Effect of Ultrasonic Parameters on Electrochemical Chloride Removal and Rebar Repassivation of Reinforced Concrete.

Electrochemical chloride removal (ECR) from reinforced concrete can be considered as an environment-friendly technique since it can reduce the environmental issues arising from demolition and reconstruction. In this study, we used ultrasonic waves to promote the ECR efficiency without increasing the current density so as to shorten the overall power-on time, lowering the power consumption and electricity-induced material damage. Rebar-embedded cement mortar specimens were prepared and a set of ultrasonic-assisted ECR test devices was designed.

Multifunctional Dicyandiamide Blowing-Induced Formation of Electrocatalysts for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction.

The development of cost-efficient, highly active, and stable electrocatalysts toward hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is vital for energy conversion and clean hydrogen production. Herein, the novel electrocatalyst, porous carbon-coated Ni/β-MoC (Ni/β-MoC@PC), possesses favorable hydrogen production performance and stability in a wide range of pH via a facile dicyandiamide-blowing and one-step synthesis method. The resultant Ni/β-MoC@PC displays pleasurable HER performance with low overpotentials of 123, 155, and 179 mV at 10 mA cm in 1 M KOH, 0.

Exercise Training and Outcomes in Hemodialysis Patients: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Inadequate dialysis, renal hypertension, and impaired exercise capacity are factors that affect the quality of life (QoL) and mortality of adults with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing hemodialysis (HD). This systematic review provided valid evidence about the effect of exercise training on single-pool Kt/V (sp Kt/V), blood pressure, and peak uptake oxygen (VO2 peak).

Method: A systematic review and meta-analysis of published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated the effects of no <8 weeks' exercise training on the physical fitness outcomes for adults with ESRD undergoing HD were accepted in this study.

Resveratrol improves osteogenic differentiation of senescent bone mesenchymal stem cells through inhibiting endogenous reactive oxygen species production AMPK activation.

Resveratrol has been confirmed to improve bone quality and delay osteoporosis, but the mechanisms have not been thoroughly elucidated. In this report, we investigated the osteogenic differentiation effect of resveratrol on senescent bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and the involvement of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/ reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling pathway. Cell senescence, viability, and osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs influenced by resveratrol were investigated and ROS production and AMPK expression were detected.

Mining Pharmaceutical Product Data Related to Payment Pattern from the CMS Open Payments Data: A Case Study in Thoracic Surgery.

This study used descriptive statistical analyses to investigate the payment characteristics and to discuss the regularity of highest paying industries. Payments by 4.70% of highest paying industries (N=446) accounted for 85% of the total (US $72,458,304) in 2014-2016.

Two polyoxovanadate-based metal-organic polyhedra with undiscovered "near-miss Johnson solid" geometry.

Newfangled frangipani-like [MVO(μ-O)(SO)(COO)] (M = Nb/W) polyanions served as 5-connected molecular building blocks (MBBs) that simultaneously assembled with 4-connected [VOCl] MBBs and tricarboxylate ligands (HBTC) to form two new polyoxovanadate-based metal-organic polyhedra {[MVO(μ-O)(SO)][VOCl](BTC)} with undiscovered "near-miss Johnson solid" geometry. Moreover, the variable-temperature magnetic susceptibilities were investigated.

Impact of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein on coronary artery disease severity and outcomes in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background: Inflammation plays a pivotal role in coronary artery disease (CAD). Few data from large-size studies are available on the association of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and severity of CAD. Our aim was to investigate their relationship as well as their impact on long-term outcomes in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

Two dose levels of rabbit antithymocyte globulin as graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis in haploidentical stem cell transplantation: a multicenter randomized study.

Background: The optimal dose of rabbit antithymocyte globulin (ATG, ImtixSangstat) minimizing infections without increasing graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is unknown in T cell-replete, G-CSF-primed haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT).

Methods: Four hundred and eight patients were enrolled in this multicenter study to evaluate the effect of 7.5 mg/kg and 10.

Coping strategy mediates the relationship between body image evaluation and mental health: A study with Chinese college students with disabilities.

Background: For students with disabilities, evidence exists of significant links between body image evaluation and mental health status, and between coping strategies and mental health status, yet few investigations have tested body image evaluation, coping strategies and mental health status in one study to reveal their complicated relationships.

Objective: The present study investigated the mediation role of coping strategy between body image evaluation and mental health and its variations among Chinese university students with three types of disabilities, physical disability, visual disability and hearing disability.

Method: Two hundred and fifty-five Chinese college students (166 males and 89 females) with disabilities completed a battery of self-report questionnaires, including Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ), Coping Style Questionnaire (CQS) and Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90).

Anti-inflammatory effect of paeoniflorin combined with baicalin in oral inflammatory diseases.

Objective: There are challenges in the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases of oral mucosa. Both paeoniflorin (PF) and baicalin (BAI) exert anti-inflammatory effects, but the mechanism underlying their combined effects is still unclear. Here, we explored the anti-inflammatory function of the PF-BAI combination in the oral inflammatory response.

A virus-induced kidney disease model based on organ-on-a-chip: Pathogenesis exploration of virus-related renal dysfunctions.

Renal dysfunctions usually happen in viral infections and many viruses specially infect distal renal tubules, however the pathogenesis remains unknown. Here, in order to explore the pathogenesis of virus-related renal dysfunctions, a Pseudorabies Virus (PrV) induced kidney disease model was built on a distal tubule-on-a-chip (DTC), for the first time. The barrier structure and Na reabsorption of distal renal tubules were successfully reconstituted in DTCs.

A New Type of Electrolyte System To Suppress Polysulfide Dissolution for Lithium-Sulfur Battery.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have been explored extensively for high-capacity electric-power storage, but their practical application has been prevented by severe issues stemming from the use of a lithium anode and an organic-liquid electrolyte in which LiS intermediates of the cell discharge reaction are soluble and shuttle to the anode. Both problems are addressed using bis(4-nitrophenyl) carbonate as an additive in the organic-liquid electrolyte. The soluble LiS polysulfides react with the additive to create insoluble polysulfides with a lithium byproduct; this byproduct reacts with the Li-metal anode to create an anode passivation layer that is a good Li conductor, which allows for safe and rapid plating/stripping of lithium metal with a low impedance.

Cell derived extracellular vesicles: from isolation to functionalization and biomedical applications.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are shed from most mammalian cells by different processes. EVs possess several distinct advantages, including excellent biocompatibility, good bio-stability and low immunogenicity. Moreover, they play significant roles in physiological and pathological processes.

Association of ABO Blood Groups and Risk of Gastric Cancer.

Objective: This study sought to investigate the relationship between ABO blood groups and the risk of gastric cancer as well as clinical pathological parameters and prognosis.

Methods: Gastric cancer patient data were collected from January 1995 to January 2012 at Jilin Cancer Hospital, and the blood group information of the blood donors at Jilin City Blood Center was recorded. The relationships between ABO blood group and both clinicopathological parameters and the risk of gastric cancer were analyzed retrospectively.

An Efficient Extended Targets Detection Framework Based on Sampling and Spatio-Temporal Detection.

Excellent performance, real-time and low memory requirement are three vital requirements for target detection in high resolution marine radar system. Unfortunately, many current state-of-the-art methods merely achieve excellent performance when coping with highly complex scenes. In fact, a common problem is that real-time processing, low memory requirement and remarkable detection ability are difficult to coordinate.

The Anti-proliferative Activity of GnRH Through Downregulation of the Akt/ERK Pathways in Pancreatic Cancer.

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) has been demonstrated to exert anti-proliferative functions on various tumor cells in endometrial, ovarian, bladder, or prostate cancer as a part of the autocrine system. In addition, the expression levels of GnRH and its receptor had been identified in breast cancer or non-reproductive cancers, such as glioblastoma and pancreatic cancer. Previous studies have reported abnormal GnRH expression in several malignant tumors, suggesting that GnRH and its receptor might be essential for tumourigenesis.

Not Responding Consecutively to Proliferation Caused Replant Disease Formation of .

Consecutive monoculture practice facilitates enrichment of rhizosphere pathogenic microorganisms and eventually leads to the emergence of replant disease. However, little is known about the interaction relationship among pathogens enriched in rhizosphere soils, Nucleotide binding-leucine-rich repeats (NB-LRR) receptors that specifically recognize pathogens in effector-triggered immunity (ETI) and physiological indicators under replant disease stress in . In this study, a controlled experiment was performed using different kinds of soils from sites never planted (NP), replanted (TP) and mixed by different ration of TP soils (1/3TP and 2/3TP), respectively.

Remote sensing image segmentation based on a robust fuzzy C-means algorithm improved by a parallel Lévy grey wolf algorithm.

Due to the insufficient use of local information, the traditional fuzzy C-means (FCM) algorithm and its extension algorithm combined with spatial information show poor robustness and low segmentation accuracy. In addition, in the process of image segmentation based on the FCM algorithm, the initial center estimation is regarded as the process of searching the appropriate value in the gray range. To solve these problems, a new robust algorithm is proposed in this paper.

PE-1, Encoding Heme Oxygenase 1, Impacts Heading Date and Chloroplast Development in Rice ( Oryza sativa L.).

The duration of the rice growth phase has always been an important target trait. The identification of mutations in rice that alter these processes and result in a shorter growth phase could have potential benefits for crop production. In this study, we isolated an early aging rice mutant, pe-1, with light green leaves, using γ-mutated indica rice cultivar and subsequent screening methods, which is known as the phytochrome synthesis factor Se5 that controls rice flowering.

Impact of Phospholipid-Tocopherol Combinations and Enzyme-Modified Lecithin on the Oxidative Stability of Bulk Oil.

Phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylserine (PS) have been shown to increase the antioxidant activity of α-tocopherol. This study investigated the ability of PE or PS to increase the antioxidant activity of different tocopherol homologues in bulk oil. In addition, the ability of a phospholipase-D-modified lecithin (high in PE) to increase the activity of α-tocopherol was determined.

The early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease through combined biomarkers.

Objective: This study primarily aims to explore the value of combining the measurement of plasma α-synuclein oligomer levels with enhanced T2 star-weighted angiography (ESWAN) in the early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.

Methods: Sixty patients with early Parkinson's disease and 30 normal adults, with similar ages and genders, were enrolled in the study. Their levels of plasma α-synuclein oligomers were measured, and ESWAN was performed.

Prediction of the need for manipulation under anesthesia for flexion contracture after total knee arthroplasty in patients of advanced age.

Objective: This study was performed to develop a prediction model for requiring manipulation under anesthesia (MUA) for flexion contracture after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in patients of advanced age.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 269 patients of advanced age undergoing primary TKA in one center with a minimum 1-year follow-up. Patients who underwent postoperative MUA had flexion contracture of >10° after 4 weeks of postoperative rehabilitation, and their demographic data and preoperative clinical conditions [knee diagnosis, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, lumbar spinal disorders, hip disorders, ankle disorders, knee deformity (varus/valgus), preoperative flexion contracture (PFC), range of motion (ROM), and Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) knee score] were compared with those of patients without MUA.

Nitrogen-terminated silicon nanoparticles obtained via chemical etching and passivation are specific fluorescent probes for creatinine.

A method is described here to prepare water-dispersible nitrogen-functionalized silicon nanoparticles (N-SiNPs). It consists of two steps, viz. etching of the oxidized shell of SiNPs and nitrogen-passivation of the exposed silicon.

Anti-obesity effects of instant fermented teas in vitro and in mice with high-fat-diet-induced obesity.

Obesity is a chronic metabolic disorder that is associated with higher risks of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Chinese dark tea is a fermented beverage with many biological effects and could be considered for the management of obesity. This study is aimed to assess the possible anti-obesity properties of instant dark tea (IDT) and instant pu-erh tea (PET) in high fat diet (HFD)-fed mice.

Adaptive Segmentation of Remote Sensing Images Based on Global Spatial Information.

The problem of image segmentation can be reduced to the clustering of pixels in the intensity space. The traditional fuzzy c-means algorithm only uses pixel membership information and does not make full use of spatial information around the pixel, so it is not ideal for noise reduction. Therefore, this paper proposes a clustering algorithm based on spatial information to improve the anti-noise and accuracy of image segmentation.