Protection Efficacy of the Extract of Ginkgo biloba

Repeated high sustained positive Gz (+Gz) exposures are known for the harmful pathophysiological impact on the brain of rats, which is reflected as the interruption of normal performance of learning and memory. Interestingly, extract of Ginkgo biloba (EGb) has been reported to have neuroprotective effects and cognition-enhancing effects. In this study, we are interested in evaluating the protective effects of EGb toward the learning and memory abilities. Morris Water Maze Test (MWM) was used to evaluate the cognitive function, and the physiological status of the key components in central cholinergic system was also investigated. Our animal behavioral tests indicated that EGb can release the learning and memory impairment caused by repeated high sustained +Gz. Administration of EGb to rats can diminish some of the harmful physiological effects caused by repeated +Gz exposures. Moreover, EGb administration can increase the biological activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) but reduce the production of malondialdehyde (MDA). Taken together, our study showed that EGb can ameliorate the impairment of learning and memory abilities of rats induced by repeated high sustained +Gz exposure; the underlying mechanisms appeared to be related to the signal regulation on the cholinergic system and antioxidant enzymes system

Arbitrary Engineering of Spatial Caustics with 3D-printed Metasurfaces

Caustics occur in diverse physical systems, spanning the nano-scale in electron microscopy to astronomical-scale in gravitational lensing. As envelopes of rays, optical caustics result in sharp edges or extended networks. Caustics in structured light, characterized by complex-amplitude distributions, have innovated numerous applications including particle manipulation, high-resolution imaging techniques, and optical communication. However, these applications have encountered limitations due to a major challenge in engineering caustic fields with customizable propagation trajectories and in-plane intensity profiles. Here, we introduce the compensation phase via 3D-printed metasurfaces to shape caustic fields with curved trajectories in free space. The in-plane caustic patterns can be preserved or morphed from one structure to another during propagation. Large-scale fabrication of these metasurfaces is enabled by the fast-prototyping and cost-effective two-photon polymerization lithography. Our optical elements with the ultra-thin profile and sub-millimeter extension offer a compact solution to generating caustic structured light for beam shaping, high-resolution microscopy, and light-matter-interaction studies

miRTarBase update 2014: an information resource for experimentally validated miRNA-target interactions

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules capable of negatively regulating gene expression to control many cellular mechanisms. The miRTarBase database (http://mirtarbase.mbc.nctu.edu.tw/) provides the most current and comprehensive information of experimentally validated miRNA-target interactions. The database was launched in 2010 with data sources for >100 published studies in the identification of miRNA targets, molecular networks of miRNA targets and systems biology, and the current release (2013, version 4) includes significant expansions and enhancements over the initial release (2010, version 1). This article reports the current status of and recent improvements to the database, including (i) a 14-fold increase to miRNA-target interaction entries, (ii) a miRNA-target network, (iii) expression profile of miRNA and its target gene, (iv) miRNA target-associated diseases and (v) additional utilities including an upgrade reminder and an error reporting/user feedback system

Magnetic activities and parameters of 43 flare stars in the GWAC archive

In the archive of the Ground Wide Angle Camera (GWAC), we found 43 white light flares from 43 stars, among which, three are sympathetic or homologous flares, and one of them also has a quasi-periodic pulsation with a period of $13.0\pm1.5$ minutes. Among these 43 flare stars, there are 19 new active stars and 41 stars that have available TESS and/or K2 light curves, from which we found 931 stellar flares. We also obtained rotational or orbital periods of 34 GWAC flare stars, of which 33 are less than 5.4 days, and ephemerides of three eclipsing binaries from these light curves. Combining with low resolution spectra from LAMOST and the Xinglong 2.16m telescope, we found that $L_{\rm H\alpha}/L_{\rm bol}$ are in the saturation region in the rotation-activity diagram. From the LAMOST medium-resolution spectrum, we found that Star \#3 (HAT 178-02667) has double H$\alpha$ emissions which imply it is a binary, and two components are both active stars. Thirteen stars have flare frequency distributions (FFDs) from TESS and/or K2 light curves. These FFDs show that the flares detected by GWAC can occur at a frequency of 0.5 to 9.5 yr$^{-1}$. The impact of flares on habitable planets was also studied based on these FFDs, and flares from some GWAC flare stars may produce enough energetic flares to destroy ozone layers, but none can trigger prebiotic chemistry on their habitable planets.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figures, 3 table

Combination of D-dimer level and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio predicts long-term clinical outcomes in acute coronary syndrome after percutaneous coronary intervention

Background: High D-dimer (DD) is associated with short-term adverse outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). In ACS patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), however, the value of DD (or combined with neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio [NLR]) to predict long-term major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) has not been fully evaluated. Methods: Patients diagnosed with ACS and receiving PCI were included. The primary outcome was MACEs. Cox proportional hazards regression and logistic regression was used to illustrate the relationship between clinical risk factors, biomarkers and MACEs. Survival models were developed based on significant factors and evaluated by the Concordance-index (C-index). Results: The final study cohort was comprised of 650 patients (median age, 64 years; 474 males), including 98 (15%) with MACEs during a median follow-up period of 40 months. According to the cut-off value of DD and NLR, the patients were separated into four groups: high DD or nonhigh DD with high or nonhigh NLR. After adjusting for confounding variables, DD (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 2.39, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.52–3.76) and NLR (aHR: 2.71, 95% CI: 1.78–4.11) were independently associated with long-term MACEs. Moreover, patients with both high DD and NLR had a significantly higher risk in MACEs when considering patients with nonhigh DD and NLR as reference (aHR: 6.19, 95% CI: 3.30–11.61). The area under curve (AUC) increased and reached 0.70 in differentiating long-term MACEs when DD and NLR were combined, and survival models incorporating the two exhibited a stronger predictive power (C-index: 0.75). Conclusions: D-dimer (or combined with NLR) can be used to predict long-term MACEs in ACS patients undergoing PCI

The LAMOST Survey of Background Quasars in the Vicinity of the Andromeda and Triangulum Galaxies -- II. Results from the Commissioning Observations and the Pilot Surveys

We present new quasars discovered in the vicinity of the Andromeda and Triangulum galaxies with the LAMOST during the 2010 and 2011 observational seasons. Quasar candidates are selected based on the available SDSS, KPNO 4 m telescope, XSTPS optical, and WISE near infrared photometric data. We present 509 new quasars discovered in a stripe of ~135 sq. deg from M31 to M33 along the Giant Stellar Stream in the 2011 pilot survey datasets, and also 17 new quasars discovered in an area of ~100 sq. deg that covers the central region and the southeastern halo of M31 in the 2010 commissioning datasets. These 526 new quasars have i magnitudes ranging from 15.5 to 20.0, redshifts from 0.1 to 3.2. They represent a significant increase of the number of identified quasars in the vicinity of M31 and M33. There are now 26, 62 and 139 known quasars in this region of the sky with i magnitudes brighter than 17.0, 17.5 and 18.0 respectively, of which 5, 20 and 75 are newly-discovered. These bright quasars provide an invaluable collection with which to probe the kinematics and chemistry of the ISM/IGM in the Local Group of galaxies. A total of 93 quasars are now known with locations within 2.5 deg of M31, of which 73 are newly discovered. Tens of quasars are now known to be located behind the Giant Stellar Stream, and hundreds behind the extended halo and its associated substructures of M31. The much enlarged sample of known quasars in the vicinity of M31 and M33 can potentially be utilized to construct a perfect astrometric reference frame to measure the minute PMs of M31 and M33, along with the PMs of substructures associated with the Local Group of galaxies. Those PMs are some of the most fundamental properties of the Local Group.Comment: 26 pages, 6 figures, AJ accepte