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Spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques encode ample information on investigated samples. The ability of rapidly and accurately extracting these enhances the means to steer the experiment, as well as the understanding of the underlying processes governing the experiment. It improves the efficiency of the experiment, and maximizes the scientific outcome. To address this, we introduce and validate three frameworks based on self-supervised learning which are capable of classifying 1D spectral curves using data transformations preserving the scientific content and only a small amount of data labeled by domain experts. In particular, in this work we focus on the identification of phase transitions in samples investigated by x-ray powder diffraction. We demonstrate that the three frameworks, based either on relational reasoning, contrastive learning, or a combination of the two, are capable of accurately identifying phase transitions. Furthermore, we discuss in detail the selection of data augmentation techniques, crucial to ensure that scientifically meaningful information is retained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CCN1, an extracellular protein also known as cysteine-rich protein 61 (Cyr61), is a novel pro-inflammatory factor involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. As an inflammatory disease, psoriasis is characterized by keratinocyte activation-induced epidermal hyperplasia and cytokine-mediated inflammation. We demonstrated in our previous study that CCN1 promoted keratinocyte activation in psoriasis. However, the role of CCN1 in regulating inflammation in psoriasis is still unknown. Here, we showed that CCN1 increased inflammatory cytokine IL-1β production in keratinocytes. Furthermore, endogenous ATP and caspase-1 were required for mature IL-1β production stimulated by CCN1 in keratinocytes. After binding to the receptor of integrin α6β1, CCN1 activated the downstream p38 MAPK signaling pathway, thus inducing the expression of IL-1β. In addition, we inhibited CCN1 function in mouse models of psoriasis, and decreased IL-1β production was observed in vivo. Overall, we showed that CCN1 increased IL-1β production via p38 MAPK signaling, indicating a role for CCN1 protein in regulating inflammation in psoriasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renal replacement therapy (RRT) is a crucial treatment for sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (S-AKI), but it is uncertain which S-AKI patients should receive immediate RRT. Identifying the characteristics of patients who may benefit the most from RRT is an important task. This retrospective study utilized a public database and enrolled S-AKI patients, who were divided into RRT and non-RRT groups. Uplift modeling was used to estimate the individual treatment effect (ITE) of RRT. The validity of different models was compared using a qini curve. After labeling the patients in the validation cohort, we characterized the patients who would benefit the most from RRT and created a nomogram. A total of 8289 patients were assessed, among whom 591 received RRT, and 7698 did not receive RRT. The RRT group had a higher severity of illness than the non-RRT group, with a Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score of 9 (IQR 6,11) vs. 5 (IQR 3,7). The 28-day mortality rate was higher in the RRT group than the non-RRT group (34.83% vs. 14.61%, p < 0.0001). Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance baseline characteristics, 458 RRT patients and an equal number of non-RRT patients were enrolled for further research. After PSM, 28-day mortality of RRT and non-RRT groups were 32.3% vs. 39.3%, P = 0.033. Using uplift modeling, we found that urine output, fluid input, mean blood pressure, body temperature, and lactate were the top 5 factors that had the most influence on RRT effect. The area under the uplift curve (AUUC) of the class transformation model was 0.068, the AUUC of SOFA was 0.018, and the AUUC of Kdigo-stage was 0.050. The class transformation model was more efficient in predicting individual treatment effect. A logistic regression model was developed, and a nomogram was drawn to predict whether an S-AKI patient can benefit from RRT. Six factors were taken into account (urine output, creatinine, lactate, white blood cell count, glucose, respiratory rate). Uplift modeling can better predict the ITE of RRT on S-AKI patients than conventional score systems such as Kdigo and SOFA. We also found that white blood cell count is related to the benefits of RRT, suggesting that changes in inflammation levels may be associated with the effects of RRT on S-AKI patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the ratio of mitochondrial DNA to genomic DNA (mt/gDNA) in embryo culture medium as a possible predictor for embryonic development and pregnancy outcome, we collected a total of 93 embryo biopsy specimens from 52 women at the corresponding Day 3 (D3) and Day 5 (D5) embryo culture medium of in vitro fertilization. With the multiple annealing and looping-based amplification cycles method of next-generation sequencing for whole genome amplification, we examined the karyotype of the biopsy samples and the mt/gDNA ratio in the culture medium. Results showed that the ratio of mt/gDNA had an upward trend with decreasing trophectoderm levels with no significant difference. At the same time, from D3 to D5, the mt/gDNA ratio in the medium of embryos that failed to become blastocysts showed an upward trend, and the mt/gDNA ratio of medium from embryos that reached blastulation with successful pregnancy showed a decreasing trend, but the differences were not statistically significant. We conclude that there is a certain correlation between mt/gDNA ratio and early embryonic development, but it does not reach a level that can be used as a clinical predictor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-phase mixtures, from metallic alloys to islands on surfaces, undergo coarsening wherein the total interfacial area of the system decreases with time. Theory predicts that during coarsening the average size-scale of a two-phase mixture increases with time as t1/3 when the two-phase mixture is self-similar, or time independent when scaled by a time-dependent length. Here, we explain why this temporal power law is so robustly observed even when the microstructure is not self-similar. We show that there exists an upper limit to the length scales in the system that are kinetically active during coarsening, which we term the self-similar length scale. Length scales smaller than the self-similar length scale evolve, leading to the classical temporal power law for the coarsening dynamics of the system. Longer length scales are largely inactive, leading to a non-self-similar structure. This result holds for any two-phase mixture with a large distribution of morphological length scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates the use of L-PRF as an autologous scaffold in nerve regeneration, and Schwann cells (SCs) proliferation and secretion of neurotrophic factors and its anti-inflammatory effect on SC Porphyromonas Gingivalis-Lipopolysaccharide (PG-LPS)-induced inflammatory responses in vitro. SEM was done to investigate various features of L-PRF. L-PRF-extracts was used to investigate the release of growth factors and treatment of SCs line. ELISA was applied to examine the release of IGF-1. The proliferative effect of L-PRF on SCs was assessed with CCK-8 assay. The effect of L-PRF on the mRNA and protein expression of SC neurotrophic factors were analyzed by RT-qPCR and ELISA. CCK-8 assay and RT-qPCR were used to determine the required concentration and the action time of PG-LPS before the anti-inflammatory effect of L-PRF was determined by measuring the changes in IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-a with RT-qPCR and ELISA. There are different features in L-PRF. Fourteen days was sufficient to release adequate GF. The mRNA expressions of the pro-inflammatory cytokines were notably raised by PG-LPS in 3-hours treatment. L-PRF can increase SC proliferation, neurotrophic factors secretion, and suppress SC PG-LPS-induced inflammatory responses in vitro. L-PRF has the potential as an autologous biological additive for peripheral nerve regeneration in the event of nerve inflammation and injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we present a novel, multiple coefficient of determination (R2M)-based method for parsing SNPs located within the chromosomal neighborhood of a gene into semi-independent families, each of which corresponds to one or more functional variants that regulate transcription of the gene. Specifically, our method utilizes a matrix equation framework to calculate R2M values for SNPs within a chromosome region of interest (ROI) based upon the choices of 1-4 "index" SNPs (iSNPs) that serve as proxies for underlying regulatory variants. Exhaustive testing of sets of 1–4 candidate iSNPs identifies iSNP models that best account for estimated R2 values derived from single-variable linear regression analysis of correlations between mRNA expression and genotypes of individual SNPs. Subsequent genotype-based estimation of pairwise r2 linkage disequilibrium (LD) coefficients between each iSNP and the other ROI SNPs allows the SNPs to be parsed into semi-independent families. Analysis of mRNA expression and genotypes data downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and database for Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGAP) demonstrates the usefulness of this method for parsing SNPs based on experimental data. We believe that this method will be widely applicable for the analysis of the genetic basis of mRNA expression and visualizing the contributions of multiple genetic variants to the regulation of individual genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coupling ultrasmall Fe2O3 particles (~4.0 nm) with the MoS2 nanosheets is achieved by a facile method for high-performance anode material for Li-ion battery. MoS2 nanosheets in the composite can serve as scaffolds, efficiently buffering the large volume change of Fe2O3 during charge/discharge process, whereas the ultrasmall Fe2O3 nanoparticles mainly provide the specific capacity. Due to bigger surface area and larger pore volume as well as strong coupling between Fe2O3 particles and MoS2 nanosheets, the composite exhibits superior electrochemical properties to MoS2, Fe2O3 and the physical mixture Fe2O3+MoS2. Typically, after 140 cycles the reversible capacity of the composite does not decay, but increases from 829 mA h g−1 to 864 mA h g−1 at a high current density of 2 A g−1. Thus, the present facile strategy could open a way for development of cost-efficient anode material with high-performance for large-scale energy conversion and storage systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RBM10 is an RNA splicing regulator that is frequently mutated in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and has recently been proposed to be a cancer gene. How RBM10 mutations observed in LUAD affect its normal functions, however, remains largely unknown. Here integrative analysis of RBM10 mutation and RNA expression data revealed that LUAD-associated RBM10 mutations exhibit a mutational spectrum similar to that of tumor suppressor genes. In addition, this analysis showed that RBM10 mutations identified in LUAD patients lacking canonical oncogenes are associated with significantly reduced RBM10 expression. To systematically investigate RBM10 mutations, we developed an experimental pipeline for elucidating their functional effects. Among six representative LUAD-associated RBM10 mutations, one nonsense and one frameshift mutation caused loss-of-function as expected, whereas four missense mutations differentially affected RBM10-mediated splicing. Importantly, changes in proliferation rates of LUAD-derived cells caused by these RBM10 missense mutants correlated with alterations in RNA splicing of RBM10 target genes. Together, our data implies that RBM10 mutations contribute to LUAD pathogenesis, at least in large part, by deregulating splicing. The methods described in this study should be useful for analyzing mutations in additional cancer-associated RNA splicing regulators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitochondrial diseases (MDs) were a large group multisystem disorders, attributable in part to the dual genomic control. The advent of massively sequencing has improved diagnostic rates and speed, and was increasingly being used as a first-line diagnostic test. Paediatric patients (aged < 18 years) who underwent dual genomic sequencing were enrolled in this retrospective multicentre study. We evaluated the mitochondrial disease criteria (MDC) and molecular diagnostic yield of dual genomic sequencing. Causative variants were identified in 177 out of 503 (35.2%) patients using dual genomic sequencing. Forty-six patients (9.1%) had mitochondria-related variants, including 25 patients with nuclear DNA (nDNA) variants, 15 with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variants, and six with dual genomic variants (MT-ND6 and POLG; MT-ND5 and RARS2; MT-TL1 and NARS2; MT-CO2 and NDUFS1; MT-CYB and SMARCA2; and CHRNA4 and MT-CO3). Based on the MDC, 15.2% of the patients with mitochondria-related variants were classified as "unlikely to have mitochondrial disorder". Moreover, 4.5% of the patients with non-mitochondria-related variants and 1.43% with negative genetic tests, were classified as "probably having mitochondrial disorder". Dual genomic sequencing in suspected MDs provided a more comprehensive and accurate diagnosis for pediatric patients, especially for patients with dual genomic variants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the predictive value of serum lactate on neurological function impairment and the possible etiology. In this retrospective study, all the adult patients admitted to ICU more than 24 h after general anesthesia elective neurosurgery from January 2018 to January 2019 were recruited. The data of the serum lactate every 8 h during the 24 h of ICU admission were acquired and analyzed. 169 patients were included in the outcomes analysis. The average serum lactate after ICU admission was 3.7(3.4–4.1) mmol/L, higher than normal, and serum lactate elevated commonly after neurosurgery. The serum lactate at ICU admission (lactateserum0h) was not correlated with the outcomes, whereas the predictive value increased as the monitoring time was extended. The result indicated that lactateserum8h, the lactateserum16h, and the lactateserum24h were correlated with the primary outcome (difference of GCS scores before the surgery and after 24 h of ICU admission (ΔGCS24h) (p < 0.05). The lactateserum16h and the lactateserum 24 h were correlated with all the outcomes except for the hospital LOS. The ROC curve suggested that the lactateserum24h achieved the best predictive value. Patients with serum lactate non-recovered trend after 24 h of ICU stay had decreased GCS scores and vice versa, as indicated by the graph of the dynamic changes in the serum lactate. The predictive value of the serum glucose/serum lactate ratio at ICU admission (G/Lserum) was analyzed, and the result indicated that it was correlated with the ΔGCS24h (p < 0.05), the G/Lserum can predict neurological impairment earlier. Dynamic serum lactate monitoring and the G/Lserum at ICU admission have predict value on neurological function impairment after neurosurgery which might be attributed to ACMC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among seven species of the order Eulipotyphla (from southern Gansu and northern Sichuan Provinces, Central China) studied cytogenetically, karyotypes of one talpid species, Uropsilus aff. soricipes (2n = 36, NFa = 54), and three soricid species, Chodsigoa hypsibia (2n = 65, NFa = 66), Sorex cansulus (2n = 42, NFa = 64) and Sorex thibetanus (2n = 42, NFa = 60), are described cytogenetically for the first time. All four species are endemic to China with distribution ranges restricted to the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and adjacent mountain ranges. The Ch. hypsibia karyotype consists of mostly acrocentric autosomes and one metacentric pair of autosomes; besides, a B chromosome was identified. No polymorphism was detected among karyotypes of other species, including shrews Sorex bedfordiae (2n = 26, NFa = 44), Anourosorex squamipes (2n = 48, NFa = 92) and Crocidura suaveolens (2n = 40, NFa = 44). The Chinese shrew mole U. aff. soricipes and three shrew species (S. bedfordiae, Ch. hypsibia and A. squamipes) represent autochthonous fauna of Central/Western China, whereas S. thibetanus, S. cansulus and C. suaveolens belong to phylogenetic groups occurring mostly to the north and west from China; therefore, they should be considered relatively recent colonisers. Thus, considering the relationships of the species within phylogenetic groups, our results on karyotypes are in good agreement with molecular genetic data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A principle of choice in animal decision-making named probability matching (PM) has long been detected in animals, and can arise from different decision-making strategies. Little is known about how environmental stochasticity may influence the switching time of these different decision-making strategies. Here we address this problem using a combination of behavioral and theoretical approaches, and show, that although a simple Win-Stay-Loss-Shift (WSLS) strategy can generate PM in binary-choice tasks theoretically, budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulates) actually apply a range of sub-tactics more often when they are expected to make more accurate decisions. Surprisingly, budgerigars did not get more rewards than would be predicted when adopting a WSLS strategy, and their decisions also exhibited PM. Instead, budgerigars followed a learning strategy based on reward history, which potentially benefits individuals indirectly from paying lower switching costs. Furthermore, our data suggest that more stochastic environments may promote reward learning through significantly less switching. We suggest that switching costs driven by the stochasticity of an environmental niche can potentially represent an important selection pressure associated with decision-making that may play a key role in driving the evolution of complex cognition in animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a severe disorder leading to progressive and irreversible loss of pulmonary function. In this study we investigated the anti-fibrotic effect of vitamin D using a mouse model of IPF. Lung fibrosis was induced with bleomycin in vitamin D-sufficient and vitamin D-deficient C57BL/6 mice. We found that treatment with active vitamin D analog paricalcitol prevented mouse body weight loss and alleviated lung fibrosis, whereas vitamin D deficiency severely aggravated lung injury. At the molecular level, paricalcitol treatment suppressed the induction of fibrotic inducer TGF-β and extracellular matrix proteins α-SMA, collagen type I and fibronectin in the lung, whereas vitamin D deficiency exacerbated the induction of these proteins. Interestingly, bleomycin treatment activated the local renin–angiotensin system (RAS) in the lung, manifested by the induction of renin, angiotensinogen, angiotensin II and angiotensin receptor type 1 (AT1R). Paricalcitol treatment suppressed the induction of these RAS components, whereas vitamin D deficiency enhanced the activation of the lung RAS. We also showed that treatment of bleomycin-induced vitamin D-deficient mice with AT1R antagonist losartan relieved weight loss, substantially ameliorated lung fibrosis and markedly blocked TGF-β induction in the lung. Moreover, we demonstrated that in lung fibroblast cultures, TGF-β and angiotensin II synergistically induced TGF-β, AT1R, α-SMA, collagen type I and fibronectin, whereas 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D markedly suppressed the induction of these fibrotic markers. Collectively, these observations strongly suggest that vitamin D mitigates lung fibrosis by blocking the activation of the lung RAS in this mouse model of IPF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plate bending-related normal faults (i.e. bend-faults) develop at the outer trench-slope of the oceanic plate incoming into the subduction zone. Numerous geophysical studies and numerical simulations suggest that bend-faults play a key role by providing pathways for seawater to flow into the oceanic crust and the upper mantle, thereby promoting hydration of the oceanic plate. However, deep penetration of seawater along bend-faults remains controversial because fluids that have percolated down into the mantle are difficult to detect. This report presents anomalously high helium isotope (3He/4He) ratios in sediment pore water and seismic reflection data which suggest fluid infiltration into the upper mantle and subsequent outflow through bend-faults across the outer slope of the Japan trench. The 3He/4He and 4He/20Ne ratios at sites near-trench bend-faults, which are close to the isotopic ratios of bottom seawater, are almost constant with depth, supporting local seawater inflow. Our findings provide the first reported evidence for a potentially large-scale active hydrothermal circulation system through bend-faults across the Moho (crust-mantle boundary) in and out of the oceanic lithospheric mantle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nature reserves play an extraordinarily important role in conserving animal populations and their habitats. However, landscape change and unreasonable zoning designations often render these protected areas inadequate. Therefore, regular evaluation of the efficacy of protected lands is critical for maintaining and improving management strategies. Using species distribution models and GAP analysis, we assessed the changes in suitable habitat for the Brown Eared-pheasant (Crossoptilon mantchuricum) in two Chinese nature reserves between 1995 and 2013. Our results showed that the habitat suitability of Brown Eared-pheasant has changed dramatically during this period, and fragmentation analyses showed an increase in concentration area and decrease in patch area. In particular, our findings show that the national nature reserves need to adjust their ranges to ensure the conservation of this flagship species. Our study further provides a new viewpoint for evaluating the efficacy of protected lands, particularly in highly urbanized regions where conservation goals must be balanced with changing landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article demonstrates a multilayer polymer-silica hybrid on-chip amplifier combining mode division multiplexing method. The multilayer amplifier consists of a pumping silica waveguide and an amplifying polymer waveguide. The pumping waveguide possesses the stability and the high damage threshold. The amplifying waveguide takes the advantages of the high compatibility and the high doping rate. The vertical pump of mode division multiplexing method can introduce the pumping light into the amplifying waveguide at any desired position of the chip. By the isolation method between signal and pumping light, the pumping light can be coupled into the amplifying waveguide, while the signal light cannot be coupled into the pumping waveguide. The parameters of doping rates, waveguide lengths, overlap factors, coupling parameters are calculated to optimize the gain characteristics of the amplifier. The amplifier with three position-optimized pumping light was designed achieving a maximum gain of 33.89 dB/cm with a waveguide length of 6 cm, a signal power of 0.1 mW and a pumping power of 300 mW. This polymer-silica hybrid amplifier is promising for the on-chip loss compensation of the 3D photonic integrated circuits and all optical transistors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlling single-particle wave functions in single semiconductor quantum dots is in demand to implement solid-state quantum information processing and spintronics. Normally, particle wave functions can be tuned transversely by an perpendicular magnetic field. We report a longitudinal wave function control in single quantum dots with a magnetic field. For a pure InAs quantum dot with a shape of pyramid or truncated pyramid, the hole wave function always occupies the base because of the less confinement at base, which induces a permanent dipole oriented from base to apex. With applying magnetic field along the base-apex direction, the hole wave function shrinks in the base plane. Because of the linear changing of the confinement for hole wave function from base to apex, the center of effective mass moves up during shrinking process. Due to the uniform confine potential for electrons, the center of effective mass of electrons does not move much, which results in a permanent dipole moment change and an inverted electron-hole alignment along the magnetic field direction. Manipulating the wave function longitudinally not only provides an alternative way to control the charge distribution with magnetic field but also a new method to tune electron-hole interaction in single quantum dots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]