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The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of environmental and human factors on communication attenuation as well as to improve radio signal attenuation. In this study, a fire training containerized structure for firefighters and commercial rescue portable radios were used for a communication experiment in a fire scene. It was found that the firefighter’s relief communication posture reduced radio communication power. The prone posture had the greatest effect on radio communication attenuation. Also, smoke caused a decrease in communication power regardless of flame burning conditions or temperature effects. The results of the study showed that the communication power can be improved by changing the radio antenna orientation and operating the radio in a non-dense smoke layer. Finally, this study proposed that a new portable radio protection bag with thermal protection designed for firefighters wearing radios on oxygen cylinder straps could effectively improve the communication attenuation problem.

The human adenosine A 2B receptor (A 2B R) is a class A G protein–coupled receptor that is involved in several major physiological and pathological processes throughout the body. A 2B R recognizes its ligands adenosine and NECA with relatively low affinity, but the detailed mechanism for its ligand recognition and signaling is still elusive. Here, we present two structures determined by cryo–electron microscopy of A 2B R bound to its agonists NECA and BAY60-6583, each coupled to an engineered G s protein. The structures reveal conserved orthosteric binding pockets with subtle differences, whereas the selectivity or specificity can mainly be attributed to regions extended from the orthosteric pocket. We also found that BAY60-6583 occupies a secondary pocket, where residues V250 6.51 and N273 7.36 were two key determinants for its selectivity against A 2B R. This study offers a better understanding of ligand selectivity for the adenosine receptor family and provides a structural template for further development of A 2B R ligands for related diseases.

circRNAs have been suggested to modulate NSCLC tumorigenesis and drug resistance. Whether circSNX6 affects NSCLC remains unclear. In this study, we aim to investigate the role of circSNX6 in drug resistance of NSCLC exposed to cisplatin. RT-qPCR method was used to investigate expression levels of circSNX6, miR-137 and CXCL12. MTT, cell colony formation and TUNEL assays were utilized to assess cell viability, proliferation, apoptosis, respectively. Xenograft assay was conducted to examine in vivo tumor growth. circSNX6 overexpression caused enhanced cell viability and proliferation of H1299 and Calu-1, while it inhibited apoptosis under cisplatin treatment. miR-137 inhibitor greatly rescued cell viability, proliferation and apoptosis of circSNX6 knockdown H1299 cells. miR-137 mimic increased ROS generation, as well as reduced GSH and SOD levels, whereas miR-137 inhibitor exerted opposing effect. circSNX6 knockdown also enhanced ROS generation, as well as decreased GSH and SOD levels. CXCL12 partially restored miR-137 mimic-modulated cell viability, proliferation and apoptosis. Herein, our group proposes circSNX6 as key regulator for drug resistance of NSCLC. The findings provide solid groundings for understanding of NSCLC pathogenesis and development of therapeutics.

Background Necessity of flexible bronchoscopy (FB) examination as a routine preoperative work-up for peripheral clinical T1N0 subsolid lung cancer was unknown. Methods This was a prospective, multi-center clinical trial (NCT03591445). Patients with peripheral GGO nodules (GGNs) who were candidates for surgical resection were enrolled. FB examination was performed preoperatively. Surgical plan could be changed if any aberrant histologic and anatomic findings were detected by FB examination. Primary endpoint was the rate that surgical plan was changed by positive FB findings. Secondary endpoints were rate of positive FB findings and rate of procedural complications. Results Six hundred and fifteen patients with peripheral subsolid nodules detected by thoracic CT were enrolled. There were 187 (30.4%) male and 428 (69.6%) female patients, mean age was 54.85±10.41 y (range, 26-78). 262 (42.6%) patients had pure GGNs and 353 (57.4%) patients had part-solid nodules. Mean size of nodules was 13.87±6.37 mm (range, 5-30). FB examinations confirmed one (0.16%) adenocarcinoma, seven (1.14%) bronchial variations, one (0.16%) segmental bronchostenosis, one (0.16%) segmental bronchial occlusion and one (0.16%) bronchial inflammation. No complications of FB examinations occurred. 568 (92.35%) thoracoscopic and 47 (7.65%) open surgeries were performed. No established surgical plan was changed by positive FB findings. Final pathologies revealed 26 (4.2%) adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS), 240 (39%) minimal invasive adenocarcinomas (MIAs), 343 (55.8%) invasive adenocarcinomas (IADs), one (0.2%) adenosquamous cell carcinoma, one (0.2%) squamous cell carcinoma, two (0.3%) atypical adenoid hyperplasia and two (0.3%) inflammations. Conclusions FB examination was unnecessary in the preoperative assessment of peripheral clinical T1N0 subsolid lung cancer.

The presence of trichloroethylene (TCE) dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) in the subsurface can generate a dissolved phase plume in groundwater. This study developed an alkaline activated sodium persulfate (SPS) sustained release oxidation rod (alkaline SPS SR-Rod) for long-term in situ chemical oxidation accelerated treatment of TCE dissolved from TCE DNAPL, by creating a greater concentration gradient at the TCE DNPL boundary. The dissolution of TCE DNAPL (1 mL) in water (280 mL) generated ~700 mg L

Backgrounds Mitochondria plays a critical role in the development and pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Neohesperidin (NHP) could lower blood glucose and prevent obesity in mice. However, the direct effect of NHP on hepatic steatosis has not been reported. Methods Mice were fed with either a chow diet or HFD with or without oral gavage of NHP for 12 weeks. A variety of biochemical and histological indicators were examined. In vitro cell culture model was utilized to demonstrate underlying molecular mechanism of the effect induced by NHP treatment. Results NHP increases mitochondrial biogenesis, improves hepatic steatosis and systematic insulin resistance in high fat diet (HFD) fed mice. NHP elevates hepatic mitochondrial biogenesis and fatty acid oxidation by increasing PGC-1α expression. Mechanistically, the activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is involved in NHP induced PGC-1α expression. Conclusions PGC-1α-mediated mitochondrial biogenesis plays a vital role in the mitigation of hepatic steatosis treated by NHP. Our result suggests that NHP is a good candidate to be dietary supplement for the auxiliary treatment of NAFLD.

To summarize the tips for the prevention of esophageal anastomosis leakage. Improvement in clinical techniques and treatments has decreased anastomotic leakage occurrence, but it remains one of the main causes of death after esophageal and gastric surgery. After efforts to improve outcomes in the past 7 years, we observed only four cases of anastomotic leakage. Thus, here we summarize the technical details for peer reference. The tips for preventing esophageal-stomach anastomosis fistula include preoperative general nutrition improvement and esophageal edema-reducing measures. During surgery, technical prevention measures include protection and improvement of anastomosis technology. Postoperative measures include maintaining cervical anteflexion position, reduced anastomotic tension, and circulation-invigorating medicines to improve anastomotic circulation. Between January 2006 and December 2012, 1243 patients with esophageal cancer underwent resection of the esophagus and esophagogastrostomy. There were 885 male patients and 358 female patients, aged 40 to 78 years old, with an average age of 63.4 ± 5.6 years. The esophageal-stomach anastomotic leakage occurred in four cases, for an incidence rate of only 0.32% (4/1243). In these four detected cases, three patients recovered and were discharged from the hospital. One patient died. The application of improved technical measures may reduce postoperative esophageal anastomotic leakage incidence.

Collagen type XI alpha 1 (COL11A1) as an oncogene has been reported in several malignant tumors. Herein, we aimed to explore the function of COL11A1 and its upstream regulators in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). COL11A1 expression prognostic significance, gene ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, and immune infiltration were explored in LUAD. In vitro experimental measurements were implemented to validate the function of COL11A1 and LINC00665 in LUAD cells. Our study demonstrated that LINC00665-2 and COL11A1 were significantly upregulated in LUAD tissues compared with nontumor tissues. COL11A1 was positively correlated with multiple immune cell enrichment, suggesting that COL11A1 may be a prospective therapeutic target to enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy in LUAD. A regulatory mechanism LINC00665-2/microRNAs (miRNAs)/COL11A1 axis was identified to facilitate the tumorigenesis of LUAD. si-LINC00665 transfection induced the inhibition of growth and migration, and apoptosis was reversed by the overexpression of COL11A1 in LUAD cells. In conclusion, LINC00665 as a competing endogenous RNA sponging multiple miRNAs to modulate COL11A1 expression in LUAD, suggesting that LINC00665/miRNAs/COL11A1 axis may contribute to the pathogenesis of LUAD.

The prognosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is poor despite diagnostic progress and new chemotherapeutic regimens. Constitutive activation of NF-κB is frequently observed in PDAC. In this study, we found that YEATS2, a scaffolding protein of ATAC complex, was highly expressed in human PDAC. Depletion of YEATS2 reduced the growth, survival, and tumorigenesis of PDAC cells. The binding of YEATS2 is crucial for maintaining TAK1 activation and NF-κB transcriptional activity. Of importance, our results reveal that YEATS2 promotes NF-κB transcriptional activity through modulating TAK1 abundance and directly interacting with NF-κB as a co-transcriptional factor.

Psychological capital refers to a state of positive energy displayed in the heart of an individual in the process of self-growth and comprehensive and healthy development. Many scholars at home and abroad have found through research that psychological capital, as a positive psychological state, plays a significant positive role in evaluating and regulating college students in many aspects, such as academic performance, interpersonal relationships, stress relief, mental health, etc. Based on this, the article aims to draw on the current relatively mature research results of psychological capital theory, and deeply and systematically analyzes and discusses these research results, so as to provide valuable conclusions for the in-depth study of psychological capital theory in the field of college education. To meet that aim, a range of general methods including, descriptive, observational , literature review analysis are utilized. Given the results, in higher education, the application of psychological capital theory is still in the initial exploration period, and it needs to be explored comprehensively and deeply to make it continuously perfect.

The adenosine A

Previously we reported a common activation pathway of the class A G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) in which a series of conserved residues/motifs undergo conformational change during extracellular agonist binding and finally induce the coupling of intracellular G protein, and successfully predicted several novel constitutive active or inactive mutations for A2A adenosine receptor (A2AAR) through this mechanism (Zhou et al., 2019). Here we determined the crystal structure of a typical A2AAR constitutive active mutant I92N in complex with agonist UK-432097 to reveal the molecular mechanism of mutation-induced constitutive activity. The mutated I92N forms a hydrophilic interaction network with nearby residues including W6.48 of the CWxP motif, which is absent in the wild type A2AAR. Although the mutant structure is overall similar to the previously determined intermediate state A2AAR structure (PDB ID: 3QAK), the molecular dynamics simulations suggested that the I92N mutant stabilizes the metastable intermediate state through the hydrophilic interaction network and favors the receptor conformational transition towards the active state. This research provides a structural template toward the special pharmacological outcome triggered by conformational mutation and sheds light on future structural or pharmacological studies among class A GPCRs.

In a hybrid coupled wall (HCW), a steel coupling beam with a good shear performance can replace a concrete coupling beam. This is especially applicable for locations in which height restrictions do not permit the use of deep reinforced concrete beams or in which it is not possible to economically develop required capacity, stiffness, or deformation demands with concrete beams. In this study, a new type of connection design with a steel boundary element of hybrid coupled wall (SBE-HCW) was proposed, and a 23-story SBE-HCW structure was analyzed under both gravity and seismic load to examine the seismic performance using ABAQUS. The structural failure process, base shear force, vertex displacement, and damage distribution of core tube were investigated. The analysis results confirmed that the response of specimen exhibited good plastic deformation behavior under seismic, thereby satisfying the demands of seismic ductility design. The connection between the steel coupling beams and the shear walls in the specimen appeared to be intact. The analysis evidence indicated that the proposed connection detailing appeared to be effective.

This study analyzed performance of public hospitals and regional differences in performance following reform of medical service prices in Guangdong province, China. From three cities in four regions, we randomly selected a total of 12 traditional Chinese medicine hospitals and 12 general tertiary hospitals. Six questionnaires were completed by the hospitals, using 2014–2018 internal data. Principal components analysis was used to compare performances of the hospitals and regions following price reform. The extent to which medical service prices were adjusted varied considerable for different procedures in the same region and for the same category of procedures among regions. After reform, compensation for medical services in public hospitals reached the target of 80%, except in the Western region. However, annual growth of costs to patients was generally above 4%; the burden on patients was not alleviated by fee control. Reforms were more effective for comprehensive than Chinese traditional medicine hospitals. Performance scores of general hospitals in the Pearl River Delta, Eastern, Western, and Northern regions were 1.24, 1.16, −0.22, and −1.01, respectively. This is consistent with ranking by level of economic development of each region. The government should implement a regional medical service pricing mechanism. Additionally, comprehensive and traditional Chinese medicine hospitals should each have appropriate pricing policies. Future policies should focus on controlling costs incurred by patients.

With the widespread application of machine learning (ML), data security has been a serious issue. To eliminate the conflict between data privacy and computability, homomorphism is extensively researched due to its capacity of performing operations over ciphertexts. Considering that the data provided by a single party are not always adequate to derive a competent model via machine learning, we proposed a privacy-preserving training method for the neural network over multiple data providers. Moreover, taking the trainer’s intellectual property into account, our scheme also achieved the goal of model parameter protection. Thanks to the hardness of the conjugate search problem (CSP) and discrete logarithm problem (DLP), the confidentiality of training data and system model can be reduced to well-studied security assumptions. In terms of efficiency, since all messages are coded as low-dimensional matrices, the expansion rates with regard to storage and computation overheads are linear compared to plaintext implementation without accuracy loss. In reality, our method can be transplanted to any machine learning system involving multiple parties due to its capacity of fully homomorphic computation.

The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in treating cancer has revolutionized the approach to eradicate cancer cells by reactivating immune responses. However, only a subset of patients benefits from this treatment; the majority remains unresponsive or develops resistance to ICI therapy. Increasing evidence suggests that metabolic machinery in the tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a role in the development of ICI resistance. Within the TME, nutrients and oxygen are scarce, forcing immune cells to undergo metabolic reprogramming to adapt to harsh conditions. Cancer-induced metabolic deregulation in immune cells can attenuate their anti-cancer properties, but can also increase their immunosuppressive properties. Therefore, targeting metabolic pathways of immune cells in the TME may strengthen the efficacy of ICIs and prevent ICI resistance. In this review, we discuss the interactions of immune cells and metabolic alterations in the TME. We also discuss current therapies targeting cellular metabolism in combination with ICIs for the treatment of cancer, and provide possible mechanisms behind the cellular metabolic rewiring that may improve clinical outcomes.

Background The damage of pancreatic β cells is a major pathogenesis of the development and progression of type 2 diabetes and there is still no effective therapy to protect pancreatic β cells clinically. In our previous study, we found that Quzhou Fructus Aurantii (QFA), which is rich in flavanones, had the protective effect of pancreatic β cells in diabetic mice. However, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. Purpose In the current study, we administered naringenin and hesperetin, two major active components of QFA, to protect pancreatic β cells and to investigate the underlying molecular mechanism focusing on the epigenetic modifications. Methods We used diabetic db/db mouse and INS-1 pancreatic β cell line as in vivo and in vitro models to investigate the protective effect of naringenin and hesperetin on pancreatic β cells under high glucose environment and the related mechanism. The phenotypic changes were evaluatedby immunostaining and the measurement of biochemical indexes. The molecular mechanism was explored by biological techniques such as western blotting, qPCR, ChIP-seq and ChIP-qPCR, flow cytometry and lentivirus infection. Results We found that naringenin and hesperetin had an inhibitory effect on histone acetylation. We showed that naringenin and hesperetin protected pancreatic β cells in vivo and in vitro, and this effect was independent of their direct antioxidant capacity. The further study found that the inhibition of thioredoxin-interacting protein (Txnip) expression regulated by histone acetylation was critical for the protective role of naringenin and hesperetin. Mechanistically, the histone acetylation inhibition by naringenin and hesperetin was achieved through regulating AMPK-mediated p300 inactivation. Conclusion These findings highlight flavanones and the phytomedicine rich in flavanones as important dietary supplements in protecting pancreatic β cells in advanced diabetes. In addition, targeting histone acetylation by phytomedicine is a potential strategy to delay the development and progression of diabetes.

Accumulating evidence supports a bidirectional relationship between sleep disruption and Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Among various sleep electroencephalography activities, the sleep spindle is one specific electroencephalographic rhythm that has potential to be a biomarker for AD. This review explores the association between sleep spindles and AD-related dementia from a neuropsychological perspective by a systematic re-examining of recent findings. In general, sleep spindles, characterized by density, amplitude, duration, and frequency, are disrupted in AD. Moreover, its functional coupling with slow oscillation also suffers in AD. While preliminary, our observations and comparisons suggest that spindle density rather than frequency and fast spindles rather than slow spindles could be more sensitive to AD-related dementia, and spindle plasticity provides possibilities for targeted interference. In conclusion, quantitative and qualitative features of sleep spindles represent potential non-invasive and cost-effective biomarkers for AD and provide both therapeutic and public health implications.

In this research, graphene was incorporated into the ZnO nanorods (NRs) growth in two different ways to enlarge the rod diameter of ZnO NRs on porous silicon (PS) substrates. We etched the P-type Si (1 0 0) wafer to form the PS layer in solution with HF and C2H5OH and H2O2 for appropriate time. Then, ZnO NRs with and without incorporating graphene were grown with solgel/hydrothermal methods on top of the PS substrates, respectively. To characterize the graphene incorporated ZnO NRs on PS substrates, multiple material analyses including field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence, IV curves were used to study the graphene-incorporated ZnO NRs. Results indicate that ZnO NRs with larger diameters could be viewed with graphene included into the ZnO NR growth in two different ways. Furthermore, higher defect concentrations could be observed for the graphene-contained NRs.In addition, the ZnO/PS contact exhibited rectifying electrical behaviors without graphene addition but non-rectifying electrical behaviors with graphene incorporation.Tuning ZnO NRs growth on PS substrates with graphene is promising for future ZnO NRs/Si-based device applications. Keywords: Graphene, ZnO nanorod, Porous silicon, Rod diameter, Defect

This study used a structural equation model to investigate the endogenous structure of high school students’ perceptions of the knowledge possessed by English teachers who handle technology-supported classes in Taiwan. We developed a validated survey composed of four constructs, namely, subject matter knowledge (SMK, 5 items), knowledge of students’ understanding (KSU, 4 items), technological knowledge (TK, 6 items), and technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK, 6 items). The survey was administered to 287 respondents from four target English teachers’ classes at the end of the semester in January 2015. Further analysis based on the structural equation model indicates that students’ perceptions of teachers’ TK and KSU directly affect TPACK. SMK and KSU are indirectly related to TPACK with the association significantly mediated by TK.