Dibromido[1,1′-dibenzyl-2,2′-(sulfane­diyl­dimethyl­ene)di-1H-benzimidazole]­cadmium(II) dimethyl­formamide solvate

In the title compound, [CdBr2(C30H26N4S)]·C3H7NO, both the complex and solvent mol­ecule lie on a crystallographic mirror plane. The CdII ion is coordinated in a disorted square-pyramidal CdBr2N2S environment with one of the Br atoms in the apical site. In the crystal structure, the benzimidazole ring systems are involved in weak inter­molecular π–π stacking inter­actions [centroid–centroid distances = 3.606 (2) and 3.753 (2) Å]. Further stabilization is provided by weak inter­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The methyl H atoms of the dimethyl­formamide solvent mol­ecule are disordered about a mirror plane

Piezoresistivity and piezopermittivity of cement-based sensors under quasi-static stress and changing moisture

Integrated cement-based sensors offer an economic alternative to extrinsic sensors for health monitoring applications in concrete structures due to their high strength to cost ratio, geometrical versatility, low shrinkage, and natural compatibility. Nonetheless, their performance under in-service conditions were in lack of investigations. While the piezoresistivity (change in resistance with stress) has been commonly used for mechanical sensing, the piezopermittivity (change in capacitive reactance with stress) is rarely characterized. Exploiting the high relative permittivity and electrical conductivity of carbon fibre reinforced cement-based sensors, this study investigates the piezoresistivity and piezopermittivity under changing stress and moisture using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Two types of sensors were evaluated: one containing 0.5 vol% of carbon fibres whose electrical conductivity was ionically dominant, and another with electronically dominant (1.2 vol% of carbon fibres) conductivity. Results highlighted that the piezopermittivity is “moisture content-dominant” whilst the piezoresistivity is “fibre content-dominant”. As the moisture content decreased, the sensitivity of piezopermittivity for both sensor types decreased, while the sensitivity of piezoresistivity decreased for the ionically dominant sensor but increased for the electronically dominant sensor. The piezoresistivity of the electronically dominant sensor was less sensitive than piezopermittivity at a water saturation of 80%. Conversely, the piezoresistivity of the ionically dominant sensor was more sensitive than piezopermittivity at the tested water saturations ≤ 80%. For the first time, this study presents the combined effects of moisture and fibre content on the pressure sensitive response of cement-based sensors through a dual-phase (i.e., piezoresistivity and piezopermittivity) EIS interpretation technique, providing valuable information to benefit further behaviour prediction and single-effect recognition in the field scenario where the sensors are subject to simultaneous environmental effects causing moisture variations such as temperature and humidity variations, freeze-thawing, and so on

Sparse Recovery for Bistatic MIMO Radar Imaging in the Presence of Array Gain Uncertainties

A sparse recovery based transmit-receive angle imaging scheme is proposed for bistatic multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar. The redundancy of the transmit and receive angles in the same range cell is exploited to construct the sparse model. The imaging is then performed by compressive sensing method with consideration of both the transmit and receive array gain uncertainties. An additional constraint is imposed on the inverse of the transmit and receive array gain errors matrices to make the optimization problem of the CS solvable. The image of the targets can be reconstructed using small number of snapshots in the case of large array gain uncertainties. Simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed scheme

Effects of three different probiotics of Tibetan sheep origin and their complex probiotics on intestinal damage, immunity, and immune signaling pathways of mice infected with Clostridium perfringens type C

Tibetan sheep have unique intestinal microorganisms in their intestines that are adapted to the highland alpine and anoxic environment. To further clarify the probiotic properties of Tibetan sheep-derived probiotics, we selected three Tibetan sheep-derived probiotic isolates (Enterococcus faecalis EF1-mh, Bacillus subtilis BS1-ql, and Lactobacillus sakei LS-ql) to investigate the protective mechanisms of monocultures and their complex strains against Clostridium perfringens type C infection in mice. We established a model of C. perfringens type C infection and used histology and molecular biology to analyze the effects and mechanisms of different probiotic treatments on mice after C. perfringens type C infection. After supplementation with either probiotics or complex probiotics, mice were improved in terms of weight reduction and reduced the levels of cytokines in serum and increased the levels of intestinal sIgA, and supplementation with complex probiotics was effective. In addition, both probiotic and complex probiotic supplementation effectively improved the damage of intestinal mucosa and spleen tissue. The relative expressions of Muc 2, Claudin-1, and Occludin genes were increased in the ileum. The three probiotics and the compound probiotics treatment significantly reduced the relative mRNA expression of toll-like/MyD88/NF-κB/MAPK. The effect of probiotic treatment was similar to the results of engramycin treatment, but the effect of engramycin treatment on intestinal sIgA was not significant. Our results clarify the immunomodulatory effects of the three probiotic isolates and the complex probiotics on C. perfringens infection, and the repair of the intestinal mucosal barrier

Deviant Dynamics of Resting State Electroencephalogram Microstate in Patients With Subjective Tinnitus

Given the importance of central reorganization and tinnitus, we undertook the current study to investigate changes to electroencephalogram (EEG) microstates and their association with the clinical symptoms in tinnitus. High-density (128 channel) EEG was used to explore changes in microstate features in 15 subjects with subjective tinnitus and 17 age-matched controls. Correlations between microstate parameters and subjective tinnitus symptoms were also analyzed. An increased presence of class A microstate and decreased presence of class D microstate were found in coverage and lifespan of microstate parameters in the tinnitus patients. Syntax analysis also demonstrated an aberrant pattern of activity, with reduced transitions from class D to class B in tinnitus patients. Moreover, a significant positive correlation of tinnitus loudness with increased lifespan of microstate class C was found. Significant differences in temporal characteristics and syntax of the EEG microstate classes were found at rest between tinnitus patients and the healthy subjects. Our study indicates that EEG microstates may provide a possible valuable method to study large-scale brain networks, which may in turn be beneficial to investigation of the neurophysiological mechanisms behind tinnitus

Fibroblast growth factor 3 promotes spontaneous mammary tumorigenesis in Tientsin albino 2 mice via the FGF3/FGFR1/STAT3 pathway

IntroductionTientsin albino 2 (TA2) mice can develop spontaneous breast cancer (SBC), which is associated with multiple pregnancies and infection with the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV). In this study, we sought to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of SBC in TA2 mice induced by MMTV.MethodsThe integration site of MMTV in TA2 SBC was identified using whole-genome sequencing. The expression of fibroblast growth factor 3 (FGF3) in SBCs and normal breast tissues was compared. The primary cell line, TA-1106, derived from SBC, was cultured. The proliferation, cell cycle, migration, invasion, and tumorigenicity abilities, as well as the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related proteins, phosphorylated STAT3, and phosphorylated Akt, were assessed in MA-891cell line from TA2 and TA-1106 cells after FGF3 knockdown. The binding of FGF3 to FGF receptor 1 (FGFR1) was determined by co-immunoprecipitation. Additionally, the relationship between STAT3 and Akt phosphorylation was investigated using a small molecule inhibitor and STAT3 knockdown.ResultsMMTV integrated upstream of the FGF3 gene, and the FGF3 protein was highly expressed in TA2 SBCs. FGF3 knockdown in MA-891 and TA-1106 decreased their proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities, affected the cell cycle and expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related proteins, and inhibited the growth of animal xenografts. FGF3 binds to FGFR1, and either FGF3 or FGFR1 knockdown decreases STAT3 and Akt phosphorylation levels. Inhibition of phosphorylation or expression of STAT3 resulted in decreased Akt phosphorylation levels. Inhibition of Akt phosphorylation also resulted in decreased STAT3 phosphorylation levels. Furthermore, treatment of MA-891 and TA-1106 cells with Wortmannin or Stattic caused FGFR1 upregulation in addition to inhibiting Akt or STAT3 phosphorylation.ConclusionThe results of this study demonstrate that FGF3 plays a significant role in the development of SBC through the FGF3/FGFR1/STAT3 signaling pathway. There is a reciprocal activation between STAT3 and Akt. Inhibition of STAT3 or Akt phosphorylation promoted the expression of FGFR1. Validating the conclusions obtained in this study in human breast cancer (HBC) may contribute to targeted therapy and it is worth exploring whether the homologous sequences of MMTV in HBC have a similar oncogenic effect

Mn-doped CoSe2 nanosheets as high-efficiency catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction.

In this work, we introduce for the first time an aqueous solution method followed by a selenization step to prepare Mn-doped CoSe2 nanosheets supported on nickel foam for the oxygen evolution reaction. These findings provide us highly efficient electrocatalysts instead of noble metal catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction