A Nationwide Nitrogen Deposition Monitoring Network (NNDMN) containing 43 monitoring sites was established in China to measure gaseous NH3, NO2, and HNO3 and particulate NH4+ and NO3− in air and/or ...precipitation from 2010 to 2014. Wet/bulk deposition fluxes of Nr species were collected by precipitation gauge method and measured by continuous-flow analyzer; dry deposition fluxes were estimated using airborne concentration measurements and inferential models. Our observations reveal large spatial variations of atmospheric Nr concentrations and dry and wet/bulk Nr deposition. On a national basis, the annual average concentrations (1.3–47.0 μg N m−3) and dry plus wet/bulk deposition fluxes (2.9–83.3 kg N ha−1 yr−1) of inorganic Nr species are ranked by land use as urban > rural > background sites and by regions as north China > southeast China > southwest China > northeast China > northwest China > Tibetan Plateau, reflecting the impact of anthropogenic Nr emission. Average dry and wet/bulk N deposition fluxes were 20.6 ± 11.2 (mean ± standard deviation) and 19.3 ± 9.2 kg N ha−1 yr−1 across China, with reduced N deposition dominating both dry and wet/bulk deposition. Our results suggest atmospheric dry N deposition is equally important to wet/bulk N deposition at the national scale. Therefore, both deposition forms should be included when considering the impacts of N deposition on environment and ecosystem health.
Growth performance, digestive and absorptive capacities and target of rapamycin (TOR), ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) and eIF4E‐binding protein (4E‐BP) gene expression in the hepatopancreas and ...intestine of juvenile grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) fed graded ratios of dietary alpha‐linolenic acid/linoleic acid (ALA/LNA) (0.01, 0.34, 0.68, 1.03, 1.41, 1.76 and 2.15) for 60 days were investigated. The results showed that ALA/LNA ratio of 1.03 significantly improved (i) per cent weight gain (PWG) and feed efficiency, (ii) hepatopancreatic trypsin, chymotrypsin, lipase, amylase and intestinal creatine kinase (CK) activities, (iii) hepatopancreatic trypsinogen‐2 and chymotrypsinogen mRNA levels. Meanwhile, fish fed with ALA/LNA ratio of 0.68 significantly enhanced, (iv) Na+/K+‐ATPase and γ‐glutamyl transpeptidase activities in whole intestine, and alkaline phosphatase activities in the proximal intestine (PI) and distal intestine, (v) amylase, intestinal Na+/K+‐ATPase alpha‐subunit isoform 1, Na+/K+‐ATPase alpha‐subunit isoform 8 and CK mRNA abundances, (vi) TOR and S6K1 gene expression in the hepatopancreas and intestine of juvenile grass carp. Based on the quadratic regression analysis of PWG, cholecystokinin and leptin contents in the PI, optimal dietary ALA/LNA ratio of juvenile grass carp (8.78–72.00 g) was estimated to be 1.08, 1.19 and 1.05, respectively.
Free vibration of non-uniform functionally graded beams is analyzed via the Timoshenko beam theory. Bending stiffness and distributed mass density are assumed to obey a unified exponential law. For ...various boundary conditions, exact frequency equations are derived in closed form. These frequency equations can reduce to those for classical Timoshenko beams if the gradient index disappears. Moreover, the frequency equations of exponentially graded Rayleigh, shear, and Euler–Bernoulli beams can be obtained as special cases of the present. The gradient index has a strong influence on the natural frequencies. For Timoshenko beams, there exist two critical frequencies depending on the gradient index. Harmonic vibration cannot be excited for frequencies less than the lower critical frequency. The obtained results can serve as a benchmark for examining the accuracy of numerical frequencies based on other approaches for analyzing transverse vibration of non-uniform axially graded Timoshenko beams. The results also apply to bending vibration of rectangular Timoshenko beams with constant thickness and exponentially decaying/amplifying width.
•Free vibration of functionally graded Timoshenko beams is analyzed.•Exact frequency equations of exponentially graded Timoshenko beams are obtained.•Effect of end constraints of functionally graded Timoshenko beams is examined.•Natural frequencies depend on the gradient index and admit jump property.•Natural frequencies for graded beams using Euler–Bernoulli, shear, Rayleigh, and Timoshenko theories are compared.
Ferroelectric materials have a spontaneous electric polarization that can be manipulated for applications. The polarization is usually not uniform throughout the material, and for nanosized ...ferroelectrics, polarization can be quite complex. Using scanning transmission electron microscopy, Tang et al. found that in thin films of the ferroelectric PbTiO3, the polarization vector rotated in space, forming a closed loop, the so-called flux closure. The flux closure structures formed an array, with the period dependent on the width of the thin film, and caused the buildup of considerable strain within the crystal lattice of the material Science, this issue p. 547 Nanoscale ferroelectrics are expected to exhibit various exotic domain configurations, such as the full flux-closure pattern that is well known in ferromagnetic materials. Here we observe not only the atomic morphology of the flux-closure quadrant but also a periodic array of flux closures in ferroelectric PbTiO3 films, mediated by tensile strain on a GdScO3 substrate. Using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, we directly visualize an alternating array of clockwise and counterclockwise flux closures, whose periodicity depends on the PbTiO3 film thickness. In the vicinity of the core, the strain is sufficient to rupture the lattice, with strain gradients up to 109 per meter. Engineering strain at the nanoscale may facilitate the development of nanoscale ferroelectric devices.
ZNF322A encoding a classical Cys2His2 zinc finger transcription factor was previously revealed as a potential oncogene in lung cancer patients. However, the oncogenic role of ZNF322A and its ...underlying mechanism in lung tumorigenesis remain elusive. Here we show ZNF322A protein overexpression in 123 Asian and 74 Caucasian lung cancer patients. Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that ZNF322A was an independent risk factor for a poor outcome in lung cancer, corroborating the Kaplan-Meier results that patients with ZNF322A protein overexpression had significantly poorer overall survival than other patients. Overexpression of ZNF322A promoted cell proliferation and soft agar growth by prolonging cell cycle in S phase in multiple lung cell lines, including the immortalized lung cell BEAS-2B. In addition, ZNF322A overexpression enhanced cell migration and invasion, whereas knockdown of ZNF322A reduced cell growth, invasion and metastasis abilities in vitro and in vivo. Quantitative proteomic analysis revealed potential ZNF322A-regulated downstream targets, including alpha-adducin (ADD1), cyclin D1 (CCND1), and p53. Using luciferase promoter activity assay combined with site-directed mutagenesis and sequential chromatin immunoprecipitation-PCR assay, we found that ZNF322A could form a complex with c-Jun and cooperatively activate ADD1 and CCND1 but repress p53 gene transcription by recruiting differential chromatin modifiers, such as histone deacetylase 3, in an AP-1 element dependent manner. Reconstitution experiments indicated that CCND1 and p53 were important to ZNF322A-mediated promotion of cell proliferation, whereas ADD1 was necessary for ZNF322A-mediated cell migration and invasion. Our results provide compelling evidence that ZNF322A overexpression transcriptionally dysregulates genes involved in cell growth and motility therefore contributes to lung tumorigenesis and poor prognosis.
Thioamides antithyroid‐drugs (ATDs) are important in hyperthyroid disease management. Identification of the susceptibility locus of ATD‐induced agranulocytosis is important for clinical management. ...We performed a genome‐wide association study (GWAS) involving 20 patients with ATD‐induced agranulocytosis and 775 healthy controls. The top finding was further replicated. A single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs185386680, showed the strongest association with ATD‐induced agranulocytosis in GWAS (odds ratio (OR) = 36.4; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 12.8–103.7; P = 1.3 × 10‐24) and replication (OR = 37; 95% CI = 3.7–367.4; P = 9.6 × 10‐7). HLA‐B*38:02:01 was in complete linkage disequilibrium with rs185386680. High‐resolution HLA typing confirmed that HLA‐B*38:02:01 was associated with carbimazole (CMZ)/methimazole (MMI)‐induced agranulocytosis (OR = 265.5; 95% CI = 27.9–2528.0; P = 2.5 × 10‐14), but not associated with propylthiouracil (PTU). The positive and negative predictive values of HLA‐B*38:02:01 in predicting CMZ/MMI‐induced agranulocytosis were 0.07 and 0.999. Approximately 211 cases need to be screened to prevent one case. Screening for the risk allele will be useful in preventing agranulocytosis in populations in which the frequency of the risk allele is high.
The traditional dielectric resonator filter (DRF) is costly due to the high profile, machining and positioning of individual dielectric blocks and supports, and the necessity of metallic enclosure. ...To tackle this problem, this article presents a novel dielectric patch resonator (DPR) filter shielded by the artificial magnetic conductor (AMC). The proposed resonator is realized by sandwiching a thin DPR between a bottom-grounded substrate and an AMC plate, where the AMC is realized by a mushroom-type electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) surface printed on a substrate. It is quasi-planar and therefore suitable for integration in multilayer circuits. Three resonator schemes utilizing different fundamental modes (TM01, TM11, and TE11) are presented. The resonant frequency, spurious free window, and quality factor of each scheme are investigated by parametric analysis. The merit of high-quality factor (around 900 to near 2500 at 19 GHz) can be found from the simulated results. Compared to the traditional dielectric resonator (DR), the proposed one features a lower cost as it allows multicoupled DPR to be manufactured as a monoblock and various coupling configurations (positive, negative, or mixed) to be printed on the shielding substrate. For demonstration, four bandpass filters (BPFs) are designed, fabricated, and measured. Good agreement can be observed between the simulated and measured results.
Free vibration of rotating tapered cantilever beams with rotary inertia is studied.The cross-sectional area and its moment of inertia vary along the length. The governing differential equation of ...vibration of rotating Rayleigh beams is derived using Hamilton's principle, and the integral equation method is proposed to determine the natural frequencies. For rotating non-uniform beams with power-law varying width and height, numerical results of the natural frequencies are obtained for different taper ratios, angular velocities and hub radii. The solutions are validated by comparison with the results in open literature. The effects of the rotary inertia, angular velocity, taper ratio and hub radius are analyzed and presented in tables and graphs. Resonance is also analyzed.
•Flapwise bending vibration of rotating tapered cantilever beams is studied.•Vibration of non-uniform beams with power-law varying width and height is analyzed.•Effects of rotary inertia and angular velocity on the natural frequencies are discussed.•The taper ratio and hub radius have a strong influence on the natural frequencies.•Resonance takes place for certain rotating velocity.
The effect of deposition rate on the microstructure of Ti thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering was investigated. The microstructure of Ti thin films was characterized by X-ray diffraction ...(XRD), scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The Ti thin films exhibit a composite structure of amorphous matrix embodied with nanocrystallines. The nanocrystallization is improved with the increase of deposition rate. XRD patterns show that the crystallographic orientation transits from random distribution to (002) preferred orientation, and this crystallographic growth texture is enhanced with increasing deposition rate. Three-dimensional hexagonal particles are formed at the deposition rate of 0.35nm/s, while flaky slices occur at the surface at larger deposition rate. Moreover, the growth process of Ti thin films controlled by the deposition rate is discussed.
•Deposition rate-controlled microstructure of Ti thin films was studied.•The microstructure is characterized by amorphous–nanocrystalline composite.•Crystallinity and texture are enhanced with increasing deposition rate.•A transition of growth mode from 3D islands to 2D flaky slices is observed.
Background
Enteric glia form a network in the intestinal mucosa and have been suggested to engage in multidirectional interactions with the epithelium, blood vessels, nerves, and immune system. ...However, due to the dispersed nature of the glial network, standard histology cannot provide a global view of the network architecture. We prepared transparent human colon mucosa for three‐dimensional (3‐D) confocal microscopy with S100B immunostaining to reveal the location‐dependent glial network for qualitative and quantitative analyses.
Methods
Full‐thickness human colons were acquired from colectomies performed for colorectal cancer. We targeted the mucosa away from the tumor site to characterize the glial network morphology. Optical clearing (use of immersion solution to reduce scattering) was applied to generate transparent specimens for deep‐tissue microscopy.
Key Results
Two features of the glial network were seen: (i) A dense glial population resides at the crypt base/mucosal boundary in contact with the lymphatic vessels, and (ii) from the base, the glial network elongates along the crypt axis with peri‐cryptic and peri‐vascular connections toward the opening. We quantified the mucosal glia as the S100B‐positive cells with at least two processes extending from the cell body. Examples of the global and in‐depth imaging of adenoma were given to illustrate the morphological correlation between the loss of glial fibers and the aberrant crypts.
Conclusions & Inferences
We have established a useful approach for 3‐D imaging, panoramic illustration, and quantitation of the enteric glia in the human colon mucosa to help characterize their roles with mucosal components in health and disease.
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