Search

The highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (HP-PRRSV) often causes secondary bacterial infection in piglets, resulting in inflammatory lung injury and leading to high mortality rates and significant economic losses in the pig industry. Microvascular endothelial cells (MVECs) play a crucial role in the inflammatory response. Previous studies have shown that HP-PRRSV can infect porcine pulmonary MVECs and damage the endothelial glycocalyx. To further understand the role of pulmonary MVECs in the pathogenesis of HP-PRRSV and its secondary bacterial infection, in this study, cultured porcine pulmonary MVECs were stimulated with a HP-PRRSV HN strain and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The changes in gene expression profiles were analyzed through transcriptome sequencing, and the differentially expressed genes were verified using qRT-PCR, Western blot, and ELISA. Furthermore, the effects on endothelial barrier function and regulation of neutrophil trans-endothelial migration were detected using the Transwell model. HP-PRRSV primarily induced differential expression of numerous genes associated with immune response, including IFIT2, IFIT3, VCAM1, ITGB4, and CCL5, whereas LPS triggered an inflammatory response involving IL6, IL16, CXCL8, CXCL14, and ITGA7. Compared to the individual effect of LPS, when given after HN-induced stimulation, it caused a greater number of changes in inflammatory molecules, such as VCAM1, IL1A, IL6, IL16, IL17D, CCL5, ITGAV, IGTB8, and TNFAIP3A, a more significant reduction in transendothelial electrical resistance, and higher increase in neutrophil transendothelial migration. In summary, these results suggest a synergistic effect of HP-PRRSV and LPS on the inflammatory response of porcine pulmonary MVECs. This study provides insights into the mechanism of severe lung injury caused by secondary bacterial infection following HP-PRRSV infection from the perspective of MVECs, emphasizing the vital role of pulmonary MVECs in HP-PRRSV infection.

Exosomal long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) has been shown to be potential biomarker for cancer diagnosis and follow up. However, little is known about its application in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) detection. Here, we sought to develop a novel diagnostic model based on serum exosomal lncRNAs to improve ESCC screening efficiency.A multiphase, case-control study was conducted among 140 ESCC patients and 140 healthy controls. Microarray screening was performed to acquire differentially expressed exosomal lncRNAs in the discovery phase. The diagnostic model Index I was constructed based on a panel of three lncRNAs using logistic regression in the training phase, and were confirmed in a subsequent validation phase. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was generated to calculate the diagnostic value. The effects of the selected lncRNAs level on ESCC mortality were evaluated using a Cox hazard regression model and Kaplan-Meier curve analysis, and the expression level with clinicopathological features was also calculated. Finally, we explored the oncogenic potential of candidate lncRNA RASSF8-AS1 in vitro and by target mRNA sequencing.Index I was able to discriminate ESCC patients from healthy controls, and showed superiority to classic tumor biomarkers. Moreover, serum levels of the exosomal lncRNAs correlated with clinicopathological features and prognosis. The in vitro assays showed that RASSF8-AS1 played an oncogenic role in ESCC. Target mRNA scanning results suggested involvement of RASSF8-AS1 in tumor immunity and metabolism.The newly identified serum exosomal lncRNAs could be used as new biomarkers for ESCC, and showed oncogenic potential in ESCC.

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a promising target for the diagnosis and radionuclide therapy of prostate cancer. This study reports conversion of a previously reported

Kvass is a popular low-alcohol beverage produced by the natural fermentation of dark rye bread or malt with complex microbial flora. However, few pieces of research focus on the microflora of traditional bread kvass, and the industrial kvass based on malt concentrate has some disadvantages, including the lack of viable probiotics and containing multiple artificial additives. Therefore, in the present study, based on the different homemade traditional bread kvass, the predominant species including Lacticaseibacillus paracasei, Acetobacter pasteurianus, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were screened and identified. In addition, barley malt was used instead of bread for kvass production, and the co-fermentation conditions with three different strains were optimized as wort concentration of 7.4°Brix, cell ratio of 2/2/1 (S. cerevisiae/L. paracasei/A. pasteurianus), inoculum amount of 8%, fermentation temperature of 29.5 °C and fermentation time of 24.6 h. Moreover, the physicochemical (pH, total soluble solids, color, and alcohol content) and probiotic (microorganisms counting and antioxidant activity) properties of the barley malt kvass prepared at optimal conditions were symmetrically evaluated. Besides, compared with the commercial kvass products, the produced barley malt kvass exhibited better taste and more desirable antioxidant activity, and also maintained around 6-7 log CFU/mL of viable probiotic microorganisms during a week of storage. The present study not only enriched the biological resource of the traditional kvass, but also promoted the development of the kvass as a live-bacteria beverage.

Improving citizen epidemic prevention information literacy is one of the most cost-efficient and important measures to improve people’s epidemic prevention abilities to effectively deal with future public health crises. Epidemic prevention information literacy is beneficial to improve individuals’ ability to deal with public health crises in the future. By summarizing related domestic and international research, and utilizing an empirical methodology, we constructed an epidemic prevention information literacy assessment model with good reliability, validity, and model fit. The model is composed of four indicators: (1) “epidemic prevention information awareness”; (2) “epidemic prevention information knowledge”; (3) “epidemic prevention information ability”; (4) “epidemic prevention information morality”. We used the model to assess the epidemic prevention information literacy of Chinese citizens. The results showed the following: (1) the overall level of the epidemic prevention information literacy of Chinese citizens was comparatively high, however, its development was unbalanced, and the capability and moral levels of the epidemic prevention information were comparatively low; (2) the four dimensions of the epidemic prevention information literacy were different in terms of the citizens’ education levels and locations. We analyzed the probable causes of these problems, and we propose specific corresponding countermeasures. The research provides a set of methods and norms for the evaluation of citizen epidemic prevention information literacy in the post-epidemic era.

Heterogeneity is a hallmark of complex diseases. Regression-based heterogeneity analysis, which is directly concerned with outcome-feature relationships, has led to a deeper understanding of disease biology. Such an analysis identifies the underlying subgroup structure and estimates the subgroup-specific regression coefficients. However, most of the existing regression-based heterogeneity analyses can only address disjoint subgroups; that is, each sample is assigned to only one subgroup. In reality, some samples have multiple labels, for example, many genes have several biological functions, and some cells of pure cell types transition into other types over time, which suggest that their outcome-feature relationships (regression coefficients) can be a mixture of relationships in more than one subgroups, and as a result, the disjoint subgrouping results can be unsatisfactory. To this end, we develop a novel approach to regression-based heterogeneity analysis, which takes into account possible overlaps between subgroups and high data dimensions. A subgroup membership vector is introduced for each sample, which is combined with a loss function. Considering the lack of information arising from small sample sizes, an $l_2$ norm penalty is developed for each membership vector to encourage similarity in its elements. A sparse penalization is also applied for regularized estimation and feature selection. Extensive simulations demonstrate its superiority over direct competitors. The analysis of Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia data and lung cancer data from The Cancer Genome Atlas shows that the proposed approach can identify an overlapping subgroup structure with favorable performance in prediction and stability., 33 pages, 16 figures

Composite laminates have complex failure modes. In order to investigate the evolution of failure in the composite laminates, this paper performed an experimental study on four laminates with different layups using acoustic emission (AE) technique. Two different kinds of defects are imposed on the laminates, including a hole and a crack in the center. Tensile and bending tests are performed on the defective laminates and real-time AE signals are collected. By analyzing the spectrograms of the obtained AE signals and integrating with the dispersion curves, the evolution of failure modes for different laminates can be observed. The tests show that the defects cause multiple failure modes, which change gradually during the experiments. It is also revealed that laminates with different layups have different failure modes. More specifically, the stacking order of different plies has a greater impact on the occurrence of delamination and fiber fracture than matrix crack. The tentative research shows that there is great potential for improving the performance of the composite laminates by careful selection of ply layups.

As one of the essential equipment in industrial production, improving the efficiency of heat exchangers to slow down energy consumption has become a popular topic. In this paper, the structure of a conventional fixed tube plate heat exchanger is optimized by numerical simulation, replacing the straight tube with a wavy wall tube. The impact of particle size of Cu-water nanofluid on the performance in the new heat exchanger (HEX) is also investigated. The results indicate that using the wavy wall tube enhances the flow field perturbation and improves the working mass’s flow state; adding nanoparticles in water can improve the heat transfer capacity of the fluid. It is also found that the shell process pressure drops (ΔP) and the heat transfer effect of the HEX increased with increasing of the fluid volume flow rate; at the same volume flow rate and the volume fraction of 0.5%, the ΔP of the Cu-water nanofluid in the HEX increases with increasing of the particle size. The heat transfer performance decreases gradually with increasing of the particle size. The smaller particle size of Cu nanoparticles can improve the efficiency of enhanced heat transfer to a larger extent.

Enhancing heat transfer is the consistent goal in current industrial production. Nanofluids have greater advantages than traditional fluids.In this in the passage, MDS was used to research the mechanism of improving the heat conductivity of Cu-Ar nanofluids compared with conventional fluids. The effects of nanoparticles with various volume fractions (1% - 3%) and different sizes (r = 1.03 nm, 1.26 nm, 1.50 nm) on the heat conductivity of nanofluids were mainly discussed. The results showed that the insertion of Cu nanoparticles increased the heat conductivity of the base fluid in studied range. The heat conductivity of the nanofluid was proportional to the volume fraction of the nanoparticles, and the maximum increase was 29.1%. Inversely ratio to the particle size, the maximum increase was 15.3%. The microscopic mechanism of the systems was statistically analyzed by the radial distribution function. It was found that the addition of nanoparticles caused the change in the atomic arrangement of the nanofluids, which made the nanofluids exhibit a microstructure similar to that of the solid. This is why the heat transfer efficiency of nanofluids is higher.

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has a high incidence and mortality worldwide. Moreover, it needs more accurate means for predicting prognosis and treatments. Pyroptosis is a novel form of cell death about inflammation which was highly related to the occurrence and development of tumors. Despite having some studies about pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs) and cancer, the correlation has not been explored enough between PRGs and immune in NSCLC. In this study, we constructed a PRG model by WGCNA to access the prognosis value PRGs have. The testing cohort ( n = 464 ) with four datasets from the GEO database conducted a survival analysis to confirm the stability of the prognostic model. The risk score and age are examined as independent prognostic factors. Based on the PRGs, we found multiple pathways enriched in immune in NSCLC. Separating samples into three subtypes by consensus cluster analysis, Cluster 3 was identified as immune-inflamed phenotype with an optimistic prognostic outcome. A three-gene PRG signature (BNIP3, CASP9, and CAPN1) was identified, and BNIP3 was identified as the core gene. Knockdown of BNIP3 significantly inhibited the growth of H358 cells and induced pyroptosis. In conclusion, the model construction based on PRGs provides novel insights into the prediction of NSCLC prognosis, and BNIP3 can serve as a diagnostic biomarker for NSCLC.

The translation process can be studied as sequences of activity units. The application of machine learning technology offers researchers new possibilities in the study of the translation process. This research project developed a program, activity unit predictor, using the Hidden Markov Model. The program takes in duration, translation phase, target language and fixation as the input and produces an activity unit type as the output. The highest prediction accuracy reached is 61%. As one of the first endeavors, the program demonstrates strong potential of applying machine learning in translation process research.

Amyvid (florbetapir f18, [18 F]AV-45, [18 F]5) was the first FDA-approved positron emission tomography imaging agent targeting β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques for assisting the diagnosis of Alzheimer disease. This work aimed to improve the [18 F]AV-45 ([18 F]5) preparation by using solid-phase extraction (SPE) purification. [18 F]AV-45 ([18 F]5) was synthesized by direct nucleophilic radiofluorination of O-tosylated precursor (1 mg) at 120°C in anhydrous dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), followed by acid hydrolysis of the N-Boc protecting group. Purification was accomplished by loading the crude reaction mixture to a cartridge (Oasis HLB 3 cc) and eluting with different combinations of solvents. This method removed the chemical impurity while leaving [18 F]AV-45 ([18 F]5) on the cartridge. The final dose was eluted by ethanol. [18 F]AV-45 ([18 F]5) was produced within 51 minutes (radiochemical yield 42.7 ± 5.9%, decay corrected, n = 3), and the radiochemical purity was greater than 95%. Total chemical impurity per batch (24.1 ± 2.7 μg per batch) was below the limit described in the package insert of Amyvid, florbetapir f18 (chemical mass: less than 50 μg/dose). In summary, [18 F]AV-45 ([18 F]5) was produced efficiently and reproducibly using a cartridge-based SPE purification. This method brings the process closer for routine preparation, similar to the commercially used [18 F]FDG.

Medium and small-scale high-clearance sprayers are widely applied in medium and small-scale farms. Owing to power and load limitations, it is difficult to manage the complex system for suppressing spray boom vibration. This study was conducted to design a spray boom-air suspension system suitable for medium and small-size high-clearance sprayers by combining spray boom vibration suppression and the characteristics of air spring charging/discharging. Thus, this study aims to address the non-homogeneous distribution of spray triggered by the spray boom vibrations in medium and small high-clearance sprayers. The effects of different elastic elements on the vibration suppression effect of the spray boom were compared. According to the bench test, the dynamic response results of the spray boom under transient and sinusoidal excitations indicate that air spring is more conducive to vibration suppression than coil spring. The results obtained from the field experiments indicate that under the low solid soil condition, the spray boom air suspension should match a small additional air chamber with a volume of approximately 0.6 L, and the damping coefficient of the damper should be approximately 1792 N·s/m. In the case of the high firm soil, the spray boom air suspension should match a large additional air chamber with a volume of approximately 3.6 L, while the damping coefficient of the damper should be set to approximately 1316 N·s/m. The soil with low moisture content and high firmness are unfavorable to the vibration suppression of the spray boom. This study provides a reference for enhancing the vibration suppression of the spray boom-air suspension and improving the spray uniformity of the sprayer.

Background: FURIN, as a proprotein invertase, has been found to be expressed in a variety of cancers and plays an important role in cancer. In addition, SARS-CoV-2 requires FURIN to enter human cell. However, the role of FURIN in lung adenocarcinoma remains unclear. And the expression of SARS-CoV-2 related gene in lung adenocarcinoma have not been clarify. Methods: In this study, we obtained the expression data of Oncomine, TIMER, GEPIA, HPA. Then we used UALCAN database to analyze the expression of FURIN in different clinical feature subgroups. In PrognoScan and Kaplan-Meier plotter databases, we found a certain association between FURIN and poor OS outcomes in LUAD patients. Then we used the cBioPortal database to determine the type and frequency of FURIN changes in LUAD patients. Studies based on the TIMER database show a strong correlation between FURIN expression and various immune cell infiltrates and markers. Analysis in UALCAN database showed that the decreased promoter methylation level of FURIN in LUAD may lead to the high expression of FURIN. Furthermore, we used the LinkedOmics database to evaluate gene co-expression of FURIN in LUAD and to investigate their role in tumor immunity. Finally, we evaluated the expression of FURIN in LUAD patients who infected with SARS-CoV.Results: FURIN was highly expressed in lung adenocarcinoma. And FURIN expression was significantly associated with poor overall survival. FURIN expression was found to be correlated with six major permeable immune cells and with macrophage immune marker in LUAD patients. In addition, SARS-CoV-2 infection might affect the expression of FURIN. Conclusions: FURIN, as SARS-CoV-2 related gene, was highly expressed in LUAD. Furthermore, FURIN can be used as a promising biomarker for determining prognosis and immune infiltration in LUAD patients.

Ferroptosis is a novel type of cell death depending on iron, which has been confirmed strongly related with the development of tumor. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignancy with high incidence. Despite some reports demonstrated the relation between ferroptosis-related genes and HCC, more details have not been excavated. In present study, we analyzed ferroptosis-related genes with their clinical information from TCGA-LIHC project to find out prognostic genes in HCC. And four genes (GPX2, MT3, PRDX1 and SRXN1) were established as a prognostic model after differentially expressed analysis, Cox regression analyses and LASSO approach. High-risk group separating by cutoff value with poor prognosis was proved, and risk score regarded as an independent prognostic factor. Subsequently, enrichment analyses were processed to the differentially expressed genes, we found that genes generally enriched in ferroptosis-related functions and pathways, also in some immune cells and functions with different immune status. Eventually, we constructed ferroptosis potential index (FPI) to reveal the functional roles of ferroptosis in tumor tissues. The immunohistochemistry performed prognostic genes expression in normal and tumor tissues. In conclusion, these results demonstrated the four-gene signature can be a biomarker for predicting HCC prognosis and its members can be drug target genes for HCC treatment.

Background Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are involved in various diseases and serve as biomarkers. The present study aimed to investigate unique expression profiles of circRNAs in colon tissues of Crohn's disease (CD) and search novel biomarkers for the diagnosis. Methods Differentially expressed (DE) circRNAs in biopsies from four CD patients, four ulcerative colitis (UC) patients, and four healthy controls (HC) were screened by microarray. Hsa_circ_0062142 and hsa_circ_0001666 were verified in another expanded validation cohort. Bioinformatics analysis was applied to predict the function of two DE circRNAs. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to evaluate the diagnostic value of CD. Results The top 10 upregulated circRNAs in CD compared with HC were hsa_circ_0000691, hsa_circ_0001666, hsa_circ_0004183, hsa_circ_0009024, hsa_circ RNA_405324, hsa_circ_0002003, hsa_circ_0085323, hsa_circ_0040994, hsa_circ_0062142, and hsa_circ_0048148; the top 10 downregulated circRNAs were hsa_circ_0049356, hsa_circ RNA_405443, hsa_circ RNA_403556, hsa_circ_0092328, hsa_circ_0003979, hsa_circ_0074491, hsa_circ_0023461, hsa_circ RNA_406237, hsa_circ_0034044, and hsa_circ RNA_400564 (fold change in descending order). The expression levels of hsa_circ_0001666 and hsa_circ_0062142 in CD were significantly higher than those in UC and HC (p, We explored the comprehensive circRNA expression profiles in colon tissues of Crohn's disease (CD) compared to tissues of ulcerative colitis (UC) and healthy controls. We showed that two circRNAs (hsa_circ_0062142 and hsa_circ_0001666) were significantly upregulated in colon tissues of CD than those in UC and healthy controls, presenting AUC of 0.803 and 0.858, respectively. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that the two differentially expressed circRNAs might be involved in the progression of CD. Our findings suggested that circRNAs might play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of CD and might provide potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for CD.

Objectives Recently, a deuterated tracer, D6-[18F]FP-(+)-DTBZ, 9-O-hexadeutero-3-[18F]fluoropropoxyl-(+)-dihydrotetrabenazine ([18F]9), targeting vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) in the central nervous system, was reported as a useful imaging agent for the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD). The production of [18F]9 was optimized and simplified by using solid-phase extraction (SPE) purification. Methods Three major nonradioactive impurities were synthesized and characterized. The preparation of [18F]9 was optimized by using different labeling conditions, and an SPE purification method was evaluated. The influence of chemical impurities in the final dose of [18F]9 was assessed by an in vitro binding assay, an assay of the in vivo biodistribution in mice, and ex vivo and in vitro autoradiography of brain sections. Results Optimized fluorination conditions for [18F]9 were found – heating at 130 °C for 10 min in DMSO, and a high radiochemical yield and three major chemical impurities were observed. An SPE method involving a Sep-Pak® tC18 Plus Light cartridge with a two-step elution process was successfully implemented. This process gave a good radiochemical yield (38.7 ± 10.5%, decay corrected; radiochemical purity >99%) and low chemical impurities. An in vivo biodistribution study and autoradiography of brain sections showed that there was no significant difference between HPLC-purified and SPE-purified [18F]9. Conclusion A VMAT2 targeting imaging agent, D6-[18F]FP-(+)-DTBZ, [18F]9, was prepared by optimized labeling conditions and an easy SPE purification. This method offers a short preparation time and operational simplicity. In conjunction with PET imaging, this new VMAT2 agent might be a useful clinical tool for diagnosing PD.

This study investigates overall grammatical developments of written Australian English (AusE) across the twentieth century. Adopting an aggregate approach to language variation and change, it examines the distribution of a range of grammatical features which have previously been shown to be sensitive to variation over time. Multi-generic data were drawn from “AusBrown,” a set of balanced diachronic corpora following the design of the Brown family of corpora. Multivariate techniques such as hierarchical cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling were employed to outline the developmental path of AusE in relation to those of British and American English in order to shed light on the possible emergence of regional patterns. The results suggest that the period from the 1960s to the 1990s was one critical for the evolution of written AusE, preceded by a period of relative stagnation and followed by one characterized by a coalescence of the three varieties. Such a developmental path is largely compatible with significant sociohistorical trends that have shaped the language attitudes of Australians, including strong connections with its British legacy in the first few decades, political independence and rapid social progress in the mid-twentieth century, and accelerated globalization as a result of major technological advances towards the end of the century. Additionally, the findings reveal the dominance of features contributing to colloquialization and densification in the texts examined.

Introduction Alzheimer's disease is a common neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by the presence of Aβ plaques in the brain. The FDA has approved the use of Amyvid (florbetapir f18, AV-45) as a PET imaging agent for detecting Aβ plaques in the living human brain. In an attempt to reduce N-demethylation in vivo by taking advantage of more stable C-D bonds, an analog of AV-45, [18F]D3FSP ([18F]7), was synthesized to improve image contrast for detecting and monitoring the Aβ plaques. A convenient and improved preparation of [18F]D3FSP ([18F]7) is needed for widespread clinical application. We report herein the optimization of the radiosynthesis and solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure. Methods Radiosyntheses of [18F]D3FSP ([18F]7) under different fluorination conditions were evaluated, and the intermediate, containing an N-Boc protecting group, was deprotected using different acids. One of the major objectives was to simplify the final purification step via SPE to avoid the commonly employed HPLC purification and maximize the radiochemical yields of [18F]D3FSP ([18F]7) while simultaneously removing several chemical impurities (pseudocarriers). Washing various solid-phase cartridges with different combinations of ethanol/water and acetonitrile/water was explored to optimize the purification step. To evaluate the potential interference in Aβ plaques imaging from the presence of pseudocarriers, each chemical was identified and quantified by LC/MS and HPLC. An in vitro binding assay was employed to evaluate the binding affinities of [18F]D3FSP ([18F]7) and the pseudocarriers to Aβ plaques using postmortem AD brain tissue. Results Using the optimized radiosynthesis method and SPE purification, the final dose of [18F]D3FSP ([18F]7) was obtained in 50 min with a very low content of pseudocarriers (21.7 ± 5.5 μg). The radiochemical yield was 44.4 ± 5.7% (decay corrected), and the radiochemical purity was >95%. SPE-purified doses of [18F]D3FSP ([18F]7) displayed excellent binding affinity and specificity for Aβ plaques as measured in an in vitro binding assay using AD brain homogenates, and the OH-pseudocarrier, 8 (Ki = 19.5 ± 0.5 nM), and the Cl-pseudocarrier, 10 (Ki = 18.6 ± 3.9 nM), showed lower binding affinities for Aβ plaques than those of AV-45 (Ki = 8.6 ± 0.5 nM) and D3FSP, 7 (Ki = 9.8 ± 0.5 nM). Conclusions An optimized radiosynthesis and fast SPE purification method suitable for the preparation of clinical doses of [18F]D3FSP ([18F]7) was accomplished. The results of quality control tests and binding studies suggested that the SPE-purified doses of [18F]D3FSP ([18F]7) are appropriate for imaging Aβ plaques in the human brain.

While optimization studies focusing on real-world buildings are somewhat limited, many building optimization studies to date have used simple hypothetical buildings for the following three reasons: (1) the shape and form of real buildings are complex and difficult to mathematically describe; (2) computer models built based on real buildings are computationally expensive, which makes the optimization process time-consuming and impractical and (3) although algorithm performance is crucial for achieving effective building performance optimization (BPO), there is a lack of agreement regarding the proper selection of optimization algorithms and algorithm control parameters. This study applied BPO to the design of a newly built complex building. A number of design variables, including the shape of the building’s eaves, were optimized to improve building energy efficiency and indoor thermal comfort. Instead of using a detailed simulation model, a surrogate model developed by an artificial neural network (ANN) was used to reduce the computing time. In this study, the performance of four multi-objective algorithms was evaluated by using the proposed performance evaluation criteria to select the best algorithm and parameter values for population size and number of generations. The performance evaluation results of the algorithms implied that NSGA-II (with a population size and number of generations of 40 and 45, respectively) performed the best in the case study. The final optimal solution significantly improves building performance, demonstrating the success of the BPO technique in solving complex building design problems. In addition, the findings on the performance evaluation of the algorithms provide guidance for users regarding the selection of suitable algorithms and parameter settings based on the most important performance criteria.

This paper presents a newly-compiled diachronic corpus of Australian English (AusBrown). With four sampling time points (1931, 1961, 1991 and 2006), Aus-Brown is designed to match the current suite of British and American ‘Brown-family’ corpora in both sampling year and design. We provide details of the composition and compilation of AusBrown, and explore the broader context of its ‘Brown-family background’ and of complementary Australian corpora. We also overview research based on the Australian corpora presented, including several AusBrown-based papers.

According to our previous experiment, graphene quantum dots capped in hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles, denoted as GQDs@hMSN, and its conjugates exhibited great potential for medical applications due to their commendable biocompatibility. Due to the fluorescence and structural stability, and enormous porosity, polyethylene glycol (PEG) modified GQDs@hMSN (GQDs@hMSN-PEG) is a good candidate in a drug carrying and delivery system. However, the goal of targeted drug delivery couldn't be achieved simply by utilizing the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect of tumors. In this study, GQDs@hMSN-PEG was further functionalized with vascular endothelial growth factor antibodies (VEGF Abs) for VEGF targeting of breast tumors. Doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded into GQDs@hMSN-VEGF Abs with a drug loading capacity of 0.80 mg DOX per mg GQDs@hMSN. With GQDs as the fluorescent source, GQDs@hMSN-VEGF Abs demonstrated strong fluorescence intensity in VEGF-positive cells. Results from in vitro and in vivo targeting experiments indicated that GQDs@hMSN-VEGF Abs had high specificity on tumor vasculature, and it could be used as an image-guidable, tumor-selective delivery nanoplatform for breast cancer.

Three reverse transcription recombinase polymerase amplification assays with lateral flow dipsticks (RT-RPA-LFD) were developed for identification of the matrix and hemagglutinin (HA) genes to detect influenza A virus and distinguish subtypes H1 and H3. Assessment of the assays’ specificity showed that there was no cross-reactivity with other targets. Their limits of detection were 123.6 copies per reaction for the matrix gene, 677.1 copies per reaction for the H1 HA gene, and 112.2 copies/reaction for the H3 HA gene. Of 111 samples tested by RT-RPA-LFD assays, 27 were positive for influenza A virus, 14 were positive for H1, and 10 were positive for H3. Compared to the results obtained from real-time RT-PCR assays, the sensitivity of RT-RPA-LFD assays was 75%, 93.33% and 71.43% for the matrix, H1, and H3, with 100% specificity. The sensitivity of RT-RPA-LFD assays is lower than that of real-time RT-PCR, comparable or better than that of conventional RT-PCR, and much better than that of RIDTs. In conclusion, these assays offer an efficient and reliable tool for identification and subtyping of influenza A virus (subtype H1 and H3) in the resource-limited setting., Highlights • Three RT-RPA-LFD assays are developed for the detection and subtyping of influenza A virus. • RT-RPA-LFD assays used for the detection of influenza A virus is rapid and sensitive. • The results from RT-RPA-LFD assays are in a good agreement with those from real-time RT-PCR assays.

This paper investigates whether colloquialisation – a stylistic shift by which written genres come to be more similar to spoken genres – has played a role in the endonormativisation of the grammar of Australian English, a variety which has long been noted for its penchant for colloquialism. The study tracks changes in grammatical colloquialism from the early 20th century against the historical backdrop of the progressive decline in Britishness in Australia and the pervasive effects of “Americanisation”. The data are derived from a suite of parallel Brown-family corpora representing British, American, and Australian English of the 1930s, 1960s, 1990s and 2006. Multivariate techniques are used to delimit 26 “colloquial” and “anti-colloquial” grammatical features from a set of 83 potentially relevant features, and to examine changes in their frequencies between 1931 and 2006, in the three varieties, and across the three major genres of fiction, learned writing and press reportage.

Objectives Serotonin transporters (SERT) play an important role in controlling serotonin concentration in the synaptic cleft and in managing postsynaptic signal transduction. Inhibitors of SERT binding are well known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine, and escitalopram, that are commonly prescribed antidepressants. Positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission tomography (SPECT) imaging agents targeting SERT may be useful for studying its function and providing a tool for monitoring drug treatment. Methods A series of novel 18F-labeled diphenyl sulfide derivatives were prepared and tested for their binding affinity. Among them, 2-((2-((dimethylamino)-methyl)-4-(2-(2-fluoroethoxy)ethoxy)phenyl)thio)aniline, 1, which showed excellent binding toward serotonin transporter (SERT) in the brain (Ki = 0.09 nM), was selected for further evaluation. An active OTs intermediate, 7, was treated with [18F]F−/K222 to provide [18F]1 in one step and in high radiochemical yields. This new SERT targeting agent was evaluated in rats by biodistribution studies and animal PET imaging studies. Results The radiolabeling reaction led to the desired [18F]1. After HPLC purification no-carrier-added [18F]1 was obtained (radiochemical yield, 23–47% (n = 10,); radiochemical purity >99%; molar activity, 15–28 GBq/μmol). Biodistribution studies with [18F]1 showed good brain uptake (1.04% dose/g at 2 min post-injection), high uptake into the hypothalamus (1.55% dose/g at 30 min), and a high target-to-non-target (hypothalamus to cerebellum) ratio of 6.1 at 120 min post-injection. A PET imaging study in normal rats showed excellent uptake in the midbrain and thalamus regions known to be rich in SERT binding sites at 60 min after iv injection. Chasing experiment with escitalopram (iv, 2 mg/kg) in a rat at 60 min after iv injection caused a noticeable reduction in the regional radioactivity and the target-to-non-target ratio, suggesting binding by [18F]1 was highly specific and reversible for SERT binding sites in the brain. Conclusions A novel diphenyl sulfide derivative, [18F]1 for SERT imaging was successfully prepared and evaluated. Results suggest that this new chemical entity is targeting SERT binding sites in the brain, and it is a suitable candidate for future commercial development.

Identifying the path and effectiveness of governance tools is the key to environmental NIMBY (not in my back yard) event governance. However, there are limited studies on the path between effective governance tools and environmental NIMBY events. Based on the theory of emotional catharsis, we establish an analytical framework for the evolution of the environmental NIMBY event and analyze the effectiveness of the current main governance tools. The results show that government solicitation of opinions (GSOs) governance tools are insignificant in the governance of resistance behavior. The effects of public demand communication (PDC) governance tools and compensation negotiation (CN)governance tools on resistance behaviors all show a significant negative correlation; negative emotions play an intermediary role in their governance tools. The overall performance is that the greater the compensation, the lower the willingness to engage in resistance behavior. The establishment of a reasonable compensation system can effectively reduce the public’s willingness to engage in resistance behavior. Through the evaluation of the effectiveness of governance tools in environmental NIMBY events, this study helps to improve governance tools and has important practical significance for solving the environmental NIMBY dilemma.

Idiomatic expressions have long been viewed as a potential trigger of misunderstanding in intercultural communication. This leads to a popular belief that communication in English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) is less idiomatic than that in English as a Native Language (ENL). However, empirical ELF studies have provided mixed findings partly because researchers have often focused on different and non-explicit operationalisations of idiomaticity. Adopting a corpus-based approach and focusing on verb object combinations, the present study explores the role of idiomaticity in spoken ELF interactions and makes comparisons with ENL corpus data. It was found that the ELF and ENL interactions are not significantly different in the percentage of idiomatic combinations used. However, the former is characterised by repetitions of a smaller range of relatively frequent idiomatic combinations. The corpus findings are explained in terms of pragmatic strategies that speakers adopt in contact situations to enhance communicative success.

Graphene quantum dots capped in hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (GQDs@hMSN) exhibited great potential in medical applications due to its good optical properties and high drug loading capacity. Compared with antibodies, peptide has a better affinity with target proteins. Herein, we demonstrated efficient targeting of triple-negative breast cancer with GQDs@hMSN, which was conjugated to a peptide ligand, F3 against nucleolin, to form GQDs@hMSN-F3. The core/shell GQDs@hMSN and GQDs@hMSN-F3 had diameters of 100 nm and 130 nm, respectively, based on transmission electron microscope (TEM) and dynamic laser scattering (DLS) measurement. Doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded onto GQDs@hMSN with a relatively high loading capacity. Systematic in vitro and in vivo studies were performed to investigate the targeting specificity and tissue distribution of GQDs@hMSN conjugates. Fluorescence microscopy examination and flow cytometry confirmed the targeting specificity of F3-attached GQDs@hMSN conjugates against cell nucleolin. A more potent uptake of GQDs@hMSN-F3 in MDA-MB-231 nodules was witnessed when compared with that of non-targeted GQDs@hMSN. Based on the findings from cellular targeting and in vivo fluorescence imaging, F3-attached GQDs@hMSN conjugates had the potential to serve as an image-guidable, tumor-selective cargo delivery nanoplatform.