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The motional consensus of self-propelled particles is studied in both noise-free cases and cases with noise by the standard Vicsek model. In the absence of noise, we propose a simple method, using grid-based technique and defining the normalized variance of the ratio of the number of particles locally to globally, to quantitatively study the movement pattern of the system by the spatial distribution of the particles and the degree of aggregation of particles. It is found that the weaker correlation of velocity leads to larger degree of aggregation of the particles. In the cases with noise, we quantify the competition between velocity alignment and noise by considering the difference of the variety of order parameter result from the velocity alignment and noise. The variation of the effect of noise on motional consensus is non-monotonic for the change of the probability distribution of noise from uniform to non-uniform. Our results may be useful and encourage further efforts in exploring the basic principles of collective motion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanomagnetic materials offer exciting avenues for advancing cancer therapies. Most researches have focused on efficient delivery of drugs in the body by incorporating various drug molecules onto the surface of nanomagnetic particles. The challenge is how to synthesize low toxic nanocarriers with multi-target drug loading. The cancer cell death mechanisms associated with those nanocarriers remain unclear either. Following the cell biology mechanisms, we develop a liquid photo-immobilization approach to attach doxorubicin, folic acid, tumor necrosis factor-α and interferon-γ onto the oleic acid molecules coated Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles to prepare a kind of novel inner/outer controlled multi-target magnetic nanoparticle drug carrier. In this work, this approach is demonstrated by a variety of structural and biomedical characterizations, addressing the anti-cancer effects in vivo and in vitro on the HeLa and it is highly efficient and powerful in treating cancer cells in a valuable programmed cell death mechanism for overcoming drug resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), known for causing gastric inflammation, gastritis and gastric cancer, prompted our study to investigate the differential expression of cytokines in gastric tissues, which is crucial for understanding H. pylori infection and its potential progression to gastric cancer. Focusing on Il-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, IL-18, and TNF-α, we analysed gene and protein levels to differentiate between H. pylori-infected and non-infected gastritis. We utilised real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) for gene quantification, immunohistochemical staining, and ELISA for protein measurement. Gastric samples from patients with gastritis were divided into three groups: (1) non-gastritis (N-group) group, (2) gastritis without H. pylori infection (G-group), and (3) gastritis with H. pylori infection (GH-group), each consisting of 8 samples. Our findings revealed a statistically significant variation in cytokine expression. Generally, cytokine levels were higher in gastritis, but in H. pylori-infected gastritis, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 levels were lower compared to H. pylori-independent gastritis, while IL-12, IL-18, and TNF-α levels were higher. This distinct cytokine expression pattern in H. pylori-infected gastritis underscores a unique inflammatory response, providing deeper insights into its pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More and more RING finger genes were found to be implicated in various important biological processes. In the present study, a total of 731 RING domains in 715 predicted proteins were identified in Brassica rapa genome (AA, 2n = 20), which were further divided into eight types: RING-H2 (371), RING-HCa (215), RING-HCb (47), RING-v (44), RING-C2 (38), RING-D (10), RING-S/T (5) and RING-G (1). The 715 RING finger proteins were further classified into 51 groups according to the presence of additional domains. 700 RING finger protein genes were mapped to the 10 chromosomes of B. rapa with a range of 47 to 111 genes for each chromosome. 667 RING finger protein genes were expressed in at least one of the six tissues examined, indicating their involvement in various physiological and developmental processes in B. rapa. Hierarchical clustering analysis of RNA-seq data divided them into seven major groups, one of which includes 231 members preferentially expressed in leaf, and constitutes then a panel of gene candidates for studying the genetic and molecular mechanisms of leafy head traits in Brassica crops. Our results lay the foundation for further studies on the classification, evolution and putative functions of RING finger protein genes in Brassica species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a method to convert linearly polarized incident electromagnetic waves fed by a single source into multi-beam reflections with independent control of polarizations based on anisotropic metasurface at microwave frequencies. The metasurface is composed of Jerusalem Cross structures and grounded plane spaced by a dielectric substrate. By designing the reflection-phase distributions of the anisotropic metasurface along the x and y directions, the x- and y-polarized incident waves can be manipulated independently to realize multi-beam reflections. When the x- and y-polarized reflected beams are designed to the same direction with equal amplitude, the polarization state of the beam will be only controlled by the phase difference between the x- and y-polarized reflected waves. Three examples are presented to show the multi-beam reflections with flexible control of polarizations by using anisotropic metasurfaces and excellent performance. Particularly, we designed, fabricated, and measured an anisotropic metasurface for two reflected beams with one linearly polarized and the other circularly polarized. The measurement results have good agreement with the simulations in a broad bandwidth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop MRI-based radiomics model for predicting prostate cancer (PCa) in men with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels of 4–10 ng/mL, to compare the performance of radiomics model and PI-RADS v2.1, and to further verify the predictive ability of radiomics model for lesions with different PI-RADS v2.1 score. 171 patients with PSA levels of 4–10 ng/mL were divided into training (n = 119) and testing (n = 52) groups. PI-RADS v2.1 score was assessed by two radiologists. All volumes of interest were segmented on T2-weighted imaging, diffusion weighted imaging, and apparent diffusion coefficient sequences, from which quantitative radiomics features were extracted. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to establish radiomics model for predicting PCa. The diagnostic performance was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The radiomics model exhibited the best performance in predicting PCa, which was better than the performance of PI-RADS v2.1 scoring by the junior radiologist in the training group [area under the curve (AUC): 0.932 vs 0.803], testing group (AUC: 0.922 vs 0.797), and the entire cohort (AUC: 0.927 vs 0.801) (P < 0.05). The radiomics model performed well for lesions with PI-RADS v2.1 score of 3 (AUC = 0.854, sensitivity = 84.62%, specificity = 84.34%) and PI-RADS v2.1 score of 4–5 (AUC = 0.967, sensitivity = 98.11%, specificity = 86.36%) assigned by junior radiologist. The radiomics model quantitatively outperformed PI-RADS v2.1 for noninvasive prediction of PCa in men with PSA levels of 4–10 ng/mL. The model can help improve the diagnostic performance of junior radiologists and facilitate better decision-making by urologists for management of lesions with different PI-RADS v2.1 score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multi-channel lidar has fast acquisition speed, large data volume, high dimension, and vital real-time storage, which makes it challenging to be met using the traditional lidar data storage methods. This paper presents a novel approach to storing the multi-channel lidar data based on the principle of the tree structure, the adjacency linked list, the binary data storage. In the proposed system, a tree structure is constructed by the four-dimensional structure of the multi-channel lidar data, and a data retrieval method of the multi-channel lidar data file is given. The results show that the proposed tree structure approach can save the storage capacity and improve the retrieval speed, which can meet the needs for efficient storage and retrieval of multi-channel lidar data, and improve the data storage utilization and the practicality of multi-channel lidar system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the effect of CYP2C19 polymorphisms on the clinical outcomes of clopidogrel therapy in patients after stenting procedure for cerebral artery stenosis in northeast China. 568 patients performed CYP2C19 genotype screening in the neurosurgery department of our hospital; 154 patients were finally recruited according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and followed-up for 6 months. Ischemic events including (1) transient ischemic attack (TIA); (2) stent thrombosis; (3) ischemic stroke; and (4) death were defined as primary clinical endpoints. The frequencies of CYP2C19*1, *2 and *3 alleles in 568 patients were 63.1%, 31.1% and 5.8%, respectively. 154 patients were classified into extensive (65 patients; 42.2%), intermediate (66 patients; 42.9%), and poor (23 patients; 14.9%) metabolizer groups. A χ2 test showed a significant difference in primary clinical endpoints at 6 months (P = 0.04), and a multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that the CYP2C19 loss-of-function (LOF) alleles associated with post-procedure prognosis. The Kaplan–Meier curve revealed that there was no significant difference in ischemic events between *2 and *3 alleles carriers. Our study verifies that CYP2C19 *2 and *3 have significant impact on the clinical outcomes of clopidogrel therapy in patients with stenting procedure for cerebral artery stenosis in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Delayed emergence from anesthesia was previously reported in a case study of a child with Glycine Encephalopathy. To investigate the neural basis of this delayed emergence, we developed a zebrafish glial glycine transporter (glyt1 − / −) mutant model. We compared locomotor behaviors; dose–response curves for tricaine, ketamine, and 2,6-diisopropylphenol (propofol); time to emergence from these anesthetics; and time to emergence from propofol after craniotomy in glyt1−/− mutants and their siblings. To identify differentially active brain regions in glyt1−/− mutants, we used pERK immunohistochemistry as a proxy for brain-wide neuronal activity. We show that glyt1−/− mutants initiated normal bouts of movement less frequently indicating lethargy-like behaviors. Despite similar anesthesia dose–response curves, glyt1−/− mutants took over twice as long as their siblings to emerge from ketamine or propofol, mimicking findings from the human case study. Reducing glycine levels rescued timely emergence in glyt1−/− mutants, pointing to a causal role for elevated glycine. Brain-wide pERK staining showed elevated activity in hypnotic brain regions in glyt1−/− mutants under baseline conditions and a delay in sensorimotor integration during emergence from anesthesia. Our study links elevated activity in preoptic brain regions and reduced sensorimotor integration to lethargy-like behaviors and delayed emergence from propofol in glyt1−/− mutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gut microbiome plays an important role in human health. However, its response to external intervention is complex. A previous study showed that the response to Clostridium butyricum (CB) treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is heterogeneous. We proposed that mathematical model simulation of the microbiota may help to optimize the management of IBS-associated microbiota. In this study, a novel mathematical non-extinction and defecation normalized (NEDN) model was generated for stable simulation of the dynamic nature of gut microbiota. In silico simulation revealed that a laxative may create a favourable opportunity for Clostridium cluster XIVa to shift the microbiota. An explorative clinical trial was conducted to compare three CB regimens in an IBS cohort: laxative, interval of 2 weeks and CB administration for 2 weeks (L2P); laxative immediately followed by CB administration (LP) for 2 weeks; and CB administration for 2 weeks (P). The LP regimen optimally relieved the IBS symptoms and shifted the microbiota closer to those of the healthy subjects during 2 weeks of CB intake. These results indicate that integration of biological/mathematical approaches and clinical scenarios is a promising method for management of microbiota. Additionally, the optimal effect of sequential laxative-CB usage for IBS treatment warrants further validation. Clinical trial registration numbers: NCT02254629. Date of registration: October 2, 2014. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(*, IBS-D FSN vs. control FSN in BDNF+/- mice; #, IBS-D FSN in BDNF+/+ mice vs. in BDNF+/- mice; †control FSN in BDNF+/+ mice vs. in BDNF+/- mice). (B) TrkB/Fc significantly suppressed the effect of IBS-D FSN at 30, 45 and 60 mmHg (*, IBS-D FSN vs. control; #, IBS-D FSN vs. [Extracted from the article]

Different fertilization regimes can substantially influence soil fungal community composition, yet fewer studies try to control for the effects of nitrogen input. Here, we investigated the impact of fertilization with equal nitrogen upon soil properties and soil fungal diversity and community composition in the North China Plain in a long-term field experiment. Long-term (32 years) fertilization regimes were applied with equal amounts of nitrogen: no chemical fertilizer or organic manure; chemical fertilization only; organic manure fertilization only, and; combination of 1/2 chemical fertilizer and 1/2 organic manure. Then we investigated the influence of these four fertilization regimes to soil properties, fungal diversity and community composition. The results showed that applying organic manure significantly influenced soil properties. Illumina MiSeq sequencing and its analysis revealed that organic manure fertilization significantly changed soil fungal alpha diversity, but chemical fertilization did not. Although soil fungal community composition did not differ significantly among all the fertilization regimes at the phylum and class levels, they did show differences in the abundance of dominant fungi. Yet at the genus level, soil fungal community composition, abundance, and beta diversity was affected by all fertilization regimes. Application of organic manure also reduced the abundance of soil-born fungal pathogens such as Fusarium. Our results suggest that long-term application of organic manure could markedly improve soil properties, altering soil fungal community composition and its diversity. Moreover, organic manure fertilization could limit soil-born fungal diseases, to further contribute to soil ecosystem sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The over-expressed colonic brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been reported to be associated with abdominal pain in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, the neuropathological mechanism is unclear. We here investigated the involvement of enteroglial cells (EGCs) and enteric nerves in IBS-like visceral hypersensitivity. We showed that glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), tyrosine receptor kinase B (TrkB) and substance P (SP) were significantly increased in the colonic mucosa of IBS patients. The upregulation of those proteins was also observed in the colon of mice with visceral hypersensitivity, but not in the colon of BDNF+/− mice. Functionally, TrkB or EGC inhibitors, or BDNF knockdown significantly suppressed visceral hypersensitivity in mice. Using the EGC cell line, we found that recombinant human BDNF (r-HuBDNF) could directly activate EGCs via the TrkB-phospholipase Cγ1 pathway, thereby inducing a significant upregulation of SP. Moreover, supernatants from r-HuBDNF-activated EGC culture medium, rather than r-HuBDNF alone, triggered markedly augmented discharges in isolated intestinal mesenteric afferent nerves. r-HuBDNF alone could cause mesenteric afferent mechanical hypersensitivity independently and this effect was synergistically enhanced by activated EGCs. We conclude that EGC-enteric nerve unit may be involved in IBS-like visceral hypersensitivity and this process is likely initiated by BDNF-TrkB pathway activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cognitive impairment is a common finding in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but little attention has been focused on therapeutic intervention for this complication. Chronic intermittent hypoxia hypercapnia (CIHH) exposure is considered to be responsible for the pathogenesis of COPD. Dl-3n-Butylphthalide (NBP), extracted from Apium graveolens Linn, has displayed a broad spectrum of neuroprotective properties. Our study aimed to investigate the potential of NBP on CIHH-induced cognitive deficits. The cognitive function of rats after CIHH exposure was evaluated by the Morris water maze, which showed that the NBP treated group performed better in the navigation test. NBP activated BDNF and phosphorylated CREB, the both are responsible for neuroprotection. Additionally, NBP decreased CIHH induced apoptosis. Moreover, NBP further induced the expression of HIF-1α, accompanied by the up-regulation of the autophagy proteins Bnip3, Beclin-1 and LC3-II. Finally, NBP also reversed the decreased expression of SIRT1 and PGC-1α, but the expression of Tfam, Cox II and mtDNA remained unchanged. These results suggested that the neuroprotective effects of NBP under CIHH condition possibly occurred through the inhibition of apoptosis, promotion of hypoxia-induced autophagy, and activation of the SIRT1/PGC-1α signalling pathway, while stimulation of mitochondrial biogenesis may not be a characteristic response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose to integrate the electro-optic (EO) tuning function into on-chip domain engineered lithium niobate (LN) waveguide. Due to the versatility of LN, both the spontaneously parametric down conversion (SPDC) and EO interaction could be realized simultaneously. Photon pairs are generated through SPDC, and the formation of entangled state is modulated by EO processes. An EO tunable polarization-entangled photon state is proposed. Orthogonally-polarized and parallel-polarized entanglements of photon pairs are instantly switchable by tuning the applied field. The characteristics of the source are theoretically investigated showing adjustable bandwidths and high entanglement degrees. Moreover, other kinds of reconfigurable entanglement are also achievable based on suitable domain-design. We believe tailoring entanglement based on domain engineering is a very promising solution for next generation function-integrated quantum circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/srep41849 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) via electrostrictive force is a fundamental interaction between light and sound which limits the power in conventional optical fibers. The emergence of optical microfibers with subwavelength diameter, ultralight mass and an intense light field, provides a new platform for photon-phonon coupling, resulting in the radiation pressure mediated contribution of SBS. This study examines the optomechanical system in cylindrical coordinates, reveals the theoretically radiation pressure induced analogous, and demonstrates contrary effect compared with electrostrictive force in solid or hollow silica microfibers. The finding shows that the photon-phonon coupling, which is related to SBS, can be suppressed in a solid microfiber, and even be completely cancelled in a hollow microfiber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical-quality single-crystal LiB3O5 (LBO) nanowires are synthesized for the first time using a sol-gel method. The LBO nanowires possess diameters ranging from 200 to 800 nm and lengths of up to 200 μm, and exhibit excellent uniformity, smooth surfaces, and good mechanical properties. A typical propagating loss of 0.038 dB/μm at 532 nm is obtained for a 620 nm-diameter nanowire. This is a decrease of one order of magnitude compared with that of a β-BaB2O4 (BBO) nanowire with similar diameter, which makes the LBO nanowire a promising candidate to construct miniaturized nonlinear photonic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hit to lead (H2L) optimization is a key step for drug and agrochemical discovery. A critical challenge for H2L optimization is the low efficiency due to the lack of predictive method with high accuracy. We described a new computational method called Computational Substitution Optimization (CSO) that has allowed us to rapidly identify compounds with cytochrome bc1 complex inhibitory activity in the nanomolar and subnanomolar range. The comprehensively optimized candidate has proved to be a slow binding inhibitor of bc1 complex, ~73-fold more potent (Ki = 4.1 nM) than the best commercial fungicide azoxystrobin (AZ; Ki = 297.6 nM) and shows excellent in vivo fungicidal activity against downy mildew and powdery mildew disease. The excellent correlation between experimental and calculated binding free-energy shifts together with further crystallographic analysis confirmed the prediction accuracy of CSO method. To the best of our knowledge, CSO is a new computational approach to substitution-scanning mutagenesis of ligand and could be used as a general strategy of H2L optimisation in drug and agrochemical design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colonic brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays an essential role in pathogenesis of abdominal pain in diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D), but regulation on its expression remains unclear. We investigated the role of fecal supernatants (FSN) from IBS-D patients on regulating BDNF expression in colonic epithelial cells of human and mice. Using human Caco-2 cells, we found that IBS-D FSN significantly increased BDNF mRNA and protein levels compared to control FSN, which were remarkably suppressed by the serine protease inhibitor. To further explore the potential mechanisms, we investigated the impact of protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) on BDNF expression. We found a significant increase in PAR-2 expression in Caco-2 after IBS-D FSN stimulation. Knockdown of PAR-2 significantly inhibited IBS-D FSN-induced upregulation of BDNF. Moreover, we found that phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, not NF-κB p65, contributed to PAR-2-mediated BDNF overexpression. To confirm these results, we intracolonically infused IBS-D or control FSN in mice and found that IBS-D FSN significantly elevated colonic BDNF and visceral hypersensitivity in mice, which were both suppressed by the inhibitor of serine protease or antagonist of PAR-2. Together, our data indicate that activation of PAR-2 signaling by IBS-D FSN promotes expression of colonic BDNF, thereby contributing to IBS-like visceral hypersensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colonic brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays an essential role in pathogenesis of abdominal pain in diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D), but regulation on its expression remains unclear. We investigated the role of fecal supernatants (FSN) from IBS-D patients on regulating BDNF expression in colonic epithelial cells of human and mice. Using human Caco-2 cells, we found that IBS-D FSN significantly increased BDNF mRNA and protein levels compared to control FSN, which were remarkably suppressed by the serine protease inhibitor. To further explore the potential mechanisms, we investigated the impact of protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) on BDNF expression. We found a significant increase in PAR-2 expression in Caco-2 after IBS-D FSN stimulation. Knockdown of PAR-2 significantly inhibited IBS-D FSN-induced upregulation of BDNF. Moreover, we found that phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, not NF-κB p65, contributed to PAR-2-mediated BDNF overexpression. To confirm these results, we intracolonically infused IBS-D or control FSN in mice and found that IBS-D FSN significantly elevated colonic BDNF and visceral hypersensitivity in mice, which were both suppressed by the inhibitor of serine protease or antagonist of PAR-2. Together, our data indicate that activation of PAR-2 signaling by IBS-D FSN promotes expression of colonic BDNF, thereby contributing to IBS-like visceral hypersensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]