Attitude Determination and Control System Design for STU-2A CubeSat and In-Orbit Results

STU-2A, a 3U CubeSat developed by Shanghai Engineering Center for Microsatellites, along with the other two 2U CubeSats and one MicroSat, has been sent into a 481km sun-synchronous orbit by CZ-11 launch vehicle with its maiden journey. As the first batch of CubeSats in China that is made in accordance with CubeSat standard, the 2.9kg satellite is featured with the on-board CMOS color camera for taking pictures of polar glacier, Gamalink for Cubesats Networking, MEMS based cold-gas micropropulsion for attitude/orbit maneuver and formation flight and precise ADCS module for technology demonstration. The ADCS module, equipped with two 3-axis magnetometers, 1 fine Sun sensor, five coarse Sun sensors, one three-axis MEMS gyro, one Nano-scaled star tracker, three magnetic coils and three reaction wheels, would provide three-axis stabilization and maneuver capability. Combining the attitude sensors, TRAID and unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) algorithms are adopted to determine the attitude knowledge. Some attitude control modes, such as damping control, Sun-pointing, magnetic-based nadir pointing, momentum-biased stabilization and reaction wheels-based control, are designed to achieve the prefect attitude.In-Orbit data received by ground station verified the performance of ADCS of STU-2A

Gene Order Phylogeny and the Evolution of Methanogens

Methanogens are a phylogenetically diverse group belonging to Euryarchaeota. Previously, phylogenetic approaches using large datasets revealed that methanogens can be grouped into two classes, “Class I” and “Class II”. However, some deep relationships were not resolved. For instance, the monophyly of “Class I” methanogens, which consist of Methanopyrales, Methanobacteriales and Methanococcales, is disputable due to weak statistical support. In this study, we use MSOAR to identify common orthologous genes from eight methanogen species and a Thermococcale species (outgroup), and apply GRAPPA and FastME to compute distance-based gene order phylogeny. The gene order phylogeny supports two classes of methanogens, but it differs from the original classification of methanogens by placing Methanopyrales and Methanobacteriales together with Methanosarcinales in Class II rather than with Methanococcales. This study suggests a new classification scheme for methanogens. In addition, it indicates that gene order phylogeny can complement traditional sequence-based methods in addressing taxonomic questions for deep relationships

Association of basal serum testosterone levels with ovarian response and in vitro fertilization outcome

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To evaluate basal testosterone (T) levels during follicular phase of the menstrual cycle as a predictor for ovarian response and in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcome.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>We analyzed data retrospectively from hospital-based IVF center including one thousand two hundred and sixty Chinese Han women under their first IVF cycle reached the ovum pick-up stage, without polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or endometriosis undergoing long IVF protocol. Patients were divided into 2 groups. Group 1: patients with diminished ovarian reserve (basal FSH >10 IU/L) (n = 187); Group 2: patients with normal ovarian reserve (basal FSH < = 10 IU/L) (n = 1073). We studied the association of basal T levels with ovarian response and IVF outcome in the two groups. Long luteal down-regulation protocol was used in all patients, that is, the gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist was administered in the midluteal phase of the previous cycle and use of recombinant FSH was started when satisfactory pituitary desensitization was achieved.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Basal T levels were markly different between pregnant and non-pregnant women in Group 1; whereas not in Group 2. A testosterone level of 47.85 ng/dl was shown to predict pregnancy outcome with a sensitivity of 52.8% and specificity of 65.3%; and the basal T was correlated with the numbers of large follicles (> 14 mm) on HCG day in Group 1. Significantly negative correlations were observed between basal T, days of stimulation and total dose of gonadotropins after adjusting for confounding factors in both groups.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In women with diminished ovarian reserve, basal T level was a predictor for the number of large follicles on HCG day and pregnancy outcome; but could not in those with normal serum FSH. Basal T levels were associated with both days of stimulation and total dose of gonadotropins, indicating that lower level of T might relate with potential ovarian poor response.</p

Evaluation of the green development efficiency of marine fish culture in China

Green development efficiency (GDE) is an important criterion for measuring the level of green development. GDE considers not only economic development efficiency but also environmental costs. In China, marine fish culture, as one of the pillar industries of mariculture, promotes green development and industrial transformation and upgradation. Based on data from the field surveys of marine fish farmers (2017–2019) and the China Fishery Statistical Yearbook (2018–2020), this study establishes an evaluation index system and uses the super-slack-based measure model (Super-SBM) to evaluate the GDE of marine fish culture. The results show that the average GDE of marine fish culture in China was 0.9529, which was in an inefficient state. As for culture species, golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus) and cobia (Rachycentron canadum) were the two species farmed in an efficient state, with a GDE of 1.2107 and 1.0659, respectively. Regarding culture modes, green modes (offshore cage aquaculture, industrial recirculating aquaculture, and engineering pond aquaculture) were in an efficient state, with a GDE of 1.2310, 1.0827, and 1.0401, respectively. Traditional modes (industrial flow-through aquaculture, ordinary cage aquaculture, and ordinary pond aquaculture) were in an inefficient state, with their GDE being 0.9884, 0.8746, and 0.8248, respectively. Green modes have higher GDE than traditional modes. In contrast, the production and culture areas of green modes were less than those of traditional modes because the profits of the same species in green modes were lower than those in traditional modes. The results of this study present an objective assessment of the GDE of marine fish culture in China and provide valuable insights for analyzing the mechanisms to improve the GDE of marine fish culture

Category-selective Attention Modulates Unconscious Processing: Evidence from ERP

Aims: Recently, using the fMRI method in a paradigm in which visible word cues were followed by masked faces at a completely unconscious level or masked tools at a partially conscious level, Tu, Qiu, Martens, & Zhang [31] showed that the top-down modulation effects were in opposite directions for the two conditions. Because five different pictures of masked faces/tools were displayed in a trial, the authors proposed that the modulation effects could further interact with the conscious component of the partial awareness processing (i.e., awareness of the global contour change). In the present event-related potential study, we employed a paradigm similar to that of Tu et al.’s [31] except that the masked stimulus was displayed only once to test the effect of category selective attention on unconscious processing of picture identity and to try to investigate the above hypothesis. Study Design: Two semantic category cues (“face” or “tool”) and two types of subliminal stimuli (face or tool images) were crossed to generate four conditions: a face cue followed by a masked face picture, a face cue followed by a masked tool picture, a tool cue followed by a masked face picture, and a tool cue followed by a masked tool picture. Place and Duration of Study: Department of psychology, Institute of education, China West Normal University, between September 2013 and April 2014. Methodology: The technique of event-related potentials (ERP) was used. Results: Processing of masked face and tool images both elicited the ERP components of C1, P1, N1, and P2. In addition, C1 component between 25 ms and 55 ms was smaller in the valid category cue-word condition (face cue-word followed by masked face image & tool cue-word followed by masked tool image) than in the invalid cue-words (face cue-word followed by masked tool image & tool cue-word followed by masked face image). The other three waves, P1, N1, and P2, were found to be unaffected by the top–down modulation Conclusion: Category-selective attention can modulate unconscious processes at an early stage of visual processing supporting the interaction hypothesis

Targeting the splicing factor NONO inhibits GBM progression through GPX1 intron retention

Background: Splicing factors are essential for nascent pre-mRNA processing and critical in cancer progression, suggesting that proteins with splicing functions represent potential molecular targets for cancer therapy. Here, we investigate the role of splicing factors in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) progression and the possibility of targeting them for the treatment of the disease. Methods: The TCGA and CGGA public databases were used to screen for differentially expressed mRNA splicing factors. Immunohistochemistry and qRT-PCR were used to analyze the expression of non-POU domain-containing octamer-binding protein (NONO), a Drosophila behavior human splicing (DBHS) protein. Knockdown/overexpression of NONO with siRNA and lentiviral expression constructs was used to examine cell growth, apoptosis, and invasion in GBM cells. RNA sequencing was used to identify potential downstream molecular targets of NONO. RIP-PCR and RNA pulldown were used to determine the interaction between NONO and pre-mRNA. JC-1 staining and the seahorse assay were performed to assess redox homeostasis. Results: Expression of NONO was increased in GBM samples and associated with poor survival in patients (P = 0.04). Knockdown of NONO suppressed GBM growth, and overexpression of NONO promoted GBM tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo. RNA sequencing-based transcriptomic profiling confirmed that knockdown of NONO in U251 and P3 cells resulted in global intron retention of pre-mRNA and led to abnormal splicing of specific pre-mRNAs for GPX1 and CCN1. NONO bound to a consensus motif in the intron of GPX1 pre-mRNA in association with another DBHS protein family member, PSPC1. Knockdown of NONO impaired tumor growth, invasion, and redox homeostasis through aberrant splicing of GPX1. Finally, Auranofin, a small molecule inhibitor of NONO, suppressed GBM tumor growth in an orthotopic xenograft model in mice. Conclusions: We demonstrated that intron retention was a critical alternative RNA splicing event to occur in GBM progression, and that NONO was a key regulator of mRNA splicing in GBM. Targeting NONO represents a novel, potential therapeutic strategy for GBM treatment.publishedVersio

Puerarin Induces Mitochondria-Dependent Apoptosis in Hypoxic Human Pulmonary Arterial Smooth Muscle Cells

Background: Pulmonary vascular medial hypertrophy in hypoxic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is caused in part by decreased apoptosis in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). Puerarin, an isoflavone purified from the Chinese medicinal herb kudzu, ameliorates chronic hypoxic PAH in animal models. Here we investigated the effects of puerarin on apoptosis of hypoxic human PASMCs (HPASMCs), and to determine the possible underlying mechanisms. Methodology/Principal Findings: HPASMCs were cultured for 24 h in normoxia or hypoxia (5 % O2) conditions with and without puerarin. Cell number and viability were determined with a hemacytometer or a cell counting kit. Apoptosis was detected with a TUNEL test, rhodamine-123 (R-123) fluorescence, a colorimetric assay, western blots, immunohistochemical staining and RT-PCR. Hypoxia inhibited mitochondria-dependent apoptosis and promoted HPASMC growth. In contrast, after puerarin (50 mM or more) intervention, cell growth was inhibited and apoptosis was observed. Puerarin-induced apoptosis in hypoxic HPASMCs was accompanied by reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, cytochrome c release from the mitochondria, caspase-9 activation, and Bcl-2 down-regulation with concurrent Bax up-regulation. Conclusions/Significance: Puerarin promoted apoptosis in hypoxic HPASMCs by acting on the mitochondria-dependent pathway. These results suggest a new mechanism of puerarin relevant to the management of clinical hypoxic pulmonar

The adverse effect of gestational diabetes mellitus and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy on maternal–perinatal outcomes among singleton and twin pregnancies: a retrospective cohort study (2011–2019)

BackgroundGestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are the predominant pregnancy complications among singleton and twin pregnancies worldwide. Our primary objective was to explore the adverse effect of GDM and HDP on maternal–perinatal outcomes compared with non-GDM and non-HDP in singleton and twin pregnancies. The secondary objective was to find the risk of adverse maternal–perinatal outcomes in twin pregnancies compared with singleton pregnancies complicated with GDM and HDP in Hubei, China.MethodsA tertiary hospital-based retrospective study was conducted at Wuhan University Renmin Hospital, Hubei Province, China, from 2011 to 2019. A chi-square test was used to determine the difference in adverse maternal–perinatal outcomes between singleton and twin pregnancies. A multiple binary logistic regression model and a joinpoint regression model were used to determine the association of GDM and HDP with adverse maternal–perinatal outcomes and GDM and HDP temporal trend among singleton and twin pregnancies.ResultsThe trend of HDP [average annual percentage change (AAPC) 15.1% (95% confidence interval (95%CI): 5.3, 25.7)] among singleton pregnancies and GDM [AAPC 50.4% (95%CI: 19.9, 88.7)] among twin pregnancies significantly increased from 2011 to 2019. After adjusting for confounding factors, GDM is associated with an increased risk of C-section (adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 1.5; 95%CI: 1.3, 1.6) and macrosomia (aOR, 1.3; 95%CI: 1.1, 1.6) in singleton and preterm birth (PTB) (aOR, 2.1; 95%CI: 1.2, 3.3) in twin pregnancies compared with non-GDM. HDP was associated with a higher risk of C-section, PTB, perinatal mortality, and low birth weight (LBW) in both singleton and twin pregnancies compared with the non-HDP. Compared with singleton pregnancies complicated with GDM and HDP, twin pregnancies showed higher odds of C-section [(aOR, 1.7; 95%CI: 1.1, 2.7), (aOR, 4.6; 95%CI: 2.5, 8.7), respectively], PTB [(aOR, 22.9; 95%CI: 14.1, 37.3), (aOR, 8.1; 95%CI: 5.3, 12.3), respectively], LBW [(aOR, 12.1; 95%CI: 8.2, 18.1), (aOR, 5.1; 95%CI: 3.6, 7.4), respectively], and low Apgar score [(aOR, 8.2; 95%CI: 4.4, 15.1), (aOR, 3.8; 95%CI: 2.4, 5.8), respectively] complicated with GDM and HDP.ConclusionIn conclusion, GDM showed an increased risk of a few adverse maternal–perinatal outcomes and HDP is associated with a higher risk of several adverse maternal–perinatal outcomes in singleton and twin pregnancies compared to non-GDM and non-HDP. Moreover, twin pregnancies complicated with GDM and HDP showed higher odds of adverse maternal–neonatal outcomes compared with singleton pregnancies complicated with GDM and HDP