Phenoxy-phosphazene (PPZ) oligomer (Rabitle® FP100) flame retardant (FR) was successfully incorporated into the colorless and transparent semi-alicyclic polyimide (CPI) film matrix derived from ...1,2,4,5-cyclohexanetetracarboxylic dianhydride (CHDA) and 4,4'-oxydianiline (ODA) (PI-a, CHDA-ODA). The PPZ FR showed good miscibility with the Pl-a matrix with a loading amount of up to 10 wt% in the composite films. Pl-b (CHDA-ODA-FP100-5) film maintained good optical properties with the transmittance of 83.9% at the wavelength of 400 nm, the yellow index (b·) of 3.28, and the haze of 2.14%. PI-b film also showed good flame retardancy with the limiting oxygen indices (LOI) of 41.2% and the flammability rating of UL94 VTM-0. In addition, PI-b film exhibited the obviously reduced heat release rate (HRR) and total smoke production (THR) during the cone calorimeter measurement. At last, Pl-b showed the glass transition temperature (Tg) and 5% weight loss temperature (T5%) of 325.0 and 404.3 °C, respectively, which was slightly lower than those of the pristine PI-a film (Tg = 346.8 °C; T5% = 431.6 °C). Continuous PI-b films with a length of 1000 m and a width of 1000 mm were successfully obtained on the demonstration production line by optimizing the processing parameters via the modified solvent cast technology. Similar thermal, optical, and flame retardancy properties and obviously improved tensile properties were observed for the mass production of PI-b film.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of rapeseed expeller cake (REC) derived from Brassica napus rapeseed with different concentrations of glucosinolate (Gls) and erucic acid (EA) ...on the egg-production performance, egg quality, apparent nutrient digestibility, and intestinal morphology in laying hens. At 33 wk of age, a total of 1,080 laying hens were randomly divided into 9 treatment groups in a completely randomized design involving a control treatment without REC (a corn–soybean diet) and a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement with 2 concentrations of REC (at 7 and 14%) from 4varieties of rapeseed varying in Gls and EA concentrations DY6 REC: 22.67 μmol/g (Gls, relative to rapeseed meal), 0.7% (EA, relative to total fatty acids); MB1 REC: 43.23 μmol/g, 3.5%; DY5 REC: 74.66 μmol/g, 16.20%; XH3 REC: 132.83 μmol/g, 44.60%. The trial lasted for 8 wk. Compared with the control group, REC addition decreased the ADFI, egg production, egg weight, and egg mass of laying hens during wk1 to wk4, wk5 to wk8, and wk1 to wk8 (P < 0.05), and REC did not affect FCR, mortality during wk1 to wk4, wk5 to wk8, and wk1 to wk8 (P > 0.05). The XH3 REC group had a trend to lower egg weight when compared with the DY6 REC group during wk1 to wk8 (P = 0.07).REC decreased AME and DM digestibility at wk8 (P < 0.01), and REC addition in diet did not affect apparent nitrogen digestibility (P = 0.6). REC decreased villi height (P < 0.01) and increased crypt depth (P < 0.01). The XH3 REC group had a lower crude fat digestibility than the DY6 REC group, and the crude fat digestibility of the DY5 and MB1 REC groups was lower than the XH3 REC group (P < 0.01). The DY6 REC group had a higher villi height than the DY5, MB1, and XH3 REC groups (P < 0.01). The XH3 REC group had a higher crypt depth than the DY6, DY5, and MB1 REC groups (P < 0.01). The DY6 REC group had a higher value of the ratio of villi height to crypt depth than the DY5 and MB1 REC groups, and the DY5 and MB1 REC groups had a higher value of the ratio of villi height to crypt depth than the XH3 REC group (P < 0.01).REC decreased albumen height and Haugh unit during wk1 to wk8 (P < 0.01 and P = 0.004), and increased yolk color during wk1 to wk8 (P < 0.01).The XH3, MB1, and DY5 REC groups had a lower albumen height than the DY6 REC group during wk1 to wk8 (P < 0.01), and the XH3 and DY5 REC groups had a lower Haugh unit than the DY6 REC group during wk1 to wk8 (P < 0.01). The DY6 REC group had the highest value of yolk color than other three varieties of REC (DY5, MB1, XH3) at wk6 and wk8 (P < 0.01 and P < 0.01). It can be concluded that the exposure of laying hens to REC with higher Gls and EA (DY5, MB1, XH3) led to a lower egg weight, nutrient digestibility, intestinal absorptive area, and egg internal quality than those with lower Gls and EA (DY6).
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Maternal and paternal factors create considerable obstacles to the elimination of congenital syphilis (CS). A clear understanding of maternal and paternal factors is important in order to define ...interventions in every community. This study aimed to investigate the maternal and paternal factors associated with CS. A prospective cohort study was conducted from April 25, 2007 to October 31, 2012 at the Shenzhen Center for Chronic Disease Control and Prevention (SCCDC) in China. We screened 279,334 pregnant women and identified 838 women with syphilis. Finally, a total of 360 women with syphilis were included for analysis. At the end of follow-up, 34 infants 9.4 %, 95 % confidence interval (CI): 6.8–12.9 % were diagnosed with CS. Following adjustment for confounders, maternal history of syphilis adjusted risk ratio (aRR) = 0.21, prenatal care (aRR = 0.12), and complete treatment (aRR = 0.22) reduced the risk of infants being infected. Every two-fold increase of titer of non-treponemal antibodies (aRR = 1.88), early stage of syphilis (aRR = 9.59), a shorter length of time between the end of the first treatment to childbirth (aRR = 5.39), and every week of delay in treatment (aRR = 2.25) for maternal syphilis as well as paternal history of cocaine use (aRR = 6.28) and positive (aRR = 3.30) or unknown (aRR = 2.79) status of syphilis increased the risk of infants being infected. CS also increased the risk (aRR = 8.02) of neonatal death. Maternal and paternal factors constituted two separate profiles associated with CS. To become more effective, future strategies for the prevention of CS should be targeted to each profile.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Summary
Biological invasions are determined by interactions between resident plant communities and exotic plants. Time of invasion and species diversity of resident plant communities may greatly ...affect exotic plant invasions. We assembled low‐ and high‐diversity resident plant communities by sowing seeds of four and eight grassland species, respectively, and at each of three time periods (1, 4 and 7 weeks after sowing), the resident communities were invaded by Hydrocotyle vulgaris or not. We also constructed a plant community with H. vulgaris alone. Presence of H. vulgaris had no effect on biomass of the resident communities or biomass of each component species. Community age significantly affected biomass and evenness of the resident communities, and their competition with H. vulgaris, but the priority effect of the resident communities was slight. Increasing species richness did not change the interaction between H. vulgaris and the resident plant communities. These findings suggest a weaker competitive exclusionary effect of H. vulgaris on the resident communities with early germination, and H. vulgaris tended to have no significant impact on intact resident terrestrial plant communities. Thus, the potential risk of H. vulgaris invasion is low, especially in the communities with young age.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Metallodielectric photonic crystals having hyperbolic dispersions are called indefinite materials because of their ability to guide modes with extremely large lateral wavevectors. While this is ...useful for enhancing near-field radiative heat transfer, it could also give rise to large lateral displacements of the energy pathways. The energy streamlines can be used to depict the flow of electromagnetic energy through a structure when wave propagation does not follow ray optics. We obtain the energy streamlines through two semi-infinite uniaxial anisotropic effective medium structures, separated by a small vacuum gap, using the Green functions and fluctuation-dissipation theorem. The lateral shifts are determined from the streamlines within two penetration depths. For hyperbolic modes, the predicted lateral shift can be several thousand times of the vacuum gap width.
Human pluripotent stem cell‐derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC‐CMs) have emerged as an exciting new tool for cardiac research and can serve as a preclinical platform for drug development and disease ...modeling studies. However, these aspirations are limited by current culture methods in which hPSC‐CMs resemble fetal human cardiomyocytes in terms of structure and function. Herein we provide a novel in vitro platform that includes patterned extracellular matrix with physiological substrate stiffness and is amenable to both mechanical and electrical analysis. Micropatterned lanes promote the cellular and myofibril alignment of hPSC‐CMs while the addition of micropatterned bridges enable formation of a functional cardiac syncytium that beats synchronously over a large two‐dimensional area. We investigated the electrophysiological properties of the patterned cardiac constructs and showed they have anisotropic electrical impulse propagation, as occurs in the native myocardium, with speeds 2x faster in the primary direction of the pattern as compared to the transverse direction. Lastly, we interrogated the mechanical function of the pattern constructs and demonstrated the utility of this platform in recording the strength of cardiomyocyte contractions. This biomimetic platform with electrical and mechanical readout capabilities will enable the study of cardiac disease and the influence of pharmaceuticals and toxins on cardiomyocyte function. The platform also holds potential for high throughput evaluation of drug safety and efficacy, thus furthering our understanding of cardiovascular disease and increasing the translational use of hPSC‐CMs.
A biomimetic cell culture platform that combines micropatterning with a physiologically relevant substrate stiffness was used with cardiomyocytes derived from pluripotent stem cells (hPSC‐CMs) to promote elongation and alignment of their internal cytoarchitecture and results in anisotropic conduction. This cell culture platform enables structural, mechanical, and electrical measurements to be made. Such multiparametric readouts are essential in order to increase the therapeutic and clinical relevance of hPSC‐CMs.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Loss of DAB2IP, a novel tumor suppressor gene, is associated with the high risk of aggressive prostate cancer (PCa). Previously, we reported that DAB2IP modulated androgen receptor activation in the ...development of castration-resistant PCa; however, its direct action on the failure of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) remains largely unknown. In this study, we showed that DAB2IP knockdown could significantly enhance in vitro growth and colony formation of PCa cells following ADT as well as tumorigenicity in pre-castrated nude mice. In addition, DAB2IP loss stabilized mitochondrial transmembrane potential, prevented release of cytochrome c, Omi/HtrA2 and Smac from the mitochondria to the cytoplasm and inhibited intrinsic apoptosis induced by ADT. Mechanistically, DAB2IP could interact with the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) via its unique PR domain and suppress STAT3 phosphorylation and transactivation, leading to the inhibition of survivin expression in PCa cells. Moreover, the luminal epithelia in DAB2IP(-/-) mice with more activated STAT3 and survivin expression were resistant to castration-induced apoptosis. Consistently, DAB2IP expression inversely correlated with STAT3 phosphorylation and survivin expression in PCa patients. Together, our data indicate that DAB2IP loss reprograms intracellular signal transduction and anti-apoptotic gene expression, which potentiates PCa cell survival from ADT-induced cell death.
BACKGROUND: Depression is common among persons with TB and is associated with poor clinical outcomes. However, little is known about the relationship between latent TB infection (LTBI) and ...depression. We assessed the association between LTBI and depressive symptoms among household
contacts (HHCs) of patients receiving TB treatment.METHODS: We enrolled 1,009 HHCs of 307 patients receiving TB treatment in Lima, Peru, during 2016–2018. At enrollment, HHC LTBI status was assessed using the interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA). Depressive symptoms were
assessed at baseline and 12 months later using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) with a cut-off of <inline-formula id="IE1"><mml:math display="inline"><mml:mo>≥</mml:mo></mml:math></inline-formula>5. We used logistic regression to estimate the
odds ratio (OR) for PHQ-9 <inline-formula id="IE2"><mml:math display="inline"><mml:mo>≥</mml:mo></mml:math></inline-formula>5, comparing HHCs with and without baseline LTBI.RESULTS: Among 921 HHCs, 374 (41.0%) had LTBI at baseline, and 69 (12.4%)
of 567 HHCs had PHQ-9 <inline-formula id="IE3"><mml:math display="inline" id="im1"><mml:mo>≥</mml:mo></mml:math></inline-formula>5. Compared to HHCs without LTBI at enrollment, those with LTBI had almost two times the odds of PHQ-9 <inline-formula
id="IE4"><mml:math display="inline" id="im2"><mml:mo>≥</mml:mo></mml:math></inline-formula>5 at follow-up after controlling for potential confounders (adjusted OR 1.93, 95% CI 1.09–3.39); this association was driven by greater severities of depressive
symptoms.CONCLUSION: HHCs with LTBI had increased odds of depressive symptoms 1 year later. This population may benefit from mental health screening and interventions integrated into TB programs.
Regulatory T (T(reg)) cells mediate homeostatic peripheral tolerance by suppressing autoreactive T cells. Failure of host antitumor immunity may be caused by exaggerated suppression of ...tumor-associated antigen-reactive lymphocytes mediated by T(reg) cells; however, definitive evidence that T(reg) cells have an immunopathological role in human cancer is lacking. Here we show, in detailed studies of CD4(+)CD25(+)FOXP3(+) T(reg) cells in 104 individuals affected with ovarian carcinoma, that human tumor T(reg) cells suppress tumor-specific T cell immunity and contribute to growth of human tumors in vivo. We also show that tumor T(reg) cells are associated with a high death hazard and reduced survival. Human T(reg) cells preferentially move to and accumulate in tumors and ascites, but rarely enter draining lymph nodes in later cancer stages. Tumor cells and microenvironmental macrophages produce the chemokine CCL22, which mediates trafficking of T(reg) cells to the tumor. This specific recruitment of T(reg) cells represents a mechanism by which tumors may foster immune privilege. Thus, blocking T(reg) cell migration or function may help to defeat human cancer.
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DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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