Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell transplantation promotes adult neurogenesis in the brains of Alzheimer's disease mice

In the present study, we transplanted adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells into the hippo-campi of APP/PS1 transgenic Alzheimer＇s disease model mice. Immunofluorescence staining revealed that the number of newly generated （BrdU＋） cells in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus in the hippocampus was signiifcantly higher in Alzheimer＇s disease mice after adipose-de-rived mesenchymal stem cell transplantation, and there was also a significant increase in the number of BrdU＋/DCX＋neuroblasts in these animals. Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell transplantation enhanced neurogenic activity in the subventricular zone as well. Furthermore, adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell transplantation reduced oxidative stress and alleviated cognitive impairment in the mice. Based on these ifndings, we propose that adipose-derived mes-enchymal stem cell transplantation enhances endogenous neurogenesis in both the subgranular and subventricular zones in APP/PS1 transgenic Alzheimer＇s disease mice, thereby facilitating functional recovery.

The Numerical Investigation on Oil Slick Behavior behind the Oil Boom

The dynamics of contained oil spills is investigated based on multiphase CFD (Computational Fluid Mechanics) model. The oil slick shape behind the oil boom under water current is studied. The velocity field in the oil slick is compared with the velocity field in pure water flow. The thickness of the oil slick is studied quantitatively. It is found that there is a fixed linear relationship between the oil slick relative thickness and the Froude number for different oil, different current velocity, different boom draft and different volume of oil.

Complementary Operations of Multi-renewable Energy Systems with Pumped Storage

Complementarity is an important attribute among different renewable energy sources(RESs).A multi-renewable energy system(MRES)offers an alternative to aggregate diverse RESs and can ensure the best attributes of their mutual characteristics.However,few papers conduct convincing research into the complementary operation of a MRES.This paper investigates the complementarities in a MRES that contains wind,photovoltaic,run-off hydro,pumped storage power plants and incorporates complementarity into the optimal operation of a MRES.The complementarity is theoretically summarized and first classified into two categories:natural and synthetical.To effectively capture the uncertainty and complementarity of RESs,the time-dependent clustering simulation technique is employed to generate their joint-scenarios.An equivalent runoff hydropower plant index is proposed,based on which a novel complementary operation model,that considers volatility and self-sufficient adequacy,is established.Results are presented and compared in a case study,which demonstrate the validity and scalability of the proposed methodology,reveals the complementarities under multiple time-scales,and illustrates the significance of complementary operations.

Parallel photoreactor development with enhanced photon efficiency and reproducibility based on laws of optics

A lab-scale parallel photoreactor model has been developed for broad applications in organic chemistry.Position,angle,and distance in the reactor are systematically optimized for achieving high reproducibility under the guidance of the Inverse Square Law and Lambert’s Cosine Law,which were first applied in the design of the photoreactor.Improvement of photon efficiency is realized via 3-point irradiation and broad-band light reflector of aluminum.Photon flux is measured with an optical power meter with its display and adjustment suggested being integrated into the photoreactor for the first time.

Study on the inter-village space of a traditional village group in Huizhou Region:Hongguan Village group as an example

Village groups are a common phenomenon in Huizhou Region,a historical region in eastern China where shared inter-village spaces play important roles in linking villages.This study analyzes the spatial layouts and characteristics of the inter-village space in the Hongguan village group in Wuyuan County,Jiangxi Province.A comprehensive literature review and the results of field research,qualitative analysis,and quantitative analysis prove that the regional spatial structure is maintained among inter-village space,landmarks,villagers,and villages within the village group.Through a summarized analysis of nine research slices,this study complements previous Huizhou Village studies.It provides valuable information for the preservation of traditional villages and reveals the hidden rules,potential order,and social meaning of inter-village spaces.

Clinical Prediction Models for Hepatitis B Virus-related Acute-on-chronic Liver Failure:A Technical Report

Background and Aims:It is critical but challenging to predict the prognosis of hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure(HBV-ACLF).This study systematically summarized and evaluated the quality and performance of available clinical prediction models(CPMs).Methods:A keyword search of articles on HBV-ACLF CPMs published in PubMed from January 1995 to April 2020 was performed.Both the quality and performance of the CPMs were assessed.Results:Fifty-two CPMs were identified,of which 31 were HBV-ACLF specific.The modeling data were mostly derived from retrospective(83.87%)and single-center(96.77%)cohorts,with sample sizes ranging from 46 to 1,202.Three-month mortality was the most common endpoint.The Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver consensus(51.92%)and Chinese Medical Association liver failure guidelines(40.38%)were commonly used for HBV-ACLF diagnosis.Serum bilirubin(67.74%),the international normalized ratio(54.84%),and hepatic encephalopathy(51.61%)were the most frequent variables used in models.Model discrimination was commonly evaluated(88.46%),but model calibration was seldom performed.The model for end-stage liver disease score was the most widely used(84.62%);however,varying performance was reported among the studies.Conclusions:Substantial limitations lie in the quality of HBV-ACLF-specific CPMs.Disease severity of study populations may impact model performance.The clinical utility of CPMs in predicting short-term prognosis of HBV-ACLF remains to be undefined.

Suppression of GSK3β by ERK mediates lipopolysaccharide induced cell migration in macrophage through β-catenin signaling

We investigate the role of β-catenin signaling in the response of macrophage to lipopolysaccharide(LPS)using RAW264.7 cells.LPS rapidly stimulated cytosolic β-catenin accumulation.β-catenin-mediated transcription was showed to be required for LPS induced gene expression and cell migration.Mechanically,ERK activation-primed GSK3β inactivation by Akt was demonstrated to mediate the LPS induced β-catenin accumulation.Overall,our findings suggest that suppression of GSK3β by ERK stimulatesβ-catenin signaling therefore contributes to LPS induced cell migration in macrophage activation.

Comprehensive review of modeling,structure,and integration techniques of smart buildings in the cyber-physical-social system

Smart buildings have been proven to be a kind of flexible demand response resources in the power system.To maximize the utilization of the demand response resources,such as the heating,ventilating and air-conditioning(HVAC),the energy storage systems(ESSs),the plug-in electric vehicles(PEVs),and the photovoltaic systems(PVs),their controlling,operation and information communication technologies have been widely studied.Involving human behaviors and cyber space,a traditional power system evolves into a cyberphysical-social system(CPSS).Lots of new operation frameworks,controlling methods and potential resources integration techniques will be introduced.Conversely,these new techniques urge the reforming requirement of the techniques on the modeling,structure,and integration techniques of smart buildings.In this paper,a brief comprehensive survey of the modeling,controlling,and operation of smart buildings is provided.Besides,a novel CPSS-based smart building operation structure is proposed,and the integration techniques for the group of smart buildings are discussed.Moreover,available busi-ness models for aggregating the smart buildings are discussed.Furthermore,the required advanced technologies for well-developed smart buildings are outlined.

Identification of serum metabolites enhancing inflammatory responses in COVID-19

Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2),is characterized by a strong production of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF and IL-6,which underlie the severity of the disease.However,the molecular mechanisms responsible for such a strong immune response remains unclear.Here,utilizing targeted tandem mass spectrometry to analyze serum metabolome and lipidome in COVID-19 patients at different temporal stages,we identified that 611 metabolites(of 1,039)were significantly altered in COVID-19 patients.Among them,two metabolites,agmatine and putrescine,were prominently elevated in the serum of patients;and 2-quinolinecarboxylate was changed in a biphasic manner,elevated during early COVID-19 infection but levelled off.When tested in mouse embryonic fibroblasts(MEFs)and macrophages,these 3 metabolites were found to activate the NF-κB pathway that plays a pivotal role in governing cytokine production.Importantly,these metabolites were each able to cause strong increase of TNF and IL-6 levels when administered to wildtype mice,but not in the mice lacking NF-κB.Intriguingly,these metabolites have little effects on the activation of interferon regulatory factors(IRFs)for the production of type I interferons(IFNs)for antiviral defenses.These data suggest that circulating metabolites resulting from COVID-19 infection may act as effectors to elicit the peculiar systemic inflammatory responses,exhibiting severely strong proinflammatory cytokine production with limited induction of the interferons.Our study may provide a rationale for development of drugs to alleviate inflammation in COVID-19 patients.

A New K-Shell Decomposition Method for Identifying Influential Spreaders of Epidemics on Community Networks

An efficient method for the identification of influential spreaders that could be used to control epidemics within populations would be of considerable importance. Generally, populations are characterized by its community structures and by the heterogeneous distributions of out-leaving links among nodes bridging over communities. A new method for community networks capable of identifying influential spreaders that accelerate the spread of disease is here proposed. In this method, influential spreaders serve as target nodes. This is based on the idea that, in k-shell decomposition method,out-leaving links and inner links are processed separately. The method was used on empirical networks constructed from online social networks, and results indicated that this method is more accurate. Its effectiveness stems from the patterns of connectivity among neighbors, and it successfully identified the important nodes. In addition, the performance of the method remained robust even when there were errors in the structure of the network.

Interobserver Agreement for Classifying Infections in Patients with Decompensated Cirrhosis Based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Criteria

Background:Bacterial infections are common in patients with decompensated cirrhosis,largely owing to bacterial translocation and cirrhosis-associated immune dysfunction.This study aims to determine the reliability for classifying infections in patients with decompensated cirrhosis based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC)criteria.Methods:The patients with decompensated cirrhosis with suspicious infection in a registered prospective cohort of cirrhosis from May 1,2014 to February 25,2015 in the ward of First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University were retrospectively identified.Agreement assessment was conducted focusing on site of infection,the possibility of infection,and pathogens of infection on both system level and specific diagnosis level.A subgroup analysis was performed based on with/without acute-on-chronic liver failure(ACLF).Results:A total of 402 infectious episodes among 351 patients were enrolled for consistency analysis.The overall agreement for site of infection was 94%(378/402)(k=0.90,95%CI 0.86–0.94)on system level and 86%(346/402)(k=0.84,95%CI 0.80–0.88)on specific diagnosis level.On possibility of infection,the overall agreement was 81%(306/378)(weighted k=0.71,95%CI 0.65–0.77),with 84%(224/267)(weighted k=0.75,95%CI 0.63–0.87)in patients with ACLF and 80%(70/88)(weighted k=0.68,95%CI 0.60–0.76)in patients without ACLF,respectively.On pathogens of infection,the overall agreement was 72%(60/83)(k=0.70,95%CI 0.60–0.80)among most frequent infections.Conclusion:The agreement for classifying infections in patients with decompensated cirrhosis based on CDC criteria is acceptable overall,suggesting that it can be a useful tool for clinical management in patients with decompensated cirrhosis with suspicious infections.