There is increasing recognition of the role the microbiome plays in states of health and disease. Microbiome studies in systemic autoimmune diseases demonstrate unique microbial patterns in ...Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus to a lesser extent, whereas there is no single bug or pattern that characterizes Multiple Sclerosis. Autoimmune diseases tend to share a predisposition for vitamin D deficiency, which alters the microbiome and integrity of the gut epithelial barrier. In this review, we summarize the influence of intestinal bacteria on the immune system, explore the microbial patterns that have emerged from studies on autoimmune diseases, and discuss how vitamin D deficiency may contribute to autoimmunity via its effects on the intestinal barrier function, microbiome composition, and/or direct effects on immune responses.
MgB 2 in bulk form shows great promise as an inexpensive, lightweight alternative to bulk (RE)-Ba-Cu-O materials to act as trapped field magnets (TFMs), which can replace permanent magnets in ...applications such as desktop high-field magnet systems and rotating machines. In this paper, we investigate the thickness dependence of the trapped magnetic field in bulk MgB 2 superconductors. Two bulk MgB 2 samples, 20 mm in diameter and 10 mm in thickness, were fabricated using the powder-in-closed-tube (PICT) technique. The trapped field was then measured after field-cooled magnetisation for thicknesses of approximately 20 mm (both bulks stacked), 10 mm (single bulk), and then 7.5, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.5 and 1 mm, for which the sample was machined down to the designated thickness using an automated-wet-polishing technique. A 2D axisymmetric finite-element model based on the H -formulation is used to simulate the experimental results and explain the observed thickness dependence of the trapped field. The numerical results assume a J c ( B ) dependence based on the measured characteristics of small specimens taken from the bulk before and after machining. The J c ( B ) measurements suggested a degradation of J c occurred as the bulk was machined thinner and thinner: a decrease in J c (0 T) of ∼35% was observed between the pre- and post-machining specimens. Taking this into account in the models, by assuming a linear reduction in J c with each machining process, reproduced the experimental results with very good agreement. Consistent trapped field measurements on the top and bottom surfaces suggest this degradation occurred globally, rather than local to the machined surface.
Baroclinic Blocking Martineau, P.; Nakamura, H.; Yamamoto, A. ...
Geophysical research letters,
16 August 2022, Letnik:
49, Številka:
15
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Atmospheric blocking events, which cause abnormal weather conditions, have been studied from a viewpoint of quasi‐stationary barotropic circulation systems because of their apparent lack of vertical ...tilt. However, this work demonstrates that blocking events often have such structure that anomalies in geopotential height and temperature are horizontally out‐of‐phase, allowing blocking anomalies to produce fluxes of heat against the climatological‐mean gradients for amplifying and maintaining blocking‐related temperature anomalies. This process, which represents the baroclinic conversion of energy from the climatological‐mean flow to the blocking‐related anomalies, is shown to be one of the leading energy sources through an analysis of blocking energetics. In winter, the contribution of the baroclinic energy conversion, especially for North Pacific and Greenland blocks, is substantially larger than the contributions from barotropic energy conversion and feedback forcing by high‐frequency eddies. In summer, the baroclinic energy conversion and feedback from high‐frequency eddies are more comparable in magnitude.
Plain Language Summary
Blocking events feature persistent midlatitude atmospheric circulation anomalies that block the prevailing westerly winds, causing extreme weather events. On weather charts, the associated anticyclonic (clockwise if seen from above in the Northern Hemisphere) circulation at the surface and aloft appear vertically aligned over maritime regions. This vertical structure is typically considered to be suited for exchanges of kinetic energy. However, our detailed analysis of the structure of blocking events and associated energy exchanges reveals that their subtle vertical tilts allow efficient extraction of available potential energy from the background atmospheric flow via heat fluxes directed against the climatological temperature gradient. Depending on the location, this energy source is comparable to or even greater than the forcing by migratory cyclones and anticyclones that has been proposed as the main maintenance mechanism of blocking. Our results suggest that the frequency and amplitude of blocking events may be sensitive to future changes in horizontal temperature gradients.
Key Points
Temperature and geopotential height anomalies in blocking events are slightly out‐of‐phase, resulting in net horizontal fluxes of heat
The resultant baroclinic energy conversion is one of the leading energy sources of blocking‐related subseasonal circulation anomalies
This conversion can be up to three times larger than barotropic energy conversion and the feedback forcing from high‐frequency eddies
Temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJOA) is a degenerative disease characterized by progressive cartilage degeneration, abnormal bone remodeling, and chronic pain. In this study, we aimed to ...investigate effective therapies to reverse or suppress TMJOA progression.
To this end, we performed intravenous administration of serum free conditioned media from human exfoliated deciduous teeth stem cells (SHED-CM) into a mechanical-stress induced murine TMJOA model.
SHED-CM administration markedly suppressed temporal muscle inflammation, and improved bone integrity and surface smoothness of the destroyed condylar cartilage. Moreover, SHED-CM treatment decreased the number of IL-1β, iNOS, and MMP-13 expressing chondrocytes, whereas it specifically increased PCNA-positive cells in the multipotent polymorphic cell layer. Notably, the numbers of TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)-positive apoptotic chondrocytes in the SHED-CM treated condyles were significantly lower than in those treated with DMEM, whereas the proteoglycan positive area was restored to a level similar to that of the sham treated group, demonstrating that SHED-CM treatment regenerated the mechanical-stress injured condylar cartilage and subchondral bone. Secretome analysis revealed that SHED-CM contained multiple therapeutic factors that act in osteochondral regeneration.
Our data demonstrated that SHED-CM treatment promoted the regeneration and repair of mechanical-stress induced mouse TMJOA. Our observations suggest that SHED-CM has potential to be a potent tissue-regenerating therapeutic agent for patients with severe TMJOA.
Utilization of plant genetic resources (PGR) is a prerequisite for benefit-sharing. However, scientists cannot fully utilize PGR because access to their PGR has been governed by Material Transfer ...Agreement (MTA) on Mutually Agreed Terms (MAT). For example, plant breeders face difficulties when they hybridize PGR accessed under CBD/Nagoya Protocol (CBD/NP) with PGR received from the Multilateral System (MLS) under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA). The difficulties of plant breeders could be overcome through developing a Breeding Model combining bilateral and multilateral approaches, with particular focus on transaction of PGR from in situ to ex situ. The bilateral element in the Breeding Model is expected to be acceptable by providing countries since the benefit will be shared back to them. It will also make the MLS more attractive to users since it will introduce new PGR from in situ.
This work reports the process of sensor development, optimization, and characterization before the transition to on-body measurements can be made. Sensors using lactate oxidase as a sensing mechanism ...and tetrathiafulvalene as a mediator were optimized for sporting applications. Optimized sensors show linear range up to 24 mM lactate and sensitivity of 4.8 μA/mM which normalizes to 68 μA*cm
/mM when accounting for surface area of the sensor. The optimized sensors were characterized 3 different ways: using commercially available reference and counter electrodes, using printed reference and counter electrodes, and using a printed reference electrode with no counter electrode. Sensors intended for measuring sweat must be selective in the presence of sweat constituents. Thus, in addition to traditional characterization in pH 7.0 buffer, we characterized sensor performance in solutions intended to approximate sweat. Sensor performance in pH 7.0 buffer solution was not reflective of sensor performance in artificial sweat, indicating that further characterization is necessary between sensor measurement in pH 7.0 buffer and on-body measurements. Furthermore, we performed enzyme activity measurements and sensor measurements concurrently in five different salts individually, finding that while NH
Cl and MgCl
do not affect enzyme activity or sensor performance in physiologically relevant ranges of salt concentration, NaCl concentration or KCl concentration decreases enzyme activity and sensor current. On the other hand, CaCl
induced a nonlinear change in sensor performance and enzyme activity with increasing salt concentration.
Abstract
The pseudogap phenomenon in the cuprates is arguably the most mysterious puzzle in the field of high-temperature superconductivity. The tetragonal cuprate HgBa
2
CuO
4+
δ
, with only one CuO
...2
layer per primitive cell, is an ideal system to tackle this puzzle. Here, we measure the magnetic susceptibility anisotropy within the CuO
2
plane with exceptionally high-precision magnetic torque experiments. Our key finding is that a distinct two-fold in-plane anisotropy sets in below the pseudogap temperature
T
*
, which provides thermodynamic evidence for a nematic phase transition with broken four-fold symmetry. Surprisingly, the nematic director orients along the diagonal direction of the CuO
2
square lattice, in sharp contrast to the bond nematicity along the Cu-O-Cu direction. Another remarkable feature is that the enhancement of the diagonal nematicity with decreasing temperature is suppressed around the temperature at which short-range charge-density-wave formation occurs. Our result suggests a competing relationship between diagonal nematic and charge-density-wave order in HgBa
2
CuO
4+
δ
.
The interfacing of soft and hard electronics is a key challenge for flexible hybrid electronics. Currently, a multisubstrate approach is employed, where soft and hard devices are fabricated or ...assembled on separate substrates, and bonded or interfaced using connectors; this hinders the flexibility of the device and is prone to interconnect issues. Here, a single substrate interfacing approach is reported, where soft devices, i.e., sensors, are directly printed on Kapton polyimide substrates that are widely used for fabricating flexible printed circuit boards (FPCBs). Utilizing a process flow compatible with the FPCB assembly process, a wearable sensor patch is fabricated composed of inkjet‐printed gold electrocardiography (ECG) electrodes and a stencil‐printed nickel oxide thermistor. The ECG electrodes provide 1 mVp–p ECG signal at 4.7 cm electrode spacing and the thermistor is highly sensitive at normal body temperatures, and demonstrates temperature coefficient, α ≈ –5.84% K–1 and material constant, β ≈ 4330 K. This sensor platform can be extended to a more sophisticated multisensor platform where sensors fabricated using solution processable functional inks can be interfaced to hard electronics for health and performance monitoring, as well as internet of things applications.
A wearable sensor patch is fabricated by directly interfacing inkjet‐printed gold electrocardiography electrodes and a stencil‐printed nickel oxide thermistor to silicon integrated circuits. This direct printing technique, which is fully compatible with flexible printed circuit board assembly process, is promising for health and performance monitoring, as well as internet of things applications.
A prototype MgB 2 bulk with a diameter of 20 mm and a thickness of 2 mm was synthesized using the MVT (Magnesium Vapor Transport) method, which can realize dense and high-purity MgB 2 bulks by ...transporting and diffusing pure magnesium vapor into boron pellets. Owing to its superior J c - B characteristic, the obtained bulk by the MVT method exhibited, compared to similar bulks synthesized by the conventional in-situ method, a comparable trapped magnetic field at only one-tenth the thickness. Using the measured J c ( B ) data, the influence of the geometry and the size of the bulk synthesized by the MVT method on the trapped magnetic field was investigated by numerical simulation. The simulation results suggest that a bulk fabricated by the MVT method can efficiently achieve a large trapped magnetic field with a thinner thickness for a fixed diameter than a bulk fabricated by the in-situ method.
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