Search

Gut microbiome regulates host metabolism and immunity via their metabolites, secretions, and cellular components, and protects the host from pathogen invasion. Low diversity and dysfunction of the gut microbiome caused by environmental changes, unhealthy dietary habits and lifestyles, and antibiotics abuse are closely related to disease pathogenesis. Gut microbiome can serve as diagnostic and therapeutic tools for diseases related to gut microbiome dysbiosis. In this article, we aim to review the latest study advances on gut microbiome in the pathogenesis and therapeutics of gastrointestinal diseases, such as Clostridium difficile infection, Helicobacter pylori infection, inflammatory bowel disease, and irritable bowel syndrome, so as to shed light on the prospect of gut microbiome modulations in disease therapies.

Point clouds are highly regarded in the field of 3D object detection for their superior geometric properties and versatility. However, object occlusion and defects in scanning equipment frequently result in sparse and missing data within point clouds, adversely affecting the final prediction. Recognizing the synergistic potential between the rich semantic information present in images and the geometric data in point clouds for scene representation, we introduce a two-stage fusion framework (TSFF) for 3D object detection. To address the issue of corrupted geometric information in point clouds caused by object occlusion, we augment point features with image features, thereby enhancing the reference factor of the point cloud during the voting bias phase. Furthermore, we implement a constrained fusion module to selectively sample voting points using a 2D bounding box, integrating valuable image features while reducing the impact of background points in sparse scenes. Our methodology was evaluated on the SUNRGB-D dataset, where it achieved a 3.6 mean average percent (mAP) improvement in the mAP@0.25 evaluation criterion over the baseline. In comparison to other great 3D object detection methods, our method had excellent performance in the detection of some objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aims to investigate the effects of large extracellular vesicles (EVs) induced by pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells on lower limb ischemic disease and explore its potential mechanisms. Materials & methods: The pathology of muscles was accessed by H&E staining and immunofluorescence staining. In vitro, we conducted wound-healing assay, tube formation assay, RT qPCR, ELISA, RNA sequencing and proteomic analysis. Results: iMSCs-lEVs alleviated the injury of ischemic lower limb and promoted the recovery of lower limb function. In vitro, iMSCs-lEVs promoted the proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis of HMEC-1 cells by regulating the ERK/MAPK signing pathway. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that iMSCs-lEVs promoted endothelial cell angiogenesis via the ERK/MAPK signaling pathway, thereby improving function after lower limb ischemic injury. Article highlights The therapeutic potential of large extracellular vesicles derived from induced pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells (iMSCs-lEVs) in promoting recovery after lower limb ischemia has rarely been investigated so far. Improving the functional status of endothelial cells may be effectively alleviate the symptoms of lower limb ischemia. iMSCs-lEVs could restore blood flow perfusion in ischemic tissues of mouse lower limbs and improved their function following ischemia. iMSCs-lEVs promoted endothelial cell proliferation, migration and tube formation by regulating the ERK/MAPK signaling pathway. These findings reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying the application of iMSCs-lEVs on mast cells and provide a novel therapeutic strategy for pain caused by tendinopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large constellations of small satellites will significantly increase the number of objects orbiting the Earth. Satellites burn up at the end of service life during reentry, generating aluminum oxides as the main byproduct. These are known catalysts for chlorine activation that depletes ozone in the stratosphere. We present the first atomic‐scale molecular dynamics simulation study to resolve the oxidation process of the satellite's aluminum structure during mesospheric reentry, and investigate the ozone depletion potential from aluminum oxides. We find that the demise of a typical 250‐kg satellite can generate around 30 kg of aluminum oxide nanoparticles, which may endure for decades in the atmosphere. Aluminum oxide compounds generated by the entire population of satellites reentering the atmosphere in 2022 are estimated at around 17 metric tons. Reentry scenarios involving mega‐constellations point to over 360 metric tons of aluminum oxide compounds per year, which can lead to significant ozone depletion. Plain Language Summary: With ongoing plans for many constellations of small satellites, the number of objects orbiting the Earth is expected to continue increasing in the foreseeable future. At the end of service life, satellites are disposed into the atmosphere, burning up during the process and generating aluminum oxides, which are known to accelerate ozone depletion. The environmental impacts from the reentry of satellites are currently poorly understood. This paper investigates the oxidation process of the satellite's aluminum content during atmospheric reentry utilizing atomic‐scale molecular dynamics simulations. We find that the population of reentering satellites in 2022 caused a 29.5% increase of aluminum in the atmosphere above the natural level, resulting in around 17 metric tons of aluminum oxides injected into the mesosphere. The byproducts generated by the reentry of satellites in a future scenario where mega‐constellations come to fruition can reach over 360 metric tons per year. As aluminum oxide nanoparticles may remain in the atmosphere for decades, they can cause significant ozone depletion. Key Points: We present the first atomic‐scale molecular dynamics simulation of high‐temperature aluminum ablation during reentry from low‐Earth orbitThe amount of aluminum oxide nanoparticles generated is quantified and the accumulation in the atmosphere is estimatedThe long‐term accumulation of aluminum oxides from reentering satellites can cause significant ozone depletion [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the maximum principle of mean field type control problems when the volatility function depends on the state and its measure and also the control, by using our recently developed method in [Bensoussan, A., Huang, Z. and Yam, S. C. P. [2023] Control theory on Wasserstein space: A new approach to optimality conditions, Ann. Math. Sci. Appl.; Bensoussan, A., Tai, H. M. and Yam, S. C. P. [2023] Mean field type control problems, some Hilbert-space-valued FBSDEs, and related equations, preprint (2023), arXiv:2305.04019; Bensoussan, A. and Yam, S. C. P. [2019] Control problem on space of random variables and master equation, ESAIM Control Optim. Calc. Var. 25, 10]. Our method is to embed the mean field type control problem into a Hilbert space to bypass the evolution in the Wasserstein space. We here give a necessary condition and a sufficient condition for these control problems in Hilbert spaces, and we also derive a system of forward–backward stochastic differential equations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional reconstruction from point clouds is an important research topic in computer vision and computer graphics. However, the discrete nature, sparsity, and noise of the original point cloud contribute to the results of 3D surface generation based on global features often appearing jagged and lacking details, making it difficult to describe shape details accurately. We address the challenge of generating smooth and detailed 3D surfaces from point clouds. We propose an adaptive octree partitioning method to divide the global shape into local regions of different scales. An iterative loop method based on GRU is then used to extract features from local voxels and learn local smoothness and global shape priors. Finally, a moving least-squares approach is employed to generate the 3D surface. Experiments demonstrate that our method outperforms existing methods on benchmark datasets (ShapeNet dataset, ABC dataset, and Famous dataset). Ablation studies confirm the effectiveness of the adaptive octree partitioning and GRU modules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we propose a joint waveform based on universal filtered multicarrier (UFMC) chirp for radar jamming and communication joint systems. Modulation of radar jamming chirp signals and communication signals on different subcarrier groups in the UFMC sub-band is used to achieve the waveform design. The jamming signal in the waveform contains a frequency shift coefficient that depends on the delay time, which can effectively improve the anti-frequency hopping ability and enhance the overall jamming efficiency. Simultaneously jamming signals can provide assistance in channel estimation and equalization of communication, improving the information transmission quality of communication subsystems. We concluded through reasonable trade-off analysis that the combined weight of radar jamming and communication is closely related to the overall performance of the waveform. The simulation results show that the proposed UFMC chirp synthesized waveform has good jamming and communication performance. Software defined radio (SDR) simulation experiments demonstrated the effectiveness of this method in practical environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physics of ionic electrospray propulsion spans multiple length scales. This paper combines a molecular dynamics model, a particle–particle model, and a particle-in-cell model to investigate the physics of ionic electrospray propulsion over 9 orders of magnitude in length scale. The combined models are applied to simulate beam emission for an ionic electrospray propulsion system with porous emitter tips and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ionic liquid propellant from the emission site to the downstream plume. Additionally, the impact of multiple emission sites from a single emitter tip is analyzed with regard to extractor grid interception and overall beam neutralization for bipolar thruster pairs. Results show that beams consisting of species of different masses (i.e., monomer and dimer species) are affected by particle–particle forces during acceleration and should not be treated as a superposition of independently accelerated species in macro-scale plume models. The activation of multiple emission sites also causes a noticeable increase in the beam's spread, leading to increased intercepted current but relatively little adverse effects in the downstream plume region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological cancer worldwide, and there is an urgent need for a cure. Previously, we established that a second-generation probiotic expressing interleukin-22 (LR-IL-22) is a radiation mitigator, and now, we have assessed its effect in an ovarian cancer mouse model. LR-IL-22 treatment improved survival, upregulated PD-L1 protein expression on cancer cells, and recruited CD8+ T cells to tumors in whole-abdomen irradiated (WAI) mice. The addition of LR-IL-22 to a therapy regimen that includes WAI, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy can facilitate a safe and effective protocol to reduce tumor burden, increase overall survival, and improve the quality of life of an ovarian cancer patient. Despite recent advances in cancer therapy, ovarian cancer remains the most lethal gynecological cancer worldwide, making it crucial and of the utmost importance to establish novel therapeutic strategies. Adjuvant radiotherapy has been assessed historically, but its use was limited by intestinal toxicity. We recently established the role of Limosilactobacillus reuteri in releasing IL-22 (LR-IL-22) as an effective radiation mitigator, and we have now assessed its effect in an ovarian cancer mouse model. We hypothesized that an LR-IL-22 gavage would enable intestinal radioprotection by modifying the tumor microenvironment and, subsequently, improving overall survival in female C57BL/6MUC-1 mice with widespread abdominal syngeneic 2F8cis ovarian cancer. Herein, we report that the LR-IL-22 gavage not only improved overall survival in mice when combined with a PD-L1 inhibitor by inducing differential gene expression in irradiated stem cells but also induced PD-L1 protein expression in ovarian cancer cells and mobilized CD8+ T cells in whole abdomen irradiated mice. The addition of LR-IL-22 to a combined treatment modality with fractionated whole abdomen radiation (WAI) and systemic chemotherapy and immunotherapy regimens can facilitate a safe and effective protocol to reduce tumor burden, increase survival, and improve the quality of life of a locally advanced ovarian cancer patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prime graph Γ ⁢ (G) of a finite group 퐺 (also known as the Gruenberg–Kegel graph) has as its vertices the prime divisors of | G | , and p ⁢ - ⁢ q is an edge in Γ ⁢ (G) if and only if 퐺 has an element of order p ⁢ q . Since their inception in the 1970s, these graphs have been studied extensively; however, completely classifying the possible prime graphs for larger families of groups remains a difficult problem. For solvable groups, such a classification was found in 2015. In this paper, we go beyond solvable groups for the first time and characterize the prime graphs of a more general class of groups we call pseudo-solvable. These are groups whose composition factors are either cyclic or isomorphic to A 5 . The classification is based on two conditions: the vertices { 2 , 3 , 5 } form a triangle in Γ ̄ ⁢ (G) or { p , 3 , 5 } form a triangle for some prime p ≠ 2 . The ideas developed in this paper also lay the groundwork for future work on classifying and analyzing prime graphs of more general classes of finite groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human gut microbiome varies substantially across individuals and populations and differentially tames our immunity at steady‐state. Hence, we hypothesize that the large heterogeneity of gut microbiomes at steady‐state may shape our baseline immunity differentially, and then mediate discrepant immune responses and symptoms when one encounters a viral infection, such as SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. To validate this hypothesis, we conducted an exploratory, longitudinal microbiome‐COVID‐19 study involving homogenous young participants from two geographically different regions in China. Subjects were recruited and sampled of fecal specimens before the 3‐week surge window of COVID‐19 (between December 11 and December 31, 2022) in China, and then were followed up for assessment of COVID‐19 and post‐COVID‐19 manifestations. Our data showed that the baseline gut microbiome composition was intricately associated with different COVID‐19 manifestations, particularly gastrointestinal involvement and post‐COVID‐19 lingering symptoms, in both an individual‐ and population‐dependent manner. Our study intriguingly for the first time highlight that the gut microbiome at steady‐state may prepare us differentially for weathering a respiratory viral infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]