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Background: Th2 cells and IL-4 are involved in the pathogenesis of eosinophil infiltration in almost all types of asthma.In peripheral blood of asthmatic patients, methtyl-CpG binding domain protein 2 (MBD2) expression in CD4+ T cells is increased. So, the study’s objective: 1.to investigate the expression of MBD2, IRF4, Th2 cell and IL-4 in severe asthma mice; 2. to investigate whether MBD2 affects the differentiation and function of Th2 cell in mice through IRF4.. Methods: 1. C57BL/6J mice were divided into three groups: severe asthma group, conventional asthma group, and saline group. HE pathology, immunohistochemistry and WB were used to observe the expression of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and IL-4 in lung tissue. The positive rate of CD4 + Th2 cell from lung and spleen were detected by flow cytometry; 2. The CD4 + T cells derived from mouse spleen were divided into control group, empty transfection group, MBD2 silencing group (M(-)), MBD2 overexpression group (M(+)), IRF4 silencing group (I(-)), IRF4 overexpression group (I(+)). Th2 cells were cultured under directed differentiation conditions. The positive rate of Th2 cell was detected by flow cytometry. The expressions of IL-4, IRF4 and MBD2 were measured by WB; 3.Mouse spleen-derived CD4 + T cells were divided into control, empty transfection(M(0)/I(0)), M(-)/I(0), M(+)/I(0), M(-)/I(-), M(-)/I(+), M(+)/I(-) and M(+)/I(+) group. Th2 cells were cultured under directed differentiation conditions. The positive rate of Th2 cell was detected by flow cytometry. The expression of IL-4, IRF4 and MBD2 were measured by WB. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 25.0. The Independent‑samples t‑test was used for comparison of continuous variables between groups. PResults: 1. There was no significant difference in ECP, IL-4 and Th2 positive rates between severe asthma group and conventional asthma group; 2. The positive rate of Th2 cells and expression of IL-4 in M (-) group increased, while the expression of IRF4 decreased. The positive rate of Th2 cells and expression of IL-4 in M (+) group decreased, while the expression of IRF4 in M (+) group was higher than empty transfection group. The expression of IL-4 decreased in I (-) group and increased in I (+) group; 3. The positive rate of Th2 cells and expression of IL-4 in M(+)/I(-) group decreased, while the positive rate of Th2 cells and expression of IL-4 in M(-)/I(+) group increased significantly. Conclusions: 1. MBD2 inhibits the differentiation and function of Th2 cells in spleen-derived CD4 + T cells of mice directly, but MBD2 promotes the expression of IL-4 through enhancing the expression of IRF4; 2.MBD2 participates in the differentiation and function of Th2 cells in severe asthma through promotion of IRF4 indirectly and inhibition of Th2 cells directly, so IL-4 expression and Th2 positive rates were no significant difference; 3.MBD2 could play dual immune effect regulating Th2 cell differentiation through IL-4 in severe asthma.

Librarians are challenged by technology transformations in research data metrics to re-position in the evolving cycles of research production, communication and evaluation. They are also are challenged by the new and emerging strategic needs of universities for data-driven research intelligence that provides a comparative edge in the global world of higher education. This paper aims to discover how libraries can support universities in applying international assessment standards by delivering new reference and information services based on data analytics.,This paper focuses on a new reference and information service Research Data Analytics in China that was launched in 2017. There is a discussion of how new university needs have provided the strategic drive for librarians to develop skills.,The Research Data Analytics service development is significant for showcasing a new role for librarians in relation to research data evaluation metrics linked to publication strategies for authors and strategic intelligence for institutions. This has driven the development of the library’s position and influence in strategic research intelligence services.,The future for librarians is about being adventurous. Librarians are experts who will sparkle and shine beyond the bubble of the library walls. They can demonstrate a commitment to supporting university colleagues in professional services and academia to blossom and flourish. Distinctive visual technologies can be adopted for exploring research data which transform research production, communication and evaluation and therefore transform our position and future through technology-enabled innovations.

The by-product of citrus juice processing is a huge source of bioactive compounds, especially polymethoxyflavones (PMFs) and fibers. In this study, a method for the separation and purification of PMFs from citrus pomace was established based on citrus nanoporous carbon (CNPC) enrichment. Different biomass porous carbons were synthesized, their adsorption/desorption characteristics were evaluated, and the CNPCs from the peel of Citrus tangerina Tanaka were found to be best for the enrichment of PMFs from the crude extracts of citrus pomace. Using this method, six PMF compounds including low-abundant PMFs in citrus fruits such as 5,6,7,4&prime, tetramethoxyflavone and 5-hydroxy-6,7,8,3&prime, 4&prime, pentamethoxyflavone can be simultaneously obtained, and the purities of these compounds were all higher than 95%, with the highest purity of nobiletin reaching 99.96%. Therefore, CNPCs have a great potential for the separation and purification of PMFs in citrus processing wastes, potentially improving the added value of citrus wastes. We also provide a method reference for disposing of citrus pomace in the future.

Accounting for significant human morbidity and mortality across the globe, lung cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer as far as incidence and mortality is concerned. MicroRNAs (miRs) have shown an amazing potential to act as therapeutic agents for the management of several human diseases. This study investigated the function of miR-16 in lung cancer.The normal lung cancer cell line MRC3 and lung cancer cell lines SK-MES-1, A549, MS-53 and SK-LU-1 were used in the present study. The qRT-PCR was used for expression profiling of miR-16 and yes associated protein 1 (YAP1). WST-1 assay was used to monitor the proliferation rate. Flow cytometry was used for cell cycle analysis. Apoptosis was examined by DAPI and annexin V/propidium iodide (PI) staining. TargetScan analysis was performed to identify the potential target of miR-16 and western blot analysis was done to estimate the protein expression.The gene expression analysis showed miR-16 to be suppressed in lung cancer tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of miR-16 inhibited the growth and metastasis of the DMS-53 lung cancer cells via induction of the apoptotic cell death. Bioinformatic approaches revealed miR-16 exerts its effects by targeting YAP1. YAPI expression was found elevated in lung cancer tissues and its silencing halted the growth of the DMS-53 lung cancer cells. Nonetheless, YAP1 overexpression could reverse the growth inhibitory effects of miR-16.Taken together, miR-16 may serve as novel therapeutic target for the treatment of lung cancer.

T helper 17 (Th17) cells has proven to be crucial in the pathogenesis of severe asthma. Although it is known that Suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) is involved in differentiation of Th17 cells but, how it affects severe asthma is uncertain. Since previous studies indicated that Methtyl-CpG binding domain protein 2 (MBD2) null mice was deficient in Th17 cell differentiation, the aim of the present study was to understand how MBD2 interacts with SOCS3 to regulate Th17 cell differentiation in severe asthma. Here, we show that SOCS3 expression was significantly decreased in Th17-mediated severe asthmatic mice, accompanied by elevated STAT3 phosphorylation and RORγt expression. Knock-down of SOCS3 promoted the differentiation of naïve T cells into Th17 cells through STAT3/RORγt pathway. Meanwhile, MBD2 was overexpressed in Th17-mediated severe asthmatic mice. Intervention of MBD2 expression lead to a negative change of SOCS3 expression, whereas the differentiation of Th17 cells showed positive change. In addition, MBD2 knockout (MBD2-KO) mice displayed increased SOCS3 expression and decreased Th17 differentiation after severe asthma modeling. Taken together, our results suggest that MBD2 might facilitate Th17 cell differentiation via down-regulating SOCS3 expression in severe asthma. These findings uncover new roles for SOCS3 and MBD2, and provide a potential target for treatment of severe asthma.

Distributed drive electric vehicles enable more precise and faster power control. A vehicle steering reference acceleration generation strategy is studied in this paper to improve the steering stability of distributed drive vehicles. The strategy is explored on the basis of a four-axle in-wheel motor driven vehicle and is integrated into a hierarchical vehicle dynamic control system. The proposed strategy is implemented by an adaptive reference acceleration model. Based on linear 2 degree-of-freedom (2DOF) vehicle model, the adaptive model can correct the reference acceleration generated by 2DOF vehicle model in a nonlinear region where the vehicle total force demand exceeds the road surface adhesion limit. In linear region, the adaptive model produces a reference acceleration that is consistent with 2DOF vehicle model. Results of hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation show that the proposed adaptive reference acceleration generation model has better steering stability than 2DOF linear reference model under extreme operating conditions.

To determine whether or not house dust mite (HDM) and HDM+lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure causes a difference in T-cell subsets from young and old mice. The bronchial epithelial cells (BECs) from young and old mice were divided into three groups (PBS (control), HDM, and HDM+LPS). CD4+ naive T cells from the spleen and lymph nodes were collected after 24 h of co-culture with BECs. The number of Th2 and Th17 cells was elevated in the HDM and HDM+LPS groups compared with the control group; these responses were exacerbated when exposed to HDM+LPS. The number of HDM- and HDM+LPS-specific Th2/Th17 cells in young mice was higher than old mice; however, the Th2:Th17 cell ratio was greater in young mice, whereas the Th17:Th2 cell ratio was greater in old mice. The expression of GATA-3 and RORc was increased in the HDM+LPS and HDM groups compared with the PBS group and exhibited most in HDM+LPS group. The expression of HDM+LPS-specific GATA-3 in young mice was higher, while the expression of HDM+LPS-specific RORc in old mice was higher. Murine BECs directly regulated CD4+ naive T-cell differentiation under allergen exposure.

Articular cartilage (AC) is the weight-bearing tissue in diarthroses. It lacks the capacity for self-healing once there are injuries or diseases due to its avascularity. With the development of tissue engineering, repairing cartilage defects through transplantation of engineered cartilage that closely matches properties of native cartilage has become a new option for curing cartilage diseases. The main hurdle for clinical application of engineered cartilage is how to develop functional cartilage constructs for mass production in a credible way. Recently, impressive hyaline cartilage that may have the potential to provide capabilities for treating large cartilage lesions in the future has been produced in laboratories. The key to functional cartilage construction in vitro is to identify appropriate mechanical stimuli. First, they should ensure the function of metabolism because mechanical stimuli play the role of blood vessels in the metabolism of AC, for example, acquiring nutrition and removing wastes. Second, they should mimic the movement of synovial joints and produce phenotypically correct tissues to achieve the adaptive development between the micro- and macrostructure and function. In this article, we divide mechanical stimuli into three types according to forces transmitted by different media in bioreactors, namely forces transmitted through the liquid medium, solid medium, or other media, then we review and summarize the research status of bioreactors for cartilage tissue engineering (CTE), mainly focusing on the effects of diverse mechanical stimuli on engineered cartilage. Based on current researches, there are several motion patterns in knee joints; but compression, tension, shear, fluid shear, or hydrostatic pressure each only partially reflects the mechanical condition in vivo. In this study, we propose that rolling-sliding-compression load consists of various stimuli that will represent better mechanical environment in CTE. In addition, engineers often ignore the importance of biochemical factors to the growth and development of engineered cartilage. In our point of view, only by fully considering synergistic effects of mechanical and biochemical factors can we find appropriate culture conditions for functional cartilage constructs. Once again, rolling-sliding-compression load under appropriate biochemical conditions may be conductive to realize the adaptive development between the structure and function of engineered cartilage in vitro.

Th17 cells and IL-17 participate in airway neutrophil infiltration characteristics in the pathogenesis of severe asthma. Methyl-CpG binding domain protein 2 (MBD2) expression increased in CD4+ T cells in peripheral blood samples of asthma patients. However, little is known about that epigenetic regulation of MBD2 in both immunological pathogenesis of experimental severe asthma and CD4+ T cell differentiation. Here, we established a neutrophil-predominant severe asthma model, which was characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), BALF neutrophil granulocyte (NEU) increase, higher NEU and IL-17 protein levels, and more Th17 cell differentiation. In the model, MBD2 and IRF4 protein expression increased in the lung and spleen cells. Under overexpression or silencing of the MBD2 and IRF4 gene, the differentiation of Th17 cells and IL-17 secretion showed positive changes. IRF4 protein expression showed a positive change with overexpression or silencing of the MBD2 gene, whereas there was no significant difference in the expression of MBD2 under overexpression or silencing of the IRF4 gene. These data provide novel insights into epigenetic regulation of severe asthma.

This study presents a general approach to identify dominant oscillation modes in bulk power system by using wide-area measurement system. To automatically identify the dominant modes without artificial participation, spectral characteristic of power system oscillation mode is applied to distinguish electromechanical oscillation modes which are calculated by stochastic subspace method, and a proposed mode matching pursuit is adopted to discriminate the dominant modes from the trivial modes, then stepwise-refinement scheme is developed to remove outliers of the dominant modes and the highly accurate dominant modes of identification are obtained. The method is implemented on the dominant modes of China Southern Power Grid which is one of the largest AC/DC paralleling grids in the world. Simulation data and field-measurement data are used to demonstrate high accuracy and better robustness of the dominant modes identification approach.

In mechanobiological research, an appropriate loading system is an essential tool to mimic mechanical signals in a native environment. To achieve this goal, we have developed a novel loading system capable of applying dual-frequency loading including both a low-frequency high-amplitude loading and a high-frequency low-amplitude loading, according to the mechanical conditions experienced by bone and articular cartilage tissues. The low-frequency high-amplitude loading embodies the main force from muscular contractions and/or reaction forces while the high-frequency low-amplitude loading represents an assistant force from small muscles, ligaments and/or other tissue in order to maintain body posture during human activities. Therefore, such dual frequency loading system may reflect the natural characteristics of complex mechanical load on bone or articular cartilage than the single frequency loading often applied during current mechanobiological experiments. The dual-frequency loading system is validated by experimental tests using precision miniature plane-mirror interferometers. The dual-frequency loading results in significantly more solute transport in articular cartilage than that of the low-frequency high-amplitude loading regiment alone, as determined by quantitative fluorescence microscopy of tracer distribution in articular cartilage. Thus, the loading system can provide a new method to mimic mechanical environment in bone and cartilage, thereby revealing the in vivo mechanisms of mechanosensation, mechanotransduction and mass-transport, and improving mechanical conditioning of cartilage and/or bone constructs for tissue engineering.

Objective To investigate the effect of fibre periodontal splint restoration on mandibular anterior teeth displacement and periodontal membrane stress. Methods Micro-CT scanning technology, combined with Mimics, Geomagic studio and SolidWorks were used to establish 3D dental models of mandibles with teeth and the models fibre periodontal splint restoration; the models of mandibular anterior loosen teeth was constructed under 30 degree oblique 25N loading on the labial and lingual sides respectively. Then, under different angles force with or without the splint, the analysis on dental mechanical state are given. Results It was determined that the sum of the maximal displacement of the loosen tooth model at the lingual and labial sides was 1 mm, which represented the degree I loosen model. After splint repair on the model, the maximal displacement of loosen tooth decreased 47.7%, 85.1% and 85.8% at 0 degree, 15 degree and 30 degree forces respectively, and the maximum stress of periodontal membrane decreased by 22.3%, 61.2% and 74.9%. Conclusion Fixation of loosen teeth through fibre periodontal splints can reduce the maximum stress of periodontal membrane and the maximal displacement of the teeth, thus ensuring the stability of loosen tooth.

Knee joint is the hub of human lower limb movement and it is also an important weight-bearing joint, which has the characteristics of load-bearing and heavy physical activities. So the knee joint becomes the predilection site of clinical disease. Once people have the cartilage lesions, their daily life will be affected seriously. The simulation of the knee joint lesions could provide help for clinical knee-joint treatment. Based on the complete model of knee joint, this paper use the finite element method to analyze the biomechanical characteristics of the defective knee joint. The results of simulation show that the stress of cartilages when standing on single leg is approximately doubled than that of standing on two legs. When standing on single leg, the 8-mm diameter osteochondral defect in femur cartilage can generate maximal changes in von-mises stress (by 36.74%), while the von-mises stress on tibia cartilage with 8-mm defect increase by 87%. The stress distribution of cartilages is almost the same, there is no obvious stress concentration when in defect. Increasing the defective diameter, femoral cartilage, meniscus and tibial all present an increasing trend towards stress. When increasing the applied load, the stress of the femoral cartilage, the meniscus and the tibial cartilage all increased.

A comprehensive grasp of the structural complexity of electric power grid is of great significance for understanding the security and stability mechanism of power grid. Topology graph models for several large scale power grids of China based on the topological connection are established, and some standard measures and metrics of complex network theory are introduced to quantify the structure of these grids. It is found that this kind of graph model and its statistical properties can reveal some important structure characteristics of power grid from different aspects, while the limitation also exists and is analyzed. Aiming at this limitation, an electrical distance graph model which reflects the Ohm's and Kirchhoff's laws is established. The results of network statistical properties suggest some markedly distinct structure characteristics with those in topology graph models. The K-K algorithm, a kind of complex network layout algorithm, is also applied to demonstrate the electric power network structure.