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The baobab trees (genus Adansonia) have attracted tremendous attention because of their striking shape and distinctive relationships with fauna1. These spectacular trees have also influenced human culture, inspiring innumerable arts, folklore and traditions. Here we sequenced genomes of all eight extant baobab species and argue that Madagascar should be considered the centre of origin for the extant lineages, a key issue in their evolutionary history2,3. Integrated genomic and ecological analyses revealed the reticulate evolution of baobabs, which eventually led to the species diversity seen today. Past population dynamics of Malagasy baobabs may have been influenced by both interspecific competition and the geological history of the island, especially changes in local sea levels. We propose that further attention should be paid to the conservation status of Malagasy baobabs, especially of Adansoniasuarezensisand Adansoniagrandidieri, and that intensive monitoring of populations of Adansoniazais required, given its propensity for negatively impacting the critically endangered Adansoniaperrieri.

ABSTRACTThe expression of circRNA_FOXO3 was found to be positively associated with the expression of Forkhead Box O3 (FOXO3), which is targeted and regulated by miR-23a. Polymorphisms in rs12196996 and rs2232365 have been reported in various diseases. In this study, we recruited intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired sepsis patients and grouped them according to their genotypes of rs12196996 and rs2232365. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed to analyze the expression of circRNA_FOXO3, FOXO3 mRNA, and miR-23a. ELISA was carried out to evaluate the abundance of cytokines and luciferase assay was used to explore the inhibitory role of miR-23a on circRNA_FOXO3 and FOXO3. Accordingly, we found that rs12196996 GG and rs2232365 AA were significantly correlated with prolonged survival of ICU-acquired sepsis patients. Rs12196996 GG and rs2232365 AA were also correlated with increased level of miR-23a, IL-10 and decreased level of TNF, IL-2, IFN, IL-6 and IL-1β in the peripheral blood cell samples of patients with ICU-acquired sepsis. The luciferase activity of wild-type (WT) circRNA_FOXO3 and FOXO3 were severely reduced by miR-23a. MiR-23a precursors could effectively suppress the expression of circRNA_FOXO3 and FOXO3 in the cells. Moreover, LPS-induced cell viability loss and dysregulation of cytokines were effectively restored by the knockdown of FOXO3 or circRNA_FOXO3 siRNA in the cells. This study revealed that the minor allele of rs12196996 polymorphism and rs2232365 polymorphism collaboratively contributed to the increased survival and suppressed severity of ICU-acquired sepsis.

Metadherin (MTDH) is a well-established oncogene in various cancers including Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). However, the precise mechanism through which MTDH promotes cancer-related signaling pathways in HCC remains unknown. In this study, we identified DDX17 as a novel binding partner of MTDH. Furthermore, MTDH increased the protein level of DDX17 by inhibiting its ubiquitination. We confirmed that DDX17 was a novel oncogene, with dramatically upregulated expression in HCC tissues. The increased expression of DDX17 was closely associated with vascular invasion, TNM stage, BCLC stage, and poor prognosis. In vitro and in vivo tests demonstrated that DDX17, a downstream target of MTDH, played a crucial role in tumor initiation and progression. Mechanistically, DDX17 acted as a transcriptional regulator that interacted with Y-box binding protein 1 (YB1) in the nucleus, which in turn drove the binding of YB1 to its target epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene promoter to increase its transcription. This in turn increased expression of EGFR and the activation of the downstream MEK/pERK signaling pathway. Our results identify DDX17, stabilized by MTDH, as a powerful oncogene in HCC and suggest that the DDX17/YB1/EGFR axis contributes to tumorigenesis and metastasis of HCC.

The paper studies the effects of new product rumors about the iPhone on the stock price of the Apple company. We scrape iPhone rumors from Macrumors.com, and obtain a dataset covering 1,264 articles containing 180 words on average between January 2002 and December 2015. Moreover, we construct a market-decided lexicon to transform qualitative information into quantitative data, and analyze what type of words and what information embedded in the rumors are apt to impact on Apple’s stock price. Unlike previous studies, we do not rely on the widely-adopted Harvard-IV-4 dictionary, as the coefficients of the words from the dictionary are neither significant nor consistent with their polarities, compared with our results. The paper obtains three main findings. First, the spread of rumors has a significant impact on the stock price. Second, positive words, rather than negative words, play an important role in affecting the stock price. Third, the stock price is highly sensitive to the words related to the appearance of the iPhone.

Porous carbon materials with chemical and thermal stability and high porosity have been widely used for volatile organic compound (VOC) purification. Designing granular carbon with remarkable adsorption capacity and rapid regeneration is of great significance for the capture of VOCs from high humidity air. Herein, a series of N-doped granular carbons were synthesized by direct carbonization of metal–organic gel (MOG). The N-doped granular carbons (C700 and C700K) feature high surface area, hierarchical pore, and abundant N,O multifunctional groups. The toluene adsorption capacity of C700K is highly improved (9.0 mmol/g toluene at P/P0= 0.1) in comparison with MOG (4.81 mmol/g toluene at P/P0= 0.1). The toluene breakthrough time of C700K is over 4 times longer than that of MOG at wet conditions (60% RH, 298 K), also much longer than that of widely used carbon materials, zeolites, and representative MOFs, including BPL activated carbon, coconut shell activated carbon, carbosieve, ZSM-5, and MIL-101(Cr). Furthermore, the N-doped granular carbons also exhibit excellent hydrophobicity and can be regenerated rapidly. The internal pore channel and desorption kinetics reveal that the effective diffusion length plays a critical role in the regeneration rate.

A 4Kg grade AlCoCrFeNi2.2 high entropy alloy was prepared by low vacuum medium frequency induction melting. The microstructure results showed that the microstructure and composition of the ingot were uniform. The microstructures were composed of primary Ni-rich FCC phase and eutectic structure. The eutectic structure was composed of Ni-rich FCC phase and Al-rich B2 phase. The hardness results showed no significant difference in Vickers hardness between different parts of the ingot, and fluctuated within the range of HV260 ± 20. The compression test results showed that there was no significant difference in compression performance between different parts of the ingot. The AlCoCrFeNi2.2 high entropy alloy had excellent compression performance, the yield strength reached 600 MPa, the fracture strength reached 2200 MPa, and the compression ratio was greater than 40%. Above all, the near-eutectic AlCoCrFeNi2.2 high-entropy alloy had the characteristics of good casting ability, high strength, good plasticity, and was easy to realize the preparation of large-volume non-segregation ingot.

Micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) based mass spectrometry, MEMS mass spectrometry, emerges a new technique branch of miniature mass spectrometry. One of the main challenges hindering the development of MEMS mass spectrometry is the poor compatibility between the complex electrode structure of traditional ion optics and MEMS processes. This paper proposed a planar quadrupole mass filter utilizing a highly simplified stacked-layer structure and film electrodes, which is easy to fabricate with high precision by MEMS surface micromachining. The ion trajectory simulation model of the MEMS mass spectrometry chip involving all necessary ion optics was elaborated for investigating the preliminary performance of the planar quadrupole mass filter. By optimizing the crucial parameters such as the frequency of radio frequency voltage, the ratio of direct current voltage and radio frequency voltage, pre-pole length, main-pole length, and injection kinetic energy, the preliminary simulation result of planar quadrupole mass filter achieved a 1–2 Da peak width (at 50% of peak height) and 20–80% ion transmission efficiency. Importantly, the planar quadrupole mass filter demonstrated a maximum working pressure of 0.1 Pa (using air as the buffer gas), 100 times higher than that of conventional quadrupole mass filters, while maintaining a 0.7–1.8 Da peak width and ∼5% ion transmission efficiency. Additionally, to modify the theoretical formulas for the non-ideal quadrupolar field of planar quadrupole mass filter, a novel approach based on stability diagrams obtained by simulation was also introduced. The pretty good linearity (R2=1) between ion masses in the range of 10 to 100 Da and the corresponding radio frequency voltages was verified through the simulated mass spectra. Notably, the proportional coefficient of ion mass and radio frequency voltage exhibited a minimal 4% deviation between the simulated value (4.7132 V0P/Da) and the calculated value (4.9036 V0P/Da) through the modified formula. In conclusion, the preliminary simulation results demonstrated that the planar quadrupole mass filter possessed moderate performance, high-pressure tolerance, and excellent theoretical consistency, which proved it a promising technology of MEMS mass spectrometry. It can find applications in the fields of gas detection, including the rapid response to hazardous gas emissions and in situ detection of dissolved gases in the deep sea.

ABSTRACTMany studies have found that abnormalities in the proportion and differentiation of CD4+T cells (Th cells) are closely related to the pathogenesis of viral myocarditis (VMC). Our previous research indicates that the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP) attenuates the inflammatory response of VMC and downregulates the expression of cytokines in Th1 and Th17 cells. This suggests that the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway likely attenuates the inflammatory response in VMC by altering Th cell differentiation. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of CAP on CD4+T cell differentiation in VMC mice. CD4+T cells in the spleen of VMC mice were obtained and cultured in the presence of nicotine or methyllycaconitine (MLA). Cells were harvested and analyzed for the percentage of each Th cell subset by flow cytometry and transcription factor release by Western blot. Then, we detected the effect of CAP on the differentiation of Th cells in vivo. Nicotine or MLA was used to activate and block CAP, respectively, in acute virus-induced myocarditis. Nicotine treatment increased the proportion of Th2 and Treg cells, decreased the proportion of Th1 and Th17 cells in the spleen, reduced the level of proinflammatory cytokines, and attenuated the severity of myocardium lesions and cellular infiltration in viral myocarditis. MLA administration had the opposite effect. Our result demonstrated that CAP effectively protects the myocardium from virus infection, which may be attributable to the regulation of Th cell differentiation.

Through the flexural behavior test of coral aggregate reinforced concrete beams (CARCB) and ordinary Portland reinforced concrete beams (OPRCB), and based on the parameters of concrete types, concrete strength grades and reinforcement ratios, the crack development, failure mode, midspan deflection and flexural capacity were studied, the relationships of bending moment-midspan deflection, load-longitudinal tensile reinforcement strain, load-maximum crack width were established, and a calculation model for the flexural capacity of CARCB was suggested. The results showed that with the increase in the reinforcement ratio and concrete strength grade, the crack bending moment (Mcr) and ultimate bending moment (Mu) of CARCB gradually increased. The characteristics of CARCB and OPRCB are basically the same. Furthermore, through increasing the concrete strength grade and reinforcement ratio, Mcr/Mucould be increased to delay the cracking of CARCB. As the load increased, crack width (w) would also increase. At the beginning of the loading, w increased slowly. And then it increased rapidly when the load reached to the ultimate load, which then led to beam failure. Meanwhile, with a comprehensive consideration of the effects of steel corrosion on the loss of steel section and the decrease of steel yield strength, a more reasonable calculation model for the flexural capacity of CARCB was proposed.

AbstractThe binomial Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) control chart has been widely used as an effective tool for detecting small and moderate shifts in fraction nonconforming (p). This article presents a binomial EWMA chart employing a curtailment technique (abridged as Curt_EWMA chart) for monitoring p. The pshift is assumed to follow a Rayleigh distribution. It is found that the curtailment technique can improve the overall detection speed of the EWMA chart while maintaining the false alarm rate at a specified level. An algorithm is presented to find the optimal design of the Curt_EWMA chart. The results of the comparative study reveal that the Curt_EWMA chart outperforms the EWMA chart without curtailment by 41%, in terms of the average number of defectives, under different settings.

Single particle analysis can effectively determine the heterogeneity between particles based on the local information on a single particle, which is utilized extensively for monitoring chemical reactions and biological activities. However, the study of obtaining ensemble reaction information at the single particle level, which can obtain both the structural and functional heterogeneity of particles as well as the ensemble reaction information, is challenging because the selection of a single particle mainly depends on experience, which will lead to a certain randomness when analyzing the ensemble reaction with single particles. Using machine learning, it is demonstrated that the proposed intelligent single particle analysis strategy can provide single particle and ensemble analyses with high confidence. Convolutional neural network and Gaussian mixture model were utilized to develop a machine learning model for resonance scattering imaging analysis of plasmonic nanoparticles. It can identify the scattered light of single particles and select representative or diverse particles. When single particle scattering imaging is used to obtain ensemble information on the reaction, the error caused by the selection of individual particles can be significantly reduced by selecting representative particles. In addition, the real situation of the reaction can be better revealed by selecting diverse particles. These results indicate that the intelligent single particle analysis strategy has great potential for imaging analysis and biological sensing.

AbstractThe Shewhart X& R and X& S control charts have traditionally been used for detecting mean shift δμand standard deviation shift δσ. This article studies and compares the overall performance of the Xchart with that of the X& R and X& S charts, as well as the X&MR chart. The comparative study led to surprising results that contradict the conventional wisdom in Statistical Process Control (SPC) niche. It is found that the simplest single X chart (i.e., the Xchart with a sample size n = 1) is always the optimal version of the Xchart for detecting δμand δσ. Moreover, the single X chart even outperforms the joint X& R and X& S charts in overall detection effectiveness. On average, the X chart is more effective than the X& R and X& S charts by around 5% under different circumstances. Most importantly, the X chart is very simple to understand, implement and design. As a result, it may be highly preferred for many SPC applications, in which both the mean and variance of a variable need to be monitored.

Variable angle tow (VAT) describes fibres in a composite lamina that have been steered curvilinearly. In so doing, substantially enlarged freedom for stiffness tailoring of composite laminates is enabled. VAT composite structures have been shown to have improved buckling and postbuckling load carrying capability when compared to straight fibre composites. However, their structural analysis and optimal design is more computationally expensive due to the exponential increase in number of variables associated with spatially varying planar fibre orientations in addition to stacking sequence considerations. In this work, an efficient two-level optim isation framework using lamination parameters as design variables has been enhanced and general ised to the design of VAT plates. Explicit stiffness matrices are found in terms of component material invariants and lamination parameters. The convex hull property of B-splines is exploited to ensure point-wise feasibility of lamination parameters. In addition, a small set of explicit closed-form expressions is used to define the feasible region of two in-plane and two out-of-plane lamination parameters, which are used for the design of orthotropic laminates. Finally, numerical examples of plates under compression loading with different boundary conditions and aspect ratios are investigated. Reliable optimal solutions demonstrate the robustness and computational efficiency of the proposed optimisation methodology.

Serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) has been identified as an independent risk factor for predicting all-cause mortality in patients with multiple diseases. However, the prognostic value of LDH levels in post-cardiac arrest patients remains uncertain. This study aimed to assess the association between LDH and mortality in intensive care unit (ICU) patients after cardiac arrest. This retrospective observational study is based on data from the Dryad Digital Repository, which included 374 consecutive adult patients after cardiac arrest. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on median LDH values. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was established to assess the independent relationship between LDH and ICU mortality. Cumulative mortality was compared using Kaplan–Meier curves. The cohort included 374 patients, of which 51.9% (194/374) died in the ICU. The overall death rate from cardiac arrest was significantly higher for patients with LDH ≥ 335 IU/L (59.6%) than for those with LDH < 335 IU/L (44.1%). In multiple Cox regression models, hazard ratios (HR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) for logLDH and the 2 LDH groups were 1.72 (1.07, 2.78) and 1.42 (1.04, 1.93), respectively. Participants with LDH ≥ 335IU/L had a higher incidence of ICU mortality than LDH < 335 IU/L, as shown by the Kaplan–Meier curves (P = .0085). Subgroup analysis revealed that the association between LDH and ICU mortality was vitally stable, with all Pinteractions from different subgroups >.05. Serum LDH levels are positively associated with ICU mortality in patients after cardiac arrest, especially for patients with LDH ≥ 335 IU/L.

This paper presents the parameters and assumptions of the hydrostatic guide rail in both ideal and actual working conditions, the simulate calculation of fluid-solid heat coupling field between gas film and the bearing surface is finished by Fluent based on finite volume method. By analyze and compare the results after post-treatment, we gain the effects caused by guide way’s structure and deformation on the formation of film pressure field, temperature field inside gas film, besides this paper also provides relate conclusions.

The water-based nanoTiN fluids were prepared by nanoTiN particles, dispersion medium and dispersant using a two-step method. The dispersion and rheology of nanoparticles in water-based fluid were studied under different preparation conditions. The dispersion and rheology of prepared nanoTiN fluids were evaluated and analyzed from the mass fraction of nanoparticles, mass fraction of dispersant and type of dispersion medium respectively by using the analysis of sedimentation stability and rheological properties. The results show that the above-mentioned factors all have different degree of influence on nanofluids’ dispersion and rheology. The viscosity of nanofluids increases with mass fraction of nanoparticles. A balance amount of mass fraction of dispersant will improve nanofluids’ dispersity and fluidity. The dispersion effect of deionized water is the best when the nanoparticles dispersed in different dispersion medium.

The nanoboron carbide particle size is 60nm, dispersed in RO reverse osmosis membrane treatment water form water-based nanofluid by adding the dispersant. In experiment, Water-based nanoboron carbide fluid has good resistance sedimentation stability when adding sodium carboxymethyl cellulose as a dispersing agent. Prepared three kinds of water-based nanoboron carbide fluid, the mass fraction of nanoparticles is 0.6%, 0.8%, 1.0%. By establishing a model of U-shaped tube, simulated the water-based nanofluids flow field in U-shaped tube using FLUENT, get velocity flow lines picture and pressure variation graph by CFD post-processing. From simulation results obtained: Water-based nanoboron carbide has good transmission fluid performance when nanoparticles mass fraction of 0.8%.

This paper mainly analyzes the single stand reversible rolling mill strip wandering mathematical model of electro-hydraulic servo system using MATLAB/Simulink and constructs electro hydraulic servo control system model. It carries on the simulation analysis of the quality of the electro-hydraulic servo system. Through the study of strip running deviation design of servo system , we understand of the principle of design of electro-hydraulic servo hydraulic system and the MATLAB simulation.