Electric Polarization from Many-Body Neural Network Ansatz

Ab initio calculation of dielectric response with high-accuracy electronic structure methods is a long-standing problem, for which mean-field approaches are widely used and electron correlations are mostly treated via approximated functionals. Here we employ a neural network wavefunction ansatz combined with quantum Monte Carlo to incorporate correlations into polarization calculations. On a variety of systems, including isolated atoms, one-dimensional chains, two-dimensional slabs, and three-dimensional cubes, the calculated results outperform conventional density functional theory and are consistent with the most accurate calculations and experimental data. Furthermore, we have studied the out-of-plane dielectric constant of bilayer graphene using our method and re-established its thickness dependence. Overall, this approach provides a powerful tool to consider electron correlation in the modern theory of polarization

Understanding Students’ Cognitive and Affective Attitude and Attitudinal Structures Toward Physical Activity: A Person-Centered Approach

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the proportions of students who were holding positive, negative, and neutral cognitive/affective attitude and different cognitive-affective attitudinal structures toward moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) using a person-centered approach. Methods: A total of 3949 students participated in this study (1065 middle-school students, 784 high-school students, and 2100 college students). Results: A majority of students were holding positive cognitive (about 94%) and affective attitude (about 85%) toward MVPA. Most students (about 84%) held the Positive cognitive—Positive affective attitudinal structure toward MVPA. School level influenced the proportions of students who were holding different cognitive attitude status, affective attitude status, and cognitive-affective attitudinal structures; gender and body weight status did not significantly influence them. Conclusions: This study furthers our understandings on students’ attitude and attitudinal structures toward PA. It lays the foundation for the development of physical education curriculum or PA programs that aim at promoting students’ PA behavior through changing their PA attitude. Future studies are needed to examine the effects of different attitude statuses and attitudinal structures on PA behavior

Structure and motion design of a mock circulatory test rig

Mock circulatory test rig (MCTR) is the essential and indispensable facility in the cardiovascular in vitro studies. The system configuration and the motion profile of the MCTR design directly influence the validity, precision, and accuracy of the experimental data collected. Previous studies gave the schematic but never describe the structure and motion design details of the MCTRs used, which makes comparison of the experimental data reported by different research groups plausible but not fully convincing. This article presents the detailed structure and motion design of a sophisticated MCTR system, and examines the important issues such as the determination of the ventricular motion waveform, modelling of the physiological impedance, etc., in the MCTR designing. The study demonstrates the overall design procedures from the system conception, cardiac model devising, motion planning, to the motor and accessories selection. This can be used as a reference to aid researchers in the design and construction of their own in-house MCTRs for cardiovascular studies

Attitude and Attitudinal Structures Toward Physical Education and Their Influences on Physical Activity Behavior

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine middle and high school students’ cognitive and affective attitude and their cognitive-affective attitudinal structures toward physical education (PE). The effects of cognitive and affective attitude and attitudinal structures on physical activity (PA) in PE and outside of school were also examined. Methods: 1773 Chinese middle and high-school students participated in this study. SEM, Chi-square test, ANOVAs, and Contingency tables were adopted to address the research questions. Results: The results showed that most students (\u3e90%) were holding positive cognitive and affective attitude toward PE. Students’ affective attitude significantly influences their PA in PE and outside of school. Most students were holding the positive cognitive-positive negative attitudinal structure toward PE. Conclusions: All these findings lay important foundations for future theoretical advancement about attitude toward PE and provide guidance for PE teachers on attitude intervention and PA promotion

Farmers’ Adoption and Perceived Benefits of Diversified Crop Rotations in the Margins of U.S. Corn Belt

Monoculture and simplified two-crop rotation systems compromise the ecosystem services essential to crop production, diminish agricultural productivity, and cause detrimental effects on the environment. In contrast to the simplified two-crop rotation, diversified crop rotation (DCR) refers to rotation systems that contain three or more crops. Despite multiple benefits generated by DCR, its usage has dwindled over the past several decades. This paper examined determinants of farmers\u27 adoption decisions and perceived benefits of DCR in the west margins of the U.S. Corn Belt where crop diversity has declined. We analyzed 708 farmer responses from a farmer survey conducted in the eastern South Dakota in 2018, accounting for county-level climate variables, as well as cropland data, soil and topographic variables in close proximity of the farm. Our findings indicated that farmers were more likely to utilize DCR as an adaptive strategy to cope with water deficit and reduce soil erosion on marginal land. Additionally, livestock integration and organic farming helped necessitate DCR adoption and magnify its benefits. Producer concerns towards lack of equipment and new crop profitability diluted producers’ interests in DCR practice and compromised its benefits. Enhanced technical and policy support, along with infrastructure and market development, could help producers fully utilize DCR benefits and expand DCR usage to more regions

FTD/ALS-associated poly(GR) protein impairs the Notch pathway and is recruited by poly(GA) into cytoplasmic inclusions

C9ORF72 repeat expansion is the most common genetic mutation in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Abnormal dipeptide repeat proteins (DPRs) generated from repeat-associated non-AUG (RAN) translation of repeat-containing RNAs are thought to be pathogenic; however, the mechanisms are unknown. Here we report that (GR)80 and (PR)80 are toxic in neuronal and non-neuronal cells in Drosophila. In contrast to reported shorter poly(GR) forms, (GR)80 is mostly localized throughout the cytosol without detectable accumulation in the nucleolus, accompanied by suppression of Notch signaling and cell loss in the wing. Some Notch target genes are also downregulated in brains and iPSC-derived cortical neurons of C9ORF72 patients. Increased Notch expression largely suppressed (GR)80-induced cell loss in the wing. When co-expressed in Drosophila, HeLa cells, or human neurons, (GA)80 recruited (GR)80 into cytoplasmic inclusions, partially decreasing the toxicity of (GR)80 and restoring Notch signaling in Drosophila. Thus, different DPRs have opposing roles in cell loss and we identify the Notch pathway as one of the receptor signaling pathways that might be compromised in C9ORF72 FTD/ALS

Generation of diffuse large B cell lymphoma-associated antigen-specific Vα6/Vβ13+T cells by TCR gene transfer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Our previous study had amplified antigen-specific full-length TCR α and β genes of clonally expanded T cells in the peripheral blood (PB) of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The transfer of T cell receptor (TCR) genes endows T cells with new antigen specificity. Therefore, the aim of this study is to generate diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL)-specific T cells by T cell receptor (TCR) gene transfer.</p> <p>Materials and methods</p> <p>Two different eukaryotic expression plasmids harboring TCR Vα6 and TCR Vβ13 genes specific for DLBCL-associated antigens were constructed and subsequently transferred into human T cells using Nucleofector™ technique. The expression of targeted genes in TCR gene-modified cells was detected by real-time PCR, and western blot using TCR Vβ antibody. The specific cytotoxicity of TCR gene-transferred T cells <it>in vitro </it>was estimated using a lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assay.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two different eukaryotic expression plasmids harboring TCR Vα6 and TCR Vβ13 genes specific for DLBCL-associated antigens were constructed and subsequently transferred into T cells from healthy donors. Specific anti-DLBCL cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) could be induced by transduction of specific TCR gene to modify healthy T cells. The transgene cassette of TCR Vβ13-IRES-TCR Vα6 was superior to the other in the function of TCR-redirected T cells.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Specific anti-DLBCL cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) could be inducted by transduction of specific TCR gene to modify healthy T cells.</p

Digitalization, resource misallocation and low-carbon agricultural production: evidence from China

With the rapid development of digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data and cloud computing, China’s agricultural production is entering a new era characterized by digitalization. Based on provincial panel data of China from 2013 to 2020, this paper adopts the system GMM and mediating effects model to systematically examine the impact of digitalization on low-carbon agricultural production from the perspective of resource misallocation. The results indicate that digitalization can significantly curb agricultural carbon emissions and thus promote low-carbon agricultural production, and this finding still holds after the robustness test. The heterogeneity analysis indicates that the inhibiting effect of digitalization on agricultural carbon emissions is most pronounced in the eastern region relative to the central and western regions (the regression coefficients are −0.400 and −0.126 respectively). Further mechanism analysis suggests that digitalization can reduce agricultural carbon emissions by correcting the widespread capital and labor misallocation in agricultural factor markets. The findings of this study provide significant policy implications for low-carbon agricultural production in China

Biomechanical microenvironment regulates fusogenicity of breast cancer cells

Fusion of cancer cells is thought to contribute to tumor development and drug resistance. The low frequency of cell fusion events and the instability of fused cells have hindered our ability to understand the molecular mechanisms that govern cell fusion. We have demonstrated that several breast cancer cell lines can fuse into multinucleated giant cells in vitro, and the initiation and longevity of fused cells can be regulated solely by biophysical factors. Dynamically tuning the adhesive area of the patterned substrates, reducing cytoskeletal tensions pharmacologically, altering matrix stiffness, and modulating pattern curvature all supported the spontaneous fusion and stability of these multinucleated giant cells. These observations highlight that the biomechanical microenvironment of cancer cells, including the matrix rigidity and interfacial curvature, can directly modulate their fusogenicity, an unexplored mechanism through which biophysical cues regulate tumor progression