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Melatonin is a conserved pleiotropic molecule in animals and plants. Melatonin is involved in many development processes and stress responses; thus, exploring its function in plants, particularly in horticultural plants, has become a rapidly developing field. Many studies have revealed that phytomelatonin acts as a plant biostimulant and increase its tolerance to various abiotic stressors, including extreme temperature, drought, osmotic disturbance, heavy metals, and ultraviolet (UV). Melatonin appears to have roles in the scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and other free radicals, affecting the primary and secondary metabolism of plants, regulating the transcripts of stress-related enzymes and transcription factors, and crosstalk with other hormones under different environmental conditions. This pleiotropy makes phytomelatonin an attractive regulator to improve resistance to abiotic stress in plants. The recent discovery of the potential phytomelatonin receptor CAND2/PMTR1 and the proposition of putative models related to the phytomelatonin signaling pathways makes phytomelatonin a new plant hormone. Based on relevant studies from our laboratory, this review summarizes the phytomelatonin biosynthetic and metabolic pathways in plants and the latest research progress on phytomelatonin in abiotic stress of horticultural plants. This study will provide a reference for elucidating the regulatory mechanism of phytomelatonin affecting the resistance to abiotic stress in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effective integration of nanomaterials with underlying current collectors is a key factor affecting the performance of nonenzymatic glucose sensors, where an inappropriate integration structure often leads to poor electron transport and instability. In this work, a seamless integrated electrode was constructed by the in situ immobilizing of a nickel-based metal-organic framework (Ni-MOF) on a three-dimensional (3D) conductive nickel foam (NF) for highly sensitive and durable glucose sensing. Facilitated by a rapid microwave-assisted reaction, a robust interfacial interaction between the Ni-MOF and the substrate was established through in situ conversion from nickel oxide (NiO). The fabricated Ni-MOF/NF electrode exhibits an excellent limit of detection (LOD) of 2.65 μM and an impressive sensitivity (14.31 mA cm-2 mM-1) within the linear range (4-576 μM), which is significantly boosted compared with that of an electrode prepared by a typical drop-casting method (3.56 mA cm-2 mM-1 in 4-1836 μM). Characterization and electrochemical tests reveal that this integrated structure on the one hand contributes to fast electron transport and thus has enhanced sensitivity and on the other hand leads to exceptional durability with its structural integrity maintained under bending, shaking, and ultrasonication. Moreover, this seamless integration method was also employed to immobilize the Ni-MOF converted from the pre-chemically deposited NiO layer on another type of substrate, 3D carbon paper (CP), demonstrating the versatility of this facile strategy in creating diverse electrochemical electrodes for applications beyond glucose sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: We performed a meta-analysis and an experimental validation to investigate the association between tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and the outcome of gastric cancer (GC) patients to provide prognostic indicators for clinical practice.Material and Methods: The relative literature of TILs in tumor tissue from patients with gastric cancer was searched from PubMed, Embase, NIH databases, from April 2000 to 31 December 2016. Studies on the prognostic value of TILs as CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, GrB+, and FOXP3+ lymphocytes for GC were retrieved, and also the related references were traced as supplements. Independent screening documents, extracting information and evaluating quality were implemented independently by 2 evaluators according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, which were then analyzed by meta-analysis using STATA version 12.0 software.Results: The results indicated that high levels of intratumoral CD8+, CD3+ and CD4+ T cell infiltration were associated with better overall survival(OS) in gastric cancer patients, while high density of intratumoral FOXP3+ T cells was not closely associated with a worse outcome. Additionally, in our study, higher density of granzyme B+ (GrB+) T cell infiltration indicated an optimistic prognosis, and infiltration of a larger number of general TILs also suggested a favorable prognosis by log-rank test analysis.Conclusions: This meta-analysis clarified that high levels of CD8+, CD3+, and CD4+ T cell infiltration in tumor tissue showed better OS in GC patients, whereas high density of FOXP3+ T cell infiltration may not be recognized as a negative prognostic factor. These results may provide some useful prognostic indicators for clinical application in gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grapevine shelter cultivation produces some influence on the quality of grape berry, at the same time of reducing the occurrence of diseases. Under the condition of rain-shelter cultivation, the effects of microenvironment, such as light, temperature and humidity, on the quality of grape berry were investigated in this paper. In addition, the relationships between microenvironmental changes and sugar, acid, color, aromatic substances and phenolic substances contents of the grape berry were analyzed. The current research status was analyzed, and the future study direction was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) nanoparticles with bandgap of about 1.5 eV were synthesized by a simple solvothermal method with oleylamine (OAm) and ethanediamine (En) as the reaction solvents. Raman spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy examined the phase purities of CZTS nanoparticles. Kesterite structured CZTS were gradually changed into the wurtzite structured CZTS by varying the volume ratios of OAm and En, which was confirmed by X-ray diffraction measurements. Time-dependent experiments were performed to study the mechanism of the phase selection of CZTS, which indicated that En played an important role in the formation of wurtzite structured CZTS. Annealing process improved the crystallinities of CZTS nanoparticle thin films, but wurtzite structured CZTS was changed to more stable kesterite phase. Photo-electrochemical measurement indicated that wurtzite structured CZTS nanoparticle thin films had better photoelectric properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: It has been suggested that maternal nutrition during gestation is involved in the offspring's intestinal development. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of maternal nutrition on digestive and absorptive function of offspring at both birth and weaning with pig as model. Methods: Eighteen primiparous Landrace x Yorkshire gilts (ages 253 ± 9 d; body weight 148.6 ± 6.9 kg) were allocated to a normal nutrition (control) group as recommended by the National Research Council (NRC; 1998), an undernutrition (UN) group (75% of NRC recommendations), and an overnutrition (ON) group (150% of NRC recommendations); the nutritional treatments were introduced from day 1 of gestation to farrowing. Results: By comparison, the small intestine weight (+33%; P < 0.01) and the ratio of small intestine weight to length (+25%; P < 0.05) for the ON group were higher than those for the control group. Meanwhile, the maternal ON treatment had significant effect on the activity of brush border lactase in the jejunum (+125%; P < 0.05) at birth. Expression of mRNA for SGLT1, GLUT2, PEPT1, and GLP2R were significantly increased (+1.7 w9.6-fold; P < 0.05) in jejunum of newborn or weaned piglets from the ON group; whereas maternal UN significantly affected small intestine weight (-28%; P < 0.01), length, and the ratio of weight to length (-11% and -19%; P < 0.05, respectively), and villus height (-29% and -22%; P < 0.05, respectively) in jejunum and ileum. Furthermore, maternal UN enhanced the activity of brush border lactase in the jejunum of newborn piglets (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Maternal ON enhanced intestinal function via up-regulating digestive enzyme activities and gene expression of transporters in both newborn and weaning piglets. Maternal UN impaired fetal intestinal development that could be partially compensated during the neonatal period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sb-doped ZnO thin films with different values of Sb content (from 0 to 1.1 at.%) are deposited by the sol–gel dip-coating method under different sol concentrations. The effects of Sb-doping content, sol concentration, and annealing ambient on the structural, optical, and electrical properties of ZnO films are investigated. The results of the X-ray diffraction and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-VIS) spectrophotometer indicate that each of all the films retains the wurtzite ZnO structure and possesses a preferred orientation along the c axis, with high transmittance (> 90%) in the visible range. The Hall effect measurements show that the vacuum annealed thin films synthesized in the sol concentration of 0.75 mol/L each have an adjustable n-type electrical conductivity by varying Sb-doping density, and the photoluminescence (PL) spectra revealed that the defect emission (around 450 nm) is predominant. However, the thin films prepared by the sol with a concentration of 0.25 mol/L, despite their poor conductivity, have priority in ultraviolet emission, and the PL peak position shows first a blue-shift and then a red-shift with the increase of the Sb doping content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bone drilling is widely used in orthopedic surgery. Microcracks will be generated in bone drilling, which may cause fatigue damages and stress fractures. Fresh bovine cortical bones were drilled via vibrational and conventional ways. Drilling operations were performed by a dynamic material testing machine, which can provide the vibration while maintaining uniform feed motion. The drill site and bone debris were observed through scanning electron microscope (SEM). The experimental results showed that fewer and shorter micro-cracks were formed in vibrational drilling than those formed in conventional way. And the surface morphology of bone debris from two different drilling ways was also quite different. It is expected that vibrational drilling in orthopedic surgery operation could decrease the microdamage to the bone, which could lower the incidence of stress fracture and contribute to the postoperative recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Platinum nanoparticles supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Pt/MWCNTs) were first prepared by simple pyrolysis of H2PtCl6 solution. The structure of Pt/MWCNTs was characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the results showed that the diameter of the obtained platinum nanoparticles immobilized on MWCNTs was below 50 nm, although the obtained platinum nanoparticles were not well uniformly dispersed on the surface of MWCNTs. The electrocatalytic performance of Pt/MWCNTs electrode for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) was also investigated by linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), indicating that it was possible to employ the obtained platinum nanoparticles as anode material in fuel cell. Developing a novel and simple method to prepare platinum nanoparticles onto MWCNTs is the main contribution of this letter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method to design a circulator based on a ferrite coupled line (FCL) with reduced length is presented. This is achieved by appropriate matching networks. Using ferrite perturbation theory, we derive closed-form expressions for the required matching impedances and the resulting bandwidth of the matched device. Based on this analysis, a realistic design for a stripline FCL circulator is obtained, whose length is shorted by a factor of three. A microstrip FCL circulator with only half of the optimum length is designed and fabricated. Both simulation data and measurement results clearly demonstrate the feasibility of a circulator based on an FCL with reduced length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the development of an intelligent agent for airport gate assignment by providing real-time decision support. Application of object-oriented approach; Rule structure of production rules; Validation of system performance.

The Aircraft-Gate Assignment Problem (AGAP) is a well-known Non-deterministic Polynomialtime (NP)-hard problem for optimization. During daily airport operations the arrival and departure times of flights may vary compared to their original schedules. This may require reassignment of gates to capture the dynamics of flights and gate status to enhance the level of services provided to passengers. For busy airports with high numbers of arrivals/departures, the assignment decisions must be made within a short time to capture all the changes. To satisfy this requirement, an intelligent agent for airport gate assignment (InGates) is being developed for this purpose for the management and assignment of gates at an airport for daily operations. The agent is aimed at performing the gate assignment for every flight, taking into consideration gate and flight dynamics, transfers, requirements of the airlines, aircraft types, airport operation rules, etc. A knowledge-based expert system forms the cores of the system and is connected to external databases for flight and passenger information. Real-time changes on airport gates and flights can be made through a graphical user interface, with the capabilities of performing real-time updating of the results and information. Data obtained at Singapore's Changi Airport is used to examine the performance of the system. Results obtained from the scenario analysis have shown that the system provides an enhanced way to assign gates at an airport. In the development of the next stage, InGates will be integrated with an optimization model to provide an integrated solution for planning and assignment of gates at an airport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on a simple and effective charge neutralization method for measuring the total electron induced secondary electron yield of insulators in a measurement system with a single pulsed electron gun. In this method, the secondary electron collector is negatively biased with respect to the sample to force some emitted secondary electrons to return to the sample surface and therefore to neutralize positive charges accumulated in the sample during the previous measurement. The adequate negative bias is determined and the equilibrium state of negative charging is discussed. The efficacy of the method is demonstrated by the measured electron yields in the cases with and without charge neutralization and by comparison with existing electron yield data of polyimide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The timing belt drive is composed of a closed ring-shaped adhesive tape with corresponding teeth on the inner peripheral surface and corresponding pulleys. During exercise, the toothed teeth mesh with the pulley to transmit motion and power. The vibration problem of belt drive has always been a hot research topic. In order to analyze the vibration problem caused by belt drive, this paper makes use of the multi-body dynamics software RecurDyn belt drive simulation model. Through the model displacement sensor and the system simulation results, the various movement characteristics of the belt are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) plays important roles in innate immunology. In this study, we isolated the STING gene in Nile tilapia, termed OnSTING. Using quantitative RT–PCR, we explored the expression patterns of the OnSTING gene. Using dual-luciferase reporter assays, we revealed the effect of STING overexpression on nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), IFN and AP activation in HEK 293 cells. Using coimmunoprecipitation, the interaction of STING and TRIF was studied. The effect of OnSTING overexpression on the antibacterial activity in tilapia was investigated. The results showed that upon stimulation with Streptococcus agalactiae , the OnSTING transcript was upregulated in all the tested tissues. OnSTING mRNA levels were very stable from 2.5 to 8.5 dpf. Moreover, OnSTING, OnIFN and IRF3 expression was induced by LPS, Poly (I:C), S. agalactiae WC1535 and DCPS in Nile tilapia macrophages. Overexpression of OnSTING and OnDDX41 increased NF-κB activation in HEK293T cells and slightly increased IFN-β activation but had no effect on AP-1 activation. OnSTING interacted with OnDDX41 and OnTBK1. However, OnSTING did not interact with TRIF. OnSTING overexpression in vivo decreased the sensitivity of tilapia to S. agalactiae infection. These results are helpful for clarifying the innate immune response against bacterial infection in Nile tilapia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benefiting from their inherent localized and controlled release properties, hydrogels are ideal delivery systems for therapeutic drugs or nanoparticles. In particular, applications of hydrogels for the delivery and release of photoresponsive drugs or nanoparticles are receiving increasing attention. However, the effect of the hydrogel matrix on the fluorescence emission and singlet oxygen generation efficiency of the embedded photosensitizers (PSs) has not been clarified. Herein, meso-tetrakis(1-methylpyridinium-4-yl)porphyrin (TMPyP) as a water-soluble PS was encapsulated into an injectable hydrogel formed by glycol chitosan and dibenzaldehyde-terminated telechelic poly(ethylene glycol). Compared to free TMPyP solution, the TMPyP encapsulated in the hydrogel exhibits three distinct advantages: (1) more singlet oxygen was generated under the same laser irradiation condition; (2) much longer tumor retention was observed due to the low fluidity of the hydrogel; and (3) the fluorescence intensity of TMPyP was significantly enhanced in the hydrogel due to its decreased self-quenching effect. These excellent characteristics lead to remarkable anticancer efficacy and superior fluorescence emission property of the TMPyP-hydrogel system, promoting the development of imaging-guided photodynamic therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a multi-generation model to examine secondary electron emission (SEE) from a rough metal surface. In this model, the traces of both primary electrons (PEs) and secondary electrons (SEs) are tracked by combining the electron scattering in the material and the multi-interaction with the rough surface. The effective secondary electron emission yield (SEY) is then obtained from the final states of the multi-generation SEs. Using this model, the SEE properties of the surfaces with rectangular and triangular grooves have been examined. We find that a rectangular groove can be used for effective SEE suppression. For a triangular groove, the criterion of SEY enhancement/suppression has been achieved, indicating that a small groove angle is required for effective SEE suppression, especially for a high PE energy. Furthermore, the SEE properties for some random rough surfaces are examined and some preliminary results are presented. Accordingly, our model and results could provide a powerful tool to give a comprehensive insight into the SEE of rough metal surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A three-layer (Earth-air-ionosphere) physical model, as well as a two-layer (Earth-air) model, is employed in this paper to investigate the ionospheric effect on the wave fields for a finite length dipole current source co-located at a hypocenter depth and along the main fault of an earthquake when the distance between the epicenter and an observing station is up to 1000 km or even more. The results show that all electrical fields are free of ionospheric effects for different frequencies in a relative short range, e.g., ~300 km for f D1 Hz, implying the ionospheric influence on electromagnetic fields can be neglected within this range, which becomes smaller as the frequency increases. However, the ionosphere can give a constructive interference to the waves passing through and make them decay slowly when an observation is out of this range; moreover, the ionospheric effect can be up to 1-2 orders of magnitude of the electrical fields. For a ground-based observable 1.3mVm-1 electric signal at f D1 Hz 1440 km away from theWenchuanMS 8.0 earthquake, the expected seismo-telluric current magnitude for the Earth-air-ionosphere model is of 5.0×107A, 1 magnitude smaller than the current value of 3.7×108A obtained by the Earth-air model free of ionospheric effects. This indicates that the ionosphere facilitates the electromagnetic wave propagation, as if the detectability of the system were improved effectively and it is easier to record a signal even for stations located at distances beyond their detectability thresholds. Furthermore, the radiating patterns of the electrical field components |Ex| and |Ey| are complementary to each other, although any two-dimensional (2-D) power distribution of these components shows strong power areas as well as weak ones, which is advantageous to register a signal if the observing system is designed to measure both of them instead of only one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A three-layer (Earth-air-ionosphere) physical model, as well as a two-layer (Earth-air) model, is employed in this paper to investigate the ionospheric effect on the wave fields for a finite length dipole current source co-located with the main fault of an earthquake when the transmitter-receiver distance is up to one thousand kilometers or even more. The results show that all electrical fields are free of the ionospheric effect for different frequencies in a relative short range, e.g., ~ 300 km for f = 1 Hz, implying the ionospheric influence on electromagnetic fields can be neglected within this range that becomes smaller as the frequency increases. However, the ionosphere can give a constructive interference to the waves passed through and make them decay slowly when an observation is out of this range and the ionosperic effect can be up to 1-2 magnitudes of the electrical fields. For an observed 1.3 mV/m signal at 1,440 km away for the Wenchuan MS = 8.0 earthquake, the expected seismo-telluric current magnitude for the Earth-air-ionosphere model is of 5.0 × 104 kA, which is of one magnitude smaller than the current value of 3.7 × 105 kA obtained by the Earth-air model free of ionospheric effect. This indicates that the ionosphere facilitates the electromagnetic wave propagation, as if the detectability of the system is improved effectively and it is easier to record a signal even for stations located at distances beyond their detectability threshold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secondary electron (SE) emission due to electron impact depends strongly on surface conditions. The variations of SE yield and spectrum with the heating temperature of Ar-ion-cleaned oxygen-free copper samples are therefore measured in situ in a multifunctional ultrahigh vacuum system. The SE yield and the SE spectrum are observed to increase and to narrow, respectively, after sample heating. The maximum SE yield increases from 0.97 before heating to 1.25 after heating at ∼313 °C, and the corresponding full width at half maximum of SE spectrum decreases considerably from 9.3 to 5.5 eV. More CO2 and Ar ions are shown to desorb at a higher heating temperature by residual gas analysis, indicating their contribution to the reduction in work function and surface potential barrier. Ar-ion desorption appears to affect the SE spectrum more than the SE yield. The obtained results provide a new insight into complicated surface influences on SE emission in thermal applications of scanning electron microscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The relationships between the cathode roughness such as protuberances and the trace of the electron beams were given by numerical result for the first time. Simulation results tell that a micron or sub-micron protuberances on the cathode will affect the electron trace remarkably and the divergence of the electron beam is sensitive to the size of protuberance. Further more, a quantitative result of effecting region of the protuberance was given. It''s also revealed that the cathode roughness near the edge will give rise to the opportunity of the charge up of the insulator layer and miss addressing because of a raised divergent angle. And this conclusion was confirmed in luminescent pixels by the trails of electron beams, whose divergent angle was greatly increased by the edge field. According to the simulation result, a special treatment was adopted to enhance the uniformity of field emission, and a uniform luminescent pixels array was achieved. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose: To investigate the effects of dry heat, microwave and ultrasonic treatments on the physicochemical properties of potato starch alone or blended with pectin. Methods: The physicochemical properties of potato starch gels prepared using microwave, ultrasonic and dry heat treatments were assessed. Pasting properties, gel strength, thermal properties and crystal texture of the potato starch were determined using Rapid Visco analyzer, texture profile analyzer, differential scanning calorimeter and x-ray diffractometer. Results: Dry heat and ultrasonic treatments significantly increased the peak viscosity of the potato starch, and significantly decreased its setback and pasting temperatures (p < 0.05). Dry heat treatment significantly increased the hardness, while dry heat and ultrasonic treatments significantly improved retrogradation of the potato starch (p < 0.05). Transparency of potato starch paste was significantly increased by the different treatments, except microwave treatment (p < 0.05). Potato starch gels blended with pectin and subjected to any of the treatments exhibited significantly increased hardness, when compared with raw potato starch (p < 0.05). The retrogradation of the potato starch was significantly improved by the different treatments. Dry heat and ultrasonic treatments significantly decreased the syneresis of potato starch with or without pectin (p < 0.05). The three treatments also significantly affected the gelatinization enthalpy of the potato starch with or without pectin, and exerted some effects on the crystallinity of the gels. Conclusion: The results obtained in this study suggest that differences in physicochemical properties of potato starch gels are due mainly to the degree of damage to starch granules caused by different treatments. The addition of pectin to potato starch gel greatly improves its hardness and retrogradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of new models for the active site of [NiFe]-H2ases have been prepared by simple and convenient methods. Thus, treatment of diphosphine-chelated Ni dichlorides [R(CH2PPH2)2]NiCl2 (R = MeN, CH2, nil) with (dppv)(CO)2Fe(pdt) (dppv = 1,2-C2H2(PPH2)2, pdt = 1,3-propanedithiolate) and NaBF4 gave dicarbonyl models {[R(CH2PPH2)2]Ni(pdt)Fe(CO)2(dppv)}(BF4)2 (R = MeN, [1a](BF4)2; R = CH2, [1b](BF4)2; R = nil, [1c](BF4)2) and μ-chloro models {[R(CH2PPH2)2]Ni(pdt)(μ-Cl)Fe(CO)(dppv)}(BF4) (R = MeN, [2a](BF4); R = CH2, [2b](BF4); R = nil, [2c](BF4)). Further treatment of [1a](BF4)2-[1c](BF4)2 with Me3NO·2H2O afforded μ-hydroxo models {[R(CH2PPH2)2]Ni(pdt)(μ-OH)Fe(CO)(dppv)}(BF4) (R = MeN, [3a](BF4); R = CH2, [3b](BF4); R = nil, [3c](BF4)), whereas t-fluorido models {[R(CH2PPH2)2]Ni(pdt)Fe(CO)(t-F)(dppv)}(BF4) (R = MeN, [4a](BF4); R = CH2, [4b](BF4); R = nil, [4c](BF4)) could be prepared by further treatment of [3a](BF4)-[3c](BF4) with HBF4·Et2O. While the first t-bicarbonato models {[R(CH2PPH2)2]Ni(pdt)Fe(CO)(t-OCO2H)(dppv)}(BF4) (R = MeN, [5a](BF4); R = CH2, [5b](BF4); R = nil, [5c](BF4)) were prepared by CO2 fixation reactions of [3a](BF4)-[3c](BF4) with 0.8 MPa CO2, the esterification reactions of [5a](BF4)-[5c](BF4) with MeOH or the CO2 fixation reactions of [1a](BF4)2-[1c](BF4)2 with Me3NO and in situ generated CO2 in MeOH yielded the first t-carbonato models {[R(CH2PPH2)2]Ni(pdt)Fe(CO)(t-OCO2Me)(dppv)}(BF4) (R = MeN, [6a](BF4); R = CH2, [6b](BF4); R = nil, [6c](BF4)). All possible pathways for production of these new model complexes are briefly discussed, and their molecular structures were fully characterized by various spectroscopies and confirmed for some of them by X-ray crystallography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resistivity anisotropy and full-tensor controlled-source audio-frequency magnetotellurics (CSAMT) have gradually become hot research topics. However, much of the current anisotropy research for tensor CSAMT only focuses on the one-dimensional (1D) solution. As the subsurface is rarely 1D, it is necessary to study three-dimensional (3D) model response. The staggered-grid finite difference method is an effective simulation method for 3D electromagnetic forward modelling. Previous studies have suggested using the divergence correction to constrain the iterative process when using a staggered-grid finite difference model so as to accelerate the 3D forward speed and enhance the computational accuracy. However, the traditional divergence correction method was developed assuming an isotropic medium. This paper improves the traditional isotropic divergence correction method and derivation process to meet the tensor CSAMT requirements for anisotropy using the volume integral of the divergence equation. This method is more intuitive, enabling a simple derivation of a discrete equation and then calculation of coefficients related to the anisotropic divergence correction equation. We validate the result of our 3D computational results by comparing them to the results computed using an anisotropic, controlled-source 2.5D program. The 3D resistivity anisotropy model allows us to evaluate the consequences of using the divergence correction at different frequencies and for two orthogonal finite length sources. Our results show that the divergence correction plays an important role in 3D tensor CSAMT resistivity anisotropy research and offers a solid foundation for inversion of CSAMT data collected over an anisotropic body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transport property of a graphene wedge channel is studied theoretically and its leakage current through field emission is estimated when considering the effect of the internal electric field. The transconductance of the graphene transistor is improved from 0.016 to 0.321 μS μm−1 when the graphene is folded into a wedge (with angle of wedge π/6 and radius curvature 2.7 nm at the tip), while the wedge height is much smaller than the space between the top-gate and the channel. The improved transconductance is due to the locally enhanced electric field, which results in a potential well and causes electron accumulation at the wedge tip. The leakage current through field emission JFE shows a super-linear increase with the channel conductive current JDS, where overall the electron supply for the field emission at the wedge tip is improved by the channel bias voltage VDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, a number of studies have reported the association between the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) +45T>G polymorphism in the adiponectin (ADIPOQ) gene and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) risk, though the results are inconsistent. In order to obtain a more precise estimation of the relationship, a meta-analysis was performed. In this current study, the Medline, Embase, Pubmed, ISI Web of Knowledge, Ovid, Science Citation Index Expanded Database, Wanfang Database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure were searched for eligible studies. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to estimate the strength of association. Forty-five publications were included in the final meta-analysis with 9986 T2DM patients and 16,222 controls for ADIPOQ +45T>G polymorphism according to our inclusion and exclusion criteria. The +45T>G polymorphism was associated with an overall significantly increased risk of T2DM (G vs. T: OR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.06-1.32; The dominant model: OR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.03-1.33; The recessive model: OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.20-1.78; The homozygous model: OR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.25-2.09; Except the heterozygous model: OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 0.98-1.24). Subgroup analysis revealed a significant association between the +45T>G polymorphism and T2D in an Asian population. Thus, this meta-analysis indicates that the G allele of the ADIPOQ +45T>G polymorphisms associated with a significantly increased risk of T2DM in the Asian population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background For more than 240 million chronic HBV carriers worldwide, effective therapeutic HBV vaccines are urgently needed. Recently, we demonstrated that autophagosomes were efficient antigens carriers and capable to cross-prime robust T-cell responses and mediate regression of multiple established tumors. Here we tested whether autophagosomes derived from HBV expressing cells could also function as a therapeutic vaccine. Methods We generated an autophagosome-based HBV vaccine from HBV-expressing hepatoma cells and examined its ability to induce polyvalent anti-HBV T-cell responses and therapeutic efficacy in mouse models that mimics acute and chronic HBV infection in human. Results When compared to the vaccine based on recombinant HBsAg, autophagosome-based HBV vaccine cross-primed multi-specific anti-HBV T-cell responses and significantly reduced HBV replication and HBcAg expression in livers of both acute and chronic mouse models. Therapeutic effect of this HBV vaccine depended on anti-HBV CD8+ effector T cells and associated with increased HBsAg and HBcAg specific IFN-γ producing T cells in the chronic mouse model. Conclusions These results indicated that autophagosome-based HBV vaccine could effectively suppress the HBV replication, clear the HBV infected hepatocytes, and break the HBV tolerance in mouse model. The potential clinical application of autophagosome-based HBV vaccine is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have reported that selenium (Se) has a close relationship with autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT). The therapeutic effect of Se supplementation in AIT treatment remains unclear. The objective of the present study was to determine the efficacy of Se supplementation for the treatment of AIT. A structured literature search was undertaken to identify all randomized controlled trials conducted in patients with AIT receiving Se supplementation or placebo. Nine studies enrolling a total of 787 patients were included. The results showed that Se supplementation with duration 6 months significantly dropped the TPOAb titers but did not decrease the TgAb titers. Patients assigned to Se supplementation for 12-month duration showed significantly lower TPOAb titers and TgAb titers. Patients after Se supplementation had a higher chance to improve the mood or well-being compared with controls. Se supplementation is associated with a significant decrease in TPOAb titers at 6 and 12 months; meanwhile, the TgAb titers can be dropped at 12 months. After Se supplementation treatment, patients had a higher chance to improve the mood without significant adverse events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this work was to study the unique polymorphisms of the lactate dehydrogenase-1 (LDH1) gene in yak (Bos grunniens). Native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed three phenotypes of LDH1 (a tetramer of H subunit) in yak heart and longissimus muscle extracts. The corresponding gene, ldhb, encoding H subunits of three LDH1 phenotypes was obtained by RT-PCR. A total of six nucleotide differences were detected in yak ldhb compared with that of cattle, of which five mutations cause amino acid substitutions. Sequence analysis shows that the G896A and C689A, mutations of ldhb gene, result in alterations of differently charged amino acids, and create the three phenotypes (F, M, and S) of yak LDH1. Molecular modeling of the H subunit of LDH indicates that the substituted amino acids are not located within NAD+ or substrate binding sites. PCR-RFLP examination of G896A mutation demonstrated that most LDH1-F samples are actually heterozygote at this site. These results help to elucidate the molecular basis and genetic characteristic of the three unique LDH1 phenotypes in yak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previously, we have documented that isolated autophagosomes from tumor cells could efficiently cross-prime tumor-reactive naïve T cells and mediate tumor regression in preclinical mouse models. However, the effect of tumor-derived autophagosomes, here we refer as to DRibbles, on B cells has not been studied so far. At present study, we found that DRibbles generated from a murine hepatoma cell line Hep1-6, induced B-cell activation after intravenous injection into mice. B-cell populations were significantly expanded and the production of Hep1-6 tumor-specific antibodies was successfully induced. Moreover, in vitro studies showed that DRibbles could induce more efficient B-cell proliferation and activation, antibody production, and cytokine secretion than whole tumor cell lysates. Notably, we found that B-cell activation required proteins but not DNA in the DRibbles. We further showed that B cells could capture DRibbles and present antigens in the DRibbles to directly induce T cell activation. Furthermore, we found that B-cell activation, antibody production, cytokine secretion and antigen cross-presentation were TLR2-MyD88 pathway dependent. Taken together, the present studies demonstrated that tumor-derived autophagosomes (DRibbles) efficiently induced B cells activation, antibody production, cytokine secretion and antigen cross-presentation mainly depending on their protein component via TLR2/MyD88 dependent manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Missing in metastasis (MIM) is a member of the inverse BAR-domain protein family, and in vitro studies have implied MIM plays a role in deforming membrane curvature into filopodia-like protrusions and cell dynamics. Yet, the physiological role of the endogenous MIM in mammalian cells remains undefined. Principal Findings: We have examined mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) derived from mice in which the MIM locus was targeted by a gene trapping vector. MIM-/- MEFs showed a less polarized architecture characterized by smooth edges and fewer cell protrusions as compared to wild type cells, although the formation of filopodia-like microprotrusions appeared to be normal. Immunofluorescent staining further revealed that MIM-/- cells were partially impaired in the assembly of stress fibers and focal adhesions but were enriched with transverse actin filaments at the periphery. Poor assembly of stress fibers was apparently correlated with attenuation of the activity of Rho GTPases and partially relieved upon overexpressing of Myc-RhoAQ63L, a constitutively activated RhoA mutant. MIM-/- cells were also spread less effectively than wild type cells during attachment to dishes and substratum. Upon treatment with PDGF MIM-/- cells developed more prominent dorsal ruffles along with increased Rac1 activity. Compared to wild type cells, MIM-/- cells had a slower motility in the presence of a low percentage of serum-containing medium but migrated normally upon adding growth factors such as 10% serum, PDGF or EGF. MIM-/- cells were also partially impaired in the internalization of transferrin, fluorescent dyes, foreign DNAs and PDGF receptor alpha. On the other hand, the level of tyrosine phosphorylation of PDGF receptors was more elevated in MIM depleted cells than wild type cells upon PDGF treatment. Conclusions: Our data suggests that endogenous MIM protein regulates globally the cell architecture and endocytosis that ultimately influence a variety of cellular behaviors, including cell polarity, motility, receptor signaling and membrane ruffling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(4 α,8 β,13 β,16 β)-13-methyl-16,18-diol-17-norkaurane was synthesized by esterification and reduction of isosteviol, respectively. The structure of the title compound was established by spectral analysis and X-ray diffraction studies. The compound crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group P222 with unit cell parameters: a = 7.3705 (14) Å, b = 13.508 (3) Å, c = 20.139 (4) Å, V = 2005.1 (7) Å, Z = 4. The conformation of rings A and B is chair, whereas the conformation of ring C is unsymmetrical distorted chair. The stereochemistry of the A/B and B/C ring junctions is trans, while the five-membered ring D adopts an envelope conformation. Graphical Abstract: (4 α,8 β,13 β,16 β)-13-methyl-16,18-diol-17-norkaurane was synthesized by esterification and reduction of isosteviol, respectively. The structure of the title compound was established by spectral analysis and X-ray diffraction studies.[Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the fact that majority of support vector regression models have not been fully optimized in the realm of quantitative structure-activity relationship, an idea of simultaneous optimization has been proposed and evaluated on a set of novel kinase insert domain receptor/vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 inhibitors including naphthalene and indazole-based compounds in this study. After the powerful feature searching process using genetic algorithm, the final support vector regression model was constructed on an optimal set of six descriptors, based on which simultaneous optimization was carried out. Specifically, the global optimum is grid searched in the joint parametric space defined by cost (C), γ and ε, where performance of support vector regression using each combination of (C, γ, ε) is evaluated and recorded, resulting in bulky information. Based on the data decomposition strategies provided in the main paper, the best performance was achieved for C = 1.2, γ = 0.15 and ε = 0.065. As a comparison, a linear model based on genetic algorithm-multiple linear regression has also been developed and compared. Performances of these models are rigorously validated using both leave-one-out cross-validation and also external validation. The significant higher R2 (0.908, 0.837) and lower root-mean-square error (0.237, 0.311) for 45 training and 16 test samples compared to that of genetic algorithm-multiple linear regression (0.764, 0.700 and 0.402, 0.421) confirm the superior performance of genetic algorithm-support vector regression. Robustness and predictive ability of this model is further prudently evaluated. The resulting models introduced not only the idea of simultaneous optimization in support vector regression, but also an efficient strategy for estimating the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 inhibitory activity of novel naphthalene and indazole-based compounds. Moreover, some insights into the structural features related to the biological activity of these compounds have also been provided, which might be of great help for further designing novel vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2/kinase insert domain receptor inhibitors with potent activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on a novel and convenient method of measuring secondary electron spectra for insulators in a secondary electron yield measurement system with a planar grid analyzer configuration and a metal mesh probe. In this measurement, the planar grid is negatively biased to force some emitted secondary electrons to return to the sample surface and to neutralize charges accumulated on the sample during the previous beam irradiation. The surface potential of the sample is then measured by use of a metal mesh probe. The grid bias for neutralization corresponding to the zero surface potential is determined based on the linear relationship between the surface potential and the grid bias. Once the surface potential equals zero, the secondary electron spectra of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) are studied experimentally by measuring the S-curve and then fitting it to Everhart’s formula. The measurement results show that the peak energy and the full width at half maximum of the spectra are 4.26 eV and 14.06 eV, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calculations of secondary electron yield (SEY) by physical formula can hardly accord with experimental results precisely. Simplified descriptions of internal electron movements in the calculation and complex surface contamination states of real sample result in notable difference between simulations and experiments. In this paper, in order to calculate SEY of metal under complicated surface state accurately, we propose a synthetic semi-empirical physical model. The processes of excitation of internal secondary electron (SE) and movement toward surface can be simulated using this model. This model also takes into account the influences of incident angle and backscattering electrons as well as the surface gas contamination. In order to describe internal electronic states accurately, the penetration coefficient of incident electron is described as a function of material atom number. Directions of internal electrons are set to be uniform in each angle. The distribution of internal SEs is proposed by considering both the integration convergence and the cascade scattering process. In addition, according to the experiment data, relationship among desorption gas quantities, sample ultimate temperature and SEY is established. Comparing with experiment results, this synthetic semi-empirical physical model can describe the SEY of metal better than former formulas, especially in the aspect of surface contaminated states. The proposed synthetic semi-empirical physical model and presented results in this paper can be helpful for further studying SE emission, and offer an available method for estimating and taking advantage of SE emission accurately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sol-modified ZnO (SM-ZnO) photoanodes for high-efficient dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were prepared. The influence of sol on the crystallinity and morphology of ZnO films was investigated by x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Compared with unmodified ZnO-based DSSCs, the conversion efficiency of SM-ZnO-based DSSCs increased from 2.03% to 2.83%, which may be attributed to forming a uniformly distributed ZnO nanocrystalline photoanode and exhibiting a more efficient charge-transfer process, as evidenced from SEM and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The conversion efficiency was further increased to 3.13% by constructing an SM-ZnO/compact ZnO two-layer photoanode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study examining how recombinant human hepassocin (HPS) stimulates hepatocyte proliferation in vivo and improves survival in rats with fulminant hepatic failure. It involved an analysis of hepatocyte proliferation via thymidine incorporation and immunohistological staining of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Results showed that HPS is a hepatic growth factor which can be used to protect against liver injury and accelerate hepatocyte proliferation in vivo.