A Novel-Potential Wave-Bump Yarn of Plain Weave Fabric for Fog Harvesting.

With the variety of fibers and fabrics, the studies of the surface structure of the textile yarns, the weave fabric, and their surface wettability are still potential factors to improve and optimize the fog harvesting efficiency. In this work, inspired by the fog harvesting behavior of the desert beetle dorsal surface, a wavy-bumpy structure of post-weave yarn (obtained from woven fabric) was reported to improve large droplet growth (converge) efficiency. In which, this study used tetrabutyl titanate (Ti(OCH)) to waterproof, increase hydrophobicity, and stabilize the surface of yarns and fabric (inspired by the feather structure and lotus leaf surface).

The importance of regeneration processes on forest biodiversity in old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest.

Forest diversity is the outcome of multiple species-specific processes and tolerances, from regeneration, growth, competition and mortality of trees. Predicting diversity thus requires a comprehensive understanding of those processes. Regeneration processes have traditionally been overlooked, due to high stochasticity and assumptions that recruitment is not limiting for forests.

An Interpretable Classification Model Using Gluten-Specific TCR Sequences Shows Diagnostic Potential in Coeliac Disease.

Coeliac disease (CeD) is a T-cell mediated enteropathy triggered by dietary gluten which remains substantially under-diagnosed around the world. The diagnostic gold-standard requires histological assessment of intestinal biopsies taken at endoscopy while consuming a gluten-containing diet. However, there is a lack of concordance between pathologists in histological assessment, and both endoscopy and gluten challenge are burdensome and unpleasant for patients.

Markov chain stochastic DCA and applications in deep learning with PDEs regularization.

This paper addresses a large class of nonsmooth nonconvex stochastic DC (difference-of-convex functions) programs where endogenous uncertainty is involved and i.i.d.

Photocatalytic and Photothermal Antimicrobial Mussel-Inspired Nanocomposites for Biomedical Applications.

Bacterial infection has traditionally been treated with antibiotics, but their overuse is leading to the development of antibiotic resistance. This may be mitigated by alternative approaches to prevent or treat bacterial infections without utilization of antibiotics. Among the alternatives is the use of photo-responsive antimicrobial nanoparticles and/or nanocomposites, which present unique properties activated by light.

Mechanical Properties of Ternary Composite from Waste Leather Fibers and Waste Polyamide Fibers with Acrylonitrile-Butadiene Rubber.

This study aimed to improve the mechanical properties of a composite material consisting of waste leather fibers (LF) and nitrile rubber (NBR) by partially replacing LF with waste polyamide fibers (PA). A ternary recycled composite NBR/LF/PA was produced by a simple mixing method and vulcanized by compression molding. The mechanical properties and dynamic mechanical properties of the composite were investigated in detail.

Online Stochastic DCA With Applications to Principal Component Analysis.

Stochastic algorithms are well-known for their performance in the era of big data. In this article, we study nonsmooth stochastic Difference-of-Convex functions (DC) programs-the major class of nonconvex stochastic optimization, which have a variety of applications in divers domains, in particular, machine learning. We propose new online stochastic algorithms based on the state-of-the-art DC Algorithm (DCA)-a powerful approach in nonconvex programming framework, in the online context of streaming data continuously generated by some (unknown) source distribution.

Hybrid evolution repeats itself across environmental contexts in Texas sunflowers (Helianthus).

To what extent is evolution repeatable? Little is known about whether the evolution of hybrids is more (or less) repeatable than that of nonhybrids. We used field experimental evolution in annual sunflowers (Helianthus) in Texas to ask the extent to which hybrid evolution is repeatable across environments compared to nonhybrid controls. We created hybrids between Helianthus annuus (L.

Utility of Bulk T-Cell Receptor Repertoire Sequencing Analysis in Understanding Immune Responses to COVID-19.

Measuring immunity to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), can rely on antibodies, reactive T cells and other factors, with T-cell-mediated responses appearing to have greater sensitivity and longevity. Because each T cell carries an essentially unique nucleic acid sequence for its T-cell receptor (TCR), we can interrogate sequence data derived from DNA or RNA to assess aspects of the immune response. This review deals with the utility of bulk, rather than single-cell, sequencing of TCR repertoires, considering the importance of study design, in terms of cohort selection, laboratory methods and analysis.

TGF-β1 potentiates Vγ9Vδ2 T cell adoptive immunotherapy of cancer.

Despite its role in cancer surveillance, adoptive immunotherapy using γδ T cells has achieved limited efficacy. To enhance trafficking to bone marrow, circulating Vγ9Vδ2 T cells are expanded in serum-free medium containing TGF-β1 and IL-2 (γδ[T2] cells) or medium containing IL-2 alone (γδ[2] cells, as the control). Unexpectedly, the yield and viability of γδ[T2] cells are also increased by TGF-β1, when compared to γδ[2] controls.

The Diverse Roles of Heme Oxygenase-1 in Tumor Progression.

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is an inducible intracellular enzyme that is expressed in response to a variety of stimuli to degrade heme, which generates the biologically active catabolites carbon monoxide (CO), biliverdin and ferrous iron (Fe). HO-1 is expressed across a range of cancers and has been demonstrated to promote tumor progression through a variety of mechanisms. HO-1 can be expressed in a variety of cells within the tumor microenvironment (TME), including both the malignant tumor cells as well as stromal cell populations such as macrophages, dendritic cells and regulatory T-cells.

RIPK1 Promotes Energy Sensing by the mTORC1 Pathway.

The mechanisms of cellular energy sensing and AMPK-mediated mTORC1 inhibition are not fully delineated. Here, we discover that RIPK1 promotes mTORC1 inhibition during energetic stress. RIPK1 is involved in mediating the interaction between AMPK and TSC2 and facilitate TSC2 phosphorylation at Ser1387.

TAM Kinases Promote Necroptosis by Regulating Oligomerization of MLKL.

Necroptosis, a cell death pathway mediated by the RIPK1-RIPK3-MLKL signaling cascade downstream of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), has been implicated in many inflammatory diseases. Members of the TAM (Tyro3, Axl, and Mer) family of receptor tyrosine kinases are known for their anti-apoptotic, oncogenic, and anti-inflammatory roles. Here, we identify an unexpected role of TAM kinases as promoters of necroptosis, a pro-inflammatory necrotic cell death.

BRAF and AXL oncogenes drive RIPK3 expression loss in cancer.

Necroptosis is a lytic programmed cell death mediated by the RIPK1-RIPK3-MLKL pathway. The loss of Receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 3 (RIPK3) expression and necroptotic potential have been previously reported in several cancer cell lines; however, the extent of this loss across cancer types, as well as its mutational drivers, were unknown. Here, we show that RIPK3 expression loss occurs progressively during tumor growth both in patient tumor biopsies and tumor xenograft models.

Three-dimensional reconstruction of a random fibrous medium: Geometry, transport, and sound absorbing properties.

The main purpose of this article is to present, within a unified framework, a technique based on numerical homogenization, to model the acoustical properties of real fibrous media from their geometrical characteristics and to compare numerical results with experimental data. The authors introduce a reconstruction procedure for a random fibrous medium and use it as a basis for the computation of its geometrical, transport, and sound absorbing properties. The previously ad hoc "fiber anisotropies" and "volume weighted average radii," used to describe the experimental data on microstructure, are here measured using scanning electron microscopy.

The house fly Y Chromosome is young and minimally differentiated from its ancient X Chromosome partner.

Canonical ancient sex chromosome pairs consist of a gene rich X (or Z) Chromosome and a male-limited (or female-limited) Y (or W) Chromosome that is gene poor. In contrast to highly differentiated sex chromosomes, nascent sex chromosome pairs are homomorphic or very similar in sequence content. Nascent sex chromosomes can arise if an existing sex chromosome fuses to an autosome or an autosome acquires a new sex-determining locus/allele.

Effective fiber diameter for modeling the acoustic properties of polydisperse fiber networks.

The purpose of this research is to determine whether the acoustic properties of polydisperse fibrous medium (PDFM) and bidisperse fibrous medium (BDFM) can be modeled by monodisperse fiber media (MDFM) with an effective fiber diameter. Multi-scale numerical simulations on representative elementary volumes of these media are performed to retrieve the transport and geometrical properties governing their acoustic properties. Results show no significant difference between predictions obtained by PDFM or BDFM, and their corresponding effective MDFM.

Mechanistic Investigations of Two Bacterial Diterpene Cyclases: Spiroviolene Synthase and Tsukubadiene Synthase.

The mechanisms of two diterpene cyclases from streptomycetes-one with an unknown product that was identified as the spirocyclic hydrocarbon spiroviolene and one with the known product tsukubadiene-were investigated in detail by isotope labeling experiments. Although the structures of the products were very different, the cyclization mechanisms of both enzymes proceed through the same initial cyclization reactions, before they diverge towards the individual products, which is reflected in the close phylogenetic relationship of the enzymes.

3-Methyl-4,5-dihydro-oxepine, polyoxygenated seco-cyclohexenes and cyclohexenes from Uvaria flexuosa and their anti-inflammatory activity.

The phytochemical investigation of the methanolic extract of Uvaria flexuosa (Annonaceae) leaves led to the isolation of seven compounds including, 3-methyl-4,5-dihydro-oxepine (flexuvaroxepine A), four polyoxygenated seco-cyclohexene (flexuvarin A-D) and two polyoxygenated cyclohexene (flexuvarol A-B) derivatives, together with four known flavones. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated using different spectroscopic techniques. A plausible biogenetic route of the new compounds was discussed.

Chemical constituents of essential oils from the leaves and stem barks of four Vietnamese species of Fissistigma (Annonaceae).

Chemical profiles of essential oils from four Fissistigma species: Fissistigma bracteolatum Chatt., Fissistigma villosissimum Merr., Fissistigma latifolium (Dunal) Merr.

N-Methyl-N-styrylcinnamamide (lansamide) from Clausena lansium in Vietnam.

The title compound, C(18)H(17)NO, was isolated from the seeds of Clausena lansium (wampee) (Rutaceae). The X-ray crystal structure analysis confirmed its chemical identity and revealed that it is solvent-free, in contrast to the previously reported monohydrate [Huang, Ou & Tang (2006 ▶). Acta Cryst.