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The Yangtze River is the largest river in Asia. It is an important geomorphological event in a united tectonics-climate-geomorphology system in Cenozoic era in China. The incision of the Three Gorges, which is located between the Sichuan and Jianghan basins, marked the formation of the modern Yangtze River. However, it is still controversial on the key scientific issue of "when the Three Gorges formed or was incised", due to the abundant geological data. The previous study usually focused on one factor affecting the river development, e.g., tectonic movements, sedimentology, paleoclimate and sea level changes, to conclude this key issue. Those key factors could be quantitatively combined into Badlands, a software that simulates the paleo-geomorphology. Take the area to the east of the "first bend" (Shek Kwu Town in Yunnan Province) of the Yangtze River as the study area, we used Badlands to reconstruct the geomorphology and river system evolution process since the Late Cretaceous (80Ma). Then the seismic data of Sichuan Basin and Jianghan Basin were used to test the reliability of our model results. The results revealed that the river flow direction in the Sichuan Basin was reversed to drain northwards due to the Late Eocene-Oligocene uplift in the eastern Tibet and the southwestern Upper Yangtze River. The Jianghan Basin had been in a low base level during the early Paleogene, controlled by the continental rifting environment in eastern China. The reversal of the drainage direction in the Sichuan Basin and the long-lasting low basal level in the Jianghan Basin eventually made the Three Gorges to be incised at the latest Oligocene. We proposed that the flow direction of the Upper Yangtze River was reversed and captured by the Middle Yangtze River is the incision mechanism of the Three Gorges.

Destruction of the North China Craton mainly occurred in the Cretaceous and has been in hot debate due to its important tectonic significance. It is suggested that the spatio-temporal evolution of the Jehol Biota in northeastern North China is driven by the North China Craton destruction during the Early Cretaceous, due to the abrupt changes in paleogeographic environment. However, little quantitative work on the dynamic paleogeographic evolution in North China has been done. In this study, using the paleosoil weathering indexes (PWI and CFXNa) and carbonate isotope, we reconstructed the paleo-elevation of North China at 145 Ma. Then, factors include tectonic movements, sedimentology, paleoclimate and sea level changes were quantitatively combined into the Badlands software, we modeled the Cretaceous dynamic paleogeomorphic evlution of North China. It is revealed the eastern North China experienced an abrupt geomorphological transition from the collapse of the paleo-plateau to the formation of the Bohai Bay Basin due to the subduction retreat of the paleo-Pacific Plate. The geomorphological transition led to the formation of a series of rifted basins that migrated eastward. The eastward migrating subsidence basin and eruption of volcanoes jointly controlled the eastward migration of the Jehol Biota.

Since the late Cenozoic, the geomorphology in the eastern part of North China have undergone tremendous changes under the influence of a variety of complex factors, but the exact process and finalization time are still controversial. The Badlands numerical simulation tool was used to dynamically reconstruct the geomorphic evolution process in eastern North China since the late Cenozoic (25 Ma). The rationality of the simulation results was validated by comparing with the regional tectonic framework and sedimentary distribution. The results show that the geomorphology in the eastern North China has been finalized and tends to evolve stably in Neogene, and is mainly controlled by tectonic activities. In addition, in the eastern part of North China during this period, there may be an ancient river - "East China River" around the Shandong Peninsula. It was formed no later than the Early Neogene, and may disappear during the Holocene. The results can provide quantitative basis for the study of geomorphic evolution and sedimentary process on the tectonic scale.

Background: Pulmonary actinomycosis is very rare. It is often misdiagnosed as lung cancer, tuberculosis, pulmonary aspergillosis or pulmonary abscess. Predisposing factors are immunosuppressive conditions, poor oral hygiene and chronic lung disease. Co-infection with different strains of actinomycetes, aspergillus and bacteria is rarely reported, which is a major cause of treatment failure. Case presentation：We reported a case of 63-year old woman with 3-month history of cough, expectoration and occasional hemoptysis. Pulmonary actinomycosis with polymicrobial co-infection including actinomyces mucous, actinomyces graevenitzii, aspergillus, klebsiella pneumoniae and streptococcus constellations in left inferior lobe was confirmed by etiological culture. Combined antibiotic therapy and bronchoalveolar lavage were administrated successfully. The clinical symptoms and radiologic abnormalities had improved significantly. Conclusions:Pulmonary actinomycosis is often misdiagnosed because of the nonspecific clinical manifestations and laboratory tests.Bronchoscopy plays a key role in the diagnostic and therapeutic pathways. Co-infection make the treatment more difficult. This case improves our understanding of the diagnosis and comprehensive therapeutic strategies for pulmonary actinomycosis with polymicrobial co-infection in the elderly.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictive value of standard MR imaging features and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values as specific markers for isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-mutated lower grade gliomas (LGGs). Standard MR imaging features including location, T2-FLAIR mismatch sign, signal heterogeneity, margin, growth pattern, degree of enhancement and peritumoral edema, and ADC parameters of 74 LGGs were retrospectively assessed. The values of these imaging features in predicting IDH genotypes were further analyzed. Inter-rater agreement of T2-FLAIR mismatch sign reached the highest κ value. The specificity of T2-FLAIR mismatch sign to predict IDH-mutated LGGs was 100%. IDH-mutated LGGs also tended to manifest single-lobe invasion, distinct margin, less degree of contrast enhancement and peritumoral edema, and higher normalized minimum and mean ADC than IDH-wildtype LGGs (all P

To investigate the predictive value of static O-(2-18F-fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine positron emission tomography (18F-FET PET) and cerebral blood volume (CBV) for glioma grading and determining isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutation and 1p/19q codeletion status. Fifty-two patients with newly diagnosed gliomas who underwent simultaneous 18F-FET PET and dynamic susceptibility contrast perfusion-weighted imaging (DSC-PWI) examinations on hybrid PET/MR were retrospectively enrolled. The mean and max tumor-to-brain ratio (TBR) and normalized CBV (nCBV) were calculated based on whole tumor volume segmentations with reference to PET/MR images. The predictive efficacy of FET PET and CBV in glioma according to the 2016 World Health Organization (WHO) classification was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve analyses with the area under the curve (AUC). TBRmean, TBRmax, nCBVmean, and nCBVmax differed between low- and high-grade gliomas, with the highest AUC of nCBVmean (0.920). TBRmax and nCBVmean showed significant differences between gliomas with and without IDH mutation (p = 0.032 and 0.010, respectively). Furthermore, TBRmean, TBRmax, and nCBVmean discriminated between IDH-wildtype glioblastomas and IDH-mutated astrocytomas (p = 0.049, 0.034 and 0.029, respectively). The combination of TBRmax and nCBVmean showed the best predictive performance (AUC, 0.903). Only nCBVmean differentiated IDH-mutated with 1p/19q codeletion oligodendrogliomas from IDH-wildtype glioblastomas (p < 0.001) (AUC, 0.829), but none of the parameters discriminated between oligodendrogliomas and astrocytomas. Both FET PET and DSC-PWI might be non-invasive predictors for glioma grades and IDH mutation status. FET PET combined with CBV could improve the differentiation of IDH-mutated astrocytomas and IDH-wildtype glioblastomas. However, FET PET and CBV might be limited for identifying oligodendrogliomas. • Static 18F-FET PET and DSC-PWI parameters differed between low- and high-grade gliomas, with the highest AUC of the mean value of normalized CBV. • Static 18F-FET PET and DSC-PWI parameters based on hybrid PET/MR showed predictive value in identifying glioma IDH mutation subtypes, which have gained importance for both determining the diagnosis and prognosis of gliomas according to the 2016 WHO classification. • Static 18F-FET PET and DSC-PWI parameters have limited potential in differentiating IDH-mutated with 1p/19q codeletion oligodendrogliomas from IDH-wildtype glioblastomas or IDH-mutated astrocytomas.

Polyphyllin I (PPI) is a natural phytochemical drug isolated from plants which can inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells. One of the PPI tumor-inhibitory effects is through downregulating the expression of Cancerous Inhibitor of PP2A (CIP2A), the latter, is found upregulated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains and participates in the development of AD. In this study, we explored the application of PPI in experimental AD treatment in CIP2A-overexpressed cells and 3XTg-AD mice. In CIP2A-overexpressed HEK293 cells or primary neurons, PPI effectively reduced CIP2A level, activated PP2A, and decreased the phosphorylation of tau/APP and the level of Aβ. Furthermore, synaptic protein levels were restored by PPI in primary neurons overexpressing CIP2A. Animal experiments in 3XTg-AD mice revealed that PPI treatment resulted in decreased CIP2A expression and PP2A re-activation. With the modification of CIP2A-PP2A signaling, the hyperphosphorylation of tau/APP and Aβ overproduction were prevented, and the cognitive impairments of 3XTg-AD mice were rescued. In summary, PPI ameliorated AD-like pathology and cognitive impairment through modulating CIP2A-PP2A signaling pathway. It may be a potential drug candidate for the treatment of AD.

Alcohol abuse is 1 of the most significant public health problems in the world. Chronic, excessive alcohol consumption not only causes alcohol use disorder (AUD) but also changes the gut and lung microbiota, including bacterial and nonbacterial types. Both types of microbiota can release toxins, further damaging the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts; causing inflammation; and impairing the functions of the liver, lung, and brain, which in turn deteriorate AUD. Phosphodiesterases (PDEs) are critical in the control of intracellular cyclic nucleotides, including cyclic adenosine monophosphate and cyclic guanosine monophosphate. Inhibition of certain host PDEs reduces alcohol consumption and attenuates alcohol-related impairment. These PDEs are also expressed in the microbiota and may play a role in controlling microbiota-associated inflammation. Here, we summarize the influences of alcohol on gut/lung bacterial and nonbacterial microbiota as well as on the gut-liver/brain/lung axis. We then discuss the relationship between gut and lung microbiota-mediated PDE signaling and AUD consequences in addition to highlighting PDEs as potential targets for treatment of AUD.

To investigate the effects of OA set of whole tumor and reference volumes of interest (VOIs) based on PET/FLAIR imaging were delineated and transferred to the corresponding [Based on the analysis of whole tumor volume and biopsy site, TBRmean, TBRmax, nCBFmean, and nCBFmax showed no statistically significant differences between gliomas with and without MGMT promoter methylation (all p0.05). Furthermore, stereotactic biopsy demonstrated that TBRmean, TBRmax, nCBFmean, and nCBFmax showed no correlation with MGMT promoter methylation (r = -0.117, p = 0.579; r = -0.161, p = 0.443; r = -0.271, p = 0.191; r = -0.300, p = 0.145; respectively).MGMT promoter methylation status shows no effect on [• Based on whole tumor VOI assessment, MGMT promoter methylation status shows no effect on [

Transdermal drug delivery system is a preferable choice to overcome the low bioavailability of oral medication. Elastic liposomes have shown great effectiveness for percutaneous transport of melatonin (MLT). In this study, the elastic liposomes loaded with MLT were prepared using thin-film dispersion method and optimized through the central composite design (CCD) approach. The physicochemical properties and skin permeation against UV-induced skin photoaging efficacy of the developed MLT-ELs were assessed. The average size of the MLT-ELs was about 49 nm with a spherical shape and high encapsulation efficiency (73.91%) and drug loading (9.92%). The results of FTIR, DSC, and XRD revealed that the chemical structure of MLT was not changed after prepared elastic liposomes, and the drug was successfully encapsulated in the elastic liposome membrane material. In vitro skin permeation evaluation showed that the cumulative penetration of elastic liposomes was 1.5 times higher than that of conventional liposomes, highlighting that the elastic liposomes more easily penetrated into the body. The photoaging experiment results indicated that topical MLT-EL treatment ameliorated the skin elasticity, enhanced the skin hydration level, and preserved the integrity of dermal collagen and elastic fibers. It could be concluded that the elastic liposomes might serve as a promising platform for the transdermal delivery of melatonin.

The characteristics of H3.3 G34-mutant gliomas in adults have yet to be specifically described. Thirty adults with H3.3 G34-mutant diffuse gliomas were retrospectively reviewed for clinical and pathologic information. Molecular profiling using next-generation sequencing was performed in 29 of the 30 H3.3 G34-mutant patients with 1 patient lacking available tumor samples, as well as 82 IDH/H3 wild-type adult diffuse glioma patients. The age at diagnosis of H3.3 G34-mutant diffuse gliomas was significantly younger than IDH/H3 wild-type gliomas (24 vs. 57 y, P

Purpose We aimed to, for the first time, investigate the interplay of simultaneous functional MRI (fMRI) and FDG PET using a randomized self-control protocol on an integrated PET/MR. Materials and methods 24 healthy volunteers underwent PET/MR scan 30 to 40 minutes after the injection of FDG. A 22-minute brain scan was separated into MRI-off (without fMRI pulsing) and MRI-on modes (with fMRI pulsing) with each one lasting for 11 minutes. We calculated the voxel-wise fMRI metric (ReHo, ALFF, fALFF and DC), resting networks, relative standardized uptake value ratios (SUVr), Patlak Ki and regional cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (rCMRGlu) maps. Paired two-sample t-tests were applied to assess the statistical differences between SUVr, Ki, correlation coefficients of fMRI metrics and rCMRGlu between MRI-off and MRI-on mode, respectively. Results Voxel-wise whole brain SUVr in MRI-off mode and MRI-on mode revealed no statistical difference, while Ki was significantly elevated in the whole brain (P༜0.05) during fMRI scan. Task-based group ICA revealed that the most active network components derived from combined MRI-off and MRI-on static PET images were frontal pole, superior frontal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus and occipital pole. High correlation coefficients were found among the four-fMRI metrics with rCMRGlu in MRI-off and MRI-on mode (P༜0.05). The highest correlation coefficients between rCMRGlu and all fMRI metrics were found in the visual network (R, 0.523 ± 0.057) and default network (R, 0.461 ± 0.099). Conclusions Static PET quantitation SUVr as an indicator of the accumulative effect of FDG update post-injection does not exhibit immediate change between MRI-on and MRI-off modes. Dynamic PET quantitation Ki is instantly elevated during MRI-on mode due to the additional impact of MRI sequence on imaging subjects. Network connectivity analysis also demonstrated intermediate modulation of brain function in MRI-on mode as compared to MRI-off mode.

In order to analyze the effect of EV71 vaccination on the incidence of encephalitis in patients with HFMD, 292 cases were vaccinated, and 2,486 cases were not vaccinated which were collected in 2018 and 2019. It shows that the incidence rate of encephalitis in vaccinated patients was significantly lower than that in non-vaccinated (P = .028), which suggests that EV71 vaccine has a protective effect on the occurrence of encephalitis. But some EV71 vaccinated patients still developed into encephalitis showed that they had not produced protection or protection was weak against EV71-related encephalitis; the reasons require further investigation.

To investigate the predictive value of static O-(2-Fifty-two patients with newly diagnosed gliomas who underwent simultaneousTBRmean, TBRmax, nCBVmean, and nCBVmax differed between low- and high-grade gliomas, with the highest AUC of nCBVmean (0.920). TBRmax and nCBVmean showed significant differences between gliomas with and without IDH mutation (p = 0.032 and 0.010, respectively). Furthermore, TBRmean, TBRmax, and nCBVmean discriminated between IDH-wildtype glioblastomas and IDH-mutated astrocytomas (p = 0.049, 0.034 and 0.029, respectively). The combination of TBRmax and nCBVmean showed the best predictive performance (AUC, 0.903). Only nCBVmean differentiated IDH-mutated with 1p/19q codeletion oligodendrogliomas from IDH-wildtype glioblastomas (p0.001) (AUC, 0.829), but none of the parameters discriminated between oligodendrogliomas and astrocytomas.Both FET PET and DSC-PWI might be non-invasive predictors for glioma grades and IDH mutation status. FET PET combined with CBV could improve the differentiation of IDH-mutated astrocytomas and IDH-wildtype glioblastomas. However, FET PET and CBV might be limited for identifying oligodendrogliomas.• Static

Pediatric refractory epilepsy is a broad phenotypic spectrum with great genetic heterogeneity. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) combined with Sanger sequencing could help to understand the genetic diversity and underlying disease mechanisms in pediatric epilepsy. Here, we report sequencing results from a cohort of 172 refractory epilepsy patients aged 0–14 years. The pathogenicity of identified variants was evaluated in accordance with the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) criteria. We identified 43 pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in 40 patients (23.3%). Among these variants, 74.4% mutations (32/43) were de novo and 60.5% mutations (26/43) were novel. Patients with onset age of seizures ≤12 months had higher yields of deleterious variants compared to those with onset age of seizures > 12 months (P = 0.006). Variants in ion channel genes accounted for the greatest functional gene category (55.8%), with SCN1A coming first (16/43). 81.25% (13/16) of SCN1A mutations were de novo and 68.8% (11/16) were novel in Dravet syndrome. Pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants were found in the KCNQ2, STXBP1, SCN2A genes in Ohtahara syndrome. Novel deleterious variants were also found in West syndrome, Doose syndrome and glucose transporter type 1 deficiency syndrome patients. One de novo MECP2 mutation were found in a Rett syndrome patient. TSC1/TSC2 variants were found in 60% patients with tuberous sclerosis complex patients. Other novel mutations detected in unclassified epilepsy patients involve the SCN8A, CACNA1A, GABRB3, GABRA1, IQSEC2, TSC1, VRK2, ATP1A2, PCDH19, SLC9A6 and CHD2 genes. Our study provides novel insights into the genetic origins of pediatric epilepsy and represents a starting-point for further investigations into the molecular pathophysiology of pediatric epilepsy that could eventually lead to better treatments. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13041-018-0392-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Semiconductors, based on their unique properties, are widely used in various fields such as in sensors, information and energy technologies, which are usually contact with metallic substances. Among them, oxygen vacancy semiconductors have a wide range of applications such as oxygen sensors, transparent electrodes, and oxygen separation membranes. Herein, the effect of oxygen vacancy semiconductor on facilitating the dense oxide layer formation at its metal interface was demonstrated, which might have a profound effect on many related areas. Corrosion of metal not only causes tremendous economic loss, but also leads to structural failure that brings about catastrophic consequences to human society and environment. In this manuscript, black TiO2 (BT) nanowires, a model of oxygen vacancy semiconductor, were prepared by chemical reduction of white TiO2 (WT) nanowires with NaBH4 and served as an additive in epoxy coatings to protect the metal substrates. The experimental results demonstrate that coatings containing BT nanowires exhibit superior ability to ordinary TiO2 nanowires in the formation of dense oxide layer at the steel/coating interface. Finally, the experimental results were discussed and the mechanism was proposed.

Purpose Glioma treatment planning requires precise tumor delineation, which is typically performed with contrast-enhanced (CE) MRI. However, CE MRI fails to reflect the entire extent of glioma. O-(2-18F-fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine (18F-FET) PET may detect tumor volumes missed by CE MRI. We investigated the clinical value of simultaneous FET-PET and CE MRI in delineating tumor extent before treatment planning. Guided stereotactic biopsy was used to validate the findings. Methods Conventional MRI and 18F-FET PET were performed simultaneously on a hybrid PET/MR in 33 patients with histopathologically confirmed glioma. Tumor volumes were quantified using a tumor-to-brain ratio ≥ 1.6 (VPET) and a visual threshold (VCE). We visually assessed abnormal areas on FLAIR images and calculated Dice’s coefficient (DSC), overlap volume (OV), discrepancy-PET, and discrepancy-CE. Additionally, several stereotactic biopsy samples were taken from “matched” or “mismatched” FET-PET and CE MRI regions. Results Among 31 patients (93.94%), FET-PET delineated significantly larger tumor volumes than CE MRI (77.84 ± 51.74 cm3 vs. 34.59 ± 27.07 cm3, P VPET and VCE was low (average DSC 0.56 ± 0.22), while the overlap was high (average OV 0.95 ± 0.08). The discrepancy-CE and discrepancy-PET were lower than 10% in 28 and 0 patients, respectively. Eleven patients showed VPET partially beyond abnormal signal areas on FLAIR images. Conclusion The metabolically active biodistribution of gliomas delineated with FET-PET significantly exceeds tumor volume on CE MRI, and histopathology confirms these findings. Our preliminary results indicate that combining the anatomic and molecular information obtained from conventional MRI and FET-PET would reveal a more accurate glioma extent, which is critical for individualized treatment planning.

Thermal conversion is a promising approach for the disposal of phytoremediation biowastes. The thermal characteristics of potherb mustard biowaste contaminated by potentially toxic metals were studied in this work. Thermogravimetric (TG) and derivative thermogravimetric (DTG) analyses of four feedstocks with different Cd/Zn content were conducted in an inert environment. Evolved gases were identified online by mass spectrometry (MS) coupled with TG. The TG-DTG profiles of the four feedstocks presented similar decomposition stages, whereas the samples with low Cd/Zn had a faster degradation rate, suggesting that the presence of Cd/Zn had little effect on thermal decomposition mechanism. The maximum evolution of H2 and CH4 occurred at 500–650 °C, while CO was released at a low temperature. PTMs could catalyze the H2 production during the pyrolysis of biowaste. This investigation revealed the effects of different Cd/Zn contents on thermal conversion, providing a practical reference for the thermal treatment of phytoremediation biowastes.

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors reported that one of the authors’ names is spelled incorrectly.

Tetrabromobisphenol-A epoxy (TBEP), based on its hydrophobicity and antibacterial activity, is suitable to prepare top coating. Meanwhile, bisphenol-A epoxy (EP), based on its strong adhesion strength with metals, is a commonly material to prepare primer coating. Polyaniline (PANI) nanowires, which can facilitate the formation of passivation layer, is usually used as additive to reinforce the corrosion resistance of coatings. Herein, the composite coating composed of EP primer coating with 2 wt% PANI nanowires and TBEP top coating with 2 wt% PANI nanowires was assembled and characterized. Because the hydrophobic and antibiotic bromine atoms existed in TBEP, the composite coating exhibited low water absorption (0.32 wt%) and high antibacterial rate (over 93.17 %) compared with pure EP coating. Moreover, the composite coating had good adhesion with metals (dry: 5.65 MPa, wet: 4.07 MPa) and excellent anticorrosion properties (|Z|0.01 Hz ＞ 1011 ohms·cm2 after 70 days immersion) in comparison to the composite coating without PANI nanowires, since the PANI nanowires provide multifunctional behaviors such as passivation, barrier, etc. This work might give a new perspective to prepare efficient antifouling and anticorrosion coating via reasonably combine the advantages of different functional materials.

Background and aims Technology involving the use of plants on slopes to prevent shallow landslides and slope instability has been extensively used worldwide. A reasonable collocation of plant and engineering measures can prevent water loss and soil erosion effectively. Because of the complicated distribution of roots in soil, there must be a simpler and more workable method of studying the role of plant roots on slope stability. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the affects of shallow-rooted plants on slope stability and provide reliable theoretical support in the process of ecological environmental constructions. Methods Here we used numerical simulations to examine the influence of plant roots on soil shear strength as the increase of soil cohesion. Then, we generalized root architecture to be soil bodies consisting of different cohesive strengths. Changes of stress and pressure were simulated within the range of soil within plant roots on the slope. The intensity attenuation method was here used to calculate the safety factor of slope. Results Tapered roots were found to be associated with more serious soil loss due to the maximal velocity of 14 m/s within the scope of plant main stems. Widely root distribution in H-type showed a cyclical effect on the slope on condition that flow shear stress was small. Conclusions Young trees have little impact on slope stability which is 3.76–7.85% merely comparing to the bare slopes regardless of rainfall. When root distributions are similar in topsoil, the resistances to the radial stress are not obvious. Widely distributed (H-type) and tapered root (VH-type) architecture are recommended in biological engineering projects.

This paper proposes a time-frequency joint channel estimation method based on structured compression sensing (SCS) for multi-input and multi-output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) system, which is different from traditional channel estimation scheme. In the proposed method, the received time-domain training sequences (TSs) without interference cancellation are exploited to obtain the coarse MIMO channel estimation of the path delays. By utilizing structured compression sensing method, furthermore a priori information-assisted adaptive structured subspace pursuit (PA-ASSP) algorithm which adopts a small amount of frequency domain orthogonal pilots is proposed to reconstruct the channel impulse response (CIR) of the MIMO channel so that the accurate channel gains is obtained. The simulation results show that the proposed scheme can more accurately estimate the channel with fewer pilots, and its performance is closer to the least squares (LS) algorithm.

Table S1. The expression levels of the 153 targeted genes in brain. Table S2. The quality assurance (QA) /quality control (QC) of targeted sequencing. Table S3. The frequencies of different mutation locations in SCN1A gene and their corresponding phenotypes in Dravet syndrome patients. Table S4. The frequencies of different mutation types in SCN1A gene and their corresponding phenotypes in Dravet syndrome patients. (DOCX 98 kb)

The study was aimed to evaluate the antitumor potential of the Ala-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly (APRPG)-modified angiogenic vessel targeting drug delivery system using paclitaxel (PTX) as a model drug. In this study, an angiogenesis homing peptide APRPG was conjugated to the amphipathic copolymer PLGA–PEG and the synthesized copolymer APRPG–PEG–PLGA was used to prepare PTX encapsulated micelles (APRPG–PEG-Mic). The micelles were uniform spherical and exhibited a unimodal particle size distribution and a slight negative zeta-potential. The in vitro drug release result demonstrated a significant sustained release property of APRPG–PEG-Mic. Compared to Taxol® and Cont-PEG-Mic, APRPG–PEG-Mic showed a stronger cytotoxicity against two cancerous cell lines. In the cell uptake studies, the APRPG-modified micelles enhanced intracellular fluorescent intensity in EA.hy926 cells. The biodistribution study revealed the accumulation of APRPG–PEG-Mic in tumor tissues as a result of passive accumulation and active targeting. In comparison with Taxol® and Cont-PEG-Mic, APRPG–PEG-Mic reduced the tumor volume more significantly and prolonged the survival time of tumor-bearing mice, indicating a higher antitumor efficacy and lower systematic side effects of APRPG–PEG-Mic. The results indicated that APRPG-modified micelles could be an efficient target-delivery method to angiogenic vessels and a highly promising therapeutic system in anticancer therapy.

Pingyangmycin (PYM) is an effective drug to treat vascular malformations (VM), but can easily diffuse from the injection site, which will reduce its therapeutic effect and increase side effect. Our study was to evaluate PYM-loaded chitosan thermogels for sustained and localized embolization therapy. It was shown that in vitro release of PYM thermogels could be delayed up to 12 days. The results measured by MTT assay showed that PYM thermogels could inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis of EA.hy926 cells in a concentration and time dependent manner. In vivo pharmacokinetics study demonstrated that compared with PYM injections, PYM thermogels had a better sustained delivery of PYM. Macroscopic observation and histological examination of rabbit ear veins displayed that after administration with PYM thermogels for 18 days, obvious venous embolization and inflammatory response could be found. These results indicate that PYM thermogels is likely to achieve excellent prospects for VM treatment.

A novel photocatalytic polyacrylamide grafted TiO2 (PAM-g-TiO2) nanocomposite was prepared and embedded into a low density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic. Photocatalytic degradation of the LDPE/PAM-g-TiO2 composite film was carried out under ambient conditions under ultraviolet light irradiation. The properties of composite film were compared with those of the pure LDPE film by measuring the changes in weight loss, carbonyl index, molecular weight, tensile strength and elongation at break. PAM-g-TiO2 embedded LDPE showed highly enhanced photocatalytic degradation. Irradiating the LDPE/PAM-g-TiO2 composite film for 520 h under UV light reduced its weight by 39.85% and average molecular weight (Mw) by 94.60%, while that of pure LDPE film was only 1.03% and 69.59%, respectively. The addition of PAM-g-TiO2 brought about the good dispersion of TiO2 in LDPE matrix and improved the hydrophilicity of composite film, which were able to facilitate the degradation of LDPE. The photocatalytic degradation mechanism of the films is briefly discussed.

Numerous systems have been designed during the past three decades to improve bioavailability of ophthalmic drug delivery, including: ocular prodrugs and nanotechnology-based drug delivery system. The former can improve the efficacy of ocular drug via enhancing corneal penetration of ocular drugs, prolonging their duration of action and/or reducing the systemic side-effects, unfortunately, some characteristics of the prodrugs, such as poorly aqueous stability, poorly aqueous solubility and severe eye irritation probably, limit their clinical practice and cannot be ignored. As we all know, nanotechnology for ocular drug delivery can carry poorly soluble drugs, protect the encapsulated molecules from hydrolysis, control the rate of drug delivery and prolong the precorneal retention of drugs. All of these merits may solve the problems in the utilization of ocular prodrugs and increase the bioavailability of ocular drug delivery. By reviewing recent advances of prodrugs and nanostructures in ocular drug delivery, this paper focus specifically on the promising prospects of nanocarriers overcoming the drawbacks of prodrugs for ophthalmic drug delivery by precorneal routes.

Ti-rich Ti-YNU-1 has been successfully prepared by using acid-treated Fe-YNU-1 as silica source. Its Ti/Si molar ratio was increased from 0.0065 maximally achieved by the conventional method (Appl. Catal. A (2011), 401, 37–45) to 0.012. The diffuse reflectance UV–vis spectroscopy reveals that most of Ti species had a tetrahedral coordination. This is further substantiated by the presence of a broad band at 930 cm−1, which is characteristic for the incorporation of Ti in the framework. As a result, the prepared Ti-rich Ti-YNU-1 gave considerably higher conversions of both 1-hexene and cyclohexene than the sample prepared by the conventional method. Nevertheless, the increase degree of 1-hexene conversion was much higher than that of cyclohexene conversion with increasing Ti content, suggesting that most of additional Ti species were incorporated into the intralayer sinusoidal 10-membered ring channels, while a few was inserted into the interlayer supercages. Removal of most of occluded templating molecules and framework Fe species or Ti species from the postsynthesized lamellar Fe- or Ti-MWW precursor by acid treatment is necessary for the formation of Fe- or Ti-YNU-1.

The effects of plant roots on the increase in soil shear strength involve a complex interaction of mechanical and hydrological processes operating over a scale of very diverse root architecture. Understanding the effects of mechanical mechanisms on soil shear strength is challenged by this inherent complexity. A high level of inaccuracy in field measurements of soil reinforcement makes field measurements much more challenging than that of indoor observations. This paper presents a simple experimental study where the shear strength of undisturbed soil is measured at different soil depths and at different distances from the main stems of 7 tree species, a bamboo, a herbaceous perennial, perennial grass and a fern by measuring their root area ratio, diameter class, and tensile strength. The result confirms that root distribution varies widely within root diameter classes and root area ratio between species and soil layers. Root architecture characteristics were the dominant factors influencing shear strength in the 0.2–0.4 m soil layer. In the process of vegetation restoration, O. compositus and H. fulva were used as colonizing vegetation. Later, S. lucida and L. kwangtungensis were recommended to stabilize the shallow soil in the Three Gorges reservoir region.

In order to prevent social instability of rail transit construction projects effectively, 15 factors caused rail transit social risk were extracted. Using the integration of decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) and the interpretive structure model(ISM), a structural model of risk cause system was established. The causes were divided into 4 categories: root causes, controllable causes, key causes, direct causes. The results show that safeguarding the fundamental interests of the masses is the key to control the social risk of the rail transit construction.

The present work was performed aiming to develop a new solid self-emulsifying system (SMEDDS) for poorly water-soluble drug Lornoxicam and evaluate the bioavailability in Wister rats by oral gavage. Liquid SMEDDS of Lornoxicam was formulated with Labrafil M 1944 CS as oil phase, Kolliphor HS 15 as a surfactant and Transcutol HP as a cosurfactant after screening various vehicles. The microemulsion system selected from the phase diagram and optimized by central composite design (CCD) response surface method was transformed into solid-SMEDDS (S-SMEDDS) by lyophilization using sucrose as cryoprotectant. The formulations were further characterized by the particle size, poly dispersity index (PDI), self-emulsifying time, zeta potential, transmission electron microscope (TEM), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), in vitro drug release and in vivo pharmacokinetics. Results of DSC studies confirmed that the drug was incorporated in the S-SMEDDS. The in vitro drug release from Lornoxicam SMEDDS was found to be greatly higher in comparison with that from the commercial tablets. It was indicated that SMEDDS might be effective in reducing the effect of pH variability of Lornoxicam and improving the release performance of Lornoxicam. HPLC system was applied to study the concentration of Lornoxicam in the plasma of the Wister rats after oral administration of Lornoxicam SMEDDS and Lornoxicam commercial tablets. The pharmacokinetics parameters of the rats were C(max) 1065.91 ± 224.90 and 1855.22 ± 748.25 ngmL(-1), T(max) were 2.5 ± 0.4 h and 1.8 ± 0.5 h, and AUC(0∼t) were 5316.35 ± 323.62 and 7758.07 ± 241.57 ngmL(-1) h, respectively. Calculated by AUC(0∼∞), the relative bioavailability of Lornoxicam S-SMEDDS was 151.69 ± 15.32%. It suggested that this S-SMEDDS could be used as a successful oral solid dosage form to improve the solubility and bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drug Lornoxicam as well.