Influence of Se and Te substitutions at Tl-site of Tl(Ba,Sr)CaCu2O7 superconductor on the AC susceptibility and electrical properties

The Sr and Ba bearing Tl-1212 phase, Tl(Ba,Sr)CaCu₂O₇ is an interesting superconductor. The Sr only bearing TlSr₂CaCu₂O₇ is not easily prepared in the superconducting form. The Ba only bearing TlBa₂CaCu₂O₇ on the other hand does not show improvement in the transition temperature with elemental substitution. In this work the influence of multivalent Se (non-metal) and Te (metalloid) substitutions at the Tl-site of Tl_1-xM_x(Ba,Sr)CaCu₂O₇ (M = Se or Te) superconductors for x = 0–0.6 was studied. The samples were prepared via the conventional solid-state reaction method. XRD patterns showed a single Tl-1212 phase for x = 0 and 0.1 Se substituted samples. The critical current density at the peak temperature, T_p of the imaginary (χ”) part of the AC susceptibility (χ = χ’ +χ”), J_c-inter(T_p) for all samples was between 15 and 21 A cm⁻². The highest superconducting transition temperature was shown by the x = 0.3 Se-substituted sample (T_c-onset = 104 K, T_c-zero = 89 K, T_cχ’ = 104 K and T_p = 80 K). Te suppressed the superconductivity of Tl-1212 phase. The order of highest transition temperatures are as follows: Tl_1-xTe_x(Ba,Sr)CaCu₂O₇<Tl(Ba,Sr)CaCu₂O₇<Tl_1-xSe_x(Ba,Sr)CaCu₂O₇. This work showed that Se was better than Te in improving the transition temperature and flux pinning of the Tl-1212 phase. The roles of ionic radius of Se and Te on the superconductivity of Tl(Ba,Sr)CaCu₂O₇ are discussed in this paper.     

Decoding the Roles of Long Noncoding RNAs in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most prevalent malignancies worldwide. HCC is associated with several etiological factors, including HBV/HCV infections, cirrhosis, and fatty liver diseases. However, the molecular mechanism underlying HCC development remains largely elusive. The advent of high-throughput sequencing has unveiled an unprecedented discovery of a plethora of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). Despite the lack of coding capacity, lncRNAs have key roles in gene regulation through interacting with various biomolecules. It is increasingly evident that the dysregulation of lncRNAs is inextricably linked to HCC cancer phenotypes, suggesting that lncRNAs are potential prognostic markers and therapeutic targets. In light of the emerging research in the study of the regulatory roles of lncRNAs in HCC, we discuss the association of lncRNAs with HCC. We link the biological processes influenced by lncRNAs to cancer hallmarks in HCC and describe the associated functional mechanisms. This review sheds light on future research directions, including the potential therapeutic applications of lncRNAs.     

Synthesis and characterization of the novel nanostructured NiC carbide obtained by mechanical alloying

In the present work, a comprehensive study of mechanical alloying of Ni-carbon nanotubes (CNT) and Ni-Graphite equiatomic powder mixtures under the same technological modes has provided to reveal the features of using different types of carbon (CNT or graphite) as a charge component. The as-milled powders were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and magnetometric study. A novel nanoscale fcc NiC monocarbide was synthesized regardless the type of the charge used. According to the XRD study the formation of this phase takes place in two stages. A two-step carbide formation mechanism has been proposed. The associated changes in the nickel lattice, such as changes in the lattice parameter, lattice strain and residual stresses, which led to the formation of NiC monocarbide were also evaluated and discussed. Parameters of the electronic structure of NiC were calculated using the MStudio MindLab 7.0 software package with the experimental data on the crystal structure of the NiC phase obtained as input. Temperature dependencies of magnetic susceptibility of NiC synthesized have been studied up to 950 K. Carbides synthesized were found to be weak ferromagnets at the room temperature and their Curie temperature T_C ranges within 670 – 725 K. The calculated value of the magnetic moment per nickel atom (2.83μ_B) is higher than that of a bulk Ni (1.3μ_B). Likely, the observed increase of μ is caused by the presence of a certain amount of residual single-domain ferromagnetic Ni nanoparticles in the samples synthesized.     

Deterministic and probabilistic ship pitch prediction using a multi-predictor integration model based on hybrid data preprocessing,reinforcement learning and improved QRNN

The deterministic and probabilistic prediction of ship motion is important for safe navigation and stable real-time operational control of ships at sea. However, the volatility and randomness of ship motion, the non-adaptive nature of single predictors and the poor coverage of quantile regression pose serious challenges to uncertainty prediction, making research in this field limited. In this paper, a multi-predictor integration model based on hybrid data preprocessing, reinforcement learning and improved quantile regression neural network (QRNN) is proposed to explore the deterministic and probabilistic prediction of ship pitch motion. To validate the performance of the proposed multi-predictor integrated prediction model, an experimental study is conducted with three sets of actual ship longitudinal motions during sea trials in the South China Sea. The experimental results indicate that the root mean square errors (RMSEs) of the proposed model of deterministic prediction are 0.0254°, 0.0359°, and 0.0188°, respectively. Taking series #2 as an example, the prediction interval coverage probabilities (PICPs) of the proposed model of probability predictions at 90%, 95%, and 99% confidence levels (CLs) are 0.9400, 0.9800, and 1.0000, respectively. This study signifies that the proposed model can provide trusted deterministic predictions and can effectively quantify the uncertainty of ship pitch motion, which has the potential to provide practical support for ship early warning systems.     

基于多通道的ICU脑血管疾病死亡风险预测模型

死亡风险预测指根据病人临床体征监测数据来预测未来一段时间的死亡风险。对于ICU病患，通过死亡风险预测可以有针对性地对病人做出临床诊断，以及合理安排有限的医疗资源。基于临床使用的MEWS和Glasgow昏迷评分量表，针对ICU病人临床监测的17项生理参数，提出一种基于多通道的ICU脑血管疾病死亡风险预测模型。引入多通道概念应用于BiLSTM模型，用于突出每个生理参数对死亡风险预测的作用。采用Attention机制用于提高模型预测精度。实验数据来自MIMIC [Ⅲ]数据库，从中提取3?080位脑血管疾病患者的16?260条记录用于此次研究，除了六组超参数实验之外，将所提模型与LSTM、Multichannel-BiLSTM、逻辑回归（logistic regression）和支持向量机（support vector machine, SVM）四种模型进行了对比分析，准确率Accuracy、灵敏度Sensitive、特异性Specificity、AUC-ROC和AUC-PRC作为评价指标，实验结果表明，所提模型性能优于其他模型，AUC值达到94.3%。     

Evaluating the profile of myofibrillar proteins and its relationship with tenderness among five styles of dry-cured hams

In order to investigate the relationship between profile of myofibrillar proteins and tenderness among 2 kinds of Chinese hams (Jinhua and Xuanwei) and 3 kinds of European hams (Iberian, Serrano and Parma), shear force, myofibril fragmentation index (MFI), SDS-PAGE, carbonyls content and Raman spectroscopy were investigated. The shear force and salt content of Chinese hams were significantly higher than that of European hams, while moisture content was lower than that of European hams (p < 0.05). MFI values and SDS-PAGE profile revealed that the degradation of myofibrillar proteins in Chinese hams was lower than in European hams. In addition, Chinese hams showed significantly higher carbonyls content and β-sheet content compared with European hams, indicated that proteins aggregation intensively inhibited the degradation of myofibrillar proteins in Chinese hams. These results indicated that the higher shear force in Chinese style hams could be attributed to the lower moisture content and limited proteolysis.     

日本优良食味稻米灌浆期水管理、鲜谷干燥温度及糙米水分与食味关系研究（译文）

为了生产优良食味稻米,克服栽培环境的影响非常重要。主要论述了灌浆期最适宜的用水管理、新鲜稻谷的干燥温度以及糙米水分含量与其食味之间的关系。水稻灌浆期最适宜的用水管理是湿润管理法,通过对灌浆期水稻的湿润管理,可有效抑制水田土壤温度上升,保持根系活力,提高稻米结实率,最终实现稻米增收与食味提升。新鲜稻谷水分含量不同,干燥所需的送风温度也不同,22%、25%、30%的水分含量分别对应的适宜温度为55、48、35℃。糙米中14%～15%的水分含量能够保证稻米的最佳食味。     

Analysis of the water-soluble compounds as a tool for discriminating traditional and industrial high moisture mozzarella made with citric acid

High moisture mozzarella from cow milk is a pasta filata cheese that can be manufactured by different protocols. Fermentation by autochthonous starter is used for the traditional product, whereas direct acidification with citric acid is widely used at industrial level. Both types are stored immersed in a liquid for preserving freshness, but this packaging method is known to favour the changes of the quality characteristics. The present study aimed to assess the evolution of the soluble compounds and to evaluate their use as chemical indices for discriminating the two types of mozzarella. The contents of lactose, organic acids, water-soluble nitrogen and free amino acids differently changed over time. The whole patterns of these soluble compounds allowed discrimination of the two products during the whole storage period. The simple analyses of lactic acid and lactose could be a rapid tool to protect traditional mozzarella from industrial imitations obtained with citric acid.     

Functional Dysregulations in CA1 Hippocampal Networks of a 3-Hit Mouse Model of Schizophrenia

For a better translation from treatment designs of schizophrenia to clinical efficiency, there is a crucial need to refine preclinical animal models. In order to consider the multifactorial nature of the disorder, a new mouse model associating three factors (genetic susceptibility—partial deletion of the MAP6 gene, early-life stress—maternal separation, and pharmacological treatment—chronic Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol during adolescence) has recently been described. While this model depicts a schizophrenia-like phenotype, the neurobiological correlates remain unknown. Synaptic transmission and functional plasticity of the CA1 hippocampal region of male and female 3-hit mice were therefore investigated using electrophysiological recordings on the hippocampus slice. While basal excitatory transmission remained unaffected, NMDA receptor (NMDAr)-mediated long-term potentiation (LTP) triggered by theta-burst (TBS) but not by high-frequency (HFS) stimulation was impaired in 3-hit mice. Isolated NMDAr activation was not affected or even increased in female 3-hit mice, revealing a sexual dimorphism. Considering that the regulation of LTP is more prone to inhibitory tone if triggered by TBS than by HFS, the weaker potentiation in 3-hit mice suggests a deficiency of intrinsic GABA regulatory mechanisms. Indeed, NMDAr activation was increased by GABA_A receptor blockade in wild-type but not in 3-hit mice. This electrophysiological study highlights dysregulations of functional properties and plasticity in hippocampal networks of 3-hit mice, one of the mechanisms suspected to contribute to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. It also shows differences between males and females, supporting the sexual dimorphism observed in the disorder. Combined with the previously reported study, the present data reinforce the face validity of the 3-hit model that will help to consider new therapeutic strategies for psychosis.