Video semantic recognition usually suffers from the curse of dimensionality and the absence of enough high-quality labeled instances, thus semisupervised feature selection gains increasing attentions for its efficiency and comprehensibility. Most of the previous methods assume that videos with close distance (neighbors) have similar labels and characterize the intrinsic local structure through a predetermined graph of both labeled and unlabeled data. However, besides the parameter tuning problem underlying the construction of the graph, the affinity measurement in the original feature space usually suffers from the curse of dimensionality. Additionally, the predetermined graph separates itself from the procedure of feature selection, which might lead to downgraded performance for video semantic recognition. In this paper, we exploit a novel semisupervised feature selection method from a new perspective. The primary assumption underlying our model is that the instances with similar labels should have a larger probability of being neighbors. Instead of using a predetermined similarity graph, we incorporate the exploration of the local structure into the procedure of joint feature selection so as to learn the optimal graph simultaneously. Moreover, an adaptive loss function is exploited to measure the label fitness, which significantly enhances model's robustness to videos with a small or substantial loss. We propose an efficient alternating optimization algorithm to solve the proposed challenging problem, together with analyses on its convergence and computational complexity in theory. Finally, extensive experimental results on benchmark datasets illustrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed approach on video semantic recognition related tasks.

semisupervised learning , video semantic recognition , Feature selection , manifold regularization

Rationale: Endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) is implicated in myofibroblast-like cell-mediated damage to the coronary arterial wall in acute Kawasaki disease (KD) patients, as evidenced by positive staining for connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and EndoMT markers in KD autopsy tissues. However, little is known about the molecular basis of EndoMT involved in KD. Objective: We investigated the microRNA (miRNA) regulation of CTGF and the consequent EndoMT in KD pathogenesis. As well, the modulation of this process by statin therapy was studied. Methods and Results: Sera from healthy children and KD subjects were incubated with human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Cardiovascular disease-related miRNAs, CTGF, and EndoMT markers were quantified using reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction, ELISA, and Western blotting. Compared with healthy controls, human umbilical vein endothelial cell incubated with sera from acute KD patients had decreased miR-483, increased CTGF, and increased EndoMT markers. Bioinformatics analysis followed by functional validation demonstrated that Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) transactivates miR-483, which in turn targets the 3' untranslated region of CTGF mRNA. Overexpression of KLF4 or pre-miR-483 suppressed, whereas knockdown of KLF4 or anti-miR-483 enhanced, CTGF expression in endothelial cells in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, atorvastatin, currently being tested in a phase I/IIa clinical trial in KD children, induced KLF4-miR-483, which suppressed CTGF and EndoMT in endothelial cells. Conclusions: KD sera suppress the KLF4-miR-483 axis in endothelial cells, leading to increased expression of CTGF and induction of EndoMT. This detrimental process in the endothelium may contribute to coronary artery abnormalities in KD patients. Statin therapy may benefit acute KD patients, in part, through the restoration of KLF4-miR-483 expression.

microRNA , endothelial dysfunction , miR-483 , CTGF , Kawasaki disease , atorvastatin , EndoMT

Layered alpha-Ni(OH)(2) and its, derivative bimetallic hydroxides (e.g., alpha-(Ni/Co)(OH)(2)) have attracted much attention due to their high Specific capacitance, although their insufficient cycling stability has blocked their wide application in various technologies. In this work; we demonstrate that the cycling performance of alpha-(Ni/Co)(OH)(2) can be obviously enhanced via the intrinsic pillar effect of metaborate. Combining the high porosity feature of the metaborate stabilized alpha-(Ni/CO)(OH)(2) and the improved electronic conductivity Offered by graphene substrate, the average capacitance fading rate of the metaborate stabilized alpha-(Ni/Co)(OH)(2) is only similar to 0.0017% per cycle within 10 000 cycles at the current density of 5 A g(-1). The rate performance is excellent over a wide temperature range from -20 to 40 degrees C. We believe that the enhancements should mainly be ascribed to the excellent structural stability offered by the metaborate pillars, and the detailed mechanism is discussed.

bimetallic hydroxides , Pillar effect , graphene , metaborate , supercapacitor

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Bletilla striata (Thunb.) Reichb. f. (Orchidaceae), also known as Hyacinth Orchid and Baiji (Simplified Chinese: ), not only has been widely used for the treatment of hematemesis, hemoptysis, and traumatic bleeding due to the efficacy of arresting bleeding with astringent action, but also has been applied topically to overcome ulcers, sores, swellings, and chapped skin due to the efficacy of dispersing swelling and promoting tissue regeneration. Additional medical applications include the treatment of tuberculosis, malignant ulcers, hemorrhoids, anthrax, eye diseases, and silicosis. Aim of this review: This review aims to provide up-to-date information on the botanical characterization, medicinal uses, chemical constituents, pharmacological activities, and toxicity of B. striata. In addition, this paper also focuses on the possible exploitation of this plant for the treatment of different diseases, and uncovers opportunities for future research. Materials and methods: The relevant information on B. striata was gathered from worldwide accepted scientific databases via an electronic search (Google Scholar, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, ACS Publications, PubMed, Wiley Online Library, SciFinder, CNKI). Information was also obtained from The Plant List, Chinese pharmacopoeia, Chinese herbal classics books, PhD and MSc dissertations, etc. Results: A comprehensive analysis of the literature obtained through the above-mentioned sources confirmed that the ethnomedical usages of B. striata have been recorded in Mongolia, Korea, Japan, and China. Phytochemical investigations revealed that the major chemical constituents of B. striata are polysaccharides, bibenzyls, phenanthrenes, triterpenoids and its saponins, steroids and its saponins, which also have been proven to be the main bioactive substances capable of exhibiting numerous pharmacological activities including wound healing, antiulcer, hemostasis, cytotoxicity, antimicrobial, anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, immuno-modulation, anti-fibrosis, antiaging, anti-allergy, and anti-itch. Conclusions: Preliminary investigations on pharmacological properties of B. striata have shown that B. striata is an outstanding astringent hemostatic medicinal, B. striata polysaccharides (BSP) as the major bioactive components not only capable of promoting wound healing, but also show good performance as a kind of promising natural biomaterial. More importantly, BSP are also reported to be excellent embolic material. However, further investigations need to be carried out to fully clarify its efficacy of dispersing swelling and promoting tissue regeneration. Moreover, this plant also needs a lot more investigations to clarify the pathways of absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion, and to evaluate its long-term in vivo chronic toxicity before proceeding to the development of pharmaceutical formulation.

Phenanthrenes , Biomaterials , Bletilla striata , Wound healing , Polysaccharides

Background and AimDaclatasvir plus asunaprevir (DCV+ASV) has demonstrated potent antiviral activity in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1b infection. A definite conclusion about efficacy and safety of DCV+ASV in patients with HCV genotype 1b is not available. A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate outcomes of all-oral treatment with DCV+ASV in terms of sustained virological response at 12 (SVR12) and 24 (SVR24) weeks and adverse effects after the end of treatment. MethodsPUBMED, MEDLINE, and EMBASE databases were searched in May 2016. The data were analyzed with Review Manager 5.3. ResultsNine trials (n=1690) met entry criteria. SVR12 was achieved by 89.9% of treatment-naive patients, 84.7% of interferon-ineligible/intolerant patients, and 81.9% of nonresponder patients. Moreover, 89.0% of interferon-ineligible/intolerant patients and 83.1% of nonresponder patients achieved SVR24. Baseline characteristics, including gender, race, advanced age, non-CC IL28B genotype, and cirrhosis, did not appear to impact SVR rates. However, the rate of SVR12 in all patients with viral load<8x10(5) was higher than that of all those with viral load8x10(5) (151/162 vs 625/753). Moreover, pre-existing nonstructural protein 5A resistance-associated variants (RAVs) were associated with virological failure during DCV+ASV therapy, resulting in the emergence of multiple RAVs. Treatment with DCV+ASV was well tolerated, with low incidences of serious adverse effects, discontinuations, and grade 3 or 4 laboratory abnormalities in all patients. ConclusionsDaclatasvir plus asunaprevir provides a highly effective and well-tolerated treatment option for patients with HCV genotype 1b. However, patients with nonstructural protein 5A RAVs at baseline should be assessed to optimize more potent direct antiviral agent therapies.

daclatasvir , hepatitis C virus , hepatitis C virus genotype 1b , hepatitis C virus genotype 1 , asunaprevir

The present work focuses on the fully developed mixed turbulent flow and heat transfer in receiver tube heated by non-uniform heat flux, especially the effect of local buoyancy force induced by the nonuniform heat flux at Reynolds number of 2 x 10(4)-10(5), Prandtl number of 1.5 and Grashof number of 0-1012. The friction factor and Nusselt number between forced convection and mixed convection under uniform heat flux and non-uniform heat flux are analyzed quantitatively. The effect of solar elevation angle on the fluid flow and heat transfer is also investigated. It is concluded that the mixed fluid flow and heat transfer under non-uniform heat flux is different from that under uniform heat flux. The solar elevation angle has strong influence on the mixed fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics. A criterion for the buoyancy free is proposed. It is not feasible to perform the heat transfer design and prediction for parabolic trough solar collector based on the experimental correlations for forced convection or conventional mixed convention. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Local buoyancy force , Non-uniform heat flux , Parabolic trough solar collector , Fully developed mixed turbulent flow

Neisseria meningitidis (N. meningitidis), Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae), and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) are three most common pathogens accounting for most bacterial meningitis, a serious global infectious disease with high fatality, especially in developing nations. Because the treatment and antibiotics differ among each type, the identification of the exact bacteria causing the disease is vital. Herein, we report a polymer/paper hybrid microfluidic biochip integrated with loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) for multiplexed instrument-free diagnosis of these three major types of bacterial meningitis, with high sensitivity and specificity. Results can be visually observed by the naked eye or imaged by a smartphone camera under a portable UV light source. Without using any specialized laboratory instrument, the limits of detection of a few DNA copies per LAMP zone for N. meningitidis, S. pneumoniae and Hib were achieved within 1 h. In addition, these three types of microorganisms spiked in artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF) were directly detected simultaneously, avoiding cumbersome sample preparation procedures in conventional methods. Compared with the paper-free non-hybrid microfluidic biochip over a period of three months, the hybrid microfluidic biochip was found to have a much longer shelf life. Hence, this rapid, instrument-free and highly sensitive microfluidic approach has great potential for point-of-care (POC) diagnosis of multiple infectious diseases simultaneously, especially in resource-limited settings.

Hybrid microfluidic biochip , Instrument-free detection , LAMP , Low-resource settings , Multiplexed meningitis diagnosis

A series of hollow MnOx-CeO2 mixed oxide catalysts were prepared by employing carbon as hard templates. The activity tests reveal that the catalytic performance of MnOx-CeO2(CS) samples are more active than that of MnOx-CeO2(AC) sample, indicating carbon sphere (CS) as a more effective carbon template. Among these samples, MnOx-CeO2(CS1) sample exhibits the best activity, for which a maximal NO conversion (similar to 82%) could be attained at 220 degrees C when GHSV = 120,000 h(-1). In addition, the NO conversion could be further improved with lower NO initial concentration or higher O-2 content. Under the simulated flue gas condition, the activity of MnOx-CeO2(CS1) sample is barely affected by the presence of CO2, but the influence of H2O and SO2 couldn't be neglected. The characterization result proves that the core-shell hollow structure has been successfully synthesized over MnOx-CeO2 binary oxides. For the hollow MnOx-CeO2 sample, the mesopore structures are formed and the MnOx oxides are highly dispersed on CeO2 support. Among these samples, MnOx-CeO2(CS1) sample possesses the largest S-BET and V-total values. The result of H-2-TPR and oxygen pulse measurement indicates that MnOx-CeO2(CS) samples, especially MnOx-CeO2(CS1) exhibits the best redox property. Moreover, more amount of high valence Mn as redox active sites and more oxygen vacancies exist in MnOx-CeO2(CS1) proved by XPS technique. Overall, these properties may contribute to the excellent activity. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

NO oxidation , Hollow mixed oxides , Oxygen storage capacity (OSC) , MnOx-CeO2 , Carbon sphere template

A numerical method was developed to simulate the fouling processes on tubes. The detailed particle deposition and removal mechanisms were included in the model and the evolution of the shape of fouling layers was obtained. Multiple-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann method (MRT-LBM) and finite volume method (FVM) were coupled to simulate the air flow. The particle motion was simulated by the probabilistic cellular automata model. The restitution coefficient was calculated by energy conservation and used as the deposition criterion. The particle removal was determined by the force and moment analysis. Since the simulation time was much shorter than the real time of the fouling process, a ratio was proposed for the time conversion between the simulation time and real time. The fouling processes for different particle diameters and inlet velocities were simulated by the proposed method. When the mass concentration was specified, small particles had large fouling rates. The fouling area grew linearly with time without removal mechanism, but grew exponentially to an asymptotic balance value when the removal mechanism was considered. The mass flux, particle deposition and removal were simultaneously influenced by the inlet velocity, so the relation between the inlet velocity and fouling rate was not monotonic. A velocity range existed in which the fouling rate was high. The removal was severe on the windward side and the area right behind the tubes, but relatively moderate on the laterals of the leeward side. The fouling layers grew on the entire leeward side of the tubes. On the windward side, the cone-shaped fouling layers were formed, which changed the flow and stopped the further particle deposition. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fouling , Waste heat recovery , Particle deposition , Lattice Boltzmann method , Finite volume method , Removal

© 2017 Acta Materialia Inc.Numerous antimicrobial coatings have been developed for biomedical devices/implants, but few can simultaneously fulfill the requirements for antimicrobial and antifouling ability and biocompatibility. In this study, to develop an antimicrobial and antibiofilm surface coating, diblock amphiphilic molecules with antimicrobial and antifouling segments in a single chain were rationally designed and synthesized. Cationic antimicrobial polypeptides (AMP) were first synthesized by N-carboxyanhydride ring-opening polymerization (NCA-ROP). Heterofunctionalized poly(ethylene glycol) with different lengths (methacrylate-PEGn-tosyl, n=10/45/90) was synthesized and site-specifically conjugated with polypeptides to form diblock amphiphiles. Along with increased PEG chain length, hemolytic activity was considerably improved, and broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity is retained. Three MA-PEGn-b-AMP copolymers were further grafted onto the surface of silicone rubber (a commonly used catheter material) via plasma/UV-induced surface polymerizations to form a bottlebrush-like coating with excellent antimicrobial activity against several pathogenic bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus), and effectively prevent biofilm formation. This bottlebrush coating also greatly reduced protein adsorption and platelet adhesion, indicating its excellent antifouling ability. An in vitro cytotoxicity study also demonstrated that this coating is biocompatible with mammalian cells. After subcutaneous implantation of the materials in rats, we demonstrated that the g-PEG45-b-AMP bottlebrush coating exhibits significant anti-infective activity in vivo. Thus, this facilely synthesized PEGylated AMP bottlebrush coating is a feasible method to prevent biomedical devices-associated infections. Statement of Significance: Current antimicrobial coatings are often associated with concerns such as antibiotic resistance, environmental pollution, short-time antimicrobial activity, biofouling, poor blood compatibility and cytotoxicity, etc. To overcome these drawbacks, a robust PEGylated cationic amphiphilic peptides-based bottlebrush-like surface coating is demonstrated here, which fulfil the requirements of antimicrobial and antifouling as well as biocompatibility in the meantime. Briefly, the rational designed g-PEGn-b-AMP block copolymers (n=10/45/90) were synthesized and grafted on silicone surface. This bottlebrush-like coating efficiently kill the contacted bacteria and prevent the biofilm formation, greatly reduced protein and platelet adhesion. It also exhibits excellent blood compatibility and low cytotoxicity in vitro. In particular, g-PEG45-b-AMP coating exhibits significant anti-infection effect in vivo. This coating offering an effective strategy for combating biomedical devices-associated infections.

Antibiofilm | Antifouling | Antimicrobial polypeptides | Polymer bottlebrush | Surface coating