Microscopic Origins of the Distinct Mechanical Response of ABA and ABC Block Copolymer Nanostructures.

It has been commonly believed that the ordered thermoplastic elastomers formed by the ABC triblock copolymer should have better mechanical performance than that by the ABA counterpart due to the higher bridging fraction. However, the thermoplastic elastomer of ABA was often observed to perform better than that of ABC. To compare the performance of two kinds of thermoplastic elastomers and unveil the underlying microscopic mechanism, we have calculated their stress-strain curves using coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations in conjunction with self-consistent field theory.

ReHiC: Enhancing Hi-C data resolution via residual convolutional network.

High-throughput chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) is one of the most popular methods for studying the three-dimensional organization of genomes. However, Hi-C protocols can be expensive since they require large amounts of sample material and may be time-consuming. Most commonly used Hi-C data are low-resolution.

How to Analyze the Neurodynamic Characteristics of Pulse-Coupled Neural Networks? A Theoretical Analysis and Case Study of Intersecting Cortical Model.

The intersecting cortical model (ICM), initially designed for image processing, is a special case of the biologically inspired pulse-coupled neural-network (PCNN) models. Although the ICM has been widely used, few studies concern the internal activities and firing conditions of the neuron, which may lead to an invalid model in the application. Furthermore, the lack of theoretical analysis has led to inappropriate parameter settings and consequent limitations on ICM applications.

Chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment in patients with breast cancer based on MRS and DTI analysis.

The purpose of this study is to investigate chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) in breast cancer patients, analyze absolute concentration and structural changes of metabolites in different brain regions by multimodal neuroimaging technology, and explore correlation between them. Breast cancer patients with chemotherapy treatment group (Ctx+, N = 24) and control group without treatment (Ctx-, N = 20) underwent neuropsychological tests, multivoxel magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) before and after chemotherapy. Regions of interest (ROls) in magnetic resonance scan include bilateral posterior cingulate gyrus (PCG), bilateral dorsal thalamus (DT), bilateral lenticular nucleus (LN), bilateral posterior horn of the lateral ventricle paratrigonal white matter (PWM).

Correlation between Depression, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Inflammatory Factors in Patients with Severe Burn Injury.

We aim to investigate the relation between depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and inflammatory factors in patients with severe burn injury. Psychological assessment was carried out using PTSD checklist (PCL) involving a 17-item self-report questionnaire (PCL-17) and the Hamilton Rating Scale for depression (HAMD-24). The serum IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Protective effect of liquiritigenin on depressive-like behavior in mice after lipopolysaccharide administration.

Liquiritigenin (Liq), the main active ingredient of traditional Chinese medicine licorice, possesses anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties. The current investigation was designed to explore whether liquiritigenin could relieve lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced depression-like behavior in mice and the underlying mechanism. Liquiritigenin (7.

One-step DGC assembly and structural characterization of a hairy particle zeolite-like organic-inorganic hybrid as an efficient modifiable catalytic material.

Organic-inorganic hybrid microporous crystalline molecular sieves, extending the application of conventional zeolites in the fields of selective catalysis and adsorption, have aroused great interest in chemists. However, the complicated and difficult synthesis of organic-inorganic hybrid microporous molecular sieves by using a conventional hydrothermal method has hindered the rapid development of this field. The present work describes the recent progress in the synthesis of a hairy particle zeolite-like organic-inorganic hybrid with the high organic group content by one-step dry-gel conversion (DGC) assembly of organic Si, inorganic Si and other inorganic species without any organic template, which is proven to be efficient, economical, simple, and controllable.

The lymphotoxin-α 252A>G polymorphism and breast cancer: a meta-analysis.

Objective: The aim of this meta-analysis is to evaluate associations between LTA-252 A>G and breast cancer (BC).

Methods: Electronic searches of several databases were conducted for all online publications. A total of 7 studies involving 4,625 BC patients and 4,373 controls were identified.

Yizhi Xingnao prescription improves the cognitive function of patients after a transient ischemic attack.

Patients with mild cognitive impairment after a transient ischemic attack were included in this study. They were treated with Yizhi Xingnao prescription, ergoloid mesylates or aspirin for 60 days. Evaluation using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale showed that cognitive function was significantly improved in all patients, especially after the combined treatment of Yizhi Xingnao and aspirin.

Efficacy and safety of azathioprine maintenance therapy in a group of Crohn's disease patients in China.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and the safety of long-term azathioprine maintenance therapy in a group of Chinese patients with Crohn's disease.

Methods: The efficacy of azathioprine (2.0 mg/kg/day) in controlling the disease relapse in 13 patients with Crohn's disease following clinical remission by prednisone or surgery were investigated.