Interannual Meridional Displacement of the Upper-Tropospheric Westerly Jet over Western East Asia in Summer

The interannual meridional displacement of the upper-tropospheric westerly jet over the eastern portion of East Asia in summer has been well documented.This study,however,investigates the interannual meridional displacement of the westerly jet over the western portion of East Asia in summer,which is distinct from its eastern counterpart.The results show that the meridional displacement of the western East Asian jet shows a clear asymmetric feature;that is,there are remarkable differences between the southward and northward displacement of the jet.The southward displacement of the jet corresponds to suppressed convection in the tropical western North Pacific and Maritime Continent and enhanced convection in the equatorial Pacific,which can be explained by the warmer sea surfaces found in the northern Indian Ocean and equatorial eastern Pacific.These tropical anomalies somewhat resemble those associated with the eastern East Asian jet variability.However,the northward displacement of the western East Asian jet does not correspond to significant convection and SST anomalies in the entire tropics;instead,the northward displacement of the jet corresponds well to the positive phase of the Arctic Oscillation.Furthermore,the meridional displacement of the western jet has asymmetric impacts on rainfall and surface air temperatures in East Asia.When the western jet shifts northward,more precipitation is found over South China and Northeast China,and higher temperatures appear in northern China.By contrast,when the jet shifts southward,more precipitation appears over the East Asian rainy belt,including the Yangtze River valley,South Korea,and southern and central Japan and warmer temperatures are found South and Southeast Asia.

CDK5 inhibition promotes osteoblastic differentiation of MSCs and blocks the migration of osteosarcoma MG-63 cells

CDK5 belongs to the cyclin-dependent kinase family.CDK5 is multifunctional and plays an important role in neural differentiation.However,the role of CDK5 in osteoblastic differentiation remains unclear.The present study investigated functions and molecular mechanism of CDK5 in osteoblastic differentiation.It was found that,CDK5 inhibition promoted the expression of Runx2,ALP,OCN and OPN of MSCs and the mineralization of MC-3T3E1 cells and MSCs.CDK5 inhibition enhanced the development of F-actin,nuclear localization ofβ-catenin and YAP,as well as the expression of RMRP RNA.When F-actin was suppressed by Blebbistatin,the nuclear localization of YAP andβ-catenin,and expression of RMRP RNA as well as Runx2 and ALP were decreased.These indicate Seliciclib promotes osteoblastic differentiation mainly by F-actin.Moreover,Seliciclib also suppressed the migration of MG-63,suggesting a potential application for Seliciclib in bone defect repair and inhibition of the migration of osteosarcoma cells after osteosarcoma surgical resection.

Ferroelectricity in Charge-Ordering Crystals with Centrosymmetric Lattices

The switchability between the two ferroelectric(FE)states of an FE material makes FEs widely used in memories and other electronic devices.However,for conventional FEs,its FE switching only occurs between the two FE states whose spatial inversion symmetry is broken.The search for FE materials is therefore subject to certain limitations.We propose a new type of FEs whose FE states still contain spatial inversion centers.The change in polarization of this new type of FEs originates from electronic transfer between two centrosymmetric FE states under an external electric field.Taking BaBiO_(3) as an example,we show that charge-ordering systems can be a typical representative of this new type of FEs.Moreover,unlike traditional ferroelectrics,the change in polarization in this new type of FEs is quantum in nature with the direction dependent on the specific FE transition path.Our work therefore not only extends the concept of FEs but may also open up a new way to find multiferroics.

Light-induced magnetic phase transition in van der Waals antiferromagnets

Control over magnetic properties by optical stimulation is not only interesting from the physics point of view,but also important for practical applications such as magneto-optical devices.Here,based on a simple tight-binding(TB)model,we propose a general theory of light-induced magnetic phase transition(MPT)in antiferromagnets.Considering the fact that the bandgap of the antiferromagnetic(AFM)phase is usually larger than that of the ferromagnetic(FM)one for a given system,we suggest that light-induced electronic excitation prefers to stabilize the FM state over the AFM one,and will induce an MPT from AFM phase to FM phase once a critical photocarrier concentration(αc)is reached.This theory has been confirmed by performing firstprinciples calculations on a series of 2D van der Waals(vd W)antiferromagnets.Interestingly,a linear relationship betweenαc and the intrinsic material parameters is obtained,in agreement with our TB model analysis.Our general theory paves a new way to manipulate 2D magnetism with high speed and superior resolution.

Building Better Full Manganese‑Based Cathode Materialsfor Next‑Generation Lithium‑Ion Batteries

Lithium-manganese-oxides have been exploited as promising cathode materials for many years due to their environmental friendliness,resource abundance and low biotoxicity.Nevertheless,inevitable problems,such as Jahn-Teller distortion,manganese dissolution and phase transition,still frustrate researchers;thus,progress in full manganese-based cathode materials(FMCMs)has been relatively slow and limited in recent decades.Recently,with the fast growth of vehicle electrification and large-scale energy-storage grids,there has been an urgent demand to develop novel FMCMs again;actually,new waves of research based on FMCMs are being created.Herein,we systematically review the history of FMCMs,correctly describe their structures,evaluate the advantages and challenges,and discuss the resolution strategies and latest developments.Additionally,beyond FMCMs,a profound discussion of current controversial issues,such as oxygen redox reaction,voltage decay and voltage hysteresis in Li_(2)MnO_(3)-based cathode materials,is also presented.This review summarizes the effectively optimized approaches and offers a few new possible enhancement methods from the perspective of the electronic-coordination-crystal structure for building better FMCMs for next-generation lithium-ion batteries.

Epidemiology of fungal infections in China

Abstract With the increasing number of immunocompromised hosts, the epidemiological characteristics of fungal infections have undergone enormous changes worldwide, including in China. In this paper, we reviewed the existing data on mycosis across China to summarize available epidemiological profiles. We found that the general incidence of superficial fungal infections in China has been stable, but the incidence of tinea capitis has decreased and the transmission route has changed. By contrast, the overall incidence of invasive fungal infections has continued to rise. The occurrence of candidemia caused by Candida species other than C. albicans and including some uncommon Candida species has increased recently in China. Infections caused by Aspergillus have also propagated in recent years, particularly with the emergence of azole-resistant Aspergillusfumigatus. An increasing trend of cryptococcosis has been noted in China, with Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii ST 5 genotype isolates as the predominant pathogen. Retrospective studies have suggested that the epidemiological characteristics of Pneumocystis pneumonia in China may be similar to those in other developing countries. Endemic fungal infections, such as sporotrichosis in Northeastern China, must arouse research, diagnostic, and treatment vigilance. Currently, the epidemiological data on mycosis in China are variable and fragmentary. Thus, a nationwide epidemiological research on fungal infections in China is an important need for improving the country＇s health.

Incremental value of contrast echocardiography in the diagnosis of left ventricular noncompaction

Contrast echocardiography with left ventricular opacification （LVO） improves the definition of endocardium in two-dimensional echocardiography （2DE）. This study was aimed to determine whether LVO offered added diagnostic value in noncompaetion of left ventricular myocardium （NCVM）. A total of 85 patients （40± 20 years, 54 males） with suspected NCVM were subjected to transthoracic 2DE and LVO, and 40 healthy volunteers were examined with 2DE and assigned as control subjects. The location of NCVM, the thickness ratio of noncompacted to compacted myocardium （NCR）, and the cavity size and ejection fraction of LV were quantified. Results revealed that NCVM was mainly located in the LV medium （53.2%）, apical （46.2%） segments, and lateral wall （39.8%）. The NCR obtained through LVO was greater than that detected through 2DE （4.2 ±1.3 vs. 3.3 ±1.2, P 〈 0.001）, and higher inter-correlations and less intra- and inter-observer variabilities were determined in the former than in the latter. The NCVM detection rates were also increased from 63.5% via 2DE to 83.5% via LVO and 89.4% via 2DE combined with LVO （2DE ＋ LVO） （P = 0.0004）. The LV cavity size was greater and the LV ejection fraction （LVEF） was lower in the NCVM patients than in the control group （P 〈 0.01）. In the NCVM group, the LV cavity size was higher and the LVEF was lower in LVO than in 2DE （P 〈 0.01）. In conclusion, contrast echocardiography contributes significant sensitivity and reproducibility to routine transthoraeic echoeardiography in NCVM diagnosis. Therefore, this technique should be clinically performed to diagnose suspected NCVM.

Faulty Feeder Identification and Fault Area Localization in Resonant Grounding System Based on Wavelet Packet and Bayesian Classifier

Accurate fault area localization is a challenging problem in resonant grounding systems(RGSs).Accordingly,this paper proposes a novel two-stage localization method for single-phase earth faults in RGSs.Firstly,a faulty feeder identification algorithm based on a Bayesian classifier is proposed.Three characteristic parameters of the RGS(the energy ratio,impedance factor,and energy spectrum entropy)are calculated based on the zero-sequence current(ZSC)of each feeder using wavelet packet transformations.Then,the values of three parameters are sent to a pre-trained Bayesian classifier to recognize the exact fault mode.With this result,the faulty feeder can be finally identified.To find the exact fault area on the faulty feeder,a localization method based on the similarity comparison of dominant frequency-band waveforms is proposed in an RGS equipped with feeder terminal units(FTUs).The FTUs can provide the information on the ZSC at their locations.Through wavelet-packet transformation,ZSC dominant frequency-band waveforms can be obtained at all FTU points.Similarities of the waveforms of characteristics at all FTU points are calculated and compared.The neighboring FTU points with the maximum diversity are the faulty sections finally determined.The proposed method exhibits higher accuracy in both faulty feeder identification and fault area localization compared to the previous methods.Finally,the effectiveness of the proposed method is validated by comparing simulation and experimental results.

What is the promising anode material for Na ion batteries?

In the current world,people have ever-increasing demand for energy.Fossil fuels are now the primary source of energy,and their excess use results in severe problems,such as environmental pollution and global warming.Consequently,it is essential to develop a new society based on sustainable energies such as wind,tidal and solar energy sources.Due to the intermittence and instability of the above new energies,smart grids with the core technology

Antibacteria activities of phenolics from"Jinshiji"thinned-young apple on halitosis-related bacteria

This article aims to explain the inhibitory mechanism of thinned-young apple polyphenols(YAP)toward Fusobacterium nucleatum(F.nucleatum),Porphyromonas gingivalis(P.gingivalis)and Prevotella intermedia(P.intermedia).YAP has optimal antibacterial concentration against F.nucleatum(10.00 mg/mL),P.gingivalis(8.00 mg/mL)and P.intermedia(8.00 mg/mL),with viability of 47.97%,38.01%and 36.94%,respectively.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and confocal laser scanning microscopy(CLSM)observation revealed that YAP could cause the morphological changes of the halitosis-related bacterial cells and induce cell apoptosis.With the increase of YAP treatment concentrations,the permeability of the outer membranes(OM)and inner membranes(IM)of halitosis-related bacteria dramatically increased,resulting in the release of proteins and nucleic acids.In addition,bacterial cell membrane potential(MP)decreased after exposure to YAP.The results of this study provide new antibacterial agents for halitosis-related bacteria and find a new way for the development of thinned-young apples.

Achieving a high dielectric tunability in strain-engineered tetragonal K_(0.5)Na_(0.5)NbO_(3) films

Using a modified Landau-Devonshire type thermodynamic potential,we show that dielectric tunabilityηof a tetragonal ferroelectric film can be analytically solved.At a given electric field E,ηis a function of the remnant polarization(P_(0)^(f))and the smallfield relative dielectric permittivity(χ_(0)^(f)),which are commonly measured material properties.After a survey of materials,a largeη~80%is predicted to be achievable in a(001)-oriented tetragonal(K_(0.5),Na_(0.5))NbO_(3)film.This strain-stabilized tetragonal phase is verified by density functional theory(DFT)calculations.(K_(0.5),Na_(0.5))NbO_(3)films based on this design were successfully prepared via a sputtering deposition process on SrRuO_(3)-buffered(100)SrTiO_(3) substrates.The resulted epitaxial films showed a sizable Pf0(~0.21C m^(−2))and a largeχ_(0)^(f)(~830–860),as well as a largeηclose to the theoretical value.The measured dielectric tunabilities as functions of E are well described by the theoreticalη(E)curves,validating our integrated approach rooted in a theoretical understanding.