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The skin effect is a significant feature of non-Hermitian systems and is caused by the global non-Hermitian nature of the system. Recent studies have discovered a scale-free localized eigenstate induced by a local non-Hermitian term. We constructed a uniform dimer model with an asymmetric transition embedded at the boundary. A change in the boundary parameter can cause a phase transition from the real energy level to the complex energy level, resulting in a scale-free state. Moreover, we introduce the inverse participation rate and the position of the center of mass to determine the local situation of the eigenstate. Interestingly, at the phase boundary, all the eigenstates of the system are observed to be scale-free localized. This phenomenon causes the evolution of the wave packet dynamics of the system to exhibit attractive power-law behavior and possesses EP-like characteristics. This interesting property provides a new possible realization of optical devices. Finally, we also present the circuit diagram of the system implementation for experimental observation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effect of curcumin on pathological manifestations and clearance of amyloid β peptide (Aβ) in the hippocampus of 8-month-old transgenic APP/PS1 mice with inherent Alzheimer's disease. APP/PS1 mice and the age-matched wild-type controls were subjected to 3 behavioral tests: open field, new object recognition, and Morris water maze. Expression of Aβ, APP, CTF, BACE1, IDE, NEP, and LRP1 proteins in the extracted hippocampal tissue was evaluated by Western blotting. The distribution and the quantity of amyloid plaques and the spread of microglia in the hippocampus were determined by immunofluorescence. The contents of Aβ40 and Aβ42 in the hippocampus were assayed and analyzed on Simoa HD-1 analyzer. The proteins interacting with Aβ in the hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice were detected by co-immunoprecipitation. Curcumin significantly reduced motor hyperactivity in the open-field test, improved short-term recognition memory, spatial learning, and reference memory in APP/PS1 mice. In the hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice, curcumin significantly diminished the elevated Aβ levels and inhibited microglia proliferation. At the same time, curcumin had no effect on Aβ production, extracellular enzymatic hydrolysis, and LRP1-mediated outward transport, but enhanced Aβ clearance by activation of the intracellular ubiquitin-proteasome system and related peripheral mechanisms. Thus, curcumin improves the learning and memory abilities of APP/PS1 mice and reduces the pathological accumulation of Aβ in the brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Qaidam basin in W China is an immense hyperarid intramontane basin with flat vast playas and salt lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The central basin is about 2800–2900 m a.s.l. elevation and enclosed by mountain ranges reaching > 5800 m in the Qilian Mountains and > 6200 m in the eastern Kunlun Mountains. The extensive playas of the basin are covered by gypsum or halite with very subordinate additional solids. In this contribution we report on the chemical composition of salt lakes and inflows to the Qaidam basin (analysis of 30 water samples collected in the summer of 2008 and 2009) together with the composition of 22 salt samples. Salt lakes and small salt ponds formed at topographic depressions. Some of the lakes cover > 300 km2 surface but are very shallow (1–2 m deep). Most salt lakes and salt ponds are NaCl dominated and contain typically 250–300 g kg−1 total dissolved solids (TDS). Some lakes are industrially used and produce KCl fertilizer, LiCl, and boron or are strongly modified by deep water produced in oil fields. Lakes along the borders to the high mountains are typically not fully saturated with halite. However, also these lakes lost most Ca and are drastically enriched in Mg and some lakes also in B and Li. The chemical development of the most natural salt lakes follows a path producing Ca-deficient water that ultimately precipitate Mg-bearing carbonates and chlorites in addition to halite upon evaporation. The salt lakes form by continuous and drastic evaporation of the waters supplied by the inflows to the lakes in the basin. All inflows carry considerable amounts of Cl and are characterized by very high Cl/Br ratios. These chemical characteristics suggest that the salt load of the inflows originates mostly from re-dissolved windblown halite deposited together with sand up to high altitudes in the bordering mountain ranges. Also, thermal waters ascending along deep faults along the Qilian Mountains carry considerable amounts of chloride. Their low Cl/Br ratio however suggests that most of the dissolved Na is derived from minerals of the basement rocks by fluid-rock interaction at T > 130 °C. The thermal fluids also carry considerable amounts of boron, indicating that co-precipitated borax in the salt lakes ultimately also derives from minerals in the basement rocks (tourmaline). Consequently, the presented data improve the understanding how the brines and salt lake waters develop from a wide range of chemically distinct low-TDS inflows and how the sequences of minerals precipitated upon evaporation in the Qaidam basin formed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-hydratable phospholipids as pro-oxidants are likely to cause a decrease in the quality of vegetable oils. The influence of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylserine (PS) on the oxidative stability, antioxidant capacity and color reversion of refined camellia seed oil (RCSO) was evaluated in this work. The PE/PS addition could improve the oxidative stability and antioxidant capacity, but was not a key factor in the color reversion of RCSO. The results clearly showed that PE and PS were not prooxidants but antioxidants in camellia seed oil, and the findings of the present study would be useful for extending the shelf-life of camellia seed oil and for retaining phospholipids during moderate refining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our main objective is to study the efficacy, safety and influence on inflammatory factors of secukinumab in the treatment of plaque psoriasis. A total of 120 patients admitted to Tonglu People’s Hospital from December 2021 to November 2022 were selected as the objects of this drug comparison and were divided into the observation group and the control group. The drugs used in the study were secukinumab and compound clobetasol propionate ointment. The treatment lasted for 4 w. The drug effects of the two groups were compared, including the total effective rate, adverse reactions, anti-inflammatory situation, etc. After treatment, the total effective rates of the observation group and the control group were 96.67 % and 86.67 %, respectively (p<0.05). The rates of adverse drug reactions were 1.67 % and 3.33 %, respectively (p>0.05). The anti-inflammatory effect of the observation group was better (p<0.05) than the control group. Secukinumab has good drug efficacy, high safety and good anti-inflammatory effect, which is worthy of clinical recommendation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insect midgut cadherins function as receptors and play critical roles as protein receptors of insecticidal Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins used as biopesticides and in Bt transgenic crops worldwide. Here, we cloned and characterized the full‐length midgut cadherin (CmCad) cDNA from the rice leaffolder (Cnaphalocrocis medinalis), a destructive pest of rice in many Asian countries. Expression of recombinant proteins corresponding to the extracellular domain of CmCad allowed testing binding of Cry proteins. Results from in vitro ligand blotting and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays supported that the extracellular domain of CmCad contains regions recognized by both Cry1Ac and Cry2Aa. Molecular modelling and docking simulations indicated that binding to both Cry1Ac and Cry2Aa is localized primarily within a CmCad motif corresponding to residues T1417–D1435. A recombinant CmCad protein produced without residues T1417–D1435 lacked binding to Cry1Ac and Cry2Aa, confirmed our modelling predictions that CmCad has a shared Cry1Ac and Cry2Aa binding site. The potential existence of a shared binding region in CmCad suggests that caution should be taken when using combinations of Cry1Ac and Cry2Aa in pyramided transgenic rice, as their combined use could speed the evolution of resistance to both toxins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastic processing operations of ferromagnetic materials may cause significant mechanical stress, which has a strong impact on its final magnetic behavior. In this paper, the magneto-mechanical correlations between the stress-strain behavior and magnetic Barkhausen noise emission in three typical steels subjected to uniaxial tension were studied comparatively, the tensile damage and fracture morphology of each sample was identified by magnetic measurements and scanning electron microscopy. The results show that the characteristics values of Barkhausen noise envelope can be approximated by a parabolic function of the carbon content experimentally and theoretically. In the elastic region, the Barkhausen noise response exhibits progressive growth with increasing strain, and reaches saturation at a critical point for the stress-induced magnetic anisotropy. However, once plastic deformation occurs, the Barkhausen noise signal intensity appears a downward trend until specimen failure, because the increasing dislocation tangles further hinder the domain wall motion. According to the mapping of Barkhausen noise eigenvalues, the location of tensile cracking is determined with a very satisfactory agreement. This indicates that the magnetic Barkhausen noise technique can be used for the nondestructive quantitative evaluation of elastoplastic deformation and failure location of ferromagnetic products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The native gold in the Woxi Au–Sb–W deposit is characterized by remarkably high purities (99.9%), called as super-pure native gold. The deposit can thus be used as the suitable application example for analyzing ore-forming conditions by using the thermodynamic calculation of AuxAg1 – x-fluid equilibria. According to experimental results of minerals and fluid inclusions, some physicochemical conditions are assumed in the thermodynamic calculation of the fluids equilibrated with Au–Ag solid solutions of XAu = 0.999. Calculated results in log fO2-pH diagrams show dissolved gold and silver concentrations, as well as stability fields of pyrite and sericite associated with the super-pure native gold. On the other hand, LA-ICP-MS analysis indicates that both Au and Ag concentration are determined in the fluid inclusions of scheelite, showing varied Au/Ag ratios with different homogenization temperatures. The calculated results assumed by different data of inclusions in scheelite, indicate two fluid inclusions showing higher homogenization temperatures (303°C and 356°C) and higher Au/Ag ratios are possible for precipitation of the super-pure native gold coexisting with pyrite and sericite, whereas one fluid inclusion showing a lower homogenization temperature (198°C) and a lower Au/Ag ratio is impossible for the super-pure native gold. Therefore, the super-pure native gold in the Woxi deposit was probably formed by the hydrothermal fluid with higher Au/Ag ratios and high temperatures in the mineralization stage of scheelite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver transplantation continues to rise in frequency, with over 1,000 procedures performed in the UK in 2018. Complications are increasingly uncommon but when they occur, early recognition and intervention is vital to save grafts. Imaging after the perioperative period is often performed at patients' local hospitals meaning that all radiologists and sonographers need to have an understanding of how to assess a transplant liver. Part I of this series will focus on vascular complications, including the normal postoperative vascular anatomy following liver transplantation, normal post-transplantation vascular imaging findings and abnormal findings that may prompt further investigation. Vascular complications following liver transplantation will be illustrated using a collection of cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the buckling characteristic of FGM plate considering the surface effect is studied based on general third-order plate theory and non-local theory. The surface effect of FGM plate is captured by the surface elasticity theory. The Kirchhoff hypothesis is released by employing parabolic variation of transverse shear strains. By using Navier solution technique, analytical solutions of buckling loads of FGM plate with surface effect are given, and detailed parametric studies are presented to show the relationship between surface effects and the plate thickness, power-law index, surface residual stress, surface moduli and non-local parameter. Furthermore, the surface effect on the buckling characteristic of FGM plate is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earth's present dipolar magnetic field extends into the interplanetary space and interacts with the solar wind, forming a magnetosphere filled up with charged particles mostly originating from the Earth's atmosphere. In the elongated tail of the magnetosphere, the particles were observed to move either Earthward or tailward at different locations, even outside the Moon's orbit. We hypothesize that the lunar soil, on both the nearside and farside, should have been impacted by these particles during the geological history, and the impact was controlled by the size and morphology of the magnetosphere. We predict that the farside soil could also have the features similar to those in the nearside soil, e.g., 15N‐enrichment. Furthermore, we may infer the evolution of the magnetosphere and atmosphere by examining the implanted particles in the lunar soil from both sides. This hypothesis could provide an alternative way to study the evolution of Earth's dynamo and atmosphere. Key Points: The configuration of ancient geomagnetic field could be inferred from lunar soilBoth nearside and farside lunar soil might have recorded Earth's volatilesThe farside soil was impacted by ~100 km/s atmospheric ions for 3.5 billion years [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Incidence of anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC) is increasing, with curative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) as the primary treatment of non-metastatic disease. A significant proportion of patients have locoregional treatment failure (LRF), but distant relapse is uncommon. Accurate prognostication of progression-free survival (PFS) would help personalisation of CRT regimens. The study aim was to evaluate novel imaging pre-treatment features, to prognosticate for PFS in ASCC. Methods: Consecutive patients with ASCC treated with curative intent at a large tertiary referral centre who underwent pre-treatment FDG-PET/CT were included. Radiomic feature extraction was performed using LIFEx software on baseline FDG-PET/CT. Outcome data (PFS) was collated from electronic patient records. Elastic net regularisation and feature selection were used for logistic regression model generation on a randomly selected training cohort and applied to a validation cohort using TRIPOD guidelines. ROC-AUC analysis was used to compare performance of a regression model encompassing standard clinical prognostic factors (age, sex, tumour and nodal stage—model A), a radiomic feature model (model B) and a combined radiomic/clinical model (model C). Results: A total of 189 patients were included in the study, with 145 in the training cohort and 44 in the validation cohort. Median follow-up was 35.1 and 37. 9 months, respectively for each cohort, with 70.3% and 68.2% reaching this time-point with PFS. GLCM entropy (a measure of randomness of distribution of co-occurring pixel grey-levels), NGLDM busyness (a measure of spatial frequency of changes in intensity between nearby voxels of different grey-level), minimum CT value (lowest HU within the lesion) and SMTV (a standardized version of MTV) were selected for inclusion in the prognostic model, alongside tumour and nodal stage. AUCs for performance of model A (clinical), B (radiomic) and C (radiomic/clinical) were 0.6355, 0.7403, 0.7412 in the training cohort and 0.6024, 0.6595, 0.7381 in the validation cohort. Conclusion: Radiomic features extracted from pre-treatment FDG-PET/CT in patients with ASCC may provide better PFS prognosis than conventional staging parameters. With external validation, this might be useful to help personalise CRT regimens in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the hot deformation mechanism of a newly development Ni3Al‐based superalloy, hot compression tests at temperatures between 1100 °C–1250 °C and the strain rates of 0.001 s−1–1.0 s−1 were conducted. The results show that the curves of true stress‐strain indicate the thermal deformation is a typical dynamic recrystallization process, which the peak stresses and steady‐state stresses increase with decreasing temperatures and increasing strain rates. The softening mechanism is mainly dynamic recrystallization. The experimental data of peak stresses and steady‐state stresses is employed to calculate the constants in the Arrhenius equation. The steady‐state stresses are considered more reasonable for solving the parameters in the Arrhenius equation. Based on the constitutive equation obtained, the calculated values of steady‐state stresses match well with the experimental values at the strain rates of 0.001 s−1, 0.01 s−1 and 0.1 s−1, whereas there exists much deviation at 1.0 s−1. For the sake of accuracy of predicted results at 1.0 s−1 strain rate, a modified Zener‐Hollomon parameter Z' is introduced. The results show that the modified constitutive equations established in this study could well predict the value of steady‐state stress in hot deformation of the newly development Ni3Al‐based alloy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The air–water interface is ubiquitous in nature, as manifested in the form of the surfaces of oceans, lakes, and atmospheric aerosols. The aerosol interface, in particular, can play a crucial role in atmospheric chemistry. The adsorption of atmospheric species onto and into aerosols modifies their concentrations and chemistries. Moreover, the aerosol phase allows otherwise unlikely solution-phase chemistry to occur in the atmosphere. The effect of the air–water interface on these processes is not entirely known. This review summarizes recent theoretical investigations of the interactions of atmosphere species with the air–water interface, including reactant adsorption, photochemistry, and the spectroscopy of reactants at the water surface, with an emphasis on understanding differences between interfacial chemistries and the chemistries in both bulk solution and the gas phase. The results discussed here enable an understanding of fundamental concepts that lead to potential air–water interface effects, providing a framework to understand the effects of water surfaces on our atmosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contents: microRNA (miRNA) and piwi‐interacting RNA (piRNA) are two classes small non‐coding regulatory RNAs that play crucial roles in multiple biological processes such as spermatogenesis. However, there are no published studies on conjoint analysis of miRNA and piRNA profiles among cattle, yak and their interspecies (the dzo) using sequencing technology. Next‐generation sequencing technology was used to profile miRNAs and piRNAs among those three ruminants to elucidate their functions. A total of 119, 14 and six differentially expressed miRNAs were obtained in cattle vs. dzo, cattle vs. yak and yak vs. dzo comparison groups, while there were 873, 1,065 and 1,158 differentially expressed piRNAs in those three comparison groups. The expression of three miRNAs was validated in the three ruminants, and the results suggested that the miRNA expression profiles data could represent actual miRNA expression levels. Moreover, the putative targets of differentially expressed miRNAs were predicted by their own genome, it is worth to note that both the cattle and yak genome were used for dzo, then the targets were subjected to GO enrichment and KEGG pathway analysis, revealing the likely roles for these differentially expressed miRNAs in spermatogenesis. In conclusion, this study provided a useful resource for further elucidation of the miRNAs and piRNAs regulatory roles in spermatogenesis. It may also facilitate the development of therapeutic strategies for dzo reproduction research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural and anthropogenic impacts on dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) within an urban river, Nanming River in southwestern China, were investigated using hydrochemistry and carbon isotopic compositions of dissolved inorganic carbon (δ13CDIC). Because of the anthropogenic inputs, generally, the TDS values and major ionic compositions showed an increasing trend along the mainstream. The TDS values and most of the dissolved solutes compositions showed a dilution effect during storms, but the dilution effect did not strictly follow the theoretical dilution curve. Lighter δ13CDIC values in the river after a rainstorm reflected the influx of rain water with biological CO2 during the rain event. Meanwhile, the negative relationship between δ13CDIC values and dissolved inorganic carbon concentrations in the mainstream at different sampling campaigns suggested significant degradation of organic matter in the riverine channels. The variabilities of DIC in an urban river were mainly impacted by biological activities and infiltration of soil carbon dioxide. This study demonstrated that hydrological events and anthropogenic inputs are the main controls on the variations of dissolved solutes compositions and the DIC dynamics for an urban river. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provides information on a study which reveals the core loss measurement of a soft magnetic composite material under two-dimensional excitations. Principle of measurement; Experimental results; Conclusion.

The GTN model proposed by Gurson, Tvergaard and Needleman has been widely applied to predict ductile fracture. However, the evaluation of the GTN model under high stress triaxiality has only been reported in a few studies. In this paper, a series of tensile tests on round notched specimens were performed to evaluate the applicability of the GTN model parameters under high stress triaxiality. The evaluation was carried out by comparing the predicted load-displacement curves with experimental results. It was observed the GTN model parameters only depend on the material except the critical void volume fraction. The influence of stress triaxiality on the critical void volume fraction was discussed. A further discussion about the construction of a new void coalescence criterion for the GTN model was also presented in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To evaluate the feasibility of malignant pleural effusions ( MPE) as surrogate samples for the detection of echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like4 ( EML4)-anaplastic lymphoma kinase ( ALK) and to investigate the prognostic and predictive value of EML4- ALK in MPE of non-small-cell lung cancer ( NSCLC). Methods One hundred and nine NSCLC patients were retrospectively analysed. EML4- ALK was identified using paraffin-embedded tumour cells in MPE samples by immunohistochemistry ( IHC, Ventana) and confirmed by fluorescence using in situ hybridisation ( FISH) and qRT- PCR. The EGFR mutation was determined by MPE, using denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography ( DHPLC). Results A total of 5 out of 109 (4.58%) patients were identified as EML4- ALK rearrangement in MPE by IHC.; In addition to two metachronous samples, the consistency of MPE and tissue for EML4- ALK detection was 100% (21/21), and the sensitivity and specificity were 100% (2/2) and 100% (19/19), respectively. EML4- ALK rearrangement cases were confirmed by FISH and qRT- PCR; the sensitivity were both 100% (2/2) when compared with tissue, and it was 60% (3/5) and 100% (5/5), respectively, when compared with MPE by IHC. The overall response rate ( ORR) was 100% (2/2) for patients with EML4- ALK in MPE. Moreover, the PFS of these patients appeared to be prolonged in chemotherapy (9.27 versus 6.53 and versus 4.67 months, P = 0.122), compared with the EGFR mutation and the EGFR/ ALK double negative group, respectively. Conclusion EML4- ALK rearrangement detection in malignant pleural effusions is a complementary method for EML4- ALK detection. VETANA and qRT- PCR are more appropriate for MPE detection. EML4- ALK rearrangement in pleural effusions has a predictive value for treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hot water flows from springs along the border fault system at the SW rim of the Qilian Mountains near the city of Da Qaidam (Qinghai Province, Western China). The outflow temperature is close to 72°C, and the clear water contains about 1.4 g l−1 total dissolved solids. The water contains predominantly Na and Cl, and significant and equal amounts of hydrogen carbonate and sulfate. The water originates from a fractured granite reservoir at about 5 km depth, suggested by the estimated Qtz and Na-K equilibrium temperatures of 130-150°C. The solutes are derived from the interaction of the deep ground water with the solids of the fractured granite. However, the high Cl/Br mass ratio of about 550 in the deep water and the composition of surface runoff suggest the presence of an additional evaporite component introduced by surface infiltration. The source of this surface component is probably eolian deposits of halite, gypsum, and borate minerals from the salt flats and deserts of the Qaidam Basin on the slopes of the Qilian Mountains. The deep hydrothermal flow system is topography driven, and the upwelling water is focused and channeled to the damage zone of the Qilian border fault. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research rationale: Evolution of fused petals (sympetaly) is considered to be an important innovation that has repeatedly led to increased pollination efficiency, resulting in accelerated rates of plant diversification. Although little is known about the underlying regulation of sympetaly, genetic pathways ancestrally involved in organ boundary establishment (e.g. CUP SHAPED COTYLEDON [ CUC] 1-3 genes) are strong candidates. In sympetalous petunia, mutations in the CUC1/2-like orthologue NO APICAL MERISTEM ( NAM) inhibit shoot apical meristem formation. Despite this, occasional 'escape shoots' develop flowers with extra petals and fused inter-floral whorl organs., Central methods: To To determine if petunia CUC-like genes regulate additional floral patterning, we used virus-induced silencing ( VIGS) following establishment of healthy shoot apices to re-examine the role of NAM in petunia petal development, and uniquely characterise the CUC3 orthologue NH16., Key results: Confirming previous results, we found that reduced floral NAM/ NH16 expression caused increased petal-stamen and stamen-carpel fusion, and often produced extra petals. However, further to previous results, all VIGS plants infected with NAM or NH16 constructs exhibited reduced fusion in the petal whorl compared to control plants., Main conclusions: Together with previous data, our results demonstrate conservation of petunia CUC-like genes in establishing inter-floral whorl organ boundaries, as well as functional evolution to affect the fusion of petunia petals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To investigate the incidence rates and trends in Type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents aged 0-19 years in the registered Zhejiang population over the period 2007-2013 by age, sex and calendar year. Methods In total, 611 individuals with newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetes were identified from 30 districts in Zhejiang province over the study period. Annual incidence and 95% confidence intervals ( CI) by age group and sex were calculated per 100 000 person-years. Trends in diabetes incidence and the associations of age and sex with Type 1 diabetes were assessed using Poisson regression models. Results The mean annual age-standardized incidence of diabetes was 2.02/100 000 person-years (95% CI: 1.92-2.12), with an average annual increase of 12.0% (95% CI: 7.6-16.6%) over the study period. The risk for Type 1 diabetes in girls was estimated to be 1.25 (95% CI: 1.07-1.47) times higher than that in boys. Compared with those aged 0-4 years, the 5-9, 10-14 and 15-19 years age groups were at significantly greater risk, with adjusting incidence rate ratios of 3.54, 6.58 and 5.39, respectively. The mean age at diagnosis decreased significantly from 12.85 years in 2007 to 11.21 years in 2013. A steep rise in diabetes incidence was observed in the under 5 years age group, which showed the greatest increase at 33.61%. Conclusions The incidence of diabetes in Zhejiang was relatively low, although rapidly rising trends have been found in recent years, particularly in younger children. Further monitoring and research are urgently required to better understand possible environmental risk factors and formulate preventive strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have designed and fabricated superconducting Ti transition edge sensors (TES) with different microbridge lengths varying from 1 to 6 $$\upmu $$ m. The current-voltage characteristics of the fabricated Ti TESs are measured at different bath temperatures using a commercial SQUID amplifier. The thermal conductance ( G) is found to be about 300 pW/K for a 2.6- $$\upmu $$ m-long device. In addition, the effective response time measured with a current pulse signal is about 3 $$\upmu $$ s, and decreases with increasing the bias voltage because of negative electro-thermal feedback. The obtained electrical noise equivalent power from the measured current noise is about $$4 \times 10^{-17}$$ W/Hz $$^{0.5}$$ , which is sufficiently low for TeSIA instrument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Damage models are widely used to describe the ductile damage and fracture of metals. This paper proposes a new approach to determine the damage parameters of the Gurson-Tveergard-Needleman model, which uses a load-displacement curve coupled with finite element method. The load-displacement curve was obtained from a tensile test of a smooth tensile specimen and contained information about the damage and fracture behavior of the tested material. The principle of damage parameters identification is to minimize the deviation between experimental and simulated load-displacement curves by a hybrid particle swarm optimization. As a combination of particle swarm optimization and simulated annealing, the hybrid particle swarm optimization is an economical and effective algorithm to identify damage parameters. The identified damage parameters are also verified by testing and simulating deformation shapes of the smooth tensile specimen which is used for parameters determination. Tests and simulations of notched tensile specimens were carried out to discuss the transformability of the identified damage parameters. It is observed that the value of critical void volume fraction of the Gurson-Tveergard-Needleman model decreases with the increase of stress triaxiality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Scaling law of transports determined in finite systems can be extrapolated to large-scale flows. • Coherent turbulent structures in form of Taylor vortices promote heat and angular transports. • Magnitudes of both heat and angular momentum transport depend on domain aspect-ratio. We report numerical studies of the effects of geometry factors, i.e. the aspect ratio Γ and radius ratio η , on the axial heat transport N u and the radial angular momentum transport N ω by turbulent Taylor-Couette flows that are subjected to a vertically destabilizing temperature gradient. For a given Reynolds number R e the magnitudes of both N u and N ω exhibit a pronounced aspect-ratio dependence. The angular momentum transport is reduced in long cylinders, since endwall effects are weakened as Γ increases. For the heat transfer in large- Γ cylinders, a significant N u -reduction appears for low- R e regime, whereas N u can be greatly enhanced in the regime of turbulent Taylor vortex (TV). The former N u -reduction is associated with the process that the thermal plumes are swept away by the Ekman vortices near the boundaries, and the fluid exchange is severely restricted between adjacent vortices in the bulk region. The latter N u -enhancement is attributed to the strengthened shears arising in large- Γ cylinders, resulting in a more turbulent boundary layer. Moreover, the pronounced inter-mixing of turbulent TVs continuously pumps the hot (cold) fluids into the bulk, intensifying the transport processes. It is found that although the constraints from the endwalls impact the global heat and angular momentum transport in the low- R e regime, they hardly affect their scaling properties in the high- R e regime with large Γ. We thus expect that the scaling relationship of N u (R e) and N ω (R e) determined with finite Γ can be extrapolated to large-scale, and even vertically unbounded industrial and geophysical flows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Liver resection for intermediate (Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer ( BCLC) stage B) hepatocellular carcinoma ( HCC) remains controversial. This study attempted to demonstrate the effectiveness of preresection transarterial chemoembolization ( TACE) as a selection criterion for BCLC-B HCC. Methods The study included patients with BCLC-B HCC who underwent liver resection after TACE. The tumour response to TACE was evaluated according to the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours ( mRECIST). Patients with a complete or partial response comprised the responder group, whereas those with stable or progressive disease were classified as non-responders. Results A total of 242 patients were included. After between one and eight sessions of TACE, 141 patients were included in the responder group: 37 patients (15·3 per cent) who achieved a complete response and 104 who had a partial response. The cumulative 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival rates were 97·2, 88·7 and 75·2 per cent respectively in the responder group, compared with 90·1, 67·3 and 53·5 per cent among 101 non-responders ( P < 0·001). Tumour-free survival rates were also better among responders than non-responders ( P < 0·001). In multivariable analysis, independent predictors of overall and tumour-free survival were response to TACE and microvascular invasion (all P < 0·001). Conclusion mRECIST may represent selection criterion for intermediate HCC for surgical treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The Child-Pugh ( CP) score is used widely to assess liver function and predict postoperative outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma ( HCC). Recently, the albumin-bilirubin ( ALBI) score has been validated as a predictor of overall survival in these patients. This study aimed to compare the ability of the ALBI and CP scores to predict outcomes in patients with HCC after liver resection with curative intent. Methods Consecutive patients who underwent liver resection with curative intent for HCC between January 2007 and July 2013 were included in this retrospective study. The performance of the ALBI score in predicting postoperative liver failure ( PHLF) and long-term survival was compared with that of the CP score. Results A total of 1242 patients were enrolled. Of these, 166 (13·4 per cent) experienced PHLF. The area under the receiver operating characteristic ( ROC) curve of the ALBI score for predicting PHLF was greater than that of the CP score (0·723 versus 0·607; P < 0·001). Similar to findings for CP grade, the incidence and severity of PHLF increased with increasing ALBI grade. The ALBI grade stratified patients into at least two distinct overall survival cohorts ( P < 0·001), whereas the CP grade did not. The ALBI grade also classified patients with CP grade A disease into two distinct overall survival cohorts ( P < 0·001), and overall survival rates in the group with poorer survival were similar to those in the majority of patients with CP grade B disease. Both CP and ALBI scores had low power in predicting disease-free survival. Conclusion The ALBI grade predicted PHLF and overall survival in patients with HCC undergoing liver resection with curative intent more accurately than the CP grade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate a novel plasma device for magnetic reconnection, driven by Gekko XII lasers irradiating a double-turn Helmholtz capacitor-coil target. Optical probing revealed an accumulated plasma plume near the magnetic reconnection outflow. The background electron density and magnetic field were measured to be approximately 1018cm-3 and 60 T by using Nomarski interferometry and the Faraday effect, respectively. In contrast with experiments on magnetic reconnection constructed by the Biermann battery effect, which produced high beta values, our beta value was much lower than one, which greatly extends the parameter regime of laser-driven magnetic reconnection and reveals its potential in astrophysical plasma applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the frequency of all (X-ray flare events higher than class B1.0), B, C, M and X-class flares, respectively, derived from the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) list of solar flares between May 1983 and September 2014, which corresponds to the two complete solar cycles (SCs) 22 and 23 as well as the rise and maximum phases of SC 24. Analysis shows that the temporal behavior for these various class flares is quite different. The main findings of this study, confirmed by using the Hinode flare catalog where possible, are as follows. (1) The B-class flares are in complete antiphase with all, C, M and X-class flares. (2) While, there is a small decreasing trend in the peak values of the smoothed monthly C-class flare numbers from SC 22 to 24, the occurrence rate of M and X-class flares dropped by almost half and two-thirds, respectively, during SC 23 and remained almost the same during SC 24. This class-dependent temporal behavior provides support for dynamo models that involve the coexistence of a deep global and a superficial local dynamo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The current study aimed to explore the effects of apolipoprotein e (ApoE) on intracellular calcium ([Ca 2+ ] i ) and apoptosis of neurons after mechanical injury in vitro . Methods: A neuron mechanical injury model was established after primary neurons obtained from APOE knockout and wild-type (WT) mice, and four experimental groups were generated: Group-ApoE4, Group-ApoE3, Group-ApoE(−) and Group-WT. Recombinant ApoE4 and ApoE3 were added to Group-ApoE4 and Group-ApoE3 respectively, and Group-ApoE(−) and Group-WT were control groups. Intracellular calcium was labeled by fluo-3/AM and examined using laser scanning confocal microscope and flow cytometry, and the apoptosis of neurons was also evaluated. Results: The intracellular calcium levels and apoptosis rates of mice neurons were significantly higher in Group-ApoE4 than in Group-ApoE3 and Group-WT after mechanical injury. However, without mechanical injury on neurons, no significant differences in intracellular calcium levels and apoptosis rates were found among all four experimental groups. The effects of ApoE4 on intracellular calcium levels and apoptosis rates of injured neurons were partly decreased by EGTA treatment. Conclusion: Compared with ApoE3-treatment and WT neurons, ApoE4 caused higher intracellular calcium levels and apoptosis rates of neurons after mechanical injury. This suggested APOE polymorphisms may affect neuron apoptosis after mechanical injury through different influences on intracellular calcium levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excited states of the odd-odd nucleus 158Tb have been studied via the 154Sm(7Li ,3n) 158Tb reaction at a beam energy of 27 MeV. The new level scheme of 158Tb involving a positive parity rotational band is established up to excitation energy ∼2.3 MeV and spin ∼17ħ. By comparing with the rotational bands in the neighboring nuclei 157Tb and 157Gd, the configuration was tentatively assigned as πd5/2⊗ vi13/2 , and the phenomenon of signature inversion is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background : An increasing number of neuroimaging studies have revealed gray matter (GM) anomalies of several brain regions by voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies in migraineurs. However, not all the studies reported entirely consistent findings. Our aim is to investigate concurrence across VBM studies to help clarify the structural anomalies underpinning this condition. Methods : A systematic search of VBM studies of patients with migraine and healthy controls (HC) published in PubMed and Embase databases from January 2000 to March 2014 was conducted. A quantitative meta-analysis of whole-brain VBM studies in patients with migraine compared with HC was performed by means of anisotropic effect size version of signed differential mapping (AES-SDM) software package. Results : Nine studies comprising 222 patients with migraine and 230 HC subjects were included in the present study. Compared to HC subjects, the patients group showed consistent decreased GM in the posterior insular-opercular regions, the prefrontal cortex, and the anterior cingulate cortex. Results remained largely unchanged in the following jackknife sensitivity analyses. Meta-regression analysis showed that a higher percentage of females in the patient sample was associated with decreased GM in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Conclusions : This is the first quantitative whole-brain VBM meta-analysis in migraine showing strong evidence of brain GM anomalies within the pain-processing neural network. Further longitudinal investigations are needed to determine whether these structural anomalies are reversible with effective treatment on migraine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expanding of karst rocky desertification (RD) area in southwestern China is strangling the sustainable development of local agricultural economy. It is important to evaluate the soil fertility at RD regions for the sustainable management of karst lands. The changes in 19 different soil fertilityrelated variables along a gradient of karst rocky desertification were investigated in five different counties belonging to the central Hunan province in China.We used principal component analysis method to calculate the soil data matrix and obtained a standardized integrate soil fertility (ISF) indicator to reflect RD grades. The results showed that the succession of RD had different impacts on soil fertility indicators. The changing trend of total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus, microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) was potential RD (PRD) > light RD (LRD) > moderate RD (MRD) > intensive RD (IRD), whereas the changing trend of other indicators was not entirely consistent with the succession of RD. The degradation trend of ISF was basically parallel to the aggravation of RD, and the strength of ISF mean values were in the order of PRD > LRD > MRD > IRD. The TOC, MBC, and MBN could be regarded as the key indicators to evaluate the soil fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human protein arginine N-methyltransferase 2 (PRMT2, HRMT1L1) is a protein that belongs to the arginine methyltransferase family, and it has diverse roles in transcriptional regulation through different mechanisms depending on its binding partners. In this study, we provide evidences for the negative effect of PRMT2 on breast cancer cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Morever, cyclin D1, one of the key modulators of cell cycle, was found to be downregulated by PRMT2, and PRMT2 was further shown to suppress the estrogen receptor α-binding affinity to the activator protein-1 (AP-1) site in cyclin D1 promoter through indirect binding with AP-1 site, resulting in the inhibition of cyclin D1 promoter activity in MCF-7 cells. Furthermore, a positive correlation between the expression of PRMT2 and cyclin D1 was confirmed in the breast cancer tissues by using tissue microarray assay. In addition, PRMT2 was found to show a high absent percentage in breast caner cell nuclei and the nuclear loss ratio of PRMT2 was demonstrated to positively correlate with cyclin D1 expression and the increasing tumor grade of invasive ductal carcinoma. Those results offer an essential insight into the effect of PRMT2 on breast carcinogenesis, and PRMT2 nuclear loss might be an important biological marker for the diagnosis of breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high temperature oxidation behaviour of plasma carburisation on Ni based third generation single crystal superalloy with NiCoCrAlYHf high temperature oxidation protective coating (HY5) is investigated in this paper. The Ni based third generation single crystal superalloy with single HY5 high temperature oxidation protective coating is compared to the plasma carburised samples. HY5 high temperature oxidation protective coating is deposited onto the single crystal superalloy by arc ion plating. The performance of diffusion during thermal cycling at 1100°C was studied. The microstructure and phase composition were examined by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The results show that by means of plasma carburisation into the HY5 high temperature oxidation protective coating, its microstructure can be made finer and more uniform, and its microhardness and adhesion to the substructure can be improved markedly. There were smaller quantities of topologically close packed phases (TCPs) and secondary reaction zones (SRZs) precipitated under coating in the single crystal superalloy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expanding of karst rocky desertification (RD) area in southwestern China has led to destructed ecosystem and local economic development lagging behind. It is important to understand the soil fertility at RD regions for the sustainable management of karst lands. The effects of the succession of RD on soil fertility were studied by investigating the stands and analyzing the soil samples with different RD grades in the central Hunan province, China, using the principal component analysis method. The results showed that the succession of RD had different impacts on soil fertility indicators. The changing trend of total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorous (AP), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) out of 19 selected indicators in different RD regions was: potential RD (PRD)>light RD (LRD)>moderate RD (MRD)>intensive RD (IRD), whereas the changing trend of other indicators was not entirely consistent with the succession of RD. The degradation trend of soil fertility was basically parallel to the aggravation of RD, and the strength of integrated soil fertility was in the order of PRD>MRD>LRD>IRD. The TOC, total phosphorus (TP), cation exchange capacity (CEC), MBC, MBN, microbial mass phosphorous (MBP), and bulk density (BD) could be regarded as the key indicators to evaluate the soil fertility due to their close correlations to the integrated fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noxa functions in apoptosis and immune system of vertebrates, but its activities in embryo development remain unclear. In this study, we have studied the role of zebrafish Noxa (zNoxa) by using zNoxa-specifc morpholino knockdown and overexpression approaches in developing zebrafish embryos. Expression pattern analysis indicates that zNoxa transcript is of maternal origin, which displays a uniform distribution in early embryonic development until shield stage, and the zygote zNoxa transcription is initiated from this stage and mainly localized in YSL of the embryos. The zNoxa expression alterations result in strong embryonic development defects, demonstrating that zNoxa regulates apoptosis from 75% epiboly stage of development onward, in which zNoxa firstly induces the expression of zBik, and then cooperates with zBik to regulate apoptosis. Moreover, zNoxa knockdown also causes a reduction in number of mitotic cells before 8 h.p.f., suggesting that zNoxa also promotes mitosis before 75% epiboly stage. The effect of zNoxa on mitosis is mediated by zWnt4b in early embryos, whereas zMcl1a and zMcl1b suppress the ability of zNoxa to regulate mitosis and apoptosis at different developmental stages. In addition, mammalian mouse Noxa (mNoxa) mRNA was demonstrated to rescue the arrest of mitosis when zNoxa was knocked down, suggesting that mouse and zebrafish Noxa might have similar dual functions. Therefore, the current findings indicate that Noxa is a novel regulator of early mitosis before 75% epiboly stage when it translates into a key mediator of apoptosis in subsequent embryogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional fast magnetic reconnection driven by two ultraintense femtosecond laser pulses is investigated by relativistic particle-in-cell simulation, where the two paralleled incident laser beams are shot into a near-critical plasma layer to form a magnetic reconnection configuration in self-generated magnetic fields. A reconnection X point and out-of-plane quadrupole field structures associated with magnetic reconnection are formed. The reconnection rate is found to be faster than that found in previous two-dimensional Hall magnetohydrodynamic simulations and electrostatic turbulence contribution to the reconnection electric field plays an essential role. Both in-plane and out-of-plane electron and ion accelerations up to a few MeV due to the magnetic reconnection process are also obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimal pH is critically important to maintain effective anaerobic digestion, and pH control of dairy processing waste (DPW) typically requires the use of added chemicals (buffers or bases). We studied an alternative approach for controlling pH during digestion of DPW (whey and yogurt waste) by means of comingling various municipal wastes including algae (harvested from water treatment facilities) and grass clippings. The substrates were digested in 60 L and 3800 L induced bed reactor (IBR) anaerobic digesters under mesophilic conditions. Under the conditions of the study, comingling of either algae (at 2.2% solids) or grass clippings (at 1.1% solids) promoted digestion of DPW without the use of chemicals to control pH. The algae were much easier to pump and handle but are not as generally available as grass clippings. Full-scale experimentation is needed with additional grinding and pumping equipment to optimize the amount of grass clippings to use with low pH, high oxygen demand wastes such as DWP and other food processing waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Aside from lowering blood glucose, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists ( GLP-1 RAs) attract much attention because of their cardioprotective effects. The aim of this study was to assess the blood pressure-lowering effects of the GLP-1 RAs exenatide and liraglutide compared with other common drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes ( T2DM) based on randomized controlled trials ( RCTs) including data describing complete blood pressure ( BP) changes from baseline. Methods We searched the major databases for published or unpublished RCTs that had been performed in patients with T2DM and compared the effects of exenatide and liraglutide to those of other common drugs used to treat T2DM. The RCTs that included data describing BP changes between the baseline and the end of the study were selected for further analysis. Results A total of 16 RCTs that enrolled 3443 patients in the GLP-1 RA treatment group and 2417 subjects in the control group were included in this meta-analysis. The GLP-1 RA exenatide reduced systolic blood pressure ( SBP) when compared with both placebo and insulin glargine, with mean differences of −5.24 and −3.46 mmHg, respectively, and with 95% confidence intervals ( CI) of −6.88 to −3.59, p < 0.00001 and −3.63 to −3.29, p < 0.00001, respectively. Meanwhile, in the exenatide-treated group, diastolic blood pressure ( DBP) was reduced by −5.91 mmHg, with a 95% CI of −7.53 to −4.28, p < 0.00001 compared with the placebo group, and −0.99 mmHg with a 95% CI of −1.12 to −0.87, p < 0.00001 compared with the sitagliptin group. SBP changes in this meta-analysis were assessed in the groups treated with 1.2 or 1.8 mg liraglutide per day. In the 1.2 mg-treated group, liraglutide treatment reduced SBP compared with placebo and glimepiride treatment, with mean differences of −5.60 and −2.38 mmHg, and 95% CIs of −5.84 to −5.36, p < 0.00001 and −4.75 to −0.01, p = 0.05, respectively. In the 1.8-mg-treated group, liraglutide also reduced SBP compared with placebo and glimepiride treatment with mean differences of −4.49 and −2.62 mmHg, and a 95% CI of −4.73 to −4.26, p < 0.00001, and −2.91 to −2.33, p < 0.00001, respectively. Conclusion Treatment with the GLP-1 RAs exenatide and liraglutide reduced SBP and DBP by 1 to 5 mmHg compared with some other anti-diabetic drugs including insulin, glimepiride and placebo for patients with T2DM. GLP-1 RAs may offer an alternative therapy for these patients and will help provide extra cardiovascular benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bovine β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) was conjugated with fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) by Maillard reaction to investigate the relationship among antigenicity, functional properties, and conformational changes of β-LG. When comparing the antigenicity of β-LG conjugated with FOS at different ratios, the lowest antigenicity of β-LG was observed at a ratio of 1:4, which was about 7 times lower than that of the control β-LG. Thus, the ratio of 1:4 was chosen to conjugate β-LG with FOS, and the functional properties and conformational changes of β-LG-FOS conjugates were investigated. The functional properties (solubility, emulsifying ability, and emulsion stability) of β-LG were enhanced after conjugation with FOS. Furthermore, the molecular weight of β-LG increased from 18.4 to 19.9 kDa after conjugation with FOS, as evaluated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-PAGE and mass spectrometry. Partial unfolding of β-LG occurred after conjugation with FOS, as reflected by the quenching of fluorescence, the red-shift of fluorescence spectra, and the increase of β-strands, which may contribute to the decrease in antigenicity and the improvement of functional properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Detailed features of the near-Moon pickup ions under different interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) conditions are investigated using data obtained from the solar wind ion detector (SWID-B) onboard Chang'E-1. In the event studied, Chang'E-1 was on a noon-midnight meridian orbit and the field-of-view of the SWID-B was in the satellite orbital plane. The observations show that the pickup energy detected depends not only on where these particles are detected but also on their incident angles. As the spacecraft moved into the wake from the South Pole along the midnight meridian, wider incident angle distributions were measured. When IMF B x was significant, the pickup ions had a strong velocity component parallel to the magnetic field, and the efficiency of acceleration was reduced when the IMF B y decreased. The back tracking calculations show that the possible source of the pickup ions is solar wind ions scattered/reflected on the lunar surface in a wide area over the dayside of the Moon, from both magnetic and nonmagnetic anomaly regions. A three dimensional analysis performed on the asymmetric properties of the pick-up ions can explain most of the particle behavior observed near the Moon under different IMF conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We numerically propose a novel tunable metamaterial with triple bands of negative permeabilities. This metamaterial is composed of an array of single-loop resonators (SLRs) and ferrite slabs, where the SLRs provide two magnetic resonances while the ferrite slabs under an applied dc magnetic bias give rise to the third magnetic resonance. By adjusting the intensity of the dc magnetic bias, it is able to tune all the three magnetic resonances. The-negative features of these resonant bands are investigated by retrieving the constitutive parameters from simulated-parameters. The results in this paper open a new approach for designing tunable multiband metamaterials, which is sure to find extensive applications in fields such as tunable multiband notched ultra-wideband (UWB) antennas, tunable multiband perfect lens, and tunable multiband absorbers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Free fatty acids (FFA) can have deleterious effects on β-cells and promote type 2 diabetes, a process known as lipotoxicity. Recently, the induction of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is one mechanism proposed to contribute to the detrimental effects of FFA on β-cells. Tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) has been reported to show cytoprotective effects by alleviating ER stress induced by some cytotoxic stimuli. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of TUDCA on FFA (palmitate)-induced apoptosis and ER stress in rat islet β-cells. Methods: The rat pancreatic β-cell line INS-1 was cultured with palmitate (0.5 mM), or cultured togther with TUDCA (100 μM), Annexin V-fluorescein-isothiocyanate/propidium iodide flow cytometry was used to assess apoptosis in INS-1 cells. Cell viability was evaluated with MTT reduction conversion assay. The expressions of ER stress marker GRP78, ER stress-associated pro-apoptotic effectors CHOP and ATF4 were detected by Western blotting. Results: TUDCA significantly reduced palmitate- induced cell apoptosis and growth inhibition in INS-1 cells. TUDCA also attenuated palmitate-induced expressions of GRP78, CHOP and ATF4 in INS-1 cells. Conclusions: Our results thus suggested that TUDCA could protect INS-1 cells from palmitateinduced injury, which might be due to the amelioration of ER stress and blocking the ATF4/CHOP signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]