Butyrate and Propionate Restore the Cytokine and House Dust Mite Compromised Barrier Function of Human Bronchial Airway Epithelial Cells

Barrier dysfunction of airway epithelium contributes to the development of allergies, airway hyper-responsiveness and immunological respiratory diseases. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) enhance and restore the barrier function of the intestinal epithelium. This study investigated whether acetate, propionate and butyrate enhance the integrity of bronchial epithelial cells. Differentiating human bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE) grown on transwells were exposed to butyrate, propionate and acetate while trans-epithelial electrical resistance was monitored over time. Restorative effects of SCFA were investigated by subsequent incubation of cells with IL-4, IL-13 or house dust mite extract and SCFA. SCFA effects on IL-4-induced cytokine production and the expression of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) signalling pathways were investigated by ELISA and Western blot assays. Propionate and butyrate enhanced the barrier function of differentiating 16HBE cells and induced complete recovery of the barrier function after exposure to the above-mentioned stimuli. Butyrate decreased IL-4-induced IL-6 production. IL-4 decreased ZO-1 protein expression and induced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) and c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) in 16HBE cells, both of which could be restored by SCFA. SCFA showed prophylactic and restorative effects on airway epithelial barrier function, which might be induced by increased ZO-1 expression.     

Transgenerational Effects of Di(2-Ethylhexyl) Phthalate on Anogenital Distance,Sperm Functions and DNA Methylation in Rat Offspring

Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is widely used as a plasticizer in the manufacture of polyvinylchloride plastics and has been associated with concerns regarding male reproductive toxicity. In this study, we hypothesized that maternal exposure to DEHP induces transgenerational inheritance of adult-onset adverse reproductive outcomes through the male germline in the F1, F2, and F3 generations of male offspring. Pregnant rats were treated with 5 or 500 mg of DEHP/kg/day through gavage from gestation day 0 to birth. The offspring body weight, anogenital distance (AGD), anogenital index (AGI), sperm count, motility, and DNA fragmentation index (DFI) were measured for all generations. Methyl-CpG binding domain sequencing was performed to analyze sperm DNA methylation status in the F3. DEHP exposure at 500 mg/kg affected AGD, AGI, sperm count, mean DFI, and %DFI in the F1; AGD, sperm count, and mean DFI in the F2; and AGD, AGI, mean DFI, and %DFI in the F3. DEHP exposure at 5 mg/kg affected AGD, AGI, sperm count, and %DFI in the F1; sperm count in the F2; and AGD and AGI in F3. Compared with the control group, 15 and 45 differentially hypermethylated genes were identified in the groups administered 5 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg DEHP, respectively. Moreover, 130 and 6 differentially hypomethylated genes were observed in the groups administered 5 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg DEHP. Overall, these results demonstrated that prenatal exposure to DEHP caused transgenerational epigenetic effects, which may explain the observed phenotypic changes in the male reproductive system.     

Anisotropy Effects in the Shape-Memory Performance of Polymer Foams

Isotropic and anisotropic shape-memory polymer foams are prepared by supercritical carbon dioxide foaming from a multiblock copolymer (PDLCL) consisting of poly(ω-pentadecalactone) and poly(ε-caprolactone) segments. Analysis by micro-computed tomography reveals for the anisotropic PDLCL foam cells a high shape anisotropy ratio of R = 1.72 ± 0.62 with a corresponding Young's compression moduli ratio between longitudinal and transversal direction of 4.3. The experimental compression data in the linear elastic range can be well described by the anisotropic open foam model of Gibson and Ashby. A micro-morphological analysis for single pores using scanning electron microscopy images permits the correlation between the macroscopic stress-compression behavior and microscale structural changes.     

浅谈电子电工技术在电力系统中的应用

本文针对电子电工技术在电力系统中的作用进行了分析,同时为该技术的推广提出了相应的建议。     

基于PolyWorks虚拟装配间隙面差计算分析研究

随着当今社会汽车制造业的迅猛发展,高标准和高需求已经是消费者对汽车制造凯歌的主旋律。而这其中,汽车钣金件的间隙面差就是其中一个重要因素。快速检测间隙面差是否满足设计要求直接关系到汽车白车身的生产精度和企业的工作效率。传统计算间隙面差大多利用量具,易划伤被测物且在零件实际装配后才可测量,降低生产效率,而非接触测量造价昂贵。本课题基于实物的汽车钣金件虚拟装配,对间隙面差的计算方法进行分类与参数调整,提出一种高效率、高标准的间隙面差计算流程。     

Effect of sintering temperature on the transport properties of La2Ce2O7 ceramic materials

La₂Ce₂O₇ (LCO) based materials are of a paramount importance since they can be utilized for ammonium production, thermal barrier application, catalysts, hydrogen production and solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). In this work, a nano crystalline LCO powder was prepared using glycine-nitrate combustion method and then its properties were comprehensively characterized. The structural analysis of the synthesized LCO was carried out using conventional X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. In a disordered phase, LCO is a biphasic mixture composed of C- and F-type phases. Densification studies were performed by sintering LCO pellets at different sintering temperatures. A densification of ≥95% was observed in all the samples with a very little variation. Sintering temperature had a marked effect on the electrical conductivity of LCO. The LCO sintered at 1100 °C showed the highest conductivity (3.68 mS/cm at 700 °C in air). The electrical conductivity was found to be decreasing with an increase in sintering temperature from 1100 to 1400 °C. To understand the behavior, the analysis of distribution function of relaxation times (DFRTs) utilized for correct separation of grain and grain boundary resistances. The presence of C- and F- type phases calculated from Raman spectra plays a crucial role in deciding conduction behavior of LCO. The results suggest a strong relationship between history of the ceramics preparation and their electrical properties.     

Copy Move Forgery Detection based on double matching

Copy Move is a technique widespreadly used in digital image tampering, meaning Copy Move Forgery Detection (CMFD) is still a significant research. In this paper, a novel CMFD method is proposed, including double matching process and region localizing process. In double matching process, the first matching is conducted on Delaunay triangles consisting of Local Intensity Order Pattern (LIOP) keypoints, to find the approximate location of suspicious regions. In order to find sufficient keypoint pairs, the existing set of matching triangles is expanded by adding their neighbors iteratively, covering the whole tampered regions, and the second matching with a looser threshold is conducted on the vertices. In the region localizing process, considering the case of multiple copies, Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN) is used to classify the keypoint pairs described in a new model. Experimental results indicate that the proposed method, with good robustness, outperforms some state-of-the-art methods.     

Skeletal Muscle Health and Cognitive Function: A Narrative Review

Sarcopenia is the loss of skeletal muscle mass and function with advancing age. It involves both complex genetic and modifiable risk factors, such as lack of exercise, malnutrition and reduced neurological drive. Cognitive decline refers to diminished or impaired mental and/or intellectual functioning. Contracting skeletal muscle is a major source of neurotrophic factors, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which regulate synapses in the brain. Furthermore, skeletal muscle activity has important immune and redox effects that modify brain function and reduce muscle catabolism. The identification of common risk factors and underlying mechanisms for sarcopenia and cognition may allow the development of targeted interventions that slow or reverse sarcopenia and also certain forms of cognitive decline. However, the links between cognition and skeletal muscle have not been elucidated fully. This review provides a critical appraisal of the literature on the relationship between skeletal muscle health and cognition. The literature suggests that sarcopenia and cognitive decline share pathophysiological pathways. Ageing plays a role in both skeletal muscle deterioration and cognitive decline. Furthermore, lifestyle risk factors, such as physical inactivity, poor diet and smoking, are common to both disorders, so their potential role in the muscle–brain relationship warrants investigation.     

基于“炉机对应”原则的连浇优化方案

国内某炼钢厂为保证浇注周期较短的2号连铸机连浇，多座转炉需同时向该连铸机供应钢水，导致炉 机对应关系不明确，生产组织难度较大。通过对该厂炼钢 连铸过程的工序作业周期与生产运行模式进行解析，在保证连铸机连浇的基础上，探究合理的炉 机对应关系，改善该厂的生产顺行。结果表明，在“一一对应”运行模式下，2号连铸机最大连浇炉数仅为6炉；而在“定炉对定机”运行模式下，若适时接受3号转炉冶炼的钢水，2号连铸机最大连浇炉数可延长至19炉。在此基础上，通过对连铸机“柔性”的优化和钢水供应的合理调配，2号连铸机可满足实际生产的连浇要求。此外，运用“炉→机”匹配度进行评价，计算结果表明优化后的炉 机对应关系得到显著改善。     

物联网中基于Multi-Agent的物间动态关系发现

物联网中存在大量异构关系的实体，其信息间的交互造成了物联网的内在矛盾。针对这一问题，提出将物联网中实体抽象化为对应的Agent，并以个体人为中心，利用本体的语义匹配及改进的物间动态关系计算方法，计算出针对个体人的物间动态关系；将原本异构的实体关系转化为Agent间基于动态关系紧密度排序的网络关系。经实验验证，该方法构建的关系网络可明显改善异构实体间交互的矛盾，而且相比原有类似方法，该方法解决问题的准确率和误差率均有改善，说明了该方法的准确性和可行性。