Search

We present an indoor three-dimensional (3D) optical wireless positioning and azimuth estimation (OWPAE) scheme that utilizes steerable line lasers. This approach enables the simultaneous acquisition of precise 3D coordinate and azimuth of a mobile receiver without requiring a priori knowledge of the radiation pattern of the light source and photo-detector (PD) characteristics. Our work begins with an analysis of the feasibility of using line lasers for OWPAE. Subsequently, by leveraging the geometric relationship between two line lasers and a pair of PDs, we establish the OWPAE model, considering receiver tilt, and design the frame structure for conveying essential information. To evaluate the effectiveness of our proposed OWPAE scheme, we set up an experimental platform. Experimental results confirm that when the receiver is oriented upwards, the system accurately determines the receiver's location with a mean 3D positioning error of 6.3 cm and its azimuth with a mean azimuthal error of 2.8°. When the receiver tilts at a polar angle of 30°, the system remains effective, yielding a mean 3D positioning error of 8.3 cm and a mean azimuthal error of 5.6°. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth main reason of cancer-related death. Codonopsis pilosula is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for patients with HCC. However, its potential mechanism for treatment of HCC remains unclear. Here, we used transcriptomics and network pharmacology to explore the potential molecular mechanisms of Codonopsis pilosula. In our study, twelve differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (5 upregulated and 7 downregulated) of Codonopsis pilosula treating HepG2 cells (a kind of HCC cell) were identified. Among the 12 DEGs, HMOX1 may play an essential role. Codonopsis pilosula mainly affects the mineral absorption pathway in HCC. We acquired 2957, 1877, and 255 targets from TCMID, SymMap, and TCMSP, respectively. Codonopsis pilosula could upregulate HMOX1 via luteolin, capsaicin, and sulforaphane. Our study provided new understanding of the potential pharmacological mechanisms of Codonopsis pilosula in treating HCC and pointed out a direction for further experimental research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a CT method integrated with image inpainting to reconstruct the three-dimensional distribution of argon ion light intensity in Helicon and Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) modes. The reconstructed intensity distribution was validated by comparing it with theoretical radiation intensity derived from probe measurements and argon CR model. Results demonstrate that the method accurately reconstructs the three-dimensional distribution of argon ion light intensity and reveals the spatial distribution patterns of ion intensity under Helicon and ICP modes. The Helicon mode has a concentration of intensity in the central region (Radial cross-section dispersion > 84 %) and while the ICP mode exhibiting a more dispersed distribution (< 55 %). The presence of a magnetic field showed a strong correlation with the intensity dispersion on the cross-section. This study provides an effective measurement method and data reference for understanding discharge mode characteristics and plasma behavior in Helicon plasma sources. • A computerized tomography (CT) method integrated with image inpainting is used to reconstruct the three-dimensional distribution of argon ion light intensity for helicon plasma source. • The Helicon mode demonstrates concentrated intensity in the central region (> 84% radial cross-section dispersion), while the ICP mode exhibits a more dispersed distribution (< 55%), with a strong correlation between the presence of a magnetic field and intensity dispersion on the cross-section. • This research provides an effective measurement method and data reference for understanding discharge mode characteristics and plasma behavior in Helicon plasma sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Critically ill COVID-19 patients have significantly increased risk of death. Although several circulating biomarkers are thought to be related to COVID-19 severity, few studies have focused on the characteristics of critically ill patients with different outcomes. The objective of this study was to perform a longitudinal investigation of the potential mechanisms affecting the prognosis of critically ill COVID-19 patients. Methods: In addition to clinical data, 113 whole blood samples and 85 serum samples were collected from 33 severe and critical COVID-19 patients without selected comorbidities. Multi-omics analysis was then performed using longitudinal samples. Results: Obvious transcriptional transitions were more frequent in critical survivors than in critical non-survivors, indicating that phase transition may be related to survival. Based on analysis of differentially expressed genes during transition, the erythrocyte differentiation pathway was significantly enriched. Furthermore, clinical data indicated that red blood cell counts showed greater fluctuation in survivors than in non-survivors. Moreover, declining red blood cell counts and hemoglobin levels were validated as prognostic markers of poor outcome in an independent cohort of 114 critical COVID-19 patients. Protein–metabolite–lipid network analysis indicated that tryptophan metabolism and melatonin may contribute to molecular transitions in critical COVID-19 patients with different outcomes. Conclusions: This study systematically and comprehensively depicted the longitudinal hallmarks of critical COVID-19 patients and indicated that multi-omics transition may impact the prognosis. Take home message: Frequent transcriptional phase transitions may contribute to outcome in critically ill COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, fluctuation in red blood cell and hemoglobin levels may relate to poor prognosis. The biological function of melatonin was suppressed in COVID-19 non-survivors, which may provide a potential theoretical basis for clinical administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study intends to investigate the roles of Co 2 C facets on the selectivity of alcohols and aldehydes from CH x CO* using DFT calculations. • Co 2 C(111) facet is easier to generate oxygenated compounds and has higher selectivity for aldehydes, while the aldehydes on the surface of Co 2 C(101) can be hydrogenated to alcohols more easily. • The selectivity of alcohols at the Co/Co 2 C(111) interface surpasses that of the individual Co(0001) or Co 2 C(111) surfaces. Syngas conversion to long chain alcohols and aldehydes by Co-based catalysts offers green route for synthesizing value-added chemicals. Cobalt carbides (Co 2 C) has been proven promoting oxygenates formation, and the Co/Co 2 C interface exhibited synergetic effects on increasing selectivity of higher alcohols. However, the underlying mechanism that determines the ratio of aldehydes and alcohols in oxygenate products is less understood. In this work, the hydrogenation of oxygenate intermediate was studied from first principles on metallic Co, Co 2 C surfaces and Co/Co 2 C interface to investigate the formation processes of alcohols and aldehydes. First-principles calculations show that: On Co 2 C(111) facet of Co 2 C nanosphere, aldehyde desorption as the final product has a slight advantage over its subsequent hydrogenation to alcohol; hydrogenation of oxygenate on Co 2 C(020) facet of Co 2 C nanoprism is difficult, whereas aldehyde on Co 2 C(101) facet of Co 2 C nanoprism is very easy to be hydrogenated to alcohol; and the synergistic effect between metallic and carbide surfaces on the Co/Co 2 C interface model promotes the selectivity of alcohol as the final product during hydrogenation of oxygenate intermediates. This study provides theoretical insights into the rational design of catalysts for controlling the selectivity between aldehydes and alcohols in syngas conversion to oxygenates. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computational ghost imaging (CGI) presents a new way to solve the problem of extended depth of field (DOF), which has been studied for a long time. The application of correlation theory confirms that a plane light source can be used to avoid the limitation of DOF in CGI. Results from experiments where real objects are imaged by CGI between 0.3 m and 1.2 m verify that images are consistent in quality. This confirms that CGI is not affected by DOF and can be used to improve the accuracy of integral and microscopic imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overexpression of AtPAP2, a phosphatase located on the outer membranes of chloroplasts and mitochondria, leads to higher energy outputs from these organelles. AtPAP2 interacts with seven MORF proteins of the editosome complex. RNA-sequencing analysis showed that the editing degrees of most sites did not differ significantly between OE and WT, except some sites on the transcripts of several cytochrome c maturation (Ccm) genes. Western blotting of 2D BN-PAGE showed that the patterns of CcmF N1 polypeptides were different between the lines. We proposed that AtPAP2 may influence cytochrome c biogenesis by modulating RNA editing through its interaction with MORF proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A magnetic nozzle enhanced magnetoplasmadynamic thruster (ME-MPDT) is proposed as a modification of the conventional applied field magnetoplasmadynamic thruster (AF-MPDT). In contrast to AF-MPDTs, ME-MPDT features a reduced discharge chamber, shifting the energy injection zone from the discharge chamber to the magnetic nozzle. The majority of argon is injected directly into the magnetic nozzle via the cathode, where it undergoes ionization and acceleration. Thrust, specific impulse, total efficiency, and thrust-to-power ratio of ME-MPDT are assessed using an elastic thrust stand. Comparing ME-MPDT to the standard AF-MPDT at a discharge current of 250 A and a magnetic field of 0.15 T, it demonstrates a 20% increase in thrust and a 15% increase in discharge voltage. To understand the reason behind this performance enhancement, both thrusters are simulated using a two-temperature MHD model. The simulation model is solved by the ANSYS FLUENT. The performance boost is attributed to an increase in azimuthal diamagnetic current within the magnetic nozzle, with ME-MPDT exhibiting 25% higher azimuthal diamagnetic current compared to AF-MPDT. Under these experimental conditions, ME-MPDT achieves its best performance at a discharge current of 250 A, power input of 22 kW, and a magnetic field of 0.15 T, resulting in a thrust of 485 mN, a specific impulse of 2356 s, and a thrust efficiency of 28%. • A new structure of applied field magnetoplasmadynamic thruster is proposed. • The energy injection area is changed to the magnetic nozzle. • The performance can be improved by increasing the energy in the magnetic nozzle. • The performance boost in ME-MPDT is from higher diamagnetic current in the magnetic nozzle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve the promise of stimuli-responsive drug delivery systems for the treatment of cancer, they should (1) avoid premature clearance; (2) accumulate in tumors and undergo endocytosis by cancer cells; and (3) exhibit appropriate stimuli-responsive release of the payload. It is challenging to address all of these requirements simultaneously. However, the numerous proof-of-concept studies addressing one or more of these requirements reported every year have dramatically expanded the toolbox available for the design of drug delivery systems. This review highlights recent advances in the targeting and stimuli-responsiveness of drug delivery systems. It begins with a discussion of nanocarrier types and an overview of the factors influencing nanocarrier biodistribution. On-demand release strategies and their application to each type of nanocarrier are reviewed, including both endogenous and exogenous stimuli. Recent developments in stimuli-responsive targeting strategies are also discussed. The remaining challenges and prospective solutions in the field are discussed throughout the review, which is intended to assist researchers in overcoming interdisciplinary knowledge barriers and increase the speed of development. This review presents a nanocarrier-based drug delivery systems toolbox that enables the application of techniques across platforms and inspires researchers with interdisciplinary information to boost the development of multifunctional therapeutic nanoplatforms for cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen fixation in soybean consumes a tremendous amount of energy, leading to substantial differences in energy metabolism and mitochondrial activities between nodules and uninoculated roots. While C-to-U RNA editing and intron splicing of mitochondrial transcripts are common in plant species, their roles in relation to nodule functions are still elusive. In this study, we performed RNA-seq to compare transcript profiles and RNA editing of mitochondrial genes in soybean nodules and roots. A total of 631 RNA editing sites were identified on mitochondrial transcripts, with 12% or 74 sites differentially edited among the transcripts isolated from nodules, stripped roots, and uninoculated roots. Eight out of these 74 differentially edited sites are located on the matR transcript, of which the degrees of RNA editing were the highest in the nodule sample. The degree of mitochondrial intron splicing was also examined. The splicing efficiencies of several introns in nodules and stripped roots were higher than in uninoculated roots. These include nad1 introns 2/3/4, nad4 intron 3, nad5 introns 2/3, cox2 intron 1, and ccmFc intron 1. A greater splicing efficiency of nad4 intron 1, a higher NAD4 protein abundance, and a reduction in supercomplex I + III2 were also observed in nodules, although the causal relationship between these observations requires further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA barcoding has become one of the most important techniques in plant species identification. Successful application of this technology is dependent on the availability of reference database of high species coverage. Unfortunately, there are experimental and data processing challenges to construct such a library within a short time. Here, we present our solutions to these challenges. We sequenced six conventional DNA barcode fragments (ITS1, ITS2, matK1, matK2, rbcL1, and rbcL2) of 380 flowering plants on next‐generation sequencing (NGS) platforms (Illumina Hiseq 2500 and Ion Torrent S5) and the Sanger sequencing platform. After comparing the sequencing depths, read lengths, base qualities, and base accuracies, we conclude that Illumina Hiseq2500 PE250 run is suitable for conventional DNA barcoding. We developed a new "Cotu" method to create consensus sequences from NGS reads for longer output sequences and more reliable bases than the other three methods. Step‐by‐step instructions to our method are provided. By using high‐throughput machines (PCR and NGS), labeling PCR, and the Cotu method, it is possible to significantly reduce the cost and labor investments for DNA barcoding. A regional or even global DNA barcoding reference library with high species coverage is likely to be constructed in a few years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human aging is invariably accompanied by a decline in renal function, a process potentially exacerbated by uremic toxins originating from gut microbes. Based on a registered household Chinese Guangxi longevity cohort (n = 151), we conducted comprehensive profiling of the gut microbiota and serum metabolome of individuals from 22 to 111 years of age and validated the findings in two independent East Asian aging cohorts (Japan aging cohort n = 330, Yunnan aging cohort n = 80), identifying unique age‐dependent differences in the microbiota and serum metabolome. We discovered that the influence of the gut microbiota on serum metabolites intensifies with advancing age. Furthermore, mediation analyses unveiled putative causal relationships between the gut microbiota (Escherichia coli, Odoribacter splanchnicus, and Desulfovibrio piger) and serum metabolite markers related to impaired renal function (p‐cresol, N‐phenylacetylglutamine, 2‐oxindole, and 4‐aminohippuric acid) and aging. The fecal microbiota transplantation experiment demonstrated that the feces of elderly individuals could influence markers related to impaired renal function in the serum. Our findings reveal novel links between age‐dependent alterations in the gut microbiota and serum metabolite markers of impaired renal function, providing novel insights into the effects of microbiota‐metabolite interplay on renal function and healthy aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The skin is the largest organ in the human body. Various skin environments on its surface constitutes a complex ecosystem. One of the characteristics of the skin micro‐ecosystem is low biomass, which greatly limits a comprehensive identification of the microbial species through sequencing. In this study, deep‐shotgun sequencing (average 21.5 Gigabyte (Gb)) from 450 facial samples and publicly available skin metagenomic datasets of 2069 samples to assemble a Unified Human Skin Genome (UHSG) catalog is integrated. The UHSG encompasses 813 prokaryotic species derived from 5779 metagenome‐assembled genomes, among which 470 are novel species covering 20 phyla with 1385 novel assembled genomes. Based on the UHSG, the core functions of the skin microbiome are described and the differences in amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, and drug resistance functions among different phyla are identified. Furthermore, analysis of secondary metabolites of the near‐complete genomes further find 1220 putative novel secondary metabolites, several of which are found in previously unknown genomes. Single nucleotide variant (SNV) reveals a possible skin protection mechanism: the negative selection process of the skin environment to conditional pathogens. UHSG offers a convenient reference database that will facilitate a more in‐depth understanding of the role of skin microorganisms in the skin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of diatoms in victim's internal organs has been regarded as a gold biological evidence of drowning. The idea becomes true at the advent of DNA metabarcoding. Unfortunately, the DNA barcode of diatoms are far from being applicable due to neither consensus on the barcode and nor reliable reference library.In this study we tested 23 pairs of primers, including two new primer pairs, Baci18S (V4 of 18S) and BacirbcL (central region of rbcL), for amplifying fragments of 16S/18S , 23S/28S, COI, ITS and rbcL. A total of five pairs of primers performed satisfactory for diatoms. We used three of them, 18S605 (V2 + V3 of 18S), Baci18S and BacirbcL, to barcode four water samples using next generation sequencing platform. The results showed that these primers worked well for NGS metabarcoding of diatoms. We suggest that 18S605, Baci18S and BacirbcL be barcodes of diatoms and the corresponding primer pairs be used. Considering a quite high proportion of sequences deposited in GenBank were mislabeled, the most urgent task for DNA barcoding of diatoms is to create standard sequences using correctly identified specimens, ideally type specimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disease resistance exerts a fitness cost on plants, presumably due to the extra consumption of energy and carbon. In this study, we examined whether transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana with increased levels of ATP and sucrose is more resistant or susceptible to pathogen infection. Lines of A. thaliana over-expressing purple acid phosphatase 2 (AtPAP2) (OE lines) contain increased levels of ATP and sucrose, with improved growth rate and seed production. Compared to wild type (WT) and pap2 lines, the OE lines were more susceptible to several Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) strains carrying AvrRpm1, AvrRpt2 AvrRps4, AvrPtoB, HrcC and WT strain DC3000. The increased susceptibility of the OE lines to Pst strains cannot solely be attributed to the suppressed expression of R-genes but must also be attributed to the suppression of downstream signaling components, such as MOS2, EDS1 and EDS5. Before infection, the levels of salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) precursor OPDA were similar in the leaves of OE, pap2 and WT plants, whereas the levels of JA and its derivative JA-Ile were significantly lower in the leaves of OE lines and higher in the pap2 line. The expression of JA marker defense gene PDF1.2 was up-regulated in the OE lines compared to the WT prior to Pst DC3000 infection, but its expression was lower in the OE lines after infection. In summary, high fitness Arabidopsis thaliana exhibited altered JA metabolism and broad suppression of R-genes and downstream genes as well as a higher susceptibility to Pst infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The mechanisms of CO 2 formation on Co 2 C nanoprisms and nanospheres were investigated in computational and experimental studies. • On Co 2 C nanoprisms, the (0 2 0) and (1 0 1) facets do not show high activity for CO 2 formation, but the introduction of Na exhibits promoting effects. • Na shows little effect on CO 2 formation for Co 2 C nanospheres, which are dominated by (1 1 1) facets. • CO 2 selectivity evidently decreases after Na removal in Fischer–Tropsch to olefins (FTO) reactions. • The water–gas shift (WGS) activity was evaluated in FTO reactions and the results confirmed that WGS can be suppressed by removing Na. Cobalt carbide (Co 2 C) has been discovered as the promising active phase for Fischer–Tropsch to olefins (FTO) process and higher alcohols synthesis (HAS) from syngas, in the form of nanoprisms and nanospheres, respectively. However, CO 2 formation is inevitable on Co 2 C catalysts, especially in FTO process. So far, the mechanism of CO 2 formation on Co 2 C surfaces is less understood. This work provides fundamental insights into CO 2 formation on Co 2 C nanospheres and nanoprisms through computational and experimental study. DFT calculations demonstrate that: Co 2 C (1 0 1) and (0 2 0) surfaces exposed on Co 2 C nanoprisms are basically not active for water gas shift (WGS) reactions but the introduction of Na greatly promotes CO 2 formation. CO 2 is less favored on Co 2 C(1 1 1) surface which is dominant on Co 2 C nanospheres, however, the reverse WGS activities can be promoted with Na addition. The experimental results confirmed removing Na from Co 2 C can efficiently suppress WGS activity, thus reducing CO 2 selectivity while the selectivity of light olefins retained. Though previous studies focused on Na addition to promote the yield of light olefins, our work indicates that Na also promotes undesired CO2 formation. Our results suggest that Na is crucial for active phase formation but not necessarily beneficial during the CO hydrogenation reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Range-based positioning using wireless signal has gained remarkable attention in past decades. Accurately extracting the distance information, i.e., estimating parameters of individual multipath, is of interest. It has been shown that diffuse multipath component (DMC) in wireless propagation channel has significant influence on channel estimation and, thus, the ranging performance. In addition to specular component (SC), DMC should be considered in order to improve the estimated accuracy of channel paths’ parameters and, thus, the ranging performance. In this paper, we extend the quasi-maximum likelihood space-alternating generalized expectation-maximization (SAGE) algorithm by incorporating an autoregressive moving average (ARMA) filter to estimate the channel parameters under the presence of DMC. The parameters of both DMC and SC are estimated in an iterative approach, where the DMC is assumed as colored noise and the ARMA-filter is used to estimate the contributions from DMC. The validation of the algorithm based on measured data shows that both SC and DMC can be accurately estimated by the proposed approach. A comparison with standard SAGE and AR-SAGE is conducted, where the results reveal that the proposed method outperforms other two approaches in terms of ranging accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of criminal investigations, in the event that a body is found in water, the ability to differentiate whether the cause of death was drowning or the body was murdered then dumped into water elsewhere is difficult but important for case detection. Detecting diatoms in human organs can be used to effectively identify if the cause of death was drowning. At present, diatom detection methods are roughly divided into morphological and molecular detection methods, but both methods have different limitations. In this study, a total of 79 samples from 23 victims in 19 known drowning deaths were collected. The diatom morphological identification combined with DNA metabarcoding technology was used to compare the reliability of the diatom detection method. Microscopic observations revealed that the positive detection rate of diatoms was 52.6 %, 26.3 % and 58.8 % respectively in the kidney, liver and lung samples. DNA metabarcoding analysis found that the positive detection rate of diatoms was 31.6 %, 31.6 % and 35.3 % respectively in kidney, liver and lung samples. When compared with barcode BacirbcL, barcode 18S605 detected more diatoms, while diatoms in BacirbcL were more consistent with environmental samples. The comparative analysis found that microscopic observations were not highly correlated with the identification results of DNA barcoding technology. There were no obvious differences in the effect of internal organs on diatom enrichment, and different organs should be tested at the same time. At present, the DNA barcode reference sequence is gravely insufficient and has many errors, which leads to restrictions in the application of this technology, resulting in many OTU not being accurately identified. This explains why the success rate of molecular identification is not higher than that of microscopic identification. Construction of a reliable diatom DNA barcode reference sequence database is an urgent task for drowning forensics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accuracy of traditional 3-D measurements is limited by the depth of field (DOF), such as in binocular imaging and holography. Ghost imaging (GI) can achieve lensless imaging with a DOF deeper than the traditional imaging. To realize this, a computational GI method is proposed and a system built, in which the light field information and modulation information are used to reconstruct the 3-D image. This system uses two projection devices for light modulation and pattern projecting, and utilizes a detector to receive the reflected signals of the two projectors on the object synchronously. The experiment shows that for an original DOF of 0.4 m, our system can extend the depth to 1.5 m. The method should have the great application prospects in the fields of remote sensing, imaging guidance, and medical imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

miR396 targets seven GROWTH-REGULATING FACTOR (GRF) genes and the BASIC HELIX–LOOP–HELIX (bHLH) TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR 74 gene (bHLH74) in Arabidopsis. Previous research revealed that the miR396 target module regulates cell proliferation and plays a critical role in leaf development. However, no additional biological functions of miR396 have been investigated in detail. In this study, T-DNA insertion mutants and transgenic plants with altered levels of miR396 or its target genes were used to characterize the regulatory role of miR396 in root development. We found that AtMIR396a was the predominant source for miR396 accumulation in the roots of seedlings, and that the mir396a-1 mutant had longer roots than wild-type seedlings. Overexpression of AtMIR396a decreased the transcript levels of target genes such as GRF genes and bHLH74, and resulted in a shorter root phenotype. Furthermore, the bhlh74-1 mutant had shorter roots, whereas overexpression of an miR396-resistant form of bHLH74 (mbHLH74) had an enhanced root growth phenotype. Moreover, MIR396a regulated root growth by affecting the elongation zone. Taken together, these data indicate that miR396a-mediated bHLH74 repression helps regulate root growth in Arabidopsis seedlings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]