Updated perspective of EPAS1 and the role in pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a group of syndromes characterized by irreversible vascular remodeling and persistent elevation of pulmonary vascular resistance and pressure, leading to ultimately right heart failure and even death. Current therapeutic strategies mainly focus on symptoms alleviation by stimulating pulmonary vessel dilation. Unfortunately, the mechanism and interventional management of vascular remodeling are still yet unrevealed. Hypoxia plays a central role in the pathogenesis of PH and numerous studies have shown the relationship between PH and hypoxia-inducible factors family. EPAS1, known as hypoxia-inducible factor-2 alpha (HIF-2α), functions as a transcription factor participating in various cellular pathways. However, the detailed mechanism of EPAS1 has not been fully and systematically described. This article exhibited a comprehensive summary of EPAS1 including the molecular structure, biological function and regulatory network in PH and other relevant cardiovascular diseases, and furthermore, provided theoretical reference for the potential novel target for future PH intervention

Ultra-small topological spin textures with size of 1.3nm at above room temperature in Fe78Si9B13 amorphous alloy

Topologically protected spin textures, such as skyrmions1,2 and vortices3,4, are robust against perturbations, serving as the building blocks for a range of topological devices5-9. In order to implement these topological devices, it is necessary to find ultra-small topological spin textures at room temperature, because small size implies the higher topological charge density, stronger signal of topological transport10,11 and the higher memory density or integration for topological quantum devices5-9. However, finding ultra-small topological spin textures at high temperatures is still a great challenge up to now. Here we find ultra-small topological spin textures in Fe78Si9B13 amorphous alloy. We measured a large topological Hall effect (THE) up to above room temperature, indicating the existence of highly densed and ultra-small topological spin textures in the samples. Further measurements by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) reveal that the average size of ultra-small magnetic texture is around 1.3nm. Our Monte Carlo simulations show that such ultra-small spin texture is topologically equivalent to skyrmions, which originate from competing frustration and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction12,13 coming from amorphous structure14-17. Taking a single topological spin texture as one bit and ignoring the distance between them, we evaluated the ideal memory density of Fe78Si9B13, which reaches up to 4.44*104 gigabits (43.4 TB) per in2 and is 2 times of the value of GdRu2Si218 at 5K. More important, such high memory density can be obtained at above room temperature, which is 4 orders of magnitude larger than the value of other materials at the same temperature. These findings provide a unique candidate for magnetic memory devices with ultra-high density.Comment: 26 pages, 4 figure

A universal programmable Gaussian Boson Sampler for drug discovery

Gaussian Boson Sampling (GBS) exhibits a unique ability to solve graph problems, such as finding cliques in complex graphs. It is noteworthy that many drug discovery tasks can be viewed as the clique-finding process, making them potentially suitable for quantum computation. However, to perform these tasks in their quantum-enhanced form, a large-scale quantum hardware with universal programmability is essential, which is yet to be achieved even with the most advanced GBS devices. Here, we construct a time-bin encoded GBS photonic quantum processor that is universal, programmable, and software-scalable. Our processor features freely adjustable squeezing parameters and can implement arbitrary unitary operations with a programmable interferometer. Using our processor, we have demonstrated the clique-finding task in a 32-node graph, where we found the maximum weighted clique with approximately twice the probability of success compared to classical sampling. Furthermore, a multifunctional quantum pharmaceutical platform is developed. This GBS processor is successfully used to execute two different drug discovery methods, namely molecular docking and RNA folding prediction. Our work achieves the state-of-the-art in GBS circuitry with its distinctive universal and programmable architecture which advances GBS towards real-world applications.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure

Cassava genome from a wild ancestor to cultivated varieties

Cassava is a major tropical food crop in the Euphorbiaceae family that has high carbohydrate production potential and adaptability to diverse environments. Here we present the draft genome sequences of a wild ancestor and a domesticated variety of cassava and comparative analyses with a partial inbred line. We identify 1,584 and 1,678 gene models specific to the wild and domesticated varieties, respectively, and discover high heterozygosity and millions of single-nucleotide variations. Our analyses reveal that genes involved in photosynthesis, starch accumulation and abiotic stresses have been positively selected, whereas those involved in cell wall biosynthesis and secondary metabolism, including cyanogenic glucoside formation, have been negatively selected in the cultivated varieties, reflecting the result of natural selection and domestication. Differences in microRNA genes and retrotransposon regulation could partly explain an increased carbon flux towards starch accumulation and reduced cyanogenic glucoside accumulation in domesticated cassava. These results may contribute to genetic improvement of cassava through better understanding of its biology

A Study of Real Estate Prices in Jilin Province

This study is based on data from the Jilin Construction Office's Almanac. A hedonic model is used to investigate factors affecting real estate prices in Jilin province. The model has better application potential than traditional pricing analysis and thus is useful as a guide to future planning policies.

OUTWARD FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT of CHINA\u27S BANKING SECTOR: DETERMINANTS and MOTIVATIONS

The outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) is vital for the sustainable development of China\u27s banking sector. This paper examines the location determinants of OFDI by China\u27s banks during 2003-2015 with a set of negative binomial panel regression models. We show that the OFDI for China\u27s banking sector generally exhibits market-seeking, resource-seeking and efficiency-seeking motivations. The efficiency-seeking motivation is mostly through the incentive to avert credit risk. The OFDI also tends to flow to economically stable countries. Our results indicate that the Chinese banks\u27 investment decisions are mainly in line with fundamental theories and are robust for different samples and periods

The Impact of Coupling Function on Finite-Time Synchronization Dynamics of Multi-Weighted Complex Networks with Switching Topology

This paper is not only concerned with the problem of finite-time synchronization control for a class of nonlinear coupling multi-weighted complex networks (NCMWCNs) with switching topology but also an attempt at using the derived results and Lyapunov stability theory to study the impact of nonlinear coupling function on finite-time synchronization dynamics of the raised network model. Firstly, different from the existing related results, based on the existing and new finite-time theories, two finite-time synchronization controllers are, respectively, designed to make the considered network achieve finite-time synchronization. Secondly, according to the obtained results, several finite-time synchronization dynamics criteria are established to show that nonlinear coupled function and the switching of outer-coupling matrix are how to impact finite-time synchronization dynamics. Finally, two illustrated examples are provided to verify the effectiveness of theoretical results proposed in this paper