Controllable Synthesis of Zn 2

Zn2GeO4 nanorods were successfully synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. The composition, morphology, and optical properties of as-synthesized Zn2GeO4 samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scan electron microscopy, and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra. The photocatalytic properties of Zn2GeO4 nanorods were evaluated by the reduction of Cr(VI) and oxidation of organic pollutants in aqueous solution. The effects of solution pH on Cr(VI) reduction by Zn2GeO4 nanorods were studied in detail. The results indicated that the efficiency of Cr(VI) reduction was highest at pH 5.96. Moreover, Zn2GeO4 nanorods also showed excellent photocatalytic ability for the oxidation of organic pollutants such as rhodamine B and 4-nitrophenol

Two New Upper Bounds for the Maximum k-plex Problem

A k-plex in a graph is a vertex set where each vertex is non-adjacent to at most k vertices (including itself) in this set, and the Maximum k-plex Problem (MKP) is to find the largest k-plex in the graph. MKP is a practical NP-hard problem, and the k-plex model has many important real-world applications, such as the analysis of various complex networks. Branch-and-bound (BnB) algorithms are a type of well-studied and effective exact algorithms for MKP. Recent BnB MKP algorithms involve two kinds of upper bounds based on graph coloring and partition, respectively, that work in different perspectives and thus are complementary with each other. In this paper, we first propose a new coloring-based upper bound, termed Relaxed Graph Color Bound (RelaxGCB), that significantly improves the previous coloring-based upper bound. Then we propose another new upper bound, termed SeesawUB, inspired by the seesaw playing game, that incorporates RelaxGCB and a partition-based upper bound in a novel way, making use of their complementarity. We apply RelaxGCB and SeesawUB to state-of-the-art BnB MKP algorithms and produce four new algorithms. Extensive experiments show the excellent performance and robustness of the new algorithms with our proposed upper bounds

Communication in Immersive Social Virtual Reality: A Systematic Review of 10 Years' Studies

As virtual reality (VR) technologies have improved in the past decade, more research has investigated how they could support more effective communication in various contexts to improve collaboration and social connectedness. However, there was no literature to summarize the uniqueness VR provided and put forward guidance for designing social VR applications for better communication. To understand how VR has been designed and used to facilitate communication in different contexts, we conducted a systematic review of the studies investigating communication in social VR in the past ten years by following the PRISMA guidelines. We highlight current practices and challenges and identify research opportunities to improve the design of social VR to better support communication and make social VR more accessible.Comment: Chinese CHI '22: The Tenth International Symposium of Chinese CHI (Chinese CHI 2022

KD-Club: An Efficient Exact Algorithm with New Coloring-based Upper Bound for the Maximum k-Defective Clique Problem

The Maximum k-Defective Clique Problem (MDCP) aims to find a maximum k-defective clique in a given graph, where a k-defective clique is a relaxation clique missing at most k edges. MDCP is NP-hard and finds many real-world applications in analyzing dense but not necessarily complete subgraphs. Exact algorithms for MDCP mainly follow the Branch-and-bound (BnB) framework, whose performance heavily depends on the quality of the upper bound on the cardinality of a maximum k-defective clique. The state-of-the-art BnB MDCP algorithms calculate the upper bound quickly but conservatively as they ignore many possible missing edges. In this paper, we propose a novel CoLoring-based Upper Bound (CLUB) that uses graph coloring techniques ingeniously to detect independent sets so as to detect missing edges ignored by the previous methods. We then develop a new BnB algorithm for MDCP, called KD-Club, using CLUB in both the preprocessing stage for graph reduction and the BnB searching process for branch pruning. Extensive experiments show that KD-Club significantly outperforms state-of-the-art BnB MDCP algorithms on the number of solved instances within the cut-off time, having much smaller search tree and shorter solving time on various benchmarks

Characterizing exons 11 and 1 promoters of the mu opioid receptor (Oprm) gene in transgenic mice

BACKGROUND: The complexity of the mouse mu opioid receptor (Oprm) gene was demonstrated by the identification of multiple alternatively spliced variants and promoters. Our previous studies have identified a novel promoter, exon 11 (E11) promoter, in the mouse Oprm gene. The E11 promoter is located ~10 kb upstream of the exon 1 (E1) promoter. The E11 promoter controls the expression of nine splice variants in the mouse Oprm gene. Distinguished from the TATA-less E1 promoter, the E11 promoter resembles a typical TATA-containing eukaryote class II promoter. The aim of this study is to further characterize the E11 and E1 promoters in vivo using a transgenic mouse model. RESULTS: We constructed a ~20 kb transgenic construct in which a 3.7 kb E11 promoter region and an 8.9 kb E1 promoter region controlled expression of tau/LacZ and tau/GFP reporters, respectively. The construct was used to establish a transgenic mouse line. The expression of the reporter mRNAs, determined by a RT-PCR approach, in the transgenic mice during embryonic development displayed a temporal pattern similar to that of the endogenous promoters. X-gal staining for tau/LacZ reporter and GFP imaging for tau/GFP reporter showed that the transgenic E11 and E1 promoters were widely expressed in various regions of the central nervous system (CNS). The distribution of tau/GFP reporter in the CNS was similar to that of MOR-1-like immunoreactivity using an exon 4-specific antibody. However, differential expression of both promoters was observed in some CNS regions such as the hippocampus and substantia nigra, suggesting that the E11 and E1 promoters were regulated differently in these regions. CONCLUSION: We have generated a transgenic mouse line to study the E11 and E1 promoters in vivo using tau/LacZ and tau/GFP reporters. The reasonable relevance of the transgenic model was demonstrated by the temporal and spatial expression of the transgenes as compared to those of the endogenous transcripts. We believe that these transgenic mice will provide a useful model for further characterizing the E11 and E1 promoter in vivo under different physiological and pathological circumstances such as chronic opioid treatment and chronic pain models

Synapse: Interactive Guidance by Demonstration with Trial-and-Error Support for Older Adults to Use Smartphone Apps

As smartphones are widely adopted, mobile applications (apps) are emerging to provide critical services such as food delivery and telemedicine. While bring convenience to everyday life, this trend may create barriers for older adults who tend to be less tech-savvy than young people. In-person or screen sharing support is helpful but limited by the help-givers' availability. Video tutorials can be useful but require users to switch contexts between watching the tutorial and performing the corresponding actions in the app, which is cumbersome to do on a mobile phone. Although interactive tutorials have been shown to be promising, none was designed for older adults. Furthermore, the trial-and-error approach has been shown to be beneficial for older adults, but they often lack support to use the approach. Inspired by both interactive tutorials and trial-and-error approach, we designed an app-independent mobile service, \textit{Synapse}, for help-givers to create a multimodal interactive tutorial on a smartphone and for help-receivers (e.g., older adults) to receive interactive guidance with trial-and-error support when they work on the same task. We conducted a user study with 18 older adults who were 60 and over. Our quantitative and qualitative results show that Synapse provided better support than the traditional video approach and enabled participants to feel more confident and motivated. Lastly, we present further design considerations to better support older adults with trial-and-error on smartphones

Comparison of the efficacy of half ticagrelor loading doses and clopidogrel in elderly acute coronary syndrome patients in China

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of half-load doses (HLD) of ticagrelor and clopidogrel on elderly acute coronary syndrome patients (ACS) over a period of 90 days. Methods: Seventy-four patients diagnosed as ACS were included in this trial. The patients were randomly distributed into group 1 (treated with HLD ticagrelor, 90 mg LD) and group 2 (treated with clopidogrel, 300 mg LD). The interaction of treatment effect was evaluated using Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results: Within three months, a total of 12 patients (16.21 %) died of myocardial infarction or stroke. The endpoint of HLD ticagrelor-treated elderly ACS patients was 20 %, and the incidence of clopidogreltreated endpoints was 14.81 %. Conclusion: In the first 45 patients treated with HLD ticagrelor, their cumulative incidence of cardiac events was relatively high. However, there were no considerable changes in the therapeutic benefits of these two drugs in elderly ACS patients. Keywords: Elder patients, Acute coronary syndrome, Ticagrelor, Clopidogre

Anti-tumor activity of polysaccharides extracted from Senecio scandens Buch, -Ham root on hepatocellular carcinoma

Purpose: To optimize the extraction conditions of polysaccharides from the root of Senecio scandens Buch,-Ham. (PRS) and evaluate its anti-tumor effect on hepatocellular carcinoma.Methods: Response surface methodology (RSM) applied with a Box-Behnken design (BBD, three levels and three factors) was employed to determine the effect of extraction time, number of extraction and ratio of water to raw material on the yield of PRS. The anti-tumor effect of PRS on A549, HL60, S180 and H22 cell lines was evaluated in vitro by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl) -2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, while in vivo anti-tumor effect was evaluated in H22 tumor transplanted mice. Furthermore, expressions of proteins including caspase-3, caspase-9, Bcl-2 and Bax were determined by western blotting assay.Results: The established BBD model was highly significant and the optimal conditions were: extraction time, 3.06 h; number of extractions, 2; and ratio of water to raw material, 16.17 mL/g. PRS showed significant inhibitory effect on H22 cells (IC50 = 42.4 μg/mL), and significantly inhibited the growth of transplanted H22 tumors in mice at the doses of 20, 40 and 80 mg/kg (p < 0.05, p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). Treatment with PRS (20, 40 and 80 μg/mL) significantly up-regulated the expressions of Bax, caspase-3 and caspase-9 in H22 cells, whereas Bcl-2 protein was significantly down-regulated.Conclusion: The results suggest that PRS possesses significant anti-tumor activity on H22 cell line in vitro and in vivo, and the mechanism may be closely related to the induction of mitochondria-mediated apoptosis.Keywords: Senecio scandens, Polysaccharides, Hepatocellular carcinoma, Response surface methodology, Anti-tumor activity, Apoptosi

Detection of circulating IgG antibodies to apolipoprotein B100 in acute myocardial infarction

AbstractA number of studies have reported an association between increased levels of antibodies against oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) and cardiovascular disease, but the anti-oxLDL antibody has not been confirmed to serve as an effective biomarker for prediction of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Apolipoprotein B100 (ApoB100)-derived peptide fragments generated by proteolytic degradation and aldehyde modification are the major antigens in oxLDL, and so the present work was undertaken to detect circulating IgG for Apo-B100-derived peptide antigens. An in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed with eight ApoB100-derived peptide antigens (Ag1–Ag8) to detect circulating anti-ApoB100 IgG levels in 267 patients with AMI and 201 control subjects. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that circulating IgG for Ag1 was significantly higher in the patient group than the control group (P<0.001) after adjustment for age, gender, smoking, hypertension, diabetes and circulating levels of cholesterol, HDL, LDL, ApoA and ApoB100. None of the other seven antigens detected an increase in IgG levels in AMI patients compared with control subjects. Spearman correlation analysis showed no correlation between IgG antibody for Ag1 and clinical characteristics. In conclusion, the linear peptide antigens derived from ApoB100 may be suitable for the development of an ELISA antibody test for prediction of AMI, although further confirmation is still needed in large-scale clinical studies