Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a common malignancy with poor prognosis. The drug resistance compromises the efficacy of chemotherapy for ESCC. Long non-coding RNA taurine upregulated gene 1 (TUG1) has been identified as a promoter of cancer progression and chemotherapy resistance in many malignancies. However, the exact role of TUG1 in ESCC chemotherapy resistance remains unclear. In this study, we showed that TUG1 expression in TE-1-derived cisplatin (DDP)-resistant (TE-1/DDP) cells was higher than that in TE-1 cells. Furthermore, TUG1 promoted DDP resistance in TE-1 and TE-1/DDP cells by promoting cell proliferation, suppressing cell apoptosis, and elevating protein expression of the classical multi-drug resistance-related P-gp. In contrast, TUG1 knockdown exerted an opposite effect. Mechanistically, RNA pull-down and RNA immunoprecipitation assays confirmed that TUG1 directly bound to nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) protein and elevated Nrf2 protein expression. Moreover, Nrf2-neutralizing antibody effectively reversed the TUG1 overexpression-mediated promotion of ESCC cell resistance to DDP. In conclusion, our findings demonstrated that TUG1 promoted ESCC cell resistance to DDP, at least in part, through upregulating Nrf2.

OME in children is associated with pure tone hearing thresholds ranging from normal to moderate hearing loss. The hierarchical clustering algorithm proved useful as a novel means of profiling hearing loss in children with OME and may assist in identifying affected children at greater risk of auditory disadvantage. Implications for rehabilitation A hierarchical cluster analysis method can be used to determine audiometric profiles in children with OME. This algorithm assists to identify children at greater risk of auditory disadvantage. Cluster groups with more elevated pure tone thresholds may be targeted for priority in clinical surveillance and medical/surgical intervention.

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The final coverage and associated performance of a single frequency networks (SFNs) is a joint result of the properties of all transmitters in the SFN. Due to the large number of parameters involved in the process, finding the right configuration is quite complex. The purpose of this paper is to find optimal SFN network configurations for second generation digital terrestrial broadcast system (DVB-T2). Offering more options of system parameters than its predecessor DVB-T, DVB-T2 allows large SFN networks. However, self-interference in SFNs gives rise to restrictions on the maximum intertransmitter distance and the network size. In order to make optimum use of the spectrum, the same frequency can be reused over different geographical areas-beyond the reuse distance to avoid co-channel interference. In this paper, a methodology based on theoretical network models is proposed. A number of network architectures and network reference models are considered here for different reception modes in order to study the effects of key planning factors on the maximum SFN size and minimum reuse distance. The results show that maximum bitrate, network size, and reuse distance are closely related. In addition, it has been found that the guard interval is not the only limiting parameter and that its impact strongly depends on the rest of DVB-T2 mode parameters as well as on the network characteristics (equivalent radiated power, effective height, and intertransmitter distance). Assuming that the carrier to noise ratio requirements are in the vicinity of 20 dB and bitrates over 30 Mb/s, it has been found that the network can be as large as 360 × 360 km (delivering 39.2 Mb/s) or even 720 × 720 km (delivering 37.5 Mb/s). The reuse distance will also have a complex dependency on the DVB-T2 mode and especially the network parameters, ranging from below 100 to 300 km.Index Terms-Maximum size, reuse distance, second generation digital terrestrial broadcast system (DVB-T2), single frequency network (SFN), low-power-low-tower (LPLT), high-power-high-tower (HPHT).

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A digital microfluidic system with an innovative control structure and chip design to generate concentrations that span three to four orders of magnitude for single or multi-drug dispensing was developed.

Ascorbic acid (AA) electrochemical sensor upon modification with porous g-C 3 N 4 (PCN)/Poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) composite was constructed by a facile co-deposited method. The obtained PCN bearing more oxygen-containing functional groups demonstrates excellent dispersion. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy were performed to evaluate the structure and morphology of PCN/PEDOT composite. Detailed electrochemical behaviors of AA were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV). Under the optimal experimental conditions, the oxidation peak current was linear with the concentration of AA in a wide range from 10 μM to 1500 μM. The combination of PCN and PEDOT brings out large electro-active area and facilitates the electron-transfer greatly, which makes PCN/PEDOT composite appear to be an excellent choice as modified material for the construction of AA sensor.

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