Search

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is one of the most serious public health problems worldwide. The OPRM1 and ALDH2 genes are important factors in the reward and alcohol metabolism pathways, and their DNA ...

In view of the multi-objective optimization design of the squirrel cage fan for the range hood, a blade parameterization method based on the quadratic non-uniform B-spline (NUBS) determined by four control points was proposed to control the outlet angle, chord length and maximum camber of the blade. Morris-Mitchell criteria were used to obtain the optimal Latin hypercube sample based on the evolutionary operation, and different subsets of sample numbers were created to study the influence of sample numbers on the multi-objective optimization results. The Kriging model, which can accurately reflect the response relationship between design variables and optimization objectives, was established. The second-generation Non-dominated Sorting Genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) was used to optimize the volume flow rate at the best efficiency point (BEP) and the maximum volume flow rate point (MVP). The results show that the design parameters corresponding to the optimization results under different sample numbers are not the same, and the fluctuation range of the optimal design parameters is related to the influence of the design parameters on the optimization objectives. Compared with the prototype, the optimized impeller increases the radial velocity of the impeller outlet, reduces the flow loss in the volute, and increases the diffusion capacity, which improves the volume flow rate, and efficiency of the range hood system under multiple working conditions.

This study aimed to identify the risk factors for relapse/refractory adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) and to construct and validate a prognostic nomogram for predicting the individual risk of relapse/refractory disease.A total of 174 patients were included in our study. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify relapse/refractory-associated factors, which were used to construct nomograms. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to assess the predictive ability of the nomograms.Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses showed that age, fever, disease duration, platelet count, serum ferritin level, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were independent unfavourable factors for relapse/refractory AOSD (p0.05). We constructed a 6-factor nomogram based on univariate and multivariate logistic analyses. ROC analysis indicated that the area under the curve of the 6-factor nomogram in the training set and test set was 0.765 and 0.714, respectively. In addition, the calibration curves showed excellent prediction accuracy, and DCA showed superior net benefit in the 6-factor nomograms. Moreover, we evaluated the predictive effectiveness of our nomogram in females and young adults. The results showed that our 6-factor nomogram has the same predictive ability in both subgroups.Novel nomograms based on clinical characteristics were developed and may be applied to help predict the individual risk of poor prognosis of patients. Key Points • Logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for relapse/refractory adult-onset Still's disease. • We then constructed a nomogram for predicting disease risk. • ROC analysis, calibration curves, and DCA all showed that the nomogram exerted good prediction ability in both the training set and test set. • The nomogram has the same predictive ability in both female and young adult subgroups.

In this study, the unique reverse-flow around the inlet nozzle of a squirrel-cage fan was numerically studied by computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and a non-axisymmetric D-type inlet nozzle was proposed to inhibit it. It is shown that serious back flow develops at the volute tongue when the fan operates at a low flow coefficient that is lower than the best efficiency point. The airflow passing the blade passages in reverse further crosses the impeller, mixing the clearance leakage airflow, and finally blows into the intake chamber near the circumferential position of $ 150^{\circ } $ . By installing the inlet nozzle along this direction, D-type inlet nozzle schemes with different blockage extent were calculated by CFD. The scheme with a cut distance of 70% of its exit-section radius was chosen as the best design by comprehensively comparing the back flow ratio and fan performance of different working conditions. CFD results illustrated that reverse blowing at the fan entrance was significantly constrained by this D-type inlet nozzle, and the vortex in the inlet chamber correspondingly disappeared. Experimental data illustrated that the new nozzle increased the fan pressure rise under low-flow conditions by about 6% and barely reduced performance at other working points.

In this study, a dual-arc profile parameterized by four geometric variables was designed to replace the original single-arc profile of a squirrel-cage fan used in a range hood, in order to improve the efficiency of the entire machine and the fan pressure. A modified Non-dominated Sorting Genetic algorithm coupled with a three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes computation is applied to search the optimum blade shape. Moreover, a relatively coarse but proven reliable grid model is employed to accelerate the optimization process, and a dynamic crowding distance is applied to improve the broad diversity of the Pareto front. The optimization results show that the optimal dual-arc blades are formed by a leading arc with a relatively smaller curvature and a trailing arc with a larger curvature, and the shape of the leading arc dominates the aerodynamic performance of the dual-arc blade. The blade schemes at two end of the Pareto front have increased the fan pressure and efficiency at the optimization point by 5.3% and 1.5%, respectively, but also result in a decline in another performance indicator. The best compromised solution in the middle of the Pareto front has improved the pressure by 2.6% without reducing the efficiency in the numerical calculation. Compared with the single-arc blade with the same inlet and outlet angle, the dual-arc blade has a higher fan pressure, but at the same time, the efficiency is negatively affected. Finally, the new impeller with optimized dual-arc blades is manufactured and tested, and the experimental results show an increment exceeds 2% in pressure and an unexpected slightly improvement in fan efficiency.

Modern Chinese prose is an important part of Chinese culture and literature, so translation of modern Chinese prose becomes increasingly important. Prose has the following unique features: flexible in form but condensed in spirit, with emotional, elegant and concise language. In order to convey these features in Chinese-English translation, we can adopt functional equivalence theory. With reader’s response as its core, the theory holds that the closest natural equivalence should be achieved in translation so that the target readers will have the same response in terms of appreciating and understanding of the original text. This paper takes Wild Grass translated by Zhang Peiji as an example and proves that functional equivalence can be applied in the translation of modern Chinese prose.

The chaotic state of microfluidic devices such as electroosmotic micromixers has received extensive attention. Its unsteady flow and multi-physics mask low-dimensional structure and potential attractors. Based on the dynamic mode decomposition and the sparse identification of nonlinear dynamics, this study aims to construct a manifold equation with the minimum degree of freedom, reveal the mixing mechanism of micromixers, and discover the evolution of chaotic states. The attenuation degree of freedom was introduced to force the modal coefficients to be pure oscillations. The six, four, and two-dimensional minimum reduced-order models (ROMs) were constructed under different mixing conditions. The nonlinear dynamics evolves on attractors resembling a six-petal structure based on the amplitude-phase method. The attractor periodicity and decay map the evolution of the periodic oscillation and limit cycle of the active modes and are related to the appearance of the low-energy dominant non-axisymmetric modes. These results emphasize the significance of ROM technology in revealing the low-dimensional structure and attractor of the electroosmotic micromixer.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is one of the most serious public health problems worldwide. TheTo investigate whether methylation patterns ofDNA methylation of theIn the AUD group, compared with the control group, OPRM1 was hypermethylated(p.01) but there was no significant difference in the methylation level of ALDH2 (p.05). 9 CpG sites of OPRM1 (p.05) and 2 CpG sites of ALDH2 (p.01) were hypermethylated. Smoking promoted AUD-mediated hypermethylation ofOur study demonstrates that DNA hypermethylation of the

Our previous studies have shown that meningitic Escherichia coli can colonize the brain and cause neuroinflammation. Controlling the balance of inflammatory responses in the host central nervous system is particularly vital. Emerging evidence has shown the important regulatory roles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in a wide range of biological and pathological processes. However, whether lncRNAs participate in the regulation of meningitic E. coli-mediated neuroinflammation remains unknown. In the present study, we characterized a cytoplasm-enriched antisense lncRNA DDIT4-AS1, which showed similar concordant expression patterns with its parental mRNA DDIT4 upon E. coli infection. DDIT4-AS1 modulated DDIT4 expression at both mRNA and protein levels. Mechanistically, DDIT4-AS1 promoted the stability of DDIT4 mRNA through RNA duplex formation. DDIT4-AS1 knockdown and DDIT4 knockout both attenuated E. coli-induced NF-κB signaling as well as pro-inflammatory cytokines expression, and DDIT4-AS1 regulated the inflammatory response by targeting DDIT4. In summary, our results show that DDIT4-AS1 promotes E. coli-induced neuroinflammatory responses by enhancing the stability of DDIT4 mRNA through RNA duplex formation, providing potential nucleic acid targets for new therapeutic interventions in the treatment of bacterial meningitis.

Bacterial meningitis is a life-threatening infectious disease with severe neurological sequelae and a high mortality rate, in which Escherichia coli is one of the primary Gram-negative etiological bacteria. Meningitic E. coli infection is often accompanied by an elevated blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability. BBB is the structural and functional barrier composed of brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs), astrocytes, and pericytes, and we have previously shown that astrocytes-derived TGFβ1 physiologically maintained the BBB permeability by triggering a non-canonical hedgehog signaling in brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs). Here, we subsequently demonstrated that meningitic E. coli infection could subvert this intercellular communication within BBB by attenuating TGFBRII/Gli2-mediated such signaling. By high-throughput screening, we identified E. coli α-hemolysin as the critical determinant responsible for this attenuation through Sp1-dependent TGFBRII reduction and triggering Ca2+ influx and protein kinase A activation, thus leading to Gli2 suppression. Additionally, the exogenous hedgehog agonist SAG exhibited promising protection against the infection-caused BBB dysfunction. Our work revealed a hedgehog-targeted pathogenic mechanism during meningitic E. coli-caused BBB disruption and suggested that activating hedgehog signaling within BBB could be a potential protective strategy for future therapy of bacterial meningitis.

The root-knot nematode (RKN), Meloidogyne incognita, is a devastating pathogen for cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) specially in production under protected environments or continuous cropping. High level RKN resistance has been identified in African horned melon Cucumis metuliferus (CM). However, the resistance mechanism remains unclear. In this study, the comparative analysis on phenotypic and transcriptomic responses in the susceptible cucumber inbred line Q24 and the resistant CM, after M. incognita infection, was performed. The results showed that, in comparison with Q24, the CM was able to significantly reduce penetration numbers of second stage juveniles (J2), slow its development in the roots resulting in fewer galls and smaller giant cells suggesting the presence of host resistance in CM. Comparative transcriptomes analysis of Q24 and CM before and after M. incognita infection was conducted and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with host resistance were identified in CM. Enrichment analyses revealed most enriched DEGs in Ca2+ signaling, salicylic acid (SA)/jamonate signaling (JA), as well as auxin (IAA) signaling pathways. In particular, in CM, DEGs in the Ca2+ signaling pathway such as those for the calmodulin and calcium-binding proteins were upregulated at the early stage of M. incognita infection; genes for SA/JA synthesis/signal transduction were markedly activated, whereas the IAA signaling pathway genes were inhibited upon infection suggesting the importance of SA/JA signaling pathways in mediating M. incognita resistance in CM. A model was established to explain the different molecular mechanisms on M. incognita susceptibility in cucumber and resistance to M. incognita infection in CM.

Soil salinization is one major constraint to plant geographical distribution, yield, and quality, and as an ideal plant for the "greening" of flat-roofed buildings, Sedum lineare Thunb. has strong tolerance against a variety of environmental adversities including salinity with the underlying mechanism still remaining unknown. In this study, we performed de novo transcriptome sequencing on leaf and root samples of NaCl-treated S. lineare Thunb. and identified 584 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which were further annotated by gene function classification and pathway assignments using the public data repositories. In addition to the increased gene expression level verified by qRT-PCR, the elevated activities of the corresponding enzymes were also demonstrated for peroxidase (POD), glutathione peroxidases (GPX), and cysteine synthase (CSase) in the NaCl-treated roots. Furthermore, two highly inducible genes without known functions related to salt tolerance were selected to be overexpressed and tested for their effects on salt tolerance in the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana. Upon 150 mM NaCl treatment, 35S:SlCXE but not 35S:SlCYP72A transgenic Arabidopsis seedlings exhibited improved salt resistance as shown by the increased seed germination rates and longer primary roots of transgenic seedlings when compared to wild-type plants. Taken together, this work laid a foundation for a better understanding of the salt adaptation mechanism of S. lineare Thunb. and genes identified could serve as useful resources for the development of more salt-tolerant varieties of other species through genetic engineering.

Tonal noise is an essential characteristic of the noise generated from a forward-curved-blades centrifugal fan. Herein, methods to unevenly arrange blades, in particular, a random modulation method, were studied to weaken the undesired tonal noise and reshape the noise spectrum. First, the balance and aerodynamic performance requirements of the impeller were considered when designing the unevenly spaced blades. The modulated blade positions had to satisfy the dynamic balance condition, while the variation of spacing between every two adjacent blades should not exceed 30% of the original spacing in the even impeller. Next, the influence of non-uniform blades on the noise spectrum characteristics of the fan was theoretically predicted by calculating the interference functions at each discrete frequency. Finally, computational fluid dynamics and computational aeroacoustics analyses were performed to investigate the acoustic performance of each uneven blade spacing scheme. Both the pressure fluctuation on the tongue and the noise frequency spectrum from the acoustic receiver demonstrated that unevenly spaced blades could reduce the tonal noise by dispersing the acoustic energy at the blade passing frequency to other specific frequencies as a form of sidebands. Compared with the existing sinusoidal modulation method, the random modulation method has no limits on the blade number. Moreover, this method has a higher degree of freedom that could overcome all limitations of blade spacing. It is shown that a reasonable blade distribution designed by this method could reduce tonal noise without negatively affecting the aerodynamic performance and the overall noise level.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Allium macrostemon Bunge. is an edible Chinese herb traditionally used for the treatment of thoracic pain, stenocardia, heart asthma and diarrhea. Although its biological potential has been extensively proven such as antioxidant activity, antiplatelet aggregation, vasodilation and antidepressant-like activity, there are no reports in the literature regarding its pharmacological analgesic activity. Aim of the study The study was carried out to examine the anti-nociceptive activity of the crude extract of A. macrostemon bulbs and interpret its likely molecular target. Materials and methods The bulbs of A. macrostemon were gathered, dried-up , and extracted with water (AMWD). AMWD was subjected to activity testing, using chemical-induced (acetic acid and formalin test) and heat-induced (hot plate) pain models. To evaluate the likely mechanistic strategy involved in the analgesic effect of AMWD, whole-cell patch clamp recordings were conducted in acutely dissociated dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons and human embryonic kidney 293T (HEK293T) cells expressing pain-related receptors. Electrophysiological methods were employed to detect the action potentials of DRG neurons and potential targets of A. macrostemon. Results AMWD showed significant palliative effect in all heat and chemical induced pain assays. Moreover, AMWD significantly reduces the excitability of dorsal root ganglion neurons by reducing the firing frequency of action potentials. Further analysis revealed that voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.7 is the potential target of A. macrostemon for its analgesic activity. Conclusion This study has brought new scientific evidence of preclinical efficacy of A. macrostemon as an anti-nociceptive agent. Apparently, these effects are involved with the inhibition of the voltage-sensitive Nav1.7 channel contributing to the reduction of peripheral neuronal excitability. Our present study justifies the folkloric usage of A. macrostemon as a remedy for several pain states. Furthermore, A. macrostemon is a good resource for the development of analgesic drugs targeting Nav1.7 channel.

The inverse design method for turbomachinery can directly acquire a blade geometry with specific aerodynamic parameters, such as pressure loading on the blade surfaces. The difference between the inverse design and direct analysis design is that the management of the flow field is controlled by aerodynamic parameters instead of geometric parameters. Although the inverse design has been studied since the 1940s, it is far from being mature enough in comparison with the analysis method. In this work, the inverse problem method is improved by two aspects: the calculation accuracy and the strategy to determine the pressure loading distribution. The application of a high-quality mesh auto-generation and deformation technique to the inverse design is introduced. The no-slip wall boundary conditions, similar to the analysis model, and high-quality mesh, enable the use of an advanced turbulence model in the inverse design. These methods improve the accuracy of the inverse design. The loading distribution in the inverse design is obtained based on the boundary vorticity flux diagnosis. An axial fan is redesigned as an example of the inverse design method. The internal flow loss analysis based on the entropy production theory verifies the effectiveness of the inverse design used in this study.

Objectives To delineate laboratory-confirmed bloodstream infection (LCBI), analyze risk factors for its occurrence and predictors for its short-term mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. Methods A single center, retrospective, case-controlled study was performed in 159 SLE patients (2013–2019) to identify risk factors of LCBI by comparing patients with LCBI (n = 39) to those without infection (n = 120). The predictors associated with 30-day mortality in LCBI patients were also analyzed. Results Altogether 40 bacteria strains were isolated in 39 LCBI patients with a predominance of the gram-negative bacilli (24 strains, 60.0%). Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were the leading Gram-negative and Gram-positive microorganisms, respectively. Occurrence of LCBI was independently predicted by: SLE disease duration >4 years, SLEDAI score >4 points, glucocorticoids dose >7.5 mg/d and the previous or concomitant occurrence of autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) or thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). Based on the identified risk factors, we developed a matrix model for the risk of future LCBI. The 30-day mortality (39 cases) was 23.1% and healthcare-associated LCBI was a predictor for 30-day mortality in SLE patients compared with community-acquired LCBI. Conclusion Longer duration, higher disease activity and glucocorticoids dose, and occurrence of AIHA or TMA were risk factors of LCBI in SLE and its poor short-term prognosis may attribute to healthcare-associated LCBI.

Fast, robust two-qubit gate operation with low susceptibility to crosstalk are the key to scalable quantum-information processing. A parametrically driven gate is inherently insensitive to crosstalk, while superadiabatic control can speed up the gate without losing accuracy. We propose and experimentally implement superadiabatic two-qubit gates using parametric modulation on superconducting quantum circuits. Our results demonstrate the preservation of adiabaticity at a gate speed close to the quantum limit, in addition to robustness against control instability. We demonstrate a controlled-$Z$ gate with an error rate of $5.8\mathrm{%}$, mainly limited by qubit decoherence, promising future improvement and scalable implementation.

Riblets with an appropriate size can effectively restrain turbulent boundary layer thickness and reduce viscous drag, but the effects of riblets strongly depend on the appearance of the fabric that is to be applied and its operating conditions. In this study, in order to improve the aerodynamic performance of a low-pressure fan by using riblet technology, sawtooth riblets on NACA4412 airfoil are examined at the low Reynolds number of 1 × 105, and the airfoil is operated at angles of attack (AOAs) ranging from approximately 0° to 12°. The numerical simulation is carried out by employing the SST k–ω turbulence model through the Ansys Fluent, and the effects of the riblets’ length and height on aerodynamic performance and flow characteristics of the airfoil are investigated. The results indicate that the amount of drag reduction varies greatly with riblet length and height and the AOA of airfoil flow. By contrast, the riblets are detrimental to the airfoil in some cases. The most effective riblet length is found to be a length of 0.8 chord, which increases the lift and reduces the drag under whole AOA conditions, and the maximum improvements in both are 17.46% and 15.04%, respectively. The most effective height for the riblet with the length of 0.5 chord is 0.6 mm. This also improves the aerodynamic performance and achieves a change rate of 12.67% and 14.8% in the lift and drag coefficients, respectively. In addition, the riblets facilitate a greater improvement in airfoil at larger AOAs. The flow fields demonstrate that the riblets with a drag reduction effect form “the antifriction-bearing” structure near the airfoil surface and effectively restrain the trailing separation vortex. The ultimate cause of the riblet drag reduction effect is the velocity gradient at the bottom of the boundary layers being increased by the riblets, which results in a decrease in boundary thickness and energy loss.

A semi-infinite waveguide acts as a mirror and helps protect the qubit in front of it from decoherence. Here, we investigate the interference effect in an open waveguide consisting of resonators with different decay rates. We find that a lossy resonator works as a mirror and changes the effective decay rate of the other. The spontaneous radiation of qubit is related to its environment, and we can control it by arranging the lossy resonator’s position or frequency. Our approach helps improving the qubit performance, as well as the quantum gate fidelities.

We demonstrate an active reset protocol in a superconducting quantum circuit. The thermal population on the excited state of a transmon qubit is reduced through driving the transitions between the qubit and an ancillary qubit. Furthermore, we investigate the efficiency of this approach at different temperatures. The result shows that population in the first excited state can be dropped from 7% to 2.55% in 27 ns at 30 mK. The efficiency improves as the temperature increases. Compared to other schemes, our proposal alleviates the requirements for measurement procedure and equipment. With the increase of qubit integration, the fast reset technique holds the promise of improving the fidelity of quantum control.

Possessing the noise-resilience feature, geometric phases have become important in robust quantum computation. Gates based on the Abelian and non-Abelian geometric phases have been experimentally demonstrated in different physical systems. However, previous proposals require cyclic evolution with a constant operation time even for small rotation angles, which set a limit to the gate operation time. Here, we experimentally realize noncyclic geometric gates, where the cyclic condition is removed and the operation time is proportional to the rotation angle. With the adiabatic process sped up by shortcut to adiabaticity, the fidelities of a noncyclic geometric gate characterized by randomized benchmarking are above 99.5%. Comparing with the dynamic scheme, we demonstrate the robustness of our gate against control instability in the experiment. Moreover, our results indicate that the noncyclic geometric gate with a smaller rotation angle corresponds to a shorter evolution time and higher fidelity. As small rotation angles are essential in the quantum algorithm, the superiority of noncyclic geometric gates makes them promising candidates in fast and robust quantum computation.