Here, the multibranch linear–linear basis function (MB‐LL) is applied to the Poggio–Miller–Chang–Harrington–Wu–Tsai equation for calculating the scattering problem of multi‐scale dielectric targets. ...The MB‐LL basis function replaces the positive and negative triangles of the traditional linear–linear basis function (LL) with multiple branches, so it can be used at the junction of the meshes of different size. By using the MB‐LL basis function, we can easily divide the calculation region into several non‐overlapping regions, which is very suitable for the simulation of multiscale targets. At the same time, the MB‐LL basis function inherits the properties of the LL basis function, which is more accurate than the multibranch Rao–Wilton–Glisson (MB‐RWG) basis function. Numerical examples demonstrate the advantages of the proposed method.
The novel multibranch linear–linear basis function (MB‐LL) is applied to the Poggio–Miller–Chang–Harrington–Wu–Tsai equation for calculating the scattering problem of multiscale dielectric targets for improving the accuracy.
How the plasma membrane senses external heat-stress signals to communicate with chloroplasts to orchestrate thermotolerance remains elusive. We identified a quantitative trait locus,
Thermo-tolerance ...3
(
TT3
), consisting of two genes,
TT3.1
and
TT3.2
, that interact together to enhance rice thermotolerance and reduce grain-yield losses caused by heat stress. Upon heat stress, plasma membrane–localized E3 ligase TT3.1 translocates to the endosomes, on which TT3.1 ubiquitinates chloroplast precursor protein TT3.2 for vacuolar degradation, implying that TT3.1 might serve as a potential thermosensor. Lesser accumulated, mature TT3.2 proteins in chloroplasts are essential for protecting thylakoids from heat stress. Our findings not only reveal a
TT3.1-TT3.2
genetic module at one locus that transduces heat signals from plasma membrane to chloroplasts but also provide the strategy for breeding highly thermotolerant crops.
Heat tolerance in rice
Too much heat can damage a plant’s chloroplasts, driving yield down when temperatures exceed a crop’s normal tolerance. Zhang
et al
. identified a locus with two genes that together enhance rice thermotolerance. The ubiquitin ligase activity of Thermo-tolerance 3.1 (TT3.1) drove degradation of TT3.2, a chloroplast precursor protein that can trigger chloroplast damage in the context of heat stress. Together, these protein products respond to heat and control the damage. —PJH
A tag team of protein degradation protects rice plants from excess heat.
Abstract
The two-dimensional topological insulators host a full gap in the bulk band, induced by spin–orbit coupling (SOC) effect, together with the topologically protected gapless edge states. ...However, it is usually challenging to suppress the bulk conductance and thus to realize the quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect. In this study, we find a mechanism to effectively suppress the bulk conductance. By using the quasiparticle interference technique with scanning tunneling spectroscopy, we demonstrate that the QSH candidate single-layer 1
T
’-WTe
2
has a semimetal bulk band structure with no full SOC-induced gap. Surprisingly, in this two-dimensional system, we find the electron–electron interactions open a Coulomb gap which is always pinned at the Fermi energy (
E
F
). The opening of the Coulomb gap can efficiently diminish the bulk state at the
E
F
and supports the observation of the quantized conduction of topological edge states.
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•A series of Tm3+ ion doped BaZrO3 blue phosphors were synthesized by traditional hydrothermal method.•The energy level splitting of 5D0→7F2 transition is related to the decrease of ...BaZrO3 symmetry.•Introduction of Tm3+ exerts a small effect on the morphology of fluorescent particles but can manipulate the size of the particles.
A series of Tm3+ ion doped BaZrO3 blue phosphors were synthesized by traditional hydrothermal method. The structure, morphology and luminescence properties of the synthesized materials were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fourier transform infrared spectrum (FT-IR), size distribution and fluorescence spectrometer, respectively. The results show that the final products existed in a pure phase and with increasing of Tm3+ concentration, the grain size, lattice constants and lattice strain showed a trend of increase. In addition, by changing the supersaturation of the precursor solution, the spherical particle size can be carefully adjusted. When the doping molar fraction of Tm3+ was 5.0%, thebluemovementoftheinfrared absorption peakwasthemost, which was consistent with the theoretical calculations. Finally, based on the unique “probe” characteristics of Eu3+, it was confirmed that leading cause of energy level splitting was the reduction of the local symmetry of the matrix environment and the luminescence decrease should be attributed to the concentration quenching and lattice distortion.
Background:
The long-term chondroprotective effect of meniscal allograft transplant (MAT) and its superiority over meniscectomy have rarely been reported.
Hypothesis:
MAT would reduce osteoarthritis ...(OA) progression when compared with the meniscus-deficient knee. Graft extrusion distance would strongly affect the chondroprotective effect of the MAT.
Study Design:
Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.
Methods:
A total of 17 knees receiving MAT were followed up as the MAT group. The MAT group was further divided into the nonextrusion subgroup (n = 9) and the extrusion subgroup (n = 8) according to 3-mm extrusion on the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) coronal section. A further 26 consecutive patients receiving meniscectomy in the same period were followed up as the ME group. The healthy control group consisted of healthy contralateral legs chosen from the MAT and ME groups (n = 27). Joint space width (JSW) narrowing was measured on radiographs. Three-dimensional MRI with a T2 mapping sequence was used to quantitatively analyze cartilage degeneration and meniscal allograft extrusion in 5 directions (0°, 45°, 90°, 135°, and 180°). The cartilage degeneration index (CDI) was calculated according to the size and degree of the chondral lesions on MRI scans. The correlation between the CDI increase and the extrusion distance was analyzed.
Results:
The mean follow-up time was 11.3 years (range, 10-14 years). The MAT group had moderate superiority in chondral protection with less JSW narrowing (0.58 ± 0.66 mm) and CDI increase (1132 ± 1589) compared with the ME group (JSW narrowing: 1.26 ± 1.13 mm, P = .025; CDI increase: 2182 ± 1958, P = .079). The JSW narrowing (0.71 ± 0.80 mm; P = .186) and CDI increase (2004 ± 1965; P = .830) of the extrusion subgroup were close to those of the ME group, demonstrating that a 3-mm extrusion led to complete loss of the meniscal chondroprotective effect. The nonextrusion group had significantly less JSW narrowing (0.48 ± 0.48 mm; P = .042) and CDI increase (358 ± 249; P = .011) than the ME group. The JSW narrowing of the healthy control group was 0.22 ± 0.27 mm. The cartilage T2 values of the extrusion subgroup were similar to those of the ME group, with more OA features, whereas the T2 values of the nonextrusion subgroup were closer to those of the healthy control group. The extrusion distance in the 90° direction (P = .002) and the follow-up time (P = .019) significantly affected the CDI increase in the multivariate regression model. The average extrusion distance in the 45°, 90°, and 135° directions better predicted chondroprotection compared with the other individual directions.
Conclusion:
MAT had moderate advantages in chondroprotection compared with meniscectomy in the long term. Graft extrusion distance strongly affected the chondroprotective effect of MAT. The chondroprotective effect of the nonextruded meniscal allograft was close to that of the native meniscus, whereas the allografts with an extrusion >3 mm completely lost their function after meniscectomy.
The aim is to explore the relation between inflammation‐associated factors and in‐hospital mortality and investigate which factor is an independent predictor of in‐hospital death in patients with ...coronavirus disease‐2019. This study included patients with coronavirus disease‐2019, who were hospitalized between February 9, 2020, and March 30, 2020. Univariate Cox regression analysis and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression (LASSO) were used to select variables. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was applied to identify independent risk factors in coronavirus disease‐2019. A total of 1135 patients were analyzed during the study period. A total of 35 variables were considered to be risk factors after the univariate regression analysis of the clinical characteristics and laboratory parameters (p < .05), and LASSO regression analysis screened out seven risk factors for further study. The six independent risk factors revealed by multivariate Cox regression were myoglobin (HR, 5.353; 95% CI, 2.633–10.882; p < .001), C‐reactive protein (HR, 2.063; 95% CI, 1.036–4.109; p = .039), neutrophil count (HR, 2.015; 95% CI, 1.154–3.518; p = .014), interleukin 6 (Il‐6; HR, 9.753; 95% CI, 2.952–32.218; p < .001), age (HR, 2.016; 95% CI, 1.077–3.773; p = .028), and international normalized ratio (HR, 2.595; 95% CI, 1.412–4.769; p = .002). Our results suggested that inflammation‐associated factors were significantly associated with in‐hospital mortality in coronavirus disease‐2019 patients. C‐reactive protein, neutrophil count, and interleukin 6 were independent factors for predicting in‐hospital mortality and had a better independent predictive ability. We believe these findings may allow early identification of the patients at high risk for death, and can also assist in better management of these patients.
Metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs)@g‐C3N4 heterojunctions are widely investigated as one of the most potential photocatalysts for N2 fixation owing to the visible absorption and effective photocatalytic ...properties. It is still a huge challenge to synthesize hollow spherical C3N4 coated with Nano‐MOF layers towards efficient visible photocatalytic activity on N2 fixation. In this work, the paramagnetic hollow spherical C3N4 (H‐C3N4) are coated with free radical MOF with sulfhydryl ligand (Nano‐SH‐MOF)Zn2(DSBDC) by self‐assemble method. The C8 M2 samples (the mass ratio of H‐C3N4 to Nano‐SH‐MOF is 8 : 2) exhibited an improved photocatalytic activity, which is almost 5.4 times higher than the pure H‐C3N4. The improved photocatalytic activity is also discussed in this work. It can be imagined that this work may be helpful for the hollow spherical C3N4 based heterojunction and MOF‐based heterojunction photocatalysts with effective photocatalytic nitrogen fixation.
Visible‐light photocatalytic nitrogen fixation: Hollow spherical C3N4 modified with a new free radical SH‐MOF Zn2(DSBDC) with sulfhydryl ligand are successfully synthesized by self‐assemble method. It was revealed that the H‐C3N4 could improve the utilization of visible light effectively and the composition of SH‐MOF can promote the separation of photogenerated carriers, resulting in an excellent photocatalytic performance.
A
bstract
Recently, a new set of positivity bounds with
t
derivatives have been discovered. We explore the generic features of these generalized positivity bounds with loop amplitudes and apply these ...bounds to constrain the parameters in chiral perturbation theory up to the next-to-next-to-leading order. We show that the generalized positivity bounds give rise to stronger constraints on the
l
¯
i
constants, compared to the existing axiomatic bounds. The parameter space of the
b
i
constants is constrained by the generalized positivity bounds to be a convex region that is enclosed for many sections of the total space. We also show that the improved version of these positivity bounds can further enhance the constraints on the parameters. The often used Padé unitarization method however does not improve the analyticity of the amplitudes in the chiral perturbation theory at low energies.
•The expression and clinical significance of B7-H4 are systematically reviewed.•The immunoregulatory and tumor-associated roles of B7-H4 are systematically reviewed.•The functional and regulatory ...mechanisms of B7-H4 are systematically reviewed.•The B7-H4-based immunotherapies are systematically reviewed.
The coinhibitory molecule B7-H4, an important member of the B7 family, is abnormally expressed in tumors, inflammation and autoimmune diseases. B7-H4 negatively regulates T cell immune response and promotes immune escape by inhibiting the proliferation, cytokine secretion, and cell cycle of T cells. Moreover, B7-H4 plays an extremely important role in tumorigenesis and tumor development including cell proliferation, invasion, metastasis, anti-apoptosis, etc. In addition, B7-H4 has the other biological functions, such as protection against type 1 diabetes (T1D) and islet cell transplantation. Therefore, B7-H4 has been identified as a novel marker or a therapeutic target for the treatment of tumors, inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and organ transplantation. Here, we summarized the expression profiles, physiological and pathological functions, and regulatory mechanisms of B7-H4, the signaling pathways involved, as well as B7-H4-based immunotherapy.
•The blood–brain barrier injury model was established by LPS stimulation.•Treatment of blood–brain barrier injury model with baicalin.•Baicalin can inhibit inflammation and activate the Nrf2 ...antioxidant pathway to protect the blood–brain barrier.
The integrity of the BBB is closely related to brain microvascular endothelial cells and TJs, and its dysfunction can lead to stroke, multiple sclerosis, extracranial injury and neurodegenerative diseases. Baicalin is one of the main bioactive extracts from Scutellaria Baicalensis Georgi, which has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidation pharmacological functions. Preventive protection with baicalin for seven consecutive days can significantly improve the appearance of cell apoptosis and Fluorescein sodium infiltration in the brain tissue of BALB/C mice. In addition, baicalin can inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines induced by LPS in mice and bEnd.3 cells, including IL-1β and TNF-α. At the same time, LPS caused a decrease in tight junction proteins in the blood–brain barrier, but baicalin can alleviate the damage of the blood–brain barrier by up-regulating Claudin-5 and ZO-1 protein expression. In addition, the results showed that baicalin reduced the production of ROS and MDA in bEnd.3 cells and promoted the production of SOD, and up-regulated the expression of Nrf2, HO-1 and NQO1. The mechanism of this change was mediated by activating the Nrf2 signaling pathway. All in all, Baicalin protected LPS-induced blood–brain barrier damage and activateed Nrf2-mediated antioxidant stress pathway.
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