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Abstract Dependency distance is regarded as an index of memory load and a measure of syntactic difficulty. Previous research has found that dependency distance tends to minimize both synchronically and diachronically due to the limited resource of working memory. However, little is known concerning the effects of different dependency types on the dependency distance minimization. In addition, previous studies showed inconsistent results on the anti-minimization of dependency distance in shorter sentences. Hence, a more fine-grained investigation is needed on the diachronic change of dependency distance with shorter sentences such as those of three or four words. To address these issues, this study intends to explore the diachronic change of dependency distance in terms of two variables, i.e., dependency types and sentence length. Results show that anti-minimization does exist in short sentences diachronically, and sentence length has an effect on diachronic dependency distance minimization of dependency types. More importantly, not all dependency types present a decreasing trend, while only nine types of dependency relations are responsible for the dependency distance minimization. Possible explanations for the findings are offered.

In mammalian females, quiescent primordial follicles serve as the ovarian reserve and sustain normal ovarian function and egg production via folliculogenesis. The loss of primordial follicles causes ovarian aging. Cellular senescence, characterized by cell cycle arrest and production of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), is associated with tissue aging. In the present study, we report that some quiescent primary oocytes in primordial follicles become senescent in adult mouse ovaries. The senescent primary oocytes share senescence markers characterized in senescent somatic cells. The senescent primary oocytes were observed in young adult mouse ovaries, remained at approximately 15% of the total primary oocytes during ovarian aging from 6 to 12 months, and accumulated in aged ovaries. Administration of a senolytic drug ABT263 to 3-month-old mice reduced the percentage of senescent primary oocytes and the transcription of the SASP factors in the ovary, in addition, led to increased numbers of primordial and total follicles and a higher rate of oocyte maturation. Our study provides experimental evidence that primary oocytes, a germline cell type that is arrested in meiosis, become senescent in adult mouse ovaries and that senescent cell clearance reduced primordial follicle loss and mitigated ovarian aging phenotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the screening and predicting functions of obesity- and lipid-related indices for type 2 diabetes (T2D) in middle-aged and elderly Chinese, as well as the ideal predicted cut-off value. This study's data comes from the 2011 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). A cross-sectional study design was used to investigate the relationship of T2D and 13 obesity- and lipid-related indices, including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist–height ratio (WHtR), visceral adiposity index (VAI), a body shape index (ABSI), body roundness index (BRI), lipid accumulation product (LAP), conicity index (CI), Chinese visceral adiposity index (CVAI), triglyceride- glucose index (TyG index) and its correlation index (TyG-BMI, TyG-WC, TyG-WHtR). The unadjusted and adjusted correlations between 13 indices and T2D were assessed using binary logistic regression analysis. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to determine the usefulness of anthropometric indices for screening for T2D and determining their cut‑off value, sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC). The study comprised 9488 people aged 45 years or above in total, of whom 4354 (45.89%) were males and 5134 (54.11%) were females. Among them were 716 male cases of T2D (16.44%) and 870 female cases of T2D (16.95%). A total of 13 obesity- and lipid-related indices were independently associated with T2D risk after adjusted for confounding factors (P < 0.05). According to ROC analysis, the TyG index was the best predictor of T2D among males (AUC = 0.780, 95% CI 0.761, 0.799) and females (AUC = 0.782, 95% CI 0.764, 0.799). The AUC values of the 13 indicators were higher than 0.5, indicating that they have predictive values for T2D in middle-aged and elderly Chinese. The 13 obesity- and lipid-related indices can predict the risk of T2D in middle‑aged and elderly Chinese. Among 13 indicators, the TyG index is the best predictor of T2D in both males and females. TyG-WC, TyG-BMI, TyG-WHtR, LAP, and CVAI all outperformed BMI, WC, and WHtR in predicting T2D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present-day globalized economy and diverse market demands have compelled an increasing number of manufacturing enterprises to move toward the distributed manufacturing pattern and the model of multi-variety and small-lot. Taking these two factors into account, this study investigates an extension of the distributed hybrid flowshop scheduling problem (DHFSP), called the distributed hybrid flowshop scheduling problem with consistent sublots (DHFSP_CS). To tackle this problem, a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model is developed as a preliminary step. The NP-hard nature of the problem necessitates the use of the iterated F-Race (I/F-Race) as the automated algorithm design (AAD) to compose a metaheuristic that requires minimal user intervention. The I/F-Race enables identifying the ideal values of numerical and categorical parameters within a promising algorithm framework. An extension of the collaborative variable neighborhood descent algorithm (ECVND) is utilized as the algorithm framework, which is modified by intensifying efforts on the critical factories. In consideration of the problem-specific characteristics and the solution encoding, the configurable solution initializations, configurable solution decoding strategies, and configurable collaborative operators are designed. Additionally, several neighborhood structures are specially designed. Extensive computational results on simulation instances and a real-world instance demonstrate that the automated algorithm conceived by the AAD outperforms the CPLEX and other state-of-the-art metaheuristics in addressing the DHFSP_CS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lanthanide-doped fluoride nanoparticles (NPs) showcase adjustable X-ray-excited persistent luminescence (XEPL), holding significant promise for applications in three-dimensional (3D) imaging through the creation of flexible X-ray detectors. However, a dangerous high X-ray irradiation dose rate and complicated heating procedure are required to generate efficient XEPL for high-resolution 3D imaging, which is attributed to a lack of strategies to significantly enhance the XEPL intensity. Here we report that the XEPL intensity of a series of lanthanide activators (Dy, Pr, Er, Tm, Gd, Tb) is greatly improved by constructing dual heterogeneous interfaces in a double-shell nanostructure. Mechanistic studies indicate that the employed core@shell@shell structure could not only passivate the surface quenchers to lower the non-radiative relaxation possibility, but also reduce the interfacial Frenkel defect formation energy leading to increase the trap concentration. By employing a NPs containing flexible film as the scintillation screen, the inside 3D electrical structure of a watch was clearly achieved based on the delayed XEPL imaging and 3D reconstruction procedure. We foresee that these findings will promote the development of advanced X-ray activated persistent fluoride NPs and offer opportunities for safer and more efficient X-ray imaging techniques in a number of scientific and practical areas.High-resolution X-ray imaging requires a high radiation dose. Here, the authors achieve low-dose 3D imaging by increasing the XEPL intensity using a double-shell nanostructure with two heterogeneous interfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intratumoral immune status influences tumor therapeutic response, but it remains largely unclear how the status determines therapies for patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Here, we examine the single-cell transcriptional and TCR profiles of 18 tumor tissues pre- and post- therapy of gemcitabine plus oxaliplatin, in combination with lenvatinib and anti-PD1 antibody for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. We find that high CD8 GZMB+ and CD8 proliferating proportions and a low Macro CD5L+ proportion predict good response to the therapy. In patients with a poor response, the CD8 GZMB+ and CD8 proliferating proportions are increased, but the CD8 GZMK+ proportion is decreased after the therapy. Transition of CD8 proliferating and CD8 GZMB+ to CD8 GZMK+ facilitates good response to the therapy, while Macro CD5L+–CD8 GZMB+ crosstalk impairs the response by increasing CTLA4 in CD8 GZMB+. Anti-CTLA4 antibody reverses resistance of the therapy in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Our data provide a resource for predicting response of the combination therapy and highlight the importance of CD8+T-cell status conversion and exhaustion induced by Macro CD5L+ in influencing the response, suggesting future avenues for cancer treatment optimization. The role of the tumor microenvironment in immunotherapy response in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma remains unclear. Here, single cell RNA and TCR sequencing of samples before and after immunotherapy highlights the role of CD8 T-cell status conversion and exhaustion induced by Macro CD5L+ in treatment response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous advancement of lightweight vehicle body technology, clinching has become the focus of lightweight sheet connection technology recently owing to its high efficiency and superior joint properties. This study focused on the clinching progress of common metals used in car bodies. The changes in the joining mechanical properties due to the heat treatment before and after the formation are described herein. Several new clinching methods and joint repairs have been proposed. An overview on clinching, in terms of fretting wear and fatigue properties, is also presented. In addition, current research on fretting fatigue wear and crack extension damage mechanisms is presented. Finally, the trends in research on clinching development and fatigue failure mechanism are reviewed and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have low conductivity, which is not conducive to further application. To address the issue, in this work, using carboxylation multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-COOH) as carbon materials, benzene-1,4-dicarboxylic acid (PTA) as organic ligands, nickel nitrate hexahydrate (Ni(NO3)2·6H2O) as transition metal ions precursors, MWCNTs decorated with nickel MOFs (Ni-MOFs/MWCNTs) nanohybrids were fabricated via in situ growth by a one-pot solvothermal method. The electrochemical properties of the Ni-MOFs/MWCNTs nanohybrids obtained by adjusting the dosage of MWCNTs-COOH and the experimental conditions as electrode materials for supercapacitors (SCs) were investigated. The results showed that the Ni-MOFs nanoflowers self-assembled by nanorods were in situ growth on the MWCNTs, which could avoid the agglomeration of Ni-MOFs and MWCNTs, enhance the specific surface area, and expose more active sites to improve the electrochemical properties. The specific capacity of the Ni-MOFs/MWCNTs nanohybrids as electrode materials obtained at the optimal experimental conditions was 749.6 C g−1 at 1.0 A g−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glioma is a lethal brain cancer and lacking effective therapies. Challenges include no effective therapeutic target, intra- and intertumoral heterogeneity, inadequate effective drugs, and an immunosuppressive microenvironment, etc. Deciphering the pathogenesis of gliomas and finding out the working mechanisms are urgent and necessary for glioma treatment. Identification of prognostic biomarkers and targeting the biomarker genes will be a promising therapy. Methods: From our RNA-sequencing data of the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS)-inhibition sensitive and OXPHOS-resistant cell lines, we found that the scaffolding protein caveolin 1 (CAV1) is highly expressed in the resistant group but not in the sensitive group. By comprehensive analysis of our RNA sequencing data, Whole Genome Bisulfite Sequencing (WGBS) data and public databases, we found that CAV1 is highly expressed in gliomas and its expression is positively related with pathological processes, higher CAV1 predicts shorter overall survival. Results: Further analysis indicated that (1) the differentiated genes in CAV1-high groups are enriched in immune infiltration and immune response; (2) CAV1 is positively correlated with tumor metastasis markers; (3) the methylation level of CAV1 promoters in glioma group is lower in higher stage than that in lower stage; (4) CAV1 is positively correlated with glioma stemness; (5) higher expression of CAV1 renders the glioma cells' resistant to oxidative phosphorylation inhibitors. Conclusion: Therefore, we identified a key gene CAV1 and deciphered its function in glioma progression and prognosis, proposing that CAV1 may be a therapeutic target for gliomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deformation mechanism, crack initiation, propagation and fracture behavior of a new near-α titanium alloy Ti80 (Ti-6Al-3Nb-2Zr-1Mo) with a bimodal microstructure consisting of primary α (αp) grains and transformed β (βtrans) matrix is systematically investigated by in situ tensile testing in SEM. The results show that αp preferentially undergoes plastic deformation (single slip) in the early stage of deformation. As the deformation continues, the crack nucleates in the hard-to-deform region near the U-shaped notch, and then advances through αp to form small cracks, which tend to initiate at the αp/βtrans interface and slip bands region. However, slip transfer occurs between some αp and adjacent βtrans, and multi-slip or cross-slip is generated in αp, which plays a role in coordinating the inhomogeneity of local plastic deformation and delaying crack initiation. In the crack propagation stage, the main crack and microcracks are connected to promote crack growth. The crack tends to propagate along the αp/βtrans interface or slip bands inside αp. The αp boundaries play the role of deflecting the crack propagation direction. However, a relatively flat crack path is formed from a macroscopic point of view due to the small particle size of αp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the current problem of low retrieval accuracy in deep hashing image retrieval, an improved generative adversarial network (GAN)-based image hashing retrieval method using supervised contrast learning (SconGAN) is proposed. The method augments training samples by introducing dense residual blocks and content fidelity items into the generative network to synthesize more diverse images with higher quality; moreover, it enhances the feature discrimination ability of the discriminative network by introducing pyramidal convolution and supervised contrast learning. Meanwhile, it improves the hashing code generation quality by introducing new pairwise similarity loss, semantic retention loss and quantization loss into the hashing network. In addition, discriminative networks and hashing networks share the core network structure to reduce resource consumption and improve training efficiency. Comprehensive experiments on the CIFAR-10 and NUS-WIDE benchmark datasets show that the proposed method greatly outperforms the comparison methods and obtains the best mean average precision (MAP). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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As a special deep learning algorithm, the multilayer extreme learning machine (ML-ELM) has been extensively studied to solve practical problems in recent years. The ML-ELM is constructed from the extreme learning machine autoencoder (ELM-AE), and its generalization performance is affected by the representation learning of the ELM-AE. However, given label information, the unsupervised learning of the ELM-AE is difficult to build the discriminative feature space for classification tasks. To address this problem, a novel Fisher extreme learning machine autoencoder (FELM-AE) is proposed and is used as the component for the multilayer Fisher extreme leaning machine (ML-FELM). The FELM-AE introduces the Fisher criterion into the ELM-AE by adding the Fisher regularization term to the objective function, aiming to maximize the between-class distance and minimize the within-class distance of abstract feature. Different from the ELM-AE, the FELM-AE requires class labels to calculate the Fisher regularization loss, so that the learned abstract feature contains sufficient category information to complete classification tasks. The ML-FELM stacks the FELM-AE to extract feature and adopts the extreme leaning machine (ELM) to classify samples. Experiments on benchmark datasets show that the abstract feature extracted by the FELM-AE is more discriminative than the ELM-AE, and the classification results of the ML-FELM are more competitive and robust in comparison with the ELM, one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1D-CNN), ML-ELM, denoising multilayer extreme learning machine (D-ML-ELM), multilayer generalized extreme learning machine (ML-GELM), and hierarchical extreme learning machine with L21‑norm loss and regularization (H-LR21-ELM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seed density per silique (SDPS) and valid silique length (VSL) are two important yield-influencing traits in rapeseed. SDPS has a direct or indirect effect on rapeseed yield through its effect on seed per silique. In this study, a quantitative trait locus (QTL) for SDPS was detected on chromosome A09 using the QTL-seq approach and confirmed via linkage analysis in the mapping population obtained from 4263 × 3001 cross. Furthermore, one major QTL for SDPS (qSD.A9-1) was mapped to a 401.8 kb genomic interval between SSR markers Nys9A190 and Nys9A531. In the same genomic region, a QTL (qSL.A9) linked to VSL was also detected. The phenotypic variation of qSD.A9-1 and qSL.A9 was 53.1% and 47.6%, respectively. Results of the additive and dominant effects demonstrated that the expression of genes controlling SDPS and VSL were derived from a different parent in this population. Subsequently, we identified 56 genes that included 45 specific genes with exonic (splicing) variants. Further analysis identified specific genes containing mutations that may be related to seed density as well as silique length. These genes could be used for further studies to understand the details of these traits of rapeseed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this in vitro study, the restoration of acid-eroded enamel surface morphology and anti-wear properties under two conditions, mono-remineralization (treated with remineralization alone) and impact-remineralization (treated with cyclic impact followed by remineralization), are characterized to determine the effect of occlusal loading on enamel remineralization. Compared with the mono-remineralized surface, the impact-remineralized surface demonstrates better anti-wear performance, as manifested by a higher hardness and elastic modulus, as well as a lower friction coefficient and wear volume. Loading on the eroded enamel surface induces the fragmentation of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles, which aids crystal deposition and fusion during subsequent remineralization. In summary, owing to the enamel microstructure, occlusal loading can promote the restoration of enamel anti-wear properties by enhancing remineralization. Remineralization enhancement through occlusal-loading-induced nanoparticle fragmentation plays a significant role in preventing human teeth from excessive wear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

External manipulation of emission colour is of significance for scientific research and applications, however, the general stimulus-responsive colour modulation method requires both stringent control of microstructures and continously adjustment of particular stimuli conditions. Here, we introduce pathways to manipulate the kinetics of time evolution of both intensity and spectral characteristics of X-ray excited afterglow (XEA) by regioselective doping of lanthanide activators in core-shell nanostructures. Our work reported here reveals the following phenomena: 1. The XEA intensities of multiple lanthanide activators are significantly enhanced via incorporating interstitial Na+ ions inside the nanocrystal structure. 2. The XEA intensities of activators exhibit diverse decay rates in the core and the shell and can largely be tuned separately, which enables us to realize a series of core@shell NPs featuring distinct time-dependent afterglow colour evolution. 3. A core/multi-shell NP structure can be designed to simultaneously generate afterglow, upconversion and downshifting to realize multimode time-dependent multicolour evolutions. These findings can promote the development of superior XEA and plentiful spectral manipulation, opening up a broad range of applications ranging from multiplexed biosensing, to high-capacity information encryption, to multidimensional displays and to multifunctional optoelectronic devices. X-ray activated afterglow nanomaterials are desirable components for advanced optoelectronic applications. Here, the authors present pathways to modulate the stimulus-responsive color emissions in lanthanide-doped fluoride core-shell nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the difficulties in determining the boundaries of landslides from landslide inventory, landslide samples are often expressed by geometrical points, rather than the actual shape of landslides. However, when grid units are used for landslide susceptibility assessment (LSA), the number of landslide samples is quite limited by using geometric points to represent landslides. This situation further leads to a small number of non-landslide samples that are randomly generated based on the landslide samples. This paper proposes a frequency ratio (FR)-based sampling strategy to enhance the information of landslides to achieve an improved machine learning-based LSA. To realize this idea, the FR values of landslide conditioning factors are first calculated, and each grid unit has an attribute dataset composed of FR values. Then, the grid units with the minimum FR value no less than 1 are selected as supplementary positive samples, the grid units with the maximum FR value less than 1 are selected as supplementary negative samples. The enhanced dataset is finally composed of supplementary positive samples and historical landslide points. Thereafter, two typical ML models of the random forest (RF) and support vector machine (SVM) are employed to construct the improved LSA models based on the enhanced datasets. Finally, the landslide susceptibility of Anhua County, China, is assessed by the improved ML models, and the results are compared with the ML models trained by the traditional sampling method. The results indicate that compared with traditional RF and SVM models, the corresponding improved models show better performance in accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 value. In particular, the AUC values of the two models are increased by 9% and 8%, respectively. The proposed method provides a promising alternate for an accurate and reliable LSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differentiated cells can be reprogrammed to embryonic stem cell-like cells called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), in which the natural developmental differentiation process is reversed. It is unclear whether the multi-lineage cells can be isolated and identified during reprogramming. In the current study, we detected the expression of lineage markers, isolated neural lineages, and identified the related microRNAs during iPSC formation. Our results demonstrated that a neuroectoderm appeared earlier than mesoderm and definitive endoderm before forming colonies when mouse embryonic fibroblasts were subjected to iPSC formation using transcription factors (TFs). On day 3, the cells expressed Sox1 and Nestin and had ultrastructure consistent with the transition to identity neural germ layer lineage. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis revealed a peak (40%) in neural progenitor marker–positive cells. When subsequently cultured in a neural precursor cell medium, these cells proliferated slowly, became round and aggregated, generating into neurons and glia. Genome-wide microRNA (miRNA) analysis identified 45 differentially regulated miRNAs. Molecular network analysis demonstrated that these miRNAs validated 6,047 experimental mRNA targets. The GO functional annotation analysis of mRNA targets revealed that most genes were related to neurogenesis, such as growth cone, neuronal cell body, neuron projection, and cell junction synapse. The network of protein–protein interactions was observed, which demonstrated that key nodes of neural lineage reprogramming-associated targets were Sall1, Foxa2, Nf2, Ctnnb1, Shh, and Bmpr1a. Therefore, these data suggested that TFs can drive the reprogramming of somatic cells towards a pluripotent state via neuroectoderm. Moreover, the neural lineage reprogramming system can address how miRNAs influence their target sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The material point method (MPM) has been increasingly used for slope stability analysis in recent years. However, the factor of safety (FS) cannot be obtained directly by MPM because of, at least partially, the lack of user-friendly commercial software, which brings inconvenience to practical slope stability analysis. This paper develops a new chart method for a fast FS evaluation via the Strength Reduction Method-based MPM (SRM-MPM) so that FS evaluation and large deformation analysis can be conducted within a unified framework. The proposed chart method is developed through establishing the relationship between the dimensionless soil parameter λ and FS obtained by SRM-MPM. The two-dimensional homogeneous slopes with different depth coefficients (D/H) are studied, based on which the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed method is verified through a system comparison with several available methods in literature. The results show that the proposed chart method is feasible and can be conveniently used for FS evaluation. The D/H has a significant influence on the FS, and the FS decreases monotonically with the increase of D/H. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problem of load distribution during multi-pass cold rolling of nuclear zirconium alloy strip, the load distribution model with good plate shape is established by the self-adaptive particle swarm optimization (SAPSO) algorithm, considering the main constraint conditions including rolling force, reduction, and torque in cold rolling process. Based on the penalty function method transforming the constraint problem into the unconstrained problem, the particle swarm optimization algorithm (PSO) combined with self-adaptive inertia weight factor optimized the load distribution model is developed to improve the local search ability of the particle swarm optimization algorithm. Compared with the original nuclear zirconium alloy cold rolling schedule, the simulation results of load distribution based on the SAPSO algorithm can keep good plate shape in multi-pass cold rolling process with the high prediction accuracy. The industrial experiments demonstrate that the proportional crown difference value is consistent, and the plate shape flatness is good. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the influence of two polyphenols on the structure and lubrication of the salivary pellicle, aiming to extend the understanding of astringency mechanisms. The salivary pellicle was prepared by the adsorption of human whole saliva on the enamel substrate. Low-astringency catechin and high-astringency tannic acid were used as astringents. The changes induced by the two polyphenols in the structure and lubrication of the salivary pellicle were examined using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) and nano-indentation/scratch technique. The salivary pellicle suffers from changes in structure and physical properties owing to protein dehydration and protein-polyphenol complexation when encountering polyphenolic molecules, causing increases in the roughness and contact angle but a decrease in the load-bearing capacity. Therefore, the lubrication performance of the salivary pellicle is impaired, leading to an increase and fluctuation of the friction coefficient. The intensity of astringency has a strong positive correlation with the water contact angle, surface roughness, and friction coefficient of the salivary pellicle. In summary, astringency is a tactile perception driven by the roughness and wettability of the salivary pellicle rather than oral lubrication, and increased intraoral friction is an inevitable consequence of astringency. The findings of this study will help promote and assist the objective evaluation of astringency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical layer security (PLS) has been proposed to afford an extra layer of security on top of the conventional cryptographic techniques. Unlike the conventional complexity-based cryptographic techniques at the upper layers, physical layer security exploits the characteristics of wireless channels, e.g., fading, noise, interference, etc., to enhance wireless security. It is proved that secure transmission can benefit from fading channels. Accordingly, numerous researchers have explored what fading can offer for physical layer security, especially the investigation of physical layer security over wiretap fading channels. Therefore, this paper aims at reviewing the existing and ongoing research works on this topic. More specifically, we present a classification of research works in terms of the four categories of fading models: (i) small-scale, (ii) large-scale, (iii) composite, and (iv) cascaded. To elaborate these fading models with a generic and flexible tool, three promising candidates, including the mixture gamma (MG), mixture of Gaussian (MoG), and Fox's H-function distributions, are comprehensively examined and compared. Their advantages and limitations are further demonstrated via security performance metrics, which are designed as vivid indicators to measure how perfect secrecy is ensured. Two clusters of secrecy metrics, namely (i) secrecy outage probability (SOP), and the lower bound of SOP; and (ii) the probability of nonzero secrecy capacity (PNZ), the intercept probability, average secrecy capacity (ASC), and ergodic secrecy capacity, are displayed and, respectively, deployed in passive and active eavesdropping scenarios. Apart from those, revisiting the secrecy enhancement techniques based on Wyner's wiretap model, the on-off transmission scheme, jamming approach, antenna selection, and security region are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Siraitia grosvenorii (LHG) is widely used as a medicinal and edible material around the world. The objective of this study was to develop an effective method for the authentication of the geographical origin of LHG in its main producing area Guangxi, China, which is identified as Chinese Protected Designation of Origin product, against other producing regions in China. The content of 14 elements (K, Na, Ca, P, Mg, Al, B, Ba, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Zn, and Sr) of 114 LHG samples was determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Multivariate analysis was then performed to classify the geographical origin of LHG samples. The contents of multielement display an obvious trend of clustering according to the geographical origin of LHG samples based on radar plot and principal component analysis. Finally, three supervised statistical techniques, including linear discriminant analysis (LDA), k-nearest neighbours (k-NN), and support vector machine (SVM), were applied to develop classification models. Finally, 40 unknown LHG samples were used to evaluate the predictive ability of model and discrimination rate of 100%, 97.5% and 100% were obtained for LDA, k-NN, and SVM, respectively. This study indicated that it is feasible to attribute unknown LHG samples to its geographical origin based on its multielement content coupled with chemometric techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chlamydia trachomatis infection causes severe inflammatory disease resulting in blindness and infertility. The pathophysiology of these diseases remains elusive but myeloid cell-associated inflammation has been implicated. Here we show NLRP3 inflammasome activation is essential for driving a macrophage-associated endometritis resulting in infertility by using a female mouse genital tract chlamydial infection model. We find the chlamydial parasitophorous vacuole protein CT135 triggers NLRP3 inflammasome activation via TLR2/MyD88 signaling as a pathogenic strategy to evade neutrophil host defense. Paradoxically, a consequence of CT135 mediated neutrophil killing results in a submucosal macrophage-associated endometritis driven by ATP/P2X7R induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Importantly, macrophage-associated immunopathology occurs independent of macrophage infection. We show chlamydial infection of neutrophils and epithelial cells produce elevated levels of extracellular ATP. We propose this source of ATP serves as a DAMP to activate submucosal macrophage NLRP3 inflammasome that drive damaging immunopathology. These findings offer a paradigm of sterile inflammation in infectious disease pathogenesis. Myeloid cells are implicated in the innate immune and inflammatory response during infection with Chlamydia trachomatis. Here the authors show the evasion of the neutrophil response to infection and concomitant induction of sterile immunity via the purinergic P2X7 receptor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salinity tolerance plays an important role in direct seeding cultivation since tolerance to salinity at the bud burst stage of rice directly affects seedling formation and yield. However, information on the quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with salinity tolerance at the bud burst stage is limited. Here, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population, derived from a cross between Kongyu131 (salinity-sensitive) and Xiaobaijingzi (salinity-tolerant), was used to identify QTLs for salinity tolerance at the bud burst stage using a high-density genetic map. Four QTLs were identified. The threshold LOD score for QTL identification was 3.0. Among the four QTLs detected, two QTLs namely qRSL3 (PVE, 22.59%) and qRRL3 (PVE, 21.21%) were considered to be one QTL, named qST3, which was the major QTL related to salinity tolerance on chromosome 3. This major QTL was located within an interval of 2.55 Mb and contained 253 candidate genes. Using RNA-seq data, 51 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected among the candidate region. According to Rice Annotation Project and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis, Os03g0664800 was accepted as the most likely candidate gene for qST3. These results will be useful for improving salinity tolerance of rice and for developing rice cultivars suitable for direct seeding in salinized soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, multilayer extreme learning machine (ELM) algorithms have been extensively studied for hierarchical abstract representation learning in the ELM community. In this paper, we investigate the specific combination of L 21 -norm based loss function and regularization to improve the robustness and the sparsity of multilayer ELM. As we all known, the mean square error (MSE) cost function (or squared L 2 -norm cost function) is commonly used as optimization cost function for ELM, but it is sensitive to outliers and impulsive noises that are pervasive in real-world data. Our L 21 -norm loss function can lessen the harmful influence caused by noises and outliers and enhance robustness and stability of the learned model. Additionally, the row sparse inducing L 21 -norm regularization can learn the most-relevant sparse representation and reduce the intrinsic complexity of the learning model. We propose a specific combination of L 21 -norm loss function and regularization ELM auto-encoder (LR21-ELM-AE), and then stack LR21-ELM-AE hierarchically to construct the hierarchical extreme learning machine (H-LR21-ELM). Experiments conducted on several well-known benchmark datasets are presented, the results show that the proposed H-LR21-ELM can generate a more robust, more discriminative and sparser model compared with the other state-of-the-art multilayer ELM algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-assisted networks, UAV acts as an aerial base station which acquires the requested data via backhaul link and then serves ground users (GUs) through an access network. In this paper, we investigate an energy minimization problem with a limited power supply for both backhaul and access links. The difficulties for solving such a non-convex and combinatorial problem lie at the high computational complexity/time. In solution development, we consider the approaches from both actor-critic deep reinforcement learning (AC-DRL) and optimization perspectives. First, two offline non-learning algorithms, i.e., an optimal and a heuristic algorithms, based on piecewise linear approximation and relaxation are developed as benchmarks. Second, toward real-time decision-making, we improve the conventional AC-DRL and propose two learning schemes: AC-based user group scheduling and backhaul power allocation (ACGP), and joint AC-based user group scheduling and optimization-based backhaul power allocation (ACGOP). Numerical results show that the computation time of both ACGP and ACGOP is reduced tenfold to hundredfold compared to the offline approaches, and ACGOP is better than ACGP in energy savings. The results also verify the superiority of proposed learning solutions in terms of guaranteeing the feasibility and minimizing the system energy compared to the conventional AC-DRL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyglutamine (polyQ) expansion of proteins can trigger protein misfolding and amyloid-like aggregation, which thus lead to severe cytotoxicities and even the respective neurodegenerative diseases. However, why polyQ aggregation is toxic to cells is not fully elucidated. Here, we took the fragments of polyQ-expanded (PQE) ataxin-7 (Atx7) and huntingtin (Htt) as models to investigate the effect of polyQ aggregates on the cellular proteostasis of endogenous ataxin-3 (Atx3), a protein that frequently appears in diverse inclusion bodies. We found that PQE Atx7 and Htt impair the cellular proteostasis of Atx3 by reducing its soluble as well as total Atx3 level but enhancing formation of the aggregates. Expression of these polyQ proteins promotes proteasomal degradation of endogenous Atx3 and accumulation of its aggregated form. Then we verified that the co-chaperone HSJ1 is an essential factor that orchestrates the balance of cellular proteostasis of Atx3; and further discovered that the polyQ proteins can sequester HSJ1 into aggregates or inclusions in a UIM domain-dependent manner. Thereby, the impairment of Atx3 proteostasis may be attributed to the sequestration and functional loss of cellular HSJ1. This study deciphers a potential mechanism underlying how PQE protein triggers proteinopathies, and also provides additional evidence in supporting the hijacking hypothesis that sequestration of cellular interacting partners by protein aggregates leads to cytotoxicity or neurodegeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advances in computer vision and machine intelligence have facilitated biometric technologies, which increasingly rely on image data in security practices. As an important biometric identifier, the near-infrared (NIR) finger-vein pattern is favoured by non-contact, high accuracy, and enhanced security systems. However, large stacks of low-contrast and complex finger-vein images present barriers to manual image segmentation, which locates the objects of interest. Although some headway in computer-aided segmentation has been made, state-of-the-art approaches often require user interaction or prior training, which are tedious, time-consuming and prone to operator bias. Recognizing this deficiency, the present study exploits structure-specific contextual clues and proposes an iterated graph cut (IGC) method for automatic and accurate segmentation of finger-vein images. To this end, the geometric structures of the image-acquisition system and the fingers provide the hard (centreline along the finger) and shape (rectangle around the finger) constraints. A node-merging scheme is applied to reduce the computational burden. The Gaussian probability model determines the initial labels. Finally, the maximum a posteriori Markov random field (MAP-MRF) framework is tasked with iteratively updating the data models of the object and the background. Our approach was extensively evaluated on 4 finger-vein databases and compared with some benchmark methods. The experimental results indicate that the proposed IGC method outperforms the state-of-the-practice approaches in finger-vein image segmentation. Specifically, the IGC method, relative to its level set deep learning (LSDL) counterpart, can increase the average F-measure value by 5.03%, 6.56%, 49.91%, and 22.89% when segmenting images from four different finger-vein databases. Therefore, this work can provide a feasible path towards fully automatic image segmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thyroid hormone receptor interactor 13 (TRIP13) is an ATPase that has been found to be overexpressed in many tumors. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of TRIP13 and its mechanism of action in lung cancer. The expression of TRIP13 was examined in lung cancer tissues and corresponding normal lung tissues by western blotting. TRIP13 was overexpressed or knocked down by transient transfection or siRNA interference in lung cancer cells, respectively. The expression of key proteins associated with the Wnt signaling pathway and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) was assessed. The interaction between TRIP13 and low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6 (LRP6) was examined by co-immunoprecipitation and laser confocal immunofluorescence. Moreover, this study determined the proliferative and invasive ability of cells through colony formation, cell proliferation, and Matrigel invasion assays. The expression of TRIP13 was higher in lung cancer tissues than in normal lung tissues (p = 0.002), and this correlated with poor patient prognosis (p < 0.001). In addition, overexpression of TRIP13 enhanced the levels of active β-catenin and target proteins of the Wnt signaling pathways (p < 0.05). This study found that TRIP13 can co-localize and bind with LRP6. Furthermore, overexpression of TRIP13 caused the upregulation of N-cadherin, Snail, and vimentin, and the downregulation of E-cadherin (p < 0.05). The aforementioned results were reversed after knocking down the expression of TRIP13 (p < 0.05). TRIP13 is highly expressed in lung cancers, indicating poor prognosis. overexpression of TRIP13 promotes the proliferative and invasive ability of lung cancer cells via the activation of Wnt signaling pathway and EMT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a magnetic/dielectric composite precursor is obtained by in situ growing zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 nanoparticles on the surface of acidified multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). After pyrolyzing the precursor in an argon atmosphere, a kind of nano-heterogeneous composite wave absorber was prepared. Subsequently, a new type of magnetic/dielectric wave-absorbing composite was prepared by heating and curing Co–C–MWCNTs and epoxy resin, and the properties of the composite were adjusted by changing the content of Co–C–MWCNTs. A variety of modern characterization methods were used to systematically study the micro-morphology, element composition and electromagnetic properties of the composite. The results show that after the combination of MWCNTs and Co–C particles with regular dodecahedron structure, a special synergistic effect appears. The addition of magnetic MOF derivatives not only improves the impedance matching characteristics of the composite and increases the magnetic loss mechanism, but also provides a new path for the transmission of electromagnetic waves because of its special pore structure and the three-dimensional network structure formed by cross-linking with MWCNTs. The interface polarization and multiple scattering effects greatly improve the attenuation efficiency of electromagnetic waves. In X-band (8–12 GHz), the Co–C–MWCNTs/EP composite with a loading of 17.5 wt% can achieve an effective absorption bandwidth of 2.38 GHz when the matching thickness is 1.6 mm. The combination of novel MOF-derived materials and traditional carbon materials is expected to provide new ideas for the design of composites with microwave absorption capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stratigraphic uncertainty widely exists in geotechnical structures. An efficient generalized coupled Markov chain (GCMC) model was proposed to simulate the stratigraphic uncertainty in the past. This model, however, cannot be directly applied to geotechnical problems because of the difficulty in directly estimating the horizontal transition probability matrices (HTPMs) of the GCMC from boreholes with large hole-to-hole distance. This paper, therefore, aims at addressing the above problem by using a maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) method and utilizing the MLE modified GCMC model to characterize stratigraphic uncertainty. In the framework of the GCMC, the validity of the proposed method is verified, and information entropy method is adopted to quantify the stratigraphic uncertainty. As an illustration, the proposed model is applied to a construction site in Hong Kong to characterize the stratigraphic uncertainty. A systematic comparison of coupled Markov chain (CMC) and GCMC model for stratigraphic uncertainty simulation was conducted. The influences of borehole layout scheme on transition probability matrices (TPMs) estimation and stratigraphic uncertainty simulation are explored. Results showed that the result of stratigraphic uncertainty simulation of the GCMC model is more reasonable than that of the CMC model. The borehole layout scheme is very important for estimating TPMs and significantly influences the stratigraphic uncertainty simulation. The information entropy map has the potential to become a useful guideline for the design of the borehole layout scheme in geotechnical engineering practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When training base classifier by ternary Error Correcting Output Codes (ECOC), it is well know that some classes are ignored. On this account, a non-competent classifier emerges when it classify an instance whose real label does not belong to the meta-subclasses. Meanwhile, the classic ECOC dichotomizers can only produce binary outputs and have no capability of rejection for classification. To overcome the non-competence problem and better model the multi-class problem for reducing the classification cost, we embed reject option to ECOC and present a new variant of ECOC algorithm called as Reject-Option-based Re-encoding ECOC (ROECOC). The cost-sensitive classification model and cost-loss function based on Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve are built respectively. The optimal reject threshold values are obtained by combing the condition to be met for minimizing the loss function and the ROC convex hull. In so doing, reject option (t1, t2) provides a three-symbol output to make dichotomizers more competent and ROECOC more universal and practical for cost-sensitive classification issue. Experimental results on two kinds of datasets show that our scheme with low-degree freedom of initialized ECOC can effectively enhance accuracy and reduce cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate-dependent Rac exchanger (P-Rex) proteins control many fundamental cellular functions including cell migration, actin cytoskeletal rearrangement and adhesion in many cancers. However, P-Rex1 expression and its prognostic effect and possible clinical value are not clearly elucidated in human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Here, OSCC tissue microarrays were used to verify the expression levels of P-Rex1, coinhibitory immune checkpoints and tumor associated macrophage (TAM) markers, and to analyze the relationship between PREX1 expression levels and clinicopathological characteristics in OSCC. The study found that P-Rex1 expression was elevated in OSCC compared to dysplasia and normal mucosa (P < 0.0001). In addition, patients who expressed high PREX1 had a poorer prognosis than those who expressed low PREX1 (P = 0.0070). Furthermore, positive correlations were found between P-Rex1 expression and the immune checkpoints PD-L1, Galectin-9 and B7-H4, and the TAM markers CD68, CD206 and CD163. In short, these findings implicated that overexpression of P-Rex1 may predict a poor prognosis in human OSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, stearyltrimethylammoium bromide (STAB) was used to modify montmorillonite (MMT). Subsequently, the modified organic montmorillonite (OMMT) was added into 4,4′-Bismaleimidodiphenyl methane (BDM) and 2,2′-Diallylbisphenol A (DBA) copolymerization system to prepare BDM/OMMT wave-transparent nanocomposites with 0–5 wt% OMMT content. It is found that the addition of OMMT improves the microstructure, thermal properties, and wave-transparent properties of BDM composites. At the addition of 2 wt%, the thermal stability of the resin system is the best, and the fracture morphology changes from brittle fracture characteristics to ductile fracture characteristics. Meanwhile, in X-band (8–12 GHz), OMMT-2 wt% with the thickness less than 2 mm or within 8–10 mm has excellent transmittance (> 90%). Moreover, the effect of temperature change on the wave-transparent performance of BDM/OMMT nanocomposites is investigated. From room temperature to 200 °C, the stability of high-temperature transmittance of OMMT-2 wt% is enhanced, and it still has good transmittance (> 90%) within in a wide thickness range at 200 °C. The enhancement of these properties is closely correlated with the interaction interface formed between OMMT and BDM resin matrix. The addition of OMMT can increase the design selection of BDM resin system and expand its application as a wave-transparent material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Salt stress is one of the main abiotic stresses that limits rice production worldwide. Rice salt tolerance at the bud burst stage directly affects the seedling survival rate and the final yield in the direct seeding cultivation model. However, the reports on quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping and map-based cloning for salt tolerance at the bud burst stage are limited. Results: Here, an F2:3 population derived from a cross between IR36 (salt-sensitive) and Weiguo (salt-tolerant) was used to identify salt-tolerant QTL interval at the bud burst stage using a whole-genome sequencing-based QTL-seq containing 40 extreme salt-tolerant and 40 extreme salt-sensitive individuals. A major QTL, qRSL7, related to relative shoot length (RSL) was detected on chromosome 7 using ΔSNP index algorithms and Euclidean Distance (ED) algorithms. According to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) between the parents, 25 Kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) markers were developed near qRSL7, and regional QTL mapping was performed using 199 individuals from the F2:3 population. We then confirmed and narrowed down qRSL7 to a 222 kb genome interval. Additionally, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed for IR36 and Weiguo at 36 h after salt stress and control condition at the bud burst stage, and 5 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected in the candidate region. The qRT-PCR results showed the same expression patterns as the RNA-seq data. Furthermore, sequence analysis revealed a 1 bp Indel difference in Os07g0569700 (OsSAP16) between IR36 and Weiguo. OsSAP16 encodes a stress-associated protein whose expression is increased under drought stress. Conclusion: These results indicate that OsSAP16 was the candidate gene of qRSL7. The results is useful for gene cloning of qRSL7 and for improving the salt tolerance of rice varieties by marker assisted selection (MAS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Salinity-alkalinity stress is one of the major factors limiting rice production. Damage caused by alkaline salt stress is more severe than that caused by neutral salt stress. Alkali tolerance at the bud stage in rice directly affects seedling survival and final yield when using the direct seeding cultivation model. However, genetic resources (QTLs and genes) for rice breeders to improve alkali tolerance are limited. In this study, we combined linkage mapping and a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to analyze the genetic structure of this trait in japonica rice at the bud stage. Results: A population of 184 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) was utilized to map quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for the root length under control condition (RL), alkaline stress (ARL) and relative root length (RRL) at the bud stage. A major QTL related to alkali tolerance at the rice bud stage, qAT11, was detected on chromosome 11. Interestingly, a GWAS identified a lead SNP (Chr_21,999,659) in qAT11 that was significantly associated with alkaline tolerance. After filtering by linkage disequilibrium (LD), haplotype analysis, quantitative real-time PCR, we obtained three candidate genes (LOC_Os11g37300, LOC_Os11g37320 and LOC_Os11g37390). In addition, we performed phenotype verification on the CRISPR/Cas9 mutant of LOC_Os11g37390. Conclusion: Based on these results, LOC_Os11g37300, LOC_Os11g37320 and LOC_Os11g37390 were the candidate genes contributing to alkaline tolerance in japonica rice. This study provides resources for breeding aimed at improving rice responses to alkalinity stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Propofol, a common intravenous anesthetic, has been found to exert anti-cancer effects with inhibition of cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion. We tested its possible action against HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cells that developed resistance against trastuzumab. Cell viability assay, ELISA for cytokines, mammosphere formation, quantitative RT-PCR for EMT/IL-6-targeting miRNAs and the in vivo experimental pulmonary metastasis model were performed to understand the epigenetic action of propofol. Propofol sensitized HER2 overexpressing cells to trastuzumab but such action was even more pronounced in resistant cells. Increased cytokines IL-6 as well as IL-8 were released by resistant cells, along with increased mammospheres and induction of EMT, all of which was inhibited by propofol. IL-6 targeting tumor suppressor miR-149-5p was found to be the novel miRNA that was up-regulated by propofol, resulting in the observed effects on cell viability, IL-6 production, mammospheres generation as well as EMT induction. Further, antagonizing miR-149-5p attenuated the propofol effects confirming the epigenetic activity of propofol through miR-149-5p regulation. Finally, in vivo validation in an experimental metastasis model conformed an inhibitory action of propofol against experimental lung metastasis and the essential mechanistic role of miR-149-5p/IL-6 loop. These results present a novel role of general anesthetic propofol against resistant breast cancer cells and the underlying epigenetic regulation of a tumor suppressor miRNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SLC16A family members play crucial roles in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. However, the exact role of distinct members in the SLC16A family in human pancreatic cancer remains unclear. Integrated bioinformatics analysis for the identification of therapeutic targets for certain cancers based on transcriptomics, proteomics and high-throughput sequencing could help us obtain novel information and understand potential underlying molecular mechanisms. In the present study, we investigated SLC16A family members in pancreatic cancer through accumulated data from GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus), TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) and other available databases. The expression profile, clinical application significance and prognostic value of the SLC16A family for patients with pancreatic cancer were explored. SLC16A1, SLC16A3 and SLC16A13 exhibited biomarker potential for prognosis, and we further identified their related genes and regulatory networks, revealing core molecular pathways that require further investigation for pancreatic cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is characterized by reduced or absent insulin receptor (INSR) responsiveness to its ligand, elevated hepatic glucose output and impaired glucose uptake in peripheral tissues, particularly skeletal muscle. Treatments to reduce hyperglycemia and reestablish normal insulin signaling are much sought after. Any agent which could be orally administered to restore INSR function, in an insulin-independent manner, would have major implications for the management of this global disease. We have discovered a non-peptidyl small molecule, adenosine, 5′-Se-methyl-5′-seleno-, 2′,3′-diacetate [referred to as non-peptidyl compound #43 (NPC43)], which restores INSR signaling in the complete absence of insulin. Initial screening of numerous compounds in human HepG2 liver cells revealed that NPC43 significantly inhibited glucose production. The compound was potently anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hyperinsulinemic in vivo, in insulin-resistant T2D Leprdb/db mice, following either acute or chronic treatment by oral gavage and intraperitoneal injection, respectively. The compound acted at the level of INSR and activated it in both liver and skeletal muscle of Leprdb/db mice. In cell culture, the compound activated INSR in both liver and skeletal muscle cells; furthermore, it cooperated with insulin to depress glucose-6-phosphatase catalytic subunit (G6pc) expression and stimulate glucose uptake, respectively. Our results indicated that the compound directly interacted with INSRα, triggering appropriate phosphorylation and activation of the receptor and its downstream targets. Unlike insulin, NPC43 did not activate insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor in either liver or skeletal muscle. We believe this compound represents a potential oral and/or injectable insulin replacement therapy for diabetes and diseases associated with insulin resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]