Observation of multi-channel non-local transport in J-TEXT plasmas

Shi, Yuejiang,Chen, Zhongyong,Yang, Zhoujun,Shi, Peng,Zhao, Kaijun,Diamond, Patrick H.,Kwon, JaeMin,Yan, Wei,Zhou, Hao,Pan, Xiaoming,Cheng, Zhifeng,Chen, Zhiping,Yang, SeongMoo,Zhang, Chi,Li, Da,Dong, IOP 2018 Nuclear fusion. Fusion nucléaire. &n.Illiga Vol.58 No.4

<P>In cold pulse experiments in J-TEXT, not only are rapid electron temperature increases in the core observed, but also steep rises in the inner density are found. Moreover, some evidence of acceleration of the core toroidal rotation is also observed during the non-local transport process of electron temperature. These new findings of cold pulse experiments in J-TEXT suggest that turbulence spreading is a possible mechanism for the non-local transport dynamics.</P>

Advanced glycation end products promote meniscal calcification by activating the mTOR-ATF4 positive feedback loop

Yang Sheng,Xie JiaJun,Pan ZhiJie,Guan HongMei,Tu YueSheng,Ye YuanJian,Huang ShouBin,Fu ShiQiang,Li KangXian,Huang ZhiWei,Li XiaoQi,Shi ZhanJun,Li Le,Zhang Yang 생화학분자생물학회 2024 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.56 No.-

The meniscus is vital for maintaining knee homeostasis and function. Meniscal calcification is one of the earliest radiological indicators of knee osteoarthritis (KOA), and meniscal calcification is associated with alterations in biomechanical properties. Meniscal calcification originates from a biochemical process similar to vascular calcification. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and their receptors (RAGEs) reportedly play critical roles in vascular calcification. Herein, we investigated whether targeting AGE-RAGE is a potential treatment for meniscal calcification. In our study, we demonstrated that AGE-RAGE promotes the osteogenesis of meniscal cells and exacerbates meniscal calcification. Mechanistically, AGE-RAGE activates mTOR and simultaneously promotes ATF4 accumulation, thereby facilitating the ATF4-mTOR positive feedback loop that enhances the osteogenic capacity of meniscal cells. In this regard, mTOR inhibits ATF4 degradation by reducing its ubiquitination, while ATF4 activates mTOR by increasing arginine uptake. Our findings substantiate the unique role of AGE-RAGE in the meniscus and reveal the role of the ATF4-mTOR positive feedback loop during the osteogenesis of meniscal cells; these results provide potential therapeutic targets for KOA.

Synergistic effect of adsorption and photocatalysis of BiOBr/lignin-biochar composites with oxygen vacancies under visible light irradiation

Qiang Yang,Xiang Li,Qingwen Tian,Aixiang Pan,Xingjian Liu,Hang Yin,Yingqiao Shi,Guigan Fang 한국공업화학회 2023 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.117 No.-

Effective utilization solar energy through photocatalysis is an ideal way to solve environmental problemsand achieve sustainable development. Herein, a novel BiOBr/Lignin-Biochar photocatalyst has been successfullysynthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. The number of oxygen vacancies of BiOBrincreased after C doping, which improves visible-light absorbance, reduces the recombination ofphoto-generated carriers and promotes O2 activation to produce O2. UV–vis DRS result demonstratedthat the visible-light absorption capacity of BiOBr improved significantly with the addition of lignin. Compared with BiOBr, the adsorption and photocatalytic ability of BiOBr/Lignin-Biochar composites weregreatly enhanced due to enriched oxygen vacancies and the congenerous effect between BiOBr andlignin-biochar. The RhB removal with pure BiOBr and BiOBr/Lignin-Biochar under visible-light irradiationat 60 min was 54.5% and 99.2%, respectively, owing to the interface interaction between BiOBr and ligninbiocharpromoted the separation between electron and holes and the enrichment of RhB around the photocatalysts. Notably, the bandgap of BiOBr/Lignin-Biochar composites decreased from 2.65 eV to 2.56 eVafter C doping, useful for visible-light-driven photocatalysis. The superoxide radical anions (O2) were themain active species, as demonstrated by free radical capture experiments and ESR characterizationresults. Hence, the present work provides new insights into constructing cost-effective, high-efficiencycomposite materials for environmental remediation.

IL28B Is Associated with Outcomes of Chronic HBV Infection

Xiaodong Shi,Junqi Niu,Xiumei Chi,Yu Pan,Yanhang Gao,Wanyu Li,Chen Yang,Jin Zhong,Damo Xu,Manna Zhang,Gerald Minuk,Jing Jiang 연세대학교의과대학 2015 Yonsei medical journal Vol.56 No.3

Purpose: The role of IL28B gene variants and expression in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections are not well understood. Here, we evaluated whether IL28B gene expression and rs12979860 variations are associated with HBV outcomes. Materialsand Methods: IL28B genetic variations (rs12979860) were genotyped by pyrosequencingof DNA samples from 137 individuals with chronic HBV infection [50 inactive carriers (IC), 34 chronic hepatitis B (CHB), 27 cirrhosis, 26 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)], and 19 healthy controls. IL28A/B mRNA expression in peripheralblood mononuclear cells was determined by qRT-PCR, and serum IL28B proteinwas measured by ELISA. Results: Patients with IL28B C/C genotype had greater IL28A/B mRNA expression and higher IL28B protein levels than C/T patients. Within the various disease stages, compared to IC and healthy controls, IL28B expression was reduced in the CHB, cirrhosis, and HCC cohorts (CHB vs. IC, p=0.02; cirrhosis vs. IC, p=0.01; HCC vs. IC, p=0.001; CHB vs. controls, p<0.01; cirrhosis vs. controls, p<0.01; HCC vs. controls, p<0.01). When stratified with respect to serum HBV markers in the IC and CHB cohorts, IL28B mRNA and protein levels were higher in HBeAg-positive than negative individuals (p=0.01). Logistic regression analysis revealed that factors associated with high IL28B proteinlevels were C/C versus C/T genotype [p=0.016, odds ratio (OR)=0.25, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.08‒0.78], high alanine aminotransferase values (p<0.001, OR=8.02, 95% CI=2.64‒24.4), and the IC stage of HBV infection (p<0.001). Conclusion: Our data suggest that IL28B genetic variations may play an important role in long-term development of disease in chronic HBV infections.

Acetylation of Smc3 by Eco1 Is Required for S Phase Sister Chromatid Cohesion in Both Human and Yeast

Zhang, Jinglan,Shi, Xiaomin,Li, Yehua,Kim, Beom-Jun,Jia, Junling,Huang, Zhiwei,Yang, Tao,Fu, Xiaoyong,Jung, Sung Yun,Wang, Yi,Zhang, Pumin,Kim, Seong-Tae,Pan, Xuewen,Qin, Jun Elsevier 2008 Molecular cell Vol.31 No.1

<P><B>Summary</B></P><P>Sister chromatid cohesion is normally established in S phase in a process that depends on the cohesion establishment factor Eco1, a conserved acetyltransferase. However, due to the lack of known in vivo substrates, how Eco1 regulates cohesion is not understood. Here we report that yeast Eco1 and its human ortholog, ESCO1, both acetylate Smc3, a component of the cohesin complex that physically holds the sister chromatid together, at two conserved lysine residues. Mutating these lysine residues to a nonacetylatable form leads to increased loss of sister chromatid cohesion and genome instability in both yeast and human. In addition, we clarified that the acetyltransferase activity of Eco1 is essential for its function. Our study thus identified a molecular target for the acetyltransferase Eco1 and revealed that Smc3 acetylation is a conserved mechanism in regulating sister chromatid cohesion.</P>

THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON FLOW CHARACTERISTICS OF A DIAPHRAGM PUMP FOR UREA-SCR SYSTEMS

Shu Dong Yang,You Cheng Shi,Xi Wei Pan,Yin Shui Liu 한국자동차공학회 2019 International journal of automotive technology Vol.20 No.4

Urea selective catalytic reduction (SCR) is the primary technology used to reduce the nitrogen oxides (NOx) of diesel engine exhaust. To meet the requirements of an SCR system, a novel type of miniature diaphragm pump was designed. Based on the theory of large deflection of annular plates, the equilibrium equations of a diaphragm with a rigid inclusion were established, and the equations were solved by the nondimensional method and the finite difference method. Theoretical and approximated flow model for this pump were proposed. A theoretical relationship between back pressure, rigid inclusion size and volumetric efficiencies were calculated. To verify the validity of theoretical model, a prototype pump was fabricated and tested. Experimental results demonstrated that the flow is proportional to the pump speed. The deviation between theoretical, approximated flow and experimental flow was less than 4 % and 9.4 %, respectively. The difference between theoretical and experimental volumetric efficiency was varied from 2.7 % to 6.1 % when back pressure changed from 0 to 0.9 MPa. The volumetric efficiency was growing with the increasing of the rigid inclusion size. The pressures in the working chamber showed almost the same overall trends between the theoretical results and experimental values. The experimental results show that the proposed theoretical model is effective.

Development and Evaluation of a Duplex Real-Time PCR Assay With a Novel Internal Standard for Precise Quantification of Plasma DNA

Dan Chen,Shi-yang Pan,Erfu Xie,Li Gao,Huaguo Xu,Wenying Xia,Ting Xu,Peijun Huang 대한진단검사의학회 2017 Annals of Laboratory Medicine Vol.37 No.1

Background: Circulating levels of cell-free DNA increase in many pathologic conditions. However, notable discrepancies in the quantitative analysis of cell-free DNA from a large number of laboratories have become a considerable pitfall, hampering its clinical application. Methods: We designed a novel recombinant DNA fragment that could be applied as an internal standard in a newly developed and validated duplex real-time PCR assay for the quantitative analysis of total cell-free plasma DNA, which was tested in 5,442 healthy adults and 200 trauma patients. Results: Compared with two traditional methods, this novel assay showed a lower detection limit of 0.1 ng/mL, lower intra- and inter-assay CVs, and higher accuracy in the recovery test. The median plasma DNA concentration of healthy males (20.3 ng/mL, n=3,092) was significantly higher than that of healthy females (16.1 ng/mL, n=2,350) (Mann-Whitney two-sample rank sum test, P<0.0001). The reference intervals of plasma DNA concentration were 0-45.8 ng/mL and 0-52.5 ng/mL for healthy females and males, respectively. The plasma DNA concentrations of the majority of trauma patients (96%) were higher than the upper normal cutoff values and were closely related to the corresponding injury severity scores (R2=0.916, P<0.0001). Conclusions: This duplex real-time PCR assay with a new internal standard could eliminate variation and allow for more sensitive, repeatable, accurate, and stable quantitative measurements of plasma DNA, showing promising application in clinical diagnosis.

Do Heterogeneous Background Risks Matter to Household Asset Allocation?

Mingchao Cai,Jing Shi,Yang Ni,Rulu Pan 한국증권학회 2013 Asia-Pacific Journal of Financial Studies Vol.42 No.4

This paper extends the literature reviews of Curcuru et al. (2009, Handbook of Financial Econometrics, Elsevier Science, Amsterdam), on the heterogeneity of background risk during investment into the following categories: income from labor and entrepreneurial firm, housing, wealth, health, professional knowledge and risk aversion attitude. Referring to the literature on asset allocation, the paper designs a survey and sets up a two-stage decision model to empirically test the relationship between households’ risky assets demand and their heterogeneous background risks. Based on questionnaires administered to 770 Chinese households, the paper shows that a background risk substitution effect does not exist during households’ market participation decisions and that their risky assets ratio mainly depends on subjective market expectations. Moreover, background factors are not properly considered; individuals with a higher income risk or older individuals exhibit a higher proportion of risky assets. Furthermore, households do not consider the background factors regarding housing and subjective risk preference attitudes significantly. The paper further finds that the value-at-risk of representative household’s wealth in the sample is underestimated by approximately 29% when the housing background factor is not included.

Sequence Analysis of Mitochondrial Genome of Toxascaris leonina from a South China Tiger

Kangxin Li,Fang Yang,A. Y. Abdullahi,Meiran Song,Xianli Shi,Minwei Wang,Yeqi Fu,Weida Pan,Fang Shan,Wu Chen,Guoqing Li 대한기생충학열대의학회 2016 The Korean Journal of Parasitology Vol.54 No.6

Toxascaris leonina is a common parasitic nematode of wild mammals and has significant impacts on the protection of rare wild animals. To analyze population genetic characteristics of T. leonina from South China tiger, its mitochondrial (mt) genome was sequenced. Its complete circular mt genome was 14,277 bp in length, including 12 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and 2 non-coding regions. The nucleotide composition was biased toward A and T. The most common start codon and stop codon were TTG and TAG, and 4 genes ended with an incomplete stop codon. There were 13 intergenic regions ranging 1 to 10 bp in size. Phylogenetically, T. leonina from a South China tiger was close to canine T. leonina. This study reports for the first time a complete mt genome sequence of T. leonina from the South China tiger, and provides a scientific basis for studying the genetic diversity of nematodes between different hosts.

Recurrent neural networks for nonparametric modeling of ship maneuvering motion

Hao Lizhu,Han Yang,Shi Chao,Pan Ziying 대한조선학회 2022 International Journal of Naval Architecture and Oc Vol.14 No.1

A Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) model is presented in this paper to predict the ship maneuvering motion. Inputs to the model are the orders of rudder angle and its variation as well as the propeller speed (ship speed) and also the recursive outputs velocities of surge, sway and yaw. The past values for the velocities are retained in the inputs to indicate the influence of historical state of motion on the maneuvering prediction. The KRISO Container Ship (KCS) is taken as the study object. The data obtained from a manoeuvring mathematical model and free-running model test are respectively used to train the neural network. Tactical circles and zigzags are simulated by the RNN, the prediction for maneuvers not involved in the training set shows that the RNN in this paper has good generalization performance. The concept of uncertainty is proposed to be considered in the further work through the analysis.