Method of Separation of Incidental Acoustic Field on Cylindrical Shell by Vector Processing

A theoretical and experimental study on the separation method of the incident sound field based on a small-scale vector sensor is proposed in this study, with the aim of resolving the problem of separation and acquisition of an incident sound field under the interference of near-field sound scattering from a cylindrical shell in water. The method of identifying and separating sound waves obtained under plane wave conditions is extended to complex sound-field conditions. Simulation and experimental results show that the vector separation method can greatly reduce the sound pressure amplitude and the phase deviation of the incident sound field, which is affected by near-field scattering from the cylindrical surface. The separation accuracy is related to the deviation angle and the distance from the target surface. The maximum deviation of the pressure amplitude is less than 1 dB, and the phase deviation is less than 3°. This method can effectively suppress the near-field scattering of the cylindrical shell and improve the separation accuracy of the incident sound field. The research results have reference value for a range of practical engineering applications

Discovery of novel 2-(4-(benzyloxy)-5-(hydroxyl) phenyl) benzothiazole derivatives as multifunctional MAO-B inhibitors for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease

AbstractTo discover novel multifunctional agents for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, a series of 2-(4-(benzyloxy)-5-(hydroxyl) phenyl) benzothiazole derivatives was designed, synthesized and evaluated. The results revealed that representative compound 3h possessed potent and selective MAO-B inhibitory activity (IC50 = 0.062 µM), and its inhibitory mode was competitive and reversible. Additionally, 3h also displayed excellent anti-oxidative effect (ORAC = 2.27 Trolox equivalent), significant metal chelating ability and appropriate BBB permeability. Moreover, 3h exhibited good neuroprotective effect and anti-neuroinflammtory ability. These results indicated that compound 3h was a promising candidate for further development against PD

Liquid crystalline behavior of graphene oxide in the formation and deformation of tough nanocomposite hydrogels

In this paper, we report the formation and transformation of graphene oxide (GO) liquid crystalline (LC) structures in the synthesis and deformation of tough GO nanocomposite hydrogels. GO aqueous dispersions form a nematic LC phase, while the addition of poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) and acrylamide (AAm), which are capable of forming hydrogen bonding with GO nanosheets, shifts the isotropic/nematic transition to a lower volume fraction of GO and enhances the formation of nematic droplets. During the gelation process, a phase separation of the polymers and GO nanosheets is accompanied by the directional assembly of GO nanosheets, forming large LC tactoids with a radial GO configuration. The shape of the large tactoids evolves from a sphere to a toroid as the tactoids increase in size. Interestingly, during cyclic uniaxial tensile deformation a reversible LC transition is observed in the very tough hydrogels. The isolated birefringent domains and the LC domains in the tactoids in the gels are highly oriented under a high tensile strain

Logistic regression analysis on risk factors of augmented vertebra recompression after percutaneous vertebral augmentation

Abstract Objective To explore the high-risk factors of augmented vertebra recompression after percutaneous vertebral augmentation (PVA) in the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) and analyze the correlation between these factors and augmented vertebra recompression after PVA. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 353 patients who received PVA for a single-segment osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture from January 2017 to December 2018 in our department according to the inclusion criteria. All cases meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were divided into two groups: 82 patients in the recompression group and 175 patients in the non-compression group. The following covariates were reviewed: age, gender, body mass index (BMI), injured vertebral segment, bone mineral density (BMD) during follow-up, intravertebral cleft (IVC) before operation, selection of surgical methods, unilateral or bilateral puncture, volume of bone cement injected, postoperative leakage of bone cement, distribution of bone cement, contact between the bone cement and the upper or lower endplates, and anterior height of injured vertebrae before operation, after surgery, and at the last follow-up. Univariate analysis was performed on these factors, and the statistically significant factors were substituted into the logistic regression model to analyze their correlation with the augmented vertebra recompression after PVA. Results A total of 257 patients from 353 patients were included in this study. The follow-up time was 12–24 months, with an average of 13.5 ± 0.9 months. All the operations were successfully completed, and the pain of patients was relieved obviously after PVA. Univariate analysis showed that in the early stage after PVA, the augmented vertebra recompression was correlated with BMD, surgical methods, volume of bone cement injected, preoperative IVC, contact between bone cement and the upper or lower endplates, and recovery of anterior column height. The difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Among them, multiple factors logistic regression elucidated that more injected cement (P < 0.001, OR = 0.558) and high BMD (P = 0.028, OR = 0.583) were negatively correlated with the augmented vertebra recompression after PVA, which meant protective factors (B < 0). Preoperative IVC (P < 0.001, OR = 3.252) and bone cement not in contact with upper or lower endplates (P = 0.006, OR = 2.504) were risk factors for the augmented vertebra recompression after PVA. The augmented vertebra recompression after PVP was significantly less than that of PKP (P = 0.007, OR = 0.337). Conclusions The augmented vertebra recompression after PVA is due to the interaction of various factors, such as surgical methods, volume of bone cement injected, osteoporosis, preoperative IVC, and whether the bone cement is in contact with the upper or lower endplates

Biodegradable nano black phosphorus based SDF1-α delivery system ameliorates Erectile Dysfunction in a cavernous nerve injury rat model by recruiting endogenous stem/progenitor cells

Abstract Stem cell (SC) therapy has been shown high prospects in erectile dysfunction (ED) treatment. Without ethical issues and risks of immune rejection and tumorigenesis of exogenous SC therapy, endogenous stem/progenitor cells (S/PCs) have a better potential for ED management, and their homing and redistribution are controlled by SDF1-α/CXCR4 axis. Considering black phosphorus nanosheet (BPNS) has emerged as an efficient and safe drug vehicle due to its large surface area, biodegradability, and the ability to retain and slowly release its loaded drugs, BPNS is utilized to load SDF1-α, a chemokine for S/PCs, to construct the BP@SDF1-α complex to efficiently recruit stem cells (SCs) by injury-site injection and thus ameliorate ED within the bilateral cavernous nerve injury (BCNI) rat models. We find that BP@SDF1-α can efficiently recruit exogenous SCs and endogenous S/PCs to corpus cavernosum and main pelvic ganglion (MPG) by local administration. Of note, ascribing to endogenous S/PCs recruitment, it also successfully alleviates ED in BCNI rat models by enhancing the protein expression levels of α-SMA, CD31, and nNOs, and eliciting less collagen deposition in the penis after its combined injection at corpus cavernosum and MPG. Thus, this study provides a new insight into the treatment of ED with endogenous S/PCs. Biodegradable Nano Black Phosphorus based SDF1-α delivery system ameliorates Erectile Dysfunction in a cavernous nerve Injury Rat Model by recruiting endogenous Stem/Progenitor cell

m⁶A Methyltransferase KIAA1429 Regulates the Cisplatin Sensitivity of Gastric Cancer Cells via Stabilizing FOXM1 mRNA

Although cisplatin is frequently used to treat gastric cancer, the resistance is the main obstacle for effective treatment. mRNA modification, N6-methyladenosine (m6A), is involved in the tumorigenesis of many types of cancer. As one of the largest m6A methyltransferase complex components, KIAA1429 bridges the catalytic m6A methyltransferase components, such as METTL3. In gastric cancer, KIAA1429 was reported to promote cell proliferation. However, whether KIAA1429 is involved in the resistance of gastric cancer to cisplatin remains unclear. Here, we generated cisplatin resistant gastric cancer cell lines, and compared the m6A content between resistant cells and wild type cells. The m6A content as well as KIAA1429 expression are higher in resistant cells. Interestingly, the expression of KIAA1429 was significantly increased after cisplatin treatment. We then used shRNA to knockdown KIAA1429 and found that resistant cells responded more to cisplatin treatment after KIAA1429 depletion, while overexpression of KIAA1429 decreased the sensitivity. Moreover, we identified a putative p65 binding site on the promoter area of KIAA1429 and ChIP assay confirmed the binding. p65 depletion decreased the expression of KIAA1429. YTHDF1 is the most abundant m6A “reader” that interacts with m6A modified mRNA. Mechanistically, YTHDF1 was recruited to the 3′-untranslated Region (3′-UTR) of transcriptional factor, FOXM1 by KIAA1429 and stabilized FOXM1 mRNA. More importantly, KIAA1429 knockdown increased the sensitivity of resistant cells to cisplatin in vivo. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that KIAA1429 facilitated cisplatin resistance by stabilizing FOXM1 mRNA in gastric cancer cells

Steric Hindrance On–Off Mass-Tagged Probe Set Enables Detection of Protein Homodimer in Living Cells

The major challenge in the detection of protein homodimers is that the identical monomers in a homodimer are indistinguishable using most conventional methods and cannot be sequentially recognized. In this study, a steric hindrance on–off mass-tagged probe set strategy was developed for the quantification of HER2 homodimer in living cells. The probe set contained a hindrance probe and a detection probe. The hindrance probe had a DNA dendrimer as a hindrance group to achieve the steric hindrance on–off function and thus the assignment of monomer identity. The detection probe contained a mass tag released for mass spectrometric quantification. Using the steric hindrance on–off mass-tagged probe set, the level of HER2 homodimer in various breast cancer cell lines was quantified. This is the first report to determine the quantity of protein homodimers, and the steric hindrance on–off probe set developed herein can facilitate the illustration of protein function in cancer

Liquid Crystalline Behavior of Graphene Oxide in the Formation and Deformation of Tough Nanocomposite Hydrogels

In this paper, we report the formation and transformation of graphene oxide (GO) liquid crystalline (LC) structures in the synthesis and deformation of tough GO nanocomposite hydrogels. GO aqueous dispersions form a nematic LC phase, while the addition of poly­(<i>N</i>-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) and acrylamide (AAm), which are capable of forming hydrogen bonding with GO nanosheets, shifts the isotropic/nematic transition to a lower volume fraction of GO and enhances the formation of nematic droplets. During the gelation process, a phase separation of the polymers and GO nanosheets is accompanied by the directional assembly of GO nanosheets, forming large LC tactoids with a radial GO configuration. The shape of the large tactoids evolves from a sphere to a toroid as the tactoids increase in size. Interestingly, during cyclic uniaxial tensile deformation a reversible LC transition is observed in the very tough hydrogels. The isolated birefringent domains and the LC domains in the tactoids in the gels are highly oriented under a high tensile strain

Effects of salt stress on soil enzyme activities and rhizosphere microbial structure in salt-tolerant and -sensitive soybean

Abstract Salt is recognized as one of the most major factors that limits soybean yield in acidic soils. Soil enzyme activity and bacterial community have a critical function in improving the tolerance to soybean. Our aim was to assess the activities of soil enzyme, the structure of bacteria and their potential functions for salt resistance between Salt-tolerant (Salt-T) and -sensitive (Salt-S) soybean genotypes when subject to salt stress. Plant biomass, soil physicochemical properties, soil catalase, urease, sucrase, amylase, and acid phosphatase activities, and rhizosphere microbial characteristics were investigated in Salt-T and Salt-S soybean genotypes under salt stress with a pot experiment. Salt stress significantly decreased the soil enzyme activities and changed the rhizosphere microbial structure in a genotype-dependent manner. In addition, 46 ASVs which were enriched in the Salt-T geotype under the salt stress, such as ASV19 (Alicyclobacillus), ASV132 (Tumebacillus), ASV1760 (Mycobacterium) and ASV1357 (Bacillus), which may enhance the tolerance to soybean under salt stress. Moreover, the network structure of Salt-T soybean was simplified by salt stress, which may result in soil bacterial communities being susceptible to external factors. Salt stress altered the strength of soil enzyme activities and the assembly of microbial structure in Salt-T and Salt-S soybean genotypes. Na+, NO3 −–N, NH4 +–N and Olsen-P were the most important driving factors in the structure of bacterial community in both genotypes. Salt-T genotypes enriched several microorganisms that contributed to enhance salt tolerance in soybeans, such as Alicyclobacillus, Tumebacillus, and Bacillus. Nevertheless, the simplified network structure of salt-T genotype due to salt stress may render its bacterial community structure unstable and susceptible