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In this paper, the global mode method (GMM) is proposed to obtain a reduced-order analytical dynamic model for a signal flexible-link flexible-joint (SFF) manipulator. Firstly, the nonlinear partial differential equations (PDE) that govern the motion of the flexible link and flexible joint, respectively, are derived by applying the Hamilton principle. By combining the linearized governing equations of motion for a flexible link and the equation of motion for the flexible joint, the characteristic equation is obtained for the whole system. The natural frequencies and global mode shapes of the linearized model of the SFF manipulator are determined, and orthogonality relations of the global mode shapes are established. Then, the global mode shapes and their orthogonality relations are used to truncate the nonlinear PDEs of the SFF manipulator to a nonlinear ordinary differential equation with a few degrees-of-freedom (DOF). For comparison, two other dynamic models of the SFF are derived by employing the assumed mode method (AMM) and finite element method (FEM). To verify the method proposed, the results from the GMM are compared with those obtained from the FEM. The effects of the link length and payload mass on the convergence of AMM model for the first two frequencies are investigated. Based on the dynamic models, obtained by GMM and AMM, dynamical responses for the system with different numbers of modes are worked out numerically, which are compared with those obtained from FEM. These comparisons show a good agreement between the results of the GMM and that of the FEM model, which indeed proved the accuracy and applicability of the GMM model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying host genes essential for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has the potential to reveal novel drug targets and further our understanding of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). We previously performed a genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 screen to identify proviral host factors for highly pathogenic human coronaviruses. Few host factors were required by diverse coronaviruses across multiple cell types, but DYRK1A was one such exception. Although its role in coronavirus infection was previously undescribed, DYRK1A encodes Dual Specificity Tyrosine Phosphorylation Regulated Kinase 1A and is known to regulate cell proliferation and neuronal development. Here, we demonstrate that DYRK1A regulates ACE2 and DPP4 transcription independent of its catalytic kinase function to support SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) entry. We show that DYRK1A promotes DNA accessibility at the ACE2 promoter and a putative distal enhancer, facilitating transcription and gene expression. Finally, we validate that the proviral activity of DYRK1A is conserved across species using cells of nonhuman primate and human origin. In summary, we report that DYRK1A is a novel regulator of ACE2 and DPP4 expression that may dictate susceptibility to multiple highly pathogenic human coronaviruses. This study reveals that Dual Specificity Tyrosine Phosphorylation Regulated Kinase 1A (DYRK1A) can facilitate coronavirus entry by driving chromatin accessibility and active transcription at coronavirus receptor gene loci, independent of its catalytic function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To overcome the high-power consumption and poor selectivity of gas sensors and achieve ppb level low concentration gas sensing is an urgent need to widely deploy sensors to establish an air quality monitoring application network. In this paper, a fish-mesh SnSe nanofibers with diameter of 100 nm prepared by uniaxial electrospinning was introduced and its gas sensitivity was studied. The gas sensor based on SnSe nanofibers showed excellent selectivity and high sensitivity (31.07) for low concentration (10 ppm) triethylamine at low temperature (160 °C), and a low detection base limit (500 ppb). Therefore, fish-mesh SnSe nanofibers provide a new strategy for the preparation of high-performance triethylamine sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The systematic characterization of a 650-V/13-A enhancement-mode GaN power transistor with p-GaN gate is presented. Critical device parameters such as ON-resistance $R_{{\rm{ON}}}$ and threshold voltage $V_{{\rm{TH}}}$ are evaluated under both static and dynamic (i.e., switching) operating conditions. The dynamic RON is found to exhibit different dependence on the gate drive voltage $V_{{\rm{GS}}}$ from the static $R_{{\rm{ON}}}$. While reasonably suppressed at higher $V_{{\rm{GS}}}$ of 5 and 6 V, the degradation in dynamic RON is significantly larger at lower $V_{{\rm{GS}}}$ of 3–4 V, which is attributed to the positive shift in $V_{{\rm{TH}}}$ under switching operations. In addition to characterization of discrete devices, a custom-designed double-pulse test circuit with 400-V, 10-A test capability is built to evaluate the transient switching performance of the p-GaN gate power transistors. Optimal gate drive conditions are proposed to: 1) provide sufficient gate over-drive to minimize the impact of the $V_{{\rm{TH}}}$ shift on the dynamic $R_{{\rm{ON}}}$; and 2) leave enough headroom to save the device from excessive gate stresses. Moreover, gate drive circuit design and board layout considerations are also discussed by taking into account the fast switching characteristics of GaN devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To establish methods for simultaneous determination of isoquercitrin, astragalin in leaves, quercetin, and kaempferol in flowers of Lysimachia clethroides Duby, respectively, the methods were ultrasound-assisted extraction combined with RP-HPLC, and ionic liquid was used as the extraction solvent. Meanwhile, the antioxidant activity of the different extracts of L. clethroides was evaluated. Purospher STAR RP-C18 column (4.6 mm × 250 mm, 5 μm) was used for analysis. The flow rate was 0.6 mL·min−1, and the column temperature was 25°C. The detection wavelength was 360 nm. The mobile phases a and b consisted of acetonitrile-0.4% phosphoric acid (18 : 82, v/v), methanol (A), and 0.4% phosphoric acid (B), respectively. Linear ranges were 0.068~1.64, 0.060~1.44, 0.0080~0.19, and 0.0077~0.18 μg for isoquercitrin, astragalin, quercetin, and kaempferol, respectively. The average recoveries of the four constituents were 99.17%, 98.39%, 100.68%, and 98.81%, respectively. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was detected by DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP. Under the optimized conditions, all the test solutions showed a certain antioxidant activity and the ionic liquid extracts were better than that of extract of methanol. Ionic liquid used as the extraction solvent had the potential to extract active ingredients efficiently from L. clethroides, and this method improved the antioxidant activity with accurate and reliable results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A p-type shield region (p-shield) under the gate trench is typically adopted in a SiC trench MOSFET for achieving a lower oxide field and reverse transfer capacitance ( Crss) . This paper comparatively studies the effects of a grounded p-shield and a floating p-shield. Device simulations using Sentaurus TCAD are carried out in this paper to reveal the devices’ internal dynamics. The floating p-shield can effectively reduce the OFF-state oxide field as a grounded p-shield does, without degrading its static performance. However, after being switched from the OFF-state, the ON-state oxide field in the trench MOSFET with a floating p-shield (FS-MOS) is dramatically elevated. Compared with the trench MOSFET with a grounded p-shield, the FS-MOS also exhibits a higher C{{\text {rss}}} and a consequently slower switching speed. Furthermore, the FS-MOS exhibits a degradation of dynamic R{ \mathrm{ON}} during switching operation. A charge storage mechanism is then presented to explain the dynamics in FS-MOS. Upon a high V{{\text {DS}}} , holes are emitted from the floating p-shield when the parasitic p-n-p structure consisting of p-shield, p-body, and n-region between them is punched through, leaving negative charges in the floating p-shield even when the high V{{\text {DS}}} is removed. Based on this mechanism, the behaviors of the FS-MOS are well explained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The newly proposed methanogenic order 'Methanomassiliicoccales' is the second largest archaeal population in the rumen, second only to the Methanobrevibacter population. However, information is limited regarding the community of this new order in the rumen. Methods: This study used real-time PCR and 454 pyrosequencing to explore the abundance and community composition of Methanomassiliicoccales in the rumen of Chinese goats fed a hay (0% grain, n = 5) or a high grain (65% grain, n = 5) diet. Results: Real-time PCR analysis showed that the relative abundance of Methanomassiliicoccales (% of total archaea) in the goat rumen was significantly lower in the high-grain-diet group (0.5% ± 0.2%) than that in the hay-diet group (8.2% ± 1.1%, P < 0.05). The pyrosequencing results showed that a total of 208 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were formed from ten samples at 99% sequence identity. All the sequences were identified as Methanomassiliicoccaceae at the family level, and most of the sequences (96.82% ± 1.64%) were further classified as Group 8, 9, and 10 at the Methanomassiliicoccales genus level in each sample based on the RIM-DB database. No significant differences were observed in the number of OTUs or Chao1's, Shannon's or Pielou's evenness indexes between the hay- and high-grain-diet groups (P ≥ 0.05). PCoA analysis showed that diet altered the community of Methanomassiliicoccales. At the genus level, the relative abundances of Group 10 (67.25 ± 12.76 vs. 38.13 ± 15.66, P = 0.012) and Group 4 (2.07 ± 1. 30 vs. 0.27 ± 0.30, P = 0.035) were significantly higher in the high-grain-diet group, while the relative abundance of Group 9 was significantly higher in the hay-diet group (18.82 ± 6.20 vs. 47.14 ± 17.72, P = 0.020). At the species level, the relative abundance of Group 10 sp. (67.25 ± 12.76 vs. 38.13 ± 15.66, P = 0.012) and Group 4 sp. MpT1 (2.07 ± 1.30 vs. 0.27 ± 0.30, P = 0.035) were significantly higher in the high-grain-diet group, while the relative abundance of Group 9 sp. ISO4-G1 was significantly higher in the hay-diet group (12.83 ± 3.87 vs. 42.44 ± 18.47, P = 0.022). Conclusions: Only a few highly abundant phylogenetic groups dominated within the Methanomassiliicoccales community in the rumens of Chinese goats, and these were easily depressed by high-grain-diet feeding. The relatively low abundance suggests a small contribution on the part of Methanomassiliicoccales to the rumen methanogenesis of Chinese goats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Infrasound is a mechanical vibration wave with frequency between 0.0001 and 20 Hz. It has been established that infrasound of 120 dB or stronger is dangerous to humans. However, the biological effects of low decibel infrasound are largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of low decibel infrasound on the cardiac fibroblasts. Materials and Methods: The cardiac fibroblasts were isolated and cultured from Sprague-Dawley rats. The cultured cells were assigned into the following four groups: control group, angiotensin II (Ang II) group, infrasound group, and Ang II+infrasound group. The cell proliferation and collagen synthesis rates were evaluated by means of [3H]-thymidine and [3H]-proline incorporation, respectively. The levels of TGF-b were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Moreover, RNAi approaches were used for the analysis of the biological functions of miR-29a, and the phosphorylation status of Smad3 was detected using western blotting analysis. Results: The results showed that low decibel infrasound significantly alleviated Ang II-induced enhancement of cell proliferation and collagen synthesis. Discussion: Compared with the control, Ang II markedly decreased the expression of miR-29a levels and increased the secretion of TGF-β and phosphorylation of Smad3, which was partly reversed by the treatment with low decibel infrasound. Importantly, knockdown of miR-29a diminished the effects of infrasound on the cardiac fibroblasts. In conclusion, low decibel infrasound inhibits Ang II-stimulated cardiac fibroblasts via miR-29a targeting TGF-β/Smad3 signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paper, the H∞ repetitive current control scheme based on active damping along with the design method is proposed for three-phase grid-connected inverters with inductor-capacitor-inductor (LCL) filters. The control scheme aims to reduce the harmonic distortion of the output currents and achieve better efficiency. The design method introduces capacitor-current-feedback active damping into the H∞ controller design process by proposing an equivalent controlled plant. Additionally, based on the discrete model of the controlled plant with variable computation delay, the algebraic expression of the stable region for the feedback coefficient and the computation delay is obtained to avoid system instability caused by the digital control delay. Finally, the stability criterion is proposed to evaluate the stability of the discrete control system with the H∞ repetitive current control scheme. The theoretical analysis and experimental results prove that the control scheme presented in this paper not only can reject the harmonics of output currents, but is robust under the variation of the grid-impedance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The disruption of endothelial integrity and the occurrence of angiogenesis in response to AGEs contribute greatly to micro- and macrovascular complications associated with DM. Among human dermal, brain, and retinal vascular ECs, activation of ERM, moesin, by phosphorylation of Thr-558 is involved in AGE-induced hyperpermeability and angiogenesis via the Rho and ROCK (Rho/ ROCK) and p38 pathways. Src also plays an important role in AGE-induced endothelial barrier dysfunction by phosphorylating moesin, VE-cadherin, and FAK. Furthermore, recent studies have demonstrated that ROS serve as a key mediator of the AGE-induced endothelial response. ROS inhibition would greatly benefit ECs. This review focuses on the role of moesin in microvascular permeability and angiogenesis, and on the involvement of Src and ROS in endothelial barrier disruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feature selection approaches based on mutual information can be roughly categorized into two groups. The first group minimizes the redundancy of features between each other. The second group maximizes the new classification information of features providing for the selected subset. A critical issue is that large new information does not signify little redundancy, and vice versa. Features with large new information but with high redundancy may be selected by the second group, and features with low redundancy but with little relevance with classes may be highly scored by the first group. Existing approaches fail to balance the importance of both terms. As such, a new information term denoted as Independent Classification Information is proposed in this paper. It assembles the newly provided information and the preserved information negatively correlated with the redundant information. Redundancy and new information are properly unified and equally treated in the new term. This strategy helps find the predictive features providing large new information and little redundancy. Moreover, independent classification information is proved as a loose upper bound of the total classification information of feature subset. Its maximization is conducive to achieve a high global discriminative performance. Comprehensive experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the new approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aims of this work were to evaluate the effects of home-based telesupervising rehabilitation on physical function for stroke survivors with hemiplegia and to determine if the rehabilitation therapy can relieve the burden on caregivers. Design: This study is a randomized, controlled, assessor-blinded trial. Stroke survivors were randomly assigned to either home-based telesupervising rehabilitation group or conventional rehabilitation group to receive physical exercise and electromyography-triggered neuro-muscular stimulation. Modified Barthel Index, Berg Balance Scale, modified Rankin Scale, Caregiver Strain Index, root mean square of extensor carpi radialis longus and tibialis anterior muscle were measured at 3 time points: baseline, postintervention (12 weeks), and 12-week follow-up (24 weeks). Results: Both the home-based telerehabilitation and conventional rehabilitation groups demonstrated significant effects within groups over the 3 time points in increasing Modified Barthel Index, Berg Balance Scale, and root mean square value of extensor carpi radialis longus and tibialis anterior, as well as decreasing Caregiver Strain Index (P < 0.001), but none of the between-group differences was significant. For modified Rankin Scale, the percentage of participants of grades 0 and 1 in 2 groups increased over time without significant difference between the groups. Conclusions: Home-based telesupervising rehabilitation is most likely as effective as the conventional outpatient rehabilitation for improving functional recovery in stroke survivors and could ease the burden of caregivers as conventional rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has 26 species in the tribe Arvicolini. The taxonomic status of these voles remains controversial despite much effort. Herein, we evaluate the taxonomic position of 22 species plus 2 unidentified taxa using mitochondrial DNA gene sequences (cytb + CO1). We also evaluate 18 species and 2 unidentified taxa using morphological data. Phylogenetic analyses of cytb resolve monophyly for the genera Alexandromys, Lasiopodomys, Microtus, Neodon, Proedromys, and Volemys with strong support. Stenocranius clusters with Chionomys but with very weak support. Analyses of concatenated cytb + CO1 resolve the same genera with strong support, but the topology of the tree differs from that of cytb in that Chionomys roots at the base of the tree independent of Stenocranius, which forms the sister-group of Lasiopodomys in a more terminal position. The matrilineal genealogy excludes the type species Arvicola amphibius from the rest of the Arvicolini. This species forms the sister-group of Ondatra with high support. Neodon includes N. irene, N. linzhiensis, N. fuscus, N. leucurus, N. sikimensis, Microtus clarkei, and 2 unidentified specimens. Alexandromys includes the former species Microtus oeconomus, M. kikuchii, M. limnophilus, M. fortis, and M. maximowiczii. Finally, Microtus has the subgenera Blanfordimys, Microtus, Mynomes, Pedomys, Pitymys, and Terricola, which includes the Chinese species M. agrestis, M. arvalis, and Blanfordimys juldaschi. General mixed Yule-coalescent species delimitation modeling demarcates 6 currently recognized species and 2 new species of Neodon. A principal component analysis of the morphological data among 7 matrilines shows that all variables have positive loadings of high magnitude on the 1st component. Canonical discriminant analysis for Neodon (including M. clarkei and 2 unidentified species) correctly classifies 93.0% of specimens. Overall, our analyses support the recognition of Alexandromys, Lasiopodomys, Microtus, Neodon, Proedromys, and Volemys as genera. Stenocranius includes Microtus gregalis, and the genealogical position of Stenocranius remains uncertain. The status of Arvicola requires further study. We assign M. clarkei to Neodon and describe 2 new species of Neodon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building a static environment map is critical in the field of robotics for agriculture. Previous works of static environment mapping algorithm are focus on urban environment, resulting the lack of such algorithm in the garden environment. This paper aims to building static point cloud maps in the garden environment for robot localization and navigation. Towards this goal, we propose a novel static point cloud mapping algorithm for the garden environment, named GardenMap. Specifically, we first processed the point cloud of each frame based on the semantic information, and then we constructed a static point cloud map from the point cloud sequence in the multi-time dimension and multi-resolution fashion.Extensive experiments on two large-scale SLAM datasets validate the effectiveness of our GardenMap, the preservation rate (PR) and rejection rate (RR) of our proposed method outperform state-of-the-art (SOTA) static point cloud mapping algorithm by a large margin. • A novel static point cloud mapping algorithm for the garden environment was proposed. • GardenMap can remove dynamic objects from the point cloud map. • GardenMap outperforms SOTA static point cloud mapping algorithms by a large margin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a rare case of advanced metastatic renal cell carcinoma which initially presented to the clinic with back and forehead lumps. Ultrasound imaging of the lumps and later of the abdomen picked up a right renal tumour which led to further computed tomography and bone scans. The bone scan confirmed that the forehead lump was a calvarial metastasis and such a presentation for metastatic RCC is very rare which bears a significantly poorer prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs) and myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) transcription factors have been extensively studied as key transcription factors that regulate myogenic gene expression. However, few reports on the molecular mechanism that modulates chromatin remodeling during skeletal muscle differentiation are available. We reported here that the expression of the H3-K9 methyltransferase Suv39h1 was decreased during myoblast differentiation. Ectopic expression of Suv39h1 could inhibit myoblast differentiation, increasing H3-K9 methylation levels, whereas knockdown of Suv39h1 stimulated myoblast differentiation. Furthermore, Suv39h1 interacted with MEF2C directly and inhibited MEF2 transcription activity in a dose-dependent manner. Together, our studies revealed a molecular mechanism wherein Suv39h1 modulated myogenic gene expression and activation during skeletal muscle differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To study the therapeutic effect of He-Wei-Tong-Xie (HWXT) decoction on acute pancreatitis (AP) complicated with gastrointestinal dysfunction. Methods: AP patients (50) were recruited from the Teaching Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and randomly divided into treatment and control groups (25 per group). All patients were evaluated at baseline, and thereafter subjected to standard therapeutic protocols, including, fasting, gastrointestinal decompression, administration of somatostatin and omeprazole. The patients in the treatment group also received 100 mL of HWTX by nasal route with high enema (three times/day). Gastrointestinal function scores (stomach ache, abdominal distension, borborygmus and defecation), and hospitalization time were evaluated on days 3 and 7 of treatment. Results: No significant baseline differences were observed between the treatment and control groups with respect to etiological agents and AP syndrome scores (p > 0.05). However, after 3 and 7 days of treatment, all AP syndromes in treatment group showed significant improvement compared with the control patients (p < 0.01). There were no significant differences in hospitalization time and rate of recovery between the treatment and control groups (p < 0.01). Conclusion: HWTX treatment appears to be a safe and potentially useful approach for treating AP complicated with gastrointestinal dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automatic cloud detection and classification using satellite cloud imagery have various meteorological applications such as weather forecasting and climate monitoring. Cloud pattern analysis is one of the research hotspots recently. Since satellites sense the clouds remotely from space, and different cloud types often overlap and convert into each other, there must be some fuzziness and uncertainty in satellite cloud imagery. Satellite observation is susceptible to noises, while traditional cloud classification methods are sensitive to noises and outliers; it is hard for traditional cloud classification methods to achieve reliable results. To deal with these problems, a satellite cloud classification method using adaptive fuzzy sparse representation-based classification (AFSRC) is proposed. Firstly, by defining adaptive parameters related to attenuation rate and critical membership, an improved fuzzy membership is introduced to accommodate the fuzziness and uncertainty of satellite cloud imagery; secondly, by effective combination of the improved fuzzy membership function and sparse representation-based classification (SRC), atoms in training dictionary are optimized; finally, an adaptive fuzzy sparse representation classifier for cloud classification is proposed. Experiment results on FY-2G satellite cloud image show that, the proposed method not only improves the accuracy of cloud classification, but also has strong stability and adaptability with high computational efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to monitor and correct the meteorological factors of the spring gravity meter, the characteristics of the time varying gravity changes caused by meteorological factors were analyzed. Kunming GS15 gravity meter from 2007 continuous gravity observation has been carried out with the sampling rate of the pressure observation. In this study, we first compare the effects of 4 types of gravity meter and 3 different types of stations on the gravity observed seasonal gravity signals. It is indicated that the observed seasonal gravity signal of the cave is only 1/10, and there is a constant temperature and constant pressure device. Compared with the same time, the gravity signal of the gravity signal is about 100 times smaller. The influence of the pressure load of the gravity meter is tested by using the theory of pressure. The results show that only the actual value of 2cpd - 3cpd pressure load varies from -0.395 to -0.280 x 10-8ms-2, and the 1cpd to 1 cpm periodic partial type gravity meter is also in accordance with the law of gravity and air pressure. And with the characteristics of time lag. In this paper, the nonlinear zero drift parameters of the linear regression model with time lag and the time series of the GS15 gravity meter are used to simulate the nonlinear zero drift parameters of the gravity meter. The results show that the gravity signal contains time lag 35 hours, and the air pressure admittance is 0.8 x 10-8ms-2 /mbar. The correlation can reach 79%. The gravity changes signal and satellite gravity as well as the gravity water load signal of the land water model are the same as the gravity water load signal in the autumn as the minimum value, and the seasonal variation of the maximum value of gravity in summer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitochondrial injury characterized by intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation plays a critical role in hyperglycemia-induced myocardium dysfunction. Previous studies have demonstrated that Rosmarinic Acid (RA) treatment and activating Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling pathway have protective effects on mitochondrial dysfunction in cardiomyocyte, but there is little data regarding cardiomyocyte under condition of high-glucose. The present study was undertaken to determine the relationship between RA and STAT3 activation, as well as their effects on high glucose-induced mitochondrial injury and apoptosis in H9c2 cardiomyocyte. Our results revealed that RA pretreatment suppressed high glucose-induced apoptosis in H9c2 cells. Moreover, the effect of RA on apoptosis was related with improved mitochondrial function, which was demonstrated by that RA attenuated high glucose-induced ROS generation, inhibited mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) activation, suppressed cytochrome c release and caspase-3 activation. In addition, the phosphorylation of STAT3 in H9c2 cells was inhibited under condition of high-glucose, but RA improved STAT3 phosphorylation. Importantly, inhibition of STAT3 expression by using STAT3-siRNA partly suppressed the effect of RA on high glucose-induced apoptosis. Taken together, pretreatment with RA suppressed high glucose-induced apoptosis in cardiomyocyte by ameliorating mitochondrial function and activating STAT3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiac protection of resveratrol is related to the improvement of mitochondrial function through sirtuin1 (SIRT1) activation and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) deacetylation. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) as an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthases is associated with diabetic cardiovascular complications and has a cross-talk with lysine acetylation. This study was to determine whether resveratrol reverses ADMA's pathogenic role in diabetic cardiomyopathy and elucidate the underlying mechanisms in type 2 diabetic (T2DM) rats and cardiomyocytes. T2DM Rats were induced by high-fat diet plus small-dose streptozotocin injection (35 mg/kg). Resveratrol was given by gavage (50 mg/kg/d) to some rats for 16w. Cardiac function was measured by echocardiography, and PGC-1α acetylation was detected by immunoprecipitation. Mitochondrial DNA and ATP contents were analyzed to evaluate mitochondrial biogenesis and function. Endogenous ADMA accumulation and its signal disorders were associated with cardiac and mitochondrial dysfunctions in accompany with increased PGC-1α acetylation and decreased PGC-1α expression in the myocardium of T2DM rats compared with control rats. Resveratrol treatment attenuated ADMA accumulation, cardiac and mitochondrial dysfunctions in parallel with reversing altered PGC-1α expression and acetylation in the myocardium of T2DM rats. Exogenous ADMA not only reproduced mitochondrial dysfunction and cardiac hypertrophy but also reduced PGC-1α expression and enhanced PGC-1α acetylation in accompany of down-regulating SIRT1 and up-regulating acetyltransferase expression, all of which could be prevented by resveratrol pretreatment in cardiomyocytes. These results indicate that ADMA promotes PGC-1α acetylation as a potential therapeutic target for resveratrol of management diabetic cardiomyopathy in T2DM rats. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

T-2 toxin is a worldwide problem for feed and food safety, leading to livestock and human health risks. The objective of this study was to explore the mechanism of T-2 toxin-induced small intestine injury in broilers by integrating the advanced microbiomic, metabolomic and transcriptomic technologies. Four groups of 1-day-old male broilers (n = 4 cages/group, 6 birds/cage) were fed a control diet and control diet supplemented with T-2 toxin at 1.0, 3.0, and 6.0 mg/kg, respectively, for 2 weeks. Compared with the control, dietary T-2 toxin reduced feed intake, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, and the apparent metabolic rates and induced histopathological lesions in the small intestine to varying degrees by different doses. Furthermore, the T-2 toxin decreased the activities of glutathione peroxidase, thioredoxin reductase and total antioxidant capacity but increased the concentrations of protein carbonyl and malondialdehyde in the duodenum in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, the integrated microbiomic, metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis results revealed that the microbes, metabolites, and transcripts were primarily involved in the regulation of nucleotide and glycerophospholipid metabolism, redox homeostasis, inflammation, and apoptosis were related to the T-2 toxin-induced intestinal damage. In summary, the present study systematically elucidated the intestinal toxic mechanisms of T-2 toxin, which provides novel ideas to develop a detoxification strategy for T-2 toxin in animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thin films of multiferroic double-perovskite La2NiMnO6 are prepared on (001)-oriented SrTiO3, (La0.289Sr0.712)(Al0.633Ta0.356)O3, and LaSrAlO4 substrates by pulsed laser deposition. Microstructure investigation by advanced electron microscopy shows that the La2NiMnO6 films have a monoclinic structure on the SrTiO3 substrates and a rhombohedral structure on the (La0.289Sr0.712)(Al0.633Ta0.356)O3 and LaSrAlO4 substrates. Atomic-scale elemental maps of the monoclinic and rhombohedral phases reveal a short-range and/or partial ordering of the B-sites. In addition, domains and columnar grains are found in the films. Our results demonstrate that the phase and microstructure of the La2NiMnO6 films can be tuned by epitaxial strains induced by different substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A segment of long-period fiber grating (LPFG) that can selectively filter the fundamental mode in the few-mode optical fiber is proposed. By applying an appropriate chosen surrounding material and an apodized configuration of LPFG, high fundamental mode loss and low high-order core mode loss can be achieved simultaneously. In addition, we propose a method of cascading LPFGs with different periods to expand the bandwidth of the mode filter. Numerical simulation shows that the operating bandwidth of the cascade structure can be as large as 23 nm even if the refractive index of the surrounding liquid varies with the environment temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For an odd prime p, a p-transposition group is a group generated by a set of involutions such that the product of any two has order 2 or p. We first classify a family of (G, 2)-geodesic transitive Cayley graphs Γ:= Cay(T, S) where S is a set of involutions and T : Inn(T) ≤ G ≤ T : Aut(T, S). In this case, T is either an elementary abelian 2-group or a p-transposition group. Then under the further assumption that G acts quasiprimitively on the vertex set of Γ, we prove that: (1) if Γ is not (G, 2)-arc transitive, then this quasiprimitive action is the holomorph affine type; (2) if T is a p-transposition group and S is a conjugacy class, then p = 3 and Γ is (G, 2)-arc transitive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A GaN/SiC hybrid field-effect transistor (HyFET) is proposed as a high-voltage power device that provides a high-mobility lateral AlGaN/GaN channel to reduce the channel resistance and a vertical SiC drift region to sustain the high OFF-state voltage. The performance of the HyFET is evaluated by numerical device simulations. Compared with the conventional SiC MOSFET, the HyFET exhibits a greatly reduced R\mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON} together with a low C\mathrm{ GD} and low gate charges. The figures of merit Q\mathrm{ G}\times R\mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON} and Q\mathrm{ GD}\times R\mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON} of the HyFET are dramatically improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the dynamics of quantum correlations of a two-qubit system coupled to an external environment. We have considered both cases: a spin environment and a bosonic environment. In all cases, we have chosen the Bell-diagonal state as the initial state and computed the evolution of quantum correlations in terms of entanglement, quantum discord and trace distance geometric quantum discord. Special attention is paid to the singular quantum phenomena, such as entanglement sudden death, sudden transition and double sudden transitions from classical to quantum decoherence, which all depend on the initial state and the parameters related to the system and the environment. We find the trace distance geometric quantum discord has a good robustness in resisting the spin and bosonic environmental noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We fabricated adjacent micropillar arrays with different heights using different materials. Masters are obtained by using a two-step photolithography technique. A thin layer of SU8-3005 resist was spin coated on a chromium mask, followed by a front side exposure with another assistance mask, resulting in a step resist profile. Then, a thin layer of SU8-3010 resist was spin-coated again on the mask, followed by a back side exposure. The master patterns which consist of adjacent pillar arrays of different heights were replicated into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) by soft lithography. The PDMS replicas were then used as molds for casting or hot embossing, resulted in final pillars arrays in PDMS, poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) and flexestene thermoplastic elastomer. Such substrates made of different materials were used to evaluate the surface stiffness dependent cell migration of NIH 3T3 cells. Our results show that the cells were sensitive to the height of PDMS pillars, due to their comparable Young's module, and that the cells were preferentially localized on the stiffer surfaces. However, no such effect was observed when the cells were placed on the PLGA substrate because of the excessive rigidity of the PLGA pillars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

p53-independent malignant cancer is still severe health problem of human beings. HIF-1 pathway is believed to play an important role in the survival and developing progress of such cancers. In the present study, with the aim to inhibit the proliferation of p53-independent malignant cells, we disclose the optimization of 6a , the starting compound which is discovered in the screening of in-house compound collection. The structure–activity relationship (SAR) is summarized. The most potent derivative 8d , inhibits the proliferation of both p53-null and p53-mutated cells through inhibition of HIF-1 pathway. Our findings here provide a new chemotype in designing potent anticancer agent especially against those p53-independent malignant tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemically-assisted microwave deposition technology, a facile method for the fabrication of luminescent metal–organic framework (LMOF) films, is presented herein. This method was further developed into a versatile method for preparing patterned LMOF films. The strategy based on this method can spatially locate microcrystals of MOFs on a surface, which provides great promise in anti-counterfeiting barcode applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a physically enhanced secure scheme for direct detection--orthogonal frequency division multiplexing--passive optical network (DD-OFDM-PON) and long reach coherent detection--orthogonal frequency division multiplexing--passive optical network (LRCO-OFDM-PON), by employing noise-based encryption and channel/phase estimation. The noise data generated by chaos mapping are used to substitute training sequences in preamble to realize channel estimation and frame synchronization, and also to be embedded on variable number of key-selected randomly spaced pilot subcarriers to implement phase estimation. Consequently, the information used for signal recovery is totally hidden as unpredictable noise information in OFDM frames to mask useful information and to prevent illegal users from correctly realizing OFDM demodulation, and thereby enhancing resistance to attackers. The levels of illegal-decryption complexity and implementation complexity are theoretically discussed. Through extensive simulations, the performances of the proposed channel/phase estimation and the security introduced by encrypted pilot carriers have been investigated in both DD-OFDM and LRCO-OFDM systems. In addition, in the proposed secure DD-OFDM/ LRCO-OFDM PON models, both legal and illegal receiving scenarios have been considered. These results show that, by utilizing the proposed scheme, the resistance to attackers can be significantly enhanced in DD-OFDM-PON and LRCO-OFDM-PON systems without performance degradations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital watermark technology has been proposed as an effective method to protect the copyright of digital image. By exploiting the characteristic of human visual system (HVS) and considering properties of discrete wavelet transform (DWT) coefficient, a novel image watermark scheme is designed in this paper. For embedding watermark, it selects wavelet detail coefficients to utilize HVS characteristic by fuzzy rough sets (FRS). The proposed scheme provides to select wavelet coefficients method using the fuzzy lower and upper approximations, which is partitioned by the FRS according to HVS. The experimental results confirm that the embedded watermarks by the proposed scheme are robust against common image processing attacks, such as JPEG compression, Gaussian noise, Salt & Pepper noise, cropping, mean filtering, wiener filtering, histogram equalization, and scaling etc. Proposed scheme can provide very good results in terms of image imperceptibility, too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open-celled aluminum foams with different pore sizes were fabricated. A plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) treatment was applied on the aluminum foams to create a layer of ceramic coating. The sound absorption coefficients of the foams were measured by an impedance tube and they were calculated by a transfer function method. The experimental results show that the sound absorption coefficient of the foam increases gradually with the decrease of pore size. Additionally, when the porosity of the foam increases, the sound absorption coefficient also increases. The PEO coating surface is rough and porous, which is beneficial for improvement in sound absorption. After PEO treatment, the maximum sound absorption of the foam is improved to some extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PIV technology is an efficient and powerful measurement method to investigate the characteristics of fluid flow field. But for PIV particle image post-processing, some problems still exit in two-phase particles discrimination and velocity field algorithm, especially for high-speed rotating centrifugal slurry pump. In this study, through summarization and comparison of the various phase discrimination methods, we proposed a two-phase identification method based on statistics of gray-scale level and particle size. The assessment of performance through experimental PIV images shows that a satisfying effect for particle identification. For high speed rotation of the impeller, a combination of adaptive cross-correlation window deformation algorithm and multistage grid subdivision is presented. The algorithm is applied to experimental PIV images of solid–liquid two-phase flow in a centrifugal slurry pump, the results show that the algorithm in the present study has less pseudo vector number and more matching particle pairs than those of fixed window and window translation methods, having the ability to remove pseudo vector efficiently. It confirmed that the algorithm proposed in the present study has good performance and reliability for PIV image processing of particle–fluid two-phase flow inside high-speed rotating centrifugal slurry pump. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematic inflammation contributes to the development of many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of mortality worldwide. How such inflammation is initiated and maintained throughout the course of disease remains unclear. In the current study, we report the observation of specific phosphorylation of the receptor-interacting protein 3 (RIP3) kinase that marks the activation of programmed necrosis (also called the "necroptosis pathway") in the atherosclerotic plaques in apolipoprotein E (ApoE)-knockout mice. The mRNA expression levels of 10 inflammatory cytokines, including IL-1α, were decreased significantly in the plaque regions of mice lacking RIP3. Lymphocyte infiltrations in the adipocyte tissue and in skin lesions of ApoE single-knockout mice were significantly mitigated in ApoE/RIP3 double-knockout mice. The high percentage of inflammatory monocytes with high levels of lymphocyte antigen 6C in the blood of ApoE singleknockout mice also was greatly decreased in the ApoE/RIP3 doubleknockoutmice. Most significantly, the double-knockoutmice displayed dramatically delayed mortality compared with ApoE single-knockout mice. Our findings indicate that necrotic death in areas such as atherosclerotic plaques may release cytokines that mobilize monocytes from bone marrow to the lesion sites, exacerbating the lesions in multiple tissues and resulting in the premature death of the animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Biochemical changes associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), and its various clinical forms have not been characterized well. Therefore, we investigated the biochemistry of MS in relation to its natural history using targeted lipidomics platforms. Methods: Cross-sectional serum samples from 24 secondary progressive (SPMS), 100 relapsing remitting (RRMS), 19 primary progressive MS (PPMS), and 55 age-matched control subjects were analyzed by flow injection tandem mass spectrometry for very long chain fatty acid (VLCFA) containing phosphatidyl ethanolamines (PtdEtn), plasmalogen ethanolamines (PlsEtn) and for novel anti-inflammatory gastrointestinal tract acids (GTAs). Changes in analyte levels relative to healthy controls were correlated with the disease stage and disease duration. Results: RRMS subjects having <13 years disease duration had elevated levels (p < 0.05) of anti-inflammatory metabolites (GTAs) and normal levels (p > 0.05) of mitochondrial stress biomarkers (VLCFA-PtdEtn), compared to controls. SPMS subjects had statistically similar levels of anti-inflammatory metabolites (GTAs), elevated mitochondrial stress metabolites (VLCFA-PtdEtn) and elevated peroxisomal metabolites (PlsEtn) compared to controls (p < 0.05). RRMS subjects with > = 13 years disease duration exhibited metabolic profiles intermediate between short-duration RRMS and SPMS, based on statistical significance. Therefore, RRMS cohort appear to comprise of two metabolically distinct subpopulations. The key clinical discriminator of these two groups was disease duration. PPMS patients exhibited metabolic profiles distinct from RRMS and SPMS. Conclusions: These data indicate that inflammation and mitochondrial stress are intricately involved in the etiology of MS and that progression in MS can potentially be monitored using serum metabolic biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Massive spent mushroom substrate (SMS) has become an important problem that affects the ecological environment and restricts the development of mushroom industry. In the present study, SMS of Pleurotus ostreatus naturally composted for one year and two microbial agents (Bacillus subtilis BUABN-01 and Rhodotorula glutinis RG) were used for lettuce seedling. SMS with microbial inoculation twice increased the total fresh weight of lettuce by 138.90% and 57.94%, comparing with commercial control and SMS alone respectively. Microbial inoculation showed synergistic promoting effects on lettuce growth. High throughput sequencing revealed that the two microbial agents successfully colonized into SMS media, and changed the microbiota structure of SMS for promoting lettuce seedling. Heatmap and network correlation analysis showed that they can not only promote plant growth, but also stimulate beneficial microbes and inhibit potentially pathogenic microbes of plants. This work provides a feasible method and basis for the efficient utilization of SMS. [Display omitted] • The impact of SMS and microbial inoculation on lettuce seedling was studied. • SMS with microbial inoculation increased total fresh weight of lettuce by 138.90%. • Microbial inoculation showed synergistic promoting effects on lettuce growth. • SMS with microbial inoculation enriched both bacterial and fungal communities. • Microbial inoculation changed the microbiota in SMS and promotes plant growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

R3217 --> 863.4 --> The regulation of renin release from juxtaglomerular (JG) cells at the systemic or local level has been extensively investigated and well understood. It includes three primary mechanisms: intrarenal baroreceptor, salt feedback via macula densa, and β1‐adrenergic receptor activation. However, further understanding of the control of renin synthesis and secretion in JG cells at the cellular or molecular level is limited. Additionally, JG cells are generally considered to be derived from the smooth muscle (SM) cells in the afferent arterioles via a reversible metaplastic transformation. The number of JG cells could be significantly increased under specific conditions, which is also known as the process of JG cells recruitment. Nevertheless, the similarities and differences at the molecular level between JG cells and SM cells as well as the intracellular mechanisms underlying the JG cells recruitment have not been fully clarified. An emerging technique, the single‐cell RNA sequencing, provides a new tool to precisely investigate the molecular characterization of JG cells. In the present study, we isolated and sequenced a total of 9815 cells from a single‐cell stock derived from the renal cortex of C57BL/6J mice (~20 mg cortical tissue per mouse, n=5). Using stringent quality controls, we further analyzed 7557 cells. Unbiased clustering analysis demonstrated 16 distinct cell clusters in the t‐distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (tSNE) map, and each cell cluster was defined based on the expression level of the representative cell type‐specific marker genes. In particular, a cluster consisting of 284 cells was identified as smooth muscle (SM) cells by the high and distinct expression of both Acta2 (α‐smooth muscle actin) and Tagln (Transgelin). Moreover, on the basis of the expression level of the marker gene Ren1 (Renin), 34 JG cells were further distinguished from this cluster of SM cells. We profiled the whole‐transcriptome of these JG cells and correlated it with the transcriptional level of Ren1. The top 5 genes that were most positively correlated with the Ren1 expression were Nr2f1 (R=0.79), Akr1b7 (R=0.68), Smim15 (R=0.64), Gng11 (R=0.60) and Sdc1 (R=0.59). We also compared the whole‐transcriptome between these JG cells and SM cells. The top 5 genes with the largest difference in the normalized transcript count were Ren1 (+4.28), Akr1b7 (+1.53), Sfrp2 (+1.01), Fam46a (+0.88), and Sdc1 (+0.75). Thus, aldo‐keto reductase 1B7 (Akr1b7) and syndecan‐1 (Sdc1) could be two potential candidates that may participate in the control of renin release from JG cells. However, previous studies using the Akr1b7‐deficient mice have shown that aldo‐keto reductase 1B7 is not of major relevance for the modulation of renin production and secretion. Therefore, we speculate that syndecan‐1 (Sdc1), a transmembrane heparan sulfate proteoglycan, may play a role in the regulation of renin release as well as JG cells recruitment, especially through the mechanism of intrarenal baroreceptor. This hypothesis will be tested with the Sdc1‐deficient mouse model in our future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

R3418 --> 726.3 --> Increased NaCl at the macula densa, the same stimulus of the tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF), also induces intracellular alkalinization (pH: from 7.4 to 7.8) and enhances nitric oxide (NO) generation. Neuronal NO synthase (NOS1) is the primary isoform of NOS expressed in the macula densa and its activity is strongly pH‐dependent. Nevertheless, the impact of pH on the catalytic capacity of NOS1 remains controversial with inconsistent observations. A potential explanation for this discrepancy may be due to the presence of different splice variants of NOS1 (NOS1α and NOS1β). Therefore, we hypothesized that the macula densa intracellular alkalinization during TGF activates NOS1β but suppresses NOS1α, which modulates the NO production and thus the TGF responsiveness. To test this hypothesis, we measured the NOS activity of purified NOS1α and NOS1β proteins in various pH environments using the Griess method. The pH‐dependent NO production curves of NOS1α and NOS1β were different. The optimal pH was ~6.5 for NOS1α, but ~8.5 for NOS1β. The maximum activities of NOS1α and NOS1β were similar at their optimal pH of 6.5 and 8.5, respectively. Then, we measured and compared the renal cortical NOS1 expression, macula densa NO generation, TGF response in vitro and in vivo, renal vascular resistance (RVR), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) in the Sprague Dawley (SD) rats and the spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). While the total NOS1 expression was not significantly different between SD rats and SHRs, the alternative splicing patterns were contradictory. The ratio of NOS1α/NOS1β was greater in SHRs than SD rats (2.94±0.48 vs 0.36±0.07; n=6, p<0.01 vs SD), which was associated with the reduced NO production (21.6±4.5 vs 38.3±5.6 units/min; n=8, p<0.01 vs SD), enhanced TGF in vitro (4.9±0.4 vs 3.5±0.5 µm; n=10, p<0.05 vs SD) and in vivo (12.8±2.1 vs 9.1±1.7 mmHg; n=9, p<0.01 vs SD), increased RVR (23.9±1.3 vs 17.8±1.5 mmHg.ml‐1.min‐1.g kidney wt‐1; n=6, p<0.05 vs SD), and elevated MAP (127.3±6.6 vs 101.7±4.2 mmHg; n=6, p<0.05 vs SD). We also measured and compared the NOS1 expression in the renal biopsy (cortex) tissues of Caucasians (CAs) and African Americans (AAs). There was no significant difference in the total NOS1 expression between CAs and AAs, whereas the ratio of NOS1α/NOS1β was greater in AAs than CAs (3.53±1.64 vs 0.43±0.31; n=10‐11, p<0.01 vs CAs), which was associated with the higher serum creatinine level (1.25±0.08 vs 1.03±0.12 mg/dl; n=10‐11, p<0.05 vs CAs). Lastly, we determined the effects of pH on the macula densa NO generation as well as the TGF responsiveness in SD rats and SHRs. When the pH of the tubular perfusate was switched from 7.4 to 8.0, the macula densa NO production increased by 29.5±6.9% (from 39.7±4.5 to 51.4±5.7 units/min) in SD rats, whereas it decreased by 26.2±4.3% (from 22.5±3.4 to 16.6±4.2 units/min) in SHRs (n=7, p<0.05 vs 7.4); the TGF response in vitro decreased by 24.3±5.4% (from 3.7±0.4 to 2.8±0.6 µm) in SD rats, while it increased by 19.1±3.9% (from 4.7±0.4 to 5.6±0.5 µm) in SHRs (n=7, p<0.05 vs 7.4). In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that the macula densa intracellular alkalinization during TGF activates NOS1β but suppresses NOS1α, which regulates the NO generation, the TGF response and potentially the renal hemodynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to prepare new Fe-Cr-B alloys which have better wear resistance and investigate the wear mechanisms of these alloys tribotesting against SiC ceramic balls under dry sliding process. Design/methodology/approach – Fe-Cr matrix alloys were fabricated using powder metallurgy route. The tribological behaviors of Fe-Cr alloys tribotesting against SiC ceramic balls using a ball-on-disc tribotester were studied at different testing conditions. Meanwhile, microstructure, phases and morphology of worn surfaces were investigated. Findings – The element boron improved mechanical properties and tribological behavior of alloys. The friction coefficients of Fe-Cr matrix alloys did not show obvious difference. The specific wear rates of alloys decreased and then increased because of the brittleness of alloys with the increase of boron content. Fe-21 weight per cent Cr-7 weight per cent B alloy showed the best tribological properties in dry sliding. The wear mechanism of Fe-Cr alloy was plastic deformation and abrasive wear. However, the Fe-Cr-B alloys showed fatigue spalling characteristics. Originality/value – This paper reported a new, cheap and wear-resistant Fe matrix material to prepare mechanical parts in food and mining industrial fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the thermal quantum correlations in terms of entanglement, quantum discord (QD) and local quantum uncertainty (LQU) in the XY spin chain, and analyze their capability in detecting the critical points of quantum phase transition. By considering the effects of the three-site interaction, site distance, system size and anisotropy parameter, we show that LQU is superior to QD in detecting the critical points. The advantages of LQU are not to be restricted to zero temperature, and it is possible to estimate the critical points at high temperature. Furthermore, the properties of LQU are very interesting and exhibit different quantum correlations which cannot be shown by entanglement and QD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the dynamics and protection of quantum correlations of a qubit-qutrit system under local amplitude damping channels with finite temperature. The comparison between entanglement and geometric measure of quantum discord (GMQD) is analyzed. It is found that the GMQD is more robust than the entanglement against the decoherence induced by the channels. Special attention is paid to how to protect the quantum correlations from decoherence by weak measurement and measurement reversal. We find that the weak measurement is not necessary when the initial state is maximally entangled. But for other initial states, a successful protection of quantum correlations requires combined weak measurement and measurement reversal. Under certain conditions, we also notice that we can realize the protection at finite temperature for GMQD, but not for entanglement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the effects of exposure environments on the physical and mechanical properties of conventional dental porcelain. Dental ceramic disc samples of 5 mm diameter and 2 mm thick were fabricated and then subjected to soaking for four weeks in three different types of wet media namely, distilled water, soft drink (Cola) and rice vinegar. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis was performed to characterize the physical properties, while the compression test evaluated the mechanical properties. It was observed that both the acidic environments (i.e. Cola and rice vinegar) deteriorated structural integrity and thus accordingly decreased the fracture strength of the tested dental porcelain. However, Cola being relatively more acidic had greater effects in compared to rice vinegar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With high morbidity, mortality and disability rate, brain infarction brings a huge economic and health burden to the whole society in China. Although some previous studies suggested that telerehabilitation may facilitate rehabilitation for stroke survivors at home, the evidence is insufficient for clinical application; additionally, as yet no trial evaluates efficacy of telerehabilitation for brain infarction patients. Therefore, more high quality trials are needed to provide practice evidence for this novel rehabilitation strategy. Methods/Design: Based on recruitment criteria, this assessor blinded, paralleled randomized controlled trial will recruit 210 brain infarction patients. After being randomly allocated into two groups, participants will receive home-based tele-supervising rehabilitation or conventional rehabilitation. Outcome measurement will be conducted at the end of intervention and 90-day follow-up. Among which, Barthel index assessment will be considered as primary outcome measurement, secondary outcome measurements include NIHSS score, mRS score, 3-oz water swallow test and surface electromyography. Adverse events will also be recorded during the whole process of the trial for safety assessment. Discussion: The HTRBIP trial will evaluate efficacy and safety of home-based tele-supervising rehabilitation for brain infarction patients. It is expected to provide new evidence for telerehabilitation application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the use micro-capsules, containing a gelling agent hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), to alter flow paths in porous media. The aim is to preferentially block-off high permeability regions, thereby diverting the flow into adjacent un-swept low permeability regions. Micro-capsules with 2–7 µm in diameter were made by polymer precipitation through solvent evaporation using poly(4-vinyl pyridine) (PVP) as the shell material. A customised flow tank was constructed to facilitate porous media flow and both single and dual permeability experiments were conducted. Even without gelling agent, the micro-capsules gradually blocked the pore throats of the glass beads network. Following acidification a drop in permeability was observed. This was because swelling of the PVP shell constricted the pore throats. The permeability drop was observed to be more significant for low permeability regions. Flowing micro-capsules through the tank with two permeability regions in parallel allowed the high permeability region to be selectively blocked. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents two adaptive neural control schemes for a class of uncertain continuous-time multi-input multi-output (MIMO) nonlinear dynamic systems. Within these schemes, the single-hidden layer feedforward networks (SLFNs) are applied to approximate the unknown nonlinear functions of the systems and then the neural controller is built based on the approximated neural models. The parameters of the SLFNs are modified using the recently proposed neural algorithm named extreme learning machine (ELM), where the parameters of the hidden nodes are assigned randomly. Different from the original ELM algorithm, the output weights are updated using the adaptive laws derived based on the Lyapunov stability theorem and Barbalat׳s lemma so that the asymptotical stability of the system can be guaranteed. The robustifying control term is also constructed to compensate for approximation errors of the SLFNs. In order to avoid the requirement of the approximation error bounds, the estimation laws derived based on the Lyapunov stability theorem and Barbalat׳s lemma are employed to estimate the error bounds in the second adaptive control scheme. Finally the proposed control schemes are applied to control a two-link robot manipulator. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control schemes for the MIMO nonlinear system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the purpose of better understanding the complex Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) and controlling their quality, powerful analytical techniques are essential. Although conventional one-dimensional (1D) chromatographic approaches have been widely used for the analysis of multiple components in CHMs, the complexity of CHM samples often exceeds the maximal capacity of any single separation mode. Therefore, in past decades, many researchers have attempted to explore the coupling of independent separation techniques to improve the resolving power for complex CHM samples. Two-dimensional (2D) separation systems, based on two independent columns with different separation mechanisms, have proven to be more powerful than 1D techniques and have been used successfully to separate and analyze CHM samples with excellent performance. This article aims to review the most recent advances in the strategies for analyzing CHMs using 2D chromatography. For this purpose, some remarkable applications of the commonly used couplings, mainly including 2D-GC and 2D-LC for analysis of CHMs, are described. Moreover, their major advantages and shortcomings are discussed, which might be helpful to the researchers who focus on quality control of CHMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To further improve the stability and heat transfer efficiency of conventional loop heat pipe (LHP), a novel loop heat pipe with flat rectangular evaporator and boiling pool (NLHP) was designed and tested for electronic cooling in the present study, in which the main function of evaporator is to provide the capillary force for the loop while the boiling pool with an active heating area of 22 mm × 22 mm and a thickness of 15 mm is the main parts of heat dissipation. The porous wick of the evaporator is made of composite stainless steel meshes and methanol is used as working fluid. The results showed that the system could start up successfully when the heat load of boiling pool is higher than that of evaporator, and with increasing heat load of boiling pool, the NLHP has a shorter startup time and smaller temperature overshoot value. Another important factor influencing the startup is the time difference between the two heat supplies, and three modes were observed with increasing time difference. The highest temperature occurs at the bottom of boiling pool, and it rises with increasing heat load of evaporator as well as boiling pool. The maximum heat load of boiling pool is 200 W (heat flux 41.3 W/cm 2 ) while maintaining the heating wall temperature within allowable upper limit of 90 °C. A new equilibrium state could be established quickly when the heat load input changes, and temperature oscillation occurs hardly compared to the conventional LHP. The total thermal resistance increases with the increase of evaporator heat load, and decreases with increasing heat load of boiling pool. And the minimum thermal resistance of 0.07 °C/W is achieved at the heat load of 20–170 W for boiling pool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]