Search

Integrating multiple properties in a single system is crucial for the continuous developments in electronic devices. However, some physical properties are mutually exclusive in nature. Here, we report the coexistence of two seemingly mutually exclusive properties-polarity and two-dimensional conductivity-in ferroelectric Ba$_{0.2}$Sr$_{0.8}$TiO$_3$ thin films at the LaAlO$_3$/Ba$_{0.2}$Sr$_{0.8}$TiO$_3$ interface at room temperature. The polarity of a ~3.2 nm Ba$_{0.2}$Sr$_{0.8}$TiO$_3$ thin film is preserved with a two-dimensional mobile carrier density of ~0.05 electron per unit cell. We show that the electronic reconstruction resulting from the competition between the built-in electric field of LaAlO$_3$ and the polarization of Ba$_{0.2}$Sr$_{0.8}$TiO$_3$ is responsible for this unusual two-dimensional conducting polar phase. The general concept of exploiting mutually exclusive properties at oxide interfaces via electronic reconstruction may be applicable to other strongly-correlated oxide interfaces, thus opening windows to new functional nanoscale materials for applications in novel nanoelectronics., Comment: Main text: 25 pages, 4 figures Supplementary note: 19 pages, 11 figures

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the potential influence of circular RNA (circRNA)_0048211/miRNA-93-5p/BMP2 regulatory loop in the progression of postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP).Bone marrow samples were collected from PMOP patients (n=30) and healthy subjects (n=30) for isolating hBMSCs. Relative levels of circRNA_0048211, miRNA-93-5p, and BMP2 in hBMSCs isolated from PMOP patients and healthy controls were detected. In addition, their dynamic expressions in hBMSCs isolated from PMOP patients undergoing osteogenesis for 0, 7, 14, and 21 days were examined. Then, the interaction in the circRNA_0048211/miRNA-93-5p/BMP2 regulatory loop was verified by Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay. Next, the potential influences of circRNA_0048211/miRNA-93-5p/BMP2 regulatory loop on osteogenesis-associated gene expressions, ALP activity, and mineralization ability were assessed.CircRNA_0048211 and BMP2 were downregulated, while miRNA-93-5p was upregulated in hBMSCs isolated from PMOP patients. In hBMSCs undergoing osteogenesis, circRNA_0048211, miRNA-93-5p and BMP2 were time-dependently changed. Overexpression of circRNA_0048211 upregulated RUNX2, OPN, and OCN, which also stimulated ALP activity and mineralization ability. CircRNA_0048211 could bind to miRNA-93-5p, and BMP2 was a direct target of miRNA-93-5p. In the meantime, circRNA_0048211 was negatively correlated with miRNA-93-5p, and positively correlated with BMP2. Besides, CircRNA_0048211/miRNA-93-5p/BMP2 regulatory loop was responsible for regulating osteogenesis-associated gene expressions, ALP activity, and mineralization ability in hBMSCs.CircRNA_0048211 negatively targets miRNA-93-5p to upregulate BMP2, thus alleviating the progression of PMOP.

This is the third paper in the series, Mycosphere notes, wherein we provide notes on various fungal taxa. In this set of notes, we deal with species found on the grape genus, Vitis, one of the most important economically important crops, grown worldwide. We provide notes on 67 taxa, including two new species, Alternaria italica and Alfaria vitis, an asexual morph for Alfaria cyperiesculenti and 41 new host records or distribution records. The taxonomic placement of most taxa discussed in this study is based on a modern taxonomic framework based on analysis of multi-gene sequence data.

CITATION: Liu, C. et al. 2019. New candidate chiral nucleus in the A≈80 mass region: 82 35Br47. Physical Review C, 100(5). doi:10.1103/PhysRevC.100.054309

CITATION: Li, C. G. et al. 2019. “Stapler” mechanism for a dipole band in 79Se. Physical Review C, 100(4). doi:10.1103/PhysRevC.100.044318

Large antenna plays an important role in exploring outer space, which is a typical representative of complex systems. In this paper, the method of applying MBSE into the system design of large antenna is addressed, and the reasoning processes of requirement analysis, function decomposition and architecture mapping are represented by system data models. Requirement diagram of SysML is taken to exhibit requirement architecture of different relationships visually. Use case diagram of SysML builds a bridge between stakeholder needs and functional decomposition, and use case is decomposed level by level to sub-functions by activity diagram of SysML. The Block Definition Diagram (BDD) of SysML is generated form the mapping of function, and the Internal Block Diagram (IBD) is used to analyze the communication of different components. By virtue of MBSE, a front new pattern of schematic design is developed in the conceptual design of large antenna, which will be very helpful to elevate design quality and efficiency.

Bridge crane is a kind of lifting equipment which is widely used in some fixed sites. With the increase of service life, the safety performance of bridge crane becomes worse. Therefore, efficient safety assessment method is particularly important to improve the performance of bridge crane. By the decomposition of bridge crane structure based on coupling relationship between main parts, environmental factors and relevant GBS, the safety assessment model of bridge crane is established. A fuzzy algorithm is proposed to evaluate the safety of bridge crane, and different safety measurements are taken according to different safety levels. The result shows that this method is an effective way to assess the safety of bridge crane.

Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is one of the most common factors for tumor-associated mortalities globally. In recent years, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been identified as novel therapeutic biomarkers for cancer treatment. The purpose of the current study was to unravel the clinical significance and underlying molecular mechanisms of miR-760 in CRC progression.Fifty-four pairs of CRC tissue samples and adjacent para-carcinoma tissue samples were collected from CRC patients who underwent surgical resection. We measured miR-760 expressions in CRC using quantitative Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis. MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assays and transwell assays were performed to determine the functions of miR-760 in CRC cell proliferation, invasion and migration. Dual-luciferase reporter assays and Western blots were used to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms. Moreover, the association between miR-760 expressions and clinicopathological features was analyzed.In this study, the results showed that the down-regulated miR-760 expressions were related to the poor prognosis and malignant clinicopathologic features of CRC patients. Furthermore, functional assays revealed that miR-760 restoration obviously suppressed CRC cell proliferation, migration and invasion through modulating phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/ protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) pathway and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). FOXA1 was also considered as a functional target of miR-760 in CRC cells. Furthermore, miR-760 up-regulation also significantly repressed tumorigenesis in vivo.These results suggested that miR-760 exerted cancer-suppressive functions in CRC, providing a therapeutic strategy for CRC treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To quantitatively analyze image quality of two sets of phantom (CatPhan504 and Cheese) Megavoltage computed tomography (MVCT) images acquired by Helical Tomotherapy with three scanning modes (Fine, Normal and Coarse), and to explore and validate a semi-automatic quality assurance procedure for MVCT images of Helical Tomotherapy. METHODS: On Helical Tomotherapy, CatPan504 and Cheese phantoms were scanned with three pitch levels (Fine, Normal, Coarse: 4 mm, 8 mm, 12 mm/circle) respectively. Pylinac, Matlab and Eclipse were used to calculate and compare spatial resolution, noise level and low contrast resolution of images obtained under three scanning modes respectively. The spatial resolution can be evaluated by the blurring of line-pair CT value in the images of CatPhan504’s CTP528 module. The noise level can be evaluated by the integral non-uniformity in the images of Cheese’s uniformity module. the low contrast resolution can be evaluated by contrast-to-noise ratio of both phantoms’ plug-in module, or visibility of the region of interest (Supra-Slice) in the images of CatPhan504’s CTP515 module. RESULTS: Analyses on CatPhan504’s line pair module(CTP528 module) showed that the first three line pairs(the gap size are 0.500 cm, 0.250 cm and 0.167 cm respectively) could be clearly observed but blurring began to occur from the fourth line pair(the gap size is 0.125 cm) under Coarse mode. Meanwhile, the first four line pairs were all observable under the Normal and Fine modes. Integral non-integrity index(the value negatively correlated with the noise level) were 0.155 7, 0.136 8 and 0.122 9 for Coarse, Normal and Fine modes respectively. None of the Supra-Slice in CatPhan504’s CTP515 module could be observed under three imaging modes. Low contrast contrast-to-noise ratio of Cheese phantom was similar under three modes and the insert visibility exhibited nearly linear growth with the increasing difference between CT average value of the insert material and background. CONCLUSION: Superiority and inferiority of three image modes in terms of the three image quality index was not consistent. Evaluation results above could provide reference for more rational decision on scanning modes selection of helical tomotherapy, which was based on image visualization demands in clinical practice. The proposed method could also provide guidance for similar image quality assessment and periodic quality assurance.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how miR-203 promotes osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal cells (BMSCs) by regulating its target gene DKK1, thereby inhibiting the occurrence of osteoporosis.A total of 60 cases with postmenopausal osteoporosis and 40 cases of normal individuals were recruited. The expression of miR-203 in serum of all cases was detected by quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The capacity of osteogenesis and adipogenic differentiation of MSCs was determined by alizarin red staining and oil red staining, respectively. Transfection of miR-203 mimics and miR-203 inhibitor were mediated by Liposomes, and then the MSCs were induced osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation. MiR-203 mimic was co-transfected with wild-type or mutant DKK1 for luciferase reporter gene detection. In the osteoporosis model of rats, the tibia was taken for micro-CT examination of bone mineral density (BMD) and bone volume/structural parameters (BV/TV), while the femur was taken for the measurement of absorption parameters (Ob.S)./BS) and the number of osteoclasts per circumference of bone (N.Oc/B.Pm).The expression level of miR-203 was significantly lower in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis than that in normal individuals. The osteogenic capacity of BMSCs in these patients was reduced, while their adipogenic capacity was enhanced. MiR-203 promoted the expression of osteogenic genes and inhibited that of adipogenic genes. Knockdown of miR-203 decreased the level of osteogenic related genes but increased that of adipogenic related genes, while overexpression of miR-203 led to the opposite results. Furthermore, miR-203 inhibited the protein expression of DKK1. In addition, bone density and bone volume/structural parameters were lower in ovariectomized rats than those in normal rats. Meanwhile, bone resorption parameters and the number of osteoclasts per bone circumference in ovariectomized rats were higher than those in normal rats.MiR-203 can promote osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells by downregulating the gene expression of DKK1.

CITATION: Niu, C. Y., et al. 2018. Spectroscopic study of the possibly triaxial transitional nucleus 75Ge. Physical Review C, 97(3):034322, doi:10.1103/PhysRevC.97.034322.

We have employed high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) and micro-Raman scattering to study the structural and lattice vibrational dynamic properties of heavy Ga-doped Ge thin films (i.e., Ge:Ga) epitaxially grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on GaAs (001) substrates. Reciprocal space mapping revealed that the ∼1.0 μm thick Ge:Ga films are coherently stressed on the GaAs (001) substrates and the in-plane compressive strain increases with Ga incorporations. In contrast, ∼90% strain has been relaxed in a 10 μm thick unintentionally doped Ge thin film. The compressive strain caused by such Ga incorporations in the Ga-doped Ge thin films, having a maximum of 866 PPM, plays a minor role in the Raman shift of the Ge–Ge longitudinal optical (LO) phonon that has been observed up to −11.63 cm−1. The large phonon softening has been discussed on the bases of hole concentrations and ‘alloy-disorder’ of the ‘self-annealing’ induced atomic interdiffusions, specifically with the help of Raman scattering and HRXRD from the cross-section of the Ge(:Ga)/GaAs (001) heterostructures.

China is the largest vegetable producer in the world. Since 2011, the domestic production and value of vegetables has exceeded food crops, making vegetables the largest agricultural product in China. How to facilitate the efficient distribution of fresh vegetables is concerning more and more people both at home and abroad. Efficient distribution is necessary to balance supply and demand, maintain freshness and to increase farmers' income. In this paper, consumer choice theory provides the theoretical foundation to discuss the necessity and feasibility of a direct sales model. As a relationship exists between distribution channels and consumer preferences in the vegetable market we use convenience as a proxy indicator to build a dual-channel market demand function. We then construct a price game model for a dual-channel market and analyze the results. Finally, we draw our conclusions: (1) the price of the direct sales channel is usually higher than the regular sales channel with the same marginal cost; (2) setting up a direct sales channel will increase producers' profits while reducing the profit of conventional market intermediaries; (3) producers are more likely to change the traditional single channel for direct sales co-existing with traditional channels to reduce costs via e-commerce technology; and (4) the direct sales channel not only expands the conventional channels, but also threatens conventional channel market intermediaries who will make changes or even lower prices in the process of game.

General anesthesia impairs spatial learning and memory in neonatal rats. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the Wnt pathway was involved in neonatal isoflurane and sevoflurane exposure-induced neurocognitive impairment.Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to administration isoflurane or sevoflurane for 6 hours at postnatal 7 days. Wnt inhibitor XAV 939 was administrated 30 min before anesthesia. Morris water maze was used to test the learning and memory at 5-week and 10-week. Hematoxylin and Eosin (HE) stain was performed to evaluation the neuronal death in the hippocampus. Quantitative Real-time PCR (q-PCR) and Western blot assays were used to measure mRNA and proteins expression levels of the Wnt3a, GSK 3β and β-catenin, respectively.The results showed that isoflurane or sevoflurane could significantly increase neonatal death and cell lost in the developing brain and the Wnt inhibitor could improve the cell degeneration. It demonstrated that isoflurane or sevoflurane could impair the P7 rats learning and memory capability, while these effects were reduced over time. When rats treated Wnt inhibitor at 30 min before anesthesia, the impairment of brain could relieve. q-PCR and Western blot demonstrated that isoflurane or sevoflurane affects expression levels of Wnt3a, GSK 3β and β-catenin. These results suggested that impairment of learning and memory in P7 rats may be related to the Wnt signaling pathway.The results suggested general anesthesia treatment led to increased brain cell degeneration and impaired learning and memory in P7 rats via Wnt signaling pathway.

We report on unintentional carbon depositions induced by electron-beam irradiation on the surface of high-indium-content AlInN thin films in a scanning-electron microscope (SEM) chamber. With a beam voltage of 10 kV and a probe current of 160 µA, a nano-scale dot evolves during a 5-min irradiation. By increasing the irradiation time, the dot grows in diameter and height. The dot size when compared with that grown on a Si substrate under the same conditions is much smaller. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy reveals a linear increase in carbon deposition as a function of irradiation time and the rate of increase is larger on AlInN than that on Si. These observations, together with the remarkable morphology evolutions around the dot on AlInN rather than on Si, provide evidence that the surface mobility of the adsorbed molecules is larger on Si than that on AlInN. The reduced surface mobility on AlInN is attributed to surface roughness, the existence of an electron accumulation layer, and columnar grain structures of the AlInN layer. These properties can be used to benefit the fabrication of small structures on the AlInN surface without affecting the surroundings.

High-spin states in $^{155}\mathrm{Yb}$ have been studied via the $^{144}\mathrm{Sm}(^{16}\mathrm{O},5n)^{155}\mathrm{Yb}$ reaction at a beam energy of 118 MeV. One negative-parity and one positive-parity cascade built on the $\ensuremath{\nu}{f}_{7/2}$ and $\ensuremath{\nu}{i}_{13/2}$ states, respectively, are established for the first time. The structures observed in $^{155}\mathrm{Yb}$ are compared with those in the neighboring $N=85$ isotones and with semiempirical shell-model (SESM) calculations. According to adiabatic and configuration-fixed constrained triaxial covariant density functional theory (CDFT) calculations, a coexistence of prolate and oblate shapes is predicted to exist in $^{155}\mathrm{Yb}$.

High-spin states of $^{123}\mathrm{Ba}$ have been studied via the $^{108}\mathrm{Cd}(^{19}\mathrm{F},3np)^{123}\mathrm{Ba}$ fusion-evaporation reaction at a beam energy of 90 MeV. Several $E1$ transitions linking the positive-parity $\ensuremath{\nu}({d}_{5/2}+{g}_{7/2})$ band and negative-parity $\ensuremath{\nu}{h}_{11/2}$ band are observed in $^{123}\mathrm{Ba}$ for the first time. Evidence for the existence of octupole correlations in $^{123}\mathrm{Ba}$ is presented based on the systematic comparisons of the $B(E1)/B(E2)$ branching ratios and the energy displacements in odd-$A$ Ba isotopes. The characteristics of octupole correlation in the odd-$A\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}^{123,125}\mathrm{Ba}$ are explained by the state-of-the-art multidimensionally-constrained relativistic mean-field model and cluster model based on the dinuclear system concept.

Speed of doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) is decoupled with system frequency and system inertia is greatly reduced with increasing penetration of DFIG. It brings new challenges to system frequency security. To improve power system frequency stability, a DFIG primary frequency regulation strategy is proposed to tune droop coefficient. Taking rotational kinetic energy (RKE) into account, the droop coefficient is optimized to release both available RKE and power reserves as much as possible. The droop coefficient is optimized under different wind speeds. Comparison is made to examine the performance of the proposed method with IEEE 30 bus system.

Aerostatic stability of super long-span bridges is a much concerned issue during the design stage. Typical aerostatic instability is the so-called torsional divergence which may lead to abrupt structural failure. The iterative static-based FEM, which generally entails the assumption of smooth oncoming flow, has been widely used to evaluate the aerostatic stability of the bridge concerned. However, the wind in atmospheric boundary layer is naturally turbulent and the effect of turbulence on bridge torsional divergence should be therefore considered, and that is the main concern of the present study. To take into account the effects of turbulence on torsional divergence, a dynamic-based time domain finite-element (FE) procedure for predicting bridge aerostatic stability is introduced first. Then the quasi-steady wind loads expressions are presented and discussed, into which the aerodynamic torsional stiffness, which is indispensable for the evaluation of aerostatic stability, has been demonstrated to be incorporated indirectly by a frequency-domain-based approach. Finally, the aerostatic performances of the longest suspension bridge in China are investigated, of which the torsional divergence is the primary concern. Numerical results show that the torsional divergence pattern in turbulent flow differs considerably from that in smooth flow. The primary difference is, while the torsional instability in smooth flow manifests as an abrupt mounting up of the twist deformation of the main girder with the increasing of the wind velocity, that in turbulent flow manifests as an unstable stochastic vibration with large peak values. Another difference is that the wind velocity for divergence in turbulent flow is obviously lower than that in smooth wind and there does not present an obvious wind velocity threshold for divergence, which is distinguished from the torsional divergence in smooth flow characterized by a clear threshold. Based on the presented time domain FE analysis procedure, the influence of turbulence intensity and gusts spatial correlation upon torsional divergence is also investigated and shown to play an important role on the aerostatic stability.

To more accurately manufacture an auto-body workpiece, a predictive compensation factor method was used to predict the workpiece’s springback, and the factors influencing springback are introduced. Based on this method, a numerical simulation was produced to simulate the springback compensation after distortion of the workpiece. After analyzing the simulation results, a compensation method was introduced to reduce the springback influence on an actual workpiece. Here, we used a fortified B-pillar, which is a kind of longitudinal stand-frame workpiece, made with a high-strength steel material (TRIP700). The simulation results indicated that the proposed method is feasible and can be efficiently used for predicting the distortion of springback compensation of an auto-body workpiece.