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Deep learning algorithms can help uncover patterns, make predictions, or generate new content related to folk culture, thus bridging the gap between heritage and advanced technology. The confidence model in a cloud context refers to a system or approach used to assess the reliability, security, or performance of cloud services. It might involve factors such as service uptime, data security, scalability, and compliance with industry standards. In this paper focused on the dynamic landscape of consumer preferences within folk music through cloud-based technologies integrated with deep learning. Folk music, with its rich cultural diversity and historical significance, presents a unique context for investigating the intricacies of consumer taste. The proposed model uses the "Ranking" based deep learning within cloudbased resources to predict and classify consumer preferences effectively. With the integration of the cloud confidence model ranking is implemented for the estimation of tracks in folk music. The estimated tracks are evaluated and stored in the cloud environment based on the preferences of the customers. The classification of the tracks and consumer preferences are ranked with the cloud model features. The simulation results demonstrated that the ranking of tracks effectively improves consumer preferences with the cloud confidence model in folk music. The results enhancing personalized experiences and facilitating informed decision-making for businesses and cultural institutions operating in the rich and diverse landscape of folk culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the effect of pogostone on cardiac hypertrophy. Methods: An in vitro model of myocardial hypertrophy was first established by stimulating H9c2 (rat cardiomyocytes) with angiotensin II (Ang II), and the cells treated with or without pogostone. Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) were measured by western blot. Immunofluorescence staining was performed for a-actinin while cell surface area was quantified. Dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) fluorescent probe and malondialdehyde (MDA) assay kit were used to determine reactive oxygen species (ROS) and MDA levels respectively. Apoptosis was evaluated by flow cytometry while Nrf2, p38, ERK, and JNK protein expression levels were determined by western-blot assay. Results: Compared with the control group, ANP and BNP protein expression levels, cell surface area, ROS, MDA, and apoptosis were all elevated in H9c2 cells after stimulation with Ang II (p < 0.001). Varying doses of pogostone decreased protein expressions of ANP and BNP, reduced cell surface area, decreased ROS and MDA levels, and inhibited apoptosis. Pogostone also up-regulated and inhibited the phosphorylation levels of p38 and ERK, and JNK levels in H9c2 cells. Conclusion: Pogostone reduces protein expression of ANP and BNP and up-regulated Nrf2 protein expression in H9c2 cells stimulated with angiotensin II. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been a long time that computer architecture and systems are optimized for efficient execution of machine learning (ML) models. Now, it is time to reconsider the relationship between ML and systems and let ML transform the way that computer architecture and systems are designed. This embraces a twofold meaning: improvement of designers' productivity and completion of the virtuous cycle. In this article, we present a comprehensive review of the work that applies ML for computer architecture and system design. First, we perform a high-level taxonomy by considering the typical role that ML techniques take in architecture/system design, i.e., either for fast predictive modeling or as the design methodology. Then, we summarize the common problems in computer architecture/system design that can be solved by ML techniques and the typical ML techniques employed to resolve each of them. In addition to emphasis on computer architecture in a narrow sense, we adopt the concept that data centers can be recognized as warehouse-scale computers; sketchy discussions are provided in adjacent computer systems, such as code generation and compiler; we also give attention to how ML techniques can aid and transform design automation. We further provide a future vision of opportunities and potential directions and envision that applying ML for computer architecture and systems would thrive in the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While isoalantolactone is a sesquiterpene lactone known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, its role in cardiac hypertrophy is unknown. This study aimed to explore the role and mechanism of isoalantolactone in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy using angiotensin II-treated H9C2 cells as a model. The Western blot analysis was used to evaluate changes in the cardiac hypertrophy marker proteins atrial natriuretic peptide and brain natriuretic peptide and the activity of nuclear-factor erythroid 2-related factor 2/mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway. Rhodamine-phalloidin staining was used to measure the surface area of cardiomyocytes. Apoptosis and intracellular reactive oxygen species levels were measured by flow cytometry. The results showed that isoalantolactone inhibited angiotensin II-induced H9C2 cell hypertrophy and cardiomyocyte apoptosis and reduced intracellular reactive oxygen species and cytochrome C levels in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, isoalantolactone upregulated the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2/heme oxygenase-1 and inhibited extracellular signal-regulated kinase, c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase, and p38 (a stress-stimulated kinase) activation. Collectively, the findings suggest that isoalantolactone can enhance the antioxidant capacity of H9C2 cells, reduce apoptosis, and inhibit cardiac hypertrophy, and these protective effects may be related to the regulation of nuclear-factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway activity by isoalantolactone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fusarium pseudograminearum megabirnavirus 1 (FpgMBV1) was isolated from the hypovirulent strain FC136-2A of F. pseudograminearum as a novel double-stranded RNA mycovirus belonging to the family Megabirnaviridae. Here we examined the effects of FpgMBV1 on colony morphology and pathogenicity of F. pseudograminearum. Through hyphal tip culture, we obtained virus-free progeny of strain FC136-2A, referred to as FC136-2A-V–. FpgMBV1 was transferred horizontally to another virus-free strain, WZ-8A-HygR-V–. The progeny obtained through horizontal transfer was referred to as WZ-8A-HygR-V+. Colony morphology was similar between the FpgMBV1-positive and -negative strains. The ability to penetrate cellophane in vitro was lost, and pathogenicity on wheat plants was reduced significantly in the FpgMBV1-positive strains relative to the FpgMBV1-negative strains. Microscopic observations showed a 6-h delay in the formation of appressoria-like structures in FC136-2A relative to FC136-2A-V–. Mycelium extension was significantly longer in wheat coleoptiles infected by WZ-8A-HygR-V– than in that infected by WZ-8A-HygR-V+ at 12 and 20 h after inoculation (hai). In addition, expression of five genes that encode cell wall-degrading enzymes differed significantly between FpgMBV1-positive and -negative strains at 12 and 20 hai during early infection of wheat cells by conidia. This study provides evidence for the hypovirulence effect of FpgMBV1 on F. pseudograminearum and suggests that the underlying mechanism involves unsuccessful early infection and perhaps cell wall degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examined the structures and activation mechanism of human potassium-chloride cotransporters KCC1 to KCC4. Other topics include the role of human cation-chloride cotransporters (CCC) in homeostasis, the presence of CCCs in the tissues of brain, kidney, lung and other body parts, and the interaction of C-terminal domain (CTD) with N-terminal inhibitory peptide.

Didymocarpus lobulatus, a new species endemic to Zhejiang province, eastern China, is described and illustrated with photographs. The new species is morphologically similar to D. heucherifolius, D. cortusifolius and D. salviiflorus in leaf morphology, but can be easily distinguished by a combination of characters, including the shape of bracts, calyx and calyx lobes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ultracompact, wide bandwidth, polarization beam splitter (PBS) based on a Bloch supermode coupler is proposed. In such PBS, a subwavelength grating (SWG) waveguide is sandwiched between two identical strip waveguides as a selective coupling bridge. Profiting from the tailorable characteristics of the SWG waveguide, the coupling between TM supermodes can be made negligible. On the contrary, the TE supermodes can exchange their power efficiently, resulting in short coupling length. At wavelength of 1550 nm, the extinction ratio and insertion loss of the PBS can achieve 25.5 and 0.2 dB for TE mode and 32.1 and 0.1 dB for TM mode, respectively. Furthermore, it has a 10-dB bandwidth over 200 nm and offers a width deviation tolerance of (15 nm. The proposed PBS can find applications in the areas of polarization-sensitive interconnection and signal processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article talks about the importance of energy band engineering in nanoelectronics. Topics discussed include two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) being considered as building blocks for next-generation nanoeletronic and optoelectronic devices, and TMDs having atomic layers held together by van der Waals forces.

Objective: To explore whether aspirin (ASA) enhances the sensitivity of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) side population (SP) cells to doxorubicin (Doxo) via miR-491/ATP-binding cassette sub-family G member 2 (ABCG2). Methods: Non-SP and SP cells were isolated from MHCC-97L cell line using flow cytometry analysis and fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Colony formation assay was performed to determine the colony-formation ability of cells. Cell viability of SP cells was determined with the MTT assay. Luciferase reporter assay was applied in confirming the binding between miR-491 and ABCG2. Results: Although the Doxo treatment lowered the colony-formation ability of both non-SP and SP cells, the colony-formation ability of SP cells was 2-fold higher than that of non-SP cells (P<0.05). Doxo slightly inhibited the cell viability of SP cells in a concentration-dependent manner; the addition of ASA dramatically enhanced the inhibitory effect of Doxo on SP cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner (P<0.05). Compared with non-SP cells, the miR-491 expression was significantly decreased in SP cells, which was significantly reversed by ASA (P<0.05). miR-491 directly controlled the ABCG2 expression. In the presence of Doxo, miR-491 inhibitor reduced the inhibitory effect of ASA on the cell viability of SP cells, which was significantly reversed by knockdown of ABCG2 (P<0.05). Conclusion: ASA enhanced the sensitivity of SP cells to Doxo via regulating the miR-491/ABCG2 signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wnt/β-catenin signaling plays a key role in regulating adipogenesis through indirectly inhibiting the expression of C/EBPα and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ); however, the detailed molecular mechanism remains poorly understood. Moreover, the factor(s) that determines the Wnt/β-catenin output level during adipogenesis is also not completely defined. In this study, we showed that Pygo2 exhibited a declined expression pattern during adipocyte differentiation, resulting in an attenuated Wnt/β-catenin output level. The mechanism study indicated that Pygo2 inhibition led to the downregulation of Axin2, a constitutive Wnt target, in the cytoplasm. Consequently, Axin2-bound GSK3β was released and translocated into the nucleus to phosphorylate C/EBPβ and Snail, resulting in an increase in the DNA binding activity of C/EBPβ and decreased protein stability of Snail, which subsequently activated the expression of C/EBPα and PPARγ. Consistent with this, embryonic fibroblasts from Pygo2-/- mice exhibited spontaneous adipocyte differentiation, and adipocyte precursor-specific Pygo2-deficient mice exhibited increased adiposity with decreased energy expenditure. We further showed impaired glucose tolerance and decreased systemic insulin sensitivity in Pygo2-deficient mice. Our study revealed an association between Pygo2 function and obesity or diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overexpression of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in the brain is an important mechanism involved in drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), an inflammatory cytokine, significantly increases following seizures and may be involved in upregulation of P-gp. However, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of HMGB1 and its downstream signaling components, receptor for advanced glycation end-product (RAGE) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), on P-gp expression in rat brains during status epilepticus (SE). Small interfering RNA (siRNA) was administered to rats prior to induction of SE by pilocarpine, to block transcription of the genes encoding HMGB1 and RAGE, respectively. An inhibitor of NF-κB, pyrrolidinedithiocarbamic acid (PDTC), was utilized to inhibit activation of NF-κB. The expression levels of HMGB1, RAGE, phosphorylated-NF-κB p65 (p-p65) and P-gp were detected by western blotting. The relative mRNA expression levels of the genes encoding these proteins were measured using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and the cellular localization of the proteins was determined by immunofluorescence. Pre-treatment with HMGB1 siRNA reduced the expression levels of RAGE, p-p65 and P-gp. PDTC reduced the expression levels of P-gp. These findings suggested that overexpression of P-gp during seizures may be regulated by HMGB1 via the RAGE/NF-κB signaling pathway, and may be a novel target for treating DRE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous alumina (Al2O3) microspheres with incontinuous multicavities have been successfully prepared viaan oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion method accompanied by a sol–gel process in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), sorbitan monooleate (Span 80) and ethyl acetoacetate (EAA). The introduction of PVP as a phase separation inducer into the oil phase of the O/W emulsion leads to the formation of incontinuous multicavities inside the microspheres, and the size of the cavities enlarges with the increase of the amount of PVP, while has no significant influence on the surface morphology and particle size distribution of the microspheres. EAA works as a chelating agent to ensure a spherical shape, and Span 80 acts as a stabilizer to preserve a smooth surface. An appropriate amount of PVP, EAA and Span 80 allow the formation of porous alumina microspheres with incontinuous multicavities. A preliminary mechanism based on phase separation for the structural evolution of alumina porous microspheres with multicavities is suggested. The spheres after heat treatment experience a phase transformation process in the following sequence: amorphous → γ-Al2O3→ α-Al2O3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cardio-protective effect of fibrate therapy is controversial and current research is to evaluate the effect of fenofibrate therapy on rats with hypertriglycemia. Methods: Rats with hypertriglycemia were produced by 10% fructose administration (10 ml daily) for 4 weeks. After model has been successfully produced as reflected by increased triglyceride level, different doses of fenofibrate, namely low dose (50 mg/kg body weight) and high dose (100 mg/kg body weight), were orally prescribed for 2 weeks. At baseline, 4 weeks of fructose administration and 2 weeks of fenofibrate therapy, parameters of interest were evaluated and compared. Results: At baseline, no significant differences of parameter were observed between groups. After 4 weeks of fructose prescription, triglyceride level increased in company with high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and apoprotein A1 (ApoA1) decreased. C-reactive protein (CRP) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were also elevated. Endothelial function was impaired as reflected by reduced nitric oxide (NO) production and elevated serum asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) level. All these changes were significant as compared to the control group (P < 0.05), suggesting that short-term of triglyceride elevation could potently initiate atherosclerosis. With 2 weeks of fenofibrate therapy, in comparison to un-treated group, triglyceride level was significantly reduced in parallel with HDL-C and ApoA1 elevation. Inflammation and oxidation were also profoundly ameliorated as reflected by CRP and MDA reduction. Notably, NO production was enhanced in company with serum ADMA level decrease. Overall, these improvements manifested in a dose-dependent manner, which was supported by multivariate regression analysis showing that after adjusted to other variables, the dose of fenofibrate therapy remained significantly associated with NO production and serum ADMA level, with OR of 1.042 (high-dose versus low-dose, 95% CI 1.028-1.055, P < 0.05). Conclusions: Fenofibrate therapy not only could reduce triglyceride level but also confer pleiotropic effects in terms of endothelium-protection and amelioration of inflammation and oxidation in a dose-dependent manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To overcome the conflict between the global robustness and the local accuracy of dense nonrigid image registration, we propose a union registration approach by combining parametric and non-parametric transformation models. On one hand, to guarantee the robustness, we constrain the displacement field ϕ using a mapping difference metric between the B-spline parametric space Ψ and the non-parametric transformation space Φ. On the other hand, to correct the densely and highly localized geometrical distortions, we introduce a total variation (TV) regularization term for the displacement field ϕ. Accounting for the effect of spatially varying intensity distortions, the residual complexity (RC) is used as the similarity metric. Moreover, to solve the proposed union nonrigid registration, which is a composite convex optimization problem by the smooth ℓ2 term and the non-smooth ℓ1 term (TV), we design a two-stage algorithm using split Bregman iteration. Experiments with both synthetic and real images from different domains illustrate that this approach can capture the local details of transformation accurately and effectively while being robust to the spatially varying intensity distortions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the problem of generating a high-resolution (HR) image from a single degraded low-resolution (LR) input image without any external training set. Due to the ill-posed nature of this problem, it is necessary to find an effective prior knowledge to make it well-posed. For this purpose, we propose a novel super-resolution (SR) method based on combined total variation regularization. In the first place, we propose a new regularization term called steering kernel regression total variation (SKRTV), which exploits the local structural regularity properties in natural images. In the second place, another regularization term called non-local total variation (NLTV) is employed as a complementary term in our method, which makes the most of the redundancy of similar patches in natural images. By combining the two complementary regularization terms, we propose a maximum a posteriori probability framework of SR reconstruction. Furthermore, split Bregman iteration is applied to implement the proposed model. Extensive experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative stress has been proved to be a critical reason of regulating CYP450s under hepatic injury status. The study was aimed to investigate the effect of pretreatment of schisandra lignan extracts (SLE) and dimethyl diphenyl bicarboxylate (DDB) on expressions and activities of the main liver P450 isoenzymes in CCl4 induced liver injury rats and their anti-oxidative effects on both CCl4 induced liver injury rats and a CCl4 induced HepG2 cell injury model. Acute experimental liver injury induced by CCl4 caused drastically decreasing activities of the main liver P450 isoenzymes such as CYP1A2, CYP2C6, CYP2E1 and CYP3A2, as well as their protein expressions. Pretreatment of SLE (500 mg/kg) and DDB (200 mg/kg) twice a day for three days significantly decreased the losses of activities of CYP1A2, CYP2C6, CYP2E1 and CYP3A2. Similar results were observed in protein expressions. In addition, in the CCl4 induced HepG2 cells injury model and the CYP3A activity level correlated well with ROS level in several ingredients of SLE treated groups, especially in γ-schisandrin group. These results indicated that the reversion of P450 after SLE/DDB treatment were, on one hand, due to hepatoprotective effects of these lignans on livers; on the other hand, due to their regulation of P450 through anti-oxidative effect and γ-schisandrin might be the most powerful ingredient of SLE. Also, there might be potential interactions between SLE or DDB and co-administered medicines and it is necessary to adjust the dosage of co-administrated medicines in clinical medication of liver disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enzyme stability is an important issue for protein engineers. Understanding how rigidity in the active site affects protein kinetic stability will provide new insight into enzyme stabilization. In this study, we demonstrated enhanced kinetic stability of Candida antarctica lipase B (CalB) by mutating the structurally flexible residues within the active site. Six residues within 10 Å of the catalytic Ser105 residue with a high B factor were selected for iterative saturation mutagenesis. After screening 2200 colonies, we obtained the D223G/L278M mutant, which exhibited a 13-fold increase in half-life at 48 °C and a 12 °C higher T5015, the temperature at which enzyme activity is reduced to 50% after a 15-min heat treatment. Further characterization showed that global unfolding resistance against both thermal and chemical denaturation also improved. Analysis of the crystal structures of wild-type CalB and the D223G/L278M mutant revealed that the latter formed an extra main chain hydrogen bond network with seven structurally coupled residues within the flexible α10 helix that are primarily involved in forming the active site. Further investigation of the relative B factor profile and molecular dynamics simulation confirmed that the enhanced rigidity decreased fluctuation of the active site residues at high temperature. These results indicate that enhancing the rigidity of the flexible segment within the active site may provide an efficient method for improving enzyme kinetic stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The expression pattern and function of miRNAs in the rat model of temporal lobe epilepsy have not been well defined. Profiling miRNA expression in the rat model of temporal lobe epilepsy and investigating the function of specific miRNAs in epilepsy offers the prospect of a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of epilepsy. Methods: The lithium-pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus model and the temporal lobe epilepsy model were established in Sprague-Dawley rats. Samples were analysed to detect deregulated miRNAs in the hippocampal temporal lobe, and several of these deregulated miRNAs were confirmed by qPCR. The expression of the pro-apoptotic miR-34a was detected at 1 day, 7 days and 2 weeks post-status epilepticus and at 2 months after temporal lobe epilepsy. The antagomir of miR-34a was then utilised. The expression of miR-34a after targeting and the expression change of activated caspase-3 protein were examined. The effects of altering the expression of miR-34a and activated caspase-3 protein on neuronal survival and neuronal death or apoptosis post-status epilepticus were assessed. Results: The miRNA microarray detected 9 up-regulated miRNAs (miR-146a, -211, -203, -210, -152, -31, -23a, -34a, -27a) and 15 down-regulated miRNAs (miR-138*, -301a, -136, -153, -19a, -135b, -325-5p, -380, -190, -542-3p, -33, -144, -542-5p, -543, -296*). Some of the deregulated miRNAs (miR-146a, miR-210, miR-27a, miR-135b and miR-33) were confirmed using qPCR. Furthermore, an increase in expression of the pro-apoptotic miR-34a was demonstrated in the post-status epilepticus rat hippocampus. miR-34a was significantly up-regulated at 1 day, 7 days and 2 weeks post-status epilepticus and at 2 months after temporal lobe epilepsy. Experiments with the miR-34a antagomir revealed that targeting miR-34a led to an inhibition of activated caspase-3 protein expression, which may contribute to increased neuronal survival and reduced neuronal death or apoptosis. Conclusions: Our study showed the expression profile of miRNAs in the hippocampus in a rat model of temporal lobe epilepsy and an increase in the expression of the pro-apoptotic miR-34a in post-status epilepticus rats. The results show that miR-34a is up-regulated during seizure-induced neuronal death or apoptosis, and targeting miR-34a is neuroprotective and is associated with an inhibition of an increase in activated caspase-3 protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

novel lipase gene encoded 315 amino acid residues was obtained using lipase-prospecting primers and genome walking from hyperthermophilic bacterium Fervidobacterium changbaicum CBS-1. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis revealed this novel lipase is a new member of bacterial lipase family V. The recombinant enzyme F. changbaicum lipase 1 (FCLip1) showed maximum activity at 78°C and pH 7.8. It displayed extreme thermostability at 70°C and was also stable across a wide pH range from 6.0 to 12.0. Kinetic study demonstrated FCLip1 preferentially hydrolyzed middle-length acyl chains, especially p-nitrophenyl caprate and tricaprylin. With p-nitrophenyl caprate as a substrate, the enzyme exhibited a K and k of 4.67 μM and 22.7/s, respectively. In addition, FCLip1 was resistant to various detergents and organic solvents. This enzyme is the first reported thermophilic lipase from bacterial family Thermotogaceae. Its extreme stability with respect to temperature and pH, along with its triglyceride hydrolysis activity, indicate that FCLip1 has high potential for future application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to explore the histogenesis and carcinogenesis of pulmonary cancer induced by N-nitrosopiperidine (NPIP) in mice. NPIP is a form of N-nitrosamine found in tobacco smoke, which has been shown to be a genotoxic chemical as well as a mutagenic compound for inducing chromosome aberrations and severe clastogenicity. In this study, 80 BALB/C strain mice were injected with 0.2 mmol/kg NPIP intraperitoneally for 8 weeks, and experiments were conducted for a further 16 weeks. For the control group, 40 mice were injected with an equal volume of 0.9% NaCl. Pulmonary tissues and tumors in the NPIP-treated group were examined by light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy and compared with the control group at 4-week intervals. The mRNA levels of p53 (mutant), bcl-2, c-myc, ras, and subunits of telomerase - telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and an RNA component, TR - were assayed by mPCR or RT-PCR. Twenty-two mice in the experimental group were found to develop pulmonary tumors, but none in the control group. All tumors found in the experimental group originated from alveolar type II epithelial cells. In addition, 6 of the 22 mice also developed tumors of bronchogenic origin. The expression of p53, bcl-2, c-myc, ras, and the subunits of telomerase were found to increase in all pulmonary tissues and tumors formed thereafter upon NPIP treatment. In summary, NPIP-induced mouse lung tumors exhibited morphological changes during carcinogenesis, which may be the consequence of overexpression of some genes associated with the development of carcinoma and changes in subunits of telomerase. This mouse model of lung tumor formation may be a useful tool to delineate the histogenesis and carcinogenesis of human pulmonary cancer. Cette étude visait à explorer l’histogenèse et la carcinogenèse du cancer pulmonaire induit par la N-nitrosopipéridine (NPIP) chez la souris. La NPIP est une forme de N-nitrosamine trouvée dans la fumée du tabac qui s’est révélée être un produit chimique génotoxique ainsi qu’un composé mutagène en induisant des aberrations chromosomiques et une clastogénicité sévère. Dans cette étude, 80 souris BALB/c ont reçu 0,2 mmol/kg de NPIP par injections intrapéritonéales pendant 8 semaines, et les expériences ont été réalisées pendant les 16 semaines suivantes. Les souris du groupe contrôle ont reçu un volume égal de NaCl 0,9%. Les tissus pulmonaires et les tumeurs du groupe traité à la NPIP ont été examinés par microscopie optique et par microscopie électronique à transmission, et ils ont été comparés aux tissus du groupe contrôle à des intervalles de quatre semaines. Les niveaux d’ARNm de p53 muté, de bcl2, de c-myc, de ras et des sous-unités de la télomérase, la réverse transcriptase de la télomérase (TERT) et une composante de l’ARN, TR, ont été mesurés par mPCR et RT-PCR. Vingt-deux souris du groupe expérimental ont développé des tumeurs pulmonaires mais aucune dans le groupe contrôle. Toutes les tumeurs trouvées dans le groupe expérimental se développaient à partir des cellules épithéliales alvéolaires de type II. De plus, 6 des 22 souris avaient aussi développé des tumeurs d’origine bronchique. L’expression de p53, bcl-2, c-myc, ras et des sous-unités de la télomérase était augmentée dans tous les tissus pulmonaires et dans les tumeurs induites par le NPIP. En résumé, les tumeurs du poumon induites par le NPIP chez la souris montraient des changements morphologiques lors de la carcinogenèse qui pourraient résulter de la surexpression de quelques uns des gènes associés au développement du carcinome, et des changements dans l’expression des sous-unités de la télomérase. Ce modèle de formation tumorale chez la souris peut être utile afin de décrire l’histogenèse et la carcinogenèse du cancer pulmonaire chez l’humain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article looks at the views of a variety of researchers, executives and other technological leaders from a range of institutions about three-dimensional (3D) integration technology for microprocessors. It focuses on 3D stacking technology based on through-silicon-via (TSV) technology. It is believed that the first commercial 3D integrated microprocessor products will feature memory stacked on a processor and that will produce some benefits like increase in bandwidth and in on-chip storage capacity. Based on the comments of the respondents, the said microprocessors will likely be commercialized within a few years.

α-Synuclein (α-Syn) is the major component of Lewy bodies (LBs) deposited in the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease. Synphilin-1 (Sph1) is a novel α-Syn-interacting protein also present in the LBs. However, the roles of α-Syn-Sph1 interaction in LB formation and in the related pathogenesis are still unclear. We have studied the interaction between α-Syn and Sph1 by biochemical and structural approaches and found that the central coiled-coil domain of Sphl specifically interacts with the N-terminal stretch of α-Syn. When overexpressed in HEK 293T cells, Sph1 forms inclusions together with α-Syn, but the Sph1-positive inclusions cannot recruit the N-terminally truncated α-Syn. The central portion of Sph1 can also recruit α-Syn and induce inclusion formation through its coiled-coil domain. These observations demonstrate that the α-Syn-Sph1 interaction significantly promotes the formation of cytoplasmic α-Syn inclusions, which may have implications for LB formation in neural cells. We have also elucidated solution structure of the coiled-coil domain of Sphl and its interaction with the N-terminal peptide of α-Syn. The specific interaction between α-Syn and Sphl provides mechanistic insights into the inclusion-body formation in cells and pathological implication in Parkinson's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The isolated pentagon rule (IPR) is now widely accepted as a general rule for determining the stability of all-carbon fullerene cages composed of hexagons and pentagons. Fullerenes that violate this rule have been deemed too reactive to be synthesized. The stabilization of non-IPR endohedral fullerenes depends on charge transfer from the encapsulated metal clusters (endoclusters) to fullerene cages, the electronic properties of empty all-carbon cages, the matching size and geometries of fullerene and endocluster, as well as the strong coordination of the metal ions to fused pentagons. The stability of non-IPR exohedral fullerenes can be rationalized primarily by both the 'strain-relief' and 'local-aromaticity' principles. This Review focuses on recent work on stabilization of non-IPR fullerenes, including theoretical and empirical principles, experimental methods, and molecular structures of fused-pentagon fullerenes characterized so far. The special chemical properties of non-IPR fullerenes that distinguish them from IPR-satisfying ones are also emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibrating polysilicon micromechanical ring resonators, using a unique extensional wine-glass-mode shape to achieve lower impedance than previous UHF resonators, have been demonstrated at frequencies as high as 1.2 GHz with a Q of 3,700, and 1.52 GHz with a Q of 2,800. The 1.2-GHz resonator exhibits a measured motional resistance of 1 Mu with a dc-bias voltage of 20 V, which is 2.2 times lower than the resistance measured on radial contour-mode disk counterparts at the same frequency. The use of larger rings offers a path toward even lower impedance, provided the spurious modes that become more troublesome as ring size increases can be properly suppressed using methods described herein. With spurious modes suppressed, the high-Q and low-impedance advantages, together with the multiple frequency on-chip integration advantages afforded by capacitively transduced µmechanical resonators, make this device an attractive candidate for use in the front-end RF filtering and frequency generation functions needed by wireless communication devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an overview on the emergence of three-dimensional (ED) integration in the fabrication technology and its impact on processor design. It also presents various case studies on different approaches in designing (3D) multicore system and single-core processors and discusses the significance of technological innovations in creating future high-performance microprocessors. It offers an overview on 3D die-stacking integration, a new fabrication technology that stacks multiple layers of processed silicon with a very high-density, low-latency layer-to-layer interconnect.

Ambient reflection of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) is reduced by utilizing a multilayer low-reflection cathode. The low-reflection cathode structure consists of a semitransparent cathode layer, a transparent spacing layer and a high reflective layer. Metals with different optical properties, including silver (Ag) and samarium (Sm), are used as the semitransparent cathode layer, tris(8-quinolinolato) aluminium (Alq3) and aluminium (Al) are used as the spacing layer and high reflective layer, respectively. The incident ambient light could be reduced by the cathode structure via destructive optical interference. It is found that the Ag/Alq3/Al cathode shows a strong wavelength-dependent reflection. However, the Sm/Alq3/Al cathode demonstrates a low reflection in the whole visible range, and the resulting OLED shows a reduced luminous reflectance of 2.7% as compared to 81% for a control device with LiF/Al cathode. A further reduction to 0.9% is realized by replacing a multilayer of Alq3/Sm/Alq3 for the single layer of Alq3. Moreover, such a structure shows a weak dependence of reflectance on the wavelength and incident angle of ambient light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The forced one-electron reduction of carbon tetrachloride with sodium in a sealed steel vessel is shown to have a narrow window of conditions to arrest the reaction at the polychlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons (PCAHs), as well as to prevent the reaction from proceeding all the way to the final stage of graphite and other carbon solids. The intermediates are quenched with toluene or benzene to give electrophilic substitution products and with water to give a quinomethine as the major product. The product pattern leads us to propose the carbene, perchlorobenzo[c,d]pyren-6-ylidene, or its reversible dimer as the major intermediate among others, that survives the severe conditions until coming into contact with these nucleophiles. Mainly from aromatic resonance stabilization, the carbene is proposed to have a delocalized singlet state analogous to a ylide electronic structure and, thus, undergoes observed ionic reactions instead of typical carbene reactions. This work serves as a mechanistic link on the structural evolution of carbon networks between molecular chemistry and nanomaterial chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Comparative sequence analysis is an effective and increasingly common way to identify cis-regulatory regions in animal genomes. Results: We describe three tools for comparative analysis of pairs of BAC-sized genomic regions. Paircomp is a tool that does windowed (ungapped) comparisons of two sequences and reports all matches above a set threshold. FamilyRelationsII is a graphical viewer for comparisons that enables interactive exploration of several different kinds of comparisons. Cartwheel is a Web site and compute-cluster management system used to execute and store comparisons for display by FamilyRelationsII. These tools are specialized for the discovery of cis-regulatory regions in animal genomes. All tools and their source code are freely available at http://family.caltech.edu/. Conclusion: These tools have been shown to effectively identify regulatory regions in echinoderms, mammals, and nematodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammatory cytokine storms can trigger disease exacerbation and even death and have reached a consensus in the clinical treatment of acute organ failure. However, the existing strategies remain a great challenge to efficiently suppress inflammatory cytokine storms for promoting organ repair and regeneration. Herein, fully human umbilical cord (UC)-derived adhesive materials (UCAM) that integrate decellularized extracellular matrix (ECM) nanofiber hydrogel and homologous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are demonstrated to greatly suppress inflammatory cytokine storms, demonstrating high efficacy in treating acute liver failure (ALF) in rats with 90% hepatectomy. The UC-derived adhesive materials have the capacity to secrete a significant quantity of cytokines by MSCs to recruit activated immune cells to migrate into their ECM nanofiber networks, segregating them away from the infection area and thereby greatly suppressing the inflammatory cytokine storms. As expected, the UC-derived adhesive materials can significantly promote hepatocyte proliferation to achieve functional recovery and regeneration of the liver, significantly improving the survival rate in rats. Our fully human UC-derived adhesive materials provide a new avenue in suppressing inflammatory cytokine storms for promoting organ regeneration that would be really utility in clinical organ transplantation-related treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information about embedded computing system designing, with an emphasis on ways to design a system atop a less reliable hardware platform. At the outset, the author has discussed how the system poses unique challenges, and in this connection, has further explained the concept on triple-module redundancy, checkpointing, power optimization, and rollback. He has likewise discussed some adaptive techniques for dealing with hardware platform reliability, including the principle of dynamic voltage scaling, on-chip temperature variation, activity variation and electrodiffusion. His emphasis on how improvement in reliability can lead to performance, energy, or cost penalties and how some solutions targeted at a specific failure mechanism could negatively affect other mechanism, concludes the article.

Investigates the dynamic distribution of charge carriers in organic quantum-well light-emitting diodes (QWLED) using time-resolved electroluminescence (EL). Similarity of transient EL spectra to traditional LED; Transit time for electron corresponding to electron mobility; Transient characteristics of carrier transport.

As the supplement of the flora of Zhejiang, East China, two new species were described with illustrations. Cerastium huadingense Y.F.Lu, W.Y.Xie & X.F.Jin (Caryophyllaceae) differs from C. qingliangfengicum in having sterile stems absent, leaves sessile, petals slightly longer than sepals, and stamens slightly shorter than sepals. Ixeridium dimorphifolium Y.L.Xu, Y.F.Lu & X.Cai (Asteraceae) differs from I. beauverdianum in having plant stoloniferous, basal leaves dimorphic, involucre 8-10 mm long, inner phyllaries 8, and florets 7-10. Paraphlomis setulosa C.Y.Wu & H.W.Li (Lamiaceae) was reviewed and morphological characters of the corolla and stamens of its type and the specimens collected in the field survey were critically examined. With barbate anthers and strongly divergent anther cells, Paraphlomis setulosa was transferred to Sinopogonanthera, and S. setulosa (C.Y.Wu & H.W.Li) H.W.Zhang & X.F.Jin was consequently combined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On April 16, 2022, China has successfully launched the world's first space-borne high spectral resolution lidar (HSRL), which is called the Aerosol Carbon Detection Lidar (ACDL) onboard the DQ-1 satellite. The ACDL is expected to precisely detect the three-dimensional distribution of aerosol and cloud globally with high spatial-temporal resolutions. To assess the performance of the newly launched satellite lidar, the ACDL retrieved observations were compared with groundbased lidar measurements of atmospheric aerosol and cloud over northwest China from May to July 2022 by the exploitation of the Belt and Road lidar network (BR-lidarnet) initiated by Lanzhou University of China, as well as CALIPSO lidar observations. A total of six cases at daytime and nighttime, including clear days, dust events, and cloudy conditions, were selected for further analysis. Moreover, profiles of total attenuated backscatter coefficient (TABC) and volume depolarization ratio (VDR) at 532 nm measured by the ACDL, CALIPSO lidar and ground-based lidar are compared in detail. Comparison between the 532 nm extinction coefficient and lidar ratio obtained from ACDL HSRL retrieval and the Raman retrieval results obtained from BR-lidarnet. The achieved results revealed that the ACDL observations were in good agreement with the ground-based lidar measurements during dust events with a relative deviation of about -10.5 ± 25.4 % for the TABC and -6.0 ± 38.5 % for the VDR. Additionally, the heights of cloud top and bottom from these two measurements were well matched and comparable. Compared with the observation of CALIPSO, it also shows high consistency. This study proves that the ACDL provides reliable observations of aerosol and cloud in the presence of various climatic conditions, which helps to further evaluate the impacts of aerosol on climate and environment as well as the ecosystem in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates microwave plasma synthesis of carbon[sub 60] and carbon[sub 70] fullerenes from chloroform at low pressure argon temperature. Percent yield of carbon[sub 60] and carbon[sub 70]; Presence of perchlorinated carbon clusters in the synthesis products.

The degraded polysaccharides from Porphyra yezoensis (DPPY) prepared using the H2O2-Vc method under optimized conditions were isolated and purified by DEAE Cellulose-52, and Sephadex G-100, providing four pure components, namely, DPPY-0, DPPY-0.1, DPPY-0.3, and DPPY-0.5. Their relative molecular weights were measured to be 10.8, 10.7, 18.7, and 35.5 kDa, respectively. GC-MS analysis revealed that all the four fractions were mainly composed of galactose, together with a small portion of glucose, mannose, xylose, and rhamnose. Structural analysis revealed that the purified polysaccharides mainly possess a backbone of (1 → 3)-β- D- galactose (1 → 4)-3,6- anhydro- α- L- galactopyranose (G-A) units and (1 → 3)-β- D- galactose (1 → 4)-α- L- galactose- 6- sulfate (G-L6S) units. They were found to promote the proliferation of RAW264.7 macrophages and enhance phagocytosis of the RAW264.7 cells. Antioxidant assays indicated that DPPY-0.5 possessed the most potent reducing power and free radical scavenging ability among the four purified polysaccharides. High sulfate content and proper molecular weight of these fractions are favorable to their immunomodulatory and antioxidant activities. Practical applications: Porphyra yezoensis, common economic red algae widely distributed in East Asian countries, contains a high content of polysaccharides with a variety of biological activities. However, P. yezoensis polysaccharide (PPY) has not been well utilized due to the relatively low biological activities and lack of understanding of its structure-activity relationship. Thus, it is necessary to improve the bioactivities and elucidate the structure-activity relationship of this polysaccharide for its practical use. In the present work, four purified fractions (DPPY-0, DPPY-0.1, DPPY-0.3, and DPPY-0.5) were isolated from the degraded P. yezoensis polysaccharide, and were investigated for their antioxidant and immunoregulatory activities. The results of the present work will lay a foundation for the application of the degraded P. yezoensis polysaccharide in the food industry as a functional food ingredient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the tensor renormalization group method based on the higher-order singular value decomposition, we have studied the phase transitions of the five-state clock model on the square lattice. The temperature dependence of the specific heat indicates the system has two phase transitions, as verified clearly by the correlation function at three representative temperatures. By calculating the magnetic susceptibility, we obtained only the upper critical temperature as Tc2 = 0.9565(7). Investigating the fixed-point tensor, we precisely locate the transition temperatures at Tc1 = 0.9029(1) and Tc2 = 0.9520(1), consistent well with the Monte Carlo and the density matrix renormalization group results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new-generation atmospheric environment monitoring satellite DQ-1, launched successfully in April 2022 carries the Aerosol and Carbon Detection Lidar (ACDL) which is capable of globally profiling the aerosols and clouds optical properties with high accuracy. The ACDL/DQ-1 is a high-spectral-resolution lidar (HSRL) with two-wavelength polarization detection, that can be utilized to derive the aerosol optical properties. The methods are specifically developed for the data processing and optical properties retrieval according to the specific characteristics of the ACDL system are introduced in detail in this paper. Considering the different signal characteristics and different background noise behaviours of each channel during daytime and nighttime, the procedures of data pre-processing, denoising process and quality control are applied to the original measurement signals. The aerosol and cloud optical properties products of the ACDL/DQ-1 including total depolarization ratio, backscatter coefficient, extinction coefficient, lidar ratio and colour ratio can be calculated by the retrieval algorithms presented in this paper. Two measurement cases with use of the ACDL/DQ-1 on 27th June 2022 and the global averaged aerosol optical depth (AOD) from 1st June to 4th August 2022 are provided and analysed, which demonstrated the measurement capability of the ACDL/DQ-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the study regarding the discovery of all-boron fullerene. It provides brief overview of the history of the discovery of the element and mentions several studies that investigate its different components and uses. Several advantages of the discovery of the element, which bridges the gap between boron and carbon fullerenes, are mentioned.

We develop coarse-graining tensor renormalization group algorithms to compute physical properties of two-dimensional lattice models on finite periodic lattices. Two different coarse-graining strategies, one based on the tensor renormalization group and the other based on the higher-order tensor renormalization group, are introduced. In order to optimize the tensor network model globally, a sweeping scheme is proposed to account for the renormalization effect from the environment tensors under the framework of second renormalization group. We demonstrate the algorithms by the classical Ising model on the square lattice and the Kitaev model on the honeycomb lattice, and show that the finite-size algorithms achieve substantially more accurate results than the corresponding infinite-size ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The title compound, C15Cl8O, was separated from the products of a solvothermal reaction of metallic sodium and carbon tetrachloride in air in a pressured autoclave. The mol­ecule is bisected by a crystallographic mirror plane and has essentially C2 v symmetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The title compound, C18Cl12O2, was synthesized by a solvothermal reaction between sodium and carbon tetrachloride; the oxygen may come from air. The mol­ecule has crystallographic C2 symmetry and contains a four-membered ring, two five-membered rings and two six-membered rings. The five-membered rings are attached to opposite sides of the cyclo­butane group and the six-membered rings are fused to the five-membered rings. In the solid state, the mol­ecule adopts a boat form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the 2- and 3-state ferromagnetic Potts models on the simple cubic lattice using the tensor renormalization group method with higher-order singular value decomposition (HOTRG). HOTRG works in the thermodynamic limit, where we use the Zq symmetry of the model, combined with a new measure for detecting the transition, to improve the accuracy of the critical point for the 2-state model by two orders of magnitude, obtaining Tc = 4.51152469(1). The 3-state model is far more complex, and we improve the overall understanding of this case by calculating its thermodynamic quantities with high accuracy. Our results verify that the first-order nature of the phase transition and the HOTRG transition temperature benchmarks the most recent Monte Carlo result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is an important serotype of enterohemorrhagic E. coli that was first identified as a human pathogen in 1982. This pathogen causes several serious diseases. In this study, immunomagnetic separation was coupled with a fluorescent nanobeads lateral flow assay to establish a sensitive and rapid detection method for Escherichia coli O157:H7 in raw milk. The pathogen was captured from raw milk by immunomagnetic separation with immunomagnetic nanobeads and then detected using a fluorescent nanobeads lateral flow assay. A fluorescent line was formed in the test line of the test strip and quantitatively detected using a fluorescent reader. Screening times, which included immunomagnetic separation and the fluorescent nanobeads lateral flow assay, were 8, 7, 6, and 5 h when 1, 5, 25, and 125 cfu of E. coli O157:H7, respectively, were inoculated into 25 mL of raw milk. The established method could be widely applied to the rapid onsite detection of other pathogens to ensure food safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metals (HMs) pollution in the black-rock series has attracted much attention, some HMs in soils and crops exceed the safety limits. This study investigated the concentrations of heavy metals in the soil, conducting eco-environmental and human health risk assessment of heavy metals in the typical black-rock series area in the northern Daba Mountains, China. Results showed that the concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, and Zn were higher in the study area than the Chongqing soil background values. The average Cd concentration (2.40 mg/kg) was 24.7 times that of the Chinese background value. The geo-accumulation index (Igeo) showed that the soil was "heavily contaminated" with Cd, and uncontaminated with Pb. The potential ecological risk of heavy metals in the soil were mainly from Cd and Hg. Through a human health risk assessment based on the main crops from the study area, the exposure risk index of each heavy metal was less than 1, with Cd being the largest (0.54). However, the total index was more than 1 (1.58), indicating human health risk in the study area. Meanwhile, the exposure risk index for the potato crop was the highest among the four crops, reaching 0.69. Therefore, adjusting the planting structure in the study area, avoiding cultivating leafy vegetables with strong heavy metal absorption capacities, and reducing the potato crop sizes are all suggested measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The title compound, [CuI(C11H10N2S2)] n, is built around centrosymmetric dinuclear Cu2I2 cores, each of which is linked to four neighboring Cu2I2 units via flexible dithioether ligands, viz. 4,4′-(methylenedithio)dipyridine, to form a two-dimensional grid containing rhombus-shaped cavities with diagonal distances of ca 15 and 22 Å. Two of these networks interpenetrate in a woven fashion, and the resulting structure does not possess any open channels or cavities. Each Cu atom is in a distorted tetrahedral coordination environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Each of the six Br atoms in the title compound, C15H12Br6, connects to an α-C atom; a pair of adjacent Br atoms connecting to the same five-membered ring extends to one side of the molecular framework and the other two pairs to the other side. The β-C atoms extend in the opposite direction with respect to the pairs of Br atoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the title compound, CH6N3S+·C6H2N3O7−·H2O, the components are linked by a number of N—H...O and O—H...O hydrogen bonds into a complex three-dimensional network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the crystal structure of the title compound, C6H8N3O+·C7H5O6S−·H2O, cations, anions and water molecules are linked by a number of C/N/O—H...O and N—H...N hydrogen bonds into a three-dimensional network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the title compound, C5H7N2+·C6H4NO2−·C5H6N2, the components are linked into a two-dimensional network through N—H...O and N—H...N hydrogen bonds. Adjacent layers are further linked by C—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming a three-dimensional framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]