Descope of the ALIA mission

The present work reports on a feasibility study commissioned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences of China to explore various possible mission options to detect gravitational waves in space alternative to that of the eLISA/LISA mission concept. Based on the relative merits assigned to science and technological viability, a few representative mission options descoped from the ALIA mission are considered. A semi-analytic Monte Carlo simulation is carried out to understand the cosmic black hole merger histories starting from intermediate mass black holes at high redshift as well as the possible scientific merits of the mission options considered in probing the light seed black holes and their coevolution with galaxies in early Universe. The study indicates that, by choosing the armlength of the interferometer to be three million kilometers and shifting the sensitivity floor to around one-hundredth Hz, together with a very moderate improvement on the position noise budget, there are certain mission options capable of exploring light seed, intermediate mass black hole binaries at high redshift that are not readily accessible to eLISA/LISA, and yet the technological requirements seem to within reach in the next few decades for China

Astragalus Granule Prevents Ca 2+

Background. Astragalus was broadly used for treating heart failure (HF) and arrhythmias in East Asia for thousands of years. Astragalus granule (AG), extracted from Astragalus, shows beneficial effect on the treatment of HF in clinical research. We hypothesized that administration of AG prevents the remodeling of L-type Ca2+ current (ICa-L) in HF mice by the downregulation of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII). Methods. HF mice were induced by thoracic aortic constriction (TAC). After 4 weeks of AG treatment, cardiac function and QT interval were evaluated. Single cardiac ventricular myocyte was then isolated and whole-cell patch clamp was used to record action potential (AP) and ICa-L. The expressions of L-type calcium channel alpha 1C subunit (Cav1.2), CaMKII, and phosphorylated protein kinase A (p-PKA) were examined by western blot. Results. The failing heart manifested distinct electrical remodeling including prolonged repolarization time and altered ICa-L kinetics. AG treatment attenuated this electrical remodeling, supported by AG-related shortened repolarization time, decreased peak ICa-L, accelerated ICa-L inactivation, and positive frequency-dependent ICa-L facilitation. In addition, AG treatment suppressed the overexpression of CaMKII, but not p-PKA, in the failing heart. Conclusion. AG treatment protected the failing heart against electrical remodeling and ICa-L remodeling by downregulating CaMKII

Contactless ECG prediction via FMCW radar by a multi-task conv-trans net

The electrocardiogram (ECG) records a series of electrical signal sequences produced by the polarization and repolarization of the various structures of the heart. The pattern of the ECG diagram, especially the relationship between each wave or wave group, can convey much information. Moreover, this can be used in diagnosing myocardial ischemia, myocardial infarction, malignant arrhythmia, coronary heart disease, and other cardiovascular diseases. Currently, the primary way to obtain ECG is to acquire a series of electrical impulse signals in a heartbeat through electrodes attached to the patient's chest and limbs. This dissertation describes an ECG monitoring system based on FMCW radar, which does not require any contact with the patient's body surface, thus benefiting the monitoring of cardiac activity in groups such as skin disease patients or burn patients. The reconstruction of ECG signals is based on the features extracted by the hybrid model of CNN and Transformer. The multi-task learning method is used to improve the system's stability. The experimental results show that the system accurately captures R and T waves, and the average absolute prediction errors at the time nodes are 8.67 ms and 10.35 ms, respectively. This result indicates that the system can reproduce ECG signal morphology without contact.Master of Science (Computer Control and Automation

miR-342-5p Decreases Ankyrin G Levels in Alzheimer’s Disease Transgenic Mouse Models

MicroRNA alterations and axonopathy have been reported in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and in AD mouse models. We now report that miR-342-5p is upregulated in APP/PS1, PS1ΔE9, and PS1-M146V transgenic AD mice, and that this upregulation is mechanistically linked to elevated β-catenin, c-Myc, and interferon regulatory factor-9. The increased miR-342-5p downregulates the expression of ankyrin G (AnkG), a protein that is known to play a critical role at the axon initial segment. Thus, a specific miRNA alteration may contribute to AD axonopathy by downregulating AnkG

Chimeric antigen receptors for adoptive T cell therapy in acute myeloid leukemia

Abstract Currently, conventional therapies for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have high failure and relapse rates. Thus, developing new strategies is crucial for improving the treatment of AML. With the clinical success of anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies against B-lineage malignancies, many studies have attempted to translate the success of CAR T cell therapy to other malignancies, including AML. This review summarizes the current advances in CAR T cell therapy against AML, including preclinical studies and clinical trials, and discusses the potential AML-associated surface markers that could be used for further CAR technology. Finally, we describe strategies that might address the current issues of employing CAR T cell therapy in AML

Operando EPR for Simultaneous Monitoring of Anionic and Cationic Redox Processes in Li-Rich Metal Oxide Cathodes

Anionic redox chemistry offers a transformative approach for significantly increasing specific energy capacities of cathodes for rechargeable Li-ion batteries. This study employs operando electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) to simultaneously monitor the evolution of both transition metal and oxygen redox reactions, as well as their intertwined couplings in Li₂MnO₃, Li_1.2Ni_0.2Mn_0.6O₂, and Li_1.2Ni_0.13Mn_0.54Co_0.13O₂ cathodes. Reversible O^2–/O₂^<i>n</i>– redox takes place above 3.0 V, which is clearly distinguished from transition metal redox in the operando EPR on Li₂MnO₃ cathodes. O^2–/O₂^<i>n</i>– redox is also observed in Li_1.2Ni_0.2Mn_0.6O₂, and Li_1.2Ni_0.13Mn_0.54Co_0.13O₂ cathodes, albeit its overlapping potential ranges with Ni redox. This study further reveals the stabilization of the reversible O redox by Mn and e^– hole delocalization within the Mn–O complex. The interactions within the cation–anion pairs are essential for preventing O₂^<i>n</i>– from recombination into gaseous O₂ and prove to activate Mn for its increasing participation in redox reactions. Operando EPR helps to establish a fundamental understanding of reversible anionic redox chemistry. The gained insights will support the search for structural factors that promote desirable O redox reactions

Lithiation and Delithiation Dynamics of Different Li Sites in Li-Rich Battery Cathodes Studied by <i>Operando</i> Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

Li in Li-rich cathodes mostly resides at octahedral sites in both Li layers (Li_Li) and transition metal layers (Li_TM). Extraction and insertion of Li_Li and Li_TM are strongly influenced by surrounding transition metals. pjMATPASS and <i>operando</i> Li nuclear magnetic resonance are combined to achieve both high spectral and temporal resolution for quantitative real time monitoring of lithiation and delithiation at Li_Li and Li_TM sites in Li₂MnO₃, Li_1.2Ni_0.2Mn_0.6O₂, and Li_1.2Ni_0.13Mn_0.54Co_0.13O₂ cathodes. The results have revealed that Li_TM are preferentially extracted for the first 20% of charge and then Li_Li and Li_TM are removed at the same rate. No preferential insertion or extraction of Li_Li and Li_TM is observed beyond the first charge. Ni and Co promote faster and more complete removal of Li_TM. The recovery of the removed Li is <60% for Li_TM and >80% for Li_Li upon first discharge. The study sheds light on the activity of Li_Li and Li_TM during electrochemical processes as well as their respective contributions to cathode capacity