The BCL2 gene is regulated by a special AT-rich sequence binding protein 1-mediated long range chromosomal interaction between the promoter and the distal element located within the 3′-UTR

The 279-bp major breakpoint region (mbr) within the 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR) of the BCL2 gene is a binding site of special AT-rich sequence binding protein 1 (SATB1) that is well known to participate in the long-range regulation of gene transcription. Our previous studies have revealed that the mbr could regulate BCL2 transcription over a 200-kb distance and this regulatory function was closely related to SATB1. This study is to explore the underlying mechanism and its relevance to cellular apoptosis. With chromosome conformation capture (3C) and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays we demonstrated that the mbr could physically interact with BCL2 promoter through SATB1-mediated chromatin looping, which was required for epigenetic modifications of the promoter, CREB accessibility and high expression of the BCL2 gene. During early apoptosis, SATB1 was a key regulator of BCL2 expression. Inhibition of SATB1 cleavage by treatment of cells with a caspase-6 inhibitor or overexpression of mutant SATB1 that was resistant to caspase-6, inhibited disassembly of the SATB1-mediated chromatin loop and restored the BCL2 mRNA level in Jurkat cells. These data revealed a novel mechanism of BCL2 regulation and mechanistically link SATB1-mediated long-range interaction with the regulation of a gene controlling apoptosis pathway for the first time

High Frequency Resolution Adaptive Thresholding Wideband Receiver System

Fast Fourier transformation (FFT) is widely used in wideband digital receivers to detect multiple signals. To achieve high dynamic range, the receiver has to increase analog-to-digital (ADC) resolution bits, which requires significant computation time and therefore increases receiver time resolution. The other challenge of FFT approach is two signals with a small frequency difference (i.e., less than five FFT frequency bins in most cases) cannot be detected simultaneous. This thesis presents an adaptive thresholding wideband digital receiver to accurately detect two simultaneous high dynamic range signals even when they are close to one FFT frequency bin. The receiver can perform well for more than two input signals if the requirements for the receiver frequency resolution and dynamic range are reduced. The receiver design architecture and performance evaluation are presented

Quantifying the Decision-Making of PPPs in China by the Entropy-Weighted Pareto Front: A URT Case from Guizhou

In recent years, value for money (VFM) evaluations using the Public Sector Comparator (PSC) method have gradually been adopted by governments worldwide in the field of public investment, and used as decision-making tools for public–private partnership (PPP) projects. However, there has been little research concerned with such emerging decision-making questions with VFM. This paper proposed a quantitative decision-making method of entropy-weighted Pareto front applied in the specific context of Chinese PPPs, with a case study of an Urban Transit Railway (URT) PPP project from Guizhou province. Factor analysis was used to extract the qualitative indicators of VFM evaluation, associate them with the quantitative characteristics of the project, and thus help public sector decision-makers choose the proper quantitative decision variables

Solving the Asymmetry Multi-Objective Optimization Problem in PPPs under LPVR Mechanism by Bi-Level Programing

Optimizing the cost and benefit allocation among multiple players in a public-private partnership (PPP) project is recognized to be a multi-objective optimization problem (MOP). When the least present value of revenue (LPVR) mechanism is adopted in the competitive procurement of PPPs, the MOP presents asymmetry in objective levels, control variables and action orders. This paper characterizes this asymmetrical MOP in Stackelberg theory and builds a bi-level programing model to solve it in order to support the decision-making activities of both the public and private sectors in negotiation. An intuitive algorithm based on the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm III (NSGA III) framework is designed to generate Pareto solutions that allow decision-makers to choose optimal strategies from their own criteria. The effectiveness of the model and algorithm is validated via a real case of a highway PPP project. The results reveal that the PPP project will be financially infeasible without the transfer of certain amounts of exterior benefits into supplementary income for the private sector. Besides, the strategy of transferring minimum exterior benefits is more beneficial to the public sector than to users

Arthroscopic ligament-specific repair for triangular fibrocartilage complex foveal avulsions: a minimum 2-year follow-up study.

This study reports the arthroscopic ligament-specific repair of the triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) that anatomically restores both the volar and dorsal radioulnar ligaments into their individual foveal footprints. Twenty-five patients underwent arthroscopic ligament-specific repair with clinical and radiological diagnoses of TFCC foveal avulsions. The mean age was 28 years (range 14-47) and the mean follow-up was 31 months (range 24-47). Following arthroscopic assessment, 20 patients underwent double limb radioulnar ligament repairs and five had single limb repairs. At final follow-up, there were significant improvements in wrist flexion-extension, forearm pronation-supination and grip strength. There were also significant improvements in pain and patient-reported outcomes as assessed by the patient-rated wrist evaluation, Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score and modified Mayo wrist scores. Arthroscopic ligament-specific repair of the TFCC does not require specialist dedicated equipment or consumables and offers a viable method of treating these injuries. IV

Review on degradation mechanism and health state estimation methods of lithium-ion batteries

State of health (SOH) estimation is important for a lithium-ion battery (LIB) health state management system, and accurate estimation of SOH is influenced by the degree of degradation of the LIB. However, considering the complex electrochemical reactions within Li electrons and the influence of many external factors on internal reactions, it is difficult to accurately estimate the SOH based on the surface state characteristics of the battery (including current, voltage, and temperature). Thus, in this study, the knowledge graph method is employed to analyze keyword co-occurrences and citations in the literature on LIB degradation and SOH estimation to determine research hotspots. Based on the research trends, findings regarding the internal and external degradation mechanisms and influencing factors of (LIBs) are reorganized, and chemical and physical degradation processes, including solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer formation, fracture, Li plating, and dendrite formation, are systematically introduced based on the modeling perspective. The interrelationships between these degradation factors and their effects on capacity and power decay as well as their correlation with SOH estimation are evaluated. Additionally, a comparative analysis of existing SOH estimation methods is presented, and the applicable scenarios and technical problems of each method are summarized. The key issues such as model simplification, estimation methods based on random data, and second-life SOH are also analyzed and discussed. The results show that the estimation results of methods mixing multiple models tend to be more accurate. Finally, the development trend of SOH estimation methods under complex degradation conditions and usage scenarios is analytically discussed