Thyroid-Associated Orbitopathy: Evaluating Microstructural Changes of Extraocular Muscles and Optic Nerves Using Readout-Segmented Echo-Planar Imaging-Based Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Huan-Huan Chen,Hao Hu,Wen Chen,Dai Cui,Xiao-Quan Xu,Fei-Yun Wu,Tao Yang 대한영상의학회 2020 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.21 No.3

Objective: We aimed to investigate the ability of readout-segmented echo-planar imaging (rs-EPI)-based diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in assessing the microstructural change of extraocular muscles (EOMs) and optic nerves in patients with thyroidassociated orbitopathy (TAO) as well as in evaluating disease activity. Materials and Methods: We enrolled 35 TAO patients and 22 healthy controls (HCs) who underwent pre-treatment rs-EPIbased DTI. Mean, axial, and radial diffusivity (MD, AD, and RD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) of the medial and lateral EOMs and optic nerve for each orbit were calculated and compared between TAO and HC groups and between active and inactive TAO groups. Factors such as age, sex, disease duration, mediation, and smoking history between groups were also compared. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the predictive value of significant variables for disease activity. Results: Disease duration was significantly shorter in active TAOs than in inactive ones (p < 0.001). TAO patients showed significantly lower FA and higher MD, AD, and RD than HCs for both medial and lateral EOMs (p < 0.001), but not the AD value of lateral EOMs (p = 0.619). Active patients had significantly higher FA, MD, and AD than inactive patients for medial EOMs (p < 0.005), whereas only FA differed significantly in the lateral EOMs (p = 0.018). The MD, AD, and RD of optic nerves were significantly lower in TAO patients than HCs (p < 0.05), except for FA (p = 0.129). Multivariate analysis showed that the MD of medial EOMs and disease duration were significant predictors for disease activity. The combination of these two parameters showed optimal diagnostic efficiency for disease activity (area under the curve, 0.855; sensitivity, 68.4%; specificity, 96.9%). Conclusion: rs-EPI-based DTI is promising in assessing microstructural changes of EOMs and optic nerves and can help to indicate the disease activity of TAO, especially through the MD of medial EOMs.

Stereo-digital image correlation in the behavior investigation of CFRP-steel composite members

Xiao-Yuan He,Yun-Tong Dai,Hai-Tao Wang,Tian-Yuan Ge,Gang Wu,Jian-Xiao Wan,Shuang-Yin Cao,Fu-Jun Yang 국제구조공학회 2017 Steel and Composite Structures, An International J Vol.23 No.6

The application of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) in steel structures primarily includes two categories, i.e., the bond-critical application and the contact-critical application. Debonding failure and buckling failure are the main failure modes for these two applications. Conventional electrometric techniques may not provide precise results because of the limitations associated with single-point contact measurements. A nondestructive full-field measurement technique is a valuable alternative to conventional methods. In this study, the digital image correlation (DIC) technique was adopted to investigate the bond behavior and buckling behavior of CFRP-steel composite members. The CFRP-to-steel bonded joint and the CFRPstrengthened square hollow section (SHS) steel column were tested to verify the suitability of the DIC technique. The stereo- DIC technique was utilized to measure continuous deformation. The bond-slip relationship of the CFRP-to-steel interface was derived using the DIC data. Additionally, a multi-camera DIC system consisting of four stereo-DIC subsystems was proposed and applied to the compressive test of CFRP-strengthened SHS steel column. The precise buckling location and CFRP delamination of the CFRP-strengthened SHS steel column were identified. The experimental results confirm that the stereo-DIC technique can provide effective measurements for investigating the behaviors of CFRP-steel composite members.

FBXL20-mediated Vps34 ubiquitination as a p53 controlled checkpoint in regulating autophagy and receptor degradation

Xiao, Juan,Zhang, Tao,Xu, Daichao,Wang, Huibing,Cai, Yu,Jin, Taijie,Liu, Min,Jin, Mingzhi,Wu, Kejia,Yuan, Junying Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press 2015 Genes & development Vol.29 No.2

<P>Vps34, the catalytic subunit in the class III phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase complexes, mediates the production of PtdIns3P, a key intracellular lipid involved in regulating autophagy and receptor degradation. Xiao et al. show that DNA damage-activated mitotic arrest and CDK activation lead to the phosphorylation of Vps34. This provides a signal to promote Vps34 ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation mediated by FBXL20, leading to inhibition of autophagy and receptor endocytosis. Importantly, they also find that expression of FBXL20 is regulated by p53-dependent transcription.</P><P>Vacuolar protein-sorting 34 (Vps34), the catalytic subunit in the class III PtdIns3 (phosphatidylinositol 3) kinase complexes, mediates the production of PtdIns3P, a key intracellular lipid involved in regulating autophagy and receptor degradation. However, the signal transduction pathways by which extracellular signals regulate Vps34 complexes and the downstream cellular mechanisms are not well understood. Here we show that DNA damage-activated mitotic arrest and CDK activation lead to the phosphorylation of Vps34, which provides a signal to promote its ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation mediated by FBXL20 (an F-box protein) and the associated Skp1 (S-phase kinase-associated protein-1)–Cullin1 complex, leading to inhibition of autophagy and receptor endocytosis. Furthermore, we show that the expression of FBXL20 is regulated by p53-dependent transcription. Our study provides a molecular pathway by which DNA damage regulates Vps34 complexes and its downstream mechanisms, including autophagy and receptor endocytosis, through SCF (Skp1–Cul1–F-box)-mediated ubiquitination and degradation. Since the expression of FBXL20 is regulated by p53-dependent transcription, the control of Vps34 ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation by FBXL20 and the associated SCF complex expression provides a novel checkpoint for p53 to regulate autophagy and receptor degradation in DNA damage response.</P>

ELECTRIC-FIELD DEPENDENCE OF MOLECULAR CONFORMATIONS OBSERVED BY USING SCANNING TUNNELING MICROSCOPY

XIAO JING MA,RUI ZHANG,YONG TAO SHEN,XIAO HUI QIU,YAN LIAN YANG,CHEN WANG 성균관대학교(자연과학캠퍼스) 성균나노과학기술원 2008 NANO Vol.3 No.2

We review the progress in observation of electrically induced conformational changes of a range of single molecules and molecular assemblies using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Recent results using species with optical active functional groups and supramolecular structures confirmed the previously observed effects that the cholesterol molecules with soft linkers have the conformational bistability when switching the bias polarity, while no discernable changes were observed for the mesogen molecules, containing rigid linking units. In addition, it was also observed that the linker units could have appreciable impacts on the assembling characteristics.

Expression of CDX2 and Villin in Gastric Cardiac Intestinal Metaplasia and the Relation with Gastric Cardiac Carcinogenesis

Xiao, Zhong-Yue,Ru, Yi,Sun, Jiang-Tao,Gao, She-Gan,Wang, Yu-Feng,Wang, Li-Dong,Feng, Xiao-Shan Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.1

Objective: To determine whether CDX2 and villin protein expression are associated with intestinal metaplasia (IM) in gastric cardiac mucosa and to explore the relationship with evolution of gastric cardiac adenocarcinoma (GCA). Methods: We studied 143 gastric cardiac biopsy or resection specimens from Henan province China, including 25 cardiac gastritis specimens with IM, 65 dysplasia specimens with IM and 35 gastric cardiac adenocarcinoma specimens and stained them for CDX2 and villin by the immunohistochemical SP method. 15 normal gastric cardiac biopsy specimens were also collected as control. Results: (1) Normal gastric mucosa presented no CDX2 and villin expression. The positive rates of CDX2 protein in cardiac gastritis with IM, dysplasia with IM, and carcinoma tissues were 84.0% (21/25), 66.7% (32/48) and 36.4% (20/55), respectively. While the positive rates of villin protein in cardiac gastritis with IM, dysplasia with IM, and carcinoma tissues were 76.0% (19/25), 70.8% (34/48) and 45.5% (25/55), respectively. There were significant differences among the three groups for both CDX2 and villin (P<0.01). Spearman's rank correlation coefficient(rho) showed a close correlation between the two proteins (r=0.843, P<0.01) and both were positively related with tumor differentiation (both P<0.05), but not associated with age, sex, invasion and metastasis of lymph node (P>0.05). Conclusion: Our results suggest that ectopic expression of CDX2 and villin may be involved in early-stage IM and tumorigenesis in gastric cardia and the expression of villin may be regulated by CDX2.

A novel method for the synthesis of nano-sized MgAl2O4 spinel ceramic powde

Xiao-ping Liang,Rong-tao Wang,Ying Peng,Xiao-wei Fan,Jian-xin Li 한양대학교 세라믹연구소 2010 Journal of Ceramic Processing Research Vol.11 No.2

This study describes the preparation and characterization of MgAl2O4 spinel ceramic powders by a polyacrylamide gel method with Al(NO3)3·9H2O and Mg(NO3)3·6H2O as the raw materials, acrylamide as the monomer, N,N-mehtylenebisacrylamide as the cross-linking agent, and deionized water as the solvent. The nanopowders were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results showed that the nanopowders having a typical spinel structure are ultrapure and nano-sized. Due to the hindering effect of the polyacrylamide network, the average grain size of the MgAl2O4spinel is approximately 20 nm. Moreover, it is confirmed that the optimal sintering temperature for synthesizing the MgAl2O4spinel ceramic nanopowders is 900 oC, which is about 600-1000 oC lower than that of the traditional solid-state method.

A Novel Integration Model for the Simulation of Kiln Landscape in Ancient Fu Liang Area

Tao Liu,Xuan Xiao,Donglan Ying 보안공학연구지원센터 2014 International Journal of Smart Home Vol.8 No.6

Re-creation of the land use transformation at different periods in time is valuable for revealing how policy change influence ancient Fu Liang kiln. To date, there has been little focused on the model of historical Fu Liang kiln change. On the contrary, current research has emphasized that the transformation process of kiln has been described by literal presentation. However, Dynamical and visual model can provide insights into kiln change processes and are valuable for land use transformation. For this reason, we create virtual maps of ancient Fu Liang area and propose such constructs to unambiguously denote a novel integration model. In this model, ancient virtual maps are created by ARCGIS10.0 software and PCI9.0 software, land use changes are performed through cellular automata, decision processes are controlled beyond the multi- agent, spatial optimization is represented by particle swarm optimization. We use the simulation approach to recreate the kiln transformation of Fu Liang, Jiang Xi, annually from 1271 to 1554. The simulation of the model is of richer changing hierarchy and can better reflect the whole process from the first to the last firing, and can be used to preferable create dynamic model and theory. Additionally, the model can better reflect the interaction of the political situation, institutions and the natural environment.

Kiln Landscape Evolution Simulation Based on Particle Swarm Optimization and Cellular Automata Model

Tao Liu,Xuan Xiao,Donglan Ying 보안공학연구지원센터 2015 International Journal of Smart Home Vol.9 No.1

Due to the less accessibility to the data, relatively little literature has been found on how the ancient kiln site evolves. To understand how land has transformed kiln in ancient Jingdezhen DongHe River Basin from the Yuan Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, we create virtual maps of ancient study area and present such concepts that unambiguously realize a combination model. In this model, Model parameters and neighborhood rules are obtained with the cellular automata model melt modified Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm. Meanwhile, model performance is evaluated using Moran’s I index estimation for selected landscape pattern indices and make a comparative analysis of different evolution with different number of candidate site and different conversion threshold. In overall, the model that we propose is effective and feasible in simulating kiln landscape evolution in ancient when Geographic Information and System information are lacking.

Loss of AtCRK1 Gene Function in Arabidopsis thaliana Decreases Tolerance to Salt

Xiao-Chuan Tao,Ying-Tang Lu 한국식물학회 2013 Journal of Plant Biology Vol.56 No.5

Calcium serves as an important second messengerin many adaptational and developmental processes of plants. The CDPK-related kinases (CRKs) are a type of serinethreoninekinases belonging to the CDPK-SnRK superfamily. In this study, a T-DNA insertion mutant of AtCRK1 (crk1-1)was employed to explore the possible function of AtCRK1 insalt tolerance. Our results indicated that crk1-1 transformantshad a decreased tolerance to salt stress during seed germinationcompared with both wild-type plants and the complementedtransgenic lines, in which the full-length genomic AtCRK1clone with a 2.3 kb promoter was inserted into crk1-1 todrive CRK1 expression under the control of the CRK1promoter. Furthermore, a higher malondialdehyde (MDA)level and lower free proline content were measured in crk1-1 plants. The qRT-PCR analyses revealed that the transcriptionof several stress-related genes was decreased in crk1-1plants. These results indicate that AtCRK1 is involved in thetolerance to salt stress by changing both MDA and prolinelevels in Arabidopsis, and may act as a positive regulator inthe induction of stress-response gene transcription.

Finite-time and Fixed-time Bipartite Consensus Tracking for Second-order Multi-agent Systems via an Integral Sliding-mode Approach

Xiao-Feng Zhao,Tao Han,Bo Xiao,Xi-Sheng Zhan,Huaicheng Yan 제어·로봇·시스템학회 2023 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.21 No.12

This paper investigates the finite-time and fixed-time bipartite consensus tracking (Fin- and Fix-TBCT) problems for second-order multi-agent systems (MASs) under a signed directed communication network, in which both cooperative and competition exist. To achieve bipartite consensus tracking (BCT) within finite time and fixed time, two novel distributed control protocols utilizing integral sliding-mode control concept are presented and discussed, respectively. By virtue of Lyapunov stability and homogeneity with dilation, several sufficient conditions for achieving Fin- and Fix-TBCT for second-order MASs are obtained. Eventually, numerical simulation results are provided to verify the validity of the obtained theoretical results.