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The mechanical characteristics of apples are crucial to the mechanization of apple production. In this study, the mechanical characteristics of the Fuji apple with the largest crop yield were studied by testing the tensile strength, compression strength, shear strength, bending strength, hardness, friction coefficient, and microstructure. The obtained minimum values of the elastic modulus, yield strength, shear strength, bending strength, and compressive strength were 5.0 ± 0.52, 2.2 ± 0.15, 0.45 ± 0.02, 0.062, and 2.4 ± 0.21 MPa, respectively, all located at the maximum radial radius of the pulp. The hardness decreased gradually with storage time: the hardness of the pulp after 28 days was 0.16 ± 0.02 MPa. The static friction coefficients against TPU (Thermoplastic Urethane) rubber and aluminum alloy materials were 0.88 ± 0.03 and 0.14 ± 0.003, respectively. The microstructure of the peel and pulp changed significantly after damage. The regular shape was destroyed, and the cells deformed and ruptured. The changes in the microstructure were consistent with the changes in the macromechanical properties, so the reliability of the test data could be verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microfluidic technologies for cell separation were reported frequently in recent years. However, a compact microfluidic instrument enabling thoroughly automated cell separation is still rarely reported until today due to the difficult hybrid between the macrosized fluidic control system and the microsized microfluidic device. In this work, we propose a novel and automated microfluidic instrument to realize sizebased separation of cancer cells in a label-free and heighthroughput manner. Briefly, the instrument is equipped with a fully integrated microfluidic device and a set of robust fluiddriven and control units, and the instrument functions of precise fluid infusion and high-throughput cell separation are guaranteed by a flow regulatory chip and two cell separation chips which are the key components of the microfluidic device. With optimized control programs, the instrument is successfully applied to automatically sort human breast adenocarcinoma cell line MCF-7 from 5 mL of diluted human blood with a high recovery ratio of ~85% within a rapid processing time of ~23 min. We envision that our microfluidic instrument will be potentially useful in many biomedical applications, especially cell separation, enrichment, and concentration for the purpose of cell culture and analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pressure fluctuations, which invariably occur in microfluidic systems, usually result in the unstable fluid delivery in microfluidic channels. In this work, a novel microfluidic gas damper is proposed and applied for providing stable fluid-driving pressures. Then, a pressure-driven flow setup is constructed to investigate the gas damping characteristics of our damper. Since the pressure-driven flow setup functions as a resistor-capacitor low-pass filter, the damper significantly decreases the amplitude of the input pressures via self-regulating its pneumatic resistance. In addition, the gas volume and pressure frequency are found to have direct effects on the pressure fluctuations. The practical application of the gas damper is examined through a portable pressure-driven system, which consists of an air blower, a gas damper, and a centrifuge tube. By periodically pressing the air blower, precise flow rates with low throughput (~9.64 μl min-1) and high throughput (~1367.15 μl min-1) are successfully delivered. Future integration of our microfluidic gas damper with miniaturized pressure generators (e.g., peristaltic or pressure-driven micropumps) can fully exploit the potential of the gas damper for low-cost, portable microfluidics where stable pressures or flow rates are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To analyze the effect of different radiation variables on the outcomes of treatment for trigeminal neuralgia (TN). Materials and Methods: Seventy-three patients with refractory TN were treated with a maximum dose of 75-90 Gy using either one (n = 41) or two (n = 32) isocenters and were intensively followed up. The integrated dose delivered to the trigeminal nerve root within the prepontine cistern and the nerve root volume was calculated using the Gamma-Plan system. Relationships between the clinical outcomes and radiation variables were statistically analyzed using a combination of Fisher's exact test and multivariate analyses. Results: At their last follow up, 21 patients (28.8%), 22 patients (30.1%), 19 patients (26%), 6 patients (8.2%), and 5 patients (6.8%) had Grade I-V pain outcomes, respectively, and the average mean dose delivered to the trigeminal nerve root, average integrated dose (mJ) and 3 nerve root volume in prepontine cistern were 45.29 Gy, 4,26 mJ, and 98.47 mm, respectively . The pain relief rate was not significantly improved by a higher amount of integrated dose received by the trigeminal nerve root in prepontine cistern, however, incidence of trigeminal nerve toxicity was increased (P = 0.005). Conclusions: Our limited results suggested that a higher integrated dose might increase the incidence of trigeminal nerve toxicity with no significant benefits in pain relief when the maximal doses were within 75-90 Gy . The protocol for increasing radiation variables such as longer nerve exposure length and higher maximal dose is not recommended as a routine approach and more randomized studies with large number of cases would be required to verify the best treatment strategy of gamma knife radiosurgery for TN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the cardioprotective effects and mechanism of scutellarin (Scu) on heart ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury by using an isolated Langendorff rat heart model. Methods: Myocardial function was evaluated via measurements of cardiac haemodynamic parameters. Myocardial infarct size was macroscopically estimated by using TTC staining. The release of creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was used to evaluate cardiac injury. GSH/GSSG, SOD, and MDA were determined as being indicators of oxidative stress. CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α were also analysed to assess inflammation in the heart tissues. Cardiomyocyte apoptosis was quantified by using a TUNEL kit. PPARγ, Nrf2, and NF-κB were assayed via Western blotting. Results: The results indicated that I/R induced significant cardiac dysfunction, myocardial infarct, and apoptosis, as well as decreasing the GSH/GSSG ratio, SOD activity, Nrf2 protein expression, and PPARγ protein expression, but increased levels of TNF-α, MDA, CRP, IL-6, and NF-κB. Conclusion: These data suggest that Scu attenuates cardiac I/R. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The road surface roughness is the main source of kinematic excitation of a moving vehicle, which has an important influence on vehicle performance. In recent decades, randomroadmodels have beenwidely studied, and a four-wheel randomroad time domain model is usually generated based on the correlation of the four-wheel input, in which a coherence function is used to describe the coherence of the road input between the left and right wheels usually. However, during our research, there are some conditions that show that the road PSD (power spectral density) of one wheel is smaller than the other one on the same axle. Actually, it is caused by the uncorrelation between the left- and right-wheel road surface roughness. Hence, a frequency compensation algorithm is proposed to correct the deviation of the PSD of the road input between two wheels on the same axle, and it is installed in a 7-DOF vehicle dynamic study. The simulation result demonstrates the applicability of the proposed algorithm such that two-wheel road input deviation compensation has an important influence on vehicle performances, and it can be used for a control systeminstalled in the vehicle to compensate road roughness for damper tuning in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vehicle dynamics are directly dependent on tire-road contact forces and torqueswhich are themselves dependent on thewheels' load and tire-road friction characteristics. An acquisition of the road disturbance property is essential for the enhancement of vehicle suspension control systems. This paper focuses on designing an adaptive real-time road profile estimation observer considering load variation via vehicle vertical dynamics. Firstly, a road profile estimator based on a linear Kalman filter is proposed, which has great advantages on vehicle online control. Secondly, to minimize the estimation errors, an online identification system based on the Recursive Least-Squares Estimation is applied to estimate sprung mass, which is used to refresh the system matrix of the adaptive observer to improve the road estimation efficiency. Last, for mining road category from the estimated various road profile sequencse, a road categorizer considering road frequency and amplitude simultaneously is approached and its efficiency is validated via numerical simulations, in which the road condition is categorized into six special ranges, and this road detection strategy can provide the suspension control system with a better compromise for the vehicle ride comfort, handling, and safety performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limb-girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMDs) are a group of neuromuscular diseases that are characterized by progressive muscle weakness. LGMD type 2A (LGMD2A), caused by variants in the calpain-3 (CAPN3) gene, is the most prevalent type. The present study aimed to analyze pathogenic CAPN3 gene variants in two pedigrees affected by LGMD2A. Each family contains three patients who are siblings and sought genetic counseling. Genomic DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood samples collected from the probands and family members and whole-exome sequencing (WES) was used to detect the pathogenic genes in the probands. Suspected variants were subsequently validated by Sanger sequencing. In family 1, WES revealed that the proband carried the compound heterogeneous variants c.1194-9A>G and c.1437C>T (p.Ser479=) in CAPN3 (NM_000070.2). In family 2, WES identified that the proband carried the compound heterogeneous variants c.632+4A>G and c.1468C>T (p.Arg490Trp) in CAPN3 (NM_000070.2). In conclusion, the present study indicated that the compound heterogeneous variants of the CAPN3 gene were most likely responsible for LGMD2A in the two Chinese families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytophthora infestans. the causal agent of the Irish Potato Famine in 1840s, is one of the most destructive crop pathogens that threaten global food security. Host resistance (R) genes may help to control the disease, but recognition by through the gene products can be evaded by newly emerging isolates. Such isolates are dangerous as they may cause disease outbreaks under favorable conditions. However, our lack of characterknowledge about adaptation in these isolates jeopardizes an apt response resistance breakdown. Here we performed genome and transcriptome sequencing of HB 1501 and HN 1602, two field isolates from distinct Chinese geographic regions. We found extensive polymorphisms in these isolates, including gene copy number variations, nucleotide polymorphisms, and gene expression changes. Effector encoding genes, which contribute to virulence, show distinct expression landscapes in P infestans isolates HB 1 501 and HN 1602. In particular, polymorphisms at multiple effectors required for recognition (Avr loci) enabled these isolates to overcome corresponding R gene based resistance. Although the isolates evolved multiple strategies to evade recognition, we experimentally verified that several R genes such as RB, RB, and Rpi-vntl. j remain effective against these isolates and are valuable to potato breeding in the future. In summary, rapid characterknowledge ization of the adaptation in emerging field isolates through genomic tools inform rational agricultural management to prevent potential future epidemics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of the “gut–liver axis” in the pathogenesis of liver diseases has been revealed recently; which promotes the process of developing preventive and therapeutic strategies. However, considering that there are still many challenges in the medical treatment of liver diseases, potential preventive dietary intervention may be a good alternative choice. Plant-based foods have received much attention due to their reported health-promoting effects in targeting multiple pathways involved in the pathogenesis of liver diseases as well as the relative safety for general use. Based on the PubMed and Web of Science databases, this review emphatically summarizes the plant-based foods and their chemical constituents with reported effects to impact the LPS/TLR4 signaling pathway of gut–liver axis of various liver diseases, reflecting their health benefits in preventing/ alleviating liver diseases. Moreover, some plant-based foods with potential gut–liver effects are specifically analyzed from the reported studies and conclusions. This review intends to provide readers an overview of the current progress in the field of this research topic. We expect to see more hepatoprotective measures for alleviating the current prevalence of liver diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tire mechanical characteristics under combined cornering and braking/driving situations have significant effects on vehicle directional controls. The objective of this paper is to present an analytical tire model with flexible carcass for combined slip situations, which can describe tire behavior well and can also be used for studying vehicle dynamics. The tire forces and moments come mainly from the shear stress and sliding friction at the tread-road interface. In order to describe complicated tire characteristics and tire-road friction, some key factors are considered in this model: arbitrary pressure distribution; translational, bending, and twisting compliance of the carcass; dynamic friction coefficient; anisotropic stiffness properties. The analytical tire model can describe tire forces and moments accurately under combined slip conditions. Some important properties induced by flexible carcass can also be reflected. The structural parameters of a tire can be identified from tire measurements and the computational results using the analytical model show good agreement with test data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective(s): Diabetes mellitus has been suggested to be the most common metabolic disorder associated with magnesium deficiency. This study aimed to investigate the effects and mechanisms of magnesium supplementation on insulin receptor activity in elderly type 2 diabetes using a rat model and to provide experimental evidence for insulin resistance improvement by magnesium supplementation. Materials and Methods: Rat model of type 2 diabetes was developed using a high-fat diet along with low dose streptozotocin (STZ) treatment. Magnesium supplement was given orally by mixing with the high-fat diet. Serum insulin level, insulin sensitivity, and insulin receptor affinity were assessed using radioimmunoassay (RIA). Insulin receptor, insulin receptor substrate (IRS-2), and ß-Arrestin-2 gene and protein expression levels were measured using immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR. Xanthine oxidase assay, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance assay (TCA method), colorimetric assay, and ELISA were used to determine the serum SOD, MDA, T-AOC, and ox-LDL levels, respectively. Results: Magnesium supplementation enhanced insulin sensitivity and decreased insulin resistance in diabetic rats mainly through increasing insulin receptor expression, affinity, and augmenting insulin receptor signaling. Magnesium supplementation also inhibited lipid peroxidation in diabetic rats and protected against pancreatic cell injury in diabetic rats. In addition, we found that ß-arrestin-2 gene expression was suppressed in diabetes, which was possibly attributed to gene methylation modification, as ß-arrestin 2 promotor was rich in methylation-regulating sites. Magnesium supplementation could affect ß-arrestin-2 gene expression and methylation. Conclusion: Magnesium supplementation has a positive effect on insulin receptor activity and insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The bacterial diversity and microbial communities in the feces of children with cow milk protein allergy (CMPA) may be altered; these changes have not been clearly elucidated in 5 - 8-year-old children with CMPA. Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the bacterial diversity and microbial communities of feces in 5 - 8-year-old children with CMPA and those of healthy children of the same age. Methods: Stool samples from 12 children with CMPA and 12 healthy individuals were collected. Total bacterial DNA of all samples were extracted and analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) using bacterial v3 universal primers and the species-specific primers of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Clostridium coccoides. The preponderant bacterial bands were identified by gene sequencing. Results: The results revealed that the diversity of fecal dominant microbiota and C. coccoides group in children with CMPA were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than in healthy children. Meanwhile, a lower degree of diversity in the Bifidobacterium group and no difference in the diversity of the Lactobacillus group were found in the feces of children with CMPA. Bacteroides, Clostridium, and Escherichia coli were more abundant in the fecal microbiota of CMPA children than in healthy controls. In addition, C. celerecrescens was found only in the fecal microbiota of CMPA children, whereas B. bifidum was found only in the feces of healthy children. Conclusions: There were some notable changes in the fecal microbiota of 5 - 8-year-old children with CMPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A response from the authors of the article "Anterior capsulotomy improves persistent developmental stuttering with a psychiatric disorder: a case report and literature review" in the previous issue is presented.