33,938 research outputs found
High-frequency shoot regeneration of nodal explants from Tetrastigma hemsleyanum Diels et Gilg: A valuable medicinal plant
This paper describes the shoot regeneration of nodal segments from a medicinal plant, Tetrastigma hemsleyanum Diels et Gilg (Vitaceae). The highest number of shoots (7.27 shoots per explant) was observed in MS medium supplemented with 4 mg/l BA after six weeks of inoculation. 2 mg/l BA in combination with 0.1 mg/l NAA not only induced shoot proliferation but also increased shoot length. Well-developed shoots were rooted on half strength MS medium supplemented with 2 mg/l IBA with 100% rooting and 85% of the regenerated plantlets survived before been transferred to field conditions.Key words: Medicinal plant, nodal explants, shoot regeneration, Tetrastigma hemsleyanum
IL-33 ameliorates Alzheimer’s disease-like pathology and cognitive decline
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating condition with no known effective treatment. AD is characterized by memory loss as well as impaired locomotor ability, reasoning, and judgment. Emerging evidence suggests that the innate immune response plays a major role in the pathogenesis of AD. In AD, the accumulation of β-amyloid (Aβ) in the brain perturbs physiological functions of the brain, including synaptic and neuronal dysfunction, microglial activation, and neuronal loss. Serum levels of soluble ST2 (sST2), a decoy receptor for interleukin (IL)-33, increase in patients with mild cognitive impairment, suggesting that impaired IL-33/ST2 signaling may contribute to the pathogenesis of AD. Therefore, we investigated the potential therapeutic role of IL-33 in AD, using transgenic mouse models. Here we report that IL-33 administration reverses synaptic plasticity impairment and memory deficits in APP/PS1 mice. IL-33 administration reduces soluble Aβ levels and amyloid plaque deposition by promoting the recruitment and Aβ phagocytic activity of microglia; this is mediated by ST2/p38 signaling activation. Furthermore, IL-33 injection modulates the innate immune response by polarizing microglia/macrophages toward an antiinflammatory phenotype and reducing the expression of proinflammatory genes, including IL-1β, IL-6, and NLRP3, in the cortices of APP/PS1 mice. Collectively, our results demonstrate a potential therapeutic role for IL-33 in AD
Digital twin-enabled human-robot collaborative teaming towards sustainable and healthy built environments
Development of sustainable and healthy built environments (SHBE) is highly advocated to achieve collective societal good. Part of the pathway to SHBE is the engagement of robots to manage the ever-complex facilities for tasks such as inspection and disinfection. However, despite the increasing advancements of robot intelligence, it is still “mission impossible” for robots to independently undertake such open-ended problems as facility management, calling for a need to “team up” the robots with humans. Leveraging digital twin's ability to capture real-time data and inform decision-making via dynamic simulation, this study aims to develop a human-robot teaming framework for facility management to achieve sustainability and healthiness in the built environments. A digital twin-enabled prototype system is developed based on the framework. Case studies showed that the framework can safely and efficiently incorporate robotics into facility management tasks (e.g., patrolling, inspection, and cleaning) by allowing humans to plan, oversee, manage, and cooperate with the robot via the digital twin's bi-directional mechanism. The study lays out a high-level framework, under which purposeful efforts can be made to unlock digital twin's full potential in collaborating humans and robots in facility management towards SHBE
Spin-Wave and Electromagnon Dispersions in Multiferroic MnWO4 as Observed by Neutron Spectroscopy: Isotropic Heisenberg Exchange versus Anisotropic Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interaction
High resolution inelastic neutron scattering reveals that the elementary
magnetic excitations in multiferroic MnWO4 consist of low energy dispersive
electromagnons in addition to the well-known spin-wave excitations. The latter
can well be modeled by a Heisenberg Hamiltonian with magnetic exchange coupling
extending to the 12th nearest neighbor. They exhibit a spin-wave gap of 0.61(1)
meV. Two electromagnon branches appear at lower energies of 0.07(1) meV and
0.45(1) meV at the zone center. They reflect the dynamic magnetoelectric
coupling and persist in both, the collinear magnetic and paraelectric AF1
phase, and the spin spiral ferroelectric AF2 phase. These excitations are
associated with the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya exchange interaction, which is
significant due to the rather large spin-orbit coupling.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review
Search for Spin-Dependent Short-Range Force Using Optically Polarized He Gas
We propose a new method to detect short-range \textit{P-} and \textit{T-}
violating interactions between nucleons, based on measuring the precession
frequency shift of polarized He nuclei in the presence of an unpolarized
mass. To maximize the sensitivity, a high-pressure He cell with thin glass
windows (250 ) is used to minimize the distance between the mass and
He. The magnetic field fluctuation is suppressed by using the He gas in
a different region of the cell as a magnetometer. Systematic uncertainties from
the magnetic properties of the mass are suppressed by flipping both the
magnetic field and spin directions. Without any magnetic shielding, our result
has already reached the sensitivity of the current best limit. With improvement
in uniformity and stability of the field, we can further improve the
sensitivity by two orders of magnitude over the force range from
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