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Linear frequency modulation wireless signals can achieve good signal energy-focusing effect in specific time–frequency domains while shielding out interference signals mixed in the time domain. This characteristic can bring considerable improvements to wireless signal detection. Based on the mathematical theory of fractional Fourier transform, this paper proposes a pipelined stepwise simplification algorithm. The fractional Fourier transform is performed in three steps, such as a linear multiplication followed by a linear convolution and linear multiplication, and the committed step are analyzed. Compared to algorithms based on mathematical theory, the proposed algorithm is suitable for discrete signal sampling sequence operations and simplified for detection purposes. Its algorithm complexity is reduced to O (NlogN), solving the bottleneck problem of algorithm application. The effectiveness of the algorithm was verified through simulation, indicating that the research results are suitable for designing linear frequency modulation transmission and signal detection.

Including dispersion slope analysis derived from two-dimensional shear-wave elastography did not improve the diagnostic performance in detecting liver necroinflammation, fibrosis, or steatosis in 159 patients with primarily viral hepatitis.

Thymosin beta-4 (TMSB4X) was recently identified as a differentially expressed gene between malignant and non-malignant thyroid cells via single-cell RNA sequencing. In the present study, we aimed to study the immunostaining pattern of TMSB4X in benign and malignant thyroid neoplasms. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that normal thyroid tissue or benign thyroid disorders exhibited undetectable immunoreactivity against TMSB4X except for positive staining of inflammatory infiltrates and stromal cells associated with autoimmune thyroid disease. By contrast, overexpression of TMSB4X was observed in a variety of thyroid malignancies, including papillary, follicular, poorly differentiated, and undifferentiated thyroid cancer. Among 141 patients with differentiated thyroid cancer, higher TMSB4X expression was associated with papillary tumor type, extrathyroidal extension, lymph node metastasis, and BRAF V600E mutation. The results were consistent with those from the public transcriptomic datasets. In summary, TMSB4X expression was aberrantly increased in various types of thyroid cancer, and higher TMSB4X expression was correlated with advanced disease characteristics. Thymosin beta-4 may be a novel downstream effector of the BRAF V600E mutation.

In this paper, we propose a modified selected mapping technique to reduce the peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system. In this technique, we choose a vector with low PAPR in each coset of a linear block codes as its coset leader, instead of the weight vector in conventional technique. And a sequence which is most likely to yield the lowest PAPR is chosen to transmit before IFFT by a decision algorithm. Simulation results show that the modified technique has good performance in PAPR reduction. Index Terms--OFDM, peak-to-average power ratio, selected mapping (SLM)

The intercommunications between five activities of knowledge management (KM) and new product growth processes are discussed. An innovative theory of electronic new product development (E-NPD) that seeks union of customer relationship, enterprise processes and KM systems is proposed.

Use of knowledge value chain model to analyze knowledge management at corporate level is discussed. Additional information on the knowledge management process is also included.

Continuous, stable and accurate jumping in three-dimensional (3D) environment is one of difficulties of jumping robot research. In this paper, a monopod jumping robot Marsbot whose center of mass (CoM) can accurately reach desired positions in 3D space is designed. Based on the spring loaded inverted pendulum (SLIP) dynamics model, the take-off velocity control of Marsbot was realized, which made controllable continuous jump possible. Based on the reaction wheel pendulum (RWP) dynamics model and the law of conservation of angular momentum, the real-time 3D attitude control of Marsbot with three inertial tails was realized. By integrating SLIP model, RWP model and the post-landing steering strategy proposed in this paper, a continuous jump algorithm for CoM of Marsbot to accurately reach desired 3D positions is proposed. This paper proposes the air target grasping strategy of Marsbot (the author will elaborate on this issue in another article): When the robot jumps to the desired grasping position in the air, the robotic arm can quickly and stably grasp the target object such as tree branches, so that the robot can perch or hang on the target object, and get a good view from high place. The simulation results show that Marsbot can achieve continuous, stable, accurate jumping and realize air perching/observation operations through the above schemes. The simulation results also verify feasibility of the 3D jump dynamics model and its control algorithm proposed in this paper.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies lead to high clinical response rates in B cell malignancies, and are under investigation for treatment of solid tumors. While high systemic interleukin- (IL-) 6 levels are associated with clinical cytokine release syndrome (CRS), the role of IL-6 trans-signaling within CAR T-cells has not been reported. We generated CAR T cells that constitutively express hyper IL-6 (HIL-6), a designer cytokine that activates the trans-signaling pathway. HIL-6-expressing CAR T-cells exhibited enhanced proliferation and antitumor efficacy in vitro and in xenograft models. However, HIL-6 CAR T cells caused severe graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Transcriptomic profiling revealed that HIL-6 stimulation of CAR T cells upregulated genes associated with T cell migration, early memory differentiation, and IL-6/GP130/STAT3 signaling. Since IL-6 trans-signaling acts via surface GP130, we generated CAR T cells expressing a constitutively-active form of GP130 and found these retained improved antitumor activity without signs of GVHD in preclinical models of B-cell leukemia and solid tumors. Taken together, these results show that IL-6 trans-signaling can enhance expansion and antitumor activity of CAR T cells via the GP130/STAT3 pathway, and suggest that expression of GP130 within CAR T cells could lead to improved antitumor efficacy without systemic IL-6 trans-signaling.

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death. Altered glycosylation contributes to tumor progression and chemoresistance in many cancers. C1GALT1 is the key enzyme controlling the elongation of GalNAc-type O-glycosylation. Here we showed that C1GALT1 was overexpressed in 85% (107/126) of PDAC tumors compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues. High expression of C1GALT1 was associated with poor disease-free and overall survival (n= 99). C1GALT1 knockdown using siRNA suppressed cell viability, migration, and invasion as well as increased gemcitabine sensitivity in PDAC cells. In contrast, C1GALT1 overexpression enhanced cell migration and invasion. In subcutaneous and pancreatic orthotopic injection models, C1GALT1 knockdown decreased tumor growth and metastasis of PDAC cells in NOD/SCID mice. Mechanistically, C1GALT1 knockdown dramatically suppressed cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) adhesion, which was associated with decreased phosphorylation of FAK at Y397/Y925 and changes in O-glycans on integrins including the β1, αv, and α5subunits. Using functional blocking antibodies, we identified integrin αvas a critical factor in C1GALT1-mediated invasiveness of PDAC cells. In conclusion, this study not only reveals that C1GALT1 could be a potential therapeutic target for PDAC but also provides novel insights into the role of O-glycosylation in the α subunits of integrins.

During the study of wireless green communication, energy efficiency (EE) optimisation of heterogeneous cellular networks (HCNs) is always the hot topic. This paper studied the EE of HCNs in homogenous Poisson point process (HPPP) and proposed a new EE optimisation method based on small cell transmitting power allocation. First, it modelled the HCNs by using HPPP. Second, it derived the expression coverage probability and achievable rata in Rayleigh channel situations, and deduced the expression of EE in closed form. Finally, it optimised the small cell transmitting power via convex-optimum method in order to maximise EE for HCNs. The simulation results show that the small cell's transmitting power has significant effects on the HCNs' EE. Its essence is through reasonable setting of small cell's transmitting power to available help improve its efficiency.

Baby primrose (Primula forbesii) is a newly cultivated and valuable ornamental plant with great market potential for both indoor and landscape use. As a container plant, baby primrose has long, weak flower stalks that can easily lodge, resulting in poor-quality plants, especially during transportation. To control plant height and subsequently prevent flower peduncle lodging, we investigated the effects of two plant growth regulators (PGRs), chlormequat chloride (CCC) at 0, 250, 500, or 750 ppm and uniconazole (UNI) at 25, 50, or 75 ppm on growth, development, and flowering of two cultivars of baby primrose, Fragrant Luolan and Red Star. Plant growth regulators at the proposed concentrations were applied twice throughout the experiment. Both PGRs significantly suppressed plant height in both cultivars, with a 16% to 27% reduction by CCC and 50% to 59% by UNI compared with untreated plants. Among CCC-treated groups, plants were shortest when CCC was applied at 500 ppm; plant height was suppressed more when treated with UNI. In both cultivars, UNI significantly suppressed the first, second, and third peduncle lengths. Furthermore, CCC affected peduncle length, but to a lesser extent than UNI. Plant growth regulator applications generally had little effect on flower characteristics of baby primrose. Neither PGRs influenced the inflorescence number and flower size; however, PGRs did increase the number of floral whorls and suppressed pedicel length of 'Red Star'. New leaf growth was suppressed by both PGRs. In addition, peduncle cell length and width were both significantly suppressed by PGR applications. We concluded that two foliar applications of UNI at 25 ppm comprised the most effective method of controlling baby primrose plant height while maintaining desirable flower traits at a relatively low production cost. Results of this study provide guidance for techniques that can be used to effectively control the plant height of potted baby primrose for commercial greenhouse production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premature senescence of renal tubular epithelial cell (RTEC), which is involved in kidney fibrosis, is a key event in the progression of diabetic nephropathy. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here we investigated the role and mechanism of decoy receptor 2 (DcR2) in kidney fibrosis and the senescent phenotype of RTEC. DcR2 was specifically expressed in senescent RTEC and associated with kidney fibrosis in patients with diabetic nephropathy and mice with streptozotocin-induced with diabetic nephropathy. Knockdown of DcR2 decreased the expression of α-smooth muscle actin, collagen I, fibronectin and serum creatinine levels in streptozotocin-induced mice. DcR2 knockdown also inhibited the expression of senescent markers p16, p21, senescence-associated beta-galactosidase and senescence-associated heterochromatic foci and promoted the secretion of a senescence-associated secretory phenotype including IL-6, TGF-β1, and matrix metalloproteinase 2 in vitroand in vivo. However, DcR2 overexpression showed the opposite effects. Quantitative proteomics and validation studies revealed that DcR2 interacted with peroxiredoxin 1 (PRDX1), which regulated the cell cycle and senescence. Knockdown of PRDX1 upregulated p16 and cyclin D1 while downregulating cyclin-dependent kinase 6 expression in vitro, resulting in RTEC senescence. Furthermore, PRDX1 knockdown promoted DcR2-induced p16, cyclin D1, IL-6, and TGF-β1 expression, whereas PRDX1 overexpression led to the opposite results. Subsequently, DcR2 regulated PRDX1 phosphorylation, which could be inhibited by the specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein. Thus, DcR2 mediated the senescent phenotype of RTEC and kidney fibrosis by interacting with PRDX1. Hence, DcR2 may act as a potential therapeutic target for the amelioration of diabetic nephropathy progression.

Granulomatous reaction is not uncommon in histopathology, with various etiologies in different organs and geographic regions. Lymphoma is one of the underlying causes of granuloma; and sometimes the neoplastic cells may be masked by the granulomatous reaction. In this report, we present our experience with 7 lymphoma cases of various histologic types with coexisting granuloma to show the diagnostic challenges. In all cases, a granulomatous reaction was simultaneously present with the neoplastic cells. The 7 cases included 3 cases of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma in the lymph node or skin including one coexisting with mycobacterial infection, 2 cases of classical Hodgkin lymphoma involving the liver, and 1 case each of systemic Epstein-Barr virus–positive peripheral T-cell lymphoma and a hepatic inflammatory pseudotumor-like follicular dendritic cell sarcoma. Three cases were initially misdiagnosed as reactive change or mycobacterial infection instead of lymphoma, and a wrong histologic lymphoma type was diagnosed in 1 case. In this report, we showed that granulomatous reaction might mask lymphomas of various histologic types; and a diagnosis of mycobacterial infection or sarcoidosis could not exclude the possibility of an underlying lymphoma. We emphasized the importance of detailed histologic examination with the aid of ancillary studies to reach a correct diagnosis and to avoid inappropriate management of the patients. Our study also broadened the spectrum of lymphoma types coexisting with granuloma.

A study uses additivity and variance stabilization analysis to examine the relationship between the different dimensions of knowledge management such as knowledge acquisition, dissemination and innovation and the creation of a new product. Results reveal that knowledge management is significantly related to and impacts new product creativity.

The relationship between knowledge management and the quality of a new products is examined. Hidden patterns in which knowledge and acquisition influence new product quality are identified. Companies are seen to fail to realize the full value of knowledge management in quality assurance by failing to understand knowledge acquisition.

Early administration of antiplatelet agents in acute ischemic stroke patients (AIS) receiving intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) is a potential therapeutic strategy, however, safety and efficacy are not well established. We hypothesize that antiplatelet pretreatment (AP) before IVT have a similarly role as initiation of AP within the first 24 hours following IVT. We aimed to explore the effect of AP on platelet aggregation and clinical outcomes in thrombolysis-treated AIS patients. We enrolled AIS patients treated with IVT at the Neurology Department of the Nanjing First Hospital from January 2016 to June 2018. Prior use of antiplatelet agent was recorded. Light transmittance aggregometry was used to estimate the maximum platelet aggregation (MPA). Linear regression model was performed to investigate the factors associated with MPA. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyse the association between AP and clinical outcomes. A total of 59 patients were included; 23 (38.9 %) were taking antiplatelet agent before stroke. Prior AP (β = -20.209, SE mean=6.574; P=0.004) was significantly lower the arachidonic acid-induced MPA at the time point of 3h after thrombolysis. AP did not increase of the risk for sICH (OR=3.41, 95%CI 0.16-7.20, p=0.436) or mortality (OR=3.55, 95%CI 0.39-8.52, p=0.260). There were no associations between AP and improved clinical outcomes (all P>0.05). In thrombolysis-treated AIS patients, AP was associated with lower MPA after thrombolysis. AP is safe in these patients, however, further studies are required to confirm the efficacy.

Tactile sensing is of great importance in developing human–machine interface, remote control, and security systems. Here, a self-triggered alarm system based on the one-piece triboelectric nanosensor (TENS) is reported. By using nitrocellulose (NC) membrane as the triboelectric material, the as-designed TENS can not only sensitively respond to physical contacts in a self-triggered mode but also securely detect the third-level details of latent fingerprint. The self-triggered idea based on the triboelectric nanogenerator is compatible with intelligent interactive interface. Besides, this TENS can be conveniently fabricated and integrated into arrays at a large scale due to its freestanding, simple, and low-cost characteristics. This work presents alternative perspectives for the practical applications of the multifunctionalized TENS.

Unprecedented one-pot thiocyanofunctionalizations of terminal alkynes to deliver alkynylthiocyanates and α-thiocyanoketones using a silver-catalyzed procedure or under silver/gold relay catalysis is reported. These synthetically valuable organothiocyanates are accessed in high efficiency, and their derivatization into a variety of valuable sulfur-containing heterocycles and sulfides has also been demonstrated.

A new complex [(CH3)3NH]2[Co(NCS)4], in which zero-dimensional [Co(NCS)4]n2−anions are balanced by 2n[(CH3)3NH]+cations, was synthesized. The complex has been characterized by single X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and magnetic measurements. Magnetic susceptibility data indicate ferromagnetic interactions among the CoIIions.

Rose swayed in the breeze are responsible for harnessing the kinetic energy of wind. From a certain perspective, these phenomenon can be utilized to augment plant function to generate electricity with electroactive materials, where triboelectrification happens for producing electricity due to the difference in triboelectric polarity. In this paper, we creatively utilized the triboelectrification on plant organs, which has rarely been studied before, and constructed triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) by using rose and Poly (methyl methacrylate) in a contact-separation mode. Under a constant periodical compressive force (100 N) at a frequency of 2 Hz, a maximum open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 30.6 V and short-circuit current (Isc) of 0.78 μA were obtained from a fresh rose petal (3 cm × 3 cm). The maximum output power density could be as high as 27.2 mW/m2at a resistance of 50 MΩ. Further studies disclosed that these petal surface rich in micro- and nanostructures provided sufficient roughness for hydrophobicity, which means that electrical charges could be generated and the mechanical energy of rain drops could be harvested. Therefore, Iscgenerated from the petal with falling water droplets on its surface was measured and the peak of Iscwas 7.84 nA.

In recent years, research in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has been focused on improving their performance in various ways, such as density, capacity, and lifetime, but little attention has been paid to the energy consumption cost in the manufacturing process. Herein, we report an energy-efficient preparation method of anode materials for LIBs based on a self-powered electrospinning system without an external power source, which consists of a rotatory triboelectric nanogenerator (r-TENG), a power management circuit, and an electrospinning unit. By harvesting kinetic energy from a handle rotation, the r-TENG is able to fully power the electrospinning system to fabricate nanofibers for LIBs. The as-obtained Si@void@C nanofibers present outstanding cyclic performance with a discharge capacity of 1045.2 mA h g–1after 100 cycles and 88% capacity retention, along with an excellent high rate capacity of 400 mA h g–1at a current density of 5 A g–1, which are completely comparable with those made by commercial electrospinning equipment. Our study demonstrates an innovative and distinct approach toward an extremely low-cost preparation procedure of electrode materials, leading to a great breakthrough for the LIB production industry.

Stretchability is an essential element for wearable electronics. Creating intelligent devices using stretchable polymers, which can simultaneously harvest mechanical energies and mimic the properties of fast adapting (FA) receptors, could be of significant importance for plastic bioelectronics and transistors. In this paper, we report an all-organic triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) that enables both energy harvesting and biomimetic pressure sensing on the base of three-dimensional polypyrrole (PPy) network. By combining with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and BaTiO3nanoparticles, this composite triboelectric interface shows not only an enhanced uniaxial stretchability of up to 310%, but also a high short circuit current density of 18.0 mA m−2in response to the environment or human motions. Such an excellent electric response further enables the sensitive detection of ambient mechanical energy. For example, the sensitivities of this stretchable device to acceleration, static and dynamic pressures are of 1.03 µA s2·m−1, 12.61 pF·kPa−1and 57.78 µA MPa−1, respectively. In addition, sensitive responses to bending and curling force are also demonstrated. These results demonstrate an ideal way for developing self-driven electronic skins and biomimetic tactile sensors with intriguing flexibility, stretchability and sustainability.

Polarizable layers can tune the electronic work functions between the triboelectric plates and vary the output performance triboelectric nanogenerator, while highly reactive molecules even change both the bio- and chemical properties of the polar surface, enabling their environmental and healthcare applications. In this work, we use the polydopamine (pDA) to functionalize the triboelectric interface by incubating the polarplate in a weak alkaline dopamine solution. This polymerization method is proven to be simple and versatile. The short circuit current and open circuit voltage of the pDA-modified single-electrode triboelectric nanogenerator (pDA-S-TENG) are increased by 274.0% and 166.7%, respectively. This enhancement is so significant that the output from a palm-sized device is capable of driving more than 38 light-emitting diodes and charging supercapacitors directly for wearable electronics. In addition, this pDA-S-TENG-based flexible device can response linearly toward dynamic force with a high sensitivity of about 670μAMpa−1. Interestingly, the as-prepared pDA-S-TENG also presents excellent sterilization ability. The antibacterial rate is up to 99.75% and can be ascribed to the synergistic effect observed on the pDA-S-TENG interface. These advantages have made the pDA polymerization a valuable interfacial tuning strategy for developing TENG-based self-powered sensors and wearable electronics.

With the rapid development of agricultural information technology, the security of agricultural information data has become a hot issue. The safety of ensuring the transmission of important agricultural information on the Internet in agricultural informatization was studied in this paper. By hiding the content and existence of information, the purpose of secure transmission of information can be achieved. HEVC (High-Efficiency Video Coding), the latest video coding standard jointly developed for ISO/IEC and ITU-T. An optimized differential expansion information hiding method based on HEVC video is proposed. In order to enable the algorithm achieving large-capacity steganography and restoring the original video without distortion, the motion vector coefficient pair is taken as the carrier, the information hiding is performed by reducing the difference expansion coefficient. And the least significant bit of the motion vector after steganography is replaced by the secret information to achieve double embedding. On the extraction side, after the complete extraction of information, the original video can be restored without distortion. Experimental results show that this method is compared with the difference expansion method, the PSNR of the video after steganography is increased by 4db, and the bit rate is reduced by 0.7. It can be seen that this method has good visual imperceptibility. It is important that the embedded capacity has been increased by nearly 35% than DE method. The purpose of large capacity steganography is achieved. In the extraction end, the embedded secret information can be accurately extracted and the original video can be recovered without distortion. This is of great significance for the secure transmission of important agricultural information.

Triboelectric nanogenerator collects kinetic energy from human activities and endows sustainable operation of wearable electronics. This work reports a very natural design of triboelectric nanogenerator for harvesting low-frequency walking energy. In the protocol, the human body and ground serve as electrodes of the triboelectric system, which helps the rubber soles to collect mechanical energy during walking motion of humans and produce pulsed alternative currents. The average open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current produced by the system at low frequency are about 400V and 12μA, respectively. Considering the very simple structure, this natural triboelectric nanogenerator can be easily integrated into wearable electronics and take full advantage of human motions as power source and as self-powered systems.

Smart flooring systems are important components of intelligent building for purposes such as health care and security. It is finding that its every step more harshly spotlighted than has ever because it is subtle and intimate to people who come into contact with them. Here we presented a floor tracking system using a large-area single-electrode triboelectric nanogenerator by simply coupling commercial polyvinyl chloride (PVC) flooring with a thin copper film. The system is not only able to collect and convert ambient mechanical energy to electricity with a power-density of 0.5µA/cm2, but also enables identifying and tracking footstep patterns by analyzing the movement of the users within a specific area. A detailed architecture and implementation of the smart floor is proposed together with an exhaustive test of its multifunction to give a comparison with other solutions already known to the state of art. Besides, the proposed system can also help to make the environment comfortable for high quality of life, as demonstrated by its excellent sterilization and dust removal performance. These multifunctional characteristics making it ideal for many applications including security surveillance, patient monitoring, indoor positioning, asset tracking, and entertainment.

The NRASQ61R monoclonal antibody (clone sp174) is a mutation-specific antibody that is increasingly being used to detect the NRASQ61Rmutation in melanomas. This antibody has been reported to be highly correlated with the NRASQ61Rmutation status in melanomas and follicular neoplasms of the thyroid gland. However, its utility in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) has remained largely unknown. In this study, we assessed the sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic utility of NRASQ61R immunohistochemistry in a cohort consisting of tissue sections of 113 CRCs, which were molecularly profiled for the KRAS, NRAS,and BRAFmutations. Five CRCs tested positive for NRASQ61R immunohistochemistry. Four of these CRCs exhibited the NRASQ61Rmutation and one exhibited the KRASQ61Rmutation. All of the other 108 colorectal carcinomas lacking the NRASQ61Ror KRASQ61Rmutation tested negative for NRASQ61R immunohistochemistry. In the positively stained cases, we observed a diffuse staining pattern in >90% of the tumour cells with a moderate-to-strong intensity. By contrast, the staining was essentially entirely negative in cases negative for the NRASQ61Ror KRASQ61Rmutations. We concluded that although it cross-reacts with the mutant KRASQ61Rprotein, the NRASQ61R antibody is a useful diagnostic tool that assists in the molecular testing of CRCs and facilitates patient management.

The article discusses the importance of robo-advisors and online platforms in providing automated management on investment portfolios in China. Topics mentioned include the struggles of retail investors to offset potential risks and the financial advice and portfoioi management provided by various robo-advisors like Schwan Intelligent Portfolios. An overview of the development of Alpha UMa robo-advisor which helps retail investors on its investment decisions is also offered.

The article presents information related to robo-advisors, a class of financial advisors that employs algorithms such as modern portfolio theory (MPT) to conduct portfolio management and provide financial advice online. It is noted that more than 50% of this roboadvisory services market is contributed by Schwab Intelligent Portfolios, Wealthfront, and Betterment.

Rice area has been expanding rapidly during the past 30 years under the influence of global change in northeastern China, which is the northernmost region of rice cultivation in China. However, the spatio-temporal dynamic changes in rice area are still unclear, although they may have important policy implications for environmental protection and adaptation to climate change. In this study, we aimed to identify the dynamic changes of the rice area in Heilongjiang Province of northeastern China by extracting data from multiple Landsat images. The study used ground quadrats selected from Google Earth and the extraction of a confusion matrix to verify the accuracy of extraction. The overall accuracy of the extracted rice area was higher than 95% as a result of using the artificial neural network (ANN) classification method. The results showed that the rice area increased by approximately 2.4×106ha during the past 30 years at an annual rate of 8.0×104ha, and most of the increase occurred after 2000. The central latitude of the rice area shifted northwards from 46 to 47°N during the study period, and moved eastwards from 130 to 133°E. The rice expansion area accounted for 98% of the total change in rice area, and rice loss was notably rare. The rice expansion was primarily from dryland. In addition, rice cultivation in marshland and grassland played a minor role in the rice expansion in this region.

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) offer great opportunities to deploy advanced wearable electronics that integrate a power generator and smart sensor, which eliminates the associated cost and sustainability concerns. Here, an embodiment of such integrated platforms has been presented in a graphene oxide (GO) based single-electrode TENG (S-TENG). The as-designed multifunctional device could not only harvest tiny bits of mechanical energy from ambient movements with a high power density of 3.13 W·m–2but also enable detecting dynamic force with an excellent sensitivity of about 388 μA·MPa–1. Because of the two-dimensional nanostructure and excellent surface properties, the GO-based S-TENG shows sensitive force detection and sound antimicrobial activity in comparison with conventional poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) electrodes. This technology offers great applicability prospects in portable/wearable electronics, micro/nanoelectromechanical devices, and self-powered sensors.

ABSTRACTThe full-length cDNA sequence of a porcine gene, MOSPD2, was amplified using the rapid amplification of cDNA ends method based on a pig expressed sequence tag sequence which was highly homologous to the coding sequence of the human MOSPD2gene. Sequence prediction analysis revealed that the open reading frame of this gene encodes a protein of 491 amino acids that has high homology with the motile sperm domain-containing protein 2 (MOSPD2) of five species: horse (89%), human (90%), chimpanzee (89%), rhesus monkey (89%) and mouse (85%); thus, it could be defined as a porcine MOSPD2gene. This novel porcine gene was assigned GeneID: 100153601. This gene is structured in 15 exons and 14 introns as revealed by computer-assisted analysis. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that the porcine MOSPD2gene has a closer genetic relationship with the MOSPD2gene of horse. Tissue expression analysis indicated that the porcine MOSPD2gene is generally and differentially expressed in the spleen, muscle, skin, kidney, lung, liver, fat and heart. Our experiment is the first to establish the primary foundation for further research on the porcine MOSPD2gene.

Developing novel smart materials for the next generation of advanced electronic devices represents a major challenge as well as an exciting opportunity in the direction of integration, miniaturization, and flexibility. Here an unearthed single-electrode triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is fabricated from three-dimensionally hybridized copper/polydimethylsiloxane powering films. This robust design simplifies the traditional contact-separation mode so that the as-fabricated single-electrode TENG is simple, stable, waterproof and can be operated without grounding. The output current reaches 1.2μAcm−2when a pressure as small as 5Ncm−2is applied, which leads to the invention of a pressure sensitive device by integrating with an electrochromic film. The pioneering unearthed single-electrode working modes start up a multifunctional platform for both energy harvesting and self-powered touch sensors.

Bioelectricity and triboelectrification are well-known and widely existing phenomena in nature, and the investigation of their mechanisms and utilizations has attracted much attention for a long time. As traditional investigations suggested, the mechanism of electric organs is that the electrocytes are lined up so a current of ions can flow through them, and thus they are stacked in a sequence so that each one adds up to form a potential difference. For varieties of triboelectric generators, most of them feature extremely high voltage but limited current, which is the major challenge to pracitcal utilization. Here, we present a structural bionic design based on the microstructure of electric organs to improve the output current of systematic triboelectric generators. This study correlating electric organs and triboelectric generators not only benefits the practical use of systematic triboelectric generators for energy harvesting, but also offers a new approach to imitate more compositive and tunable electronic devices from biological structures.

A sensitive and in situselective label-free DNA sensor based on a Schottky-contacted ZnO nanowire (NW) device has been developed and utilized to detect the human immunodeficiency virus 1 gene in this work. Piezotronic effect on the performance of the DNA sensor is studied by measuring its output current under different compressive strains and target complementary DNA concentrations. By applying a −0.59% compressive strain to a ZnO NW-based DNA sensor, the relative current response is greatly enhanced by 454%. A theoretical model is proposed to explain the observed behaviors of the DNA sensor. This study provides a piezotronically modified method to effectively improve the overall performance of the Schottky-contacted ZnO NW-based DNA sensor.

Cellular retinoic acid-binding protein 2 (CRABP2) participates in retinoid partitioning between different nuclear receptors. Recently, we identified that CRABP2 is one of the progression-associated genes in thyroid cancer. To explore the prognostic and functional significance of CRABP2, immunohistochemical analysis was performed in thyroid tissues and neoplasms. Overexpression of CRABP2 was observed in malignant thyroid neoplasms but not in benign thyroid lesions. CRABP2 expression was an independent predictive factor for recurrence-free survival in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer. Knockdown of CRABP2 reduced the sensitivity of thyroid cancer cells to retinoic acid. Importantly, CRABP2 expression in thyroid cancer cells was associated with epithelial–mesenchymal transition properties, including anoikis resistance, migration, and invasion capacity. Furthermore, invasion promoted by CRABP2 was mediated at least partly by the integrin/focal adhesion kinase/AKT pathway. In summary, CRABP2 expression is upregulated in thyroid cancer with adverse prognostic implications. The invasion-stimulating effects appear independent of canonical retinoic acid signaling and may serve as a potential therapeutic target.

The generation of quantum entanglement of macroscopic or mesoscopic bodies in mechanical motion is generally bounded by the thermal fluctuation exerted by their environments. Here we propose a scheme to establish stationary entanglement between two mechanically oscillating mirrors of a cavity. It is revealed that, by applying a broadband squeezed laser acting as a squeezed-vacuum reservoir to the cavity, a stable entanglement between the mechanical mirrors can be generated. Using the adiabatic elimination and master equation methods, we analytically find that the generated entanglement is essentially determined by the squeezing of the relative momentum of the mechanical mirrors, which is transferred from the squeezed reservoir through the cavity. Numerical verification indicates that our scheme is within the present experimental state of the art of optomechanics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine environment is facing a great challenge from rapid population growth and increased human activities. The uncontrolled discharge of wastewater and ballast water has caused the growth of harmful bacteria and algal blooms. Here we report a self-powered electrochemical water treatment system for sterilization and algae removal in wastewater using the newly invented triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) that provides the power from the water wave. A synergetic effect of both free chlorine and reduced graphene oxide during the electrolysis process resulted in an effective impact to bactericidals and high-efficiency algae removal. This system achieves more than 6log (99.9999%) removal of three model bacteria, including Escherichia coli, Streptococcus faecalisand Vibrio alginolyticus, and high removal efficiencies for mixed marine algae. Our study demonstrates an innovative and unique approach toward a totally self-powered electrochemical water treatment system for bacterial inactivation and algae removal without supplying additional power. This is a step toward self-powered environmental electrochemistry.

Salviaolate is a group of depside salts isolated from Danshen (a traditional Chinese herbal medicine), with ≥ 85% of magnesium lithospermate B. This study aims to investigate whether salviaolate is able to protect the rat brain from ischemia/reperfusion injury and the underlying mechanisms. Rats were subjected to 2 h of cerebral ischemia and 24 h of reperfusion to establish an ischemia/ reperfusion injury model. The neuroprotective effects of salviaolate at different dosages were evaluated. A dosage (25 mg/kg) was chosen to explore the neuroprotective mechanisms of salviaolate. Neurological function, infarct volume, cellular apoptosis, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate- oxidase activity, and H2O2 content were measured. In a nerve cell model of hypoxia/reoxygenation injury, magnesium lithospermate B was applied. Cellular apoptosis, lactate dehydrogenase, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate- oxidase activity, and H2O2 content were examined. Ischemia/reperfusion treatment significantly increased the neurological deficit score, infarct volume, and cellular apoptosis accompanied by the elevated nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-oxidase activity and H2O2 content in the rat brains. Administration of salviaolate reduced ischemia/reperfusion-induced cerebral injury in a dose-dependent manner concomitant with a decrease in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-oxidase activity and H2O2 production. Magnesium lithospermate B (20 mg/kg) and edaravone (6 mg/kg, the positive control) achieved the same beneficial effects as salviaolate did. In the cell experiments, the injury (indicated by apoptosis ratio and lactate dehydrogenase release), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-oxidase activity and H2O2 content were dramatically increased following hypoxia/reoxygenation, which were attenuated in the presence of magnesium lithospermate B (10−5 M), VAS2870 (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-oxidase inhibitor), or edaravone (10−5 M). The results suggest that salviaolate is able to protect the brain from ischemia/reperfusion oxidative injury, which is related to the inhibition of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-oxidase and a reduction of reactive oxygen species production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A self-powered triboelectric nanosensor (TENS) based on the contact-separation mode between a thin layer of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) with nanoparticle arrays and an aluminum film was fabricated for the detection of dopamine (DA) in the alkaline condition. High selectivity and sensitivity (detection limit of 0.5 μM, a linear range from 10 μM to 1 mM) have been achieved through the strong interaction between the nonstick PTFE and DA viaits oxidative self-polymerization, and the output voltage and current of the developed TENS can reach 116 V and 33 μA, which is exceptionally attractive for the fabrication of self-powered and portable device toward the detection of dopamine.

Searching for novel topological objects is always an intriguing task for scientists in various fields. We study a three-dimensional (3D) topological structure called a 3D dimeron in trapped two-component Bose-Einstein condensates. The 3D dimeron differs from the conventional 3D skyrmion for the condensates hosting two interlocked vortex rings. We demonstrate that the vortex rings are connected by a singular string and the complexity constitutes a vortex molecule. The stability of the 3D dimeron is examined in two different models using the imaginary time evolution method. We find that the stable 3D dimeron can be naturally generated from a vortex-free Gaussian wave packet incorporating a synthetic non-Abelian gauge potential into the condensates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modified aramid (PBIA) containing benzimidazole units in the main chain were synthesized and the corresponding PBIA fibers were prepared by wet spinning and then annealed at different temperatures. The mechanical properties and the structure of copolyamide PBIA fibers were investigated for different annealing temperatures. The results of thermogravimetric analysis showed that the decomplexation reaction between HCl and benzimidazole occurred during the annealing process and HCl was completely removed at 320°C. The decomplexation of HCl also leads to the formation of hydrogen bonds between benzimidazole fragments, resulting in the rearrangement of the molecular chain and a more ordered macromolecular structure. The mechanical properties, chain orientation could be significantly improved when the samples were annealed in the temperature range from 280 to 320 °C. In addition, the analysis of self-elongation during the annealing process further indicates that the macromolecular chains were more ordered after the decomplexation of HCl. In addition, the PBIA fibers firstly annealed at 300°C which the decomplexation reaction between HCl and benzimidazole occurred, and then annealed at 400°C, resulting the higher PBIA fibers are obtained.