Fuel types and use in late Western Zhou (877 - 771 BCE) industrial contexts in Northwest China.

To date, the types of fuels used in pottery kilns during the Western Zhou Dynasty have not been adequately addressed. Samples from updraft kilns and semi-downdraft kilns at the Fengjing site, the capital in the late Western Zhou period, were selected for analysis. Through phytolith and wood charcoal analysis, various grasses mainly Panicoideae, Pooideae, and Eragrostidoideae, as well as millet, rice, and wheat crops were identified.

Proteomic Analysis of the Sphincter in a Neurogenic Bladder Caused by T10 Spinal Cord Injury.

Objective: This study aimed to conduct proteomic analysis of the sphincter in a neurogenic bladder caused by T10 spinal cord injury. The differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) of the sphincters (internal urethral sphincter) in the neurogenic bladders (NBs) of rats after complete transection of the T10 spinal cord segment were screened using tandem mass tag (TMT)-based quantitative labeling, and their biological information was analyzed.

Methods: Twelve adult Sprague Dawley rats out of 40 were randomly assigned to the blank group ( = 12), while the remaining 28 were placed in the T10 spinal cord injury model via modified Hassan Shaker spinal cord transection; 12 of these rats were then randomly selected as the model group.

Reclamation in southern China: The early Chu's agriculture revealed by macro-plant remains from the Wanfunao site (ca. 1000-770 BCE).

The Wanfunao site was a large Chu settlement in Zhou Dynasty. It was located on an alluvial plain along the Yangtze River in the Yichang section. The region around the site comprised mountains, hills, and plains, which was a compatible environment for the cultivation of various crops.

Assessment of the mental workload of trainee pilots of remotely operated aircraft using functional near-infrared spectroscopy.

Background: Operating an aircraft is associated with a large mental workload; however, knowledge of the mental workload of ROV operators is limited. The purpose of this study was to establish a digital system for assessing the mental workload of remotely operated vehicle (ROV) operators using hemodynamic parameters, and compare results of different groups with different experience levels.

Method: Forty-one trainee pilots performed flight tasks once daily for 5 consecutive days in a flight simulation.

Surface-modified GVs as nanosized contrast agents for molecular ultrasound imaging of tumor.

Nanobubbles, as a kind of new ultrasound contrast agent (UCAs), have shown promise to penetrate tumor vasculature to allow for targeted imaging. However, their inherent physical instability is an ongoing concern that could weaken their imaging ability with ultrasound. Gas vesicles (GVs), which are genetically encoded, naturally stable nanostructures, have been developed as the first ultrasonic biomolecular reporters which showed strong contrast enhancement.

Relationship between sleep and cognitive function in patients with heart failure: A systematic review.

Objective: The aim of this systematic review is to synthesize relevant evidence and illustrate the relationship between sleep and cognitive function in patients with heart failure.

Methods: A literature search was conducted on Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsychINFO, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Wan Fang to identify relevant studies.

Results: Seven studies, which enrolled a total of 1218 heart failure patients, were included in this review.

Thirty-day readmission, length of stay and self-management behaviour among patients with acute coronary syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus: A scoping review.

Aims And Objectives: To summarise the current evidence on comorbid type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) related to 30-day readmission and hospital length of stay (LOS) among patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and evidence on the effectiveness of self-management programmes for patients with both conditions.

Background: Acute coronary syndrome and T2DM remain two major diseases leading to serious consequences. Thirty-day readmission and LOS were considered indicators of the quality of care, with the understanding that the potential significant effects of these outcomes could be varied.

Association of cardiovascular risk factor clustering and prehypertension among adults：Results from the China health and retirement longitudinal study baseline.

: Prehypertension is common in China, but its causes and associated factors have not been well studied. This study aimed to examine the age and gender-specific associations between CVD risk factor clustering and prehypertension among adults in China.: This cross-sectional study used data from participants (n = 8735) aged over 45 in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) Baseline conducted from 2011-2012.

Modulation of Beta Oscillations for Implicit Motor Timing in Primate Sensorimotor Cortex during Movement Preparation.

Motor timing is an important part of sensorimotor control. Previous studies have shown that beta oscillations embody the process of temporal perception in explicit timing tasks. In contrast, studies focusing on beta oscillations in implicit timing tasks are lacking.

Metabolic Engineering Strategies Based on Secondary Messengers (p)ppGpp and C-di-GMP To Increase Erythromycin Yield in Saccharopolyspora erythraea.

Secondary messengers (such as (p)ppGpp and c-di-GMP) were proved to play important roles in antibiotic biosynthesis in actinobacteria. In this study, we found that transcription levels of erythromycin-biosynthetic ( ery) genes were upregulated in nutrient limitation, which depended on (p)ppGpp in Saccharopolyspora erythraea. Further study demonstrated that the expression of ery genes and intracellular concentrations of (p)ppGpp showed synchronization during culture process.

Stiff person syndrome with elevated titers of antibodies against cardiolipin and β2 glycoprotein 1: a case report and literature review.

We reported a Stiff person syndrome (SPS) patient with elevated autoantibodies against cardiolipin and β2 glycoprotein 1 but without glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) antibodies. A 40-year male was admitted due to limited mouth opening for 1 week. His blood routine, biochemical, infectious diseases, tumor markers, radiographic examinations were all normal.

Impact of glucose fluctuation on acute cerebral infarction in type 2 diabetes.

Objective: This study aimed to describe the frequency and temporal profile of acute cerebral infarction (ACI) using a continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) in patients with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and explore the impact of blood glucose fluctuations on the short-term prognosis of ACI.

Methods: The subjects were divided into four groups: T2DM with acute cerebral infarction (DMCI, Group A, n=56); T2DM without acute cerebral infarction (DM-NCI, Group B, n=36); Acute cerebral infarction patients without T2DM (NDM-CI, Group C, n=54); Healthy control group (NG, Group D, n=36). The National Institutes of Health Stoke Scale (NIHSS) and modified Rankin scale (mRs) were collected in Group A and C.

Separation and detection of bis-maleimide-polyethylene glycol and mono-maleimide-polyethylene glycol by reversed-phase high pressure liquid chromatography.

Monofunctional maleimide polyethylene glycol (mono-mal-PEG) with average molecular weight up to 40 kDa can be used as a raw material for the PEGylation of therapeutic proteins. A possible impurity in this raw material which needs to be controlled is the bisfunctional maleimide-PEG, which has a similar average molecular weight to mono-mal-PEG. Chromatographic separation and detection of low level bis-mal-PEG in mono-mal-PEG presents a major challenge because of the polydispersity of the analytes and the minor difference between the desired mono-mal-PEG and the bis-mal-PEG impurity.

Development and validation of a specific and sensitive GC-FID method for the determination of impurities in 5-chlorovaleroyl chloride.

5-Chlorovaleroyl chloride (5-CVC) is commonly used as an alkylating agent in the synthesis of pharmaceutical intermediates, active ingredients, as well as other specialty chemicals. It is critical to monitor the impurities present in 5-CVC as they may have a direct impact on the impurity profile and quality of the final product. This paper describes the development and validation of a GC-FID method for the analysis of low level impurities of 5-CVC.

BAY 43-9006 exhibits broad spectrum oral antitumor activity and targets the RAF/MEK/ERK pathway and receptor tyrosine kinases involved in tumor progression and angiogenesis.

The RAS/RAF signaling pathway is an important mediator of tumor cell proliferation and angiogenesis. The novel bi-aryl urea BAY 43-9006 is a potent inhibitor of Raf-1, a member of the RAF/MEK/ERK signaling pathway. Additional characterization showed that BAY 43-9006 suppresses both wild-type and V599E mutant BRAF activity in vitro.

Evaluation of the stability and selectivity for various adjustable stationary phases using zirconium oxide supports in high-performance liquid chromatography.

The selectivity and retention properties of a zirconia stationary phase were reversibly altered using various ligands containing Lewis base functional groups. A simple loading procedure allowed a variety of ligands to be attached to the zirconia surface via Lewis interactions. The resulting stationary phases were shown to be stable and produced different selectivity and retention properties from the native zirconia material.