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This article explores the role of China's ideational and discursive power in shaping the interest perceptions of target states and in determining the formation of a new institution. Using the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) as a case study, this article illustrates how China framed the idea of institutionalization, and how such idea was proposed, articulated, deliberated, and accepted in the interactions with partner countries. Relying on a collection and coding of over 700 Chinese official texts on the LMC and extensive interviews, we analyze how the Chinese authorities have used ideas and discourses to garner support from states in the Mekong region for the establishment of the institution. This article demonstrates that China's ideational and discursive power helps generate three outcomes: preference denying, preference cultivating, and preference empowering. Such Chinese power has helped align Mekong countries' interest perceptions with China's expectations in three ways: transforming water security into developmental issues, accepting Chinese proposals through tactical persuasion, and constraining alternative policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors propose the use of an interactive model to explain the way the central government and the local governments carry out the formulation and implementation of China’s foreign economic policies. Case studies on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the China-Europe Railway Express (CERE) show a policy feedback loop between the central government and the local governments. While the local governments make adjustments to comply with the central government’s directive, their policies and measures also have a significant impact on the central government’s foreign policies. The findings suggest that neither the autonomy of local governments nor the authority of the central government in foreign economic affairs are eroded under Xi’s leadership despite notable recentralisation in the past decade. Instead, both the central government and local governments engage in a continuous, interactive partnership to formulate and execute China’s foreign economic policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A combined electric vehicles (EVs) and controllable loads scheduling framework is presented in this paper for a microgrid aimed at minimizing the operating cost and emissions. The microgrid is equipped with renewable power generation by using wind turbines and solar photovoltaic panels. In this respect, EVs would be used for load profile flattening and controllable loads would be used to address the reserve requirements of the system mainly due to intermittent renewable power generation. The problem is formulated as a two-stage scheduling program to specify the expected operating cost and reserve. The first stage aims to minimize the total costs including the generation and reserve costs. The second stage seeks to minimize the redispatch costs due to volatile renewable power generation. The resulting optimization problem is then solved by using the modified manta ray foraging optimization algorithm known as "MMRFO". This algorithm is an efficacious one being capable of handling various types of optimization problems. The findings obtained from a 24-h analysis of an MG model demonstrate the superior performance of the MMRFO algorithm when compared to other established methodologies. The obtained results by applying the MMRFO method indicate high efficiency of this algorithm in comparison with some other well-known algorithms when tackling the combined EV and controllable loads scheduling problem in the presence of wind and solar power generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The segmentation of brain tissue by MRI not only contributes to the study of the function and anatomical structure of the brain, but it also offers a theoretical foundation for the diagnosis and treatment of brain illnesses. When discussing the anatomy of the brain in a clinical setting, the terms "white matter," "gray matter," and "cerebrospinal fluid" are the ones most frequently used (CSF). However, due to the fact that the human brain is highly complicated in its structure and that there are many different types of brain tissues, the human brain structure of each individual has its own set of distinctive qualities. Because of these several circumstances, the process of segmenting brain tissue will be challenging. In this article, several different clustering algorithms will be discussed, and their performance and effects will be compared to one another. The goal of this comparison is to determine which algorithm is most suited for segmenting MRI brain tissue. Based on the clustering method, the primary emphasis of this research is placed on the segmentation approach that is appropriate for medical brain imaging. The qualitative and quantitative findings of the experiment reveal that the FCM algorithm has more steady performance and better universality, but it is necessary to include the additional auxiliary conditions in order to achieve more ideal outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water ionization is an efficient physical water treatment technology, and crop water and nutrient use efficiencies can be improved using ionized water for irrigation. In order to explore the effect of ionized water on soil nitrification and nitrifying microorganisms, we conducted a laboratory soil incubation experiment with the addition of ionized water and ordinary water under different soil water contents (equal to 30%, 60%, 100% and 175% of the field capacity, θFC). During the soil incubation, we analyzed soil inorganic nitrogen transformation, ammonia oxidation gene abundances and nitrifying microbial community structure. The results showed that, no matter adding ordinary water or ionized water, the soil nitrification rate and the abundance of ammonia oxidizing bacteria in the 100%θFC treatment were significantly higher than those in other water conditions, while the abundance of ammonia oxidizing archaea was not affected by the soil water content. With the same soil water content, the nitrification rate of ionized water treatment was stronger than that of the ordinary water treatment. Although the absolute abundance of ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in ionized water treatment was significantly lower than that of ordinary water (p < 0.05), the relative abundance of some dominant nitrifying microbial genera in the ionized water treatment was significantly higher (p < 0.05). The dominant genera may play a key role in the nitrification process. The results show that ionized water irrigation can significantly promote the nitrification of silt loam soil, especially under 100%θFC conditions, and may regulate soil nitrification by affecting some dominant nitrifying microorganisms. This study provides a theoretical basis for understanding the biological regulation mechanism of ionized water irrigation on soil nutrient transformation and for application of ionized water to field irrigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present paper aims to investigate effects of nanoparticle addition to thermal oil of parabolic trough collectors which are integrated to Kalina cycle for electricity generation to run an alkaline electrolyzer for hydrogen production. Thermodynamic models for Kalina cycle, thermal model for parabolic collectors and electrochemical models for water electrolyzer are developed for overall plant modeling. Three types of nanoparticles including: copper oxide, alumina and titanium oxide are considered and overall plant performance is investigated using these nanoparticles and is compared with basefluid. The nanofluid thermophysical properties are evaluated as a function of nanoparticles' properties, volume fraction and the base fluid properties. The effects of key variables such as nanoparticle volume fraction, collector inlet temperature, evaporation pressure and ammonia concentration of Kalina system were evaluated on hydrogen production as well as exergetic efficiencies. Results revealed greater positive influence for CuO compared to TiO 2 and Al 2 O 3 on performance improvement for both hydrogen generation and its exergetic efficiency. Also, compared to basefluid (without nanoparticles) case, it was found that CuO particles result in a solar-to-H 2 exergy efficiency improvement by 4.7%. Using this nanofluid with a volume fraction of 5%, the H 2 production rate enhances from 0.633 kg / h to 0.664 kg / h , indicating 4.9 % improvement. • An alkaline electrolyzer-based hydrogen production plant powered by PTC is modeled. • Three types of nanoparticles are employed for hydrogen production enhancement. • Copper oxide nanoparticles are found to be better than titanium oxide and alumina. • Nanoparticles are applied to enhance the PTC thermal performance. • Hydrogen production rate can be enhanced by 4.9 % using CuO nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the recent changes in China's Mekong River policy and investigates the contributing factors. In the past few years, China has shifted from an upstream sovereignty stance to launch a multilateral transboundary water diplomacy initiative in the Mekong River basin through the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Mechanism. We conclude that China's adoption of water diplomacy in the Mekong River is partially attributable to international activism by the Yunnan provincial government and its associated actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a geographical concept, 'Indo-Pacific' has existed for decades. As a political and strategic concept, it has since 2010 gradually become established in the foreign policy lexicon of some countries, especially Australia, India, Japan and the United States. However, China seems to be reluctant to identify itself as part of the Indo-Pacific; Chinese leaders believe that the US-led Indo-Pacific strategy aims to contain China's rise. While the battle between the two geographical concepts 'Indo-Pacific' and 'Asia–Pacific' may be fairly easily settled in the future, US–China strategic competition has just begun. Will the Indo-Pacific become a battlefield for US–China rivalry? How will China cope with the US 'free and open Indo-Pacific' (FOIP) strategy? How will other regional actors respond to the US–China strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific? What are the strategic implications of the 'Indo-Pacific' concept for regional order transformation? How will the Indo-Pacific be institutionalized, economically, politically and strategically? This article introduces the January 2020 special issue of International Affairs , which aims to address those questions, using both country-specific and regional perspectives. Seven articles focus on the policy responses of major players (Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan and ASEAN) to the US FOIP strategy and related US–China rivalry in the region. A further three articles examine the profound implications of Indo-Pacific dynamics for regional institution-building and for geopolitical and geo-economic architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been regarded by international society as a major policy tool in China's geo-economic strategy. Under this policy platform, Beijing has pledged to invest billions of dollars in the infrastructure and industrial sectors across Eurasia and in the Indo-Pacific nations. It is widely believed that such huge amount of investment will inevitably generate significant geostrategic repercussions in these regions. In response to the BRI, the United States and other powers have come up with a 'free and open Indo-Pacific' strategy. This article attempts to address the following question: what impact is the BRI likely to have on the security ties between China and the other major players in the Indo-Pacific? The author finds that the BRI may significantly transform China's international security policy and the expansion of Beijing's security influence may further intensify the security competition between China and other major powers in the Indo-Pacific region. The article also proposes a new analytical angle for the study of geo-economics that unpacks the role of economic activities and processes in generating geopolitical intentions and catalysing geopolitical competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the role of the local government in Hainan Province in Beijing's policy in the South China Sea (SCS) disputes. The article argues that Hainan has played three major roles in the SCS disputes: an avid defender of China's claim and position, an active definer of China's interests in the disputes, and a helpful participant in asserting China's national security in the SCS. The establishment of the Sansha city has significantly increased Hainan's involvement in the SCS contestations. This article concludes that Beijing's policy in the SCS is unlikely to become significantly more moderate partly because of Hainan's strong position on the dispute and keen interest in the resources in the area. The article also recommends incorporating the views and activities of local governments in future studies on Chinese foreign and security policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Polymer microgel spheres are used as templates. • 3D Li+/e− conductive networks are formed in the MnS@S, N -PC composite. • Mesoporous carbon matrix alleviates the volume change of MnS nanoparticles. • Rich interfaces enable pseudocapacitance to contribute major to the total capacity. Rocksalt-type manganese sulfide (α-MnS) is a promising next generation anode material for lithium-ion batteries, but its practice application is severely impeded by slow conversion kinetics and large volume change. To overcome these drawbacks, α-MnS nanoparticles are uniformly embedded in sulfur/nitrogen-doped porous carbon (S, N -PC) spheres, which are fabricated by absorbing Mn2+ in poly(acrylamide- co -acrylic acid) (P(AM- co -AA)) microgel spheres, in-situ generating MnS@P(AM- co -AA) hybrid spheres, and carbonized at a high temperature. Synergetic effect of nanocrystallization, carbon encapsulation and porous structure endows the MnS@S, N -PC electrode with outstanding electrochemical properties. It can deliver an initial discharge capacity of 822 mAh/g at 0.1C rate in the voltage range of 0.01–3.0 V, accompanying with an initial coulombic efficiency of 82.5 %, and remains 420 mAh/g at 2C rate after 600 cycles. Owing to a large interfacial area between MnS nanoparticles and S, N -PC, pseudocapacitance contributes much more to total capacity during charging/discharging processes. The results suggest that the MnS@S, N -PC spheres can be promisingly developed into high-performance anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of ionized water to irrigation, as a new type of water treatment technology, can improve the spatial distribution of water in soil and increase water utilization efficiency, which may affect the microbiological processes involved in nitrogen transformation and alter soil nitrogen supply capability. However, the effects of ionized water technology on soil organic nitrogen mineralization are still in need of further research. In this study, we investigated the soil organic nitrogen mineralization process with four different water additions: non-ionized fresh water (CK), ionized fresh water (DE), non-ionized brackish water (BCK), and ionized brackish water (BDE). By using a short-term laboratory incubation method, we monitored the changes of the inorganic nitrogen concentration in each treatment during the incubation process. We compared the net nitrogen mineralization and nitrogen mineralization rates in different treatments, and fitted the organic nitrogen mineralization process with three models (One-pool model, Special model, and EATM model). We divided the whole incubation process into three periods based on the differences of the organic nitrogen mineralization trends. The results demonstrated that when DE was compared with CK, the net nitrogen mineralization increased by 21.97% and the nitrogen mineralization rate increased by 20.42% in the latter incubation period. When BDE was compared with BCK, the net nitrogen mineralization decreased by 3.63%, and the nitrogen mineralization rate increased by 21.86% in the latter incubation period. When BCK was compared with CK, brackish water irrigation reduced the organic nitrogen mineralization intensity to a certain extent, with the net nitrogen mineralization decreased by 11.62% and the nitrogen mineralization rate decreased by 41.07% in the whole incubation process. When BDE was compared with DE, the net nitrogen mineralization decreased by 30.09% and the nitrogen mineralization rate decreased by 53.39% in the whole incubation process. The simulation model of the soil organic nitrogen mineralization process showed that the special model and EATM model are superior to the One-pool model. This study provides a theoretical basis for the popularization and application of ionized water irrigation in agricultural production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has been quite successful in developing its relations with Central Asian states and expanding its influence in the region since the 1990s. Most analysts contribute the success to the strategy and policy of China’s national central government. This observation certainly has a lot of truth, but at the same time we should not neglect or downplay the role that the local government in Xinjiang has played in cementing China–Central Asian ties. Xinjiang has functioned as an indispensable actor in China’s look-west and act-west policies towards Central Asia and beyond. With Chinese foreign policy elites increasingly interested in using the act-west policy as part of their counter-hedging strategy in Asia, Xinjiang appears to enjoy many more opportunities and play an even more significant role in China’s relations with countries in its western flank. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

China has a strong interest in pursuing a smart power strategy towards Southeast Asia and has worked laboriously to engage with regional countries economically, socially, and politically. But China has been only partially successful in achieving its goals in the region. This paper argues that China’s security policy towards Southeast Asia significantly contradicts many other objectives that Beijing wishes to accomplish. Given the deep-seated, narrowly-defined national interests of the Chinese military in the South China Sea disputes, it is likely that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will continue to pose the main obstacle to the effective implementation of a Chinese smart strategy in Southeast Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Following the inauguration of the new leadership during the annual National People's congress in March 2013, China unveiled a series of maritime institutional reforms. The intensification of efforts to realize China's maritime aspirations and to re-establish effective control over previously neglected maritime space is unprecedented. It raises a critical question: What is the new leadership's South China Sea policy? This paper attempts to address this question by examining the new signs in Beijing's evolving policy on the China's maritime territorial disputes in the South China Sea under Xi's strong man leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, surface segregation phenomena of Au–Pd–Pt trimetallic clusters are investigated by using semi-grand Monte Carlo simulations based on the Gupta potential. It is found that Au atoms are systematically segregated on the surface of the Au–Pd–Pt clusters (6–24 at.% higher than the overall Au concentration), due to the competition among the surface energies of Au, Pd, and Pt. The melting properties of Au–Pd–Pt trimetallic clusters with different composition and size are investigated by using molecular dynamics simulations, based on the same Gupta potential. It is found that the Au–Pd–Pt trimetallic cluster with the highest melting point corresponds to the one with the most stable structure. In addition, linear decrease in cluster melting point with the inverse cluster diameter is predicted for both pure and trimetallic clusters, which is well-known as the Pawlow’s law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF2)-mediated Extracellular signal-regulated kinases1/2 (ERK1/2) signaling is a critical modulator in angiogenesis. SPRY4 has been reported to be a feedback negative regulator of FGFs-induced ERK1/2 signaling. The aim of this study was to explore the role of SPRY4 in endometrial adenocarcinoma cell. Materials and methods: The effect of SPRY4 expression on FGF2-mediated ERK1/2 signaling was detected by luciferase assay and Western blot analysis. The growth of Ishikawa cells was detected using colony formation assay and cell number counting experiment. Results: We found that plasmid-driven SPRY4 expression efficiently blocked the activity of FGF2-induced ERK1/2 signaling in Ishikawa cells. SPRY4 expression significantly reduced the proliferation and 17β-estradiol-induced proliferation of Ishikawa cells. Conclusion: SPRY4 may function as a tumor suppressor in endometrial adenocarcinoma. 目的：碱性成纤维细胞生长因子(FGF2)介导的细胞外信号调节激酶(ERK1/2)信号转导是血管发生过程中的关键调节器。有报道显示SPRY4是FGFs介导的ERK1/2信号转导的负反馈调节蛋白。本研究的目的是探讨SPRY4在子宫内膜腺癌细胞发生中的作用。 材料与方法：采用荧光素酶检测与蛋白印迹分析方法探测SPRY4在FGF2介导的ERK1/2信号转导过程中的表达效果。采用克隆形成实验与细胞计数实验检测Ishikawa细胞的生长情况。 结果：我们发现在Ishikawa细胞，质粒驱动的SPRY4表达有效地阻滞了FGF2介导的ERK1/2信号转导。SPRY4的表达显著降低了Ishikawa细胞增殖和17-β-雌二醇诱导的Ishikawa细胞增殖。 结论：SPRY4可能具有子宫内膜腺癌抑癌基因的功能。 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most interesting phenomena in contemporary international relations is the growing role of local government entities in forging and intensifying cross-border interactions in the social, economic and cultural arenas. Lamentably, this aspect of international relations, which I conceptualize as local liberalism, has not received sufficient scholarly attention. This paper attempts to fill in the gap by describing and analyzing how local liberalism has played a role in China's relations with Southeast Asia. The paper argues that local governments in Yunnan and Guangxi have played an important and positive role in cementing the relations between China and Southeast Asia. The paper suggests that debunking the China ‘black box’ to examine the different units in China, including the sub-national governments, may provide more useful insights for our understanding of China–Southeast Asian relations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Highlights: [•] Surface segregation upon adsorption is studied by Monte Carlo simulations. [•] Pd atoms occupy the surface sites for Au–Pd clusters upon CO and O adsorption. [•] The Au surface segregation of free cluster is completely reversed at the high CO and O coverage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper uses new archival and other documents in analysing the interactions between Chinese domestic politics and international politics and the impacts on Sino-Soviet relations from early 1962 to July 1963. The article proposes a more coherent theoretical approach to the study of the Sino-Soviet split and in particular the role of ideology during the split. This paper concludes that the dynamics of an ideological dilemma were in full play during this period. Mao, the paramount leader in the Chinese political system, intentionally linked his foreign and internal political ideological struggles and, to a large extent, manipulated and escalated Sino-Soviet ideological disputes for his domestic political purposes, namely pushing for his domestic radical programs, asserting his own ideological supremacy, and perhaps most importantly, checking the power and influence of his political rivals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To explore the stroma–epithelium interactions in endometriosis and to identify the possible signalling pathways involved in this cross-talk. Design. Laboratory study via primary cultured endometrial stromal and epithelial cells. Setting. University Hospital. Patients. Fifteen patients with endometriosis confirmed by histopathology were recruited in the study, and 12 women free of endometriosis were used as control group. Intervention(s). Specific NFкB inhibitor 1-Pyrrolidinecarbodithioic acid ammonium salt (PDTC) was used in cell cultures. Main outcome measure(s). The expression and secretion of MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1, TIMP-2 and the DNA-binding activity of NFкB in normal endometrial stromal cells or in co-cultures with normal or endometriotic epithelial cells from patients with endometriosis. Result(s). Endometrial epithelial cells induced MMP-9 and MMP-2 expression in normal stromal cells in vitro. In co-cultures with endometriotic epithelial cells, normal endometrial stromal cells expressed and secreted higher MMP-2 ( p < 0.05) and MMP-9 ( p < 0.05). Specific inhibition of NFкB pathway in stromal cells abolished this induction effect by epithelial cells. Conclusion(s). Endometriotic epithelial cells induce MMPs expression and secretion in normal endometrial stromal cells via an NFкB-dependent pathway in vitro. This cross-talk between epithelial cells and stromal cells may facilitate the implantation and extension of the ectopic foci and favour the development of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Future international relations in East Asia are likely to be largely shaped by the maritime strategies and policies of various actors. This paper examines China's policy and behavior in maritime cooperation in the East Asian region in recent years, a topic that has been insufficiently understood. I suggest that while it is necessary and useful to take into account China's naval power, more attention to Chinese intentions and policy on East Asian maritime issues is warranted to arrive at a more balanced, and arguably more accurate, understanding of China's role in East Asian maritime affairs. This paper takes stock of China's changing perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors in maritime cooperation in the region. I describe China's new policy moves in the South China Sea and East China Sea. I also address some of the major Chinese concerns for further maritime cooperation in East Asia. I conclude that while a grand cooperative maritime regime is still not possible from a Chinese perspective, China is likely to agree to more extensive and substantive maritime cooperation in many functional areas, most notably in the non-traditional security arena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural landscape pattern may enhance biocontrol services by supporting parasitoid populations, including parasitoids of Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). In this study, we selected four landscape types in Yunnan province, in south China, which were characterized by flower fields, mountain, river, and urban areas as their main elements. We then carried out systematic surveys in tomato fields found within each landscape type, to determine the diversity, occurrence, and parasitism rate of parasitoids. We found that parasitoids from the genus Encarsia and Eretmocerus were the main natural enemies present, and the most abundant species were recorded in the flower and the mountain landscapes. Also, Encarsia formosa (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) formed the highest relative abundance regardless of the landscape type. We also found that the population density of B. tabaci in flower landscapes was the lowest than that in other landscape types. During the main activity period of B. tabaci, the parasitism rate in the flower landscape was higher than that in other landscape types. Our findings showed that the occurrence of B. tabaci was relatively mild in the flower landscapes. The landscape type was also beneficial to parasitoids as it enhanced their parasitism rate. Therefore, agriculture environmental schemes should consider increasing the size of flower fields in the surrounding landscape to enhance the sustainable control of B. tabaci by the natural agricultural ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is widely recognized for its unfavorable prognosis. Increasing evidence has revealed that LGALS3 has an essential function in initiating and developing several malignancies in humans. Nevertheless, thorough analysis of the expression profile, clinical prognosis, pathway prediction, and immune infiltration of LGALS3 has not been fully explored in HCC. Methods: In this study, an initial pan-cancer analysis was conducted to investigate the expression and prognosis of LGALS3. Following a comprehensive analysis, which included expression analysis and correlation analysis, noncoding RNAs that contribute to the overexpression of LGALS3 were subsequently identified. This identification was further validated using HCC clinical tissue samples. TIMER2 and GEPIA2 were employed to examine the correlation between LGALS3 and HCP5 with immunological checkpoints, cell chemotaxis, and immune infiltration in HCC. The R program was applied to analyze the expression distribution of immune score in in HCC patients with high and low LGALS3 expression. The expression profiles of immune checkpoints were also analyzed. Use R to perform GSVA analysis in order to explore potential signaling pathways. Results: First, we conducted pan-cancer analysis for LGALS3 expression level through an in-depth analysis of public databases and found that HCC has a high LGALS3 gene and protein expression level, which were then verified in clinical HCC specimens. Meanwhile, high LGALS3 gene expression is related to malignant progression and poor prognosis of HCC. Univariate and multivariate analyses confirmed that LGALS3 could serve as an independent prognostic marker for HCC. Next, by combining comprehensive analysis and validation on HCC clinical tissue samples, we hypothesize that the HCP5/hsa-miR-27b-3p axis could serve as the most promising LGALS3 regulation mechanism in HCC. KEGG and GO analyses highlighted that the LGALS3-related genes were involved in tumor immunity. Furthermore, we detected a significant positive association between LGALS3 and HCP5 with immunological checkpoints, cell chemotaxis, and immune infiltration. In addition, high LGALS3 expression groups had significantly higher immune cell scores and immune checkpoint expression levels. Finally, GSVA analysis was performed to predict potential signaling pathways linked to LGALS3 and HCP5 in immune evasion and metabolic reprogramming of HCC. Conclusions: Our findings indicated that the upregulation of LGALS3 via the HCP5/hsa-miR-27b-3p axis is associated with unfavorable prognosis and increased tumor immune infiltration in HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the task of power line inspection, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are frequently used for capturing images. With the rapid advancement of sensor technology, the spatial, radiometric, and spectral resolutions of UAV images are constantly improving, leading to an increased storage requirement for individual images. Given that UAVs usually operate with limited computational resources, transmission capability and storage space, there are significant challenges in image compression, storage and transmission. This underscores the importance of a high-performance image compression technique. To solve the above problem, we unveil a compression strategy for images that have been acquired through learning utilizing discrete Gaussian mixture-based probability distributions to increase the efficiency of image compression and the fidelity of reconstruction. In addition, to speed up decoding, we employ a parallel context model, which facilitates decoding in a highly parallel manner. Experimental evidence indicates that our approach attains performance that is at the forefront of the field while significantly expediting the decoding process (speeding up the decoding process by more than 49.78%) in our experiments, outpacing traditional coding standards and existing learned compression approaches by 5.75dB and 1.23dB in PSNR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing molecule-3 (TIM-3) initially discovered on the surface of Th1 cells, negatively regulates immune responses and mediates apoptosis of Th1 cells. An increasing number of studies have since shown that TIM-3 is crucial in the genesis and development of immune diseases, cancers, and chronic infectious illnesses. However, the effect of TIM-3 on endometriosis is still unknown. Methods: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry were used to measure TIM-3 levels in endometriosis. Cell Counting Kit-8, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine, colony-forming, Transwell® migration, Matrigel® invasion, and flow cytometry assays were used to explore the function of TIM-3 in vitro, and xenograft experiments in nude mice were used to assess its role in vivo. According to the RNA seq, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was screened. The involvement of specific proliferation-related signaling molecules was determined by transfecting a plasmid and adding an inhibitor in vivo and in vitro. Results: TIM-3 mRNA and protein expression levels were significantly higher in eutopic and ectopic endometrial tissues than in normal endometrial tissues. By examining the effects of TIM-3 overexpression and knockdown on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro, and lesions formation in vivo, we found that the expression of TIM-3 was positively correlated with cell proliferation and clone formation in vitro, as well as lesions growth in nude mice. By adding the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase/protein kinase B(PI3K/AKT) pathway inhibitor LY294002 and knocking down PI3K, we further verified that TIM-3 promotes proliferation in vivo and in vitro via the PI3K pathway. By transfecting the plasmid into ESC cells and gave inhibitors to endometriotic rats models, we tested that TIM-3 regulates the proliferation by BDNF-mediated PI3K/AKT axis. Conclusion: TIM-3 can promote the proliferation of endometriosis by BDNF-mediated PI3K/AKT axis in vivo and in vitro, which may provide a new therapeutic target for the treatment of endometriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important component of computer system, GPU has been used more widely in the system under the support of general computing. In addition to focusing on its performance, the issues of its energy consumption and environmental problem have gradually attracted the concerns of researchers, computer architects, and developers. Current researches only consider single-task scheduling for saving energy, lacking the focus on energy saving from scheduling the overall tasks. In view of the shortcomings of current researches, we propose a METS (Minimizing Execution Time Slot) approach to reduce energy by rationally allocating the tasks across GPUs. It first collects the number of tasks and the corresponding estimated performance information. Next, it decides whether to turn the problem into a 0–1 knapsack problem or to use FIFO method based on the number of tasks. Then, we conduct our experiment on typical platform to verify our proposed approach. The experimental results show that METS can save on average 8.43% of energy when compared with the existing approaches. This shows that the proposed METS method is effective, reasonable and feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Complex and dynamic interaction between agents and institutional contexts on both sides determine outcomes. • Chinese contractors-host ruling elites- regulatory environment is the most influential interaction, often negative. • Bargaining between ruling elites and local authorities and civil society, is a second line of influence, often positive. • Preliminary outcomes question the exceptionalism of Chinese approach. This special issue aspires to contribute to the nascent literature on the developmental impact of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its implications for global development governance. It is our contention that the BRI offers a unique window for a better understanding of China's dual role as a development agent and a development-norms shaper. This introductory essay attempts to systematize theoretical insights drawn from in-depth empirical research along key nodes of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (MSR), one key dimension of the BRI. This special issue provides valuable insights into BRI implementation on recipient countries by examining key infrastructure projects with the aim of uncovering the complexity of the variables determining BRI dynamics and outcomes. The contributions highlight the versatility and the fragmentation of the BRI as a cooperation platform, and the variegated nature of engagement patterns and outcomes on the ground. The findings of this collection of studies suggest that these variations are ultimately a function of the complex interaction between institutional contexts and agents from both sides (China and host countries), and that the quality and sustainability of such interplay has a significant bearing on developmental outcomes. Moreover, as with traditional donors, inconsistencies between the official rhetoric and the actual implementation dynamics and developmental outcomes may subsequently undermine China's legitimacy as a development 'norm-maker' and cooperation partner. Overall, our findings question the exceptionalism of China's development cooperation approach and hence the prospects for the emergence of an alternative and more effective development paradigm appear slim at this juncture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combining a deep neural network with fuzzy theory, this paper proposes an advertising click-through rate (CTR) prediction approach based on a fuzzy deep neural network (FDNN). In this approach, fuzzy Gaussian-Bernoulli restricted Boltzmann machine (FGBRBM) is first applied to input raw data from advertising datasets. Next, fuzzy restricted Boltzmann machine (FRBM) is used to construct the fuzzy deep belief network (FDBN) with the unsupervised method layer by layer. Finally, fuzzy logistic regression (FLR) is utilized for modeling the CTR. The experimental results show that the proposed FDNN model outperforms several baseline models in terms of both data representation capability and robustness in advertising click log datasets with noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With complex changes in the global climate, it is critical to understand how ambient temperature affects health, especially in China. We aimed to assess the effects of temperature on daily mortality, including total non-accidental, cardiovascular disease (CVD), respiratory disease, cerebrovascular disease, and ischemic heart disease (IHD) mortality between 2016 and 2020 in Chengdu, China. Methods: We obtained daily temperature and mortality data for the period 2016–2020. A Poisson regression model combined with a distributed-lag nonlinear model was used to examine the association between temperature and daily mortality. We investigated the effects of individual characteristics by sex, age, education level, and marital status. Results: We found significant non-linear effects of temperature on total non-accidental, CVD, respiratory, cerebrovascular, and IHD mortality. Heat effects were immediate and lasted for 0–3 days, whereas cold effects persisted for 7–10 days. The relative risks associated with extreme high temperatures (99th percentile of temperature, 28 °C) over lags of 0–3 days were 1.22 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.17, 1.28) for total non-accidental mortality, 1.40 (95% CI: 1.30, 1.50) for CVD morality, 1.34 (95% CI: 1.24, 1.46) for respiratory morality, 1.33 (95% CI: 1.20, 1.47) for cerebrovascular mortality, and 1.38 (95% CI: 1.20, 1.58) for IHD mortality. The relative risks associated with extreme cold temperature (1st percentile of temperature, 3.0 °C) over lags of 0–14 days were 1.32 (95% CI: 1.19, 1.46) for total mortality, 1.45 (95% CI: 1.24, 1.68) for CVD morality, 1.28 (95% CI: 1.09, 1.50) for respiratory morality, 1.36 (95% CI: 1.09, 1.70) for cerebrovascular mortality, and 1.26 (95% CI: 0.95, 1.68) for IHD morality. We found that hot and cold affects were greater in those over 85 years of age, and that women, individuals with low education levels, and those who were widowed, divorced, or never married, were more vulnerable. Conclusions: This study showed that exposure to hot and cold temperatures in Chengdu was associated with increased mortality, with people over 85 years old, women, those with low education levels, and unmarried individuals being more affected by hot and cold temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional texture cluster algorithms are frequently used in engineering; however, despite their widespread application, these algorithms continue to suffer from drawbacks including excessive complexity and limited universality. This study will focus primarily on the analysis of the performance of a number of different texture clustering algorithms. In addition, the performance of traditional texture classification algorithms will be compared in terms of image size, clustering number, running time, and accuracy. Finally, the performance boundaries of various algorithms will be determined in order to determine where future improvements to these algorithms should be concentrated. In the experiment, some traditional clustering algorithms are used as comparative tools for performance analysis. The qualitative and quantitative data both show that there is a significant difference in performance between the different algorithms. It is only possible to achieve better performance by selecting the appropriate algorithm based on the characteristics of the texture image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cracks are one of the most common types of imperfections that can be found in concrete pavement, and they have a significant influence on the structural strength. The purpose of this study is to investigate the performance differences of various spatial clustering algorithms for pavement crack segmentation and to provide some reference for the work that is being done to maintain pavement currently. This is done by comparing and analyzing the performance of complex crack photos in different settings. For the purpose of evaluating how well the comparison method works, the indices of evaluation of NMI and RI have been selected. The experiment also includes a detailed analysis and comparison of the noisy photographs. According to the results of the experiments, the segmentation effect of these cluster algorithms is significantly worse after adding Gaussian noise; based on the NMI value, the mean-shift clustering algorithm has the best de-noise effect, whereas the performance of some clustering algorithms significantly decreases after adding noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In previous studies, we found that endometriotic stromal cells lose the ability to regulate cell survival signaling in endometriotic epithelial cells. Here, we invested the effect of Metformin on the stromal-epithelial cells crosstalk in endometriosis and explored the pathway that might be involved. We found that ectopic endometriotic stromal cells (ESC) expressed and secreted higher Wnt2 protein compared with normal endometrial stromal cells (NSC). Conditioned medium (CM) from ESC supplemented with Wnt2 antibody significantly inhibited the growth of normal endometrial epithelial cells (NEC), while CM from ESC per se showed no significant effect on the growth of NEC. Metformin decreased the expression and secretion of Wnt2 in ESC. CM from Metformin-pretreated ESC significantly inhibited the growth of NEC. In conclusion, Wnt2/β-catenin signaling was involved in stromal-epithelial cells interaction in endometriosis. Metformin might regulate the stroma-epithelium communication via Wnt2-mediated signaling in endometriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of severe acute syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in December 2019 has led to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Although the symptoms of most COVID-19 patients are mild or self-curable, most of severe patients have sepsis caused by cytokine storms, which greatly increases the case fatality rate. Moreover, there is no effective drug that can limit the novel coronavirus thus far, so it is more needed to develop antiviral drugs for the SARS-CoV-2. In our research, we employed the techniques of molecular docking to screen 35 flavonoid compounds among which 29 compounds have Z-scores lower than − 6. Then, (−)-gallocatechin gallate, (+)-gallocatechin and baicalein were identified to have potent inhibitory activity against SARS-CoV-2 Mpro with IC50 values of 5.774 ± 0.805 μM, 13.14 ± 2.081 μM and 5.158 ± 0.928 μM respectively by FRET assay. Molecular docking results also showed that (−)-gallocatechin gallate, (+)-gallocatechin and baicalein can non-covalently bind to Mpro through π-π stacking and hydrogen bonds in the Cys145 catalytic site. We further evaluated the effect of (−)-gallocatechin gallate and baicalein on cytokine storms using a mouse model of sepsis. (−)-Gallocatechin gallate and baicalein significantly reduced sepsis of mouse models on weight, murine sepsis score, and survival rate and reduced the inflammatory factor levels, such as TNF-α, IL-1α, IL-4, and IL-10. Overall, (−)-gallocatechin gallate and baicalein show certain potential of treatment against COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endometriosis is a common estrogen-dependent chronic inflammatory disease that leads to infertility in women of reproductive age. Perhaps infertility reflects the reduced expression of integrin αvβ3 and HOXA10 in endometriosis. Previous studies have shown that administration of letrozole, a non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor for cancer treatment, increased the clinical pregnancy rate in women with endometriosis, but the mechanisms remain to be determined. In this communication, a rat model of endometriosis was established. Animals were treated with letrozole at 2ug/kg of body weight, intragastric administration for 15 consecutive days. Letrozole increased the expression of αvβ3 and HOXA10 in the endometriosis model and endometrial receptivity. Abbreviations: WOI: window of implantation; RGD: Arg-Gly-Asp; HOX: homeobox; E2: estradiol; SPF: specific pathogen-free. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2Immunoexpression and comparison of B7-H3 in normal, eutopic and ectopic endometrium of adenomyosis treated with and without mifepristone. a Ectopic endometrium of proliferative phase in patient with untreated adenomyosis (n = 35); b Ectopic endometrium of secretory phase in patient with untreated adenomyosis (n = 23); c Eutopic endometrium of proliferative phase in patient with untreated adenomyosis (n = 35); d Eutopic endometrium of secretory phase in patient with untreated adenomyosis (n = 23); e Normal endometrium of proliferative phase in patients without adenomyosis (n = 47); f Normal endometrium of secretory phase in patients without adenomyosis (n = 27); g Ectopic endometrium in patient with mifepristone-treated adenomyosis (n = 11); h and i eutopic endometrium in patient with mifepristone-treated adenomyosis (n = 11); j Immunoscore comparation of B7-H3 between each groups, * P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01. a- i magnification: × 100 The original article [[1]] has been updated. Reference 1 Qin X, Sun W, Wang C. Mifepristone inhibited the expression of B7-H2, B7-H3, B7-H4 and PD-L2 in adenomyosis. [Extracted from the article]

Objectives: Melatonin (MLT) shows antitumor effects in various tumor types, including endometrial carcinoma. However, the molecular mechanism involved is unclear. In the current study, we investigated the effect of MLT on the estrogen-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in endometrial adenocarcinoma cells and explored the pathway that might be involved.Design: Laboratory study was via cultured endometrial cancer cells. Design refers only to in vitro experiments.Methods: In cell culture experiments, cell growth was examined using CCK-8 assays. The expression of Numb and EMT markers in Ishikawa cells was examined using Western blot analysis and real-time PCR. Cell invasion was examined using transwell assays. Cell migration was examined using wound-healing assays and transwell assays. Using immunohistochemistry analysis, the expression of Numb in human endometrial cancers was examined.Results: In immunohistochemistry experiments, we found that 15.2% of atypical endometrial hyperplasia and 15.6% of endometrial carcinoma did not express Numb. In cell culture experiments, MLT inhibited cell proliferation, invasion, and migration induced by 17β-estradiol (E2) in endometrial cancer cells. MLT decreased the expression of vimentin and Slug and increased the expression of Numb and E-cadherin in Ishikawa cells. Numb knockdown in cancer cells significantly increased cell proliferation, invasion, and migration.Limitations: No animal experiments were performed.Conclusions: MLT blocked E2-induced cell growth and EMT in endometrial cancer cells via upregulating Numb expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Magnetoelectric water combined with 15 mg/L foliar iron promoted spinach growth. • Chlorophyll content mainly affected the yield and iron absorption of spinach. • Logistic model and light response model well simulated the growth process of spinach. • The prediction model of spinach yield based on chlorophyll content was well fitting. Vegetable cultivation is highly profitable and can quickly generate earnings. The demand for vegetables is increasing daily compared with grain crops. However, the inefficient use of water resources and the lack of microelements in soil prevent improvements in vegetable quality and yield. This study conducted indoor pot experiments on spinach (Spinacea oleracea L.), including five concentrations of foliar iron (e.g., 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 mg/L) under conventional water and magnetoelectric water irrigation conditions. This experiment was conducted to clarify the effect of the combined application of magnetoelectric water and foliar iron fertilizer on the growth characteristics and iron absorption patterns of spinach. The results demonstrated that magnetoelectric water combined with the application of 15 mg/L foliar iron fertilizer was the most effective combination. These results occurred by (1) increasing the available iron content in the soil while promoting the accumulation of total nitrogen in spinach leaves and (2) increasing the chlorophyll content and maximum net photosynthetic rate of spinach leaves. This resulted in a significant increase of 31.91 % in the aboveground fresh weight of spinach and an iron enrichment coefficient of 40.12 %. Additionally, the accuracy of the logistic growth and light response model to simulate the growth and light response process of spinach was greater than 0.98, indicating good fitting effects. The increase in chlorophyll content was the main factor promoting spinach growth and iron absorption, and the prediction model of spinach yield based on chlorophyll content was well fitting. These results provide theoretical references and technical support for promoting magnetoelectric water irrigation technology combined with foliar iron fertilizer to improve vegetable yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: 3D solid models of geological structures are particularly useful to practical geological analysis and engineering design. The main difficulty raised by 3D geological modeling of sedimentary system is determining the geological genesis and geometrical boundaries of missing strata. For the lack of the comprehensive mechanism to handle missing strata, it is difficult to construct spatial geometric shapes of complicated strata with a desired accuracy in 3D utilizing the existing modeling methods. This situation limits the reliability and the practicality of the computer models. In order to construct the discontinuous geological surfaces induced by missing strata, an adapted and automatic approach for generating 3D solid models of sedimentary stratigraphic systems from borehole data, called the Borehole–Surface–Solid method, is presented. The method first utilizes the topologic dimidiate data structure to discretize borehole data into a series of scatter points, then interpolates the initial elevations of the top and bottom surfaces for each stratum, and automatically deduces the genesis of the missing strata. Subsequently, according to different geological genesis, surfaces intersecting, elevations adjusting and consistency processing are performed automatically on the missing strata''s surfaces and their control surfaces. And finally, the solid model filled with 3D blocks or triangular prism meshes is built. The Borehole–Surface–Solid method has higher automaticity and stronger adaptability, and overcomes limitations of the existing modeling methods. Two concrete examples of using this method to Shanghai''s construction projects show that the resulting models are natural, geologically reasonable and close to the actual stratigraphic distribution. In addition, during the implementing process, the geological laws, such as the different genesis controlling the spatial geometry of the missing strata, are converted skillfully into modeling rules that can be identified and programmed automatically by modelers, and this is helpful to promote further study on 3D modeling techniques for complex geological structures. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objective: Stroma–tumor communication plays an important role in the genesis of neoplasia. In the current study, we investigated the effect of normal stromal cells on the survival and apoptosis signaling of endometrial cancer cells and further explored the possible mechanism implied in this communication. Methods: Using primarily cultured normal endometrial stromal cells and an endometrial adenocarcinoma cell line, Ishikawa cells, we established a 2D-coculture system to observe the stromal cell–tumor cell crosstalk in endometrial carcinomas. Using methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assays, cell counting and colony formation assays, we analyzed the effect of stomal cells on the growth and proliferation of Ishikawa cells under different conditions. Using western blot analysis, we determined the effect of stromal cells on the activity of PI3K/AKt/Survivin signaling in Ishikawa cells under different conditions. Using immunohistochemistry analysis, we determined the expression of Survivin in normal endometria and endometrial adenocarcinomas. Results: We found that the paracrine factors from normal endometrial stromal cells grown on Matrigel repeatedly and significantly decreased hormone-stimulated activity of PI3K/AKt/Survivin signaling in Ishikawa cells, which were proved to be increased in endometrial adenocarcinoma and essential in hormone-induced cell growth in Ishikawa cells. Conclusion: Paracrine factors from normal endometrial stromal cells can inhibit hormone-stimulated cell proliferation in Ishikawa cells by regulating cell survival and apoptosis through PI3K/AKt/Survivin signaling. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Study the effect of low-dose aspirin on the endometrial receptivity in endometriosis rat models. This study is to explore the expressions of progesterone receptor and LIF among three groups of endometriosis rat models: control group (n = 12), EMs group (n = 15), and aspirin group (n = 17). The expressions of progesterone receptor (PR), PRA, PRB, and leukemia inhibitory factor receptor (LIFR) in eutopic endometrium were determined using immunohistochemistry technology, western blot, and qRT-PCR. The levels of LIF in eutopic endometrium and serum were detected by western blot, qRT-PCR, and ELISA. The expressions of PR, PRA, and PRB protein were significantly increased in the eutopic endometrium after low-dose aspirin treatment, and the level of PRB mRNA was also increased while the ratio of PRA/PRB mRNA was decreased in the eutopic endometrium. The levels of LIF in eutopic endometrium and serum were increased compared with the untreated endometriosis rats. However, the expression of LIFR was not statistically different among the three groups. The results suggest that the low-dose aspirin treatment could downregulate progesterone resistance and increase the expression of LIF of endometriosis rats during the implantation window, which could improve endometrial receptivity and enhance the pregnant rate of endometriosis. It may provide a potential treatment method for endometriosis-related infertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The immune mechanism was shown to be involved in the development of adenomyosis. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the expression of the immune checkpoints B7-H2, B7-H3, B7-H4 and PD-L2 in adenomyosis and to explore the effect of mifepristone on the expression of these immune checkpoints. Methods: The expression of B7-H2, B7-H3, B7-H4 and PD-L2 in normal endometria and adenomyosis patient samples treated with or without mifepristone was determined by immunohistochemistry analysis. Results: In adenomyosis patient samples, the expression of B7-H2, B7-H3 and B7-H4 was increased in the eutopic and ectopic endometria compared with normal endometria, both in the proliferative and secretory phases. Moreover, the expression of B7-H2 and B7-H3 was higher in adenomyotic lesions than in the corresponding eutopic endometria, both in the proliferative and secretory phases. The expression of PD-L2 was higher in adenomyotic lesions than in normal endometria in both the proliferative and secretory phases. In the secretory phase but not the proliferative phase, the expression of B7-H4 and PD-L2 in adenomyotic lesions was significantly higher than that in the corresponding eutopic endometria. In normal endometria and eutopic endometria, the expression of B7-H4 was elevated in the proliferative phase compared with that in the secretory phase, while in the ectopic endometria, B7-H4 expression was decreased in the proliferative phase compared with the secretory phase. In addition, the expression of B7-H2, B7-H3, B7-H4 and PD-L2 was significantly decreased in adenomyosis tissues after treatment with mifepristone. Conclusions: The expression of the immune checkpoint proteins B7-H2, B7-H3, B7-H4 and PD-L2 is upregulated in adenomyosis tissues and is downregulated with mifepristone treatment. The data suggest that B7 immunomodulatory molecules are involved in the pathophysiology of adenomyosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As verifying the validity of the published work is core to the integrity of the scholarly record, we are therefore retracting the article and the authors were notified of this. This retraction relates to this paper Li W, Li X, Li X, et al. I Onco Targets Ther i . 2020;13:3129-3139. [Extracted from the article]

Background and aims: Studies verify that intercropping effects soil nutrient content, enzyme activity, aggregate stability, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) community and glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) content in Red Soil (Ultisol in the USDA Taxonomy, Acrisol in the WRB Soil Taxonomy) on sloping farmland. However, the comprehensive contribution of soil nutrients, enzyme activity, AMF community and GRSP to the characteristics of water-stable aggregates under different planting patterns of maize and soybean are not fully understood.A long-term field experiment commenced in 2018. Three treatments of maize (Zea mays L.) monoculture, soybean (Glycine max L.) monoculture and maize-soybean intercropping were established in an experimental field. The planting patterns, crop varieties and fertilizer rates of each plot were consistent for each of the four years of experiments (2018–2021).Results showed that intercropping can improve the concentrations of alkali-hydrolysable nitrogen, available phosphorus and total extractable glomalin-related soil protein, the activities of enzyme (urease, invertase, acid phosphatase and catalase) and the mean weight diameter (MWD) in the rhizosphere soil of maize and soybean. Moreover, results proved that intercropping can potentially increase AMF diversity and macro-aggregates (> 2.0 mm) in the maize rhizosphere and macro-aggregates (0.5-2.0 mm) in the soybean rhizosphere.Intercropping of maize and soybean can increase soil aggregate stability in the rhizosphere of the two crops. The easily extractable glomalin-related soil protein was the main factor affecting soil aggregate stability and the formation of > 2.0 mm aggregates in the maize rhizosphere. Soil organic matter was the main factor affecting soil aggregate stability and the formation of 0.5–2.0 mm aggregates in the soybean rhizosphere.Methods: Studies verify that intercropping effects soil nutrient content, enzyme activity, aggregate stability, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) community and glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) content in Red Soil (Ultisol in the USDA Taxonomy, Acrisol in the WRB Soil Taxonomy) on sloping farmland. However, the comprehensive contribution of soil nutrients, enzyme activity, AMF community and GRSP to the characteristics of water-stable aggregates under different planting patterns of maize and soybean are not fully understood.A long-term field experiment commenced in 2018. Three treatments of maize (Zea mays L.) monoculture, soybean (Glycine max L.) monoculture and maize-soybean intercropping were established in an experimental field. The planting patterns, crop varieties and fertilizer rates of each plot were consistent for each of the four years of experiments (2018–2021).Results showed that intercropping can improve the concentrations of alkali-hydrolysable nitrogen, available phosphorus and total extractable glomalin-related soil protein, the activities of enzyme (urease, invertase, acid phosphatase and catalase) and the mean weight diameter (MWD) in the rhizosphere soil of maize and soybean. Moreover, results proved that intercropping can potentially increase AMF diversity and macro-aggregates (> 2.0 mm) in the maize rhizosphere and macro-aggregates (0.5-2.0 mm) in the soybean rhizosphere.Intercropping of maize and soybean can increase soil aggregate stability in the rhizosphere of the two crops. The easily extractable glomalin-related soil protein was the main factor affecting soil aggregate stability and the formation of > 2.0 mm aggregates in the maize rhizosphere. Soil organic matter was the main factor affecting soil aggregate stability and the formation of 0.5–2.0 mm aggregates in the soybean rhizosphere.Results: Studies verify that intercropping effects soil nutrient content, enzyme activity, aggregate stability, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) community and glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) content in Red Soil (Ultisol in the USDA Taxonomy, Acrisol in the WRB Soil Taxonomy) on sloping farmland. However, the comprehensive contribution of soil nutrients, enzyme activity, AMF community and GRSP to the characteristics of water-stable aggregates under different planting patterns of maize and soybean are not fully understood.A long-term field experiment commenced in 2018. Three treatments of maize (Zea mays L.) monoculture, soybean (Glycine max L.) monoculture and maize-soybean intercropping were established in an experimental field. The planting patterns, crop varieties and fertilizer rates of each plot were consistent for each of the four years of experiments (2018–2021).Results showed that intercropping can improve the concentrations of alkali-hydrolysable nitrogen, available phosphorus and total extractable glomalin-related soil protein, the activities of enzyme (urease, invertase, acid phosphatase and catalase) and the mean weight diameter (MWD) in the rhizosphere soil of maize and soybean. Moreover, results proved that intercropping can potentially increase AMF diversity and macro-aggregates (> 2.0 mm) in the maize rhizosphere and macro-aggregates (0.5-2.0 mm) in the soybean rhizosphere.Intercropping of maize and soybean can increase soil aggregate stability in the rhizosphere of the two crops. The easily extractable glomalin-related soil protein was the main factor affecting soil aggregate stability and the formation of > 2.0 mm aggregates in the maize rhizosphere. Soil organic matter was the main factor affecting soil aggregate stability and the formation of 0.5–2.0 mm aggregates in the soybean rhizosphere.Conclusion: Studies verify that intercropping effects soil nutrient content, enzyme activity, aggregate stability, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) community and glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) content in Red Soil (Ultisol in the USDA Taxonomy, Acrisol in the WRB Soil Taxonomy) on sloping farmland. However, the comprehensive contribution of soil nutrients, enzyme activity, AMF community and GRSP to the characteristics of water-stable aggregates under different planting patterns of maize and soybean are not fully understood.A long-term field experiment commenced in 2018. Three treatments of maize (Zea mays L.) monoculture, soybean (Glycine max L.) monoculture and maize-soybean intercropping were established in an experimental field. The planting patterns, crop varieties and fertilizer rates of each plot were consistent for each of the four years of experiments (2018–2021).Results showed that intercropping can improve the concentrations of alkali-hydrolysable nitrogen, available phosphorus and total extractable glomalin-related soil protein, the activities of enzyme (urease, invertase, acid phosphatase and catalase) and the mean weight diameter (MWD) in the rhizosphere soil of maize and soybean. Moreover, results proved that intercropping can potentially increase AMF diversity and macro-aggregates (> 2.0 mm) in the maize rhizosphere and macro-aggregates (0.5-2.0 mm) in the soybean rhizosphere.Intercropping of maize and soybean can increase soil aggregate stability in the rhizosphere of the two crops. The easily extractable glomalin-related soil protein was the main factor affecting soil aggregate stability and the formation of > 2.0 mm aggregates in the maize rhizosphere. Soil organic matter was the main factor affecting soil aggregate stability and the formation of 0.5–2.0 mm aggregates in the soybean rhizosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The T cell immunoglobulin mucin molecule 3 (TIM-3), as a negative regulatory immune checkpoint, plays an important role in cellular immunity by binding to its ligand galectin-9 (Gal-9). Under abnormal conditions, this pathway can regulate the depletion of T cells and suppress the immune response. Abnormal expression of TIM-3 and Gal-9 has been confirmed in a variety of cancers, recurrent miscarriages, chronic infectious diseases and autoimmune diseases. More and more studies have shown that immune factors play an important role in the pathogenesis of adenomyosis. However, few studies have attempted to explore their expression in adenomyosis. The ectopic and eutopic endometrium were collected from 15 women with adenomyosis and 13 women without adenomyosis. TIM-3/Gal-9 expression in endometrial tissue was detected using immunohistochemistry, western blot analysis and real-time PCR. We observed TIM-3/Gal-9 expression in both eutopic and ectopic endometria, with elevated expression in adenomyosis. These data suggest that TIM-3/Gal-9 may be involved in the development and progression of adenomyosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the biological effect and molecular mechanism of Lamin B1(LMNB1) in lung cancer cells and its significance for the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma(LUAD) patients. Methods: In this study, Bioinformatics was performed to analyze the expression at mRNA level and prognosis effect of LMNB1 in LUAD from TCGA dataset. The immunohistochemistry(IHC) assay was conducted to analyzed the expression of LMNB1 at the protein level in LUAD tissues. The correlation between the expression of LMNB1 and the clinical factors in patients with LUAD was analyzed. Next, LMNB1 transfected into LUAD cell lines (A549 and PC-9) which was proved by Western blot. CCK8 assay, cloning formation assay, and xenograft assay were conducted to explore the effect and mechanism of LMNB1 on the proliferation of LUAD cell lines in vitro and in vivo. Results: The results of the present study demonstrated that LMNB1 was highly expressed in LUAD tissues and related to tumor stage. High LMNB1 expression was related with more advanced clinicopathological factors such as low degree of differentiation (P=0.02), large tumor size (P< 0.01), lymph node metastasis (P< 0.01) and higher tumor stage (P< 0.01). After knocking down LMNB1, the cell growth rate (P< 0.01) and the number of colonies (P< 0.01) were significantly reduced, and the level of the proliferating marker Ki67 (P< 0.01) was significantly decreased. At the same time, in vivo experiments showed that the tumor volume and tumor of the mice were significantly reduced (P< 0.01). Moreover, we found that knockdown LMNB1 can inhibit the proliferation of lung cancer cells by inhibiting AKT phosphorylation by Western blot. Conclusion: In summary, LMNB1 play an of vital roles in the growth of LUAD cells, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target for the treatment of LUAD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Based on the slip line and limit analysis theories, this paper presents a new 3D collapse mechanism to analyze the face stability of a circular shield-driven tunnel in purely cohesive soil. The new collapse mechanism is a 4-variable multizone mechanism that depends on cover-to-diameter ratios (C/D). The proposed mechanism suggests that failure zones at the tunnel face are primarily formed by shear failure. A comparison of this approach with numerical methods and other kinematic approaches shows that the proposed failure mechanism significantly improves the existing upper-bound solutions for the face stability of circular tunnels in purely cohesive soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The programmed death-1 (PD-1)/PD-L1 pathway plays important roles in immune responses and peripheral tolerance. Under pathological conditions, this pathway can suppress protective T cell responses and induce immune system disorders. Endometriosis (EM) is an estrogen-dependent, immune-associated disease. The expression of PD-1 and PD-L1 has been studied in a variety of cancers and autoimmune diseases. Few studies, however, have attempted to explore their expression and the possibility that they are regulated by estrogen in EM. Eutopic and ectopic endometria and blood samples were collected from 15 women with EM and 15 women without EM. PD-1/PD-L1 expression in endometrial tissues was detected using immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. Their expression in blood was detected using flow cytometry. In addition, their expression was evaluated in endometrial cells after estrogen and cytokine treatment. We observed PD-1/PD-L1 expression in both eutopic and ectopic endometria, with elevated expression in EM. Their expression was also higher in CD4+/CD8+ T cells in blood from EM patients. In addition, treatment with 17β-estradiol upregulated PD-L1 expression in eutopic epithelial cells in EM. These data suggest that the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway may be involved in EM immune dysfunction and be regulated by estrogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stroma–tumor communication participates in the pathogenesis of endometrial carcinomas. In previous studies, we found that normal stromal cells inhibited the growth of endometrial carcinoma cells. Here, we investigated the role of normal stromal cells in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of endometrial carcinoma cells and explored the possible mechanism implied. We found that conditioned medium (CM) by normal endometrial stromal cells (NSC) reduced cell growth and induced cell apoptosis in Ishikawa cells. CM by NSC inhibited 17β-estradiol-induced cell growth and apoptosis decrease in Ishikawa cells. Moreover, CM by NSC inhibited the migration and invasion, and 17β-estradiol-induced migration and invasion in Ishikawa cells. Meanwhile, CM by NSC decreased Slug expression and 17β-estradiol-induced Slug expression, increased E-cadherin expression and abolished 17β-estradiol-induced E-cadherin reduction in Ishikawa cells. In conclusion, normal stromal factors can inhibit 17β-estradiol-induced cell proliferation and apoptosis inhibition, and abolished 17β-estradiol-induced EMT in endometrial cancer cell via regulating E-cadherin and Slug expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]