Investigating the Nonlinear Relationship Between Car Dependency and the Built Environment

Car-dominated daily travel has caused many severe and urgent urban problems across the world, and such travel patterns have been found to be related to the built environment. However, few existing studies have uncovered the nonlinear relationship between the built environment and car dependency using a machine learning method, thus failing to provide policymakers with nuanced evidence-based guidance on reducing car dependency. Using data from Puget Sound regional household travel surveys, this study analyzes the complicated relationship between car dependency and the built environment using the gradient boost decision tree method. The results show that people living in high-density areas are less likely to rely on private cars than those living in low-density neighborhoods. Both threshold and nonlinear effects are observed in the relationships between the built environment and car dependency. Increasing road density promotes car usage when the road density is below 6 km/km2. However, the positive association between road density and car use is not observed in areas with high road density. Increasing pedestrian-oriented road density decreases the likelihood of using cars as the main mode. Such a negative effect is most effective when the pedestrian-oriented road density is over 14.5 km/km2. More diverse land use also discourages people’s car use, probably because those areas are more likely to promote active modes. Destination accessibility has an overall negative effect and a significant threshold effect on car dependency. These findings can help urban planners formulate tailored land-use interventions to reduce car dependency

Bile acids cycle disruption in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma promotes the elevation of interleukin-10 secretion

Background: Unclear pathogenesis existed for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.Aims: to analyze the role of bile acids in the pathogenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.Methods: 20 healthy volunteers and 20 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma were enrolled between January 1st, 2013 and December 31st, 2014. ESI-QTOF-MS analysis of serum was performed to find altered bile acids components. The biological function of changed bile acids was investigated using in vitro experiment.Results: Compared with healthy volunteers, the level of DCA and GDCA exhibited higher abundance in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (p<0.01). Furthermore, the biological function was investigated for the inhibition of DCA and GDCA towards the secretion of IL-10 by CD4+CD25- T cells. Both DCA and GDCA significantly inhibited the secretion of IL-10 by CD4+CD25- T cells. Furthermore, DCA+GDCA can show stronger inhibition towards the secretion of IL-10 than DCA and GDCA.Conclusion: The inhibition of IL-10 secretion by elevated DCA and GDCA components in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients is the inducer for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.Key words: nasopharyngeal carcinoma, interleukin-10 (IL-10), pathogenesis, T cell, bile acids

Non-volatile memory based on PZT/FeGa thin film memtranstor

The PZT/FeGa thin film memtranstor was prepared and the modulation of the magnetoelectric coefficient by external magnetic and electric fields was studied. The magnetoelectric coefficient of the PZT/FeGa memtranstor can be reversed by flipping the direction of magnetization of FeGa or ferroelectric polarization of PZT. Notably, the sign of the magnetoelectric coefficient can be switched repeatedly by reversing ferroelectric polarization of PZT when the external magnetic field remains constant. Moreover, the binary switching behavior can still be maintained under zero DC bias magnetic field. When the polarization direction remains stable, the magnetoelectric coefficient also does not change. This means that the magnetoelectric coefficient of PZT/FeGa is non-volatile. Furthermore, the retention and endurance characteristics of the PZT/FeGa thin film memtranstor have been investigated. These findings demonstrate the potential of the PZT/FeGa thin film memtranstor for non-volatile memory applications.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

Electron interaction-driven insulating ground state in Bi2Se3 topological insulators in the two dimensional limit

We report a transport study of ultrathin Bi2Se3 topological insulators with thickness from one quintuple layer to six quintuple layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy. At low temperatures, the film resistance increases logarithmically with decreasing temperature, revealing an insulating ground state. The sharp increase of resistance with magnetic field, however, indicates the existence of weak antilocalization, which should reduce the resistance as temperature decreases. We show that these apparently contradictory behaviors can be understood by considering the electron interaction effect, which plays a crucial role in determining the electronic ground state of topological insulators in the two dimensional limit.Comment: 4 figure

Identification of miRNAs and their target genes in developing soybean seeds by deep sequencing

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression by mediating gene silencing at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels in higher plants. miRNAs and related target genes have been widely studied in model plants such as <it>Arabidopsis </it>and rice; however, the number of identified miRNAs in soybean (<it>Glycine max</it>) is limited, and global identification of the related miRNA targets has not been reported in previous research.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In our study, a small RNA library and a degradome library were constructed from developing soybean seeds for deep sequencing. We identified 26 new miRNAs in soybean by bioinformatic analysis and further confirmed their expression by stem-loop RT-PCR. The miRNA star sequences of 38 known miRNAs and 8 new miRNAs were also discovered, providing additional evidence for the existence of miRNAs. Through degradome sequencing, 145 and 25 genes were identified as targets of annotated miRNAs and new miRNAs, respectively. GO analysis indicated that many of the identified miRNA targets may function in soybean seed development. Additionally, a soybean homolog of Arabidopsis SUPPRESSOR OF GENE SLIENCING 3 (<it>AtSGS3</it>) was detected as a target of the newly identified miRNA Soy_25, suggesting the presence of feedback control of miRNA biogenesis.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We have identified large numbers of miRNAs and their related target genes through deep sequencing of a small RNA library and a degradome library. Our study provides more information about the regulatory network of miRNAs in soybean and advances our understanding of miRNA functions during seed development.</p

Bile acids cycle disruption in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma promotes the elevation of interleukin-10 secretion

Background: Unclear pathogenesis existed for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Aims: to analyze the role of bile acids in the pathogenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Methods: 20 healthy volunteers and 20 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma were enrolled between January 1st, 2013 and December 31st, 2014. ESI-QTOF-MS analysis of serum was performed to find altered bile acids components. The biological function of changed bile acids was investigated using in vitro experiment. Results: Compared with healthy volunteers, the level of DCA and GDCA exhibited higher abundance in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (p&lt;0.01). Furthermore, the biological function was investigated for the inhibition of DCA and GDCA towards the secretion of IL-10 by CD4+CD25- T cells. Both DCA and GDCA significantly inhibited the secretion of IL-10 by CD4+CD25- T cells. Furthermore, DCA+GDCA can show stronger inhibition towards the secretion of IL-10 than DCA and GDCA. Conclusion: The inhibition of IL-10 secretion by elevated DCA and GDCA components in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients is the inducer for nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Satisfactory short-term outcomes of totally laparoscopic ileostomy reversal compared to open surgery in colorectal cancer patients

BackgroundRecently, totally laparoscopic (TLAP) surgery has suggested its potential on ileostomy reversal. This study aimed to compare the short-term outcomes between TLAP and traditional open ileostomy reversal.Patients and methodsFrom September 2016 to September 2021, 107 eligible patients underwent TLAP (n = 48) or open (n = 59) loop ileostomy reversal were retrospectively enrolled. Surgical parameters, postoperative recovery and complications were identified and compared between TLAP technique vs. open surgery.ResultsThe operation time and estimated blood loss showed no obvious difference between TLAP and open group. However, TLAP reversal significantly decreased the incision length (4.5cm vs. 6cm, P &lt; 0.001). Furthermore, patients underwent TLAP surgery showed quicker first ground activities (1 day vs. 2 days, P &lt; 0.001), faster first flatus passage (2 days vs. 3 days, P = 0.004) and shorter postoperative stay (5 days vs. 7 days, P = 0.007). More importantly, postoperative complications were significantly reduced after TLAP reversal (3 cases vs. 10 cases, P = 0.026). Further logistic regression analyses also indicated the TLAP technique was associated with lower incidence of complications (OR=3.316, CI, 1.118–9.835; P = 0.031).ConclusionsTLAP surgery is competitive in promoting postoperative recovery as well as reducing complications compared to the traditional open ileostomy reversal

The roles of interleukin-17A in risk stratification and prognosis of patients with sepsis-associated acute kidney injury

Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the roles of interleukin (IL)-17A in risk stratification and prognosis of patients with sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SAKI). Methods We enrolled 146 sepsis patients (84 non-SAKI and 62 SAKI patients) admitted to the emergency department from November 2020 to November 2021. Patients with SAKI were differentiated based on the severity of acute kidney injury. All clinical parameters were evaluated upon admission before administering antibiotic treatment. Inflammatory cytokines were assessed using flow cytometry and the Pylon 3D automated immunoassay system (ET Healthcare). In addition, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was utilized to determine the prognostic values of IL-17A in SAKI. Results The levels of creatinine, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-17A, tumor necrosis factor alpha, C-reactive protein, and procalcitonin (PCT) were significantly higher in the SAKI group than in the non-SAKI group (p < 0.05). The level of IL-17A revealed significant differences among stages 1, 2, and 3 in SAKI patients (p < 0.05). The mean levels of PCT, IL-4, and IL-17A were significantly higher in the non-survival group than in the survival group in SAKI patients (p < 0.05). In addition, the area under the ROC curve of IL-17A was 0.811. Moreover, the IL-17A cutoff for differentiating survivors from non-survivors was 4.7 pg/mL, of which the sensitivity and specificity were 77.4% and 71.0%, respectively. Conclusion Elevated levels of IL-17A could predict that SAKI patients are significantly prone to worsening kidney injury with higher mortality. The usefulness of IL-17A in treating SAKI requires further research

Soybean GmPHD-Type Transcription Regulators Improve Stress Tolerance in Transgenic Arabidopsis Plants

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is one of the most important crops for oil and protein resource. Improvement of stress tolerance will be beneficial for soybean seed production.Six GmPHD genes encoding Alfin1-type PHD finger protein were identified and their expressions differentially responded to drought, salt, cold and ABA treatments. The six GmPHDs were nuclear proteins and showed ability to bind the cis-element "GTGGAG". The N-terminal domain of GmPHD played a major role in DNA binding. Using a protoplast assay system, we find that GmPHD1 to GmPHD5 had transcriptional suppression activity whereas GmPHD6 did not have. In yeast assay, the GmPHD6 can form homodimer and heterodimer with the other GmPHDs except GmPHD2. The N-terminal plus the variable regions but not the PHD-finger is required for the dimerization. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing the GmPHD2 showed salt tolerance when compared with the wild type plants. This tolerance was likely achieved by diminishing the oxidative stress through regulation of downstream genes.These results provide important clues for soybean stress tolerance through manipulation of PHD-type transcription regulator