J-shaped association between dietary thiamine intake and the risk of cognitive decline in cognitively healthy,older Chinese individuals

Background The prospective association of dietary thiamine intake with the risk of cognitive decline among the general older adults remains uncertain.Aims To investigate the association between dietary thiamine intake and cognitive decline in cognitively healthy,older Chinese individuals.Methods The study included a total of 3106 participants capable of completing repeated cognitive function tests.Dietary nutrient intake information was collected through 3-day dietary recalls and using a 3-day food-weighed method to assess cooking oil and condiment consumption.Cognitive decline was defined as the 5-year decline rate in global or composite cognitive scores based on a subset of items from the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status-modified.Results The median follow-up duration was 5.9 years.There was a J-shaped relationship between dietary thiamine intake and the 5-year decline rate in global and composite cognitive scores,with an inflection point of 0.68 mg/day(95%confidence interval(Cl):0.56 to 0.80)and a minimal risk at 0.60-1.00 mg/day of dietary thiamine intake.Before the inflection point,thiamine intake was not significantly associated with cognitive decline.Beyond the inflection point,each unit increase in thiamine intake(mg/day)was associated with a significant decrease of 4.24(95%Cl:2.22 to 6.27)points in the global score and 0.49(95%Cl:0.23 to 0.76)standard units in the composite score within 5 years.A stronger positive association between thiamine intake and cognitive decline was observed in those with hypertension,obesity and those who were non-smokers(all p<0.05).Conclusions This study revealed a J-shaped association between dietary thiamine intake and cognitive decline in cognitively healthy,older Chinese individuals,with an inflection point at 0.68 mg/day and a minimal risk at 0.60-1.00 mg/day of dietary thiamine intake.

基于脂质组学的敏感性皮肤表面脂质差异分析

建立了基于脂质组学技术的人面部皮肤表面脂质采集、检测及分析方法,用于敏感性皮肤脂质代谢紊乱的研究。首先通过乳酸刺痛实验将青年女性志愿者分为敏感性皮肤组和非敏感性皮肤组,检测其生理指标并采集面部皮肤表面脂质进行超高效液相色谱-四极杆-飞行时间质谱(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS)分析。随后,运用正交偏最小二乘-判别分析(OPLS-DA)结合t检验筛选出差异性成分并进行精准二级质谱鉴定,共指认出29种甘油三酯类(TG)差异性脂质。与非敏感性皮肤组相比,敏感性皮肤组中这些差异性TG的水平显著降低,并对相关生物学意义进行了阐述。本研究为敏感性皮肤发生机制的探索及相关护肤品的研发提供了理论指导和技术支撑。

Phase-matching quantum key distribution with imperfect sources

The huge discrepancies between actual devices and theoretical assumptions severely threaten the security of quantum key distribution.Recently,a general new framework called the reference technique has attracted wide attention in defending against the imperfect sources of quantum key distribution.Here,the state preparation flaws,the side channels of mode dependencies,the Trojan horse attacks,and the pulse classical correlations are studied by using the reference technique on the phase-matching protocol.Our simulation results highlight the importance of the actual secure parameters choice for transmitters,which is necessary to achieve secure communication.Increasing the single actual secure parameter will reduce the secure key rate.However,as long as the parameters are set properly,the secure key rate is still high.Considering the influences of multiple actual secure parameters will significantly reduce the secure key rate.These actual secure parameters must be considered when scientists calibrate transmitters.This work is an important step towards the practical and secure implementation of phase-matching protocol.In the future,it is essential to study the main parameters,find out their maximum and general values,classify the multiple parameters as the same parameter,and give countermeasures.

Effect of weak randomness flaws on security evaluation of practical quantum key distribution with distinguishable decoy states

Quantum key distribution provides an unconditional secure key sharing method in theory,but the imperfect factors of practical devices will bring security vulnerabilities.In this paper,we characterize the imperfections of the sender and analyze the possible attack strategies of Eve.Firstly,we present a quantized model for distinguishability of decoy states caused by intensity modulation.Besides,considering that Eve may control the preparation of states through hidden variables,we evaluate the security of preparation in practical quantum key distribution(QKD)scheme based on the weak-randomness model.Finally,we analyze the influence of the distinguishability of decoy state to secure key rate,for Eve may conduct the beam splitting attack and control the channel attenuation of different parts.Through the simulation,it can be seen that the secure key rate is sensitive to the distinguishability of decoy state and weak randomness,especially when Eve can control the channel attenuation.

Semi-Supervised Clustering Algorithm Based on Deep Feature Mapping

Clustering analysis is one of the main concerns in data mining.A common approach to the clustering process is to bring together points that are close to each other and separate points that are away from each other.Therefore,measuring the distance between sample points is crucial to the effectiveness of clustering.Filtering features by label information and mea-suring the distance between samples by these features is a common supervised learning method to reconstruct distance metric.However,in many application scenarios,it is very expensive to obtain a large number of labeled samples.In this paper,to solve the clustering problem in the few supervised sample and high data dimensionality scenarios,a novel semi-supervised clustering algorithm is proposed by designing an improved prototype network that attempts to reconstruct the distance metric in the sample space with a small amount of pairwise supervised information,such as Must-Link and Cannot-Link,and then cluster the data in the new metric space.The core idea is to make the similar ones closer and the dissimilar ones further away through embedding mapping.Extensive experiments on both real-world and synthetic datasets show the effectiveness of this algorithm.Average clustering metrics on various datasets improved by 8%compared to the comparison algorithm.

China’s Experience in Controlling COVID-19

Background: In less than a year, COVID-19 has swept the world and continued, too, seriously threatening the safety of all mankind, and caused great social panic and global economic and financial crisis. At the beginning, the epidemic was first diagnosed in China and the epidemic was severe. Under the strong command of the highest level of the Chinese government, the whole Chinese people united as one, and achieved initial results in the struggle against COVID-19 with scientific prevention and control. Objective: Summarizing China’s experience and lessons in combating the epidemic is undoubtedly very beneficial to the people of the world in jointly combating the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic. Measures: The article shows the imminent Chinese experience in controlling the spread of SARS-CoV-2. It details the lines of action and the measures taken to control this epidemic in the country where the population is quite large. The most important experience is: strong organizational leadership, enhanced cooperation with the WHO, the establishment of a national anti-epidemic headquarters, responsible for the command and control of human, financial and material resources throughout the country, and local officials at all levels in the front line of the epidemic, Heart to heart with the people, breathing together and sharing a common destiny. Prevention is the first, prevention and treatment are combined. All measures were taken to control the source of infection, cut off the spread and protect susceptible people. Conclusion: As long as the people of the world unite, make scientific decisions and learn from the successful experience of countries around the world, especially the China’s experience, combine the national conditions of each country, and use the wisdom of all man-kind to deal with the common enemy SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, we can definitely win this people’s war against the disease.

抗米勒管激素、血管内皮生长因子水平对子宫内膜异位症患者腹腔镜手术后妊娠结局的影响

目的探讨抗米勒管激素(AMH)、血管内皮生长因子(VEGF)水平对子宫内膜异位症患者腹腔镜手术后妊娠结局的预测价值。方法选取2017年4月—2019年7月在武汉市江夏区第一人民医院(华中科技大学协和江南医院)行腹腔镜子宫内膜异位症治疗的137例患者为研究对象。术后随访2年。根据患者术后2年的自然妊娠结局分组,将自然妊娠患者记为自然妊娠成功组,否则记为自然妊娠失败组。比较两组患者的美国生育协会修正分期法(r-AFS)分期,囊肿直径,血清抗精子蛋白17抗体(sp17Ab)、抗顶体蛋白酶抗体(AcrAb)、糖类抗原125、AMH、VEGF水平,以及术后促性腺激素释放激素激动剂治疗情况。采用多因素逐步Logistic回归分析模型分析影响子宫内膜异位症患者腹腔镜手术后妊娠结局的因素。绘制ROC曲线,分析子宫内膜异位症患者腹腔镜手术前AMH、VEGF水平对术后妊娠结局的预测价值。结果137例患者失访14例。123例患者中自然妊娠成功患者55例,剩余68例自然妊娠失败。多因素逐步Logistic回归分析结果显示,AMH水平[O^R=4.059(95%CI:1.670,9.865)]、VEGF水平[O^R=3.688(95%CI:1.517,8.962)]、sp17Ab水平[O^R=3.662(95%CI:1.507,8.900)]是子宫内膜异位症患者腹腔镜手术后妊娠结局的影响因素(P<0.05)。ROC曲线显示,AMH、VEGF及两者联合预测子宫内膜异位症患者腹腔镜手术后妊娠的AUC分别为0.750(95%CI:0.652,0.849)、0.763(95%CI:0.665,0.861)、0.889(95%CI:0.826,0.952),敏感性分别为72.73%(95%CI:0.588,0.835)、78.18%(95%CI:0.646,0.878)、72.73%(95%CI:0.588,0.835),特异性分别为70.59%(95%CI:0.581,0.807)、80.88%(95%CI:0.692,0.890)、89.71%(95%CI:0.794,0.954)。结论子宫内膜异位症患者术前血清AMH、VEGF水平对术后妊娠结局有预测价值,两者联合预测子宫内膜异位症患者腹腔镜手术后妊娠结局效能良好。

Three-dimensional mesoscale eddy identification and tracking algorithm based on pressure anomalies Liming

The Kuroshio Extension(KE)is one of the most eddy-energetic regions in the global ocean.However,most mesoscale eddy studies in the region are focused on surface eddies and the structure and characteristics of three-dimensional(3-D)eddies require additional research.In this study,we proposed a 3-D eddy identification and tracking algorithm based on pressure anomalies,similar to sea level anomalies(SLAs)for surface eddy identification.We applied this scheme to a 5-year(2008-2012)high-resolution numerical product to develop a 3-D eddy dataset in the KE.The reliability of the numerical product was verified by the 5-year temperature/salinity hydrological characteristics and surface eddy distribution.According to the 3-D eddy tracking dataset,the number of eddies decreased dramatically as the eddy existence-time increased and more anticyclonic eddies(AEs)had an existence-time longer than 1 week than cyclonic eddies(CEs).We presented daily variations in the 3-D structure of two 3-D eddy-tracking trajectories that exhibit a certain jump in depth and a shift toward the west and equator.In addition to the bowl,lens,and cone eddies that have been discovered by previous researchers,we found that there is a cylindrical eddy,and its eddy radii are almost consistent across all layers.CEs cause significant negative temperature anomalies,“negative-positive”salinity anomalies,and sinking current fields in the KE region,while AEs cause positive temperature anomalies,“positive-negative”salinity anomalies,and upward current fields.The four types of eddies have different effects on the temperature/salinity anomalies and current field distribution which are related to their structure.

Research progress on the immune microenvironment of the gallbladder in patients with cholesterol gallstones

Cholesterol gallstones are very common in hepatobiliary surgery and have been studied to a certain extent by doctors worldwide for decades.However,the mechanism of cholesterol gallstone formation is not fully understood,so there is currently no completely effective drug for the treatment and prevention of cholesterol gallstones.The formation and development of cholesterol gallstones are caused by a variety of genetic and environmental factors,among which genetic susceptibility,intestinal microflora disorders,impaired gallbladder motility,and immune disorders are important in the pathogenesis of cholesterol gallstones.This review focuses on recent advances in these mechanisms.We also discuss some new targets that may be effective in the treatment and prevention of cholesterol gallstones,which may be hot areas in the future.

Real-time fluorescent quantitative immuno-PCR method for determination of fluoranthene in water samples with a molecular beacon

A reliable and sensitive competitive real-time fluorescent quantitative immuno-PCR （RTFQ-IPCR） assay using a molecular beacon was developed for the determination of trace fluoranthene （FL） in the environment.Under optimized assay conditions,FL can be determined in the concentration range from 1 fg/mL to 100 ng/mL,with y=0.194x ＋ 7.859,and a correlation coefficient of 0.967 was identified,with a detection limit of 0.6 fg/mL.Environmental water samples were successfully analyzed,recovery was between 90% and 116%,with intra-day relative standard deviation （RSD） of 6.7%-12.8% and inter-day RSD of 8.4%-15.2%.The results obtained from RTFQ-IPCR were confirmed by ELISA,showing good accuracy and suitability to analyze FL in field samples.As a highly sensitive method,the molecular beacon-based RTFQ-IPCR is acceptable and promising for providing reliable test results to make environmental decisions.

Development and characterization of new polyclonal antibodies specific for three polychlorinated biphenyls

Three polychlorinated biphenyls （PCBs） congeners and their corresponding haptens bearing four carbon length carboxylic groups that can be linked to a protein for raising antibodies were synthesized. The three resultant immunogens were fabricated and used to stimulate immune responses in rabbits to survey the characteristics of the haptens. Three of the resultant polyclonal antibodies （Pabs） were obtained. The antiserum exhibited relatively high antibody titres （1：32-64） in double agar diffusion.

预防猪呼吸道疾病复合症的措施

兽医专家在哥本哈根举行的国际猪兽医协会大会上组织了一次专题研究会,讨论了猪呼吸道疾病复合症在全球范围内的发生情况。他们说,有关猪呼吸道疾病复合症的问题现在依然存在,而且不止是猪呼吸道疾病性复合症的病原体在各个不同国家中的差异问题。

Temperature effects on atmospheric continuous-variable quantum key distribution

Compared with the fiber channel,the atmospheric channel offers the possibility of a broader geographical coverage and more flexible transmission for continuous-variable quantum key distribution(CVQKD).However,the fluctuation of atmospheric conditions will lead to the loss of performance in atmospheric quantum communication.In this paper,we study how temperature affects atmospheric CVQKD.We mainly consider the temperature effects on the transmittance and interruption probability.From the numerical simulation analysis,it can be shown that the performance of atmospheric CVQKD is improved as temperature increases,with the other factors fixed.Moreover,the results in this work can be used to evaluate the feasibility of the experimental implementation of the atmospheric CVQKD protocols.

Research on co-propagation of QKD and classical communication by reducing the classical optical power

We investigate the crosstalk noise, especially the spontaneous Raman scattering, in the optical fiber of a copropagation system between quantum key distribution(QKD) and classical communications. Although many methods have been proposed, such as increasing the wavelength spacing and narrowband filtering technique, to suppress Raman scattering noise, these methods greatly affect the performance of QKD. One way to solve the obstacle restricting the coexistence is to decrease the classical signal power. Based on the high gain of the gated avalanche photodiode and pulse position modulation, we demonstrate that the co-propagation system works effectively with only a small effect on long-haul fibers, which has great significance for the practical widespread commercialization of QKD.

机械力诱导MHC-Ⅰ构象变化增强TCR抗原识别及T细胞活化

CD8+T细胞主要通过T细胞表面受体(T cell recep tor,TCR)识别并与Ⅰ型主要组织性复合物提呈的抗原(pMHC-Ⅰ)相互作用[1]。TCR对刺激型抗原的识别在CD8+T细胞毒性和适应性免疫中发挥着关键作用。许多证据表明机械力可以延长TCR与刺激性pMHC作用的键合时间(bond lifetime)形成抗原特异性逆锁键(catch bond)[2],并且这种逆锁键对抗原识别非常重要。然而,机械力调控TCR抗原识别的具体结构机制仍不清楚。通过分子动力学模拟、单分子生物膜力学探针、磁镊、T细胞活化实验和动物模型对此问题展开了系统的研究[4]。发现作用在TCR-pMHC-Ⅰ复合体上的拉力可以作用在TCR-pMHC-Ⅰ复合体上的拉力可以打破MHC-I分子内部α1-α2和β2结构域间的相互作用,导致α1-α2结构域旋转并发生构象变化。力诱导的MHC-I构象变化可以进一步别构地调节TCR与刺激性抗原肽及α1-α2结构域的构象及相互作用,诱导产生新的氢键,增强TCR-pMHC-Ⅰ之间的键合时间,但并不能增强TCR与抑制性pMHC-Ⅰ之间的作用。当用点突变阻断这些新形成的氢键,或者α1-α2和β2结构域被二硫键锁住时,最佳力诱导的TCR-pMHC-Ⅰ作用的键合时间明显缩短并且T细胞的活化受到抑制。另外,在人TCR和HLA-A2相互作用中发现了类似机制,并且与肿瘤相关的HLA-A2点突变[3]可以通过限制HLA-A2α1--α2和β2结构域之间的构象打开减弱TCR对肿瘤抗原的识别及T细胞的功能。研究结果表明,机械力诱导的MHC-I构象变化对TCR抗原识别和T细胞活化非常重要,进一步地阐明了机械力调控TCR抗原识别机制,为临床肿瘤的免疫治疗和药物设计提供了新思路和新靶点。

Finite-Key Analysis for a Practical High-Dimensional Quantum Key Distribution System Based on Time-Phase States

High-dimensional quantum states key distribution(HD-QKD) can enable more than one bit per photon and tolerate more noise. Recently, a practical HD-QKD system based on time-phase states has provided a secret key at Mbps over metropolitan distances. For the purposes of further improving the secret key rate of a practical HD-QKD system, we make two main contributions in this work. Firstly, we present an improved parameter estimation for this system in the finite-key scenario based on the Chernoff bound and the improved Chernoff bound. Secondly, we analyze how the dimension d affects the performance of the practical HD-QKD system.We present numerical simulations about the secret key rate of the practical HD-QKD system based on different parameter estimation methods. It is found that using the improved Chernoff bound can improve the secret key rate and maximum channel loss of the practical HD-QKD system. In addition, a mixture of the 4-level and 8-level practical HD-QKD system can provide better performance in terms of the key generation rate over metropolitan distances.

Performance analysis of continuous-variable measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution under diverse weather conditions

The effects of weather conditions are ubiquitous in practical wireless quantum communication links.Here in this work,the performances of atmospheric continuous-variable measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution(CV-MDI-QKD)under diverse weather conditions are analyzed quantitatively.According to the Mie scattering theory and atmospheric CV-MDI-QKD model,we numerically simulate the relationship between performance of CV-MDI-QKD and the rainy and foggy conditions,aiming to get close to the actual combat environment in the future.The results show that both rain and fog will degrade the performance of the CV-MDI-QKD protocol.Under the rainy condition,the larger the raindrop diameter,the more obvious the extinction effect is and the lower the secret key rate accordingly.In addition,we find that the secret key rate decreases with the increase of spot deflection distance and the fluctuation of deflection.Under the foggy condition,the results illustrate that the transmittance decreases with the increase of droplet radius or deflection distance,which eventually yields the decrease in the secret key rate.Besides,in both weather conditions,the increase of transmission distance also leads the secret key rate to deteriorate.Our work can provide a foundation for evaluating the performance evaluation and successfully implementing the atmospheric CV-MDI-QKD in the future field operation environment under different weather conditions.

Finite-key analysis of practical time-bin high-dimensional quantum key distribution with afterpulse effect

High-dimensional quantum resources provide the ability to encode several bits of information on a single photon,which can particularly increase the secret key rate rate of quantum key distribution(QKD) systems. Recently, a practical four-dimensional QKD scheme based on time-bin quantum photonic state, only with two single-photon avalanche detectors as measurement setup, has been proven to have a superior performance than the qubit-based one. In this paper, we extend the results to our proposed eight-dimensional scheme. Then, we consider two main practical factors to improve its secret key bound. Concretely, we take the afterpulse effect into account and apply a finite-key analysis with the intensity fluctuations.Our secret bounds give consideration to both the intensity fluctuations and the afterpulse effect for the high-dimensional QKD systems. Numerical simulations show the bound of eight-dimensional QKD scheme is more robust to the intensity fluctuations but more sensitive to the afterpulse effect than the four-dimensional one.

Controlling a sine wave gating single-photon detector by exploiting its filtering loophole

GHz single-photon detector （SPD） is a crucial part in the practical high speed quantum key distribution （QKD） system. However, any imperfections in a practical QKD system may be exploited by an eavesdropper （Eve） to collect information about the key without being discovered. The sine wave gating SPD （SG-SPD） based on InGaAs/InP avalanche photodiode, one kind of practical high speed SPD, may also contain loopholes. In this paper, we study the principle and characteristic of the SG-SPD and find out the filtering loophole of the SG-SPD for the first time. What is more, the proof-of-principle experiment shows that Eve could blind and control Bob＇s SG-SPD by exploiting this loophole. We believe that giving enough attention to this loophole can improve the practical security of the existing QKD system. GHz single-photon detector （SPD） is a crucial part in the practical high speed quantum key distribution （QKD） system. However, any imperfections in a practical QKD system may be exploited by an eavesdropper （Eve） to collect information about the key without being discovered. The sine wave gating SPD （SG-SPD） based on InGaAs/InP avalanche photodiode, one kind of practical high speed SPD, may also contain loopholes. In this paper, we study the principle and characteristic of the SG-SPD and find out the filtering loophole of the SG-SPD for the first time. What is more, the proof-of-principle experiment shows that Eve could blind and control Bob＇s SG-SPD by exploiting this loophole. We believe that giving enough attention to this loophole can improve the practical security of the existing QKD system.

Magnetic anisotropy manipulation and interfacial coupling in Sm_(3)Fe_(5)O_(12)films and CoFe/Sm_(3)Fe_(5)O_(12)heterostructures

The magnetic anisotropy manipulation in the Sm_(3)Fe_(5)O_(12)(SmIG)films and its effect on the interfacial spin coupling in the CoFe/SmIG heterostructures were studied carefully.By switching the orientation of the Gd_(3)Ga_(5)O_(12)substrates from(111)to(001),the magnetic anisotropy of obtained SmIG films shifts from in-plane to out-of-plane.Similar results can also be obtained in the films on Gd_(3)Ga_(5)O_(12)substrates,which identifies the universality of such orientation-induced magnetic anisotropy switching.Additionally,the interfacial spin coupling and magnetic anisotropy switching effect on the spin wave in CoFe/SmIG magnetic heterojunctions have also been explored by utilizing the time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect technique.It is intriguing to find that both the frequency and effective damping factor of spin precession in CoFe/SmIG heterojunctions can be manipulated by the magnetic anisotropy switching of SmIG films.These findings not only provide a route for the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy acquisition but also give a further path for spin manipulation in magnetic films and heterojunctions.