The Preliminary Study on the Construction of the Energy Power Corpus

Under the severe development background of the energy power corpus, this passage is meant to make efforts to do some preliminary study for it from the aspects of the criteria for corpus design, principles for the text selection and releasing platform for the corpus and its maintenance. Based on some successful experience of the copra such as BNC, this corpus would make some specific adjustments for its unique use. For practically using goal, this corpus aims to benefit the teachers and students, researchers, translators and people who have certain needs.

External application of Ruyi Jinhuang powder for phlebitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose: To systematically review the effectiveness of the external application, Ruyi Jinhuang powder, on phlebitis Methods: Relevant literature was retrieved from Medline, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure database (CNKI), Cochrane Central Register, Chongqing Vip, Wanfang Data and SinoMed using the search terms “Ruyi Jinhuang San”, “Ruyi Jinhuang powder”, “Ruyi Jinhuang cream”, “Agreeable golden powder”, “satisfactory golden powder”, “Jinhuang cream”, “phlebitis”, “prevention and (or) treatment”, “randomized controlled trials” and “RCRs”. Two researchers independently arranged and analyzed the data. Results: Significant differences were observed in the total effectiveness rate of Ruyi Jinhuang powder [relative risk (RR) = 1.27, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.19 to 1.36, and p < 0.0001). Ruyi Jinhuang powder can reduce the incidence of phlebitis versus conventional therapy in preventing phlebitis (RR = 0.32, 95 % CI 0.24 to 0.42, and p < 0.0001). Shorten the average healing time [mean difference (MD) =- 32.17, 95 % CI= -48.39 to -15.94, and p = 0.0001). Reduced pain relief time for phlebitis (MD = -3.29, 95% CI -5.42 to -1.16, and p = 0.002). However, no statistical difference was observed with regard to the onset time of phlebitis (MD = -0.62, 95 % CI -1.76 to 0.52, and p = 0.29). Conclusion: Clinicians consider Ruyi Jinhuang powder a viable complementary and alternative medicine for phlebitis following the stronger evidence being offered

Flexible and Robust Counterfactual Explanations with Minimal Satisfiable Perturbations

Counterfactual explanations (CFEs) exemplify how to minimally modify a feature vector to achieve a different prediction for an instance. CFEs can enhance informational fairness and trustworthiness, and provide suggestions for users who receive adverse predictions. However, recent research has shown that multiple CFEs can be offered for the same instance or instances with slight differences. Multiple CFEs provide flexible choices and cover diverse desiderata for user selection. However, individual fairness and model reliability will be damaged if unstable CFEs with different costs are returned. Existing methods fail to exploit flexibility and address the concerns of non-robustness simultaneously. To address these issues, we propose a conceptually simple yet effective solution named Counterfactual Explanations with Minimal Satisfiable Perturbations (CEMSP). Specifically, CEMSP constrains changing values of abnormal features with the help of their semantically meaningful normal ranges. For efficiency, we model the problem as a Boolean satisfiability problem to modify as few features as possible. Additionally, CEMSP is a general framework and can easily accommodate more practical requirements, e.g., casualty and actionability. Compared to existing methods, we conduct comprehensive experiments on both synthetic and real-world datasets to demonstrate that our method provides more robust explanations while preserving flexibility.Comment: Accepted by CIKM 202

Longitudinal survey of microbiome associated with particulate matter in a megacity.

BackgroundWhile the physical and chemical properties of airborne particulate matter (PM) have been extensively studied, their associated microbiome remains largely unexplored. Here, we performed a longitudinal metagenomic survey of 106 samples of airborne PM2.5 and PM10 in Beijing over a period of 6 months in 2012 and 2013, including those from several historically severe smog events.ResultsWe observed that the microbiome composition and functional potential were conserved between PM2.5 and PM10, although considerable temporal variations existed. Among the airborne microorganisms, Propionibacterium acnes, Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter lwoffii, Lactobacillus amylovorus, and Lactobacillus reuteri dominated, along with several viral species. We further identified an extensive repertoire of genes involved in antibiotic resistance and detoxification, including transporters, transpeptidases, and thioredoxins. Sample stratification based on Air Quality Index (AQI) demonstrated that many microbial species, including those associated with human, dog, and mouse feces, exhibit AQI-dependent incidence dynamics. The phylogenetic and functional diversity of air microbiome is comparable to those of soil and water environments, as its composition likely derives from a wide variety of sources.ConclusionsAirborne particulate matter accommodates rich and dynamic microbial communities, including a range of microbial elements that are associated with potential health consequences

ABI4 Mediates Antagonistic Effects of Abscisic Acid and Gibberellins at Transcript and Protein Levels

Abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellins (GA) are plant hormones which antagonistically mediate numerous physiological processes, and their optimal balance is essential for normal plant development. However, the molecular mechanism underlying ABA and GA antagonism still needs to be determined. Here, we report that ABA- INSENSITIVE 4 (ABI4) is a central factor for GA/ABA homeostasis and antagonism in post-germination stages. ABI4 over-expression in Arabidopsis (OE-ABI4) leads to developmental defects including a decrease in plant height and poor seed production. The transcription of a key ABA biosynthetic gene, NCED6, and of a key GA catabolic gene, GA2ox7, is significantly enhanced by ABI4 over-expression. ABI4 activates NCED6 and GA2ox7 transcription by directly binding to the promoters, and genetic analysis revealed that mutation in these two genes partially rescues the dwarf phenotype of ABI4 overexpressing plants. Consistently, ABI4 overexpressing seedlings have a lower GA/ABA ratio compared to the wild type. We further show that ABA induces GA2ox7 transcription while GA represses NCED6 expression in an ABI4-dependent manner; and that ABA stabilizes the ABI4 protein, whereas GA promotes its degradation. Taken together, these results propose that ABA and GA antagonize each other by oppositely acting on ABI4 transcript and protein levels

Using a Computational Study of Hydrodynamics in the Wax Lake Delta to Examine Data Sharing Principles

In this paper we describe a complex dataset used to study the circulation and wind-driven flows in the Wax Lake Delta, Louisiana, USA under winter storm conditions. The whole package bundles a large dataset (approximately 74 GB), which includes the numerical model, software and scripts for data analysis and visualization, as well as detailed documentation. The raw data came from multiple external sources, including government agencies, community repositories, and deployed field instruments and surveys. Each raw dataset goes through the processes of data QA/QC, data analysis, visualization, and interpretation. After integrating multiple datasets, new data products are obtained which are then used with the numerical model. The numerical model undergoes model verification, testing, calibration, and optimization. With a complex algorithm of computation, the model generates a structured output dataset, which is, after post-data analysis, presented as informative scientific figures and tables that allow interpretations and conclusions contributing to the science of coastal physical oceanography. Performing this study required a tremendous amount of effort. While the work resulted in traditional dissemination via a thesis, journal articles and conference proceedings, more can be gained. The data can be reused to study reproducibility or as preliminary investigation to explore a new topic. With thorough documentation and well-organized data, both the input and output dataset should be ready for sharing in a domain or institutional repository. Furthermore, the data organization and documentation also serves as a guideline for future research data management and the development of workflow protocols. Here we will describe the dataset created by this study, how sharing the dataset publicly could enable validation of the current study and extension by new studies, and the challenges that arise prior to sharing the dataset

Maslinic acid potentiates the anti-tumor activity of tumor necrosis factor α by inhibiting NF-κB signaling pathway

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) has been used to treat certain tumors in clinic trials. However, the curative effect of TNFα has been undermined by the induced-NF-κB activation in many types of tumor. Maslinic acid (MA), a pharmacological safe natural product, has been known for its important effects as anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral activities. The aim of this study was to determine whether MA potentiates the anti-tumor activity of TNFα though the regulation of NF-κB activation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this study, we demonstrate that MA significantly enhanced TNFα-induced inhibition of pancreatic cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and potentiated TNFα-induced cell apoptosis by suppressing TNFα-induced NF-κB activation in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Addition of MA inhibited TNFα-induced IκBα degradation, p65 phosphorylation, and nuclear translocation. Furthermore, MA decreased the expression levels of NF-κB-regulated genes, including genes involved in tumor cell proliferation (Cyclin D1, COX-2 and c-Myc), apoptosis (Survivin, Bcl-2, Bcl-xl, XIAP, IAP-1), invasion (MMP-9 and ICAM-1), and angiogenesis (VEGF). In athymic nu/nu mouse model, we further demonstrated that MA significantly suppressed pancreatic tumor growth, induced tumor apoptosis, and inhibited NF-κB-regulated anti-apoptotic gene expression, such as Survivin and Bcl-xl.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our data demonstrate that MA can potentiate the anti-tumor activities of TNFα and inhibit pancreatic tumor growth and invasion by activating caspase-dependent apoptotic pathway and by suppressing NF-κB activation and its downstream gene expression. Therefore, MA together with TNFα could be new promising agents in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.</p