The complete mitochondrial genome of Acrossocheilus yunnanensis (Teleostei: Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) and its phylogenetic position

The complete mitochondrial genome of Acrossocheilus yunnanensis was determined in this study. It contained 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA, 2 rRNAs, and a control region with the base composition 31.47% A, 27.83% C, 24.65% T, and 16.05% G. Here we compared this newly determined mitogenome with another one from the same species reported before. The variable sites and the genetic distances between the two mitogenomes were 134 bp and 0.8%. Sixty-five variable sites occurred in the PCGs. The results from the phylogenetic analysis showed that the genus Acrossocheilus is not a monophyletic group and Acrossocheilus yunnanensis demonstrates a close relationship with Acrossocheilus monticola

Hybrid analog-digital precoder design for securing cognitive millimeter wave networks

Millimeter wave (mmWave) communications and cognitive radio technologies constitute key technologies of improving the spectral efficiency of communications. Hence, we conceive a hybrid secure precoder for enhancing the physical layer security of a cognitive mmWave wiretap channel, where a secondary transmitter broadcasts confidential information signals to multiple secondary users under the interference temperature constraint of the primary user (PU). The optimization problem is formulated as jointly optimizing the analog and digital precoder for maximizing the minimum secrecy rate of all the secondary users under practical constraints. In particular, our design satisfies the constraint on the maximum interference power received by multiple PUs, as well as the secondary users’ minimum quality-of-service (Qos), and the unit-modulus constraint on the analog precoder. Due to the non-convexity of the resultant objective function and owing to the coupling between the analog and digital precoder, the optimization problem formulated is nonconvex and nonlinear, hence it is very challenging to solve directly. Hence, we first transform it into a tractable form, and develop a penalty dual decomposition (PDD) based iterative algorithm to locate its Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) solution. Finally, we generalize the proposed PDD algorithm to a secure hybrid precoder design relying on practical finite-resolution phase shifters and show that the proposed PDD algorithm can be straightforwardly adapted to handle the scenario, where each PU is equipped with multiple antennas and the CSI of multiple eavesdroppers (Eves) is imperfectly known. Our simulation results validate the efficiency of the proposed iterative algorithm

Behavior of Lime-Stabilized Red Bed Soil after Cyclic Wetting-Drying in Triaxial Tests and SEM Analysis

Most red beds demonstrate inferior geotechnical properties in natural conditions and need to be improved when used as construction material. In this study, a serious of triaxial tests, permeability tests, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis were carried out on lime-stabilized and untreated red bed soil after experiencing different wetting-drying (W-D) cycles. The test results showed that, with the increase in the added lime, the shear strength, strength parameters (including the cohesion and the internal friction angle), and the shear modulus of red bed soil increased gradually. For the untreated specimens, the four parameters decreased considerably after experiencing W-D cycles, while for the lime-stabilized specimens, they generally increased with an increase in the W-D cycles. Without experiencing the W-D cycles, the permeability coefficient increased by two times after it was stabilized with 10% lime. But with an increase in the W-D cycles, the permeability coefficient of the untreated and lime-stabilized specimens continuously increased and significantly decreased, respectively. Finally, variations in microstructure of the red bed soil under the effects of the lime stabilization and W-D cycles were discussed based on the SEM analysis. The results may contribute to improvement of red bed soil when used as roadbed and airfield fillings

Complete mitochondrial genome of Proisotoma minuta (Collembola: Proisotominae)

The springtail Proisotoma minuta is a cosmopolitan species that can be found in many different habitats, especially in soil ecosystems. It is considered to be a good indicator of soil health. In this study, mitogenome information was obtained, which could lay a foundation for future fauna studies. The mitogenome of P. minuta is a circular module of 15,930 bp, including 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and 2 ribosomal RNA genes. The mitogenome of P. minuta is composed of 35.9% A, 28.5% T, 13.7% G, and 21.3% C. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that P. minuta was well grouped in the subfamily Proisotominae and had a closer relationship with Anurophorinae than Isotominae subfamily and other families

The Association of Domestic Incense Burning with Hypertension and Blood Pressure in Guangdong, China

Abstract: Domestic incense burning is a common activity in China. Although it generates serious air pollution and has been linked to various health outcomes, it remains unknown whether it is associated with blood pressure and hypertension. A community-based survey including 1153 hypertensive subjects and 4432 normotensive participants in Guangdong (China) was used to examine this question. Two-level logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). The analyses showed that, compared with non-users, OR of hypertension was 1.24 (95% CI: 1.03–1.50) for users, and 1.37 (95% CI: 1.04–1.80) for daily users with a clear dose-response relationship. The estimated increases in systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 1.02 mmHg (95% CI: 0.06–1.99) and 1.26 mmHg (95% CI: 0.69–1.83) for users, 0.67 mmHg (95% CI: −0.35–1.68) and 1.25 mmHg (95% CI: 0.66–1.85) for occasional users, and 2.09 mmHg (95% CI: 0.79–3.39) and 1.28 mmHg (95% CI: 0.52–2.05) for daily users, respectively. The results remained after adjusting for potential confounders and more pronounced associations were found among females. This study suggests that domestic incense burning may increase the risk of hypertension and blood pressure in the study population, and women are more vulnerable to these effects than men

Hippo pathway-manipulating neutrophil-mimic hybrid nanoparticles for cardiac ischemic injury via modulation of local immunity and cardiac regeneration

The promise of regeneration therapy for restoration of damaged myocardium after cardiac ischemic injury relies on targeted delivery of proliferative molecules into cardiomyocytes whose healing benefits are still limited owing to severe immune microenvironment due to local high concentration of proinflammatory cytokines. Optimal therapeutic strategies are therefore in urgent need to both modulate local immunity and deliver proliferative molecules. Here, we addressed this unmet need by developing neutrophil-mimic nanoparticles NM@miR, fabricated by coating hybrid neutrophil membranes with artificial lipids onto mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) loaded with microRNA-10b. The hybrid membrane could endow nanoparticles with strong capacity to migrate into inflammatory sites and neutralize proinflammatory cytokines and increase the delivery efficiency of microRNA-10b into adult mammalian cardiomyocytes (CMs) by fusing with cell membranes and leading to the release of MSNs-miR into cytosol. Upon NM@miR administration, this nanoparticle could home to the injured myocardium, restore the local immunity, and efficiently deliver microRNA-10b to cardiomyocytes, which could reduce the activation of Hippo-YAP pathway mediated by excessive cytokines and exert the best proliferative effect of miR-10b. This combination therapy could finally improve cardiac function and mitigate ventricular remodeling. Consequently, this work offers a combination strategy of immunity modulation and proliferative molecule delivery to boost cardiac regeneration after injury