Preparation and ferroelectric properties of (124)-oriented SrBi4Ti4O15 ferroelectric thin film on (110)-oriented LaNiO3 electrode

A (124)-oriented SrBi4Ti4O15 (SBTi) ferroelectric thin film with high volume fraction of {\alpha}SBTi(124)=97% was obtained using a metal organic decomposition process on SiO2/Si substrate coated by (110)-oriented LaNiO3 (LNO) thin film. The remanent polarization and coercive field for (124)-oriented SBTi film are 12.1 {\mu}C/cm2 and 74 kV/cm, respectively. No evident fatigue of (124)-oriented SBTi thin film can be observed after 1{\times}10e9 switching cycles. Besides, the (124)-oriented SBTi film can be uniformly polarized over large areas using a piezoelectric-mode atomic force microscope. Considering that the annealing temperature was 650{\deg}C and the thickness of each deposited layer was merely 30 nm, a long-range epitaxial relationship between SBTi(124) and LNO(110) facets was proposed. The epitaxial relationship was demonstrated based on the crystal structures of SBTi and LNO.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, published in Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics (JMSE), 19 (2008), 1031-103

Ultra-broadband Microwave Metamaterial Absorber

A microwave ultra-broadband polarization-independent metamaterial absorber is demonstrated. It is composed of a periodic array of metal-dielectric multilayered quadrangular frustum pyramids. These pyramids possess resonant absorption modes at multi-frequencies, of which the overlapping leads to the total absorption of the incident wave over an ultra-wide spectral band. The experimental absorption at normal incidence is above 90% in the frequency range of 7.8-14.7GHz, and the absorption is kept large when the incident angle is smaller than 60 degrees. The experimental results agree well with the numerical simulation.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures,submitted to AP

Research and Design of Indoor Parking Guidance System for Urban Traffic

In view of the existing drawbacks of indoor parking guidance system in commercial areas, this paper designs an indoor parking guidance system suitable for urban traffic. The owner first selects the appropriate parking lot through the Mini Program, and reserves a detailed parking space on the Mini Program, and after arriving at the parking lot, the Mini Program performs optimal path planning according algorithm to guide the owner to find the parking space. After arriving at the reserved parking space according to the prompts, the smart parking lock is unlocked by "one-key unlock", and the video detection system observes the parking behavior in real time to avoid the occurrence of illegal parking. At the same time, voice assistants and blind spot guidance facilities are also provided during the induction process to optimize the urban parking guidance system

Effects of a dietary supplement on inflammatory marker expression in middle-aged and elderly hypertensive patients

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to explore the effects of diet on the inflammatory response in middle-aged and elderly people with hypertension. METHODS: Thirty overweight or obese patients with stage one hypertension (age range, 45-75 years) were allocated to either the intervention or control group (n=15 per group; age- and sex-matched). Patients in the intervention group consumed a food powder supplement (100 g) instead of a regular meal. The control group maintained their normal dietary habits. This study lasted for six weeks. Blood pressure, inflammatory marker levels, and energy intake were measured before and after the study. RESULTS: After 6 weeks, the diet composition of the intervention group changed significantly (po0.05). The intake of proteins, dietary fibre, monounsaturated fat, and polyunsaturated fat increased significantly (po0.05), while the total energy intake trended towards an increase (p40.05). In the control group, the total energy intake decreased significantly (po0.05). The levels of nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) decreased, and adiponectin increased significantly in the intervention group (po0.05); however, no significant changes were observed in the inflammatory marker levels of the control group. In the intervention group, systolic blood pressure decreased significantly (po0.05), and diastolic blood pressure also exhibited a decreasing trend. No significant change in blood pressure was observed in the control group. CONCLUSION: The consumption of a food powder supplement can improve diet composition, decrease blood pressure and reduce inflammation in middle-aged and elderly overweight or obese hypertensive patients. The food powder supplement may also have an anti-atherosclerotic effect in hypertensive patients

MDSCs: Key Criminals of Tumor Pre-metastatic Niche Formation

The emergence of disseminated metastases remains the primary cause of mortality in cancer patients. Formation of the pre-metastatic niche (PMN), which precedes the establishment of tumor lesions, is critical for metastases. Bone marrow-derived myeloid cells (BMDCs) are indispensable for PMN formation. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a population of immature myeloid cells that accumulate in patients with cancer and appear in the early PMN. The mechanisms by which MDSCs establish the pre-metastatic microenvironment in distant organs are largely unknown, although MDSCs play an essential role in metastasis. Here, we summarize the key factors associated with the recruitment and activation of MDSCs in the PMN and review the mechanisms by which MDSCs regulate PMN formation and evolution. Finally, we predict the potential value of MDSCs in PMN detection and therapy

Correlation of lifestyle behaviors during pregnancy with postpartum depression status of puerpera in the rural areas of South China

BackgroundPostpartum depression (PPD) is among the most common postpartum complications. Its prevalence is associated with strong regional variability. Women in rural areas of China have a high risk of PPD. The aim of this study was to investigate the PPD status of women in rural South China and explore the effects of modifiable lifestyle behaviors during pregnancy on their PPD status, thereby providing a scientific basis for the prevention and intervention of PPD in rural China.MethodsA cohort study was conducted on 261 women from four maternal health institutions situated in rural areas of Guangdong Province and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from October 2021 to December 2022. The questionnaires were administered to these women to obtain data about sociodemographic characteristics, health literacy, physical activity during pregnancy, and sleep and dietary status during pregnancy, as well as depression status on the 42nd day after delivery. The lifestyle behaviors during pregnancy and the PPD status of the study population were analyzed. Multiple linear regression models were used to determine the correlation between lifestyle behaviors and PPD status. Path analysis was performed to explore the interaction between various lifestyle behaviors.ResultsA total of 14.6% of women had a PPD status. Women who continued to work during pregnancy had an Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) score of 1.386 points higher than that of women who did not (В = 1.386, β = 0.141, p = 0.029). For every 1-point increase in the infant feeding-related knowledge score and pregnancy diet diversity score, the EPDS score decreased by 0.188 and 0.484 points, respectively, and for every 1-point increase in the Pittsburgh sleep quality index score, the EPDS score increased by 0.288 points. Age was related to infant feeding-related knowledge (indirect path coefficient = 0.023). During pregnancy, sedentary time was correlated with sleep quality (indirect path coefficient = 0.031) and employment status (indirect path coefficient = 0.043).ConclusionEmployment status, infant feeding-related knowledge, sleep quality, and diet diversity during pregnancy directly influenced the PPD status, while age and sedentary time during pregnancy indirectly influenced the PPD status. Promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors, including reducing sedentary time, improving sleep quality, and increasing dietary diversity, may be effective in reducing PPD occurrence

Over-expression of the special AT rich sequence binding protein 1 (SATB1) promotes the progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma: association with EBV LMP-1 expression

AbstractBackgroundSpecial AT rich sequence binding protein 1 (SATB1) plays a crucial role in the biology of various types of human cancer. However, the role of SATB1 in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains unknown. In the present study, we sought to investigate the contribution of aberrant SATB1 expression in the progression of NPC and its association with the Epstein Barr virus (EBV)-encoded latent membrane protein 1 (LMP-1).MethodsImmunohistochemical analysis was performed to detect SATB1 and LMP-1 protein in clinical samples, and the association of SATB1 protein expression with patient clinicopathological characteristics and LMP-1 expression were analyzed. SATB1 expression profiles were evaluated in well-differentiated NPC cell line CNE1, poorly-differentiated CNE2Z, undifferentiated C666-1 and immortalized nasopharyngeal epithelia NP-69 cells using quantitative RT-PCR, western blotting and fluorescent staining. After inhibition the SATB1 expression by using SATB1 specific small interfering RNA in these cell lines, the change of cell proliferation was investigated by western blotting analysis of PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) expression and CCK-8 assay, and the cell migration was assessed by Transwell migration assay. Finally, the expressions of SATB1 and PCNA were examined in CNE1 cells that forced LMP-1 expression by fluorescent staining and RT-PCR.ResultsImmunohistochemical analysis revealed that SATB1 protein expression was elevated in NPC tissues compared to benign nasopharyngeal tissues (P = 0.005). Moreover, high levels of SATB1 protein expression were positively correlated with clinical stage (P = 0.025), the status of lymph node metastasis (N classification) (P = 0.018), distant metastasis (M classification) (P = 0.041) and LMP-1 expression status (r = 2.35,P &lt; 0.01) in NPC patients.In vitroexperiments demonstrated that an inverse relationship between SATB1 expression and NPC differentiation status, with SATB1 weakly expressed in NP-69 cells and CNE1 cells, and significant increasingly expressed in CNE-2Z and C666-1 cells. Targeted knockdown of SATB1 expression obviously attenuated the proliferation and migration of highly SATB1-expressing CNE2Z and C666-1 cells, but not NP-69 and CNE1 cells. Interestingly, forced LMP-1 expression in CNE1 cells led to a surprisingly increasing SATB1 expression and nuclear location, companying with an up-regulated PCNA expression.ConclusionsOur results reveal that EBV LMP-1-mediated over-expression of SATB1 is associated with NPC progression, suggesting SATB1 may represent a promising biomarker and therapeutic target for NPC.</jats:sec

Lymphoma endothelium preferentially expresses Tim-3 and facilitates the progression of lymphoma by mediating immune evasion

Angiogenesis is increasingly recognized as an important prognosticator associated with the progression of lymphoma and as an attractive target for novel modalities. We report a previously unrecognized mechanism by which lymphoma endothelium facilitates the growth and dissemination of lymphoma by interacting with circulated T cells and suppresses the activation of CD4+ T cells. Global gene expression profiles of microdissected endothelium from lymphoma and reactive lymph nodes revealed that T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain–containing molecule 3 (Tim-3) was preferentially expressed in lymphoma-derived endothelial cells (ECs). Clinically, the level of Tim-3 in B cell lymphoma endothelium was closely correlated to both dissemination and poor prognosis. In vitro, Tim-3+ ECs modulated T cell response to lymphoma surrogate antigens by suppressing activation of CD4+ T lymphocytes through the activation of the interleukin-6–STAT3 pathway, inhibiting Th1 polarization, and providing protective immunity. In a lymphoma mouse model, Tim-3–expressing ECs promoted the onset, growth, and dissemination of lymphoma by inhibiting activation of CD4+ T cells and Th1 polarization. Our findings strongly argue that the lymphoma endothelium is not only a vessel system but also a functional barrier facilitating the establishment of lymphoma immune tolerance. These findings highlight a novel molecular mechanism that is a potential target for enhancing the efficacy of tumor immunotherapy and controlling metastatic diseases