Single-cell transcriptome analysis reveals cellular heterogeneity in the ascending aortas of normal and high-fat diet-fed mice

Kan Hao,Zhang Ka,Mao Aiqin,Geng Li,Gao Mengru,Feng Lei,You Qingjun,Ma Xin 생화학분자생물학회 2021 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.53 No.-

The aorta contains numerous cell types that contribute to vascular inflammation and thus the progression of aortic diseases. However, the heterogeneity and cellular composition of the ascending aorta in the setting of a high-fat diet (HFD) have not been fully assessed. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing on ascending aortas from mice fed a normal diet and mice fed a HFD. Unsupervised cluster analysis of the transcriptional profiles from 24,001 aortic cells identified 27 clusters representing 10 cell types: endothelial cells (ECs), fibroblasts, vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs), immune cells (B cells, T cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells), mesothelial cells, pericytes, and neural cells. After HFD intake, subpopulations of endothelial cells with lipid transport and angiogenesis capacity and extensive expression of contractile genes were defined. In the HFD group, three major SMC subpopulations showed increased expression of extracellular matrix-degradation genes, and a synthetic SMC subcluster was proportionally increased. This increase was accompanied by upregulation of proinflammatory genes. Under HFD conditions, aortic-resident macrophage numbers were increased, and blood-derived macrophages showed the strongest expression of proinflammatory cytokines. Our study elucidates the nature and range of the cellular composition of the ascending aorta and increases understanding of the development and progression of aortic inflammatory disease.

Manufacture and Performance of Textile-ramie Fiber Reinforced Anionic Polyamide 6 Composites

Hao Shi,Lijian Xia,Zonglei Guo,Abin Sun,Hui Wang,Ze Kan 한국섬유공학회 2019 Fibers and polymers Vol.20 No.8

A vacuum assistant resin infusion moulding (VARIM) was adopted to prepare a new-style and environmentalfriendly thermoplastic composite consisting of anionic polyamide-6 (APA-6) and textile-ramie fiber. However, the intensivepolymerization-inhibition and fiber-discoloration phenomena were found in the reactive processing. In order to overcomethese problems, two methods were used to suppress the reaction between the ramie fiber and APA-6, which are the surfacemodification of ramie fiber and a new initiator with a low activity. Finally, the inhibition and discoloration phenomena weresuppressed significantly, which overcame the major challenge during the preparation of ramie fiber reinforced APA-6composites by reactive processing. The composites showed a good polymerization during VARIM process. The tensilestrength and flexural modulus of the obtained composites were increased by 21 % and 26 % respectively compared with thatof pure APA-6. It is important to find that there were some interactions between APA-6 and ramie fiber, which produced agood interface characters. This work not only opens new avenues for the development of renewable composites, but alsofurther broadens the applications of the natural fibers.

Optimal Threshold of LTE-Femtocell Network Based Bayes-Nash Equilibrium Theory

Hao Chen,Kan Liu,Wu Tunhua 보안공학연구지원센터 2015 International Journal of Future Generation Communi Vol.8 No.6

To increase LTE (long time evolution) networks spectrum utilization and interference mitigation, a LTE system overlaid with femtocells is studied. This paper will focus a self-optimized power control scheme for LTE-femtocell networks, in which the transmitted power of a femtocell base station is adjusted based on the optimal SINR threshold. It is known that game theory is a useful tool for analyzing outage probabilities and optimal power in wpszireless networks. In this paper, Bayes-Nash equilibrium theory is used to derive a optimal SINR (signal-interference-noise-ratio) threshold from each femtocell. The power control scheme can be applied to realistic LTE-femtocell networks to enable robust communication against cross-tier interference thereby obtaining a substantial link quality.

Synthesis, Polymerization Kinetics and Thermal Properties of Benzoxazine Resin Containing ortho-Maleimide Functionality

Boran Hao,Yuqi Liu,Xinye Yu,Kan Zhang 한국고분자학회 2021 Macromolecular Research Vol.29 No.1

A benzoxazine monomer with ortho-maleimide functionality has been synthesized using ortho-maleimide functional phenol, aniline and paraformaldehyde as starting materials. The chemical structure of this benzoxazine monomer is verified by 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopies, elemental analysis as well as high-resolution mass spectrometry. The polymerization behavior of benzoxazine has been studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and in situ FT-IR. Besides, the kinetic parameters have been calculated by non-isothermal DSC with different heating rates. The apparent activation energy value of the ortho-maleimide functional benzoxazine is calculated to be 72.43 kJ/mol based on the Starink method. In addition, our predicted thermograms based on the developed model fit well with the curves obtained from experimental DSC results. Moreover, DSC and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) are used to determine the thermal properties of the cross-linked thermoset. The resulting polybenzoxazine derived from ortho-maleimide functional shows excellent thermal stability (T g of 247 oC; T d5 of 333 oC), evidencing its great potential application in high-performance fields.

Dyeing Wool Knitted Fabric in Nano-scale Reverse Micelle with Reactive Dyes - A Computer Colour Matching Study

Cheng-hao Lee,Yanming Wang,Yiu-lun Tang,Chi-wai Kan 한국섬유공학회 2021 Fibers and polymers Vol.22 No.5

The colour quality assessment of reverse micelle-based (in octane or nonane medium) and conventional waterbaseddyed wool knitted fabric has been investigated using computer colour matching (CCM) approach. Both water-basedand non-aqueous based dyeing methods exhibited no chromatic shift from the reflectance curves and established goodlinearity in the construction of calibration curves. The linearity of both calibration curves in terms of R2 value played a criticalrole in CCM. The colour yield obtained from reverse micellar dyed fabric samples was higher than the colour yield valuesfrom wool knitted fabrics dyed in water bath under different dye percentages. The CCM predicted concentrations were ingood agreement to theoretical concentrations for both dyeing systems. To conclude, the results showed that reverse micellardyeing in octane and nonane is capable of generating reliable colour recipes. The relative unlevelness indices (RUI) obtainedfrom dyed wool knitted fabrics using reverse micellar approach reveal good to excellent levelness, which fulfills therequirements of the textile processing industry. TEM picture illustrated that reverse micelles are in nano-scale and this couldenhance the dyeing effect of wool with reactive dyes.

Single-cell analysis of salt-induced hypertensive mouse aortae reveals cellular heterogeneity and state changes

Zhang Ka,Kan Hao,Mao Aiqin,Geng Li,Ma Xin 생화학분자생물학회 2021 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.53 No.-

Elevated blood pressure caused by excessive salt intake is common and associated with cardiovascular diseases in most countries. However, the composition and responses of vascular cells in the progression of hypertension have not been systematically described. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing on the aortic arch from C57BL/6J mice fed a chow/high-salt diet. We identified 19 distinct cell populations representing 12 lineages, including smooth muscle cells (SMCs), fibroblasts, endothelial cells (ECs), B cells, and T cells. During the progression of hypertension, the proportion of three SMC subpopulations, two EC subpopulations, and T cells increased. In two EC clusters, the expression of reactive oxygen species-related enzymes, collagen and contractility genes was upregulated. Gene set enrichment analysis showed that three SMC subsets underwent endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition. We also constructed intercellular networks and found more frequent cell communication among aortic cells in hypertension and that some signaling pathways were activated during hypertension. Finally, joint public genome-wide association study data and our single-cell RNA-sequencing data showed the expression of hypertension susceptibility genes in ECs, SMCs, and fibroblasts and revealed 21 genes involved in the initiation and development of high-salt-induced hypertension. In conclusion, our data illustrate the transcriptional landscape of vascular cells in the aorta associated with hypertension and reveal dramatic changes in cell composition and intercellular communication during the progression of hypertension.

Reverse Micellar Dyeing of Wool Fabric with Reactive Dyes

Yanming Wang,Yiu-lun Tang,Cheng-hao Lee,Chi-wai Kan 한국섬유공학회 2019 Fibers and polymers Vol.20 No.11

The approach of using reverse micelle with nonionic surfactant (poly(ethylene glycol), PEG)) as building blockhas been employed to investigate dyeability of wool fabrics with reactive dyes in a one-bath non-aqueous solvent system. Three colours were used and they were encapsulated in the core of the PEG-based reverse micelle under optimised processparameters (i.e. (i) Solvent volume to wool fabric weight ratio (v/w)=10:1; (ii) Surfactant/water mole ratio=0.04:1; (iii)Surfactant/co-surfactant mole ratio=1:8; (iv) Volume of water-pool for dye=0.5 ml; (v) Dyeing time=50 minutes; and (vi)Dyeing temperature=88 oC). Comparison of non-aqueous and aqueous-based (water-based) dyeing was conducted in terms ofdyeability as reflected by colour yield and colour fastness properties. Experimental results revealed that the reverse micellarnon-aqueous dyeing system can provide a better dyeing performance than aqueous-based dyeing system.

Effect of Solvent Dyeing Medium on Dye Encapsulation and Non-Aqueous Dyeing of Cotton Fabric with Rhamnolipid (RL) Microbial Biosurfactant-Based Reactive Dye Encapsulated Reverse Micelles

Yiu Lun Alan Tang,Cheng-hao Lee,Yanming Wang,Chi‑wai Kan 한국섬유공학회 2023 Fibers and polymers Vol.24 No.12

Feasibility and applicability of rhamnolipid (RL) microbial biosurfactant-based reverse micellar non-aqueous system in different solvent medium for dyeing of cotton fabrics was investigated. In this study, several solvents, including heptane, octane, nonane, decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5), and paraffin liquid (PL), were chosen as the dyeing medium for non-aqueous dyeing of cotton fabrics with fixed dyeing parameters. The dyeing properties of these RL reverse micellar dyed samples in different solvent medium were examined and compared with the conventional water-dyed samples in terms of color yield (K/Ssum value), CIE L*a*b* values, color levelness and reflectance. Most non-aqueous RL reverse micellar dyed samples exhibited better color yield than conventional water-dyed samples. The surface morphology of dyed cotton samples and the dye encapsulation morphology in different solvent medium were observed by SEM and TEM, respectively. Most non-aqueous dyed samples yielded good to excellent levelness comparable to water-dyed samples. However, poor levelness and bad levelness were found for D5-and PL-dyed samples. Further modification of dyeing parameters would be needed to obtain the best dyeing results for D5-dyed and PL-dyed samples.

Insect-specific microRNA involved in the development of the silkworm Bombyx mori

Yong Zhang,Xue Zhou,Xie Ge,Jiang-Hao Jiang,Mu-Wang Li,Shi-Hai Jia,Xiao-Nan Yang,Yun-Chao Kan,Xue-Xia Miao,Guo-Ping Zhao,Fei Li,Yong-Ping Huang 한국응용곤충학회 2009 한국응용곤충학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2009 No.10

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous non-coding genes that participate in post-transcription regulation by either degrading mRNA or blocking its translation. It is considered to be very important in regulating insect development and metamorphosis. Insects are the largest group of animals and are extremely valuable in biological and agriculture research. Insects are also important pests to human health and agriculture, and efforts are necessary protect both humans and plants from disease and damage. Despite their importance, insects lag behind mammals, nematodes, and plants in miRNA research. At present, only 279 insect miRNAs have been identified from Drosophila melanogaster, Anopheles gambiae, Apis mellifera, Bombyx mori, and D. pseudoobscura in miRBase, and most of these miRNAs were computationally predicted without experimental validation. Functional analysis of insect miRNAs has only been conducted in D. melanogaster.

A Computer Colour Matching (CCM) Study on Non-aqueous Reactive Dyeing of Cotton Fabric with Rhamnolipid (RL) Microbial Biosurfactant-Based Reverse Micelles

Alan Yiu Lun Tang,Cheng-hao Lee,Yanming Wang,Chi‑wai Kan 한국섬유공학회 2023 Fibers and polymers Vol.24 No.2

The feasibility of computer colour matching (CCM) of rhamnolipid-based reverse micellar dyeing system on cotton fibre inoctane media has been investigated and compared with that of conventional water-based dyeing system. Calibration resultsconfirm that the calibration curves of both systems are linear in structure. Reflectance curves reveal that both water-dyedand RL octane-dyed standard and batch samples are identical in shape without any peak shift and alteration of colour properties. The actual colour matching results of RL octane reverse micellar dyeing system are close to theoretical predictionwith percentage difference less than 25%, verifying the applicability of CCM on RL reverse micellar dyeing system. RLoctane-dyed samples can achieve good to excellent levelness, washing and rubbing fastness, which are comparable to thatof water-dyed samples. Further experiments have been conducted to analyse the zeta-potential surface charge, particle sizedistribution and Raman spectra of RL. Volatile organic compound (VOC) detection and solvent recovery have also beenconducted. Experimental results reveal that the leakage of octane solvent is between 2 and 3 ppm which is at acceptably lowlevel whilst more than 98% of octane can be recovered for further use after the RL reverse micellar dyeing process, validatingthe environmental friendliness potential of the RL octane reverse micellar dyeing system.