Search

With the rapid development of information science and the Internet of Things (IoT), people have an unprecedented ability to collect and share data, especially the various sensors as the entrance to data collection. At the same time, edge computing has begun to grasp the public's attention because of the difficult challenges of massive equipment access and massive data. Although such large amount of data provides a huge opportunity for information discovery, the privacy leakage has also been concerned. When the data publisher publishes various statistics, the attacker can obtain the statistical rules in the data by simply using the query function without contacting the user or the data publisher. Therefore, how to protect the data privacy of statistical information has become the focus of attention. In this paper, we proposed a partitioned histogram data publishing algorithm based on wavelet transform. Firstly, a partitioning algorithm based on greedy algorithm is used to obtain a better partition structure. Then, we use wavelet transform to add noise. Finally, for the authenticity and usability of histogram, we get the reductive original histogram structure. On the one hand, our algorithm can reduce the complexity of wavelet tree constructed by wavelet transform. On the other hand, the query noise changes from linear growth to multiple logarithm growth. So the accuracy of histogram counting query is improved. Experiments show that our algorithm has the significant improvement in data availability.

Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) infection has become a significant threat in shrimp farming industry in recent years, causing major economic losses in Asian countries. As there are a lack of effective therapeutics, prevention of the infection with rapid and reliable pathogen detection methods is fundamental. Molecular detection methods based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) have been developed, but improvements on detection speed and convenience are still in demand. The isothermal recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assay derived from the recombination-dependent DNA replication (RDR) mechanism of bacteriophage T4 is promising, but the previously developed RPA assay for EHP detection read the signal by gel electrophoresis, which restricted this application to laboratory conditions and hampered the sensitivity. The present study combined fluorescence analysis with the RPA system and developed a real-time RPA assay for the detection of EHP. The detection procedure was completed in 3–7 min at 39°C and showed good specificity. The sensitivity of 13 gene copies per reaction was comparable to the current PCR- and LAMP-based methods, and was much improved than the RPA assay analyzed by gel electrophoresis. For real clinical samples, detection results of the real-time RPA assay were 100% consistent with the industrial standard nested PCR assay. Because of the rapid detection speed and the simple procedure, the real-time RPA assay developed in this study can be easily assembled as an efficient and reliable on-site detection tool to help control EHP infection in shrimp farms.

The graded off-diagonal Bethe ansatz method is proposed to study supersymmetric quantum integrable models (i.e., quantum integrable models associated with superalgebras). As an example, the exact solutions of the SU(2|2) vertex model with both periodic and generic open boundary conditions are constructed. By generalizing the fusion techniques to the supersymmetric case, a closed set of operator product identities about the transfer matrices are derived, which allows us to give the eigenvalues in terms of homogeneous or inhomogeneous T−Q relations. The method and results provided in this paper can be generalized to other high rank supersymmetric quantum integrable models.

BackgroundIn recent years, neuroimaging has been used increasingly to explore the biological underpinnings of violence carried out by schizophrenia patients (SPs). Studies have focused mostly on patients with a history of carrying out severe physical assaults, or comorbid with substance abuse/personality disorder (SA/PD). As a result, participants were unrepresentative and the interpretation of brain-structure changes was confusing. Here, we concentrated on SPs on a general psychiatric ward with a history of relatively lower violence, and individuals comorbid with SA or PD were excluded. We expected to identify the characteristics of brain morphometry in this population, and to explore whether the morphometric changes were universal.MethodsForty-eight violent schizophrenia patients (VSPs), twenty-seven non-VSPs (nVSPs) and 28 nonviolent healthy controls (HCs) were investigated. Voxel-based morphometry was used to evaluate the gray matter volume (GMV) of all study participants. Whole-brain analyses were used to reveal group effects and differences between any two groups. Correlation analyses were undertaken between significant brain regions and behavioral measurements in the VSP group.ResultsPatients showed a significantly smaller GMV in widespread frontal, temporal, and limbic regions compared with HCs. No region was found in which the two patient groups had significantly larger volumes compared with that in HCs. A significant decrease in the GMV of the right fusiform gyrus was found in the VSP group compared with that in the nVSP group (p = 0.004), where the GMV of this region had a negative correlation with the Physical Aggression [subscale of the Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS)] or Hostility score. The VSP group showed a trend of GMV decrease in the left middle temporal cortex compared with that in the nVSP group (p = 0.077). Negative correlation was also found between the GMV of left inferior temporal gyrus/left Superior frontal gyrus, medial and the Hostility score.ConclusionsOur results provide initial evidence demonstrating the generalizability of GMV abnormalities in SPs engaged in varying levels of violence, even when SA or PD have not been implicated. GMV reduction was correlated with only the Physical Aggression subscale score of the MOAS, suggesting that this change in brain morphology may be dependent upon different types of violent actions.

Intergranular twinning shear transmission through twin-twin accommodation, which plays an important role on microstructure evolution, is often observed in deformed hexagonal metals. The shear transmitted between two connected twins is m′s, where m′ is the geometrical compatibility factor and s is the magnitude of the original shear. However, the quantitative correlation between the grain boundary misorientation (GBM) and m′ factor for shear transmission is unknown. In the present study, we developed an m′-GBM map to tackle this problem. The map is applied to {112¯2}–{112¯2}, {112¯2}–{112¯4} and {112¯4}–{112¯4} twin pairs in Ti, which have rarely been reported before but are profuse in a cryorolled state. Favorable GBM for the formation of these twin pairs is revealed by the map. Specifically, the map shows that low GBM angles (

The exact solution of an integrable anisotropic Heisenberg spin chain with nearest-neighbor, next-nearest-neighbor and scalar chirality couplings is studied, where the boundary condition is the antiperiodic one. The detailed construction of Hamiltonian and the proof of integrability are given. The antiperiodic boundary condition breaks the U(1)-symmetry of the system and we use the off-diagonal Bethe Ansatz to solve it. The energy spectrum is characterized by the inhomogeneous T−Q relations and the contribution of the inhomogeneous term is studied. The ground state energy and the twisted boundary energy in different regions are obtained. We also find that the Bethe roots at the ground state form the string structure if the coupling constant J=−1 although the Bethe Ansatz equations are the inhomogeneous ones.

ObjectiveThis study was aimed to explore the impact of fish oil (Omega-3 fatty acids) on hostility and psychopathology among patients with acute violent schizophrenia.MethodSixty seven acute hospitalized patients demonstrating violent behavior in the context of a schizophrenic illness, treated with antipsychotics, were randomly assigned to a supplement with either fish oil (N=32) or placebo (N=35) in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Assessments were conducted at the baseline, week 4 and week 8.ResultsThe symptoms and hostility decreased after treatment for 4 and 8 weeks in both groups, with no group differences.ConclusionsThe current study did not find improvements in symptoms or hostility from the Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in patients with schizophrenia. The implication is that Omega-3 fatty acids do not reduce psychopathology and hostility in acute patients with schizophrenia.

We investigate the thermodynamic limit of the inhomogeneous T−Q relation of the antiferromagnetic XXZ spin chain with antiperiodic boundary condition. It is shown that the contribution of the inhomogeneous term for the ground state can be neglected when the system-size N tends to infinity, which enables us to reduce the inhomogeneous Bethe ansatz equations (BAEs) to the homogeneous ones. Then the quantum numbers at the ground states are obtained, by which the system with arbitrary size can be studied. We also calculate the twisted boundary energy of the system.

By combining the algebraic Bethe ansatz and the off-diagonal Bethe ansatz, we investigate the trigonometric SU(3) model with generic open boundaries. The eigenvalues of the transfer matrix are given in terms of an inhomogeneous T−Q relation, and the corresponding eigenstates are expressed in terms of nested Bethe-type eigenstates which have well-defined homogeneous limit. This exact solution provides a basis for further analyzing the thermodynamic properties and correlation functions of the anisotropic models associated with higher rank algebras.

We propose a convenient orthogonal basis of the Hilbert space for the quantum spin chain associated with the A2(2) algebra (or the Izergin–Korepin model). It is shown that compared with the original basis the monodromy-matrix elements acting on this basis take relatively simple forms, which is quite similar as that for the quantum spin chain associated with An algebra in the so-called F-basis. As an application of our general results, we present the explicit recursive expressions of the Bethe states in this basis for the Izergin–Korepin model.

Atomic probe tomography (APT) samples with Al/Ni multilayer structure were successfully prepared by using a focused ion beam (FIB), combining with a field emission scanning electron microscope, with a new single-wedge lift-out method and a reduced amorphous damage layer of Ga ions implantation. The optimum vertex angle and preparation parameters of APT sample were discussed. The double interdiffusion relationship of the multilayer films was successfully observed by the local electrode APT, which laid a foundation for further study of the interface composition and crystal structure of the two-phase composites.

IntroductionComputational analysis of genome or exome sequences may improve inherited disease diagnosis, but is costly and time-consuming.MethodsWe describe the use of iobio, a web-based tool suite for intuitive, real-time genome diagnostic analyses.ResultsWe used iobio to identify the disease-causing variant in a patient with early infantile epileptic encephalopathy with prior nondiagnostic genetic testing.Conclusions Iobio tools can be used by clinicians to rapidly identify disease-causing variants from genomic patient sequencing data.

In metastatic breast cancer, subclonal evolution can drive drug resistance. Here, the authors genetically and transcriptionally follow the evolution of four breast cancers over time and treatment, and suggest a phenotype-targeted treatment strategy to adapt to cancer as it evolves.

Hypertension is one of the major predisposing factors for neurodegenerative disease characterized with activated renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in both periphery and brain. Vitamin D (VitD) is recently recognized as a pleiotropic hormone with strong neuroprotective properties. While multiple lines of evidence suggest that VitD can act on RAS, the evidence concerning the crosstalk between VitD and RAS in the brain is limited. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate whether VitD can modulate brain RAS to trigger neuroprotective actions in the brain of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Our data showed that calcitriol treatment induced VDR expression and inhibited neural death in the prefrontal cortex of SHR. Sustained calcitriol administration also inhibited microglia M1 polarization, but enhanced M2 polarization, accompanied with decreased expression of proinflammatory cytokines. We then further explored the potential mechanisms and showed that SHR exhibited overactivated classical RAS with increased expression of angiotensin II (Ang II) receptor type 1 (AT1), angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and Ang II production, whereas the counteracting arm of traditional RAS, ACE2/Ang(1–7)/MasR, was impaired in the SHR brain. Calcitriol nonsignificantly suppressed AT1 and ACE but markedly reduced Ang II formation. Intriguingly, calcitriol exerted pronouncedly impact on ACE2/Ang(1–7)/MasR axis with enhanced expression of ACE2, MasR and Ang(1–7) generation. Meanwhile, calcitriol ameliorated the overactivation of NADPH-oxidase (Nox), the downstream of RAS, in SHR, and also mitigated oxidative stress. In microglial (BV2) cells, we further found that calcitriol induced ACE2 and MasR with no significant impact on ACE and AT1. In accordance, calcitriol also attenuated Ang II-induced Nox activation and ROS production, and shifted the microglia polarization from M1 to M2 phenotype. However, co-treatment with A779, a specific MasR antagonist, abrogated the antioxidant and neuroimmune modulating actions of VitD. These findings strongly indicate the involvement of ACE2/Ang(1–7)/MasR pathway in the neuroprotective mechanisms of VitD in the hypertensive brain. Keywords: Renin-angiotensin system, Vitamin D, Neuroinflammation, Oxidative stress, ACE2/Ang(1–7)/MasR axis

Objective: Although several previous studies have focused on the mental health problems in detained juvenile offenders in China and found high levels of major psychiatric morbidity, the prevalence of intermittent explosive disorder (IED) in this group remains unknown. The purpose of this study is to discover the prevalence of IED among juvenile offenders in China as well as the difference in demographic characteristics and personality traits between IED offenders and the general population.Method: A total of 280 delinquent boys (Mean age 16.10 years) were interviewed by trained psychiatrists. The interview procedure included the recording of sociodemographic characteristics, criminal records, Composite International Diagnostic Interviews (CIDI), State-Trait Anger and Expression of Anger Inventory-2 (STAXI-2) and Modified Overt Aggression Scales (MOAS).Results: Of the 280 delinquent boys, 32 (11.4%) were diagnosed with IED, 129 (46.1%) were non-IED psychopathology controls (PC), and 119 (42.5%) were healthy controls (HC). Except for substance use disorder (SUD), no differences in psychiatric comorbidity were found between youths with IED and those with another psychiatric disorder. Compared with the PC and HC groups, those in the IED group were more likely to commit a violent crime such as rape, assault, or an affray but it is less likely that their motive can be explained by money or property. The IED group also had a higher rate of recidivism history than the HC group. The IED group displayed higher levels of state and trait anger and anger expression than the HC group and lower levels of anger control than both the PC and HC groups. MOAS also showed that those in the IED group were more aggressive than those in the PC and HC groups.Conclusion: The relationships between IED, anger and aggression reflect the need to develop and implement specific and individually tailored intervention approaches to correct IED juvenile offenders’ behavior in order to prevent new crime.

Brain insulin signaling is accounted for the development of a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as anxiety and depression, whereas both inflammation and the activated renin-angiotensin system (RAS) are two major contributors to insulin resistance. Intriguingly, inflammation and RAS can activate each other, forming a positive feedback loop that would result in exacerbated unwanted tissue damage. To further examine the interrelationship among insulin signaling, neuroinflammation and RAS in the brain, the effect of repeated lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure and co-treatment with the angiotensin II (Ang II) receptor type 1 (AT1) blocker, candesartan (Cand), on anxiety and depression-like behaviors, RAS, neuroinflammation and insulin signaling was explored. Our results demonstrated that prolonged LPS challenge successfully induced the rats into anxiety and depression-like state, accompanied with significant neural apoptosis and neuroinflammation. LPS also activated RAS as evidenced by the enhanced angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) expression, Ang II generation and AT1 expression. However, blocking the activated RAS with Cand co-treatment conferred neurobehavioral protective properties. The AT1 blocker markedly ameliorated the microglial activation, the enhanced gene expression of the proinflammatory cytokines and the overactivated NF-κB signaling. In addition, Cand also mitigated the LPS-induced disturbance of insulin signaling with the normalized phosphorylation of serine 307 and tyrosine 896 of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1). Collectively, the present study, for the first time, provided the direct evidence indicating that the inflammatory condition may interact with RAS to impede brain insulin pathway, resulting in neurobehavioral damage, and inhibiting RAS seems to be a promising strategy to block the cross-talk and cut off the vicious cycle between RAS and immune system.

We propose an integrable spin-1 chain with a magnetic impurity whose spin is 1/2. The integrability of the model is based on an operator solution of the associated reflection equation. Due to the existence of the impurity, the SU(3) symmetry of the bulk is broken. By using the nested algebraic Bethe ansatz, we obtain the exact solution of the system. The eigenvalues, eigenstates, and Bethe ansatz equations are given explicitly. The method provided in this paper can be generalized to other high-rank quantum integrable systems with magnetic impurities where the spins of the bulk and of impurities are different.

Single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) inherits the strategy of measurement from the effective “spectroscopic ruler” FRET and can be utilized to observe molecular behaviors with relatively high throughput at nanometer scale. The simplicity in principle and configuration of smFRET make it easy to apply and couple with other technologies to comprehensively understand single-molecule dynamics in various application scenarios. Despite its widespread application, smFRET is continuously developing and novel studies based on the advanced platforms have been done. Here, we summarize some representative examples of smFRET research of recent years to exhibit the versatility and note typical strategies to further improve the performance of smFRET measurement on different biomolecules.

Microfluidic system, as a kind of miniature integrated operating platform, has been applied to solid-state nanopore sensors after many years of experimental study. In the process of introducing microfluidic into solid-state nanopore sensors, many novel device structures are designed due to the abundance of analytes and the diversity of detection methods. Here we review the fundamental setup of nanopore-based microfluidic systems and the developments and advancements that have been taking place in the field. The microfluidic systems with a multichannel strategy to elevate the throughput and efficiency of nanopore sensors are then presented. Multifunctional detection represented by optical-electrical detection, which is realized by microfluidic integration, is also described. A high integration microfluidic system with nanopore is further discussed, which shows the prototype of commercialization.

Lactobacillus reuteri L3 and Lactobacillus reuteri L10 were selected to investigate whether different strains from the same probiotic species, but isolated from different phenotype mice (normal or obese mice), modulated metabolic phenotypes such as obesity. The results indicate that L. reuteri L3 (but not L. reuteri L10) significantly decreased body weight, glucose, insulin, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and increased energy expenditure (measured by heat production and ambulatory activity) compared with the high-fat diet group. Moreover, the mRNA levels of Ppar-γ, Acc1, and Fas in adipocytes were significantly suppressed, and the mRNA level of Cyp7a1 in liver was promoted by L. reuteri L3, not by L. reuteri L10. These activities may contribute to significant anti-obesity effects of L. reuteri L3. In addition, bacterial strains of the same species showed different effects on inflammatory and obesity, illustrating the complexity of host-bacterial cross-talk and the importance of investigating specific bacterial strains.

The present study was designed to find out the initial factor that triggered cognitive deficits induced by high-fat diets (HFD) and whether salvianolic acid B (Sal B) had beneficial role on cognition. Seven weeks' consumption of HFD resulted in higher food intake, dyslipidaemia, cognitive impairment and increasing hippocampal and frontal cortex oxidative stress (OS) without significant change in blood glucose and hippocampal inflammation. Microarray analysis data demonstrated that long-term potentiation (LTP) pathway was altered with down-regulation of genes against OS. Correlation analysis showed that hippocampal OS biomarkers had strong relations to Morris water maze performance. Sal B in drinking water (0.07 mg/ml) normalised the cognitive deficits through attenuating hippocampal redox status, altering LTP pathway and other biological pathways, up-regulating antioxidative genes expression. Thus, OS induced by HFD might be the initial factor that triggers cognitive impairment. Sal B was an efficient agent that exerted neuroprotective effects.

The growing interest in cell sorting and trapping is driving the demand for high performance technologies. Using labeling techniques or external forces, cells can be identified by a series of methods. However, all of these methods require complicated systems with expensive devices. Based on inherent differences in cellular morphology, cells can be sorted by specific structures in microfluidic devices. The weir filter is a basic and efficient cell sorting and trapping structure. However, in some existing weir devices, because of cell deformability and high flow velocity in gaps, trapped cells may become stuck or even pass through the gaps. Here, we designed and fabricated a microfluidic device with interdigital channels for cell sorting and trapping. The chip consisted of a sheet of silicone elastomer polydimethylsiloxane and a sheet of glass. A square-wave-like weir was designed in the middle of the channel, comprising the interdigital channels. The square-wave pattern extended the weir length by three times with the channel width remaining constant. Compared with a straight weir, this structure exhibited a notably higher trapping capacity. Interdigital channels provided more space to slow down the rate of the pressure decrease, which prevented the cells from becoming stuck in the gaps. Sorting a mixture K562 and blood cells to trap cells demonstrated the efficiency of the chip with the interdigital channel to sort and trap large and less deformable cells. With stable and efficient cell sorting and trapping abilities, the chip with an interdigital channel may be widely applied in scientific research fields.

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA), which promotes precision oncology, has received extensive concern because of its abilities to inform genomic mutations, tumor burden and drug resistance. The absolute quantification of cfDNA concentration has been proved as an independent prognostic biomarker of overall survival. However, the properties of low abundance and high fragmentation hinder the isolation and further analysis of cfDNA. Microfluidic technologies and lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices provide an opportunity to deal with cfDNA sample at a micrometer scale, which reduces required sample volume and makes rapid isolation possible. Microfluidic platform also allow for high degree of automation and high-throughput screening without liquid transfer, where rapid and precise examination and quantification could be performed at the same time. Microfluidic technologies applied in cfDNA isolation and analysis are limited and remains to be further explored. This paper reviewed the existing and potential applications of microfluidic technologies in collection and enrichment of cfDNA, quantification, mutation detection and sequencing library construction, followed by discussion of future perspectives.

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: The objective of the study was 2-fold; to identify potentially deleterious alleles in a child with Treacher Collins syndrome, and; to demonstrate the value of the iobio analysis platform for intuitively and rapidly analyzing genomic data. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We used the iobio suite of web-based applications to analyze quality metrics for the sequencing data and called variants for the proband and his parents. We then visually interrogated variants in genes potentially associated with the syndrome in real-time, using the intuitive gene.iobio application. We sought high impact variants that demonstrated a predicted impact on the protein function, and were simultaneously at low allele frequency in the general human population. Variants were also compared against the ClinVar database of known mutations to identify variants that have already been associated with this, or related syndromes in the literature or clinical studies. Finally, the gene.iobio tool allows users to interrogate the primary sequencing data to ensure that no variants had been missed by the primary variant calling pipeline. This analysis pipeline was performed using intuitive web-based apps in real time, and consequently represents a system that is available to users that traditionally are excluded from these analyses. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The iobio suite was used to rapidly assess data quality and interrogate genetic variants for a child with Treacher Collins syndrome. A compound heterozygote consisting of 2 missense alleles in the TCOF1 gene was identified as a compelling pathogenic allele, necessitating further functional investigation. The study helped validate the use of the intuitive iobio tools in such analyses, strengthening the case for greater involvement of medical professionals in data analysis. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: The performed analyses demonstrated that the whole genome sequencing data for the family being studied was of a very high quality, although 1 gene demonstrated a local region of almost zero coverage. This ensured that study conclusions can be presented with confidence. A variant associated with Treacher Collins syndrome 1 in ClinVar was uncovered in the TCOF1 gene, however, given it’s benign rating, this variant was not considered further. The most interesting candidate was a compound heterozygote, consisting of 2 missense mutations, also in the TCOF1 gene. These mutations occurred with allele frequencies of 22% and 8% in the general population, and additional molecular and functional studies are currently being pursued.

The originally published version of this Article contained an error in Figure 4. In panel a, grey boxes surrounding the subclones associated with patients #2 and #4 obscured adjacent portions of the heatmap. This error has now been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.

We investigate the thermodynamic limit of the one-dimensional ferromagnetic XXZ model with twisted (or antiperiodic) boundary conditions. It is shown that the distribution of the Bethe roots of the inhomogeneous Bethe ansatz equations (BAEs) for the ground state as well as for the low-lying excited states satisfy the string hypothesis, although the inhomogeneous BAEs are not in the standard product form which has made the study of the corresponding thermodynamic limit nontrivial. We also obtain the twisted boundary energy induced by the nontrivial twisted boundary conditions in the thermodynamic limit.

C16H12Cl4Cu2N6, monoclinic, Pn (no. 7), a = 9.252(19) Å, b = 10.757(2) Å, c = 9.946(2) Å, ( = 94.52(3)°, V = 986.8 Å3, Z = 2, Rgt(F) = 0.0394, wRref(F2) = 0.1074, T = 293 K