Information dissemination evolution under group feedback.

In this paper, based on the feedback mechanism from the perspective of network groups, the evolutionary characteristics and laws of group networks under information dissemination are studied. First, the network is divided into groups of different sizes, and each group is given a dynamically changing group activity and a positive degree of response to different categories of information. Second, a feedback-based model of information dissemination in group networks is developed, which takes into account the differences between same-group and cross-group dissemination of information. Next, the model is applied to a scale-free network and a small-world network for simulation experiments. The experimental results show that, under the feedback mechanism, the main factor affecting the final evolutionary results of each group size in the small-world network is group positivity, which has little relationship with the initial size; similarly, the main factor affecting the average degree of each group in the scale-free network is also group positivity, which has nothing to do with the initial average degree. Finally, the method is applied to a real network to verify the rationality and effectiveness of the proposed model.

[Burned-out testicular germ cell tumors: a clinicopathological analysis of three cases].

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological features and possible mechanisms of burned-out testicular germ cell tumors. Methods: The clinical and imaging data, histology and immunophenotypic characteristics of three cases of burned-out testicular germ cell tumors diagnosed at the Ruijin Hospital, Medical College of the Shanghai Jiaotong University, from 2016 to 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The relevant literature was reviewed. Results: The mean age of the three patients was 32 years. Case 1 had an elevated preoperative alpha-fetoprotein level (810.18 µg/L) and underwent "radical pancreaticoduodenectomy and retroperitoneal lesion resection" for a retroperitoneal mass. Postoperative pathology showed embryonal carcinoma, which needed to exclude gonadal metastasis. Color Doppler ultrasound showed a solid mass of the right testis, with hypoechoic lesion and scattered calcification in some areas. Case 2 was a "right supraclavicular lymph node biopsy specimen." Chest X-ray showed multiple metastases in both lungs. The biopsy showed metastatic embryonic carcinoma and bilateral testicular color Doppler ultrasound revealed abnormal calcifications in the right testicle. Case 3 showed a cystic mass of the right testis with calcification and solid areas. All 3 patients underwent radical right orchiectomy. Grossly, borders of the testicular scar areas were well defined. Cross sectioning of the tumors showed a gray-brown cut surface and single focus or multiple foci of the tumor. The tumor maximum diameter was 0.6-1.5 cm. Microscopically, lymphocytes, plasma cells infiltration, tubular hyalinization, clustered vascular hyperplasia and hemosiderin laden macrophages were found in the scar. Atrophic and sclerotic seminiferous tubules, proliferation of clustered Leydig cells and small or coarse granular calcifications in seminiferous tubules were present around the scar. Seminoma and germ cell neoplasia in situ were seen in case 1, germ cell neoplasia in situ was seen in case 2 and germ cells with atypical hyperplasia were seen in case 3. Immunohistochemistry showed that embryonic carcinoma expressed SALL4, CKpan(AE1/AE3) and CD30, seminoma and germ cell tumor in situ expressed OCT3/4, SALL4 and CD117, and spermatogenic cells with atypical hyperplasia expressed CD99 and SALL4. The Ki-67 positive index was about 20%, while OCT3/4 and CD117 were both negative. Conclusions: Burned-out testicular germ cell tumors are rare. The possibility of gonad testicular metastasis should be considered first for extragonadal germ cell tumor. If fibrous scar is found in testis, it must be determined whether it is a burned-out testicular germ cell tumor. The burned-out mechanisms may be related to the microenvironment of tumor immune-mediated and local ischemic injury.

Spontaneous Ferromagnetism Induced Topological Transition in EuB_{6}.

The interplay between various symmetries and electronic bands topology is one of the core issues for topological quantum materials. Spontaneous magnetism, which leads to the breaking of time-reversal symmetry, has been proven to be a powerful approach to trigger various exotic topological phases. In this Letter, utilizing the combination of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, magneto-optical Kerr effect microscopy, and first-principles calculations, we present the direct evidence on the realization of the long-sought spontaneous ferromagnetism induced topological transition in soft ferromagnetic EuB_{6}. Explicitly, we reveal the topological transition is from Z_{2}=1 topological insulator in paramagnetic state to χ=1 magnetic topological semimetal in low temperature ferromagnetic state. Our results demonstrate that the simple band structure near the Fermi level and rich topological phases make EuB_{6} an ideal platform to study the topological phase physics.

Structural and functional comparisons of the environmental microbiota of pond and tank environments at different locations for the commercial aquaculture of American shad.

The environmental microbiota plays a significant role in the growth and development of aquatic life. In recent years, American shad has become an important economic aquaculture species in China. However, information on the correlation between the growth of American shad and the aquaculture environment is limited. Through 16S rDNA-based sequencing, the microbiota communities in ponds at different locations (Jiangyin and Yancheng in Jiangsu, China) were investigated. The results showed that the richness and diversity of the microbiota in the pond were greater than those in the tank at the same location. At the phylum level, Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were more abundant in the samples from Jiangyin than in those from Yancheng. In addition, the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes was larger in the JYT samples than in the YCT samples, which implied that the American shad cultured in the Jiangyin environment tended to be fatter than those cultured in Yancheng. The body weight data also confirmed this finding. Moreover, the proportions of functional annotations in the samples from the Jiangyin and Yancheng environments were similar, but there were differences between the overall levels. Our results highlighted the correlations between the environmental microbiome and the growth tendency of American shad.

Gamma-Ray Observation of the Cygnus Region in the 100-TeV Energy Region.

We report observations of gamma-ray emissions with energies in the 100-TeV energy region from the Cygnus region in our Galaxy. Two sources are significantly detected in the directions of the Cygnus OB1 and OB2 associations. Based on their positional coincidences, we associate one with a pulsar PSR J2032+4127 and the other mainly with a pulsar wind nebula PWN G75.2+0.1, with the pulsar moving away from its original birthplace situated around the centroid of the observed gamma-ray emission. This work would stimulate further studies of particle acceleration mechanisms at these gamma-ray sources.

Near-GeV Electron Beams at a Few Per-Mille Level from a Laser Wakefield Accelerator via Density-Tailored Plasma.

A simple, efficient scheme was developed to obtain near-gigaelectronvolt electron beams with energy spreads of few per-mille level in a single-stage laser wakefield accelerator. Longitudinal plasma density was tailored to control relativistic laser-beam evolution, resulting in injection, dechirping, and a quasi-phase-stable acceleration. With this scheme, electron beams with peak energies of 780-840 MeV, rms energy spreads of 2.4‰-4.1‰, charges of 8.5-23.6 pC, and rms divergences of 0.1-0.4 mrad were experimentally obtained. Quasi-three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations agreed well with the experimental results. The dechirping strength was estimated to reach up to 11 TeV/mm/m, which is higher than previously obtained results. Such high-quality electron beams will boost the development of compact intense coherent radiation sources and x-ray free-electron lasers.

First Detection of sub-PeV Diffuse Gamma Rays from the Galactic Disk: Evidence for Ubiquitous Galactic Cosmic Rays beyond PeV Energies.

We report, for the first time, the long-awaited detection of diffuse gamma rays with energies between 100 TeV and 1 PeV in the Galactic disk. Particularly, all gamma rays above 398 TeV are observed apart from known TeV gamma-ray sources and compatible with expectations from the hadronic emission scenario in which gamma rays originate from the decay of π^{0}'s produced through the interaction of protons with the interstellar medium in the Galaxy. This is strong evidence that cosmic rays are accelerated beyond PeV energies in our Galaxy and spread over the Galactic disk.

First Detection of Photons with Energy beyond 100 TeV from an Astrophysical Source.

We report on the highest energy photons from the Crab Nebula observed by the Tibet air shower array with the underground water-Cherenkov-type muon detector array. Based on the criterion of a muon number measured in an air shower, we successfully suppress 99.92% of the cosmic-ray background events with energies E>100 TeV. As a result, we observed 24 photonlike events with E>100 TeV against 5.5 background events, which corresponds to a 5.6σ statistical significance. This is the first detection of photons with E>100 TeV from an astrophysical source.

Curcumin inhibits hypoxia inducible factor-1α-induced inflammation and apoptosis in macrophages through an ERK dependent pathway.

OBJECTIVE: Atherosclerosis, a kind of peripheral arterial disease with chronic inflammation, leads to the dysfunction of the vascular system and many other diseases. Hypoxia has been proven to participate in the progression of atherosclerosis, while curcumin can inhibit hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α). However, the underlying mechanisms are still elusive. PATIENTS AND METHODS: qRT-PCR was used to examine the expression of HIF-1α, IL-6 and TNFα of macrophages under hypoxic condition. Western blot was applied to examine the changes of HIF-1α, ERK and p-ERK after treatment with curcumin. Oli Red O staining and enzymatic assay were used to examine the lipid and total cholesterol in macrophages, respectively. ELISA was used to examine the release of IL-6 and TNFα by macrophages. FACS and MTT assays were applied to examine the apoptosis and proliferation of macrophages. RESULTS: Here, we found curcumin inhibited the expression of HIF-1α at the protein level in macrophages under hypoxic condition and curcumin and HIF-1α inhibitors repressed the total cholesterol and lipid level in macrophage under hypoxic condition. Moreover, curcumin also decreased the expression of HIF-1α downstream genes, VEGF, HMOX1, ROS and PDGF. Then, the data show the HIF-1α-induced apoptosis and inflammation of macrophages were inhibited by curcumin. Curcumin also rescued the proliferation defect of macrophages caused by hypoxia. Furthermore, we found it inhibited the expression of HIF-1α via ERK signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: We describe that curcumin inhibited the HIF-1α-induced apoptosis and inflammation of macrophages via ERK signaling pathways. These results suggest curcumin can be used for the treatment of atherosclerosis.

Expression of vitamin D receptor in renal tissue of lupus nephritis and its association with renal injury activity.

OBJECTIVE: Vitamin D receptor (VDR) has potent anti-inflammatory activities. VDR gene polymorphism has been linked with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, its expression in the kidney has not been evaluated. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between VDR expression and renal pathology as well as clinical manifestations in lupus nephritis (LN). METHODS: A total of 20 renal biopsy specimens from 35 patients with LN were classified according to the International Society of Nephrology/Renal Pathology Society 2003 LN-type standards pathological type, and the activity index and chronicity index were determined. Five normal renal tissue samples were obtained from surrounding areas distal to nephronophthisis or renal tumors (>2 cm). The expression of VDR was assessed by immunohistochemistry. The relationships between VDR expression and histological injury index, proteinuria and Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) renal activity scores were analyzed. RESULTS: As compared to the control group, the expression of VDR in the LN group was lower ( p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with activity index (r = -0.548, p = 0.012) but not with chronicity index (r = -0.277, p = 0.236). The expression of VDR in renal tissue was also associated with SLICC renal activity scores (r = -0.470, p = 0.037). CONCLUSION: The down-regulation of VDR expression in renal tissues of LN patients was negatively correlated with renal activity and injury severity.

[Expression patterns and prognostic values of Nrf2 and Keap1 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma].

Objective:To investigate the expression of Nrf2 and Keap1 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and to analyze the relationship between the expression of Nrf2 and Keap1 and the clinicopathological features and prognosis of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Method:A total of 108 patients with biopsy-proven nonkeratinizing squamous cell carcinoma-undifferentiated type with available biopsy specimens for tissue microarray (TMA) construction were selected. The relationship between Nrf2 and Keap1 protein expression and the prognosis of radiotherapy in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma was analyzed. Result: The overall 5-year disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival(OS) rates were 57.4% and 70.2%, respectively. The 5-year DFS rate was 59.4% in the low nuclear Nrf2 expression group, and 53.8% in the high nuclear Nrf2 expression group. The 5-year DFS rate was 42.2% in the low cytoplasmic Keap1 expression group, and 68.2% in the high cytoplasmic Keap1 expression group. The 5-year OS rate was 70.8% in the low nuclear Nrf2 expression group, and 69.2% in the high nuclear Nrf2 expression group. The 5-year OS rate was 55.6% in the low cytoplasmic Keap1 expression group, and 80.9% in the high cytoplasmic Keap1 expression group.Conclusion:We found that nuclear Nrf2 or cytoplasmic Keap1 expression had no significant association with clinicopathological features. The high expression of cytoplasmic Keap1 had higher DFS and OS. Keap1 is an independent prognostic factor for DFS and OS in NPC patient.

Evaluation of the Interplanetary Magnetic Field Strength Using the Cosmic-Ray Shadow of the Sun.

We analyze the Sun's shadow observed with the Tibet-III air shower array and find that the shadow's center deviates northward (southward) from the optical solar disk center in the "away" ("toward") interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) sector. By comparing with numerical simulations based on the solar magnetic field model, we find that the average IMF strength in the away (toward) sector is 1.54±0.21_{stat}±0.20_{syst} (1.62±0.15_{stat}±0.22_{syst}) times larger than the model prediction. These demonstrate that the observed Sun's shadow is a useful tool for the quantitative evaluation of the average solar magnetic field.

Current views of chromosomal abnormalities in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Chromosomal abnormalities are an attractive avenue for the screening of various disorders especially related to carcinogens like acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The cytogenetic findings like Karyotypic patterns are common in pediatric patients. On the other hand, monosomal karyotype (MK) and complex karyotype (CK) are more common in older patients. Further, recent studies have revealed direct proportion between the number of chromosome abnormalities and mortality rates in both pediatric as well as old patients affected by AML. Moreover, to be specific 5q, 7q and/or 17p loss lead to higher mortality rates in comparison to loss of to MK.  The present review article would put light on current views of important chromosomal changes during AML, especially in pediatric patients.

[Initial study of transthoracic echocardiography guided three-dimensional printing on the application of assessment of structural heart disease].

Objective: To investigate the feasibility and diagnostic value of preoperative transthoracic echocardiography guided three dimensional printing model (TTE Guided 3DPM) on the assessment of structural heart disease (SHD). Methods: From February 2016 to October 2016, 44 patients underwent cardiac surgery in Tianjin Chest Hospital, forty-four patients were assessed preoperatively using TTE Guided 3DPM, including 25 males and 19 females, aged 3-75 years, with an average of (44±22) years. compared to conventional three dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (3D-TTE), and took direct intraoperative findings as "Golden Standard" simultaneously. There are twelve patients with SHD, including four cases with mitral prolapse, two cases with partial endocardial cushion defect, two cases with secondary atrial septal defect, two cases with rheumatic mitral stenosis, one case with tetralogy of Fallot, one case with ventricular septal defect (VSD), thirty-two patients without SHD were designed as negative control. Results: The sensitivity and specificity of TTE Guided 3DPM were greater than or equal to 3D-TTE, P value of McNemar test of 3D-TTE was greater than 0.05, the difference was not statistically significant, kappa=0.745, P<0.01, indicated that the results of 3DTTE and the gold standard were generally consistent.P value of McNemar test of TTE Guided 3DPM was greater than 0.05, the difference was not statistically significant, kappa=0.955, P<0.01, indicated that the results of TTE Guided 3DPM and gold standards were consistent. Compared with 3D-TTE and TTE Guided 3DPM, P value was greater than 0.05, the difference was not statistically significant, kappa=0.879, P<0.01, indicated that the results of 3D-TTE and TTE Guided 3DPM were consistent. TTE Guided 3DPM displayed the three-dimensional structure of SHD cardiac lesions clearly, which were consistent with intraoperative findings. Conclusion: TTE Guided 3DPM provides essential information for the preoperative evaluation and decision of SHD.

Protective Effects of Geniposide on Hepatic Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury.

BACKGROUND: Geniposide (GEN) is the major ingredient of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis, which has anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activities and is widely used to treat ischemia disease. Inflammation and apoptosis play an important role in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. The current study was conducted to explore the effects of geniposide on hepatic I/R injury and its potential molecular mechanism in mice. METHODS: Fifty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: the sham group (sham), the hepatic I/R injury group (IRI) and the GEN groups (low, middle, and high). In the GEN and IRI groups, hepatic IRI by was induced by means of clamping the left and median liver lobes for 30 minutes with noninvasive endoclips. The GEN groups were pretreated with GEN (5, 10, 20 mg/kg) at 30 minutes before ischemia by use of intraperitoneal injection. Rats in the IRI group and sham group were administrated with same dosage of saline at the same time. After reperfusion for 6 hours, the hepatic pathology and the expression of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), AST aspartate aminotransferase, LDH lactic acid dehydrogenase, PI3K, AKT, p-AKT, m-TOR, Bax, BCL-2, interleukin (IL)-6, MCP-1, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were examined. RESULTS: Compared with the sham group, the IRI group had higher expression of ALT, AST, LDH, Bax, IL-6, MCP-1, and TNF-α and lower expression of BCL-2, PI3K, p-AKT, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), with more inflammatory cell infiltration, cellular swelling, and vacuolar degeneration. Compared with the IRI group, the GEN group had lower expression of ALT, AST, LDH, Bax, IL-6, MCP-1, and TNF-α and higher expression of BCL-2, PI3K, p-AKT, and mTOR, with less inflammatory cell infiltration, cellular swelling, and vacuolar degeneration. There were no differences in the expression of AKT among several groups. CONCLUSIONS: GEN can protect rats against hepatic I/R injury and partly relies on suppressing inflammation and apoptosis by inducing the activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

Relating surface roughness and magnetic domain structure to giant magneto-impedance of Co-rich melt-extracted microwires.

Understanding the relationship between the surface conditions and giant magneto-impedance (GMI) in Co-rich melt-extracted microwires is key to optimizing their magnetic responses for magnetic sensor applications. The surface magnetic domain structure (SMDS) parameters of ~45 µm diameter Co69.25Fe4.25Si13B13.5-xZrx (x = 0, 1, 2, 3) microwires, including the magnetic domain period (d) and surface roughness (Rq) as extracted from the magnetic force microscopy (MFM) images, have been correlated with GMI in the range 1-1000 MHz. It was found that substitution of B with 1 at. % Zr increased d of the base alloy from 729 to 740 nm while retaining Rq from ~1 nm to ~3 nm. A tremendous impact on the GMI ratio was found, increasing the ratio from ~360% to ~490% at an operating frequency of 40 MHz. Further substitution with Zr decreased the high frequency GMI ratio, which can be understood by the significant increase in surface roughness evident by force microscopy. This study demonstrates the application of the domain period and surface roughness found by force microscopy to the interpretation of the GMI in Co-rich microwires.

Distinctive effect of 6% hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 (Voluven) infusion on pediatric patients with congenital heart disease.

OBJECTIVE: It has not been clear that Voluven (6% hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4) may be administered in pediatric patients safely. The purpose of this study was to determine if Voluven could be used for blood volume expansion and hypovolemia prevention in pediatric patients with congenital heart disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 50 pediatric patients with congenital heart disease were recruited in the study. Circulatory and respiratory parameters were determined to monitor the responses to intravenous infusion of Voluven in the patients. RESULTS: Intravenous infusion of Voluven significantly increased levels of colloid osmotic pressure and central venous pressure, but decreased levels of hemoglobin in the patients. Voluven infusion did not significantly affect colloid osmotic pressure, central venous pressure, hemoglobin and heart rate in the preschool children (<6 years old), and similarly, low infusion (100-240 mL per patient) of Voluven did not significantly affect colloid osmotic pressure, central venous pressure, hemoglobin and heart rate in the young child patients. Also, there was the similar response, i.e. increased colloid osmotic pressure, to Voluven infusion in both female child patients and patients with atrial septal defect. CONCLUSIONS: Voluven may be used in pediatric patients with congenital heart disease, but not in the preschool child patients. Furthermore, special attention should be paid to the intravenous administration of Voluven for blood volume expansion and hypovolemia prevention in female pediatric patients and child patients with atrial septal defect.

Study on the mechanism of AMPK signaling pathway and its effect on apoptosis of human hepatocellular carcinoma SMMC-7721 cells by curcumin.

OBJECTIVE: Liver cancer is a common malignant tumor in the digestive system. Curcumin is a kind of phenolic pigment, which is extracted from herbage and has a plenty of physiological roles in anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation and anti-tumor. In our study, human hepatoma SMMC-7721 cell lines were selected and treated with curcumin to detect its effects on the apoptosis and AMPK signaling pathway. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human liver cancer cell strain SMMC-7721 was cultured and treated with different curcumin concentrations for different times followed by measuring the changes of cell proliferation activity and cycle by MTT and flow cytometry, respectively. Protein expression of Bcl-2, Bax and Caspase-3 were tested by Western blot, and the activation level of AMPK was also detected. RESULTS: Different concentrations of curcumin could inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells in a dose-dependent manner. After 48 h inhibition by curcumin with a concentration of 40 mmol/L, the inhibitory effect was more obvious with statistically significant (p<0.05). The number of human liver cancer SMMC-7721 cells increased in G1 stage and decreased in S stage after treated with different concentrations of curcumin. During the G1 stage to the S stage, inhibition occurred and the effect of curcumin intervention group with 40 mmol/L was more evident than that of 10 mmol/L group, 20 mmol/L group and the control group with statistically significant (p<0.05). SMMC-7721 cell stains had been intervening by curcumin with concentrations of 10 mmol/L, 20 mmol/L and 40 mmol/L for 12 h, 24 h and 48 h, as the drug concentration increased, the reaction time prolonged, the protein expressions of Bcl-2 and Survivin were significantly decreased and Bax protein expression was significantly increased (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Curcumin decreased the proliferation activity of tumor cells, increased the cell quantities in G1 stage and decreased the cell numbers in S stage in human liver cancer SMMC-7721 cells. The Bcl-2 and Survivin proteins were downregulated and Bax protein was upregulated; furthermore, the AMPK signaling pathway was activated.

Generalized R-squared for detecting dependence.

Detecting dependence between two random variables is a fundamental problem. Although the Pearson correlation coefficient is effective for capturing linear dependence, it can be entirely powerless for detecting nonlinear and/or heteroscedastic patterns. We introduce a new measure, G-squared, to test whether two univariate random variables are independent and to measure the strength of their relationship. The G-squared statistic is almost identical to the square of the Pearson correlation coefficient, R-squared, for linear relationships with constant error variance, and has the intuitive meaning of the piecewise R-squared between the variables. It is particularly effective in handling nonlinearity and heteroscedastic errors. We propose two estimators of G-squared and show their consistency. Simulations demonstrate that G-squared estimators are among the most powerful test statistics compared with several state-of-the-art methods.