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MicroRNA-199a-5p (miR-199a-5p) and -3p are enriched in the myocardium, but it is unknown whether miR-199a-5p and -3p are co-expressed in cardiac remodeling and what roles they have in cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis. We show that miR-199a-5p and -3p are co-upregulated in the mouse and human myocardium with cardiac remodeling and in Ang-II-treated neonatal mouse ventricular cardiomyocytes (NMVCs) and cardiac fibroblasts (CFs). miR-199a-5p and -3p could aggravate cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis in vivo and in vitro. PPAR gamma coactivator 1 alpha (Ppargc1a) and sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) were identified as target genes to mediate miR-199a-5p in promoting both cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis. However, miR-199a-3p aggravated cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis through targeting RB transcriptional corepressor 1 (Rb1) and Smad1, respectively. Serum response factor and nuclear factor κB p65 participated in the upregulation of miR-199a-5p and -3p in Ang-II-treated NMVCs and mouse CFs, and could be conversely elevated by miR-199a-5p and -3p. Together, Ppargc1a and Sirt1, Rb1 and Smad1 mediated the pathological effect of miR-199a-5p and -3p by promoting cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis, respectively. This study suggests a possible new strategy for cardiac remodeling therapy by inhibiting miR-199a-5p and -3p., Graphical abstract, Transcription factor SRF and NF-κB p65 regulate the co-expression of miR-199a-5p and -3p by positive feedback in the pathological cardiac remodeling. Ppargc1a and Sirt1, Rb1 and Smad1 mediate the pathological role of miR-199a-5p and -3p by promoting cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis, respectively.

Signal modulation identification (SMI) has always been one of hot issues in filter-bank multicarrier with offset quadrature amplitude modulation (FBMC/OQAM), which is usually implemented by the machine learning-based feature extraction. However, it is difficult for conventional methods to extract the signal feature, resulting in a limited probability of correct classification (PCC). To tackle this problem, we put forward a novel SMI method based on deep learning to identify FBMC/OQAM signals in this paper. It is noted that the block repetition is employed in the FBMC/OQAM system to achieve the imaginary interference cancelation. In the proposed deep learning-based SMI technique, the in-phase and quadrature samples of FBMC/OQAM signals are trained by the convolutional neural network. Subsequently, the dropout layer is designed to prevent overfilling and improve the identification accuracy. To evaluate the proposed scheme, extensive experiments are conducted by employing datasets with different modulations. The results show that the proposed method can achieve better accuracy than conventional methods.

Previous study found that the solvent extraction efficiency of lipid in microalgae could be greatly improved by washing algae cells before the second time extraction. Based on the "organic solvents–water–organic solvents" method, this research further studied the effect of four solvent systems (acetone, chloroform/methanol, chloroform/methanol/water, dichloromethane/methanol), two types of water treatment (vortex and ultrasonic), three water treatment time gradient (0 s, 30 s, 120 s) on the lipid extraction at three different microalgae growth stages (3rd day, 5th day, 9th day). The results show that the combination of water treatment type, treatment time and solvent is very important to the efficiency of lipid extraction. The total lipid extracted was generally increased by 10–30% after water treatment. Especially under the condition of 120 s vortex water treatment with dichloromethane/methanol as extraction solvent, the total lipid extracted increased by 61.14%. In addition, microalgae cells at different culture stages had different sensitivity to water treatment. In this study, under the combination of chloroform/methanol/water as extraction solvent and vortex water treatment for 120 s, the highest lipid yield was obtained on the ninth day of cell culture, which accounts 47.88% of the cell dry weight (478 mg/g cell dry weight). The changes of cell morphology and structure after water treatment were studied by scanning electron microscope, and it was found that water treatment could seriously destroy the cell membrane damaged by solvent, thus promoting the release of lipids. This study further optimizes the "solvent–water–solvent" lipid extraction method, which neither produces impurities nor damages the lipid quality, and can reduce the amount of organic solvent applied in the classical lipid extraction method with the same lipid yield, so it has a broad application prospect.

Rapid diagnosis and vaccine development are critical to prevent the threat posed by viruses. However, rapid tests, such as colloidal gold assays, yield false-negative results due to the low quantities of viruses; moreover, conventional virus purification, including ultracentrifugation and nanofiltration, is multistep and time-consuming, which limits laboratory research and commercial development of viral vaccines. A rapid virus enrichment and purification technique will improve clinical diagnosis sensitivity and simplify vaccine production. Hence, we developed the surface-glycosylated microbeads (glycobeads) featuring chemically synthetic glycoclusters and reversible linkers to selectively capture the influenza virus. The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) evaluation indicated broad spectrum affinity of S-linked glycosides to various influenza viruses. The magnetic glycobeads were integrated into clinical rapid diagnosis, leading to a 30-fold lower limit of detection. Additionally, the captured viruses can be released under physiological conditions, delivering purified viruses with >50% recovery and without decreasing their native infectivity. Notably, this glycobead platform will facilitate the sensitive detection and continuous one-step purification of the target virus that contributes to future vaccine production.

Bio-toxic inorganic pollutants, e.g., fluorine (F) and heavy metals (HMs), in wastewaters are the potential threats to nitrate (NO

Mechanism-free ornithopters, also referred to as solid-state ornithopters, based on piezoelectric actuators do not need electromagnetic motors or conventional mechanisms, potentially saving weight and energy consumption, and reducing mechanical complexity. In such vehicles, the aim is to achieve lift and thrust purely by surface-mounted piezoelectric actuators; however, the generating sufficient lift and thrust without mechanism augmentation is extremely difficult; and has not been demonstrated. The optimization of wing substrate topology, actuator placement, and excitation parameters requires a computationally efficient model of the dynamic behavior of a solid-state ornithopter. In this article, a reduced-order lumped-parameter model is proposed for ornithopters with piezocomposite flapping wings. The piezoelectric, mechanical, and fluid domains are modeled and coupled by Hamilton’s principle. Based on the Rayleigh-Ritz method, the wing motion is described by the assumed bending and twisting modes to predict plunging and pitching motions. The fluid effects considered are added mass and quasi-static aerodynamic forces. A vortex lattice code is used to obtain aerodynamic coefficients for the wing. The body-wing and the wing-fluid interactions are accounted for in the model. Gliding flapping flight simulations with initial velocity and height are conducted. Contribution of active flapping are found by comparison to flight with non-flapping compliant wings.

The reconfigurable ducted turbine array concept is an energy harvesting method proposed to reduce the so-called levelized cost of energy extracted from naturally occurring flows (e.g., from wind and water currents.) Duct augmentation is proposed to achieve higher power coefficient than the Betz limit for open turbines, among other (e.g., structural) reasons. Ducted or shrouded hydrokinetic turbines with a contracted throat area can be used to eliminate blade tip vortex, and to potentially increase the flow velocity at the rotor cross-section, consequently speeding up the rotor to improve electro-magnetic efficiency. In a recent paper by the authors, an equivalent circuit model for a single duct was proposed to understand the effects of geometric design variables of the duct. These variables are contraction ratio, aspect ratio, hub-to-throat ratio, etc. The parameterized circuit model was used to study the flow behavior of the ducted geometry in terms of equivalent resistances. The current paper presents an extended equivalent circuit model by adding the effects of turbulence, gravity, and hydrostatic pressure. The unknown parameters of the equivalent circuit model are identified using three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics simulations, and by curve fitting using the least squares method. The circuit model is then used to identify design variables that result in desirable flow behavior from duct augmentation.

Being capable of sensing broadband infrared (IR) light is vitally important for wide-ranging applications from fundamental science to industrial purposes. Two-dimensional (2D) topological semimetals are being extensively explored for broadband IR detection due to their gapless electronic structure and the linear energy dispersion relation. However, the low charge separation efficiency, high noise level, and on-chip integration difficulty of these semimetals significantly hinder their further technological applications. Here, we demonstrate a facile thermal-assisted tellurization route for the van der Waals (vdW) growth of wafer-scale phase-controlled 2D MoTe

Fabrication of absorbent materials foroil/water separation is an important ecological pursuit for oil spill clean-up and organic pollutants' removal. In this study, nanodiamonds (NDs), a promising member of the carbon family, were functionally modified by the covalent linking of octadecylamine (ODA). Subsequently, the superhydrophobic sponge with hierarchical microstructures was fabricated by embedding ND-ODA into a melamine sponge (MS) skeleton via a simple immersion-drying process. The as-prepared sponge (ND-ODA@PDMS@MS) showed superhydrophobic properties with a water contact angle of 155 ± 2°. For various oils and organic solvents, ND-ODA@PDMS@MS possesses excellent absorption capacity (26.65-55.64 g/g) and oil/water separation efficiency (above 98.6%). Furthermore, the adsorption capacity to crude oil remained relatively stable in highly acidic, alkaline, and salty conditions, ensuring the application in the clean-up of industrial oily sewages and marine oil spills. Besides absorbing oil for a single time, ND-ODA@PDMS@MS also exhibited satisfactory performance in continuous oil/water separation. Therefore, this work provides a facile strategy to produce robust and efficient absorbent materials for oil/water separation in large-scale oil and organic solvent clean-ups.

MoS2 nano-films have attracted extensive interest from scientists owing to its unique material properties with adjustable bandgap structure and broad application prospects in electronic and optoelectronic devices. Herein, we report a chemical vapor deposition method based on adjusting the relative position of the molybdenum source and SiO2/Si substrates to control MoO3 concentration adsorbed on the surface of substrate to achieve the controlled growth of monolayer single crystal MoS2 with spatial uniformity and low nucleation density. Moreover, optical microscopy, Raman, photoluminescence, atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscope were employed to characterize the uniformity and crystal quality of the grown monolayer MoS2. The measurement results show that the triangle side length of a single MoS2 film can reach 110 μm. And the I-V switching ratio of the back-gate field effect transistors based on growing MoS2 is 6.3 × 108, which is equivalent or slightly higher than that of other CVD-grown samples. Besides, growth mechanism of MoS2 was further investigated, combining the substrate position with concentration of MoO3 deposited on the surface of substrate. This work is of great benefit to the controlled growth of other two-dimensional materials and uniform performance of multiple electronic array devices.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are recognized as food-grade safe microorganisms and have many beneficial effects. LAB could maintain the host intestinal homeostasis, and regulate intestinal microbial community to exert antibacterial effects. In this study, Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) strain isolated from pig intestine was orally administered to C57BL/6 mice, and mice were then infected with Salmonella typhimurium. The protective effects of L. plantarum were evaluated by monitoring body weight loss, survival rates, bacterial loads in tissue, cecal histopathology analysis, and cytokine secretion. 16S rRNA gene sequencing was also utilized to detect the dynamics of the cecal microbial community in C57BL/6 mice. We found that L. plantarum could significantly reduce the body weight loss and improve the survival rates. Counting of bacterial loads displayed that L. plantarum decreased Salmonella transplanting in spleen or liver. Intestinal histopathology showed that it alleviated the intestinal injury caused by Salmonella, inhibited the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines and promoted anti-inflammatory cytokines. In addition, L. plantarum also significantly ameliorated the intestinal gut microbiome disturbance caused by Salmonella and restored the balance among dominant gut microbiome. It displayed an obvious increase of beneficial bacteria including Lactobacillus and Bacteroidetes, and reduction of pathogenic bacteria like Proteobacteria. In conclusion, L. plantarum could regulate microbial community to inhibit Salmonella typhimurium infection.

Background: Diagnostics [culture, modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining (MZN), and Xpert MTB/RIF nucleic acid amplification] currently available for tuberculous meningitis (TBM), the deadliest form of tuberculosis, have strengths and weaknesses. The predictors and prognostic factors of the methods should indicate the most appropriate methods for individual situations and to improve patient survival.Methods: We included 292 TBM patients: 63 definite TBM, 66 probable TBM, and 163 possible TBM. Their clinical medical history, imaging, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture, MZN, and Xpert MTB/RIF results were compared. TBM predictors and prognostic factors for the methods were explored using binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curves of logistic regression prediction models.Results: Low-glucose levels (Conclusion: Low CSF glucose was associated with positive cultures and patient suitability for culture testing. Higher diagnostic scores were associated with positive Xpert MTB/RIF and the suitability of this test. Older TBM patients had poor prognoses and require more attention.

ABSTRACT: To maximize stimulated reservoir volume (SRV), an emerging fracturing technology, combined network fracturing technology is proposed and applied in Shengli shale oil reservoir. This technology aims to form a complex fracture network consisting of main fractures with higher conductivity and complex branched fractures by variable fluid-viscosity injection. In this paper, integrated with the finite element method (FEM) with the discrete fracture network (DFN) model, a complex fractures propagation model coupled with flow-stress-damage was established. The accuracy of the model was verified by the comparison with a two-dimensional analytical model. The effects of fracturing fluid viscosity on fracture propagation were simulated. Compared with conventional fracturing, variable viscosity injection procedure can improve the growth of main fractures and branch fractures, and then increase the complexity of the fracture network. Finally, a field application has been implemented in a typical shale oil well in Shengli Oilfield. The peak oil production of the well after fracturing treatment reached 171t/day, and the average oil production can maintain at about 28t/d after half a year of production, which significantly improves shale oil production. The novel fracturing technology proposed in this paper can provide a reference for the optimization of the fracturing fluid viscosity in combined network fracturing. 1. INTRODUCTION Jiyang Depression, located in the northeastern Shandong Province and the south eastern Bohai Bay Basin, is extremely rich in shale oil resources and has become one of the main development blocks of Shengli Oilfield. The shale oil reservoirs there have obvious laminated structures, which results in variable in-situ stress and interbedded layer properties. Staged fracturing in horizontal wells has played a prominent role in increasing production in this block. To maximize the stimulated reservoir volume, it cannot be satisfied with the fracturing only in fracturing layer. Due to the special structure of shale reservoirs, connecting multiple production layers through fracture growth in the height direction is the most effective way. To realize the purpose, some relevant measures have been tried such as increasing pumping rate as much as possible. However, even so, the height of the main fractures was much lower than the expected value. Therefore, we propose an emerging fracturing technology called combined network fracturing. The technology aims to form a complex fracture network consisting of main fractures with large height and complex branched fractures by variable viscosity injection procedure. Until now, there is few reports on fracture growth in layered shale oil formation under variable fluid viscosity. It is essential to study the propagation mechanism of hydraulic fractures under layered formation with bedding planes, so as to choose an optimal treatment scheme of combined network fracturing.

As a kind of photodetector, position-sensitive-detectors (PSDs) have been widely used in noncontact photoelectric positioning and measurement. However, fabrications and applications of solar-blind PSDs remain yet to be harnessed. Herein, we demonstrate a solar-blind PSD developed from a graphene/Ga

3D mesh segmentation is a challenging problem in computer graphics, computer vision, and multimedia. In this paper, we cast mesh segmentation as a L0 minimization problem using random walks and L0 norm. In random walks method, the probabilities of random walks change smoothly over the whole model, which may lead to inaccurate segmentation boundaries. To attain a perception-aware result, the changes of probabilities should comply with mesh geometry. That is, the changes of probabilities near region boundaries should be more drastic than those inside the regions. Therefore, we introduce a L0 constraint to reflect the sparsity of probability changes, and identify region boundaries more precisely. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is effective, robust, and outperforms the state-of-the-art methods on various 3D meshes.

Increasing evidence has shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) participate in cardiac fibrosis. We aimed to elucidate the effect of miRNA miR-25-3p on cardiac fibrosis. MiRNA microarray was used to profile miRNAs in the myocardium of angiotensin-II (Ang-II)-infused mice. Effect of miR-25-3p on expression of fibrosis-related genes, including Col1a1, Col3a1, and Acta2, was investigated both in vitro and in vivo. MiR-25-3p was shown increased in the myocardium of Ang-II-infused mice and patients with heart failure. MiR-25-3p enhanced fibrosis-related gene expression in mouse cardiac fibroblasts (mCFs) and in the myocardium of Ang-II-infused mice. Dickkopf 3 (Dkk3) was identified as a target gene of miR-25-3p, and Dkk3 could ameliorate Smad3 activation and fibrosis-related gene expression via enhancing Smad7 expression in mCFs. Additionally, NF-κB signal was proven to mediate upregulation of miR-25-3p in cardiac fibrosis. Our findings suggest that miR-25-3p enhances cardiac fibrosis by suppressing Dkk3 to activate Smad3 and fibrosis-related gene expression.

International audience; In deep-sea slope areas, canyons provide an ideal space to preserve sediments and provide a window to explore the deepwater deposition process, such as turbidity flow and contourite currents. We have evaluated results of the study of the northern continental slope of the South China Sea characterized by the presence of mostly straight canyons. After evaluating core samples and interpreting the corresponding seismic data, we static the sedimentary parameter and identified two types of canyons with different migrating trajectories: "convex downward curve-shaped" trajectories and "convex upward curve-shaped" trajectories. The convex downward curve-shaped canyon trajectory is distinguished by a lower layer of coarse-grained sediment and an upper layer of fine-grained sediment, whereas the convex upward curve-shaped canyon trajectory features a lower layer of fine-grained sediment and an upper layer of coarse-grained sediment. Combining the grain size of the core sample and the scale of the sedimentary structure, we restore the turbidity flow rates and the corresponding turbidity flow behaviors. Coarse-grained turbidity flows are characterized by lower vertical erosion rates and higher lateral abrasion rates, whereas fine-grained turbidity flows exhibit the opposite characteristics. Thus, the convex downward curve-shaped migration trajectory is mainly formed by coarse-grained turbidity flow erosion in the first stage (the late migration stage) and fine-grained turbidity flow deposition in the second stage (the vertical aggradation stage). In contrast, the convex upward curve-shaped trajectory forms through the opposite pattern of sedimentary evolution.