Search

Following M. Abate and A. Saracco's work on strongly pseudoconvex domains in Cn$\mathbb {C}^n$, we characterize Carleson measures of A2(D)$A^2(D)$ in bounded convex domains in Cn$\mathbb {C}^n$ with smooth boundary of finite type. We also give examples of Carleson measures with uniformly discrete (with respect to the Kobayashi distance) sequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Colon cancer features strong heterogeneity and invasiveness, with high incidence and mortality rates. Recently, RNA modifications involving m6A, m5C, and m1A play a vital part in tumorigenesis and immune cell infiltration. However, integrated analysis among various RNA modifications in colon cancer has not been performed. Methods: RNA-seq profiling, clinical data and mutation data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus. We first explored the mutation status and expression levels of m6A/m5C/m1A regulators in colon cancer. Then, different m6A/m5C/m1A clusters and gene clusters were identified by consensus clustering analysis. We further constructed and validated a scoring system, which could be utilized to accurately assess the risk of individuals and guide personalized immunotherapy. Finally, m6A/m5C/m1A regulators were validated by immunohistochemical staining and RT-qPCR. Results: In our study, three m6A/m5C/m1A clusters and gene clusters were identified. Most importantly, we constructed a m6A/m5C/m1A scoring system to assess the clinical risk of the individuals. Besides, the prognostic value of the score was validated with three independent cohorts. Moreover, the level of the immunophenoscore of the low m6A/m5C/m1A score group increased significantly with CTLA-4/PD-1 immunotherapy. Finally, we validated that the mRNA and protein expression of VIRMA and DNMT3B increased in colon cancer tissues. Conclusions: We constructed and validated a stable and powerful m6A/m5C/m1A score signature to assess the survival outcomes and immune infiltration characteristics of colon cancer patients, which further guides optimization of personalized treatment, making it valuable for clinical translation and implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a new characterization of Muckenhoupt A_{\infty }-weights whose logarithm is in vanishing mean oscillation (\mathbb {R}) in terms of vanishing Carleson measures on \mathbb {R}_+^2 and vanishing doubling weights on \mathbb {R}. This also gives a novel description of strongly symmetric homeomorphisms on the real line by using a geometric quantity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a random distribution method for generating high-content volume fractions of fibers in their cross-sectional area. This approach is referred to as the artificial fish swarm algorithm (AFSA) with random deletion after fiber filling (RDAFF_AFSA). Initial fibers were first generated using AFSA, followed by fiber filling the matrix-rich region with a hard-core model. The desired representative volume element (RVE) was ultimately obtained by random deletion. The proposed method can generate RVEs with high-content volume fractions (up to 67%) of fibers. The generated RVEs were statistically analyzed and compared with the completely spatial random (CSR) pattern and experiment data. The results showed that RDAFF_AFSA exhibited a high degree of consistency with the CSR and experimental data. The elastic constants of the carbon fiber-reinforced plastic composites were predicted by finite element analysis. The predicted results are very reasonable compared to the experimental results. The proposed method can provide a highly valuable alternative for micromechanical and multiscale analyses of unidirectional fiber-reinforced composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to survey the effects of garlic powder on growth performance, nonspecific immunity, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal flora structure of Chinese mitten crabs. Altogether, 216 crabs which originally weigh 20.71 ± 0.13 g were randomly allocated into three treatment groups with 6 replicates of 12 crabs per replicate. The control group (CN) was fed a basal diet, while the other two groups were fed the basal diet supplemented with 1000 mg/kg (GP1000) and 2000 mg/kg (GP2000) garlic powder, respectively. This trial lasted 8 weeks. The results showed that the supplementation of garlic powder improved the final body weight, weight gain rate, and specific growth rate of the crabs (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, in serum, better nonspecific immune was confirmed by the enhancement of phenoloxidase and lysozyme levels, with the improvement of phosphatase activities in GP1000 and GP2000 (P < 0.05). On the other hand, the levels of total antioxidant capacity, glutathione peroxidases, and total superoxide dismutase in serum and hepatopancreas were increased (P < 0.05) while malondialdehyde content declined (P < 0.05) as the garlic powder was added to the basal diet. And, catalase in serum also shows an increase (P < 0.05). In both GP1000 and GP2000, genes related to antioxidant and immunity, for instance, Toll-like receptor 1, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, myeloid differentiation factor 88, TuBe, Dif, relish, crustins, antilipopolysaccharide factor, lysozyme, and prophenoloxidase mRNA expression levels, were increased (P < 0.05). The abundance of Rhizobium and Rhodobacter was reduced by adding garlic powder (P < 0.05). This study indicated that dietary addition of garlic powder promoted growth, enhanced nonspecific immunity and antioxidant capacity, activated Toll pathway, IMD pathway, and proPO system, increased antimicrobial peptide expression, while simultaneously improving the intestinal flora of Chinese mitten crabs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This research was performed to determine the positive effects of GP on growth and intestinal function in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenged broilers. Results show that LPS challenge enhanced the weight loss rate, decreased the immunity and antioxidant capability, increased the intestinal permeability in broilers. When compared with LPS group, broilers fed with GP exhibited improved weight loss rate and jejunum villus height, enhanced ileum antioxidant function, and ameliorated intestinal barrier function. The LPS-challenged broilers in GP group had higher immunity than that of broilers in antibiotics group. In conclusion, GP supplementation could act as a natural alternative to antibiotic additive to alleviate the LPS-induced weight loss rate, inflammatory responses, and oxidative stress in broilers by improving the immunity and intestinal function. Garlic powder (GP) has the outstanding antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-parasitic and antioxidant characteristics because of its various contained bioactive components, such as alliin, allicin, and polysaccharide, etc. It has been widely used as a native medicine and shown to prevent a variety of diseases. This research was performed to determine the positive effects of GP on growth and intestinal function in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenged broilers. A total of 480 one-day-old male Ross 308 broilers of similar initial body weight were randomly divided into four groups with 8 replicates per treatment and 15 chicks each replicate. LPS challenge enhanced the weight loss rate, decreased the immunity and antioxidant capability, increased the intestinal permeability in broilers. When compared with LPS group, broilers fed with GP exhibited improved weight loss rate and jejunum villus height, enhanced ileum antioxidant function, and ameliorated intestinal barrier function. The LPS-challenged broilers in GP group had higher immunity than that of broilers in antibiotics group. GP supplementation could act as a natural alternative to antibiotic additive to alleviate the LPS-induced weight loss rate, inflammatory responses, and oxidative stress in broilers by improving the immunity and intestinal function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems have difficulties in considering occupants' dynamic thermal needs, thus resulting in overheating or overcooling with huge energy waste. This situation emphasizes the importance of occupant-oriented microclimate control where dynamic individual thermal comfort assessment is the key. Therefore, in this paper, a vision-based approach to estimate individual clothing insulation rate ( I cl ) and metabolic rate (M), the two critical factors to assess personal thermal comfort level, is proposed. Specifically, with a thermal camera as the input source, a convolutional neural network (CNN) is implemented to recognize an occupant's clothes type and activity type simultaneously. The clothes type then helps to differentiate the skin region from the clothing-covered region, allowing to calculate the skin temperature and the clothes temperature. With the two recognized types and the two computed temperatures, I cl and M can be estimated effectively. In the experimental phase, a novel thermal dataset is introduced, which allows evaluations of the CNN-based recognizer module, the skin and clothes temperatures acquisition module, as well as the I cl and M estimation module, proving the effectiveness and automation of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent data suggest that most genotoxic agents in cancer therapy can lead to shock of genome and increase in cell size, which leads whole genome duplication or multiplication, formation of polyploid giant cancer cells, activation of an early embryonic program, and dedifferentiation of somatic cells. This process is achieved via the giant cell life cycle, a recently proposed mechanism for malignant transformation of somatic cells. Increase in both cell size and ploidy allows cells to completely or partially restructures the genome and develop into a blastocyst-like structure, similar to that observed in blastomere-stage embryogenesis. Although blastocyst-like structures with reprogrammed genome can generate resistant or metastatic daughter cells or benign cells of different lineages, they also acquired ability to undergo embryonic diapause, a reversible state of suspended embryonic development in which cells enter dormancy for survival in response to environmental stress. Therapeutic agents can activate this evolutionarily conserved developmental program, and when cells awaken from embryonic diapause, this leads to recurrence or metastasis. Understanding of the key mechanisms that regulate the different stages of the giant cell life cycle offers new opportunities for therapeutic intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "life code" theory postulates that egg cells, which are giant, are the first cells in reproduction and that damaged or aged giant somatic cells are the first cells in tumorigenesis. However, the hereditary basis for giant cells remains undefined. Here I propose that stress-induced genomic reorganization proposed by Nobel Laureate Barbara McClintock may represent the underlying heredity for giant cells, referred to as McClintock's heredity. Increase in cell size may serve as a response to environmental stress via switching proliferative mitosis to intranuclear replication for reproduction. Intranuclear replication activates McClintock's heredity to reset the genome following fertilization for reproduction or restructures the somatic genome for neoplastic transformation via formation of polyploid giant cancer cells (PGCCs). The genome-based McClintock heredity functions together with gene-based Mendel's heredity to regulate the genomic stability at two different stages of life cycle or tumorigenesis. Thus, giant cells link McClintock's heredity to both early embryogenesis and tumor origin. Cycling change in cell size together with ploidy number switch may represent the most fundamental mechanism on how both germ and soma for coping with environmental stresses for the survival across the tree of life which evolved over millions of years on Earth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection correlates closely with gastric diseases such as gastritis, ulcers, and cancer, influencing more than half of the world's population. Establishing a rapid, precise, and automated platform for H. pylori diagnosis is an urgent clinical need and would significantly benefit therapeutic intervention. Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA)-CRISPR recently emerged as a promising molecular diagnostic assay due to its rapid detection capability, high specificity, and mild reaction conditions. In this work, we adapted the RPA-CRISPR assay on a digital microfluidics (DMF) system for automated H. pylori detection and genotyping. The system can achieve multi-target parallel detection of H. pylori nucleotide conservative genes (ureB) and virulence genes (cagA and vacA) across different samples within 30 min, exhibiting a detection limit of 10 copies/rxn and no false positives. We further conducted tests on 80 clinical saliva samples and compared the results with those derived from real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, demonstrating 100% diagnostic sensitivity and specificity for the RPA-CRISPR/DMF method. By automating the assay process on a single chip, the DMF system can significantly reduce the usage of reagents and samples, minimize the cross-contamination effect, and shorten the reaction time, with the additional benefit of losing the chance of experiment failure/inconsistency due to manual operations. The DMF system together with the RPA-CRISPR assay can be used for early detection and genotyping of H. pylori with high sensitivity and specificity, and has the potential to become a universal molecular diagnostic platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are widely distributed persistent organic pollutants and their monitoring in environmental media has received extensive attention. The soil matrix is complex, and efficient and simple extraction of PFAAs remains a challenge for analysts. In this work, a simple and rapid method has been developed for the determination of 21 PFAAs in soil by chelating resin-assisted extraction combined with high-performance liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Treatment with chelating resins effectively released PFAAs bound to metal ions, thereby greatly improving the extraction efficiency of PFAAs in soil. The complete extraction procedure only required 30 min. Under the optimized conditions, the quantification limits of the 21 PFAAs were from 0.03 to 0.49 ng/mL. Single PFAAs were detected in soil samples with concentrations ranging from 0.10 to 2.60 ng/g and recoveries between 70 and 126%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We generalize the Riesz conjugate functions theorem for planar harmonic K -quasiregular mappings (when 1 < p ≤ 2) and harmonic K -quasiconformal mappings (when 2 < p < ∞) in the unit disk. Moreover, if K = 1 , then our constant coincides with the classical analytic case. For the n dimensional case (n > 2), we also obtain the Riesz conjugate functions theorem for invariant harmonic K -quasiregular mappings when 1 < p ≤ 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Minutiae, widely used feature points of fingerprint images, directly decide the performance of fingerprint recognition. Conventional minutiae extractors rely on a series of preprocessing steps, thus performing poorly for bad quality samples due to error accumulations. Existing extractors using convolutional neural networks are trained and tested with a certain specific sensor, thus requiring various modules for different sensors. To solve these problems, a universal minutiae extractor using a modified U‐shaped segmentation network is proposed. Specifically, the proposed extractor classifies each pixel of a fingerprint image into a category of minutia with a certain orientation or non‐minutia point, thus obtaining location and orientation information of minutiae simultaneously. The experimental results plus comparisons with other academic and commercial extractors prove that the proposed network can extract accurate and robust minutiae regardless of the quality of fingerprints and the sensor types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumors arise from the transformation of normal stem cells or mature somatic cells. Intriguingly, two types of tumors have been observed by pathologists for centuries: well-differentiated tumors and undifferentiated tumors. Well-differentiated tumors are architecturally similar to the tissues from which they originate, whereas undifferentiated tumors exhibit high nuclear atypia and do not resemble their tissue of origin. The relationship between these two tumor types and the human life cycle has not been clear. Here I propose a unifying theory that explains the processes of transformation of both tumor types with our life cycle. Human life starts with fertilization of an egg by a sperm to form a zygote. The zygote undergoes successive rounds of cleavage division to form blastomeres within the zona pellucida, with progressive decreases in cell size, and the cleaved blastomeres then compact to form a 32-cell or a "64n" morula [n = 1 full set of chromosomes]. Thus early embryogenesis can be interpreted as a progressive increase in ploidy, and if the zona pellucida is considered a cell membrane and cleavage is interpreted as endomitosis, then the 32-cell morula can be considered a multinucleated giant cell (or 64n syncytium). The decrease in cell size is accompanied by an increase in the nuclear-to-cytoplasmic (N/C) ratio, which then selectively activates a combined set of embryonic transcription factors that dedifferentiate the parental genome to a zygotic genome. This process is associated with a morphologic transition from a morula to a blastocyst and formation of an inner cell mass that gives rise to a new embryonic life. If the subsequent differentiation proceeds to complete maturation, then a normal life results. However, if differentiation is blocked at any point along the continuum of primordial germ cell to embryonic maturation to fetal organ maturation, a well-differentiated tumor will develop. Depending on the level of developmental hierarchy at which the stem cell differentiation is blocked, the resulting tumor can range from highly malignant to benign. Undifferentiated tumors are derived from mature somatic cells through dedifferentiation via a recently described reprogramming mechanism named the giant cell life cycle or the giant cell cycle. This mechanism can initiate "somatic embryogenesis" via an increase in ploidy ranging from 4n to 64n or more, similar to that in normal embryogenesis. This dedifferentiation mechanism is initiated through an endocycle and is followed by endomitosis, which leads to the formation of mononucleated or multinucleated polyploid giant cancer cells (PGCCs), that is, cancer stem-like cells that mimic the blastomere-stage embryo. The giant cell life cycle leads to progressive increases in the N/C ratio and awakens the suppressed embryonic reprogram, resulting in mature somatic transformation into undifferentiated tumors. Thus, the increase in ploidy explains not only normal embryogenesis for well-differentiated tumors but also "somatic embryogenesis" for undifferentiated tumors. I refer to this ploidy increase as the 'life code". The concept of the "life code" may provide a simple theoretical framework to guide our immense efforts to understand cancer and fight this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The dynamic response and reliability analysis of a 13.2 MW offshore wind turbine supported by a moored semi-submersible platform is the subject of this study. Loads data for the extreme response analysis involve time-domain simulations for a range of sea states representative of expected site-specific metocean conditions. To gain deeper insight into the dynamic behavior of this system and to obtain long-term loads efficiently and accurately, two studies are carried out sequentially. First, the short-term response of the integrated system is studied based on 1-h simulations for sea states identified using the Environmental Contour method for a 50-year return period. Response extremes for the integrated wind turbine system as well as system sensitivity to metocean conditions are studied. Next, the long-term response associated with the 50-year return period is estimated using statistical extrapolation based on loads derived from the 1-h simulations. Inverse First-Order Reliability Method procedures are employed to seek appropriate response quantile levels, e.g., the median response for 2D Inverse FORM. A more comprehensive 3D approach, which accounts for system response uncertainties, improves long-term response estimates. A proposed adaptive procedure in the 3D approach helps determine the number of simulations needed to guarantee accuracy in the long-term response estimation. Highlights • An integrated system for a large offshore wind turbine on a moored semi-submersible floating platform is briefly described. • From short-term extreme loads based on one-hour long stochastic simulations, critical sea states are identified. • A study of the system response variability identifies which sea states lead to largest loads on the integrated system. • Platform motions and loads are found to be most sensitive to the inflow wind turbulence. • Response variability is significant relative to metocean conditions variability in comparing 3-D Inverse FORM with EC method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The long-term overuse of zinc oxide by swine farms effectively alleviated the post-weaning diarrhea and improved the growth performance of piglets, whereas it also led to severe heavy metal residues and zinc emission pollution. Hence, finding traceable, safe, efficient and low-cost alternatives for zinc oxide is of great importance nowadays. In this study, sodium alginate-coated nano zinc oxide, a new type of zinc resource, was used and proved to be a potential alternative to traditional doses of zinc oxide, which showed beneficial effects on the growth performance, diarrhea rate, immune and antioxidant functions, zinc accumulation and excretion, short chain fatty acid concentration and the fecal microbial structure of weaned piglets. Our study laid a good foundation for the application of the novel coated nano zinc oxide in animals in the future. High dose of zinc oxide (ZnO) could improve growth performance and alleviate disease status, whereas it caused serious environmental pollution and bacterial resistance. This study was to investigate whether low doses of sodium alginate-coated nano zinc oxide (saZnO), a new type of zinc resource, could serve as a potential alternative to pharmacological doses of traditional ZnO in weaned piglets. A total of 144 crossbred piglets were randomly allocated into three groups, including a basal diet without the addition of Zn (CON), a basal diet with 1600 mg Zn/kg from traditional ZnO (ZnO), and a basal diet with 500 mg Zn/kg from saZnO (saZnO). The experiment lasted for 28 days. The results showed that supplementing with ZnO and saZnO for 14 and 28 days significantly improved body weight (BW) and average daily gain (ADG) (p < 0.01) and markedly reduced the feed intake-to-gain ratio (F/G) (p < 0.05) and diarrhea rate. In addition, dietary ZnO and saZnO significantly increased the activities of the total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (p < 0.01). Supplementing with saZnO also promoted the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), IgM and copper- and zinc-containing superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD) in serum (p < 0.05), whereas a ZnO addition decreased the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) (p < 0.05), indicating the beneficial effect of Zn on antioxidant and immune functions. Piglets fed the ZnO diet showed higher serum Zn accumulations than those fed the CON and saZnO diets at d 28 (p < 0.01), and supplementing with ZnO and saZnO markedly contributed to Zn excretion in feces, especially in the ZnO diet (p < 0.01). Additionally, piglets fed the saZnO diet had greater valeric acid concentrations (p < 0.05) in their feces, while other short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were not affected by different treatments (p > 0.05). Microbial alpha diversity was reduced in the saZnO group compared with the CON group (p < 0.05), while an obvious separation of microbial composition, the marker of beta diversity, was shown among the three groups (p < 0.05). At the genus level, six genera, including Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, Terrisporobacter, f_Muribaculaceae, Subdoligranulum and Intestinibacter, were pronouncedly increased in the ZnO and saZnO groups (p < 0.05); another nine species were dramatically downregulated, such as f_Lachnospiraceae, f_Prevotellaceae, f_Butyricicoccaceae and f_Ruminococcaceae (p < 0.05). Finally, a functional analysis indicated that altered microbes significantly changed the "Metabolism" pathway (p < 0.05). These findings suggested that saZnO could act as a feasible substitute for ZnO to reduce Zn emission and enhance growth performance, antioxidant and immune functions, and to adjust the structure of gut microbiota in piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new algorithm to generate Representative Volume Elements (RVEs) of random fiber distributions is presented in this study. The Random Sequence Expansion (RSE)_stirring algorithm generates the initial fiber random distribution. Subsequently, by stirring the generated fibers and highlighting the influence of fiber short-range spacing interactions, the method facilitates the capture of the real fiber distribution. To verify the soundness of the proposed algorithm, the RVE model, generated by the RSE_stirring algorithm, was analyzed using four statistical functions. The model was then statistically compared with the experimentally obtained real fiber distributions in a Completely Spatial Random (CSR) pattern. In this study, the equivalent modulus of the composite was also predicted using RVE and compared with the results predicted by other algorithms. The experimental and the predicted results showed a strong similarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Photocatalysis has been rapidly developed as a sustainable technology to decompose contaminants by using photogenerated carriers excited through light irradiation. Electrons for molybdenum trioxide (MoO 3) semiconductor with wide band gap can be easily transferred to its conduction band via dye sensitization effect under visible light. However, MoO 3 still suffers from poor photocatalytic ability for organic dyes due to the low energy level of the conduction band and the insufficient utilization of the induced electrons. In this study, molybdenum dioxide (MoO 2) nanoparticles were decorated on the surface of MoO 3 nanobelts without requiring an additional Mo source by using a simple in-situ hydrothermal method. In the reaction process, the partial MoO 3 itself was reduced to metallic MoO 2 nanoparticles, and the resulting intimate interface between MoO 2 and MoO 3 could accelerate the transfer of dye sensitization-induced electrons. The as-prepared MoO 2 /MoO 3 nanocomposites exhibited extremely enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity for decomposing rhodamine B (RhB) with the assistance of H 2 O 2. The mechanism for high-efficiency degradation was analyzed and explored by conducting theoretical calculations and designing further experiments. The high-efficiency degradation might be due to the synergistic effect caused by the well-matched energy band structure between dyes and MoO 3 , and the metallic MoO 2 nanoparticles, which can accelerate the production of hydroxyl radical (OH) from H 2 O 2. OH is a dominant reactive species for the degradation of RhB under visible light irradiation. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • MoO 3 nanobelts decorated with MoO 2 nanoparticles were constructed by a simple in-situ hydrothermal reduction method. • MoO 2 nanoparticles accelerated photocatalytic process, and high degradation efficiency of 90% was achieved. • Hydroxylradical (·OH) was confirmed to be a main active radical responsible for the enhanced photocatalytic performance. • A rapid transfer mechanism of dye-sensitized electrons from MoO 3 nanobelts to MoO 2 nanoparticles was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The accumulation of misfolded α-synuclein in the brain is associated with Parkinson's disease. However, the association between gut α-synuclein and PD and diagnostic value of α-synuclein in the gut still remain controversial. Methods A literature search from inception to June 2018 was conducted, yielding 21 studies eligible for a systematic review and meta-analysis. We included studies that reported data on gut α-synuclein or phosphorylated α-synuclein in patients with PD and controls. The odds ratio(OR) was pooled using random-effect models, and heterogeneity was reported as I2. Studies were assessed for quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Sensitivity and specificity analyses were performed using the summary receiver operating characteristics curve approach. Results The database search yielded 395 results, of which 21 studies were deemed relevant. The PD group had a pooled OR of 10.01 (95% CI: 3.15–31.82, I2 = 72%) for gut α-synuclein compared with the control group. Sensitivity and specificity for distinguishing PD from controls were 0.568 and 0.819, respectively, for the colon, and 0.579 and 0.822, respectively, for phosphorylated α-synuclein. Conclusion Heterogeneity was high in most of the studies. This systematic review and meta-analysis confirmed a high degree of association between gut α-synuclein and PD, which suggested that gut α-synuclein is a potential therapeutic intervention. The measurement of gut α-synuclein alone could lead to the underdiagnosis of PD. Future research combining gut α-synuclein with other biochemical markers could improve the standardization of current assays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We extend the definition of Bowen topological entropy of subsets to continuous action of amenable groups on a compact metrizable space. We investigate how Bowen topological entropy behaves for restricted actions of finite-index subgroups and verify the validity of the subgroup formula. We also show that the Bowen topological entropy of subsets for amenable group actions can be determined via the local entropies of measures. As applications, we compute the Bowen topological entropy of a subset for Bernoulli shift over amenable groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract α-Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles with different sizes were successfully synthesized by a simple SDS-assisted grinding reaction and subsequent heating treatment process. Effects of calcination temperatures on crystal structure, optical and photocatalytic properties of the products were investigated by TG-DSC, FTIR, XRD, TEM, HRTEM, and UV–Vis techniques. Results showed that growth of the α-Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles was very slow, and the average crystallite size gradually increased with increasing calcination temperatures. Optical measure and calculation showed that there is an increasing trend for the band gap with increase of calcination temperature. The α-Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles obtained at 500 °C revealed higher photocatalytic degradation efficiency for MB than the other samples, attributing to the optimal value between transiting electrons and recombination of electron-hole pairs. Radical scavengers experiments implied that ·OH and e− played important roles in the photocatalytic process. The photodegradation time was greatly shortened, and the photocatalytic efficiency was further enhanced and raised to over 90% after adding H 2 O 2 , which is due to generation of a large number of the highly oxidative ·OH by photo-Fenton reaction. Highlights • α-Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by decomposing precursor. • Precursor was obtained by a simple SDS-assisted grinding reaction. • High photocatalytic efficiency of 99.6% was obtained for α-Fe 2 O 3 within 40 min. • It is due to generation of a large number of the ·OH by Photo-Fenton reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Life starts with a zygote, which is formed by the fusion of a haploid sperm and egg. The formation of a blastomere by cleavage division (nuclear division without an increase in cell size) is the first step in embryogenesis, after the formation of the zygote. Blastomeres are responsible for reprogramming the parental genome as a new embryonic genome for generation of the pluripotent stem cells which then differentiate by Waddington's epigenetic landscape to create a new life. Multiple authors over the past 150 years have proposed that tumors arises from development gone awry at a point within Waddington's landscape. Recent discoveries showing that differentiated somatic cells can be reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells, and that somatic cell nuclear transfer can be used to successfully clone animals, have fundamentally reshaped our understanding of tumor development and origin. Differentiated somatic cells are plastic and can be induced to dedifferentiate into pluripotent stem cells. Here, I review the evidence that suggests somatic cells may have a previously overlooked endogenous embryonic program that can be activated to dedifferentiate somatic cells into stem cells of various potencies for tumor initiation. Polyploid giant cancer cells (PGCCs) have long been observed in cancer and were thought originally to be nondividing. Contrary to this belief, recent findings show that stress-induced PGCCs divide by endoreplication, which may recapitulate the pattern of cleavage-like division in blastomeres and lead to dedifferentiation of somatic cells by a programmed process known as "the giant cell cycle", which comprise four distinct but overlapping phases: initiation, self-renewal, termination and stability. Depending on the intensity and type of stress, different levels of dedifferentiation result in the formation of tumors of different grades of malignancy. Based on these results, I propose a unified dualistic model to demonstrate the origin of human tumors. The tenet of this model includes four points, as follows. 1. Tumors originate from a stem cell at a specific developmental hierarchy, which can be achieved by dualistic origin: dedifferentiation of the zygote formed by two haploid gametes (sexual reproduction) via the blastomere during normal development, or transformation from damaged or aged mature somatic cells via a blastomere-like embryonic program (asexual reproduction). 2. Initiation of the tumor begins with a stem cell that has uncoupled the differentiation from the proliferation program which results in stem cell maturation arrest. 3. The developmental hierarchy at which stem cells arrest determines the degree of malignancy: the more primitive the level at which stem cells arrest, the greater the likelihood of the tumor being malignant. 4. Environmental factors and intrinsic genetic or epigenetic alterations represent the risk factors or stressors that facilitate stem cell arrest and somatic cell dedifferentiation. However, they, per se, are not the driving force of tumorigenesis. Thus, the birth of a tumor can be viewed as a triad that originates from a stem cell via dedifferentiation through a blastomere or blastomere-like program, which then differentiates along Waddington's landscape, and arrests at a developmental hierarchy. Blocking the PGCC-mediated dedifferentiation process and inducing their differentiation may represent a novel alternative approach to eliminate the tumor occurrence and therapeutic resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, numerical analysis has been conducted for multi-story reinforced concrete frames under different fire scenarios to investigate the time-dependent lateral displacement of beam-column joint, which is almost the same as the lateral displacement at column end. Based on the numerical results, an empirical model has been proposed to approximately determine the time-dependent lateral displacement of the beam-column joint, and the calculated results using this model are compared with the numerical and test results provided by other researchers. Finally, the fire performance of axially-and-rotationally restrained reinforced concrete columns with time-dependent sidesway is numerically analyzed and compared with that without sidesway. It is found that (1) when the target floor is on fire, the influence of its non-adjacent floors’ exposure to fire on the lateral displacement of the joints at the target floor can be neglected, and the biggest error induced by this neglect is less than 10%; but the exposure of its adjacent floor(s) to fire leads to larger lateral displacement of these joints; and (2) fire endurance of the restrained reinforced concrete column with high nominal axial load ratio (e.g. 0.6) decreases significantly with the increasing of the column’s sidesway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By means of factor analysis approach, a method of molecule classification is built based on the measured terahertz absorption spectra of the molecules. A data matrix can be obtained by sampling the absorption spectra at different frequency points. The data matrix is then decomposed into the product of two matrices: a weight matrix and a characteristic matrix. By using the K-means clustering to deal with the weight matrix, these molecules can be classified. A group of samples (spirobenzopyran, indole, styrene derivatives and inorganic salts) has been prepared, and measured via a terahertz time-domain spectrometer. These samples are classified with 75% accuracy compared to that directly classified via their molecular formulas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, novel BiOCl/MoS 2 nanocomposites with Z-scheme structure were successfully obtained by a facile one-step hydrothermal method, and the products were evaluated by XRD, SEM, XPS, DRS. Results showed that the MoS 2 nanosheets adhered well to surface of the BiOCl, and the BiOCl/MoS 2 possessed an excellent Rhodamine B degrading rate of 98.6% within 21 min under visible light irradiation. Radical trapping experiments indicated that OH and h + were main reactive species responsible for the degradations. The fantastic Z-scheme structure of the BiOCl/MoS 2 heterogeneous not only retained the photogenerated holes with higher redox ability but also decreases their recombination rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let μ = μ { R n , B n } = δ R 1 − 1 B 1 ⁎ δ (R 2 R 1) − 1 B 2 ⁎ ⋯ be a Borel probability measure with a compact support, where R n ∈ M 2 (Z) , B n ⊂ Z 2 and (R n , B n , L n) forms a Hadamard triple for all n ≥ 1. In this paper, we consider the existence of exponential orthogonal basis in L 2 (μ). We extend the concept of equi-positive family in [1] to higher dimensions, and provide a new idea to characterize the spectrality of such measures. In details, we study the spectrality and non-spectrality of Moran-Sierpinski type measures specifically under some necessary assumptions. The partial findings of several previous studies are extended by this study, such as Cantor-Moran measures (An-Fu-Lai [1] , An-He-He [3]), Moran-Sierpinski type measures (Wang-Dong [47]) and Moran-Cantor-Dust type measures (Chen-Liu-Su-Wang [9]). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cu 2 S thin films were successfully grown in situ on Cu foil by an easy hydrothermal method. The effects of surfactant and reaction time on the formation of the Cu 2 S films were studied by X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy and ABIOS profilometry. Results showed that the thin films consisted of nanoparticles, and their crystallization and surface roughness depended on the structures of surfactants and reaction time. Photocatalytic studies indicated that the film obtained at 1 h by the EDTA-2Na surfactant exhibited a good methylene blue degradation rate of 83.7%, and higher values of 89.2% and 90% were obtained with increased reaction time to 3 and 4 h. Even the decomposition rate remained at high (82%) after reuse. This good catalytic performance can be attributed to the heterojunction formed between Cu and Cu 2 S, the special surface from the reaction between [Cu-EDTA] - ion and S 2− , and the further crystal orientation with prolonged reaction time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional projection onto convex sets (POCS) super-resolution (SR) reconstruction algorithm can only get reconstructed images with poor contrast, low signal-to-noise ratio and blurring edges. In order to solve the above disadvantages, an improved POCS SR infrared image reconstruction algorithm based on visual mechanism is proposed, which introduces data consistency constraint with variable correction thresholds to highlight the target edges and filter out background noises; further, the algorithm introduces contrast constraint considering the resolving ability of human eyes into the traditional algorithm, enhancing the contrast of the image reconstructed adaptively. The experimental results show that the improved POCS algorithm can acquire high quality infrared images whose contrast, average gradient and peak signal to noise ratio are improved many times compared with traditional algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• At relative bond lengths of 20/L and 25/L, it is safer to use CFRTP as the impact surface than Al as the impact surface. • At relative bond lengths of 35/L and 45/L, high and stable residual strengths are guaranteed for both CFRTP and Al as impact surfaces. However, in terms of cost savings, 35/L is a better choice. • The thermoplastic Al/PEEK/CFRTP has better impact resistance than the thermosetting FM94/Al joints. Due to their excellent impact resistance, high toughness, short forming time, and recyclability, carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) composite materials can be blended and bonded with aluminum alloys (Al) to produce lighter structures with better impact resistance. In this study, the effects of impact energy (5, 10, 15, 20 J) and impact surface (CFRTP and Al) on Al/PEEK/CFRTP joints with different relative bond lengths (20/L, 25/L, 35/L, 45/L, where L is the length of the adherend) were explored through a combination of joint impact damage modes, energy absorption rates, residual strengths, and tensile fracture surfaces. The results showed that when the relative bond lengths were 20/L and 25/L, using CFRTP as the impact surface significantly reduced the residual strength loss of the joint. When the relative bond lengths were 35/L and 45/L, the influence of the impact surface on the joint was significantly reduced. A relative bond length of 35/L was the ideal choice for structural safety and cost savings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mass production and application of graphene have gradually expanded from academic research to industrial applications, which will inevitably lead to graphene entering the soil actively and passively. Therefore, the relationship between graphene and the pedosphere has attracted a lot of attention in the last decade. The most important question is whether graphene will harm soil health. Fortunately, the evidence is that graphene can alter soil physicochemical properties and microbial communities to some extent, but not dramatically. On this basis, the role of graphene in soil has been investigated in all directions. This review summarizes the literature on the relationship between graphene and soils. Topics include remediation and sensing of soil using graphene materials, the effects of graphene on soil, and the effects of graphene in soil on plant growth. At the same time, this review also uses bibliometrics to review the history of the topic. The number of papers published each year, participating countries, participating institutions and important articles were analyzed in detail. Finally, based on the published literature, we described the future perspectives of graphene and the pedosphere. [Display omitted] • The research related to graphene and soil was reviewed. • A scientometric analysis was carried out with traditional review. • The application of graphene in soil remediation was discussed. • The effects of graphene materials and their complexes on plants in soil were investigated. • Graphene has been explored as a sensing material for the detection and monitoring of soil composition and pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The generation of OH in the presence of iron oxides and AA was quantified. • The formed OH showed the largest concentration at pH 7.0. • Coexistence of MnO 2 reduced the OH amount in iron oxide/AA systems. • OH was not detected in AA/β-MnO 2 system due to the H 2 O 2 limitation. The interaction between iron oxides and ascorbic acid (AA) normally leads to the degradation of organic pollutants by inducing the generation of hydroxyl radical (OH). However, the influence of different iron oxides on such processes is poorly understood. Moreover, a more complex but very common scenario in real environment is the coexistence of iron oxides with other reactive minerals (e.g., MnO 2), while the underlying mechanism of the interplay of different reactive minerals is still unclear, and knowledge of how the participation of MnO 2 impacts OH generation and pollutant transformation in iron oxides/AA system is an unsolved problem. This study quantified the yields of OH in three iron oxide/AA systems and the transformation of bisphenol A (BPA). We found that AA greatly promoted electron-transfer and OH production on iron oxides, and the OH concentrations were 0.42 mM, 0.24 mM, and 0.08 mM in FeOOH, Fe 2 O 3 , and Fe 3 O 4 systems, respectively. In addition, coexistence of β-MnO 2 inhibited BPA transformation by decreasing OH concentration to 0.19 mM in FeOOH/AA system. This is because β-MnO 2 strongly competed for AA species against FeOOH. In β-MnO 2 system the generated H 2 O 2 was very limited in spite of the greater reaction rate, and consequently almost no OH was detected. Interestingly, AA enhanced O 2 − production while interacting with MnO 2. Accordingly, the reaction mechanism for the interaction between β-MnO 2 and AA involving reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was achieved at the molecular level. This study elucidates the effect of environmental factors on the ROS formation by Fe/Mn oxides, and provides a theoretical basis for understanding realistic environmental processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The midscribability theorem, which was first proved by O. Schramm, states that: given a smooth strictly convex body $$K\subset {\mathbb {R}}^{3}$$ and a convex polyhedron $$P$$ , there exists a convex polyhedron $$Q\subset {\mathbb {R}}^3$$ combinatorially equivalent to $$P$$ which midscribes $$K$$ . Here the word 'midscribe' means that all its edges are tangent to the boundary surface of $$K$$ . By using the intersection number technique, together with the Teichmüller theory of packings, this paper provides an alternative approach to this theorem. Furthermore, by combining Schramm's method with the above ones, we obtain a rigidity result as well. That is, such a polyhedron is unique under the normalization condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of bentonite used in geological repositories for radioactive waste may be impaired by long-term clay transformations to non-swelling minerals. Intrinsic to alteration processes is the role of water/clay ratio, defined in a bentonite-pore fluid system by (the inverse of) porosity. Water/(water + clay) mass ratios are low for both ‘total’ (≤ 0.25) and ‘free’ (≤ 0.05) porosities in compacted bentonite at the dry density envisaged for waste package buffers (≥ 1500 kg m − 3 ). A survey of laboratory experimental studies of clay alteration has shown that they have tended to focus on systems with dispersed clays at high water/(water + clay) mass ratios (≥ 0.75) because of experimental practicalities and a desire to accelerate reactions. New thermodynamic calculations have illustrated that the fluid/clay ratio can have an important impact not only upon the magnitude of alteration, but also upon the nature of the reaction path. Reaction of a pure Na-montmorillonite with cement pore fluids, a Fe-rich fluid and a KCl solution to attempt to simulate reaction of clay with cement/concrete, iron/steel, and potassium-rich fluids (to investigate the smectite to illite reaction path), respectively has shown that under fluid-dominated conditions (high water/clay ratio), clay alteration consisted of C–S–H solids, low-Si zeolites, and chlorite. Under clay-dominated conditions (low water/clay ratios), alteration typically consisted of high-Si zeolites, feldspar and Mg-corrensite. Consequently, it is of key importance that the most relevant water/clay ratio (‘porosity’) is used not only in geochemical calculations, but also in experimental systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Antibiotics are banned in animal feed, and substances used to replace antibiotics are being found continuously. Yucca schidigera, Quillaja saponaria, and Yucca saponin are natural plants and their components, which have many beneficial health functions for animals, are suitable as animal feed additives to replace antibiotics. By comparing the impacts of three substances on the growth, immunity, and intestinal health of broilers, this study found that Yucca schidigera, Quillaja saponaria, and Yucca saponin all promote the healthy growth of broilers, and Yucca saponin has better effects than the other two substances. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of Yucca saponin (YSa), Yucca schidigera (YS), and Quillaja Saponaria (QS) on growth performance, nitrogen metabolism, immune ability, antioxidant capability, and intestinal flora of yellow-feather broilers. This study randomly divided a total of 480 1-day yellow-feather broilers into 4 treatment groups. Factors in the 4 groups included CON group (basic diet), YSa group (basic diet mixed with 500 mg/kg YSa), YS group (basic diet mixed with 500 mg/kg YS), and QS group (basic diet mixed with 500 mg/kg QS). Throughout the 56-day study period, YSa, YS, and QS groups had higher average daily gain in broilers than the CON group (p < 0.01). The YS group had a lower feed gain ratio (F: G) in broilers than the CON group (p < 0.05). YSa, YS, and QS showed increased serum immunoglobin A (IgA), immunoglobin Y (IgY), immunoglobin M (IgM), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) levels; enhanced acetic acid, butyric acid, and valeric acid levels of cecal content; and reduced contents of ammonia nitrogen, urea nitrogen, interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in serum in broilers (p < 0.05). The relative abundance of Lachnoclostridium in the QS group was decreased compared with that in the CON group (p < 0.05). Higher IgA and IgY sera contents were observed in the YS group compared to the YSa and QS groups (p < 0.05). In contrast with the QS group, the serum IL-6 concentration of the YS group was reduced (p < 0.05). In conclusion, YSa, YS, and QS promoted growth performance, nitrogen metabolism, immunity, antioxidant capability, and intestinal flora in broilers. Through the comparison of YSa, YS, and QS, it was found that YS is more suitable as a feed additive to ameliorate the healthy growth of broilers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flower-like MoS 2 spheres were successfully prepared via a facile hydrothermal method. The effects of excess sulfur on the formation of MoS 2 were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The XRD pattern showed that the preferential orientation of the flower-like hexagonal 2H–MoS 2 spheres was the (002) plane, and I 002 / I 100 ratio values indicated that the (002) plane grew more completely than the (100) plane with increasing S/Mo ratio. The FESEM images revealed that the sheet thickness of the MoS 2 spheres increased to ~30 nm with increasing S/Mo ratio, exposing more edges on the nanosheets of the MoS 2 spheres. Photocatalytic properties of the products were studied, and the results showed that the MoS 2 sample with a S/Mo ratio of 2.75 exhibited the highest degradation rate constant and methylene blue degradation rate under 90 min visible light irradiation. The results showed that the enhancement of photocatalytic activity originated from increasing exposed area of the {100} facets with increasing S/Mo ratio under the hydrothermal environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple low-temperature solid-state reaction in the presence of the surfactant PEG400 was developed to obtain ZnO/CdS nanocomposites. The effects of synthesis temperature and reaction time on crystal structure and optical properties of the nanocomposites were investigated by several technologies. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) characterizations showed that the products consisted of the nanoparticles, and the grain growth kinetics of the cubic CdS and the hexagonal ZnO phase in the nanocomposites was described. The mechanism analysis suggested that sufficient grinding and heating treatment was a key to form the ZnO/CdS nanocomposites, and the surfactant PEG400 was proved not to involve the reaction and prevent the nanoparticles from aggregating to larger in whole grinding and heat-treatment process. Ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectra revealed that the band gaps of the nanocomposites could be tuned by the reaction temperature and reaction time. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra showed that the changing position and the intensity of the emission peaks resulted from the rate of electron transfer and recombination probability under the different conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the feasibility of dynamic trapping of terahertz waves using a silicon-filled metallic grating structure. Using the dispersion relation analysis and the two-dimensional finite element method simulations, we reveal that, if a graded refractive index distribution in the grooves is optical induced, the device has the ability to dynamic trap terahertz waves of different frequencies at different positions (so-called trapping rainbow). Moreover, we demonstrate that the trapped position of a certain frequency of the terahertz waves can be moved continuously along the grooves in subwavelength scale by ingenious control of the distributions of the refractive indices of silicon filled in the grooves. Our design has the potential for the construction of active plasmonic terahertz devices, such as optical controlled terahertz filter, router and demultiplexer in a broadband terahertz communication system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outdoor fall detection, in the context of accidents, such as falling from heights or in water, is a research area that has not received as much attention as other automated surveillance areas. Gathering sufficient data for developing deep-learning models for such applications has also proven to be not a straight-forward task. Normally, footage of volunteer people falling is used for providing data, but that can be a complicated and dangerous process. In this paper, we propose an application for thermal images of a low-cost rubber doll falling in a harbor, for simulating real emergencies. We achieve thermal signatures similar to a human on different parts of the doll's body. The change of these thermal signatures over time is measured, and its stability is verified. We demonstrate that, even with the size and weight differences of the doll, the produced videos of falls have a similar motion and appearance to what is expected from real people. We show that the captured thermal doll data can be used for the real-world application of pedestrian detection by running the captured data through a state-of-the-art object detector trained on real people. An average confidence score of 0.730 is achieved, compared to a confidence score of 0.761 when using footage of real people falling. The captured fall sequences using the doll can be used as a substitute to sequences of people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satisfactory indoor thermal environments can improve working efficiencies of office staff. To build such satisfactory indoor microclimates, individual thermal comfort assessment is important, for which personal clothing insulation rate ( I c l ) and metabolic rate (M) need to be estimated dynamically. Therefore, this paper proposes a vision-based method. Specifically, a human tracking-by-detection framework is implemented to acquire each person's clothing status (short-sleeved, long-sleeved), key posture (sitting, standing), and bounding box information simultaneously. The clothing status together with a key body points detector locate the person's skin region and clothes region, allowing the measurement of skin temperature ( T s ) and clothes temperature ( T c ), and realizing the calculation of I c l from T s and T c . The key posture and the bounding box change across time can category the person's activity intensity into a corresponding level, from which the M value is estimated. Moreover, we have collected a multi-person thermal dataset to evaluate the method. The tracking-by-detection framework achieves a mAP50 (Mean Average Precision) rate of 89.1% and a MOTA (Multiple Object Tracking Accuracy) rate of 99.5%. The I c l estimation module gets an accuracy of 96.2% in locating skin and clothes. The M estimation module obtains a classification rate of 95.6% in categorizing activity level. All of these prove the usefulness of the proposed method in a multi-person scenario of real-life applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of the amplitude ratio between the two THz pulses on two-dimension THz spectroscopy (2DTS) has been studied theoretically via a classical method in which the expressions for the second-order nonlinearity were derived using perturbation approach, and the THz pulses were not treated as a delta function. Three types of nonlinear sources i.e., anharmonicity, nonlinear damping, and nonlinear coupling, are considered in a single mode system. The simulation results demonstrated that the amplitude ratio had a notable influence on the 2DTSs, and different sources have different influences. This study is promising for guiding future experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A classical iterative theory based on the Langevin equation is presented to obtain the nonlinear response of a system and simulate two-dimensional (2D) nonlinear terahertz (THz) spectroscopy (2DTS). Compared with the widely used method of calculating the multi-time correlation function or the Poison brackets, we start from the classical Langevin equation and use an iterative method to obtain any order of nonlinear response. The anharmonic potential (AHP) and nonlinear coordinates dependence of the dipole moment (NDM) are two types of nonlinear sources introduced here. Results are derived for general three-pulse processes with nonlinear sources, AHP or NDM, separately and with the combination of both. Only the simulative 2DTS results for the single mode case with impulsive incident THz fields are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Biocomposite scaffolds consist of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) and wool keratin were obtained by an electrospinning process. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that the poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)/wool keratin fibers had relatively rougher surfaces and smaller diameters. Thermogravimetric analysis showed higher thermal stabilities of the developed biocomposites compared to neat poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid). Mechanical tests showed that when the wool keratin content increased from 0% to 0.5% w/v, the tensile strength and elongation at break of the poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)/0.5% wool keratin scaffolds increased with maxima of 6.59 MPa and 104.44%, respectively, which was an increase of 8.2% and 570% over the poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) scaffold. The biological response of bone mesenchymal stem cells to the poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)/1.5% wool keratin biocomposites was superior when compared to pure poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) scaffold in terms of improved cell attachment and higher proliferation. These observations suggest that the addition of wool keratin to a poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) matrix can improve several properties of the electrospun poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) fibers, and the poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)/wool keratin biocomposites could make excellent materials for tissue engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Cancer is not only composed malignant epithelial component but also stromal components such as fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and inflammatory cells, by which an appropriate tumor microenvironment (TME) is formed to promote tumorigenesis, progression, and metastasis. As the most abundant component in the TME, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are involved in multifaceted mechanistic details including remodeling the extracellular matrix, suppressing immune responses, and secreting growth factors and cytokines that mediate signaling pathways to extensively affect tumor cell growth and invasiveness, differentiation, angiogenesis, and chronic inflammatory milieu. Today, more and more therapeutic strategies are purposefully designed to target the TME as well as tumor cells. This review will focus on the role of CAFs in tumor development and the novel strategies to target this component to inhibit the tumor growth. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The transmission property of microwave through a kind of metamaterial is investigated experimentally. Such metamaterials are fabricated with a structure of double sets of square holes: subwavelength ones, and small ones whose sizes and spacing are smaller at least one order of magnitude than those of the subwavelength holes. The experimental results show that the peak power of the measured transmission spectra is dependent on the structure parameters of the small holes. The physical origin to create this phenomenon is that the designer surface plasmons sustained by the small holes affect on the transmission property of the microwave passing through the subwavelength holes. The results are promising for proposing some techniques for optoelectronic devices in terahertz and microwave regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: ZnO/SiGe thin films were prepared by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The effects of the ZnO layer and the annealing temperature on the structure, optical absorption and film–substrate cohesion properties of the films were investigated by XRD, SEM, UV–vis and coating adhesion automatic scratch tester. The results indicated that the additional ZnO layer and the annealing behavior could effectively improve the crystallinity of the SiGe films, and enhance the optical absorption intensity or range of the films. The film–substrate cohesion property test showed that critical loading L c values of the ZnO/SiGe films were almost in accordance with those of the SiGe films when annealing temperature T an is increased to 700 and 800°C. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A novel model of ultrafast interaction between THz pulse and carriers is built to study the THz-wave-induced quenching of femtosecond-laser-excited photoluminescence in CdTe and GaAs. Photoluminescence quenching is due to the nonequilibrium intervalley phonons induced by the THz field and subsequent decrease of the recombination efficiency of the electron-hole pairs. And the PLQ versus laser intensity experimental result agrees with the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the present paper, cationic nanoparticles of curcumin, chitosan and poly(ɛ-caprolactone) were developed by a simple nano-precipitation method. The developed curcumin loaded chitosan/poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (chitosan/PCL) nanoparticle showed almost spherical shape and its diameter was varied between 220nm and 360nm and zeta potential was varied between +30mV and 0mV as a function with pH value. The encapsulation of curcumin into nanoparticles was confirmed by fluorescence spectral analysis. In vitro release study showed the sustained release behavior of curcumin from nanoparticles during the period of 5 days study. In vitro cytotoxicity test revealed the drug concentration dependent on the cell viability against Hela cells and OCM-1 cells after 48h co-incubation. Furthermore, in vitro cell uptake study revealed that the cell uptake of curcumin was greatly enhanced by encapsulated curcumin into cationic chitosan/PCL nanoparticles. Therefore, the developed cationic chitosan/PCL nanoparticles might be a promising candidate for curcumin delivery to cancer cells. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]