Too-low magnetic inclinations in central Asia: an indication of a long-term Tertiary non-dipole field?

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72802/1/j.1365-3121.2001.00383.x.pd

Association Between Regulatory T Cells and Ischemic Heart Disease: a Mendelian Randomization Study

BACKGROUND: An imbalance of innate and acquired immune responses is significantly involved in the pathophysiology of coronary atherosclerosis and the occurrence of ischemic heart disease (IHD). Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play an essential regulatory role in atherosclerotic plaque formation and maintenance; therefore, dysfunction of Tregs triggers the formation of atherosclerotic plaques and accelerates their progression. However, due to the inherent limitations of observational research, clinical evidence is limited concerning the relationship between the variation in peripheral Tregs and the risk of IHD, and the cause-and-effect relationship between these factors is unclear. Mendelian randomization (MR) uses genetic variation as a proxy for exposure and can be used to inferentially determine the causal effect of exposure on outcomes. We thus used MR analysis to investigate whether there is a causal relationship between the biomarkers of Tregs and IHD. METHODS: Selected genetic variants (P RESULTS: We identified a set of 197 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that served as instrumental variables (IVs) for evaluating 51 Treg subtypes. Thirteen significant variables were found to be potentially associated with IHD. After false-discovery rate (FDR) adjustment, we identified four Treg subtypes to be causally protective for IHD risk: CD28 on activated & secreting CD4 Tregs [odds ratio (OR) =0.89; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.82-0.96; P=3.10E-03; adjusted P=0.04], CD28 on activated CD4 Tregs (OR =0.87; 95% CI: 0.80-0.95; P=3.10E-03; adjusted P=0.04), CD28 on CD4 Tregs (OR =0.87; 95% CI: 0.80-0.96; P=3.41E-03; adjusted P=0.04), and CD28 on resting CD4 Treg cell (OR =0.91; 95% CI: 0.85-0.97; P=3.48E-03; adjusted P=0.04). Reverse MR analysis found eight potential causal variables, but these associations were nonsignificant after FDR correction (all adjusted P values \u3e0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study identified the significance of elevated CD28 expression on CD4 Tregs as a novel molecular modifier that may influence IHD occurrence, suggesting that targeting CD28 expression on CD4 Tregs could offer a promising therapeutic approach for IHD

Too-low magnetic inclinations in Central Asia

Master of ScienceGeologyUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/114284/1/39015051820796.pd

Ultra-thin Ga nanosheets: Analogues of high pressure Ga(iii)

Ultra-thin Ga islands of β-Ga(110), high-pressure phase Ga(iii) and a new phase of stripe superstructure are obtained on Si(111). STM combined with theoretical calculations suggests that the stripe superstructure originates from Ga(iii) (001) with stacking rearrangement. This work provides a new strategy for synthesizing low-dimensional nanomaterials and accessing high pressure phases

Effect of stem cell transplantation on patients with ischemic heart failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Abstract Stem cell transplantation (SCT) has become a promising way to treat ischemic heart failure (IHF). We performed a large-scale meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials to investigate the efficacy and safety of SCT in IHF patients. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving stem cell transplantation for the treatment of IHF were identified by searching the PubMed, EMBASE, SpringerLink, Web of Science, and Cochrane Systematic Review databases as well as from reviews and the reference lists of relevant articles. Fourteen eligible randomized controlled trials were included in this study, for a total of 669 IHF patients, of which 380 patients were treated with SCT. The weighted mean difference (WMD) was calculated for changes in the New York Heart Association (NYHA) class, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes (LVEDV and LVESV), and Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) angina grade using a fixed effects model, while relative risk (RR) was used for mortality. Compared with the control group, SCT significantly lowered the NYHA class (MD = − 0.73, 95% CI − 1.32 to − 0.14, P  0.05) and mortality (RR = 0.86, 95% CI 0.45 to 1.66, P > 0.05) did not differ between the two groups. This meta-analysis suggests that SCT may contribute to the improvement of LVEF, as well as the reduction of the NYHA class, CCS grade, and LVESV. In addition, SCT does not affect mortality

Comparison of Huntington’s disease phenotype progression in male and female heterozygous FDNQ175 mice

Abstract Huntington’s Disease (HD) is an inherited autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder that leads to progressive motor and cognitive impairment due to the expansion of a polyglutamine (CAG) repeat in the N-terminal region of the huntingtin (Htt) protein. The creation of HD mouse models represents a critical step in the research for HD treatment. Among the currently available HD mouse models, the zQ175 knock-in mouse line is the first to display robust disease phenotype on a heterozygous background. The newer FDNQ175 mouse model is derived from the zQ175 mouse line and presents a more aggressive phenotype. Moreover, increasing evidence has implicated sex as a contributing factor in the progression of HD symptoms. Here, we compared the progression of HD phenotypes in male and female heterozygous FDNQ175 mice. We found that both male and female heterozygous mice showed deficits in forelimb grip strength and cognition as early as 6 months of age. However, female FDNQ175 mice were less vulnerable to HD-associated decline in limb coordination and movement. Neither male nor female FDNQ175 mice exhibited reduced locomotor activity in the open field or exhibit consistent differences in anxiety at 6–12 months of age. Both male and female FDNQ175 mice exhibited increased numbers of huntingtin aggregates with age and 8-month-old female FDNQ175 mice had significantly more aggregates than their male counterparts. Taken together, our results provide further evidence that sex can influence the progression of HD phenotype in preclinical animal models and must be taken into consideration for future HD research

Knowledge Sifter: agent-based ontology-driven search over heterogeneous databases using semantic Web services

Abstract. Knowledge Sifter is a scaleable agent-based system that supports access to heterogeneous information sources such as the Web, open-source repositories, XML-databases and the emerging Semantic Web. User query specification is supported by a user agent that accesses multiple ontologies using an integrated conceptual model expressed in the Web Ontology Language (OWL). A collection of cooperating agents supports interactive query specification and refinement, query decomposition, query processing, as well as result ranking and presentation. The Knowledge Sifter architecture is general and modular so that ontologies and information sources can be easily incorporated. A proof-of-concept implementation shows how Knowledge Sifter can search geo-spatial ontology services such as the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and Princeton University’s WordNet as well as image databases including Lycos and TerraServer. Each Agent is implemented as a Web Service and the external sources are also accessed via Web Service Technology

Response of aggregate associated organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous to re-vegetation in agro-pastoral ecotone of northern China

The agro-pastoral ecotone is an ecologically fragile transition zone and suffers from extensive human-induced land-use changes. To understand how soil organic carbon (OC) and nutrients will respond to re-vegetation practices in such an ecotone zone, we present the response of OC, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in both bulk soils and water-stable aggregates to typical re-vegetation patterns in an agro-pastoral ecotone of northern China. Three re-vegetation patterns, i.e., cropland converted to natural grassland, woodland and artificial grassland at different times (6 to 40 years), were selected. The paired croplands were also selected as the control for each re-vegetation pattern. The measured soil metrics include the proportions of each type of water-stable aggregate, the mean weight diameter and geometric mean diameter of the aggregates, and the concentrations of OC, N and P in bulk soils and each aggregate fraction. The results showed that the three re-vegetation patterns significantly increased the mass proportion of macro-aggregates, the values of mean weight diameter and geometric mean diameter, and the concentrations of OC and N in topsoils (0-10 cm). The accumulation of OC and N in bulk soils was mainly due to the accumulation in macro-aggregates. Furthermore, increases in OC and N were greater after conversion to legume vegetation than to non-legume vegetation, and were highest at approximately 20 years after the conversion. However, concentrations of P in bulk soils and aggregates were similar among the three re-vegetation patterns and the three aggregate fractions, and were minimally affected by the conversion. These results highlighted the potential of legume vegetation to increase OC and N in surface soils and aggregates, and indicated no response of soil P to re-vegetation in an agro-pastoral ecotone of northern China.</p

The Landscape of Accessible Chromatin and Developmental Transcriptome Maps Reveal a Genetic Mechanism of Skeletal Muscle Development in Pigs

The epigenetic regulation mechanism of porcine skeletal muscle development relies on the openness of chromatin and is also precisely regulated by transcriptional machinery. However, fewer studies have exploited the temporal changes in gene expression and the landscape of accessible chromatin to reveal the underlying molecular mechanisms controlling muscle development. To address this, skeletal muscle biopsy samples were taken from Landrace pigs at days 0 (D0), 60 (D60), 120 (D120), and 180 (D180) after birth and were then analyzed using RNA-seq and ATAC-seq. The RNA-seq analysis identified 8554 effective differential genes, among which ACBD7, TMEM220, and ATP1A2 were identified as key genes related to the development of porcine skeletal muscle. Some potential cis-regulatory elements identified by ATAC-seq analysis contain binding sites for many transcription factors, including SP1 and EGR1, which are also the predicted transcription factors regulating the expression of ACBD7 genes. Moreover, the omics analyses revealed regulatory regions that become ectopically active after birth during porcine skeletal muscle development after birth and identified 151,245, 53,435, 30,494, and 40,911 peaks. The enriched functional elements are related to the cell cycle, muscle development, and lipid metabolism. In summary, comprehensive high-resolution gene expression maps were developed for the transcriptome and accessible chromatin during postnatal skeletal muscle development in pigs

High‐Performance Thermally Conductive Phase Change Composites by Large‐Size Oriented Graphite Sheets for Scalable Thermal Energy Harvesting

Efficient thermal energy harvesting using phase‐change materials (PCMs) has great potential for cost‐effective thermal management and energy storage applications. However, the low thermal conductivity of PCMs (KPCM) is a long‐standing bottleneck for high‐power‐density energy harvesting. Although PCM‐based nanocomposites with an enhanced thermal conductivity can address this issue, achieving a higher K (>10 W m−1 K−1) at filler loadings below 50 wt% remains challenging. A strategy for synthesizing highly thermally conductive phase‐change composites (PCCs) by compression‐induced construction of large aligned graphite sheets inside PCCs is demonstrated. The millimeter‐sized graphite sheet consists of lateral van‐der‐Waals‐bonded and oriented graphite nanoplatelets at the micro/nanoscale, which together with a thin PCM layer between the sheets synergistically enhance KPCM in the range of 4.4–35.0 W m−1 K−1 at graphite loadings below 40.0 wt%. The resulting PCCs also demonstrate homogeneity, no leakage, and superior phase change behavior, which can be easily engineered into devices for efficient thermal energy harvesting by coordinating the sheet orientation with the thermal transport direction. This method offers a promising route to high‐power‐density and low‐cost applications of PCMs in large‐scale thermal energy storage, thermal management of electronics, etc.A method for synthesizing high‐performance thermally conductive phase‐ change composites is demonstrated. Large aligned graphite sheets inside the composite are generated from worm‐like expanded graphite. The aligned and interconnected graphite framework enhances KPCM up to 4.4–35.0 W m−1 K−1 at graphite loadings below 40.0 wt%, which may accelerate the high‐power‐density, low‐cost, and large‐scale applications of phase‐change materials.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152740/1/adma201905099_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152740/2/adma201905099-sup-0001-SuppMat.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152740/3/adma201905099.pd