Smart optically induced nonlinear photonic crystals for frequency conversion and control

We extend the functionality of nonlinear photonic crystals by fabricating a structure combining a few individual optical transformations in second harmonic generation. In particular, we employed all-optical spontaneous polarization reversal in ferroelectrics to create nonlinear holograms with curved fork-like spatial modulation of nonlinearity for the generation of second harmonic optical vortices. The curved fork-like structure represents a combination of a standard vortex harmonic generator (fork structure) and an axicon, thereby allowing us to realize the second harmonic "perfect vortices" whose diameter remains constant independently of their topological charge.This work was supported by the Qatar National Research Fund (Grant No. NPRP 12S-0205-190047) and Australian Research Council

Visual characterization of associative quasitrivial nondecreasing operations on finite chains

In this paper we provide visual characterization of associative quasitrivial nondecreasing operations on finite chains. We also provide a characterization of bisymmetric quasitrivial nondecreasing binary operations on finite chains. Finally, we estimate the number of functions belonging to the previous classes.Comment: 25 pages, 18 Figure

Co-infusion of haplo-identical CD19-chimeric antigen receptor T cells and stem cells achieved full donor engraftment in refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Abstract Background Elderly patients with relapsed and refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have poor prognosis. Autologous CD19 chimeric antigen receptor-modified T (CAR-T) cells have potentials to cure patients with B cell ALL; however, safety and efficacy of allogeneic CD19 CAR-T cells are still undetermined. Case presentation We treated a 71-year-old female with relapsed and refractory ALL who received co-infusion of haplo-identical donor-derived CD19-directed CAR-T cells and mobilized peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) following induction chemotherapy. Undetectable minimal residual disease by flow cytometry was achieved, and full donor cell engraftment was established. The transient release of cytokines and mild fever were detected. Significantly elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase, alanine transaminase, bilirubin and glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase were observed from days 14 to 18, all of which were reversible after immunosuppressive therapy. Conclusions Our preliminary results suggest that co-infusion of haplo-identical donor-derived CAR-T cells and mobilized PBSCs may induce full donor engraftment in relapsed and refractory ALL including elderly patients, but complications related to donor cell infusions should still be cautioned. Trial registration Allogeneic CART-19 for Elderly Relapsed/Refractory CD19+ ALL. NCT0279955

IL-2 Inhibition of Th17 Generation Rather Than Induction of Treg Cells Is Impaired in Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome Patients

ObjectiveTo investigate the role of IL-2 in the balance of Th17 and Tregs and elucidate the underlying mechanisms of enhanced Th17 differentiation in primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) patients.MethodsThis study involved 31 pSS patients, 7 Sicca patients, and 31 healthy subjects. Th17 and Treg cells were determined by flow cytometry, and IL-17A was detected by immunohistochemistry. IL-2 and IL-6 levels were assessed by ELISA and qPCR. p-STAT5 and p-STAT3 in salivary glands (SGs) were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. The binding of STAT5 and STAT3 to the Il17a gene locus was measured by chromatin immunoprecipitation.ResultsWe found that the percentage of Th17 cells was increased in the periphery and SG of pSS patients when compared with healthy subjects, but the Treg cells was unchanged. Meanwhile, the IL-2 level was reduced, and the IL-6 and IL-17A level was increased in the plasma of pSS patients. The ratio of IL-2 and IL-6 level was also decreased and IL-2 level was negatively correlated with the level of IL-17A. The expression of Il6 and Il17a mRNA was significantly increased, whereas Foxp3, Tgfb1, Tnfa, and Ifng mRNA were comparable. Furthermore, the level of STAT5 phosphorylation (p-STAT5) was reduced and p-STAT3 was enhanced in the SGs and in peripheral CD4+ T cells of pSS patients. In vitro IL-2 treatment-induced STAT5 competed with STAT3 binding in human Il17a locus, leading to decreased Th17 differentiation, which was associated with the reduced transcription activation marker H3K4me3.ConclusionOur findings demonstrated a Treg-independent upregulation of Th17 generation in pSS, which is likely due to a lack of IL-2-mediated suppression of Th17 differentiation. This study identified a novel mechanism of IL-2-mediated immune suppression in pSS

MicroRNA-488 inhibits tongue squamous carcinoma cell invasion and EMT by directly targeting ATF3

Abstract Background It has been reported that the expression of activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) is closely associated with both microRNA (miRNA) processing and the progress of many cancers. Our study aimed to explore the interaction between ATF3 and miR-488 in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC). Methods Quantitative real-time PCR was performed to detect the levels of ATF3 and miR-488 in TSCC tissues and cell lines. Cell invasion and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) were assessed to determine the biological functions of miR-488 and ATF3 in TSCC cells. The mRNA and protein levels of ATF3 were measured using quantitative RT-PCR and western blotting. Luciferase assays were performed to validate ATF3 as an miR-488 target in TSCC cells. Results We found that the level of miR-488 significantly decreased and the expression of ATF3 significantly increased in TSCC tissues and cell lines. A low level of miR-488 was closely associated with increased expression of ATF3 in TSCC tissues. Introducing miR-488 significantly inhibited the invasion and EMT of TSCC cells, and knockdown of miR-488 promoted both processes. The bioinformatics analysis predicted that ATF3 is a potential target gene of miR-488. The luciferase reporter assay showed that miR-488 could directly target ATF3. ATF3 silencing had similar effects to miR-488 overexpression on TSCC cells. Overexpression of ATF3 in TSCC cells partially reversed the inhibitory effects of the miR-488 mimic. Conclusion miR-488 inhibited cell invasion and EMT of TSCC cells by directly downregulating ATF3 expression

MiR-106a directly targets LIMK1 to inhibit proliferation and EMT of oral carcinoma cells

Abstract Background LIM kinase 1 (LIMK1) expression levels are closely associated with microRNA (miRNA) processing. Higher levels of LIMK1 are reported during the progression of many cancers. Our study explored the interaction between LIMK1 and miR-106a in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Methods Quantitative RT-PCR was performed to detect the levels of LIMK1 and miR-106a in OSCC tissues and cell lines. The rates of cell proliferation and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) were assessed to determine the biological functions of miR-106a and LIMK1 in OSCC cells. The mRNA and protein levels of LIMK1 were measured using quantitative RT-PCR and western blotting. Luciferase assays were performed to validate LIMK1 as an miR-106a target in OSCC cells. Results We found that the level of miR-106a significantly decreased and the expression of LIMK1 significantly increased in OSCC tissues and cell lines. There was a close association between these changes. Knockdown of LIMK1 significantly inhibited the proliferation and EMT of OSCC cells. The bioinformatics analysis predicted that LIMK1 is a potential target gene of miR-106a and the luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR-106a could directly target LIMK1. Introduction of miR-106a to OSCC cells had similar effects to LIMK1 silencing. Overexpression of LIMK1 in OSCC cells partially reversed the inhibitory effects of the miR-106a mimic. Conclusion MiR-106a inhibited the cell proliferation and EMT of OSCC cells by directly decreasing LIMK1 expression

Aerodynamic Enhancement of Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines Using Plain and Serrated Gurney Flaps

In light of the escalating demand for renewable energy sources, vertical-axis wind turbines have emerged as a pivotal technical solution for addressing the challenge of clean energy supply in residential and urban areas. As a simple and feasible passive control method, the plain Gurney flap (PGF) is widely applied to improve turbine aerodynamic performance. In this paper, the influence of a novel serrated gurney flap (SGF) with different flap heights is studied on the NACA0021 airfoil by numerical simulations. The findings demonstrate that, compared with the PGF, the SGF reduces the trailing edge reverse vortices from a pair to a single vortex and possesses lower drag. When the flap height reaches 6% of the chord (6%c), the lift-to-drag ratio of SGF surpasses that of PGF. A turbine rotor is equipped with an SGF and a PGF to compare their performances. The result confirms the flap effect depending on the rotor’s tip speed. At a low tip speed ratio (TSR), the PGF works better than the SGF. The SGF is preferred over the PGF for a higher tip speed ratio (TSR > 2.5). With the 6%c flap height, the performance of the SGF rotor surpasses the PGF by 13.9% at TSR = 2.62

Response of soil water movement and groundwater recharge to extreme precipitation in a headwater catchment in the North China Plain

Soil water storage and movement are highly heterogeneous across landscapes and their response to spatiotemporal variations in meteorological forcing is complex. While different pools of soil water (including bound and mobile water) are observed, the mechanisms of soil water movement in semi-arid and sub-humid regions are not well understood due to high variation in soil water storage conditions. The Taihang Mountain is a headwater region that recharges both groundwater and surface water systems of the North China Plain, where groundwater levels have been declining and water storage loss is serious. Increasing land cultivation in the Taihang Mountain areas has increased evapotranspiration and reduced both surface runoff and groundwater recharge. Although extreme precipitation is critical for groundwater recharge in the headwater regions, the response mechanism of soil water movement and groundwater recharge remains unclear. In this study, soil water movement and groundwater recharge mechanisms in a cultivated farmland (FL) and land under natural vegetation (NV) were determined for a normal and an extreme precipitation year through the combined use of soil water content and stable isotopes of water (18O and 2H). Soil water got enriched in δ18O and δ2H (δ18O changed from −11.2 to −7.0‰ at NV and from −11.1 to −4.4‰ at FL; δ2H changed from −71 to −49‰ at NV and from −73 to −30% at FL) with increasing soil depth during the growing season suggesting that winter precipitation was generally transported via advection dispersion flow mechanism. However, this process was accompanied by the mixing of previously enriched soil water after large rain events (20–50 mm/day) during the rainy season in a normal precipitation year. Water movement changed from translatory flow to preferential flow after extreme precipitation in a wet precipitation year. Cultivation intensified water evaporation in the top soil layer (upper 10–20 cm), and induced preferential flow down to 50 cm soil depth under FL relative to land under NV. Thus, cropping significantly reduced groundwater recharge. Excessive storm during a wet year produced bypass flow after the first rainstorm, which rapidly recharged deep soil layers (50–100 cm depth). Bypass flow induced by excessive precipitation and contributed the most to groundwater in FL. The observed rapid response of soil water and groundwater to extreme precipitation events is critical for soil and water management to mitigate problems such as nitrate leaching and groundwater contamination in headwater regions of semi-arid and sub-humid areas. © 2019This study was supported by the Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41471028; 41530859), the National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2016YFD0800100), the 100-Talent Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Program of National Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province (No. D2017503021). Thanks are due to Dr. Xiaole Kong, Dr. Shoucai Wei, Mr. Mengyu Lv, Mr. Yuqin Zhang of the Key Laboratory of Agricultural Water Resources for helping with the field work.Peer reviewe

A Comprehensive Analysis of Inorganic Ions and Their Selective Removal from the Reconstituted Tobacco Extract Using Electrodialysis

Many tobacco stalks, dust, and fines are discharged in the tobacco industry, rich in inorganic minerals ions and nicotine salts. The high salinity and nicotine salts are challenging to be addressed by traditional treatment and are a severe threat that ought to be overcome. Thus, proper techniques can regenerate the tobacco stalks into reconstituted tobacco flakes used as cigarette filler. The electrodialysis process has been a viable approach to removing the inorganic ingredients in wastewater. We studied concentration, pH, and co-related influences with the nicotine and sugar/nicotine contents on the desalination performance. The results show that the inorganic ions such as Cl−, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ ions were successfully removed. When the feed concentration ranges from 3 to 15%, the removal ratio of the K+ ions is higher than Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions. As we reported previously, the K+ and Ca2+ ions are unfavorable for the total particulate matter emission but beneficial to decreasing the HCN delivery in mainstream cigarette smoke. Selective ED is a robust technology to reduce the harmful component delivery in cigarette smoke