Dendritic cells (DCs) play a crucial role as central orchestrators of immune system response in atherosclerosis initiation and progression. Lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1) is involved in the immune maturation of DCs, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We isolated mouse bone marrow progenitors and stimulated them with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and interleukin (IL)-4 to induce immature DCs. We then treated DCs with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) to induce maturation. LOX-1 siRNA was used to investigate the modulation of LOX-1 on the development of DCs and the underlying signal pathways. CD11c-positive DCs were successfully derived from mouse bone marrow progenitors. OxLDL promoted the expressions of DCs maturation markers and pro-inflammatory cytokines. OxLDL also upregulated LOX-1 expression and activated MAPK/NF-κB pathways. LOX-1 siRNA could attenuate the expression of MAPK/NF-κB pathways and inflammatory cytokines. In conclusion, oxLDL induced the maturation of DCs via LOX-1-mediated MAPK/NF-κB pathway, which contributed to the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis.

Abstract Sediment yield is affected by many factors, such as climate, geology, geomorphology, land use and human activities. Sediment signatures are the statistic indices or curves that are able to effectively describe the temporal and spatial characteristics of sediment transport and evaluate the ability of the streamflow to deliver the sediment. In this study, the sediment signatures of Upper Sangamon River Basin, which is an intensively managed watershed for agriculture development, are analyzed. Firstly, a semi-distributed model of sediment transport is built up based on the Tsinghua Representative Elementary Watershed (THREW) model, and it is applied to the Upper Sangamon River Basin. The result of sediment simulation is analyzed by four sediment signatures, i.e. specific sediment yield, sediment delivery ratio, cumulative sediment curve and effective discharge. The sediment signatures are consistent with each other and accord with the fact of the agricultural production in Upper Sangamon River Basin.

ABSTRACT The process of solid circulation in an internally circulating fluidized bed (ICFB) having two or more chambers can be developed by applying unequal gas velocities in these chambers. Such a process is beneficial to several applications and provides the means for the energy transfer between the chambers in the ICFB. In this paper, a multi-fluid CFD model incorporating the kinetic theory of granular flow is used to simulate the hydrodynamic characteristics of a binary mixture of particles in an ICFB using ANSYS-Fluent software. The mixture is composed of two particles of different sizes but the same densities. The ICFB has two chambers named the reaction chamber (RC) and the heat exchange chamber (HEC), separated by a vertical central baffle. An increase in the RC gas velocity UR at constant HEC gas velocity UH results in an increase in the circulation rate of the binary mixture. The circulation rate of small particles GBs is found to be higher than that of the big particles GBb. Increasing the slot size causes a decrease in the pressure difference between the chambers and consequently decreasing the solid circulation rate in the ICFB. The mixture circulation rate also decreases when the mixture is richer in GBb particles than in GBs.

ABSTRACT The black-bone chicken has special economic value in Chinese poultry breeds, which also are valued for the medicinal properties of their meat in traditional Chinese medicine. In order to protect the genetic resources of native black-bone chicken breeds, we analyzed the genetic diversity and matrilineal components of 64 mtDNA D-loop partial sequences from three native black-bone chicken breeds, together with reported 596 black-bone chicken mtDNA sequences from China, Japan, and Korea. A total of 108 haplotypes were observed from 73 variable sites. These domestic chicken mtDNA sequences could be assigned into seven clades (A-G). The results indicated that 71.97% of the black-bone haplotypes were related to the reference sequence that may originate from Eurasia, while the minor part of mtDNA sequences presumably derive from Southeast Asia, China, and Japan. Three clades were shared by Korean, Japanese, and Chinese black-bone chickens. These results provide basic data useful for making new breeding and conservation strategies for the black-bone chicken in China.

This paper aims to propose a procedure for calculating separately the resistance factors for ultimate base and shaft resistances for the reliability-based design of piles. The proposed procedure can clearly explain the different sources of uncertainties of the bearing capacity, including those from ultimate base and shaft resistances. The study evaluates the convergence of the proposed procedure, and the effects of relevant parameters on resistance factors. Finally, two examples are used for comparison and application of the presented method for determining ultimate base and shaft resistance factors. Convergence analysis proves that the final resistance factors can be rapidly obtained, and maintain good stability using the iteration algorithm included in the proposed procedure. A parametric study indicates that the ratio of dead load to live load and initial values of the ultimate shaft (or base) resistance factor, have a limited effect on the final convergence values of ultimate shaft (and base) resistance factors. However, the target reliability index has significant influence on the ultimate shaft and base resistance factors. The validation example shows that the ultimate shaft and base resistance factors, as calculated in this paper, are conservative compared to the results by Kim et al (2011), due to the consideration of more uncertainties. The recommended ultimate shaft and base resistance factors for the reliability-based design of piles can be obtained conveniently using the proposed procedure in the application example.

This study evaluated the effect of muscle satellite cells (MSCs) overexpressing myogenin (MyoG) on denervated muscle atrophy. Rat MSCs were isolated and transfected with the MyoG-EGFP plasmid vector GV143. MyoG-transfected MSCs (MTMs) were transplanted into rat gastrocnemius muscles at 1 week after surgical denervation. Controls included injections of untransfected MSCs or the vehicle only. Muscles were harvested and analyzed at 2, 4, and 24 weeks post-transplantation. Immunofluorescence confirmed MyoG overexpression in MTMs. The muscle wet weight ratio was significantly reduced at 2 weeks after MTM injection (67.17±6.79) compared with muscles injected with MSCs (58.83±5.31) or the vehicle (53.00±7.67; t=2.37, P=0.04 and t=3.39, P=0.007, respectively). The muscle fiber cross-sectional area was also larger at 2 weeks after MTM injection (2.63×103±0.39×103) compared with MSC injection (1.99×103±0.58×103) or the vehicle only (1.57×103±0.47×103; t=2.24, P=0.049 and t=4.22, P=0.002, respectively). At 4 and 24 weeks post-injection, the muscle mass and fiber cross-sectional area were similar across all three experimental groups. Immunohistochemistry showed that the MTM group had larger MyoG-positive fibers. The MTM group (3.18±1.13) also had higher expression of MyoG mRNA than other groups (1.41±0.65 and 1.03±0.19) at 2 weeks after injection (t=2.72, P=0.04). Transplanted MTMs delayed short-term atrophy of denervated muscles. This approach can be optimized as a novel stand-alone therapy or as a bridge to surgical re-innervation of damaged muscles.

Although remote sensing technology has been available for many years, it has rarely been used for monitoring mining activity. Recent studies indicate that remote sensing is also a valuable tool for managing and planning certain aspects of the mining operation. In this paper, we examine areal expansion of marble quarries and the affected vegetation over a period of 10 years in the Mugla region in Turkey, using geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) techniques. Images captured by ASTER Level 3A01 (3D Ortho Data Set), Landsat 5, and Landsat 7 satellites between 2001 and 2009 were used for the analysis. Changes in the natural vegetation as a function of the production level in the marble quarry were calculated using the normalized difference vegetation index. According to the study results, land cover and natural vegetation decreased by less than 3 per cent and 1 per cent respectively between 2001 and 2009, following an upsurge in mining activity in the region

We report a case of successful treatment with erlotinib of a patient with non-small cell lung cancer (stage IV) and meningeal metastasis. Combined treatment with whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) and erlotinib mitigated neurologic symptoms of the patient. Magnetic resonance imaging showed reduction of the brain metastasis. Partial remission was observed by chest computed tomography (CT) scan after six months of erlotinib therapy.

Reportamos un caso de tratamiento exitoso con el erlotinib de un paciente con cáncer pulmonar de células no pequeñas (fase IV) y metástasis meníngea. El tratamiento combinado con la radioterapia total del cerebro (WBRT) y erlotinib mitigaron los síntomas neurológicos del paciente. Las imágenes de resonancia magnética mostraron una reducción de la metástasis del cerebro. La remisión parcial fue observada mediante CT scan de tórax tras seis meses de terapia con erlotinib.