During insect larval–pupal metamorphosis, the obsolete larval organs and tissues undergo histolysis and programmed cell death to recycle cellular materials. It has been demonstrated that some ...cathepsins are essential for histolysis in larval tissues, but the process of tissue destruction is not well documented. Fat body, the homologous organ to mammalian liver and adipose tissue, goes through a distinct destruction process during larval–pupal transition. Herein, we found that most of the Bombyx proteases – including Bombyx cathepsin B (BmCatB) (BmCatLL-2), Bombyx cathepsin D (BmCatD), Bombyx cathepsin L like‐1 (BmCatLL-1) and –2(BmCatLL-2), Bombyx fibroinase (BmBcp), Bombyx matrix metalloprotease (BmMmp), Bombyx A disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 1 (BmAdamTS‐1), Bombyx A disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs like (BmAdamTS L) and Bombyx cysteine protease inhibitor (Bmbcpi)– were expressed highly in fat body during feeding and metamorphosis, with a peak occurring during the nonfeeding moulting or prepupal stage, as well as being responsive to 20‐hydroxyecdysone (20E). The aforementioned protease genes expression was upregulated by injection of 20E into the feeding larvae, while blocking 20E signalling transduction led to downregulation. Western blotting and immunofluorescent staining of BmCatB and BmBcp confirmed the coincident variation of their messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein level during the development and after the treatments. Moreover, BmCatB, BmBcp, BmMmp and BmAdamTS‐1 RNA interference all led to blockage of larval fat body destruction. Taken together, we conclude that 20E regulates larval fat body destruction by upregulating related protease gene expression and protein levels during larval–pupal transition.
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DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The enhancement of the functional properties of materials at reduced dimensions is crucial for continuous advancements in nanoelectronic applications. Here, we report that the scale reduction leads ...to the emergence of an important functional property, ferroelectricity, challenging the long-standing notion that ferroelectricity is inevitably suppressed at the scale of a few nanometers. A combination of theoretical calculations, electrical measurements, and structural analyses provides evidence of room-temperature ferroelectricity in strain-free epitaxial nanometer-thick films of otherwise nonferroelectric strontium titanate (SrTiO3). We show that electrically induced alignment of naturally existing polar nanoregions is responsible for the appearance of a stable net ferroelectric polarization in these films. This finding can be useful for the development of low-dimensional material systems with enhanced functional properties relevant to emerging nanoelectronic devices.
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BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are millisecond-duration radio transients of unknown physical origin observed at extragalactic distances
. It has long been speculated that magnetars are the engine powering ...repeating bursts from FRB sources
, but no convincing evidence has been collected so far
. Recently, the Galactic magnetar SRG 1935+2154 entered an active phase by emitting intense soft γ-ray bursts
. One FRB-like event with two peaks (FRB 200428) and a luminosity slightly lower than the faintest extragalactic FRBs was detected from the source, in association with a soft γ-ray/hard-X-ray flare
. Here we report an eight-hour targeted radio observational campaign comprising four sessions and assisted by multi-wavelength (optical and hard-X-ray) data. During the third session, 29 soft-γ-ray repeater (SGR) bursts were detected in γ-ray energies. Throughout the observing period, we detected no single dispersed pulsed emission coincident with the arrivals of SGR bursts, but unfortunately we were not observing when the FRB was detected. The non-detection places a fluence upper limit that is eight orders of magnitude lower than the fluence of FRB 200428. Our results suggest that FRB-SGR burst associations are rare. FRBs may be highly relativistic and geometrically beamed, or FRB-like events associated with SGR bursts may have narrow spectra and characteristic frequencies outside the observed band. It is also possible that the physical conditions required to achieve coherent radiation in SGR bursts are difficult to satisfy, and that only under extreme conditions could an FRB be associated with an SGR burst.
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FZAB, GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Occult peritoneal metastasis (PM) in advanced gastric cancer (AGC) patients is highly possible to be missed on computed tomography (CT) images. Patients with occult PMs are subject to late detection ...or even improper surgical treatment. We therefore aimed to develop a radiomic nomogram to preoperatively identify occult PMs in AGC patients.
A total of 554 AGC patients from 4 centers were divided into 1 training, 1 internal validation, and 2 external validation cohorts. All patients’ PM status was firstly diagnosed as negative by CT, but later confirmed by laparoscopy (PM-positive n = 122, PM-negative n = 432). Radiomic signatures reflecting phenotypes of the primary tumor (RS1) and peritoneum region (RS2) were built as predictors of PM from 266 quantitative image features. Individualized nomograms of PM status incorporating RS1, RS2, or clinical factors were developed and evaluated regarding prediction ability.
RS1, RS2, and Lauren type were significant predictors of occult PM (all P < 0.05). A nomogram of these three factors demonstrated better diagnostic accuracy than the model with RS1, RS2, or clinical factors alone (all net reclassification improvement P < 0.05). The area under curve yielded was 0.958 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.923–0.993, 0.941 (95% CI 0.904–0.977), 0.928 (95% CI 0.886–0.971), and 0.920 (95% CI 0.862–0.978) for the training, internal, and two external validation cohorts, respectively. Stratification analysis showed that this nomogram had potential generalization ability.
CT phenotypes of both primary tumor and nearby peritoneum are significantly associated with occult PM status. A nomogram of these CT phenotypes and Lauren type has an excellent prediction ability of occult PM, and may have significant clinical implications on early detection of occult PM for AGC.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
We report results on the searches of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) with sub-GeV masses (mχ) via WIMP-nucleus spin-independent scattering with Migdal effect incorporated. Analysis on ...time-integrated (TI) and annual modulation (AM) effects on CDEX-1B data are performed, with 737.1 kg day exposure and 160 eVee threshold for TI analysis, and 1107.5 kg day exposure and 250 eVee threshold for AM analysis. The sensitive windows in mχ are expanded by an order of magnitude to lower DM masses with Migdal effect incorporated. New limits on σχNSI at 90% confidence level are derived as 2×10−32∼7×10−35 cm2 for TI analysis at mχ∼50–180 MeV/c2, and 3×10−32∼9×10−38 cm2 for AM analysis at mχ∼75 MeV/c2–3.0 GeV/c2.
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CMK, CTK, FMFMET, IJS, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
An overview of Sun–Sky Radiometer Observation Network (SONET) measurements in China is presented. Based on observations at 16 distributed SONET sites in China, atmospheric aerosol parameters are ...acquired via standardization processes of operational measurement, maintenance, calibration, inversion, and quality control implemented since 2010. A climatology study is performed focusing on total columnar atmospheric aerosol characteristics, including optical (aerosol optical depth, ÅngstrÖm exponent, fine-mode fraction, single-scattering albedo), physical (volume particle size distribution), chemical composition (black carbon; brown carbon; fine-mode scattering component, coarse-mode component; and aerosol water), and radiative properties (aerosol radiative forcing and efficiency). Data analyses show that aerosol optical depth is low in the west but high in the east of China. Aerosol composition also shows significant spatial and temporal variations, leading to noticeable diversities in optical and physical property patterns. In west and north China, aerosols are generally affected by dust particles, while monsoon climate and human activities impose remarkable influences on aerosols in east and south China. Aerosols in China exhibit strong light-scattering capability and result in significant radiative cooling effects.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Summary
Background
Transient elastography is a non‐invasive method for staging liver fibrosis. The meta‐analysis using the hierarchical models to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of transient ...elastography for the staging of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B was rarely reported.
Aim
A meta‐analysis using the hierarchical models was performed to assess transient elastography for diagnosing and stage liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B.
Methods
Electronic databases were searched and studies were identified to assess the diagnostic accuracy of transient elastography in CHB patients for staging fibrosis F ≥ 2, F ≥ 3 and F = 4 with liver biopsy as a reference standard. The hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic curve and the bivariate models were performed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of transient elastography, and meta‐regression analyses were performed to explore the heterogeneity. The quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies‐2 tool was used to assess the quality of studies.
Results
Twenty‐seven studies with a total of 4386 patients were included in the meta‐analysis. The summary sensitivity of transient elastography for staging fibrosis F ≥ 2, F ≥ 3 and F = 4 was 0.806 (95% CI, 0.756–0.847), 0.819 (95% CI, 0.748–0.874) and 0.863 (95% CI, 0.818–0.898), respectively, and the summary specificity was 0.824 (95% CI, 0.761–0.873), 0.866 (95% CI, 0.824–0.899) and 0.875 (95% CI, 0.840–0.903), respectively. The corresponding area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.88 (95% CI, 0.85–0.91), 0.91 (95% CI, 0.88–0.93) and 0.93 (95% CI, 0.91–0.95), respectively. Meta‐regression showed that patient age contributed to heterogeneity.
Conclusions
Transient elastography performs well to diagnose liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B, which may reduce the use of liver biopsy.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
We report the first results of a light weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) search from the CDEX-10 experiment with a 10 kg germanium detector array immersed in liquid nitrogen at the China ...Jinping Underground Laboratory with a physics data size of 102.8 kg day. At an analysis threshold of 160 eVee, improved limits of 8×10^{-42} and 3×10^{-36} cm^{2} at a 90% confidence level on spin-independent and spin-dependent WIMP-nucleon cross sections, respectively, at a WIMP mass (m_{χ}) of 5 GeV/c^{2} are achieved. The lower reach of m_{χ} is extended to 2 GeV/c^{2}.
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CMK, CTK, FMFMET, IJS, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
Summary The May 2008 earthquake in Wenchuan drew attention to the important but largely unrecognised public-health problem of injury-related mortality and morbidity in China. Injuries account for ...more than 10% of all deaths and more than 30% of all potentially productive years of life lost due to premature mortality in China. Traffic-related injuries (mainly among cyclists and pedestrians), suicide, drowning, and falls account for 79% of all injury deaths. Rural injury death rates are double those of urban rates and male rates are double those of female rates. Despite an 81% increase in the traffic-related mortality from 1987 to 2006—associated with rapid motorisation—the overall injury mortality decreased by 17%, largely due to a surprising (and unexplained) 57% reduction in the suicide rate. Low-cost prevention measures that are most likely to produce large reductions in injury deaths include enforcement of laws for drinking and driving and for seat belt and helmet use, restriction of access to the most potent pesticides, and teaching children to swim. China needs to improve monitoring of fatal and non-fatal injuries, promote intersectoral collaboration, build institutional capacities, and, most importantly, mobilise community support and political will for investment in prevention.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
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