Search

Let $\Sigma$ be a Riemannian manifold with strictly convex spherical boundary. Assuming absence of conjugate points and that the trapped set is hyperbolic, we show that $\Sigma$ can be isometrically embedded into a closed Riemannian manifold with Anosov geodesic flow. We use this embedding to provide a direct link between the classical Livshits theorem for Anosov flows and the Livshits theorem for the X-ray transform which appears in the boundary rigidity program. Also, we give an application for lens rigidity in a conformal class., Comment: 42 pages, 2 figures. Minor revisions

How to accurately understand low-resource languages is the core of the task-oriented human-computer dialogue system. Language understanding consists of two sub-tasks, i.e., intent detection and slot filling. Intent detection still faces challenges due to semantic ambiguity and implicit intentions with users’ input. Moreover, separately modeling intent detection and slot filling significantly decrease the correctness and relevance between questions and answers. To address these issues, we propose a joint intent detection method using asynchronous training strategy. The proposed method firstly encodes local text information extracted by CNN and relationship information among words emphasized by attention structure. Later, a joint intent detection model with asynchronous training strategy is proposed by either fusing hidden states of intent detection and slot filling layers, or adopting the key information to fine-tune the whole network, greatly increasing the relevance of intent detection and slot filling subtasks. The accuracy achieved by the proposed method tested on an open-source airline travel dataset and a self-collected electricity service dataset, i.e., ATIS and ECSF, are 97.49% and 89.68%, respectively, which proves the effectiveness of joint learning and asynchronous training.

The recently-developed reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) are capable of improving the coverage of space-air-ground integrated networks (SAGINs), where the signals can be reflected in the desired direction without relying on power-thirsty radio-frequency (RF) chains. However, in the face of the substantially increased Doppler frequency, the classic orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) becomes inadequate in supporting RIS for the following reasons. Firstly, the detrimental doubly-selective fading leads to inter-symbol interference (ISI) and inter-carrier interference (ICI), which result in error floors for OFDM operating in the time-frequency (TF) domain. Secondly, it is far from trivial to configure RIS based on the time-varying fading channels. Thirdly, the interpolation-based TF-domain channel estimation methods become impractical for the high-Doppler and high-dimensional RIS systems. Against this background, in this paper, we propose the powerful two-dimensional orthogonal time frequency space (OTFS) modulation for RIS-aided SAGINs, which transforms the time-varying fading encountered in the TF-domain to the time-invariant fading in the delay-Doppler (DD) domain. More explicitly, first of all, for the first time in the literature, we devise the DD-domain channel model of RIS assisted SAGINs in the face of doubly-selective fading. Secondly, in order to facilitate the RIS configuration in the DD-domain, we propose to create “virtual” Doppler frequencies that guide the phase changes at the RIS, even though the RIS phase rotations do not suffer from Doppler effects. Thirdly, we conceive an attractive DD-domain RIS channel estimation method that can support both OFDM and OTFS, where the TF-domain interpolation is eliminated. Our simulation results demonstrate that the proposed DD-domain RIS configuration and channel estimation methods for both OFDM and OTFS are capable of mitigating the error floors encountered in the TF-domain. Furthermore, our simulation results confirm that OTFS-based RIS-assisted SAGIN systems are capable of outperforming their OFDM counterparts and exhibit excellent performance across a wide range of SAGIN channel parameters including the Ricean K factor, Doppler frequency, delay spread, coverage distance and carrier frequency.

Traditional liquid-solid extraction methods for the removal of zinc ions (Zn(II)) were generally limited by the leakage of extractant and low extraction capacity. The two-component Pickering emulsion hydrogels (PEHGs) in which the synergistic 2-ethylhexyl hydrogen-2-ethylhexylphosphate/tributyl phosphate (EHEHPA/TBP) was encapsulated in a semi-penetrating polymer network (SIPN) structured hydrogels polyacrylamide/sodium alginate (PAM/SA) were prepared by the Pickering emulsions polymerization route. The PEHGs were characterized by FTIR, SEM, TGA, and tensile mechanical measurements, and their self-healing properties were explored. The adsorption performance of PEHGs on Zn(II) was investigated. The results showed that the encapsulation of the extractant reached 95% due to the hydrogels network and nano-silica (nano-SiO2) particle network in PEHGs-15. The critical crashing pressure of PEHGs-15 was 0.084 MPa, and the adsorption after 3 h of healing was only 86% of the original amount. The maximum adsorption capacity of PEHGs-15 on Zn(II) was 76.51 mg/g at pH 5. The functional groups of SA and EHEHPA/TBP enhanced the adsorption capacity of PEHGs-15 by chelating with Zn(II). After five adsorption-desorption cycles, the adsorption capacity of PEHGs-15 exceeded 85% of the initial one. The excellent mechanical properties, self-healing, and regenerative properties of PEHGs-15 offer the potential to remove Zn(II) from the solution.

A cooperative tertiary amine/palladium-catalyzed sequential reaction process, proceeding via a [4 + 3] cyclization of isatin-derived Morita-Baylis-Hillman Expansion (MBH) carbonates and

The standard rescue modality for patients with intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis after failed mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is not well established. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of balloon dilation in combination with tirofiban as the first-line salvage therapy when MT failed in these patients.We retrospectively analyzed the records of 47 patients admitted between January 2018 and June 2021, with middle cerebral artery atherosclerotic occlusion, who underwent balloon angioplasty in combination with tirofiban as the first-line salvage therapy after the failure of MT. The recanalization outcome, procedure-related complications, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, and functional outcome at 90 days were reviewed.Recanalization with a modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction grade of 2b-3 was achieved in 41 (87.2%) of the 47 patients. Acute stents were deployed in another 6 patients who did not achieve successful re-perfusion after balloon angioplasty. Successful recanalization was achieved in 3 of them. One patient (2.1%, 1/47) experienced re-occlusion several days later due to the withdrawal of antiplatelet therapy for parenchymal hematoma. Seven patients (14.9%, 7/47) underwent stent angioplasty in the stable stage (range: 1-2 months) because severe residual stenosis was detected on follow-up imaging. There was only one event of periprocedural complication, namely ectopic migration of emboli. The good functional outcome rate was 55.3% (26/47), without the events of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage and mortality.Balloon angioplasty in combination with tirofiban is safe and effective for middle cerebral artery atherosclerotic occlusion after the failure of MT.

To investigate the relationship between systemic inflammatory response and short-term mortality in patients with non-cirrhotic chronic severe hepatitis (CSH) by using several indicators of inflammation including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), neutrophil (NEU), white blood cell (WBC), platelet-to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR).Data were collected from two prospectively enrolled CATCH-LIFE noncirrhotic cohorts. Cox regression analysis was used to investigate the association between systemic inflammatory biomarkers and 90-day liver transplant (LT)-free mortality. A generalized additive model (GAM) was used to illustrate the quantitative curve relationship between NLR and 90-day LT-free mortality. Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the 90-year LT-free survival.The prevalence of CSH was 20.5% (226/1103). The 28-day and 90-day LT-free mortality rates were 17.7% and 26.1%, respectively, for patients with non-cirrhotic CSH. Patients with no infection accounted for 75.0% of all CSH patients, and NLR was independently associated with 90-day LT-free mortality. NLR of 2.9 might be related to disease deterioration in CSH patients without infection.NLR may be an independent risk factor for 90-day LT-free mortality in patients with non-cirrhotic chronic liver disease. A NLR of 2.9 as the cut-off value can be used to predict disease aggravation in CSH patients without infection.

Although much has been written on hedging in traditional security, few studies have focused on hedging in the non-traditional security (NTS) domains. This essay examines NTS hedging through the case of Vietnam’s disaster response cooperation with the USA and with China. “Hedging” is insurance-seeking behaviour, characterised by avoidance of irrevocable commitment, adoption of impartial and inclusive diversification, and the pursuit of prudent contradictions—all aimed at offsetting risks and cultivating a fallback position. We argue that it is Vietnam’s elite-defined strategic considerations and functional needs amid uncertainty that both drive and constrain its hedging approach to disaster management cooperation with the competing powers—China and the USA. While not fully aligning with either power, Vietnam has sought closer cooperation with both, with different objectives in mind: engaging China to maintain a good relationship, while engaging the USA to enhance its capabilities. The net result is cooperation that is symbolic in posture and selective in practice, which serves the substantive purposes of mitigating risks while acquiring concrete gains. In the world of hedging, symbolism is substance.

The chromatin remodeler CHD8 represents a high-confidence risk factor in autism, a multistage progressive neurologic disorder, however the underlying stage-specific functions remain elusive. In this study, by analyzingChd8conditional knock-out mice (male and female), we find that CHD8 controls cortical neural stem/progenitor cell (NSC) proliferation and survival in a stage-dependent manner. Strikingly, inducible genetic deletion reveals that CHD8 is required for the production and fitness of transit-amplifying intermediate progenitors (IPCs) essential for upper-layer neuron expansion in the embryonic cortex. p53 loss of function partially rescues apoptosis and neurogenesis defects in theChd8-deficient brain. Further, transcriptomic and epigenomic profiling indicates that CHD8 regulates the chromatin accessibility landscape to activate neurogenesis-promoting factors including TBR2, a key regulator of IPC neurogenesis, while repressing DNA damage- and p53-induced apoptotic programs. In the adult brain, CHD8 depletion impairs forebrain neurogenesis by impeding IPC differentiation from NSCs in both subventricular and subgranular zones; however, unlike in embryos, it does not affect NSC proliferation and survival. Treatment with an antidepressant approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), fluoxetine, partially restores adult hippocampal neurogenesis inChd8-ablated mice. Together, our multistage functional studies identify temporally specific roles for CHD8 in developmental and adult neurogenesis, pointing to a potential strategy to enhance neurogenesis in the CHD8-deficient brain.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTThe role of the high-confidence autism geneCHD8in neurogenesis remains incompletely understood. Here, we identify a stage-specific function of CHD8 in development of NSCs in developing and adult brains by conserved, yet spatiotemporally distinct, mechanisms. In embryonic cortex, CHD8 is critical for the proliferation, survival, and differentiation of both NSC and IPCs during cortical neurogenesis. In adult brain, CHD8 is required for IPC generation but not the proliferation and survival of adult NSCs. Treatment with FDA-approved antidepressant fluoxetine partially rescues the adult neurogenesis defects in CHD8 mutants. Thus, our findings help resolve CHD8 functions throughout life during embryonic and adult neurogenesis and point to a potential avenue to promote neurogenesis in CHD8 deficiency.

The development of artificial intelligence devices in the complementary medicine field is rapid and the surface microbial diversity pollution was found with periodic low-dose ultraviolet radiation (LDUVR). Since artificial intelligence devices do not have enough different types of substrates for microbial communities, it is unclear how the great microbial diversity can emerge and persist, as this clearly defies the competitive exclusion principle of ecology. In this study, the 5 most common genera in the artificial intelligence devices, Escherichia, Pseudomonas, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus and Aeromonas have been sampled without and with periodic LDUVR, respectively. A new hypothesis was put up to clarify the construction and maintenance process of high microbiological diversity in artificial intelligence devices by comparing and evaluating the variations between the dynamic response characteristics of their relative abundances in the two scenarios as follows: the periodic LDUVR can be regarded as an adverse factor with intermediate disturbance, causing stronger microbial stochastic growth responses (SGR) which would inevitably give rise to stronger random variation of the other important processes tightly correlated with SGR, such as intra- and interspecific competition process, and substrates production and consumption process, which could effectively diminish the auto- and cross-correlation of stochastic processes of microbial populations, alleviating the intra- and inter-specific competitions. In artificial intelligence devices with LDUVR, these crucial succession processes can propel the microbial communities to generate and sustain a high species diversity. Finally, thorough Monte Carlo simulations were used to thoroughly confirm the idea. This research can build the theoretical groundwork, offer fresh viewpoints, and suggest potential microbial prevention strategies for the succession of microbial communities in LDUVR.

The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence, severity, and factors associated with multidimensional fatigue in Chinese patients with newly diagnosed meningiomas.This cross-sectional study included 120 Chinese meningioma patients. Data were collected before surgery, including demographic, clinical, psychological, and sleep characteristics, as well as fatigue scores based on completion of the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20). Mann-Whitney U tests, Kruskal-Wallis H tests, Spearman correlation and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the data.The results showed there was a high prevalence of severe fatigue for each dimension: general fatigue (33.3%), physical fatigue (27.5%), reduced activity (28.3%), reduced motivation (12.5%), mental fatigue (11.7%), and total fatigue (23.3%). Headache and anxiety were found to be associated with general fatigue. Depression was related with physical fatigue. The Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) score and depression were associated with reduced activity. Depression and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score were correlated with reduced motivation, while the KPS score and anxiety were associated with mental fatigue. Importantly, comorbidity, the KPS score, headache, depression, sleep disturbances, and the ESS score remained strong correlates of total fatigue.Our findings indicate that newly diagnosed meningioma patients are affected by multidimensional fatigue. For patients with risk factors of fatigue, targeted interventions are advised to decrease fatigue and improve HRQoL.

CHD8 is a candidate gene for autism spectrum disorders and neurological development delay. It has been reported to be essential for neurogenesis in the cerebral cortex, but the function of CHD8 in cerebellum has not been comprehensively investigated. The potential relationship of cerebellum dysplasia with psychiatric disorders in patients with CHD8 mutations is still not clear. In this study, we establish different conditional knockout mouse models to investigate the roles of CHD8 in cerebellar development. Mice with neural stem cell-specific Chd8 deletion exhibit significant reduction of cerebellum volume and no layering structure is detected. Genetic deletion of Chd8 in cerebellar granule neuron progenitors (GNPs) leads to cerebellar hypoplasia, absent of proliferation layer and ectopic of Purkinje neuron. However, no substantial cerebellar dysplasia is detected in mice with Purkinje neuron- or oligodendrocyte-specific Chd8 ablation. Single-cell RNA sequencing indicates that ribosome-related genes and pathways are most significantly disrupted in GNPs, indicating the potential mechanism. Importantly, in addition to the ataxia phenotype, mice with GNP-specific Chd8 ablation present a neuropsychiatric phenotype in three-chamber and light/dark tests. Taken together, our results provide insights not only into the function of CHD8 in cerebellar development, but also the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders in patients with CHD8 mutations.

Dinutuximab (ch14.18) was the first approved monoclonal antibody against the tumor-associated antigen disialoganglioside GD2. Despite its success in treating neuroblastoma (NB), it triggers a significant amount of neuropathic pain in patients, possibly through complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC). We hypothesized that modifying ch14.18 using antibody engineering techniques, such as humanization, affinity maturation, and Fc engineering, may enable the development of next-generation GD2-specific antibodies with reduced neuropathic pain and enhanced antitumor activity. In this study we developed the H3-16 IgG1m4 antibody from ch14.18 IgG1. H3-16 IgG1m4 exhibited enhanced binding activity to GD2 molecules and GD2-positive cell lines as revealed by ELISA, and its cross-binding activity to other gangliosides was not altered. The CDC activity of H3-16 IgG1m4 was decreased, and the antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) activity was enhanced. The pain response after H3-16 IgG1m4 antibody administration was also reduced, as demonstrated using the von Frey test in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. In summary, H3-16 IgG1m4 may have potential as a monoclonal antibody with reduced side effects.

With the increasing global threat of various diseases and infections, it is essential to develop a fast, low-cost, and easy-to-use point-of-care testing (POCT) system for inspections at all levels of medical institutions and self-examination at home. In this work, gold magnetic nanoparticles (GMNPs) are used as the key material, and a rapid visual detection method is designed through integrating loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and lateral flow assay (LFA) biosensor for detecting a variety of analytes which includes whole blood, buccal swabs, and DNA. It is worth to note that the proposed method does not need DNA extraction. Furthermore, uracil DNA glycosylase (UDG) is employed to eliminate carrier contamination for preventing false positive results. The whole detection process can be finished within 25 min. The accuracy of detection is measured by assessing the polymorphisms of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T. The detection limit of the newly developed extraction-free detection system for MTHFR C677T is 0.16 ng/μL. A preliminary clinical study of the proposed method is carried out by analyzing 600 clinical samples (including 200 whole blood samples, 100 buccal swabs, and 300 genomic DNA samples). The results indicate that the proposed method is 100% consistent with the sequencing results which provides a new choice for POCT and shows a broad application prospect in all levels of medical clinics and at home.Supplementary material (details for MTHFR C677T primer sequences, the cell count results of samples at different dilution ratios, genotyping results and frequency samples, a Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium test, the sensitivity of the system, detection results of multiple samples, and optimization of the system) is available in the online version of this article at 10.1007/s12274-022-4692-9.

Hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) are derived from the bulge region and are important autologous stem cell sources. Bibliometric is a statistical method that quantitatively analyses the research papers concerned about one special topic. This study aims to estimate the research status and trends of HFSCs worldwide by bibliometric analyses.Data were obtained from the Web of Science by searching keywords related to HFSCs. Publication distributions stratified by countries/regions, institutions, journals, and authors were systematically assessed. The frequency of keywords was assessed, and bibliometric mapping was employed to describe the development of HFSC research.A total of 458 publications that met our screening criteria were included in this study, consisting of 423 (92.4%) articles and 35 (7.6%) reviews. The United States of America (USA) ranked first in the number of publications at 146 (31.9%), followed by China at 130 (28.4%), which is consistent with the rank of the H-index. Author keywords were classified into three clusters, namely, basic study, applied study, and biomarker; average publication time of keywords in applied study cluster is later than basic study cluster. The keywords "bulge", "nestin", and "skin" are the top three most frequent keywords in basic studies; "differentiation", "proliferation", and "alopecia" are the top three most frequent keywords in applied studies. With respect to the latest research hotspots, "apoptosis" and "tissue engineering" are relatively new keywords.The USA and China were the most productive countries for research on HFSCs. The focus of keywords gradually shifted from basic study to applied study. Research on the differentiation/proliferation of HFSCs and the role of HFSCs in alopecia have been recent research focuses. Apoptosis and tissue engineering are recommended as promising research hotspots. Our study provides profound insights into the research history, current status, and future trend of HFSCs.

In this work, the $$\gamma p\rightarrow \phi (1680) p$$ γ p → ϕ ( 1680 ) p reaction is systematically studied based on the two gluon exchange model and the pomeron model. The calculation results show that the total cross section of $$\phi (1680)$$ ϕ ( 1680 ) photoproduction can reach more than 80 nb near the center-of-mass energy $$W=4$$ W = 4 GeV, so it is suggested that JLab and other experiments carry out relevant measurements. Moreover, under the framework of the vector meson dominance assumption, the scattering length of $$\phi (1680)$$ ϕ ( 1680 ) and proton interaction is estimated as $$0.07\pm 0.01$$ 0.07 ± 0.01 fm from the cross sections predicted by the theoretical models, which is on the same order of magnitude as the $$\phi (1020)$$ ϕ ( 1020 ) -p scattering length. In addition, the total cross section, number of events and rapidity distribution of $$\phi (1680)$$ ϕ ( 1680 ) production are predicted at Electron-Ion colliders (EICs) and ultra-peripheral collisions (UPCs) by using eSTARlight and STARlight code. The study of $$\phi (1680)$$ ϕ ( 1680 ) and relevant properties is of enlightening significance in better understanding the strangeonium family spectrum, and provides necessary data support for the future experiment of EICs and UPCs.

Development of theranostic nanosystems integrating cascaded surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) imaging and gene silencing therapy for accurate cancer diagnosis and treatment is still a big challenge and rarely reported. Herein, a novel Au nanoparticles (AuNPs)-based theranostic nanosystem containing AuNP-Ys and AuNP-Ds for highly sensitive and specific cancer diagnosis and treatment was proposed for cascaded SERS imaging of intracellular cancer-related miR-106a and miR-106a-triggered DNAzyme-based dual gene-silencing therapy of cancer cells. The AuNP-Ys were prepared by modifying the AuNPs with specially designed Y-motifs, and the AuNP-Ds were obtained by colabeling Raman molecules and dsDNA linkers on AuNPs. When identifying the intracellular cancer-related miRNAs, the Y-motifs and dsDNA linkers undergoes miRNA-triggered ATP-driven conformational transitions and releases the miRNA for recycling, which results in the formation of AuNP network nanostructures to generate significantly enhanced SERS signals for sensitive identification of the cancer cells as well as the amplification and specific activation of DNAzymes to catalyze the Mg

Multiple pathogenic types or serotypes restrict treatment for colibacillosis. In addition, rising antibiotic resistance has heightened public awareness to prevent and control pathogenic Escherichia coli. The bacteriophage is a viable technique to treat colibacillosis as an alternative to antibiotics. P762, a coliphage isolated from duck farm sewage, was demonstrated to cloud lyse Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia Coli serotypes O157 and non-O157 (17/39), Avian pathogenic E. coli covered serotype O78, O83, and O9 (5/19), and other pathogenic Escherichia coli (5/17). Additional fundamental biological characteristics analysis revealed that P762 is stable at pH 3 ~ 11 and temperature between 4 °C and 60 °C, and its optimum multiplicity of infection (MOI) is 0.1. The one-step curve of P762 exhibited three bursts of growth stage: two rapid and one slow stage. Furthermore, the first rapid burst size is 80 CFU/PFU, the burst size of the slow stage is 10 CFU/PFU, and the second rapid burst size is about 990 CFU/PFU. In addition, P762 can form a "halo" on a double agar plate, implying that the phage secretes depolymerase. With 95.14% identity and 90% query coverage, genome sequence analysis revealed that P762 is most closely related to Escherichia phage DY1, which belongs to the genus Kayfunavirus. After screening using RAST and VFDB, no virulence factors were discovered in P762. In vitro antibacterial tests revealed that P762 has high bactericidal activity in lettuce leaves contaminated with STEC. In conclusion, phage P762 might be employed in the future to prevent and control pathogenic Escherichia coli.

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are well known for their immunoregulatory roles on allergic inflammation particularly by acting on T cells, B cells, and dendritic cells (DCs). MSC-derived small extracellular vesicles (MSC-sEV) are increasingly considered as one of the main factors for the effects of MSCs on immune responses. However, the effects of MSC-sEV on DCs in allergic diseases remain unclear. MSC-sEV were prepared from the induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC)-MSCs by anion-exchange chromatography, and were characterized with the size, morphology, and specific markers. Human monocyte-derived DCs were generated and cultured in the presence of MSC-sEV to differentiate the so-called sEV-immature DCs (sEV-iDCs) and sEV-mature DCs (sEV-mDCs), respectively. The phenotypes and the phagocytic ability of sEV-iDCs were analyzed by flow cytometry. sEV-mDCs were co-cultured with isolated CD4

Altered long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) exert pivotal parts in pathogenic processes in glioma. Here, we uncovered a differentially expressed long intergenic non-coding RNA 1088 (LINC01088) in glioma and elucidated the molecular mechanism by which LINC01088 affected the malignant phenotypes of glioma cells. Functionally, LINC01088 silencing degraded cell proliferation, invasion in glioma, while LINC01088 overexpression elicited opposite results. Mechanistically, we verified LINC01088 physically interacted with small nuclear ribonucleoprotein polypeptide A (SNRPA) and regulated the expression of SNRPA at the transcription level. Phenotypic analysis ascertained that LINC01088 substantively aggravated glioma cell progression in an SNRPA-dependent manner, and SNRPA played a pivotal part in the tumor-promoting properties of LINC01088. Our findings revealed a novel mechanism by which LINC01088 exerted pro-oncogenic functions through binding with SNRPA and transcriptionally regulating SNRPA mRNA in glioma.

PDF file - 89KB, IL-17A does not directly affect CD8+ T cells proliferation and cytokine production in vitro.