Given the success of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission in mapping terrestrial water storage (TWS) since 2002, recent reconstructions of long‐term TWS rely on the use of ...statistical machine learning to apply GRACE‐derived information to past decades. Evaluating the interannual accuracy during nonobservational periods is a key challenge. This study develops a comprehensive framework to discuss the interannual accuracy of three different TWS reconstructions during 1981–2019, including (a) global‐scale accuracy assessment using GRACE and satellite laser ranging data; (b) regional‐scale accuracy testing across various underlying surfaces (i.e., rivers, lakes, and glaciers); and (c) investigation of relevant evidence from other Earth subsystems (i.e., historic climate events, sea level budget, and polar motion). Among the three reconstructions, the one that additionally corrects glacial TWS changes (REC2) detects a breaking point in the 1990s and further closes the interannual sea level budget with an absolute difference reduction to 5.13 mm; the reconstruction that is forced by local meteorological conditions (REC1), accounting for 54% of the GRACE‐derived signal energy, underestimates glacial TWS variability but outperforms the other reconstructions in reproducing lake levels, basin‐scale water balances, and climate events at the interannual scale, while the others consider 95%–99% of the GRACE‐derived signal energy. The relatively high accuracy of REC1 (and REC2) in reflecting interannual changes in nonglacial (and glacial) regions is further confirmed by explaining the χ2‐ (and χ1‐) component polar motion. Ten to 20% of the interannual polar motion remains unexplained, indicating room for improvement in interannual TWS reconstruction.
Key Points
We investigate multisource evidence among Earth subsystems to develop a comprehensive evaluation framework for terrestrial water storage (TWS) reconstructions
There are some drawbacks at the interannual scale when using statistical machine learning to generate Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment‐like TWS reconstructions
Polar motion evaluates TWS reconstructions from multiple perspectives and reinforces the reliability of results using other metrics
3D printed navigational templates have facilitated the accurate treatment of orthopaedic patients. However, during practical operation, it is found that the location hole occasionally deviates from ...the ideal channel. As such, there will be a security risk in clinical applications. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of chemical-based sterilisation methods on the dimensional accuracy of different materials and the influence of module parameters on the degree of deformation. We found that polylactic (PLA) modules sterilised with ethylene oxide (EO) would undergo micro-deformation, and these micro-deformation characteristics depend on the building direction, i.e., the module stretches in the Z direction and shrinks in the X and Y directions. Heat-resisting polylactide (HR-PLA) has the same melting temperature (T
) as PLA, but its glass transition temperature (T
) is greater than the EO sterilisation temperature, so there is no obvious deformation after EO sterilisation. The layer height of the module were inversely proportional to the degree of deformation in the same sterilisation method. The deformation time of the module is concentrated within 2 h after heating. The micro-deformation of the 3D printing module depends on its T
, sterilisation temperature, and duration of the sterilisation cycle.
Retinal neovascularization (RNV) is a leading cause of blindness worldwide. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) and competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory networks play vital roles in angiogenesis. The ...RNA-binding protein galectin-1 (Gal-1) participates in pathological RNV in oxygen-induced retinopathy mouse models. However, the molecular associations between Gal-1 and lncRNAs remain unclear. Herein, we aimed to explore the potential mechanism of action of Gal-1 as an RNA-binding protein.
A comprehensive network of Gal-1, ceRNAs, and neovascularization-related genes was constructed based on transcriptome chip data and bioinformatics analysis of human retinal microvascular endothelial cells (HRMECs). We also conducted functional enrichment and pathway enrichment analyses. Fourteen lncRNAs, twenty-nine miRNAs, and eleven differentially expressed angiogenic genes were included in the Gal-1/ceRNA network. Additionally, the expression of six lncRNAs and eleven differentially expressed angiogenic genes were validated by qPCR in HRMECs with or without siLGALS1. Several hub genes, such as NRIR, ZFPM2-AS1, LINC0121, apelin, claudin-5, and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10, were found to potentially interact with Gal-1 via the ceRNA axis. Furthermore, Gal-1 may be involved in regulating biological processes related to chemotaxis, chemokine-mediated signaling, the immune response, and the inflammatory response.
The Gal-1/ceRNA axis identified in this study may play a vital role in RNV. This study provides a foundation for the continued exploration of therapeutic targets and biomarkers associated with RNV.
With the rise of global warming, people have turned to electricity as a means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have emerged as a popular energy conservation ...solution. However, as the use of LIBs increases, the recycling industry is facing significant wastemanagement challenges. The decreasing content of precious metals in LIBs has led to a decline in recycling income. This article explores the application of LIBs in new energy vehicles, and evaluates the challenges faced by the recycling industry and provides suggestions for overcoming them. Currently, lithium iron phosphate, lithium nickel cobalt manganese and lithium nickel cobalt aluminum batteries have been used in new energy vehicle power batteries. The main recycle methods include direct recycling, hydrometallurgy, and pyrometallurgy. The article then suggests that improved recycling lines that use artificial intelligence and renew manufacturing standards may be beneficial solutions. By addressing these challenges, the problems associated with LIB recycling may be transformed into opportunities for the future.
(1) Background: There are no successive treatments for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) because of complex interactions between environmental, histological, and genetic risk ...factors. The objective of the study is to investigate changes in cardiomyocytes and molecular networks associated with HFpEF. (2) Methods: Dahl salt-sensitive (DSS) rats developed HFpEF when fed with a high-salt (HS) diet for 7 weeks, which was confirmed by in vivo and ex vivo measurements. Shotgun proteomics, microarray, Western blot, and quantitative RT-PCR analyses were further carried out to investigate cellular and molecular mechanisms. (3) Results: Rats with HFpEF showed diastolic dysfunction, impaired systolic function, and prolonged repolarization of myocytes, owing to an increase in cell size and apoptosis of myocytes. Heatmap of multi-omics further showed significant differences between rats with HFpEF and controls. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) of multi-omics revealed genetic risk factors involved in cardiac muscle contraction, proteasome, B cell receptor signaling, and p53 signaling pathway. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis of multi-omics showed the inflammatory response and mitochondrial fission as top biological processes that may deteriorate myocyte stiffening. GO analysis of protein-to-protein network indicated cytoskeleton protein, cell fraction, enzyme binding, and ATP binding as the top enriched molecular functions. Western blot validated upregulated Mff and Itga9 and downregulated Map1lc3a in the HS group, which likely contributed to accumulation of aberrant mitochondria to increase ROS and elevation of myocyte stiffness, and subsequent contractile dysfunction and myocardial apoptosis. (4) Conclusions: Multi-omics analysis revealed multiple pathways associated with HFpEF. This study shows insight into molecular mechanisms for the development of HFpEF and may provide potential targets for the treatment of HFpEF.
Aberrant neovascularization is a consequence of inappropriate angiogenic signaling and contributes to several diseases. Although many regulators of pathogenic angiogenesis have been identified, the ...understanding of this process remains incomplete. Galectin-1 (Gal-1), as a homodimeric protein with a single carbohydrate-recognition domain, is implicated in several pathologic processes, including angiogenesis; however, its involvement in retinal neovascularization (RNV) remains unknown. Here, we investigated the anti-angiogenic effect of silencing Gal-1 through intravitreal injection in a mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR). Our results revealed that Gal-1 was overexpressed and closely related to retinal neo-vessels in OIR retinas. After silencing Gal-1 via intravitreal injection of adenoviral-Gal-1-RNA interference (Ad-Gal-1-RNAi), RNV and retinal hypoxia were significantly attenuated, indicating the anti-angiogenic effect of Gal-1 inhibition. Western blot analysis and real-time polymerase chain reaction indicated that the expression of both neuropilin-1 (Nrp-1) and B cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) decreased after intravitreal injection of Ad-Gal-1-RNAi, implying the possible involvement of Nrp-1 and Bcl-2 in Gal-1-related angiogenic processes. Additionally, whole-mount fluorescence and hematoxylin and eosin staining showed that intravitreal injection of Ad-Gal-1-RNAi did not significantly disrupt the retinal vasculature and neuronal structure of room air mice. Moreover, Ad-Gal-1-RNAi transfer promoted retinal vascular sprouting and increased retinal vascular perfusion, likely through decreased phosphorylation of myosin phosphatase target protein-1. Collectively, our results demonstrated that Gal-1 functions as an important regulator in RNV and offers a promising strategy for the treatment of RNV diseases, such as proliferative diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity.
•Galectin-1(Gal-1) is overexpressed in OIR model.•Silencing of Gal-1 reduced RNV and alleviated retinal hypoxia in OIR.•Silencing of Gal-1 may promotes vascular normalization through inhibition of ROCK activation in OIR.
Climate change has caused a widespread deduction in terrestrial water storage (TWS), leading to ocean water mass gains and sea level rises. A better understanding of how the land–sea water mass has ...been redistributed can help with the scientific response to climate change. However, there are few studies investigating the roles of the different physical processes involved in low-frequency land–sea water mass redistribution on a global scale. To address this issue, in this study, a comprehensive investigation was carried out with respect to the globally distributed key factors causing low-frequency ocean mass anomalies during the period 2004–2021. Global water mass redistribution data, derived from GRACE/GRACE-FO satellite gravity and surface wind and sea-surface temperature data from ERA5 reanalysis, were employed, and the empirical orthogonal function, maximum covariance analysis, and sea-level equation approaches were used. The results show that the long-term trend and decadal-like fluctuation are two major components of the low-frequency land–sea water mass redistribution. The wind-forcing dynamic processes significantly drive the anomalies near the North Indian Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, South Pacific Ocean, and some marginal seas, where variance explanations range from 30% to 97%. After removing the ocean dynamics, the residual ocean mass anomaly is mostly explained by sea-level fingerprints (SLFs), especially in the open ocean. The 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of the SLF-explained variances in all ocean grids are 59%, 72%, and 82%, respectively. Some non-negligible noise, located in seismic zones, was also found, suggesting the misestimation of seafloor deformation resulting from earthquakes in the GRACE/GRACE-FO data processing. These findings may improve our understanding of the long-term anomalies in regional and global sea levels.
Laser speech detection uses a non-contact Laser Doppler Vibrometry (LDV)-based acoustic sensor to obtain speech signals by precisely measuring voice-generated surface vibrations. Over long distances, ...however, the detected signal is very weak and full of speckle noise. To enhance the quality and intelligibility of the detected signal, we designed a two-sided Linear Prediction Coding (LPC)-based locator and interpolator to detect and replace speckle noise. We first studied the characteristics of speckle noise in detected signals and developed a binary-state statistical model for speckle noise generation. A two-sided LPC-based locator was then designed to locate the polluted samples, composed of an inverse decorrelator, nonlinear filter and threshold estimator. This greatly improves the detectability of speckle noise and avoids false/missed detection by improving the noise-to-signal-ratio (NSR). Finally, samples from both sides of the speckle noise were used to estimate the parameters of the interpolator and to code samples for replacing the polluted samples. Real-world speckle noise removal experiments and simulation-based comparative experiments were conducted and the results show that the proposed method is better able to locate speckle noise in laser detected speech and highly effective at replacing it.
Artemisinin has immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and antifibrotic effects. Some studies have demonstrated that artemisinins have a protective effect on the kidney. DHA is a derivative of ...artemisinin and has effects similar to those of artemisinin. Human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) accelerate renal repair following acute injury. In the study, we investigated the effects of combination therapy with DHA and BMSCs on membranous nephropathy (MN) mice. The 24-h urinary protein, serum total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) levels, and renal histopathology, were measured to evaluate kidney damage. Anti-PLA2R, IgG, and complement 3 (C3) were detected by ELISA. The expression levels of the podocyte injury-related proteins were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. The protein expression levels of α-SMA, ED-1, TGF-β1, p-Smad2, and p-Smad3 were detected by western blot to analyze renal fibrosis and its regulatory mechanism. Results showed that combination therapy with DHA and BMSCs significantly ameliorated kidney damage in MN model mice by decreasing the levels of 24 h urinary protein, TC and TG. This combination therapy also improved renal histology and reduced the expression of IgG and C3 in the glomerulus. In addition, this combination therapy decreased the expression of podocin and nephrin and relieved renal fibrosis by downregulating α-SMA and ED-1. Furthermore, this combination therapy suppressed TGF-β1 expression and Smad2/3 phosphorylation. This result (i.e., this combination therapy inhibited the TGF-β1/Smad pathway) was also supported in vitro. Taken together, combination therapy with DHA and BMSCs ameliorated podocyte injury and renal fibrosis in MN mice by downregulating the TGFβ1/Smad pathway.
As the depth of petroleum drilling increases, the strata environment becomes more complex. The efficiency and lifespan of Polycrystalline Diamond Compact (PDC) drill bits fail to meet current ...drilling demands. However, the structure and arrangement of PDC cutters are valuable determinants of drilling efficiency, although related research still has gaps and deficiencies. This study focuses on PDC cutters in axe, triangular prism, and circular forms. It establishes an inhomogeneous granite model based on the actual measurements of granite and verifies the accuracy of this model through uniaxial compression simulation. Finite element models of three types of cutters in various combination schemes are constructed to examine rock-breaking effects, with the best scheme optimized using Box-Behnken response surface methodology. The rock-breaking process of the optimal PDC drill bit layout has been compared to that of a single cutter bit. Field drilling has demonstrated the effectiveness of a mixed cutter arrangement. The results show that the inhomogeneous granite model can be trusted. The optimal arrangement involves axe cutters in the front row and an alternate arrangement of triangular prism cutters and axe cutters in the back row. The optimal lateral and longitudinal distances for the triangular cutters from the front row of axe cutters are 10 mm and 7 mm, respectively, while those for the back row of axe cutters from the front row are 10.06 mm and 7 mm, respectively. The ROP standard deviation in the drilling process of mixed cutter bits decreases by 53.06% and 43.08% compared to axe and triangular prism cutter bits, respectively. The drilling efficiency increases by 16.8% and 16.6%, respectively, demonstrating higher efficiency and stability. Field drilling results indicate that a mixed cutter bit increases efficiency by 23.5% compared to a bit with only triangular prism cutters. This study posits that research on the combination schemes and parameters of PDC cutters can significantly enhance drilling efficiency, thereby reducing the drilling cycle and costs.
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