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Dynamic Partially Reconfiguration (DPR) on FPGA has attracted significant research interest in recent years since it provides benefits such as reduced area and flexible functionality. However, due to the lack of supporting synthesis tools in the current DPR design flow, leveraging benefits from DPR requires specific design expertise with laborious manual design effort. Considering the complicated concurrency relations among various functions, it is challenging to select appropriate Partial Reconfiguration Modules (PR Modules) and cluster them into proper groups with a proper reconfiguration schedule so that the hardware modules can be swapped in and out correctly during the run time. Furthermore, the design of PR Modules also impacts reconfiguration latency and resource utilization greatly. In this paper, we propose a Maximum-Weight Independent Set model to formulate the PR Module selection and clustering problem so that the original manual exploration can be solved efficiently and automatically. We also propose a step-wise adjustment configuration prefetching strategy incorporated in our model to generate optimized reconfiguration schedules. Our proposed approach not only supports various design constraints but also can consider multiple objectives such as area and reconfiguration delay. Experimental results show that our approach can optimize resource utilization and reduce reconfiguration delay with good scalability. Especially, the implementation of the real design case shows that our approach can be embedded in Xilinx's DPR design flow successfully.

With the rapid growth of machine learning and artificial intelligence in medical cloud systems, cloud-aided medical computing has materialized a concrete platform for rapid realization of the service-oriented computing paradigm. However, using machine learning approaches in medical clouds might cause serious privacy leakage risk, for example, it needs to take the patients’ sensitive data as the inputs of the machine learning algorithm. In this article, we propose an efficient and privacy-preserving clinical diagnosis scheme that was performed by an (untrusted and malicious) outsourced cloud platform, which can provide the diagnosis assistance for doctors without leaking any sensitive information of patients and service providers. Concretely, we give the security model of privacy-preserving multiclass support vector machine (SVM) in outsourced medical clouds and design a secure clinical diagnosis scheme with privacy-preserving multiclass predecision and diagnosis. We propose a novel encoding approach to implement the encryption of negative number, and design several security building blocks, such as privacy-preserving decision function computing, privacy-preserving classification, and search of max decision function on encrypted fields, to provide the construction of the secure clinical diagnosis with privacy-preserving multiclass SVM. We give the concrete scheme and provide the experiment on Dermatology datasheet. Security analysis and experimental results indicate that the proposed scheme is efficient and practical in privacy-preserving clinical diagnosis systems.

Allium mongolicum Regel is a wild and sandy vegetable with unique flavours. In this study, a complete chloroplast (cp) genome of A. mongolicum was obtained (Genbank accession number: OM630416), and contained 153,609 base pairs with the GC ratio as 36.8%. 130 genes were annotated including 84 protein-coding genes, 38 tRNA, and 8 rRNA genes. The large single-copy (LSC) region was 82,644 bp, and a small single-copy (SSC) region was 18,049 bp, which were separated by two inverted repeats (IRs, including IRa and IRb) of 26,458 bp. Comparative genome analyses of 55 Allium species suggested that genomic structure of genus Allium was conserved, and LSC and SSC regions were outstanding with high variability. Among them, more divergent loci were in the SSC region covering ycf1-rrn4.5 and ndhF-ccsA. Phylogenetic analysis on cp genomes of 55 Allium determined that all members were clustered into 13 clades with strong section-specificity, and A. mongolicum had close relationship with A. senescens. Corresponding analyses of four protein-coding genes (ycf1, ndhF, rpl32, and ccsA) in aforementioned divergent loci confirmed that ycf1 was finally chosen as the candidate gene for species identification and evolutionary classification of genus Allium. These data provide valuable genetic resources for future research on Allium.

Background Patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) initially responding to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) eventually develop resistance due to accumulating mutations in the EGFR and additional lesser investigated mechanisms such as the participation of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Methods Here, we examined the potential for MET inhibitor capmatinib for the treatment of osimertinib-resistant NSCLCs and normalizing the TME. Results We first established that HCC827 and H1975 cells showed increased resistance against osimertinib when co-cultured with CAFs isolated from osimertinib-resistant patients. Additionally, we showed that CAFs promoted epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and self-renewal ability in both HCC827 and H1975 cells. We subsequently found that both CAF-cultured HCC827 and H1975 showed a significantly higher expression of MET, Akt, Snail and IL-1β, which were associated with survival and inflammatory responses. These cells in turn, promoted the generation of CAFs from normal lung fibroblasts. Subsequently, we observed that the treatment of capmatinib resulted in the re-sensitization of CAF-co-cultured H1975 and HCC827 to osimertinib, in association with reduced EMT and self-renewal ability. MET-silencing experiment using siRNA supported the observations made with capmatinib while with a greater magnitude. MET-silenced cell exhibited a severely hindered expression of inflammatory markers, IL-1β and NF-κB; EMT markers, Snail and Vimentin, while increased E-cadherin. Finally, we demonstrated that the combination of capmatinib and osimertinib led to an increased tumor inhibition and significantly lower number of CAFs within the patient derived xenograft (PDX) model. Conclusion Taken together, our findings suggested that an increased MET/Akt/Snail signaling was induced between the NSCLC cells and their TME (CAFs), resulting in osimertinib resistance. Suppression of this pathway by capmatinib may bypass the EGFR activating mutation and overcomes osimertinib resistance by targeting both tumor cells and CAFs.

The neutral molybdenum-vacancy (VOMoZr) center in cubic zirconia was selected to expand the taxonomy of available defective systems acting as a qubit. To theoretically prove the feasibility of its ...

The optical-noise-limited spin readout sensitivity determines the precision of quantum measurement based on nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center. This article investigates the fluorescence dynamics of NV centers by solving the optical rate equations and obtains complete theoretical formulas for the existing optical spin readout method. A transfer coefficient of optical noise to signal noise in the existing differential methods at different frequencies is introduced so as to analyze the optical noise suppression ability and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) results under the influence of photon shot noise and optical noise. To further reduce the influence of optical noise on the signal, we propose a modified method to minimize the transfer coefficient by adding a first-order compensation term. Compared with conventional methods, our modified method showed a twofold optical noise suppression ability improvement in the measurement frequency bandwidth. The experiment proves that the final SNR is increased by 43.4% for a long-term measurement. This modified method should lead to immediate improvements in pulsed spin readout of NV center ensembles without extra instrumentation for applications in magnetic field, electric field, and temperature measurements.

In order to solve the issues of uncertain overburden failure height and water loss at the Daliuta coal mine, the collapse characteristics of overburden and the development height of water-conducting fractured zone were studied by using physical modeling, FLAC 3D numerical simulation, and field observation, which were used to verify each other. In order to quantitatively analyze the distribution characteristics of fracture rate of overlying rock mass in goaf, the overburden collapse image was binarized. The results showed that: (1) the failure characteristics of overburden in goaf obtained by the three research methods were roughly consistent, and the reliability of the results was high. The overburden failure height of No. 5−2 coal with large mining height was 137.32–153 m, which was 20.8–23.2 times the mining height. (2) The repeated mining of No. 5−2 coal intensified the further failure of the disturbed rock mass in the No. 2−2 coal goaf. (3) In the horizontal direction of the goaf, the fracture rate of rock mass was distributed in the shape of “saddle”. In the longitudinal direction of the goaf, the rock mass fracture rate decreased in a logarithmic function with the increase of the height from the mining coal seam. Overall, the conclusions are of engineering significance for accurately adopting water resources protection mining technology and reducing mine water inrush disasters.

Background Accumulating evidence demonstrates the oncogenic roles of lncRNA (long non-coding RNA) molecules in a wide variety of cancer types including glioma. Equally important, However, tumorigenic functions of lncRNA in glioma remain largely unclear. A recent study suggested lncRNA SNHG15 played a role for regulating angiogenesis in glioma but its role in the tumor microenvironment (TME) was not investigated. Methods First, we showed that SNHG15 was upregulated in GBM cells and associated with a poor prognosis for the patients of GBM using public databases. Next, we collected temozolomide sensitive (TMZ-S) and resistant (TMZ-R) clinical samples and demonstrated that co-culturing TMZ-R cells with HMC3 (microglial) cells promoted M2-polarization of HMC3 and the secretion of pro-GBM cytokines TGF-β and IL-6. Results Comparative qPCR analysis of TMZ-S and TMZ-R cells showed that a significantly higher level of SNHG15, coincidental with a higher level of Sox2, β-catenin, EGFR, and CDK6 in TMZ-R cells. Subsequently, using bioinformatics tool, a potential mechanistic route for SNHG15 to promote GBM tumorigenesis was by inhibiting tumor suppressor, miR-627-5p which leads to activation of CDK6. Gene-silencing technique was employed to demonstrate that suppression of SNHG15 indeed led to the suppression of GBM tumorigenesis, accompanied by an increase miR-627-5p and decreased its two oncogenic targets, CDK6 and SOX-2. In addition, SNHG15-silenced TMZ-R cells became significantly sensitive towards TMZ treatment and less capable of promoting M2-phenotype in the HMC3 microglial cells. We then evaluated the potential anti-GBM activity of CDK6 inhibitor, palbociclib, using TMZ-R PDX mouse models. Palbociclib treatment significantly reduced tumorigenesis in TMZ-R/HMC3 bearing mice and SNHG15 and CDK6 expression was significantly reduced while miR-627-5p level was increased. Additionally, palbociclib treatment appeared to overcome TMZ resistance as well as reduced M2 markers in HMC3 cells. Conclusion Together, we provided evidence supporting the usage of CDK6 inhibitor for TMZ-resistant GBM cases. Further investigation is warranted for the consideration of clinical trials. Graphical abstract Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13046-019-1371-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Magnetic sensing based on nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center ensembles provides unique signal-to-noise ratio and sensitivity for physical and biological measurements at room temperature. However, inhomogeneous microwave (MW) coupling with NV ensembles and different field projections onto the NV axes lead to nonsynchronous spin dephasing and pose severe challenges to magnetic sensing. In this paper, we experimentally investigated the impact of the MW field uniformity on the DC magnetic sensing based on NV ensembles. We obtained different MW field uniformity between 42% and 93% in the same direction using a square split ring resonator. The uniformity and direction of the MW field was mapped using a wide-field magnetic imaging system. The magnetic sensing with the MW frequency modulation technology confirmed the consistence between the theoretical analysis and experimental results. The sensitivity was enhanced by nearly seven times with the best MW field uniformity. Our study can promote the further application and development of magnetic sensing devices based on solid-state spin ensembles.

Lupeol, a natural lupane-type pentacyclic triterpene, possesses various pharmacological properties, and its production attracts attention. Significant quantities of lupeol are deposited on the castor aerial organ surface and are easily extractable as a predominant wax constituent. Thus, castor might be considered as a potential bioreactor for the production of lupeol. The lupeol biosynthesis pathway is well known, but how it is regulated remains largely unknown. Among large numbers of castor cultivars, we targeted one accession line (337) with high levels of lupeol on its stem surface and low levels thereof on its hypocotyl surface, implicating that lupeol synthesis is differentially regulated in the two organs. To explore the underlying mechanisms, we did comparative transcriptome analysis of the first internode of 337 stem and the upper hypocotyl. Our results show that large amounts of auxin-related genes are differentially expressed in both parts, implying some possible interactions between auxin and lupeol production. We also found that several auxin-responsive cis-elements are present in promoter regions of HMGR and LUS genes encoding two key enzymes involved in lupeol production. Furthermore, auxin treatments apparently induced the expression levels of RcHMGR and RcLUS. Furthermore, we observed that auxin treatment significantly increased lupeol contents, whereas inhibiting auxin transport led to an opposite phenotype. Our study reveals some relationships between hormone activity and lupeol synthesis and might provide a promising way for improving lupeol yields in castor.

Glioma is the most common type of primary brain tumor. Treatment options for recurrent gliomas include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, but the clinical outcome is usually limited. In recent years, circular RNAs have been found to play a vital role in several human cancers. Gene Expression Omnibus database was utilized to verify the differentially expressed circRNAs. Then we detected that the expression of circular RNA circHECTD1 was significantly increased. The expression and function of circHECDT1 has not yet been reported in glioma. Then we confirmed that the level of circHECTD1 was significantly increased both in glioma tissues and cell lines, which is negatively correlated with the overall survival of patients. Knockdown of circHECTD1 inhibited proliferation and invasion in vitro, and also reduced the growth of tumor and prolonged the prognosis in vivo. Knockdown of circHECTD1 significantly elevated the miR-296-3p expression in LN229 and T98G cells. Luciferase reports and RNA immunoprecipitation data indicated that miR-296-3p was a direct target of circHECTD1 and that the miR-296-3p expression negatively regulated SLC10A7. Rescue experiments showed that the overexpression of SLC10A7 could impede the effects of circHECTD1 silencing on the proliferation and invasion of glioma cells. In this study, we identified that circHECTD1 regulates SLC10A7 by interacting with miR-296-3p in glioma cells. In conclusion, this study investigated a novel biomarker panel consisting of the circHECTD1/miR-296-3p/SLC10A7 axis, which is critical for glioma tumorigenesis and invasiveness and may represent a novel therapeutic target for intervening in glioma progression.

Here we theoretically analyzed the impact of the laser uniformity on the magnetic sensitivity with the negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV− ) centers in diamond. The maximum slope of the optically detected magnetic resonance signal was simulated under Gaussian laser excitation. The signal to noise ratio (SNR) with different integral radius was calculated. Results show that the SNR can be improved by selectively integrating the fluorescence within the optimal integral radius. The SNR can be improved by 16.4% under conditions that the average excitation rate is 69.6 kHz and Rabi frequency is 250 kHz. This method will benefit the sensitivity improvement of NV-based sensors with CCD detection.

In this work, a burst eddy current testing technique based on the employment of a diamond nitrogen vacancy (NV) center magnetometer with the Hahn echo (HE) sequence is demonstrated. With the confocal experiment apparatus, the HE-based NV magnetometer attained a magnetic sensitivity of $4.3 ~ \mathrm{nT} / \sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$ and a volume-normalized sensitivity of $3.6 ~ \mathrm{pT} / \sqrt{\mathrm{Hz} \cdot \mathrm{mm}^{-3}}$, which are 5 times better than the already existing method under the same conditions. Based on the proposed magnetometer configuration, a burst eddy current (BEC) testing prototype achieves a minimum detectable sample smaller than ${300~{\mu} \mathrm{m}}$ and measurement accuracy of $9.85~\mathrm{\mu} \mathrm{m}$., which is employed to image different metallic specimens and detect the layered internal structures. Since our prototype comprises superb high sensitivity, it exhibits various potential applications in the fields of deformation monitoring, security screening, and quality control. Moreover, its biocompatibility and promising nanoscale resolution paves the way for electromagnetic testing in the fields of biomaterials.

Permeability of coal reservoir is a key parameter affecting coalbed methane (CBM) productivity. The dynamic variation of permeability depends on the effect of effective stress, coal matrix shrinkage and gas slippage during CBM well drainage. On the basis of S-D stress-permeability model, a dynamic prediction model of coal reservoir permeability considering effective stress, coal matrix shrinkage and gas slippage effect (is called “three effects”) is established. The dynamic change of permeability in CBM development is revealed. It shows that permeability initially drops and then rises. An improved CBM productivity model considering “three effects” is derived, and the influence law of “three effects” on CBM production during CBM well drainage is revealed. The results of the theoretical model are compared with the field data, and the reliability of the theoretical model is further verified. During CBM production, with the decrease of reservoir pressure, the effective stress increases. Before reservoir pressure reaches the critical desorption pressure, the effective stress effect is dominant and the permeability of coal reservoir declines; after the reservoir pressure declines to below the critical desorption pressure, the coal matrix shrinkage effect will play a dominant role in the permeability variation, and the permeability will start to increase at lower pressure. It is critical not only to avoid too much initial pressure drawdown, which decreases well productivity; but also to ensure matrix shrinkage effect improve the permeability and productivity of coal reservoirs in longer term.

The adjusted Carr–Purcell–Meiboom–Gill (CPMG) sequence is mathematically simulated to obtain the 13C nuclear spin signals coupled to a negatively-charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV−) center in diamond. The pulse interval ratio and scanning frequency of the sequence were precisely adjusted to achieve the high-resolution 13C nuclear spin detection. The frequency resolution of the sequence was 5.8 times improved than that of the original CPMG sequence, and the full width at half maximum of the coherence dips were less than 1.7 kHz. The adjusted method can be extended to other dynamical decoupling sequence, and offers a promising approach to improve identification of the nuclear spins in coupled electron-nuclear spin systems.

The negatively charged nitrogen vacancy (NV

Table S2. Sequence primers used in this study. (DOCX 14 kb)

Table S1. Clinical-pathological features of patients in this study. (DOCX 16 kb)

Figure S1. Full-size blots of Fig. 2e. Figure S2. Full-size blots of Fig. 4b. Figure S3. Full-size blots of Fig. 6a. (DOCX 1150 kb)

Early planting is one of the strategies used to increase grain yield in temperate regions. However, poor cold tolerance in castor inhibits seed germination, resulting in lower seedling emergence and biomass. Here, the elite castor variety Tongbi 5 was used to identify the differential abundance protein species (DAPS) between cold stress (4 °C) and control conditions (30 °C) imbibed seeds. As a result, 127 DAPS were identified according to isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) strategy. These DAPS were mainly involved in carbohydrate and energy metabolism, translation and posttranslational modification, stress response, lipid transport and metabolism, and signal transduction. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) demonstrated that the quantitative proteomics data collected here were reliable. This study provided some invaluable insights into the cold stress responses of early imbibed castor seeds: (1) up-accumulation of all DAPS involved in translation might confer cold tolerance by promoting protein synthesis; (2) stress-related proteins probably protect the cell against damage caused by cold stress; (3) up-accumulation of key DAPS associated with fatty acid biosynthesis might facilitate resistance or adaptation of imbibed castor seeds to cold stress by the increased content of unsaturated fatty acid (UFA). The data has been deposited to the ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD010043.

The negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV−) center in diamond is a promising platform for quantum sensing. However, fluorescence from the NV− centers suffers large energy loss at the diamond–air interface. Here, we propose a broadband antireflection coating to enhance the fluorescence intensity by simultaneously reducing the energy loss of the excitation laser and the fluorescence. The reflectance for normal-incidence light decreases from nearly 17% for bared diamond to below 0.33% for coated diamond in the wavelength range 500 nm–800 nm. The reflectance averaged over the fluorescence bandwidth is below 3% for angles of incidence less than 20°. The measured emitted fluorescence for the coated diamond is 1.44 times that of uncoated diamond, corresponding to nearly 20% improvement in the measurement sensitivity. The proposed method is significant for enhancing the signal-to-noise ratio of NV−-based sensors.