Raspberry-shaped ZIF-8/Au nanozymes with excellent peroxidase-like activity for simple and visual detection of glutathione.

Artificial enzymes with high stability, adjustable catalytic activity, controllable preparation, and good reproducibility have been widely studied. Noble metal nanozymes, particularly gold nanoparticles (Au NPs), exhibit good catalytic activity, but their stability is poor. In this study, zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) was used as a carrier for Au NPs, thus improving the utilization efficiency and conservation stability of the nanozymes. A ZIF-8/Au nanocomposite with peroxidase activity and a raspberry-shaped structure was synthesized. In the assay, ZIF-8/Au catalyzed the oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to a blue product oxidized TMB (oxTMB). Glutathione (GSH) selectively inhibited this reaction, with a detection limit of 0.28 µM and linear range of 0.5-60 µM. Using the photo and chromaticity analysis functions, we developed a portable analysis method using a smartphone equipped with a camera module as a detection terminal for a wide range of rapid screening techniques for GSH. Preparation of raspberry-shaped ZIF-8/Au improved the catalytic activity of Au NPs and good results were demonstrated in serum, which suggests their promising application under physiological conditions.

Optimized pilot structure for PS-PDM ultrahigh-order QAM coherent optical transmission.

We proposed and experimentally demonstrated a general pilot structure for probabilistic shaped (PS)-polarization division multiplexing (PDM) M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (MQAM) coherent optical transmission, where a portion of PS-MQAM symbols is exploited as the pilot symbols with the same information entropy as the transmitted signal. The pilot symbols are simultaneously used in the entire digital signal processing (DSP) modules for polarization de-multiplexing, frequency offset estimation, carrier phase recovery, nonlinear equalization, and linear equalization. Compared to the conventional quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) pilot structure, the proposed MQAM pilot structure can yield the nonlinear properties of the overall signal so that nonlinear equalization can effectively improve the performance of the normalized generalized mutual information. The remarkable performance has been achieved at the shaping parameters of 3.25 and 4.35 for 1024QAM and 4096QAM signals based on the proposed pilot scheme, which corresponds to the raw spectral efficiency of 16.190 and 20.381 bit/s/Hz, respectively. The pilot ratio is optimized to 5% for higher achievable information rates (AIRs).

Predictive temperature control design for reaction calorimeter based on mechanism parameter model.

Isothermal control is the most basic and crucial function in the principle of a reaction calorimeter system and affects the speed and validity of the calorimetric experiment. However, the complex and uncertain working conditions in different reaction processes pose a challenge to the adaptability of temperature control algorithms. Aiming at the problem, a heat transfer model of the system is first established for temperature control design. From the simulation results, a prediction model based on equivalent mechanism parameters is determined for the control. Then, an integrated model predictive control (MPC) strategy is presented. To reduce the influence on the temperature control caused by the mismatch of the prediction model, a set of online parameter identification and adjustment methods is proposed. Simulations of the MPC control were implemented to analyze the control's performance. Experiments were also carried out to verify the advantages of the proposed strategy over the proportional-integral-derivative algorithm and demonstrate the role and efficiency of online identification. This control strategy can be applied to other laboratory-scale instruments with tank reactors.

Study on the Properties of the Sodium Lauroyl Glycinate and Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate Composite System.

The scientific community has shown a great deal of interest in sodium lauroyl glycine (SLG) and sodium lauroyl lactylate (SLL), two sustainable and eco-friendly substances that are considered as potential bio-friendly alternatives for petrochemical-based amphiphiles. In the present work, the formation of mixed micelle for SLG and SLL surfactant in water was investigated. Meanwhile, the surface interaction and thermodynamic parameters were calculated according to the surface tension curves. The results indicated that at certain ratios, SLG/SLL surfactant mixtures had synergistic effects that could yield higher surface activity and improve application performance. When the mole fraction of SLL (αSLL) was 0.4, γcmc achieved a minimum of 22.6 mN m-1 and displayed the best foaming properties. The mixed solution exhibited the best wetting ability when αSLL was 0.6. While αSLL was 0.8, the mixed solution showed the optimum dynamic adsorption properties. And it was found that the antibacterial property of SLG and SLL could be partially preserved after compounding. These results demonstrated for the first time that the mixed environmentally friendly surfactant SLG and SLL has a promising prospect for use in the personal care, detergent, and cosmetic industries.

Thermal Stability, Mechanical Properties and Ceramization Mechanism of Epoxy Resin/Kaolin/Quartz Fiber Ceramifiable Composites.

The application of epoxy resins in high temperature and thermal protection fields is limited due to their low decomposition temperature and low carbon residual rate. In this paper, epoxy resin (EP)/quartz fiber (QF) ceramifiable composites were prepared using a prepreg-molding process. The thermal stability, phase change and mechanical properties after high-temperature static ablation and ceramization mechanism of EP/QF ceramifiable composites were investigated. The addition of glass frits and kaolinite ceramic filler dramatically increases the thermal stability of the composites, according to thermogravimetric (TG) studies. The composite has a maximum residual weight of 61.08%. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that the mullite ceramic phase is generated, and a strong quartz diffraction peak appears at 1000 °C. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) and element distribution analyses reveal that the ceramic phase generated inside the material, when the temperature reaches 1000 °C, effectively fills the voids in composites. The composites have a bending strength of 175.37 MPa at room temperature and retain a maximum bending strength of 12.89 MPa after 1000 °C treatment.

Building Human Visual Attention Map for Construction Equipment Teleoperation.

Construction equipment teleoperation is a promising solution when the site environment is hazardous to operators. However, limited situational awareness of the operator exists as one of the major bottlenecks for its implementation. Virtual annotations (VAs) can use symbols to convey information about operating clues, thus improving an operator's situational awareness without introducing an overwhelming cognitive load. It is of primary importance to understand how an operator's visual system responds to different VAs from a human-centered perspective. This study investigates the effect of VA on teleoperation performance in excavating tasks. A visual attention map is generated to describe how an operator's attention is allocated when VAs are presented during operation. The result of this study can improve the understanding of how human vision works in virtual or augmented reality. It also informs the strategies on the practical implication of designing a user-friendly teleoperation system.

LY6D as a Chemoresistance Marker Gene and Therapeutic Target for Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is a common head and neck cancer that is unresponsive to chemotherapy; therefore, understanding the causes of chemotherapy resistance is important. The cancer stem cell (CSC) theory postulates that CSCs are the source of tumor chemoresistance. We enrich laryngeal CSCs to overcome chemoresistance of LSCC. A laryngeal cancer xenograft model was established, and a low dose of cisplatin was administered until chemoresistance arose. A next-generation xenograft model was established using surviving tumor cells, and the test was repeated four times to screen for CSCs. Cell function experiments were performed on each tumor cell generation (m1, m2, m3, and m4). The m3 line, with the highest stemness, was selected for transcriptome sequencing. LY6D was selected for clinical sample validation and functional verification. LY6D expression was detected in 107 laryngeal cancer samples, with high expression in 91 of these samples. LY6D expression was correlated with pathological T and clinical stages, and with cervical lymph node metastasis. The siLY6D group exhibited reduced adhesion and chemoresistance to cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, and paclitaxel. LY6D is upregulated in laryngeal cancer and may serve as a biomarker for chemoresistance in CSCs. Moreover, LY6D could serve as an alternative antigenic peptide in the targeted treatment of laryngeal cancer.

Anatomic Basis and Clinical Effect of Selective Dorsal Neurectomy for Patients with Lifelong Premature Ejaculation: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

INTRODUCTION: Although guidelines from the American Urological Association and European Association of Urology do not consider surgical treatment for premature ejaculation (PE), the use of selective dorsal neurectomy (SDN) has increased for many years in Asian countries. AIM: To evaluate anatomic basis and clinical effect of SDN in patients with PE in mainland China. METHODS: All of the patients included in the study had redundant foreskin, and they were assigned to 2 groups: group 1, composed of 46 patients with redundant foreskin, and group 2, composed of 96 patients with redundant foreskin and PE. The patients in group 2 were further randomly classified into group 2a (n = 48) and group 2b (n = 48). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The number of dorsal penile nerve branches were compared among group 1, group 2a, and group 2b. Preoperative and postoperative intravaginal ejaculatory latency time (IELT), 5-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function, Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool, and postoperative complications were compared between group 2a and group 2b. RESULTS: The patients in group 2 had a greater number of dorsal penile nerve branches of 1-2-mm-diameter, ≥2-mm-diameter, and total branches than group 1. The postoperative IELT of group 2a (257.7 ± 205.7 seconds) was longer than that of group 2b (49.3 ± 26.1 seconds). Group 2a had more ejaculation controllability and lower Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool scores than group 2b after the surgery (P < .001). We did not observe permanent numbness in glans, wound infection, or hematoma in any patients. CLINICAL IMPLICATION: SDN is an effective treatment for lifelong PE patients who had poor response to medicine or refused oral medication. STRENGTH & LIMITATIONS: This study has some strengths. First, the study made a comprehensive comparison based on both the numbers of dorsal penile nerve branches and the effect. Second, a randomized controlled trial design was used for the evaluation of SDN. It also possesses a limitation-we did not determine how many dorsal nerves should be selectively resected for each person to achieve optimal IELT prolongation. CONCLUSION: The dorsal penile nerve branches of patients with lifelong PE are more and thicker than those without lifelong PE, and SDN is effective in improving lifelong PE by IELT prolongation and ejaculation controllability, with few postoperative complications. Liu Q, Li S, Zhang Y, et al. Anatomic Basis and Clinical Effect of Selective Dorsal Neurectomy for Patients with Lifelong Premature Ejaculation: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Sex Med 2019;16:522-530.

Analysis of Genetic Diversity and Population Structure in Three Forest Musk Deer Captive Populations with Different Origins.

Musk deer (Moschidae), whose secretion is an expensive and irreplaceable component of traditional medicine, have become endangered in the wild due to habitat fragmentation and over-exploitation. In recent years, China has had success in the artificial breeding of forest musk deer, thus relieving the pressure on wild populations. However, many farmed populations are experiencing degradation, and little genetic information is available for conservation management. In this study, we selected 274 individuals from three typical captive populations (originated from the Ta-pa Mountains (Tp), the midrange of the Qinling Mountains (Ql) and the Western Sichuan Plateau (WS), respectively) to evaluate the genetic variations. A total of more than 3.15 billion high-quality clean reads and 4.37 million high-quality SNPs were generated by RAD sequencing. Based on the analysis, we found that captive forest musk deer populations exhibit a relatively low level of genetic diversity. Ql displayed a higher level of genetic diversity than the Tp and WS populations. Tp and WS had experienced population bottlenecks in the past as inferred from the values of Tajima's D. There were high levels of heterozygote deficiency caused by inbreeding within the three populations. Population structure analysis suggested that the three populations have evolved independently, and a moderate amount of genetic differentiation has developed, although there was a low level of gene flow between the Ql and Tp populations. Furthermore, the average quantities of musk secreted by musk deer in the Tp and WS populations were significantly higher than that in the Ql population. The present genetic information should be considered in management plans for the conservation and utilization of musk deer from captive breeding.

Sleep Apnea and Hypopnea Events Detection Based on Airflow Signals Using LSTM Network.

Sleep Apnea-Hypopnea Syndrome (SAHS) is a sleep-related breathing disorder which involves the reduction in breathing airway when patiens sleep. However, a large proportion of patients are usually undiagnosed and untreated which may lead to the risk of life. In this paper, we propose an automatic SAHS event detection method based on Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network via nasal airway pressure and temperature signals from clinical polysomnography (PSG) dataset. Focusing on time location of the events, we firstly segment the two channels of signals into a series of sequences by feature extraction. Secondly, a LSTM network is established and these sequences are subsequently fed into this LSTM network for SAHS event classification. The experimental results on both our clinical PSG dataset and public MIT-BIH PSG database show that our method is promising in terms of recall.

An Additive Effect of Promoting Thermogenic Gene Expression in Mice Adipose-Derived Stromal Vascular Cells by Combination of Rosiglitazone and CL316,243.

It is well-documented that CL316,243 (a ß3 agonist) or rosiglitazone (a PPARγ agonist) can induce white adipocyte populations to brown-like adipocytes, thus increasing energy consumption and combating obesity. However, whether there is a combined effect remains unknown. In the present study, stromal vascular cells of inguinal white adipose tissue (iWAT-SVCs for short) from mice were cultured and induced into browning by CL316,243, rosiglitazone, or both. Results showed that a combination of CL316,243 and rosiglitazone significantly upregulated the expression of the core thermogenic gene Ucp1 as well as genes related with mitochondrial function (Cidea, Cox5b, Cox7a1, Cox8b, and Cycs), compared with the treatment of CL316,243 or rosiglitazone alone. Moreover, co-treatment with rosiglitazone could reverse the downregulation of Adiponectin resulting from CL316,243 stimuli alone. Taken together, a combination of rosiglitazone and CL316,243 can produce an additive effect of promoting thermogenic gene expression and an improvement of insulin sensitivity in mouse iWAT-SVCs.

Distribution and health risk assessment of mercury in urban street dust from coal energy dominant Huainan City, China.

High levels of mercury contamination in urban street dust pose a great threat to human health. In this study, representative urban street dust samples in different urban zones were collected from industrial Huainan City, Eastern China. The distribution and human health risk of Hg in urban street dusts were investigated. In comparison with the soil background Hg values of Huainan and China, the average Hg concentration (0.16 ± 0.14 mg kg(-1), n = 50) was significantly elevated, with a variation ranging from 0.02 to 0.56 mg kg(-1). Among the seven different urban zones, the industrial district had the highest levels of Hg, potentially deriving predominantly from the dust emissions of the nearby Pingwei coal-fired power plant. In addition, Hg concentrations in dust samples appear to increase with the decrease of particle size. The result of health risk assessment on Hg in these urban street dusts indicated that there was no significant risk of carcinogenesis for the adults living in Huainan city.