First detection of small hive beetle Aethina tumida Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) infesting eastern honeybee, Apis cerana Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Apidae), in China

We report the infestation of small hive beetle, Aethina tumida, in a honeybee, Apis cerana, in South China. This is the first record for domestic Chinese honey bee infested with small hive beetle

Fluorinated solid electrolyte interphase enables highly reversible solid-state Li metal battery

Partial funding for Open Access provided by the UMD Libraries' Open Access Publishing Fund.Solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) are receiving great interest because their high mechanical strength and transference number could potentially suppress Li dendrites and their high electrochemical stability allows the use of high-voltage cathodes, which enhances the energy density and safety of batteries. However, the much lower critical current density and easier Li dendrite propagation in SSEs than in nonaqueous liquid electrolytes hindered their possible applications. Herein, we successfully suppressed Li dendrite growth in SSEs by in situ forming an LiF-rich solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) between the SSEs and the Li metal. The LiF-rich SEI successfully suppresses the penetration of Li dendrites into SSEs, while the low electronic conductivity and the intrinsic electrochemical stability of LiF block side reactions between the SSEs and Li. The LiF-rich SEI enhances the room temperature critical current density of Li3PS4 to a record-high value of >2 mA cm−2. Moreover, the Li plating/stripping Coulombic efficiency was escalated from 88% of pristine Li3PS4 to more than 98% for LiF-coated Li3PS4. In situ formation of electronic insulating LiF-rich SEI provides an effective way to prevent Li dendrites in the SSEs, constituting a substantial leap toward the practical applications of next-generation high-energy solid-state Li metal batteries.https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aau924

A note on ruin problems in perturbed classical risk models

In this short note, we derive explicit formulas for the joint densities of the time to ruin and the number of claims until ruin in perturbed classical risk models, by constructing several auxiliary random processes

Novel modeling and dynamic simulation of magnetic tunnel junctions for spintronic sensor development

Spintronic magnetic sensors with the integration of magnetic materials and microstructures have been enabling people to make use of the electron spin and charge properties in many applications. The high demand for such sensors has in turn spurred the technology developments in both novel materials and their atomic-level controls. Few works, however, have been carried out and reported thus far in modeling and simulation of these spintronic magnetic sensing units based on magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) technology. Accordingly, this paper proposes a novel modeling approach as well as an iterative simulation methodology for MTJs. A more comprehensive electrical tunneling model is established for better interpreting the conductance and current generated by the electron tunneling, and this model can also facilitate the iterative simulation of the micromagnetic dynamics. Given the improved tunneling model as well as the updated dynamic simulation, the electric characteristics of an MTJ with an external magnetic field can be conveniently computed, which provides a reliable benchmark for the future development of novel spintronic magnetic sensors

Characteristics and Surgical Results of Patients with Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy without Intrinsic Mitral Valve Diseases Undergoing Mitral Subvalvular Procedures during Myectomy

Background. Mitral subvalvular procedures have acquired a major role during hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) surgery. However, few studies have focused on characterizing the clinical feature of HOCM patients without intrinsic mitral valve (MV) diseases undergoing mitral subvalvular procedures in addition to myectomy. Additionally, scant data about the results of mitral subvalvular procedures during HOCM surgery are available. This single-center study aims to characterize the clinical feature and surgical results of HOCM patients without intrinsic MV diseases undergoing mitral subvalvular procedures in addition to myectomy in comparison with those receiving myectomy alone. Methods. Among 181 eligible patients, 50 (27.6%) patients undergoing myectomy plus mitral subvalvular procedures were entered into the combined group, and the remaining 131 patients receiving myectomy alone were included in the alone group. Baseline and surgical characteristics were investigated, and surgical results were compared. Results. Comparatively, the combined group was younger (52.9 ± 11.2 years vs. 56.8 ± 11.8 years, p=0.045) and had a better New York Heart Association (NYHA) class (p=0.034) and less septal hypertrophy (16.4 ± 2.3 mm vs. 18.5 ± 3.2 mm, p<0.001). Septal thickness was independently associated with combined procedures in multivariable logistic regression analysis (OR = 0.887, 95% CI 0.612–0.917). No surgical death or iatrogenic septal perforation occurred in the combined group. Two (6.5%) patients in the combined group developed complete atrioventricular block and required permanent pacemaker implantation. During a median follow-up of 10 months, no deaths or reoperations were observed with the symptom of relief and NYHA class I or II in either group. Patients in the combined group as compared to the alone group had lower outflow tract gradients and a lower incidence of residual systolic anterior motion (SAM) syndrome. Conclusions. For HOCM patients without intrinsic MV diseases who are scheduled for surgery, a less pronounced septal hypertrophy may be closely associated with myectomy with concomitant mitral subvalvular procedures instead of myectomy alone. Mitral subvalvular procedures during myectomy are safe and allow the reduction of outflow tract gradients and freedom from SAM more effectively in comparison with myectomy alone

LINC02015 modulates the cell proliferation and apoptosis of aortic vascular smooth muscle cells by transcriptional regulation and protein interaction network

Abstract Long intergenic nonprotein coding RNA 2015 (LINC02015) is a long non-coding RNA that has been found elevated in various cell proliferation-related diseases. However, the functions and interactive mechanism of LINC02015 remain unknown. This study aimed to explore the role of LINC02015 in the cell proliferation and apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) to explain the pathogenesis of aortic diseases. Ascending aorta samples and angiotensin-II (AT-II) treated primary human aortic VSMCs (HAVSMCs) were used to evaluate the LINC02015 expression. RNA sequencing, chromatin isolation by RNA purification sequencing, RNA pull-down, and mass spectrometry (MS) were applied to explore the potential interacting mechanisms. LINC02015 expression was found elevated in aortic dissection and AT-II-treated HAVSMCs. Cell proliferation and cell cycle were activated in HAVSMCs with LINC02015 knockdown. The cyclins family and caspase family were found to participate in regulating the cell cycle and apoptosis via the NF-κB signaling pathway. RXRA was discovered as a possible hub gene for LINC02015 transcriptional regulating networks. Besides, the protein interaction network of LINC02015 was revealed with candidate regulating molecules. It was concluded that the knockdown of LINC02015 could promote cell proliferation and inhibit the apoptosis of HAVSMCs through an RXRA-related transcriptional regulation network, which could provide a potential therapeutic target for aortic diseases