang Mountain and the Yanshan Mountain to the depocenters, which indicates the groundwater originates from the atmospheric precipitation of the Taihang Mountain and the Yanshan Mountain and transports to the depocenters. The thermal conductivity of the lower carbonate rocks is much higher than the upper clastic intervals. This difference makes the upper clastic intervals of the Paleogene and the Neogene good seals for geothermal reservoirs and leads to the regional anomaly of the terrestrial heat flow: the intrabasin highs have a thicker thickness of the Pre-Paleogene carbonate deposition with high thermal conductivity, which results in high efficient thermal transmission and high terrestrial heat flow. Consequently, this research suggests that the intrabasin highs and slopes are the favourable areas for geothermal exploration with reservoirs of good quality, high terrestrial heat flow and efficient groundwater supply, and several areas were selected to be the potential targets for the Wumishan Formation and the Pre-Paleogene.

In the recent decades, development of agricultural and human settlements have severely affected wetlands on the China-side of the Amur River Basin (CARB). A long-term holistic view of spatio-temporal variations of the wetlands on the CARB is essential for supporting sustainable conservation of wetlands in this region. In this study, a training sample migration method along with Random Forest classifier were adopted to map wetland and other land covers from two key seasons image collections. The proposed classification method was applied to Landsat images, and a 30-m resolution dataset was obtained, which reflected the dynamic changes of historical wetland distribution on the CARB region from 1990 to 2010. As the accuracy assessments showed, land cover maps of the CARB had high accuracies. The classification results indicated that the wetland area decreased from 89,432 km2 to 75,061 km2 between 1990 and 2010, with a net loss of 16%, which was mainly converted to paddy field and dry farmland, and the changes were most obvious in Sanjiang Plain and Songnen Plain. This suggests that agricultural activities are the main cause of wetland loss. The results can provide reliable information for the research on wetland management and sustainable development of the society and economy in the CARB.

Remanufacturing technology has a wide range of applications in the repair of scrapped parts with a certain remaining service life. In this work, a scrapped crankshaft fabricated from nodular cast iron that had failed from working surface wear was remanufactured via a plasma cladding process. Taking into account the wear amount on the working surface and the characteristics of nodular cast iron, in this article, cladding layer parameters were designed and two types cladding powders, Fe-based and Ni-based, were prepared, respectively, to perform the cladding experiment. After examining different process parameters, relatively smooth cladding layers were obtained using four powders. The cladding experiment results showed that the powder No. 3 exhibited superior qualities when combined with proper processing parameters. When applying powder No. 3 to the main journal of crankshaft, a higher quality of cladding layer was achieved.

To explore how the cutting parameters affect the conical pick’s cutting force in coal cutting process, some simulation tests were carried with EDEM based on analysis of coal cutting process of conical pick and micro mechanical characteristic of coal particles. In this paper, traction speed, drum angular velocity, and installation angle of conical pick were considered as the main coal cutting parameters. The discrete element simulations were conducted under 7 sets of various cutting parameters, which were determined in the range of empirical parameters. From the results of the simulation tests, it can be concluded that the fragmentation of coal particles appears in a compacted, squeezed, and crumbling state in coal cutting process; the traction speed has the greatest impact on the conical pick’s cutting force and cutting force fluctuation and the influence of drum angular velocity and installation angle reduce in turn; the force and force fluctuation tend to decrease and obviously increase, respectively, with the increase of drum angular velocity and traction speed; and they will reach the minimum when the pick’s installation angle is 45° under certain traction speed and drum angular velocity.

Exacum affine Balf.f. ex Regel is a traditional medicinal plant in Yemen and also a popular potted plant. In this study, we sequenced the complete chloroplast genome of E. affine on the Illumina HiSeq Platform. The plastome sequence is 153,311 bp in length with a typical quadripartite structure, containing a pair of inverted repeated (IR) regions of 26,079 bp that are separated by a large single copy (LSC) region of 83,724 bp, and a small single copy (SSC) region of 17,509 bp. The GC content of the whole cp genome was 43.14%. A total of 132 functional genes were annotated, including 87 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. The complete plastome sequence of E. affine will provide genetic and genomic information to promote its horticulture, officinal utilisation and systematics research of Gentianaceae (especially the tribe Exaceae).

A simple and effective high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection method coupled with a liquid-liquid extraction pretreatment has been developed for determining the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of a novel structurally modified derivative (8-acetamino-isocorydine) of isocorydine. According to the in vivo experiments data calculations by DAS 2.0 software, a two-compartment metabolic model was suitable for describing the pharmacokinetic of 8-acetamino-isocorydine in rats. 8-Acetamino-isocorydine was absorbed well after oral administration, and the absolute bioavailability was 76.5%. The half-life of 8-acetamino-isocorydine after intravenous and oral administration was 2.2 h and 2.0 h, respectively. In vivo, 8-acetamino-isocorydine was highly distributed in the lungs, kidney and liver; however, relatively little entered the brain, suggesting that 8-acetamino-isocorydine could not easily pass through the blood brain barrier. Our work describes the first characterization of the pharmacokinetic parameters and tissue distribution of 8-acetamino-isocorydine. The acquired data will provide useful information for the in vivo pharmacology of 8-acetamino-isocorydine, and can be applied to new drug research.

A sensitive colourimetric method for lead (PbII) detection is reported in this paper using a common tripeptide, glutathione (GSH), and label-free gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). A limit of detection of 6.0 ppb in water was achieved and the dynamic linear range was up to 500 ppb. Selectivity over fourteen potential interfering metal ions was tested and most of these metal ions do not interfere with the method.

In order to improve the anticancer activity of isocorydine (ICD), ten isocorydine derivatives were prepared through chemical structure modifications, and their in vitro and in vivo activities were experimentally investigated. 8-Amino-isocorydine (8) and 6a,7-dihydrogen-isocorydione (10) could inhibit the growth of human lung (A549), gastric (SGC7901) and liver (HepG2) cancer cell lines in vitro. Isocorydione (2) could inhibit the tumor growth of murine sarcoma S180-bearing mice, and 8-acetamino-isocorydine (11), a pro-drug of 8-amino-isocorydine (8), which is instable in water solution at room temperature, had a good inhibitory effect on murine hepatoma H22-induced tumors. The results suggested that the isocorydine structural modifications at C-8 could significantly improve the biological activity of this alkaloid, indicating its suitability as a lead compound in the development of an effective anticancer agent.

Aim: To determine the change in cognitive function in very elderly men with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) over a 3-year period relative to age- and education-matched controls. Methods: In this hospital-based, prospective case-control study, we evaluated a consecutive series of 110 very elderly men with COPD and 110 control subjects who were hospitalized between January and December 2007. All the subjects performed cognitive tests at baseline and underwent annual evaluations (for 3 years), which included the Mini-Mental State Examination, word list recall, delayed recall, animal category fluency, and the symbol digit modalities test. Results: In mixed-effects models adjusted for hypertension and coronary heart disease, COPD was associated with a more rapid rate of cognitive decline based on the Mini-Mental State Examination, word list recall, delayed recall, animal category fluency, and the symbol digit modalities test (all p Conclusion: COPD is associated with a more rapid rate of cognitive decline in very elderly persons.

Stoneley wave in a fluid-filled pressurized borehole surrounded by a transversely isotropic elastic solid with nine independent third-order elastic constants in presence of biaxial stresses are studied. A simplified acoustoelastic formulation of Stoneley wave is presented for the parallelism of the borehole axis and the formation axis of symmetry. Sensitivity coefficients and velocity dispersions for Stoneley wave due to the presence of stresses are numerically investigated, respectively. The acoustoelastic formulation explicitly shows that the velocity dispersions of Stoneley wave depend on seven independent third-order elastic constants in presence of biaxial stresses and on six independent third-order elastic constants in the presence of borehole pressurization alone. Numerical results of both sensitivity coefficients and velocity dispersions of Stoneley wave show that at low frequency the velocity change of Stoneley wave is sensitive to c111 and c112. Stoneley wave velocity at low frequencies can be simplified by 3 independent third order elastic constants (c111, c112 and c123) instead of nine constants. In presence of biaxial stresses, at low frequencies the speed of the Stoneley wave is similar to White’s formula.

Liver cirrhosis is a potentially life-threatening disease caused by progressive displacement of functional hepatocytes by fibrous tissue. The underlying fibrosis is often driven by chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV). Matrix metalloproteinases including MMP-8 are crucial for excess collagen degradation. In a rat model of liver cirrhosis, MMP-8 delivery by an adenovirus (Ad) vector achieved significant amelioration of fibrosis but application of Ad vectors in humans is subject to various issues, including a lack of intrinsic liver specificity.HBV is highly liver-specific and its principal suitability as liver-specific gene transfer vector is established. HBV vectors have a limited insertion capacity and are replication-defective. Conversely, in an HBV infected cell vector replication may be rescued in trans by the resident virus, allowing conditional vector amplification and spreading. Capitalizing on a resident pathogen to help in its elimination and/or in treating its pathogenic consequences would provide a novel strategy. However, resident HBV may also reduce susceptibility to HBV vector superinfection. Thus a size-compatible truncated MMP-8 (tMMP8) gene was cloned into an HBV vector which was then used to generate a chimeric Ad-HBV shuttle vector that is not subject to superinfection exclusion. Rats with thioacetamide-induced liver cirrhosis were injected with the chimera to evaluate therapeutic efficacy.Our data demonstrate that infectious HBV vector particles can be obtained via trans-complementation by wild-type virus, and that the tMMP8 HBV vector can efficiently be shuttled by an Ad vector into cirrhotic rat livers. There it exerted a comparable beneficial effect on fibrosis and hepatocyte proliferation markers as a conventional full-length MMP-8Ad vector.Though the rat cirrhosis model does not allow assessing in vivo HBV vector amplification these results advocate the further development of Ad-HBV vectors for liver-specific gene therapy, including and perhaps particularly for HBV-related disease.

A two stage study was conducted to explore new potential mutations in the full genome of hepatitis B virus (HBV) on the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Qidong, China. In stage 1, full genomes of HBV were compared between 30 HCC cases and 30 controls. In stage 2, an independent case–control study including 100 HCC cases and 100 controls was enrolled to verify the relationship between hot-spot mutations and HCC development. Furthermore, a longitudinal study was conducted on 11 HCC cases with serial serum samples available before HCC diagnosis. A total of 10 mutations (including pre-S2 start codon mutation and pre-S deletion in pre-S gene, G1613A, C1653T, A1762T, and G1764A mutations in X gene, A2159G, A2189Y, G2203W, and C2288R mutations in C gene) showed an increased risk of HCC. In the validation study, pre-S deletion, C1653T, A1762T/G1764A, A2159G, A2189Y, G2203W, and C2288R mutations were associated with increased HCC risk in univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis indicated that pre-S deletion, A1762T/G1764A, A2159G, and A2189Y mutations were independently related with HCC development. Moreover, a significant biological gradient of HCC risk by number of mutations in the C gene was observed. Longitudinal observation demonstrated a gradual combination of the above mutations accumulated during the progression of HCC.