Characterization of myeloperoxidase and its contribution to antimicrobial effect on extracellular traps in flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus)

Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is a cationic leukocyte haloperoxidase and together with other proteins, they possess activities against various microorganisms and are involved in extracellular trap (ET) formation. The present work describes the gene and deduced protein sequences, and functions of MPO in flounder (PoMPO). The PoMPO possesses a 2313 bp open reading frame (ORF) that encodes a protein of 770 amino acids. The highest PoMPO mRNA expression levels were found in the head kidney, followed by peritoneal cells, gill, spleen, skin, muscle, and liver. PoMPO was expressed in MHCII+ and GCSFR+ cells which indicated that PoMPO mainly is expressed in flounder macrophages and granulocytes. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide-stimulated peritoneal leukocytes showed an increased protein level of PoMPO while it seemed that LPS also promoted the migration of MPO+ cells from the head kidney into the peripheral blood and peritoneal cavity. After phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) or bacterial stimulation, flounder leukocytes produced typical ET structures containing DNA with decoration by MPO. The ETs containing DNA and PoMPO effectively inhibited the proliferation of ET-trapped bacteria. Blocking PoMPO with antibodies decreased the enzymatic activity, which attenuated the antibacterial activity of ETs. This study pinpoints the involvement of ETs in flounder innate responses to pathogens

Computer-Aided Diagnosis Evaluation of the Correlation Between Magnetic Resonance Imaging With Molecular Subtypes in Breast Cancer

BackgroundThere is a demand for additional alternative methods that can allow the differentiation of the breast tumor into molecular subtypes precisely and conveniently.PurposeThe present study aimed to determine suitable optimal classifiers and investigate the general applicability of computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) to associate between the breast cancer molecular subtype and the extracted MR imaging features.MethodsWe analyzed a total of 264 patients (mean age: 47.9 ± 9.7 years; range: 19–81 years) with 264 masses (mean size: 28.6 ± 15.86 mm; range: 5–91 mm) using a Unet model and Gradient Tree Boosting for segmentation and classification.ResultsThe tumors were segmented clearly by the Unet model automatically. All the extracted features which including the shape features,the texture features of the tumors and the clinical features were input into the classifiers for classification, and the results showed that the GTB classifier is superior to other classifiers, which achieved F1-Score 0.72, AUC 0.81 and score 0.71. Analyzed the different features combinations, we founded that the texture features associated with the clinical features are the optimal features to different the breast cancer subtypes.ConclusionCAD is feasible to differentiate the breast cancer subtypes, automatical segmentation were feasible by Unet model and the extracted texture features from breast MR imaging with the clinical features can be used to help differentiating the molecular subtype. Moreover, in the clinical features, BPE and age characteristics have the best potential for subtype

Characterization of myeloperoxidase and its contribution to antimicrobial effect on extracellular traps in flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus)

Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is a cationic leukocyte haloperoxidase and together with other proteins, they possess activities against various microorganisms and are involved in extracellular trap (ET) formation. The present work describes the gene and deduced protein sequences, and functions of MPO in flounder (PoMPO). The PoMPO possesses a 2313 bp open reading frame (ORF) that encodes a protein of 770 amino acids. The highest PoMPO mRNA expression levels were found in the head kidney, followed by peritoneal cells, gill, spleen, skin, muscle, and liver. PoMPO was expressed in MHCII+ and GCSFR+ cells which indicated that PoMPO mainly is expressed in flounder macrophages and granulocytes. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide-stimulated peritoneal leukocytes showed an increased protein level of PoMPO while it seemed that LPS also promoted the migration of MPO+ cells from the head kidney into the peripheral blood and peritoneal cavity. After phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) or bacterial stimulation, flounder leukocytes produced typical ET structures containing DNA with decoration by MPO. The ETs containing DNA and PoMPO effectively inhibited the proliferation of ET-trapped bacteria. Blocking PoMPO with antibodies decreased the enzymatic activity, which attenuated the antibacterial activity of ETs. This study pinpoints the involvement of ETs in flounder innate responses to pathogens

Prediction of wear life of shield disc cutter in complex formations based on genetic programming

In process of shield tunneling in complex formation, wear of disc cutter is extremely serious and service life is hard to predict, and influence factors of the disc cutter wear are multi-dimensional and uncertain. In view of above problems, main influence factors of disc cutter wear life such as cutter installation raduis, excavation distance, penetration depth, cutter spacing width, rotating speed were analyzed, prediction model of wear life of shield disc cutter in complex formations based on genetic programming was established. Genetic programming can transform the problem of wear life prediction into the inductive problem of programs. The tree-shaped expression can reflect relationship between the influencing factors and the wear life under complex geological conditions. The engineering test results show that the average prediction error of the model is 16.07% and the mean square error of the model is 0.001 6, which are better than the simplified CSM model. The model solves the problem that the wear life of the disc cutter is difficult to predict, and provides a new solution for prediction of wear life of the disc cutter

Attacks and design of image recognition CAPTCHAs

We systematically study the design of image recognition CAPTCHAs (IRCs) in this paper. We first review and examine all IRCs schemes known to us and evaluate each scheme against the practical requirements in CAPTCHA applications, particularly in large-scale real-life applications such as Gmail and Hotmail. Then we present a security analysis of the representative schemes we have identified. For the schemes that remain unbroken, we present our novel attacks. For the schemes for which known attacks are available, we propose a theoretical explanation why those schemes have failed. Next, we provide a simple but novel framework for guiding the design of robust IRCs. Then we propose an innovative IRC called Cortcha that is scalable to meet the requirements of large-scale applications. Cortcha relies on recognizing an object by exploiting its surrounding context, a task that humans can perform well but computers cannot. An infinite number of types of objects can be used to generate challenges, which can effectively disable the learning process in machine learning attacks. Cortcha does not require the images in its image database to be labeled. Image collection and CAPTCHA generation can be fully automated. Our usability studies indicate that, compared with Google’s text CAPTCHA, Cortcha yields a slightly higher human accuracy rate but on average takes more time to solve a challenge

Highly Luminescent Phase-Stable Hybrid Manganese Halides for Efficient X-ray Imaging

Mn(II)-based organic-inorganic hybrid metal halides have garnered considerable attention for their potential use in X-ray imaging due to their cost-effective solution processability and remarkable radioluminescence efficiency. However, achieving a photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) close to 100% across all compositions containing Cl-, Br-, and I- has been a challenge. Here, we introduce an efficient spacer cation, BDPA+ (C15H18N+), which enables all halide compounds to achieve high PLQYs of 95-98%. The high fluorescence efficiency is attributed to the passivation effect provided by π-conjugated aromatic groups and the long distance between emissive centers afforded by the periodic bulk structures of BDPA+. This effectively reduces energy transfer between Mn2+ ions, resulting in enhanced luminescence. Additionally, the strong hydrophobic nature of the organic component ensures that the resulting crystals maintain their stability for over 2 months in ambient air, making them suitable for a wide range of applications. A representative scintillator prepared from (BDPA)2MnBr4 exhibits impressive X-ray imaging performance with a high light yield of 44,000 ph/MeV and a low detection limit of 0.32 μGy/s, comparable to those of commercial LuAG:Ce scintillator crystals (25,000 ph/MeV, 2.32 μGy/s). These findings hold great promise for the future development of this class of materials, particularly for stable high-energy radiation detection.</p

Excitation Wavelength‐Dependent Fluorescence of a Lanthanide Organic Metal Halide Cluster for Anti‐Counterfeiting Applications

International audienceThe achievement of significant photoluminescence (PL) in lanthanide ions (Ln3+) has primarily relied on host sensitization, where energy is transferred from the excited host material to the Ln3+ ions. However, this luminous mechanism involves only one optical antenna, namely the host material, which limits the accessibility of excitation wavelength-dependent (Ex-De) PL. Consequently, the wider application of Ln3+ ions in light-emitting devices is hindered. In this study, we present an organic–inorganic compound, (DMA)4LnCl7 (DMA+=[CH3NH2CH3]+, Ln3+=Ce3+, Tb3+), which serves as an independent host lattice material for efficient Ex-De emission by doping it with trivalent antimony (Sb3+). The pristine (DMA)4LnCl7 compounds exhibit high luminescence, maintaining the characteristic sharp emission bands of Ln3+ and demonstrating a high PL quantum yield of 90–100 %. Upon Sb3+ doping, the compound exhibits noticeable Ex-De emission with switchable colors. Through a detailed spectral study, we observe that the prominent energy transfer process observed in traditional host-sensitized systems is absent in these materials. Instead, they exhibit two independent emission centers from Ln3+ and Sb3+, each displaying distinct features in luminous color and radiative lifetime. These findings open up new possibilities for designing Ex-De emitters based on Ln3+ ions

Research on Semi-Physical Simulation Testing of Inter-Satellite Laser Interference in the China Taiji Space Gravitational Wave Detection Program

To guarantee a smooth in-orbit space gravitational wave detection for the Taiji mission, a semi-physical simulation test of inter-satellite laser interference is carried out. The semi-physical simulation test consists of three aspects: the establishment of the inter-satellite laser link, interferometry of the inter-satellite ranging, and simulation of the space environment. With the designed specifications for the semi-physical simulation platform, the test results for the inter-satellite laser interference can be obtained. Based on the semi-physical simulation test, the risks of inter-satellite laser interference technology can be mitigated, laying a solid foundation for the successful detection of in-orbit gravitational waves

Moisture‐Insensitive, Phase‐Stable Indium‐Based Metal Halides and Their Light‐Emitting Applications

International audienceAbstract Ternary indium (In)‐based metal halides are gaining increased attention as promising lead (Pb)‐free alternatives for light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) owing to their broadband emission and high photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs). However, most of the pure In‐based compositions suffer from instability against moisture and thermal stress, leading to a rapid degradation of material and hence their optical properties. Herein, a new kind of organic–inorganic hybrid In‐based metal halide BA 6 InCl 9 (BA + = C 4 H 11 N + ) is presented, which exhibits stable crystal structure and material composition at both ambient (over 5 months) and heating conditions (up to 200 °C). Besides, the Huang‐Rhys factor of ≈4.94 determined for BA 6 InCl 9 is considerably smaller than most Pb‐free perovskites, which suggests a relatively weak exciton‐phonon coupling in these crystals. By trace amounts of antimony (III) (Sb 3+ ) doping, the PLQY of the BA 6 InCl 9 single crystals can be markedly improved from ≈25% to 95%, and the ensuing down‐conversion LEDs exhibit bright orange‐red emission with an external quantum efficiency of 0.12%, which retains ≈50% of the initial luminance after 380 min of continuous operation in ambient air. It is forseen that the study will prompt future research on In‐based metal halides and their use in stable light‐emitting applications