Inositol polyphosphate 4-phosphatase type II (INPP4B) negatively regulates phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling and is a tumor suppressor in some types of cancers. However, we have found that it ...is frequently upregulated in human colon cancer cells. Here we show that silencing of INPP4B blocks activation of Akt and serum- and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 3 (SGK3), inhibits colon cancer cell proliferation and retards colon cancer xenograft growth. Conversely, overexpression of INPP4B increases proliferation and triggers anchorage-independent growth of normal colon epithelial cells. Moreover, we demonstrate that the effect of INPP4B on Akt and SGK3 is associated with inactivation of phosphate and tensin homolog through its protein phosphatase activity and that the increase in INPP4B is due to Ets-1-mediated transcriptional upregulation in colon cancer cells. Collectively, these results suggest that INPP4B may function as an oncogenic driver in colon cancer, with potential implications for targeting INPP4B as a novel approach to treat this disease.
Electronic structures of graphene oxide (GO) and hydro-thermally reduced graphene oxides (rGOs) processed at low temperatures (120-180°C) were studied using X-ray absorption near-edge structure ...(XANES), X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) and resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS). C K-edge XANES spectra of rGOs reveal that thermal reduction restores C = C sp(2) bonds and removes some of the oxygen and hydroxyl groups of GO, which initiates the evolution of carbonaceous species. The combination of C K-edge XANES and Kα XES spectra shows that the overlapping π and π* orbitals in rGOs and GO are similar to that of highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG), which has no band-gap. C Kα RIXS spectra provide evidence that thermal reduction changes the density of states (DOSs) that is generated in the π-region and/or in the gap between the π and π* levels of the GO and rGOs. Two-dimensional C Kα RIXS mapping of the heavy reduction of rGOs further confirms that the residual oxygen and/or oxygen-containing functional groups modify the π and σ features, which are dispersed by the photon excitation energy. The dispersion behavior near the K point is approximately linear and differs from the parabolic-like dispersion observed in HOPG.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multi-potent progenitor cells that are isolated from the bone marrow and several adult organs and tissues. These cells possess remarkable immunosuppressive ...properties and can inhibit the proliferation and function of the major immune cell populations, including T cells, B cells and natural killer (NK) cells; modulate the activities of dendritic cells (DCs); and induce regulatory T cells both in vivo and in vitro. These unique properties make MSCs ideal candidates for clinical application as immunosuppressants. The immunomodulatory effect of MSCs is mediated by a non-specific anti-proliferative action of these cells, which is dependent on cell-cell contact or secreted soluble factors such as indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂), nitric oxide (NO), histocompatibility leucocyte antigen-G (HLA-G), transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-1β. Considerable progress has been obtained in preclinical studies on MSCs, including those on their ability to activate allogeneic cells. This review examines the current understanding of the immunomodulatory properties of MSCs and its therapeutic implication for immune-mediated diseases and transplant rejection.
In the paper, a new and comprehensible definition is proposed for type-2 fuzzy sets (T2 FSs), and the primary and secondary memberships function are defined respectively by using multi valued ...mapping. A new definition and formula for the footprint of uncertainty (FOU) is presented, and based on the new definitions, the relation between FOU and the original definition of T2 FS is discussed. Finally, the partition method of FOU is provided to represent the primary membership grade, the FOU and the interval type-2 fuzzy sets (IT2 FS) when the upper and lower membership functions (UMF, LMF) of FOU are given.
Abstract The processes of single-electron charge exchange, excitation, and ionization during proton impact on H(2 l ) are investigated. We employ two different theoretical methods that are suitable ...for different collision energy regions: the full quantum-mechanical molecular orbital close-coupling method for energies from 0.001 to 1 keV u −1 and the two-center atomic orbital close-coupling (TC-AOCC) method for energies between 0.3 and 100 keV u −1 . For charge exchange and excitation processes, the total and nl -resolved cross sections to the final reaction channels of H ( nl , n = 1–4) have been obtained over a broad energy region. Moreover, the ionization cross sections in the TC-AOCC calculation are also reported for both H(2 s ) and H(2 p ) initial target states. The present results are all compared with those from other sources when available. It is found that the magnitude and energy behavior of nl -resolved excitation cross sections for H + –H(2 p ) collisions are significantly distinct from those of the H(2 s ) initial state in the entire energy range considered, particularly in the low-energy region. The energy behaviors of the nl -resolved charge exchange cross sections from the H(2 p ) initial state are similar to those from the H(2 s ) initial state, but their magnitudes are larger. The present accurate cross-section data are anticipated to provide insight into the research of astrophysics and controlled fusion plasmas.
This study introduces the mainstream theory of crowd evacuation based on multi-agent. Then a simulation model is developed based on Agent and Pathfinder to simulate the evacuation of three subway ...space types, including platform, station hall and stair. In addition, simulation is also carried out on the situation of the reverse running of the firefighters walking ladder and the different distribution of the crowd density. Finally, the simulation parameters are adjusted respectively to observe and compare the simulation results under different circumstances. Through the simulation of the situation of crowd evacuation under different conditions and parameters, key data such as crowd speed, number of people passing through space and remaining number, number of people passing through exit and evacuation path are recorded. These key data and the above simulation test results are vital for constructive suggestions that can be put forward for subway space design and fire control scheme. 18 refs.
High concentrations of fine particles (PM2.5) are frequently observed during all seasons in Beijing, China, leading to severe air pollution and human health problems in this megacity. In this study, ...we conducted real-time measurements of non-refractory submicron aerosol (NR-PM1) species (sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, chloride, and organics) in Beijing using an Aerodyne Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor for 1 year, from July 2011 to June 2012. This is the first long-term, highly time-resolved (~ 15 min) measurement of fine particle composition in China. The seasonal average ( plus or minus 1 sigma ) mass concentration of NR-PM1 ranged from 52 ( plus or minus 49) mu g m-3 in the spring season to 62 ( plus or minus 49) mu g m-3 in the summer season, with organics being the major fraction (40-51 %), followed by nitrate (17-25 %) and sulfate (12-17 %). Organics and chloride showed pronounced seasonal variations, with much higher concentrations in winter than in the other seasons, due to enhanced coal combustion emissions. Although the seasonal variations of secondary inorganic aerosol (SIA, i.e., sulfate + nitrate + ammonium) concentrations were not significant, higher contributions of SIA were observed in summer (57-61 %) than in winter (43-46 %), indicating that secondary aerosol production is a more important process than primary emissions in summer. Organics presented pronounced diurnal cycles that were similar among all seasons, whereas the diurnal variations of nitrate were mainly due to the competition between photochemical production and gas-particle partitioning. Our data also indicate that high concentrations of NR-PM1 (> 60 mu g m-3) are usually associated with high ambient relative humidity (RH) (> 50 %) and that severe particulate pollution is characterized by different aerosol composition in different seasons. All NR-PM1 species showed evident concentration gradients as a function of wind direction, generally with higher values associated with wind from the south, southeast or east. This was consistent with their higher potential as source areas, as determined by potential source contribution function analysis. A common high potential source area, located to the southwest of Beijing along the Taihang Mountains, was observed during all seasons except winter, when smaller source areas were found. These results demonstrate a high potential impact of regional transport from surrounding regions on the formation of severe haze pollution in Beijing.
BACKGROUND
Hypertension is one of the major risk factor for cardiovascular disease worldwide. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of ...hypertension in China.
METHODS
A multistage, stratified sampling method was used to obtain a representative sample of persons aged 18 years or older in the general population of China. Blood pressure (BP) was measured by sphygmomanometer 3 times at 5-minute intervals. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥ 140mm Hg, or diastolic BP ≥ 90mm Hg, or self-reported use of antihypertensive medications in the last 2 weeks irrespective of the BP.
RESULTS
Altogether 50,171 subjects finished the survey across the entire country. The adjusted prevalence of hypertension was 29.6% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 28.9%-30.4%) and was higher among men than among women (31.2%, 95% CI = 30.1%-32.4%; vs. 28.0%, 95% CI = 27.0%-29.0%). The awareness, treatment among all hypertensive participants, control among all hypertensive participants, and control among treated hypertensive participants were 42.6%, 34.1%, 9.3%, and 27.4%, respectively. Multiple lifestyle factors were independently associated with presence of hypertension, including physical inactivity, habitual drinking, chronic use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, high body mass index, and central obesity.
CONCLUSIONS
Hypertension is an important public health burden in China, and control of hypertension is still suboptimal. Several modifiable lifestyle activities were associated with hypertension and thus should be considered potential targets for intervention, with special attention to socioeconomically disadvantaged subpopulations in China.
A relative humidity sensor based on a graphene oxide-coated few-mode fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) is proposed in this paper. The MZI was made by splicing a segment of the few-mode fiber ...(FMF) between two segments of a no-core fiber (NCF) and two segments of a single mode fiber (SMF) located outside the two NCFs. The core and cladding of the FMF acted as interferometric arms, while the NCFs acted as couplers for splitting and recombining light due to mismatch of mode field diameter. The cladding of the FMF was corroded with hydrofluoric acid, and a layer of graphene oxide (GO) film was coated on the corroded cladding of FMF via the natural deposition method. The refractive index of GO varied upon absorption the water molecules. As a result, the phase difference of the MZI varied and the wavelength of the resonant dip shifted with a change in the ambient relative humidity (RH). High humidity sensitivity of 0.191 and 0.061 nm/%RH in the RH range of 30-55% and 55-95%, respectively, were achieved experimentally. The high sensitivity, compact size, and simple manufacturing of the proposed sensor could offer attractive applications in fields of chemical sensors and biochemical detection.
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