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Background: Nutritional administration in acute pancreatitis (AP) management has sparked widespread discussion, yet contradictory mortality results across meta‐analyses necessitate clarification. The optimal nutritional route in AP remains uncertain. Therefore, this study aimed to compare mortality among nutritional administration routes in patients with AP using consistency model. Methods: This study searched four major databases for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Two authors independently extracted and checked data and quality. Network meta‐analysis was conducted for estimating risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence interval (CI) based on random‐effects model. Subgroup analyses accounted for AP severity and nutrition support initiation. Results: A meticulous search yielded 1185 references, with 30 records meeting inclusion criteria from 27 RCTs (n = 1594). Pooled analyses showed the mortality risk reduction associated with nasogastric (NG) (RR = 0.34; 95%CI: 0.16–0.73) and nasojejunal (NJ) feeding (RR = 0.46; 95%CI: 0.25–0.84) in comparison to nil per os. Similarly, NG (RR = 0.45; 95%CI: 0.24–0.83) and NJ (RR = 0.60; 95%CI: 0.40–0.90) feeding also showed lower mortality risk than total parenteral nutrition. Subgroup analyses, stratified by severity, supported these findings. Notably, the timing of nutritional support initiation emerged as a significant factor, with NJ feeding demonstrating notable mortality reduction within 24 and 48 h, particularly in severe cases. Conclusion: For severe AP, both NG and NJ feeding appear optimal, with variations in initiation timings. NG feeding does not appear to merit recommendation within the initial 24 h, whereas NJ feeding is advisable within the corresponding timeframe following admission. These findings offer valuable insights for optimizing nutritional interventions in AP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to identify predictors of remission or low disease activity (LDA) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and low-ultrasound inflammation. Methods: A total of 80 patients with RA who fulfilled the 1987 ACR criteria for RA with a disease activity score of 28 joints (DAS28) > 3.2 were recruited. Over 1 year of therapy, we conducted blood tests every 6 months to examine erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), neuraminidase 3 (Neu3), and α-2,3-sialyltrasnferse I (ST3Gal-1) levels in B cells and monocytes. Additionally, we evaluated physical function by using the Health Assessment Questionnaire–Disability Index (HAQ-DI). Data on demographic and clinical parameters were collected, and musculoskeletal ultrasonography was performed twice a year on 12 specific joints to assess synovial changes. One year later, we compared all collected data and laboratory or ultrasound results between patients achieving remission or LDA and those who did not in order to determine the predictors. Results: Age, the presence or absence of rheumatoid factor, and the number of conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs used were not correlated with remission or LDA for DAS28 or Simplified Disease Activity Index formulas. However, male sex, low CRP levels, low ESR levels, and low HAQ-DI scores were associated with a higher likelihood of achieving remission or LDA for DAS28-ESR. Negative anticyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) and low HAQ-DI scores were predictors of remission or LDA for DAS28-MCP-1. Interestingly, having less than two comorbidities is a good predictor of a combined remission/low disease activity state for SDAI and DAS28-MCP-1. Furthermore, Neu3 and ST3Gal-1 levels and ST3Gal-1/Neu3 ratios in B cells and monocytes had no significant correlation with total ultrasound scores. Nevertheless, monocyte ST3Gal-1 and Neu3 correlated significantly with DAS28-ESR >5.1 and DAS-MCP-1 >4.8 (both categories belong to high disease activity), respectively (rho = 0.609 with p = 0.012, and rho = 0.727 with p = 0.011, respectively). Monocyte ST3Gal-1/Neu3 ratios connected with DAS28-ESR >5.1 and 3.3 < SDAI ≦ 11 (low disease activity), respectively (rho = 0.662 with p = 0.005, and rho = 0.342 with p = 0.048, respectively). Conclusions: In patients with RA in Taiwan, male sex, low CRP levels, low ESR levels, and low HAQ-DI scores are predictors of remission or LDA for DAS28-ESR, which differ from the predictors for DAS28-MCP-1. Moreover, monocyte ST3Gal-1, Neu3, and their ratios correlated with different disease activity categories of DAS28-ESR, DAS28-MCP-1, and SDAI scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite convincing evidence suggesting that organizations benefit from employees' flow states, when and how work flow experience generates negative effects remain largely understudied. By integrating the spillover-crossover model and perseverative cognition theory, we established a model to explain how flow experience induces employees' positive rumination after work (i.e., problem-solving pondering), which ultimately results in work-family conflict. We proposed that mindfulness acts as a buffer factor in this process but further elucidated that work-family segmentation preference serves as a boundary that may alter or even completely reverse the original effects of mindfulness. Our experience sampling method yielded 1425 data points from 186 employees and their family members across 10 workdays in China, and multilevel analyses supported our propositions. We identified the mediating role of problem-solving pondering in transmitting the effects of flow to work-family conflict. Additionally, we confirmed the three-way interaction effect among mindfulness, segmentation preference, and flow. Specifically, the harmful effect of flow is assuaged when segmentation preference and mindfulness are both high. However, flow experience causes severe work-family conflict when mindfulness is high and segmentation preference is low. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation Gene co-expression measurements are widely used in computational biology to identify coordinated expression patterns across a group of samples. Coordinated expression of genes may indicate that they are controlled by the same transcriptional regulatory program, or involved in common biological processes. Gene co-expression is generally estimated from RNA-Sequencing data, which are commonly normalized to remove technical variability. Here, we demonstrate that certain normalization methods, in particular quantile-based methods, can introduce false-positive associations between genes. These false-positive associations can consequently hamper downstream co-expression network analysis. Quantile-based normalization can, however, be extremely powerful. In particular, when preprocessing large-scale heterogeneous data, quantile-based normalization methods such as smooth quantile normalization can be applied to remove technical variability while maintaining global differences in expression for samples with different biological attributes. Results We developed SNAIL (Smooth-quantile Normalization Adaptation for the Inference of co-expression Links), a normalization method based on smooth quantile normalization specifically designed for modeling of co-expression measurements. We show that SNAIL avoids formation of false-positive associations in co-expression as well as in downstream network analyses. Using SNAIL, one can avoid arbitrary gene filtering and retain associations to genes that only express in small subgroups of samples. This highlights the method's potential future impact on network modeling and other association-based approaches in large-scale heterogeneous data. Availability and implementation The implementation of the SNAIL algorithm and code to reproduce the analyses described in this work can be found in the GitHub repository https://github.com/kuijjerlab/PySNAIL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The enzymes α-2,6-sialyltransferase 1 (ST6Gal1), neuraminidase 1 (Neu1), α-2,3-sialyltransferase 1 (ST3Gal1), and neuraminidase 3 (Neu3) are known to affect immune cell function. However, it is not known whether the levels of these enzymes relate to remission definitions or differentiate American College of Rheumatology (ACR), European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR), and Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI) responses in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We measured the ST6Gal1, Neu1, ST3Gal1, and Neu3 levels of B cells and monocytes in RA patients and correlated the cells' enzyme levels/ratios with the improvement in the ACR, EULAR and SDAI responses and with the two remission definitions. The difference in the B-cell Neu1 levels differed between the ACR 70% improvement and non-improvement groups (p = 0.043), between the EULAR good major response (improvement) and non-good response groups (p = 0.014), and also between the SDAI 50% or 70% improvement and non-improvement groups (p = 0.001 and 0.018, respectively). The same held true when the RA patients were classified by positive rheumatoid factor or the use of biologics. The B-cell Neu1 levels significantly indicated 2005 modified American Rheumatism Association and 2011 ACR/EULAR remission definitions (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.674 with p = 0.001, and AUC = 0.682 with p < 0.001, respectively) in contrast to the CRP and ESR (all AUCs < 0.420). We suggest that B-cell Neu1 is superior for discriminating ACR, EULAR, and SDAI improvement and is good for predicting two kinds of remission definitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The highly conserved matrix protein 2 ectodomain (M2e) of influenza viruses presents a compelling vaccine antigen candidate for stemming the pandemic threat of the mutation‐prone pathogen, yet the low immunogenicity of the diminutive M2e peptide renders vaccine development challenging. A highly potent M2e nanoshell vaccine that confers broad and durable influenza protectivity under a single vaccination is shown. Prepared via asymmetric ionic stabilization for nanoscopic curvature formation, polymeric nanoshells co‐encapsulating high densities of M2e peptides and stimulator of interferon genes (STING) agonists are prepared. Robust and long‐lasting protectivity against heterotypic influenza viruses is achieved with a single administration of the M2e nanoshells in mice. Mechanistically, molecular adjuvancy by the STING agonist and nanoshell‐mediated prolongation of M2e antigen exposure in the lymph node follicles synergistically contribute to the heightened anti‐M2e humoral responses. STING agonist‐triggered T cell helper functions and extended residence of M2e peptides in the follicular dendritic cell network provide a favorable microenvironment that induces Th1‐biased antibody production against the diminutive antigen. These findings highlight a versatile nanoparticulate design that leverages innate immune pathways for enhancing the immunogenicity of weak immunogens. The single‐shot nanovaccine further provides a translationally viable platform for pandemic preparedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Towards the end of 2019, a novel coronavirus pneumonia (coronavirus disease 19, COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection emerged in Wuhan. The SARS-CoV-2 virus quickly spread across the globe, seriously affecting public health and economic development of countries worldwide. Currently, antiviral drugs developed for COVID-19 lack strong clinical trial support and the high mutation rate of the virus causes difficulties in vaccine development, thus a complex and delayed large scale role out of an efficacious vaccine. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used for treating various conditions for thousands of years and has a unique systems theory. It can be individualized into specific therapeutic regimens according to the patients' physical condition, clinical symptoms, and other distinguishing factors. In addition, TCM often has different effects at different disease stages, thus contributing to disease prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. Existing evidence shows that TCM has efficacy in the treatment of COVID-19. The active ingredients of TCM have various pharmacological properties, including antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory activity, with clinical trials showing that these prescriptions reduce symptoms of COVID-19, promote viral clearance, and ultimately improve survival in infected patients. This article discusses the advantages and mechanisms of TCM in the treatment of COVID-19, hoping to provide a reference platform in the fight against the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate the influence of febuxostat on adverse events and mortality in gout. Methods: We retrospectively enrolled patients with newly diagnosed gout and prescribed urate‐lowering therapy between 2006 and 2017 from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database. These patients were divided into 2 groups: with and without comorbidities (n = 294 847 and 194 539). An interrupted time series analysis with adjustments for demographics, comorbidities, and comedication by propensity score‐based stabilized weights was used to compare the trend of adverse events and mortality before vs after febuxostat was introduced in 2012. Results: The proportion of febuxostat use gradually increased from 0% in 2012 to 30% in those with comorbidities and 10% in those without comorbidities in 2017. Allopurinol use decreased from 30% in 2012 to 10% in 2017. The slope of the 1‐year incidence rate of Stevens–Johnson syndrome (SJS) or toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) (per 10 000 patients) significantly reduced after 2012 in those with and without comorbidities (−0.375 per quarter, P =.015 and −.253 per quarter, P =.049). The slope of the 3‐year incidence rate of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (per 1000 patients), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (per 1000 patients), and all‐cause mortality (per 100 patients) significantly increased after 2012 in those with comorbidities (+0.207 per quarter, P =.013; +.389 per quarter, P =.002; +.103 per quarter, P =.001). Conclusions: Febuxostat may reduce SJS and TEN in all gout patients but increase AMI, PCI, and all‐cause mortality in gout patients with comorbidities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed at analyzing the influence of the use of technology on the use of financial services and innovation of SMEs in Africa. The study further analyzes the mediating role of the use of financial services on firm use of technology-innovation relationships among SMEs in Africa. The study utilizes data retrieved from the enterprise survey portal. The analysis employs multiple regression to test the models using SPSS, and the Sobel test further examines mediation. The results reveal a significant positive association of firm use of technology on the use of financial services and innovation. Also, there is a positive association between the use of financial services and SME innovations in Africa. The study found partial mediation of the use of financial services on the use of technology-innovation relationships. The results have implications on African SMEs need to amplify the sensitization and emphasis on fostering the use of technology in innovating new products and processes. While promoting innovation, the use of technology can enhance financial inclusion resulting in wider and deeper financing options for enterprises in Africa, which are deeply hampered by financial and technological vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, we adopt the idea of velocity averaging lemma to establish regularity for stationary linearized Boltzmann equations in a bounded convex domain. Considering the incoming data, with four iterations, we establish regularity in fractional Sobolev space in space variable up to order 1 - . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurons convert external stimuli into action potentials, or spikes, and encode the contained information into the biological nervous system. Despite the complexity of neurons and the synaptic interactions in between, rate models are often adapted to describe neural encoding with modest success. However, it is not clear whether the firing rate, the reciprocal of the time interval between spikes, is sufficient to capture the essential features for the neuronal dynamics. Going beyond the usual relaxation dynamics in Ginzburg-Landau theory for statistical systems, we propose that neural activities can be captured by the U(1) dynamics, integrating the action potential and the "phase" of the neuron together. The gain function of the Hodgkin-Huxley neuron and the corresponding dynamical phase transitions can be described within the U(1) neuron framework. In addition, the phase dependence of the synaptic interactions is illustrated and the mapping to the Kinouchi-Copelli neuron is established. It suggests that the U(1) neuron is the minimal model for single-neuron activities and serves as the building block of the neuronal network for information processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An alula is a small structure of feathers that prevents birds from stalling. In this study, the aerodynamic effect of an alula-like vortex generator (alula-VG) on a revolving wing was investigated using the PIV technique in a water tank. The alula-VG was mounted on a rectangular wing model at two spanwise positions. The wing model with a revolving motion was installed at different angles of attack, which included pre-stall and post-stall conditions. The velocity fields around the wing model with/without an alula-VG were measured and analyzed, including the vorticity contour, the circulation of vortex structures, and the corresponding sectional lift coefficient, which are used to explain the aerodynamic effect induced by an alula-VG. The lift-off and bursting of the leading-edge vortex (LEV) affect the magnitude of the chordwise circulation and the section lift coefficient. The results show that compared to an alula-VG mounted fixed wing model, the flow interactions among the alula-VG induced spanwise flow, the inertial force caused by the revolving motion, and the wing-tip vortex play important roles in the vortex bursting and the resultant aerodynamic performance. The effect of an alula-VG on a revolving wing depends on its spanwise position and the angle of attack of a wing model, which need to be properly matched. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To estimate stroke risk in Taiwanese patients with gout. Methods: We enrolled patients from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database, with gout diagnosed from 2000 to 2008, and followed them up until December 2018. This cohort was propensity score-matched according to birth year, sex, the date of diagnosis of gout, comorbidities, and co-medications with individuals without gout (controls) (n = 310,820 in each group). Stroke was defined as the primary diagnosis at discharge after the index date. To evaluate ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke risks, we calculated their incidence, hazard ratio (HR), and two-year moving average incidence rate. Results: The incidence (95% CI) and HR of ischemic stroke were lower in the gout group than in the control group in the first 3 years (incidence: 4.74 [4.60–4.88] vs. 5.17 [5.03–5.32] per 1000 person-years; HR: 0.92 [0.88–0.96]), then became significantly higher than in the control group after 3 years (incidence: 4.10 [4.04–4.16] vs. 3.81 [3.75–3.87] per 1000 person-years; HR: 1.08 [1.05–1.10]). Similarly, the incidence (95% CI) and HR of hemorrhagic stroke was lower in the gout group than in the control group in the first 3 years (incidence: 1.51 [1.43–1.59] vs. 1.70 [1.62–1.79] per 1000 person-years; HR: 0.88 [0.82–0.92]), then became significantly higher than in controls after 3 years (incidence: 1.43 [1.39–1.46] vs. 1.26 [1.22–1.29] per 1000 person-years; HR: 1.14 [1.10–1.18]). Conclusions: In Taiwan, patients with gout had higher risks of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke after 3 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The right choice of porous support and diamine monomer is crucial in fabricating TFC membranes with improved performance. In this study, the effect of the supporting layer and diamine monomer structure in preparing TFC membranes for dye/salt separation was investigated. Supports used are polysulfone (PSf), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), and hydrolyzed PAN (mPAN) while diamine monomers used are piperazine (PIP), 1,3-diaminopropane (DAPE), and 1,4-bis(3-aminopropyl) piperazine (BAPP). Changing the porous substrate and monomer not only affects membrane physical and chemical morphology but also the performance of TFC NF membranes. Characterization and NF tests revealed that the TFC membrane prepared using mPAN as support and PIP as diamine monomer had most hydrophilic, roughest surface, and lowest crosslinking degree, and it delivered the optimum NF performance: J = 127.66 ± 12.61 LMH; RBrilliant Blue = 99.28 ± 0.57% RCongo Red = 99.21 ± 0.08%; RNaCl = 14.00 ± 6.16%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study discussed the ablation thresholds of picosecond laser dual pulses in fused silica with different temporal separations. The results indicate that the lowest damage threshold of the dual-pulse ablation is at a temporal separation of 100 ps, which is only half of the threshold of the conventional pulse ablation. Furthermore, the energy ratios of two sub-pulses were optimized to minimize the thresholds. Regarding the underlying physical mechanisms, this study found that the first sub-pulses initially excited the electrons of the fused silica, and subsequently induced free-electron shielding and self-trapped exciton seed generation at different temporal separations. This either decreased or increased the material absorption of the second sub-pulses, resulting in changes of the ablation threshold of the fused silica. The results of the picosecond dual-pulse ablation could provide further understanding into the interaction mechanisms of dual pulses to transparent materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel Giant Magnetostrictive Actuator (GMA) experimental system with Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensing technique and its modeling method based on data driven principle are proposed. The FBG sensors are adopted to gather the multi-physics fields' status data of GMA considering the strong nonlinearity of the Giant Magnetostrictive Material and GMA micro-actuated structure. The feedback features are obtained from the raw dynamic status data, which are preprocessed by data fill and abnormal value detection algorithms. Correspondingly the Least Squares Support Vector Machine method is utilized to realize GMA online nonlinear modeling with data driven principle. The model performance and its relative algorithms are experimentally evaluated. The model can regularly run in the frequency range from 10 to 1000 Hz and temperature range from 20 to 100°C with the minimum prediction error stable in the range from -1.2% to 1.1%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In terms of the local bond-orientational order (LBOO) parameters, a cluster approach to analyze local structures of simple liquids was developed. In this approach, a cluster is defined as a combination of neighboring seeds having at least nb local-orientational bonds and their nearest neighbors, and a cluster ensemble is a collection of clusters with a specified nb and number of seeds ns. This cluster analysis was applied to investigate the microscopic structures of liquid Ga at ambient pressure (AP). The liquid structures studied were generated through ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. By scrutinizing the static structure factors (SSFs) of cluster ensembles with different combinations of nb and ns, we found that liquid Ga at AP contained two types of cluster structures, one characterized by sixfold orientational symmetry and the other showing fourfold orientational symmetry. The SSFs of cluster structures with sixfold orientational symmetry were akin to the SSF of a hard-sphere fluid. On the contrary, the SSFs of cluster structures showing fourfold orientational symmetry behaved similarly as the anomalous SSF of liquid Ga at AP, which is well known for exhibiting a high-q shoulder. The local structures of a highly LBOO cluster whose SSF displayed a high-q shoulder were found to be more similar to the structure of β-Ga than those of other solid phases of Ga. More generally, the cluster structures showing fourfold orientational symmetry have an inclination to resemble more to β-Ga. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic poses a serious threat to global health due to its association with microcephaly and congenital diseases in newborns and neurological complications and Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults. However, the majority of people infected with ZIKV do not develop symptoms. The platforms aimed to specifically diagnose ZIKV infection are needed for patient care and public health surveillance. In the study, four ZIKV envelope (E) protein-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) (A1, B1, C1, and 9E-1) have been developed by using the conventional mAb technology. The binding epitopes of mAbs A1, B1, C1, and 9E-1 are located at E(238-257), E(410-431), E(258-277), and E(340-356), respectively. mAb 9E-1 performs 1.4- to 47-fold strong affinity to ZIKV E protein compared to another three mAbs. mAbs A1, C1, and 9E-1 do not have cross-reactivity against the recombinant E proteins of dengue virus serotypes 2, 3, and 4. Although these four mAbs do not have ZIKV neutralizing activity, mAbs B1 and 9E-1 have been developed as the lateral flow immunochromatographic assay for specific detection of ZIKV E protein and virions. Key points: • The mAbs targeting to the regions of E(238-257), E(410-431), E(258-277), and E(340-356) do not have ZIKV neutralizing activity. • The binding epitope of mAb 9E-1 is highly specific to ZIKV E protein. • mAbs B1 and 9E-1 can bind to ZIKV virions and have been developed as the lateral flow immunochromatographic assay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By simulating the rigid simple point charge extended model at temperature T = 300 K, the orientational relaxation of the OH-bond in water was investigated over short to intermediate timescales, within which molecules undergo inertial rotation and libration and then enter the rotational diffusion regime. According to the second-cumulant approximation, the orientational time correlation function (TCF) of each axis that is parallel or perpendicular to an OH-bond is related to an effective rotational density of states (DOS), which is determined using the power spectra of angular velocity autocorrelation functions (AVAFs) of the other two axes. In addition, the AVAF power spectrum of an axis was approximated as the rotational stable instantaneous normal mode (INM) spectrum of the axis. As described in a previous study [S. L. Chang, T. M. Wu, and C. Y. Mou, J. Chem. Phys. 121, 3605 (2004)], simulated molecules were classified into subensembles, according to either the local structures or the H-bond configurations of the molecules. For global molecules and the classified subensembles, the simulation results for the first- and second-rank orientational TCFs were compared with the second-cumulant predictions obtained using the effective rotational DOSs and the rotational stable- INM spectra. On short timescales, the OH-bond in water behaves similar to an inertial rotor and its anisotropy is lower than that of a water molecule. For molecules with three or more H-bonds, the OH-bond orientational TCFs are characterized by a recurrence, which is an indication for libration of the OH-bond. The recurrence can generally be described by the second-cumulant prediction obtained using the rotational stable-INM spectra; however, the orientational TCFs after the recurrence switch to a behavior similar to that predicted using the AVAF power spectra. By contrast, the OH-bond orientational TCFs of molecules initially connected with one or two H-bonds decay monotonically or exhibit a weak recurrence, indicating rapid relaxation into the rotational diffusion regime after the initial Gaussian decay. In addition to accurately describing the Gaussian decay, the second-cumulant predictions formulated using the rotational stable-INM spectra and the AVAF power spectra serve as the upper and lower limits, respectively, for the OH-bond orientational TCFs of these molecules after the Gaussian decay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let D be a division ring, let M be a right vector space over D and let End (M D ) be the ring of all D -linear transformations from M into M. Suppose that R is a dense subring of End (M D ) consisting of finite rank transformations and f : R → End (M D ) is an additive map. We show that if f (x) x m (x) = x m (x) f (x) for every rank-k transformation x ∈ R , where k is a fixed integer with 1 < k < dim M D and m (x) ≥ 1 is an integer depending on x, then there exist λ ∈ Z (D) and an additive map μ : R → Z (D) I such that f (x) = λ x + μ (x) for all x ∈ R , where I denotes the identity transformation on M. This gives a natural generalization of the recent results obtained in [Franca, Commuting maps on rank-k matrices. Linear Alg Appl. 2013;438:2813–2815; Liu and Yang, Power commuting additive maps on invertible or singular matrices. Linear Alg Appl. 2017;530:127–149] and can be regarded as an infinite-dimensional version of the Franca theorem obtained in [Franca, Commuting maps on rank-k matrices. Linear Alg Appl. 2013;438:2813–2815]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By exploiting the instantaneous normal mode (INM) analysis for models of flexible molecules, we investigate intermolecular and intramolecular vibrations of water from the atomic point of view. With two flexible SPC/E models, our investigations include three aspects about their INM spectra, which are separated into the unstable, intermolecular, bending, and stretching bands. First, the O- and H-atom contributions in the four INM bands are calculated and their stable INM spectra are compared with the power spectra of the atomic velocity autocorrelation functions. The unstable and intermolecular bands of the flexible models are also compared with those of the SPC/E model of rigid molecules. Second, we formulate the inverse participation ratio (IPR) of the INMs, respectively, for the O- and H-atom and molecule. With the IPRs, the numbers of the three species participated in the INMs are estimated so that the localization characters of the INMs in each band are studied. Further, by the ratio of the IPR of the H atom to that of the O atom, we explore the number of involved OH bond per molecule participated in the INMs. Third, by classifying simulated molecules into subensembles according to the geometry of their local environments or their H-bond configurations, we examine the local-structure effects on the bending and stretching INM bands. All of our results are verified to be insensible to the definition of H-bond. Our conclusions about the intermolecular and intramolecular vibrations in water are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arsenic exposure in postnatal life impacts the growth of children, but little is known about the effect of in-utero arsenic exposure on growth very early in childhood. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between in-utero arsenic exposure and the growth of infants from birth to 6 months of age using monthly follow-up data. A prospective cohort study was conducted in rural areas of Bangladesh with 108 mother-infant pairs. This study identified a negative association between in-utero arsenic exposure and head circumference of infants 1–6 months of age (coefficient = −1.20, 95% confidence interval [CI]: −1.97, −0.42), and the effect was more pronounced in the earlier ages of 1–3 months (coefficient = −0.88, 95% CI: −1.70, −0.05). Because head circumference is considered as a surrogate of brain size, our findings suggest that in-utero arsenic exposure influences brain growth during an important developmental period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the melting behavior of Ag14 cluster employing the instantaneous normal mode (INM) analysis that was previously developed for bimetallic cluster Ag17Cu2. The isothermal Brownian-type molecular dynamics simulation is used to generate atom configurations of Ag14 at different temperatures up to 1500 K. At each temperature, these atomic configurations are then analyzed by the INM technique. To delve into the melting behavior of Ag14 cluster which differs from Ag17Cu2 by the occurrence of an anomalous prepeak in the specific heat curve in addition to the typical principal peak, we appeal to examining the order parameter τ(T) defined in the context of the INM method. Two general approaches are proposed to calculate τ(T). In one, τ(T) is defined in terms of the INM vibrational density of states; in another, τ(T) is defined considering the cluster as a rigid body with its rotational motions described by three orthogonal eigenvectors. Our results for Ag14 by these two methods indicate the mutual agreement of τ(T) calculated and also the consistent interpretation of the melting behavior with the specific heat data. The order parameter τ(T) provides in addition an insightful interpretation between the melting of clusters and the concept of broken symmetry which has been found successful in studies of the melting transition of bulk systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A compatible organic/inorganic nanocomposite film for a stretchable resistive memory device with high performance is demonstrated using poly(4‐vinylpyridine)‐block‐poly(propyl methacrylate) (P4VP‐b‐PPMA) with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticle. The PPMA soft segment is designed for reducing the rigidity of the active layer, while the P4VP block serves as a charge‐trapping component to induce conductive filament and also a compatible moiety for inorganic nanoparticles through hydrogen bonding. The experimental results show that the P4VP‐b‐PPMA‐based electrical memory device exhibits write‐once‐read‐many‐times memory behavior and an excellent ON/OFF current ratio of over 105 with a stable turn‐on voltage (Vset) around −2.0 V and stable memory behavior upon stretching up to 60% strain. On the other hand, P4VP‐b‐PPMA/ZnO nanocomposite film switches the memory characteristic to the dynamic random access memory behavior. The stretchable memory device prepared from the nanocomposite film can have a stretching durability over 40% strain and up to 1000 times cycling stretch–relaxation test. This work demonstrates a new strategy using nanocomposite films with tunable electrical characteristics and enhanced mechanical properties for stretchable electrical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In biomedical research, network inference algorithms are typically used to infer complex association patterns between biological entities, such as between genes or proteins, using data from a population. This resulting aggregate network, in essence, averages over the networks of those individuals in the population. LIONESS (Linear Interpolation to Obtain Network Estimates for Single Samples) is a method that can be used together with a network inference algorithm to extract networks for individual samples in a population. The method's key characteristic is that, by modeling networks for individual samples in a data set, it can capture network heterogeneity in a population. LIONESS was originally made available as a function within the PANDA (Passing Attributes between Networks for Data Assimilation) regulatory network reconstruction framework. However, the LIONESS algorithm is generalizable and can be used to model single sample networks based on a wide range of network inference algorithms.Results: In this software article, we describe lionessR, an R implementation of LIONESS that can be applied to any network inference method in R that outputs a complete, weighted adjacency matrix. As an example, we provide a vignette of an application of lionessR to model single sample networks based on correlated gene expression in a bone cancer dataset. We show how the tool can be used to identify differential patterns of correlation between two groups of patients.Conclusions: We developed lionessR, an open source R package to model single sample networks. We show how lionessR can be used to inform us on potential precision medicine applications in cancer. The lionessR package is a user-friendly tool to perform such analyses. The package, which includes a vignette describing the application, is freely available at: https://github.com/kuijjerlab/lionessR and at: http://bioconductor.org/packages/lionessR . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We perform isothermal Brownian-type molecular dynamics simulations to obtain the velocity autocorrelation function and its time Fourier-transformed power spectral density for the metallic cluster Ag17Cu2. The temperature dependences of these dynamical quantities from T = 0 to 1500 K were examined and across this temperature range the cluster melting temperature Tm, which we define to be the principal maximum position of the specific heat is determined. The instantaneous normal mode analysis is then used to dissect the cluster dynamics by calculating the vibrational instantaneous normal mode density of states and hence its frequency integrated value Ij which is an ensemble average of all vibrational projection operators for the jth atom in the cluster. In addition to comparing the results with simulation data, we look more closely at the entities Ij of all atoms using the point group symmetry and diagnose their temperature variations. We find that Ij exhibit features that may be used to deduce Tm, which turns out to agree very well with those inferred from the power spectral density and specific heat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Infection in acute pancreatitis (AP) is associated with nutritional therapies including naso-gastric (NG), naso-jejunal (NJ), and total parenteral nutrition (TPN). To examine infections among NG, NJ, TPN, and no nutritional support (NNS) in treating patients with AP. Methods: The investigators completed comprehensive search in the Cochrane library, EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov without restriction on language and publication date before January 21, 2019. They also searched the reference lists of relevant studies for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing NG, NJ, TPN, and NNS among patients with AP. Quantitative synthesis was conducted in a contrast-based network meta-analysis. To clarify effects, a network meta-analysis was conducted to calculate the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA). Beside of overall infections, the event rates of infected pancreatic necrosis, bacteremia, line infection, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, and other types of infections were measured. Results: The network meta-analysis of 16 RCTs showed that NJ had significantly lower overall infection rates compared with TPN (risk ratio: 0.59; 95% confidence interval: 0.38, 0.90); and NG had a larger effect size and higher rank probability compared with NJ, TPN, and NNS (mean rank = 1.7; SUCRA = 75.8). TPN was the least preferred (mean rank = 3.2; SUCRA = 26.6). Conclusions: NG and NJ may be preferred therapies for treating patients with AP. Clinicians may consider NG as a first-line treatment for patients with AP (including severe AP) and even in patients receiving prophylactic antibiotics. In addition, we found that NNS should be avoided when treating patients with severe AP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Les complications fœtales étaient plus fréquentes chez les nouveau-nés de mères atteintes de lupus érythémateux systémique ou de polyarthrite rhumatoïde. • Le risque de trouble du spectre autistique n'était pas élevé chez les enfants de mères atteintes de lupus érythémateux systémique ou de polyarthrite rhumatoïde. • Des facteurs de risque traditionnels, notamment âge maternel et score d'Apgar, ont été associés aux troubles du spectre autistique chez les nouveau-nés de mères atteintes de lupus érythémateux systémique ou de polyarthrite rhumatoïde. Déterminer si les nouveau-nés de mères taïwanaises atteintes de lupus érythémateux systémique ou de polyarthrite rhumatoïde ont plus de risques de présenter des troubles du spectre autistique. Nous avons identifié dans la base de données de l'assurance maladie nationale et le registre national des naissances une cohorte de toutes les naissances vivantes à Taïwan entre 2001 à 2012. Les enfants dont la mère était atteinte de lupus érythémateux systémique ou de polyarthrite rhumatoïde ont été identifiés et appariés à huit témoins selon l'âge maternel, le score d'Apgar à 1 minute, le score d'Apgar à 5 minutes, le type d'accouchement, le sexe de l'enfant, l'âge gestationnel, le poids de naissance et le lieu de résidence. Des modèles marginaux de régression de Cox ont été utilisés pour estimer le risque relatif (RR), avec un intervalle de confiance à 95 %, de TSA chez les nouveau-nés. Sur 1 893 244 nouveau-nés, 0,08 % (n = 1594) avaient une mère atteinte de lupus érythémateux systémique et 0,04 % (n = 673), une mère atteinte de polyarthrite rhumatoïde. Au total, 5 enfants de mère atteinte de polyarthrite rhumatoïde sur 673 (0,74 %), 7 enfants de mère atteinte de lupus érythémateux systémique sur 1594 (0,44 %) et 10 631 enfants de la cohorte totale de 1 893 244 (0,56 %) nouveau-nés présentaient des TSA. L'incidence des TSA (par 100 000 personnes-année) était de 140,39 (IC 95 % 45,58–327,62) dans le groupe polyarthrite rhumatoïde et de 76,19 (IC 95 % 30,63–156,97) dans le groupe lupus érythémateux systémique. Le risque de TSA n'était donc pas significativement plus élevé chez les nouveau-nés de mère atteinte de polyarthrite rhumatoïde (HR 1,42 ; IC 95 % 0,60–3,40) ou de lupus érythémateux systémique (HR 0,76 ; IC 95 % 0,36–1,59). Dans cette étude, les nouveau-nés dont la mère est atteinte de lupus érythémateux systémique ou de polyarthrite rhumatoïde n'ont pas plus de risques de présenter des troubles du spectre autistique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Time-resolved pump-probe system is used to monitoring the femtosecond laser annealing of indium tin oxide. • The transmittance variation detected by the probe beam gradually increases with increasing machining power. • The 400-nm probe beam is more sensitive than the 800-nm probe beam in measuring curve variation. Abstract In this study, a set of time-resolved pump-probe systems for the real-time monitoring of femtosecond (fs) laser annealing of ITO substrates is established. A pump beam is used as the light source for thermal annealing, and a probe beam is used to monitor the transmittance variation of ITO in real time. Measurement results show that with increasing machining energy, the transmittance variation detected by the probe beam gradually increases. When the laser energy is small, the transmittance changes arithmetically. When the laser energy is sufficient to complete the modification of ITO, the transmittance variation rises suddenly and sharply, indicating that the thermal annealing modification has been completed in the irradiated area. Then, the laser source is shut down to achieve real-time monitoring. Degenerate and non-degenerate pump-probe experimental results indicate that the 400-nm probe beam is more sensitive than the 800-nm probe beam in measuring curve variation because the variation in the ITO transmission spectrum in the 400-nm wave band is greater than that in the 800-nm wave band. Electron backscatter diffraction analysis indicates that the crystallographic directions of ITO after laser annealing are consistent. This shows that the ITO changed from non-crystallized to crystallized after being irradiated by the pump beam, confirming the thermal annealing modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iguratimod is a new synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug intended to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis. A new method using recombinant human CYP450s yeast cells containing c-DNA expressed P450s was applied to identify the metabolic pathways of iguratimod and to prepare its metabolite. The metabolite was isolated, and its structure was identified by quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance. Furthermore, a selective and sensitive high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed for the simultaneous quantification of iguratimod and its major metabolite in rat plasma for the first time. The results indicated that iguratimod was mainly metabolized to a metabolite by CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 in in-vitro study. The structure of the metabolite was identified as M2 (N-[3-(acetamido)-4-oxo-6-phenoxy-4H-chromen-7-yl] methanesulfonamide). HPLC assay was achieved on a C18 column using methanol-water containing 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (55:45 v/v) at a flow rate of 1 mL/min with UV detection at 257 nm. Standard calibration curves were obtained in the concentration range of 0.5–20 μg/mL for iguratimod and its metabolite M2. The lower limits of detection of iguratimod and M2 in rat plasma were 0.1 and 0.25 μg/mL, respectively. The intra- and inter-day precision (RSD%) were within 5% for the two analytes. The average recoveries of the analytes were greater than 90%. In conclusion, recombinant human CYP450s whole-yeast transformation system could be successfully used to identify and prepare the major metabolite of iguratimod. The HPLC method we developed could be successfully applied to evaluate pharmacokinetics of iguratimod and its metabolite M2 in rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The optical Kerr effect (OKE) spectroscopy measured with heterodyne detection (HD) is a useful tool to provide information regarding intermolecular vibrations and structural relaxations in liquid water. Recently, the measurements of the OKE spectroscopy have been extended to the supercooled regime of water. Though the measured results can be well described by using a phenomenological model, the time-resolved OKE spectroscopy of liquid and supercooled water still need a comprehensive understanding. In this paper, we investigated the OKE nuclear response functions of this peculiar liquid and their reduced spectral densities by performing molecular dynamics simulations with the TIP4P/2005 water model. The collective polarizability of water was computed via a dipolar induction scheme, which involves the intrinsic polarizability and the first-order hyperpolarizability tensor of water molecule. Our simulation results were qualitatively consistent with the HD-OKE experimental observations for displaying that the polarizability anisotropy relaxation of supercooled water in the high-density liquid phase was fragile-like by following a stretching exponential decay with an exponent β s insensitive to temperature and the temperature dependence of the relaxation time exhibited a power-law divergence at a singular temperature T s with a critical exponent γ s. Indicated by our quantitative results, T s was predominately determined by the structural arrest, but β s and γ s were not only related to the structural relaxation but also influenced by the collective polarizability of the liquid. For all investigations, the effects due to the first-order hyperpolarizability tensor were examined. Highlights • The polarizability anisotropy relaxation of high-density supercooled water was fragile-like. • The stretching exponent of the polarizability anisotropy relaxation is insensitive to temperature. • The relaxation time diverges at a singular temperature in a power law with a critical exponent. • The structural arrest is the origin for the singular temperature. • The critical exponent is related to structural relaxation and collective polarizability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • The orientational TCF of the OH-group connecting bifurcated HB-acceptors has been studied. • Both simulations and the normal-mode approach were used in our studies. • The mean-square rotational displacement of the OH-group reorientation were calculated. • The deviation angle of the OH-group before entering the diffusive regime was estimated. Abstract The OH-group connecting bifurcated H-bond (HB) acceptors is one case of the three-centered HBs found in physical and biological systems. An example is the transition state of molecular reorientation jump mechanism in liquid water, ionic solutions, and hydration shells of biomolecules. In this Letter, the orientational time correlation functions of these special OH-groups in water were studied by performing molecular dynamics simulations and using the normal-mode approach developed recently. The reorientation angle of the OH-group before entering the diffusive regime can be estimated through the plateau in the mean-square rotational displacement calculated by several methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine whether offspring of Taiwanese mothers with systemic lupus erythematosus or rheumatoid arthritis have a higher risk of autism spectrum disorder.Methods: Using the National Health Insurance database and National Birth Registry, we identified a cohort of all live births in Taiwan between 2001 and 2012. Children born to mothers with systemic lupus erythematosus or rheumatoid arthritis were identified and matched with up to 8 controls by maternal age, 1-minute Apgar score, 5-minute Apgar score, mode of delivery, sex of the child, gestational age, birth weight and place of residence. Marginal Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for ASD in offspring.Results: Of 1,893,244 newborns, 0.08% (n=1594) were born to systemic lupus erythematosus mothers, and 0.04% (n=673) were born to rheumatoid arthritis mothers. Overall, 5 of 673 (0.74%) offspring of rheumatoid arthritis mothers, 7 of 1594 (0.44%) offspring of systemic lupus erythematosus mothers and 10,631 of 1,893,244 (0.56%) offspring of all mothers developed autism spectrum disorder. Autism spectrum disorder incidence (per 100,000 person-years) was 140.39 (95% CI, 45.58-327.62) for the rheumatoid arthritis group and 76.19 (95% CI, 30.63-156.97) for the systemic lupus erythematosus group. Autism spectrum disorder risk was not significantly higher for children born to mothers with rheumatoid arthritis (HR, 1.42; 95% CI, 0.60-3.40) or systemic lupus erythematosus (HR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.36-1.59).Conclusions: Children born to women with systemic lupus erythematosus or rheumatoid arthritis do not have a higher risk of autism spectrum disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

20-Hydroxyecdysone (20E), a molting hormone of insects, is the most abundant phytoecdysteroid (PE) produced by plants, where it represents a protective molecule against insect herbivores. The objective of the investigation is to determine the effect of 20E on the growth, physiological and biochemical characteristics and the transcript levels of antioxidant enzymes of wheat seedlings under salt stress. Our results showed that exogenous 20E was able to significantly alleviate salt-induced oxidative damage in wheat seedlings. It most likely acts by decreasing the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) and the rate of superoxide radical (O2 •-) generation, and by increasing the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), concentrations of ascorbic acid (AsA) and glutathione (GSH), and the gene expression levels of SOD, POD, CAT. It was suggested that foliar spraying with 20E could efficiently protect wheat seedlings against salt-induced oxidative stress. The results also show that 20E had a positive physiological effect on the growth of salt-stressed seedlings. This is the first report dealing with the effect of 20E pretreatment in the enhancing of wheat seedling tolerance under salt stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abiotic processes involving the reactive ammonia-oxidation intermediates nitric oxide (NO) or hydroxylamine (NH2OH) for N2O production have been indicated recently. The latter process would require the availability of substantial amounts of free NH2OH for chemical reactions during ammonia (NH3) oxidation, but little is known about extracellular NH2OH formation by the different clades of ammonia-oxidizing microbes. Here we determined extracellular NH2OH concentrations in culture media of several ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA), as well as one complete ammonia oxidizer (comammox) enrichment (Ca. Nitrospira inopinata) during incubation under standard cultivation conditions. NH2OH was measurable in the incubation media of Nitrosomonas europaea, Nitrosospira multiformis, Nitrososphaera gargensis, and Ca. Nitrosotenuis uzonensis, but not in media of the other tested AOB and AOA. NH2OH was also formed by the comammox enrichment during NH3 oxidation. This enrichment exhibited the largest NH2OH:final product ratio (1.92%), followed by N. multiformis (0.56%) and N. gargensis (0.46%). The maximum proportions of … converted to N2O via extracellular NH2OH during incubation, estimated on the basis of NH2OH abiotic conversion rates, were 0.12%, 0.08%, and 0.14% for AOB, AOA, and Ca. Nitrospira inopinata, respectively, and were consistent with published …:N2O conversion ratios for AOB and AOA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Zero-valent iron nanoparticles (ZVI NPs) have been used extensively for the remediation of contami-nated soil and groundwater. Owing to their large active surface area, they serve as strong and efective reductants. However, the ecotoxicity and bioavailability of ZVI NPs in diverse ecological media have not been evaluated in detail and most studies have focused on non-nano ZVI or Fe0 . In addition, the antimicrobial properties of ZVI NPs have rarely been investigated, and the underlying mechanism of their toxicity remains unknown. Results: In the present study, we demonstrate that ZVI NPs exhibited signifcant toxicity at 1000 ppm against two distinct gram-positive bacterial strains (Bacillus subtilis 3610 and Bacillus thuringiensis 407) but not against two gramnegative strains (Escherichia coli K12 and ATCC11634). Specifcally, ZVI NPs caused at least a 4-log and 1-log reductions in cell numbers, respectively, in the two Bacillus strains, whereas no change was detected in the two E. coli strains. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray absorption near-edge, and extended X-ray absorption fne structure spec-tra confrmed that Bacillus cells exposed to ZVI NPs contained mostly Fe2O3 with some detectable FeS. This fnding indicated that Fe0 nanoparticles penetrated the bacterial cells, where they were subsequently oxidized to Fe2O3 and FeS. RedoxSensor analysis and propidium iodide (PI) staining showed decreased reductase activity and increased PI in both Bacillus strains treated with a high (1000 ppm) concentration of ZVI NPs. Conclusion: Taken together, these data show that the toxicity of ZVI NPs was derived from their oxidative properties, which may increase the levels of reactive oxygen species and lead to cell death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel copper(II) trifluoromethanesulfonate-catalyzed, high-efficiency, and atom-economical synthesis of valuable organophosphorus compounds via cascade annulation of propargylic alcohols with diphenylphosphine oxide is described. This protocol, which has a good functional-group compatibility and insensitivity to an ambient atmosphere, provides a simple and direct pathway to the products, organophosphorus compounds, in good yields under mild conditions. The method could be efficiently scaled up to gram scale, thus highlighting a potential application of this methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study analyzed gene expression arrays to identify differentially-expressed genes (DEGs) between mycophenolate mofetil (MMF)‑treated and placebo‑treated patients with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis (SCAS). In addition, the key genes involved in the pharmacology of MMF treatment in patients with SCAS were identified. The gene expression dataset was obtained from a Gene Expression Omnibus database, which included 9 MMF‑treated and 11 placebo‑treated samples. The DEGs were identified between MMF and placebo groups using R software. Furthermore, a protein‑protein interaction (PPI) network of the identified DEGS was constructed. The Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery was used to perform Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses of the 19 most significant DEGs. A total of 210 DEGs between the MMF and placebo groups were screened and their PPI was constructed. GO function analysis revealed that the 19 DEGs were predominantly involved in the tyrosine phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription‑5 protein, which is closely associated with the activation of T cells. The KEGG pathway analysis suggested that the main metabolic pathways of the 19 DEGs were associated with the pharmacological functioning of MMF in activated T cells. In conclusion, the present study identified numerous key DEGs associated with SCAS, and the results suggested that v‑kit Hardy‑Zuckerman 4 feline sarcoma viral oncogene homolog and apelin may serve important roles in the MMF treatment of SCAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To investigate the application value of 980-nm/1470-nm dual-wavelength fiber laser in thyroidectomy. Methods: The clinical data of 130 patients undergoing thyroid surgery from March 2017 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the use types of energy devices, the patients were divided into laser group and ultrasonic scalpel group, with 65 patients in each group. The baseline data, operation-related indicators, operation complications, postoperative pathological conditions, and follow-up results of the two groups were compared. Results: The operations were successfully completed in both groups. The median operative time of total thyroidectomy (TT), lobectomy+central lymph node dissection (CLND), TT+CLND in the laser group were longer than that in the harmonic scalpel group, and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The incidence of parathyroid gland congestion in the laser group (10.3%) was lower than that in the harmonic scalpel group (19.2%), and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). No significant differences were found in operative type, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage volume, operative complications, postoperative hospital stay, and lymph node metastasis rate between the two groups (p > 0.05). No incidence was noted of recurrence, metastasis, or death in both groups. Conclusions: The 980-nm/1470-nm dual-wavelength fiber laser had an efficacy in open thyroidectomy similar to that of the harmonic scalpel, was safe and feasible, and less damage to the parathyroid gland blood supply than a scalpel. It can be used as a new option for thyroid surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antimicrobial properties of CuO nanoparticles have been investigated, but the underlying mechanisms of toxicity remain the subject of debate. Here, we show that CuO nanoparticles exhibit significant toxicity at pH 5 against four different Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) strains, including Newman, SA113, USA300, and ATCC6538. At this pH, but not at pH 6 and 7, 5 mM CuO nanoparticles effectively caused reduction of SA113 and Newman cells and caused at least 2 log reduction, whereas 20 mM killed most strains but not USA300. At 5 mM, the nanoparticles were also found to dramatically decrease reductase activity in SA113, Newman, and ATCC6538 cells, but not USA300 cells. In addition, analysis of X-ray absorption near-edge structure and extended X-ray absorption fine structure confirmed that S. aureus cells exposed to CuO nanoparticles contain CuO, indicating that Cu2+ ions released from nanoparticles penetrate bacterial cells and are subsequently oxidized intracellularly to CuO at mildly acidic pH. The CuO nanoparticles were more soluble at pH 5 than at pH 6 and 7. Taken together, the data conclusively show that the toxicity of CuO nanoparticles in mildly acidic pH is caused by Cu2+ release, and that USA300 is more resistant to CuO nanoparticles (NPs) than the other three strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yin Yang 1 (YY1) is a multifunctional zinc finger transcription factor that regulates many key cellular processes. In this study, we report the cloning of YY1 from Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp (LvYY1). This study shows that LvYY1 is ubiquitously expressed in shrimp tissues, and knockdown of LvYY1 expression by doublestranded RNA (dsRNA) injection in white spot syndrome virus (WSSV)-infected shrimp reduced both mRNA levels of the WSSV immediate early gene ie1 as well as overall copy numbers of the WSSV genome. The cumulative mortality rate of infected shrimp also declined with LvYY1 dsRNA injection. Using an insect cell model, we observed that LvYY1 activates ie1 expression, and a mutation introduced into the ie1 promoter subsequently repressed this capability. Moreover, reporter assay results suggested that LvYY1 is involved in basal transcriptional regulation via an interaction with L. vannamei TATA-binding protein (LvTBP). Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) results further indicated that LvYY1 binds to a YY1-binding site in the region between positions -119 and -126 in the ie1 promoter. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis also confirmed that LvYY1 binds to the ie1 promoter in WSSVinfected shrimp. Taken together, these results indicate that WSSV uses host LvYY1 to enhance ie1 expression via a YY1-binding site and the TATA box in the ie1 promoter, thereby facilitating lytic activation and viral replication. IMPORTANCE: WSSV has long been a scourge of the shrimp industry and remains a serious global threat. Thus, there is a pressing need to understand how the interactions between WSSV and its host drive infection, lytic development, pathogenesis, and mortality. Our successful cloning of L. vannamei YY1 (LvYY1) led to the elucidation of a critical virus-host interaction between LvYY1 and the WSSV immediate early gene ie1. We observed that LvYY1 regulates ie1 expression via a consensus YY1-binding site and TATA box. LvYY1 was also found to interact with L. vannamei TATAbinding protein (LvTBP), which may have an effect on basal transcription. Knockdown of LvYY1 expression inhibited ie1 transcription and subsequently reduced viral DNA replication and decreased cumulative mortality rates of WSSV-infected shrimp. These findings are expected to contribute to future studies involving WSSV-host interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Putative protective effects of selenium (Se) against methylmercury (MeHg) toxicity have been examined but no conclusion has been reached. We recently reported the lack of serious neurological symptoms in a Japanese fish-eating population with high intakes of MeHg and suggested a potential protective role for Se. Here, relationships between levels of Hg and Se in the blood and plasma samples, with a quantitative evaluation of Se-containing proteins, obtained from this population were examined. While levels of the whole-blood Hg (WB-Hg) and plasma Se (P-Se) showed a positive correlation, stratified analysis revealed that they correlated only in samples with higher (greater than the median) levels of MeHg. A food frequency questionnaire showed that consumption of fish/whales correlated with WB-Hg, but not with P-Se, suggesting that the positive correlation between WB-Hg and P-Se might not be the result of co-intake of these elements from seafood. Speciation of plasma Se revealed the differences in the responses of two plasma selenoproteins, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and selenoprotein P (SePP), in relation to Hg exposure. In the high-Hg group, SePP showed a positive correlation with WB-Hg, but GPx did not. In the low-Hg group, neither SePP nor GPx showed any correlation with WB-Hg. These observations suggest that the increase in P-Se in the high-Hg group might be associated with an increase in SePP, which may, in turn, suggest an increased demand for one or more selenoproteins in various organs, for which SePP supplies the element. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An unprecedented Lewis acid catalyzed, high-efficiency synthesis of valuable 2-(quinolin-2-yl)prop-2-en-1-ones via dehydrogenative coupling of propargylic alkynols with quinoline N-oxides is described. This protocol, which tolerates a broad range of functional groups, provides a straightforward pathway to the products 2-(quinolin-2-yl)prop-2-en-1-one scaffolds in satisfactory yields. The conversion could be scaled up to gram scale efficiently, which underlines a latent application of this methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An unprecedented Lewis acid catalyzed, protection-free, and high-efficiency synthesis of valuable 3,4-dihydro-2H-2,4-methanochromans via cycloaddition of propargylic alkynols with 2-vinylphenol is described. This cycloaddition protocol, which tolerates a wide variety of functional groups, provides practical, versatile, and atom-economical access to a new class of appealing bridged-ring products in satisfactory yields. Compared with the reported reaction conditions for bridged-ring skeletons synthesis, the present reaction conditions are neutral, mild, and without any additives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biotransformation of some micropollutants has previously been observed to be positively associated with ammonia oxidation activities and the transcript abundance of the archaeal ammonia monooxygenase gene (amoA) in nitrifying activated sludge. Given the increasing interest in and potential importance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), we investigated the capabilities of an AOA pure culture, Nitrososphaera gargensis, to biotransform ten micropollutants belonging to three structurally similar groups (i.e., phenylureas, tertiary amides, and tertiary amines). N. gargensis was able to biotransform two of the tertiary amines, mianserin (MIA) and ranitidine (RAN), exhibiting similar compound specificity as two ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) strains that were tested for comparison. The same MIA and RAN biotransformation reactions were carried out by both the AOA and AOB strains. The major transformation product (TP) of MIA, a-oxo MIA was likely formed via a two-step oxidation reaction. The first hydroxylation step is typically catalyzed by monooxygenases. Three RAN TP candidates were identified from nontarget analysis. Their tentative structures and possible biotransformation pathways were proposed. The biotransformation of MIA and RAN only occurred when ammonia oxidation was active, suggesting cometabolic transformations. Consistently, a comparative proteomic analysis revealed no significant differential expression of any protein-encoding gene in N. gargensis grown on ammonium with MIA or RAN compared with standard cultivation on ammonium only. Taken together, this study provides first important insights regarding the roles played by AOA in micropollutant biotransformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, many universities have opened courses to increase students' knowledge in the field of nanotechnology. These have been shown to increase students' knowledge of nanotechnology, but beyond this, advanced and applied nanotechnology courses should also focus on learning motivation and scientific enquiry abilities to equip students to develop the deeper knowledge and skills required for scientific application. This paper addresses this challenge. Due to the abstract nature of many nanotechnology concepts and in order to move from abstract knowledge to hands-on learning, an inquiry-based learning approach was adopted. Among the diverse inquiry-based learning models proposed, the 5E mobile inquiry-based approach, including the steps of engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration, and evaluation, was considered most effective to enhance learners' understanding of nanotechnology. To evaluate the effectiveness of this proposed approach, a pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design was adopted with a total of 32 university students. Two sections of Nanotechnology Engineering, a general education course, were randomly assigned as either the comparison group (18 students; receiving lecture-based instruction, and using mobile devices) or the experimental group (14 students; receiving 5E inquiry learning, and using mobile devices). Mobile devices were adopted to enhance learners' experience, provide immediate access to information online, and provide enhanced hands-on learning. The empirical results demonstrate that the experimental condition, 5E mobile inquiry learning, had a positive impact on participants' learning motivation and scientific inquiry abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An unprecedented Lewis acid catalyzed [4 + 3] cycloaddition reaction is described that provides a straightforward route to polycyclic products containing an imine-based indole azepine scaffold, starting from readily available internal tertiary alkynols and azides. This cycloaddition protocol provides efficient and atom-economical access to a new class of fascinating imine-containing products in satisfactory yields, which has shown good application in the construction of seven-membered N-heterocycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migraine is a highly prevalent neurovascular disorder in the brain. An optimal therapy for migraine has not yet been developed. Gastrodin (Gas), the main effective constitute from Gastrodiae Rhizoma (Tianma in Chinese), has been indicated for migraine treatment and prophylaxis more than 30 years, with demonstrated safety. However, Gas is a phenolic glycoside, with relatively low concentrations and weak efficacy in the central nervous system. To develop more effective anti-migraine agents, we synthesized a novel Gas derivative (Gas-D). In the present study, comparative pharmacodynamic evaluations of Gas and Gas-D were performed in a model of nitroglycerin (NTG)-induced migraine in rats and the hot-plate test in mice. Following behavioral testing in this migraine model, external jugular vein blood and the trigeminal nucleus caudalis (TNC) were collected to analyze plasma nitric oxide (NO) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) concentrations and c-Fos expression in the TNC. The acute oral toxicity of Gas and Gas-D was also examined. We found that Gas-D had potent anti-migraine effects, likely attributable to inhibition of both trigeminal nerve activation at central sites and the peripheral release of CGRP following NO scavenging. Additionally, Gas-D exerted significant anti-nociceptive effect in response to thermal pain compared with Gas. Furthermore, a single dose of 2.048 g/kg Gas or Gas-D presented no acute oral toxicity in mice. Altogether, the potent anti-migraine and anti-hyperalgesic effects of Gas-D suggest that it might be a potentially novel drug candidate for migraine treatment or prophylaxis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]