Search

To solve the problem that it is difficult to track the desired control target of a heavy load train accurately under the input saturation constraint, an anti-windup compensated terminal sliding mode control algorithm for a heavy load train is proposed in this work. First, based on an analysis of the train coupling force and an uncertain disturbance force, a multi-particle dynamic model of a single train is established. Second, an improved unbounded anti-windup compensator is designed and the saturation deviation correction method is used to cause the compensation factor to converge to zero, which means that the compensation factor limit problem that occurs in traditional anti-saturation compensators is eliminated. Then, in combination with the terminal sliding mode control algorithm, an unbounded anti-windup terminal sliding mode controller is constructed. This control method attenuates the effect of input saturation on the tracking accuracy for each locomotive; at the same time, the stability of the closed-loop system is verified based on Lyapunov stability theory. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in terms of its tracking accuracy and anti-saturation performance is verified experimentally.

Abstract Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death in women. Mitochondrial-mediated ferroptosis (MMF) is a recently discovered form of cancer cell death. However, the role and the underlying mechanism of MMF in cervical cancer remain elusive. Here, using an unbiased screening for mitochondrial transmembrane candidates, we identified mitochondrial carrier 1 (MTCH1) as a central mediator of MMF in cervical cancers. MTCH1-deficiency disrupted mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation while elevated mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) by decreasing NAD+ levels. This mitochondrial autonomous event initiated a mitochondria-to-nucleus retrograde signaling involving reduced FoxO1 nuclear translocation and subsequently downregulation of the transcription and activity of a key anti-ferroptosis enzyme glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), thereby elevating ROS and ultimately triggering ferroptosis. Strikingly, targeting MTCH1 in combination with Sorafenib effectively and synergistically inhibited the growth of cervical cancer in a nude mouse xenograft model by actively inducing ferroptosis. In conclusion, these findings enriched our understanding of the mechanisms of MMF in which MTCH1 governed ferroptosis though retrograde signaling to FoxO1-GPX4 axis, and provided a potential therapeutic target for treating cervical cancer.

Wetlands are important CO2 sinks and methane sources, and their seasonality and phenological cycle play an essential role in understanding the carbon budget. However, given the spatial heterogeneity of wetland landscapes and the coarser spatial resolution of satellites, the phenological retrievals of wetlands are challenging. Here we examined the phenology of wetlands from 30 m harmonized Landsat/Sentinel-2 (LandSent30) and 500 m MODIS satellite observations using the ground phenology network PhenoCam as a benchmark. This study used all 11 available wetland PhenoCam sites (about 30 site years), covering diverse wetland types from different climate zones. We found that the LandSent30-based phenology results were in overall higher consistency with the PhenoCam results compared to MODIS, which could be related to the better explanation capacity of LandSent30 data in the heterogeneous landscapes of wetlands. This also means that the LandSent30 has an advantage over the 500 m MODIS regarding wetland vegetation phenological retrievals. It should be noted that the LandSent30 did not show a greatly improved performance, which could be related to the specificity and complexity of the wetlands landscape. We also illustrated the potential effects of the location and observation direction of PhenoCam cameras, the selection of Region of Interest (ROI), as well as the landscape composition of the site. Overall, this study highlights the complexity of wetland phenology from both ground and remote sensing observations at different scales, which paves the road for understanding the role of wetlands in global climate change and provides a basis for understanding the real phenological changes of wetland surfaces.

Objective To discuss the activation characteristics of the prefrontal cortex of people with mild cognitive impairment （MCI） due to brain trauma during working memory tasks. Methods The psychological experiment design software E-prime was used and N-back paradigm was adopted as working memory task. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy （fNIRS） was used to detect changes in cortical oxygenated hemoglobin concentrations of 22 channels within the prefrontal lobe of 24 people with MCI due to brain trauma （study group） and 27 healthy volunteers （control group） with matching gender and age. Behavioral data, such as the number of keystroke errors and reaction time, were recorded simultaneously. Independent samples t test and non-parametric test were used to compare the mean value of oxygenated hemoglobin concentration change, the number of key errors and the mean value of reaction time of the two groups in each task. Results （1） The differences in the number of errors and reaction time between the two groups in 1-back and 2-back tasks had statistical significance （P0.05）. During the 2-back task, the differences in oxygenated hemoglobin concentration changes of the two groups in channel 2, 3, 7, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 18, 19, 21 and 22 had statistical significance （P

N6-Methyladenosine (m6A), a unique and common mRNA modification method in eukaryotes, is involved in the occurrence and development of many diseases. Liver fibrosis (LF) is a common response to chronic liver injury and may lead to cirrhosis and even liver cancer. However, the involvement of m6A methylation in the development of LF is still unknown. In this study, we performed a systematic evaluation of hepatic genome-wide m6A modification and mRNA expression by m6A-seq and RNA-seq using LF mice. There were 3,315 genes with significant differential m6A levels, of which 2,498 were hypermethylated and 817 hypomethylated. GO and KEGG analyses illustrated that differentially expressed m6A genes were closely correlated with processes such as the endoplasmic reticulum stress response, PPAR signaling pathway and TGF-β signaling pathway. Moreover, a total of 90 genes had both a significant change in the m6A level and mRNA expression shown by joint analysis of m6A-seq and RNA-seq. Hence, the critical elements of m6A modification, including methyltransferase WTAP, demethylases ALKBH5 and binding proteins YTHDF1 were confirmed by RT-qPCR and Western blot. In an additional cell experiment, we also observed that the decreased expression of WTAP induced the development of LF as a result of promoting hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation. Therefore, this study revealed unique differential m6A methylation patterns in LF mice and suggested that m6A methylation was associated with the occurrence and course of LF to some extent.

The targets of this study are located in the Gaoshiti block, Central Sichuan Basin. Reprocessing the seismic data with reverse time migration (RTM) and using high-precision coherence analysis, this paper analyzed the distribution pattern and origin of the pull-down anomalies on the seismic sections. The study found that these anomalies are widely developed in Gaoshiti block, and believed that they are hydrothermal channels formed on the basis of tiny-grabens caused by the pull-apart function of strike-slip faults, and they had endured long-period, multistage hydrothermal reformation. Taking the reservoir of Dengying Formation as the example, integrated analysis of seismic and geology proved that the hydrothermal activities had constructively reformed the carbonate reservoirs mainly by dissolution during long period. Therefore, it was proposed that the hydrothermal channels and fracture zones are the favorable area for good reservoirs. The discovery of hydrothermal channels is very meaningful for locating high-production well sites and extending exploration fields. Key words: Sichuan Basin, Gaoshiti block, Dengying Formation, strike-slip faults, hydrothermal dissolution, pull-down anomalies, karst collapsing

Recently, non-linear statistical measures such as multi-scale entropy (MSE) have been introduced as indices of the complexity of electrophysiology and fMRI time-series across multiple time scales. In this work, we investigated the neurophysiological underpinnings of complexity (MSE) of electrophysiology and fMRI signals and their relations to functional connectivity (FC). MSE and FC analyses were performed on simulated data using neural mass model based brain network model with the Brain Dynamics Toolbox, on animal models with concurrent recording of fMRI and electrophysiology in conjunction with pharmacological manipulations, and on resting-state fMRI data from the Human Connectome Project. Our results show that the complexity of regional electrophysiology and fMRI signals is positively correlated with network FC. The associations between MSE and FC are dependent on the temporal scales or frequencies, with higher associations between MSE and FC at lower temporal frequencies. Our results from theoretical modeling, animal experiment and human fMRI indicate that (1) Regional neural complexity and network FC may be two related aspects of brain's information processing: the more complex regional neural activity, the higher FC this region has with other brain regions; (2) MSE at high and low frequencies may represent local and distributed information processing across brain regions. Based on literature and our data, we propose that the complexity of regional neural signals may serve as an index of the brain's capacity of information processing—increased complexity may indicate greater transition or exploration between different states of brain networks, thereby a greater propensity for information processing.

The quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) in a magnetic topological insulator system without the need of an external magnetic field becomes of great interest because of its dissipationless spin currents. The proximity effect via a magnetic adlayer is a promising strategy to bring magnetism into a topological insulator (TI) due to its boosted Curie temperature for a realistic application. In this work, a proximity-induced magnetism above 90 K in a TI, (Bi 0.25 Sb 0.75 ) 2 Te 3 , on a ferrimagnetic adlayer with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, thulium-iron-garnet (TIG), was evidenced directly by using magnetic circular dichroism. A competition between exchange couplings with different sublattice-sites was further revealed element-specifically in a temperature-driven spin-reorientation of TI, bringing an issue on magnetic inhomogeneity at the interface, which might cause difficulties in obtaining QAHE in such a TI/TIG bilayer system. Our results prove directly the robust magnetism of TI above liquid nitrogen temperatures and also give a deep insight into the mechanism of interfacial coupling in the proximity effect for the bilayer of TI and magnetic oxide, which could be essential for the design of a system with QAHE.

Fertilizers that release nutrients slowly can provide crops with consistent nutrients, while soils with good water-holding capacity can alleviate the impact of droughts on crops. Sodium alginate/carboxymethyl starch sodium/polydopamine/urea (SCPU) is a new kind of slow-release fertilizer with water absorption property. In this study, the Box–Behnken response surface methodology (RSM) was used to reveal the effects of concentrations of sodium alginate, carboxymethyl starch sodium, urea, calcium chloride and dopamine on the encapsulation efficiency and water absorption of SCPU. The results show that the optimum preparation conditions to obtain the highest level of encapsulation efficiency (89.27%) and water absorption (167.05%) are 2.2% sodium alginate, 5% carboxymethyl starch sodium, 30% urea, 1.9% calcium chloride and 0.52% dopamine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "Returning Farmland to Lakes" (RFTL) project began in China following the catastrophic 1998 floods. It aims to recover flood storage capacity and mitigate flood risk to agriculture and people. This flood adaptation strategy divides the floodplain into three types of restoration polders with different flood control levels (double restoration polders, single restoration polders, and storage polders) and polders for intensive production and living (nonrestoration polders). During the substantial flooding in the Poyang Lake Basin in 2020, the double and single restoration polders were operated for flood diversion for the first time since 1999. This event provided an opportunity to assess the effectiveness of the RFTL project. Using satellite observations of rice planting and flooding areas, we found that 86% of paddy rice areas (3,400 km²) in the basin were successfully protected due to the timely flood diversion into different levels of polders. Compared to 1998, the flooded rice areas decreased overall by 58% (18 to 92% in different types of polders). Thus, the RFTL project has enhanced regional agricultural resistance to floods. A more comprehensive assessment of the RFTL project, including other ecosystem services and functions, is necessary in the future for regional sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]