This paper proposes a novel quantum image encryption algorithm based on a local substitution and global permutation scheme. First, a plaintext-related secret key is generated by using a hyperchaotic ...system; second, the plain image is scrambled employing a block-based general Arnold transform and permutation-based special linear transform; third, S-box substitution and special linear transform are iterated multiple times until certain conditions are achieved. A novel controlled alternated quantum walks scheme is also proposed to generate substitution boxes. Numerical simulation shows that the proposed encryption scheme can effectively a encrypt plain image to an incomprehensible noise image, and is capable of resisting a variety of attacks.
•The quantum circuit of Arnold transform with keys is designed to improve hardware application.•This paper proposes a new two-particles quantum walks scheme.•The quantum implementation of S-box substitution is given to improve the encryption efficiency.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
•IL-11 mRNA and protein expression was decreased in cerebral ischemia.•IL-11 treatment ameliorated reduced neurological scores and infarction volume after cerebral ischemia.•IL-11 reduced neuropathic ...damage after cerebral ischemia.•IL-11 reduced glial activation and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression after cerebral ischemia.•IL-11 treatment and/or AMPK inhibition ameliorated oxidative stress damage and apoptosis after cerebral ischemia.
Inflammation and immune responses are crucial factors associated with the onset and progression of stroke. Interleukin-11 (IL-11) is a hematopoietic IL-6 family cytokine that functions as an anti-inflammatory agent against various inflammatory diseases. However, its roles in stroke remain unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of IL-11 on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in a model of focal cerebral ischemia.
Mice were randomly divided into five groups the vehicle group, the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) group, the MCAO plus adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) inhibitor compound C group, the MCAO plus IL-11 treatment group, and the MCAO plus IL-11 treatment and compound C group. Focal cerebral ischemia was induced by occluding the left middle cerebral artery, and reperfusion was achieved by withdrawing the suture 2 h after ischemia. The protein expression levels of IL-11 were measured using Western blot analysis, and its location was detected using immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining. The infarct volume was examined using 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining, and the neurobehavioral progression was assessed using the neurological scoring system. The expression of astrocytes and microglia was detected using immunochemistry, and real-time quantitative PCR was used for the gene quantification of inflammatory cytokines. The extent of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury was tested using Nissl staining and the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. The expression of the apoptotic proteins Bax, Bcl-2 and cleaved caspase-3 were detected using Western blot analysis, and the oxidative stress was also measured.
The expression of IL-11 mRNA and protein significantly decreased after cerebral ischemia. Immunohistochemical staining showed a large amount of IL-11 in the cerebral cortex of the mice in the vehicle group, whereas the immunoreactivity of IL-11 remained weak for 24 h in the MCAO group. Immunofluorescent staining further confirmed that IL-11 was mainly expressed in the neurons. It was suggested that IL-11 (20 μg/kg) treatment ameliorated infarction and reduced neurological scores. In addition, IL-11 proved to reduce neuropathic damage, glial activation, and the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and increase the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines after cerebral ischemia. IL-11 was also able to alleviate oxidative stress caused by cerebral ischemia, and AMPK inhibition enhanced the alleviation. Moreover, IL-11 was found to inhibit apoptosis caused by cerebral ischemia, which could also be facilitated by AMPK inhibitors.
Our research suggests that IL-11 is decreased during cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury, but IL-11 treatment can improve neurological function and reduce the cerebral infarct volume, which can trigger stroke in mice. AMPK inhibition can further promote the protective effect of IL-11 in stroke. Overall, we demonstrate that IL-11 is of therapeutic interest in controlling stroke and managing cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Purpose
To develop a deep learning‐based method for knee menisci segmentation in 3D ultrashort echo time (UTE) cones MR imaging, and to automatically determine MR relaxation times, namely the T1, ...T1ρ, and T2∗ parameters, which can be used to assess knee osteoarthritis (OA).
Methods
Whole knee joint imaging was performed using 3D UTE cones sequences to collect data from 61 human subjects. Regions of interest (ROIs) were outlined by 2 experienced radiologists based on subtracted T1ρ‐weighted MR images. Transfer learning was applied to develop 2D attention U‐Net convolutional neural networks for the menisci segmentation based on each radiologist's ROIs separately. Dice scores were calculated to assess segmentation performance. Next, the T1, T1ρ, T2∗ relaxations, and ROI areas were determined for the manual and automatic segmentations, then compared.
Results
The models developed using ROIs provided by 2 radiologists achieved high Dice scores of 0.860 and 0.833, while the radiologists’ manual segmentations achieved a Dice score of 0.820. Linear correlation coefficients for the T1, T1ρ, and T2∗ relaxations calculated using the automatic and manual segmentations ranged between 0.90 and 0.97, and there were no associated differences between the estimated average meniscal relaxation parameters. The deep learning models achieved segmentation performance equivalent to the inter‐observer variability of 2 radiologists.
Conclusion
The proposed deep learning‐based approach can be used to efficiently generate automatic segmentations and determine meniscal relaxations times. The method has the potential to help radiologists with the assessment of meniscal diseases, such as OA.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Dendritic spine development is crucial for the establishment of excitatory synaptic connectivity and functional neural circuits. Alterations in spine morphology and density have been associated with ...multiple neurological disorders. Autism candidate gene disconnected-interacting protein homolog 2 A (DIP2A) is known to be involved in acetylated coenzyme A (Ac-CoA) synthesis and is primarily expressed in the brain regions with abundant pyramidal neurons. However, the role of DIP2A in the brain remains largely unknown. In this study, we found that deletion of Dip2a in mice induced defects in spine morphogenesis along with thin postsynaptic density (PSD), and reduced synaptic transmission of pyramidal neurons. We further identified that DIP2A interacted with cortactin, an activity-dependent spine remodeling protein. The binding activity of DIP2A-PXXP motifs (P, proline; X, any residue) with the cortactin-Src homology 3 (SH3) domain was critical for maintaining the level of acetylated cortactin. Furthermore, Dip2a knockout (KO) mice exhibited autism-like behaviors, including excessive repetitive behaviors and defects in social novelty. Importantly, acetylation mimetic cortactin restored the impaired synaptic transmission and ameliorated repetitive behaviors in these mice. Altogether, our findings establish an initial link between DIP2A gene variations in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and highlight the contribution of synaptic protein acetylation to synaptic processing.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The Majorana fermion, which is its own antiparticle and obeys non-Abelian statistics, plays a critical role in topological quantum computing. It can be realized as a bound state at zero energy, ...called a Majorana zero mode (MZM), in the vortex core of a topological superconductor, or at the ends of a nanowire when both superconductivity and strong spin orbital coupling are present. A MZM can be detected as a zero-bias conductance peak (ZBCP) in tunneling spectroscopy. However, in practice, clean and robust MZMs have not been realized in the vortices of a superconductor because of contamination from impurity states or other closely packed Caroli–de Gennes-Matricon (CdGM) states, which hampers further manipulations of MZMs. Here, using scanning tunneling spectroscopy, we show that a ZBCP well separated from the other discrete CdGM states exists ubiquitously in the cores of free vortices in the defect-free regions of(Li0.84Fe0.16)OHFeSe, which has a superconducting transition temperature of 42 K. Moreover, a Dirac-cone-type surface state is observed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, and its topological nature is confirmed by band calculations. The observed ZBCP can naturally be attributed to a MZM arising from the chiral topological surface state of a bulk superconductor. Thus,(Li0.84Fe0.16)OHFeSeprovides an ideal platform for studying MZMs and topological quantum computing.
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CMK, CTK, FMFMET, IJS, NUK, PNG, UL, UM, UPUK
The pursuit of single‐assembled molecular cage reactors for complex tandem reactions is a long‐standing target in biomimetic catalysis but still a grand challenge. Herein, nanozyme‐like organic cages ...are reported by engineering air‐stable radicals into the skeleton upon photoinduced electron transfer. The generation of radicals is accompanied by single‐crystal structural transformation and exhibits superior stability over six months in air. Impressively, the radicals throughout the cage skeleton can mimic the peroxidase of natural enzymes to decompose H2O2 into OH· and facilitate oxidation reactions. Furthermore, an integrated catalyst by encapsulating Au clusters (glucose oxidase mimics) into the cage has been developed, in which the dual active sites (Au cluster and radical) are spatially isolated and can work as cascade nanozymes to prominently promote the enzyme‐like tandem reaction via a substrate channeling effect.
A tandem reaction with an enhanced rate is achieved by an air‐stable radical cage reactor, in which the dual active sites (radicals as peroxidase mimics; Au clusters as glucose oxidase mimics) are spatially isolated without mutually quenching each other, and can thus serve as cascade nanozymes to accelerate the reaction via a substrate channeling effect.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Current approaches to treating inflammatory bowel disease focus on the suppression of overactive immune responses, the removal of reactive intestinal oxygen species, and regulation of the intestinal ...flora. However, owing to the complex structure of the gastrointestinal tract and the influence of mucus, current small-molecule and biologic-based drugs for treating colitis cannot effectively act at the site of colon inflammation, and as a result, they tend to exhibit low efficacies and toxic side effects. In this study, nanogel-based multistage NO delivery microcapsules are developed to achieve NO release at the inflammation site by targeting the inflammatory tissues using the nanogel. Surprisingly, oral administration of the microcapsules suppresses the growth of pathogenic bacteria and increases the abundance of probiotic bacteria. Metabolomics further show that an increased abundance of intestinal probiotics promotes the production of metabolites, including short-chain fatty acids and indole derivatives, which modulate the intestinal immunity and restore the intestinal barrier via the interleukin-17 and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways. This work reveals that the developed gas therapy strategy based on multistage NO delivery microcapsules modulates the intestinal microbial balance, thereby reducing inflammation and promoting intestinal barrier repair, ultimately providing a new therapeutic approach for the clinical management of colitis.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
In this study, 2-benzyl-10a-(1
-pyrrol-2-yl)-2,3-dihydropyrazino1,2-
indole-1,4,10(10a
)-trione (DHPITO), a previously identified inhibitor against hepatocellular carcinoma cells, is shown to exert ...its cytotoxic effects by suppressing the proliferation and growth of CRC cells. An investigation of its molecular mechanism confirmed that the cytotoxic activity of DHPITO is mediated through the targeting of microtubules with the promotion of subsequent microtubule polymerisation. With its microtubule-stabilising ability, DHPITO also consistently arrested the cell cycle of the CRC cells at the G2/M phase by promoting the phosphorylation of histone 3 and the accumulation of EB1 at the cell equator, reduced the levels of CRC cell migration and invasion, and induced cellular apoptosis. Furthermore, the compound could suppress both tumour size and tumour weight in a CRC xenograft model without any obvious side effects. Taken together, the findings of the present study reveal the antiproliferative and antitumour mechanisms through which DHPITO exerts its activity, indicating its potential as a putative chemotherapeutic agent and lead compound with a novel structure.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
•The solidification performance of four solidifying agents in fly ash were compared.•Their leachability were analyzed in accordance with different extraction procedures.•Solidifying agents with ...multiply hydrosulfide groups show excellent performance.•The leaching content of Cd, Ni, Pb and Zn is higher than the thresholds in China.•The excessive acetic acid makes its binding capacity stronger in HJ/T 300-2007.
Investigated in this paper were the content, specification distribution, and risk assessment code (RAC) determination of six targeted heavy metals and potentially toxic metals in fly ashes from a municipal solid waste incinerator in China. Contained in it is a comparison of the solidification/stabilization performance of two novel solidifying agents of sixthio guanidine acid (SGA) and tetrathio bicarbamic acid (TBA) with sodium dimethyldithiocarbamate (SDD) and Na2S, and analysis of their leachability in accordance with TCLP 1311 of the US EPA and the extraction procedures of China (HJ/T 299-2007 and HJ/T300-2007). The total concentration of Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb, Cr, Cd is 37383.47, 3080.77, 1583.92, 1356.43, 566.15, and 77.83mg/kg, respectively. Cr (3.7%) and Pb (7.50%) pose low risk; and Ni (12.93%) and Zn (15.45%) have a medium risk; while Cu (69.84%) and Cd (82.5%) have a very high risk according to their RAC score. Compared with SDD and Na2S, SGA and TBA show an excellent overall solidifying performance due to their multiply hydrosulfide groups that bind with heavy metals very efficiently. The obtained results indicate that the leaching content of Cd, Ni, Pb and Zn is higher than the thresholds prescribed in GB5085.3-2007, and the excessive acetic acid makes its binding capacity stronger in HJ/T 300-2007 than in TCLP 1311.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
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