Search

In this work, we used the convolutional neural network (CNN) method to invert sea surface height (SSH) from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) delayed Doppler map (DDM) data during 2009–2017 and compared the CNN inversion data with those obtained from traditional simple random forest (RF) method. SSH observations from the OSTM/Jason-2 satellite were used to judge the merits of the two methods. The results show that both methods yield good SSH inversion results, but when the training set is 9000, the root mean square errors of the SSH inversion results based on the CNN and the RF method are 16.78 and 15.96 respectively; as the training set increases above 9000, the accuracy of the CNN method is significantly better than that of the RF method. This suggests that SSH inversion based on the CNN method will become more advantageous as more data become available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Interleukin-4 inducible gene 1 (IL4I1) regulates tumor progression in numerous tumor types. However, its correlation with immune infiltration and prognosis of patients in a pan-cancer setting remains unclear. Methods: Data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), UALCAN, Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), cBioPortal, Cancer Single-cell State Atlas (CancerSEA), and Tumor IMmune Estimation Resource(TIMER) databases were used to evaluate IL4I1 expression, clinical features and prognostic effects, gene set enrichment, and correlation with immune cell infiltration, as well as the relationship between IL4I1 methylation and expression and survival prognosis. Correlations with 192 anticancer drugs were also analyzed. Results: IL4I1 was significantly overexpressed in the majority of tumors, and the imbalance of IL4I1 was significantly correlated with overall survival and pathological stage. Moreover, total IL4I1 protein was increased in cancer. Therefore, IL4I1 may be used as a prognostic biomarker or protective factor in numerous types of cancer. The methylation level of IL4I1 may also be used as a prognostic marker. The functional enrichment of IL4I1 was closely related to the immunomodulatory pathway. In addition, the level of tumor-associated macrophage infiltration was positively correlated with the expression of IL4I1 in pan-cancerous tissues. scRNA-seq analysis suggested that IL4I1 differ significantly among different cells in the tumor microenvironment and was most enriched in macrophages. Various immune checkpoint genes were positively correlated with IL4I1 expression in most tumors. In addition, patients with high IL4I1 expression may be resistant to BMS-754807 and docetaxel, but sensitive to temozolomide. Conclusion: IL4I1 may play a role as promoter of cancer and prognostic indicator in patients. High expression of IL4I1 is associated with the state of tumor immunosuppression and may contribute to tumor-associated macrophage invasion. Therefore, IL4I1 may be a new therapeutic target for the treatment and prognosis of patients with cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastrodin (Gas) has exhibited protective activity in neurological disorders. Here, we investigated the neuroprotective effect and potential mechanisms of Gas against cognitive impairment via regulating gut microbiota. APPswe/PSEN1dE9 transgenic (APP/PS1) mice were treated intragastrically with Gas for 4 weeks, and then cognitive deficits, deposits of amyloid-β (Aβ) and phosphorylation of tau were analyzed. The expression levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) pathway-related proteins, such as cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), were detected. Meanwhile, gut microbiota composition was evaluated. Our results showed that Gas treatment significantly improved cognitive deficits and Aβ deposition in APP/PS1 mice. Moreover, Gas treatment increased the level of Bcl-2 and decreased level of Bax and ultimately inhibited neuronal apoptosis. Gas treatment markedly increased the expression levels of IGF-1 and CREB in APP/PS1 mice. Moreover, Gas treatment improved abnormal composition and structure of gut microbiota in APP/PS1 mice. These findings revealed that Gas actively participated in regulating the IGF-1 pathway to inhibit neuronal apoptosis via the gut–brain axis and that it can be considered a new therapeutic strategy against Alzheimer's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LIM kinases are involved in various cellular events such as migration, cycle, and differentiation, but whether they have a role in the specification of mammalian early endoderm remains unclear. In the present study, we found that depletion of LIMK2 severely inhibited the generation of definitive endoderm (DE) from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and promoted an early neuroectodermal fate. Upon the silencing of LIMK2 during the endodermal differentiation, the assembly of actin stress fibers was disturbed, and the phosphorylation of cofilin was decreased. In addition, knockdown of LIMK2 during DE differentiation also interfered the upregulation of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related genes and cell migration. Collectively, the results highlight that the serine/threonine kinase LIMK2, acting as a key regulator in actin remodeling, plays a critical role in endodermal lineage determination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate whether the extended culture of day 3 (D3) embryos with low blastomere number to blastocyst following frozen–thawed embryo transfer improved the clinical outcomes. Methods: This was a retrospective study of clinical data of women undergoing in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) cycles in the Tangdu Hospital. The patients were divided into groups with 4–5, 6, 7–9 and > 9 cells based on the blastomere number of D3 embryos. The clinical outcomes were compared. Results: In fresh transfer cycles, the implantation and clinical pregnancy rates significantly decreased, while the abortion rate significantly increased in the groups with 4–5 and 6 cells compared with those with 7–9 and > 9 cells. In frozen–thawed transfer cycles, the clinical pregnancy and implantation rates for a single blastocyst transfer cycle showed no significant differences in the groups with 4–5 and 6 cells compared with those with 7–9 and > 9 cells. However, the abortion rate was significantly higher in the group with 4–5 cells than in that with 7–9 and > 9 cells. In the double blastocyst transfer cycle, the clinical pregnancy rate showed no significant differences among the groups with 4–5, 6, and 7–9 cells. Conclusion: The implantation and clinical pregnancy rates of D3 embryos with 6 cells significantly decreased; these embryos were not considered as high-quality embryos. Extended culture of D3 embryos with ≤ 6 blastomeres to blastocysts, particularly 6-cell embryos, resulted in a similar clinical pregnancy rate as that of blastocysts derived from D3 embryos with ≥ 7 blastomeres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patterned photonic crystals with structural colors on textile substrates have attracted a special attention due to the great advantages in application, which currently become a research hot-spot. This study utilized an ink-jet printing technology to prepare high-quality photonic crystal patterns with structural colors on polyester substrates. The self-assembly temperature of poly(styrene-N-methylol acrylamide) (P(St-NMA)) microspheres set to construct photonic crystals were deeply optimized. Moreover, the structural colors of prepared photonic crystal patterns were characterized and evaluated. When the mass fraction of P(St-NMA) microspheres was 1.0 wt.%, the pH value ranged from 5 to 7, and the surface tension was in the range of 63.79 to 71.20 mN/m, inks could present the best print performance. At 60 °C, prepared P(St-NMA) microsphere inks were good for printing to obtain patterned photonic crystals with regular arrangement and beautiful structural colors. Specifically, photonic crystals with different colors could be constructed by regulating the diameter of microspheres in inks, and prepared structural colors exhibited distinct iridescent phenomenon. The present results could provide a theoretical basis for the industrial realization of patterned photonic crystals by ink-jet printing technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasma-enhanced CVD (PECVD) epitaxy at 200 °C was used to deposit heavy doped n-type silicon films. Post-annealing by rapid thermal processing was applied to improve the properties of the epitaxial layer. By analyzing the Raman spectra and the imaginary part of the dielectric constant spectra of the samples, it was found that high-quality heavy-doped epitaxial n-type silicon layer can be obtained by optimizing the parameters of the PECVD depositing process. Reducing the electrodes distance of the PECVD had a great effect on the crystallzation of the epitaxialed n-type silicon films. Sillicon films with high-crystallization were obtained with the electrodes distance of 18 mm. Post-annealing process can improve the crystallization and reduce the resistance of the epitaxial films. In our research, it was found that the sheet resistance (R□) of the post-annealed films with thickness of about 50 nm has a simple relationship with RPH3/SiH4 (ratio of the flow rate of PH3 and SiH4) of the PECVD processing: R□=-184-125 lg(RPH3/SiH4). In the end, high-quality epitaxial n-type silicon film was obtained with R□ of 15 Ω/□ and thickness of ~50 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly precise, quantitative method based on the droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) technique was developed to identify and quantify the goat and sheep content in meat products. A formula for calculating raw meat weight based on DNA copy number was established. Exclusive specificity was verified using samples from 24 different animal species, and inclusive specificity between goat and sheep was tested using five different breeds for each species. The limit of detection and the limit of quantitation for both goat and sheep were 1 and 5 copies/μL, respectively, using a cloned plasmid containing goat- and sheep-specific target DNA fragments as calibrators. The accuracy and applicability of the method were verified using mixed powder samples with known proportions of goat and sheep meat, simulate meatball samples, and commercially available products, respectively. The results confirmed that the developed ddPCR methods are highly precise for identifying and quantifying the goat and sheep meat, indicating their potential applicability in future routine analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel electric booster (E-booster) that exibits superior performance advantages over traditional vacuum boosters. The proposed E-booster, consisting of an electric motor and a ball screw assembly, is designed for electro-hydraulic brake (EHB) systems to meet relevant requirements for electric vehicles and active safety technologies. A mathematical model for an EHB system is generated to determine the desired values of the parameters for the E-booster prototype using numerical simulation in MATLAB. Simulation results of the EHB system with the virtual E-booster demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the innovative technique. Built upon the results derived from the numerical simualtions, an integrated algorithm based on the Kalman filter and a sliding mode control technique is designed to control the E-booster motor and to implement the brake booster function. A hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) real-time simulation system equipped with the E-booster prototype is developed. HIL real-time simulations are conducted to evaluate the proposed algorithm. The HIL real-time simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm generates booster brake forces fast, and forces the ball nut to track the push rod well to ensure comfortable brake pedal feel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to make sure the co-operation of substrate temperatures and post-deposition annealing on the structure and performance of the a-SiO:H for n-Cz-Si wafer passivation, three series a-SiO:H films bifacial-deposited on n-Cz-Si wafers were made. In which, the first series was deposited at room temperature and post-deposition annealing with different temperature; the second series was deposited with different substrate temperature and without post-annealing; and the third series was deposited with different substrate temperature and post-annealed at the optimized 275 °C. Effective lifetime of the samples was tested by QSSPC method, and the imaginary part of dielectric constant ( ε ) and film properties of the films were analyzed by Spectroscopic Ellipsometry and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. It is concluded that (1) the structure and passivation effect of a-SiO:H films on n-Cz-Si wafer are sensitive to the substrate temperature and post-deposition annealing, and the optimum scheme is depositing the film at 100 °C and post-annealing the wafer at 275 °C; (2) the microstructure parameter R of the a-SiO:H is ~0.67 for the samples with the optimum passivation effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age-related and progressive neurodegenerative disease. Beta-amyloid (Aβ) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of AD. Autophagy is a self-degradative process and its related protein Beclin-1 is involved in the initiation of autophagy. However, the role of Beclin-1 in the pathogenesis of AD is rarely reported. In this study, we examined cell viability and medium levels of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) in PC12 cells incubated with gradient concentrations of Aβ (0.625, 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10 μM) for 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h, drew the index changes curves, and investigated the correlation between them. The result showed that cell viability was negatively correlated with NSE levels. Based on this study, Beclin-1 expression was quantitatively detected in Aβ-treated PC12 cells and the dynamic changes curve of Beclin-1 was drawn from 3 to 72 h. Beclin-1 expression was positively correlated with cell viability. Furthermore, both autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) and autophagy activator rapamycin were used to investigate the effect of autophagy on Aβ-induced cell injury. Aβ-induced Beclin-1 expression was further upregulated by rapamycin but was downregulated by 3-MA. Moreover, cell viability was increased by rapamycin but was decreased by 3-MA, and NSE was decreased by rapamycin but was increased by 3-MA, suggesting that activation of Beclin-1-dependent autophagy before the damage occurred can prevent neuronal cell death, while inhibition of Beclin-1-dependent autophagy can hastened cell death. These findings indicate that increasing Beclin-1-dependent autophagy may have a preventive effect before the AD occurred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flow cytometry is an advanced technology for efficient, rapid, specific and multi-parameter analysis of single cells in various basic research fields including cytobiology, immunology, genetic, hematology and other basic research. Beclin-1 protein is an important indicator in monitoring autophagic activity. However, quantitative flow cytometry had been rarely reported till now to be applied in the detection of Beclin-1 expression. The present study was aimed to establish a flow cytometric method for quantitative detection of Beclin-1 expression by employing the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine as the control. A multi-parameter optimal method for Beclin-1 protein staining is as follows. 2 % bovine serum albumin in phosphate buffered saline was used for sample block. Concentration of primary antibody was 0.004 μg/ μL. Samples were incubated at room temperature (25 °C) for 30 min. The prepared samples had better to be detected immediately or to be stored at 4 °C and detected within 6 h, otherwise the samples should be fixed in 1 % paraformaldehyde storing at 4 °C and detected within 3 d. Furthermore, we employed the immunohistochemistry to validate the method in vivo, the results confirmed flow cytometric method. The established flow cytometric analysis for Beclin-1 protein has the advantage of simpleness, speediness, sensitivity and reproducibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eu3+ ion-doped LaPO4 nanowires or nanorods have been successfully synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. The influence of varying the hydrothermal and subsequent sintering conditions on the morphology and structure of the LaPO4 host has been investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). For comparison, the Eu3+ ions were also doped into monoclinic monazite LaPO4 nanoparticles and perovskite LaAlO3 nanoparticles. The relative intensities of the emission lines of the LaPO4:Eu3+ nanosystems were essentially independent of their shape. The optimal doping concentrations in the monoclinic LaPO4 and perovskite LaAlO3 nanosystems were determined to be about 5.0 and 3.5 mol%, respectively. Under appropriate UV-radiation, the red light emitted from LaAlO3:Eu3+ (3.5 mol%) was brighter than that from LaPO4:Eu3+ (5.0 mol%) nanomaterial, resulting from differences in their spin-orbit couplings and covalence, which indicates that the nanoscale LaAlO3 is a promising host material for rare earth ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]