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Autophagy is a fundamental cellular process of protein degradation and recycling that regulates immune signaling pathways via multiple mechanisms. However, it remains unclear how autophagy epigenetically regulates the immune response. Here, we identified TRIM14 as an epigenetic regulator that reduces histone H3K9 trimethylation by inhibiting the autophagic degradation of the histone demethylase KDM4D. TRIM14 recruited the deubiquitinases USP14 and BRCC3 to cleave the K63-linked ubiquitin chains of KDM4D, which prevented KDM4D from undergoing optineurin (OPTN)-mediated selective autophagy. Tripartite motif-containing 14 (TRIM14) deficiency in dendritic cells significantly impaired the expression of the KDM4D-directed proinflammatory cytokines interleukin 12 (Il12) and Il23 and protected mice from autoimmune inflammation. Taken together, these findings highlight the crosstalk between epigenetic regulation and autophagy and suggest TRIM14 is a potential target of therapeutic intervention for inflammation-related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We experimentally demonstrate the asymmetric transmission of linearly polarized waves in a multilayer chiral metamaterial in the terahertz (THz) regime. The chiral metamaterial is constructed by two stacked orthogonal metallic layers embedded in polyimide dielectric layers. Simulated and measured results show that the proposed multilayer chiral metamaterial can achieve dual-band direction-dependent cross-polarization conversions for both x- and y-polarized THz waves. The polarized wave passing through the metamaterial will be converted into its orthogonal polarization state, while the same polarized wave is blocked along the reversed propagation direction. In addition, the asymmetric transmission band may be effectively engineered to other frequencies by slightly adjusting the gap width. We believe that our findings are beneficial in manipulating the polarization state of THz waves and exploring polarization-sensitive THz devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diversity of the intestinal bacterial communities in Dastarcus helophoroides (Fairmaire) (Coleoptera: Bothrideridae) larvae and adults was assayed by PCR-DGGE to determine whether different artificial diets could influence these bacterial communities. Two diets were used for feeding the larvae and four for the adults. Escherichia, Desemzia, Staphylococcus, Asticcacaulis, Cellvibrio, Aurantimonas, and Planomicrobium were isolated from the gut of the adults, with Escherichia and Staphylococcus being the main bacterial communities, and the quantities of intestinal bacterial were different in the adults fed different diets. Specifically, the amount of intestinal bacteria from the adults fed different diets had the following ranking according to the major component of the diet: ant powder > darkling beetle pupa powder > cricket powder > silkworm pupa powder. Escherichia, Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Kurthia, Planococcaceae, Ralstonia, Leptothrix, Acinetobacter, and Pseudomonas were isolated from the gut of the larvae. The quantity of intestinal bacteria from the larvae fed the darkling beetle pupae was greater than that from the larvae fed other artificial diets. This study, for the first time, investigated the effect of artificial diets on the bacterial community and the intestinal microbial diversity of D. helophoroides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a planar perfect relay lens using the modified Schwarz-Christoffel (SC) mapping. Based on the SC mapping, a Maxwell fisheye lens is conformally transformed into a slab exactly, realizing a perfect relay lens. Both geometrical optics and wave optics are utilized to verify the excellent imaging performance from surface to surface. The proposed relay lens is implemented using fractal metamaterials with the H-shaped particles and the experimental result shows good agreement to the numerical simulation. The proposed design has many potential applications, such as the night vision system, endoscopes, microscopes, and photocopiers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate theoretically the existence of one-way Tamm plasmon polaritons on the interface between magnetophotonic crystals and conducting metal oxides. In contrast to conventional surface plasmon-polaritons (SPPs), Tamm plasmon polaritons (TPPs) occur at frequencies above the bulk plasma frequency of the conducting materials, provided that the dispersion curves of such surface modes lie outside the light cone for the conducting oxides and simultaneously fall into the photonic band gap of the magnetophotonic crystal. The nonreciprocal properties of TPPs are caused by violation of the periodicity and time-reversal symmetry in the structure. Calculations on the field distribution and transmission spectra through the structure are employed to confirm the theoretical results, which could potentially impact on a broad range of SPP-related phenomena in applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is experimentally verified that a two-dimensional planar focusing antenna based on gradient-index metamaterials has a similar performance as that of its parabolic counterpart. The antenna is designed using quasi-conformal transformation optics, and is realized with non-resonant I-shaped metamaterial unit cells. It is shown that the antenna has a broad bandwidth and very low loss. Near-field distributions of the antenna are measured and far-field radiation patterns are calculated from the measured data, which have good agreement with the full-wave simulations. Using all-dielectric metamaterials, the design can be scaled down to find applications at optical frequencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractOur study aimed to establish a model of compression injury of cervical dorsal root ganglia (DRG) in the rat and to investigate the pathological changes following compression injury and decompression procedures. Thirty rats were divided into three groups: control group receiving sham surgery, compression group undergoing surgery to place a micro-silica gel on C6 DRG, and decompression group with subsequent decompression procedure. The samples harvested from the different groups were examined with light microscopy, ultrastructural analysis, and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) retrograde tracing techniques. Apoptosis of DRG neurons was demonstrated with TUNEL staining. Changes in PGE2 and PLA2 in DRG neurons were detected with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Local expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was monitored with immunohistochemistry. DRG neurons in the compression group became swollen with vacuolar changes in cytoplasm. Decompression procedure partially ameliorated the resultant compression pathology. Ultrastructural examination showed a large number of swollen vacuoles, demyelinated nerve root fibers, absence of Schwann cells, and proliferation in the surrounding connective tissues in the compression group. Compared to the control group, the compression group showed a significant decrease in the number of the HRP-labeled cells and a significant increase in levels of PGE2 and PLA2, in the expression of VEGF protein, and in the number of apoptotic DRG neurons. These findings demonstrate that compression results in local inflammation, followed by increased apoptosis and upregulation of VEGF. We conclude that such a model provides a tool to study the pathogenesis and treatment of cervical radiculoneuropathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wave dispersion characteristics for loop array-based metamaterials were analyzed, based on the general transmission line model of a one-dimensional host medium interacting with a chain of coupled loops. By relating the wave propagation constant and the effective parameters of the coupled host medium, we showed that an active medium embedded with non-Foster loaded loop array can be designed to exhibit broadband negative material parameters with positive gain. Accounting for all interactions, the stability of the active medium was investigated, further yielding necessary design specifications for the non-Foster loads. Subsequently, an experimental demonstration was provided to verify the theoretical analysis, showing that stable reconfigurable broadband gain metamaterials at microwave frequencies can be obtained with proper negative impedance converter design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve problems of bodies of revolution (BoR) using the method of moments, the modal Green's function is used, which is defined as the radiation field of a circular loop antenna with sinusoidal current distribution. It is a group of oscillating integrals that forms the bottleneck for further accelerating the computation of BoR problems. In this paper, we propose closed-form expressions for near-axis far-distance modal Green's functions, which can be used to accelerate the computation of BoR problems especially when the object is slim. A criterion is presented based on a rigorous error analysis to guarantee its range of applications. Both the scattering and radiation examples are presented to demonstrate the validity and efficiency of the proposed expressions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the network relationships of bacteria in a structurally stable mixed culture degrading cellulose. The mixed culture consists of four bacterial strains (a cellulose-degrading anaerobe [strain S], a saccharide-utilizing anaerobe [strain F], a peptide- and acetate-utilizing aerobe [strain 3] and a peptide-, glucose-, and ethanol-utilizing aerobe [strain 5]). Interspecies interactions were examined by analyzing the effects of culture filtrates on the growth of the other strains and by comprehensively analyzing population dynamics in the mixed-culture systems with all possible combinations of the four bacterial strains. The persistence of strain S depends on the effects of strain 5. However, strain 5 is a disadvantaged strain because strain 3 has bacteriocidal activity on strain 5. The extinction of strain 5 is indirectly prevented by strain F that suppresses the growth of strain 3. Although strain F directly has suppressive effects on the growth of strain S, strain F is essential for the persistence of strain S, considering the indirect effects (maintaining strain 5, which is essential for the survival of strain S, by inhibiting strain 3). These indirect relationships form a bacterial network in which all the relationships including suppressive effects were well balanced to maintain the structural stability. In addition to direct metabolite interactions, such kind of indirect relationships could have a great impact on microbial community structure in the natural environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetting-induced deformations of compacted fine-grained soils are of particular interest in earthworks engineering, where embankment design needs to take into account potential future water-content variations. The influence of compaction rate on swelling potential and, more generally, wetting-induced deformations are analyzed in this paper on the basis of an original physical microstructural model. The interpretation of macroscopic experimental results obtained on a high-plasticity clay and a silty clay shows that the model enables quantitative description of intra- and inter-aggregate pore volume changes due to wetting. Using this approach, a fundamental difference was observed between the high-plasticity clay and the silty clay in wetting tests under vertical stress: tests performed on the high-plasticity clay can be analyzed using a microstructural model, whereas this model is not relevant for the analysis of silty clay behaviour, which is better interpreted in the framework of a conventional elastoplastic model. The interpretations were compared to microstructure observations, which support the main tendencies deduced from the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a quad-band metamaterial absorber is proposed and experimentally demonstrated at terahertz frequency using a bi-layer isotropic structure. The absorber is designed by distributing four metallic square loops with different lengths on two polyimide layers (PI). The backside of PI is covered by an opaque gold film to eliminate the transmission of terahertz waves. The proposed absorber exhibits almost unity absorptions at 0.51, 0.69, 1.05, and 1.34 THz under the normal illuminance. As the incident angle increases from 0° to 50°, the absorption intensities remain above 95%, and the absorption frequencies almost keep stable for both transverse-electric and transverse-magnetic polarizations. The absorption mechanism is interpreted by giving the electromagnetic field distributions at each absorption peak. Experimental results show good agreement with numerical simulations both in the frequency and strength of the four absorption peaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cellulose-degrading defined mixed culture (designated SF356) consisting of five bacterial strains (Clostridium straminisolvens CSK1, Clostridium sp. strain FG4, Pseudoxanthomonas sp. strain M1-3, Brevibacillus sp. strain M1-5, and Bordetella sp. strain M1-6) exhibited both functional and structural stability; namely, no change in cellulose-degrading efficiency was observed, and all members stably coexisted through 20 subcultures. In order to investigate the mechanisms responsible for the observed stability, "knockout communities" in which one of the members was eliminated from SF356 were constructed. The dynamics of the community structure and the cellulose degradation profiles of these mixed cultures were determined in order to evaluate the roles played by each eliminated member in situ and its impact on the other members of the community. Integration of each result gave the following estimates of the bacterial relationships. Synergistic relationships between an anaerobic cellulolytic bacterium (C. straminisolvens CSK1) and two strains of aerobic bacteria (Pseudoxanthomonas sp. strain M1-3 and Brevibacillus sp. strain M1-5) were observed; the aerobes introduced anaerobic conditions, and C. straminisolvens CSK1 supplied metabolites (acetate and glucose). In addition, there were negative relationships, such as the inhibition of cellulose degradation by producing excess amounts of acetic acid by Clostridium sp. strain FG4, and growth suppression of Bordetella sp. strain M1-6 by Brevibacillus sp. strain M1-5. The balance of the various types of relationships (both positive and negative) is thus considered to be essential for the stable coexistence of the members of this mixed culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SummaryInvolvement of adenosine and adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels in the development of ischemic tolerance has been suggested in global ischemia, but has not been studied extensively in focal cerebral ischemia. This study evaluated modulating effects of adenosine A1 receptor antagonist DPCPX (8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine) and mitochondrial KATP channel blocker 5HD (5-hydroxydecanoate) on the development of tolerance to focal cerebral ischemia in rats. Preconditioning with 30-minute middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) reduced cortical and subcortical infarct volume following 120-minute MCAO (test ischemia) given 72 hours later. The neuroprotective effect of preconditioning was attenuated by 0.1 mg/kg DPCPX given before conditioning ischemia (30-minute MCAO), but no influence was provoked when it was administered before test ischemia. DPCPX had no effect on infarct volume after conditioning or test ischemia when given alone. The preconditioning-induced neuroprotection disappeared when 30 mg/kg 5HD was administered before test ischemia. These results suggest a possible involvement of adenosine A1 receptors during conditioning ischemia and of mitochondrial KATP channels during subsequent severe ischemia in the development of tolerance to focal cerebral ischemia.Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism (2004) 24, 771–779; doi:10.1097/01.WCB.0000122742.72175.1B [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a method for large scale three-dimensional subsurface imaging of inhomogeneous background. Description of one-dimensional (1-D) multifrequency inversion; Demonstration of the viability of 1-D multifrequency inversion in a two-dimensional environment; Discussion of the very early time electromagnetic system and its calibration; Experimental method to estimate soil conductivity.

In 1993, the apple buprestid, Agrilus mali Matsumura (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) native to northeast Asia, invaded the Yili River valley, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. It is now widespread across 95% of wild apple forests (Malus sieversii (Ledeb.) Roem) in the region. This invasive species poses a major threat to wild apple populations serving as the key germplasm refuge for the ancestor of domestic apples across 6 countries in Central Eurasia. We first described the symptoms and damage caused by A. mali to wild apple trees, and then assessed the abundance of A. mali and tree damage under four different management strategies in three consecutive years (2016-2018): release of commercial biocontrol agents, aerial spraying of insecticide, aerial spraying/pruning, and establishment of fenced areas aiming to preserve understory vegetation and enhance natural pest control. The apple buprestid feeds on inner bark and preferentially damages the small branches (1-4 cm in diameter) located in the canopy 4-6 m above ground. The average fruit production declined from 90 kg to 10 kg per tree after the pest invasion. Pest abundance, as measured by counting damage scars, declined in sprayed areas. Fenced areas had higher pest abundance (damage). Fruit production in biological control and spraying/pruning areas increased slightly, while tree damage ranking declined over the years. Our results suggest that a combination of biological control and spraying/pruning may contribute to pest management of A. mali and resilience of wild apple forests in Central Eurasia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guanylate-binding proteins (GBPs) form a family of dynamin-related large GTPases which mediate important innate immune functions. They were proposed to form oligomers upon GTP binding/hydrolysis, but the molecular mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we present crystal structures of C-terminally truncated human GBP5 (hGBP51-486), comprising the large GTPase (LG) and middle (MD) domains, in both its nucleotide-free monomeric and nucleotide-bound dimeric states, together with nucleotide-free full-length human GBP2. Upon GTPloading, hGBP51-486 forms a closed face-to-face dimer. The MD of hGBP5 undergoes a drastic movement relative to its LG domain and forms extensive interactions with the LG domain and MD of the pairing molecule. Disrupting the MD interface (for hGBP5) or mutating the hinge region (for hGBP2/5) impairs their ability to inhibit HIV- 1. Our results point to a GTP-induced dimerization mode that is likely conserved among all GBP members and provide insights into the molecular determinants of their antiviral function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a global crisis. There is no therapeutic treatment specific for COVID-19. It is highly desirable to identify potential antiviral agents against SARS-CoV-2 from existing drugs available for other diseases and thus repurpose them for treatment of COVID-19. In general, a drug repurposing effort for treatment of a new disease, such as COVID-19, usually starts from a virtual screening of existing drugs, followed by experimental validation, but the actual hit rate is generally rather low with traditional computational methods. Here we report a virtual screening approach with accelerated free energy perturbation-based absolute binding free energy (FEP-ABFE) predictions and its use in identifying drugs targeting SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro). The accurate FEP-ABFE predictions were based on the use of a restraint energy distribution (RED) function, making the practical FEP-ABFE-based virtual screening of the existing drug library possible. As a result, out of 25 drugs predicted, 15 were confirmed as potent inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. The most potent one is dipyridamole (inhibitory constant Ki = 0.04 µM)which has shown promising therapeutic effects in subsequently conducted clinical studies for treatment of patients with COVID-19. Additionally, hydroxychloroquine (Ki = 0.36 µM) and chloroquine (Ki = 0.56 µM) were also found to potently inhibit SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. We anticipate that the FEP-ABFE prediction-based virtual screening approach will be useful in many other drug repurposing or discovery efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructure and chemistry of SmCo2Fe2B melt-spun alloy after multistage annealing was investigated using high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and 3D atom probe tomography. The multistage annealing resulted in an increase in both the coercivity and magnetization. The presence of Sm(Co,Fe)4B (1:4:1) and Sm2(Co,Fe)17Bx (2:17:x) magnetic phases were confirmed using both techniques. Fe2B at a scale of ~5 nm was found by HRTEM precipitating within the 1:4:1 phase after the second-stage annealing. Ordering within the 2:17:x phase was directly identified both by the presence of antiphase boundaries observed by TEM and the interconnected isocomposition surface network found in 3D atom probe results in addition to radial distribution function analysis. The variations in the local chemistry after the secondary annealing were considered pivotal in improving the magnetic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graves' disease (GD) occurs due to an autoimmune dysfunction of thyroid gland cells, leading to manifestations consistent with hyperthyroidism. Various studies have confirmed the link between autoimmune conditions and changes in the composition of intestinal microbial organisms. However, few studies have assessed the relationship between the GD and the changes in intestinal microbiota. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate changes in intestinal flora that may occur in the setting of GD. Thirty-nine patients with GD and 17 healthy controls were enrolled for fecal sample collection. 16S rRNA sequencing was used to analyze the diversity and composition of the intestinal microbiota. High-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes of intestinal flora was performed on Illumina Hiseq2500 platform. Comparing to healthy individuals, the number of Bacilli, Lactobacillales, Prevotella, Megamonas and Veillonella strains were increased, whereas the number of Ruminococcus, Rikenellaceae and Alistipes strains were decreased among patients with GD. Furthermore, patients with GD showed a decrease in intestinal microbial diversity. Therefore, it indicates that the diversity of microbial strains is significantly reduced in GD patients, and patients with GD will undergo significant changes in intestinal microbiota, by comparing the intestinal flora of GD and healthy controls. These conclusions are expected to provide a preliminary reference for further researches on the interaction mechanism between intestinal flora and GD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the interplay of N6 -methyladenosine (m6 A) and histone H3 lysine-27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) restrains inflammation during bacterial infection. It mentions that m6 A as a prevalent modification of eukaryotic messenger RNA (mRNA) involved in various cellular responses.

We present a two-dimensional carpet cloak for static magnetic field, a design that renders the magnetic response of a given volume invisible from its exterior, without altering the external magnetic fields. The device is designed using transformation optics method and can be implemented with alternating superconducting and magnetic material layers. Through the proper design of the constitutive tensors and relative thicknesses of each slab, we achieve the perfect performance of invisibility. Full wave numerical simulations confirm our design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Western diet and dysbiosis are the most prominent environmental factors associated with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), the corresponding host factors and cellular mechanisms remain poorly defined. Here we report that the TSC1/mTOR pathway in the gut epithelium represents a metabolic and innate immune checkpoint for intestinal dysfunction and inflammation. mTOR hyperactivation triggered by Western diet or Tsc1 ablation led to epithelium necroptosis, barrier disruption, and predisposition to dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis and inflammation-associated colon cancer. Mechanistically, our results uncovered a critical role for TSC1/mTOR in restraining the expression and activation of RIPK3 in the gut epithelium through TRIM11-mediated ubiquitination and autophagy-dependent degradation. Notably, microbiota depletion by antibiotics or gnotobiotics attenuated RIPK3 expression and activation, thereby alleviating epithelial necroptosis and colitis driven by mTOR hyperactivation. mTOR primarily impinged on RIPK3 to potentiate necroptosis induced by TNF and by microbial pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), and hyperactive mTOR and aberrant necroptosis were intertwined in human IBDs. Together, our data reveal a previously unsuspected link between the Western diet, microbiota, and necroptosis and identify the mTOR/RIPK3/necroptosis axis as a driving force for intestinal inflammation and cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elastocaloric cooling, a solid-state cooling technology, exploits the latent heat released and absorbed by stress-induced phase transformations. Hysteresis associated with transformation, however, is detrimental to efficient energy conversion and functional durability. We have created thermodynamically efficient, low-hysteresis elastocaloric cooling materials by means of additive manufacturing of nickel-titanium. The use of a localized molten environment and near-eutectic mixing of elemental powders has led to the formation of nanocomposite microstructures composed of a nickel-rich intermetallic compound interspersed among a binary alloy matrix. The microstructure allowed extremely small hysteresis in quasi-linear stress-strain behaviors—enhancing the materials efficiency by a factor of four to seven—and repeatable elastocaloric performance over 1 million cycles. Implementing additive manufacturing to elastocaloric cooling materials enables distinct microstructure control of high-performance metallic refrigerants with long fatigue life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show that anisotropic zero-index metamaterials (AZIMs) can be utilized to realize single- and multiple-beam generations in the pre-designed directions. It has been shown that a high-gain beam will be generated when a line source is located in an AZIM, directing to the AZIM principle-axis direction. By rotating the principle axis to an arbitrary angle, the beam direction is adjusted correspondingly to that angle. Therefore, multi-beams are generated at the desired directions by designing differently oriented AZIMs. An experiment is carried out to validate this property, which shows good agreement to the theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose and experimentally verify a bidirectional bending splitter of designer surface plasmons which is composed of two metallic gratings of trapezoid grooves. A metal wire is used to excite the designer surface plasmons propagating along the gratings. A full-wave numerical method has been used to simulate the performance of the bending splitter. The experimental verifications in the microwave frequencies have excellent agreements to the simulations. It is demonstrated that the splitter can not only split the electromagnetic waves at different frequencies, but also guide the electromagnetic waves effectively for large-angle bending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the theoretical modeling and prototype demonstration of a three-dimensional broadband, low-loss, dual-polarization, and high-directivity lens antenna using gradient index (GRIN) metamaterials, which is composed of multi-layer microstrip square-ring arrays. The elements of metamaterials, closed square-ring units of variable sizes, are distributed on the planar substrate to satisfy the radial gradient index function and the axial impedance matching layer configuration of the lens. The gradient-index metamaterials are designed to transform the spherical wave-front into the planar wave-front and to minimize the reflection loss. A prototype lens antenna, which consists of a metal conical horn and the gradient-index lens, are simulated, constructed, and measured. The resemblance of simulation and measurement results shows that the prototype lens antenna maintains low return loss and high directivity on the whole X-band (from 8 GHz to 12 GHz). Compared to the traditional horn antenna, the metamaterial GRIN lens antenna has much superior performance-for instance, the gain increases by 6 dBi at 12 GHz. These results demonstrate the feasibility of such a light weight slab metamaterial lens for broadband and high-directivity antenna applications, such as in radar and communication systems. We have used the lens antennas in the measurements of a three-dimensional invisibility cloak due to the high directivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transformation optical devices based on the concept of complementary medium have attracted much attention due to their novel properties. A recent paper [H. Chen and C. T. Chan, Opt. Lett. 34, 2649 (2009)] showed a class of complementary medium in bipolar coordinates, which can render the object invisible at a distance. The prescription requires lossless materials composed of negative index medium (NIM), and a certain loss will cut off the cloaking effect of the device. In this paper, we suggest compensation to the lossy NIM by introducing gain media into such a device. For the realization of the whole cloaking device, we present an optimized compensation method to upgrade the function by adding a very thin layer of gain media in the surrounding medium. Numerical simulations demonstrate a dramatic improvement in the cloaking performance when the NIM is lossy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the transmission properties of planar metamaterials based on complementary double-ring resonators, and a left-handed resonant transmission peak has been verified by both simulation and experimental results. The theoretical analysis and numerical simulation on the electromagnetic fields inside the metamaterial are provided to explain the physical origin of both electric and magnetic resonances. In addition, the backward wave propagation from the phase changes in the moving picture of electric field distribution is shown to confirm the left-handed behavior of the transmission line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a robust method to design arbitrarily directional cloaks by solving the Laplace’s equation. The method is based on the orthogonality between light rays and eikonal curves. By employing the analogy between light rays and electric force lines, and the equivalence between eikonal curves and isopotential lines, the original problem in the geometrical optics is converted into a boundary value problem in electrostatics. Examples are given and the simulation results validate the design. The method can also be used to design other optical-transformation devices and be extended to solve three-dimensional problems. The medium parameters designed by the method are easily realized using metamaterials or normal materials, and hence, the method can find applications in the optical and microwave engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the efficient transformation optics method has been utilized to design and analyze two-dimensional (2D) transparent cloaks, structures that can physically protect the devices inside but do not affect their electrical performances at all. The general and explicit expressions for the material parameters of the transformed space are derived. 2D transparent cloaks with arbitrarily conformal and nonconformal inner and outer boundaries and those working in gradually changing background and layered media are designed. Full-wave simulations combined with the Huygens’ principle are applied to validate the transparency of the cloaks. The simulation results under different circumstances demonstrate that the proposed method is correct and efficient. The work introduced here makes important progress in the theoretical design of the transparent cloak and expands the application of the transformation optics method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a class of invisible slab cloaks based on the embedded optical transformation. The designed slab structures will guide the incident electromagnetic (EM) waves to propagate around the cloaked objects inside the slabs. Such EM waves will return to their original propagation directions without any distortions. We show that there are no singular values in the EM parameters of the slab cloaks and they could be realized using metamaterials. General formulations of the inhomogeneous and anisotropic permittivity and permeability tensors are derived for the slab cloaks using linear and nonlinear optical transformations. Numerical simulations based on the finite element method have been performed to confirm the design and analysis. The potential application of the slab cloak is a new type substrate for integrated circuits, which will protect the devices inside from the interference of EM waves but not disturb their EM properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The idea of transmission polarizers realized by anisotropic metamaterials is demonstrated by experiments. One of the polarizers converts linear-polarized waves to circular-polarized waves, while the other polarizer converts linear-polarized waves from one polarization to its cross polarization. The excellent agreement between experimental results and theoretical predictions validates the functions and efficiency of the proposed polarizers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The S-parameter retrieval has proved to be an efficient approach to obtain electromagnetic parameters of metamaterials from reflection and transmission coefficients, where a slab of metamaterial with finite thickness is regarded as a homogeneous medium slab with the same thickness [D. R. Smith and S. Schultz, Phys. Rev. B 65, 195104 (2002)]. However, metamaterial structures composed of subwavelength unit cells are different from homogeneous materials, and the conventional retrieval method is, under certain circumstances, not accurate enough. In this paper, we propose an advanced parameter retrieval method for metamaterial slabs using an inhomogeneous model. Due to the coupling effects of unit cells in a metamaterial slab, the roles of edge and inner cells in the slab are different. Hence, the corresponding equivalent medium parameters are different, which results in the inhomogeneous property of the metamaterial slab. We propose the retrievals of medium parameters for edge and inner cells from S parameters by considering two- and three-cell metamaterial slabs, respectively. Then we set up an inhomogeneous three-layer model for arbitrary metamaterial slabs, which is much more accurate than the conventional homogeneous model. Numerical simulations verify the above conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determination of parameters for description of gas migration in saturated bentonite is of great importance for the design and construction of artificial barriers in the geological repository for the disposal of high-level radioactive nuclear waste. In this paper, temperature-controlled gas injection tests were conducted on initially water-saturated bentonite specimens using the residual capillary pressure (RCP) technique. Effective gas permeabilities in low injection pressures and the gas breakthrough pressures at temperatures 20, 40 and 60°C were obtained. Results show that: (i) for all the temperatures tested, the intrinsic water permeabilities (kin) range between 3.2 x 10-20 and 5.72 x 10-20 m², furthermore, those values increase with rising temperature. Meanwhile, the intrinsic water permeabilities derived from the steady state tests are lower than those obtained from the non-steady state tests; (ii) for all the temperatures tested, the effective gas permeabilities (keff) corresponding to the viscous gas flow before gas breakthrough range between 4.81 x 10-24 and 2.74 x 10-22 m², with slight fluctuations with time. The maximum effective gas permeabilities measured at the occurrence of gas breakthrough on the initially water-saturated bentonite specimens extend from 2.27 x 10-18 up to 3.32 x 10-17 m² and increase as temperature increases, while the time required for gas breakthrough decreases as temperature increases; (iii) for all the temperatures tested, the gas breakthrough pressures measured on the initially water-saturated bentonite specimens vary from 2.74 to 4.08 MPa, while the residual capillary pressure differences, also denoted as snap-off pressures (Psnap-off). range from 0.2 to 0.38 MPa. Additionally, the gas breakthrough pressures and the residual capillary pressures decrease as temperature increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the problem of erroneous conformal area extracted by ray tracing in conformal structured mesh generation for the finite-difference time-domain method when tangential situations arise, referred to as corner singularity. The erroneous conformal area results from the fuzzification of intersecting length for tangential situations. Here, an effective mesh scheme to solve the corner singularity is proposed. In this scheme, additional degrees of freedom for mesh flags of vertexes and generalized consistency modification are proposed to solve the fuzzification of intersecting length, leading to accurate extraction of the conformal area. Furthermore, the scheme can tackle the convex and concave points uniformly without leading to possible breakdown of the conventional parity-number-based method. Rigorous and less rigorous staircase criteria are proposed to classify the cells accurately and effectively. The difficulties of concave point combined with the tangential situation are also successfully solved. Numerical examples of several microwave devices are given to show the validity of the proposed mesh scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Design: Psychometric test of the cross-cultural adaptation the Japanese Orthopaedic Association Back Pain Evaluation Questionnaire (JOABPEQ) in low back pain (LBP) patients.Objective: To investigate the agreement, responsiveness, and minimal important change (MIC) of the simplified Chinese version of the JOABPEQ in LBP patients.Summary Of Background Data: The factor structure, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, validity, floor and ceiling effect of simplified Chinese JOABPEQ have been tested, while the agreement, responsiveness, and MIC were required.Methods: The agreement, responsiveness, and MIC of the simplified Chinese version were assessed by completing the Chinese JOABPEQ twice. Agreement was tested with Bland-Altman plot. Responsiveness was operationalized using receiver operating characteristic analyses. The anchor-based method was used to calculate MIC.Results: One hundred sixty-two of 184 patients returned to finish the booklet twice were available for analysis (response rate: 88.0%). While the responsiveness, the area under the curves of each subscale were ranged from 0.746 to 0.875, which meant a good responsiveness. While the MIC (MIC%) of simplified Chinese JOABPEQ was 19.28 (44.98%) for Q1 Low back pain, 15.20 (24.13%) for Q2 Lumbar function, 15.79 (22.76%) for Q3 Walking ability, 9.58 (19.86%) for Q4 Social life function, 7.33 (17.28%) for Q5 Mental health. While compared with the MIC, only the Q3 Walking ability had a positive rating for agreement in the Bland-Altman plot.Conclusion: The simplified Chinese JOABPEQ has positive agreement of Q3 Walk ability and acceptable to excellent responsiveness of all the subscales. The MICs for subscales of the simplified Chinese JOABPEQ ranged from 7.33 to 19.28 points.Level Of Evidence: 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer progression is associated with alterations of intra- and extramedullary hematopoiesis to support a systemic tumor-promoting myeloid response. However, the functional specialty, mechanism, and clinical relevance of extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH) remain unclear. Here, we showed that the heightened splenic myelopoiesis in tumor-bearing hosts was not only characterized by the accumulation of myeloid precursors, but also associated with profound functional alterations of splenic early hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs). With the distinct capability to produce and respond to granulocyte-macrophage CSF (GM-CSF), these splenic HSPCs were "primed" and committed to generating immunosuppressive myeloid cells. Mechanistically, the CCL2/CCR2 axis-dependent recruitment and the subsequent local education by the splenic stroma were critical for eliciting this splenic HSPC response. Selective abrogation of this splenic EMH was sufficient to synergistically enhance the therapeutic efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade. Clinically, patients with different types of solid tumors exhibited increased splenic HSPC levels associated with poor survival. These findings reveal a unique and important role of splenic hematopoiesis in tumor-associated myelopoiesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A tunable low-crosstalk full-space acoustic digital metasurface is proposed. • The inter-modal suppression effect is used to simplify the metasurface design. • The dual-frequency strategy is adopted to improve the metasurface efficiency. Metasurfaces, as a class of emergent platforms, have shown enormous potentials in controlling classical waves. However, achieving simultaneous and dynamic manipulations of reflected and transmitted waves in a low-crosstalk and high-efficiency manner via a single metasurface still remains huge challenges in fact, especially for acoustic waves that lack of available vector degrees of freedom. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate an acoustic full-space digital metasurface consisting of arrays of dual-channel elements with variable coding states, and the reflected and transmitted sound waves can be controlled independently and dynamically. Benefitting from the dual-frequency design and the mode suppression effect, the presented element not only attains high efficiency (up to 80% in transmission mode, and nearly 100% in reflection mode), but also enables decoupled modulations of the reflection and transmission coefficients. To illustrate the presented acoustic metasurface, tunable beam deflection and alterable wave focusing are experimentally validated without inter-modal crosstalk on both sides of the platform, respectively. This work opens an avenue to control sound waves in multiple dimensions, which may further promote the development of miniaturized acoustic devices with high integration and versatility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A broadband, low-cost, high-gain, multilayer differential antenna without air cavity is proposed for the 60-GHz phased array system. By using the standard low-cost printed circuit board process, a 60-GHz phased array antenna element and a 16-element phased array antenna prototype are implemented. To improve the bandwidth and antenna gain, a superstrate and a float rectangular ring are designed. The float ring can enhance the antenna vertical radiation, suppressing the antenna horizontal radiation and reducing the mutual coupling. Without any embedded air cavity, the proposed antenna is robust against the process variation, which is verified in the measurement. For the antenna element, the measured results demonstrate a peak gain of 8.9 dBi and a 10-dB return-loss bandwidth of more than 12 GHz, and the simulated radiation efficiency is above 90% at 60-GHz band. For the phased array antenna, two beam-fixed (0° and 30°) array antennas are tested to verify the beam scanning performance, which achieve gains of 16.3 and 13.6 dBi, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article cites a research study that examines the regulation of type I interferon signaling pathway by deubiquitinase enzyme (DUB) family during antiviral responses. It is said that the innate immune response conferred by type I interferons needs to be controlled to avoid immunopathology. The study found that the expression of a large fraction of DUBs underwent complex temporal alteration.

Study Design: Cross-cultural adaptation and cross-sectional psychometric testing in a convenience sample of patients with low back pain.Objective: The aim of this study was to translate and adapt the Japanese Orthopaedic Association Back Pain Evaluation Questionnaire (JOABPEQ) into a simplified Chinese version, and assess its reliability and validity.Summary Of Background Data: No simplified Chinese version of the JOABPEQ was previously available.Methods: We translated and culturally adapted the original English JOABPEQ to develop a Chinese version, based on cross-cultural adaptation guidelines. Principal component analysis with varimax rotation was used to confirm the factor structure of each subscale. Internal consistency was evaluated with Cronbach alpha. Test-retest reliability was examined in stable patients, who completed the questionnaire again at 4 days to 2 weeks from baseline. The validity of the translated Chinese version was assessed by examining the relationship between the JOABPEQ and Chinese versions of the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), and the Numerical Pain Rating Scale. Ceiling and floor effects were considered present if more than 15% of respondents achieved the lowest or highest possible total score.Results: The JOABPEQ showed excellent internal consistency (α = 0.886). The test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients) ranged from 0.951 to 0.977. The convergent validity of the Chinese version was supported by its high correlation with other physical functional status measures (RMDQ, ODI, and SF-36 Physical Function; r values from -0.645 to -0.726), and moderate correlation with other measures (SF-36 Bodily pain and Social functioning subscales; r values 0.426-0.546). Q5 Mental health was highly correlated with SF-36 items (r values 0.337-0.640). There was a floor effect in Q1 low back pain (38, 20.65%).Conclusion: The results indicate that the simplified Chinese version of the JOABPEQ is a reliable and valid instrument to measure the multidimensional status in patients with low back pain.Level Of Evidence: 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is a rapid, reliable and widely used method of studying gene expression profiles that requires appropriate normalization for accurate and reliable results. Reference genes are usually used to normalize mRNA levels; however, the expression levels of these reference genes may vary between cell types, developmental stages, species and experimental conditions. Therefore, a normalization strategy is an important precondition for reliable conclusions, with endogenous controls requiring determination for every experimental system. In the present study, 18 reference genes used in various prior studies were analyzed to determine their applicability in bladder cancer. A total of 35 matched malignant and non-malignant bladder cancer (specifically transitional cell carcinoma) tissue specimens were examined. RNA and cDNA quality was stringently controlled. Candidate reference genes were assessed using SYBR-Green RT-qPCR. mRNA abundance was compared and reference genes with distinct ranges of expression to possible target genes were excluded. Genes that were differentially expressed in matched non-cancerous and cancerous samples were also excluded, using quantification cycle analysis. Subsequently, the stability of the selected reference genes was analyzed using three different methods: geNorm, NormFinder and BestKeeper. The rarely used ribosomal protein S23 (RPS23) was the most stable single reference gene, with RPS23, tumor protein, translationally controlled 1 and RPS13 comprising the optimal reference gene set for all the bladder samples. These stable reference genes should be employed in normalization and quantification of transcript levels in future expression studies of bladder cancer-associated genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Shoulder pain is a common musculoskeletal disorder in Chinese population, which affects more than 1,3 billion individuals. To the best of our knowledge, there has been no available Chinese-language version of measurements of shoulder pain and disability so far. Moreover, the Constant-Murley score (CMS) questionnaire is a universally recognized patient-reported questionnaire for clinical practice and research. The present study was designed to evaluate a Chinese translational version of CMS and subsequently assess its reliability and validity.Methods: The Chinese translational version of CMS was formulated by means of forward-backward translation. Meanwhile, a final review was carried out by an expert committee, followed by conducting a test of the pre-final version. Therefore, the reliability and validity of the Chinese translational version of CMS could be assessed using the internal consistency, construct validity, factor analysis, reliability and floor and ceiling effects. Specifically, the reliability was assessed by testing the internal consistency (Cronbach's α) and test-retest reliability (intraclass coefficient correlation [ICC]), while the construct validity was evaluated via comparison between the Chinese translational version of CMS with visual analog scale (VAS) score and the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36, Spearman correlation).Results: The questionnaire was verified to be acceptable after distribution among 120 subjects with unilateral shoulder pain. Factor analysis had revealed a two-factor and 10-item solution. Moreover, the assessment results indicated that the Chinese translational version of CMS questionnaire harbored good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.739) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.827). In addition, the Chinese translational version of CMS was moderately correlated with VAS score (r = 0.497) and SF-36 (r = 0.135). No obvious floor and ceiling effects were observed in the Chinese translational version of CMS questionnaire.Conclusion: Chinese translational version of CMS exhibited good reliability, which is relatively acceptable and is likely to be widely used in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study that identified a stratified model for retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) amino-terminal ubiquitination to trigger and amplify RIG-I activation. Topics discussed include the function of RIG-I N-terminal ubiquitination in antiviral responses, functional allocations of the ubiquitination sites on RIG-I-N and mathematical modeling of RIG-I stratified ubiquitination.

This study investigated the efficiency of peanut hull (PBC), bush branch (BBC), Spartina alterniflora (SBC), and rape straw (RBC) in removing 2,4-dichlorophen (2,4-DCP) from an aqueous solution. The 2,4-DCP removal efficiency of the four kinds of biochars (BCs) increased in the order BBC > PBC > SBC > RBC. The adsorption process was affected by the pH, contact time, temperature, BC's particle size, and dosage. Based on the results of Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) and scanning electron microscope (SEM), the adsorption mechanism of 2,4-DCP was associated with the functional groups and the microtissue and structure of BCs. Furthermore, the organic components of the BCs played an essential role during the adsorption process of the 2,4-DCP. The remediation of organic pollutants by BCs is a complicated process that is characterized by the physical-chemical reaction between the two components (organic pollutants and BCs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cubic magnetocrystalline anisotropy constants, K1 and K2, for Fe1-xGax alloys were measured using magnetization curves with x=0.05, 0.125, 0.14, 0.18, and 0.20. Thin circular (110) disks all with <100>, <110>, and <111> in the plane of the disk were used to measure K1 and K2. K1 was also measured with (100) circular disks. K1 for 5 at. % Ga content was found to be larger than that of pure Fe. (All compositions mentioned hereafter are atomic percents.) K1 and K2 both drop gradually up to 18 at. % Ga substitution. Then there is a sharp drop in the magnitude of both constants. K2 was found to be equal to -9K1/4 and the <110> and <111> directions were equally hard magnetically for all compositions considered in this study. Calculation of the anisotropy energy density verifies this result. K1 measured from both (110) and (100) disks was reasonably consistent. © 2004 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two high-gain broadband 60 GHz integrated planar patch array antennas, without and with air cavity, are designed and implemented on Rogers 5880 substrate. The differential antenna structure is used to improve the signal integrity at millimetre-wave frequencies. The antennas are co-designed with bonding wires of which the parasitic effect is compensated using a passive network. The proposed antennas have the advantages of symmetrical radiation pattern, wide bandwidth and low insertion loss. In the measurement, a differential transmission line based de-embedding structure is developed on silicon, mimicking the real chip packaging environment and providing reliable terminations for antennas. The measured fractional bandwidths (|S11| < -10 dB) are 13.8 and 26.2%, respectively, for the two structures without and with air cavity, including the effect of a waveguide-to-microstrip line transition and a branch-line balun. Both antennas have measured gain of about 12 dBi. After de-embedding the return loss, the measured insertion loss of the bond wire compensation network is only 0.07 dB at 61 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metasurfaces have shown powerful abilities in controlling the reflections, transmissions, and polarizations of lights or electromagnetic (EM) waves, independently. Here, we propose a single active metasurface to achieve reconfigurable EM-wave transmissions and reflections, and simultaneously cross-linearized polarization conversions. The active metasurface contains two metallic layers and a middle dielectric layer. The top metallic layer is composed of periodic metallic short wires, which are designed to convert the polarization. PIN diodes are embedded on the bottom metallic layer to switch the polarization and transmission-reflection conversions. When the PIN diode is turned off, the linearly polarized incident waves are transmitted through the metasurface with almost perfect polarization rotation to its orthogonal direction; when the PIN diode is turned on, however, the metasurface will reflect the incident waves with the same linear polarization. Both numerical simulations and experimental results show good reconfigurable performance of the proposed active metasurface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]