32 research outputs found
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Monitoring of the central blood pressure waveform via a conformal ultrasonic device.
Continuous monitoring of the central-blood-pressure waveform from deeply embedded vessels, such as the carotid artery and jugular vein, has clinical value for the prediction of all-cause cardiovascular mortality. However, existing non-invasive approaches, including photoplethysmography and tonometry, only enable access to the superficial peripheral vasculature. Although current ultrasonic technologies allow non-invasive deep-tissue observation, unstable coupling with the tissue surface resulting from the bulkiness and rigidity of conventional ultrasound probes introduces usability constraints. Here, we describe the design and operation of an ultrasonic device that is conformal to the skin and capable of capturing blood-pressure waveforms at deeply embedded arterial and venous sites. The wearable device is ultrathin (240 ÎŒm) and stretchable (with strains up to 60%), and enables the non-invasive, continuous and accurate monitoring of cardiovascular events from multiple body locations, which should facilitate its use in a variety of clinical environments
Vietnamese to Chinese Machine Translation via Chinese Character as Pivot
Using Chinese characters as an intermedi-ate equivalent unit, we decompose machine translation into two stages, semantic transla-tion and grammar translation. This strategy is tentatively applied to machine translation between Vietnamese and Chinese. During the semantic translation, Vietnamese sylla-bles are one-by-one converted into the cor-responding Chinese characters. During the grammar translation, the sequences of Chi-nese characters in Vietnamese grammar or-der are modified and rearranged to form grammatical Chinese sentence. Compared to the existing single alignment model, the division of two-stage processing is more tar-geted for research and evaluation of machine translation. The proposed method is evalu-ated using the standard BLEU score and a new manual evaluation metric, understand-ing rate. Only based on a small number of dictionaries, the proposed method gives competitive and even better results com-pared to existing systems.
The role of pre-class and in-class behaviors in predicting learning performance and experience in flipped classrooms
The flipped classroom is a well-recognized instructional approach that improves learning performance and experience through two sequential phases: pre-class preparation and in-class collaboration. Despite the large differences between the two phases, few studies have explored their separate effects on flipped learning. This study conducted a hierarchical linear regression to investigate how the two sequential phases and their featured behaviors can predict learning performance and experience in a flipped classroom at the undergraduate level. The results indicated that students' pre-class discussion positively predicted their assignment scores to a moderate degree, while the in-class collaboration was negatively correlated with test scores. However, the two phases had a limited impact on students' flipped learning experience. The results also highlight the influence of studentsâ initial interest and prior achievement on their flipped learning experience. The findings can extend our understanding of the flipped classroom approach and inform its design and implementation in higher education contexts
The effect of grain size on deformation modes and deformation heterogeneity in a rolled MgâZnâCa alloy
Grain refinement could promote the activation of non-basal slip and enhance the strength and ductility of Mg alloy simultaneously. In this work, the grain size effect on deformation modes and deformation heterogeneity and its relations to crystallographic orientation in a rolled Mgâ1.58Znâ0.1Ca alloy sheet with a weakened transverse direction (TD) spread texture were investigated via intragranular misorientation axis (IGMA) and high resolution-digital image correlation (HR-DIC) measurement. The results indicate that a decrease of the grain size from 55 to 13 Όm increased the yield strength (YS) by 56.9%, from 72 MPa to 113 MPa, for the TD samples, but only by 8% for the rolling direction (RD) samples, from 125.7 to 135.7 MPa. Moreover, grain refinement enhanced the elongation by 76.4% for the TD samples, from 11% to 19.1%, and merely by 26.5% for the RD samples, from 16.6% to 21%. The transition in dominant deformation modes due to grain size decreasing can be summarized as: for the RD samples: basal slip â prismatic slip; for the TD samples: basal slip + tension twinning â prismatic slip. The enhanced activity of prismatic slip in the fine-grained (FG)-TD and FG-RD samples can be ascribed to the reduced ratio of critical resolved shear stress (CRSS)prismatic/CRSSbasal. For both the RD and TD samples, grain refinement facilitated deformation homogeneity, which could be related to the enhanced activity of basal slip and non-basal slip, as well as the resulting improved deformation compatibility across grain boundary
First detection and complete genome analysis of porcine circovirusâlike virus P1 and porcine circovirusâ2 in yak in China
Abstract Porcine circovirusâlike virus P1, like porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), is a potential pathogen of postâweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome in swine. Yaks are a valuable species and an iconic symbol of the Tibet Plateau which is the highest and largest plateau in the world. In this study, a total of 105 yak diarrheal samples, collected from 13 farms in Linzhi in the Tibet Plateau from January 2019 to December 2021, that were screened for P1 and PCV2 by polymerase chain reaction, 10.48% (n = 11) were positive for P1, 4.76% (n = 5) for PCV2, and 5.71% (n = 6) were positive for coinfection of P1 and PCV2. In addition, the whole genomes of eight P1 strains and eight PCV2 strains were sequenced. Alignment of deduced amino acid sequences of P1 ORF1 and PCV2 ORF2 gene revealed that ON012566 had one unique amino acid mutation at residues 137 (T to P). This mutation has important implication for the study of virus virulence, tissue tropism, and immune response. Phylogenetic analysis shows that the yakâorigin P1 strains in this study with cattleâorigin P1 reference strains were grouped into one cluster. The yakâorigin PCV2 (ON012566) and a buffaloâorigin PCV2 (KM116514) reference strain clustered in the same branch in the PCV2b regions. Meanwhile, the remaining PCV2 strains and buffaloâorigin PCV2 reference strain (ON012565) clustered in the PCV2d regions. To summarize, to our knowledge, this is the first report on the molecular prevalence and genome characteristics of P1 and PCV2 in yaks in the world and will contribute to further study of the molecular epidemiology, source, and evolution of P1 and PCV2 strains
Exogenous antibiotic resistance gene contributes to intestinal inflammation by modulating the gut microbiome and inflammatory cytokine responses in mouse
ABSTRACTDysregulation of the gut microbiota by environmental factors is associated with a variety of autoimmune and immune-mediated diseases. In addition, naturally-occurring extracellular antibiotic resistance genes (eARGs) might directly enter the gut via the food chain. However, following gut microbiota exposure to eARGs, the ecological processes shaping the microbiota community assembly, as well as the interplay between the microbiota composition, metabolic function, and the immune responses, are not well understood. Increasing focus on the One Health approach has led to an urgent need to investigate the direct health damage caused by eARGs. Herein, we reveal the significant influence of eARGs on microbiota communities, strongly driven by stochastic processes. How eARGs-stimulate variations in the composition and metabolomic function of the gut microbiota led to cytokine responses in mice of different age and sex were investigated. The results revealed that cytokines were significantly associated with immunomodulatory microbes, metabolites, and ARGs biomarkers. Cytokine production was associated with specific metabolic pathways (arachidonic acid and tryptophan metabolic pathways), as confirmed by ex vivo cytokine responses and recovery experiments in vivo. Furthermore, the gut microbial profile could be applied to accurately predict the degree of intestinal inflammation ascribed to the eARGs (area under the curve = 0.9616). The present study provided a comprehensive understanding of the influence of an eARGs on immune responses and intestinal barrier damage, shedding light on the interplay between eARGs, microbial, metabolites, and the gut antibiotic resistome in modulating the human immune system
Glutaredoxinâ1 promotes lymphangioleiomyomatosis progression through inhibiting Bimâmediated apoptosis via COX2/PGE2/ERK pathway
Abstract Background Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a femaleâpredominant interstitial lung disease, characterized by progressive cyst formation and respiratory failure. Clinical treatment with the mTORC1 inhibitor rapamycin could relieve partially the respiratory symptoms, but not curative. It is urgent to illustrate the fundamental mechanisms of TSC2 deficiency to the development of LAM, especially mTORC1âindependent mechanisms. Glutaredoxinâ1 (Glrx), an essential glutathione (GSH)âdependent thiolâoxidoreductase, maintains redox homeostasis and participates in various processes via controlling protein GSH adducts. Redox signalling through protein GSH adducts in LAM remains largely elusive. Here, we demonstrate the underlying mechanism of Glrx in the pathogenesis of LAM. Methods 1. Abnormal Glrx expression in various kinds of human malignancies was identified by the GEPIA tumour database, and the expression of Glrx in LAMâderived cells was detected by realâtime quantitative reverse transcription (RTâqPCR) and immunoblot. 2. Stable Glrx knockdown cell line was established to evaluate cellular impact. 3. Cell viability was determined by CCK8 assay. 4. Apoptotic cell number and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level were quantified by flow cytometry. 5. Cox2 expression and PGE2 production were detected to clarify the mechanism of Bim expression modulated by Glrx. 6. Sâglutathionylated p65 was enriched and detected by immunoprecipitation and the direct regulation of Glrx on p65 was determined. 7. The xenograft animal model was established and photon flux was analyzed using IVIS Spectrum. Results In LAM, TSC2 negatively regulated abnormal Glrx expression and activation in a mTORC1âindependent manner. Knockdown of Glrx increased the expression of Bim and the accumulation of ROS, together with elevated Sâglutathionylated proteins, contributing to the induction of apoptotic cell death and inhibited cell proliferation. Knockdown of Glrx in TSC2âdeficient LAM cells increased GSH adducts on nuclear factorâkappa B p65, which contributed to a decrease in the expression of Cox2 and the biosynthesis of PGE2. Inhibition of PGE2 metabolism attenuated phosphorylation of ERK, which led to the accumulation of Bim, due to the imbalance of its phosphorylation and proteasome degradation. In xenograft tumour models, knockdown of Glrx in TSC2âdeficient LAM cells inhibited tumour growth and increased tumour cell apoptosis. Conclusions Collectively, we provide a novel redoxâdependent mechanism in the pathogenesis of LAM and propose that Glrx may be a beneficial strategy for the treatment of LAM or other TSCârelated diseases