Search

Background This study aims to explore whether Fufang Shatai Heji (STHJ), as a mixture collected by a decoction of a variety of Chinese herbal medicines for immune system diseases, can improve the cartilage destruction of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods The therapeutic effects of STHJ were studied using collagen induced arthritis (CIA) mice. The improvement effect of STHJ on synovitis and cartilage damage caused by arthritis was studied by joint pathological analysis. The inhibitory effect of STHJ on related degradation enzymes in cartilage was studied by immunohistochemistry and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The specific targets of STHJ were predicted by molecular docking. Results After successfully inducing CIA, the paws of the mice showed significant swelling, and athological analysis of the ankle and knee joints also showed significant cartilage destruction and synovial hyperplasia. However, synovial hyperplasia and cartilage destruction were markedly alleviated after administration of STHJ. And after SHTJ treatment, the expression of ADAMTS-4, ADAMTS-5, MMP-9 and MMP-13, in the cartilage layer of CIA mice was significantly inhibited. Through molecular docking assays, we proved that acteoside in STHJ could directly bind to the Glu111, Phe110 residues in MMP-9 and glycyrrhizic acid in STHJ bind to the Glu382, Asn433 residues in MMP-13. Conclusions Our results suggested that STHJ may alleviate synovial hyperplasia and cartilage destruction in CIA mice and protect cartilage by inhibiting the expression of MMP-9 and other enzymes.

With the increasing application of steel–concrete-steel (SCS) composite structures in engineering constructions, the mechanical behaviors of steel plates and concrete in SCS structures are becoming increasingly important. This study aimed to evaluate the individual smeared behaviors of the steel plate and concrete from some tested SCS panels and analyze the main characteristics of the plates and concrete. An incremental step analysis method was used to analyze prior experimental research, in which seven SCS panels were subjected to proportional biaxial tension–compression loading. This method is based on Navier’s three principles (stress equilibrium, strain compatibility, and the constitutive laws of materials). Using this method, the smeared behaviors of the steel plates and concrete were evaluated. Through analysis, it was found that these smeared behaviors exhibit the following characteristics: When plastic flow occurs, the smeared stress state of steel plates flows on the yield surface after yielding, which results in an increasing principal tensile stress and a decreasing principal compressive stress. For the concrete in the principal compressive direction of the SCS panels, confinement and softening effects may coexist. The concrete in the principal tensile direction of the SCS panels exhibits two different behaviors, and an unexpected compressive stress may be generated. These findings will provide a clearer understanding of the mechanical behaviors of concrete and steel plates in SCS panels in future research.

To evaluate the fire resistance of a structural member, the temperature profile in the cross section of the member needs to be obtained first. Full-scale fire tests have not been conducted on floor systems with steel-plate composite structures, termed SC floors. The traditional finite element analysis does not yield reliable temperature predictions in the steel and concrete of the SC floor under a standard fire. In this paper, the effective thermal properties of concrete in an SC floor are proposed for evaluating the transient temperature field according to the special heat transfer mechanism found by test data. The validity of these effective thermal properties is established by incorporating them into a finite element model and comparing the temperature predictions with data from fire tests. It is shown that the proposed effective thermal properties of concrete provide a good prediction of the temperature field in an SC floor under fire. The derivation process of the effective thermal properties based on the heat transfer analysis makes it possible to expand the scope of its application when the situation is similar to an SC floor.

Interaction solutions between lump and soliton are analytical exact solutions to nonlinear partial differential equations. The explicit expressions of the interaction solutions are of value for analysis of the interacting mechanism. We analyze the one-lump-multi-stripe and one-lump-multi-soliton solutions to nonlinear partial differential equations via Hirota bilinear forms. The one-lump-multi-stripe solutions are generated from the combined solution of quadratic functions and N exponential functions, while the one-lump-multi-soliton solutions from the combined solution of quadratic functions and N hyperbolic cosine functions. Within the context of the derivation of the lump solution and soliton solution, necessary and sufficient conditions are presented for the two types of interaction solutions, respectively, based on the combined solutions to the associated bilinear equations. Applications are made for a (2+1)-dimensional generalized KdV equation, the (2+1)-dimensional NNV system and the (2+1)-dimensional Ito equation.

The product productivity of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells need to be further increased and solved. Promoter and selection marker are essential elements for transgene expression. We investigated the effects of promoters, Woodchuck hepatitis post-transcriptional regulatory (WPRE) element, and selection marker on transgene expression in CHO cells. A weakened form of resistance gene neomycin phosphotransferase (NPT) and WPRE element were cloned into the expression vectors driven by the cytomegalovirus (CMV) and simian virus 40 (SV40) promoters, following by transfecting into CHO cells and screened under G418 pressure. qRT-PCR and Flow cytometry were used to detect the expression level of eGFP gene, and transgene copy number was determined using qPCR technology. Western blot and ELISA were utilized to analyze the expression levels of cetuximab. The weakened NPT gene enhanced eGFP expression both under the CMV or SV40 promoters. Moreover, WPRE, combined with the NPT gene considerably enhanced eGFP expression in CHO cells. Furthermore, the CMV promoter and WPRE combination resulted in higher cetuximab expression levels than CMV promoter alone. However, WPRE could not enhance the transgene expression under the circumstance of CMV promoter and weakened NPT gene combination, suggesting that the effects of the WPRE combined with selection markers were specificity.

BackgroundAccumulating evidence indicates that sporamin, the main storage protein in the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), can suppress the development of colorectal cancer (CRC), but the changes in the gut microbiome after sporamin intervention and its relationships with the pathogenesis of CRC have not been investigated.MethodsTwelve male athymic BALB/c nude mice were randomly divided into four groups, CG1, CG2, TCG, and TTG. Mice in TCG and TTG were intraperitoneally transplanted with the LoVo cancer cells before the interventions started. CG2 and TTG were intragastrically infused with sporamin (0.5 g/kg BW/ day) for four weeks while CG1 and TCG were infused with the same volume of water during the experiment. Fecal samples were collected after the interventions and then examined for the changes in the microbiota using the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequencing technology. The functional capabilities of the gut microbiota were predicted with the PICRUSt pipeline. Transcriptomic profiling of the tumor tissues was carried out for tumor-bearing mice with the RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) technology and the resultant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were then analyzed in terms of gene ontology (GO), protein-protein interaction (PPI), transcription factors (TF) prediction, and biological pathway annotations. ResultsSporamin significantly reduced the tumor burden of tumor-bearing mice and brought beneficial changes to the gut microbiome in both kinds of mice. It significantly increased the proportions of Barnesiella and Lactobacillus but reduced that of Bacteroides in tumor-bearing mice. The phenylalanine metabolism pathway, the glyoxylate, dicarboxylate metabolism, the bacterial secretion system, the glycan biosynthesis and metabolism, and the biosynthesis of stilbenoid, diarylheptanoid, and gingerol were favorably modulated by sporamin intervention. Sporamin mainly modulate the expression of the genes involved in the protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchor biosynthesis pathway, and the mineral absorption pathway. ConclusionSporamin could favorably alter the gut microbiome and its metabolome, improving the gut microenvironment and the viability of the gut microbiota and increasing the detoxification and bioactive substance production activities in the large intestine, by which the host’s metabolome may be altered and in turn exerts a suppressing effect on the protein synthesis and growth of tumor tissues.

To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) pretreatment on inflammatory reaction, apoptosis and expression of Yes-associated protein (YAP) of ischemic penumbra of cerebral cortex in cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury rats, and to explore the possible mechanism of its neuroprotection effect.A total of 84 SD rats were randomized into a sham operation group (12 rats), a model group (18 rats), an EA group (18 rats), an EA+YAP virus transfection group (18 rats) and an EA+virus control group (18 rats). Except for the sham operation group, thread embolization method was adopted to establish the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model in rats of the other groups. EA was applied at "Baihui" (GV 20) and "Dazhui" (GV 14) for 30 min in the 3 EA intervention groups 2 h before model establishment, disperse-dense wave, 2 Hz/15 Hz in frequency and 1 mA in intensity. Adenovirus transfection technique was used to induce gene silencing of YAP in the EA+YAP virus transfection group, and adenovirus vectors was injected as negative control in the EA+virus control group 4 d before model establishment. Twenty-four hours after model establishment, neurological function score was evaluated, the relative cerebral infarction area was observed by TTC staining, the apoptosis in the ischemic penumbra of cerebral cortex was detected by TUNEL staining, the levels of inflammatory factors IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α in the ischemic penumbra of cerebral cortex was detected by ELISA method, the expression of YAP was detected by Western blot and immunofluorescence.Compared with the sham operation group, the expression of YAP was increased in the model group (Electroacupuncture pretreatment can effectively improve the ischemia reperfusion injury, its mechanism may be related to up-regulating the expression of YAP in the ischemic penumbra of cerebral cortex and relieving the apoptosis and inflammatory reaction.

In this paper, we study abundant exact solutions including the lump and interaction solutions to the (2 + 1)-dimensional Yu–Toda–Sasa–Fukuyama equation. With symbolic computation, lump solutions and the interaction solutions are generated directly based on the Hirota bilinear formulation. Analyticity and well-definedness is guaranteed through some conditions posed on the parameters. With special choices of the involved parameters, the interaction phenomena are simulated and discussed. We find the lump moves from one hump to the other hump of the two-soliton, while the lump separates from the hump of the one-soliton.

Purpose: Previous study has shown that acute pain after laparoscope-assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH), which consists of several pain components, like somatic pain, visceral pain, shoulder pain, and low back pain (LBP). Potential risk factors of postoperative pain remain unclear. This study aimed to determine risk factors for different types of acute postoperative pain and provide guidance for personalized analgesic medication programs. Patients and methods: This was a prospective, observational cohort study, in which 287 patients undergoing LAVH between January, 2017 and September, 2018 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, China were included. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate risk factors for the different types of acute pain after LAVH. Results: In the total cohort, visceral pain and LBP were the most common complaints of patients, followed by somatic pain and shoulder pain. Multivariable analysis revealed that postoperative nausea and vomiting, BMI and main indication for surgery were associated with acute postoperative visceral pain. Preoperative chronic pain, BMI, preoperative anxiety and the number of trocars were associated with acute postoperative LBP, while occupation, pelvic adhesions, and history of abdominal surgery were risk factors for acute postoperative somatic pain. Conclusion: Our study highlights that acute postoperative visceral pain and LBP are main components of pain after LAVH, and different types of acute pain after LAVH are correlated with preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative factors. Acute postoperative pain has unique risk factors according to the component type.

Sporamin, a proteinase inhibitor isolated from the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), has shown promising anticancer effect against colorectal cancer (CRC) in vitro and in vivo but its mechanisms of action are poorly understood. In the present study, high throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) technology was applied to explore the transcriptomic changes induced by sporamin in the presence of thapsigargin (TG), a non-12-O-tetradecanolphorbol-13-acetate type cancer promoter, in the LoVo human CRC cells. Cellular total RNA was extracted from the cells after they were treated with vehicle (CTL), 1 μM of thapsigargin (TG), or 1 μM of TG plus 30 μM of sporamin (TGSP) for 24 h. The migratory capacity of the cells was determined by wound healing assay. The gene expression profiles of the cells were determined by RNA-seq on an Illumina platform. GO enrichment analysis, KEGG pathway analysis, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network construction, and transcription factors (TF) prediction were all performed based on the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) across groups with a series of bioinformatics tools. Finally, the effect and potential molecular targets of the sporamin at the transcriptome level were evaluated. Sporamin significantly inhibited the migration of cells induced by TG. Among the 17915 genes detected in RNA-seq, 46 DEGs were attributable to the effect of sporamin. RT-PCR experiment validated that the expression of RGPD2, SULT1A3, and BIVM-ERCC5 were up-regulated while NYP4R, FOXN1, PAK6, and CEACAM20 were down-regulated. Sporamin enhanced the mineral absorption pathway, worm longevity regulating pathway, and pyrimidine metabolism pathway. Two TFs (SMIM11A and ATOH8) were down-regulated by sporamin. HMOX1 (up-regulated) and NME1-NME2 (down-regulated) were the main nodes in a PPI network consisting of 16 DEGs that were modulated by sporamin in the presence of TG. Sporamin could favorably alter the gene expression profile of CRC cells, up-regulating the genes that contribute to the homeostasis of intracellular metal ions and the activities of essential enzymes and DNA damage repairment. More studies are warranted to verify its effect on specific genes and delineate the mechanism of action implicated in the process.

In recent years, the use of machine-made sand has gradually increased. Simultaneous monitoring of the particle size and shape of machine-made sand during its production is vital. Here, a machine-ma...

As a kind of analytical exact solutions to the nonlinear evolution equations, the interaction solutions are of great value in the study of the interacting mechanism in nonlinear science. In this paper, an optional decoupling condition approach is proposed for deriving the lump-stripe solutions and lump-soliton solutions to the KPI equation. We derive new and more general solutions to the KPI equation and discuss the link between the two kinds of interaction solutions, which has not been reported before. The interaction solutions to the KPI equation are analyzed and simulated numerically, which show that all the interaction phenomena are completely inelastic. Although we are concerned on the KPI equation in this paper, this approach can be applied to a wide class of nonlinear evolution equations and lays out the framework of deriving the lump-multi-stripe and/or lump-multi-soliton solutions.

Background Before generating radiotherapy plans for breast cancer patients, the choice of plan techniques (three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT)) should be made. This study investigated the performance of two geometric indices in aiding the choice of 3D-CRT and VMAT plans in women undergoing left-sided whole breast radiotherapy. Materials and methods 119 patients, previously treated with left-sided breast radiotherapy (61 3D-CRT treatments and 58 VMAT treatments) from a single institution, were retrospectively studied. Two geometric indices, which were cardiac junction (CJ) index and pulmonary junction (PJ) index, were defined and the relationship between these indices and dose of organs at risk (OARs) were evaluated. Two-tailed Student’s t-test was performed to compare patient characteristics between 3D-CRT and VMAT. Linear regressions were calculated to investigate the association between geometric indices and absorbed dose of heart and left lung, including mean dose of heart (MHD), V5, V30 of heart, and mean dose of left lung (MLLD), V5, V10, V20, V30, V40 of left lung. Results The CJ index was strongly correlated with the MHD in 3D-CRT group and VMAT group. The linear regression formulas were MHD = 4826.59 ×CJ Index+310.48 (R = 0.857, F = 163.77, P = 0.000) in 3D-CRT plans and MHD = 1789.29×CJ Index+437.50 (R = 0.45, F = 14.23, P = 0.000) in VMAT plans. The intersection of the two formulas was CJ index = 4.2% and MHD = 512.33 cGy. The PJ index demonstrated a strongly positive correlation with MLLD in 3D-CRT group and VMAT group as well. The linear regression formulas were MLLD = 2879.54×PJ Index+999.79 (R = 0.697, F = 55.86, P = 0.000) in 3D-CRT plans and MLLD = 1411.79×PJ Index+1091.88 (R = 0.676, F = 47.11, P = 0.000) in VMAT plans, the intersection of the two formulas was PJ index = 6.3% and MLLD = 1180.46 cGy. Conclusions CJ index and PJ index could be used as a practical tool to select 3D-CRT or VMAT before generating plans. We recommend that VMAT plan is preferable when CJ index is greater than 4.2% and/or PJ index is greater than 14.6%, while 3D-CRT plan is the first choice in the opposite.

A novel chromatic dispersion (CD) monitoring technique based on asynchronous amplitude sampling (AAS) is proposed for a higher modulation format and higher rate system. The dispersion and other impairment factors can be separated with the definition of monitoring parameter M. A 400 Gbit/s 256 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) system is built using Optisystem13.0 beta software. Simulations of CD monitoring technique for different bandwidths of sampling Gaussian filter, optical signal to noise ratios (OSNRs) and duty cycles are investigated, and the tolerance is also discussed. Simulation results show that the method can be less affected by noise, and a higher accuracy of 600 ps/(nm·km) can be achieved. The technique supports a wide range of data traffic and enhances operation flexibility of optical networks.

The N-rational solutions to two (2+1)-dimensional nonlinear evolution equations are constructed by utilizing the long wave limit method. M-lump solutions to the two equations are derived by making some parameters conjugate to each other. We present and discuss the 1-, 2- and 3-lump solutions to the two equations. The amplitude and shape of the one lump wave remain unchanged during the propagation. The dynamic properties of the collisions among multiple lump waves are analyzed, which indicate that the fusion and fission of multiple lump waves might occur. The multiple lump waves might merge into one lump wave, then split into multiple lump waves. The lines which multiple lump waves follow are various if we choose different parameters. These results are helpful to describe some nonlinear phenomena in the areas of optics, fluid dynamics and plasma.

A generalized Burgers equation with variable coefficients is introduced based on the (2+1)-dimensional Burgers equation. Using the test function method combined with the bilinear form, we obtain the lump solutions to the generalized Burgers equation with variable coefficients. The amplitude and velocity of the extremum point are derived to analyze the propagation of the lump wave. Moreover, we derive and study the mixed solutions including lump-one-kink and lump-two-kink cases. With symbolic computation, two cases of relations among the parameters are yielded corresponding to the solutions. Different and interesting interaction phenomena arise from assigning abundant functions to the variable coefficients. Especially, we find that the shape of kink waves might be parabolic type, and one lump wave can be decomposed into two lump waves. The test function method is applicable for the generalized Burgers equation with variable coefficients, and it will be applied to some other variable-coefficient equations in the future.

The (2+1)-dimensional Kadomtsev-Petviashvili type equations describe the nonlinear phenomena and characteristics in oceanography, fluid dynamics and shallow water. In the literature, a novel (2+1)-dimensional nonlinear model is proposed, and the localized wave interaction solutions are studied including lump-kink and lump-soliton types. Hereby, it is of further value to investigate the integrability characteristics of this model. In this paper, we firstly conduct the Painleve analysis and find it fails to pass the Painleve test due to a non-vanishing compatibility condition at the highest resonance level. Then we derive the soliton solutions and give the formula of the N -soliton solution, which is proved by means of the Hirota condition. The criterion for the linear superposition principle is also given to generate the resonant solutions. Backlund transformation, Lax pair and infinitely many conservation laws are derived through the Hirota bilinear method and Bell polynomial approach. As a result, we have a more overall understanding of the integrability characteristics of this novel (2+1)-dimensional nonlinear model.

We focus on the localized characteristics of lump and interaction solutions to two extended Jimbo–Miwa equations. Based on the Hirota bilinear method and the test function method, we construct the exact solutions to the extended equations including lump solutions, lump–kink solutions, and two other types of interaction solutions, by solving the under-determined nonlinear system of algebraic equations for associated parameters. Finally, analysis and graphical simulation are presented to show the dynamical characteristics of our solutions and the interaction behaviors are revealed.

Steel-Concrete-Steel (SCS) composite wall is being used for different purposes for its improved performances. Some analytical and finite element models have been presented in the past to predict the behavior of such walls. In this paper, an attempt is made to develop an iterative membrane model to analyze SCS wall panels subjected to in-plane membrane forces in the principal directions. The model accounts for the post-cracking Poisson effects of concrete as the Zhu/Hsu ratio. Individual behaviors of concrete and steel plates in an SCS panel are studied in which confinement in principal tensile direction accompanied by negative uniaxial tensile strain in concrete is observed. To explain this behavior, a detailed perspective for uniaxial strain in principal tensile direction is proposed and the conventional stress-strain trajectory of concrete in tension is extended to incorporate any confinement developed in the concrete. Constitutive law of concrete in compression is also modified to incorporate the observed confining behavior of the concrete.

In this paper, a (3+1)-dimensional Hirota-Satsuma-Ito-like equation is introduced based on the (2+1)-dimensional Hirota-Satsuma-Ito equation. Backlund transformation and corresponding exponential function solutions are deduced by virtue of the Hirota bilinear form. The lump solutions are constructed and the interaction phenomena between a lump wave and multi-kink waves are discussed. The lump wave may turn up in different positions and can be swallowed by multi-kink waves, which means that the collision is non-elastic. Finally, the dynamical behavior of the interaction phenomena is numerically simulated.

The size distribution of manufactured sand particles has a significant influence on the quality of concrete. To overcome the shortcomings of the traditional vibration-sieving method, a manufactured sand casting/dispersing system was developed, based on the characteristics of the sand particle contours (as determined by backlit image acquisition) and an extraction mechanism. Algorithms for eliminating particles from the image that had be repeatedly captured, as well as for identifying incomplete particles at the boundaries of the image, granular contour segmentation, and the determination of an equivalent particle size, are studied. The hardware and software for the image-based detection device were developed. A particle size repeatability experiment was carried out on the single-grade sands, grading the size fractions of the manufactured sand over a range of 0.6-4.75 mm. A method of particle-size correction is proposed to compensate for the difference in the results obtained by the image-based method and those obtained by the sieving method. The experimental results show that the maximum repeatability error of single-grade fractions is 3.46% and the grading size fraction is 0.51%. After the correction of the image method, the error between the grading size fractions obtained by the two methods was reduced from 7.22%, 6.10% and 5% to 1.47%, 1.65%, and 3.23%, respectively. The accuracy of the particle-size detection can thus satisfy real-world measuring requirements.

Objective This study explores the unmet psychosocial rehabilitation needs of cancer survivors. Methods Sixty-eight cancer survivors from the Shanghai Cancer Rehabilitation Club in China participated in one of the eight focus groups. These were transcribed verbatim, coded using thematic analysis and analysed using NVivo 10. Results Five main themes were identified: the need for (1) better information: Chinese cancer survivors find it difficult to sort and evaluate the overwhelming mass of information with which they are confronted; (2) psychological support: survivors fear cancer relapse and neighbours' discrimination against them; support from other cancer survivors can relieve the stress; (3) support for survivors' families: like the survivors, family members are under great but usually unacknowledged pressure; (4) improved health and medical services: community health service centres provide little medical, informational or psychological support for cancer survivors, who seek and expect more communication with doctors; and (5) assistance with the financial burden: costs of treatment and lack of adequate medical insurance cause substantial financial pressure for survivors. Conclusions This study shows that, in addition to their illness, Chinese cancer survivors experience a range of stresses related to their financial circumstances, lack of reliable and summarised information, poor access to support and services (including for their families) and discrimination. Support from families seems to improve survivors' ability to cope. Cancer survivors (and their families) need an integrated package of support from their families, doctors and other service providers, hospitals and communities. These findings can inform approaches to continuing care for cancer survivors. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are one of the most commonly used expression systems for the production of recombinant proteins but low levels of transgene expression and transgene silencing are frequently encountered. Epigenetic regulatory elements such as the chicken β-globin locus control region hypersensitive site 4 (HS4), and scaffold/matrix attachment regions (S/ MARs) have positive effects on transgene expression. In this study, a chimeric HS4–SAR was cloned upstream or downstream of an enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) expression cassette in a eukaryotic vector, and the resulting vectors were transfected into Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. eGFP was detected by flow cytometry. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) were used to determine copy numbers of the stably transfected cells. And fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to detect the status of vector in the host cell chromosome. The results showed that HS4–SAR positioned downstream of the expression cassette could enhance eGFP expression by 4.83-fold compared with the control vector. There may not be a relationship between transgene copy number and gene expression level. HS4–SAR did not appear to alter the integration of the transgene into the host cell chromosome or its position in the chromosome. We found a synthetic chimeric HS4–SAR positively increased transgene expression in CHO cells.

Polydatin (PD), a component isolated from Polygonum cuspidatum, has a number of biological functions. However, the antitumor activity of PD has been poorly investigated. In this study, the effect of PD on cell proliferation was evaluated by thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide assay. Cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were investigated by flow cytometry. The phosphorylation levels of panel of phosphor-kinases were detected by human phospho-kinase arrays. The expression of several proteins associated with cell cycle and apoptosis were analyzed by Western blot analysis. Results showed that PD effectively inhibited the growth of MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines. Cell cycle analysis demonstrated that PD induced S-phase cell cycle arrest. Human phosphor-kinase arrays showed that the phosphorylation level of cAMP response element-bingding proteins(Creb) was down-regulated, and the results were further confirmed by Western blot analysis. Western blot analysis showed that the expression of protein of cyclin D1 decreased in a time- and dose- dependent manner. Results suggest that PD is a potential therapeutic natural compound.

The leak detecting-ball moving in pipes combined the sensors of the acoustic leak detection achieves the high responsiveness to small leaks of the water distribution system (WDS). The dynamic characteristics of the single sphere moving inside pressure pipes are studied for optimal design of the leak detecting-ball. The experimental balls having different densities are made of three types of material by using 3D printing, including tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), photosensitive resin (PR) and wax. The balls have densities from 1.06 to 1.35 and different diameters, ball-to-pipe diameter ratios from 0.32 to 0.5. The Reynolds numbers of the pipe flows are from 1400 to 50000. The moving velocity of the balls with different pipe flow velocities, ball densities, and ball-to-pipe diameter ratios are investigated through the laboratory experiments. The velocities of balls in some of the experimental tests are greater than the average flow velocity. These larger balls rolled faster than the average flow velocity because of the maximum thrust by the pressure flow in the center of the circular tube section.

This paper described the experimental results of 9 steel-concrete-steel (SCS 1 ) sandwich panels subjected to biaxial tension compression. Specific specimens and loading modes were designed to simulate uniform loading in SCS panels. 8 LVDTs were used to measure the biaxial averaged principal strains. The test parameters were compression to tension ratio (C/T), steel plate ratio (ρs) and tie bar space to steel plate thickness ratio (Bt/t). Test results show that SCS panels feature high strength and good ductility even under high C/T. The ultimate strengths of SCS panels are compared with previously established failure criteria. It was found that, in the principal tension direction, for SCS panel elements under high C/T, the averaged concrete stress between cracks may turned from tension to compression, which is supposed to be caused by the rapid enlargement of Poisson's effects of the concrete subjected to combined tension and compression. According to the test results, confinement effect and compression softening effect coexist in the principal compression direction; tension weakening effect rather than tension stiffening effect happens in the principal tension direction. These two new findings will help us further understand the mechanical behavior of concrete in SCS panels in the future research.