Search

Dual-specificity phosphatase 12 (DUSP12) is abnormally expressed under various pathological conditions and plays a crucial role in the pathological progression of disorders. however, the role of DUSP12 in cerebral ischaemia/reperfusion injury has not yet been investigated. this study explored the possible link between DUSP12 and cerebral ischaemia/reperfusion injury using an oxygen-glucose deprivation/ reoxygenation (OGD/R) model. Marked decreases in DUSP12 levels have been observed in cultured neurons exposed to OGD/R. DUSP12-overexpressed neurons were resistant to OGD/R-induced apoptosis and inflammation, whereas DUSP12-deficient neurons were vulnerable to OGD/R-evoked injuries. Further investigation revealed that DUSP12 overexpression or deficiency affects the phosphorylation of apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1), c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in neurons under OGD/R conditions. Moreover, blockade of ASK1 diminished the regulatory effect of DUSP12 deficiency on JNK and p38 MAPK activation. in addition, DUsP12-deficiency-elicited effects exacerbating neuronal OGD/R injury were reversed by ASK1 blockade. in summary, DUSP12 protects against neuronal OGD/R injury by reducing apoptosis and inflammation through inactivation of the ASK1-JNK/p38 MAPK pathway. these findings imply a neuroprotective function for DUSP12 in cerebral ischaemia/reperfusion injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the unbalanced emission reductions in ozone precursors in recent years, ozone trends and the causes of their variations in eastern China remain insufficiently understood. To explore the factors controlling ozone trends in eastern China, the long-term ozone precursors observation experiment was conducted. Combined with the satellite and surface measurements, the trend of low, typical and peak ozone concentrations in eastern China was evaluated in detail. Observation results show that the surface peak ozone concentrations significantly decreased (-0.5% per year) while low ozone concentrations increased (0.3% per year) in eastern China during May-September 2017-2022. The underlying cause of surface low and peak ozone trends in eastern China is anthropogenic emission. Ozone formation sensitivity is in VOC-limited regime or transition regime during periods (8:00-11:00) of sharp increases in ozone concentrations, and it is usually in NOx-limited regime when the ozone concentration reaches its peak (~14:00). Substantial reductions in nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions have diametrically opposed effects on peak (decreasing) and low (increasing) ozone concentrations, and reducing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) concentrations is the key to reversing the current high ozone level situation in eastern China. In addition, there are obvious interannual variations of surface O3 formation sensitivity on spatial scales through long-term satellite observations, in which area proportion of VOC-limited regime is decreasing while the area proportion of NOx-limited regime is increasing. Our results highlight the positive impacts of NOx reduction in controlling peak O3 levels, and regular changes in the ozone formation sensitivity throughout the day should be taken into account when formulating ozone control policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The study of how soil fauna interact with soil ecosystems is an important research field. At present, there has been little research on the diversity and distribution patterns of soil macroarthropods and on the relationship between soil fauna and environmental factors in Tibet. Methods: The data collection for soil macroarthropods and soil samples was conducted using the plum blossom five-point sampling method. Subsequently, the gathered data were meticulously organized and analyzed through a blend of ecological and statistical approaches. Results: In total, 2880 soil macroarthropods were captured from 19 plots in the Nianchu River Basin, and the soil macroarthropod Hill numbers was at its lowest in spring. Sea buckthorn forest habitats had the highest Hill numbers. We found that Carabidae, Lycosidae, and Formicidae were always dominant species during seasonal changes in the Nianchu River Basin. Among the four different habitat types studied, Carabidae always appeared across the four studied habitat types and was one of the most significant taxa. The niche range of soil macroarthropods was wetland habitat > farmland habitat > sea buckthorn forest habitat > grassland habitat, and their community within sea buckthorn forest habitats was stable. The niche breadth of soil macroarthropods was the largest in summer, and the community was stable. Soil temperature and soil water content were themost important factors affecting the alpha diversity of soil macroarthropods, while altitude and soil temperature were the most important factors affecting their beta diversity. Discussion: In summary, the results provide a comprehensive overview of the seasonal and habitat dynamics of soil macroarthropods in the Nianchu River Basin; it is strongly believed that the research carried out in this paper can contribute valuable information toward further research on the soil fauna diversity and ecological functions in this area and provide a strong scientific basis for the protection and sustainable development of the Nianchu River Basin ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ni is the second most abundant element in the Earth's core. Yet, its effects on the inner core's structure and formation process are usually disregarded because of its electronic and size similarity with Fe. Using ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, we find that the bcc phase can spontaneously crystallize in liquid Ni at temperatures above Fe's melting point at inner core pressures. The melting temperature of Ni is shown to be 700 to 800 K higher than that of Fe at 323 to 360 GPa. hcp, bcc, and liquid phase relations differ for Fe and Ni. Ni can be a bcc stabilizer for Fe at high temperatures and inner core pressures. A small amount of Ni can accelerate Fe's crystallization at core pressures. These results suggest that Ni may substantially impact the structure and formation process of the solid inner core. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Hypertension is one of the leading causes of human death and disability. MTHFR and MTRR regulate folate metabolism and are closely linked to hypertension, although the relationship is inconsistent among different ethnic groups. The present study aims to investigate the effects of MTHFR C677T (rs1801133), MTHFR A1298C (rs1801131), and MTRR A66G (rs1801394) polymorphisms on hypertension susceptibility in the Bai nationality of the Yunnan Province, China. Methods: This case-control study included 373 hypertensive patients and 240 healthy controls from the Chinese Bai population. The genotyping of MTHFR and MTRR gene polymorphisms was carried out by using the KASP method. The effects of genetic variations of MTHFR and MTRR genes on hypertension risk were evaluated with odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Results: The present study revealed that the CT and TT genotypes and T allele of MTHFR C677T locus were considerably associated with an increased risk of hypertension. In addition, MTHFR A1298C locus CC genotype could significantly increase the hypertension risk. The T-A and C-C haplotypes of MTHFR C677T and MTHFR A1298C could increase the risk of hypertension. Further stratified analysis by risk rank of folate metabolism indicated that people with poor utilization of folic acid were more prone to develop hypertension. In the hypertension group, the MTHFR C677T polymorphism was significantly associated with fasting blood glucose, fructosamine, apolipoprotein A1, homocysteine, superoxide dismutase, and malondialdehyde levels. Conclusion: Our study suggested that genetic variations of MTHFR C677T and MTHFR A1298C were significantly associated with susceptibility to hypertension in the Bai population from Yunnan, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing popularity of artificial intelligence applications,machine learning is also playing an increasingly important role in the Internet of Things (IoT) and the Internet of Vehicles (IoV). As an essential part of the IoV, smart transportation relies heavily on information obtained from images. However, inclement weather, such as snowy weather, negatively impacts the process and can hinder the regular operation of imaging equipment and the acquisition of conventional image information. Not only that, but the snow also makes intelligent transportation systems make the wrong judgment of road conditions and the entire system of the Internet of Vehicles adverse. This paper describes the single image snow removal task and the use of a vision transformer to generate adversarial networks. The residual structure is used in the algorithm, and the Transformer structure is used in the network structure of the generator in the generative adversarial networks, which improves the accuracy of the snow removal task. Moreover, the vision transformer has good scalability and versatility for larger models and has a more vital fitting ability than the previously popular convolutional neural networks. The Snow100K dataset is used for training, testing and comparison, and the peak signal-to-noise ratio and structural similarity are used as evaluation indicators. The experimental results show that the improved snow removal algorithm performs well and can obtain high-quality snow removal images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using computers to replace pilot seats in air traffic control (ATC) simulators is an effective way to improve controller training efficiency and reduce training costs. To achieve this, we propose a deep reinforcement learning model, RoBERTa-RL (RoBERTa with Reinforcement Learning), for generating pilot repetitions. RoBERTa-RL is based on the pre-trained language model RoBERTa and is optimized through transfer learning and reinforcement learning. Transfer learning is used to address the issue of scarce data in the ATC domain, while reinforcement learning algorithms are employed to optimize the RoBERTa model and overcome the limitations in model generalization caused by transfer learning. We selected a real-world area control dataset as the target task training and testing dataset, and a tower control dataset generated based on civil aviation radio land-air communication rules as the test dataset for evaluating model generalization. In terms of the ROUGE evaluation metrics, RoBERTa-RL achieved significant results on the area control dataset with ROUGE-1, ROUGE-2, and ROUGE-L scores of 0.9962, 0.992, and 0.996, respectively. On the tower control dataset, the scores were 0.982, 0.954, and 0.982, respectively. To overcome the limitations of ROUGE in this field, we conducted a detailed evaluation of the proposed model architecture using keyword-based evaluation criteria for the generated repetition instructions. This evaluation criterion calculates various keyword-based metrics based on the segmented results of the repetition instruction text. In the keyword-based evaluation criteria, the constructed model achieved an overall accuracy of 98.8% on the area control dataset and 81.8% on the tower control dataset. In terms of generalization, RoBERTa-RL improved accuracy by 56% compared to the model before improvement and achieved a 47.5% improvement compared to various comparative models. These results indicate that employing reinforcement learning strategies to enhance deep learning algorithms can effectively mitigate the issue of poor generalization in text generation tasks, and this approach holds promise for future application in other related domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decades, Beijing has been suffering from persistent air pollution caused by both fine and coarse atmospheric particles. Although there are plenty of theoretical and observational studies on aerosols in Beijing, most of them only consider total aerosol concentrations and focus on heavy pollution episodes, the long-term vertical distributions of dust (coarse) and anthropogenic aerosols (fine) and their relationships with mixing layer height (MLH) have not been revealed. In this study, the dust and anthropogenic aerosols mass concentration, and MLH were retrieved by polarization Raman lidar over Beijing from May 2019 to February 2022. We found large amounts of anthropogenic aerosols accumulate at the top of the mixing layer, which is most noticeable in summer, with monthly mean mass concentration up to 57 µg/m3. It is mainly influenced by the southward transport in the upper air, where the atmosphere is relatively stable and moist, favoring hygroscopic growth of particles. Dust mass concentration is discontinuous in the vertical direction. Not only on the ground but also in lofted layers that reach up to several kilometers. The heights of these lofted dust layers exhibited apparent seasonal dependence, with the height of the main dust layer gradually ascending from 1.1 km to about 2.5 km from April to June and below 3 km from October to December. In addition, there is a significant negative correlation between bottom anthropogenic aerosols mass concentration and MLH, and an inverse function fit is more suitable to characterize this relationship, while the relationship between bottom dust mass concentration and MLH is insignificant. These results will enhance our understanding of the sophisticated interactions between dust and anthropogenic aerosols, MLH, and regional transport in northern China. It will also help to refine atmospheric chemistry models and improve surface prediction capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tetrahydrofuran rings are present in a wide variety of biologically active molecules, which highlights the importance of developing a mild, convenient method for synthesizing compounds bearing these rings. Herein, we report an electrochemical protocol for phosphorous acid-assisted synthesis of hemiaminal ethers by means of α-C(sp³)-H/N-H cross-coupling reactions between tetrahydrofuran and sulfonamides or amides. This protocol does not require a chemical oxidant and can be performed at room temperature. Various sulfonamides and amides were suitable substrates, giving moderate to high yields of the desired cross-coupling products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are crucial post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression in ubiquitous biological processes, including immune-related pathways. This review focuses on the miR-183/96/182 cluster (miR-183C), which contains three miRNAs, miR-183, -96, and -182, having almost identical seed sequences with minor differences. The similarity among seed sequences allows these three miRNAs to act cooperatively. In addition, their minor differences permit them to target distinct genes and regulate unique pathways. The expression of miR-183C was initially identified in sensory organs. Subsequently, abnormal expression of miR-183C miRNAs in various cancers and autoimmune diseases has been reported, implying their potential role in human diseases. The regulatory effects of miR-183C miRNAs on the differentiation and function of both innate and adaptive immune cells have now been documented. In this review, we have discussed the complex role of miR-183C in the immune cells in both normal and autoimmune backgrounds. We highlighted the dysregulation of miR-183C miRNAs in several autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), multiple sclerosis (MS), and ocular autoimmune disorders, and discussed the potential for utilizing miR-183C as biomarkers and therapeutic targets of specific autoimmune diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous risky decisions refer to decisions that involve trade-offs among options with persistent risks. People can use the probability of occurrence per unit time (e.g., 'the probability of occurrence is 1% per month') or the average time of risk occurrence (e.g., 'the average occurrence time is 100 months') to represent continuous risky options. In this study, we examined the effect of the presentation format (i.e., the probability of occurrence per unit time vs. the average time of risk occurrence) on continuous risky decisions in the gain domain and further explored the underlying mechanism. In Study 1 (N = 122), we demonstrated the effect of presentation format on continuous risky decisions and the moderating effect of the magnitude of probabilities. Specifically, when the probabilities were relatively low, compared with the probability of occurrence per unit time, using the average time of risk occurrence to present the continuous risky options led to more risk-averse decisions. However, when the probabilities were relatively high, compared with the probability of occurrence per unit time, the presentation format of the average time occurrence led to more risk-seeking decisions. In Study 2 (N = 136), we found that the moderating effect of the option probabilities on continuous risky decisions wasmediated by the subjective attributewise difference judgment. In Study 3 (N = 221), we replicated the effect of presentation format on continuous risky decisions in more natural scenarios. The study offered a deep understanding of the mechanism of continuous risky decision-making, and the results were conducive to further developing theories in relevant fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic materials are essential for energy generation and information devices, and they play an important role in advanced technologies and green energy economies. Currently, the most widely used magnets contain rare earth (RE) elements. An outstanding challenge of notable scientific interest is the discovery and synthesis of novel magnetic materials without RE elements that meet the performance and cost goals for advanced electromagnetic devices. Here, we report our discovery and synthesis of an RE-free magnetic compound, Fe3CoB2, through an efficient feedback framework by integrating machine learning (ML), an adaptive genetic algorithm, first-principles calculations, and experimental synthesis. Magnetic measurements show that Fe3CoB2 exhibits a high magnetic anisotropy (K1 = 1.2 MJ/m³ ) and saturation magnetic polarization (Js = 1.39 T), which is suitable for RE-free permanent-magnet applications. Our ML-guided approach presents a promising paradigm for efficient materials design and discovery and can also be applied to the search for other functional materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The decision of vancomycin dosage for central nervous system (CNS) infections is still a challenge because its bactericidal nature in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has not been confirmed by human studies. This study systematically reviewed the literatures on vancomycin in patients with meningitis, ventriculitis, and CNS device-associated infections, to assess efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics to better serve as a practical reference. Methods: Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched using terms vancomycin, Glycopeptides, meningitis, and central nervous system infections. Data were extracted including characteristics of participants, causative organism(s), administration, dosage, etc., The clinical response, microbiological response, adverse events and pharmacokinetic parameters were analyzed. Results: Nineteen articles were included. Indications for vancomycin included meningitis, ventriculitis, and intracranial device infections. No serious adverse effects of intravenous (IV) and intraventricular (IVT) vancomycin have been reported. Dosages of IV and IVT vancomycin ranged from 1000-3000 mg/day and 2-20 mg/day. Duration of IV and IVT vancomycin therapy most commonly ranged from 3-27 days and 2-21 days. Therapeutic drug monitoring was conducted in 14 studies. Vancomycin levels in CSF in patients using IV and IVT vancomycin were varied widely from 0.06 to 22.3 mg/L and 2.5-292.9 mg/L. No clear relationships were found between vancomycin CSF levels and efficacy or toxicity. Conclusion: Using vancomycin to treat CNS infections appears effective and safe based on current evidence. However, the optimal regimens are still unclear. Higher quality clinical trials are required to explore the vancomycin disposition within CNS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paraffin melting is widely applied to the fields of PCM energy storage, gathering and transportation pipe-line paraffin removal, etc. Natural-convection is the main heat transfer mode during paraffin melting, and Rayleigh number is an important factor affecting the change of natural-convection intensity. Nusselt number variation can reflect the influence of natural-convection on heat transfer. The conventional Nusselt number of hot wall surface reflects only the convective heat transfer intensity of the fixed wall, while it does not take into account that the phase change interface has the characteristics of moving in the phase change process. A double distribution model of paraffin phase transformation in circular tube based on lattice Boltzmann method is established in this paper. The influence of Rayleigh number on the temperature field and flow field of wax in circular tube is analyzed. The heat transfer process is reflected by Nusselt number of moving phase interface. The relation between Nusselt number of moving interface and Nusselt number of hot wall surface is also presented. The results show that the Nusselt number of moving phase interface can reflect the complex non-linear characteristics of natural- convection and describe the phase change heat transfer process of wax more accurately. Calculation formula of Nusselt number of moving phase interface and hot wall during wax phase change is proposed. Increasing Rayleigh number can quicken the melting of wax to meet the actual engineering requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the effect of Gubi Tongxiao granules on vascular formation and cell apoptosis in the process of glucocorticoid-induced femoral head necrosis. Methods: Thirty experimental New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into groups. Except the control group, the animal model of steroid-induced femoral head necrosis was established by lipopolysaccharide combined with glucocorticoids. After successful modeling, the experimental group was given Gubi Tongxiao granules intragastric treatment, the model and control group were given the same amount of normal saline intragastric treatment, once a day, for 8 weeks, the experimental animals were sacrificed, the bilateral femoral head of each group was taken out for hematoxylin-eosin staining, and protein CD34,CYR61 and VEGF were immunohistochemical staining localization. TUNEL staining was used to observe the apoptosis of femoral head cells. The expression levels of apoptosis proteins Bax and Bcl-2 were detected by WB. The expression of VEGF eNOs Bax and Bcl-2 genes was analyzed by RT-qPCR.Results: Gubi Tongxiao granules reduced the number of hollow bone lacunae and apoptotic positive cells(P<0.01), and up-regulated the expressions of CD34, CYR61 and VEGF in femoral head tissue. Compared with control group, the expression of pro-apoptotic protein Bax increased and the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, VEGF and eNOs mRAN decreased significantly in the model group (P<0.01), the opposite results were obtained in the experimental group after Gubi Tongxiao granule intervention (P<0.05). Conclusion: Gubi Tongxiao granules can improve the expression of angiogenic genes and regulate apoptosisrelated proteins in the bone tissue of rabbit model with steroid-induced necrosis of femoral head, promote angiogenic differentiation and inhibit apoptosis, and thus achieve the effect of treating steroid-induced necrosis of femoral head. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finding Nash equilibrium in the domain of imperfect information games as a challenging problem has received much attention. Neural Fictitious Self-Play (NFSP) is a popular model-free machine learning algorithm and has computed approximate Nash equilibrium on such games. However, the deep reinforcement learning method used to approximate the best response in NFSP requires reaching a fully observable Markov state, while the states in imperfect information games are partially observable and non-Markovian, which results in a poor approximation of the best response. Thus, NFSP needs more iterations to converge. In this study, we present a new reinforcement learning method that is inspired by counterfactual regret minimization to relax the Markov requirement by iteratively updating policy according to the regret matching process. Combining this new reinforcement learning algorithm with fictitious play, we further present a novel algorithm to find approximate Nash equilibrium in zero-sum imperfect information games. Experimental results in three benchmark games show that this new algorithm can find approximate Nash equilibrium effectively and converge much faster compared with baseline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commensal bacteria and the immune system have a close and strong relationship that maintains a balance to control inflammation. Alterations of the microbiota, known as dysbiosis, can direct reactivity to self-antigens not only in the intestinal mucosa but also at the systemic level. Our laboratory previously reported gut dysbiosis, particularly lower abundance of bacteria in the family Lactobacillaceae, in lupus-prone MRL/lpr mice, a model of systemic autoimmunity. Restoring the microbiota with a mix of 5 different Lactobacillus species (spp.), L. reuteri, L. oris, L. johnsonii, L. gasseri and L. rhamnosus, attenuated lupus-liked clinical signs, including splenomegaly and lymphadenopathy. However, our understanding of the mechanism was limited. In this study, we first investigated the effects of individual species. Surprisingly, none of the species individually recapitulated the benefits of the mix. Instead, Lactobacillus spp. acted synergistically to attenuate splenomegaly and renal lymphadenopathy through secreted factors and a CX3CR1-dependent mechanism. Interestingly, oral administration of MRS broth exerted the same benefits likely through increasing the relative abundance of endogenous Lactobacillus spp. Mechanistically, we found increased percentages of FOXP3-negative type 1 regulatory T cells with administration of the mix in both spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes. In addition, oral gavage of Lactobacillus spp. decreased the percentage of central memory T cells while increasing that of effector memory T cells in the lymphoid organs. Furthermore, a decreased percentage of double negative T cells was observed in the spleen with the mix. These results suggest that Lactobacillus spp. might act on T cells to attenuate splenomegaly and lymphadenopathy. Together, this study advances our understanding of how Lactobacillus spp. attenuate lupus in MRL/lpr mice. The synergistic action of these bacteria suggests that multiple probiotic bacteria in combination may dampen systemic autoimmunity and benefit lupus patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the leading causes of chronic kidney disease (CKD) worldwide, tubular injury is the driving force during the pathogenesis and progression of DN. Thus, we aim to utilize the connectivity map (CMap) with renal tubulointerstitial transcriptomic profiles of biopsy-proven DN to identify novel drugs for treating DN. Methods: We interrogated the CMap profile with tubulointerstitial transcriptomic data from renal biopsy-proven early- and late-stage DN patients to screen potential drugs for DN. Therapeutic effects of candidate drug were assessed in Murine model of diabetic kidney disease (STZ-induced CD-1 mice), and HK-2 cells and immortalized bone marrowderived macrophages (iBMDMs). Results: We identified CAY10603, a specific inhibitor of histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6), as a potential drug that could significantly reverse the altered genes in the tubulointerstitial component. In DN patients and mice, upregulation of HDAC6 was mainly observed in renal tubular cells and infiltratedmacrophages surrounding the diluted tubules. In both early- and lateonset diabetic mice, daily CAY10603 administration effectively alleviated renal dysfunction and reduced macrophage infiltration, tubular injury and tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Mechanistically, CAY10603 suppressed NLRP3 activation in both HK-2 cells and iBMDMs. Conclusion: CAY10603 exhibited therapeutic potential for DN by suppressing NLRP3 inflammasome activation in both tubular cells and macrophages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dysregulated miRNAs have been implicated in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Our previous study reported a substantial increase in three miRNAs located at the miR-183-96-182 cluster (miR-183C) in several autoimmune lupus-prone mice, including MRL/lpr and C57BL/6-lpr (B6/lpr). This study reports that in vitro inhibition of miR- 182 alone or miR-183C by specific antagomirs in activated splenocytes from autoimmuneprone MRL/lpr and control MRL mice significantly reduced lupus-related inflammatory cytokines, interferon-gamma (IFNγ), and IL-6 production. To further characterize the role of miR-182 and miR-183C cluster in vivo in lupus-like disease and lymphocyte phenotypes, we used hCD2-iCre to generate B6/lpr mice with conditional deletion of miR-182 or miR-183C in CD2+ lymphocytes (miR-182-/-B6/lpr and miR-183C-/-B6/lpr). The miR-182-/-B6/lpr and miR-183C-/-B6/lpr mice had significantly reduced deposition of IgG immunocomplexes in the kidney when compared to their respective littermate controls, although there appeared to be no remarkable changes in renal pathology. Importantly, we observed a significant reduction of serum anti-dsDNA autoantibodies in miR-183C-/-B6/lpr mice after reaching 24 weeks-of age compared to age-matched miR-183Cfl/flB6/lpr controls. In vitro activated splenocytes from miR-182-/-B6/lpr mice and miR-183C-/-B6/lpr mice showed reduced ability to produce lupus-associated IFNγ. Forkhead box O1(Foxo1), a previously validated miR-183C miRNAs target, was increased in the splenic CD4+ cells of miR-182-/-B6/lpr and miR-183C-/-B6/lpr mice. Furthermore, in vitro inhibition of Foxo1 with siRNA in splenocytes from miR-182-/-B6/ lpr and miR-183C-/-B6/lpr mice significantly increased IFNγ expression following anti-CD3/ CD28 stimulation, suggesting thatmiR-182 andmiR-183CmiRNAs regulate the inflammatory IFNγ in splenocytes via targeting Foxo1. The deletion of either miR-182 alone or the wholemiR- 183C cluster, however, had nomarked effect on the composition of T and B cell subsets in the spleens of B6/lpr mice. There were similar percentages of CD4+, CD8+, CD19+, as well as Tregs, follicular helper T (TFH), germinal center B (GCB), and plasma cells in the miREdited 183C-/-B6/lpr and miR-182-/-B6/lpr mice and their respective littermate controls, miR- 183Cfl/flB6/lpr and miR-182fl/flB6/lpr mice. Together, our data demonstrate a role of miR- 183C in the regulation of anti-dsDNA autoantibody production in vivo in B6/lpr mice and the induction of IFNγ in in vitro activated splenocytes from B6/lpr mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using first-principles calculations, we show that Mn and Cr layers under graphene exhibit almost zero magnetic moment due to anti-ferromagnetic order, while ferromagnetic coupling in Fe, Co, and Ni leads to large magnetic moment. Transition metal partially supported graphene, with a mixture of supported and pristine areas, exhibits an oscillatory electrostatic potential, thus alternating the electric field across the supported and pristine areas. Such an effect can be utilized to control mass transport and nanostructure self-organization on graphene at the atomic level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Deadwood and the associated epixylic vegetation influence nutrient cycles in forest ecosystems. Open canopies strongly regulate deadwood decomposition and disrupt epixylic vegetation on logs. However, it is unclear how the forest canopy density and epixylic vegetation growth affect the nutrient concentrations in deadwood. Methods We measured the concentrations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), and manganese (Mn) in experimentally exposed decaying logs placed in gaps, at the edge of gaps, and under the closed canopy during a four-year decomposition experiment in a Subalpine Faxon fir forest (Abies fargesii var. faxoniana) on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China. To assess the effect of the epixylic vegetation, we experimentally removed it from half of the logs used in the study. Results Under open canopy conditions in the gap and at the edge, the concentrations for most of the nutrients in the bark and the highly decayed wood were lower than under the closed canopy. The effect of the epixylic treatment on nutrient concentrations for all but K and Na in barks varied with the decay classes. Significantly lower concentrations of N, P, Ca, and Mn following the removal of epixylic vegetation were observed in the wood of decay class IV. Epixylic vegetation significantly increased most nutrient concentrations for decaying barks and wood under open canopy conditions. In contrast, epixylic vegetation had no or minimal effects under the closed canopy. Conclusions Forest canopy density and epixylic vegetation significantly alter the nutrient concentrations in decaying logs. Open canopies likely accelerate the rate of nutrient cycling between the epixylic vegetation and decaying logs in subalpine forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The atomic structure of Al90Sm10 metallic glass is studied using molecular dynamics simulations. By performing a long sub-Tg annealing, we developed a glass model closer to the experiments than the models prepared by continuous cooling. Using the cluster alignment method, we found that "3661" cluster is the dominating short-range order in the glass samples. The connection and arrangement of "3661" clusters, which define the medium-range order in the system, are enhanced significantly in the sub-Tg annealed sample as compared with the fast cooled glass samples. Unlike some strong binary glass formers such as Cu64.5Zr35.5, the clusters representing the short-range order do not form an interconnected interpenetrating network in Al90Sm10, which has only marginal glass formability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the influence of Ta2O5 addition on lattice-structure and thermophysical performance of Sm2Ce2O7, the (Sm1-xTax)2Ce2O7+x ceramics were synthesized exploring high-temperature fritting technology, the lattice-structures and thermophysical performances were evaluated. Results exhibit that pure oxides with onefold fluorite-type lattice are obtained. Because of the divergences in atomic weights and ionic radii between Ta5+ and Sm3+, thermal conductivities of synthesized oxides decrease with increasing Ta2O5 contents. Owning to the less ionic radius of Ta5+ than that of Sm3+, the thermal expansion coefficients are reduced with increasing Ta2O5 contents. The thermophysical performances of the synthesized compounds meet with the demands for heat-insulation coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structures and magnetic properties of Co-Zr-B alloys near the composition of Co5Zr with B at. % ≤6% were studied using adaptive genetic algorithm and first-principles calculations. The energy and magnetic moment contour maps as a function of chemical composition were constructed for the Co-Zr-B magnet alloys through extensive structure searches and calculations. We found that Co-Zr-B system exhibits the same structure motif as the "Co11Zr2" polymorphs, and such motif plays a key role in achieving strong magnetic anisotropy. Boron atoms were found to be able to substitute cobalt atoms or occupy the "interruption" sites. First-principles calculations showed that the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energies of the boron-doped alloys are close to that of the high-temperature rhombohedral Co5Zr phase and larger than that of the low-temperature Co5.25Zr phase. Our calculations provide useful guidelines for further experimental optimization of the magnetic performances of these alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concerns about the supply and resource of rare earth (RE) metals have generated a lot of interests in searching for high performance RE-free permanent magnets. Alnico alloys are traditional non-RE permanent magnets and have received much attention recently due their good performance at high temperature. In this paper, we develop an accurate and efficient cluster expansion energy model for alnico 5-7. Monte Carlo simulations using the cluster expansion method are performed to investigate the structure of alnico 5-7 at atomistic and nano scales. The alnico 5-7 master alloy is found to decompose into FeCo-rich and NiAl-rich phases at low temperature. The boundary between these two phases is quite sharp (∼2 nm) for a wide range of temperature. The compositions of the main constituents in these two phases become higher when the temperature gets lower. Both FeCo-rich and NiAl-rich phases are in B2 ordering with Fe and Al on α-site and Ni and Co on -site. The degree of order of the NiAl-rich phase is much higher than that of the FeCo-rich phase. A small magnetic moment is also observed in NiAl-rich phase but the moment reduces as the temperature is lowered, implying that the magnetic properties of alnico 5-7 could be improved by lowering annealing temperature to diminish the magnetism in NiAl-rich phase. The results from our Monte Carlo simulations are consistent with available experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) has a high degree of malignancy, aggressiveness and recurrence rate. However, there are limited options available for the treatment of GBM, and they often result in poor prognosis and unsatisfactory outcomes. Materials and methods: In order to identify potential core genes in GBM that may provide new therapeutic insights, we analyzed three gene chips (GSE2223, GSE4290 and GSE50161) screened from the GEO database. Differentially expressed genes (DEG) from the tissues of GBM and normal brain were screened using GEO2R. To determine the functional annotation and pathway of DEG, Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were conducted using DAVID database. Protein interactions of DEG were visualized using PPI network on Cytoscape software. Next, 10 Hub nodes were screened from the differentially expressed network using MCC algorithm on CytoHubba software and subsequently identified as Hub genes. Finally, the relationship between Hub genes and the prognosis of GBM patients was described using GEPIA2 survival analysis web tool. Results: A total of 37 up-regulated and 187 down-regulated genes were identified through microarray analysis. Amongst the 10 Hub genes selected, SV2B appeared to be the only gene associated with poor prognosis in glioblastoma based on the survival analysis. Conclusion: Our study suggests that high expression of SV2B is associated with poor prognosis in GBM patients. Whether SV2B can be used as a new therapeutic target for GBM requires further validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persistent winter--time heavy haze incidents caused by anthropogenic aerosols have repeatedly shrouded North China in recent years, while natural dust from west and northwest of China also frequently affects air quality in this region. Through continuous observation by a multi--wavelength Raman lidar, here we found that aerosols in North China are typically characterized by a pronounced vertical stratification, where scattering non--spherical particles (dust or mixtures of dust and anthropogenic aerosols) dominated above the planetary boundary layer (PBL), and absorbing spherical particles (anthropogenic aerosols) prevailed within the PBL. This stratification is governed by meteorological conditions that strong northwesterly winds usually prevailed in the lower free troposphere, and southerly winds are dominated in the PBL, producing persistent and intense haze pollution. With the accumulation of elevated dust, the proportion of aerosol and trace gas at the surface in the whole column increased. Model results show that, besides directly deteriorating air quality, the key role of the elevated dust is to depress the development of PBL and weaken the turbulence exchange, mostly by lower--level cooling and upper--level heating, and it is more obvious during dissipation stage, thus inhibiting the dissipation of heavy surface anthropogenic aerosols. The interactions of natural dust and anthropogenic aerosols under the unique topography of North China increases the surface anthropogenic aerosols and precursor gases, which may be one of the reasons why haze pollution in North China is heavier than that in other heavily polluted areas in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase-change materials such as Ge–Sb–Te compounds have attracted much attention due to their potential value in electrical data storage. In contrast to the amorphous and crystalline phases, supercooled liquids are far from being deeply understood despite their inevitable role in both amorphization and crystallization processes. To this end, we have studied the dynamics properties and structural characteristics of liquid and supercooled liquid Ge3Sb2Te6 during the fast cooling process. As the temperature decreases, chemical bonds become more homogeneous, but coordination numbers of Ge, Sb and Te atoms change very little. Meanwhile, the structural order of short-range configuration is obviously enhanced. Further studies suggest that Ge-centered, Sb-centered and Te-centered configurations change to the more ordered defective octahedrons mainly by adjusting the bond-angle relationship and bond length, rather than just by changing the coordination environment. It is the more ordered octahedrons that promote the formation of medium-range order. Our findings provide a deep insight into the origin of local structural order in supercooled liquid Ge3Sb2Te6, which is of great importance for the comprehensive understanding of amorphization and crystallization processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pitayas (Hylocereus spp.) is an attractive, highly nutritious and commercially valuable tropical fruit. However, low-temperature damage limits crop production. Genome of pitaya has not been sequenced yet. In this study, we sequenced the transcriptome of pitaya as the reference and further investigated the proteome under low temperature. By RNAseq technique, approximately 25.3 million reads were obtained, and further trimmed and assembled into 81,252 unigene sequences. The unigenes were searched against UniProt, NR and COGs at NCBI, Pfam, InterPro and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database, and 57,905 unigenes were retrieved annotations. Among them, 44,337 coding sequences were predicted by Trandecoder (v2.0.1), which served as the reference database for label-free proteomic analysis study of pitaya. Here, we identified 116 Differentially Abundant Proteins (DAPs) associated with the cold stress in pitaya, of which 18 proteins were up-regulated and 98 proteins were down-regulated. KEGG analysis and other results showed that these DAPs mainly related to chloroplasts and mitochondria metabolism. In summary, chloroplasts and mitochondria metabolism-related proteins may play an important role in response to cold stress in pitayas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although unstable, the Si(337) orientation has been known to appear in diverse experimental situations such as the nanoscale faceting of Si(112), or in the case of miscutting a Si(113) surface. Various models for Si(337) have been proposed over time, which motivates a comprehensive study of the structure of this orientation. Such a study is undertaken in this article, where we report the results of a genetic algorithm optimization of the Si(337)-(2×1) surface. The algorithm is coupled with a highly optimized empirical potential for silicon, which is used as an efficient way to build a set of possible Si(337) models; these structures are subsequently relaxed at the level of ab initio density-functional methods. Using this procedure, we retrieve the (337) reconstructions proposed in previous works, as well as a number of different ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 150 kJ/100 kW conduction-cooled HTS superconducting magnetic energy storage magnet, which consists of 17 double pancake coils and operates at 20 K, was developed and manufactured in the Huazhong University of Science and Technology. To evaluate the thermal characteristic of the magnet, this paper conducts a series of experiments and carries out the loss analyses. When the maintaining time and peak value of the flat top current in the magnet are constant, the maximum temperature rise will first decrease and then increase with the continuous augment of the current ramp rate, and it means that there is a valley value for the maximum temperature rise during an operational cycle time including charging, standby, and discharging stages. Similarly, the total losses, which include the ac heat loss and the resistive loss caused by the joints between every two double pancakes and extra resistance of the high temperature superconducting (HTS) coils, will fall with the increase of the ramp rate to its valley value, and then it will increase with the ramp rate. Experimental results show that the temperature variation of the magnet is in keeping with the heat loss variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physical and chemical properties of V-M" and Nb-M" (M" is 3d or 4d transition metal) co-doped BaTiO3 were studied by first-principles calculation based on density functional theory. Our calculation results show that V-M"co-doping is more favorable than Nb-M" co-doping in terms of narrowing the bandgap and increasing the visible-light absorption. In pure BaTiO3, the bandgap depends on the energy levels of the Ti 3d and O 2p states. The appropriate co-doping can effectively manipulate the bandgap by introducing new energy levels interacting with those of the pure BaTiO3. The optimal co-doping effect comes from the V-Cr co-doping system, which not only has smaller impurity formation energy, but also significantly reduces the bandgap. Detailed analysis of the density of states, band structure, and charge-density distribution in the doping systems demonstrates the synergistic effect induced by the V and Cr co-doping. The results can provide not only useful insights into the understanding of the bandgap engineering by element doping, but also beneficial guidance to the experimental study of BaTiO3 for visible-light photoelectrical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A PM2.5-capable aerosol chemical speciation monitor (Q-ACSM) was deployed in urban Nanjing, China, for the first time to measure in situ non-refractory fine particle (NR-PM2.5) composition from 20 October to 19 November 2015, along with parallel measurements of submicron aerosol (PM1) species by a standard Q-ACSM. Our results show that the NR-PM2.5 species (organics, sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium) measured by the PM2.5-Q-ACSM are highly correlated (r2 > 0.9) with those measured by a Sunset Lab OC / EC analyzer and a Monitor for AeRosols and GAses (MARGA). The comparisons between the two Q-ACSMs illustrated similar temporal variations in all NR species between PM1 and PM2.5, yet substantial mass fractions of aerosol species were observed in the size range of 1-2.5 µm. On average, NR-PM1-2.5 contributed 53% of the total NR-PM2.5, with sulfate and secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) being the two largest contributors (26 and 27%, respectively). Positive matrix factorization of organic aerosol showed similar temporal variations in both primary and secondary OAs between PM1 and PM2.5, although the mass spectra were slightly different due to more thermal decomposition on the capture vaporizer of the PM2.5-Q-ACSM. We observed an enhancement of SOA under high relative humidity conditions, which is associated with simultaneous increases in aerosol pH, gas-phase species (NO2, SO2, and NH3) concentrations and aerosol water content driven by secondary inorganic aerosols. These results likely indicate an enhanced reactive uptake of SOA precursors upon aqueous particles. Therefore, reducing anthropogenic NOx, SO2, and NH3 emissions might not only reduce secondary inorganic aerosols but also the SOA burden during haze episodes in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of pollution due to combined antibiotics and metals is urgently needed. Photochemical processes are an important transformation pathway for antibiotics in the environment. The mechanisms underlying the effects of metal-ion complexation on the aquatic photochemical transformation of antibiotics in different dissociation forms are crucial problems in science, and beg solutions. Herein, we investigated the mechanisms of direct photolysis of norfloxacin (NOR) in different dissociation forms in water and metal ion Mg2+ effects using quantum chemical calculations. Results show that different dissociation forms of NOR had different maximum electronic absorbance wavelengths (NOR2+ < NOR0 < NOR+) and showed different photolysis reactivity. Analysis of transition states (TS) and reaction activation energies (Ea) indicated NOR+ generally underwent loss of the piperazine ring (C10-N13 bond cleavage) and damage to piperazine ring (N13-C14 bond cleavage). For NOR2+, the main direct photolysis pathways were de-ethylation (N7-C8 bond cleavage) and decarboxylation (C2-C5 bond cleavage). Furthermore, the presence of Mg2+ changed the order of the wavelength at maximum electronic absorbance (NOR+-Mg2+ < NOR0-Mg2+ < NOR2+-Mg2+) and increased the intensities of absorbance peaks of all three dissociation species of NOR, implying that Mg2+ played an important role in the direct photolysis of NOR0, NOR+, and NOR2+. The calculated TS results indicated that the presence of Mg2+ increased Ea for most direct photolysis pathways of NOR, while it decreased Ea for some direct photolysis pathways such as the loss of the piperazine ring and the damage of the piperazine ring of NOR0 and the defluorination of NOR+. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microwave over-the-horizon (OTH) propagation through troposcatter is a valuable candidate for remote targets detection. Array antenna is promising to handle the contradiction between real-time wide spatial coverage requirement and high antenna gain to capture weak scattering signal. The detection tactics and performance of array receiving systems are significantly affected by the fading correlation between array antennas, but there is no analytical study which considers the fading correlation in troposcatter passive sensing environments for uncooperative targets. In this study, an analytical method based on a scattering transfer function is proposed to derive the channel fading correlation, and the result is a function of transmitter deviation and spatial, temporal, frequency, angular separations of receiving array antennas in uncooperative troposcatter circumstances. In addition, the OTH troposcatter array receiving signal model is derived by exploiting the fading correlation to form the covariance structure of the received array signal, adding up with the signal transmission loss. Existing experimental results validate the derived fading correlations, and the simulation results validate the OTH passive detection performance based on the provided signal model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A PM2.5-capable aerosol chemical speciation monitor (ACSM) was deployed in urban Nanjing, China for the first time to measure in-situ non-refractory fine particle (NR-PM2.5) composition from October 20 to November 19, 2015 along with parallel measurements of submicron aerosol (PM1) species by a standard ACSM. Our results show that the NR-PM2.5 species (organics, sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium) measured by the PM2.5-ACSM are highly correlated (r2 > 0.9) with those measured by a Sunset Lab OC/EC Analyzer and a Monitor for AeRosols and GAses (MARGA). The comparisons between the two ACSMs illustrated similar temporal variations in all NR species between PM1 and PM2.5, yet substantial mass fractions of aerosol species were observed in the size range of 1-2.5 μm. On average, NR-PM1-2.5 contributed 53 % of the total NR-PM2.5 with sulfate and secondary organic aerosols (SOA) being the two largest contributors (26 % and 27 %, respectively). Rapid formation and thereafter growth of secondary inorganic aerosols (SIA) were observed under fog processing in NH3-rich environments. Positive matrix factorization of organic aerosol showed similar temporal variations in both primary and secondary OA between PM1 and PM2.5 although the mass spectra were slightly different due to more thermal decomposition on the capture vaporizer of PM2.5-ACSM. We observed an enhancement of SOA under high relative humidity conditions, which is associated with simultaneous increases in particle surface area, gas-phase species (NO2, SO2, and NH3) concentrations and aerosol water content driven by anthropogenic SIA. These results likely indicate an enhanced reactive uptake of SOA precursors upon aqueous particles. Therefore, reducing anthropogenic NOx, SO2, and NH3 emissions might not only reduce SIA but also SOA burden during haze episodes in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) ranging of radiation sources can be realised through the troposcatter propagation of electromagnetic signals. Present troposcatter ranging systems are based on multi-station cross localisation theory wherein synchronisation and data fusion of all stations are not tractable. The troposcatter signal group delay properties provide a new ranging mechanism that can be realised through a single station conveniently and inexpensively. However, for radiation sources with multibeams, e.g. frequency-scanned radar, which forms several sub-beams with different elevation angles in the vertical direction, the scattering signal of sub-beams with high elevation angles has overall hysteresis compared to lower ones. This effect is called group delay between sub-beams. In this study, a one-to-one correspondence between group delay and target distance is derived to a closed-form expression with target and receiver antenna parameters. Furthermore, a group-delay-based passive ranging mechanism is proposed for exploiting this correspondence to increase the range of the BLOS target. Then two indicators for evaluation, ranging resolution and delay-measure requirement, are proposed for investigating ranging performance under the receiving antenna mode with different elevation angles, vertical beamwidths and erection heights. Results show the ranging resolution is ∼0.1-0.3 μs/300 km and delay-measure requirement is ∼0.002-0.033 μs for the given parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a new secondary instability phenomenon of parametric sloshing. Faraday first experimentally discovered the (1/2 sub-harmonic) parametric sloshing phenomenon in 1831. The parametric instability starts from a small disturbance on the free fluid surface, and then the sloshing amplitude of fluid increases exponentially and finally reaches a steady-state limit cycle oscillation. This parametric instability is called the first (linear) instability. The parametric sloshing experiment of this study discovers that in the case of the parametric excitation unchanged, the free fluid surface that is in a limit cycle oscillation might undergo a secondary instability. Under this circumstance, the sloshing amplitude of free surface increases sharply. The consequence is catastrophic - the fluid is splashed out of the tank. During the secondary instability, the sloshing mode (or energy) is transferred from the third mode to the first mode. The secondary instability, which is different from the first instability, is a nonlinear unstable process. The mechanism of the secondary instability is needed a further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the fabrication of a set of new rare-earth-free magnetic compounds, which form the Fe3Co3Ti2-type hexagonal structure with P-6m2 symmetry. Neutron powder diffraction shows a significant Fe/Co anti-site mixing in the Fe3Co3Ti2 structure, which has a strong effect on the magnetocrystalline anisotropy as revealed by first-principle calculations. Increasing substitution of Fe atoms for Co in the Fe3Co3Ti2 lattice leads to the formation of Fe4Co2Ti2, Fe5CoTi, and Fe6Ti2 with significantly improved permanent-magnet properties. A high magnetic anisotropy (13.0 Mergs/cm3) and saturation magnetic polarization (11.4 kG) are achieved at 10 K by altering the atomic arrangements and decreasing Fe/Co occupancy disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]