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Abstract Background Stem cell transplantation has been regarded as a promising therapeutic strategy for myocardial regeneration after myocardial infarction (MI). However, the survival and differentiation of the transplanted stem cells in the hostile ischaemic and inflammatory microenvironment are poor. Recent studies have focused on enhancing the survival and differentiation of the stem cells, while strategies to suppress the senescence of the transplanted stem cells is unknown. Therefore, we investigated the effect of growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) on attenuating oxidative stress-induced senescence in the engrafted endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). Methods Rat models of oxidative stress were established by hydrogen peroxide conditioning. Oxidative stress-induced senescence was assessed through senescence-associated β-galactosidase expression and lipofuscin accumulation. The effects of GDF11 treatment on senescence and autophagy of EPCs were evaluated 345, while improvement of myocardial regeneration, neovascularization and cardiac function were examined following transplantation of the self-assembling peptide (SAP) loaded EPCs and GDF11 in the rat MI models. Results Following hydrogen peroxide conditioning, the level of ROS in EPCs decreased significantly upon treatment with GDF11. This resulted in reduction in the senescent cells and lipofuscin particles, as well as the damaged mitochondria and rough endoplasmic reticula. Concurrently, there was a significant increase in LC3-II expression, LC3-positive puncta and the presence of autophagic ultrastructures were increased significantly. The formulated SAP effectively adhered to EPCs and sustained the release of GDF11. Transplantation of SAP-loaded EPCs and GDF11 into the ischaemic abdominal pouch or myocardium resulted in a decreased number of the senescent EPCs. At four weeks after transplantation into the myocardium, neovascularization and myocardial regeneration were enhanced, reverse myocardial remodeling was attenuated, and cardiac function was improved effectively. Conclusions This study provides novel evidence suggesting that oxidative stress could induce senescence of the transplanted EPCs in the ischemic myocardium. GDF11 demonstrates the ability to mitigate oxidative stress-induced senescence in the transplanted EPCs within the myocardium by activating autophagy.

In this paper, based on a layered metastructure, a tunable encoder capable of circular dichroism (CD) and polarization conversion (PC) is researched, which contains one common medium, magnetized plasma, and yttrium iron garnet (YIG). The linear polarization waves (LPWs) are elected as incident waves. The incident angle and external magnetic field intensity are θ and HO. A modulable dielectric layer (MDL), composed of YIG, is optionally added to the preceding item of the given metastructure, which owns a certain thickness. By adjusting the proper θ, HO, and adding the MDL, the CD can be obtained at a certain frequency point, where the right-handed circular polarization waves (CPWs) and left-handed CPWs have different reflections. Meanwhile, the LPWs can be converted to CPWs or other polarization waves in a specific frequency band. Furthermore, the θ and addition of the MDL are considered as the first and second logic levels, respectively, to form four logic codes, which can realize the PC from LPWs to CPWs or LPWs within the same specific frequency band. Hence, the designed encoder has a promising potential in the precise control of PC in the special bandwidth, which can provide excellent support for the research of tunable and diverse polarization splitters and selectors.

The nonreciprocal and polarization-sensitive performances of analog of electromagnetically induced absorption (EIA-like) and electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT-like) effects are investigated by the transfer matrix method (TMM), and the layered topology metastructure containing microwave magnetized plasma is used to construct suitable bright resonators, dark resonators, and quasi-dark resonators. In the case of low frequencies, the incident TM wave fosters an evident nonreciprocal EIA-like effect, and its nonreciprocal absorptivity is higher than 0.8, while the EIA-like phenomenon fails to occur in the case of the incident TE wave. For the case of high-frequency incidence, the EIT-like and EIA-like effects can be switched by converting the TM wave into the TE one under the case of backward propagation, and the maximum nonreciprocal absorptivity can exceed 0.9 if the TE wave propagates. The effects of some critical variables such as incident angle, plasma frequency, plasma cyclotron frequency, and plasma layer thickness on nonreciprocal and polarization-sensitive characteristics have been explored, and the slow light property of the EIT-like effect has also been briefly involved, and its group refractive index can reach 1224. The energy level transition theory and the optimized two-oscillator model are also analyzed to explain the generation of EIA-like and EIT-like phenomena in depth. We hope that the relevant phenomena will be interesting for slow light devices, two-way communication of electromagnetic waves, and polarization separation devices.

The application of ceramic for a circularly polarized (CP) filtering antenna is studied in this paper. The dielectric resonator (DR) of sintered aluminum oxide (Al2O3) ceramic has a dielectric constant of 9.5 and low dielectric loss of 0.003, and excellent mechanical properties. The dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) consists of two parts, the upper part is a DR, and the lower part uses a feeding network containing two hairpin bandpass filters. The measured |S11| of the DRA is 48.0 % and the axial ratio (AR) bandwidth is 33.5 %. Meanwhile, the peak gain of the DRA is 6.13 dBi, and the suppression level across the stopband exceeds 15.2 dB. The DRA uses the hairpin bandpass filters to improve the filtering characteristics of the antenna and uses the corner-cutting processing of the DR to improve the AR, which can be implemented to reduce the cost of fifth-generation (5 G) communication.

A-kinase anchoring protein 79/150 (AKAP79/150) is a crucial scaffolding protein that positions various proteins at specific synaptic sites to modulate excitatory synaptic intensity. As our understanding of AKAP79/150's biology deepens, along with its significant role in the pathophysiology of various human disorders, there is growing evidence that reveals new opportunities for therapeutic interventions. In this review, we examine the fundamental structure and primary functions of AKAP79/150, emphasizing its pathophysiological mechanisms in different nervous system disorders, particularly inflammatory pain, epilepsy, depression, and Alzheimer's disease. We also discuss its potential therapeutic implications for patients suffering from these conditions.

The photonic spin Hall effect, characterized by its polarization-driven spin-related displacement, has played an essential role in coding information processing. In this Letter, using a two-period double-layer dielectric plate, the displacement changes within the angle region are first observed, and a two-bit effective coding is achieved through non-uniform quantization of displacement values and coding. Afterward, by constructing Brewster angles (BAs), effective three-bit coding is achieved at the selected BA by dividing the angle domain. By changing the relative refractive index of the constituent materials (nB), effective coding is achieved at corresponding angles (45°–85°). By connecting two-bit and three-bit coding, a five-bit coding is fulfilled. By setting the last six invalid values, effective correspondence of 26 English letters is obtained. At the same time, the largest displacement peak itself is huge and varies accordingly with different values of nB. This work can provide some reference for designing optical coders.

In this paper, a kind of superconductor ceramics metastructure-photonic crystals (SCMPC) is proposed to investigate the absorption and transmission properties of electromagnetic waves (EW) by combining a metastructure with multiple degrees of freedom regulation and strong energy localization characteristics of photonic crystals. Firstly, for the periodically aligned SCMPC, EW mainly realizes absorption in forward propagation and transmission in backward case. The relative bandwidth (RB) for both forward absorptivity and backward transmittance greater than 0.9 is 2.7 %, and the operating bandwidth (OB) is 696 ∼ 715 terahertz (THz), which is an asymmetric absorption-transmission (AAT) characteristics. Importantly, the periodically aligned SCMPC can realize the double-band rasorber phenomenon, and the forward EW exhibits an absorption-transmission-absorption phenomenon with OBs of 644.2 ∼ 671.1 THz, 700.9 ∼ 742.1 THz, and 766.8 ∼ 784.2 THz. RBs with absorption and transmissivity greater than 0.8 are 4.1 %, 5.7 %, and 2.2 %, respectively, and the backward EW one is mainly transmitted. To optimize AAT, a quasi-periodic Octonacci sequence-aligned SCMPC is introduced. The results show that the maximum OB of forward absorption and backward transmission is 428.3 ∼ 670.5 THz and RB is 44.1 %, achieving favorable broadband AAT. In addition, the effects of temperatures, dielectric thicknesses, and stacking numbers on AAT are also investigated in detail. In conclusion, AAT has promising applications in unidirectional optical transmission, photodiodes, optical isolators, etc.

The Janus metastructure (JMS) is constructed in a special way so that the electromagnetic waves (EWs) propagate in the artificially constructed metastructure from different directions, which can show different electromagnetic characteristics and present a variety of functions at the same time. Its research is of great significance for breaking through the development bottleneck of traditional single-scale and single-function devices and can serve numerous novel application scenarios. This review discusses the design and research progress of JMS from three aspects: construction method, function realization, and application scenario. Finally, we discuss the key challenges currently facing the JMS and offer a vision for future research directions. We sincerely hope that this review will not only provide new insights into the development of JMS, which is a promising and dynamic hot research area but also promote research in this area from a more diverse and comprehensive perspective.

Background: The effectiveness and safety of using Brucea javanica oil (BJO) in combination with Transarterial Chemoembolization (TACE) for liver cancer treatment are subjects of debate. This study aims to assess the comparative effectiveness and safety of BJO-assisted TACE versus TACE alone and quantifies the differences between these two treatment methods.Methods: A systematic search was conducted in multiple databases including PubMed, Cochrane, CNKI, and Wanfang, until 1 July 2023. Meta-analysis was conducted, and the results were presented as mean difference (MD), risk ratio (RR), and 95% confidence intervals (CI).Results: The search yielded 11 RCTs, with a combined sample size of 1054 patients. Meta-analysis revealed that BJO-assisted TACE exhibited superior outcomes compared to standalone TACE. Specific data revealed that BJO-assisted TACE improves clinical benefit rate by 22% [RR = 1.22, 95% CI (1.15, 1.30)], increases the number of people with improved quality of life by 32%, resulting in an average score improvement of 9.53 points [RR = 1.32, 95% CI (1.22, 1.43); MD = 9.53, 95% CI (6.95, 12.10)]. Furthermore, AFP improvement rate improved significantly by approximately 134% [RR = 2.34, 95% CI (1.58, 3.46)], accompanied by notable improvements in liver function indicators, with an average reduction of 27.19 U/L in AST [MD = −27.19, 95% CI (−40.36, −14.02)], 20.77 U/L in ALT [MD = −20.77, 95% CI (−39.46, −2.08)], 12.17 μmol/L in TBIL [MD = −12.17, 95% CI (−19.38, −4.97)], and a decrease of 43.72 pg/mL in VEGF [MD = −43.72, 95% CI (−63.29, −24.15)]. Most importantly, there was a 29% reduction in the occurrence of adverse reactions [RR = 0.71, 95% CI (0.60, 0.84)].Conclusion: These findings indicate that BJO-assisted TACE may be considered as a potentially beneficial treatment option for liver cancer patients when compared to standalone TACE. It appears to contribute to improved treatment outcomes, enhanced quality of life, and potentially reduced adverse reactions, suggesting it warrants further investigation as a promising approach for liver cancer treatment.Systematic Review Registration: identifier CRD42023428948

A comprehensive design of an ultra-broadband circularly polarized (CP) dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) array operating in the C-band for fifth-generation (5G) communication systems is presented in this paper. The objective is to achieve a compact antenna size capable of receiving and transmitting CP electromagnetic waves over a wider bandwidth. The material chosen for the dielectric resonator (DR) is Alumina (Al2O3) ceramic, known for its low dielectric loss and exceptional mechanical properties, making it an ideal candidate for the DR. The proposed design utilizes a 2 × 2 array of cross-shaped DRs, fed by a compact circular phase-shift feeding network with double-point feeding. This configuration results in a 3-dB axial ratio (AR) bandwidth of 48.7 % and an impedance matching bandwidth (IMB) of 53.2 %. The antenna's horizontal size is reduced to 1.17 × 1.17λ02, and the gain is significantly enhanced by exciting multiple Mie resonances in the stacked DRs, yielding a measured peak gain of 12.48 dBic. These outstanding features position the CP DRA array as an excellent choice for 5G communication systems.

Background This study examines the association between traditional cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) incidence in individuals with diverse sleep patterns. Methods and Results We analyzed data from 208 621 participants initially free of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the UK Biobank study. Sleep patterns were assessed using scores for chronotype, duration, insomnia, snoring, and daytime dozing. Traditional CVH scores were derived from the Life's Simple 7 metrics. Cox proportional hazards multivariate regression assessed associations between distinct combinations of CVH and sleep scores and MACE, including nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, and CVD mortality. Over a mean follow‐up of 12.73 years, 9253 participants experienced incident MACE. Individuals with both a healthy sleep pattern and ideal CVH levels had the lowest MACE risk compared with those with a poor sleep pattern and poor CVH levels (hazard ratio, 0.306 [95% CI, 0.257–0.365]; P

In this paper, a wideband and high-gain circularly polarized (CP) antenna array with polarization-reconfigurable characteristics is presented based on the solid-state plasma (SSP). The proposed antenna is composed of switchable rotating radiation structures and a switchable feed network by simulating the different SSP branches. To investigate the CP operating mechanism, a reconfigurable CP element is designed through characteristic mode analysis (CMA). A switchable sequential-phase feed network is then proposed which can provide separately two rotational excitations. A spoof surface plasmon polariton (SSPP) is adopted for radiation patches to improve gain and axial ratio (AR) bandwidth. Finally, a high-gain and wideband 2 × 2 CP reconfigurable antenna array is designed. This array achieves left-hand circular polarization (LHCP) and right-hand circular polarization (RHCP) modes when different SSP branches are excited. The array has an overlapped impedance bandwidth of 61.9 % (3.17 to 6.01 GHz) and an overlapped AR bandwidth of 40.2 % (4.01 to 6.03 GHz) in two CP states, and the peak gain is 11.68 dBic.

AbstractBackground & Aims Individuals with high blood pressure (BP) have varying risks of cardiovascular events due to other coexisting factors. We aimed to identify the predictors of long-term absence of coronary artery calcium (CAC) in individuals with high BP, which is an indicator of healthy arterial aging and can guide preventive strategies.Methods We analyzed data from participants with high BP (≥120/80 mm Hg) in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis who had baseline CAC = 0 and underwent a second CAC scanning after 10 years. We used multivariable logistic regression to evaluate the association between various risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and long-term CAC = 0. We also calculated the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) to predict the phenotype of healthy arterial aging in this population.Results We included 830 participants (37.6% male, mean ± SD age of 59.4 ± 8.7 years). During follow-up, 46.5% of participants (n = 386) had CAC = 0, and they were younger and had fewer metabolic syndrome components. Adding ASCVD risk factors to the demographic model (age, sex, and ethnicity) moderately increased the predictive value for long-term CAC = 0 (AUC: demographic model + ASCVD risk factors vs. demographic model alone, 0.653 vs. 0.597, p

Abstract Background Increasing evidence indicates that the tumor microenvironment (TME) is a crucial determinant of cancer progression. However, the clinical and pathobiological significance of stromal signatures in the TME, as a complex dynamic entity, is still unclear in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods Herein, we used single-cell transcriptome sequencing data, imaging mass cytometry (IMC) and multiplex immunofluorescence staining to characterize the stromal signatures in ESCC and evaluate their prognostic values in this aggressive disease. An automated quantitative pathology imaging system determined the locations of the lamina propria, stroma, and invasive front. Subsequently, IMC spatial analyses further uncovered spatial interaction and distribution. Additionally, bioinformatics analysis was performed to explore the TME remodeling mechanism in ESCC. To define a new molecular prognostic model, we calculated the risk score of each patient based on their TME signatures and pTNM stages. Results We demonstrate that the presence of fibroblasts at the tumor invasive front was associated with the invasive depth and poor prognosis. Furthermore, the amount of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA)+ fibroblasts at the tumor invasive front positively correlated with the number of macrophages (MØs), but negatively correlated with that of tumor-infiltrating granzyme B+ immune cells, and CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Spatial analyses uncovered a significant spatial interaction between α-SMA+ fibroblasts and CD163+ MØs in the TME, which resulted in spatially exclusive interactions to anti-tumor immune cells. We further validated the laminin and collagen signaling network contributions to TME remodeling. Moreover, compared with pTNM staging, a molecular prognostic model, based on expression of α-SMA+ fibroblasts at the invasive front, and CD163+ MØs, showed higher accuracy in predicting survival or recurrence in ESCC patients. Regression analysis confirmed this model is an independent predictor for survival, which also identifies a high-risk group of ESCC patients that can benefit from adjuvant therapy. Conclusions Our newly defined biomarker signature may serve as a complement for current clinical risk stratification approaches and provide potential therapeutic targets for reversing the fibroblast-mediated immunosuppressive microenvironment.

Abstract User alignment across online social network platforms (OSNPs) is a growing concern with the rapid development of internet technology. In reality, users tend to register different accounts on multiple OSNPs, and the network platforms are reluctant to share network structure and user’s information due to business interest and privacy protection, which brings great obstacles to cross-platform user alignment. In view of this, we propose a homomorphic encryption-based social network alignment (HE-SNA) algorithm from the perspective of privacy leakage. Specifically, we first consider the OSNPs as a system containing multiple social networks, that each participant of OSNPs owns part of the network, i.e., a separate private sub-network. Then, encryption, fusion and decryption operations of the alignment information are performed by two third-party servers using HE scheme, which can protect the privacy information of sub-networks effectively. Finally, each sub-network uses the fused alignment information sent back from the third-party server for user alignment. Experimental results show that the HE-SNA method can provide a sum of locally trained models to third-party servers without leaking the privacy of any single sub-network. Moreover, the HE-SNA achieves a promising network alignment performance than only using the structural information and alignment data of single private sub-network while protecting its topology structure information.

Magnaporthe oryzae, the causal agent of blast diseases, is a destructive filamentous fungus that infects many plants including most economically important food crops, rice, wheat, pearl millet and finger millet. Magnaporthe oryzae has numerous pathotypes because of its high host-specificity in the field. The Oryza pathotype (MoO) of M. oryzae is the most devastating pathogen of rice, causing 10–30% yield loss in the world. On the other hand, the Triticum pathotype (MoT) causes blast disease in wheat, which is now a serious threat to wheat production in some South American countries, Bangladesh and Zambia. Because of low fungicide efficacy against the blast diseases and lack of availability of resistant varieties, control of rice and wheat blast diseases is difficult. Therefore, an integrated management programme should be adopted to control these two diseases in the field. Here, we introduced and summarized the classification, geographical distribution, host range, disease symptoms, biology and ecology, economic impact, and integrated pest management (IPM) programme of both rice and wheat blast diseases.

In this paper, three categories of Janus angle absorption structures for terahertz (THz) waves are realized by operating the edge hopping property of the photonic band gaps (PBGs) and the wide-angle absorption of graphene heterostructure. The left and right edges of the angle window are determined by the PBGs generated by photonic crystals 1 (PC1) and photonic crystals 2 (PC2), respectively. The appropriate combination of the two can obtain a transmission angle window (TAW), and the edges can be independently manipulated, which makes it possible to construct arbitrary angle filtering structures, making up for the shortage of rigid angle windows in traditional research. Graphene material has absorption potential, and when it is introduced into ternary photonic crystals 3 (PC3), high absorption at large angles will occur. The combination of PC3 and TAW will produce an absorption angle window (AAW) by using the energy cascade transmission features of photonic crystals (PCs). Contributing to the strong absorption properties, the energy transfer on both sides of PC3 is isolated. Consequently, the Janus angle absorption phenomenon will be remarkable by mirroring the PCs structures with different TAWs on both sides of PC3. Through the unique parameter design, the three relationships between the forward AAW and the backward one are investigated, that is inclusion, partial coincidence, and incoherence.

Pre-emptive vaccination has been proven to be the most effective measure to control influenza outbreaks. However, when vaccination behavior is voluntary, individuals may face the vaccination dilemma owing to the two sides of vaccines. In view of this, many researchers began to use evolutionary game theory to model the vaccination decisions of individuals. Many existing models assume that individuals in networks use the Fermi function based strategy to update their vaccination decisions. As we know, human beings have strong learning capability and they may continuously search for the optimal strategy based on the surrounding environments. Hence, it is reasonable to use the reinforcement learning (RL) strategy to reflect the vaccination decisions of individuals. To this end, we here explore a mixed updating strategy for the vaccination decisions, specifically, some individuals called intelligent agents update their vaccination decisions based on the RL strategy, and the other individuals called regular agents update their decisions based on the Fermi function. We then investigate the impact of RL strategy on the vaccination behavior and the epidemic dynamics. Through extensive experiments, we find that the RL strategy plays a double-edged sword role: when the vaccination cost is not so high, more individuals are willing to choose vaccination if more individuals adopt the RL strategy, leading to the significant suppression of epidemics. On the contrary, when the vaccination cost is extremely high, the vaccination coverage is dramatically reduced, inducing the outbreak of the epidemic. We also analyze the underlying reasons for the double-edged sword role of the RL strategy.

Abstract Background C1q/TNF-related protein 9 (CTRP9) and adiponectin (APN) have beneficial metabolic regulatory and vasoprotective effects. This study explored alteration of CTRP9 and APN multimers during onset of ischemic stroke and development, to provide novel clinical and experimental basis for recognition and prevention of ischemic stroke. Methods There were 269 patients with ischemic stroke and 182 control subjects included in this study. Serum levels of CTRP9 and APN multimers in different disease stages were measured. Results Serum CTRP9, total APN (tAPN), and high-molecular weight (HMW) APN decreased gradually in stage I (acute stage, within 72 h of onset) of ischemic stroke and increased during stage III (11th day to one month) and stage IV (1 month after), compared to control. In the non-hyperlipidemia group, serum CTRP9, tAPN, and HMW were decreased in ischemic stroke patients compared to control (P

Abstract Introduction Adiponectin is a potent vascular protective molecule. Recent findings have suggested adiponectin resistance during early diabetes. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible remain unidentified. Here, we took an unbiased approach to identify whether hyperlipidemic plasma molecules exist that bind and inhibit adiponectin function, contributing to adiponectin resistance and diabetic vascular injury. Methods Adult rats were randomly assigned to receive either a normal or a high‐fat diet for 8 weeks. Plasma was co‐immunoprecipitated with anti‐APN antibody and analyzed by mass spectrometry. The APN binding molecules and their effect upon APN biological activity were determined. Results As expected, the high‐fat‐diet increased plasma triglyceride, total cholesterol, and low‐density lipoprotein. Importantly, the circulating APN level was significantly increased at this time point. Mass spectrometry identified 18 proteins with increased APN binding in hyperlipidemic plasma, among which four proteins critical in lipid metabolism, including apolipoprotein A1 (APOA1), APOA4, APOC1, and paraoxonase 1, were further investigated. Incubating recombinant APN with APOA1 markedly (P

Small molecules that target RNA Polymerase I inhibit ribosome biogenesis to activate p53 through the nucleolar surveillance response pathway. Here, the authors show that p53 induction by ribosome stress is dependent on extracellular glutamine availability.

Data-driven recovery of topology is challenging for networks beyond pairwise interactions. The authors propose a framework to reconstruct complex networks with higher-order interactions from time series, focusing on networks with 2-simplexes where social contagion and Ising dynamics generate binary data.

In this paper, the behaviors of nonreciprocal and polarization-separated tailored electromagnetically induced absorption (EIA) realized by a layered photonic structure containing InSb are investigated by the transfer matrix method, which shows that the EIA peak can be up to 97.3 % and 98 % in the forward and backward propagation, and the interval between their frequency points of them can be up to 0.28 THz when the incident angle (θ) is 0° and the magnetic induction intensity (B) is 0 T. The theory of the two-oscillator model is used to further prove the reality of EIA. By adjusting θ to 36°, the frequency difference of the EIA peaks under the TE and TM waves is 4 GHz when B is 0 T, indicating a good capability of polarization separation (PS). With the alteration of the temperature, such a difference value is always larger than 3 GHz. With the escalation of θ, the frequency points of EIA of the forward and backward incidence is approximately 0.28 THz, and show good performance of PS. Besides, the adjustment of the number of periods and B can realize the function of regulating EIA. Depending on its high-quality factors and good sensitivity, this research is of great help in realizing the sensors.

Abstract Objective To study the roles of AT1R, PLC-β1, CaM and other related signal molecules in the formation and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and their correlation. Methods ELISA and immunohistochemistry were used to analyze the expressions of target proteins in serum and liver tissue of HCC patients, and the correlation between AT1R, PLC-β1 and CaM and postoperative survival status of patients was followed up and determined. CCK-8 method was used to screen the doses of Ang II and candesartan sensitive to HepG2 and HCCLM3 cells. Transwell experiment was used to observe the effects of different drugs on the migration and invasion activity of HCC cells. Meanwhile, flow cytometry and Western blot were used to detect the expression levels of AT1R, PLC-β1 and CaM in the cells. Then PLC-β1 siRNA was selected to transfect HCC cells, so as to further clarify the mechanism of the above signal proteins. HepG2 cells were inoculated under the hepatic capsule of mice to induce the formation of HCC in situ. Ang II and candesartan were used to stimulate HCC mice to observe the difference in liver appearance and measure the liver index. Finally, ELISA and immunofluorescence experiments were selected to analyze the levels of target proteins in mouse serum and liver tissue. Results The expression levels of target proteins in serum and liver tissue of HCC patients were significantly increased, and the postoperative survival time of patients with high expression of AT1R, PLC-β1 or CaM was obviously shortened. Ang II and candesartan could significantly promote and inhibit the motility of HCC cells, and had different effects on the levels of AT1R, PLC-β1 and CaM in cells. However, in hepatocellular carcinoma cells transfected with PLC-β1 siRNA, the intervention ability of drugs was obviously weakened. Ang II could significantly promote the formation and progression of mouse HCC, while candesartan had the opposite effect. Meanwhile, medications could affect the expressions of target proteins in mouse serum and liver tissue. Conclusion AT1R, PLC-β1 and CaM may be risk factors affecting the formation and prognosis of HCC, and the PLC-β1/CaM signaling pathway mediated by AT1R is an important way to regulate the migration and invasion activity of HCC cells.

The design of earth-abundant and highly efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution and oxygen evolution reactions (HER/OER) is crucial for hydrogen production through overall water splitting. Herein, we report a novel nanostructure consisting of vertically oriented CoP hierarchical nanosheet arrays with in situ-assembled carbon skeletons on a Ti foil electrode. The novel Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-67 (ZIF-67) template-derived hierarchical nanosheet architecture effectively improved electrical conductivity, facilitated electrolyte transport, and increased the exposure of the active sites. The obtained bifunctional hybrid exhibited a low overpotential of 72 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and a small Tafel slope of 65 mV dec−1 for HER, and an improved overpotential of 329 mV and a Tafel slope of 107 mV dec−1 for OER. Furthermore, the assembled C@CoP||C@CoP electrolyzer showed excellent overall water splitting performance (1.63 V) at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 and superior durability. This work provides a structure engineering strategy for metal–organic framework (MOF) template-derived hybrids with outstanding electrocatalytic performance.

Abstract Maintaining proper mitochondrial respiratory function is crucial for alleviating cardiac metabolic disorders during obesity, and mitophagy is critically involved in this process. Long non-coding RNA H19 (H19) is crucial for metabolic regulation, but its roles in cardiac disorders, mitochondrial respiratory function, and mitophagy during obesity are largely unknown. In this study, palmitic acid (PA)-treated H9c2 cell and Lep−/− mice were used to investigate cardiac metabolic disorders in vitro and in vivo, respectively. The effects of H19 on metabolic disorders, mitochondrial respiratory function, and mitophagy were investigated. Moreover, the regulatory mechanisms of PA, H19, mitophagy, and respiratory function were examined. The models tested displayed a reduction in H19 expression, respiratory function and mitochondrial number and volume, while the expression of mitophagy- and Pink1/Parkin signaling-related proteins was upregulated, as indicated using quantitative real-time PCR, Seahorse mitochondrial stress test analyzer, transmission electron microscopy, fluorescence indicators and western blotting. Forced expression of H19 helped to the recoveries of respiratory capacity and mitochondrial number while inhibited the levels of mitophagy- and Pink1/Parkin signaling-related proteins. Pink1 knockdown also attenuated PA-induced mitophagy and increased respiratory capacity. Mechanistically, RNA pull-down, mass spectrometry, and RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation assays showed that H19 could hinder the binding of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4A, isoform 2 (eIF4A2) with Pink1 mRNA, thus inhibiting the translation of Pink1 and attenuation of mitophagy. PA significantly increased the methylation levels of the H19 promoter region by upregulation Dnmt3b methylase levels, thereby inhibiting H19 transcription. Collectively, these findings suggest that DNA methylation-mediated the downregulation of H19 expression plays a crucial role in cardiomyocyte or H9c2 cells metabolic disorders and induces cardiac respiratory dysfunction by promoting mitophagy. H19 inhibits excessive mitophagy by limiting Pink1 mRNA translation, thus alleviating this cardiac defect that occurs during obesity.

Abstract Simulated hypobaric hypoxia (SHH) training has been used to enhance running performance. However, no studies have evaluated the effects of a single SHH exposure on healthy mice performance and analyzed the changes of mitochondria-related genes in the central nervous system. The current study used a mouse decompression chamber to simulate mild hypobaric hypoxia at the high altitude of 5000 m or severe hypobaric hypoxia at 8000 m for 16 h (SHH5000 & SHH8000, respectively). Then, the mouse behavioral tests were recorded by a modified Noldus video tracking. Third, the effects of SHH on 8 mitochondria-related genes of Drp1, Mfn1, Mfn2, Opa1, TFAM, SGK1, UCP2 and UCP4, were assessed in cerebellum, hippocampus and gastrocnemius muscles. The results have shown that a single mild or severe HH improves healthy mice performance. In cerebellum, 6 of all 8 detected genes (except Mfn2 and UCP4) did not change after SHH. In hippocampus, all detected genes did not change after SHH. In muscles, 7 of all 8 detected genes (except Opa1) did not change after SHH. The present study has indicated the benefit of a single SHH in healthy mice performance, which would due to the stabilized mitochondria against a mild stress state.

Background and Objective: Clinical studies have suggested that low tri-iodothyronine (T3) syndrome negatively affects the clinical outcomes of patients with acute heart failure (AHF). The aim of this prospective cohort study was to evaluate the effect of low T3 syndrome in terms of prognosis and risk-predictive potential in AHF. Methods: A prospective observational cohort study was conducted from April 2012 to August 2016 in Nanjing, China. All clinical baseline characteristics were retrieved from electronic medical records. Low T3 syndrome was defined by a low free T3 level (

Abstract Alcoholic hepatitis (AH) is identified as an inflammatory syndrome with high morbidity and mortality as a result of severe hepatocellular dysfunction and liver injury. Accumulated studies indicated that miRNAs are involved in AH. The potential effect of miR‐451a in AH mice was examined in the current study. A mice AH model was established and the miR‐451a expression in AH mice compared with the sham group was tested by real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR). AH mice were injected with pre‐miR‐451a lentivirus for miR‐451a overexpression and histone deacetylase (HDAC8) lentivirus for HDAC8 overexpression in AH mice. The underlying mechanisms were explored by searching the potential target genes of miR‐451a in miRanda database and then we confirmed this. We found that miR‐451a expression was significantly decreased in AH mice compared with the sham group. Moreover, miR‐451a overexpression alleviated alcohol‐induced liver inflammation and injuries of AH mice. Additionally, further mechanism exploration disclosed that HDAC8 was a target of miR‐451a. The protective effect of miR‐451a on AH in AH mice was abolished by HDAC8 overexpression. In summary, miR‐451a ameliorates AH via repressing HDAC8‐mediated proinflammatory response.

In this paper, a one-dimensional photonic structure is proposed for the realization of double Fano resonance (DFaR), which can be tuned by an external magnetic field and temperature. The designed photonic structure is composed of a Fabry-Perot cavity based on semiconductor material indium antimonide (InSb) and a sequence of general photonic crystals. A single Fano resonance (SFaR) is generated by the Fabry-Perot cavity, and the ordinary photonic crystals added to the back of the Fabry-Perot cavity offer a continuous transmission spectrum as a continuous state. The appearance of DFaR is ascribed to the interference phenomenon between SFaR and the continuous state. The effect of different parameters on Fano resonance was simulated by the transfer matrix method. The simulation results show that the interaction of the SFaR with the continuum spectrum leads to a new Fano resonance (NFaR) with a higher quality factor. Furthermore, DFaR can have the function of multi-physics tuning, controlled by the external magnetic field and temperature for the amplitude and frequency point of transmittance due to the introduction of InSb material. Based on the characteristics of DFaR, these obtained results can provide ideas for designing multi-measuring optical filters, lasers, slow light devices, and multi-node optical switches.

In this paper, we study effect algebra-induced partial ordered sets. All possible cases of effect algebras generated by bounded partial ordered set MI of height 2 are given. In addition, the structure of chain effect algebra is studied carefully and the corresponding results are obtained.

In this article, a multifunctional and multiscale device which can realize the functions of the magnetic-controlled AND logical operation and detection based on the one-dimensional magnetized InSb photonic structure is proposed and theoretically investigated. Properly modulating the target resonant absorption peak by the external magnetic field, and employing the peak to determine the logical operation, the accurate AND logical operation is fulfilled. Since the target absorption peak holds a superior quality factor value, the designed structure can be considered for detecting the crucial physical quantities, magnetic field, and refractive index. Especially, owing to the magneto-optical effect, time-reversal symmetry and space-reversal symmetry are broken, and the nonreciprocity is generated, which further makes the logical operations and detection of the forward and backward scales can be simultaneously acquired. Numerical analysis gains the optimal sensitivity, the quality value and detection limit. For the detection of magnetic field, and refractive index are 3.13 × 1012 T−1, 9341, 8.4 × 10−5 T, and 1.13 × 1011 RIU−1, 10537, 5.6 × 10−4 RIU, respectively. Surpassing the conventional electromagnetic devices, the designed photonic structure in this work with the combination of magnetic-controlled AND logical operation and detection functions plays a significant constructive role in information communication and photonic computing.

Based on the structures of natural products streptochlorin and pimprinine derived from marine or soil microorganisms, a series of streptochlorin derivatives containing the nitrile group were designed and synthesized through acylation and oxidative annulation. Evaluation for antifungal activity showed that compound 3a could be regarded as the most promising candidate—it demonstrated over 85% growth inhibition against Botrytis cinerea, Gibberella zeae, and Colletotrichum lagenarium, as well as a broad antifungal spectrum in primary screening at the concentration of 50 μg/mL. The SAR study revealed that non-substituent or alkyl substituent at the 2-position of oxazole ring were favorable for antifungal activity, while aryl and monosubstituted aryl were detrimental to activity. Molecular docking models indicated that 3a formed hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions with Leucyl-tRNA Synthetase, offering a perspective for the possible mechanism of action for antifungal activity of the target compounds.

Objective: To explore the role of glycolysis in cardiac fibroblast (CF) activation and cardiac fibrosis after myocardial infarction (MI).Method:In vivo: 2-Deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), a glycolysis inhibitor, was injected into the abdominal cavity of the MI or sham mice every day. On the 28th day, cardiac function was measured by ultrasonic cardiography, and the hearts were harvested. Masson staining and immunofluorescence (IF) were used to evaluate the fibrosis area, and western blot was used to identify the glycolytic level. In vitro, we isolated the CF from the sham, MI and MI with 2-DG treatment mice, and we also activated normal CF with transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and block glycolysis with 2-DG. We then detected the glycolytic proteins, fibrotic proteins, and the concentrations of lactate and glucose in the culture medium. At last, we further detected the fibrotic and glycolytic markers in human fibrotic and non-fibrotic heart tissues with masson staining, IF and western blot.Result: More collagen and glycolytic protein expressions were observed in the MI mice hearts. The mortality increased when mice were treated with 2-DG (100 mg/kg/d) after the MI surgery (Log-rank test, P < 0.05). When the dosage of 2-DG declined to 50 mg/kg/d, and the treatment was started on the 4th day after MI, no statistical difference of mortality between the two groups was observed (Log-rank test, P = 0.98). The collagen volume fraction was smaller and the fluorescence signal of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) was weaker in mice treated with 2-DG than PBS. In vitro, 2-DG could significantly inhibit the increased expression of both the glycolytic and fibrotic proteins in the activated CF.Conclusion: Cardiac fibrosis is along with the enhancement of CF activation and glycolysis. Glycolysis inhibition can alleviate cardiac fibroblast activation and cardiac fibrosis after myocardial infarction.

Abstract Aim Inflammation within the perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) in obesity plays an important role in cardiovascular disorders. C-reactive protein (CRP) level in obesity patients is significantly increased and associated with the occurrence and progression of cardiovascular disease. We tested the hypothesis CRP derived from PVAT in obesity contributes to vascular remodeling after injury. Methods A high-fat diet (HFD) significantly increased CRP expression in PVAT. We transplanted thoracic aortic PVAT from wild-type (WT) or transgenic CRP-expressing (CRPTG) mice to the injured femoral artery in WT mice. Results At 4 weeks after femoral artery injury, the neointimal/media ratio was increased significantly in WT mice that received PVAT from CRPTG mice compared with that in WT mice that received WT PVAT. Transplanted CRPTG PVAT also significantly accelerated adventitial macrophage infiltration and vasa vasorum proliferation. It was revealed greater macrophage infiltration in CRPTG adipose tissue than in WT adipose tissue and CRP significantly increased the adhesion rate of monocytes through receptor Fcγ RI. Proteome profiling showed CRP over-expression promoted the expression of chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 7 (CXCL7) in adipose tissue, transwell assay showed CRP increased monocyte migration indirectly via the induction of CXCL7 expression in adipocytes. Conclusion CRP derived from PVAT was significantly increased in HFD mice and promoted neointimal hyperplasia after vascular injury.

With the increasing expectations of electromagnetic devices, the defects of monofunctional devices that are susceptibly limited by external constraints are becoming more and more obvious and the integration of multiple functions has gradually become the pursuit of researchers. In this paper, a novel multifunctional metamaterial tailored by the solid state plasma (SSP) is proposed. By inspiring the particular SSP resonators, such a metamaterial can be handily switched back and forth among two functions and form three working states. When the proposed SSP metamaterial is served in State I, its function embodies as an energy absorber and the absorption which is over 90% for TE and TM modes are 5.84-7.30 GHz and 5.41-6.34 GHz whose relative bandwidths (RBs) are 22.22% and 15.83%, respectively. States II and III keep the same functionality of cross-polarization conversion but a distinct operating band. The polarization conversion rate (PCR) of State II which is higher than 90% is 7.40-12.20 GHz (the RB is 48.98%) and this operational range will be shifted to 5.71-8.47 GHz (the RB is 38.92%) after switching to State III. Compared with the conventional tunable devices, this SSP metamaterial has the advantage of functional diversity and it provides a new design idea of absorber and polarization converter to promote potential applications of multifunctional devices.

Abstract. Background:. Clinical assessment and treatment guidance for heart failure depends on a variety of biomarkers. The objective of this study was to investigate the prognostic predictive value of growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) and N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in assessing hospitalized patients with acute heart failure (AHF). Methods:. In total, 260 patients who were admitted for AHF in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were enrolled from April 2012 to May 2016. Medical history and blood samples were collected within 24 h after the admission. The primary endpoint was the all-cause mortality within 1 year. The patients were divided into survival group and death group based on the endpoint. With established mortality risk factors and serum GDF-15 level, receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed. Cox regression analyses were used to further analyze the combination values of NT-proBNP and GDF-15. Results:. Baseline GDF-15 and NT-proBNP were significantly higher amongst deceased than those in survivors (P

In a recently published report, a polarization-insensitive and thin stereometamaterial (PITS) is proposed by Li et al. (2015) and they indicated that it can realize a broadband absorption by the orthogonal double-split-ring structure for the oblique incidence. However, the high cross-polarization reflection component is ignored by the original authors for the proposed PITS. When the incident angle is 45° for TE-polarization, it is found that there are only a few absorption peaks occurred at 6.79 GHz, 11.79 GHz, 12.54 GHz and 14.53 GHz with the corresponding absorptions of 36.08%, 56.24%, 58.70% and 60.54%, respectively. For TM-polarization, there are only three absorption peaks at 6.81 GHz, 11.83 GHz, 13.28 GHz with the corresponding absorptions are 67.85%, 52.16% and 62.14%. Obviously, the designed absorber reported by Li et al. cannot qualify the mission of absorbing electromagnetic wave. Keywords: Metamaterial, Polarization conversion, Absorber

In this paper, an ultra-broadband multilayer tunable absorber (MTA) with the lumped resistors (LRs) is proposed, where a dielectric layer is sandwiched between three split square ring resonators and a continuous metallic plane. It is noted that two truncated triangular ring-shaped and Y-shaped solid-state plasma resonators (SSPRs) are embedded in the substrate. Three solid-state plasma cylinders are also inserted between the truncated triangular ring-shaped resonators and Y-shaped SSPRs. External two split square rings and a truncated triangular ring are loaded with the lumped elements. After calculation, for the TE wave, the absorption rate is larger than 90% in a certain frequency region which covers 7–16.25 GHz. Moreover, the proposed MTA is polarization independent at normal incidence. The absorption mechanism and properties also are investigated. The obtained results illustrate that the absorption performance and operating frequencies can be tailored when the different SSPRs are excited. Keywords: Absorber, Solid-state plasma, Lumped resistors, Tunable properties

Pimprinine and streptochlorin are indole alkaloids derived from marine or soil microorganisms. In our previous study, they were promising lead compounds due to their potent bioactivity in preventing many phytopathogens, but further structural modifications are required to improve their antifungal activity. In this study, pimprinine and streptochlorin were used as parent structures with the combination strategy of their structural features. Three series of target compounds were designed and synthesized. Subsequent evaluation for antifungal activity against six common phytopathogenic fungi showed that some of thee compounds possessed excellent effects, and this is highlighted by compounds 4a and 5a, displaying 99.9% growth inhibition against Gibberella zeae and Alternaria Leaf Spot under 50 μg/mL, respectively. EC50 values indicated that compounds 4a, 5a, 8c, and 8d were even more active than Azoxystrobin and Boscalid. SAR analysis revealed the relationship between 5-(3′-indolyl)oxazole scaffold and antifungal activity, which provides useful insight into the development of new target molecules. Molecular docking models indicate that compound 4a binds with leucyl-tRNA synthetase in a similar mode as AN2690, offering a perspective on the mode of action for the study of its antifungal activity. These results suggest that compounds 4a and 5a could be regarded as novel and promising antifungal agents against phytopathogens due to their valuable potency.

Predicting network dynamics based on data, a problem with broad applications, has been studied extensively in the past, but most existing approaches assume that the complete set of historical data from the whole network is available. This requirement presents a great challenge in applications, especially for large, distributed networks in the real world, where data collection is accomplished by many clients in a parallel fashion. Often, each client only has the time series data from a partial set of nodes, and the client has access to only partial time stamps of the whole set of time series data and the partial structure of the network. Due to privacy concerns or license-related issues, the data collected by different clients cannot be shared. Accurately predicting the network dynamics while protecting the privacy of different parties is a critical problem in modern times. Here, we propose a solution based on federated graph neural networks (FGNNs) that enables the training of a global dynamic model for all parties without data sharing. We validate the working of our FGNN framework through two types of simulations to predict a variety of network dynamics (four discrete and three continuous dynamics). As a significant real-world application, we demonstrate successful prediction of state-wise influenza spreading in the USA. Our FGNN scheme represents a general framework to predict diverse network dynamics through collaborative fusing of the data from different parties without disclosing their privacy.

Leukodystrophies are a heterogeneous group of inherited disorders with highly variable clinical manifestations and pathogenetic backgrounds. At present, variants in more than 20 genes have been described and may be responsible for different types of leukodystrophies. Members of the phospholipase D family of enzymes catalyze the hydrolysis of membrane phospholipids. Meanwhile, phospholipase D3 (PLD3) has also been found to exhibit single stranded DNA (ssDNA) acid 5′ exonuclease activity. Variants in phospholipase D3 (PLD3) may increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease and spinocerebellar ataxia, but this hypothesis has not been fully confirmed. In this study, we identified a novel homozygous mutation (NM_012268.3: c.186C>G/ p.Y62X) of PLD3 in a consanguineous family with white matter lesions, hearing and vision loss, and kidney disease by whole exome sequencing. Real-time PCR revealed that the novel mutation may lead to non-sense-mediated messenger RNA (mRNA) decay. This may be the first case report on the homozygous mutation of PLD3 in patients worldwide. Our studies indicated that homozygous mutation of PLD3 may result in a novel leukoencephalopathy syndrome with white matter lesions, hearing and vision loss, and kidney disease.

Ewing sarcoma (EwS) is a highly malignant bone and soft tissue tumor primarily affecting children and young adults. While most patients initially respond well to conventional front-line therapy, frequent metastasis results in poor 5-year overall survival rates for this disease. Accordingly, there is a critical need to develop better models to understand EwS metastasis. We and others previously used the ex vivo pulmonary metastasis assay (PuMA) to study lung metastasis in solid tumors including osteosarcoma (OS), but this technique has to date not been achievable for EwS. PuMA involves tail vein injection of fluorescent tumor cells into NOD-SCID mice, followed by their visualization in long-term cultures of tumor-bearing lung explants. Here we demonstrate successful implementation of PuMA for EwS cells using NOD-SCID-IL2 receptor gamma null (NSG) immunocompromised mice, which demonstrated high engraftment of EwS cell lines compared to NOD-SCID mice. This may be linked to immune permissiveness required by EwS cells, as increased basal cytotoxicity of EwS cells was observed in NOD-SCID compared to NSG lung sections, possibly due to the absence of natural killer (NK) cell activity in the latter. Together, our data demonstrate the utility of NSG mice for PuMA modeling of EwS lung metastasis.

AimsActivation of cardiac fibroblasts (CF) is crucial to cardiac fibrosis. We constructed a cardiac fibroblast-related competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network. Potential functions related to fibrosis of “hub genes” in this ceRNA network were explored.Materials and MethodsThe Gene Expression Omnibus database was searched for eligible datasets. Differentially expressed messenger (m)RNA (DE-mRNA) and long non-coding (lnc)RNA (DE-lncRNA) were identified. microRNA was predicted and validated. A predicted ceRNA network was constructed and visualized by Cytoscape, and ceRNA crosstalk was validated. A Single Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (SGSEA) was done, and the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD) was employed to analyze the most closely associated pathways and diseases of DE-mRNA in the ceRNA network. The functions of DE-mRNA and DE-lncRNA in the ceRNA network were validated by small interfering (si)RNA depletion.ResultsThe GSE97358 and GSE116250 datasets (which described differentially expressed genes in human cardiac fibroblasts and failing ventricles, respectively) were used for analyses. Four-hundred-and-twenty DE-mRNA and 39 DE-lncRNA, and 369 DE-mRNA and 93 DE-lncRNA were identified, respectively, in the GSE97358 and GSE116250 datasets. Most of the genes were related to signal transduction, cytokine activity, and cell proliferation. Thirteen DE-mRNA with the same expression tendency were overlapped in the two datasets. Twenty-three candidate microRNAs were predicted and the expression of 11 were different. Only two DE-lncRNA were paired to any one of 11 microRNA. Finally, two mRNA [ADAM metallopeptidase domain 19, (ADAM19) and transforming growth factor beta induced, (TGFBI)], three microRNA (miR-9-5p, miR-124-3p, and miR-153-3p) and two lncRNA (LINC00511 and SNHG15) constituted our ceRNA network. siRNA against LINC00511 increased miR-124-3p and miR-9-5p expression, and decreased ADAM19 and TGFBI expression, whereas siRNA against SNHG15 increased miR-153-3p and decreased ADAM19 expression. ADAM19 and TGFBI were closely related to the TGF-β1 pathway and cardiac fibrosis, as shown by SGSEA and CTD, respectively. Depletion of two mRNA or two lncRNA could alleviate CF activation.ConclusionsThe CF-specific ceRNA network, including two lncRNA, three miRNA, and two mRNA, played a crucial role during cardiac fibrosis, which provided potential target genes in this field.

Although mitochondrial fission has been reported to increase proliferative capacity and collagen production, it can also contribute to mitochondrial impairment, which is detrimental to cell survival. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of mitochondrial fission in cardiac fibroblasts (CF) activation and explore the mechanisms involved in the maintenance of mitochondrial health under this condition. For this, changes in the levels of mitochondrial fission/fusion-related proteins were assessed in transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1)-activated CF, whereas the role of mitochondrial fission during this process was also elucidated, as were the underlying mechanisms. The interaction between mitochondrial fission and mitophagy, the main defense mechanism against mitochondrial impairment, was also explored. The results showed that the mitochondria in TGF-β1-treated CF were noticeably more fragmented than those of controls. The expression of several mitochondrial fission-related proteins was markedly upregulated, and the levels of fusion-related proteins were also altered, but to a lesser extent. Inhibiting mitochondrial fission resulted in a marked attenuation of TGF-β1-induced CF activation. The TGF-β1-induced increase in glycolysis was greatly suppressed in the presence of a mitochondrial inhibitor, whereas a glycolysis-specific antagonist exerted little additional antifibrotic effects. TGF-β1 treatment increased cellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and triggered mitophagy, but this effect was reversed following the application of ROS scavengers. For the signals mediating mitophagy, the expression of Pink1, but not Bnip3l/Nix or Fundc1, exhibited the most significant changes, which could be counteracted by treatment with a mitochondrial fission inhibitor. Pink1 knockdown suppressed CF activation and mitochondrial fission, which was accompanied by increased CF apoptosis. In conclusion, mitochondrial fission resulted in increased glycolysis and played a crucial role in CF activation. Moreover, mitochondrial fission promoted reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, leading to mitophagy and the consequent degradation of the impaired mitochondria, thus promoting CF survival and maintaining their activation.

Abstract The detection and study of the rotational motion of space debris, which is affected by environmental factors, is a popular topic. However, relevant research in extremely low-orbit regions cannot be conducted due to a lack of observational data. Here, we fill in the gaps to present the rotational evolution of Tiangong-1 in the 5 months prior to reentry. Derived from the changes in the relative distance of its two corner cube reflectors from satellite laser ranging data, the angular momentum of Tiangong-1, which is relatively stable during observation, deviates from its maximum principal axis of inertia and precesses around the normal direction of the orbital plane due to gravity gradient torque at an angle of $$23.1^\circ \pm\,2.5^\circ$$ 23.1∘±2.5∘ . Requiring consistency with the relationship between the angular momentum and precession rate leads to a solution for the rotation rate, which is thus found to increase. This result cannot be explained by any previously developed torque models. Hence, an atmospheric density gradient torque (ADGT) model that considers the torque generated by the change in atmospheric density with orbital altitude at the satellite scale is proposed to explain the rotational acceleration mechanism of extremely low-orbit objects. The numerical results show that the ADGT model provides a non-negligible ability to explain, but cannot fully describe, the acceleration effect. The data on the rotational evolution of Tiangong-1 can provide an important basis for aerodynamic model improvement by addressing minor factors omitted in previous models.

In this paper, we present a novel type of tunable gravity tailored metamaterial absorber (TGTMA) which can obtain a broadband absorption. Both seawater and oil are filled in the grooves inside the glass structures, which are the resonators of an absorber. The proposed absorber can be regulated by the gravity field, which is a brand new one compared with the previous designs. When the operating state of such a TGTMA is adjusted from one to another, a marvelous alteration of absorption can be achieved. For TM wave, the absorption band runs from 5.6 to 7.91 GHz which is over 90%, while the absorption keeps larger than 90% from 4.32 to 5.83 GHz when this absorber is rotated 180° in xy plane. The larger incident angle is the better performance of this TGTMA can be achieved. Further, the simulation results of the structure parameters are discussed. The surface current distributions, the power flows, and the power loss densities are also given to expound the physical mechanism of the proposed absorber. Importantly, compared with most of current tailoring approaches of the absorbers, the proposed method is more convenient.

In this paper, the properties of wide-angle and ultra-wideband (UWB) absorption of one-dimensional (1-D) superconductor photonic crystals (SPCs) in the terahertz (THz) region are theoretically analyzed by transfer matrix method (TMM). We principally study the absorption features in SPCs with different arrangements by contrast where their external factors and dielectric types are consistent. The arrangements of SPCs adopt two construction rules of generous Fibonacci sequence (GFS) and Cantor-like sequence (CLS). In addition, the influences of the recursive numbers, external factors and polarization-depend properties on the proposed structures are also considered. We introduce multifractal theory to describe the absorption trends and self-similarity of quasi-periodic structural system subtly specific to the variation of recursive numbers. Moreover, the reason for angle-insensitive absorption is also investigated via the interference field theory. The calculated results demonstrate that the UWB absorption can sustain over 80 degrees within THz region for transverse magnetic (TM) wave at high temperature in the proposed SPCs, which provides theoretical guidance for the design of the high-performance THz absorber.