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As an important part of Doppler velocity data quality control for radar data assimilation and other quantitative applications, an automated technique is developed to identify and remove contaminated velocities by birds, especially migrating birds. This technique builds upon the existing hydrometeor classification algorithm (HCA) for dual-polarimetric WSR-88D radars developed at the National Severe Storms Laboratory, and it performs two steps. In the first step, the fuzzy-logic method in the HCA is simplified and used to identify biological echoes (mainly from birds and insects). In the second step, another simple fuzzy logic method is developed to detect bird echoes among the biological echoes identified in the first step and thus remove bird-contaminated velocities. The membership functions used by the fuzzy logic method in the second step are extracted from normalized histograms of differential reflectivity and differential phase for birds and insects, respectively, while the normalized histograms are constructed by polarimetric data collected during the 2012 fall migrating season and sorted for bird and insects, respectively. The performance and effectiveness of the technique are demonstrated by real-data examples.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the effect of metabolic syndrome (MetS) on prognosis of ischemic stroke secondary to intracranial stenosis in Chinese patients. METHODS: A prospective cohort of 701 patients with ischemic stroke, caused by intracranial stenosis, were followed at 3-month intervals for 1 year to monitor development of recurrent stroke or death. Imaging was performed using magnetic resonance angiography. MetS was defined using International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria. RESULTS: MetS was identified in 26.0% of the cohort of stroke patients. Patients with MetS were more likely to be female, nonsmokers, and more likely to have a prior history of diabetes mellitus, high blood glucose and a family history of stroke than patients without MetS. During 1-year follow-up, patients with MetS had a non-significantly higher rate of stroke recurrence (7.1%) than patients without MetS (3.9%; P = 0.07). There was no difference in mortality (3.3% versus 3.5%, respectively). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis (adjusting for gender, BMI, smoking, diabetes, and LDL-C) identified an association between that 1-year stroke recurrence and the presence of MetS (hazard ratio 2.30; 95% CI: 1.01-5.22) and large waist circumference (hazard ratio: 2.39; 95% CI: 1.05-5.42). However, multivariable analysis adjusting for the individual components of MetS found no significant associations between MetS and stroke recurrence. There were no associations between these parameters and mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Chinese patients with symptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis who have MetS, are at higher risk of recurrent stroke than those without MetS. However, MetS was not predictive of stroke recurrence beyond its individual components and one-year mortality.

Berberine, an isoquinoline alkaloid derived from plants, is a traditional medicine for treating bacterial diarrhea and intestinal parasite infections. Although berberine has recently been shown to suppress growth of several tumor cell lines, information regarding the effect of berberine on colon tumor growth is limited. Here, we investigated the mechanisms underlying the effects of berberine on regulating the fate of colon tumor cells, specifically the mouse immorto-Min colonic epithelial (IMCE) cells carrying the Apc(min) mutation, and of normal colon epithelial cells, namely young adult mouse colonic epithelium (YAMC) cells. Berberine decreased colon tumor colony formation in agar, and induced cell death and LDH release in a time- and concentration-dependent manner in IMCE cells. In contrast, YAMC cells were not sensitive to berberine-induced cell death. Berberine did not stimulate caspase activation, and PARP cleavage and berberine-induced cell death were not affected by a caspase inhibitor in IMCE cells. Rather, berberine stimulated a caspase-independent cell death mediator, apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) release from mitochondria and nuclear translocation in a ROS production-dependent manner. Amelioration of berberine-stimulated ROS production or suppression of AIF expression blocked berberine-induced cell death and LDH release in IMCE cells. Furthermore, two targets of ROS production in cells, cathepsin B release from lysosomes and PARP activation were induced by berberine. Blockage of either of these pathways decreased berberine-induced AIF activation and cell death in IMCE cells. Thus, berberine-stimulated ROS production leads to cathepsin B release and PARP activation-dependent AIF activation, resulting in caspase-independent cell death in colon tumor cells. Notably, normal colon epithelial cells are less susceptible to berberine-induced cell death, which suggests the specific inhibitory effects of berberine on colon tumor cell growth.

Nanopores have become an important tool for molecule detection at single molecular level. With the development of fabrication technology, synthesized solid-state membranes are promising candidate substrates in respect of their exceptional robustness and controllable size and shape. Here, a 30-60 (tip-base) nm conical nanopore fabricated in 100 nm thick silicon nitride (Si(3)N(4)) membrane by focused ion beam (FIB) has been employed for the analysis of λ-DNA translocations at different voltage biases from 200 to 450 mV. The distributions of translocation time and current blockage, as well as the events frequencies as a function of voltage are investigated. Similar to previously published work, the presence and configurations of λ-DNA molecules are characterized, also, we find that greater applied voltages markedly increase the events rate, and stretch the coiled λ-DNA molecules into linear form. However, compared to 6-30 nm ultrathin solid-state nanopores, a threshold voltage of 181 mV is found to be necessary to drive DNA molecules through the nanopore due to conical shape and length of the pore. The speed is slowed down ∼5 times, while the capture radius is ∼2 fold larger. The results show that the large nanopore in thick membrane with an improved stability and throughput also has the ability to detect the molecules at a single molecular level, as well as slows down the velocity of molecules passing through the pore. This work will provide more motivations for the development of nanopores as a Multi-functional sensor for a wide range of biopolymers and nano materials.

OBJECTIVE: Metabolic syndrome has emerged as a novel risk factor in cardiovascular disease due to its potential for predicting stroke in population-based studies. We investigated the relationship of metabolic syndrome with stroke recurrence. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of Chinese patients enrolled in the prospective Abnormal gluCose Regulation in patients with acute strOke acroSS China (ACROSS-China) study after their first ischemic stroke. Metabolic syndrome was defined using the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria. Vascular risk factors were assessed. Outcome was defined as recurrence of stroke within one year after the index ischemic stroke. Cox proportional hazards regression was performed to identify potential predictors of stroke recurrence. RESULTS: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome among 2639 ischemic stroke patients was 51.35%. During the one-year follow-up, 195 strokes (7.4%) recurred. The multivariate hazard ratio (95% CI) of stroke recurrence was 1.94 (1.39-2.73) for metabolic syndrome. After adjustment for components, metabolic syndrome lost its association with stroke recurrence; in this model, high fasting plasma glucose (IDF definition) was a predictor for stroke recurrence. CONCLUSION: Metabolic syndrome may not be predictive for stroke recurrence beyond its component individual factors for Chinese ischemic stroke patients.

The functional role of ELR-positive CXC chemokines in host defense during acute viral-induced encephalomyelitis was determined. Inoculation of the neurotropic JHM strain of mouse hepatitis virus (JHMV) into the central nervous system (CNS) of mice resulted in the rapid mobilization of PMNs expressing the chemokine receptor CXCR2 into the blood. Migration of PMNs to the CNS coincided with increased expression of transcripts specific for the CXCR2 ELR-positive chemokine ligands CXCL1, CXCL2, and CXCL5 within the brain. Treatment of JHMV-infected mice with anti-CXCR2 blocking antibody reduced PMN trafficking into the CNS by >95%, dampened MMP-9 activity, and abrogated blood-brain-barrier (BBB) breakdown. Correspondingly, CXCR2 neutralization resulted in diminished infiltration of virus-specific T cells, an inability to control viral replication within the brain, and 100% mortality. Blocking CXCR2 signaling did not impair the generation of virus-specific T cells, indicating that CXCR2 is not required to tailor anti-JHMV T cell responses. Evaluation of mice in which CXCR2 is genetically silenced (CXCR2-/- mice) confirmed that PMNs neither expressed CXCR2 nor migrated in response to ligands CXCL1, CXCL2, or CXCL5 in an in vitro chemotaxis assay. Moreover, JHMV infection of CXCR2-/- mice resulted in an approximate 60% reduction of PMN migration into the CNS, yet these mice survived infection and controlled viral replication within the brain. Treatment of JHMV-infected CXCR2-/- mice with anti-CXCR2 antibody did not modulate PMN migration nor alter viral clearance or mortality, indicating the existence of compensatory mechanisms that facilitate sufficient migration of PMNs into the CNS in the absence of CXCR2. Collectively, these findings highlight a previously unappreciated role for ELR-positive chemokines in enhancing host defense during acute viral infections of the CNS.

The real tropospheric atmosphere is neither absolutely dry nor completely saturated. It is in general moist but not saturated. Here the generalized potential temperature (GPT) was introduced to describe this humid feature of real moist atmosphere. GPT's conservation property in moist adiabatic process was discussed and proved. Comparisons of GPT in moist atmosphere with the equivalent potential temperature (EPT) in saturated moist atmosphere were made by analyzing three torrential rain cases occurring over Jianghuai Valleys in 2003, the north China in 2004, and with the typhoon Fung-Wong in 2008, respectively. Results showed that the relative humidity is not up to 100% even in torrential rain systems, the saturated condition for EPT is not always held, and thus GPT can describe the moisture concentration and moisture gradient better than EPT. The GPT's definition includes the process that the air changes from dry to moist, then up to saturated. Therefore, potential temperature (PT) and EPT can be considered as its two special status. Similar as PT and EPT, GPT can be used to study atmospheric dynamic and thermodynamic processes more generally because of its conservation property in moist adiabatic process.

Heat resources of small temperature difference are easily accessible, free and enormous on the Earth. Thermoelectric effects provide the technology for converting these heat resources directly into electricity. We present designs for electricity generators based on thermoelectric effects that utilize heat resources of small temperature difference, e.g., ocean water at different depths and geothermal resources, and conclude that large-scale power plants based on thermoelectric effects are feasible and economically competitive. The key observation is that the power factor of thermoelectric materials, unlike the figure of merit, can be improved by orders of magnitude upon laminating good conductors and good thermoelectric materials. The predicted large-scale power generators based on thermoelectric effects, if validated, will have the advantages of the scalability, renewability, and free supply of heat resources of small temperature difference on the Earth.

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop and test a prototype of a deep learning surgical guidance system [computer-assisted staging laparoscopy (CASL)] that can intraoperative identify peritoneal surface metastases on routine laparoscopy images. Background: For a number of cancer patients, operative resection with curative intent can end up in early recurrence of the cancer. Surgeons misidentifying visible peritoneal surface metastases is likely a common reason. Methods: CASL was developed and tested using staging laparoscopy images recorded from 132 patients with histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma involving the gastrointestinal tract. The data included images depicting 4287 visible peritoneal surface lesions and 3650 image patches of 365 biopsied peritoneal surface lesions. The prototype's diagnostic performance was compared with results from a national survey evaluating 111 oncologic surgeons in a simulated clinical environment. Results: In a simulated environment, surgeons' accuracy in correctly recommending a biopsy for metastases while omitting a biopsy for benign lesions was only 52%. In this environment, the prototype of a deep learning surgical guidance system demonstrated improved performance in identifying peritoneal surface metastases compared to oncologic surgeons with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.69 (oncologic surgeon) versus 0.78 (CASL) versus 0.79 (human-computer combined). A proposed model would have improved the identification of metastases by 5% while reducing the number of unnecessary biopsies by 28% compared with current standard practice. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate a pathway for an artificial intelligence system for intraoperative identification of peritoneal surface metastases but still require additional development and future validation in a multi-institutional clinical setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the biological functions of Tripartite motif-containing 3 (TRIM3) in endometrial cancer (EC). The expression patterns of TRIM3 in EC using the UALCAN and Kaplan-Meier Plotter databases, and investigated the relationship with the progression of EC in patients. EC cell lines, Ishikawa and HEC-1A were transfected with a vector expressing TRIM3 after pre-treated with/without pifithrin-α (an inhibitor of p53). Subsequently, in vitro cell proliferation and apoptosis were evaluated. Overexpression of TRIM3 resulted in inhibition of cell viability and clone formation and induced G1 phase arrest in Ishikawa and HEC-1A cells. Additionally, after TRIM3 was overexpressed, cell apoptosis was increased, and higher levels of Bax and lower levels of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) were observed in cells. Furthermore, heightened levels of p53 and p21 proteins were observed in Ishikawa and HEC-1A cells overexpressing TRIM3. However, pifithrin-α could counteract the effects of TRIM3 overexpression on EC cells. These data indicate that TRIM3 exerts a tumor suppressor effect in EC by activating the p53/p21 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]