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Less is known regarding the association of pulse pressure (PP) with memory function. This study aimed to characterize long-term patterns of PP in middle-aged and older adults and explore their impact on subsequent change in memory function.Data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA, 2004-2018), were analyzed. Totally, 3587 dementia-free participants with three measurements of BP were included. All three visits of PP (2004-2012) were used to characterize longitudinal patterns of PP by group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM). Generalized estimating equation (GEE) models were fitted to explore the impact of PP trajectories on change in memory over a subsequent 6-year period (2012-2018).Using GBTM, three distinct trajectories of PP were identified: low-stable (38.1%), moderate-stable (48.6%), and elevated-increasing group (13.3%). GEE model suggested that memory declined over a 6-year period in all PP trajectories (all PLongitudinal patterns of moderate-stable and elevated-increasing PP were associated with an accelerated decrease in memory. Controlling BP instability may be a promising interventional strategy for preventing cognitive decline among older adults.

We propose a new algorithmic framework for constrained compressed sensing models that admit nonconvex sparsity-inducing regularizers including the log-penalty function as objectives, and nonconvex loss functions such as the Cauchy loss function and the Tukey biweight loss function in the constraint. Our framework employs iteratively reweighted $\ell_1$ and $\ell_2$ schemes to construct subproblems that can be efficiently solved by well-developed solvers for basis pursuit denoising such as SPGL1 [6]. We propose a new termination criterion for the subproblem solvers that allows them to return an infeasible solution, with a suitably constructed feasible point satisfying a descent condition. The feasible point construction step is the key for establishing the well-definedness of our proposed algorithm, and we also prove that any accumulation point of this sequence of feasible points is a stationary point of the constrained compressed sensing model, under suitable assumptions. Finally, we compare numerically our algorithm (with subproblems solved by SPGL1 or the alternating direction method of multipliers) against the SCP$_{\rm ls}$ in [41] on solving constrained compressed sensing models with the log-penalty function as the objective and the Cauchy loss function in the constraint, for badly-scaled measurement matrices. Our computational results show that our approaches return solutions with better recovery errors, and are always faster.

Cardiac hypertrophy can lead to cardiac dysfunction and is closely associated with mortality in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). Astragalus polysaccharides (APS) is the main component extracted from Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bunge (AM), which exhibits anti-hypertrophic effects on cardiomyocytes in various diseases. However, whether APS exerts anti-hypertrophic effects in DCM remains unclear.To investigate whether APS can attenuate cardiac hypertrophy in DCM and exert anti-hypertrophic effects by inhibiting the bone morphogenetic protein 10 (BMP10) pathway.The anti-hypertrophic effects of APS were studied in high-glucose (HG)-stimulated H9c2 cardiomyocytes and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced DCM rats. BMP10 siRNA was used to inhibit BMP10 expression in H9c2 cardiomyocytes. Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography. Cardiac hypertrophy was evaluated using heart weight/body weight (HW/BW), RT-PCR, hematoxylin-eosin (HE), and rhodamine phalloidin staining. Changes in hypertrophic components, including BMP10 and downstream factors, were measured using western blotting.In vitro, HG treatment increased the relative cell surface area of H9c2 cardiomyocytes, whereas BMP10 siRNA transfection or APS treatment alleviated the increase induced by HG. APS treatment improved the general condition, increased cardiac function, and decreased the HW/BW ratio, ANP mRNA level, and cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area of DCM rats in vivo. Molecular experiments demonstrated that APS downregulated the levels of the pro-hypertrophic protein BMP10 and its downstream proteins ALK3, BMPRII, and p-Smad1/5/8 without affecting the level of total Smad1/5/8.Our study demonstrates that APS can alleviate cardiac hypertrophy and protect against DCM by inhibiting activation of the BMP10 pathway. APS is a promising candidate for DCM treatment.

Aging is fundamental to neurodegeneration and dementia. Preventing oxidative stress and neuroinflammation are potential methods of delaying the onset of aging-associated neurodegenerative diseases. The acidic oligosaccharide sugar chain (AOSC) and hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) can increase the expression of antioxidants and have a neuroprotective function. In this study, we investigate the ability of AOSC, HBO, and AOSC + HBO to prevent D-gal-induced brain senescence. The Morris water maze and Y-maze test results showed that all three therapies significantly attenuated D-gal-induced memory disorders. A potential mechanism of this action was decreasing elevated levels of oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. The western blot and morphological results showed that all three therapies decreased D-gal-induced neuroinflammation and downregulated inflammatory mediators including the nuclear factor κ-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells, cyclooxygenase-2, interleukin-1β, and tumor necrosis factor alpha. Taken together, our results indicated that AOSC, HBO, and AOSC + HBO therapies attenuated D-gal-induced brain aging in mice by repressing RAGE/NF-KB-induced inflammation, the activation of astrocytes and microglia, and a decrease in neuronal degeneration. These could be useful therapies for treating age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. Furthermore, HBO combined with AOSC had a better effect than HBO or AOSC alone.

Background The negative effect of abdominal obesity on cognitive function has been widely reported, especially on memory function, however, it is unclear how the effect is mediated. We aim to investigate the mediating role of hypertension and depressive symptoms. Methods Data were collected from wave 6 (2012-2013) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). Abdominal obesity was defined as a waist circumference (WC) ≥88cm for women and ≥102cm for men. Hypertension was determined on the basis of objective blood pressure measurement and previous physician diagnosis. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the 8-item version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies (CESD) scale. Memory function was measured with the 10-word immediate and delayed recall tests. Baron and Kenny's causal steps and Karlson/Holm/Breen (KHB) method were used to examine the mediating effect. Results A total of 7,448 participants aged ≥50 years were included in this study. We found a negative effect of abdominal obesity on memory function (β=-0.047, p=0.031). KHB method identified significant mediating effect of hypertension and depressive symptoms on the relationship between abdominal obesity and memory function, they explained 16.92 and 6.32% of the total effect of abdominal obesity on memory function, respectively. Limitations This study was limited by its cross-sectional design and possibility of residual confounding. Conclusions Hypertension and depressive symptoms might be possible pathways linking abdominal obesity and poor memory function, suggesting that collaborative interventions of abdominal obesity, hypertension and depressive symptoms are beneficial in maintaining memory function.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE Gait speed is an important indicator for assessing overall health status. Previous studies have reported the important role of sensory function in gait speed; however, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. This study aimed to examine whether cognition mediates the association of sensory function with gait speed among English older adults. METHODS Gait speed was assessed by "timed walking test". Hearing was measured by using a hearing screening device. Vision was self-reported. Cognition was assessed by questionnaire. Baron and Kenny's causal steps method and Sobel test were used to examine the mediating effect. RESULTS Among 4,197 participants aged 60 years and older, 13.5% had poor hearing and 12.6% had poor vision, 2.6% had both poor hearing and poor vision. Multiple linear regression models suggested that poor hearing (β= - 1.905, p

With the expanding of the scale of power grids, the uncertainty and complexity of power system operation are increasing. Critical clearing time (CCT) is the key to transient stability assessment (TSA) in power system operation, security defense, maintenance and other scenarios. The application of machine learning to TSA has become a research hotspot. In this paper, a method of obtaining the CCT by machine learning is proposed. First, time domain simulation under electrical fault is utilized to obtain samples for machine learning. Second, pattern features of transient stability are obtained from the samples, the maximum information coefficient method is used to reduce feature dimension, and the Box-Cox transformation is used to improve data distribution characteristics. Further, based on the XGBoost, Random Forest algorithms, a stacking model with SVR as the meta learner is established to improve the performance of CCT prediction. In the end, this proposed method is verified via the CEPRI 8-machine 36-bus system. The results prove that this method can provide accurate CCT predictions, and it is also robust to load changes.

Objective To explore the effect of sleep duration at baseline on the incident IADL disability among middle-aged and older Chinese, and test whether cognition mediates this causality. Methods Data were collected from wave 1 (2011-2012) to wave 3 (2015-2016) of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Sleep duration was self-reported at baseline. Cognitive function, including episodic memory and mental intactness were measured via a questionnaire. IADL was assessed at baseline and follow-up. Baron and Kenny's causal steps and Karlson/Holm/Breen (KHB) method were conducted to examine the mediating effect. Results A total of 10,328 participants free of IADL disability at baseline were included in this study. Over 4 years of follow-up, 17.1% of participants developed IADL disability. Compared to 7-8 h sleep duration, both short sleep (OR=1.460; 95% CI: 1.261-1.690 for sleeping ≤5 h; OR= 1.189; 95% CI: 1.011-1.400 for sleeping 5-7 h) and long sleep (OR=1.703; 95% CI: 1.269-2.286 for sleeping >9 h) were linked with incident IADL disability. KHB method identified significant mediating effect of cognition on the relationship between extreme sleep durations (≤5 h or >9 h) and IADL disability and the proportional mediation through cognition was 21.32% and 21.06% for sleeping ≤5 h and >9 h, respectively. Conclusion Both short (sleeping ≤5 h) and long sleep duration (sleeping >9 h) predicted incident IADL disability. Cognition partially mediated the effect of extreme sleep durations on IADL disability.

Background Aging is closely associated with the occurrence and development of many complex diseases such as cardiovascular conditions, type 2 diabetes, gastrointestinal (GI) and renal diseases. Detecting changes as early as possible in the human body due to aging is thus crucial significant to potentially mitigate its impacts on physical health. Methods Here, we present a comprehensive metagenome association study and serum metabolomics profiling in a registry Guangxi-Longevity cohort aged from 20–111 years (n=151) and Kunming cohort ages ranging from 20–80 years (n=80). Results We identified uremic toxins as key factors in serum metabolomics highly associated with aging, and this finding has been validated in an independent Kunming-Aging cohort aged from 20–80 years (n=80). We also observed that aging-associated systemic inflammation levels were positively associated with uremic toxins. Moreover, the increased Escherichia coli, Odoribacter splanchnicus, Bilophila wadsworthia and Parabacteroides spp. abundances were related to serum levels of uremic toxins, and the accumulating rate of uremic toxins and specific microbial species was robustly much slower in centenarians than in nonagenarians. We further investigated the frailty and health status in long-living individuals aged above 90 years, and found that the frailty status might be a putative extreme aging phenomenon characterized by novel uremic toxin accumulation patterns. Conclusions Our findings reveal novel potential links between gut microbiota alterations, uremic toxins and aging, and highlight the preponderance of gut microbiota and serum metabolism in aging.

To explore the optimal way to manage patients with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) and positive margin by identifying the risk factors for its recurrence and residue. A retrospective study was conducted on 267 cases of a pathologically confirmed HSIL with positive margin following conization by loop electrosurgical excisional procedure (LEEP) between January 2010 and December 2015. One hundred two cases were selected for regular follow-up every 6 months, and 165 cases were selected for a second surgery (repeat cervical conization or hysterectomy) within 3 months of initial LEEP. We analyzed the association between recurrent or residual diseases and these factors: age, menopausal status, ThinPrep cytologic test (TCT) results, high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection, pathological grades of the margin, number of involved margins, and glandular involvement. The recurrence rate among 102 cases who underwent follow-up was 17.6% (18/102). The factors: atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance cannot exclude HSIL (ASC-H) or higher lesions in the pre-LEEP TCT (P = .038), persistent HR-HPV infection at the 6th month post-LEEP (P = .03), HSIL-positive margin (P = .003), and multifocal-involved margin (P = .002) were significantly associated with recurrent disease, while age, menopause, and pre-LEEP HR-HPV infection were not associated with recurrent disease (P > .05). The residual rate among 165 patients who underwent a second surgery was 45.5% (75/165), of which 15 cases were residual cervical cancer. The factors: menopause (P = .02), ≥ASC-H in pre-LEEP TCT (P = .04), pre-LEEP HR-HPV infection (P = .04), ≥HSIL-positive margin (P .05). For patients with a positive margin after LEEP, regular follow-up or second surgery should be selected according to fertility requirement and pathological characteristics of the positive margin, as well as TCT and HR-HPV infection condition.

Objectives To determine the sex-specific associations of handgrip strength (HGS) and asymmetry with incident multimorbidity and examine whether these relationships differ by sex. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting and Participants Secondary analyses of data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA, waves 2-8). The analytic sample included 3977 participants (51.4% female) aged ≥50 years who had data for HGS on both hands and were living without multimorbidity at baseline. Measures HGS was assessed with a handheld dynamometer. Individuals in the lowest tertile of sex-specific age-adjusted HGS were defined as having low HGS. The largest HGS readings from the nondominant and dominant hand were used to calculate HGS ratio [nondominant HGS (kg)/dominant HGS (kg)]. Those with HGS ratio 1.10 had any HGS asymmetry. Further, those with HGS ratio 1.10 had nondominant HGS asymmetry. Multimorbidity was defined as the coexistence of ≥2 chronic diseases. Cox proportional hazards regression models were conducted for analyses. Results Low HGS was associated with multimorbidity among older men [hazard ratio (HR) 1.20, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03-1.40] and women (HR 1.19, 95% CI 1.03-1.38). No significant effect modification by sex was observed (P-interaction = .71). HGS asymmetry increased the risk of multimorbidity in women only (HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.07-1.41). The relationship between HGS asymmetry and multimorbidity risk differed by sex (P-interaction = .01). Similarly, both dominant HGS asymmetry (HR 1.21, 95% CI 1.05-1.40) and nondominant HGS asymmetry (HR 1.32, 95% CI 1.03-1.68) were related to incident multimorbidity in women only. There was a significant interaction between dominant HGS asymmetry and sex (P-interaction = .02). Conclusions and Implications Examining HGS asymmetry in HGS test protocols can provide novel insights for the predictive power of HGS in the accumulation of diseases, particularly in women.

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 is a key cytokine affecting the pathogenesis and progression of cervical cancer. Tumor-derived exosomes contain microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) that interact with cancer and stromal cells, thereby contributing to tissue remodeling in the tumor microenvironment (TME). The present study was designed to clarify how TGF-β1 affects tumor biological functions through exosomes released by cervical cancer cells. Deep RNA sequencing found that TGF-β1 stimulated cervical cancer cells to secrete more miR-663b-containing exosomes, which could be transferred into new target cells to promote metastasis. Further studies have shown that miR-663b directly targets the 3′-untranslated regions (3′-UTR) of mannoside acetylglucosaminyltransferase 3 (MGAT3) and is involved in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. Remarkably, the overexpression of MGAT3 suppressed cervical cancer cell metastasis promoted by exosomal miR-663b, causing increased expression of epithelial differentiation marker E-cadherin and decreased expression of mesenchymal markers N-cadherin and β-catenin. Throughout our study, online bioinformation tools and dual luciferase reporter assay were applied to identify MGAT3 as a novel direct target of miR-663b. Exosome PKH67-labeling experiment verified that exosomal miR-663b could be endocytosed by cervical cancer cells and subsequently influence its migration and invasion functions which were measured by wound healing and Transwell assays. The expression of miR-663b and MGAT3 and the regulation of the EMT pathway caused by MGAT3 were detected by quantitative real-time transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blot analysis. These results, thus, provide evidence that cancer cell-derived exosomal miR-663b is endocytosed by cervical cancer cells adjacent or distant after TGF-β1 exposure and inhibits the expression of MGAT3, thereby accelerating the EMT process and ultimately promoting local and distant metastasis.

Human leukocyte-associated immunoglobulin-like receptor-1 (LAIR-1), an immunoinhibitory receptor, is expressed on most types of hematopoietic cells and some tumor cells. LAIR-1 plays an inhibitory role in immune cell maturation, differentiation, and activation. LAIR-1 is also involved in some autoimmune diseases and tumors. However, the mechanism controlling the regulation of the LAIR-1 gene is still unknown. In order to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in LAIR-1 regulation, in the present study, we cloned and characterized the promoter region of LAIR-1 gene using a series of truncated promoter plasmids in luciferase reporter assays. Our results show that the basic core promoter of LAIR-1 is located within the region -256/-8 relative to the translational start site. Our further studies indicate that five ETS transcription factors: ELF-1, ETV-4, ETV-3L, ETS-1 and ETS-2, can up-regulate the LAIR-1 basic promoter activity. Of these, ETS-2 is the most effective transcription factor. Moreover, ETS-2 was confirmed to interact directly with the basic promoter of LAIR-1. This study presents the first description of regions/factors capable of up-regulation the promoter activity of LAIR-1. This new knowledge contributes to understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in LAIR-1 associated immune regulation and diseases.

In order to improve the reliability of grid-connected operation of photovoltaic power generation systems, this paper proposes a photovoltaic grid-connected inverter based on supercapacitor energy storage MMC. Compared with traditional battery energy storage devices, the converter has the advantages of environmental friendliness, high energy storage efficiency, and long service life. The control strategy of the system is divided into three parts: carrier phase shift modulation strategy (CPS-SPWM), voltage balance control strategy and super capacitor charging control strategy. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed photovoltaic grid-connected inverter and its control strategy is verified in MATLAB/Simulink. The results show that the system can realize the photovoltaic grid-connected inverter process, realizes soft switching, and has high Energy storage efficiency.

For a closed set S and a bounded closed convex set U in a real normed vector space, we give exact subdifferential formulas of an optimal value function $$\mathrm {I}\!\Gamma _{S|U}$$ whose definition is based on the Minkowski function of U. $$\mathrm {I}\!\Gamma _{S|U}$$ covers distance function and indicator function as special cases. The main contribution is dropping two important assumptions of some main results in the literature.

Epithelial‑mesenchymal transition (EMT) serves an important role in tumor migration and invasion. Astragalus polysaccharide (APS), which is the main component of the traditional Chinese medicine Astragalus membranaceus, has been identified to display an antitumor effect. However, the effects and mechanisms of APS during breast cancer migration and invasion are not completely understood. The present study investigated whether APS inhibited breast cancer migration and invasion by modulating the EMT pathway. An MTT assay and a Ki67 immunofluorescence staining assay demonstrated that APS inhibited the proliferation of breast cancer cells. The results of the wound healing and Transwell Matrigel invasion assays suggested that APS decreased the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells. The western blotting and immunofluorescence analyses further demonstrated that APS had a regulatory effect on EMT‑related molecules. APS decreased the expression levels of Snail and vimentin, but increased E‑cadherin expression. APS also downregulated Wnt1, β‑catenin and downstream target expression. Additionally, the present results suggested that APS decreased the proliferation, and EMT‑mediated migration and invasion of cells by inhibiting the Wnt/β‑catenin signaling pathway. The present study suggested that APS may serve as a promising therapeutic agent for breast cancer.

Objectives To evaluate the dose-response relationships between alcohol consumption and functional limitations in older European men, and explore the role of muscle strength as a mediator of these relationships. Design Cross-sectional study of older men participating in the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Setting Urban and rural households in 17 European countries and Israel. Participants A total of 17 870 men aged 65 years and older from the SHARE (Wave 6, 2015) were included in this study. Measurements Outcome variables were functional limitations: mobility limitation, arm function limitation, and fine motor limitation. Main exposure variable was alcohol consumption. Mediating factor was grip strength. Basic demographics, life habits, and health status were considered as potential confounders. Dose-response analyses with restricted cubic splines and the Karlson/Holm/Breen method were conducted. Results A total of 17 870 participants were included in this study. Dose-response analyses revealed that moderate alcohol consumption was related to the lower odds of reporting mobility limitation (≤35 units/wk) and arm function limitation (≤41 units/wk), with a minimum odds ratio (OR) occurring at 10 units/week drinks for mobility limitation (OR = .71; 95% confidence interval [CI] = .62-.81) and arm function limitation (OR = .66; 95% CI = .59-.75). The odds of reporting the fine motor limitation monotonically increased with alcohol consumption when alcohol consumption was beyond 15 units/week. No significant mediating effect of grip strength on the relationships between alcohol consumption and mobility limitation and arm function limitation was found. Conclusion Moderate alcohol consumption has a protective role in mobility and arm function limitation in older European men. Grip strength is not the main mediator of these associations, suggesting that the protective effect is independent of muscle strength. Alcohol consumption is associated with higher odds of reporting fine motor limitation in older European men. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:2331-2337, 2019.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Traditional Chinese medicine Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bunge (AM) has been utilized for the treatment of diabetes mellitus and its complications for centuries. Astragalus polysaccharides (APS), the main bioactive ingredient extracted from the root of AM, is prescribed widely in China and has definite cardioprotective effect during diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced apoptosis played a crucial role in the progression of DCM. However, the regulatory mechanisms of APS on ER stress pathway haven't been comprehensively studied so far. Aim of the study: The aim of this study was to identify the effect of APS on cardiomyocyte apoptosis and to investigate the mechanisms for the anti-apoptotic effect of APS during DCM. Materials and methods DCM rat model was induced by intraperitoneal streptozotocin (STZ) injection and treated with APS for 16 weeks. Cardiac function, pathological changes and apoptotic cells were assessed by echocardiography, hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and TUNEL assay, respectively. Expressions of key molecules in ER stress pathway were detected by Western blot analysis. Cardiomyocytes were exposed to high glucose (HG) and treated with APS for 24 h. Cell viability, apoptosis and protein expressions were assessed by MTT, flow cytometer and Western blot analysis, respectively. Moreover, lentivirus over-expressing (OE) C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) was employed to further investigate the causative role of ER stress pathway in APS-mediated effect on cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Results In vivo, the results demonstrated that APS could improve heart function and attenuate myocardial apoptosis in DCM rat model. Further study demonstrated that APS could down-regulate the protein expressions of activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6) and protein kinase RNA-like ER kinase (PERK) related factors of ER stress pathway. In vitro, APS significantly inhibit HG stimulated H9C2 cell apoptosis and the expressions of ATF6 and PERK related proteins of ER stress pathway. However, after CHOP-OE lentivirus transfection, the protective effects of APS were diminished as increased apoptotic rate and higher expression of CHOP. Conclusions APS could attenuate cardiomyocyte apoptosis via down-regulating the expression of ATF6 and PERK related factors of ER stress pathway in DCM rats and HG-stimulated H9C2 cells.

Surface nuclear magnetic resonance (surface NMR) has up to now rarely been applied to 3D subsurface modeling. Inversion approaches currently in use are smooth inversion techniques that are not useful for identifying sharp geologic boundaries. Although they are already computationally expensive, the resulting models are restricted to imaging the subsurface water content distribution and do not deliver relaxation times [Formula: see text] based on the QT inversion scheme established elsewhere. We have developed a method of 3D block QT inversion that uses horizontal smoothness constraints to resolve sharp boundaries in the vertical direction and the distributions of the water content and relaxation time [Formula: see text]. We have improved the computational efficiency, i.e., the ability to perform the inversion using a common desktop computer, by gating the surface NMR data, reducing the model space to monoexponential decays within the subsurface bodies, and inverting based on blocklike structures instead of smooth distributions. We have developed a synthetic study to assess the effectiveness of our block QT inversion technique in imaging 3D water content distributions, and we compared the results with those of a smooth inversion. Furthermore, we evaluated results from a field survey conducted on the frozen surface of an artificial lake. We found that our block QT inversion approach provides results that are superior to those of smooth inversion and consistent with the available construction plan of the lake. We expect that 3D block QT inversion will be a useful approach also in other geologic settings, such as buried valleys, because it overcomes the current limitations of applying 3D surface NMR inversion.

Background Apoptosis plays a critical role in the progression of diabetic cardiomyopathy (DC). Astragalus polysaccharides (APS), an extract of astragalus membranaceus (AM), is an effective cardioprotectant. Currently, little is known about the detailed mechanisms underlying cardioprotective effects of APS. The aims of this study were to investigate the potential effects and mechanisms of APS on apoptosis employing a model of high glucose induction of apoptosis in H9C2 cells. Methods A model of high glucose induction of H9C2 cell apoptosis was adopted in this research. The cell viabilities were analyzed by MTT assay, and the apoptotic response was quantified by flow cytometry. The expression levels of the apoptosis related proteins were determined by Real-time PCR and western blotting. Results Incubation of H9C2 cells with various concentrations of glucose (i.e., 5.5, 12.5, 25, 33 and 44 mmol/L) for 24 h revealed that cell viability was reduced by high glucose dose-dependently. Pretreatment of cells with APS could inhibit high glucose-induced H9C2 cell apoptosis by decreasing the expressions of caspases and the release of cytochrome C from mitochondria to cytoplasm. Further experiments also showed that APS could modulate the ratio of Bcl-2 to Bax in mitochondria. Conclusions APS decreases high glucose-induced H9C2 cell apoptosis by inhibiting the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins of both the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways and modulating the ratio of Bcl-2 to Bax in mitochondria.

To estimate whether the associations of obesity, physical activity, vision and grip strength with functional mobility were modified by age.Data from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (2009-2012) were analyzed and 5001 individuals were included in this study. Mobility was assessed by the timed up and go test (TUG-test). Main exposure variables were obesity, physical activity, visual acuity and grip strength at baseline. Multiple linear regression models were fitted to assess the associations of baseline main exposure variables with 2-year follow-up functional mobility and potential confounders were adjusted. Stratified analyses by age were used to assess the interaction between main exposures and age on functional mobility.Multiple linear regression models identified significant interactions of obesity (P 0.001), vigorous physical activity (P = 0.001), vision (P 0.001) and grip strength (P 0.001) with age on functional mobility. Stratified analyses suggested that the risk effect of obesity on functional mobility was greater in middle-aged group (β = 0.025, P 0.001) than in older group (β = 0.016, P = 0.017). The protective effects of high level of physical activity and grip strength on functional mobility were stronger in older group (β = -0.023, P = 0.004 for physical activity; β = -0.002, P 0.001 for grip strength) than in middle-aged group (β = -0.012, P = 0.008 for physical activity; β = -0.0015, P 0.001 for grip strength). The benefit of better vision on functional mobility was observed in middle-aged group only (β = -0.032, P = 0.002).Non-obesity, higher level of physical activity, vision and grip strength at baseline were associated with better mobility performance among middle-aged and older Irish. And these associations were modified by age.

At present, China’s power system is developing in the direction of AC-DC parallel connection. AC-DC hybrid transmission has become the inevitable pattern of China’s future power grid. In the operation of AC/DC hybrid system, the optimization of multiple indexes is often considered. One of the economic problems of system operation is how to minimize the operation cost of the system. This requires the optimal solution of a system of nonlinear equations with constraints. Among the existing algorithms, the interior point method has excellent convergence performance and has been widely used in power system. In this paper, the basic principle of interior point method is introduced, and the interior point method is used to optimize the AC and DC power flow obtained. With the network operation cost as the objective optimization index. The Matlab software is used for programming and simulation calculation. On the basis of verifying the effectiveness of the algorithm, the algorithm is transplanted into the large network for calculation and analysis, and the adaptability of the test algorithm.

Traditionally, one of the major limitations for magnetic resonance sounding (MRS) measurement is that the weak signal generated by subsurface water molecules is prone to be disturbed by high-level electromagnetic noise. In China, the power grid coverage is 94.6% and spiky noise and power-line harmonic noise are always present when utilizing MRS measurement in suburban areas or towns. In order to improve the performance of the MRS method, two new techniques, statistical stacking and adaptive notch filter, are introduced to remove spiky noise and power-line harmonic noise. Firstly, four stacking procedures are analysed to suppress the natural noise and spiky noise. It could be found that statistical stacking can be utilized in the areas with serious spiky noise and can improve the signal-to-noise ratio by a factor of 4 to 7. Moreover, the stacking number is less than other stacking procedures and the measurement time may decrease by nearly 50% in some suburban areas or towns. Secondly, there are a variety of filtering procedures available to suppress power-line harmonic noise, which are all based on analogue or digital notch filtering. But nearly all of them may cause distortion. An adaptive notch filter is applied here to remove power-line harmonic noise because harmonic frequencies are away from and (or) close to the Larmor frequency, even when the frequency offset between them is zero. From simulation results, it could be noted that the signal can be recovered after adaptive notch filtering because it is not irretrievably distorted but proportionally attenuated. Thus, the amplitude attenuation can accurately be compensated. The effectiveness of the two techniques applied to MRS measurements is demonstrated by field testing with the prototype of the MRS system developed by Jilin University, China. The results show that the statistical stacking and adaptive notch filter are effective methods to remove high-level electromagnetic noise from MRS measurements.

This paper undertakes a comparative static analysis in the Harris-Todaro (H-T) model by accommodating local pollution. Unlike in the classical H-T model where migration proceeds in response to urban-rural differences in expected earnings, we consider labor movement taking place according to the difference in utility, which is influenced by the quality of the local environment. The paradoxical result is that an improvement in pollution-abatement technology gives rise to an increase in urban unemployment and has no effect on the workers' aggregate welfare.

This research note extends Bond and Chen's analysis of illegal migration by assuming that the source country is a developing country in which there is a minimum wage policy. We examine how the minimum wage of the source country and enforcement by the host affect factor prices, migration, unemployment and economic welfare. We find that the enforcement effect is clear and intuitive, but the qualitative effect of the minimum wage depends on the wage elasticity of employment in the source country. Abstract. Este articulo examina las causas de perturbaciones en las variaciones a corto y largo plazo en el output de las regiones en Francia. Utilizamos un modelo de componente de errores que descompone movimientos de output descentralizados en efectos comunes nacionales, especificos por industria, especificos por regiones, e idiosincrasicos. Encontramos que las perturbaciones especificas por industria explican la mayor parte de la varianza del componente sistematico de fluctuaciones de output descentralizadas. Mas aun, las estrategias de politicas regionales descentralizadas que no se dirigen a sectores especificos en la region solo tienen un impacto muy limitado en las variaciones a corto y largo plazo en outputs sectoriales.

Background Observational studies and meta-analyses suggested that increased total fruits and vegetables consumption have a protective role in incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, we still don't know whether the subtypes, such as citrus fruits and cruciferous vegetables (CV), have a preventive role. Methods We systematically searched the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases up to December 31, 2014. Summary relative risks (SRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using random-effects models. Results Seven distinct prospective cohort studies (five articles) were identified for this study. A total of 16,544 incident cases of type 2 diabetes were ascertained among 306,723 participants with follow-up periods ranging from 4.6 to 24 years. Based on four prospective cohort studies, we found that overall, consumption of CV had a protective role in the T2DM incidence (highest vs. lowest analysis: SRR=0.84, 95% CI: 0.73 to 0.96), with evidence of significant heterogeneity ( P =0.09, I 2 =54.4%). This association was independent of the main risk factors for cardiovascular disease: smoking, alcohol use, BMI, and physical activity etc. Consumption of citrus fruits did not have a protective role in the T2DM development (highest vs. lowest analysis: SRR=1.02, 95% CI: 0.96 to 1.08), with no evidence of significant heterogeneity ( P =0.49, I 2 =0). Conclusions Higher consumption of CV, but not citrus fruits, is associated with a significantly decreased risk of type 2 diabetes. Further large prospective studies are needed to elucidate both relationships.

We set up a theoretical model to investigate the impact of immigration under unionization in a two-sector economy that consists of unskilled labor and skilled labor. The effect of immigration on wages and skill formation as well as welfare is studied. We show that skilled immigration increases wage inequality of the two types of labor, unskilled immigration encourages skill formation, whereas skilled immigration discourages skill formation. We find that skilled immigration benefits the host country.

Background Low serum cholesterol levels are related to an increased risk of depression and its serious consequences. However, the effect of central cholesterol on depressive disorder and its potential regulatory mechanism is poorly understood. Therefore, brain cholesterol in patients with depression may not only decrease the risk for developing this disease but also increase the beneficial effects of treatment for depression. Methods In current study, rats were exposed to chronic mild stress (CMS) for consecutive 28 days, and the depressive-like behavior was tested by sucrose preference test, immobility in the forced swim test, locomotor activity in the open field test, decreased bodyweight and food intake. Additionally, the total cholesterol levels in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the hippocampus of rats were measured by gas chromatograph mass spectrometer. Finally, 5-HT1A receptor antagonist WAY100635 was used to determine the potential role of serotonin system in the interaction between central cholesterol and depression. Results CMS significantly reduced total cholesterol levels in the mPFC but not in the hippocampus and resulted in depressive-like behavior. Chronic supplementation of cholesterol by food reversed the depressive-like behavior induced by CMS. Furthermore, pre-injection of 5-HT1A receptor antagonist WAY100635 into the mPFC blocked the treatment effects of cholesterol on the reversal of behavioral response. Conclusion This finding suggested that cholesterol in the mPFC may have an impact on the sensitivity of the 5-HT1A receptor in the development and treatment of depression. The treatment benefits of cholesterol could be through modulation of the brain 5-HT1A receptor.

There is no targeted strategy for different noises for the Magnetic Resonance Sounding detecting underground water at present, in order to improve the filtering effects, save the measure time, and then ensure the accuracy of inversion result, the targeted strategy are provided in this paper. The signal measured from Magnetic Resonance Sounding (MRS) instruments needs to process by the digital filter. There are three methods to be used in MRS instruments, include adaptive north filter, moving average filter and FIR low-pass filter. Through building the ideal model adding several normal noises in MRS signal analyses what kind of method adapts what kind of noise. According to the value of SNR, the decay situation of spectrum amplitude, the adaptabilities of various filtering methods are summed up. At the same time, the actual measurement data also proves the strategy basing on the ideal model, at final, adaptive filter methods for several noises is put forward.

Diesel generator unit as the emergency power of the plant has an important effect that whether the generator unit can stop safely or not in the accident conditions. In order to optimize the design of an emergency power for the large dynamotor unit, the 2*600MW aircooling unit emergency load is taken as an example, four kinds wring schemes of the emergency power are designed and constructed by the ETAP software. The reliability, power flow, short-circuit current and economic data of the four schemes are evaluated. Through the comparison, the optimal, economic, and reasonable scheme of the alternating emergency power and diesel generator unit could be put forward, the Option IV is recommended as satisfying emergency power for the 600MW air-cooling unit. The simulation results of 600MW alternating emergency power can also provide a reference for the 1000MW unit design of emergency power.

A novel method is presented in this paper, called modified converted measurements Kalman particle filter (M-CMK-PF), for target tracking in wireless sensor network (WSN). As an efficient improvement for particle filter (PF), this algorithm utilizes the modified converted measurements Kalman filter (M-CMKF) to estimate the posterior as an importance density for PF. The main idea of M-CMKF is converting polar measurements to Cartesian reference, calculating the converted error statistics and then performing the Kalman filter to obtain the posterior. Since there are no linearization errors of measurement model in the process, also the latest measurements are integrated with a prior, the M-CMKF generates importance density that approaches the real posterior more closely than the extended Kalman filter (EKF) and iteration extended Kalman filter (IEKF) which are filters in mixed coordinate. As a result, the M-CMK-PF has better tracking performance than the standard PF, EKF particle filter (EKF-PF) and IEKF particle filter (IEKF-PF). Additionally, the M-CMKF need not adjust parameters as the Unscented Kalman filter particle filter (UKF-PF) does, so the M-CMKPF is more robust in various applications. In addition, the calculation cost of the M-CMK-PF and EKF-PF are the smallest among the four. Simulation results demonstrated the effectiveness of our method. (6 pages)

On May 12th, 2008, a rare major earthquake with magnitude 8.0 occurred in Wenchuan, Sichuan province ofChina, which caused considerable damage. Considering mud-rock flows in the quake-hit areas caused andinfluenced by the major earthquake, the essay analyzes the formed conditions and the influential factors formud-rock flows disaster in the quake-hit areas. Meanwhile, it presents preventive measures for thepost-disaster mud-rock flows.