Identifying Strongly Lensed Gravitational Waves with the Third-generation Detectors

The joint detection of GW signals by a network of instruments will increase the detecting ability of faint and far GW signals with higher signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), which could improve the ability of detecting the lensed GWs as well, especially for the 3rd generation detectors, e.g. Einstein Telescope (ET) and Cosmic Explorer (CE). However, identifying Strongly Lensed Gravitational Waves (SLGWs) is still challenging. We focus on the identification ability of 3G detectors in this article. We predict and analyze the SNR distribution of SLGW signals and prove only 50.6\% of SLGW pairs detected by ET alone can be identified by Lens Bayes factor (LBF), which is a popular method at present to identify SLGWs. For SLGW pairs detected by CE\&ET network, owing to the superior spatial resolution, this number rises to 87.3\%. Moreover, we get an approximate analytical relation between SNR and LBF. We give clear SNR limits to identify SLGWs and estimate the expected yearly detection rates of galaxy-scale lensed GWs that can get identified with 3G detector network.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure

The effect of ginger supplementation on serum C-reactive protein, lipid profile and glycaemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Aim: To undertake a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies to determine the effect of ginger supplementation on serum C-reactive protein (CRP), lipid profile, and glycaemia. Method: PubMed-MEDLINE, Web of Science, Cochrane Database, and Google Scholar databases were searched (up until July 2016) to identify prospective studies evaluating the impact of ginger supplementation on serum CRP. Random-effects model meta-analysis was used for quantitative data synthesis. Sensitivity analysis was conducted using the leave-one-out method. Heterogeneity was quantitatively assessed using the I2 index. Systematic review registration: CRD42016035973. Results: From a total of 265 entries identified via searches, 9 studies were included in the final selection. The meta-analysis indicated a significant reduction in serum CRP concentrations following ginger supplementation [weighted mean difference (WMD)-0.84 mg/L (95% CI -1.38 to -0.31, I2 56.3%)]. The WMD for fasting blood glucose and HbA1c was -1.35 mg/dl (95% CI -2.04 to -0.58, I2 12.1%) and -1.01 (95% CI -1.28 to -0.72, I2 9.4%), respectively. Moreover, high-density lipoprotein and triglyceride significantly improved after ginger administration [1.16 mg/dl (95% CI 0.52 to 1.08, I2 12.3%) and -1.63 mg/dl (95% CI -3.10 to -0.17, I2 8.1%), respectively]. These findings were robust in sensitivity analyses. Random-effects meta-regression revealed that changes in serum CRP levels were independent of the dosage of ginger supplementation (slope -0.20; 95% CI -0.95 to 0.55; p=0.60). Conclusions: This meta-analysis suggests that ginger supplementation significantly reduces serum CRP and improves glycaemia indexes and lipid profile. Randomized control trials with larger sample size and with a longer-term follow-up period should be considered for future investigations

Yiguanjian cataplasm attenuates opioid dependence in a mouse model of naloxone-induced opioid withdrawal syndrome

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Yiguanjian (YGJ) cataplasm on the development of opioid dependence in a mouse model of naloxone-induced opioid withdrawal syndrome.MethodsOne hundred Swiss albino mice, of equal male to female ratio, were randomly and equally divided into 10 groups. A portion (3 cm2) of the backside hair of the mice was removed 1 day prior to the experiment. Morphine (5 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally administered twice daily for 5 days. YGJ cataplasm was prepared and pasted on the bare region of the mice immediately before morphine administration on day 3 and subsequently removed at the end day 5. On day 6, naloxone (8 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally injected to precipitate opioid withdrawal syndrome. Behavioral observation was performed in two 30-min phases immediately after naloxone injection.ResultsThe YGJ cataplasm significantly and dose-dependently attenuated morphine-naloxone-induced experimental opioid withdrawal, in terms of withdrawal severity score and the frequencies of jumping, rearing, forepaw licking, and circling behaviors. However, YGJ cataplasm treatment did not alter the acute analgesic effect of morphine.ConclusionYGJ cataplasm could attenuate opioid dependence and its associated withdrawal symptoms. Therefore, YGJ cataplasm could serve as a potential therapy for opioid addiction in the future

Food Patterns are Associated with Likelihood of CKD in US Adults

We investigated the association between dietary patterns and prevalent chronic kidney diseases (CKD), in participants of the 2005-2012 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted between 2005 and 2012, who had measured data on dietary intake and kidney function. Analyse of covariance (ANCOVA) and logistic regression models were employed to account for the survey design and sample weights. A total of 21,649 eligible participants (634 with and 20,015 without prevalent CKD) were included in the final analysis. Three food patterns together explained 50.8% of the variance of the dietary nutrients consumption. The first food pattern was representative of a diet containing high levels of saturated and mono-unsaturated fatty acids; the second food pattern comprised vitamins and trace elements; and the third food pattern was mainly representative of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The odd of prevalent CKD decreased across increasing quarters of vitamins and trace elements, so that the top quarter was associated with a 53% (95%CI: 42-62%) lower odds of CKD in age, sex and race adjusted logistic regression models. These results suggest that vitamins and trace elements intake are associated with lower risk of prevalent CKD

The relationship of plasma Trans fatty acids with dietary inflammatory index among US adults

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that trans fatty acids (TFAs) play an important role in cardiovascular diseases. We investigated the association between plasma TFAs and the dietary inflammatory index (DII) ™ in US adults. METHODS: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) participants with data on plasma TFAs measured from 1999 to 2010 were included. Energy-adjusted-DII ™ (E-DII ™) expressed per 1000 kcal was calculated from 24-h dietary recalls. All statistical analyses accounted for the survey design and sample weights. RESULTS: Of the 5446 eligible participants, 46.8% (n = 2550) were men. The mean age of the population was 47.1 years overall, 47.8 years for men and 46.5 years for women (p = 0.09). After adjustment for C-reactive protein, body-mass-index, smoking, race, age, education, and marital status in linear regressions, trans 9-hexadecenoic acid [β coefficient 0.068 (95% CI: 0.032 to 0.188)], trans 11-octadecenoic acid [β coefficient 0.143 (95% CI: 0.155 to 0.310)], trans 9-octadecenoic acid [β coefficient 0.122 (95% CI: 0.120 to 0.277)], trans 9, and trans 12-octadienoic acid [β coefficient 0.103 (95% CI: 0.090 to 0.247)] were positively associated with the DII (all p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The association of plasma TFAs with a marker of dietary inflammation suggests an underlying mechanism in the initiation and progression of cardiovascular diseases

DRNN-based shift decision for automatic transmission

In research on intelligent shift for automatic transmission, the neural network selected has no feedback and lacks an associative memory function. Thus, its adaptability needs to be improved. To achieve this, an automatic shift strategy based on a deep recurrent neural network (DRNN) is proposed. First, a neural network framework was designed in combination with an eight-speed gearbox that matches a particular type of vehicle. Then, the working principle of the DRNN was applied to the shifting process of an automatic gearbox, and the implementation model of the shift logic was established in MATLAB/Stateflow. A data sample obtained from the model was used to train the DRNN. Training and evaluation of the DRNN were accomplished in Python. Finally, a simulation comparison of the DRNN with a back-propagation (BP) neural network proved that after the epochs have been increased, the DRNN has higher precision and adaptation than a BP neural network. This research provides a theoretical basis and technical support for intelligent control of automatic transmission.https://doi.org/10.1177/168781402097529

Altered Regional and Circuit Resting-State Activity Associated with Unilateral Hearing Loss

The deprivation of sensory input after hearing damage results in functional reorganization of the brain including cross-modal plasticity in the sensory cortex and changes in cognitive processing. However, it remains unclear whether partial deprivation from unilateral auditory loss (UHL) would similarly affect the neural circuitry of cognitive processes in addition to the functional organization of sensory cortex. Here, we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate intrinsic activity in 34 participants with UHL from acoustic neuroma in comparison with 22 matched normal controls. In sensory regions, we found decreased regional homogeneity (ReHo) in the bilateral calcarine cortices in UHL. However, there was an increase of ReHo in the right anterior insular cortex (rAI), the key node of cognitive control network (CCN) and multimodal sensory integration, as well as in the left parahippocampal cortex (lPHC), a key node in the default mode network (DMN). Moreover, seed-based resting–state functional connectivity analysis showed an enhanced relationship between rAI and several key regions of the DMN. Meanwhile, lPHC showed more negative relationship with components in the CCN and greater positive relationship in the DMN. Such reorganizations of functional connectivity within the DMN and between the DMN and CCN were confirmed by a graph theory analysis. These results suggest that unilateral sensory input damage not only alters the activity of the sensory areas but also reshapes the regional and circuit functional organization of the cognitive control network

FDXR drives primary and endocrine-resistant tumor cell growth in ER+ breast cancer via CPT1A-mediated fatty acid oxidation

Background The majority of breast cancers (BCs) expressing estrogen receptor (ER) have shown endocrine resistance. Our previous study demonstrated that ferredoxin reductase (FDXR) promoted mitochondrial function and ER+ breast tumorigenesis. But the underlying mechanism is not clear. Methods Liquid chromatography (LC) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS)-based metabolite profiling was utilized to reveal the metabolites regulated by FDXR. RNA microarray was utilized to determine the potential downstream targets of FDXR. Seahorse XF24 analyzer was performed to analyze the FAO-mediated oxygen consumption rate (OCR). Q-PCR and western blotting assays were used to measure expression levels of FDXR and CPT1A. MTS, 2D colony formation and anchorage-independent growth assays were used to evaluate the effects of FDXR or drug treatments on tumor cell growth of primary or endocrine-resistant breast cancer cells. Results We found that depletion of FDXR inhibited fatty acid oxidation (FAO) by suppressing CPT1A expression. Endocrine treatment increased the expression levels of both FDXR and CPT1A. Further, we showed that depletion of FDXR or FAO inhibitor etomoxir treatment reduced primary and endocrine-resistant breast cancer cell growth. Therapeutically, combining endocrine therapy with FAO inhibitor etomoxir synergistically inhibits primary and endocrine-resistant breast cancer cell growth. Discussion We reveal that the FDXR-CPT1A-FAO signaling axis is essential for primary and endocrine-resistant breast cancer cell growth, thus providing a potential combinatory therapy against endocrine resistance in ER+ breast cancer