Boosting the Seebeck Coefficient for Organic Coordination Polymers: Role of Doping-Induced Polaron Band Formation.

Organic polymers are becoming emerging thermoelectric materials. Tremendous progress has been achieved for p-type doping, but efficient n-type organic materials are still rare. By investigating potassium-doped n-type poly(nickel-ethylenetetrathiolate) using density functional theory coupled with Boltzmann transport equation, we find that (i) formation of the electron polaron band (EPB) split from the conduction band (CB) dominates electron transport; (ii) at low doping concentration, the upper CB gets involved in transport in addition to the EPB as the temperature rises, leading to a highly elevated Seebeck coefficient and power factor; and (iii) at even higher temperature, because the CB starts to dominate, the Seebeck coefficient levels off and then decreases with temperature.

Nicorandil Attenuates LPS-Induced Acute Lung Injury by Pulmonary Endothelial Cell Protection via NF-B and MAPK Pathways.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a devastating critical disease characterized by diffuse inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. Increasing evidence, including from our laboratory, has revealed that the opening of ATP-sensitive potassium (K) channels has promising anti-inflammation and endothelial protection activities in various disorders. However, the impacts of K channels on ALI remain obscure.

Dehydroepiandrosterone and Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate in Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Previous studies found inconsistent results for the relationship between Alzheimer's disease and the levels of dehydroepiandrosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate. This study performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate previous studies' results on this relationship. Studies related to this outcome were obtained using a systematic search from the electronic databases of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Psyc-ARTICLES in March 2018.

The immunoregulatory effects of CD8 T-cell-derived perforin on diet-induced nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

The liver is a central immunologic organ with a high density of myeloid and lymphoid immune cells that play important roles in the development and progression of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). However, the immune-cell-mediated regulation of NASH and its underlying mechanisms remain obscure. In this study, mice showed significantly higher plasma alanine transaminase levels, with increased liver fat accumulation, lobular inflammation, and focal necrosis compared with wild-type (WT) mice after 4 wk of feeding on a methionine- and choline-deficient diet (MCD) or 16 wk of feeding on a high-fat diet.

Intertwin birthweight discordance and parental race: a retrospective cohort study.

Previous studies examined the association of maternal race with pregnancy outcomes. The study aimed to examine the effects of maternal, paternal, and parental race on intertwin birth weight discordance. We used the 2011-2015 multiple birth files of the USA for this study.

H O -Responsive Organosilica-Doxorubicin Nanoparticles for Targeted Imaging and Killing of Cancer Cells Based on a Synthesized Silane-Borate Precursor.

Doxorubicin (Dox) is a widely used fluorescent chemotherapy drug. Its primary delivery systems, based on physical adsorption to silica nanoparticles, can lead to low drug loading. Direct loading of Dox via covalent bonds during the formation of silica nanoparticles has never been reported.

Transient Stability of Epigenetic Population Differentiation in a Clonal Invader.

Epigenetic variation may play an important role in how plants cope with novel environments. While significant epigenetic differences among plants from contrasting habitats have often been observed in the field, the stability of these differences remains little understood. Here, we combined field monitoring with a multi-generation common garden approach to study the dynamics of DNA methylation variation in invasive Chinese populations of the clonal alligator weed ().

Immunity induced by recombinant attenuated IHNV (infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus)-G expresses VP2 gene-encoded IPNV (infectious pancreatic necrosis virus) against both pathogens in rainbow trout.

Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) and infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) are important pathogens in rainbow trout farming worldwide. Their co-infection is also common, which causes great economic loss in juvenile salmon species. Development of a universal virus vaccine providing broadly cross-protective immunity will be of great importance.

[Effect of Low-frequency Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields on Bone Formation in Rat Osteoblasts and Its Mechanism].

Objective To observe the effect of low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields(PEMFs) on bone formation in rat osteoblasts(ROBs) and explore the mechanism of action of the cyclic adenosine monophosphate(cAMP)/protein kinase A(PKA)/cyclic adenosine effect binding protein(CREB) signaling pathway.Methods The skulls of newborn Wistar rats were harvested,and the ROBs were obtained by multiple enzymatic digestion methods for subculture. After treatment with 50 Hz 0.

The role of maternal homocysteine concentration in placenta-mediated complications: findings from the Ottawa and Kingston birth cohort.

Background: Homocysteine is an intermediate metabolite implicated in the risk of placenta-mediated complications, including preeclampsia, placental abruption, fetal growth restriction, and pregnancy loss. Large cohort and case-control studies have reported inconsistent associations between homocysteine and these complications. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether elevated maternal plasma homocysteine concentration in the early to mid-second trimester is associated with an increased risk of placenta-mediated complications.

Platelet-Rich Plasma for the Treatment of Tissue Infection: Preparation and Clinical Evaluation.

The clinical application of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been widely studied for its effects on trauma or injury repair/regeneration, however the antibacterial property of PRP has been overlooked. Increasing evidence suggests PRP as a good antibacterial agent and that it could help prevent/treat tissue infection. This review emphasizes the importance of PRP's antibacterial property and summarizes the preclinical and clinical findings regarding the application of PRP in the prevention and treatment of wound and bone infection.

Research on complex dynamic behavior control of supply chain finance nonlinear system based on fractional differential operators.

Supply chain management is a kind of behavior for enterprises to create core competitiveness in a complex competitive environment, especially for supply chain finance, which is a typical complex system with dynamic, open, and emergent non-linear characteristics in structure, environment, and behavior. For fractional order non-linear multi-agent systems, the event trigger control protocol is studied, and an event based on the threshold function of decreasing time is designed. According to the properties of the fractional linear differential equations, the consistency criterion is obtained, and the Zeno phenomenon is effectively avoided.

Effects of socio-demographic characteristics, premorbid functioning, and insight on duration of untreated psychosis in first-episode schizophrenia or schizophreniform disorder in Northern Malawi.

Aim: Long duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) is prevalent and has been shown to be associated with poorer prognosis. Thus, knowledge of its determinants may help to target early interventions to reduce DUP on the needed population. Previous studies seeking to understand determinants of DUP have been inconclusive.

The association between inter-twin birth weight discordance and hepatitis C: The United States 2011-2015 twin birth registration data.

Background: Twins with discordant growth have increased risks of perinatal mortality and morbidity. Previous studies have identified a number of risk factors for inter-twin birth weight discordance, yet no study has examined the effect of maternal hepatitis C infection.

Methods: We used the twin birth records extracted from the 2011 to 2015 United States birth records created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Visualizing Formation of Intermetallic PdZn in a Palladium/Zinc Oxide Catalyst: Interfacial Fertilization by PdH.

Controllable synthesis of well-defined supported intermetallic catalysts is desirable because of their unique properties in physical chemistry. To accurately pinpoint the evolution of such materials at an atomic-scale, especially clarification of the initial state under a particular chemical environment, will facilitate rational design and optimal synthesis of such catalysts. The dynamic formation of a ZnO-supported PdZn catalyst is presented, whereby detailed analyses of in situ transmission electron microscopy, electron energy-loss spectroscopy, and in situ X-ray diffraction are combined to form a nanoscale understanding of PdZn phase transitions under realistic catalytic conditions.

Adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes among singleton pregnancies in women of very advanced maternal age: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: There is an increasing prevalence of women who tend to delay childbirth until a very advanced age. However, there is sparse data regarding very advanced maternal age (vAMA) and the interplay between vAMA and assisted reproductive technology (ART) on adverse perinatal outcomes. The study aimed to assess the risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes of vAMA women (≥43 years), and to investigate the effect of maternal age on adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes in ART pregnancies.

OX40 Regulates Both Innate and Adaptive Immunity and Promotes Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis.

Both innate and adaptive immune cells are involved in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), but the crosstalk between innate and adaptive immunity is largely unknown. Here we show that compared with WT mice, OX40 mice exhibit decreased liver fat accumulation, lobular inflammation, and focal necrosis after feeding with diets that induce NASH. Mechanistically, OX40 deficiency suppresses Th1 and Th17 differentiation, and OX40 deficiency in T cells inhibits monocyte migration, antigen presentation, and M1 polarization.

Increased population epigenetic diversity of the clonal invasive species Alternanthera philoxeroides in response to salinity stress.

Epigenetic modification can change the pattern of gene expression without altering the underlying DNA sequence, which may be adaptive in clonal plant species. In this study, we used MSAP (methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism) to examine epigenetic variation in Alternanthera philoxeroides, a clonal invasive species, in response to salinity stress. We found that salinity stress could significantly increase the level of epigenetic diversity within a population.

The Impact of a Maternal Education Program Through Text Messaging in Rural China: Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: In recent years, attempts have been made to use mobile phone text messaging (short message service, SMS) to achieve positive results for a range of health issues. Reports on the impact of maternal education programs based on this widely available, inexpensive, and instant communication tool are sparse.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the impact of a maternal education program through text messaging.

Catecholamines in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Studies on the association between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and levels of catecholamines have yielded inconsistent results. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess whether concentrations of the catecholamines dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine are associated with PTSD. This study searched relevant articles in the following databases: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Psyc-ARTICLES.

3D Bioprinting of Breast Cancer Models for Drug Resistance Study.

Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (ADMSC) are one of the major stromal cells in the breast cancer microenvironment that promote cancer progression. Previous studies on the effects of ADMSC on breast cancer metastasis and drug resistance, using two-dimensional (2D) cultures, remained inconclusive. In the present study, we compared cocultured ADMSC and human epidermal receptor 2 positive breast primary breast cancer cells (21PT) in 2D and three-dimensional (3D) cultures and then examined their response to doxorubicin (DOX).

Sweet Solutions for Analgesia in Neonates in China: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Introduction: High-quality synthesized evidence of sweet taste analgesia in neonates exists. However, Chinese databases have never been included in previous systematic reviews of sweet solutions for procedural pain.

Objective: To conduct a systematic review of Chinese literature evaluating analgesic effects of sweet solutions for neonates.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Detection Using Difference in Feature and Modified Minimum Distance Classifier.

The current gold standard of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) diagnosis involves the use of a Polysomnography (PSG) system which requires the patient to stay in the hospital for overnight recording. The process is uncomfortable for the patient and it disturbs the patient's sleep pattern. On the other hand, it is well known that some acoustic features of the snoring sounds are good indicators of the presence of OSA, and a variety of acoustic OSA detection algorithms have been reported in the literature.

Rate of and time to symptomatic remission in first-episode psychosis in Northern Malawi: A STROBE-compliant article.

Although longer duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) is associated with poor response to antipsychotic treatment, it remains unclear whether it independently influences time to symptomatic remission in first-episode psychosis (FEP). This study examined rate of symptomatic remission, and explored if DUP, premorbid functioning, global functioning, insight and socio-demographic characteristics were independently associated with time to symptomatic remission in FEP.This prospective study enrolled 126 FEP patients (aged 18-65) between June 2009 and September 2012.

Adsorption of chlortetracycline onto biochar derived from corn cob and sugarcane bagasse.

Biochar was prepared from two different types of biological waste materials, corn cob (CC) and sugarcane bagasse (SB). The adsorption capacity of each class of adsorbent was determined by chlortetracycline (CTC) adsorption tests. The adsorption kinetics and isotherms of chlortetracycline onto sugarcane bagasse biochar (SBB) and corn cob biochar (CCB) were studied.