Enhanced 6D Measurement by Integrating an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) with a 6D Sensor Unit of a Laser Tracker

Six-degree-of-freedom (6D) sensors enhance the measurement capability of traditional three-degree-of-freedom (3D) laser trackers. However, the classical 6D measurement techniques still have shortcomings in actual use, such as the problem of line of sight and relatively low data acquisition rate. The proposed approach by integrating an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) with a 6D sensor unit of a laser tracker is effective to overcome these limitations. The error is corrected by the combination of a Kalman filter and a backward smoothing algorithm. The Kalman filter only works when the 6D sensor's data is being sent through, while the backward smoothing algorithm works during the whole process. The experiments are performed to compare the error in three positions and three rotational orientations between the proposed method and the Kalman filter and evaluate the effects of different rates and IMU frequencies on the algorithm. The simulations are also performed to estimate the maximum outage time. The results verify that the proposed method can solve the problem of line of sight and low data acquisition rate effectively.</p

Lag, Anticipated, and Complete Synchronization and Cascade Control in the Dynamical Systems

We obtain the lag, anticipated, and complete hybrid projective synchronization control (LACHPS) of dynamical systems to study the chaotic attractors and control problem of the chaotic systems. For illustration, we take the Colpitts oscillators as an example to achieve the analytical expressions of control functions. Numerical simulations are used to show the effectiveness of the proposed technique

Total Saponins of Aralia Elata (Miq) Seem Alleviate Calcium Homeostasis Imbalance and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Related Apoptosis Induced by Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury

Background/Aims: Total saponins of Aralia elata (Miq) Seem (AS) from the Chinese traditional herb Long ya Aralia chinensis L. reportedly provide cardioprotective effects, but the exact mechanisms require further study. Previous studies have showed that myocardial ischemia/ reperfusion injury (MIRI) was related to calcium homeostasis imbalance and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS). Thus, this study aimed to demonstrate protective effects of AS on MIRI. Methods: After administrating AS for 5 days, the left anterior descending artery coronary artery of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats was ligated for 30 min. After 48 h of reperfusion, haemodynamics, Evans blue/ 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining, hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, masson staining and the levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) were detected to assess MIRI. ATPase activity and Western Blot were used to study the mechanisms. Results: Compared with IR group, AS treatment groups could significantly reduce myocardial infarct size; improve myocardial pathologic progress; decrease content of LDH, CK, and MDA; increase content of SOD; and restore the activities of Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase, Na+-K+-ATPase, sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPases (SERCA), and calcineurin (CaN). AS treatment groups also significantly up-regulated the expression of GRP78, C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), and Bax, and down-regulated the expression of Bcl-2, all similar to the effects of ERS. Conclusion: These findings illustrated that AS could prevent myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury and reduce calcium homeostasis imbalance and ERS-related apoptosis

The Combination of CD8αα and Peptide-MHC-I in a Face-to-Face Mode Promotes Chicken γδT Cells Response.

The CD8αα homodimer is crucial to both thymic T cell selection and the antigen recognition of cytotoxic T cells. The CD8-pMHC-I interaction can enhance CTL immunity via stabilizing the TCR-pMHC-I interaction and optimizing the cross-reactivity and Ag sensitivity of CD8+ T cells at various stages of development. To date, only human and mouse CD8-pMHC-I complexes have been determined. Here, we resolved the pBF2*1501 complex and the cCD8αα/pBF2*1501 and cCD8αα/pBF2*0401 complexes in nonmammals for the first time. Remarkably, cCD8αα/pBF2*1501 and the cCD8αα/pBF2*0401 complex both exhibited two binding modes, including an "antibody-like" mode similar to that of the known mammal CD8/pMHC-I complexes and a "face-to-face" mode that has been observed only in chickens to date. Compared to the "antibody-like" mode, the "face-to-face" binding mode changes the binding orientation of the cCD8αα homodimer to pMHC-I, which might facilitate abundant γδT cells to bind diverse peptides presented by limited BF2 alleles in chicken. Moreover, the forces involving in the interaction of cCD8αα/pBF2*1501 and the cCD8αα/pBF2*0401 are different in this two binding model, which might change the strength of the CD8-pMHC-I interaction, amplifying T cell cross-reactivity in chickens. The coreceptor CD8αα of TCR has evolved two peptide-MHC-I binding patterns in chickens, which might enhance the T cell response to major or emerging pathogens, including chicken-derived pathogens that are relevant to human health, such as high-pathogenicity influenza viruses

Evaluation of the IP-10 mRNA release assay for diagnosis of TB in HIV-infected individuals

HIV-infected individuals are susceptible to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) infection and are at high risk of developing active tuberculosis (TB). Interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) are auxiliary tools in the diagnosis of TB. However, the performance of IGRAs in HIV-infected individuals is suboptimal, which limits clinical application. Interferon-inducible protein 10 (IP-10) is an alternative biomarker for identifying M.tb infection due to its high expression after stimulation with M.tb antigens. However, whether IP-10 mRNA constitutes a target for the diagnosis of TB in HIV-infected individuals is unknown. Thus, we prospectively enrolled HIV-infected patients with suspected active TB from five hospitals between May 2021 and May 2022, and performed the IGRA test (QFT-GIT) alongside the IP-10 mRNA release assay on peripheral blood. Of the 216 participants, 152 TB patients and 48 non-TB patients with a conclusive diagnosis were included in the final analysis. The number of indeterminate results of IP-10 mRNA release assay (13/200, 6.5%) was significantly lower than that of the QFT-GIT test (42/200, 21.0%) (P = 0.000026). IP-10 mRNA release assay had a sensitivity of 65.3% (95%CI 55.9% – 73.8%) and a specificity of 74.2% (95%CI 55.4% – 88.1%), respectively; while the QFT-GIT test had a sensitivity of 43.2% (95%CI 34.1% – 52.7%) and a specificity of 87.1% (95%CI 70.2% – 96.4%), respectively. The sensitivity of the IP-10 mRNA release assay was significantly higher than that of QFT-GIT test (P = 0.00062), while no significant difference was detected between the specificities of these two tests (P = 0.198). The IP-10 mRNA release assay showed a lower dependence on CD4+ T cells than that of QFT-GIT test. This was evidenced by the fact that the QFT-GIT test had a higher number of indeterminate results and a lower sensitivity when the CD4+ T cells counts were decreased (P &lt; 0.05), while no significant difference in the number of indeterminate results and sensitivity were observed for the IP-10 mRNA release assay among HIV-infected individuals with varied CD4+T cells counts (P &gt; 0.05). Therefore, our study suggested that M.tb specific IP-10 mRNA is a better biomarker for diagnosis of TB in HIV-infected individuals

A Policy-Driven Large Scale Ecological Restoration: Quantifying Ecosystem Services Changes in the Loess Plateau of China

As one of the key tools for regulating human-ecosystem relations, environmental conservation policies can promote ecological rehabilitation across a variety of spatiotemporal scales. However, quantifying the ecological effects of such policies at the regional level is difficult. A case study was conducted at the regional level in the ecologically vulnerable region of the Loess Plateau, China, through the use of several methods including the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), hydrological modeling and multivariate analysis. An assessment of the changes over the period of 2000–2008 in four key ecosystem services was undertaken to determine the effects of the Chinese government's ecological rehabilitation initiatives implemented in 1999. These ecosystem services included water regulation, soil conservation, carbon sequestration and grain production. Significant conversions of farmland to woodland and grassland were found to have resulted in enhanced soil conservation and carbon sequestration, but decreased regional water yield under a warming and drying climate trend. The total grain production increased in spite of a significant decline in farmland acreage. These trends have been attributed to the strong socioeconomic incentives embedded in the ecological rehabilitation policy. Although some positive policy results have been achieved over the last decade, large uncertainty remains regarding long-term policy effects on the sustainability of ecological rehabilitation performance and ecosystem service enhancement. To reduce such uncertainty, this study calls for an adaptive management approach to regional ecological rehabilitation policy to be adopted, with a focus on the dynamic interactions between people and their environments in a changing world

Lineage diversification and historical demography of a montane bird Garrulax elliotii - implications for the Pleistocene evolutionary history of the eastern Himalayas

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Pleistocene climate fluctuations have shaped the patterns of genetic diversity observed in many extant species. In montane habitats, species' ranges may have expanded and contracted along an altitudinal gradient in response to environmental fluctuations leading to alternating periods of genetic isolation and connectivity. Because species' responses to climate change are influenced by interactions between species-specific characteristics and local topography, diversification pattern differs between species and locations. The eastern Himalayas is one of the world's most prominent mountain ranges. Its complex topography and environmental heterogeneity present an ideal system in which to study how climatic changes during Pleistocene have influenced species distributions, genetic diversification, and demography. The Elliot's laughing thrush (<it>Garrulax elliotii</it>) is largely restricted to high-elevation shrublands in eastern Himalayas. We used mitochondrial DNA and microsatellites to investigate how genetic diversity in this species was affected by Pleistocene glaciations.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Mitochondrial data detected two partially sympatric north-eastern and southern lineages. Microsatellite data, however, identified three distinct lineages congruent with the geographically separated southern, northern and eastern eco-subregions of the eastern Himalayas. Geographic breaks occur in steep mountains and deep valleys of the Kangding-Muli-Baoxin Divide. Divergence time estimates and coalescent simulations indicate that lineage diversification occurred on two different geographic and temporal scales; recent divergence, associated with geographic isolation into individual subregions, and historical divergence, associated with displacement into multiple refugia. Despite long-term isolation, genetic admixture among these subregional populations was observed, indicating historic periods of connectivity. The demographic history of <it>Garrulax elliotii </it>shows continuous population growth since late Pleistocene (about 0.125 mya).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>While altitude-associated isolation is typical of many species in other montane regions, our results suggest that eco-subregions in the eastern Himalayas exhibiting island-like characteristics appear to have determined the diversification of <it>Garrulax elliotii</it>. During the Pleistocene, these populations became isolated on subregions during interglacial periods but were connected when these expanded to low altitude during cooler periods. The resultant genetic admixture of lineages might obscure pattern of genetic variation. Our results provide new insights into sky island diversification in a previously unstudied region, and further demonstrate that Pleistocene climatic changes can have profound effects on lineage diversification and demography in montane species.</p