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Aiming at some problems in the process of transformer evaluation, a comprehensive transformer state evaluation method based on SOM neural network evidence cloud object element model is proposed. Firstly, the random factor optimisation combination weights are adopted to solve the problem of expert randomness and incomplete data characteristics of current weight calculation method. Secondly, filtering algorithms and threshold learning mechanisms are introduced to optimise the SOM neural network for clustering. It can solve the problems of randomness and subjectivity in the previous transformer evaluation class intervals. Thirdly, improving the D-S evidence theory based on Pearson's correlation coefficient. It can fuse different characteristic indicators of transformers to avoid contradiction when fusing high conflict evidence. Lastly, the cloud entropy optimisation algorithm applies to improve the cloud object element model to determine the final assessment results. Take 6 actual transformers as an example. It proves the effectiveness and accuracy of the method, and applies to oil-immersed power transformers of different service periods.

High-speed on-off valve uses its high-frequency characteristics to realize the switching effect of fast opening and closing or generate relatively continuous pressure and flow. Compared with the conventional direct acting structure, the frequency of reciprocating sliding of the valve spool is limited due to the need to overcome the large inertial force, while the valve spool of the rotary valve structure can easily achieve continuous and rapid rotary movement, which makes it easier to quickly open or close the hydraulic valve. Therefore, a novel high-frequency two-dimensional rotary valve is proposed. Through the two-dimensional rotary valve, the fluid is discretized in the form of fluid pulse width modulation to realize the flow distribution according to the demand of the system actuator. The spool has two independent degrees of freedom: the rotary motion of the spool is used to control the frequency of the fluid pulse width modulation and the axial displacement of the spool is used to control its width. Inspired by the working principle of the high-speed on-off valve to realize the instantaneous release of energy by quickly opening action, the flow characteristics and throttling loss of two-dimensional rotary valve are analyzed. The shape of the valve port of the high-frequency two-dimensional rotary valve is designed, flow field models with different valve port angle are established and the throttling loss of the valve port is obtained, which is verified by the simulation and the experiment. The working principle of two-dimensional rotary valve is similar to the high-speed on-off valve group, but compared with the high-speed on-off valve using the electric signal control mode, two-dimensional rotary valve can control the flow only by controlling the axial position of the valve spool. The high-frequency two-dimensional rotary valve using fluid pulse width modulation is expected to be used in variable system, load sensing system, distributed power source and other systems with variable and energy-saving requirements.

We experimentally demonstrate a 3.61 Pbit/s generalized mutual information (GMI) estimated throughput by space division multiplexing (SDM) and wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) combined transmission over 19-core single-mode fiber. Covering 17 THz bandwidth with a 25-GHz grid in S, C, and L band, 680 wavelength channels are used to deliver 24.5 GBaud probabilistically constellation-shaped (PCS) 256 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) and PCS-64QAM signals. The measured data rate shows a great potential for S/C/L-band transmission to dramatically enhance the achievable data rate in multi-core fibers.

Microorganisms play crucial roles in phosphorus (P) turnover and P bioavailability increases in heavy metal-contaminated soils. However, microbially driven P-cycling processes and mechanisms of their resistance to heavy metal contaminants remain poorly understood. Here, we examined the possible survival strategies of P-cycling microorganisms in horizontal and vertical soil samples from the world’s largest antimony (Sb) mining site, which is located in Xikuangshan, China. We found that total soil Sb and pH were the primary factors affecting bacterial community diversity, structure and P-cycling traits. Bacteria with the gcdgene, encoding an enzyme responsible for gluconic acid production, largely correlated with inorganic phosphate (Pi) solubilization and significantly enhanced soil P bioavailability. Among the 106 nearly complete bacterial metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) recovered, 60.4% carried the gcdgene. Pi transportation systems encoded by pitor pstSCABwere widely present in gcd-harboring bacteria, and 43.8% of the gcd-harboring bacteria also carried the acr3gene encoding an Sb efflux pump. Phylogenetic and potential horizontal gene transfer (HGT) analyses of acr3indicated that Sb efflux could be a dominant resistance mechanism, and two gcd-harboring MAGs appeared to acquire acr3through HGT. The results indicated that Sb efflux could enhance P cycling and heavy metal resistance in Pi-solubilizing bacteria in mining soils. This study provides novel strategies for managing and remediating heavy metal-contaminated ecosystems.

Byline: Liu. Nian-Long, Yang. Bo, Chen. Tian-Ming, Feng. Guo-Dong, Yin. Na, Wang. Yu-Huang, Shen. Wen-Rong, Chen. Shi-Lin Context: It is necessary to explore a minimally invasive, effective, and efficient treatment [...]

We, the Editor and Publisher of the International Journal of Computers and Applications, have retracted the following article which was part of the Special Issue on Advanced Security Techniques for Cloud Computing and Big Data - New Directions:Lei Zhao & Huang Yu (2020) A wireless network remote monitoring method driven by artificial intelligence, International Journal of Computers and Applications, DOI: 10.1080/1206212X.2019.1710664Since publication, it came to our attention that the articles published in this Special Issue were not reviewed fully in line with the journal's peer review standards and policy. We did not find any evidence of misconduct by the authors. However, in order to ensure full assessment has been conducted, we sought expert advice on the validity and quality of the published articles from independent peer reviewers. Following this post publication peer review, the Editor has determined that the articles do not meet the required scholarly standards to remain published in the journal, and therefore has taken the decision to retract. The concerns raised have been shared with the authors and they have been given the opportunity to respond. The authors have been informed about the retraction of the article.  We have been informed in our decision-making by our policy on publishing ethics and integrity and the COPE guidelines on retractions.The retracted articles will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but they will be digitally watermarked on each page as ‘Retracted’.

The study aimed to describe central nervous system (CNS) progression in patients with infantile-onset Pompe disease (IOPD) and explore the potential clinical impact and predictors.

Psoriasis is a refractory and difficult-to-treat skin disorder. The neutrophil-targeting approach represents a promising option for psoriasis therapy. This study developed and examined NIMP-R14-conjugated immunonanoparticles for specific targeting to neutrophils associated with psoriasiform dermatitis. In the process, roflumilast (RFL), as a phosphodiesterase (PDE) 4 inhibitor, was encapsulated in the nanocarriers to assess the anti-inflammatory capability against primary neutrophil activation and murine psoriasiform lesion. The average size and surface charge of the immunonanocarriers were 305 ± 36 nm and −18 ± 6 mV, respectively. The monovalent antibody-conjugated nanoparticles offered precise uptake by both human and mouse neutrophils but failed to exhibit this effect in monocytes and lymphocytes. The intracellular RFL concentration of the immunonanocarriers was five-fold superior to that of the passive counterparts. The immunonanocarriers specifically recognized the neutrophils through the Ly6 antigen with no apparent cytotoxicity. The antibody-conjugated nanoparticles mitigated superoxide anion production and migration of the activated human neutrophils. The in vivobiodistribution in the psoriasiform mice, found using an in vivoimaging system (IVIS) and liquid chromatography (LC)-mass-mass analysis, showed that the antibody conjugation increased the nanoparticle residence in systemic circulation after intravenous administration. On the other hand, most of the nanoparticles were accumulated in the lesional skin after subcutaneous injection. The actively-targeted nanocarriers were better than the free RFL and unfunctionalized nanoparticles in suppressing psoriasiform inflammation. The immunonanocarriers reduced neutrophil recruitment and epidermal hyperplasia in the plaque. Intravenous and subcutaneous treatments with the immunonanocarriers significantly reduced the overexpressed cytokines and chemokines in the inflamed skin, demonstrating that the nanosystems could both systematically and locally alleviate inflammation. The results indicated that the NIMP-R14-conjugated RFL-loaded nanoparticles have potential as an anti-autoimmune disease delivery system for neutrophil targeting.

Soil protists are essential but often overlooked in soil and could impact microbially driven element cycling in natural ecosystems. However, how protists influence heavy metal cycling in soil remains poorly understood. In this study, we used a model protist, Dictyostelium discoideum, to explore the effect of interactions between soil amoeba and metal-reducing bacteria on the reduction of soil Fe(III) and Cr(VI). We found that D. discoideumcould preferentially prey on the Fe(III)-reducing bacterium Shewanella decolorationisS12 and significantly decrease its biomass. Surprisingly, this predation pressure also stimulated the activity of a single S. decolorationisS12 bacterium to reduce Fe(III) by enhancing the content of electron-transfer protein cyt c, intracellular ATP synthesis, and reactive oxygen species (e.g., H2O2). We also found that D. discoideumcould not prey on the Cr(VI)-reducing bacterium Brevibacillus laterosporus. In contrast, B. laterosporusbecame edible to amoebae in the presence of S. decolorationisS12, and their Cr(VI) reduction ability decreased under amoeba predation pressure. This study provides direct evidence that protists can affect the Cr and Fe cycling via the elective predation pressure on the metal-reducing bacteria, broadening our horizons of predation of protists on soil metal cycling.

In this Letter, we show numerically and experimentally that multipath interference can be reduced significantly by distributed Raman amplification (DRA) in quasi-single-mode transmission using few-mode fibers, owing to the extra differential mode attenuation induced between the fundamental mode and higher-order modes. The experimental results show that the required number of equalization taps can be reduced by 1.6 times. Moreover, by carefully optimizing the intensity overlap between the LP_01 and LP_11 modes through structural adjustment of the two-mode fiber, a 3.5-times reduction in the required number of taps can be obtained.

A series of novel ternary conductive composites have been prepared by incorporating functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (FMWCNTs) into the binary composites of poly(amide-imide) (PAI) and poly(o-methoxyaniline) (POMA) to further improve the conductivity of PAI composites. With increasing the weight ratio of FMWCNTs, the conductivity of PAI/POMA/FMWCNTs ternary composites has been significantly enhanced from 10−3S m−1to 90 S m−1, much higher than that of the sum of PAI/POMA and PAI/FMWCNTs binary composites. The enhanced conductivity is mainly ascribed from a much more intensive conductive network formed in the PAI/POMA/FMWCNTs ternary composites. It is found that the N–H bending of amide group in the Fourier transform infrared spectrometry spectra is observed at 3298 cm−1for PAI, 3296 cm−1for PAI/POMA binary composites, and further blue shifted to 3292 cm−1for PAI/POMA/FMWCNTs ternary composites. Moreover, the glass transition temperature has been increased from 82.5°C to 117.7°C. These results suggested that the hydrogen bonding interaction has been strengthened among PAI, POMA, and FMWCNTs, which is useful for dispersion of condcutive fillers into the polymer matrix.

Zeolites are crystalline porous materials that are used in the chemical industry for adsorption, separation and catalytic reactions. Chiral zeolites have shown promise in enantioselective adsorption and catalytic organic reactions, attracting significant research interest. Recent advances have been made in the rational design, computational prediction and hydrothermal synthesis of using chiral organic structure-directing agents. Additionally, newly developed electron microscopic techniques have been utilized to analyze the structure and determine absolute configuration. The following review aims to provide an overview of the development history of chiral zeolites, examine several prominent chiral zeolite structures discovered so far, discuss the recent progress in characterization methods and explore their potential applications.

Three cationic capsule-shaped Zr-based metal–organic polyhedra (MOPs) with different cavity sizes were successfully constructed through the self-assembly of trinuclear zirconocene clusters and imidazolium-functionalized dicarboxylic ligands. Owing to the imidazolium groups in the MOPs, they show good CO2adsorption uptake. Moreover, the halogen anions of the imidazolium groups and Brønsted acid sites (−OH) in the Zr-based knots are in close proximity, making these MOPs able to catalyze synergistically the cycloaddition reaction of CO2with epoxides into cyclic carbonates. This is the first report of using MOPs as catalysts for this reaction without the addition of a cocatalyst.

Submerged plants in wetlands play important roles as ecosystem engineers to improve self-purification and promote elemental cycling. However, their effects on the functional capacity of microbial communities in wetland sediments remain poorly understood. Here, we provide detailed metagenomic insights into the biogeochemical potential of microbial communities in wetland sediments with and without submerged plants (i.e., Vallisneria natans). A large number of functional genes involved in carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) cycling were detected in the wetland sediments. However, most functional genes showed higher abundance in sediments with submerged plants than in those without plants. Based on the comparison of annotated functional genes in the N and S cycling databases (i.e., NCycDB and SCycDB), we found that genes involved in nitrogen fixation (e.g., nifD/H/K/W), assimilatory nitrate reduction (e.g., nasAand nirA), denitrification (e.g., nirK/Sand nosZ), assimilatory sulfate reduction (e.g., cysD/H/J/N/Qand sir), and sulfur oxidation (e.g., glpE, soeA, sqrand sseA) were significantly higher (corrected p< 0.05) in vegetated vs. unvegetated sediments. This could be mainly driven by environmental factors including total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and C:N ratio. The binning of metagenomes further revealed that some archaeal taxa could have the potential of methane metabolism including hydrogenotrophic, acetoclastic, and methylotrophic methanogenesis, which are crucial to the wetland methane budget and carbon cycling. This study opens a new avenue for linking submerged plants with microbial functions, and has further implications for understanding global carbon, nitrogen and sulfur cycling in wetland ecosystems.

Two conductive carbon materials, one with a beaded-like structure (carbon black, ECP) and another with tube-like structure (functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes, FMWCNTs), were added into a poly(amide-imide) (PAI) matrix. Combining the advantages of ECP (good compatibility) and FMWCNT (high conductivity), the conductivity was improved from 3.7 S m−1for PAI/FMWCNT polymer composites to 100 S m−1for PAI/FMWCNT/ECP ternary conductive polymer composites, much higher than that of the sum of PAI/ECP and PAI/FMWCNT. The tensile strength increased from 40 to 70 MPa. The improved conductive and mechanical properties were mainly due to much more intensive conductive network produced in the PAI/FMWCNT/ECP ternary composites, which is useful for electron flow and stress spread. The number of hydrogen bond was increased by adding ECP into PAI/FMWCNT binary composites, and played an important role in forming the unique morphology as evident by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. These conductive composites have potential for flexible electronic applications.

Flexible organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices based on polymer substrates have attracted worldwide attention. However, the current OLED polymer substrates are limited due to weak thermal stability, which is not compatible with the high temperature in OLED fabrication. Here, we developed a novel nanocellulose/polyarylate (PAR) hybrid polymer substrate with both high transparency and excellent thermal properties. Benefiting from the nanometer scale of the cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) and the efficient interfacial interaction with PAR, the substrate exhibited greatly improved thermal stability, with a glass transition temperature of 192 °C, the thermal decomposition temperature of 501 °C, and upper operating temperature up to over 220 °C. Meanwhile, the hybrid substrate exhibits outstanding mechanical properties. Notably, no apparent transparency loss was observed after the CNF addition, and the hybrid substrate maintains a high transmittance of 85% and a low haze of 1.75%@600 nm. Moreover, OLED devices fabricated on the hybrid substrates exhibit a much improved optoelectrical performance than that of the devices fabricated on the conventional poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrates. We anticipate this research will open up a new route for fabricating flexible high-performance OLEDs.

In this study, the influence of length of flexible groups on the properties of poly(amide–imide)s (PAIs), three-model polymers (poly(amide–imide)-4-aminobutyric acid, poly(amide–imide)-6-aminocaproic acid, and poly(amide–imide)-11-aminoundecanoic acid) possessing different flexible methylene units ((CH2)3, (CH2)5, and (CH2)10) in the main chain were designed. With increasing the number of methylene units, it is found that the tensile strength of PAIs decreased from 75 MPa to 55 MPa; meanwhile, the elongation at break increased from 6% to 15%. On the other hand, the glass transition temperature decreased from 207°C to 112°C; fortunately, the starting decomposition temperature kept almost same with a high point around 400°C. Furthermore, the PAI with (CH2)10unit in the main chain is a semicrystalline polymer, while the one with (CH2)5or (CH2)3unit is an amorphous material. In other words, the length of the flexible chain in the polymer backbone not only plays an important role in mechanical and thermal performances but also affects their phase transition. These findings highlight the important role of structural modification in high-performance polymers and may help in the further development of novel PAIs for their potential applications in advanced technology.

A focus on the new interactive television technology (iTV) and the business aspects associated with the marketing of this technology are presented.

For flexible electronics, the substrates play key roles in ensuring their performance. However, most substrates suffer from weak bonding with the conductive ink and need additional aids. Here, inspired by the Ag–S bond theory, a novel cellulose nanopaper substrate is presented to improve the bond strength with the Ag nanoparticle ink through a facile printing method. The substrate is fabricated using thiol-modified nanofibrillated cellulose and exhibits excellent optical properties (∼85%@550 nm), ultra-small surface roughness (3.47 nm), and high thermal dimensional stability (up to at least 90 °C). Most importantly, it can attract Ag nanoparticles initiatively and bind them firmly, which enable the conductive ink to be printed without using the ink binder and form a strong substrate–ink bonding and maintain a stable conductivity of 2 × 10–4Ω cm even after extensive peeling and bending. This work may lead to exploring new opportunities to fabricate high-performance flexible electronics using the newly developed nanopaper substrate.

Herbal supplements are suitable for improving fish health and combating diseases in fish culture. However, the mechanism of action of many herbal mixtures remains unclear. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM; a mix of Astragalus membranaceus, Angelica sinensis,and Crataegus hupehensisat a ratio of 1:1:1 on a weight basis) on growth, immune response, and disease resistance in Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus. Experimental fish (mean ± SEweight = 57 ± 1 g) were divided into two groups: a control group and a TCM(10 g/kg) group. After 4 weeks of the experimental trial, a significant increase in weight gain and specific growth rate and a lower feed conversion ratio were observed in fish fed a TCM‐supplemented diet compared with control fish. Similarly, the immune response of Nile Tilapia in the TCMgroup showed enhanced lysozyme, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and immunoglobulin levels compared with the control fish. In comparison with the control, fish fed TCMshowed significant up‐regulation of β‐defensin, lysozyme, heat shock protein 70, superoxide dismutase, and catalase genes in the intestine and head‐kidney tissues. After a Streptococcus agalactiaechallenge, survival of Nile Tilapia in the TCMgroup was 70% compared with 35% in the control. These results indicate that the TCMmixture in this study can elevate the immune response and disease resistance of Nile Tilapia.

Background: To investigate MiRNA-126 amounts in serum exosomes from allergic asthma patients as well as lung tissues of asthmatic mice, evaluating the expression of its target gene DNMT1 in mouse specimens. Methods: MiRNA-126 amounts in serum exosomes from asthmatic patients were detected by real-time PCR. The mouse model of allergic asthma was established by OVA-sensitization, and allergic symptoms were recorded; serum IL-4 and sIgE level evaluation (ELISA), broncho alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cell count and H&E staining were performed to assess airway inflammation. MiRNA-126 and DNMT1 levels in the lung of asthmatic and control mice were detected by real-time PCR; DNMT1 protein levels were detected by immunoblot. Results: MiRNA-126 amounts in peripheral blood exosomes from patients with allergic asthma were significantly higher than that of healthy volunteers (P<0.05). The frequencies of scratching of both sides of the nose and sneezing were elevated within 10 min of excitation in asthmatic rats compared with controls. Meanwhile, OVA-sIgE and IL-4 levels were significantly higher in asthmatic animals than controls (P<0.05). In the asthma group, narrowed bronchial lumen and thickened wall were observed, and bronchial and peripheral vessels showed overt inflammatory cell infiltration. Eosinophil, neutrophil and mast cell amounts in the BALF of asthmatic mice were significantly higher than control values. Furthermore, lung miRNA-126 expression in asthmatic mice was significantly higher than that of controls. Finally, DNMT1 mRNA and protein levels were significantly lower in asthmatic animals compared with controls (P < 0.01). Conclusion: MiRNA-126 is highly expressed in serum exosomes from allergic asthma patients and lung tissues of asthmatic mice, suggesting that it may be involved in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma.

In this Letter, we theoretically and experimentally demonstrate a new method to generate tunable orbital angular momentum (OAM) by continuously changing the angle of linear polarization of the input light. We use the Fourier series of left- and right-hand projections to prove that the average OAM smoothly varied from l=−1 to l=1 with the angle of LP of input light changing from 0 to π, which is fulfilled by an electrical polarization controller.

Background: Cytokines have been widely demonstrated to involve in the pathogenesis of AIDS and the mechanisms of antiretroviral therapy. Interleukin 27 (IL-27) is a new member of the IL-12 cytokine family and has been shown to interfere HIV-1 virus replication with controversial findings. This study is to investigate the dynamic changes in plasma IL-27 level and cell surface IL-27 receptor expression in HIV/AIDS patients who underwent HAART. Methods: Whole blood was collected from 34 HIV-positive/AIDS patients 0, 6, and 12 months after initiation of HAART and 27 healthy subjects. Plasma IL-27, IFN-γ, and IL-4 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, while peripheral blood CD3+CD4+ T cells count and the gp130 expressed CD3+CD4+cell were measured by flow cytometry. Results: The plasma IL-27 concentration, IFN-γ concentration, and percentage of positive gp130 CD4 cells were significantly decreased in previously treatment-naive HIV/AIDS patients compared to healthy controls, but gradually increased 6 and 12 months after initiation of HAART. Conversely, IL-4 levels were significantly increased in treatment-naive HIV/AIDS patients compared to healthy controls, but gradually decreased 6 and 12 months after HAART. The concentrations of plasma IL-27 were positively correlated with the percentage of gp130 positive CD4 cells (r=0.438, p=0.016). Both plasma IL-27 concentration and gp130 positive cell percentage were positively associated with peripheral blood CD3CD4+ T cell count (P<0.05 or P<0.01), but negatively associated with plasma HIV viral load (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Conclusion: IL-27 signaling (IL-27 and its receptor) may be involved in the pathogenesis of HIV infection and immune reconstitution in HIV/AIDS patients who underwent HAART. IL-27 may exert effects through regulating Th1 / Th2 ratio.

Different types of injectable nanoparticles, including metallic nanoparticles, polymeric nanocarriers, dendrimers, liposomes, niosomes, and lipid nanoparticles, have been employed to load drugs for lung delivery. Nanoparticles used for lung delivery offer some benefits over conventional formulations, including increased solubility, enhanced stability, improved epithelium permeability and bioavailability, prolonged half-life, tumor targeting, and minimal side effects. In recent years, the concept of using injectable nanocarriers as vehicles for drug delivery has attracted increasing attention. This review highlights recent developments using nanomedical approaches for drug targeting to the lungs. We systematically introduce the concepts and amelioration mechanisms of the nanomedical techniques for lung cancer therapy. Passive targeting by modulating the nanoparticulate structure and the physicochemical properties is an option for efficient drug delivery to the lungs. In addition, active targeting such as antibody or peptide conjugation to nanoparticles is another efficient way to deliver the drugs to the targeted site. This review describes various nanocarriers loaded with anticancer drugs for passive or active targeting of lung malignancy. In this review, we principally focus on the nanomedical application in animal studies. The article excludes investigations limited to cell-based experiments. The review ends by anticipating future developments and trends.

Cadmium-free silver-based solder foils were fabricated using mechanically alloyed powders containing 56% silver–22% copper–17% zinc–5% tin by low-voltage magnetic pulsed compaction (LV-MPC) followed by liquid-phase sintering. The effects of processing parameters, such as discharge voltage, capacitance, coil turns, diameter–height ratio and compacting times, of LV-MPC on both the green density and the sintered density of compacts were analysed. The results showed that the green density increased with increasing discharge voltage, capacitance and coil turns. The green density also increased with increasing compacting times and diameter–height ratio, but the effect was relatively small because of the small filling height of the powder. The minimum thickness of solder foils fabricated by LV-MPC was approximately 0·2 mm. After sintering for 0·5 h at 480°C, the changing tendency of sintered density with different processing parameters was similar to that of green density with the same processing parameters. However, antidensification occurred and the sintered density declined slightly. The maximum relative densities of the samples after LV-MPC and liquid sintering were approximately 89 and 87% respectively.

Objectives: Observational studies have demonstrated associations between gout and hypertension, but whether they are causal remains unclear. Our work aims to assess the causal relationship between gout and hypertension. Methods: We obtained genetic information from the Taiwan Biobank, including 88,347 participants and 686,439 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). A novel model of Mendelian randomisation (MR) with coarsened exposures was used to examine the causality between the liability of gout on hypertension and vice versa, using 4 SNPs associated with gout and 10 SNPs associated with hypertension after removal of SNPs associated with measured confounders. The binary exposure (gout/hypertension) can be considered a coarsened approximation of a latent continuous trait. The inverse-variance weighted (IVW) and polygenic risk score (PRS) methods were used to estimate effect size. The MR analysis with coarsened exposures was performed with and without adjustments for covariates. Results: Of the 88,347 participants, 3253 (3.68%) had gout and 11,948 (13.52%) had hypertension (men, 31.9%; mean age 51.1 [SD, 11.1] years). After adjusting to measured confounders, MR analysis with coarsened exposures showed a significant positive causal effect of the liability of gout on hypertension in both the IVW method (relative risk [RR], 1.10; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03–1.19; p= 0.0077) and the PRS method (RR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.02–1.19; p= 0.0092). The result of causality was the same before and after involving measured confounders. However, there was no causal effect of the liability of hypertension on gout. Conclusions: In this study, we showed that the liability of gout has a causal effect on hypertension, but the liability of hypertension does not have a causal effect on gout. Adequate management of gout may reduce the risk of developing hypertension.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has introduced far-ranging measures to “build China into a maritime power (建设海洋强国)" since his inauguration in November 2012. One notable institutional reform was the birth of a new China Coast Guard (CCG) force. Created in July 2013, this new force shall undertake coordinated maritime law enforcement operations in China's territorial waters. Based on detailed examination of the progress of the reform, this paper argues that the operational and administrative functions of the CCG have been, although not fully, developed so far and the old problem of disjointed patrol operations undertaken by five loosely coordinated maritime law enforcement forces, the “five dragons," has significantly been eased. Nevertheless, the development of the CCG is still a workin- progress. Firstly, comprehensive legal foundations for the CCG's operations are incomplete, making the legal status and the standard of operation for this new agency unclear. Moreover, the Chinese Government's decision not to incorporate the Maritime Safety Administration into the CCG not only reveals the complexity of this reform but also suggests that Beijing is adopting an old logic of “crossing the river by feeling the stones (摸着石头过河)" while still pledging to resolutely defend what it believes are its indisputable maritime rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A few-mode fiber (FMF) is designed to support three spatial modes (LP01, LP11a, and LP11b) and fabricated through plasma chemical vapor deposition (PCVD)and rod-in-tube (RIT) method. Using PDM-DFTS-OFDM- 32QAM modulation, wavelength division multiplexing, mode multiplexing, and coherent detection, we successfully demonstrated 200 Tb/s (375 × 3 × 178.125 Gb/s) signal over 1 km FMF using C and L bands with 25 GHz channel spacing. After 1 km FMF transmission, all the tested bit error rates (BERs) are below 20% forward error correction (FEC) threshold (2.0 × 10–2). Within each sub-channel, we achieved a spectral efficiency of 21.375 bits/Hz in the C and L bands.

We have studied the effects of nearby NaCl solution on the performance of ultra high frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, using simulations and measurements. The main reason for the decrease of read range in proximity to NaCl solution is the antenna gain penalty. The boundary conditions near the surface reduce antenna efficiency and antenna gain. With the conductivity of the NaCl solution increasing, the read range of the RFID system decreases. A theoretical formula is proposed for the read range to calculate the material losses of tag antenna. The formula establishes relationship between conductivity and read range of RFID system. The maximum read range is also calculated theoretically with simulation software. In addition, we develop an experimental measurement technique to certify the feasibility of the derived formula, which involves a dynamic measurement system. Consequently, the experimental results are found to be in good agreement with theoretical data.

A negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond has been recognized as a good solid-state qubit. A system consisting of the electronic spin of the NV center and hyperfine-coupled nitrogen and additionally nearby carbon nuclear spins can form a quantum register of several qubits for quantum information processing or as a node in a quantum repeater. Several impressive experiments on the hybrid electron and nuclear spin register have been reported, but fidelities achieved so far are not yet at or below the thresholds required for fault-tolerant quantum computation (FTQC). Using quantum optimal control theory based on the Krotov method, we show here that fast and high-fidelity single-qubit and two-qubit gates in the universal quantum gate set for FTQC, taking into account the effects of the leakage state, nearby noise qubits, and distant bath spins, can be achieved with errors less than those required by the threshold theorem of FTQC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Casodex (bicalutamide), an androgen receptor antagonist, is used for the treatment of prostate cancer. Recent evidences show that Akt signaling pathway exerts organ-protective effects after injury. The aim of this study was to investigate whether Akt plays any role in the casodex-mediated attenuation of hepatic injury after trauma-hemorrhagic shock. Male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent trauma hemorrhage (mean blood pressure kept at approximately 35–40 mm Hg for 90 min), followed by fluid resuscitation. During resuscitation, a single dose of casodex (5 mgkg, intravenous) with and without a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor wortmannin (1 mgkg, intravenous), wortmannin or vehicle was administered. Plasma aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels and various hepatic parameters were measured at 24 h after resuscitation. One-way analysis of variance and the Tukey test were used for statistical analysis. These results showed that trauma hemorrhage increased hepatic myeloperoxidase activity, interleukin 6 and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 levels, and plasma aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase concentrations. In the trauma hemorrhage rats treated with casodex, these parameters were significantly improved. Casodex treatment also increased hepatic phospho-Akt expression compared with vehicle-treated trauma hemorrhaged rats. Coadministration of wortmannin with casodex abolished the casodex-induced advantageous effects on the aforementioned parameters and hepatic injury. Our results suggest that the protective effect of casodex administration on attenuation of hepatic injury after trauma hemorrhage, which is, at least in part, through Akt-dependent pathway.

The magneto-optical properties of simple hexagonal graphite exhibit rich beating oscillations, which are dominated by the field strength and photon energy. The former has a strong effect on the intensity, the energy range of the beating and the number of groups, and the latter modulates the total group numbers of the oscillation structures. The single-particle and collective excitations are simultaneously presented in the magnetoreflectance spectra and can be precisely distinguished. For the loss function and reflectance, the beating pattern of the first group displays stronger intensities and broader energy range than other groups. Simple hexagonal graphite possesses unique magneto-optical characteristics that can serve to identify other bulk graphites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resveratrol (RSV) has been shown to inhibit the inflammatory reaction and ameliorate the organ damage resulting from trauma-hemorrhage (TH). However, the effects of RSV on the metabolomic profiles under these conditions remain unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the metabolomic profiles of plasma in TH rats and to evaluate the therapeutic effects of RSV using high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into sham operation (n = 10), sham-operation plus RSV treatment (n = 10), TH (n = 10), and TH plus RSV treatment (n = 10) groups. Plasma samples were obtained at 24 h after surgery. Electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry was used to characterize the plasma metabolomes. The systemic analyses of plasma metabolomes and their targets were determined using a number of computational approaches, including principal component analysis, partial least squares discriminant analysis, and heat map analysis. Using these methods, the effects of RSV on the metabolomic profiles in animals that underwent trauma-hemorrhagic injury were determined. These approaches allowed a clear discrimination of the pathophysiological characteristics among the groups. The results demonstrate RSV treatment significantly reduced the metabolic derangements caused by TH. Compared with the sham-operated rats, the plasma levels of carnitine in the TH rats were relatively lower, but the levels of acetylcarnitine and butyrylcarnitine were higher, suggesting that RSV ameliorated the deranged carnitine metabolism in TH rats. There was a statistically significant increase in carnitine. In addition, RSV treatment reduced ketoacidosis and protein degradation, as evidenced by the attenuation of the elevated plasma branched-chain amino acid levels in the TH rats. Our study showed that the alterations of the metabolomic profiles in the rats subjected to trauma-hemorrhagic shock were attenuated by RSV treatment. In view of the metabolomic evidence, we conclude that RSV exerts beneficial effects in trauma-hemorrhagic shock injury and that these effects are partially mediated by improving energy metabolism and reducing protein degradation.

Ultrastrong light-matter interaction in an optomechanical system can result in nonlinear optical effects such as photon blockade. The system-bath couplings in such systems play an essential role in observing these effects. Here we study the quantum coherence of an optomechanical system with a dressed-state master equation approach. Our master equation includes photon-number-dependent terms that induce dephasing in this system. Cavity dephasing, second-order photon correlation, and two-cavity entanglement are studied with the dressed-state master equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catharanthus roseus is a traditional herbal medicine used in Asian and African countries for the treatment of various diseases including hypertension. The present study examined possible cellular mechanisms for the relaxation of rat renal arteries induced by vindorosine extracted from C. roseus. Intrarenal arteries were isolated from 200-300 g male Sprague-Dawley rats and treated with different pharmacological blockers and inhibitors for the measurement of vascular reactivity on a Multi Myograph System. Fluorescence imaging by laser scanning confocal microscopy was utilized to determine the intracellular Ca2+ level in the vascular smooth muscles of the renal arteries. Vindorosine in micromolar concentrations relaxes renal arteries precontracted by KCl, phenylephrine, 11-dideoxy-9α,11α-epoxymethanoprostaglandin F2α, and serotonin. Vindorosine-induced relaxations were unaffected by endothelium denudation or by treatment with the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride, the guanylyl cyclase inhibitor 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one, the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin, or K+ channel blockers such as tetraethylammonium ions, glibenclamide, and BaCl2. Vindorosine-induced relaxations were attenuated in the presence of 0.1 µM nifedipine (an L-type Ca2+ channel blocker). Vindorosine also concentration-dependently suppressed contractions induced by CaCl2 (0.01-5 mM) in Ca-free 60 mM KCl solution. Furthermore, fluorescence imaging using fluo-4 demonstrated that 30 min incubation with 100 µM vindorosine reduced the 60 mM KCl-stimulated Ca2+ influx in the smooth muscles of rat renal arteries. The present study is probably the first report of blood vessel relaxation by vindorosine and the possible underlying mechanisms involving the inhibition of Ca2+ entry via L-type Ca2+ channels in vascular smooth muscles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal N-heterocyclic carbenes (M-NHCs) on the pore walls of a porous metal-organic framework (MOF) can be used as active sites for efficient organic catalysis. Traditional approaches that need strong alkaline reagents or insoluble Ag2O are not, however, suitable for the incorporation of NHCs on the backbones of MOFs because such reagents could destroy their frameworks or result in low reactivity. Accordingly, development of facile strategies toward functional MOFs with covalently bound M-NHCs for catalysis is needed. Herein, we describe the development of a general and facile approach to preparing MOFs with covalently linked active M-NHC (M = Pd, Ir) single-site catalysts by using a soluble Ag salt AgOC(CF3)3as the source and subsequent transmetalation. The well-defined M-NHC-MOF (M = Pd, Ir) catalysts obtained in this way have shown excellent catalytic activity and stability in Suzuki reactions and hydrogen transfer reactions. This provides a general and facile strategy for anchoring functional M-NHC single-site catalysts onto functionalized MOFs for different reactions.A unique strategy is developed to fabricate metal-carbene-decorated MOFs for efficient catalysis by using a soluble silver source and a subsequent transmetalation reaction, which would be applicable to the preparation of other porous catalysts.

For modern long-span bridges, both the optimization of aerodynamic shape and the increase of torsional stiffness according to the result of the wind tunnel experiment could avoid the flutter instability.Vortex-inducedvibration with relatively large amplitude happens easily at low wind speeds. In this paper, based on wind tunnel experiment, by studying on the vortex-induced vibration characteristics of a long-span suspension bridge with single cable plane, aerodynamic measures for easing the vortex-induced vibration are given.

We apply the quantum optimal control theory based on the Krotov method to implement single-qubit X and Z gates and two-qubit CNOT gates for inductively coupled superconducting flux qubits with fixed qubit transition frequencies and fixed off-diagonal qubit-qubit coupling. Our scheme shares an advantage with other directcoupling schemes in that it requires no additional coupler subcircuit and control lines. The control lines needed are only for the manipulation of individual qubits (e.g., a time-dependent magnetic flux or field applied on each qubit). The qubits are operated at the optimal coherence points and the gate operation times (less than 1 ns for single-qubit gates and ~2 ns for CNOTgates) are much shorter than the corresponding qubit decoherence time. A CNOT gate or other general quantum gates can be implemented in a single run of the pulse sequence rather than being decomposed into several single-qubit and several entangled two-qubit operations in series by composite pulse sequences. Quantum gates constructed via our scheme are all with very high fidelity (very low error) as our optimal control scheme takes into account the fixed qubit detuning and fixed two-qubit interaction as well as all other time-dependent magnetic-field-induced single-qubit interactions and two-qubit couplings. The effect of leakage to higher-energy-level states and the effect of qubit decoherence on the quantum-gate operations are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which consist of neutrophil DNA and cytoplasmic proteins, have been shown to be involved in various infectious, inflammatory, and autoimmune diseases. Neutrophil extracellular traps are abundant at the site of infection and acute inflammation. Neutrophil extracellular trap formation can occur through various intracellular signaling pathways, including peptidylarginine deiminase 4, Raf-MEK-ERK, nitric oxide, Toll-like receptor 4, high mobility group box 1, pentraxin 3, and mammalian targets of rapamycin. A growing body of evidence indicates that NETs may play an important role in injury, and decreases in NETs could reduce tissue injury. Neutrophil extracellular traps are believed to modulate the inflammatory and immune responses of individuals after injury. In this review, the role of NETs in injury, including traumatic injury, ischemia-reperfusion–induced injury, and sepsis, as well as the potential markers and therapeutic targets of NET-related injury will be discussed.