Search

Abstract Within the framework of nonrelativistic QCD (NRQCD), we calculate the fragmentation function for a charm quark into an S-wave fully-charmed tetraquark, denoted as T 4c . The charm-to-T 4c fragmentation function is expressed as a sum of products of the perturbatively calculable short-distance coefficients and the nonperturbative long-distance matrix elements (LDMEs). The short-distance coefficients are ascertained through the perturbative matching procedure at lowest order in α s expansion. The LDMEs are approximated using the T 4c four-body wave functions at the origin, which have been evaluated by various phenomenological potential models in literature. Incorporating the celebrated QCD factorization and the charm-to-T 4c fragmentation function, we predict the T 4c production rate at high transverse momentum p T regime in colliders. Both the differential distribution over p T and the integrated cross sections are predicted at the LHC. The cross sections for T 4c states production can reach several femtobarns to several hundreds femtobarns, suggesting a substantial potential for T 4c event production at the LHC. Additionally, we estimate for the photoproduction of T 4c in electron-proton (ep) collisions. It is observed that the cross sections for these processes are moderate at the HERA and EIC, and relatively small at the EicC. Given the luminosities of these colliders, the prospect of detecting these fully-charmed tetraquarks at ep colliders is somewhat challenging.

Background Cardiac damage induced by ischemic stroke, such as arrhythmia, cardiac dysfunction, and even cardiac arrest, is referred to as cerebral‐cardiac syndrome (CCS). Cardiac macrophages are reported to be closely associated with stroke‐induced cardiac damage. However, the role of macrophage subsets in CCS is still unclear due to their heterogeneity. Sympathetic nerves play a significant role in regulating macrophages in cardiovascular disease. However, the role of macrophage subsets and sympathetic nerves in CCS is still unclear. Methods and Results In this study, a middle cerebral artery occlusion mouse model was used to simulate ischemic stroke. ECG and echocardiography were used to assess cardiac function. We used Cx3cr1GFPCcr2RFP mice and NLRP3‐deficient mice in combination with Smart‐seq2 RNA sequencing to confirm the role of macrophage subsets in CCS. We demonstrated that ischemic stroke‐induced cardiac damage is characterized by severe cardiac dysfunction and robust infiltration of monocyte‐derived macrophages into the heart. Subsequently, we identified that cardiac monocyte‐derived macrophages displayed a proinflammatory profile. We also observed that cardiac dysfunction was rescued in ischemic stroke mice by blocking macrophage infiltration using a CCR2 antagonist and NLRP3‐deficient mice. In addition, a cardiac sympathetic nerve retrograde tracer and a sympathectomy method were used to explore the relationship between sympathetic nerves and cardiac macrophages. We found that cardiac sympathetic nerves are significantly activated after ischemic stroke, which contributes to the infiltration of monocyte‐derived macrophages and subsequent cardiac dysfunction. Conclusions Our findings suggest a potential pathogenesis of CCS involving the cardiac sympathetic nerve–monocyte‐derived macrophage axis.

In this paper, a representation of fermions in the Pati-Salam model is suggested. The semileptonic and beyond standard model flavor changing neutral currents of the Lagrangian in this representation of fermions are discussed. A pair of possible Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa and Pontecorvo-Maki-Nakagawa-Sakata matrices are defined. An effective Lagrangian for this model is given.

With the increasing demand for astronomical observations, telescope systems are becoming increasingly complex. Thus, the observatory control software needs to be more intelligent. It has to control each instrument inside the observatory, finish the observational tasks autonomously, and report the information to users if needed. We developed a distributed autonomous observatory control framework named the Remote Autonomous Control System 2nd (RACS2) to meet these requirements. Rich features are integrated into the RACS2 framework. The RACS2 is a modular framework, in which each device control software and system services are implemented as different components. Furthermore, the RACS2 framework assimilates new techniques, such as a lightweight message and serialization mechanism. RACS2 also has good compatibility with other frameworks or ecosystems such as Python and the EPICS (Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System). The RACS2 framework can communicate with EPICS-based and Python-based software. With the help of these features, key system components like executor, scheduler are developed. The executor component can support sophisticated tasks. Autonomous observation can be achieved by the scheduler component. A set of web-based graphical user interface (GUI) is designed to help control and manage the framework remotely. Based on the RACS2 framework, we have implemented the Dome A Twins (DATs) telescope’s observation system and the space object observation system. The systems have been operated for more than 1 year. The RACS2 framework also has been used in our other projects like camera control system of Wide Field Survey Telescope (WFST) and its observatory control system, and the design can be a useful reference for the development of other frameworks.

In this paper, we evaluate, up to QCD next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order, the Bc⁎ decay constant, which, within the nonrelativistic QCD (NRQCD) framework, is factorized as the product of the short-distance coefficient (SDC) and the long-distance matrix element. For the first time, the renormalization constant and the anomalous dimension for the NRQCD vector current composed of cb¯, which are functions of the charm quark mass mc, the bottom quark mass mb and the factorization scale μΛ, are obtained analytically at O(αs2) and O(αs3). The SDC is calculated up to O(αs3) in perturbative expansion. Explicitly, the O(αs2) correction to the SDC is analytically calculated in terms of logarithmic and polylogarithmic functions of r≡mb/mc, and the O(αs3) correction to the SDC is numerically calculated at a series of values of r, ranging from 2.1 to 4.0. Surprisingly, we find that the nontrivial part of the SDC at O(αs3) can be well estimated by a linear function of r. In addition, we find that the O(αs2) and O(αs3) corrections to the decay constant and decay width are considerable and very significant, which indicates a very poor convergence for the perturbative expansion.

Abstract The η c meson leptoproduction is calculated within the nonrelativistic QCD framework for the first time. It is found that the colour-singlet channel, although suppressed by a factor of α s relative to the colour-octet ones, provides important contribution for almost all the experimental conditions, which disagrees with some of the expectations before computation. We present the differential cross sections with respect to p t 2 $$ {p}_t^2 $$ , p t ★ 2 $$ {p}_t^{\bigstar 2} $$ , Q 2, W, and z, for both HERA and EIC experimental conditions as a reference for future studies. The scale dependence and long-distance-matrix-element dependence are also investigated in this paper.

Abstract Within the framework of nonrelativistic QCD (NRQCD) factorization, we calculate the next-to-leading-order (NLO) perturbative corrections to the radiative decay Υ → η c (χ cJ ) + γ. Both the helicity amplitudes and the helicity decay widths are obtained. It is the first computation for the processes involving both bottomonium and charmonium at two-loop accuracy. By employing the Cheng-Wu theorem, we are able to convert most of complex-valued master integrals (MIs) into real-valued MIs, which makes the numerical integration much efficient. Our results indicate the O α s $$ \mathcal{O}\left({\alpha}_s\right) $$ corrections are moderate for η c and χ c2 production, and are quite marginal for χ c0 and χ c1 production. It is impressive to note the NLO corrections considerably reduce the renormalization scale dependence in both the decay widths and the branching fractions for χ cJ , and slightly improve that for η c . With the NRQCD matrix elements evaluated via the Buchmüller-Tye potential model, we find the decay width for η c production is one-order-of-magnitude larger than χ cJ production, which may provide a good opportunity to search for Υ → η c + γ in experiment. In addition, the decay width for χ c1 production is several times larger than those for χ c0,2. Finally, we find the NLO NRQCD prediction for the branching fraction of Υ → χ c1 + γ is only half of the lower bound of the experimental data measured recently by Belle. Moreover, there exists serious contradiction between theory and experiment for Υ → η c + γ. The discrepancies between theory and experiment deserve further research efforts.

Abstract Quantum key distribution (QKD) enables secure key exchanges between two remote users. The ultimate goal of secure communication is to establish a global quantum network. The existing field tests suggest that quantum networks are feasible. To achieve a practical quantum network, we need to overcome several challenges including realizing versatile topologies for large scales, simple network maintenance, extendable configuration and robustness to node failures. To this end, we present a field operation of a quantum metropolitan-area network with 46 nodes and show that all these challenges can be overcome with cutting-edge quantum technologies. In particular, we realize different topological structures and continuously run the network for 31 months, by employing standard equipment for network maintenance with an extendable configuration. We realize QKD pairing and key management with a sophisticated key control centre. In this implementation, the final keys have been used for secure communication such as real-time voice telephone, text messaging and file transmission with one-time pad encryption, which can support 11 pairs of users to make audio calls simultaneously. Combined with intercity quantum backbone and ground–satellite links, our metropolitan implementation paves the way toward a global quantum network.

Abstract Through considerable effort in research and clinical studies, the immune system has been identified as a participant in the onset and progression of brain injury after ischaemic stroke. Due to the involvement of all types of immune cells, the roles of the immune system in stroke pathology and associated effects are complicated. Past research concentrated on the functions of monocytes and neutrophils in the pathogenesis of ischaemic stroke and tried to demonstrate the mechanisms of tissue injury and protection involving these immune cells. Within the past several years, an increasing number of studies have elucidated the vital functions of T cells in the innate and adaptive immune responses in both the acute and chronic phases of ischaemic stroke. Recently, the phenotypes of T cells with proinflammatory or anti-inflammatory function have been demonstrated in detail. T cells with distinctive phenotypes can also influence cerebral inflammation through various pathways, such as regulating the immune response, interacting with brain-resident immune cells and modulating neurogenesis and angiogenesis during different phases following stroke. In view of the limited treatment options available following stroke other than tissue plasminogen activator therapy, understanding the function of immune responses, especially T cell responses, in the post-stroke recovery period can provide a new therapeutic direction. Here, we discuss the different functions and temporal evolution of T cells with different phenotypes during the acute and chronic phases of ischaemic stroke. We suggest that modulating the balance between the proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory functions of T cells with distinct phenotypes may become a potential therapeutic approach that reduces the mortality and improves the functional outcomes and prognosis of patients suffering from ischaemic stroke.

Cerebral-cardiac syndrome (CCS) refers to cardiac dysfunction following varying brain injuries. Ischemic stroke is strongly evidenced to induce CCS characterizing as arrhythmia, myocardial damage, and heart failure. CCS is attributed to be the second leading cause of death in the post-stroke stage; however, the responsible mechanisms are obscure. Studies indicated the possible mechanisms including insular cortex injury, autonomic imbalance, catecholamine surge, immune response, and systemic inflammation. Of note, the characteristics of the stroke population reveal a common comorbidity with diabetes. The close and causative correlation of diabetes and stroke directs the involvement of diabetes in CCS. Nevertheless, the role of diabetes and its corresponding molecular mechanisms in CCS have not been clarified. Here we conclude the features of CCS and the potential role of diabetes in CCS. Diabetes drives establish a “primed” inflammatory microenvironment and further induces severe systemic inflammation after stroke. The boosted inflammation is suspected to provoke cardiac pathological changes and hence exacerbate CCS. Importantly, as the key element of inflammation, NOD-like receptor pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is indicated to play an important role in diabetes, stroke, and the sequential CCS. Overall, we characterize the corresponding role of diabetes in CCS and speculate a link of NLRP3 inflammasome between them.

Ischemic stroke remains a devastating disease which is the leading cause of death worldwide. Visual impairment after stroke is a common complication which may lead to vision loss, greatly impacting life quality of patients. While ischemic stroke is traditionally characterized by a blockage of blood flow to the brain, this may coincide with reduced blood flow to the eye, resulting in retinal ischemia and leading to visual impairment. Diabetes increases the risk of ischemic stroke and induces diabetic retinopathy; the latter may be more sensitive to the ischemic retinal injury. In diabetic status, the underlying mechanism in stroke-induced retinal injury has not been fully clarified. The NLR pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is an important activator of inflammation, which may play a critical role in catalyzing and forming certain pro-inflammatory cytokines in both cerebral and retinal ischemia. Isoflurane has been demonstrated to inhibit the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and show neuroprotective effects. In this study, we established a diabetic mouse model and performed the middle cerebral artery occlusion procedure to induce ischemic stroke. Our results revealed that cerebral ischemia-induced retinal injury in the diabetic model. Isoflurane pretreatment alleviated the cerebral and retinal injury after ischemic stroke. Of note, isoflurane pretreatment inhibited the NLRP3 inflammasome activation in the retina, indicating that isoflurane pretreatment may provide substantial retinal protection in stroke-induced retinal injury in diabetes.

Abstract In this paper, we study the azimuthal asymmetry in the J/𝜓 leptoproduction in unpolarized ep collisions. There are two independent azimuthal asymmetry modulations, namely cos(𝜓) and cos (2 𝜓), where 𝜓 is the azimuthal angle of the lepton scattering plane with respect to the hadron-interacting plane. We calculate the two modulations as functions of four kinematic variables, and find that they provide a very good laboratory to distinguish several models describing the heavy quarkonium production, including the color-singlet (CS) model, the nonrelativistic QCD (NRQCD). In addition, this process can be used to test the magnitude of the 1 S 0 8 $$ {}^1{S}_0^{\left[8\right]} $$ long-distance matrix element, which is extraordinarily large from various phenomenological extraction. In order to make definite conclusions, we restrict our calculation in a specific kinematic region, where the CS and CO mechanisms can be distinguished by scrutinizing the values of the cos(𝜓) modulation, while the 1 S 0 8 $$ {}^1{S}_0^{\left[8\right]} $$ dominance picture can be tested by measuring the values of the cos (2 𝜓) modulation. Calculating their values and carrying out a meticulous statistical analysis, we find that at an integrated luminosity ℒ = 1000pb −1, the statistical uncertainties of the two quantities are small enough to tell the three models apart. When this experiment is implemented at the future ep colliders such as the EIC, crucial information for the J/𝜓 production mechanism might be discovered.

Abstract The NLRP3 (nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor [NLR] family pyrin domain-containing 3) inflammasome is a member of the NLR family of innate immune cell sensors. These are crucial regulators of cytokine secretions, which promote ischemic cell death and insulin resistance. This review summarizes recent progress regarding the NLRP3 inflammasome as a potential treatment for ischemic stroke in patients with diabetes, two complicated diseases that often occur together. Stroke worsens glucose metabolism abnormalities, and the outcomes after stroke are more serious for diabetic patients compared with those without diabetes. Inflammation contributes to organ injury after ischemic stroke and diabetes. Recent research has focused on inhibiting the activation of inflammasomes and thus reducing the maturation of proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18. Studies suggest that inhibition of NLRP3 prevents or alleviates both ischemic stroke and diabetes. Targeting against the assembly and activity of the NLRP3 inflammasome is a potential and novel therapy for inflammasome-associated diseases, including ischemic stroke concomitant with diabetes.

α-particle preformation factors, one of the most significant quantities in α decay, are systematically investigated, which are extracted from the ratios between theoretical α-decay half-lives calculated by the generalized liquid drop model and experimental data. The results indicate that both α-particle preformation factors Pα and α decay energy Qα are important observed quantities for revealing the nuclear shell structure information. And a nice linear relationship exists between log10⁡Pα and Qα−1/2, which means the famous Geiger-Nuttall law can not only describe α decay half-lives but deal with α-particle preformation factors, as well as the nuclear shell effects play key roles in α-particle preformation. Furthermore, the results indicate that Z=82 and N=126 closed shells play more important roles than Z=50 and N=82 shell closures in which the shell effect of N=126 is stronger than that of Z=82 in the α decay process. Besides, the unpaired nucleons will inhibit the preformation of α-particle. After considering the above significant physical effects, a global analytic formula with only twelve parameters for α-particle preformation factors is proposed based on the direct observation quantity of the nuclear shell effect i.e., α decay energy. The outstanding precision of this formula in describing the α-particle preformation factors indicates that it can be used to perform accurate calculations for α decay half-lives as well as provide some general guidance for microscopic study on α-particle preformation factors and nuclear structure.

Background. Intestinal microorganisms play an important role in regulating the neurodevelopment and the brain functions of the host through the gut-brain axis. Lactobacillus, one of the most representative intestinal probiotics, produces important effects on human physiological functions. Our previous studies reveal that the Lactobacillus plantarum WLPL04 has a series of beneficial actions, such as antiadhesion of pathogens, protection from the harmful effect of sodium dodecyl sulfate, and anti-inflammatory stress on Caco2 cells. However, its effects on brain functions remain unknown. The present study aims to evaluate the potential effect of L. plantarum WLPL04 on anxiety/depressive-like behaviors in chronically restrained mice. Methods. Newly weaned mice were exposed to chronic restraint stress for four weeks and raised daily with or without L. plantarum WLPL04 water supplement. Animals were behaviorally assessed for anxiety/depression and cognitive functions. The 16S rRNA sequencing was performed to analyze the intestinal microbiota structure. The levels of the medial prefrontal cortical (mPFC) brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)/tropomyosin-related kinase B (TrkB) and serum 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) were examined using Western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results. The chronic stress-induced anxiety/depressive-like behaviors and cognitive deficits were significantly alleviated by the L. plantarum WLPL04 treatment. The 16S rRNA sequencing analysis showed that the chronic stress reduced the diversity and the richness of intestinal microbiota, which were rescued by the L. plantarum WLPL04 treatment. The levels of BDNF and TrkB in the mPFC and the concentration of 5-HT in the serum remained unchanged in chronically restrained mice treated with the L. plantarum WLPL04. Conclusions. The L. plantarum WLPL04 can rescue anxiety/depressive-like behaviors and cognitive dysfunctions, reverse the abnormal change in intestinal microbiota, and alleviate the reduced levels of 5-HT, BDNF, and TrkB induced by chronic stress in mice, providing an experimental basis for the therapeutic application of L. plantarum on anxiety/depression.

Bungarus multicinctus is the most venomous snake distributed in China and neighboring countries of Myanmar, Laos, north Vietnam and Thailand. The high mortality rate of B. multicinctus envenomation is attributed to the lethal components of α-, β-, γ- and κ- bungarotoxins contained in the venom. Although anti-B. multicinctus sera were produced in Shanghai, Taiwan and Vietnam, the most widely clinic used product was term as B. multicinctus antivenin and manufactured by Shanghai Serum Bio-technology Co. Ltd. In the present investigation, high purity α-, β- and γ-bungarotoxins were separately isolated from B. multicinctus crude venom. Rabbit anti- α-, β- and γ-bungarotoxin antisera were prepared by common methods, respectively. LD50 values of α-, β- and γ-bungarotoxins were systematically determined via three administration pathways (intraperitoneal, intramuscular and intravenous injections) in Kunming mice. LD50 values of β-bungarotoxin were closely related with injection routines but those of both α- and γ-bungarotoxins were not dependent on the injection routines. Commercial B. multicinctus antivenin showed strong immunoreaction with high molecular weight fractions of the B. multicinctus but weakly recognized low molecular weight fractions like α- and γ-bungarotoxins. Although B. multicinctus antivenin showed immunoreaction with high molecular weight fractions of Bungarus fasciatus, Naja atra, Ophiophagus hannah venoms but the antivenin only demonstrated animal protection efficacy against O. hannah venom. These results indicated that the high molecular weight fractions of the O. hannah played an important role in venom lethality but those of B. fasciatus and N. atra did not have such a role.

Abstract The double longitudinal-spin asymmetry, A LL , of the J/ψ production in polarized proton-proton collisions is presented in this paper at QCD next-to-leading order. It is found that the obtained values of A LL are in general consistent with the PHENIX measurements. Various sets of the long-distance matrix elements (LDMEs) are employed in our calculation to study the possible theoretical uncertainties. It is found that, for p t < 5 GeV, all these LDMEs lead to almost the same results, which are within the tolerance of the experimental data uncertainties.

We proceed to the first phenomenological study of ηc′ prompt hadroproduction at next-to-leading order in αs. Based on heavy-quark-spin symmetry, which is systematically used in quarkonium-production phenomenology, we demonstrate that prompt ηc′ can be studied at the LHC with the existing data. We emphasise its relevance to constrain ψ′ production, in the same way as the first prompt ηc data at the LHC lately strongly impacted the phenomenology of J/ψ studies.

Abstract As indicated in our previous paper (Zhang and Sun in Phys. Rev. D 96:034002, 2017), the existing literature studying the $$J/\psi $$ J / ψ production in deeply inelastic scattering (DIS) in collinear factorisation is on the basis of a formalism that will lead to wrong results when the ranges of the transverse momentum or the rapidity of the $$J/\psi $$ J / ψ in the laboratory frame do not cover all values possible for them. In this paper, we present the renewed results for the $$J/\psi $$ J / ψ production in DIS at HERA within the nonrelativistic QCD framework at QCD leading order (LO). Three different sets of the long-distance matrix elements are employed for comparison. The predictions via the colour-singlet (CS) model at QCD LO are generally below the experimental data especially in the regions where perturbation theory are expected to work well, while the colour-octet contributions are of the same order of magnitude as the CS ones, however, in general make the agreement between theory and experiment better.

Abstract Double $$J/\psi $$ J / ψ production in $$e^+e^-$$ e + e - collisions involving color-octet channels are evaluated up to order $$\alpha ^2\alpha _s^3$$ α 2 α s 3 . Having implemented the variation of the parameters ( $$m_c$$ m c , $$\mu _r$$ μ r and long-distance matrix elements), we found that the cross sections for producing double $$J/\psi $$ J / ψ at B-factories range from $$-0.016$$ - 0.016 to 0.245 fb, which are even much smaller than that via the color-singlet mechanism. Accordingly, this result is consistent with the measurement by the Belle and BABAR Collaborations.

In this study, complete mitochondrial genome of the Lista haraldusalis (Walker, 1859) is sequenced through next-generation sequencing method. The L. haraldusalis mitogenome is a circular, double-stranded molecule, with 15,213 bp in length. The typical 37 mitochondrial genes (13 PCGs, 22 tRNAs, and 2 rRNAs) and an A + T-rich region are recognized. Gene content and arrangement are highly conserved and typical of Lepidoptera. Interestingly, in the intergenic region between trnN and trnS1, a microsatellite sequence of (TA)12 is recognized. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 13 PCGs plus two rRNAs sequences recovered that the Pyralidae and Crambidae are reciprocally monophyletic. The L. haraldusalis sequenced in this study is nested into the Pyralidae clade, reinforcing previous morphological and molecular studies.

In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of Monolepta hieroglyphica (Motschulsky) was sequenced. The M. hieroglyphica mitogenome is a circular, double-stranded molecule, with 15,963 bp in length. The typical 37 mitochondrial genes (13 PCGs, 22 tRNAs, and 2 rRNAs) and an A + T-rich region are included. Gene content and arrangement are identical to that of the ancestral insect Drosophila yakuba. Phylogenetic analyses based on the combined 13 protein-coding genes consistently recovered three clades depicting the subfamily-level relationships within Chrysomelidae as reported in a previous study. Monolepta hieroglyphica is nested into the monophyletic Galerucinae, which is demonstrated first based on mitochondrial genome data.

In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of a geometrid species, Idaea simplicior (Prout), was sequenced. The I. simplicior mitogenome is a circular, double-stranded molecule, with 15,950 bp in size. The typical 37 mitochondrial genes (13 PCGs, 22 tRNAs, and 2 rRNAs) and an A + T-rich region are included. Gene content and arrangement are highly conserved and typical of Lepidoptera. Interestingly, the I. simplicior mitogenome is rich in microsatellite sequences of (TA)12–18 with a scattered distribution in six intergenic regions. Phylogenetic analyses based on the combined 37 mitochondrial genes show that the Larentiinae and Ennominae are monophyletic. The Sterrhinae, which is represented by the only I. simplicior sequenced in this study, shows a closer relationship with the Larentiinae than Ennominae, which confirms previous morphological studies.

In view of the good agreement between the LHCb prompt-ηc data at s=7 and 8 TeV and the NLO colour-singlet model predictions –i.e. the leading v2 NRQCD contribution–, we provide predictions in the LHCb acceptance for the forthcoming 13 TeV analysis bearing on data taken during the LHC Run2. We also provide predictions for s=115 GeV for proton-hydrogen collisions in the fixed-target mode which could be studied during the LHC Run3. Our predictions are complemented by a full theoretical uncertainty analysis. In addition to cross section predictions, we elaborate on the uncertainties on the pp¯ branching ratio –necessary for data-theory comparison– and discuss other usable branching fractions for future studies.

Sustained activation of NLRP3 inflammasome is closely related to diabetes and stroke. However, it is unknown whether NLRP3 inflammasome plays an essential role in stroke in diabetes. We aim to investigate the effect and the potential mechanism of NLRP3 inflammasome in diabetic mice with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. A type 2 diabetic mouse model was induced by a high-fat diet and streptozotocin (STZ). Diabetic mice received MCC950 (the specific molecule NLRP3 inhibitor) or vehicle 60 minutes before the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and reperfusion. MCC950 reduced the neurological deficit score of 24 h after cerebral ischemia reperfusion and improved the 28-day survival rate of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in diabetic mice. Furthermore, we found that the mRNA transcription levels of NLRP3, IL-1β, and caspase-1 in the core ischemic area were remarkably amplified in diabetic mice with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury, whereas this phenomenon was obviously attenuated by MCC950 pretreatment. In conclusion, the NLRP3 inflammasome was involved in the complex diseases of diabetic stroke. MCC950, the NLRP3 specific inhibitor, ameliorated diabetic mice with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury and improved the 28-day survival rate during the recovery stage of ischemic stroke.

Experience is well known to affect sensory-guided behaviors in many herbivorous insects. Here, we investigated the effects of natural feeding experiences of Helicoverpa armigera larvae on subsequent preferences of larval approaching and feeding, as well as the effect of host-contacting experiences of mated females on subsequent ovipositional preference. The results show that the extent of experience-induced preference, expressed by statistical analysis, depended on the plant species paired with the experienced host plant. Larval feeding preference was much easier to be induced by natural feeding experience than larval approaching preference. Naïve larvae, reared on artificial diet, exhibited clear host-ranking order as follows: tobacco ≥ cotton > tomato > hot pepper. Feeding experiences on hot pepper and tobacco could always induce positive feeding preference, while those on cotton often induced negative effect, suggesting that the direction of host plant experience-induced preference is not related to innate feeding preference. Inexperienced female adults ranked tobacco as the most preferred ovipositional host plant, and this innate preference could be masked or weakened but could not be reversed by host-contacting experience after emergence.

In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of Pasiphila chloerata (Mabille) was sequenced and its phylogenetic implications were investigated. The P. chloerata mitogenome is a circular, double-stranded molecule, with 15,602 bp in length. The typical 37 mitochondrial genes (13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNAs, and 2 rRNAs) and an A + T-rich region are included. Gene content and arrangement are highly conserved and typical of Lepidoptera. Phylogenetic analyses based on the combined 37 mitochondrial genes consistently recovered the Larentiinae and Ennominae involved are reciprocally monophyletic with the highest supports. The P. chloerata was clustered with other two members of the Larentiinae, reinforcing that of previous morphological studies.

We present a high-quality bias-free quantum random number generator (QRNG) using photon arrival time selectively, in accordance with the number of photon detection events within a sampling time interval in attenuated light. It is well shown in both theoretical analysis and experimental verification that this random number production method eliminates both bias and correlation perfectly without more postprocessing and that the random number can clearly pass the standard randomness tests. We fulfill theoretical analysis and experimental verification of the method whose rate can reach up to 45 Mb/s.

In this study, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay has been used to examine the frequencies of serum autoantibodies against two candidate tumor-associated antigens intensively selected from the Human Protein Atlas database, in combination with 13 tumor-associated antigens available from our lab in sera from 44 OC patients and 50 normal healthy controls. Conventional evaluation (mean + 3SD as the cutoff value to determine a positive reactivity), receiver operating characteristic curve analyses, and classification tree analysis were further used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of autoantibodies against these tumor-associated antigens (anti-tumor-associated antigens) in ovarian cancer. For single anti-tumor-associated antigen, when the cutoff values were set as mean + 3SD of normal healthy controls, NPM1, MDM2, PLAT, p53, and c-Myc could achieve sensitivity higher than 20% at 98% specificity. Combinational utilization of autoantibodies against MDM2, PLAT, NPM1, 14-3-3 Zeta, p53, and RalA achieved the optimal diagnostic performance with 72.7% sensitivity at 96% specificity. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves of autoantibodies against c-Myc, NPM1, MDM2, p16, p53, and 14-3-3 Zeta were greater than 0.80. This indicated that these tumor-associated antigens held high potential to serve as diagnostic biomarkers in ovarian cancer detection. Decision tree analysis indicated that anti-c-Myc held high potential in the detection of ovarian cancer. Further studies are warranted to validate the diagnostic performance of these anti-tumor-associated antigens with high area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, including autoantibodies against c-Myc, MDM2, PLAT, NPM1, 14-3-3 Zeta, p53, and RalA.

We tested the behavioral responses of ovipositing females and natal larvae of two sibling species, a generalist Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) and a specialist Helicoverpa assulta (Guenée), to odor sources emitted from different combinations of six plant species (tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum; hot pepper, Capsicum annuum; tomato, Solanum esculentum; cotton, Gossypium hirsutum; peanut, Arachis hypogaea; maize, Zea mays). Under the conditions of plant materials versus corresponding controls, both stages of both species could find their corresponding host plants. However, H. assulta females and larvae exhibited a supersensitive and an insensitive response, respectively. Under the conditions of tobacco paired with each plant species, H. assulta females exhibited more specialized ovipositional response to tobacco than its sibling. When each plant species were combined with tobacco and tested against tobacco reference, peanut played an opposite role in the two species in their ovipositional responses to tobacco, and cotton can enhance the approaching response of H. armigera larvae when combined with tobacco. It seems that two attractive host plants also can act antagonistically with respect to host selection of the generalist via volatile exchange. Tomato should better be excluded from host list of H. assulta.

Aircraft emissions are the main cause of airport air pollution. One of the keys to achieving airport energy conservation and emission reduction is to optimize aircraft taxiing paths. The traditional optimization method based on the shortest taxi time is to model the aircraft under the assumption of uniform speed taxiing. Although it is easy to solve, it does not take into account the change of the velocity profile when the aircraft turns. In view of this, this paper comprehensively considered the aircraft’s taxiing distance, the number of large steering times and collision avoidance in the taxi, and established a path optimization model for aircraft taxiing at airport surface with the shortest total taxi time as the target. The genetic algorithm was used to solve the model. The experimental results show that the total fuel consumption and emissions of the aircraft are reduced by 35% and 46%, respectively, before optimization, and the taxi time is greatly reduced, which effectively avoids the taxiing conflict and reduces the pollutant emissions during the taxiing phase. Compared with traditional optimization methods that do not consider turning factors, energy saving and emission reduction effects are more significant. The proposed method is faster than other complex algorithms considering multiple factors, and has higher practical application value. It is expected to be applied in the more accurate airport surface real-time running trajectory optimization in the future. Future research will increase the actual interference factors of the airport, comprehensively analyze the actual situation of the airport’s inbound and outbound flights, dynamically adjust the taxiing path of the aircraft and maintain the real-time performance of the system, and further optimize the algorithm to improve the performance of the algorithm.

This study proposes a new type of magnetic gear, namely, the electromechanical integrated magnetic gear, that integrates the traditional field-modulated magnetic gear, drive, and control. The topology and operating principle of the electromechanical integrated magnetic gear are described in detail in this article, and the constraints of parameter design and speed ratio of electromechanical integrated magnetic gear are presented. Moreover, magnetic field distribution is analyzed with the finite element method. Subsequently, the harmonics of the magnetic field and the electromagnetic torque are calculated. The static torques on all the components are exhibited by finite element method and torque test. The effects of the design parameters on the torques and the torque densities are discussed, and the results show that electromechanical integrated magnetic gear has a high speed ratio and can generate a high torque at low speed. The maximum torques are affected by air-gap thickness and other parameters.