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Purpose – To optimize train operations, dispatchers currently rely on experience for quick adjustments when delays occur. However, delay predictions often involve imprecise shifts based on known delay times. Real-time and accurate train delay predictions, facilitated by data-driven neural network models, can significantly reduce dispatcher stress and improve adjustment plans. Leveraging current train operation data, these models enable swift and precise predictions, addressing challenges posed by train delays in high-speed rail networks during unforeseen events. Design/methodology/approach – This paper proposes CBLA-net, a neural network architecture for predicting late arrival times. It combines CNN, Bi-LSTM, and attention mechanisms to extract features, handle time series data, and enhance information utilization. Trained on operational data from the Beijing-Tianjin line, it predicts the late arrival time of a target train at the next station using multidimensional input data from the target and preceding trains. Findings – This study evaluates our model's predictive performance using two data approaches: one considering full data and another focusing only on late arrivals. Results show precise and rapid predictions. Training with full data achieves a MAE of approximately 0.54 minutes and a RMSE of 0.65 minutes, surpassing the model trained solely on delay data (MAE: is about 1.02 min, RMSE: is about 1.52 min). Despite superior overall performance with full data, the model excels at predicting delays exceeding 15 minutes when trained exclusively on late arrivals. For enhanced adaptability to real-world train operations, training with full data is recommended. Originality/value – This paper introduces a novel neural network model, CBLA-net, for predicting train delay times. It innovatively compares and analyzes the model's performance using both full data and delay data formats. Additionally, the evaluation of the network's predictive capabilities considers different scenarios, providing a comprehensive demonstration of the model's predictive performance.

Abstract Standard magnetic reconnection couples with both ions and electrons on different scales. Recently, a new type of magnetic reconnection, electron‐only reconnection without the coupling of ions, has been observed in various plasma environments. Standard reconnection typically has a reconnection outflow velocity of about one Alfvén speed. According to the scaling analysis, the electron outflow velocity is expected to be about one electron Alfvén speed in electron‐only reconnection. However, observations and simulations both find that the electron outflows are much slower than the electron Alfvén speed. In this letter, by performing two‐dimensional particle‐in‐cell simulations, we show that this is because ions play a role in electron‐only reconnection. The ions move slower than the electrons in the outflow direction, and such charge separation forms an in‐plane Hall electric field, which prevents the electrons from being accelerated to the electron Alfvén speed in electron‐only reconnection.

Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations are performed to study the coupling between ion and electron motions in collisionless magnetic reconnection. The electron diffusion region (EDR), where the electron motions are demagnetized, is found to have a two-layer structure: an inner EDR near the reconnection site and an outer EDR that is elongated to nearly 10 ion inertial lengths in the outflow direction. In the inner EDR, the speed of the electron outflow increases when the electrons move away from the X line. In the outer EDR, the speed of the electron outflow first increases and then decreases until the electrons reach the boundary of the outer EDR. In the boundary of the outer EDR, the magnetic field piles up and forms a depolarization front. From the perspective of the fluid, a force analysis on the formation of electron and ion outflows has also been investigated. Around the X line, the electrons are accelerated by the reconnection electric field in the out-of-plane direction. When the electrons move away from the X line, we find that the Lorentz force converts the direction of the accelerated electrons to the x direction, forming an electron outflow. Both electric field forces and electron gradient forces tend to drag the electron outflow. Ion acceleration along the x direction is caused by the Lorentz force, whereas the pressure gradient force tends to decelerate the ion outflow. Although these two terms are important, their effects on ions are almost offset. The Hall electric field force does positive work on ions and is not negligible. The ions are continuously accelerated, and the ion and electron outflow velocities are almost the same near the depolarization front.

Magnetic reconnection and plasma waves share a critical connection. On the one hand, quasi-steady wave structures (shock, KAW eigenmode) play a pivotal role in the formation and structure of magnetic reconnection. On the other hand, higher-frequency and small-scale waves may influence energy conversion, particle heating, and anomalous resistivity. Waves of various scales dictate the multi-scale coupling characteristics and energy conversion within the reconnection process. This review focuses on plasma waves during the Earth's magnetosphere magnetic reconnection, seeking to elucidate the characteristics and roles of kinetic Alfven waves (KAW), low hybrid waves, whistler waves, electrostatic solitary waves (ESWs), ion acoustic waves, and electron-scale high-frequency electrostatic waves. The KAW eigenmode is capable of describing various phenomena in the diffusion region such as Hall magnetic fields and Hall electric fields, significantly impacting the reconnection rate. Lower hybrid waves are easily excited in the strong density gradient in the current layer and found to heat electrons in the parallel direction, while whistler waves are excited through Landau resonance and cyclotron resonance. Both whistler waves and lower hybrid waves are found to exhibit minimal influence on the reconnection rate through the anomalous resistivity. ESWs predominantly emerge within the magnetic reconnection boundary region, necessitating further investigation into their heating effects. Finally, the review delves into high-frequency electrostatic waves, emphasizing their importance in the magnetic reconnection diffusion region, specifically for electron diffusion and scattering processes. The insights gained from these research advancements serve as a foundation for future studies and advancements in the field of magnetic reconnection and plasma wave interactions.

Abstract We report in situ observation of magnetic reconnection between magnetic flux rope (MFR) and magnetic hole (MH) in the magnetosheath by the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission. The MFR was rooted in the magnetopause and could be generated by magnetopause reconnection therein. A thin current sheet was generated due to the interaction between MFR and MH. The sub‐Alfvénic ion bulk flow and the Hall field were detected inside this thin current sheet, indicating an ongoing reconnection. An elongated electron diffusion region characterized by non‐frozen‐in electrons, magnetic‐to‐particle energy conversion, and crescent‐shaped electron distribution was detected in the reconnection exhaust. The observation provides a mechanism for the dissipation of MFRs and thus opens a new perspective on the evolution of MFRs at the magnetopause. Our work also reveals one potential fate of the MHs in the magnetosheath which could reconnect with the MFRs and further merge into the magnetopause.

Abstract Magnetosheath jets with enhanced dynamic pressure are common in the Earth's magnetosheath. They can impact the magnetopause, causing deformation of the magnetopause. Here we investigate the 3‐D structure of magnetosheath jets using a realistic‐scale, 3‐D global hybrid simulation. The magnetosheath has an overall honeycomb‐like 3‐D structure, where the magnetosheath jets with increased dynamic pressure surround the regions of decreased dynamic pressure resembling honeycomb cells. The magnetosheath jets downstream of the bow shock region with θBn ≲ 20° (where θBn is the angle between the upstream magnetic field and the shock normal) propagate approximately along the normal direction of the magnetopause, while those downstream of the bow shock region with θBn ≳ 20° propagate almost tangential to the magnetopause. Therefore, some magnetosheath jets formed at the quasi‐parallel shock region can propagate to the magnetosheath downstream of the quasi‐perpendicular shock region.

With rising society stress, depression-induced osteoporosis is increasing. However, the mechanism involved is unclear. In this study, we explored the effect of plasma exosomal miRNAs on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) osteogenic differentiation in a chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced depression rat model. After 12 weeks of CUMS-induced depression, the pathological changes in the bone tissue and markers of osteogenic differentiation were tested by micro-computed tomography, hematoxylin-eosin staining, and quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). Plasma exosomes from rats were isolated and co-incubated with BMSCs for 14 d to detect the effect on osteogenic markers. Next-generation sequencing identified the miRNAs in the plasma exosomes, and the differential miRNAs were analyzed and verified by qRT-PCR. BMSCs were infected with lentivirus to upregulate miRNA-30a-5p and incubated in a medium that induced osteogenic differentiation for 14 d. The effect of miR-30a-5p on osteogenic differentiation was determined by qPCR and alizarin red staining. CUMS-induced depression rat model was established successfully, and exhibited reduced bone mass and damaged bone microstructure compared to that of the controls. The observed pathological changes suggested the occurrence of osteoporosis in the CUMS group, and the mRNA expression of osteogenic markers was also significantly reduced. Incubation of BMSCs with plasma exosomes from the CUMS group for 14 d resulted in a significant decrease in the expression of osteogenic markers. Twenty-five differentially expressed miRNAs in plasma exosomes were identified and upregulation of miR-30a-5p was observed to significantly inhibit the expression of osteogenic markers in BMSCs. Our findings contributed to a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism of osteoporosis caused by depression, and demonstrated the potential of miR-30a-5p as a novel biomarker or therapeutic target for the treatment of osteoporosis.

Earth’s magnetopause is a thin boundary separating the shocked solar wind plasma from the magnetospheric plasmas, and it is also the boundary of the solar wind energy transport to the magnetosphere. Soft X-ray imaging allows investigation of the large-scale magnetopause by providing a two-dimensional (2-D) global view from a satellite. By performing 3-D global hybrid-particle-in-cell (hybrid-PIC) simulations, we obtain soft X-ray images of Earth’s magnetopause under different solar wind conditions, such as different plasma densities and directions of the southward interplanetary magnetic field. In all cases, magnetic reconnection occurs at low latitude magnetopause. The soft X-ray images observed by a hypothetical satellite are shown, with all of the following identified: the boundary of the magnetopause, the cusps, and the magnetosheath. Local X-ray emissivity in the magnetosheath is characterized by large amplitude fluctuations (up to 160%); however, the maximum line-of-sight-integrated X-ray intensity matches the tangent directions of the magnetopause well, indicating that these fluctuations have limited impact on identifying the magnetopause boundary in the X-ray images. Moreover, the magnetopause boundary can be identified using multiple viewing geometries. We also find that solar wind conditions have little effect on the magnetopause identification. The Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) mission will provide X-ray images of the magnetopause for the first time, and our global hybrid-PIC simulation results can help better understand the 2-D X-ray images of the magnetopause from a 3-D perspective, with particle kinetic effects considered.

Using the data from the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission, we studied the energy conversion between electromagnetic fields and particles (ions and electrons) in a spacecraft rest frame inside a turbulent magnetosheath downstream of the quasi-parallel shock. The results show that the energy conversion was highly intermittent in the turbulent magnetosheath, and the perpendicular electric fields dominated the energy conversion process. The energy conversion among the electromagnetic fields, ions, and electrons was related to the current intensity. In the region with weak current, the ions gained energy from electromagnetic fields, while the electron energy was released and transferred into electromagnetic fields. In contrast, in the intense current region, the energy of ions was transferred into the electromagnetic fields, but the electrons gained energy from electromagnetic fields. The results quantitatively established the relationship between energy conversion rate and current density and revealed that the energy conversion among the electromagnetic fields, ions, and electrons was related to the local current intensity inside the shocked turbulence.

Abstract High‐speed jets (HSJs) are commonly observed in the Earth's magnetosheath. The HSJs can drive shock‐like bow waves when compressing the ambient plasma, which are important for the HSJ's evolution and the energization of charged particles. Here we present the first two‐dimensional hybrid simulation of the formation and evolution of jet‐driven bow waves. The simulated bow waves exhibit localized enhanced magnetic field and ion density, with their peaks separated by the order of ion inertial length. The bow waves are formed when a super‐magnetosonic HSJ encounters a magnetic structure with the magnetic field nearly perpendicular to the HSJ's velocity. The magnetic field structure acts as an obstacle to deflect and decelerate the jet, causing the pile up of ions on the jet side and the compression of the magnetic structure on the downstream side. Our study explains the observed properties of bow waves, and helps to better understand the evolution of HSJs.

Abstract An ongoing magnetic reconnection event was detected in the Mercury's high latitude magnetopause during a northward interplanetary magnetic field. The reconnection X‐line region was revealed in the Mercury's magnetopause based on the encountered flux ropes ejected away from this region both planetward and tailward. A series of magnetic flux ropes, known as flux transfer event shower were observed tailward of this X‐line region. These flux ropes were probably expanding and deflected as they were ejected away tailward from the X‐line region. Large‐amplitude variations in all three components of the magnetic field and a few small‐scale flux ropes were observed inside the X‐line region, which could be the seed of the flux rope shower at the magnetopause. The observations suggest that magnetic reconnection is highly dynamic and persistent in Mercury's magnetosphere.

Purpose – This paper aims to propose a train timetable rescheduling (TTR) approach from the perspective of multi-train tracking optimization based on the mutual spatiotemporal information in the high-speed railway signaling system. Design/methodology/approach – Firstly, a single-train trajectory optimization (STTO) model is constructed based on train dynamics and operating conditions. The train kinematics parameters, including acceleration, speed and time at each position, are calculated to predict the arrival times in the train timetable. A STTO algorithm is developed to optimize a single-train time-efficient driving strategy. Then, a TTR approach based on multi-train tracking optimization (TTR-MTTO) is proposed with mutual information. The constraints of temporary speed restriction (TSR) and end of authority are decoupled to calculate the tracking trajectory of the backward tracking train. The multi-train trajectories at each position are optimized to generate a time-efficient train timetable. Findings – The numerical experiment is performed on the Beijing-Tianjin high-speed railway line and CR400AF. The STTO algorithm predicts the train’s planned arrival time to calculate the total train delay (TTD). As for the TSR scenario, the proposed TTR-MTTO can reduce TTD by 60.60% compared with the traditional TTR approach with dispatchers’ experience. Moreover, TTR-MTTO can optimize a time-efficient train timetable to help dispatchers reschedule trains more reasonably. Originality/value – With the cooperative relationship and mutual information between train rescheduling and control, the proposed TTR-MTTO approach can automatically generate a time-efficient train timetable to reduce the total train delay and the work intensity of dispatchers.

Abstract Waste pollution is a significant environmental problem worldwide. With the continuous improvement in the living standards of the population and increasing richness of the consumption structure, the amount of domestic waste generated has increased dramatically, and there is an urgent need for further treatment. The rapid development of artificial intelligence has provided an effective solution for automated waste classification. However, the high computational power and complexity of algorithms make convolutional neural networks unsuitable for real-time embedded applications. In this paper, we propose a lightweight network architecture called Focus-RCNet, designed with reference to the sandglass structure of MobileNetV2, which uses deeply separable convolution to extract features from images. The Focus module is introduced to the field of recyclable waste image classification to reduce the dimensionality of features while retaining relevant information. To make the model focus more on waste image features while keeping the number of parameters small, we introduce the SimAM attention mechanism. In addition, knowledge distillation was used to further compress the number of parameters in the model. By training and testing on the TrashNet dataset, the Focus-RCNet model not only achieved an accuracy of 92 $$\%$$ % but also showed high deployment mobility.

Introduction: Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most extensive crops in the world. China’s Heilongjiang Province is the northernmost rice-growing region in the world. However, rice cultivars suitable for growth in low-latitude regions may not mature normally due to their distinct climate and short frost-free period. It is necessary to precisely determine the frost-free period for each region to make the best use of the rice growth stage so as to ensure the maturity and yield of different rice cultivars in Heilongjiang Province. The time span of the heading stage is a key parameter for evaluating the adaptability of a rice cultivar to a specific rice-growing region. Given the above facts, it is of high importance to study the associated genes and sites controlling days to heading (DH) and plant height (PH) of rice in Heilongjiang Province. Bulked segregant analysis (BSA) combined with high-throughput sequencing can effectively exclude interferences from background genomic differences, making it suitable for analyzing the associated sites of complex agronomic traits in early generations.Methods: In this study, an F3 segregating population was obtained by crossing two main cultivars that are grown under different temperatures and day-light conditions in Heilongjiang. Two pools of extreme phenotypes were built for the DH and PH of the population. For SNP and InDel variants obtained from whole-genome resequencing in the pools, an association analysis was performed using the Euclidean distance (ED) algorithm and the SNP/InDel index algorithm.Results: The intersection of SNP and InDel regions associated with the phenotypes was considered to obtain the final associated sites. After excluding interferences from the cloned genes on chromosomes 2 and 7, a total length of 6.34 Mb on chromosomes 1, 3, and 10 and 3.16 Mb on chromosomes 1 and 10 were left associated with PH and DH, respectively. Then, we performed a gene annotation analysis for candidate genes in the remaining regions using multiple genome annotation databases. Our research provides basic data for subsequent gene mapping and cloning.Discussion: By mining more genetic loci associated with the days to heading and plant height of rice, we may provide abundant genetic resources for refined molecular breeding in Heilongjiang Province.

Abstract Using the high‐quality measurements of plasma by the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft, we investigate the wave‐particle interaction between cold protons and Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves of different polarizations in the inner magnetosphere. Both the left‐hand and right‐hand polarized EMIC waves can interact with cold protons via non‐resonance interaction, and energize the cold protons (∼eV) up to suprathermal energies (∼tens of eV), resulting in a series of bridge‐like arcs in the ion energy spectrogram. Cold protons experience different types of phase bunching in left‐hand and right‐hand polarized EMIC waves. However, the relative angles between the velocities of bunched protons and wave magnetic or electric fields are independent of the polarizations of EMIC waves. Thus, the energy transfer process is not affected by the polarization of EMIC waves. The observations indicate that EMIC waves can affect the magnetospheric particle dynamics by energizing the cold protons.

Objective: To investigate the potential association between Anoikis-related genes, which are responsible for preventing abnormal cellular proliferation, and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods: Datasets GSE89408, GSE198520, and GSE97165 were obtained from the GEO with 282 RA patients and 28 healthy controls. We performed differential analysis of all genes and HLA genes. We performed a protein-protein interaction network analysis and identified hub genes based on STRING and cytoscape. Consistent clustering was performed with subgrouping of the disease. SsGSEA were used to calculate immune cell infiltration. Spearman’s correlation analysis was employed to identify correlations. Enrichment scores of the GO and KEGG were calculated with the ssGSEA algorithm. The WGCNA and the DGIdb database were used to mine hub genes’ interactions with drugs.Results: There were 26 differentially expressed Anoikis-related genes (FDR = 0.05, log2FC = 1) and HLA genes exhibited differential expression (P < 0.05) between the disease and control groups. Protein-protein interaction was observed among differentially expressed genes, and the correlation between PIM2 and RAC2 was found to be the highest; There were significant differences in the degree of immune cell infiltration between most of the immune cell types in the disease group and normal controls (P < 0.05). Anoikis-related genes were highly correlated with HLA genes. Based on the expression of Anoikis-related genes, RA patients were divided into two disease subtypes (cluster1 and cluster2). There were 59 differentially expressed Anoikis-related genes found, which exhibited significant differences in functional enrichment, immune cell infiltration degree, and HLA gene expression (P < 0.05). Cluster2 had significantly higher levels in all aspects than cluster1 did. The co-expression network analysis showed that cluster1 had 51 hub differentially expressed genes and cluster2 had 72 hub differentially expressed genes. Among them, three hub genes of cluster1 were interconnected with 187 drugs, and five hub genes of cluster2 were interconnected with 57 drugs.Conclusion: Our study identified a link between Anoikis-related genes and RA, and two distinct subtypes of RA were determined based on Anoikis-related gene expression. Notably, cluster2 may represent a more severe state of RA.

Abstract Two types of filamentary currents (FCs) were observed inside a magnetic flux rope at the magnetopause by the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission. The first FC is identified as an electron vortex, while the other is a reconnecting current sheet. Stochastic electric fields were generated within the FCs, resulting in electron acceleration up to a few keV, similar to recent simulations of electron acceleration inside vortex, which is a second‐order Fermi acceleration. Furthermore, two FCs propagated at different speeds, causing compression in the region between them. Energetic electrons up to 200 keV were detected in the compressed region and displayed a double power‐law spectrum. Observations suggest that the electrons were mainly accelerated by betatron mechanism in the compressed region. The formation, evolution, and interaction of FCs provide a novel mechanism for electron acceleration. These results clearly show the significance of electron‐scale dynamics within flux rope.

Abstract Objectives To assess the differences in circulating DNA methylation levels of CXCR5 between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) and healthy controls (HC), and the correlation of methylation changes with clinical characteristics of RA patients. Methods Peripheral blood samples were collected from 239 RA patients, 30 patients with OA, and 29 HC. Target region methylation sequencing to the promoter region of CXCR5 was achieved using MethylTarget. The methylation level of cg04537602 and methylation haplotype were compared among the three groups, and the correlation between methylation levels and clinical characteristics of RA patients was performed by Spearman's rank correlation analysis. Results The methylation level of cg04537602 was significantly higher in the peripheral blood of RA patients compared with OA patients (p = 1.3 × 10−3) and in the HC group (p = 5.5 × 10−4). The sensitivity was enhanced when CXCR5 methylation level combined with rheumatoid factor and anti–cyclic citrullinated peptide with area under curve (AUC) of 0.982 (95% confidence interval 0.970–0.995). The methylation level of cg04537602 in RA was positively correlated with C‐reactive protein (CRP) (r = .16, p = .01), and in RA patients aged 60 years and above, cg04537602 methylation levels were positively correlated with CRP (r = .31, p = 4.7 × 10−4), tender joint count (r = .21, p = .02), visual analog scales score (r = .21, p = .02), Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28) using the CRP level DAS28‐CRP (r = .27, p = 2.1 × 10−3), and DAS28‐ESR (r = .22, p = .01). We also observed significant differences of DNA methylation haplotypes in RA patients compared with OA patients and HC, which was consistent with single‐loci‐based CpG methylation measurement. Conclusion The methylation level of CXCR5 was significantly higher in RA patients than in OA and HC, and correlated with the level of inflammation in RA patients, our study establishes a link between CXCR5 DNA methylation and clinical features that may help in the diagnosis and disease management of RA patients.

Magnetic holes, characterized as magnetic field depressions, have been widely observed in space plasma. Two large-scale magnetic holes, MH1 and MH2, were reported in this paper and the energetic electrons up to 100 keV were detected for the first time inside both holes. The two holes showed many similar features, comparable spatial scale, temperature and total pressure increase, and energetic electrons up to 100 keV with a power-law distribution inside them. On the other hand, distinct features were also found between these two holes. A potential ion flow vortex was detected inside the MH1 and an ion-scale magnetic structure was observed in its core region. The electron flux enhancements were associated with this ion-scale structure and the energetic electrons were nonadiabatic around the ion-scale structure inside MH1, while the energetic electrons were adiabatic inside the MH2. The mirror-mode instability was unstable around MH1 while stable around MH2, which suggested that the two holes might be in a different phase of the mirror-mode instability. The observations suggested that the electrons could be significantly accelerated inside magnetic holes in the different phases.

With the help of a two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation model, we investigate the long-time evolution (near $100{{\rm{\Omega }}}_{i0}^{-1}$ , where Ω _i _0 is the ion gyrofrequency in the upstream) of a quasi-parallel shock. Some of the upstream ions are reflected by the shock front, and their interactions with the incident ions excite low-frequency magnetosonic waves in the upstream. Detailed analyses have shown that the dominant wave mode is caused by the resonant ion–ion beam instability, and the wavelength can reach tens of ion inertial lengths. Although these plasma waves are directed toward the upstream in the upstream plasma frame, they are brought by the incident plasma flow toward the shock front, and their amplitude is enhanced during the approaching. The interaction of the upstream plasma waves with the shock leads to the cyclic reformation of the shock front, and the reformation period is slightly larger than 10 ${{\rm{\Omega }}}_{i0}^{-1}$ . When crossing the shock front, these large-amplitude plasma waves are compressed and evolve into current sheets in the transition region of the shock. At last, magnetic reconnection occurs in these current sheets, accompanying the generation of magnetic islands. Simultaneously, there still exist plasma waves of another kind, with the wavelength of several ion inertial lengths in the ramp of the shock, which are excited by the nonresonant ion–ion beam instability. The current sheets in the transition region are distorted and broken into several segments when the plasma waves of this kind are transmitted into the downstream, where magnetic reconnection and the generated islands have a much smaller size. No obvious ion flow can be observed around some X-lines produced in the magnetic reconnection, and this implies that electron-only reconnection may occur.

Magnetotail reconnection plays an important role in explosive energy conversion. Here, the authors show direct evidence of super-thermal electrons up to 300 keV within X-line region in Earth’s magnetotail, indicating effective electron acceleration due to turbulence.

Abstract Using high‐resolution data from Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission, we report an intense current layer at the center of a flux rope (FR) in the magnetotail. The intense current layer is caused by the compression of the ion bulk flows at the center of a FR rather than two interlaced flux tubes reported at the magnetopause previously. The intense current layer has been identified as an electron diffusion region of the magnetic reconnection, and the hall magnetic field generated by magnetic reconnection makes the FR show crater‐shaped. The reconnecting current layer is supported by the poloidal magnetic field of the FR, and it is dividing the FR into two secondary FRs. The observations suggest that magnetic FR can be compressed easily to excite instability inside it as it is propagating in the magnetotail current sheet, thus changing its magnetic topology.

IntroductionHomeodomain-interacting protein kinase 3 (HIPK3) plays an important role in cell proliferation, apoptosis, and inflammation. Over-expression of HIPK3 in immune cells in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been reported. In this study, we investigated blood methylation levels and clinical characteristics of RA in a Chinese population.MethodsA total of 235 patients with RA, 30 with osteoarthritis (OA), and 30 matched healthy controls were recruited. The methylation status of seven CpGs in the differentially methylated region of HIPK3 (cg05501357) was measured using targeted methylation-sequencing technology. The association between methylation haplotypes and the overall methylation status of HIPK3 with clinical characteristics was assessed using generalized linear regression.ResultsAll seven CpGs showed hypomethylation status in RA blood compared with OA and normal individuals (overall p= 1.143×10-8 and FDR= 2.799×10-7), which is consistent with the previously reported high expression of HIPK3 in RA immune cells. Among all seven CpGs, 33286785 showed the highest predictive power with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.829; we received a higher AUC=0.864 when we combined HIPK3 with anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA -) and rheumatoid factor (RF +) in the prediction model, indicating that when a patient’s ACPA is negative, HIPK3 can assist RF as a new clinical index for the diagnosis of RA. We also found that HIPK3 methylation levels were negatively correlated with C-reactive protein (CRP; r= -0.16, p= 0.01). Methylation haplotypes were analyzed, and the full methylation haplotype (FMH; r= 0.16, p= 0.01) and full non-methylation haplotype (FNH; r= 0.18, p= 0.0061) were negatively correlated with CRP.ConclusionCirculating blood methylation levels in the protein region of HIPK3 can be utilized as a supportive diagnostic biomarker and CRP level indicator for RA.

ObjectivesHTR2A is previously identified as a susceptibility gene for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this study, we performed the association analysis between DNA methylation of HTR2A with RA within peripheral blood samples.MethodsWe enrolled peripheral blood samples from 235 patients with RA, 30 osteoarthritis (OA) patients, and 30 healthy controls. The DNA methylation levels of about 218 bp from chr13: 46898190 to chr13: 46897973 (GRCh38/hg38) around HTR2A cg15692052 from patients were analyzed by targeted methylation sequencing.ResultsWe measured methylation status for 7 CpGs in the promoter region of HTR2A and obseved overall methylation status are signficantly increased in RA compared with normal inviduals (FDR= 9.05 x 10-5). The average cg15692052 methylation levels (methylation score) showed a positive correlation with CRP (r=0.15, P=0.023). Compared with the OA group or HC group, the proportion of haplotypes CCCCCCC (FDR=0.02 and 2.81 x 10-6) is signficantly increased while TTTTTCC (FDR =0.01) and TTTTTTT(FDR =6.92 x 10-3) are significantly decreased in RA. We find methylation haplotypes combining with RF and CCP could signficantly enhance the performance of the diagnosing RA and its comorbidities (hypertension, interstitial lung disease, and osteoporosis), especially in interstitial lung disease.ConclusionsIn our study, we found signficant hypermethylation of promoter region of HTR2A which indicates the potential clinical diagnostic role in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of Integrative medicine (IM), compare with Western medicine (WM), in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a cohort study.Methods: This is a cohort study with recruitment of RA patients from 10 hospitals in China. The primary outcome was change in disease activity score 28 (DAS28) during 4 follow-up visits. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) models that controlled for variables were used to investigate a time trend and assess group differences in the primary outcome and secondary outcomes after propensity score matching (PSM).Results: A total of 3195 patients with RA received IM (n = 1379, 43.2%) or WM (n = 1816, 56.8%). Following 1:1 propensity score matching, 1,331 eligible patients prescribed IM were compared to 1,331 matched patients prescribed WM. The GEE analysis with PSM showed that the IM was more beneficial to significantly decrease the levels of VAS, PGA and PhGA (VAS: odds ratio (OR), 0.76; 95% CI, 0.63–0.92; p = 0.004; PGA: OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.64–0.92; p = 0.007; and PhGA: OR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.64, 0.93; p = 0.004), and reduce DAS28 (OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.73–0.98; p = 0.030) in the per-protocol population.Conclusion: This study suggests that compare to WM, IM has advantages in improving RA-related outcomes. However, the statistical significance might not reveal significant clinical difference. Further studies should be focused on specific treatment strategies and/or disease stages.

Abstract Background Triglyceride glucose-body mass index (TyG-BMI) is a recently developed alternative indicator to identify insulin resistance. However, few studies have investigated the association between the TyG-BMI and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Therefore, this study aimed to study the relationship between NAFLD and the TyG-BMI in the general population and its predictive value. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 14,251 general subjects who took part in a comprehensive health examination. The anthropological characteristics and many risk factors for NAFLD were measured. Results After fully adjusting for confounding variables, a stable positive correlation was found between NAFLD and the TyG-BMI (OR: 3.90 per SD increase; 95% CI: 3.54 to 4.29; P-trend

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is a digestive system tumor with high morbidity and mortality. It is urgently required to identify genes to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms. The aim of this study is to identify the key genes which may affect the prognosis of GC patients and be a therapeutic strategy for GC patients by bioinformatic analysis.Methods: The significant prognostic differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened out from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets. The protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was established by STRING and screening key genes by MCODE and CytoNCA plug-ins in Cytoscape. Functional enrichment analysis, construction of a prognostic risk model, and nomograms verify key genes as potential therapeutic targets.Results: In total, 997 genes and 805 genes were related to the prognosis of GC in the GSE84437 and TCGA datasets, respectively. We define the 128 genes shared by the two datasets as prognostic DEGs (P-DEGs). Then, the first four genes (MYLK, MYL9, LUM, and CAV1) with great node importance in the PPI network of P-DEGs were identified as key genes. Independent prognostic risk analysis found that patients with high key gene expression had a poor prognosis, excluding their age, gender, and TNM stage. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses showed that key genes may exert influence through the PI3K-Akt pathway, in which extracellular matrix organization and focal adhesion may play important roles in key genes influencing the prognosis of GC patients.Conclusion: We found that MYLK, MYL9, LUM, and CAV1 are potential and reliable prognostic key genes that affect the invasion and migration of gastric cancer.

Ralstonia solanacearum RSc2741 has been predicted as a gamma-glutamyl phosphate reductase ProA catalyzing the second reaction of proline formation from glutamate. Here, we experimentally demonstrated that proA mutants were proline auxotrophs that failed to grow in a minimal medium, and supplementary proline, but not glutamate, fully restored the diminished growth, confirming that ProA is responsible for the biosynthesis of proline from glutamate in R. solanacearum. ProA was previously identified as one of the candidates regulating the expression of genes for type three secretion system (T3SS), one of the essential pathogenicity determinants of R. solanacearum. Supplementary proline significantly enhanced the T3SS expression both in vitro and in planta, indicating that proline is a novel inducer of the T3SS expression. Deletion of proA substantially impaired the T3SS expression both in vitro and in planta even under proline-supplemented conditions, indicating that ProA plays additional roles apart from proline biosynthesis in promoting the expression of the T3SS genes. It was further revealed that the involvement of ProA in the T3SS expression was mediated through the pathway of PrhG-HrpB. Both the proA mutants and the wild-type strain grew in the intercellular spaces of tobacco leaves, while their ability to invade and colonize tobacco xylem vessels was substantially impaired, which was about a 1-day delay for proA mutants to successfully invade xylem vessels and was about one order of magnitude less than the wild-type strain to proliferate to the maximum densities in xylem vessels. It thus resulted in substantially impaired virulence of proA mutants toward host tobacco plants. The impaired abilities of proA mutants to invade and colonize xylem vessels were not due to possible proline insufficiency in the rhizosphere soil or inside the plants. All taken together, these results extend novel insights into the understanding of the biological function of ProA and sophisticated regulation of the T3SS and pathogenicity in R. solanacearum.

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and malignant type of brain tumor. A large number of studies have shown that the immunotherapy of tumors is effective, but the immunotherapy effect of GBM is not poor. Thus, further research on the immune-related hub genes of GBM is extremely important.Methods: The GBM highly correlated gene clusters were screened out by differential expression, mutation analysis, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and proportional hazards model (COX) regressions were implemented to construct prognostic risk models. Survival, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and compound difference analyses of tumor mutation burden were used to further verify the prognostic risk model. Then, we predicted GBM patient responses to immunotherapy using the ESTIMATE algorithm, GSEA, and Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) algorithm.Results: A total of 834 immune-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. The five hub genes (STAT3, SEMA4F, GREM2, MDK, and SREBF1) were identified as the prognostic risk model (PRM) screened out by WGCNA and LASSO analysis of DEGs. In addition, the PRM has a significant positive correlation with immune cell infiltration of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and expression of critical immune checkpoints, indicating that the poor prognosis of patients is due to TIDE.Conclusion: We constructed the PRM composed of five hub genes, which provided a new strategy for developing tumor immunotherapy.

Abstract Background The waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) has been recognised as a powerful indicator to evaluate non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in recent years, but few related studies are available. Thus, clarifying the association between the WHtR and NAFLD may be beneficial to the prevention and treatment of NAFLD. Methods The cross-sectional study population was from a large-scale health examination programme called ‘human dock’ in Japan. In this study, 14,125 participants in this health examination programme were included. To understand the association between the WHtR and NAFLD more intuitively, we grouped the WHtR values into quintiles and used a multivariable logistic regression model to assess WHtR and its quintile with NAFLD risk. Moreover, we used the generalised additive model to model the association between WHtR and NAFLD to explore their non-linear relationship. Results The prevalence of NAFLD among participants in this study was 17.59%, with an average age of 43.53 ± 8.89 years. After adjusting for all non-collinear covariables, we observed a 66% increase in the NAFLD risk per SD increase in WHtR. Furthermore, in the quintile groups of WHtR, the participants in quintile 2, quintile 3, quintile 4, and quintile 5 had 3.62-fold, 5.98-fold, 9.55-fold, and 11.08-fold increased risks of NAFLD, respectively, compared with those in quintile 1 (P trend

A particle-in-cell simulation of symmetric reconnection with zero guide field is carried out to understand the dynamics of ions along the separatrices. Through the investigation of ion velocity distributions at different moments and locations along the separatrices, a typical distribution is found: two counter-streaming populations in the perpendicular direction, with another two populations accelerated into distinct energy levels in the parallel direction. Backward tracing of ions reveals that the counter-streaming cores are mostly composed of ions initially located at the same side of the separatrix, while the other two accelerated populations in the parallel direction are composed of ions crossing through the neutral sheet. Through analysis of energy conversion of these populations, it is found that the ion energization along the separatrix is attributable primarily to the Hall electric field, while that in the region between the two separatrices is caused primarily by the induced reconnection electric field. For the counter-streaming population, the low-energy ions that cross the separatrix twice are affected by both Hall and reconnection electric fields, while the high-energy ions that directly enter the separatrix from the unperturbed plasma are energized mainly by the Hall electric field. For the two energized populations in the parallel direction, the ions with lower-energy are accelerated mainly by the in-plane electric field and the Hall electric field on the opposite side of the separatrix, whereas the ions with higher-energy not only experience the same energization process but also are constantly accelerated by the reconnection electric field.

Function elements are key components for nanochannel systems for artificial regulation of ion transport. Here, the authors investigate the independent role of function elements at the outer surface of nanochannel systems, without function elements at inner walls, in promoting osmotic energy conversion and biochemical sensing.

Magnetotail reconnection plays a crucial role in explosive energy conversion in geospace. Here, the authors show that magnetotail reconnection starts from electron reconnection in the presence of a strong external driver, which then develops into ion reconnection.

Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental plasma process of magnetic energy conversion to kinetic energy. Here, the authors show direct evidence of secondary reconnection in the filamentary currents within the flux ropes indicating a significant contribution to energy conversion in the kinetic scale during turbulent reconnection.

Standard collisionless magnetic reconnection couples with both electron and ion dynamics. Recently, a new type of magnetic reconnection, electron-only magnetic reconnection without ion outflow, has been observed, and its reconnection rate has been found to be much higher than that in ion-coupled reconnection. In this paper, using 2D particle-in-cell simulations, we find that when the ion gyroradius is much smaller than the size of the simulation domain, magnetic reconnection is standard with ion outflows. As the ion gyroradius increases, the ion response gradually weakens, and the reconnection rate becomes higher. Electron-only reconnection occurs when the ion gyroradius is comparable to the size of the simulation domain. This trend applies to both strong and weak guide field situations. Therefore, the key factor that controls the transition from ion-coupled reconnection to electron-only reconnection is the ratio between the ion gyroradius and the size of the simulation domain. We further show that, in electron-only reconnection, when the initial electron current sheet is thinner, the reconnection rate and the electron outflow speed are higher.

From the Ulysses observation of the solar wind between the heliocentric distance r _h of ∼1.0 and ∼5.4 au during 1990–2009, we identified 53 intervals when the solar wind exhibited extreme rarefaction, ∼2 orders of magnitude decreases in the solar wind proton density N _p from their ambient values. These extremely low-density solar wind (ELDSW) events, characterized by an average (median) N _p of ∼0.28 ± 0.09 (∼0.30) cm ^−3 , ram pressure of ∼0.07 ± 0.04 (∼0.07 nPa) and mass flux of ∼166 ± 84 (∼159) 10 ^−22 kg cm ^−2 s ^−1 all normalized to 1 au, have an average (median) duration of ∼6.0 ± 3.5 days (∼5.5 days), and radial extent of ∼1.9 ± 1.1 au (∼1.9 au). A clear hemispheric asymmetry is noted in their solar/interplanetary origin, with 70% being identified in the south hemisphere, and 30% in the north hemisphere of the heliosphere. About 23% of the events were encountered between r _h of 2.25 and 4 au, and 77% at r _h > 4 au, indicating that these are not intrinsic properties of the Sun/solar corona but are created by the evolution of the solar wind with increasing radial distance from the Sun. The majority (49%) of the events occurred during magnetic clouds, 34% in solar wind high-speed stream (HSS) tails, 11% during the proper HSSs, and 6% during interplanetary sheaths. The identification of ELDSWs will have important consequences for their interaction with the magnetospheres of Jupiter and Saturn.

Recent spacecraft observations have shown that magnetic reconnection occurs commonly in turbulent environments at shocks. At quasi-perpendicular shocks, magnetic field lines are bent by the back-streaming reflected ions, which form a current sheet in the foot region, and then electron-scale reconnection occurs when the current sheet is fragmented at the shock front. Here we study magnetic reconnection at a quasi-perpendicular shock by using a two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation. Collective properties of the reconnection sites from the shock transition to the downstream region are analyzed by adopting a statistical approach to the simulation data. Reconnecting current sheets are found to be densely distributed near the shock front, with a reconnection electric field larger than those in the downstream region. By tracing a reconnection site from its formation until it is convected downstream, we show the reconnection proceeds intermittently after an active stage near the shock front. Our tracing further shows that, in addition to being originated from the shock front, reconnection in the downstream region can also occur locally, driven by turbulent flows therein. The results help us better understand the evolution of electron-scale reconnection at a perpendicular shock.

Magnetic reconnection converts magnetic energy into particle kinetic energy, and satellite observations have shown that 20%–50% of magnetic energy is channeled into electron kinetic energy. How such a large amount of magnetic energy is dissipated into electron kinetic energy is in debate. In this paper, by performing a large-scale 2D particle-in-cell simulation of magnetic reconnection with a guide field, we find that there exist both ion and electron shear flows in magnetic islands formed during magnetic reconnection, which are unstable to the ion and electron Kelvin–Helmholtz (K-H) instabilities. With the development of the K-H instabilities, the magnetic field lines are twisted in these magnetic islands, and intensified electron-scale current sheets are consequently generated. We quantitatively analyze the energy dissipation during such a process in magnetic islands and find that electrons obtain kinetic energy from the magnetic field while ion kinetic energy is transferred into magnetic energy. At last, it results that about 42% of magnetic energy is dissipated into electron kinetic energy in the whole process of magnetic reconnection. Our results help us better understand why a large amount of magnetic energy can be dissipated into electron kinetic energy.

Magnetic reconnection between neighboring magnetic field loops, the so-called interloop reconnection, is a common process to drive flares in the solar atmosphere. However, there is no direct evidence that a similar but less explosive process can take place on planets. The strong crustal fields on Mars generate plenty of magnetic loops in the near-Mars regions, providing a unique environment to research the interloop reconnection on a planet. Here, we report magnetic reconnection events between crustal field loops in the Martian ionosphere observed by Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) for the first time. During the current layer crossing, MAVEN recorded the characteristic signals of collisionless magnetic reconnection, including the Hall magnetic field, Alfvénic outflow, and electron energization. This finding implies that the interloop reconnection in the Martian ionosphere could contribute to the localized energy deposition and particle energization, which provides the seed source for aurora in the Martian atmosphere.

A few thin current layers were detected in the rear boundary of an interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) observed at 56 solar radii from the Sun as the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft approached the perihelion for the first time, and were caused by the interaction between the background solar wind and the rear boundary of the ICME. Among two of the current layers, the ion diffusion region of the Hall magnetic reconnection was directly detected, based on opposite ion jets, low-speed inflows, and the Hall effect. Both reconnection events were fast and occurred in the current layer with a small magnetic field shear angle and with significantly asymmetric magnetic field intensity as well as plasma between their two sides, i.e., an asymmetric magnetic reconnection with a strong guide field. A magnetic flux rope was detected inside one of the diffusion regions, indicating bursty reconnection. Additionally, multiple reconnection jets were detected inside the ICME and its rear boundary. Thus, we speculate that more ongoing reconnection events were occurring inside the ICME and its boundary. The observations suggested that fast Hall magnetic reconnection can occur as close as 56 solar radii from the Sun and plays a crucial role in ICME evolution.

Asymmetric magnetic reconnection usually occurs at the Earth’s magnetopause, where the magnetic field strength and plasma density are different between the magnetosheath and magnetosphere. In this paper, a two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation model is used to study the energy conversion during asymmetric magnetic reconnection. Energy conversion can occur in the vicinity of the X-line, magnetosphere separatrix region, and reconnection fronts. In the vicinity of the X-line and magnetosphere separatrix region, the electromagnetic field energy is mainly transferred to electrons, while at the reconnection fronts, the electromagnetic field energy is mainly transferred to ions. For the case with weak magnetic field asymmetry, the reconnection fronts dominate the energy conversion, which is related to the inflowing Poynting flux S _z at the fronts. For the case with strong magnetic field asymmetry, the energy conversion occurs around the X-line and magnetosphere separatrix region, but no longer at the reconnection fronts. This is because the inflowing Poynting flux S _x near the magnetosphere separatrices provides electromagnetic energy for energy conversion. The density asymmetry has no significant effect on the spatial distribution of the energy conversion.

Turbulent magnetic reconnection has been observed by spacecraft to occur commonly in terrestrial magnetosphere and the solar wind, providing a new scenario of kinetic scale magnetic reconnection. Here by imposing a turbulent forcing on ions in particle-in-cell simulations, we simulate kinetic scale turbulent magnetic reconnection. We find formation of fluctuated electric and magnetic fields and filamentary currents in the diffusion region. Reconnection rate does not change much compared to that in laminar Hall reconnection. At the X-line, the electric and magnetic fields both exhibit a double power-law spectrum with a spectral break near local lower-hybrid frequency. The energy conversion rate is high in turbulent reconnection, leading to significant electron acceleration at the X-line. The accelerated electrons form a power-law spectrum in the high energy range, with a power-law index of about 3.7, much harder than one can obtain in laminar reconnection.

Abstract Station autonomous computer system is the core of the centralized traffic control (CTC) system. The working mode is dual computer hot standby, and its reliability is very important. Due to the dynamic and fuzzy issue with the reliability analysis of station autonomous computer system, a reliability analysis method is formulated based on fuzzy dynamic fault tree (DFT) and Markov model. First, the structure and working principle of the dual computer hot standby autonomous computer system and the double 2‐vote‐2 autonomous computer system are analyzed, and two autonomous computer systems based on DFT are formulated. Then, the failure rates and the fault detection probabilities are considered as fuzzy variables and represented as triangular fuzzy variables. The fuzzy state transition matrix of the system is obtained by conversion of DFT to the Markov model. Finally, the fuzzy reliability of the system is calculated by Laplace transform. Simulation results show that the reliability of the dual computer hot standby autonomous computer system is higher than that of the double 2‐vote‐2 autonomous computer system. Besides, the reliability of the hardware system is not only related to the structure of the system, but also affected by the uncertain unit failure rate, fault detection probabilities, and so on.

In this paper, we analyze one reconnection event observed by the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission at the earth’s magnetopause. In this event, the spacecraft crossed the reconnection current sheet from the magnetospheric side to the magnetosheath side, and whistler waves were observed on both the magnetospheric and magnetosheath sides. On the magnetospheric side, the whistler waves propagated quasi-parallel to the magnetic field and toward the X-line, while on the magnetosheath side they propagated almost anti-parallel to the magnetic field and away from the X-line. Associated with the enhancement of the whistler waves, we find that the fluxes of energetic electrons are concentrated around the pitch angle 90° when their energies are higher than the minimum energy that is necessary for the resonant interactions between the energetic electrons and whistler waves. This observation provides in situ observational evidence of resonant interactions between energetic electrons and whistler waves in the magnetic reconnection.

Abstract Background As an elite japonica rice variety, Kongyu-131 has been cultivated for over 20 years in the third accumulated temperature zone of Heilongjiang Province, China. However, the cultivated area of Kongyu-131 has decreased each year due to extensive outbreaks of rice blast. To achieve the goals of improving blast resistance and preserving other desirable traits in Kongyu-131, a genome-updating method similar to repairing a bug in a computer program was adopted in this study. A new allele of the broad-spectrum blast resistance gene pi21 in the upland rice variety GKGH was mined by genetic analysis and introgressed into the genome of Kongyu-131 to upgrade its blast resistance. Result QTL analysis was performed with an F2 population derived from a cross between Kongyu-131 and GKGH, and a blast resistance QTL was detected near the pi21 locus. Parental Pi21 sequence alignment showed that the pi21 of the donor (GKGH) was a new allele. By 5 InDel or SNP markers designed based on the sequence within and around pi21, the introgressed chromosome segment was shortened to less than 634 kb to minimize linkage drag by screening recombinants in the target region. The RRPG was 99.92%, calculated according to 201 SNP markers evenly distributed on 12 chromosomes. Artificial inoculation at the seedling stage showed that the blast resistance of the new Kongyu-131 was improved significantly. Field experiments also indicated that the improved Kongyu-131 had enhanced field resistance to rice blast and grain-quality traits similar to those of the original Kongyu-131. Conclusions It is feasible to improve resistance to rice blast and preserve other desirable traits by precisely improving the Pi21 locus of Kongyu-131. Linkage drag can be eliminated effectively via recombinant selection on both sides of the target gene.

The δ13C value is regarded as an important indicator for tolerance to drought stress (DS), which is a severe abiotic stress that influences rice productivity. However, exploration of drought-responsive genes (DRGs) related to δ13C regulation is less reported. In this study, we investigated the natural variation in δ13C values in 102 japonica rice accessions. Among them, two rice accessions with contrasting δ13C values, Longdao 10 (LD10, DS-tolerant) and Binxu (BX, DS-sensitive), were used for further analysis. LD10 possesses better drought resistance with 2% lower δ13C values, 35% lower stomatal length and density, 33% lower water loss, and 11% lower stomatal conductance in comparison to BX. Transcriptome analysis shows that there are 2325 and 1378 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) induced by DS in LD10 and BX at the tillering stage, respectively, while there are 1076 and 492 DEGs in LD10 and BX at the graining stage, respectively. In total, 21 overlapped DEGs (defined as DRGs) were identified due to DS effects across two rice accessions over two stages. Among them, the expression levels of six genes, including chloride transporter (CLT1) and photosystem II polypeptide (PSBP), were further tested using qRT-PCR. Furthermore, we found that four methyltransferase genes were upregulated in BX compared to LD10 under DS. Consistently, the methylation levels of CLT1 and PSBP were higher along both promoter and CDS regions for CG, CHG, and CHH types. This study highlights the importance of the expression of these DRGs in response to DS and provides deep insights into DNA methylation-driven gene expression conferring different drought responses in rice.

In previous study, we reported that kaempferol ameliorates significantly lung ischemia-reperfusion injury (LIRI), and may be achieved by targeting the SIRT 1 pathway. This study further explored the anti-LIRI mechanism of kaempferol. In vitro, the rat alveolar epithelial cells L2 was cultured and subjected to anoxia/reoxygenation (A/R) insult. In vivo, SD rats were operated to establish LIRI model. The related indicators of oxidative stress and apoptosis in L2 cells and rats lung tissues were detected. Results showed that kaempferol pre-treatment significantly increased the cell viability, improved mitochondrial membrane potential, inhibited the opening of mitochondrial permeability transition pores, reduced the levels of oxidative stress and apoptosis, increased the expressions of Bcl-2 and mitochondrial cytochrome c, and decreased the expressions of Bax and cytoplasmic cytochrome c in L2 cells after A/R insult. In vivo, kaempferol improved the pathological injury, inhibited the levels of oxidative stress and apoptosis, increased the expressions of Bcl-2 and mitochondrial cytochrome c, and decreased the expressions of Bax and cytoplasmic cytochrome c in rats lung tissues after I/R. However, the aforementioned effects of kaempferol were significantly attenuated by the SIRT 1 inhibitor EX527 or the PGC-1α inhibitor SR-18292. What’s more, SR-18292 has not reversed the effect of kaempferol on increasing the protein activity of SIRT 1. Above results suggest that kaempferol ameliorates LIRI by improving mitochondrial function, reducing oxidative stress and inhibiting cell apoptosis. Its molecular mechanism of action includes the SIRT 1/PGC-1α/mitochondria signaling pathway.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an incurable disease that afflicts 0.5–1.0% of the global population though it is less threatening at its early stage. Therefore, improved diagnostic efficiency and prognostic outcome are critical for confronting RA. Although machine learning is considered a promising technique in clinical research, its potential in verifying the biological significance of gene was not fully exploited. The performance of a machine learning model depends greatly on the features used for model training; therefore, the effectiveness of prediction might reflect the quality of input features. In the present study, we used weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) in conjunction with differentially expressed gene (DEG) analysis to select the key genes that were highly associated with RA phenotypes based on multiple microarray datasets of RA blood samples, after which they were used as features in machine learning model validation. A total of six machine learning models were used to validate the biological significance of the key genes based on gene expression, among which five models achieved good performances [area under curve (AUC) >0.85], suggesting that our currently identified key genes are biologically significant and highly representative of genes involved in RA. Combined with other biological interpretations including Gene Ontology (GO) analysis, protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis, as well as inference of immune cell composition, our current study might shed a light on the in-depth study of RA diagnosis and prognosis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease. Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) serve a major role in synovial hyperplasia and inflammation in RA. (5R)-5-hydroxytriptolide (LLDT-8), a novel triptolide derivative, shows promising therapeutic effects for RA and is now in phase II clinical trials in China. However, the underlying mechanism of LLDT-8 is still not fully understood. Here, we found that LLDT-8 inhibited proliferation and invasion of RA FLS, as well as the production of cytokines. Microarray data demonstrated that LLDT-8 upregulated the expression of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) WAKMAR2, which was negatively associated with proliferation and invasion of RA FLS, as well as the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Knockdown of WAKMAR2 abolished the inhibitory effects of LLDT-8 on RA FLS. Mechanistically, WAKMAR2 sponged miR-4478, which targeted E2F1 and downstreamed p53 signaling. Rescue experiments indicated that the inhibitory effects of LLDT-8 on RA FLS were dependent on WAKMAR2/miR-4478/E2F1/p53 axis.

A major subset of solar–terrestrial relations, responsible, in particular, for the driver of space weather phenomena, is the interaction between the Earth's magnetosphere and the solar wind. As one of the most important modes of the solar–wind–magnetosphere interaction, magnetic reconnection regulates the energy transport and energy release in the solar–terrestrial relation. In situ measurements in the near-Earth space are crucial for understanding magnetic reconnection. Past and existing spacecraft constellation missions mainly focus on the measurement of reconnection on plasma kinetic-scales. Resolving the macro-scale and cross-scale aspects of magnetic reconnection is necessary for accurate assessment and predictions of its role in the context of space weather. Here, we propose the AME (self-Adaptive Magnetic reconnection Explorer) mission consisting of a cross-scale constellation of 12+ CubeSats and one mother satellite. Each CubeSat is equipped with instruments to measure magnetic fields and thermal plasma particles. With multiple CubeSats, the AME constellation is intended to make simultaneous measurements at multiple scales, capable of exploring cross-scale plasma processes ranging from kinetic scale to macro scale.