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Knowledge of the evolution of the Bangong-Nujiang Tethyan Ocean is crucial for reconstructing the paleography of the Tethyan Realm, given its significance as a key component of the eastern Tethys. Nonetheless, there has been uncertainty regarding both the timing and the processes involved in the closure of this ocean. This study focused on a 110-106 Ma igneous complex comprising basalts-basaltic andesites, trachyandesites, and granodiorites from the Sumxi area in the western part of the Qiangtang terrane of west-central Tibet. The basalts-basaltic andesites have SiO2 contents of 52.5-58.7 wt% and MgO contents of 2.89-4.63 wt%, and exhibit some arc-like geochemical signatures. However, these rocks also have elevated Nb contents (>10 ppm) and Nb/La ratios (>0.5), as well as enriched Sr-Nd isotopic composition [eNd(Z) = -7.40 to -6.00], implying that they are products of a mantle source metasomatized by adakitic melts. The trachyandesites are characterized by intermediate compositions (SiO2 = 63.6-65.2 wt%), high Mg number (40-60), and more enriched eNd(t) values (-8.37 to -7.49). Comparing their geochemical composition to that of mélange rocks, it is postulated that these trachyandesites were formed through the partial melting of a mantle source including mélange matrix rocks within a subduction zone. The granodiorites exhibit adakitic geochemical features (Sr = 830.14-1032.70 ppm, Y = 14.8615.37 ppm, Sr/Y = 54-68), indicating that they originated from the partial melting of a thickened lower crust in a continental arc setting. Our results, in combination with a synthesis of tectonomagmatism along the Bangong-Nujiang suture zone, provide con-vincing evidence for subduction of an oceanic plateau and subsequent slab roll-back. The Sumxi igneous complex, with its clear arc affinity, suggests that the Bangong-Nujiang Tethyan Ocean, or at least its western part, remained open until the late Early Cretaceous (ca. 106 Ma). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indian passive margin has preserved several pulses of magmatism during and after the disassembly of Gondwana since the late Paleozoic, providing valuable insights into the long-term magmatic evolution of various passive margins, including the Indian passive margin. In the Yumai Complex, eastern Tethyan Himalaya, a pulse of Late Triassic alkaline volcanism (ca. 227-216 Ma) is evident. The Late Triassic volcanic rocks are mildly alkaline to tholeiitic basalts with minor ultrabasic rocks, similar in geochemistry to within-plate flood basalts. The TiO2 contents (1.46-3.38 wt%, mainly >2 wt%), (La/Yb)N values (4.05-7.50), εNd(t) values (+4.86 to +6.98), and results from partial-melt modeling suggest that the basalts likely originated from garnet peridotite. Elemental and Sr-Nd systematics of magmatic rocks emplaced during the Triassic indicate oceanic island basalt (OIB) components in the magma source, interpreted as enriched mantle components rather than crustal contamination products. Spatiotemporal and geochemical patterns of magmatism reveal that the bulk compositions of the basalts changed from enriched OIB-like to depleted mid-ocean-ridge basalt (MORB)-like compositions. This phenomenon likely resulted from the evolving nature of the rifting basin, changing from a nascent continental setting to a mature ocean basin. The Triassic magmatism in the Tethyan Himalaya can be attributed to remnant lithospheric instability arising from the prolonged rifting of eastern Gondwana, leading to the formation of a magmatically passive margin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With an increased volume of spatial data, conventional spatial prediction methods have encountered significant challenges in handling complex data structures while maintaining statistical and computational efficiency. Recently, a spatial neural network method called DeepKriging has been proposed, which utilizes a set of basis functions as an embedded input to capture spatial information. In this study, we enhance this approach by using an ordered set of multi‐resolution thin plate spline basis functions, which offers ease of implementation and alleviates the challenges associated with basis function allocation, particularly when the data locations are highly irregular. The proposed method requires only the selection of the number of basis functions based on a validation dataset. In addition, we propose a robust version of DeepKriging, which is resistant to outliers. Several simulation experiments are conducted to show the advantages of our method over conventional statistical methods and the original DeepKriging approach. Finally, we apply the proposed method to a PM2.5 dataset in Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a common-mode noise suppression filter scheme for use in the servers and computer systems of high-speed buses such as SATA Express, HDMI 2.0, USB 3.2, and PCI Express 5.0. The filter uses a novel series-mushroom-defected corrugated reference plane (SMDCRP) structure. The measured results are similar to the full-wave simulation results. In the frequency domain, the measured insertion loss of the SMDCRP structure filter in differential mode (DM) can be kept below −4.838 dB from DC to 32 GHz and can maintain signal integrity characteristics. The common-mode (CM) suppression performance can suppress more than −10 dB from 8.81 GHz to 32.65 GHz. Fractional bandwidth can be increased to 115%, and CM noise can be ameliorated by 55.2%. In the time domain, using eye diagram verification, the filter shows complete differential signal transmission capability and supports a transmission rate of 32 Gb/s for high-speed buses. The SMDCRP structure filter reduces the electromagnetic interference (EMI) problem and meets the quality requirements for the controllers and sensors used in the server and computer systems of high-speed buses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recognition of the existence of an Andeantype continental margin in southern Tibet prior to its collision with India has provided crucial constraints on the formation of the Tibetan Plateau and South Asian climate evolution. Here, we focused on well-dated Late Cretaceous successions in the Linzhou Basin and determined the elevation changes from sea level to high mountains in the Gangdese magmatic arc in southern Tibet. Our results show that the Linzhou Basin was still submerged in the Tethyan Sea at around 92 Ma when it accumulated Cenomanian (ca. 105-92 Ma) shallow-marine orbitolinid-bearing limestones (Takena Formation); these limestones are unconformably overlain by Campanian (83-78 Ma) fluvial-lacustrine deposits (Shexing Formation) after an ~9 m.y. depositional hiatus. A prominent unconformity between the tightly folded Shexing Formation and gently tilted overlying Paleocene--Eocene Linzizong successions represents the formation of the regional Lhasaplano ca. 70 Ma, which may have been linked to the rise of an Andean-type Gangdese mountain range along the southern margin of the Lhasa terrane. Using carbonate oxygen isotope and clumped isotope thermometry data from the Shexing Formation paleosols, we quantitatively documented the rise of the Andeantype Gangdese Mountains with a peneplain surface at an elevation of 2.7 + 0.5/-0.9 km above sea level prior to onset of the India-Asia collision ca. 65-63 Ma. This scenario of surface gain may have been an isostatic compensation response to the crust thickening to over 50 km during the Late Cretaceous. Subsequently, the surface isostatically rose to its near-present elevation of ~4.6 km due to the removal of overthickened mantle lithosphere and revival of intense Gangdese magmatism by 56 Ma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vat photopolymerization (VPP) is an effective additive manufacturing (AM) process known for its high dimensional accuracy and excellent surface finish. It employs vector scanning and mask projection techniques to cure photopolymer resin at a specific wavelength. Among the mask projection methods, digital light processing (DLP) and liquid crystal display (LCD) VPP have gained significant popularity in various industries. To upgrade DLP and LCC VPP into a high-speed process, increasing both the printing speed and projection area in terms of the volumetric print rate is crucial. However, challenges arise, such as the high separation force between the cured part and the interface and a longer resin refilling time. Additionally, the divergence of the light-emitting diode (LED) makes controlling the irradiance homogeneity of large-sized LCD panels difficult, while low transmission rates of near ultraviolet (NUV) impact the processing time of LCD VPP. Furthermore, limitations in light intensity and fixed pixel ratios of digital micromirror devices (DMDs) constrain the increase in the projection area of DLP VPP. This paper identifies these critical issues and provides detailed reviews of available solutions, aiming to guide future research towards developing a more productive and cost-effective high-speed VPP in terms of the high volumetric print rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes a broadband common‐mode filter for suppressing common‐mode (CM) noise in high‐speed differential signals. The filter used a novel defected corrugated reference plane (DCRP) structure. It used structure changes to impact the characteristic impedances in the CM current return path, which caused many approach transmission zeros. The main purpose generated a larger CM noise stopband effect. The experimental results showed that the frequency domain can reduce the CM noise over 9.29 dB from 3.67 to 17.03 GHz. The fractional bandwidth was 129%. The CM noise can be improved by 68.2%. The insertion loss in differential mode (DM) was kept at less than −1.611 dB from DC to 20 GHz with good signal integrity. The eye diagram can support a 16 Gb/s transmission rate in the time domain. The DCRP structure filter supports high‐speed computer buses up to PCI Express 4.0, SATA Express, HDMI 1.4, and USB 3.2, which meet current computer products' needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the PCB process, overcoming common-mode noise radiation is critical. In past years, most studies have focused on a common-mode noise filter (CMNF) that can solve electromagnetic interference in high-speed digital systems by blocking and absorbing common-mode noise radiation. Unfortunately, connecting with any reflective common-mode noise filter (R-CMNF) and reducing the area of an absorptive common-mode noise filter (A-CMNF) are the most troublesome tasks in the PCB process. A novel equivalent circuit is proposed in this research to minimize the complexity of the design and improve accuracy. Detailed analyses of this proposed approach are entirely depicted in this article. The experiment result shows that 9% of fractional bandwidth centered at 2.25 Hz can achieve at least 90% absorption efficiency. With our proposed method, the area of A-CMNF is smaller than in state-of-the-art research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An antenna design is presented for long-distance transmission in the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) application. This antenna is in a dipole configuration but with dual-mode operations of both dipole and monopole mechanisms. The monopole behavior becomes apparent when installed on the UAV platform to provide a large ground. To ensure both modes’ good integration to produce a broad bandwidth, the dipole arms are formed by H-slot loaded microstrips to create a slower phase velocity. The separation between adjacent harmonic resonances can be decreased. This antenna has good vertically polarized radiation and maximum gains near the horizontal plane to provide better long-distance connections. Various combinations of H-shaped slots are applied to examine the bandwidth behaviors. The achieved size is 90 mm, roughly 1/3 wavelengths at 1.25 GHz and 1/4 at 0.8 GHz. The bandwidth is larger than 50%. Numerical HFSS full-wave simulation and measurement results are compared to validate the feasibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Triassic tectonic setting of the Tethyan Himalaya in southern Tibet remains controversial and is key to revealing the mechanism of Neo-Tethys Ocean opening and the breakup history of Gondwana. This paper reports 227-225 Ma mafic volcanic rocks interbedded within the Tethyan Himalaya sequence in southern Tibet, which were formed in a typical passive continental margin setting. The basalts are tholeiitic with high TiO2 (3.20-3.38 wt%) and moderate MgO (4.05-5.40 wt%) contents and exhibit enrichment in light rare earth elements and weak negative Nb, Ta, Eu, and Ti anomalies. These geochemical compositions, combined with uniform whole-rock eNd(t) (+1.50 to +2.70) values, indicate that the magmas were derived by low-degree melting of a deep-seated garnet source that was heterogeneously modified by an oceanic island basalt-type of component. Given the other geological evidence, we propose that the magmatic evolution of the Tethyan Himalaya during the late Paleozoic-Mesozoic was generally a lithospheric thinning process, that is, it evolved from a fully developed continental rift system during the Late Permian to wane during the Triassic. This interpretation further supports the hypothesis that the Neo-Tethys Ocean opened in a passive pattern and that the breakup of Gondwana in the late Paleozoic was initiated by lithospheric thinning. Therefore, the subsequent magmatism was related to the passive upwelling of normal asthenospheric materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the rapid development of semiconductor manufacturing processes and 5G mobile system design, the need for high-speed digital electronic circuit miniaturization, high operating frequency, and high-speed transmission of data continues to increase. Electronic components are becoming smaller with faster operating speed. Fabricating a complete electronic circuit system with components from different manufacturers is likely to lead to unpredictable electromagnetic interference, signal integrity, power integrity, and other issues. Therefore, electromagnetic compatibility has become a key topic in the design of electronic circuits. We present a modeling approach that can be used to build the stopband and passband in a $Z$ -shape and the electromagnetic band gap (EBG) individually. In the model, the printed circuit board (PCB) is divided into five segments of different sizes, each of which has separate rectangular power and ground planes. Through the mushroom-type EBG, these structures are connected as part of a vertical blind hole; that is, the $Z$ -shaped power bus comprises a rectangular resonant cavity and transmission line. The proposed modeling method is proven to have accurate simulation, and it can be applied to complicated broadband structure for integrating the whole derivation process into computer programs. The proposed titanic broadband suppression structure can better suppress simultaneous switching noise (SSN) coupling ($\le -30$ dB) within the range of 5 MHz–40 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a common-mode noise filter with a wideband suppressing and dual-band high absorbing common mode filter, which is called absorptive common-mode filter, is proposed. The filter is constructed by a reflective-type common-mode filter, a phase matching, and an absorber. It is composed of three layers with 14.98 mm × 9.585 mm. The broadband common-mode noise suppression can be achieved by positioning multiple transmission zeros. By using dual-band phase matching and an absorber, the dual-band absorption can be realized. The frequencies are in the range of 2.4 to 2.5 GHz and 5.17 to 5.33 GHz, respectively. The positioning of transmission zeros and absorption points at those frequencies leads to a high absorption efficiency. The simulation result shows that the common-mode suppression, which is below −10 dB, is from 2 to 11 GHz. The fractional bandwidth is 138%. The differential-mode signal keeps integrity in the range from DC to 12 GHz. The absorption efficiencies in the two frequency sections are 97% and 96%, respectively. The experiment results show only slight differences from the simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The honeycomb ventilated structure has a subwavelength thickness and a broad soundproofing bandwidth. • The bandwidth covers the human ear-sensitive frequency range and is much broader than most ventilated meta -panels. • The proposed acoustic-impedance model can significantly save computational resources compared to FEM simulations. • The proposed thin-ventilated device has wide applications in noisy industries, crowded buildings, and hospitals. In this research, we propose a ventilated acoustic meta -panel with a honeycomb appearance to overcome the challenges of attaining ventilation capability, broad bandwidth, and insulation performance simultaneously in a miniaturized size. A hexagonal unit cell comprises a pair of dual parallel hollow channels and is interconnected with a meandered air-flowing path to reduce the resonant-induced transmission leakages and achieve broadband sound insulation while maintaining air ventilation and compact sizes. Each unit cell has a subwavelength thickness of 0.06 λ and a compact volume of 6.24 × 10−5 λ3 where λ corresponds to the lowest frequency of the bandwidth. The device is theoretically analyzed with an equivalent acoustic impedance model, considering the curved channel effects and thermoviscous loss for sound wave propagation within narrow tubes. The circuit model provides a design guideline to optimize the geometric parameters for desired frequency responses. The circuit simulations are compared with 3D finite element simulations considering thermal conductivity effects and viscous loss. The unit-cell simulation results showed a broad soundproof bandwidth ranging from 427 Hz to 5979 Hz with 90 % sound energy insulations. For practical examinations, a 3D-printing prototype is fabricated and inserted in a commercial impedance tube system with a diameter of 10 cm. The experimental results demonstrated a wide sound filtering bandwidth ranging from 422 Hz to 1800 Hz and an air ventilation capability of 12 %. The proposed thin panel with broadband sound insulations and sufficient air ventilations has potential applications such as noise reduction in high-speed trains and factories and sound silencing in hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The proposed approach provides a design guideline for lateral or longitudinal coupled ventilated sound silencers. • The even/odd mode analysis and equivalent impedance model provide theoretical analysis for broadband ventilated structures. • The proposed acoustic-impedance model can significantly save computational resources compared to FEM simulations. In this research, we proposed an acoustic impedance-based design method to increase the soundproofing bandwidths and maintain efficient air ventilation for tubular structures consisting of hollow air-flowing channels. This research has great potential to provide design guidelines based on an acoustic impedance model and even/odd mode analysis for hollow-tube ventilated devices containing resonance and antiresonances. We introduced a thin ventilated structure with a subwavelength thickness of 0.107 λ where λ corresponds to the lowest frequency within the filtering bandwidth, a 19.4 % cross-section open for air passage, and a 10 dB fractional bandwidth of 110.2 % (i.e., 90 % sound energy is blocked), which is broader than that of a conventional Fano-like structure of 44.7 %. To experimentally verify the proposed approach, two prototypes, including lateral-coupled and longitudinal-coupled devices, were designed, fabricated with 3D printing, and experimentally characterized via a commercial-available impedance tube system. The simulations matched the measurements and demonstrated the 10 dB fractional bandwidth of 65 % and 91.5 % and ventilation efficiencies of 21.4 % and 33.4 %, respectively. The main contribution of this work is that the proposed approach can be adopted for lateral or longitudinal coupled ventilated structures with broadband sound insulations and lower the effects of resonance-induced sound transmissions. Besides, the proposed acoustic-impedance model can significantly save the required tremendous computational resources and time compared to FEM simulations. Moreover, the proposed lateral and longitudinal ventilated structures are expected to benefit broadband sound filtering and noise reduction for thin panel or tubular silencers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the relationship between preoperative urine culture, bacterial species and infection after percutaneous nephrolithotomy in patients with upper urinary tract stones, and summarize the clinical characteristics of different bacterial infections. From January 2014 and January 2020, 963 patients with upper urinary tract stones who underwent PCNL in the department of urology of Fujian provincial hospital were included in the study. Information included the patient's age, gender, weight, diabetes, chronic disease history, urine routine, preoperative urine culture results, stone size, number of stones, hydronephrosis level, operation time, body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, hemoglobin, serum creatinine, bilirubin, platelets and whether there was preoperative infection were recorded. 141 patients (14.6%) had a positive urine culture before surgery, and 7 of them had multiple bacterial infections. The most common pathogenic bacteria was Escherichia coli, followed by Enterococcus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. A total of 74 cases (7.7%) of 963 patients with infection after PCNL occurred, 24 cases (32.4%) of infected patients progressed to urinary septic shock. Univariate analysis shown that the probability of infection in patients with long operation time and positive urine culture was significantly higher, and the difference was statistically significant. Further multivariate logistic regression analysis shown that positive urine culture before operation and long operation time were independent risk factors for infection after PCNL. Among the 29 patients with septic shock, 18 cases (62.1%) had a positive urine culture before surgery. The incidence (43.9%) of postoperative infection in Escherichia coli positive patients was significantly higher than that in the negative group, and the difference was statistically significant. The rate of patients with Escherichia coli infection progressing to septic shock was 9 cases (60%). 2 patients with Enterococcus faecium infection and 2 patients with Klebsiella pneumoniae infection all progressed to septic shock. The age of patients with post-PCNL infection caused by Escherichia Coli, Enterococcus faecium and Klebsiella pneumoniae were 58.53 ± 11.73 years, 76.5 years and 74 years.The body temperature of patients with post-PCNL infection caused by Escherichia Coli, Enterococcus faecium and Klebsiella pneumoniae were 39.10 ± 0.25 °C, 39.45 °C and 38.65 °C. The highest pct value of patients with post-PCNL infection caused by Escherichia Coli, Enterococcus faecium and Klebsiella pneumoniae were 80.62 ± 31.45 ng/mL, 24.32 ng/mL and 8.45 ng/mL. The nitrite positive rate of patients with post-PCNL infection caused by Escherichia Coli, Enterococcus faecium and Klebsiella pneumoniae were 64.51%, 16.6% and 0. Postoperative infection of PCNL is significantly correlated with positive preoperative urine culture, and positive preoperative urine culture is an independent risk factor for postoperative infection. The most common pathogen of postoperative infection of PCNL is Escherichia coli, followed by Enterococcus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Patients with Escherichia coli infection are often positive for nitrite before surgery, mainly manifested by high fever, and PCT is significantly increased (often exceeded 100 ng/ml). Enterococcus faecium and Klebsiella pneumoniae infections mostly occur in elderly patients and often progress to septic shock. Patients with Enterococcus faecium infection have a high fever, and the PCT value is significantly higher (often exceeded 20 ng/ml). Patients with Klebsiella pneumoniae infection have a moderate fever, and the PCT value generally does not exceeded 10 ng/ml. Long operation time is another independent risk factor for PCNL infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article declares a simple voltage balancing and decoupling control methodology for four-level flying capacitor converter. The proposed approach only uses two proportional controllers to balance the capacitor voltages and one additional proportional-integral controller to regulate the output voltage without sensing the inductor current. The proposed decoupled design reduces the interactions between the output regulating loop and voltage balancing loop. Eventually, a 400-W prototype is set up to verify the theoretic analysis and dynamic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the design and analysis of four types of dual-band resonance inductive coupling architecture for wireless power transfer and near-field communication applications, respectively, SS, SP, PS, and PP. These four types of architecture are composed of LC series (LC branch) and LC parallel (LC tank). For example, the first S of SP means that the primary side circuit uses an LC branch in series with the LC tank, and the second P of SP means that the secondary side circuit uses an LC tank in parallel with the LC branch. This design sets the dual-band inductive coupling frequencies at 6.78 and 13.56 MHz, respectively. Next, consider the load effect caused by the magnetic coupling between the two coils and compensate for it on the primary side of the coil. In addition, this article also proposes four types of design guidelines through theoretical analysis. These design guidelines can be uses to determine the inductance value and capacitance value of the LC-branch and LC-tank on the primary and secondary sides, respectively. Finally, the simulation and measurement results are in agreement with design guidelines. That will be very valuable in future practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices is strongly dependent on the electronic structure at the interface, including energetic offset induced by the electronic coupling of the materials and how the materials link to each other. Herein, the studies on modification of the interface of active layer and cathodes with insertion of carrier selective materials are reported. The thermalization of hot metal diffusion via X‐ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) as well as the energetic offset via ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy (UPS) in situ is characterized. These investigations allow them to investigate the mechanisms at the interface and correlate these findings with the device performance, such as the correlation between interfacial energy band alignment and charge carrier transport, recombination, and extraction. Finally, the influence of cathode modification materials with various energetic offsets or transport behaviors on Voc and OPV performance parameters is investigated. With these studies, it is suggested that the incorporation of electrode modification materials with energetic favorable band alignment can achieve better photovoltaic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a planar inverted‐F antenna (PIFA) pair with reflectors for near‐field power transfer at a frequency of 2.45 GHz is proposed. In order to enhance efficiency of power transmission and reduce electromagnetic wave leaked to free space due to the power transmission, the reflectors are installed around the transmitting and receiving antenna pair except on the open side. The transmitting antenna is designed with high impedance characteristics to prevent the radiated electromagnetic wave to free space when the antenna is waiting for the power transmission. The receiving antenna is designed for Wi‐Fi and also functions as an antenna for energy harvesting at a frequency of 2.4 GHz when the antenna operates solely. Furthermore, the L‐shaped slot is added on the FR‐4 substrate of the receiving antenna as a harmonic rejection filter (HRF) used to suppress reradiation of the higher order harmonics and improve the conversion efficiency. The conversion efficiency of the proposed transmitting and receiving antenna pair is 79.4% when the input RF power is 23 dBm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benzoic acid (BA) is widely used as an antimicrobial preservative to prolong the shelf‐life of pickled vegetables. A method for rapidly determining the BA content in forty pickled vegetable samples was developed by coupling ultrasonic extraction with surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and an adaptive iteratively reweighted penalized least‐squares (AirPLS) algorithm. The results obtained with this method were compared and correlated with those from high‐performance liquid chromatography measurements. Amplification of the Raman scattering via the SERS effect was induced by gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) when BA was irradiated with a 785 nm laser. The AirPLS algorithm was used to reduce the background interference signal, which was also amplified. The amplified Raman scattering effect of BA in the pickled vegetables displayed a positive and significant correlation with the HPLC concentration of BA, with high reproducibility. For HPLC determination of the concentration of BA in the range of 0–820 ppm, the BA monomer's intensity of the 944–1,005 cm−1 and 1,366–1,373 cm−1 peaks, and BA dimer's intensity of the 1,025 cm−1 and 1,465–1,482 cm−1 peaks in the SERS spectrum were respectively converted to the Z‐ratio BA monomer and Z‐ratio BA dimer standard scores by Z‐Score conversion. The sum's (Z‐ratio BA monomer + Z‐ratio BA dimer) sensitivity was 100%, and specificity was 90.9% by receiver operating characteristic curve. This study found that a Raman spectroscopy‐based monitoring method can be one of the fastest screening inspection options that can complete an analysis within a short period of time and produce reliable results. This approach is particularly cost‐effective, which makes it suitable for the initial screening of raw materials and provides an effective management strategy easy to communicate with food safety officials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adding mushroom-like electromagnetic band-gap (EBG) structures to split power planes can produce wideband suppression of ground bounce noise in high-speed printed circuit boards. Practical equations are used to estimate the stop-band performance of EBG structures within parallel power planes. In this article, a mushroom-like EBG and power-bus structure are derived using the modified nodal analysis (MNA) method. Equations calculated using the MNA method are easily programmable. The partial EBG structures developed in this article can suppress noise from electromagnetic (EM) interference within parallel plates in the power bus. Several examples below show that similar results can be obtained in measurements, in EM simulations software, and in derived equations. The proposed structure enhanced the suppression of simultaneous switching noise coupling (≤−40 dB) within the range of 260 MHz to 10 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The forearc basin in Myanmar is significant in understanding the development of continental forearc basins. We present stratigraphic, sandstone petrographic, and U-Pb detrital data from Upper Cretaceous-Eocene strata of Chindwin and Minbu sub-basins in the Central Myanmar Depression. The Upper Cretaceous lower Kabaw Formation consists of turbiditic conglomerate, sandstone, and mudstone in the Minbu sub-basin. The composition of conglomerates are mainly schist and subordinate quartz. Prominent detrital zircon age probability peaks are between 260 and 223 Ma, similar with that of Upper Triassic Pane Chaung turbidites and Kanpetlet schist on the West Burma plate. In the upper Kabaw Formation, turbiditic volcanic- rich sandstones have major age populations ranging from 103 to 70 Ma in both Minbu and Chindwin sub-basins. The Paleocene slope environment Paunggyi Formation, which overlies the Kabaw Formation, mainly consists of conglomerate, sandstone, mudstone, and tuff beds in the Minbu sub-basin. In contrast, the Paunggyi Formation in the Chindwin sub-basin is composed of sandstone and mudstone; major detrital zircon age populations from the Paunggyi Formation are between 100 and 60 Ma. Eocene strata in both basins are composed mainly of shallow marine to delta sandstone and mudstone. Major detrital zircon age populations are 100-36 Ma and 600-500 Ma. The Late Cretaceous-Eocene ages from Upper Cretaceous- Eocene strata overlap with igneous crystallization ages from the Western Myanmar Arc. We propose that the Chindwin and Minbu sub-basins developed as parts of a forearc basin along the west flank of Western Myanmar Arc (present coordinate). The forearc basin initiated in Albian time atop the continental West Burma plate due to the formation of a structural high along the western margin of West Burma plate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mohe-Daqing oil pipeline (MDOP) of China-Russia crude oil pipeline (CRCOP) goes through a 441 km permafrost in high-latitude regions. Construction technology, oil temperature, and global warming effect cause the increase of ground temperature and accelerate the degradation of permafrost. The influence of geohazards on the existing CRCOP and its accompanying road was investigated in this study, which showed that the current engineering had been affected by freezing-thawing. In view of this problem, the permafrost thermal stability of the oil pipe and accompanying road was simulated based on the MDOP, considering different oil temperatures, global warming, thermal insulation, and different distances between the two. The numerical results indicate that the oil temperature had considerable influence on the thawing rate of permafrost. Placing the thermal insulation material around the oil pipe can effectively mitigate or even control the degradation of permafrost. With this measurement, the thaw depth has remained stable after 5 years of construction and had been controlled within 3.0 m when the thermal insulation thickness reached 8.0 cm. The larger the distance between the oil pipe and accompanying road, the lesser the thermal disturbance. Therefore, the thermal stability of MDOP can positively adopt a suitable oil temperature for thermal insulation thickness, along with an optimized distance away from the accompanying road as well. This study would also provide an essential theoretical and technological support for the design of oil pipeline in other permafrost regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honokiol, a natural polyphenol, which was reported to have satisfactory influenza neuraminidase (NA) inhibitory activity, was structurally modified. Twenty-three compounds were synthesized and the ortho-effects in the epoxidation and hydrolyzation reactions were studied. The derivatives were evaluated for NA inhibitory activity and the benzoylhydrazone derivatives showed much better anti-NA activity than honokiol. Structure-activity relationship analysis suggested that the polyphenols exhibited better anti-NA activity than monophenols and biphenols. Furthermore, probable binding mode of drug with target revealed that the most active compound had much stronger interactions with the active site of NA than honokiol suggesting the potent anti-influenza virus activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a known natural product with anti-tumor activity, honokiol has been widely researched and structural modified. Lots of honokiol derivatives have been found to possess good anti-proliferative activity and showed great potential in cancer therapy, but the SAR (structure-activity relationship) was still confused. Here in, the SAR were comprehensively researched by summary of reported derivatives and synthesis of novel derivatives. Amongst novel derivatives, the promising compounds A6 and A10 exhibited potent and selective anti-proliferative activities against K562 cell line with the IC 50 values of 5.04 and 7.08 μM respectively. The SAR was discussed around honokiol and 79 derivatives by the means of CoMFA and theoretical calculation, which provided useful suggestion for further structural optimization of honokiol derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Encoding multiple videos in parallel and transmitting them as one joint stream over a limited bandwidth have become a popular strategy for broadcasting, which brings an opportunity to allocate different bitrate for each sequence to meet different demands. In this paper, considering visual experience for human beings, we propose a joint rate allocation scheme aims to reach an equal visual quality among all sequences by minimizing the distortion variance of all the sequences (denoted as minVAR problems). Existing methods assigned bits directly in proportion to their complexity measures and we named them as complexity based allocation scheme (CAS) methods. CAS methods rely on the accuracy of the complexity measures which can hardly be improved under limited computing resources. Also complexities may not be directly related to the distortions. To address these problems, we present a novel joint rate-distortion (R-D) based allocation scheme (RDAS) in this paper. Our proposed scheme can fit for different R-D models and in our method we model the R-D relationship with a hyperbolic function (RDAS-H). We also derive a closed-form solution of RDAS-H by a proposed joint R-D relationship. We integrated the RDAS-H method in high efficiency video coding reference software HM16.0. Experimental results demonstrate that our RDAS-H saves 75.29% variance on average over the related CAS-based method, where we apply both low delay and random access configurations with four different overall bandwidths for all classes recommended by the Joint Collaborative Team on Video Coding. Besides, RDAS-H also saves 36.62% variance on average over our previous method. The proposed RDAS-H method improves the performance significantly while requiring negligible computational cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geochronology is useful for understanding provenance, and while it has been applied to the central and western Himalaya, very little data are available in the eastern Himalaya. This study presents detrital zircon U–Pb ages from the late Palaeocene–Eocene Yinkiong Group in NE India. The samples are from the late Palaeocene to early Eocene Lower Yinkiong Formation, and the Upper Yinkiong Formation deposited during the early to mid‐Eocene within the Himalayan foreland basin. The U–Pb ages of the detrital zircon within the Lower Yinkiong Formation are older than late Palaeozoic, with a cratonic and early Himalayan Thrust Belt affinity, whereas the Cenozoic grains in the Upper Yinkiong Formation indicate a Himalayan Thrust Belt source and possibly a granitic body within the Asian plate. The shift of the sources and the changes in the foreland basin system strongly suggest that the India–Asia collision in the Eastern Himalaya began before or immediately after the deposition of the Upper Yinkiong Formation, i.e., within the early Eocene (c. 56 to 50 Ma). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study integrates detrital zircon U–Pb–Hf isotopic analysis from 13 sandstone samples from an Upper Cretaceous–Miocene sedimentary sequence in Nepal Himalaya to determine their provenance. These sequences constrain a shifting of provenance from south to north. The U–Pb ages from Upper Cretaceous–Palaeocene strata (Amile Formation) mainly cluster between ~1,860 and 1,400 Ma with a peak at ~1,630 Ma and an absence of grains younger than the Palaeoproterozoic (1,400 Ma) age. The detritus yielded positive detrital zircon ƐHf (t) values (as high as +10). However, the detrital zircon U–Pb ages from Eocene–Miocene sequence cluster at ~500–650, ~700–900, ~1,600–1,850, and ~2,500 Ma, and in addition, they have both positive and negative ƐHf (t) values (+11 to −25). This finding further elucidates that the detritus in the Amile Formation was entirely sourced from India, which changed following the time of the Bhainskati Formation deposition, to a mixture of both Asian and Indian affinities (the Himalayan region). This change in source region marks the possible time of the India–Asia collision during this transition phase, that is, Late Palaeocene–Earliest Eocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a multifunctional substrate of ultrathin‐layer chromatography (UTLC) and surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), which enables analytes separation and label‐free detection simultaneously. This integrated substrate is composed of silicon nanowires array (SiNWA), decorated with silver nano‐dendrites (AgNDs). This SiNWA is fabricated by a facile and low‐cost metal‐assisted chemical etching process, and the AgNDs are then decorated onto SiNWA by chemical reduction process. These AgNDs provide abundant hot spots by inducing strong localized electric field, which is confirmed by finite‐difference time‐domain simulation calculations. With the optimized multifunctional substrate, the screening of melamine is successfully validated. The high linear dependence of signal intensity and melamine concentrations from 15 to 1,500 ppm with small deviation was carried out by our developed UTLC–SERS substrate, providing a great potential for quantitative detection. Besides, the SERS signals further show a low relative standard deviation of 8.7%, benefited from the calibration by a peak located at 520 cm−1 of silicon. In short, such a low‐cost, high‐stable multifunctional substrate of UTLC and SERS can be readily employed for practical applications of rapid biochemical mixture screening. We present a multifunctional substrate with the functions of ultrathin‐layer chromatography (UTLC) and surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), which enables mixture separation and label‐free detection simultaneously. This integrated substrate is composed of silicon nanowires array (SiNWA), decorated with silver nano‐dendrites (AgNDs). The AgNDS provide abundant hot spots by inducing strong localized electrical field. Finally, the high linear dependence of signal intensity and melamine concentration from 2.5 to 1,500 ppm with small deviation was carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We propose an invisible multi‐ultra‐thin slot antenna and a planar inverted‐F antenna (PIFA) coupling design for handheld mobile devices in complete metal housing systems. To enhance the bandwidth of the traditional single λ/4 PIFA used in a 2.45‐GHz Wi‐Fi system and to consider the strong impact on radiation due to the metal‐housing shielding effect and position of the internal antenna, this design etches 0.1‐mm wide slots on the metal housing using PIFA to excite these slot antennas through coupling. The metal housing is a major radiator that enhances the antenna bandwidth and efficiency. It uses electric and magnetic coupling between the two antennas to achieve the specification bandwidth, and we design the number, gap, and position of slots by investigating the mutual coupling effect. The bandwidth of the proposed structure is 147 and 134 MHz in simulations and in measurements involving the etching of three multi‐ultra‐thin slots, respectively (L = 38 mm, W = 0.1 mm), for 2.45‐GHz usage. The results depict that this design enhances the antenna bandwidth when some slots are etched, especially for handheld devices with metal housing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycan decorates all mammalian cell surfaces through glycosylation, which is one of the most important post-modifications of proteins. Glycans mediate a wide variety of biological processes, including cell growth and differentiation, cell-cell communication, immune response, pathogen interaction, and intracellular signaling events. Besides, tumor cells aberrantly express distinct sets of glycans, which can indicate different tumor onsets and progression processes. Thus, analysis of cellular glycans may contribute to understanding of glycan-related biological processes and correlation of glycan patterns with disease states for clinical diagnosis and treatment. Although proteomics and glycomics have included great efforts for in vitro study of glycan structures and functions using lysis samples of cells or tissues, they cannot offer real-time qualitative or quantitative information, especially spatial distribution, of glycans on/in intact cells, which is important to the revelation of glycan-related biological events. Moreover, the complex lysis and separation procedures may bring unpredictable loss of glycan information. Focusing on the great urgency for in situ analysis of cellular glycans, our group developed a series of methods for in situ analysis of cellular glycans in the past 10 years. By construction of electrochemical glycan-recognizable probes, glycans on the cell surface can be quantified by direct or competitive electrochemical detection. Using multichannel electrodes or encoded lectin probes, multiple glycans on the cell surface can be dynamically monitored simultaneously. Through design of functional nanoprobes, the cell surface protein-specific glycans and intracellular glycan-related enzymes can be visualized by fluorescence or Raman imaging. Besides, some biological enzymes-based methods have been developed for remodeling or imaging of protein-specific glycans and other types of glycoconjugates, such as gangliosides. Through tracing the changes of glycan expression induced by drugs or gene interference, some glycan-related biological processes have been deduced or proved, demonstrating the reliability and practicability of the developed methods. This Account surveys the key technologies developed in this area, along with the discussion on the shortages of current methodology as well as the possible strategies to overcome those shortages. The future trend in this topic is also discussed. It is expected that this Account can provide a versatile arsenal for chemical and biological researchers to unravel the complex mechanisms involved in glycan-related biological processes and light new beacons in tumor diagnosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) imaging, an established procedure for evaluation of malignancy, reports an increased 18F-FDG uptake in acute or chronic inflammatory condition. Lymph node tuberculosis (LNTB) is the most common form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. However, the absence of clinical symptoms and bacteriological basis makes it difficult to diagnose. In the current case report, two patients with LNTB mimicking malignant lymphoma are presented by 18F-FDG PET/CT. The objective of the present report is to emphasize that LNTB should be considered as a noteworthy differential diagnosis in patients with enlarged lymph nodes, particularly in tuberculosis-endemic countries, and that lymph node biopsy serves a vital role in diagnosing LNTB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As oil/gas exploitation moves into deep water, hydrate formation and plugging in flowline have been a main concern of the flow assurance engineers. A series of experiments were conducted in a gas-emulsion multiphase flow system using a high pressure flow loop. The properties of hydrate agglomeration and deposition in different flow patterns were investigated. First, based on the hydrate chord length distribution and the changes of slurry density, several methods were proposed to quantitatively estimate the hydrate agglomeration degree and deposition degree. Second, typical results in each flow pattern were analyzed, and the plug formation mechanisms in each flow pattern were proposed. Then, after comparing the results in each flow pattern, it was found that the order of hydrate agglomeration degree from high to low is slug flow, stratified flow, bubble flow, and annular flow; and the order of hydrate deposition degree from high to low is annular flow, slug flow, bubble flow, and stratified flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of tandem spacing on the flow-induced motions (FIM) of two circular cylinders with passive turbulence control is investigated using two-dimensional (2D) unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with the Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model. Results are compared to experiments in the range of Reynolds number of 30,000 < Re < 100,000. The center-to-center spacing between the two cylinders is varied from 2 to 6 diameters. Simulation results predict well all the ranges of FIM including vortex-induced vibrations (VIV) and galloping and match well with experimental measurements. For the upstream cylinder, the amplitude and frequency responses are not considerably influenced by the downstream cylinder when the spacing is greater than 2D. For the downstream cylinder, a rising amplitude trend in the VIV upper-branch can be observed in all the cases as is typical of flows in the TrSL3 flow regime (transition in shear layer 3; 2 × 104 < Re < 3 × 105). The galloping branch merges with the VIV upper-branch for spacing greater than three-dimensional (3D). Vortex structures show significant variation in different flow regimes in accordance with experimental observations. High-resolution postprocessing shows that the interaction between the wakes of cylinders results in various types of FIM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We reconstruct the rise of a segment of the southern flank of the Himalaya-Tibet orogen, to the south of the Lhasa terrane, using a paleoaltimeter based on paleoenthalpy encoded in fossil leaves from two new assemblages in southern Tibet (Liuqu and Qiabulin) and four previously known floras from the Himalaya foreland basin. U-Pb dating of zircons constrains the Liuqu flora to the latest Paleocene (ca. 56 Ma) and the Qiabulin flora to the earliest Miocene (21-19 Ma). The proto-Himalaya grew slowly against a high (~4 km) proto-Tibetan Plateau from ~1 km in the late Paleocene to ~2.3 km at the beginning of the Miocene, and achieved at least ~5.5 km by ca. 15 Ma. Contrasting precipitation patterns between the Himalaya-Tibet edifice and the Himalaya foreland basin for the past ~56 m.y. show progressive drying across southern Tibet, seemingly linked to the uplift of the Himalaya orogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The molecule 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-hydroxypropanoic acid (danshensu), a herbal preparation used in traditional Chinese medicine, has been found to possess potential antitumor and anti-angiogenesis effects. The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of the combination of radiation therapy (RT) with danshensu in the treatment of Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) xenografts, whilst exploring and evaluating the mechanism involved. In total, 8-week old female C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned into 3 groups to receive: RT, RT + cisplatin and RT + danshensu, respectively, when LLC reached 100-150 mm3. Each group was divided into 7 subgroups according to the different irradiation doses that were administered. Tumor growth curves were created and the sensitization enhancement ratios of the drugs were calculated. The experiment was then repeated, and the 4 groups of tumor-bearing mice were treated with natural saline, danshensu, RT + danshensu and RT, respectively. The mice were sacrificed on day 7, and tumor tissue and blood were collected to determine microvessel density, the expression of proangiogenic factors, and the levels of blood thromboxane B2 and 6-keto-prostaglandin-F1a. Tumor hypoxia was also detected using in vivo fluorescence imaging. With respect to LLC xenografts, treatment with danshensu + RT significantly enhanced the effects of tumor growth inhibition (P<0.05). Furthermore, tumor vasculature was remodeled and microcirculation was improved, which significantly reduced tumor hypoxia (P<0.05). The present study demonstrated that danshensu significantly enhanced the radioresponse of LLC xenografts in mice. The mechanism involved may be associated with the alleviation of tumor cell hypoxia following treatment with danshensu + RT, caused by the improvement of tumor microcirculation and the remodeling of tumor vasculature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past, conventional edge-coupled differential serpentine and spiral delay lines were widely employed to minimize the clock skew and to compensate the time skew between two differential pairs in high speed printed circuit boards application. Now, in order to minimize the circuit size in a miniaturized design, the spacing between two parallel adjacent unit lines of delay line will be closer and closer, but it is facing electromagnetic coupling and crosstalk noise from adjacent lines. Furthermore, the time skew between positive and negative lines of the edge-coupled differential delay lines results from the lines with non-symmetrical right-angle bended routing, the common mode noise will also get higher and higher. Thus, new differential routing schemes of serpentine and spiral delay lines with broadside-coupled geometry were proposed to reduce the common mode noise. Moreover, in order to validate the accuracy of presented inductive and capacitive circuit models applied to broadside-coupled geometry, the 3-D full wave simulation and measurement validations of near-end crosstalk noise, far-end crosstalk noise and eye diagram have been also implemented in this paper. It is shown that the measured results are in good agreements with the simulated results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Thyroid hormones have been associated with renal dysfunction in cross-sectional studies. However, prospective studies exploring the effect of thyroid hormones on renal function decline were sparse and got contradictive results. We aimed to prospectively explore the associations of thyroid hormones with incident chronic kidney disease (CKD) and rapid decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in Chinese adults. Methods: The participants were from a community-based cohort including 2103 individuals aged 40 years or above without CKD at baseline. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3) and free thyroxin (FT4) were measured by radioimmunoassay at baseline. Serum creatinine, urinary creatinine and albumin were measured at baseline and follow-up. CKD was defined as eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m2 or urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio ≥30 mg/g. Rapid eGFR decline was defined as an annual eGFR decline >3 ml/min/1.73 m2. Results: During 4 years of follow-up, 198 participants developed CKD and 165 experienced rapid eGFR decline. Compared to tertile 1, tertile 3 of FT4 levels were associated with 1.88-folds (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.27-2.77) increased risk of incident CKD; and 1.64-folds (95% CI, 1.07-2.50) increased risk of rapid eGFR decline (both P for trend ≤0.02), after adjustment for confounders. Each 1-pmol/l of FT4 was associated with 12% increased risk of incident CKD and 10% of rapid eGFR decline. Among the incident CKD individuals, FT4 was significantly associated with higher risk of concurrent complications and further outcomes of CKD. We did not find associations of FT3 or TSH with CKD or rapid eGFR decline. Conclusions: Higher FT4, but not TSH and FT3, was associated with increased risk of incident CKD and rapid eGFR decline in middle-aged and elderly Chinese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This article presents a compact design of shorted patch rectenna with the harmonic rejection properties for the applications of wireless power transmission. To improve the power conversion efficiency (PCE), the harmonic rejection filter widely used in the conventional design is removed from the circuit to reduce the insertion loss. Instead, the rejection of higher order harmonic noise that was generated from the rectifying diodes is achieved by etching a U-shape slot resonator on the shorted patch antenna. As a result, this method may improve the PCE without sacrificing the capability of higher order harmonic noise rejection. The design procedure and performance of the proposed shorted patch rectenna will be presented in detail in this article. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2250-2257, 2016 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mesozoic plate tectonic history of Gondwana-derived crustal blocks of the Tibetan Plateau is hotly debated, but so far, paleomagnetic constraints quantifying their paleolatitude drift history remain sparse. Here, we compile existing data published mainly in Chinese literature and provide a new, high-quality, well-dated paleomagnetic pole from the ca. 180 Ma Sangri Group volcanic rocks of the Lhasa terrane that yields a paleolatitude of 3.7°S ± 3.4°. This new pole confirms a trend in the data that suggests that Lhasa drifted away from Gondwana in Late Triassic time, instead of Permian time as widely perceived. A total northward drift of ~4500 km between ca. 220 and ca. 130 Ma yields an average south-north plate motion rate of 5 cm/yr. Our results are consistent with either an Indian or an Australian provenance of Lhasa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic Helicobacter pylori infection triggers neoplastic transformation of the gastric mucosa in a small subset of patients, but the risk factors that induce progression to gastric metaplasia have not been identified. Prior to cancer development, the oxyntic gastric glands atrophy and are replaced by metaplastic cells in response to chronic gastritis. Previously, we identified schlafen 4 (Slfn4) as a GLI1 target gene and myeloid differentiation factor that correlates with spasmolytic polypeptide-expressing metaplasia (SPEM) in mice. Here, we tested the hypothesis that migration of SLFN4-expressing cells from the bone marrow to peripheral organs predicts preneoplastic changes in the gastric microenvironment. Lineage tracing in Helicobacter-infected Slfn4 reporter mice revealed that SLFN4+ cells migrated to the stomach, where they exhibited myeloid-derived suppressor cell (MDSC) markers and acquired the ability to inhibit T cell proliferation. SLFN4+ MDSCs were not observed in infected GLI1-deficient mice. Overexpression of sonic hedgehog ligand (SHH) in infected WT mice accelerated the appearance of SLFN4+ MDSCs in the gastric corpus. Similarly, in the stomachs of H. pylori-infected patients, the human SLFN4 ortholog SLFN12L colocalized to cells that expressed MDSC surface markers CD15+CD33+HLA-DRlo. Together, these results indicate that SLFN4 marks a GLI1-dependent population of MDSCs that predict a shift in the gastric mucosa to a metaplastic phenotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate an approach that utilizes DNA-functionalized gold nanorods (AuNRs) in an indirect competitive assay format to increase the spectra shift in localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) biosensing. We use interferon gamma (IFN-γ) as a model analyte to demonstrate the feasibility of our detection method. The LSPR chips with periodic gold nanodot arrays are fabricated using a thermal lithography process and are functionalized with IFN-γ aptamers for detection. The DNA-functionalized AuNRs and IFN-γ compete with each other to bind to the aptamers during detection, and the spectra shifts are mainly caused by the AuNRs rather than IFN-γ. When using our approach, the target molecules do not need to be captured by two capture ligands simultaneously during detection and thus do not require multiple binding sites. Both experiments and finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations show that making the AuNRs as close to the chip surface as possible is very critical for increasing LSPR shifts, and the simulated results also show that the orientation of the AuNR affects the plasmon coupling between the gold nanodots on the chip surface and the nearby AuNRs. Although only the detection of IFN-γ is demonstrated in this study, we expect that the LSPR biosensing method can be applied to label-free detection of a variety of molecules as long as suitable aptamers are available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amphiregulin (AREG), an epidermal growth factor receptor ligand, is implicated in tissue repair and fibrosis, but its cellular source and role in regeneration versus fibrosis remain unclear. In this study, we hypothesize that AREG induced in bone marrow-derived CD11c+ cells is essential for pulmonary fibrosis. Thus, the objectives were to evaluate the importance and role of AREG in pulmonary fibrosis, identify the cellular source of AREG induction, and analyze its regulation of fibroblast function and activation. The results showed that lung AREG expression was significantly induced in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. AREG deficiency in knockout mice significantly diminished pulmonary fibrosis. Analysis of AREG expression in major lung cell types revealed induction in fibrotic lungs predominantly occurred in CD11c+ cells. Moreover, depletion of bone marrow-derived CD11c+ cells suppressed both induction of lung AREG expression and pulmonary fibrosis. Conversely, adoptive transfer of bone marrow-derived CD11c+ cells from bleomycin-treated donor mice exacerbated pulmonary fibrosis, but not if the donor cells were made AREG deficient prior to transfer. CD11c+ cell-conditioned media or coculture stimulated fibroblast proliferation, activation, and myofibroblast differentiation in an AREG-dependent manner. Furthermore, recombinant AREG induced telomerase reverse transcriptase, which appeared to be essential for the proliferative effect. Finally, AREG significantly enhanced fibroblast motility, which was associated with increased expression of a6 integrin. These findings suggested that induced AREG specifically in recruited bone marrow-derived CD11c+ cells promoted bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis by activation of fibroblast telomerase reverse transcriptase-dependent proliferation, motility, and indirectly, myofibroblast differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the reduced graphene oxide was modified by grafting thymine on its surface. The resultant reduced graphene oxide-thymine composite (rGO-Thy) exhibits a higher Hg(II) adsorption capacity and selectivity compared with rGO as the functional group of thymine shows a strong affinity toward Hg(II) and forms the thymine-Hg(II)-thymine complex. The relative selectivity coefficients of rGO-Thy for Hg(II)/Pb(II), Hg (II)/Ni(II), Hg (II)/Co(II), Hg (II)/Cu(II), and Hg(II)/Cd(II) are 21.72, 7.08, 5.37, 4.37, and 10.51, respectively. This is mainly attributed to the thymine-specific binding with Hg(II). In addition, the adsorption capacity of rGO-Thy for Hg(II) is almost 2 times higher than reduced graphene oxide (rGO). Kinetics studies indicate that the adsorption process fits well with the pseudo-second-order model, and the adsorption kinetic constant is 0.02 g·mg-1·min-1. Moreover, the practical application of rGO-Thy achieves almost 100% removal efficiency, and the treatment volumes of actual industrial wastewater using a fixed bed column are as high as 390 BV for Hg(II), which indicates that rGO-Thy has great potential in advanced wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Right-angle bended coupled lines with a periodic stepped-impedance line (SIL) structure are proposed to suppress both common-mode noise and differential-to-common mode conversion in this paper. The advantage of the periodic SIL structure shows that it is not only with lower manufacture cost and easier implemented in two-layer Printed Circuit Board (PCB) but also maintains acceptable transmission level and low reflection. The function of the SIL structure is to increase the length of the shorter one of the bended line, i.e., to increase its respective propagation time, thereby improving the signal integrity without largely increasing the circuit size of PCB. Measured result of common-mode noise introduced by right-angle bended coupled lines with SILs structure can be reduced by 83 mV, time skew can be reduced by 31.53 ps, mode conversion can be suppressed from dc to 10 GHz for getting wideband suppression based on −25 dB definition, and measured result of eye-diagram, the eye-opening is improved by 9.97%, all measured results are compared with conventional right-angle bended coupled lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the provenance analysis of the Neogene foreland basin sediments of the Siwalik Group in the Nepal Himalaya. This study adopts the techniques of the optical petrography and detrital zircon U-Pb ages from two river sections: the Koshi Nadi in eastern Nepal and the Surai Khola in western Nepal Himalaya. The optical petrography data and resulting QFL plot show a 'recycled orogeny' field for the studied sandstone samples, indicating northern lithotectonic units; Tethys Himalaya, Higher Himalaya and Lesser Himalaya as the source of the foreland basin sediments. The detrital zircon geochronological data set has clearly revealed that the cluster ages are younger than ~1000 Ma; however, the older grains (>1000 Ma) are significantly fewer. The obtained age spectrum is similar to the Tethys Himalaya and the upper Lesser Himalaya, but the lower Lesser Himalayan rocks were not distinct, which indicates that sediments in the Neogene foreland basin of the Nepal Himalaya were primarily sourced from the Tethys Himalaya and upper Lesser Himalaya. The minor subordinate scattered peaks that roughly correspond to the age of the Higher Himalaya and lower Lesser Himalaya may indicate that a lower proportion of the sediments might have a link with the Higher Himalaya and lower Lesser Himalaya. Therefore, the provenance of the Siwalik Group in the Nepal Himalaya might have witnessed a mixed type of provenance similar to the northwestern Himalaya. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to render the quay crane more efficient, more economical and less costly, the paper carried out simulation research on the modification and optimisation of its structural dynamics. First, based on actual load and working conditions, the research determined the global stiffness matrices, the global mass matrices and structure stimulation, established basic dynamic mathematic model for it, considering the friction force. Then, the dynamic response characteristics of the crane were simulated and analysed. Moreover, modification on the crane structural dynamics was done by virtue of sensitivity analysis. According to structural parameters and design requirements of the quay crane, the paper proposed the algorithm of inexact line searches based on gradient methods and chose appropriate control variables. With such constraint conditions as strength, stiffness and frequency, the optimisation work reduced the shake amount of the crane structure towards the moving direction of the trolley that was used herein. The simulation results are included to show that the method herein achieved satisfactory results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A strategy for information liberation of protein-specific glycosylation is designed via an exonuclease III-aided recycling "hybridization and cleavage" process with glycan and protein probes, which achieves homogeneous quantification of cell surface glycan. The protein probe contains matching and spacer DNA sequences and an aptamer specific to target protein. The glycan probe contains a complementary sequence modified with neighboring fluorescein and quencher, a spacer sequence, and a dibenzocyclooctyne-amine end to bind azide-tagged glycan. Upon sequential binding to their targets, the complementary sequences of two probes approach enough for their hybridization, which leads to the cleavage of hybridized glycan probe by exonuclease III and followed recycling "hybridization and cleavage" process of protein probe with other adjacent glycan probes to release the labeled fluorescein for obtaining the information on protein-specific glycosylation. This protocol has been used to in situ quantify EpCAM-specific sialic acid on MCF-7 cell surface and monitor its variation during drug treatment. This work demonstrates a powerful quantification tool for research of glycosylation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last two decades, many quantitative paleoaltimetry reconstructions of the Tibetan Plateau have been published, but they are still preliminary and controversial, although several approaches have been combined paleontology and geochemistry, including vertebrate, plant, and pollen fossils as well as oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen isotopes. The Tibetan Plateau is the youngest and highest plateau on Earth, and its paleoaltimetry reconstructions are crucial to interpret its geodynamic evolution and to understand the climatic changes in Asia. Uplift histories of the Tibetan Plateau based on different proxies differ considerably, and two viewpoints are pointedly opposing on the paleoaltimetry estimations of the Tibetan Plateau. One viewpoint is that the Tibetan Plateau did not strongly uplift to reach its modern elevation until the Late Miocene, but another one, mainly based on stable isotopes, argues that the Tibetan Plateau formed early during the Indo-Asian collision and reached its modern elevation in the Paleogene or by the Middle Miocene. With either a geochemical or paleontological approach, the present is used as the key to the past. However, there are great difficulties because modern processes of isotopic fractionation and species for creature distribution are not easily precisely determined. In addition, the climatic and environmental backgrounds of past geological times have massive differences from the present, and associated adjustments are influenced by many human factors. In the future work, the applications of multidisciplinary comprehensive methods and cross-checks of their results will be productive, and we look forward to achieving more reliable estimates for paleoelevations of the Tibetan Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The well-known Welch-Gong (WG) stream cipher, proposed by Nawaz and Gong in 2005, was submitted to the hardware profile of the eSTREAM project. In the last several years, the original WGhas come under several cryptanalytic attacks. However, as for the final version ofWG, no attack has been published on it until now. In this paper, an efficient key recovery attack on the final WG stream cipher in the related key setting is proposed. Under related keys, we can recover the 128-bit secret key of WG-128 with a time complexity of 289 and a memory complexity of 245. The success probability of the attack is 0.6321. This result shows that our attack on WG-128 is much better than an exhaustive key search in the related key setting. Furthermore, our cryptanalytic results show that WG with IV size no less than 80 bits is vulnerable to a related key attack. The main feature of our attack is that it is independent of the number of steps in the key/IV setup ofWG, and then increasing the number of steps in the key/IV setup cannot strengthen the resistance of WG against a related key attack. Finally, a recommended approach to repair the weakness and strengthen the resistance of WG against a related key attack is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]