Growth pattern of Fortunian scalidophoran sclerites

Fortunian scalidophoran worms have shown high diversity, with 7 genera and species and 10 indeterminate forms. Current studies have mainly focused on morphology as well as early evolution, and studies on ontogeny have not been carried out due to the limited number of specimens. Here, we report new material of an Orsten-type preserved Indeterminate Form 3 from the Zhangjiagou section. Collected specimens of Indeterminate Form 3 with different annulus widths indicate the presence of several ontogenetic stages. We found newly formed sclerites on the annulus of Indeterminate Form 3 at different ontogenetic stages, suggesting that the sclerites of Indeterminate Form 3 become more numerous in addition to increasing in size during growth. The size of the large sclerites may also increase as the worms grow, however, their number may not change

Genistein Inhibited Estradiol-Induced Vascular Endothelial Cell Injury by Downregulating the FAK/Focal Adhesion Pathway

Background/Aims: In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of genistein on the focal adhesion signaling pathway through its regulation of FAK. Genistein ultimately restored and alleviated estradiol-induced vascular endothelial injury. Methods: Microarray analysis was used to select differentially expressed genes. MTT assay was performed to detect the cell activity, and ROS test and NO test were performed to detect the degree of damage to HUVECs (human umbilical vein endothelial cells). The relative mRNA expression levels and protein expression levels of FAK were tested by western blot and qRT-PCR. GO functional analysis and KEGG pathway analysis were applied to predict the possible relationship between functions and related pathways, and transwell assay was used to detect cell invasion and migration. Results: FAK was highly expressed in the HUVECs treated with estradiol (HU-ESTs). Cell viability and NO level decreased, whereas ROS level increased in the HU-ESTs. Effective knockdown of FAK in HU-ESTs elevated cell viability and NO levels while suppressing ROS levels. In addition, inhibition of FAK greatly decreased cell invasion and migration, while the overexpression of FAK enhanced cell invasion and migration. KEGG further indicated focal adhesion pathways were activated. Genistein elevated HU-EST viability, and NO and ROS level increased in a concentration dependent manner. Transwell and western blot assays revealed that genistein could reduce the FAK expression levels and alleviate the damage to the HU-ESTs. Conclusion: FAK overexpression promoted invasion and migration of the HU-ESTs. However, genistein greatly suppressed FAK and estradiol-induced vascular endothelial cell injury

Comparative efficacy of different exercise methods to improve cardiopulmonary function in stroke patients: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BackgroundAlthough some studies have shown that exercise has a good effect on improving the cardiopulmonary function of stroke patients, it still needs to be determined which exercise method does this more effectively. We, therefore, aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of different exercise methods in improving cardiovascular function in stroke patients through a network meta-analysis (NMA), providing a basis to select the best treatment plan for stroke patients.MethodsWe systematically searched CNKI, WanFang, VIP, CBM, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and The Cochrane Library databases from establishment to 30 April 2023. Randomized controlled trials (RCTS) on exercise improving cardiopulmonary function in stroke patients were included, and we screened the included articles and extracted the relevant data. RevMan (version 5.4) and Stata (version 17.0) were used for data analysis.ResultsWe included 35 RCTs and a total of 2,008 subjects. Intervention measures included high-intensity interval training (HIIT), aerobic training (AT), resistance training (RT), combined aerobic and resistance exercise (CE), and conventional therapy (CT). In the network meta-analysis, the surface under the cumulative ranking area (SUCRA) ranking result indicated that HIIT improved peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) and 6 mins walking distance (6MWD) optimally, with rankings of HIIT (100.0%) > CE (70.5%) > AT (50.2%) > RT (27.7%) > CT (1.6%), and HIIT (90.9%) > RT (60.6%) > AT (48.9%) > RT (48.1%) > CT (1.5%), respectively. The SUCRA ranking result showed that CE improved systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) optimally, with rankings of CE (82.1%) > HIIT (49.8%) > AT (35.3%) > CT (32.8%), and CE (86.7%) > AT (45.0%) > HIIT (39.5%) > CT (28.8%), respectively.ConclusionWe showed that exercise can effectively improve the cardiopulmonary function of stroke patients. HIIT was the most effective in improving VO2peak and 6MWD in stroke patients. CE was the most effective in improving SBP and DBP in stroke patients. However, due to the limitations of existing clinical studies and evidence, larger sample size, multi-center, and high-quality RCTs are needed to verify the above conclusions in the future.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier [CRD42023436773]

Effects of NH3 and alkaline metals on the formation of particulate sulfate and nitrate in wintertime Beijing

Sulfate and nitrate from secondary reactions remain as the most abundant inorganic species in atmospheric particle matter (PM). Their formation is initiated by oxidation (either in gas phase or particle phase), followed by neutralization reaction primarily by NH3, or by other alkaline species such as alkaline metal ions if available. The different roles of NH3 and metal ions in neutralizing H2SO4 or HNO3, however, are seldom investigated. Here we conducted semi-continuous measurements of SO4 2−, NO3 −, NH4 +, and their gaseous precursors, as well as alkaline metal ions (Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+) in wintertime Beijing. Analysis of aerosol acidity (estimated from a thermodynamic model) indicated that preferable sulfate formation was related to low pH conditions, while high pH conditions promote nitrate formation. Data in different mass fraction ranges of alkaline metal ions showed that in some ranges the role of NH3 was replaced by alkaline metal ions in the neutralization reaction of H2SO4 and HNO3 to form particulate SO4 2− and NO3 −. The relationships between mass fractions of SO4 2− and NO3 − in those ranges of different alkaline metal ion content also suggested that alkaline metal ions participate in the competing neutralization reaction of sulfate and nitrate. The implication of the current study is that in some regions the chemistry to incorporate sulfur and nitrogen into particle phase might be largely affected by desert/fugitive dust and sea salt, besides NH3. This implication is particularly relevant in coastal China and those areas with strong influence of dust storm in the North China Plain (NCP), both of which host a number of megacities with deteriorating air quality

E3 ubiquitin ligase CHIP facilitates Toll-like receptor signaling by recruiting and polyubiquitinating Src and atypical PKCζ

In mouse macrophages and dendritic cells, the CHIP E3 ubiquitin ligase is needed for transduction of signals initiated by TLR4 and TLR9 stimulation

FPGA-Based Extended Control Set Model Predictive Current Control with a Simplified Search Strategy for Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor

The conventional finite control set model predictive current control (FCS-MPCC) suffers from suboptimal steady-state performance, primarily due to the limited selection of only eight basic voltage vectors in each control cycle. To overcome this limitation, the proposed extended control set MPCC (ECS-MPCC) utilizes an control set consisting of 818 selectable vectors, enabling a more refined voltage output and achieving a deadbeat response for current control by minimizing the cost function. To mitigate the computational burden resulting from the substantial increase in voltage vectors, a simplified search strategy is devised, which can be extended to other multi-objective cost functions. Remarkably, based on the inherent parallelism of the algorithm, the ECS-MPCC is implemented on an FPGA, further reducing the overall control time of the current loop to an impressive 0.61 μs. Through simulation and experimental tests on a laboratory PMSM driver, the effectiveness of the proposed ECS-MPCC strategy is validated. The experimental results demonstrate a significant reduction of 79% in the total harmonic distortion of phase currents compared to the conventional FCS-MPCC approach. This improvement underscores the superiority of the ECS-MPCC in enhancing the performance of PMSM drives, thereby illustrating its potential for practical implementation in real-world applications