Relationship between matrix metalloproteinases and the occurrence and development of ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is one of the most malignant genital cancers, with a high mortality rate. Many researchers have suggested that matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have remarkably high expression in ovarian cancer tissues. MMPs are considered to be related to the occurrence, development, invasion and metastasis of ovarian cancer. Moreover, some studies have discovered that the unbalance between MMPs and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) are associated with the malignant phenotype of tumors. This review summarizes the latest research progress of MMPs in ovarian cancer. The investigation of MMP mechanism in ovarian cancer will facilitate the development of effective anti-tumor drugs, and thereby improve the survival rate of patients with ovarian cancer.</div

Amplitude Response of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Probe with Controlled Length during Tapping Mode Atomic Force Microscopy

Multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) atomic force microscope (AFM) probes were fabricated with controlled length using nanomanipulators inside scanning electron microscope. The amplitude-distance responses of MWCNT AFM probes were systematically studied experimentally. Several special characteristics of CNT AFM probes were observed, such as amplitude jump-into-zero, rebounds after the probe already touched the surface and large hysteresis during retraction. Transition from attractive to repulsive regions was also observed when the CNT is long and the amplitude is large. Tapping mode amplitude-distance curves were found to change regularly with the length of the carbon nanotubes and their tilting angle relative to the substrate surface normal. The results were comparable with previous theoretical predictions. Through direct observations by electron microscopes, MWCNT AFM probes were found to bend homogenously even when they were pushed toward the SiO2 wafer for several hundred nanometers after they had touched the surface of the substrate. By analyzing the results obtained from several probes it was found that the MWCNT AFM probes in tapping mode should be suitable for stable operation with proper length and working condition

Proposed Flood Resilient Redesign of Lower City Park

<p>Since 2008, the Lower City Park has been closed for a total of six months due to flooding. Costs associated with recent flood-related closures stand at $1.6 million. Therefore, it is imperative to design Lower City Park to reach the following goals:<br>1. Lower City Park as a flood resilient natural area, including native prairie and wetland. 2. Increase biodiversity and ecosystem services. 3. Reduce maintenance and flood recovery costs.4. Relocate structures and events disrupted by flooding. 5. Maintain recreation opportunities.6. Provide educational opportunities and experience of nature through building interpretive trails.</p> <p> </p

Shale gas potential of Ordovician marine Pingliang shale and Carboniferous–Permian transitional Taiyuan-Shanxi shales in the Ordos Basin, China

The assessment of shale gas potential for the Ordovician Pingliang Formation and Carboniferous–Permian Taiyuan and Shanxi formations in the northwest margin of Ordos Basin, China provides insight into how fluctuation in depositional environments has a significant role on lithofacies and shale gas potential. To investigate the shale gas potential, a series of measurements (i.e. Rock-Eval pyrolysis, maceral composition analyses and X-ray powder diffraction, etc.) on representative outcrop samples were conducted to characterise shale properties. The organic matter from marine Pingliang shale is predominantly type I with a strong predominance of sapropelinite, whereas the transitional Taiyuan-Shanxi shales are dominated by types II to III kerogen. Furthermore, the Pingliang shale is characterised as a ‘poor’ source rock mainly owing to the lower total organic carbon (TOC) content (average 0.79 wt%) and higher maturity [average 1.78% in vitrinite reflectance (Ro)], while the transitional Taiyuan-Shanxi shales are mostly characterised as ‘fair’ source rocks, and some samples with high TOC content (more than 2.0 wt%) present good source rocks. It is also found that the sedimentary environment, as a key factor determining the organic matter and TOC content, inevitably influences the type and content of minerals in shale, and controls the shale gas potential. For example, the transitional argillaceous Taiyuan-Shanxi shales are significantly different from the siliceous Pingliang shales, specifically, total clay content for the former is more than 50 wt%, while the latter is rich in quartz content (more than 70 wt%). Additionally, the quartz and clay contents of the Taiyuan shale range widely, especially the smectite content of I–S ML. The barrier coastal facies in the Taiyuan Formation are more conducive to the enrichment and preservation of organic matter because the Shanxi shale was deposited in shallow delta facies with a greater terrestrial influence. Conclusively, the Taiyuan and Shanxi formations have relatively good exploitation potential for shale gas, especially the relatively high TOC content (average 2.45 wt%) and moderate Ro value (average 1.25%). For future exploration, selecting areas with relatively large shale thickness, high brittle mineral content, stable tectonics and better preservation conditions are key to optimising favourable exploration areas for shale gas.KEY POINTSThe shale gas potentials of the argillaceous Taiyuan-Shanxi shales and siliceous Pingliang shale are compared.The influence of sedimentary facies on reservoir parameters of marine and transitional shales is established.This is a first detailed comparison of the marine and transitional shale gas potential in the northwest margin of Ordos Basin, China. The shale gas potentials of the argillaceous Taiyuan-Shanxi shales and siliceous Pingliang shale are compared. The influence of sedimentary facies on reservoir parameters of marine and transitional shales is established. This is a first detailed comparison of the marine and transitional shale gas potential in the northwest margin of Ordos Basin, China.</p

Changes in Pig Production in China and Their Effects on Nitrogen and Phosphorus Use and Losses

China’s pig production has increased manifold in the past 50 years, and this has greatly affected the nitrogen and phosphorus use and losses in the pig production sector. However, the magnitude of these changes are not well-known. Here, we provide an in-depth account of the changes in pig productionN and P use and total N and P losses in the whole pig production chain during the period 1960–2010through simulation modeling and using data from national statistics and farm surveys. For the period of 2010–2030, we explored possible effects of technological and managerial measures aimed at improving the performances of pig production via scenario analysis. We used and further developed the NUtrient flows in Food chains, Environment and Resources use (NUFER) model to calculate the feed requirement and consumption, and N and P losses in different pig production systems for all the years. Between 1960 and 2010, pig production has largely shifted from the so-called backyard system to landless systems. The N use efficiencies at fattener level increased from 18 to 28%, due to the increased animal productivity. However, the N use efficiencies at the whole-system level decreased from 46 to 11% during this period, mainly due to the increase of landless pig farms, which rely on imported feed and have no land-base for manure disposal. The total N and P losses were 5289 and 829 Gg in 2010, which is 30 and 95 times higher than in 1960. In the business as usual scenario, the total N and P losses were projected to increase by 25 and 55% between 2010 and 2030, respectively. Analyses of other scenarios indicate that packages of technological and managerial measures can decrease total N and P losses by 64 and 95%, respectively. Such improvements require major transition in the pig production sector, notably, in manure management, herd management, and feeding practices

sj-docx-1-jdr-10.1177_00220345221085192 – Supplemental material for Mucoadhesive Nucleoside-Based Hydrogel Delays Oral Leukoplakia Canceration

Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-jdr-10.1177_00220345221085192 for Mucoadhesive Nucleoside-Based Hydrogel Delays Oral Leukoplakia Canceration by T. Ding, J. Zou, J. Qi, H. Dan, F. Tang, H. Zhao and Q. Chen in Journal of Dental Research</p

Hyperspectral Unmixing via Low-Rank Representation with Space Consistency Constraint and Spectral Library Pruning

Spectral unmixing is a popular technique for hyperspectral data interpretation. It focuses on estimating the abundance of pure spectral signature (called as endmembers) in each observed image signature. However, the identification of the endmembers in the original hyperspectral data becomes a challenge due to the lack of pure pixels in the scenes and the difficulty in estimating the number of endmembers in a given scene. To deal with these problems, the sparsity-based unmixing algorithms, which regard a large standard spectral library as endmembers, have recently been proposed. However, the high mutual coherence of spectral libraries always affects the performance of sparse unmixing. In addition, the hyperspectral image has the special characteristics of space. In this paper, a new unmixing algorithm via low-rank representation (LRR) based on space consistency constraint and spectral library pruning is proposed. The algorithm includes the spatial information on the LRR model by means of the spatial consistency regularizer which is based on the assumption that: it is very likely that two neighbouring pixels have similar fractional abundances for the same endmembers. The pruning strategy is based on the assumption that, if the abundance map of one material does not contain any large values, it is not a real endmember and will be removed from the spectral library. The algorithm not only can better capture the spatial structure of data but also can identify a subset of the spectral library. Thus, the algorithm can achieve a better unmixing result and improve the spectral unmixing accuracy significantly. Experimental results on both simulated and real hyperspectral datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm

sj-pdf-1-jdr-10.1177_00220345221091528 – Supplemental material for HIF-1α Stabilization Boosts Pulp Regeneration by Modulating Cell Metabolism

Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-jdr-10.1177_00220345221091528 for HIF-1α Stabilization Boosts Pulp Regeneration by Modulating Cell Metabolism by Y. Han, M. Koohi-Moghadam, Q. Chen, L. Zhang, H. Chopra, J. Zhang and W.L. Dissanayaka in Journal of Dental Research</p

Hyperspectral Unmixing via Low-Rank Representation with Space Consistency Constraint and Spectral Library Pruning

Spectral unmixing is a popular technique for hyperspectral data interpretation. It focuses on estimating the abundance of pure spectral signature (called as endmembers) in each observed image signature. However, the identification of the endmembers in the original hyperspectral data becomes a challenge due to the lack of pure pixels in the scenes and the difficulty in estimating the number of endmembers in a given scene. To deal with these problems, the sparsity-based unmixing algorithms, which regard a large standard spectral library as endmembers, have recently been proposed. However, the high mutual coherence of spectral libraries always affects the performance of sparse unmixing. In addition, the hyperspectral image has the special characteristics of space. In this paper, a new unmixing algorithm via low-rank representation (LRR) based on space consistency constraint and spectral library pruning is proposed. The algorithm includes the spatial information on the LRR model by means of the spatial consistency regularizer which is based on the assumption that: it is very likely that two neighbouring pixels have similar fractional abundances for the same endmembers. The pruning strategy is based on the assumption that, if the abundance map of one material does not contain any large values, it is not a real endmember and will be removed from the spectral library. The algorithm not only can better capture the spatial structure of data but also can identify a subset of the spectral library. Thus, the algorithm can achieve a better unmixing result and improve the spectral unmixing accuracy significantly. Experimental results on both simulated and real hyperspectral datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm

Transversally and Axially Tunable Carbon Nanotube Resonators In Situ Fabricated and Studied Inside a Scanning Electron Microscope

We report a new design of carbon nanotube (CNT) resonator, whose resonance frequency can be tuned not only transversally by a gate voltage, but also by the axial strain applied through directly pulling the CNT. The resonators are fabricated from individual suspended single-walled CNT (SWCNT) in situ inside a scanning electron microscope. The resonance frequency of a SWCNT resonator can be tuned by more than 20 times with an increase of quality factor when the axial strain of the SWCNT is only increased from nearly zero to 2% at room temperature. The transversal gate-tuning ability is found to be weaker than the axial-tuning ability and decrease with increasing the axial strain. The gate voltage can hardly tune the resonance frequency when the initial axial strain is larger than 0.35% and the CNT acts like a tied string. The relationship among resonance frequency, gate voltage, and initial axial strain of the CNT obtained presently will allow for the designs of CNT resonators with high frequency and large tuning range. The present resonator also shows ultrahigh sensitivity in displacement and force detection, with a resolution being better than 2.4 pm and 0.55 pN, respectively