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We utilized self-determination theory to understand employees' proactive behavior. Assuming that organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) is a key variable influencing employees' satisfaction status, we proposed that leader–member exchange (LMX) and team–member exchange (TMX) would affect employees' proactive behavior through their OBSE, and that LMX and TMX would interact, whereby TMX would increase proactive behavior through affecting OBSE when individuals experience low-quality LMX. Data were collected from 315 employees in a Chinese company. The results show that workplace relationships positively affected OBSE and employees' proactive behavior, and OBSE played a mediating role in these relationships. TMX increased employees' OBSE and proactive behavior under the condition of low-quality LMX. Our results highlight the consequences of workplace interpersonal interactions on OBSE and proactive behavior. Practical solutions for enhancing employee motivation are recommended.

This paper considers the variability in the impact of multi-dimensional meteorological information on power load in different regions. To improve the accuracy of load forecasting in the spatial dimension, the method of spatio-temporal fusion (SF) of multi-dimensional meteorological information is proposed. The Copula theory is applied to analyze the nonlinear coupling of meteorological information such as wind speed, rainfall, temperature, and sunshine intensity from multiple meteorological stations with the power load and to achieve spatio-temporal fusion. In the time dimension, the core parameters of the variational mode decomposition (VMD) are improved by the marine predators algorithm (MPA). The weighted permutation entropy (WPE) is used to construct the MPA-VMD fitness function for the adaptive decomposition of the load sequence. In addition, the input sets of the LSTM model and MPA-LSSVM model are constructed by combining each component of the time dimension and each meteorological information of spatial dimension to obtain the prediction results of each component. The prediction model corresponding to each component is selected according to the evaluation index, and reconstructed to obtain the overall prediction results. The analysis results show that the proposed forecasting method is better than the traditional forecasting method and effectively improves the accuracy of power load forecasting.

We report N,O-boron-chelated dipyrromethene derivatives exhibiting circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) in the red/near-infrared region, both in solution and the aggregated state. The CPL is originated from the helical chirality through intramolecular substitution of fluorine by an alkenolic substituent. The self-assembly of the fluorophores significantly enhances the

Humans have domesticated diverse species from across the plant kingdom, however our current understanding of plant domestication is largely founded on major cereal crops. Here, we examine the evolutionary processes and genetic basis underlying the domestication of water caltrop (Trapa spp., Lythraceae), a traditional, yet presently-underutilized non-cereal crop that sustained early Chinese agriculturalists. We generated a chromosome-level genome assembly of tetraploid T. natans, and then divided the allotetraploid genome into two subgenomes. Based on resequencing data from 57 accessions, representing cultivated diploid T. natans, wild T. natans (2x and 4x) and diploid T. incisa, we showed that water caltrop was likely first domesticated in the Yangtze River Valley as early as 6,300 yr BP, and experienced a second improvement c. 800 years ago. We also provided strong support for an allotetraploid origin of T. natans within the past 230,000-310,000 years. By integrating selective sweep and transcriptome profiling analyses, we identified a number of genes potentially selected and/or differentially expressed during domestication, some of which likely contributed not only to larger fruit sizes but also to a more vigorous root system, facilitating nutrient uptake, environmental stress response, and underwater photosynthesis. Our results shed light on the evolutionary and domestication history of water caltrop, one of the earliest domesticated crops in China. This study has implications for genomic-assisted breeding of this presently underutilized aquatic plant, and improves our general understanding of plant domestication.

Pancreatic cancer, with high morbidity and mortality rates, is one of the most malignant tumors worldwide. Despite extensive research, the prognosis remains poor. Autophagy, a lysosomal-mediated, highly conserved degradation process that removes abnormal proteins and damaged organelles from the body, is upregulated in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Based on differences in the tumor microenvironment and tumor stage, the functions of autophagy in the pathophysiology and treatment of pancreatic cancer differ. In the initial phase, autophagy inhibits the transformation of precancerous lesions to cancer. However, in the progressive stage, autophagy promotes tumor growth. Autophagy is also one of the main mechanisms of drug resistance during treatment. Here, we describe the role of autophagy in pancreatic cancer progression and discuss relevant treatment strategies for this disease.

In this paper, a novel type of isolator, named segmented intelligent isolation bearing (SIIB), is designed and manufactured, which can meet the requirements of seismic fortification under three seismic intensities, i.e. frequent intensity, basic intensity, and rare intensity. A theoretical formula for the output of the SIIB is established to provide a basis for the determination of the size of the SIIB. MRE and STMP used in SIIB were prepared, of which the changes of shear storage modulus and damping factor with the magnetic field under different strain are analyzed. The mechanical properties of the SIIB under small displacement, medium displacement, and large displacement are tested, respectively, and the hysteretic characteristics of force–displacement are analyzed. The dynamic mechanical model combining the rheological model, phenomenological model, and bilinear restoring force model is established to represent the behavior of the SIIB. The results showed that the theoretical results agree well with the experimental results, and the model can significantly reflect the dynamic characteristics of SIIB.

The majority (~80%) of patients with cancer do not derive clinical benefit from current immunotherapy, largely due to attenuation of immune responses imposed by robust immunosuppression at tumor sites. Here, a cell-based tumor antigen delivery strategy was developed to boost tumor-specific immunity. Notably, the platform constructing ferric oxide nanoparticle-trained macrophages loading tumor antigens (MFe-N) acquired an immunostimulatory program and functioned as the tumoritropic "cytokine-microfactories" to sustainably produce high levels of multiple therapeutic cytokines (GM-CSF, TNFα, and MIP-1α), which are important in activation of immune cells with antitumor potential. Indeed, MFe-N markedly enhanced recruitment of the professional antigen-presenting cells, dendritic cells (DCs), to the tumor sites of an established B16F10 mouse melanoma model. Subsequently, MFe-N effectively delivered tumor antigens to DCs by gap junction-mediated cell-to-cell transmission. And this trafficking was critical for DC maturation to augment antitumor T-cell responses. Simultaneously, the "cytokine-microfactories" elicited high production of the tumoricidal effectors, and in turn blunted the pro-angiogenic activity of tumor-associated macrophages, resulting in conversion of the tumor-supporting milieu to a tumoricidal function that favored infiltration of antitumor T-cells. The findings provided a novel "cytokine-microfactories" harnessing effective delivery of tumor antigens and production of therapeutic cytokines to robustly promote antigen presentation and reshape the tumor immune milieu for priming antitumor immunity. This can enhance existing T-cell mediated immunotherapeutic potency and extend the curative potential immunotherapy to a broader range of patients.

The present letter to editor is related to endoscopic mucosal ablation (EMA). EMA is safe and effective in the treatment of colonic polyps when endoscopic resection is not possible or available, but the indication of EMA should be determined for a further large number of studies. EMA should be used with caution for larger lesions.

To screen the key circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) involved in missed abortion (MA) and explore their role in MA process. We examined the miRNA profile from the serum of three MA patients and three early pregnancy induced abortion patients (controls) by next‐generation sequencing. We analyzed the target genes of the differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs to analyze the function and pathway enrichment using Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, respectively. We validated five candidate miRNAs by real time‐qPCR. Integrated miRNA‐mRNA‐pathway network analysis was performed to show the interaction network of the candidate miRNAs and their target genes of interest with the involved pathways. It was observed that 227 miRNAs were differently expressed between the MA group and the early pregnancy control group, with 58 miRNAs downregulated and 169 miRNAs upregulated in the MA group. Real‐time qPCR results revealed that expression of the five candidate miRNAs, namely hsa‐miR‐22‐3p, hsa‐miR‐145‐3p, hsa‐miR‐107, hsa‐miR‐361‐3p, and hsa‐miR‐378c, was consistent with the miRNA data obtained by sequencing. Integrated miRNA‐mRNA‐pathway network analysis illustrated that target genes of the candidate miRNAs were mainly involved in the PI3K‐Akt signaling pathway, HIF‐1 signaling pathway, and VEGF signaling pathway, which would have potential significance in pregnancy and MA. We are the first to reveal the DE miRNAs involved in MA and illustrate their functional interaction network. These results might provide potential circulating biomarkers and new therapeutic targets for MA.

SO2, an important gasotransmitter, plays significant roles in human physiological activities. The reported probes for the detection of SO2 derivatives are mostly based on the quenching or blue-shift of fluorescence, leading to interference from the background signal. Herein, we develop a novel FRET-based nanoprobe that shows turn-on fluorescence at 615 nm in the presence of SO32−/HSO3−. The nanoprobe consists of N,O,B-chelated dipyrromethene (BDP) as the energy donor, and hemicyanine derivatives of HEM-CO-Ph with a responsive site to SO32−/HSO3− as the energy acceptor. Initially, the fluorescence of BDP is quenched by HEM-CO-Ph due to the efficient FRET process. In the presence of sulfites, the nucleophilic addition interrupts the conjugation of HEM-CO-Ph and results in a 200 nm blue-shift of the absorption, leading to the suppression of the FRET process and recovery of the red fluorescence of BDP. The nanoprobe shows fast response to SO32−/HSO3− with high selectivity, great biocompatibility and cellular uptake. It is the first supramolecular nanoprobe for the detection of SO32−/HSO3− by using intermolecular energy transfer, ingeniously turning the nanoprobe from “OFF” state to “ON” state. The nanoprobe is applied to monitor exogenous and endogenous SO2 derivatives in the mitochondria of living cells.

The hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) plays an important role in the treatment and prognosis of patients with cirrhosis. Our study aimed to develop and validate a nomogram for an HVPG12 mmHg.A retrospective study was performed to create a nomogram for an HVPG12 mmHg in a training cohort that was validated in another cohort. The discriminatory ability and calibration of the nomogram were tested using the C-statistic, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and calibration plots.The nomogram was based on portosystemic shunts identified on computed tomography images, the etiology of cirrhosis and the Child-Pugh grade. These parameters were significantly associated with an HVPG12 mmHg (P 0.05 for both the training and validation cohorts). In the training cohort, the model showed good discrimination (C-statistic, AUROC, and RThis nomogram is a convenient tool for predicting an HVPG12 mmHg in patients with cirrhosis and can help clinicians quickly identify patients with decompensated cirrhosis.

In order to control the vibration of civil building structures, a magnetic rate-controlled stage damper (MRCSD) is designed based on a magnetorheological shear thickening fluid (MR-STF). The key technology and performance test of the damper and the parameter identification of the mechanical model are studied. The experimental results show that the main cylinder filled with MR-STF combines the magnetorheological (MR) effect and the shear thickening effect, which has a strong impact on energy dissipation and vibration reduction. Therefore, the designed damper is superior to the traditional viscous damper. With the increase of magnetic field strength, the shear thickening effect of the MR fluid is inhibited and the MR effect is more obvious. The MRCSD can improve the performance of vibration isolation and vibration reduction by controlling damping. Under a different intensity of earthquake, the maximum output can reach 250.2 kN; the mechanical model of the MRCSD is established; and the design parameters of the damper are determined. The theoretical results obtained from the mechanical model of the MRCSD are consistent with the experimental results, which show that the parameter identification method is feasible and effective.

The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of academic achievement on innovative behavior and to examine the mediating role of creative self-efficacy (CSE) and moderating role of tolerance of ambiguity. The sample consisted of 341 college students in China. The statistical analysis was conducted using spss23.0 and Mplus8.3 software and through multiple linear regression analysis and bootstrap analysis to test the research hypotheses. The results indicated that academic achievement positively related to CSE and innovative behavior, CSE mediates the relationship between academic achievement and innovative behavior, tolerance of ambiguity moderates the relationship between academic achievement and CSE.

Background Neuropilin1 (NRP1) participates in cancer cell proliferation, migration, and metastasis as a multifunctional co‐receptor by interacting with multiple signal pathways, but few studies have addressed the precise function of NRP1 in pancreatic cancer (PACA) cells. We aimed to study whether NRP1 gene silencing involved in the proliferation and migration of PACA cells in vitro. Methods A lentiviral vector expressing NRP1 shRNA was constructed and transfected into human PACA cells (CFPAC‐1 and PANC‐1). The expression of NRP1 protein and mRNA was detected by Western blot and quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR) assay, respectively. CCK‐8 assay, wound healing assay, and transwell assay were conducted to examine the effect of NRP1 silencing on cells proliferation and migration capability. Results Results of qRT‐PCR and Western blot showed successfully established, stably transfected shRNA‐NRP1 cells in PACA cells. The proliferation capacity of PACA cells in NRP1 shRNA group was lower significantly than that in the negative control (NC) group (P

Using solid-state NMR spectroscopy (SSNMR) and gas chromatography (GC) we studied the sub-zero temperature decontamination performance of Chemical Warfare Agents (sulphur mustard (HD), soman (GD) and S-2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl O-ethyl methylphosphonothiolate (VX)) and their simulants (2-chloroethyl ethyl sulphide (2-CEES) and dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP)) on a novel nanoparticulate Zn2+ and Ge4+ co-doped titanium dioxide (Zn-Ge-TiO2) material. To discover further progress toward the practice use of the powdered catalyst and improve its low-temperature disinfection, a novel suspension decontaminant was prepared successively by suspending Zn-Ge-TiO2 in hydrofluoroether (HFE). By means of a variety of characterization methods such as XRD, BET, BJH, SEM and TEM, the evolution of structure and properties across Zn2+ and Ge4+doping were systematically studied. Our data show that Zn (5.28 wt%)-Ge (1.48 wt%)-TiO2 exhibited the best photocatalytic performance. Versus undoped TiO2, the sample has unchanged crystal structure (anatase) and decreased average pore diameter (2.86 nm), accompanied with increased specific surface area (424.9 m2/g), crystallite size (5.8 nm) and pore volume (0.29 cm3/g). Under simulated sunlight irradiation at −30 °C, after a reaction time of 120 min, the degradation efficiency of HD, GD and VX on the suspension composed of Zn (5.28 wt%)-Ge (1.48 wt%)-TiO2 and HFE-458 (HCF2CF2CH2OCF2CF2H) were all over 99.95%. This indicated that the suspension will have a promising prospect of application in CWAs decontamination under the sub-zero environment.

A three-dimensional finite element model was established for the milling of thin-walled parts. The physical model of the milling of the part was established using the AdvantEdge FEM software as the platform. The aluminum alloy impeller was designated as the object to be processed and the boundary conditions which met the actual machining were set. Through the solution, the physical quantities such as the three-way cutting force, the tool temperature, and the tool stress were obtained, and the calculation of the elastic deformation of the thin-walled blade of the free-form surface at the contact points between the tool and the workpiece was realized. The elastic deformation law of the thin-walled blade was then predicted. The results show that the maximum deviation between the predicted value and the actual measured machining value of the elastic deformation was 26.055 μm; the minimum deviation was 2.011 μm, with the average deviation being 10.154 μm. This shows that the prediction is in close agreement with the actual result.

Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by an extensive and dense fibrous stroma, which plays an active role in tumor growth and metastasis. Despite the growing importance of the tumor microenvironment in PDAC prognosis, the immune cell infiltration landscape of PDAC has not been elucidated. In this study, we applied a credible computational algorithm to comprehensively estimate the immune cell infiltration (ICI) patterns of 876 PDAC patients. Two ICI phenotypes were identified, and a ICIscore was constructed using ssGSEA algorithm. The ICIscore could significantly predict the prognosis and chemotherapy benefit of PDAC patients in both the discovery and the five validation cohorts. Multivariate cox analysis also identified the independent predictive role of the ICIscore in PDAC prognosis. A high ICIscore subtype was characterized by immune-active signaling pathways and anti-tumor immunity while a low ICIscore subtype was associated with tumor progressive signaling pathways. Four immunotherapy cohorts further supported the use of the ICIscore as a prognostic biomarker for patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors in other cancer types. The ICIscore reveals a close relationship between the ICI environment and prognosis and may provide new treatment strategies for PDAC patients.

N-myc downstream regulated gene 2 (NDRG2) is frequently down-regulated in various cancers and functions as a candidate tumor suppressor gene. NDRG2 has been shown to be SUMOylated on the lysine 333 residue, which promoted its ubiquitination and sequentially degradation by the SUMO-targeted ubiquitin E3 ligase RNF4. However, how to regulated NDRG2 deSUMOylation process remains largely unknown. Here, we report that Sentrin/SUMO specific protease (SENP2) was down-regulated in clinic gastric cancer samples and possessed a tumor-suppressive role in gastric cancer. At the molecular level, we found that SENP2 interacts with NDRG2 and mediates the de-SUMOylation process of NDRG2. Overexpression of SENP2 stabilized NDRG2, whereas silencing SENP2 caused rapid NDRG2 SUMOylation and degradation, indicating SENP2 antagonizes NDRG2 ubiquitination and degradation, thereby promoting the stability and function of this protein. Thus, our study reveals that SENP2 acts as a tumor suppressor which is deregulated in gastric cancer and the specific de-SUMOylation activity of SENP2 for NDRG2 is critical for it stabilization as well as gastric cancer cells proliferation.

A hydrometallurgical process was developed to recover Co(II) and Ni(II) from the chloride leach liquor of laterite ore. Most of Co(II) and Ni(II) together with a small amount of Al(III) were selectively extracted over other elements by Cyanex 301 from the feed solution at pH 1 which contained Co(II), Ni(II), Al(III), Ca(II), Mg(II) and Mn(II). From the loaded Cyanex 301, Co(II) and Al(III) were selectively stripped by 3 M HCl solution, and then Ni(II) was completely stripped by 10 M HCl solution. The McCabe-Thiele plots for the extraction and stripping isotherms were constructed. Batch simulation experiments for the counter-current extraction and stripping indicated that the recovery percentage of Co(II) and Ni(II) was 92.6 and 95.7%, respectively. Moreover, the purity of Ni(II) in the stripping solution was reached 99.5%. A process flowsheet for the recovery of Co(II) and Ni(II) from the laterite leach liquor was proposed.

Cyanex 301 can extract both Ni(II) and Co(II) from the leach solution of nickel laterite ore. About 10 mol/L HCl solution is needed to strip Ni(II) from the loaded Cyanex 301. To overcome this difficulty, a mixture of Cyanex 301 with TBP was employed to develop a process for the recovery of Co(II) and Ni(II) from the laterite leach liquor. It was found that this mixture showed synergism on the extraction of Ni(II) and significant improvement in Ni(II) stripping was obtained. A developed process was proposed, in which Co(II) and Ni(II) were selectively extracted by this mixture over other elements, and then stripped with 3 and 7 mol/L HCl solutions, respectively. A comparison of single Cyanex 301 and Cyanex 301 + TBP process was made and discussed in detail. The essential advantages of single Cyanex 301 process were retained in this mixture process, while the main drawback in Ni(II) stripping was improved. Batch-type experiments were conducted to simulate multi-stage counter-current extraction and stripping, indicating that Ni(II) of 99.96% purity was obtained with a recovery percentage of 92.7%.

It is difficult to separate Co(II) and Ni(II) by extraction with single Cyanex 301 from acidic solution. The synergistic extraction of Co(II) over Ni(II) from aqueous chloride solutions was studied...

CC-1065 is the first characterized member of a family of naturally occurring antibiotics including yatakemycin and duocarmycins with exceptionally potent antitumor activity. CC-1065 contains three benzodipyrroles (1a-, 1b-, and 1c-) of which the 1a-subunit is remarkable by being composed of a cyclopropane ring, and the mechanism for the biological formation of benzodipyrrole rings remains elusive. Previously, biosynthetic studies of CC-1065 were limited to radioactively labeled precursor feeding experiments, which showed that tyrosine (Tyr) and serine (Ser) were incorporated into the two benzodipyrrole (1b- and 1c-) subunits via the same mode but that this was different from the key cyclopropabenzodipyrrole (1a-) subunit with N1-C2-C3 derived from Ser. Herein, the biosynthetic gene cluster of CC-1065 has been cloned, analyzed, and characterized by a series of gene inactivations. Significantly, a key intermediate bearing a C7-OH group derived from a Δc10C mutant exhibited improved cytotoxicity. Moreover, this data inspired us to suspect that the 1a-subunit might employ the same precursor incorporation mode as the 1b- and 1c-subunits. Subsequently

2,2-Dihydroxyarylethanones, readily prepared from the commercially available aromatic ethyl ketones, were reacted with resorcinol, 3-methoxyphenol or 2-methoxyphenol in multi steps one-pot manner promoted by trifluoroacetic acid to furnish the 2,3-diarylbenzofuran derivatives in 22–95% yield. Sixteen targeted compounds were synthesized and characterized by 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR and HRMS. MTT assay indicated that most compounds possessed effectively inhibitory activities against the proliferation of HeLa cell. Among them, 4f had the highest inhibitory activities, with the IC 50 being 13.40 ± 2.04 µmol/L. Cell cycle analysis, Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide dual staining assay and western blotting analysis revealed that 4f inhibited the proliferation of Hela cell through apoptosis induction in a dose-dependent manner via obviously up-regulated the levels of Bak and Bim, while striking down-regulated the level of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL protein.

SO2, an important gasotransmitter, plays significant roles in human physiological activities. The reported probes for the detection of SO2 derivatives are mostly based on the quenching or blue-shift of fluorescence, leading to interference from the background signal. Herein, we develop a novel FRET-based nanoprobe that shows turn-on fluorescence at 615 nm in the presence of SO32-/HSO3-. The nanoprobe consists of N,O,B-chelated dipyrromethene (BDP) as the energy donor, and hemicyanine derivatives of HEM-CO-Ph with a responsive site to SO32-/HSO3- as the energy acceptor. Initially, the fluorescence of BDP is quenched by HEM-CO-Ph due to the efficient FRET process. In the presence of sulfites, the nucleophilic addition interrupts the conjugation of HEM-CO-Ph and results in a 200 nm blue-shift of the absorption, leading to the suppression of the FRET process and recovery of the red fluorescence of BDP. The nanoprobe shows fast response to SO32-/HSO3- with high selectivity, great biocompatibility and cellular uptake. It is the first supramolecular nanoprobe for the detection of SO32-/HSO3- by using intermolecular energy transfer, ingeniously turning the nanoprobe from "OFF" state to "ON" state. The nanoprobe is applied to monitor exogenous and endogenous SO2 derivatives in the mitochondria of living cells.

Introduction The aim of this study was to understand the knowledge and current situation of antibiotic use among primary doctors in Sichuan Province, 10 years after the new healthcare reform, to analyze the implementation and impact of the relevant policies of the new healthcare reform, to analyze the reasons for the irrational use of antibiotics, and to provide relevant suggestions for the rational use of antibiotics. Methods From August 2018 to March 2019, five counties (cities) were randomly selected according to the level of urban development and geographical distribution in Sichuan Province, China. Various primary medical institutions and private clinics were randomly selected at different levels. Questionnaires and on-site interviews were conducted to quantitatively analyze doctors’ knowledge of antibiotic use and current situation. Views on antibiotic use were analyzed qualitatively and from multiple perspectives. A total of 492 questionnaires were issued, 430 of which were valid, with an effective recovery rate of 87.4% Results Quantitative analysis showed that 92.1% of 430 doctors surveyed knew the rules and authority of antibiotic use; 83.5% participated in antibiotic knowledge training; 56.7% would abide by guidance on antibiotic use; 72.6% thought that their knowledge of antibiotics needed to be improved. The rank-sum test shows that the cognitive differences of doctors with or without relevant training experience are statistically significant (p=0.018), those with the relevant training were better than the untrained doctors; the cognitive differences of doctors with different working years were statistically significant (p=0.038), and the doctors working under 10 years were better than those with 10–20 years; There was no significant difference in the correct rate of antibiotic use among doctors with different academic qualifications (p=0.077). There was no significant difference in knowing the correct rate of antibiotic use among doctors of different genders (p=0.076). Conclusions Ten years after the introduction of the new healthcare reform policy, the improvement of antibiotic use is still far from the expected goal; the knowledge of antibiotic rational use of doctors in primary medical institutions needs to be strengthened, especially in village clinics and private clinics; joint efforts of doctors, patients and supervisors are needed to promote the rational use of antibiotics.

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) is one of the major regulators of inflammation-induced cancer cell growth and progression. MiR-143 dysregulation is a common event in a variety of human diseases including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA). To identify the interaction between TAK1 and miR-143 in PDA. Data mining of TAK1 expression in PDA patient gene profiling was conducted. QRT-PCR and western blot were performed to detect the expression of TAK1 in PDA tissues and cell lines. Ectopic miR-143 and TAK1 were introduced to PDA cells. Cell growth, apoptosis and migration were examined. Xenograft models were used to examine the function of TAK1 in vivo. Western blot and luciferase assay were carried out to investigate the direct target of miR-143. PDA patient gene profiling data (GSE15471 and GSE16515) showed that TAK1 mRNA was aberrantly up-regulated in PDA tissues. TAK1 protein levels were overexpressed in PDA tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of TAK1 was strongly associated with positive lymph node metastasis. Inhibition of TAK1 suppressed cell growth, migration, and induced cell apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. Further studies demonstrated that TAK1 was a direct target gene of miR-143. MiR-143 also inhibited PDA cells proliferation and migration, induced apoptosis and G1/S arrest. Moreover, TAK1 depletion inactivated MAPK and NF-κB pathway, mimicking the function of miR-143. The study highlights that miR-143 acts as a tumor suppressor in PDA through directly targeting TAK1, and their functional regulation may provide potential therapeutic strategies in clinics.

Background and aims Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Identifying early changes of cardiovascular system before the occurrence of fatal clinical event is critical for the management of COPD. We performed a meta-analysis to investigate the associations between COPD and subclinical markers of cardiovascular risk. Methods We searched PUBMED, EMBASE for studies published before Aug 1st, 2016, on the association between COPD and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), prevalence of carotid plaques, flow-mediated dilation (FMD), pulse-wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (AIx). Results Thirty-two studies (3198 patients, 13867 controls) were included. Compared with controls, COPD patients had significantly higher CIMT (MD: 0.10 mm; 95% CI: 0.04, 0.16; p = 0.0007 ), PWV (SMD: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.52, 0.88; p 0.0001 ), AIx (MD: 4.60%; 95% CI: 0.52, 8.68; p = 0.03 ), AIx@75 (AIx normalized to a heart rate of 75 beats per minute) (MD: 4.59%; 95% CI: 2.80, 6.38; p 0.0001 ), prevalence of carotid plaque (OR: 2.54; 95% CI: 2.04, 3.15; p 0.0001 ), and significantly lower FMD (MD: −4.21%; 95% CI: −6.71, −1.71; p = 0.001 ). Sensitivity and subgroups analyses substantially confirmed our results. Meta-regression analysis revealed that spirometry (as expressed by FEV 1 %predicted) might influence on PWV. Conclusions These findings indicate that COPD, even in mild to moderate patients, had greater impaired markers of subclinical atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk. However, further studies are still needed to address confounders, such as age, smoking, hypertension, diabetes etc, which might affect the associations in COPD patients.

Novel Zr4+ and Ge4+ co-doped titanium dioxide (Zr–Ge–TiO2) nanoparticles for photocatalytic degradation of Chemical Warfare Agents (CWAs) were prepared via a homogeneous precipitation method. Considering the volatilization of solvents, solubility to CWAs, and compatibility with sensitive equipments, hydrofluoroether (HFE) was first used as the dispersion solvent of suspension decontaminants. Here, Zr (5.02 wt%)–Ge (0.94 wt%)–TiO2 with the specific surface area of 447.9 m2 g−1 exhibited the best photocatalytic performance. This was dispersed in HFE-458 (HCF2CF2CH2OCF2CF2H) and HFE-6512 (HCF2CF2CF2CF2CH2OCF2CF2H) respectively. A new gas collection system was designed to study volatilization in the reaction process. As a result, HFE-6512 is more suitable as the dispersion solvent than HFE-458. The suspension prepared with HFE-6512 not only has higher degradation efficiency of HD, GD, VX, 2-CEES and DMMP, but also has fewer volatile agents. Under simulated sunlight irradiation, both the surface removal and the degradation efficiency of HD, GD, VX, 2-CEES and DMMP were over 99.95% after 37 min. The results show that this suspension has potential applications in decontamination of CWAs on sensitive equipment materials. With high absorbing efficiency of CWAs and their simulants, the designed gas collection system is reliable for the selection of solvents and improvement of disinfection effect.

Separation of Zr(IV) and Hf(IV) from sulfuric acid solutions was investigated by extraction with several acidic extractantssuch as Versatic acid, LIX 63, and Cyanex 301. From strong sulfuric acid solutions, the separation of Zr(IV) and Hf(IV) by Ver-satic acid and LIX 63 was not possible, while selective extraction of Hf(IV) over Zr(IV) was obtained with Cyanex 301. How-ever, the extraction percentage of the two metals was much lower compared to that by D2EHPA. Mixing of TBP with Cyanex301 and D2EHPA led to negative effect on the extraction and separation of the two metal ions. The difference in the extractionreaction and separation selectivity between HCl, HNO 3 and H 2 SO 4 media with each extractant was discussed.Key words : Zirconium, Hafnium, Separation, Sulfuric acid, Acidic extractants · Received : January 18, 2016 · Revised : February 2, 2016 · Accepted : February 15, 2016Corresponding Author : Man Seung Lee (E-mail : mslee@mokpo.ac.kr)Department of Advanced Materials Science & Engineering, Mokpo National University, 1666 Yeongsan-ro, Cheonggye-myeon,Muan-gun, Chonnam, 58554, KoreaⓒThe Korean Institute of Resources Recycling. All rights reserved. This is an open-access article distributed under the termsof the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), which permitsunrestricted non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

A new process for the separation of Zr(IV) and Hf(IV) from sulfuric acid solution by selective extraction and stripping was proposed. Firstly, Hf(IV) was preferentially extracted by di-2-ethylhexylphosphoric acid (D2EHPA) from moderate sulfuric acid solutions. From the loaded D2EHA, co-extracted Zr(IV) was selectively stripped by strong sulfuric acid solution with a separation factor of 10, leaving only Hf(IV) in the stripped D2EHPA. Hafnium(IV) was then completely stripped by oxalic acid solution and thus D2EHPA was regenerated. The McCabe–Thiele plots for the extraction and stripping isotherms were constructed and the results were verified by the simulated cross-current extraction and stripping experiments. Zirconium(IV) solutions of high purity were obtained in the extraction raffinate and sulfuric acid stripping solution, while Hf(IV) was present in the oxalic acid stripping solution.