Optical sensing interface based on nano-opto-electro-mechanical systems

A novel optical sensing interface based on nano-opto-electro-mechanical systems (NOEMS) is proposed, in which the light can be coupled with quantum tunneled electrons via weak mechanical coupling. By taking optical pump power and mechanical coupling strength as varying parameters, respectively, bifurcation diagrams of three involved dynamical states of the NOEMS, i.e., optical, electrical and mechanical mode, are calculated, from which an effective coupling region for tunneled electrons and light is revealed. Self-oscillation, transient dynamics and the threshold of the NOEMS are further characterized, and it is found that the effective coupling region has a special transient time. The work sheds light in developing ultra-sensitive photon detectors using physical mechanisms rather than the conventional PN junction based

AddictGene: An integrated knowledge base for differentially expressed genes associated with addictive substance

Addiction, a disorder of maladaptive brain plasticity, is associated with changes in numerous gene expressions. Nowadays, high-throughput sequencing data on addictive substance-induced gene expression have become widely available. A resource for comprehensive annotation of genes that show differential expression in response to commonly abused substances is necessary. So, we developed AddictGene by integrating gene expression, gene-gene interaction, gene-drug interaction and epigenetic regulatory annotation for over 70,156 items of differentially expressed genes associated with 7 commonly abused substances, including alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, morphine, heroin, methamphetamine, and amphetamine, across three species (human, mouse, rat). We also collected 1,141 addiction-related experimentally validated genes by techniques such as RT-PCR, northern blot and in situ hybridization. The easy-to-use web interface of AddictGene (http://159.226.67.237/sun/addictgedb/) allows users to search and browse multidimensional data on DEGs of their interest: 1) detailed gene-specific information extracted from the original studies; 2) basic information about the specific gene extracted from NCBI; 3) SNP associated with substance dependence and other psychiatry disorders; 4) expression alteration of specific gene in other psychiatric disorders; 5) expression patterns of interested gene across 31 primary and 54 secondary human tissues; 6) functional annotation of interested gene; 7) epigenetic regulators involved in the alteration of specific genes, including histone modifications and DNA methylation; 8) protein&ndash;protein interaction for functional linkage with interested gene; 9) drug-gene interaction for potential druggability. AddictGene offers a valuable repository for researchers to study the molecular mechanisms underlying addiction, and might provide valuable insights into potential therapies for drug abuse and relapse.</p

Suppressing secondary reactions of coal pyrolysis by reducing pressure and mounting internals in fixed-bed reactor

Pyrolysis of Shenmu coal was performed in fixed-bed reactors indirectly heated by reducing operating pressure and mounting internals in the reactor to explore their synergetic effects on coal pyrolysis. Mounting internals particularly designed greatly improved the heat transfer inside coal bed and raised the yield of tar production. Reducing pressure further facilitated the production of tar through its suppression of secondary reactions occurring in the reactor. The absolute increase in tar yield reached 3.33 wt% in comparison with the pyrolysis in the reactor without internals under atmospheric pressure. The obtained tar yield in the reactor with internals under reduced pressurewas even higher than the yield of Gray-King assay. Through experiments in a laboratory fixed bed reactor, it was also clarified that the effect of reducing pressure is related to volatile release rate in pyrolysis. It did not obviously vary tar yield at pyrolysis temperatures below 600 degrees C, while the effect was evident at 650 and 700 degrees C but became limited again above 800 degrees C. Under reduced pressure the produced tar contained more aliphatics and phenols but less aromatics. (C) 2016 The Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, and Chemical Industry Press. All rights reserved.</p

Suppressing secondary reactions of coal pyrolysis by reducing pressure and mounting internals in fixed-bed reactor

Pyrolysis of Shenmu coal was performed in fixed-bed reactors indirectly heated by reducing operating pressure and mounting internals in the reactor to explore their synergetic effects on coal pyrolysis. Mounting internals particularly designed greatly improved the heat transfer inside coal bed and raised the yield of tar production. Reducing pressure further facilitated the production of tar through its suppression of secondary reactions occurring in the reactor. The absolute increase in tar yield reached 3.33 wt% in comparison with the pyrolysis in the reactor without internals under atmospheric pressure. The obtained tar yield in the reactor with internals under reduced pressure was even higher than the yield of Gray–King assay. Through experiments in a laboratory fixed bed reactor, it was also clarified that the effect of reducing pressure is related to volatile release rate in pyrolysis. It did not obviously vary tar yield at pyrolysis temperatures below 600 °C, while the effect was evident at 650 and 700 °C but became limited again above 800 °C. Under reduced pressure the produced tar contained more aliphatics and phenols but less aromatics

Comparative transcriptome characterization of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma

Background: Esophageal cancers are primarily categorized as esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). While various (epi) genomic alterations associated with tumor development in ESCC and EAC have been documented, a comprehensive comparison of the transcriptomes in these two cancer subtypes remains lacking. Methods: We collected 551 gene expression profiles from publicly available sources, including normal, ESCC, and EAC tissues or cell lines. Subsequently, we conducted a systematic analysis to compare the transcriptomes of these samples at various levels, including gene expression, promoter activity, alternative splicing (AS), alternative polyadenylation (APA), and gene fusion. Results: Seven distinct cluster gene expression patterns were identified among the differentially expressed genes in normal, ESCC, and EAC tissues. These patterns were enriched in the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and the activation of extracellular matrix organization and exhibited repression of epidermal development. Notably, we observed additional genes or unique expression levels enriched in these shared pathways and biological processes related to tumor development and immune activation. In addition to the differentially expressed genes, there was an enrichment of lncRNA co-expression networks and downregulation of promoter activity associated with the repression of epidermal development in both ESCC and EAC. This indicates a common feature between these two cancer subtypes. Furthermore, differential AS and APA patterns in ESCC and EAC appear to partially affect the expression of host genes associated with bacterial or viral infections in these subtypes. No gene fusions were observed between ESCC and EAC, thus highlighting the distinct molecular mechanisms underlying these two cancer subtypes. Conclusions: We conducted a comprehensive comparison of ESCC and EAC transcriptomes and uncovered shared and distinct transcriptomic signatures at multiple levels. These findings suggest that ESCC and EAC may exhibit common and unique mechanisms involved in tumorigenesis

MSX2 Initiates and Accelerates Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cell Specification of hPSCs by Regulating TWIST1 and PRAME

Summary: The gap in knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into the mesenchymal cell lineages hinders the application of hPSCs for cell-based therapy. In this study, we identified a critical role of muscle segment homeobox 2 (MSX2) in initiating and accelerating the molecular program that leads to mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSC) differentiation from hPSCs. Genetic deletion of MSX2 impairs hPSC differentiation into MSCs. When aided with a cocktail of soluble molecules, MSX2 ectopic expression induces hPSCs to form nearly homogeneous and fully functional MSCs. Mechanistically, MSX2 induces hPSCs to form neural crest cells, an intermediate cell stage preceding MSCs, and further differentiation by regulating TWIST1 and PRAME. Furthermore, we found that MSX2 is also required for hPSC differentiation into MSCs through mesendoderm and trophoblast. Our findings provide novel mechanistic insights into lineage specification of hPSCs to MSCs and effective strategies for applications of stem cells for regenerative medicine. : In this article, Zhou and colleagues show that MSX2 rapidly initiates and accelerates MSC specification of hPSCs by regulating TWIST1 and PRAME. The study provides novel mechanistic insights into lineage specification of hPSCs to MSCs and effective strategies for applications of stem cells for regenerative medicine. Keywords: human pluripotent stem cells, mesenchymal stem/stromal cells, MSX2, TWIST

Additional file 3 of Systematic comparation of the biological and transcriptomic landscapes of human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells under serum-containing and serum-free conditions

Additional file 3. Figure S3. Comparation of the inhibitory effects of hAMSCs pretreated in SC and SF conditions upon T cells

Additional file 7 of Systematic comparation of the biological and transcriptomic landscapes of human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells under serum-containing and serum-free conditions

Additional file 7. Table S5. Genetic variations in hAMSCs under SC and SF conditions

Additional file 5 of Systematic comparation of the biological and transcriptomic landscapes of human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells under serum-containing and serum-free conditions

Additional file 5. The details accompanied with the main manuscript including Additional Figure Legends for Figure S1-S4, Additional Table S1-S3, Additional References were listed

Additional file 6 of Systematic comparation of the biological and transcriptomic landscapes of human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells under serum-containing and serum-free conditions

Additional file 6. Table S4. FPKM values of DEGs in hAMSCs under SC and SF conditions