Description: Two new alkaloids, mappine A ( 1 ) and mapposidic acid ( 2 ), together with eleven known compounds, were isolated from the stems of Mappianthus iodoides Hand.-Mazz. Their structures were elucidated by means of spectroscopic and mass-spectrometric analyses, particularly 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy. The cytotoxic activities of the two new alkaloids were also evaluated.

Description: The paper aimed to explore the specific function and mechanism of miR-144-3p in glioblastoma (GBM) cells with different PTEN (Phosphatase and Tensin homolog) phenotypes. We demonstrated that the miR-144-3p level was significantly down-regulated in glioma compared with the non-neoplastic brain tissues, and decreased with ascending grades. The loss of miR-144-3p effectively predicted the decreased overall survival in glioma patients. Interestingly, the expression of MET was up-regulated and inversely associated with miR-144-3p level in glioma tissues. Next, we certified that miR-144-3p specifically bound to MET 3′ UTR and inhibited its expression. miR-144-3p potently repressed GBM cell proliferation and invasion via suppressing MET in vitro and in vivo. In addition, our results showed no difference in malignancy inhibition induced by miR-144-3p in GBM cells with different PTEN phenotypes. miR-144-3p inhibited several survival signaling pathways by targeting MET independent of PTEN status in GBM cells. Over-expression of miR-144-3p inhibited survival capability and increased apoptosis, resulting in enhancement of radiation and temozolomide (TMZ) sensitivity. Our data provide new insights into the potential application of miR-144-3p in GBM therapy by targeting MET and then inhibiting downstream signaling. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Description: Velutinalide C ( 4 ), a new polycyclic phragmalin limonoid featuring a C(15)–C(21) linkage and a C 4 unit at C(15), together with two known related compounds, chukfuransins C and D ( 2 and 3 , resp.), was isolated from the leaves of Chukrasia tabularis var. velutina. The structure of the new compound 4 was elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses and comparison with literature data.

Description: A novel correction method for self-absorption effects is proposed for extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) detected in the fluorescence mode on multilayer samples. The effects of refraction and multiple reflection at the interfaces are fully considered in this correction method. The correction is performed in k -space before any further data analysis, and it can be applied to single-layer or multilayer samples with flat surfaces and without thickness limit when the model parameters for the samples are known. The validity of this method is verified by the fluorescence EXAFS data collected for a Cr/C multilayer sample measured at different experimental geometries.

Description: As transport sector takes a big share of the whole energy consumption in China, it is crucial to predict its energy demand. To forecast China's transport energy demand, group method of data handling (GMDH) was introduced. The model can help policymakers’ select influential variables and build prediction models automatically. Furthermore, it can reduce the negative impact of the noise in the Chinese statistical data. To produce comparable results, four of the six data sets used in this paper contain the same variables as in previously published research. Artificial neural networks (ANN), GMDH, multiple linear regression (MLR), and support vector machine (SVM) models were trained using fivefold cross-validation. The performance of these models was measured in terms of coefficient of determination and root mean square error. Results showed that GMDH achieved better performance than the other models. Finally, projections were made with two scenarios. Both of the projected results showed that the energy demands peak in certain years and then decrease gradually. This study suggests that GDP is not the essential variable, while urbanization rate is an important variable to forecast the transport energy demand in China. It also suggests that Chinese government needs to prepare for the development and deployment of transport energy. To forecast China's transport energy demand, group method of data handling (GMDH) was introduced. Projections were made with two scenarios. Both of the projected results showed that the energy demands peak in certain years and then decrease gradually.

Description: Double infections of Wolbachia and Spiroplasma are frequent in natural populations of Tetranychus truncatus , a polyphagous mite species that has been a dominant species in China since 2009. However, little is known about the causes and ecological importance of such coexistences. In this study, we established T. truncatus strains with different infection types and then inferred the impact of the two endosymbionts on host reproduction and fitness. Double infection induced cytoplasmic incompatibility, which was demonstrated by reduction in egg hatchability of incompatible crosses. However, doubly infected females produced more eggs relative to other strains. Wolbachia and Spiroplasma did not affect host survival, whereas doubly infected females and males developed faster than other strains. Such reproduction and fitness benefits provided by double infections may be associated with the lower densities of each symbiont, and the quantitative results also confirmed competition between Wolbachia and Spiroplasma in doubly infected females. These symbiont-conferred beneficial effects maintain stable prevalence of the symbionts and also help drive T. truncatus outbreaks in combination with other environmental factors. The symbiont-conferred beneficial effects on spider mite Tetranychus truncatus maintain stable prevalence of the symbionts and also help drive spider mite outbreaks in combination with other environmental factors.

Description: A new naphthoquinone, 6-hydroxy- α -dunnione ( 1 ) and a new binaphthoquinone, methyl 1,1′,4,4′-tetrahydro-3-hydroxy-1,1′,4,4′-tetraoxo[2,2′-binaphthalene]-3′-carboxylate ( 2 ), along with ten known compounds, including naphthoquinones, anthraquinones, and phenylethanoid glucosides, were isolated from the roots of Didymocarpus hedyotideus Chun . Their structures were identified by spectroscopic analyses, particularly 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy. The cytotoxic activities of the two new naphthoquinones were also evaluated.

Description: Symmetry, Vol. 9, Pages 169: An Extended VIKOR Method Using Intuitionistic Fuzzy Sets and Combination Weights for Supplier Selection Symmetry doi: 10.3390/sym9090169 Authors: Jiansen Zhao Xiao-Yue You Hu-Chen Liu Song-Man Wu Supplier selection is a complex multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem, which considers a number of alternative suppliers as well as conflicting and noncommensurable criteria. Considering the fact that it is difficult to precisely determine criteria weights and the ratings of alternatives on each criterion in real-life situations, the VIKOR (VIsekriterijumska optimizacija i KOmpromisno Resenje) method has been modified for intuitionistic fuzzy data in this study for supplier evaluation and selection. Further, we take into account both subjective and objective weights of criteria in the decision-making process, as most supplier selection approaches consider only subjective criteria weights. Finally, two supplier selection examples are provided to illustrate the proposed intuitionistic fuzzy hybrid VIKOR (IFH-VIKOR) method, and its merits are highlighted by comparing it with other relevant approaches.

Description: IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 934: Identifying Key Performance Indicators for Holistic Hospital Management with a Modified DEMATEL Approach International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph14080934 Authors: Sheng-Li Si Xiao-Yue You Hu-Chen Liu Jia Huang Performance analysis is an important way for hospitals to achieve higher efficiency and effectiveness in providing services to their customers. The performance of the healthcare system can be measured by many indicators, but it is difficult to improve them simultaneously due to the limited resources. A feasible way is to identify the central and influential indicators to improve healthcare performance in a stepwise manner. In this paper, we propose a hybrid multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) approach to identify key performance indicators (KPIs) for holistic hospital management. First, through integrating evidential reasoning approach and interval 2-tuple linguistic variables, various assessments of performance indicators provided by healthcare experts are modeled. Then, the decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) technique is adopted to build an interactive network and visualize the causal relationships between the performance indicators. Finally, an empirical case study is provided to demonstrate the proposed approach for improving the efficiency of healthcare management. The results show that “accidents/adverse events”, “nosocomial infection”, ‘‘incidents/errors”, “number of operations/procedures” are significant influential indicators. Also, the indicators of “length of stay”, “bed occupancy” and “financial measures” play important roles in performance evaluation of the healthcare organization. The proposed decision making approach could be considered as a reference for healthcare administrators to enhance the performance of their healthcare institutions.

Description: Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a highly invasive and chemoresistant malignancy induced by asbestos fibers. NK4, a HGF antagonist and angiogenesis inhibitor, consists of the N-terminal hairpin domain and four kringle domains of the α-chain of HGF. The therapeutic potential of NK4 has been demonstrated in a variety of tumor types. However, the mechanisms by which NK4 inhibits tumor growth have not been well delineated. In this study, we show that the NK4 adenovirus (Ad-NK4) potently inhibits cell viability, invasiveness, and tumorigenicity of human MM cells. Significantly, we demonstrate for the first time that Ad-NK4 inhibits cancer stem-like cell (CSC) properties as assessed by spheroid formation assay, side population analysis, and flow cytometric sorting of CD24 cells. In addition to inhibiting phosphorylation of Met and AKT, Ad-NK4 markedly suppressed the active form of β-catenin, a key mediator of both Wnt and AKT pathways. We further demonstrate that expression of NK4 suppresses β-catenin nuclear localization and transcriptional activity. Intriguingly, the expression levels of Oct4 and Myc, two critical stem cell factors and downstream targets of β-catenin, were also diminished by Ad-NK4. Furthermore, the strong antitumor effect of NK4 was found to be linked to its ability to inhibit CSCs as revealed by immunohistochemical examination of tumor specimens from a mouse xenograft model of human MM. These findings suggest that NK4 acts as a CSC inhibitor by impeding Met/AKT/β-catenin signaling and holds promise for achieving durable therapeutic responses in MM by constraining the CSC component of these aggressive tumors. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.