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There has been a long-standing debate about the mechanism of the unusual superconductivity in alkali-intercalated fulleride superconductors. In this work, using high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we systematically investigate the electronic structures of superconducting K3C60 thin films. We observe a dispersive energy band crossing the Fermi level with an occupied bandwidth of about 130 meV. The measured band structure shows prominent quasiparticle kinks and a replica band involving high-energy Jahn-Teller active Hg(8) phonon mode, reflecting strong electron-phonon coupling in the system. The electron-phonon coupling constant is estimated to be about 1.2, which dominates the quasiparticle mass renormalization. Moreover, we observe an isotropic nodeless superconducting gap beyond the mean-field estimation. Both the large electron-phonon coupling constant and large reduced superconducting gap suggest a strong-coupling superconductivity in K3C60, while the electronic correlation effect is indicated by the observation of a waterfall-like band dispersion and the small bandwidth compared with the effective Coulomb interaction. Our results not only directly visualize the crucial band structure of superconducting fulleride but also provide important insights into the mechanism of the unusual superconductivity., Accepted by Phys. Rev. Lett

As one of the best-known commercial goat breeds in the world, Boer goat has undergone long-term artificial selection for nearly 100 years, and its excellent growth rate and meat production performance have attracted considerable worldwide attention. Herein, we used single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) called from the whole-genome sequencing data of 46 Australian Boer goats to detect polymorphisms and identify genomic regions related to muscle development in comparison with those of 81 non-specialized meat goat individuals from Europe, Africa, and Asia. A total of 13 795 202 SNPs were identified, and the whole-genome selective signal screen with a π ratio of nucleotide diversity (πcase /πcontrol ) and pairwise fixation index (FST ) was analyzed. Finally, we identified 1741 candidate selective windows based on the top 5% threshold of both parameters; here, 449 candidate genes were only found in 727 of these regions. A total of 433 genes out of the 449 genes obtained were annotated to 2729 gene ontology terms, of which 51 were directly linked to muscle development (e.g., muscle organ development, muscle cell differentiation) by 30 candidate genes (e.g., JAK2, KCNQ1, PDE5A, PDLIM5, TBX5). In addition, 246 signaling pathways were annotated by 178 genes, and two pathways related to muscle contraction, including vascular smooth muscle contraction (ADCY7, PRKCB, PLA2G4E, ROCK2) and cardiac muscle contraction (CACNA2D3, CASQ2, COX6B1), were identified. The results could improve the current understanding of the genetic effects of artificial selection on the muscle development of goat. More importantly, this study provides valuable candidate genes for future breeding of goats.

The magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) control has great potential in the applications of hypersonic vehicles. Typically, the MHD flowfield in these applications is low magnetic Reynolds (Rem ) compressible...

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture can effectively alleviate the nasal symptoms of allergic rhinitis (AR); however, the mechanism is unclear. Previous studies suggested it may be related to improve hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction. MATERIALS and METHODS: The study was a randomised controlled trial including ninety patients with moderate to severe persis- tent AR. Subjects were randomised 1:1:1 to the 8-weeks treatment with mind-regulating acupuncture combined with intranasal glucocorticosteroids (INGC), conventional acupuncture combined with INGC and INGC alone (MA, CA, GC respectively). The primary outcome was the change from baseline in the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score of nasal symptoms. Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) score was a key secondary outcome. The levels of corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH), cortisol (COR) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) were also analysed. RESULTS: MA, CA and GC reduced VAS score and total RQLQ by a similar degree, but the sleep domain of RQLQ significantly impro- ved in MA and CA compared to GC. Meanwhile, the COR and ACTH level increased, and CRH level decreased after treatment in MA and CA, but the changes showed no difference among the three groups after Bonferroni correction. CONCLUSIONS: Although acupuncture combined with INGC may have potential effect on sleep quality, the combination therapy cannot further improve nasal symptoms or RQLQ compared to INGC alone in AR patients. The influence of acupuncture on HPA axis needs to be further explored.

By employing a mixed-ligand strategy, two new coordination polymers with the chemical formulae [Co(4-bptzh)(1,3-BDC)] (1) and [Zn(4-bptzp)(1,3-BDC)]n (2) are hydrothermally synthesized using two flexible bis(pyridyl-tetrazole) ligands (4-bptzh = 1,4-bis(5-(4-pyridyl)tetrazolyl)hexane, 4-bptzp = 1,4-bis(5-(4-pyridyl)tetrazolyl)propane) and 1,3-benzenedicarboxylic acid (1,3-H2BDC). Both complexes are characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction along with the elemental analysis. Furthermore, the inhibitory effect of compounds 1 and 2 against CNE-1 nasopharyngeal cancer cells are evaluated in vitro. Firstly, the antiproliferation activity of compounds 1 and 2 against cancer cells is assessed by the CCK-8 assay. Then, the cancer cell apoptosis is measured with the Annexin V-FITC/PI apoptosis assay by flow cytometry.

A 2998MHz, 60MW klystron has been developed for future linear accelerators of synchrotron radiation sources. In order to save development and construction time, the 2998MHz, 60MW klystron is a modified version of an existing 2856MHz klystron used in linear accelerator of Beijing Electron-Positron Collider Ⅱ. Based on the simulations, it was shown that the scaled version klystron was able to produce more than 60MW at a 350kV beam voltage. A prototype was built and tested. It successfully produced 50MW output power with an RF pulse width of 4.0μs, which exceeded the operating requirement of China's High Energy Photon Source. It also produced 62MW with an RF pulse width of 1.6μs, which proved the validity of new RF circuit design. This paper describes the details of the progresses of this klystron and advantages of this tube development.

The soft magnetic properties of Fe[Formula: see text]Cu1Si[Formula: see text]B8Nb[Formula: see text]Mo[Formula: see text]Dy[Formula: see text] nanocrystalline alloy were studied which is designed on the basis of the Finemet type alloys. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), electric inductance measuring-testing instrument and MATS soft magnetic material AC/DC tester were used to study the effects of the effective permeability ([Formula: see text], saturation magnetic induction ([Formula: see text]), coercivity ([Formula: see text]), and hysteresis losses ([Formula: see text]) at 100[Formula: see text]kHz and 0.2[Formula: see text]T under factors such as different annealing temperatures, different thicknesses, and whether there is a need for transverse field for annealing. The results show that the commercial amorphous alloy ribbons Fe[Formula: see text] Cu1Si[Formula: see text]B8Nb[Formula: see text]Mo[Formula: see text]Dy[Formula: see text] have complete amorphous structure in as-cast state, and [Formula: see text]-Fe nanocrystalline phase precipitates on the amorphous matrix after vacuum annealing. Fe[Formula: see text] Cu1Si[Formula: see text]B8Nb[Formula: see text]Mo[Formula: see text]Dy[Formula: see text] alloy has high [Formula: see text] value and good thermal stability, which can better control the formation of nanocrystalline structure. The transverse magnetic field annealing can greatly increase the [Formula: see text] of the material and reduce the [Formula: see text], which is more significant for the ribbons. The optimum annealing process of Fe[Formula: see text]Cu1Si[Formula: see text]B8Nb[Formula: see text]Mo[Formula: see text]Dy[Formula: see text] alloy is that the transverse magnetic field of 1000[Formula: see text]Gs is applied and the temperature is kept at 833[Formula: see text]k for 30[Formula: see text]min. And the best properties for [Formula: see text] are 1.39[Formula: see text]T, for [Formula: see text] is 4.6[Formula: see text]A/m and [Formula: see text]@1[Formula: see text]kHz, [Formula: see text]@100[Formula: see text]kHz. With the high frequency and miniaturization of electronic components, this material has potential application value.

By employing a mixed-ligand strategy, two new coordination polymers with the chemical formulae [Co(4-bptzh)(1,3-BDC)] (1) and [Zn(4-bptzp)(1,3-BDC)]n (2) are hydrothermally synthesized using two flexible bis(pyridyl-tetrazole) ligands (4-bptzh = 1,4-bis(5-(4-pyridyl)tetra­zolyl)hexane, 4-bptzp = 1,4-bis(5-(4-pyridyl)tetrazolyl)propane) and 1,3-benzenedicarboxylic acid (1,3-H2BDC). Both complexes are characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction along with the elemental analysis. Furthermore, the inhibitory effect of compounds 1 and 2 against CNE-1 nasopharyngeal cancer cells are evaluated in vitro. Firstly, the antiproliferation activity of compounds 1 and 2 against cancer cells is assessed by the CCK-8 assay. Then, the cancer cell apoptosis is measured with the Annexin V-FITC/PI apoptosis assay by flow cytometry.

To analyse the computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of malignant thymic germ cell tumours (GCTs), in order to improve the accuracy of diagnosis of these tumours.Twenty-two patients (20 men, two women; age, 28 ± 8.64 years) with malignant thymic GCTs confirmed at histopathology were enrolled retrospectively, and their CT and MRI findings were analysed.According to the CT findings, malignant thymic GCTs usually manifest as a bulky mass that typically grows to both sides of the midline (20/22, 90.9%), with irregular shape (15/22, 68.2%), lobulation (12/22, 50%), ill-defined margin (9/22, 40.9%), and incomplete capsule (21/22, 95.5%). Twenty masses revealed heterogeneous density with multifocal necrosis or cystic change in 19 (86.4%). Most cases (16/18, 88.9%) showed mild to moderate enhancement, and the branch-like vessel was found in 14 (14/18, 77.8%) cases. The minimum apparent diffusion coefficient (ADCMRI is superior to CT in showing incomplete capsule, peritumoural oedema, heterogeneous signal, and necrotic or cystic change of GCTs. Branch-like enhancement and multifocal necrosis may help the diagnosis of malignant thymic GCTs.

The permanent electric dipole moment (EDM) of the ^{171}Yb (I=1/2) atom is measured with atoms held in an optical dipole trap. By enabling a cycling transition that is simultaneously spin-selective and spin-preserving, a quantum nondemolition measurement with a spin-detection efficiency of 50% is realized. A systematic effect due to parity mixing induced by a static E field is observed, and is suppressed by averaging between measurements with optical dipole traps in opposite directions. The coherent spin precession time is found to be much longer than 300 s. The EDM is determined to be d(^{171}Yb)=(-6.8±5.1_{stat}±1.2_{syst})×10^{-27} e cm, leading to an upper limit of |d(^{171}Yb)|1.5×10^{-26} e cm (95% C.L.). These measurement techniques can be adapted to search for the EDM of ^{225}Ra.

PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors are a relatively new class of immunotherapeutic drugs approved for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. The purpose of this study was to conduct a network meta-analysis to compare the safety and efficacy of these immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).We used Bayesian network meta-analysis methods to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the included treatments. We further analyzed subgroups based on PD-L1 expression level, histology type, and line of the treatment setting.We identified 19 RCTs, including 12,753 patients. In the analysis of all-comers, the pembrolizumab/chemotherapy combination ranked best for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Durvalumab was the only ICI treatment that showed no benefit over chemotherapy. In the first-line setting only, in terms of OS, atezolizumab, pembrolizumab/chemotherapy, and nivolumab/ipilimumab ranked as the best treatments for patients with PD-L1 expression levels of ≥50%, 1-49%, and1%, respectively. Nivolumab, atezolizumab, pembrolizumab, and durvalumab all had lower odds of grade 3 or greater treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) compared to chemotherapy. With the addition of chemotherapy to any ICI regimen, the odds of TRAEs increased in a considerable and statistically significant way.While the pembrolizumab/chemotherapy combination was the most effective therapy in the overall cohort of all-comers, treatment preferences varied by treatment-line setting, tumor characteristics, and outcome of interest. In the first-line setting, the most effective treatments for patients with PD-L1 expressions of ≥50%, 1-49%, and1% were atezolizumab, pembrolizumab/chemotherapy, and nivolumab/ipilimumab, respectively.

The decay ψ′→π+π−π0 is analyzed using a sample of 14 million ψ′ events taken with the BESII detector at the BEPC, and the branching fraction is measured to be B(ψ′→π+π−π0)=(18.1±1.8±1.9)×10−5. A partial wave analysis is carried out using the helicity amplitude method. ψ′→ρ(770)π is observed, and the branching fraction is measured to be B(ψ′→ρ(770)π)=(5.1±0.7±1.1)×10−5, where the first error is statistical and the second one is systematic. A high mass enhancement with mass around 2.15 GeV/c2 is also observed. Attributing this enhancement to the ρ(2150) resonance, the branching fraction is measured to be B(ψ′→ρ(2150)π→π+π−π0)=(19.4±2.5−3.4+11.5)×10−5. The results will help in the understanding of the longstanding “ρπ puzzle” between J/ψ and ψ′ hadronic decays.

A 5.5-Megawatt thermionic electron gun and solenoid have been designed, simulated and analyzed for the use of ultra-high radio frequency (P-band) amplifier for proton beam acceleration. The gun produced space charge limited current more than 50 A at 110 kV (beam perveance , 1.37 μ P) acceleration potential. The maximum surface gradient less than 61 kV/cm has been achieved to avoid any breakdown due to high voltage operation. An average cathode loading of 1.30 A/cm 2 has been achieved that is agreeable with the theoretical limitations. Beam optics has been designed in EGUN & DGUN (2-dimensional) codes respectively, for fast parametrization and optimization of the electrodes and then cross verified in CST (3-dimensional) software that are found in good agreement. A solenoid has been designed in POISSON (2-dimensional) software and then also in CST for a constant flow and transmission of the beam downstream. A laminar beam with ripple rate 3.5% (on average) has successfully been achieved with beam fill factor less than 0.660. Simulations results show that a triple code design scheme is effective and has an excellent beam transport characteristic. The results anticipate enhanced life and stability of the gun due to low surface gradient and cathode loading.

In this study an explicit Finite Difference Method (FDM) based scheme is developed to solve the Maxwell's equations in time domain for a lossless medium. This manuscript focuses on two unique aspects – the three dimensional time-accurate discretization of the hyperbolic system of Maxwell equations in three-point non-staggered grid stencil and it's application to parallel computing through the use of Graphics Processing Units (GPU). The proposed temporal scheme is symplectic, thus permitting conservation of all Hamiltonians in the Maxwell equation. Moreover, to enable accurate predictions over large time frames, a phase velocity preserving scheme is developed for treatment of the spatial derivative terms. As a result, the chosen time increment and grid spacing can be optimally coupled. An additional theoretical investigation into this pairing is also shown. Finally, the application of the proposed scheme to parallel computing using one Nvidia K20 Tesla GPU card is demonstrated. For the benchmarks performed, the parallel speedup when compared to a single core of an Intel i7-4820K CPU is approximately 190x.

The surface roughness, weight of phosphating film and wettability of magnesium alloy substrates after abrasion and phosphating treatment were investigated in this work. The interfacial bonding and corrosion properties of a magnesium-based fibre metal laminate (MgFML) were analysed. The results showed that the wettability of the magnesium alloy was greatly influenced by the surface roughness, and the rough surface possessed a larger surface energy and better wettability. The surface energy and wettability of the magnesium alloy were significantly improved by the phosphating treatment. After phosphating for 5 min, a phosphating film with a double-layer structure was formed on the magnesium substrate, and the weight of the phosphating film and the surface energy reached their maximum values. The surface energies of the phosphated substrate after abrasion with #120 and #3000 grit abrasive papers were 84.31 mJ/m 2 and 83.65 mJ/m 2 , respectively. The wettability of the phosphated magnesium was significantly better than the abraded magnesium. The phosphated AZ31B sheet had a better corrosion resistance than the abraded AZ31B sheet within short times. The corrosion resistance of the magnesium alloy was greatly increased by being composited with glass fibre/epoxy prepregs.

For an active distribution network (ADN) with multiple photovoltaics (PV), the fault current characteristics are investigated with the following three contributions: (1) ADN topologies with multiple PVs in specialized line grid-integration and non- specialized line grid-integration are established; (2) The fault current characteristics are analyzed under various fault locations and various penetration degree of PVs. Then the advantages and disadvantages of different PV interconnected methods is analyzed; (3) An ADN with multiple PVs is established on the time domain simulation environment PSCAD/EMTDC to verify the fault current characteristics. Comparative studies of the fault current characteristics are conducted between ADN with PVs grid-integration forms. Simulation results justify the correctness of theoretical analysis and the optimal grid connection method for PV is proposed.

Firstly, the influence of potassium permanganate-phosphate treatment on surface topography and wettability of AZ31B sheet was studied in this work. Then, the fiber-reinforced resin/magnesium alloy composite laminate was prepared, and its properties were measured. Results showed that the concentration of KMnO4 had a significant influence on the contact angle of AZ31B sheet with resin. The optimum process parameters were as follows: KMnO4 25 g/L, NaH2PO4 10 g/L, NaAc 20 g/L, time 5 min, and temperature 75 °C. After such treatment, the contact angle of magnesium alloy with 760E resin was 36.4°. When the concentration of KMnO4 was 25 g/L, a uniform and compact conversion coating formed. Component analysis showed that the conversion coating mainly consisted of phosphate and oxides of Mg, Zn, and Ca. After the optimum process of potassium permanganate-phosphate treatment, the magnesium alloy sheet was used for the preparation of fiber reinforced resin/magnesium alloy composite laminate. At last, the corrosion resistance of such composite laminate was tested in 5 wt% NaCl solution at 95 °C for 168 h. Results showed that there were no signs of corrosion on magnesium alloy surface.

After phosphatising disposal, the micro-morphology of the AZ31B sheet was observed. The contact angle of the sheet was measured. The surface energy of the sheet was calculated. The laminated sheet was prepared, with preliminary study of its performance. Results showed that the amount and grain size of phosphate were influenced by the phosphating process, as well as wettability of materials. After 30°C/5 min phosphating, a dense phosphating film consisting of zinc phosphate was obtained, and the advancing contact angle of magnesium alloy was 58.3°. Compared with 31.5 mN m−1 of the raw magnesium alloy sheet, the surface energy of the sheet after phosphating reached 90 mN m−1. The laminated sheet of fibre/resin–phosphated magnesium alloy–fibre/resin has good bonding interface, corrosion resistance and mechanical properties.

To compare the placental exosome levels of normal pregnant women and pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in different gestational stages, and further investigate the effects of exosomes on the release of cytokines from human umbilical vein endothelial cells.20 pregnant women, including 13 normal pregnant women and seven pregnant women with GDM were selected. Blood samples were collected during the three gestational stages (from week 11 to week 14 in the first trimester, from week 22 to week 24 in the second trimester, and from week 32 to week 36 in the third trimester).Our results showed that both gestational age and physical condition significantly affected the concentration of exosomes in plasma (p0.05). The concentration of exosomes in plasma increased with gestational age in both normal pregnant women and pregnant women with GDM, but were increased more significantly in the plasma of pregnant women with GDM (2.2-fold, 1.5-fold, and 1.8-fold higher than in normal pregnant women in the first, second, and third trimester, respectively).Exosomes extracted from the plasma of pregnant women with GDM significantly increased the release of inflammatory cytokines from endothelial cells. However, the function of exosomes in pregnant women with GDM has not yet been fully elucidated. The detection of exosomes in plasma could serve as a diagnostic tool for asymptomatic GDM.

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Freshly etched porous silicon films are explored as the counter electrodes of TiO2-based dye-sensitised solar cells (DSSCs). The scanning electron microscope characterisations show that the 12-μm-thick porous silicon film has pores in the diameter of about 50 nm. Under AM1.5 illumination, the DSSCs with porous silicon electrodes exhibited an efficiency of 1.43% in contrast to the 5.5% of the control DSSC constructed with a platinum (Pt) counter electrode. The impedance study reveals that the porous silicon electrode has larger series and charge transfer resistances than those of the Pt counter electrode, while the cyclic voltammograms indicate that porous silicon exhibits moderate electrocatalytic activity. Our results have demonstrated that porous silicon films are helpful to be the counter electrodes of moderately efficient DSSCs.

Prohormone convertase 1/3 is a serine endoprotease belonging to the subtilisin-like proprotein convertase family that is encoded by the proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 1 (PCSK1) gene, and its major function is the processing and bioactivation of the proproteins of many kinds of neuroendocrine hormones, including insulin, cholecystokinin, and adrenocorticotropic hormone. The results of our previous genomewide association study indicated that the PCSK1 gene might be an important candidate gene for fatness traits in chickens. The objectives of this study were to investigate the tissue expression profiles of PCSK1 gene and to identify functional variants associated with fatness and growth traits in the chicken. The results indicated that PCSK1 mRNA was widely expressed in various tissues, especially neuroendocrine and intestinal tissues. Of these 2 tissue types, PCSK1 mRNA expression in lean males was significantly higher than in fat males. A SNP in the 3′ untranslated region of PCSK1 (c.*900G > A) was identified. Association analysis in the Arbor Acres commercial broiler population and Northeast Agricultural University broiler lines divergently selected for abdominal fat content (NEAUHLF) population showed that the SNP c.*900G > A was associated with abdominal fat weight, abdominal fat percentage, BW, metatarsus length, and metatarsal circumference. In the 5th to 19th generation (G5 to G19) of NEAUHLF, the allele frequency of c.*900G > A changed along with selection for abdominal fat content. At G19, allele G of c.*900G > A was predominate in the lean line, whereas allele A was predominate in the fat line. Functional analysis demonstrated that allele A of c.*900G > A reduced mRNA stability and consequently downregulated gene expression. These results suggested that c.*900G > A was a functional SNP for fatness and growth traits in the chicken. The results of this study provide basic molecular information for the role of PCSK1 gene in avian growth and development, especially obesity.

The Chinese ADS proton Linac injector I composed of an electron cyclotron resonance ion source, a low-energy beam transport line, a radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) accelerator, a medium-energy beam transport (MEBT) line, a superconducting section and beam dump with design goal to achieve CW proton beam with beam current 10 mA and energy gain around 10 MeV. In order to maintain the stability of the RF system, to compensate for the beam load effect and to provide the GUI required for the operation of the RF power system, we have established a LLRF control system. This LLRF system for ADS proton Linac injector I in IHEP consists of RF reference system and LLRF controllers for one RFQ cavity, two MEBT bunching cavities and 14 superconductive spoke cavities. We have adopted a new development mTCA.4-based hardware platform, and it has some characteristics such as faster bandwidth, standardized design, easy operation and maintenance and good expansibility. The LLRF system has been improved and optimized and has now been put into operation. It takes into account the pulse and CW beam flow mode, feedforward and feedback control functions. With the help of this system, we achieved stable operation with narrow pulses, long pulses, and CW modes under different beam loads. This article describes the implementation of this system and presents some initial the CW beam acceleration results with the help of this system at the end of 2016.

This study aimed to explore the expression of MALAT1 and its correlation with TNF-α production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced septic cardiomyocytes. Then, the effect of metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) on LPS-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis is further studied.The hub genes in cell response to LPS treatments was analyzed by using Affymetrix gene profiling data downloaded from GEO dataset (GSE3140). Mice model of sepsis was induced by intraperitoneal injection of LPS. HL-1 cells were used as the in vitro cell model. MALAT1 and serum amyloid antigen 3 (SAA3) expression were measured by the qRT-PCR analysis. IL-6, TNF-α, and SAA3 concentrations were quantified by the ELISA assay. Flow cytometric analysis and TUNEL assay were performed to detect cell apoptosis.IL-6 is a hub gene in cell response to LPS treatment and induces MALAT1 upregulation in cardiomyocytes. MALAT1 siRNA had an inhibitive effect, while MALAT1 overexpression showed enhancing effect on LPS induced TNF-α elevation. HL-1 cells treated with LPS had significantly elevated SAA3 expression. Inhibition of SAA during LPS treatment significantly reduced the TNF-α expression, while the addition of apo SAA significantly abrogated the suppressive effect of MALAT1 siRNA on TNF-α expression. HL-1 cells transfected with MALAT1 siRNA were less susceptible to LPS-induced cell apoptosis and with a lower apoptosis rate than the control group.IL-6 induced MALAT1 upregulation in cardiomyocytes in response to LPS treatment. MALAT1 can enhance TNF-α expression at least partly via SAA3 in LPS-treated cardiomyocytes. MALAT1 upregulation is a mechanism of cardiomyocyte death in response to the LPS stimulation.

Hydrogen bubbling is a typical corrosion morphology caused by hydrogen sulfide corrosion. In order to explore hydrogen sulfide corrosion of iron, the composition of flue gas under actual conditions was simulated in this research. Hydrogen sulfide corrosion in flue gas of four kinds of materials selection of ground process pipeline and underground pipe string was researched experimentally. The pressure and temperature of hydrogen bubbling corrosion morphology under actual flus gas conditions were obtained. The electrochemical corrosion mechanism between iron and hydrogen sulfide was investigated.

As a common chemotherapy drug, methotrexate (MTX) has achieved remarkable clinical success. However, high inter-individual variability and unpredictable toxicity continue to challenge its use in clinical practices. Some studies suggest this variation is associated with a methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene polymorphism, but results remain unclear. In this meta-analysis, we include 14 studies that focus on MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms in pediatric patients with malignancy. We found significant associations of the MTHFR C677T polymorphism with hepatotoxicity (grade ⩾2; CC vs CT/TT: risk ratio (RR): 0.82, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.67-0.99; P=0.04), hematological toxicity (grade 3-4; CC vs CT/TT: RR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.44-0.97; P=0.03) in a dominant genetic model and mucositis (grade ⩾3) in all models (CC vs CT/TT: RR: 0.18, 95% CI: 0.04-0.87; P=0.03; CC/CT vs TT: RR: 0.10, 95% CI: 0.03-0.32; P⩽0.0001; CC vs TT: RR: 0.10, 95% CI: 0.02-0.50; P=0.005). No significant association was found with the MTHFR A1298C polymorphism. For children with malignancy, genotyping of the MTHFR C677T polymorphism is expected to be a useful tool in reducing toxicity and improving outcome in personalized MTX therapy.

To explore the clinicopathological characteristics and treatments of brain metastasis (BM) in patients with gynecologic carcinoma.Twenty-three pathologically confirmed patients with gynecologic carcinoma who had brain metastasis between February 2008 and October 2012 were analyzed retrospectively.The primary carcinoma was cervical cancer in 5 patients, endometrial carcinoma in 8 patients and ovarian cancer in 10 patients, which accounted for 1.81% (5/276), 2.10% (8/380) and 2.67% (10/374) of patient with the same diagnosis of the same period, respectively.Among them, 91.3% (21/23) patients had heterochronous BM.Single BM was documented in 52.2% (12/23) patients.Besides, 78.2% (18/23) BM located in cerebrum.At the time of BM, 91.3% (21/23) patients had symptoms of central nervous system, in which headache ranked the top (90.4%). Altogether, thirteen patients had extracranial metastasis, in which 9 of them had metastasis of the lung.The median post-brain-metastasis survival (mPBMS) for the recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) classes Ⅰ-Ⅲ was 54 months, 9 months and 1 month, respectively (P0.01). None of surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy treatment was proven to have prognosis-improving ability either in single variant or multivariate analysis.However, in patients with extracranial metastasis, chemotherapy could significantly improve their mPBMS (P0.05).The incidence of brain metastasis in patients with cervical cancer, endometrial carcinoma, and ovarian cancer increased gradually.RPA was valuable for a prognostic assessment in gynecologic carcinoma patients with BM.Chemotherapy could significantly improve prognosis of gynecologic carcinoma patients with BM if extracranial metastasis was presented.

This paper presents the first phase of design, analysis, and simulation for the klystron coaxial radio frequency (RF) output window. This study is motivated by 800 kW continuous wave (CW), 650 MHz klystrons for the future plan of circular electron-positron collider (CEPC) project. The RF window which is used in the klystron output section has a function to separate the klystron from the inner vacuum side to the outside, and high RF power propagates through the window with small power dissipation. Therefore, the window is a key component for the high power klystron. However, it is vulnerable to the high thermal stress and multipacting, so this paper presents the window design and analysis for these problems. The microwave design has been performed by using the computer simulation technology (CST) microwave studio and the return loss of the window has been established to be less than -90 dB. The multipacting simulation of the window has been carried out using MultiPac and CST particles studio. Through the multipacting analysis, it is shown that with thin coating of TiN, the multipacting effect has been suppressed effectively on the ceramic surface. The thermal analysis is carried out using ANSYS code and the temperature of alumina ceramic is lower than 310 K with water cooling. The design result successfully meets the requirement of the CEPC 650 MHz klystron. The manufacturing and high power test plan are also described in this paper.

This paper describes a plate recognition system that can process images rapidly at high accuracy rates. This system is designed to meet the requirements of performance, computational speed, and adaptation for vehicle surveillance applications, such as stolen car detection systems. These requirements are satisfied by adopting a cascade framework, utilizing plate characteristics, and developing fast one-pass algorithms. Our system is composed of three main cascading modules for plate detection, character segmentation, and postprocessing. Each module is further decomposed into several cascading procedures, which are composed of successively more complex rejecters. The first module rapidly rejects a majority of nonplate regions by using low computational gradient features and a one-pass scanning algorithm followed by heavy computational statistical rejecters. The second module rejects a majority of noncharacter regions in a similar manner. A peak-valley analysis algorithm is proposed to rapidly detect all promising candidates of character regions. The third module eliminates the plate characters that do not satisfy the plate specifications. In our experiments, the system can recognize plates over 38 frames per second with a resolution of 640 times 480 pixels on a 3-GHz Intel Pentium 4 personal computer

In humans, obesity is associated with increased or decreased levels of serum biochemical indicators. However, the relationship is not as well understood in chickens. Due to long-term intense selection for fast growth rate, modern broilers have the problem of excessive fat deposition, exhibiting biochemical or metabolic changes. In the current study, the Northeast Agricultural University broiler lines divergently selected for abdominal fat content (NEAUHLF) were used to identify differences in serum biochemical parameters between the 2 lines. A total of 18 serum biochemical indicators were investigated in the 16th, 17th, and 18th generation populations of NEAUHLF, and the genetic parameters of these serum biochemical indicators were estimated. After analyzing the data from these 3 generations together, the results showed that the levels of 16 of the tested serum biochemical parameters were significantly different between the lean and fat birds. In the fat birds, serum concentrations of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), HDL-C:low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), total bile acid, total protein, albumin, globulin, aspartate transaminase (AST):alanine transaminase (ALT), γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), uric acid, and creatinine were very significantly higher (P0.01), whereas LDL-C, albumin:globulin, glucose, AST, ALT, and free fatty acids concentrations in serum were very significantly lower than those in the lean birds (P0.01). Of these 16 serum biochemical parameters, 5 (LDL-C, HDL-C:LDL-C, total bile acid, albumin, and albumin:globulin) had high heritabilities (0.58 ≤ h2 ≤ 0.89), 6 (HDL-C, total protein, globulin, AST:ALT, GGT, and creatinine) had moderate heritabilities (0.29 ≤ h2 ≤ 0.48), and the remaining 5 had low heritabilities (h20.20). Serum HDL-C, HDL-C:LDL-C, and glucose had higher positive genetic correlation coefficients (rg) with abdominal fat traits (0.30 ≤ rg ≤ 0.80), whereas serum globulin, AST, and uric acid showed higher negative genetic correlations with abdominal fat traits (–0.62 ≤ rg ≤ –0.30). The remaining 10 serum biochemical parameters had lower genetic correlations with abdominal fat traits (–0.30rg0.30). In conclusion, we identified serum HDL-C and HDL-C:LDL-C levels as potential biomarkers for selection of lean birds. These findings will also be useful in future studies for investigating obesity and lipid metabolism in humans as well as in other animal species.