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Background: Predicting mortality in the emergency department (ED) is imperative to guide palliative care and end-of-life decisions. However, the clinical usefulness of utilizing the existing screening tools still leaves something to be desired. Methods: We advanced the screening tool with the A-qCPR (Age, qSOFA (quick sepsis-related organ failure assessment), cancer, Performance Status Scale, and DNR (Do-Not-Resuscitate) risk score model for predicting one-year mortality in the emergency department of Taipei City Hospital of Taiwan with the potential of hospice need and evaluated its performance compared with the existing screening model. We adopted a large retrospective cohort in conjunction with in-time (the trained and the holdout validation cohort) for the development of the A-qCPR model and out-of-time validation sample for external validation and model robustness to variation with the calendar year. Results: A total of 10,474 patients were enrolled in the training cohort and 33,182 patients for external validation. Significant risk scores included age (0.05 per year), qSOFA ≥ 2 (4), Cancer (5), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status score ≥ 2 (2), and DNR status (2). One-year mortality rates were 13.6% for low (score ≦ 3 points), 29.9% for medium (3 < Score ≦ 9 points), and 47.1% for high categories (Score > 9 points). The AUROC curve for the in-time validation sample was 0.76 (0.74–0.78). However, the corresponding figure was slightly shrunk to 0.69 (0.69–0.70) based on out-of-time validation. The accuracy with our newly developed A-qCPR model was better than those existing tools including 0.57 (0.56–0.57) by using SQ (surprise question), 0.54 (0.54–0.54) by using qSOFA, and 0.59 (0.59–0.59) by using ECOG performance status score. Applying the A-qCPR model to emergency departments since 2017 has led to a year-on-year increase in the proportion of patients or their families signing DNR documents, which had not been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions: The A-qCPR model is not only effective in predicting one-year mortality but also in identifying hospice needs. Advancing the screening tool that has been widely used for hospice in various scenarios is particularly helpful for facilitating the end-of-life decision-making process in the ED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease of unknown etiology that affects the colon and rectum. It has evolved into a global burden due to the high incidence in developed countries and the highly-increased incidence in developing countries. Non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs) from natural resources, as a type of functional carbohydrates, have a significant therapeutic effect on UC because of their good anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities. Based on the etiology and pathogenesis of UC, this review summarizes the intervention effects and mechanisms of NSPs in the prevention and treatment of UC. The results showed that NSPs can improve UC by protecting the intestinal mucosal barrier, regulating the immune response of the intestinal mucosa, and remodeling the intestinal flora and metabolites. These contents provide theoretical basis for the application of polysaccharides in the prevention and treatment of UC. • The incidence of ulcerative colitis (UC) has increased dramatically, posing a serious threat to human health. • Non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs) from natural resources have a protective effect on UC. • The potential mechanisms of the intervention of NSPs in UC were elucidated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parallel programming libraries have been proposed to simplify programming for parallel raster-based geocomputation through hiding parallel programming details for users. However, the strategy of data domain decomposition used in existing libraries often leads to load imbalance owing to inherent characteristics of geocomputation including not only irregular spatial data distribution, but also spatial variation in the amount of computation, thereby impeding their parallel performances. This paper thus proposes a load-balancing strategy of data domain decomposition in parallel programming libraries for raster-based geocomputation based on the concept of spatial computational domain, which characterizes the distribution of computational intensity based on geocomputation characteristics. By implementing the proposed strategy with the message passing interface (MPI), a set of parallel raster-based geocomputation operators across different parallel computing platforms (known as PaRGO V2) was upgraded to improve load-balancing parallelization. The proposed strategy was evaluated by parallelizing two typical geocomputation algorithms (i.e. inverse distance weight interpolation and fuzzy c-means clustering) using PaRGO V2 with uneven distributed computational intensity. The results show that the proposed strategy with PaRGO V2, compared with the previously adopted data domain decomposition strategy, yielded significant improvements to the load balance (i.e. better parallel performance). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present meta-analysis aimed to investigate the differences in the incidence of thrombosis and vascular compromise in arterial anastomosis between microvascular anastomotic devices and hand-sewn techniques during free tissue transfer in the head and neck. We searched for articles in PubMed/Medline, CNKI, WANFANG DATA, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Web of Science, from January 1, 1962 till April 1, 2020 that reported data of microvascular anastomosis during free tissue transfer in the head and neck. The incidence of arterial thrombosis or vascular compromise, or both was the primary outcome. The secondary outcome was anastomotic time. We also assessed the sensitivity and the risk of bias. This meta-analysis included 583 arterial anastomoses from six studies. The group using microvascular anastomotic devices tended to have an increased incidence of arterial thrombosis and vascular compromise (risk ratio (RR), 3.42; P = 0.38; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.91–12.77). The hand-sewn technique took significantly longer to perform the anastomosis compared with that of the microvascular anastomotic devices (weighted mean difference, 15.26 min; P<0.01; 95% CI, 14.65–15.87). Microvascular anastomotic devices might increase the risk of arterial thrombosis and vascular compromise compared with the hand-sewn technique; however, further randomized controlled trials are needed to provide a more accurate estimate. The application of microvascular anastomotic devices will help to reduce anastomotic surgery time and achieve acceptable vessel opening, benefiting from the developments of arterial couplers and microsurgical techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. In vivo confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) is an emerging diagnostic tool allowing fast and easy microscopic tissue examination. For the diagnostics of pathological eyelid margin lesions, the knowledge of the normal eyelid margin is essential. Methods. We examined 18 eyelid margins of healthy humans using the in vivo CLSM device and 10 samples of healthy eyelid margins from donor sites with ex vivo CLSM and compared the findings to the corresponding histological sections of donor sites. Cross-section images of different depths and depths of different skin appendages were measured. Results. The depth observed by in vivo CLSM is less than 150 μm into the eyelid. Images of the epidermis and superficial dermis skin, appendages including hair follicle, and sebaceous catheters can be captured associated with histopathology and ex vivo confocal microscopy. In correlation with histopathology, we identified different layers of the eyelid margin, different layers of the epidermis, and skin appendages by ex vivo confocal microscopy. Conclusions. The study offers an overview of the in vivo confocal microscopy human eyelid margin characteristics in comparison to the standard histological examination and confirms that in vivo CLSM could not observe the meibomian gland acini structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methamphetamine (METH) abuse is known to cause executive dysfunction. However, the molecular mechanism underlying METH induced executive dysfunction remains unclear. Go/NoGo experiment was performed in mice to evaluate METH-induced executive dysfunction. Immunoblot analysis of Nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), phosphorylated Nrf2 (p-Nrf2), heme-oxygenase-1 (HO-1), Glucose Regulated Protein 78(GRP78), C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), Bcl-2, Bax and Caspase3 was performed to evaluate the levels of oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and apoptosis in the dorsal striatum (Dstr). Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity was conducted to evaluate the level of oxidative stress. TUNEL staining was conducted to detect apoptotic neurons. The animal Go/NoGo testing confirmed that METH abuse impaired the inhibitory control ability of executive function. Meanwhile, METH down-regulated the expression of p-Nrf2, HO-1 and GSH-Px and activated ER stress and apoptosis in the Dstr. Microinjection of Tert-butylhydroxyquinone (TBHQ), an Nrf2 agonist, into the Dstr increased the expression of p-Nrf2, HO-1, and GSH-Px, ameliorated ER stress, apoptosis and executive dysfunction caused by METH. Our results indicated that the p-Nrf2/HO-1 pathway was potentially involved in mediating methamphetamine-induced executive dysfunction by inducing endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis in the dorsal striatum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new 3-trifluoromethyl-substituted triphenylamine-containing aromatic diacid monomer,N,N-bis(4-carboxyphenyl)-3-trifluoromethylaniline, was prepared by the substitution reaction of 3-trifluoromethylaniline with 4-fluorobenzonitrile, followed by alkaline hydrolysis of the dinitrile intermediate. Novel aromatic polyamides with 3-trifluoromethyl-substituted triphenylamine moieties were prepared from the diacid and various aromatic diaminesviathe direct phosphorylation polycondensation. All the polyamides were amorphous and readily soluble in many polar organic solvents such asN,N-dimethylacetamide andN-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, and could be solution-cast into transparent, tough, and flexible films with good mechanical properties. They exhibited good thermal stability with relatively high glass-transition temperatures (258–327°C), 10% weight-loss temperatures above 500°C, and char yields higher than 60% at 800°C in nitrogen. These polymers had low dielectric constants of 3.22–3.70 (100 Hz), low moisture absorption in the range of 1.75–2.58%, and high transparency with an ultraviolet–visible absorption cut-off wavelength in the 375–395 nm range. Cyclic voltammograms of the polyamide films cast onto an indium tin oxide coated glass substrate exhibited a reversible oxidation redox couple with oxidation half-wave potentials (E1/2) of 0.95–1.00 V vs. Ag/AgCl in an acetonitrile solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease with unknown etiology and difficult treatment. In this study, the intervention effect of Dendrobium fimbriatum Hook polysaccharide (cDFPW1) on UC was verified by constructing a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mouse model, and the protective effect of cDFPW1 on intestinal mucosal integrity in UC was explored by the co-culture system consisting of intestinal organoids and lamina propria lymphocytes (LPLs) combined with the experiment of microbial depletion mice. Results showed that cDFPW1 significantly alleviated UC symptoms in mice and promoted the proliferation of intestinal epithelial cells. Importantly, cDFPW1 could directly improve DSS-induced morphological damage of intestinal organoids and increase the number of epithelial cells, which was validated in mice. During repair, an increase in the number of Lgr5+ cells in intestinal organoids and mouse intestines was promoted by cDFPW1. Meanwhile, cDFPW1 promoted intestinal stem cells (ISCs)-mediated intestinal epithelial regeneration by significantly upregulating IL-22 expression. We further confirmed that the secretion of IL-22 was mediated by LPLs. Together, these findings suggest that cDFPW1 promotes ISCs regeneration by LPLs-mediated up-regulation of IL-22 to protect the intestinal mucosal integrity, thereby playing an important role in improving UC. • cDFPW1 ameliorated DSS-induced intestinal mucosal injury. • cDFPW1 increased the number of Lgr5+ cells in intestinal organoids and mice intestines. • cDFPW1 promoted ISCs regeneration by LPLs-mediated up-regulation of IL-22. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. To evaluate the optical quality and related factors in patients with ocular hypertension (OHT). Methods. This was a prospective case-control study. A total of 12 eyes with OHT and 20 control eyes underwent testing with Optical Quality Analysis System II (OQAS II) to evaluate the modulation transfer function cut off frequency (MTF cutoff), the Strehl 2D ratio (SR), objective scatter index (OSI), tear-film mean OSI (TFOSI), and the OQAS values (OV100%,OV20%, and OV9%). Results. The optical quality of patients with OHT declined, with lower MTF cutoff (OHT 36.86 ± 7.11 cpd , controls 48.50 ± 4.04 cpd, t=-4.60, P<0.05), lower SR (OHT 0.22 ± 0.04, controls 0.27 ± 0.05, t=-2.72, P<0.05), lower OV100% (OHT 1.26 ± 0.25, controls 1.61 ± 0.14, t=-4.03, P<0.05), lower OV20% (OHT 1.27 ± 0.27, controls 1.72 ± 0.20, t=-4.00, P<0.05), and lower OV9% (OHT 1.30 ± 0.25, controls 1.69 ± 0.32, t=-2.28, P<0.05). There were not any statistically significant differences in OSI and TFOSI. The MTF cutoff in patients with OHT was correlated significantly with age (r=-0.59, P<0.05). Conclusions. Optical quality of patients with OHT is reduced, with lower MTF cutoff, SR, OV100%, OV20%, and OV9%. MTF cutoff is negatively related to age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the widely accepted Almon procedure was extended to estimate industry-by-industry IO tables based on fixed industry sales structure assumption to avoid negative flows. Based on the Almon procedure's point of avoiding negative flows during iteration and derivation formula of the fixed industry sales structure assumption, we constructed iterative formula, and adopted scale factors in the part where negative entries may arise to avoid negative flows in every iterative step. Also, we gave intuitive interpretations for iterative formula and scale factors. To test the validity of the method, empirical comparison between the extended Almon procedure and the traditional approach is employed. The extend Almon procedure is proved to have better performance than the traditional method, since it yields more accurate estimation than that of traditional method, against the official survey-based IO table. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Nanoparticles were designed to encapsulate drugs to alter their pharmacological behaviors, therefore, it is very essential to monitor the pharmacokinetic profile of drug encapsulated in nanoparticles in order to clarify and predict their efficacy and side effects. In this paper, we reported a simple, rapid μ-elution 96-well solid phase extraction (μSPE) method combining with ultra high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS) for determination of nanoformulated drug in rat plasma. This method presented satisfactory results in terms of sensitivity, precision, accuracy, and recovery, for the first time, of quantitatively analyzing clarithromycin (CLA) in rat plasma after intravenous administration CLA-loaded ultrafine PLGA nanoparticles for pharmacokinetic study. This method has been proved to be fast, reliable and reproducible to accurately analyze drug encapsulated in polymeric nanoparticles sample for a pharmacokinetic study. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Bioreducible and core-crosslinked hybrid micelles were for the first time fabricated from biodegradable and biocompatible trimethoxysilyl-terminated and disulfide-bond-linked block copolymers poly(ε-caprolactone)-S-S-poly(ethylene oxide), which were prepared by combining thiol-ene coupling reaction and ring-opening polymerization. The molecular structures, physicochemical, self-assembly, and bioreducible properties of these copolymers were thoroughly characterized by means of FTIR, 1H NMR, gel permeation chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and transmission electron microscopy. The core-crosslinking sol-gel reaction was confirmed by 1H NMR, and the core-crosslinked hybrid micelles contained about 3 wt % of silica. The bioreducible property of both uncrosslinked and core-crosslinked micelles in 10 mM 1,4-dithiothreitol (DTT) solution was monitored by DLS, which demonstrated that the PEO corona gradually shedded from the PCL core. The anticancer doxorubicin drug-loaded micelles showed nearly spherical morphology compared with blank micelles, presenting a DTT reduction-triggered drug-release profile at 37 °C. Notably, the core-crosslinked hybrid micelles showed about twofold drug loading capacities and a half drug-release rate compared with the uncross-liked counterparts. This work provides a useful platform for the fabrication of bioreducible and core-crosslinked hybrid micelles potential for anticancer drug delivery system. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a review on studies of the relationship between gene and malignant arrhythmia related to post-myocardial infarction. It mentions that myocardial infarction (MI) is a myocardial ischemic necrosis which could lead to sudden cardiac death. It cites that patients with MI had higher incidence of rhythmic diseases. It concludes that patients with post-MI are associated with a slight QT interval prolongation in most patients or long QT syndrome.

The article reviews the article "Relationship Between Gene and Malignant Arrhythmia related to post-MI" which appeared in the "Journal of Chinese Clinical Medicine" in August 2010.

Abstract: The Ligularia–Cremanthodium–Parasenecio (L–C–P) complex of the Tussilagininae (Asteraceae: Senecioneae) contains more than 200 species that are endemic to the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in eastern Asia. These species are morphologically distinct; however, their relationships appear complex. A phylogenetic analysis of members of the complex and selected taxa of the tribe Senecioneae was conducted using chloroplast (ndhF and trnL-F) and nuclear (ITS) sequences. Phylogenetic trees were constructed from individual and combined datasets of the three different sequences. All analyses suggested that Doronicum, a genus that has been included in the Tussilagininae, should be excluded from this subtribe and placed at the base of the tribe Senecioneae. In addition, the Tussilagininae should be broadly circumscribed to include the Tephroseridinae. Within the expanded Tussilagininae containing all 13 genera occurring in eastern Asia, Tussilago and Petasites diverged early as a separate lineage, while the remaining 11 genera comprise an expanded L–C–P complex clade. We suggest that the L–C–P clade, which is largely unresolved, most likely originated as a consequence of an explosive radiation. The few monophyletic subclades identified in the L–C–P clade with robust support further suggest that some genera of Tussilagininae from eastern Asia require generic re-circumscriptions given the occurrence of subclades containing species of the same genus in different parts of the phylogentic tree due to homoplasy of important morphological characters used to delimit them. Molecular-clock analyses suggest that the explosive radiation of the L–C–P complex occurred mostly within the last 20 million years, which falls well within the period of recent major uplifts of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau between the early Miocene to the Pleistocene. It is proposed that significant increases in geological and ecological diversity that accompanied such uplifting, most likely promoted rapid and continuous allopatric speciation in small and isolated populations, and allowed fixation or acquisition of similar morphological characters within unrelated lineages. This phenomenon, possibly combined with interspecific diploid hybridization because of secondary sympatry during relatively stable stages between different uplifts, could be a major cause of high species diversity in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and adjacent areas of eastern Asia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Detection of craters is important not only for planetary research but also for engineering applications. Although the existing crater detection approaches (CDAs) based on terrain analysis consider the topographic information of craters, they do not take into account the spatial structural information of real craters. In this article, we propose an automatic crater detection approach by training random forest classifiers with data from legacy crater map and spatial structural information of craters derived from digital terrain analysis. In the proposed two-stage approach, first, the cells in a legacy crater map are used as samples to train the random forest classifier at a cell level based on multiscale landform element information. This trained classifier is then applied to identify crater candidates in the areas of interest. Second, an object-level random forest classifier is trained with radial elevation profiles of craters and is subsequently applied to evaluate whether each crater candidate is real. A case study using the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter crater map and lunar digital elevation model with 500-m resolution showed that the proposed approach performs better than AutoCrat (a representative CDA), and can mine the implicit expert knowledge on the spatial structures of real craters from legacy crater maps. The proposed approach could be extended to extract other geomorphologic types in similar application situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• C/EBPβ and TFAM were significantly up-regulated in AKI model in vitro and in vivo. • Knockdown of C/EBPβ inhibited inflammation and pyroptosis of HK2 cells induced by LPS combined with ATP. • C/EBPβ increased the expression of TFAM by binding to TFAM. • Overexpression of TFAM reversed the effect of C/EBPβ knockdown on pyroptosis in HK2 cells. • The interaction between C/EBPβ and TFAM promoted pyroptosis by activating NLRP3/caspase1 signal axis. Sepsis-induced inflammatory damage is a crucial cause of acute kidney injury (AKI), and AKI is an ecumenical fearful complication in approximately half of patients with sepsis. CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein β (C/EBPβ) plays roles in regulating acute phase responses and inflammation. However, the role and mechanism of C/EBPβ in AKI are unclear. LPS combined with ATP-treated renal epithelial cells HK2 and cecal ligation-peferation (CLP)-mice were used as models of AKI in vitro and in vivo. Cell damage, the secretion of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), IL-18 and cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase 1 (caspase-1) activity were tested by LDH, ELISA assay and flow cytometry analysis, respectively. The expression levels of TFAM, C/EBPβ, and pyroptosis-related molecules were tested by qRT-PCR and Western blotting. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assessed the interaction between C/EBPβ with TFAM. Hematoxylin-Eosin (H&E) staining detected pathological changes of kidney tissues, and immunohistochemistry measured TFAM and C/EBPβ in mice kidney tissues. C/EBPβ or TFAM were up-regulated in LPS combined with ATP -induced HK2 cells. Knockdown of C/EBPβ could suppress cell injury and the secretion of IL-1β and IL-18 induced by LPS combined with ATP. Furthermore, C/EBPβ up-regulated the expression levels of TFAM via directly binding to TFAM promoter. Overexpression of TFAM reversed the effects of C/EBPβ deficiency on pyroptosis. Knockdown of C/EBPβ could inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated caspase-1 signaling pathway by inactivating TFAM/RAGE pathway. It was further confirmed in the AKI mice that C/EBPβ and TFAM promoted AKI by activating NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis. The interaction of between C/EBPβ and TFAM facilitated pyroptosis by activating NLRP3/caspase-1 signal axis, thereby promoting the occurrence of AKI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micelles are self-assembled nanoscaled aggregates from amphiphilic unimers and can be used to encapsulate hydrophobic drugs. However, the dynamic exchanging of unimers between micelles and bulk solution often leads to micelle destabilization and subsequent leaking of the encapsulated substances. Thus, we incorporated a hydrophobic polymer into the micellar core for interlacing the unimers and stabilizing the micelle structure. The polymer-stabilized and non-polymer-stabilized micelles have similar physicochemical properties including small sizes (~35 nm), negative surface charges (~−35 mV), and high drug contents (~15%). Drugs encapsulated in polymer-stabilized micelles are released in a slower rate than are non-polymer-stabilized micelles. From in vivo pharmacokinetic studies, drugs loaded in polymer-stabilized micelles have lower clearance and higher plasma concentration and lower volume distribution than non-polymer-stabilized micelles have. In conclusion, polymer-stabilized micelles can reduce rapid drug clearance via strengthening of the micellar structure and increase in the available drug amount in plasma, thus broadening pharmaceutical applications of micelles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CD4CD25 regulatory T cells (Tregs), an innate immunomodulator, suppress cerebral inflammation and maintain immune homeostasis in multiple central nervous system injury, but its role in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) has not been fully characterized. This study investigated the effect of Tregs on brain injury using the mouse ICH model, which is established by autologous blood infusion. The results showed that tail intravenous injection of Tregs significantly reduced brain water content and Evans blue dye extravasation of perihematoma at day (1, 3 and 7), and improved short- and long-term neurological deficits following ICH in mouse model. Tregs treatment reduced the content of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and malondialdehyde, while increasing the superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymatic activity at day (1, 3 and 7) following ICH. Furthermore, Tregs treatment obviously reduced the number of NF-κB, IL-6, TUNEL and active caspase-3 cells at day 3 after ICH. These results indicate that adoptive transfer of Tregs may provide neuroprotection following ICH in mouse models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymer materials have become one of the potential materials for remediation of heavy metal (HM) contamination in water and soil. However, the specific advantages of polymers are rarely studied. Water-soluble thiourea formaldehyde resin (WTF) is one of the effective polymer amendments. Through leaching experiments, WTF can stabilize 93.0% of Cd2+ and 99.7% of Cu2+. The results of HM morphology analysis show that after adding WTF, most of the HMs have been transformed into a relatively stable state. For example, in the process of remediation of 6 mg/kg Cd contaminated soil, the proportion of acid-soluble Cd decreased from 56.5% to 12.8%, and the residual state increased from 13.5% to 45.4%. Compared with the resin-free structure, the three-dimensional structure of the resin plays an important role, but the efficiency of precipitation with HMs is doubled. According to the simulation of the adsorption process by Materials Studio, the characterization of the scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive instrument and the results of the adsorption experiment, in the solution, the precipitate formed by WTF and Cd2+ has multilayer adsorption of HMs, and can further adsorb HM by –OH. Soil enzyme activity experiments proved that the risk of secondary pollution by adding WTF is rare, and even WTF can achieve the effect of slow-release nitrogen fertilizer. In the WTF remediation process, the biological toxicity reduction of HMs is result from, on the one hand, the complexation of functional group of WTF; on the other hand, the resin structure of WTF; in addition, multi-layer adsorption and adsorption of end groups in the precipitation formed by WTF and HM. This work provides a theoretical basis for the potential capabilities of water-soluble resins and is beneficial to the design and development of subsequent amendments. [Display omitted] • The stability rates of Cd and Cu reached 93.0% and 99.7%, respectively. • Compared with NRTH, the resin structure of WTF increases the stabilization ability. • HMs can be further removed by WTF chelate in the way of multilayer adsorption. • The monomer of WTF can bind to the active sites 330 and 334 of urease. • The soil nutrient cycle changes positively with the addition of WTF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymer materials have become one of the potential materials for remediation of heavy metal (HM) contamination in water and soil. However, the specific advantages of polymers are rarely studied. Water-soluble thiourea formaldehyde resin (WTF) is one of the effective polymer amendments. Through leaching experiments, WTF can stabilize 93.0% of Cd2+ and 99.7% of Cu2+. The results of HM morphology analysis show that after adding WTF, most of the HMs have been transformed into a relatively stable state. For example, in the process of remediation of 6 mg/kg Cd contaminated soil, the proportion of acid-soluble Cd decreased from 56.5% to 12.8%, and the residual state increased from 13.5% to 45.4%. Compared with the resin-free structure, the three-dimensional structure of the resin plays an important role, but the efficiency of precipitation with HMs is doubled. According to the simulation of the adsorption process by Materials Studio, the characterization of the scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive instrument and the results of the adsorption experiment, in the solution, the precipitate formed by WTF and Cd2+ has multilayer adsorption of HMs, and can further adsorb HM by –OH. Soil enzyme activity experiments proved that the risk of secondary pollution by adding WTF is rare, and even WTF can achieve the effect of slow-release nitrogen fertilizer. In the WTF remediation process, the biological toxicity reduction of HMs is result from, on the one hand, the complexation of functional group of WTF; on the other hand, the resin structure of WTF; in addition, multi-layer adsorption and adsorption of end groups in the precipitation formed by WTF and HM. This work provides a theoretical basis for the potential capabilities of water-soluble resins and is beneficial to the design and development of subsequent amendments. [Display omitted] • The stability rates of Cd and Cu reached 93.0% and 99.7%, respectively. • Compared with NRTH, the resin structure of WTF increases the stabilization ability. • HMs can be further removed by WTF chelate in the way of multilayer adsorption. • The monomer of WTF can bind to the active sites 330 and 334 of urease. • The soil nutrient cycle changes positively with the addition of WTF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies showed that the up-regulation of glial glutamate transporter-1 (GLT-1) participates in the acquisition of brain ischemic tolerance induced by cerebral ischemic preconditioning or ceftriaxone pretreatment in rats. To explore whether GLT-1 plays a role in the acquisition of brain ischemic tolerance induced by intermittent hypobaric hypoxia (IH) preconditioning (mimicking 5,000 m high-altitude, 6 h per day, once daily for 28 days), immunohistochemistry and western blot were used to observe the changes in the expression of GLT-1 protein in hippocampal CA1 subfield during the induction of brain ischemic tolerance by IH preconditioning, and the effect of dihydrokainate (DHK), an inhibitor of GLT-1, on the acquisition of brain ischemic tolerance in rats. The basal expression of GLT-1 protein in hippocampal CA1 subfield was significantly up-regulated by IH preconditioning, and at the same time astrocytes were activated by IH preconditioning, which appeared normal soma and aplenty slender processes. The GLT-1 expression was decreased at 7 days after 8-min global brain ischemia. When the rats were pretreated with the IH preconditioning before the global brain ischemia, the down-regulation of GLT-1 protein was prevented clearly. Neuropathological evaluation by thionin staining showed that 200 nmol DHK blocked the protective role of IH preconditioning against delayed neuronal death induced normally by 8-min global brain ischemia. Taken together, the up-regulation of GLT-1 protein participates in the acquisition of brain ischemic tolerance induced by IH preconditioning in rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intelligent geoprocessing relies heavily on formalized parameter constraints of geoprocessing tools to validate the input data and to further ensure the robustness and reliability of geoprocessing. However, existing methods developed to formalize parameter constraints are either designed based on ill-suited assumptions, which may not correctly identify the invalid parameter inputs situation, or are inefficient to use. This paper proposes a novel method to formalize the parameter constraints of geoprocessing tools, based on a high-level and standard constraint language (i.e., SHACL) and geoprocessing ontologies, under the guidance of a systematic classification of parameter constraints. An application case and a heuristic evaluation were conducted to demonstrate and evaluate the effectiveness and usability of the proposed method. The results show that the proposed method is not only comparatively easier and more efficient than existing methods but also covers more types of parameter constraints, for example, the application-context-matching constraints that have been ignored by existing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]