Determination of Coefficients of High-Order Schemes for Riemann-Liouville Derivative

Although there have existed some numerical algorithms for the fractional differential equations, developing high-order methods (i.e., with convergence order greater than or equal to 2) is just the beginning. Lubich has ever proposed the high-order schemes when he studied the fractional linear multistep methods, where he constructed the pth order schemes (p=2,3,4,5,6) for the αth order Riemann-Liouville integral and αth order Riemann-Liouville derivative. In this paper, we study such a problem and develop recursion formulas to compute these coefficients in the higher-order schemes. The coefficients of higher-order schemes (p=7,8,9,10) are also obtained. We first find that these coefficients are oscillatory, which is similar to Runge’s phenomenon. So, they are not suitable for numerical calculations. Finally, several numerical examples are implemented to testify the efficiency of the numerical schemes for p=3,…,6

A thrombin-triggered self-regulating anticoagulant strategy combined with anti-inflammatory capacity for blood-contacting implants

Interrelated coagulation and inflammation are impediments to endothelialization, a prerequisite for the longterm function of cardiovascular materials. Here, we proposed a self-regulating anticoagulant coating strategy combined with anti-inflammatory capacity, which consisted of thrombin-responsive nanogels with anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory components. As an anticoagulant, rivaroxaban was encapsulated in nanogels cross-linked by thrombin-cleavable peptide and released upon the trigger of environmental thrombin, blocking the further coagulation cascade. The superoxide dismutase mimetic Tempol imparted the antioxidant property. Polyphenol epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), in addition to its anti-inflammatory function in synergy with Tempol, also acted as a weak cross-linker to stabilize the coating. The effectiveness and versatility of this coating were validated using two typical cardiovascular devices as models, biological valves and vascular stents. It was demonstrated that the coating worked as a precise strategy to resist coagulation and inflammation, escorted reendothelialization on the cardiovascular devices, and provided a new perspective for designing endothelium-like functional coatings

Preliminary Application of Vermicompost in Rice Production: Effects of Nursery Raising with Vermicompost on Fragrant Rice Performances

Vermicompost is an excellent organic fertilizer, but the application of vermicompost in fragrant rice production has not yet been reported. Seedling nursery is an important component of rice production. The present study firstly applied vermicompost in fragrant rice production through nursery raising. The seedlings of three fragrant rice cultivars were raised in matrix with different rations of vermicompost (the treatment without vermicompost was taken as the control), and the growth parameters and physiological characters of seedlings were investigated. The results showed that, compared with the control, the application of vermicompost significantly (p < 0.05) increased the plant height, stem diameter, fresh weight, and dry weight of fragrant rice seedlings by 11.22–24.73%, 38.34–65.87%, 16.74–30.46%, and 16.61–35.16%, respectively. Nursery raising with vermicompost significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced the net photosynthetic rate by 5.99–12.93%, relative to the control. Higher contents of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, carotenoids, and total chlorophyll were recorded in vermicompost treatments than in the control. Compared with the control, vermicompost treatments also increased root length, surface area, mean diameter, root volume, root tip number, and root activity of fragrant rice seedlings by 12.42–27.82%, 15.04–38.65%, 12.64–23.12%, 42.41–63.58%, 18.62–24.95%, and 12.01–26.29%, respectively. Moreover, nursery raising with vermicompost enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes including superoxide, peroxidase, and catalase by 7.97–24.21%, 17.11–44.99%, and 7.37–15.95%, respectively, relative to the control. Moreover, 7.92–29.40% lower malondialdehyde contents were recorded in vermicompost treatments compared with the control. Therefore, nursery raising with vermicompost could be a good agronomy practice in machine-transplanted fragrant rice

Agronomic Performances of Fragrant Rice Cultivars under Different Vermicompost Rates

Vermicompost is an organic fertilizer with high microbiological activity. However, the application of vermicompost in fragrant rice production and the effects of vermicompost rates on fragrant rice performances have not been reported. The present study conducted a field experiment with two cropping lugs to investigate the agronomic performances of fragrant rice cultivars under different vermicompost rates. Five vermicompost rates, i.e., 2.250 (Ver1), 3.000 (Ver2), 3.750 (Ver3), 4.8750 (Ver4), and 6.000 (Ver5) t ha−1, were adopted and a treatment without any fertilizer applied was taken as control (CK). The results showed that the application of vermicompost significantly increased the grain yield of fragrant rice, while the highest or equally highest yield was recorded in the Ver2 treatment. Similar trends were observed in dry matter weight at 80 and 100 days after transplanting. However, the vermicompost didn’t have remarkable effects on chlorophyll content and grain 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (the key component of fragrant rice aroma) content. The effects of different vermicompost rates on grain quality characters were unstable and irregular across the cropping lugs, although Ver1 and Ver2 treatment exhibited relatively good grain quality with lower amylose content and higher protein content. In the present study, the recommended amount of vermicompost was 3.0 t ha−1 in fragrant rice production

Agronomic Performances of Fragrant Rice Cultivars under Different Vermicompost Rates

Vermicompost is an organic fertilizer with high microbiological activity. However, the application of vermicompost in fragrant rice production and the effects of vermicompost rates on fragrant rice performances have not been reported. The present study conducted a field experiment with two cropping lugs to investigate the agronomic performances of fragrant rice cultivars under different vermicompost rates. Five vermicompost rates, i.e., 2.250 (Ver1), 3.000 (Ver2), 3.750 (Ver3), 4.8750 (Ver4), and 6.000 (Ver5) t ha−1, were adopted and a treatment without any fertilizer applied was taken as control (CK). The results showed that the application of vermicompost significantly increased the grain yield of fragrant rice, while the highest or equally highest yield was recorded in the Ver2 treatment. Similar trends were observed in dry matter weight at 80 and 100 days after transplanting. However, the vermicompost didn’t have remarkable effects on chlorophyll content and grain 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (the key component of fragrant rice aroma) content. The effects of different vermicompost rates on grain quality characters were unstable and irregular across the cropping lugs, although Ver1 and Ver2 treatment exhibited relatively good grain quality with lower amylose content and higher protein content. In the present study, the recommended amount of vermicompost was 3.0 t ha−1 in fragrant rice production

A drug-free cardiovascular stent functionalized with tailored collagen supports in-situ healing of vascular tissues

Abstract Drug-eluting stent implantation suppresses the excessive proliferation of smooth muscle cells to reduce in-stent restenosis. However, the efficacy of drug-eluting stents remains limited due to delayed reendothelialization, impaired intimal remodeling, and potentially increased late restenosis. Here, we show that a drug-free coating formulation functionalized with tailored recombinant humanized type III collagen exerts one-produces-multi effects in response to injured tissue following stent implantation. We demonstrate that the one-produces-multi coating possesses anticoagulation, anti-inflammatory, and intimal hyperplasia suppression properties. We perform transcriptome analysis to indicate that the drug-free coating favors the endothelialization process and induces the conversion of smooth muscle cells to a contractile phenotype. We find that compared to drug-eluting stents, our drug-free stent reduces in-stent restenosis in rabbit and porcine models and improves vascular neointimal healing in a rabbit model. Collectively, the one-produces-multi drug-free system represents a promising strategy for the next-generation of stents

Toxicity profile characteristics of novel androgen-deprivation therapy agents in patients with prostate cancer: a meta-analysis

<p><b>Background</b>: To investigate the toxicity profile characteristics of abiraterone acetate and enzalutamide to see if they are of critical clinical value.</p> <p><b>Methods</b>: Prospective studies were identified by searching the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and American Society of Clinical Oncology Meeting abstracts. Randomized clinical trials that evaluate abiraterone acetate or enzalutamide in patients with prostate cancer were included. The risk ratio (RR) of adverse events (AEs) was calculated for each trial along with appropriate 95% CI using fixed- or random-effects methods.</p> <p><b>Results</b>: Ten studies (5 abiraterone acetate, and 5 enzalutamide studies) were included in the meta-analysis. Use of abiraterone acetate was associated with an increased risk of all-grade adverse effects (RR = 1.01, 95% CI: 1.01–1.02) and high-grade adverse effects (RR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.15–1.45). Also, there was a significantly higher incidence of some individual adverse effects (e.g. liver-function test abnormalities, arthralgia, cardiac adverse effects, diarrhea, oedema, hypertension and hypokalemia). Treatment with enzalutamide did not increase the risk of all-grade adverse effects and high-grade adverse effects, but there was a significantly higher incidence of some individual adverse effects (e.g. back pain, fatigue, hot flush and hypertension).</p> <p><b>Conclusions</b>: Both abiraterone acetate and enzalutamide have toxicity profile characteristics that need to be recognized. Understanding the toxicity profile characteristics of both drugs could promote decision making in clinical use.</p