Kcnq1 overlapping transcript 1 (kcnq1ot1), an imprinted antisense lncRNA in the kcnq1 locus, acts as a potential contributor to cardiovascular disease, but its role in atherosclerosis remains ...unknown. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of kcnq1ot1 on atherogenesis and the underlying mechanism. Our results showed that kcnq1ot1 expression was significantly increased in mouse aorta with atherosclerosis and lipid-loaded macrophages. Lentivirus-mediated kcnq1ot1 overexpression markedly increased atherosclerotic plaque area and decreased plasma HDL-C levels and RCT efficiency in apoE
mice fed a Western diet. Upregulation of kcnq1ot1 also reduced the expression of miR-452-3p and ABCA1 but increased HDAC3 levels in mouse aorta and THP-1 macrophages. Accordingly, kcnq1ot1 overexpression inhibited cholesterol efflux and promoted lipid accumulation in THP-1 macrophages. In contrast, kcnq1ot1 knockdown protected against atherosclerosis in apoE
mice and suppressed lipid accumulation in THP-1 macrophages. Mechanistically, kcnq1ot1 enhanced HDAC3 expression by competitively binding to miR-452-3p, thereby inhibiting ABCA1 expression and subsequent cholesterol efflux. Taken together, these findings suggest that kcnq1ot1 promotes macrophage lipid accumulation and accelerates the development of atherosclerosis through the miR-452-3p/HDAC3/ABCA1 pathway.
Inferences of population genetic structure are of great importance to the fields of ecology and evolutionary biology. The program structure has been widely used to infer population genetic structure. ...However, previous studies demonstrated that uneven sampling often leads to wrong inferences on hierarchical structure. The most widely used ΔK method tends to identify the uppermost hierarchy of population structure. Recently, four alternative statistics (medmedk, medmeak, maxmedk and maxmeak) were proposed, which appear to be more accurate than the previously used methods for both even and uneven sampling data. However, the lack of easy‐to‐use software limits the use of these appealing new estimators. Here, we developed a web‐based user‐friendly software structureselector to calculate the four appealing alternative statistics together with the commonly used Ln Pr(X|K) and ΔK statistics. structureselector accepts the result files of structure, admixture or faststructure as input files. It reports the “best” K for each estimator, and the results are available as HTML or tab separated tables. The program can also generate graphical representations for specific K, which can be easily downloaded from the server. The software is freely available at http://lmme.qdio.ac.cn/StructureSelector/.
Surface plasmon resonance microscopy (SPRM) is a versatile platform for chemical and biological sensing and imaging. Great progress in exploring its applications, ranging from single‐molecule sensing ...to single‐cell imaging, has been made. In this Minireview, we introduce the principles and instrumentation of SPRM. We also summarize the broad and exciting applications of SPRM to the analysis of single entities. Finally, we discuss the challenges and limitations associated with SPRM and potential solutions.
Surface plasmon resonance microscopy has emerged as a versatile platform for single‐molecule sensing and single‐cell imaging with high spatiotemporal resolution. This Minireview highlights the recent advances in the SPRM‐based analysis of single entities. Future challenges and their limitations as well as potential research directions are discussed.
In this paper a load dispatch model for the system consisting of both thermal generators and wind turbines is developed. The stochastic wind power is included in the model as a constraint. It is ...shown that, under certain conditions, the presented model has a set of closed-form solutions. The availability of closed-form solutions is helpful to gain more fundamental insights, such as the impact of a particular parameter on the optimal solution. Moreover, the feasible ranges of optimal solutions are given in the case that the output power of thermal turbines is restricted. Furthermore, the probability distribution and the average of solutions are derived. This is called the wait-and-see approach in the discipline of stochastic programming. The present work shows that the effects of random wind speed on the generated power can be readily assessed.
The performance of free-space optics (FSO) communication systems are affected by building sway and atmospheric interference. These adverse effects can be mitigated by appropriately adjusting the ...system parameters. In this paper, two optimization models are established and solved. The desirable transmitter power, transmitter wavelength, transmitter telescope gain, and receiver telescope gain can be determined accordingly. The solution feasibility relies on using the quantum cascade laser (QCL) in transmitters. Details of the numerical experiments are also reported.
A simple and efficient protocol to generate amidyl radicals from amine functionalities through a manganese‐mediated atom‐transfer reaction has been developed. This approach employs an earth‐abundant ...and inexpensive manganese complex, Mn2(CO)10, as the catalyst and visible light as the energy input. Using this strategy, site‐selective chlorination of unactivated C(sp3)−H bonds of aliphatic amines and intramolecular/intermolecular chloroaminations of unactivated alkenes were readily realized under mild reaction conditions, thus providing efficient access to a range of synthetically valuable alkyl chlorides, chlorinated pyrrolidines, and vicinal chloroamine derivatives. These practical reactions exhibit a broad substrate scope and tolerate a wide array of functional groups, and complex molecules including various marketed drug derivatives.
Out of the blue: A visible‐light‐driven manganese‐mediated procedure for the generation of amidyl radicals from amines is described. This novel strategy enables site‐selective chlorination of unactivated C(sp3)−H bonds of aliphatic amines and intra/intermolecular chloroaminations of unactivated alkenes. These reactions feature a broad substrate scope, good functional‐group tolerance, and scalability.
The information-theoretic secrecy of correlated log-normal fading channels is investigated. A closed-form expression is derived for the asymptotic outage probability of secrecy capacity in the high ...SNR regime. It is revealed that the increased correlation may reduce the outage probability under certain condition.
In this paper we develop a load dispatch model to minimize the emission due to oxides of nitrogen (NOx). This model takes into account both thermal generators and wind turbines. We derive a ...closed-form in terms of the incomplete gamma function (IGF) to characterize the impact of wind power. Accordingly, the effects of wind power on emission control are investigated. The model is implemented in a computer program and a set of numerical experiments for a standard test system is reported.
Unstable electrode/solid‐state electrolyte interfaces and internal lithium dendrite penetration hamper the applications of solid‐state lithium‐metal batteries (SSLMBs), and the underlying mechanisms ...are not well understood. Herein, in situ optical microscopy provides insights into the lithium plating/stripping processes in a gel polymer electrolyte and reveals its dynamic evolution. Spherical lithium deposits evolve into moss‐like and branch‐shaped lithium dendrites with increasing current densities. Remarkably, the on‐site‐formed solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) shell on the lithium dendrite is distinctly captured after lithium stripping. Inducing an on‐site‐formed SEI shell with an enhanced modulus to wrap the lithium precipitation densely and uniformly can regulate dendrite‐free behaviors. An in‐depth understanding of lithium dendrite evolution and its functional SEI shell will aid in the optimization of SSLMBs.
In situ optical microscopy combined with atomic force microscopy studies show that the on‐site‐formed solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) shells on deposited lithium can be distinctly captured in gel polymer electrolyte based, quasi‐solid‐state lithium‐metal batteries (SSLMBs). Direct visualization of interfacial evolution of the Li dendrites and their SEI shells provides deep insights into the surface degradation and optimization in SSLMBs.
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