Uniqueness of Periodic Solution for a Class of Liénard p-Laplacian Equations

By topological degree theory and some analysis skills, we consider a class of generalized Liénard type p-Laplacian equations. Upon some suitable assumptions, the existence and uniqueness of periodic solutions for the generalized Liénard type p-Laplacian differential equations are obtained. It is significant that the nonlinear term contains two variables

Response of Soil Fungal Community Structure to Long-Term Continuous Soybean Cropping

Long-term continuous soybean cropping can lead to the aggravation of soil fungal disease. However, the manner in which the fungal community and functional groups of fungi are affected by continuous soybean cropping remains unclear. We investigated the fungal abundance, composition and diversity during soybean rotation (RS), 2-year (SS) and long-term (CS) continuous soybean cropping systems using quantitative real-time PCR and high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that the fungal abundance was significantly higher in CS than in SS and RS. CS altered the fungal composition. Compared with RS, SS had an increase of 29 and a decrease of 12 genera in fungal relative abundance, and CS increased 38 and decreased 17 genera. The Shannon index was significantly higher in CS and SS than in RS. The result of principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) showed that CS and SS grouped together and were clearly separated from RS on the PCoA1. A total of 32 features accounted for the differences in fungal composition across RS, SS, and CS. The relative abundance of 10 potentially pathogenic and 10 potentially beneficial fungi changed, and most of their relative abundances dramatically increased in SS and CS compared with RS. Our study indicated that CS results in selective stress on pathogenic and beneficial fungi and causes the development of the fungal community structure that is antagonistic to plant health

Uniqueness of Periodic Solution for a Class of Li&#233;nard <inline-formula><graphic file="1687-1847-2010-235749-i1.gif"/></inline-formula>-Laplacian Equations

<p/> <p>By topological degree theory and some analysis skills, we consider a class of generalized Li&#233;nard type <inline-formula><graphic file="1687-1847-2010-235749-i2.gif"/></inline-formula>-Laplacian equations. Upon some suitable assumptions, the existence and uniqueness of periodic solutions for the generalized Li&#233;nard type <inline-formula><graphic file="1687-1847-2010-235749-i3.gif"/></inline-formula>-Laplacian differential equations are obtained. It is significant that the nonlinear term contains two variables.</p

The Effect of Complementary and Alternative Medicine on Subfertile Women with In Vitro Fertilization

About 10–15% of couples have difficulty conceiving at some point in their reproductive lives and thus have to seek specialist fertility care. One of the most commonly used treatment options is in vitro fertilization (IVF) and its related expansions. Despite many recent technological advances, the average IVF live birth rate per single initiated cycle is still only 30%. Consequently, there is a need to find new therapies to promote the efficiency of the procedure. Many patients have turned to complementary and alternative medical (CAM) treatments as an adjuvant therapy to improve their chances of success when they undergo IVF treatment. At present, several CAM methods have been used in infertile couples with IVF, which has achieved obvious effects. However, biologically plausible mechanisms of the action of CAM for IVF have not been systematically reviewed. This review briefly summarizes the current progress of the impact of CAM on the outcomes of IVF and introduces the mechanisms

Influence of surface footing loading on soil arching above multiple buried structures in transparent sand

Constructing a new buried structure nearby an existing one or constructing multiple buried structures in close proximity may change overburden stresses, induce ground movement, and affect soil–structure interaction. Such issues become more complex when these nearby buried structures are subjected to surface cyclic footing loading. Cyclic loading is expected to have different influences on the buried structures from static loading. This paper presents two-dimensional trapdoor tests with transparent soil to investigate the influences of static versus cyclic surface loading, number of trapdoors, overburden soil height, and load frequency on soil arching above single or multiple adjacent buried structures. The particle image velocimetry technique was adopted to monitor soil movements during testing. The test results showed that soil arching degraded more under cyclic loading than under static loading. The interaction of buried structures, the thin overburden soil, and the high load frequency accelerated soil arching degradation and induced larger ground surface displacement.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Design of graphene-based multi-parameter sensors

Agricultural informatization, modernization is an important development trend of agriculture, and building low-cost agricultural sensors has become a hot topic. In this paper, a multi-parameter preparation method suitable for agricultural information technology based on graphene and its doped-modified nanocomposites is proposed. The nanomaterials such as zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, stannic oxide, and molybdenum disulfide were synthesized by hydrothermal method, combined with graphene to prepare sensors. The finally completed graphene multi-parameter sensor is suitable for the agricultural environment, the temperature measurement ranges from 10 to 60 °C, the light intensity measurement ranges from 1000 to 11,000 lux, the humidity measurement ranges from 11% to 97 %RH, and the 300–1100 ppm CO2 concentration measurement range, and the response time is short. The material used is low, cost-effective, and the measurement parameters make it a suitable agricultural sensor, which will bring a large economic and social value, lay the foundation for the agricultural sensor to meet market needs

New light on treatment of cervical cancer: Chinese medicine monomers can be effective for cervical cancer by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway

Cervical cancer (CC), as the most common malignant tumor of the female reproductive system, is infamous for its high morbidity and mortality rates. Its development and metastasis are intricate because numerous signaling pathways are involved. Since the cancer and the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway are closely intertwined, direct inhibition of either the PI3K/Akt pathway or its target genes and molecules may be remarkably constructive for treatment. Albeit remarkable advances in the treatment of CC, existing common anti-cancer medications are not without problems. These problems include myelotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, genotoxicity, and vasospasm, which are the most common and well-recognized toxicities associated with these medications. Therefore, it is necessary and urgent to develop novel, potent, secure, and more reasonably priced anticancer medications that are void of the above problems. Against this backdrop, Chinese medicine monomers have received more attention in recent years owing to their safety, low toxicity, few side effects, and anti-tumor properties. By regulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, Chinese medicine monomers are effective not only in inhibiting CC growth, proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, migration, and reversing drug resistance but also in a variety of targets. Most previous earlier studies focused on the use of a single traditional Chinese medicine monomer to treat CC by regulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway rather than a combination of several such monomers. More importantly, to our knowledge, there has hardly been any study providing an exhaustive and comprehensive review of all the Chinese medicine monomers at CC. In response to this scarcity, we attempt in this paper to provide a comprehensive review of all the literature to date on traditional Chinese medicine monomers at cervical cancer, highlight the mechanisms and future prospects for their use in the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer

Effects of Atrazine on the Development of Neural System of Zebrafish, Danio rerio

By comparative analysis of histomorphology and AChE activity, the changes of physiological and biochemical parameters were determined in zebrafish embryos and larvae dealt with atrazine (ATR) at different concentrations (0.0001, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, and 1 mg/L). This study showed that the development of the sarcomere and the arrangement of white muscle myofibers were affected by ATR significantly and the length of sarcomere shortened. Further analysis of the results showed that the AChE activity in juvenile fish which was treated with ATR was downregulated, which can indicate that the innervation efficiency to the muscle was impaired. Conversely, the AChE activity in zebrafish embryos which was treated with ATR was upregulated. A parallel phenomenon showed that embryonic primary sensory neurons (Rohon-Beard cells), principally expressing AChE in embryos, survived the physiological apoptosis. These phenomena demonstrated that the motor integration ability of the zebrafish was damaged by ATR which can disturb the development of sensory neurons and sarcomere and the innervations of muscle

Redefinition of Crystal Structure and Bi3+ Yellow Luminescence with Strong NUV Excitation in La3BWO9:Bi3+ Phosphor for WLEDs

Текст статьи не публикуется в открытом доступе в соответствии с политикой журнала

Complementary and Alternative Medicine for the Treatment of Abnormal Endometrial Conditions in Women with PCOS: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background. Endometrial lesions in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) exhibit complex pathological features, and these patients are at risk of both short-term and long-term complications. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), which is gradually becoming more accepted and is believed to be clinically effective, claims to be promising for treating PCOS, and thus its effect on the abnormal endometrium of PCOS patients should be assessed. The present meta-analysis sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CAM in treating endometrial lesions in patients with PCOS. Methods. Randomized trials on CAM were identified in four Chinese and seven English-language databases from their establishment to January 2020. The present study included patients diagnosed with PCOS and abnormal endometrial conditions who underwent CAM therapy independently or in combination with traditional western medicine. Data were extracted, and the Cochrane “risk of bias” tool was used to assess methodological quality. Effects were expressed as the relative risk (RR) or mean difference (MD/SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) as calculated with Rev Man 5.3. Results. A total of 13 randomized controlled trials were included, involving 1,297 PCOS patients treated for endometrial abnormalities. Methodological quality was generally unclear or had a low risk of bias. The trials tested four different types of CAM therapies (i.e., traditional Chinese medicine treatment, acupuncture treatment, traditional Chinese medicine in combination with western medicine treatment, and acupuncture in combination with western medicine treatment). CAM treatment could significantly reduce the endometrial thickness in PCOS patients compared to western medicine alone (SMD −0.88, 95% CI [−0.12, −0.57]; I2 = 64%). Compared with clomiphene treatment for the induction of ovulation, CAM treatment showed a clear improvement in endometrial thickness during ovulation (SMD 2.03, 95% CI [1.64, 2.02]; I2 = 48%). Moreover, CAM was more effective than western medicine alone in reducing the endometrial spiral artery pulsatility index. No significant difference was seen between CAM and traditional treatment when these were used to improve traditional Chinese medicine syndrome scores. Acupuncture alone or traditional Chinese medicines (taken orally) in combination with western medicine significantly increased the pregnancy rate of PCOS patients (RR 1.59, 95% CI [1.30, 1.93]; I2 = 51%, P<0.00001), and CAM was more effective than western medicine alone for improving hormone levels. No serious adverse events were reported in 11 of the 13 trials. Conclusions. CAM may effectively ameliorate the endometrial condition of PCOS patients, and it can regulate the level of hormone secretion to increase the ovulation rate and the pregnancy rate