We have reconstructed the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) from 1580 to 2005 for Western Tian Shan, Central Asia, using tree rings of Picea schrenkiana. The reconstruction explains 35% of the actual January–May PDSI variance during the common period 1925–2005. Split-sample validation supports our use of the reconstruction model based on the full period of reliable observational data (1925–2005). Spatial climate correlation analyses with gridded PDSI data revealed that our PDSI reconstruction represents a strong regional drought signal for Western Tian Shan. Dry periods occurred during ad 1614–1628, 1700–1722, 1758–1790, 1806–1833, 1873–1898, 1908–1936, 1943–1951, 1960–1966 and 1973–1988; while the periods of ad 1580–1613, 1629–1699, 1723–1757, 1791–1805, 1834–1872, 1899–1907, 1937–1942, 1952–1959, 1967–1972 and 1989–present were relatively wet. Our reconstruction agrees reasonably well with the dry and wet periods previously estimated from tree rings in Tian Shan. Significant spectral peaks are identified at 2–5, 60.2 and 213 years. Our reconstructed drought is significantly correlated with sea surface temperature in the North Atlantic and Indo–West Pacific Oceans. The linkages to the North Atlantic and Indo–West Pacific Oceans suggest the connection of moisture variations of Central Asia to the westerly circulation and tropical ocean–atmosphere systems.
Deep learning with Convolutional Neural Networks has shown great promise in image-based classification and enhancement but is often unsuitable for predictive modeling using features without spatial correlations. We present a feature representation approach termed REFINED (REpresentation of Features as Images with NEighborhood Dependencies) to arrange highdimensional vectors in a compact image form conducible for CNN-based deep learning. We consider the similarities between features to generate a concise feature map in the form of a two-dimensional image by minimizing the pairwise distance values following a Bayesian Metric Multidimensional Scaling Approach. We hypothesize that this approach enables embedded feature extraction and, integrated with CNN-based deep learning, can boost the predictive accuracy. We illustrate the superior predictive capabilities of the proposed framework as compared to state-of-the-art methodologies in drug sensitivity prediction scenarios using synthetic datasets, drug chemical descriptors as predictors from NCI60, and both transcriptomic information and drug descriptors as predictors from GDSC.
Background: Cerebral palsy (CP) is a syndrome of childhood movement and posture disorders. Clinical evidence is still limited and sometimes inconclusive about the benefits of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) for CP. We conducted a randomized trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of hUC-MSC transplantation concomitant with rehabilitation in patients with CP. Methods: Eligible patients were allocated into the hUC-MSC group and control group. In addition to rehabilitation, the patients in the hUC-MSC group received four transfusions of hUC-MSCs intravenously, while the control group received a placebo. Adverse events (AEs) were collected for safety evaluation in the 12-month follow-up phase. Primary endpoints were assessed as activities of daily living (ADL), comprehensive function assessment (CFA), and gross motor function measure (GMFM) scales. In addition, cerebral metabolic activity was detected by 18 F-FDG-PET/ CT to explore the possible mechanism of the therapeutic effects. Primary endpoint data were analyzed by ANOVA using SPSS version 20.0. Results: Forty patients were enrolled, and 1 patient withdrew informed consent. Therefore, 39 patients received treatments and completed the scheduled assessments. No significant difference was shown between the 2 groups in AE incidence. Additionally, significant improvements in ADL, CFA, and GMFM were observed in the hUC-MSC group compared with the control group. In addition, the standard uptake value of 18 F-FDG was markedly increased in 3 out of 5 patients from the hUC-MSC group at 12 months after transplantation. Conclusions: Our clinical data showed that hUC-MSC transplantation was safe and effective at improving the gross motor and comprehensive function of children with CP when combined with rehabilitation. Recovery of cerebral metabolic activity might play an essential role in the improvements in brain function in patients with CP. The therapeutic window, transfusion route, and dosage in our study were considerable for reference in clinical application. Trial registration: Chictr.org.cn, ChiCTR1800016554. Registered 08 June 2018-retrospectively registered. The public title was "Randomized trial of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells for cerebral palsy."
Nine members of a new anions-controlled Cd(II)-guanazole (3,5-diamino-1,2,4-triazole=Hdatrz) hybrid family, that is, [Cd3(datrz)6(H2O)2] (1), [Cd3(datrz)4F2] (2), [Cd5(datrz)4Cl4(OH)2] (3), [Cd5(datrz)4Br4(OH)2] (4), [Cd3(datrz)2(SO3)2].(H2O) (5), [Cd3(datrz)2(O2CMe)4] (6), [Cd(datrz)(O2CEt)] (7), [Cd(Hdatrz)(O2CtBu)2] (8), and [Cd(Hdatrz)2(H2Edta)] (9) have been synthesized by exploiting hydrothermal reactions of guanazole with suitable cadmium salts under appropriate reaction conditions. With effective control of inorganic or organic anions, the coordination diversity of the guanazole ligand in 1-9 manifests an unprecedented enrichment with five bridging modes varying from bidentate to quadridentate, two of which are first reported. Compound 1 is the first reported three-dimensional chiral complex constructed from the guanazole ligand which adopts a novel N1, N2, amino N-bridging mode. Halogen anions F-, Cl-, and Br- controlled compounds 2-4 are all three-dimensional, with their guanazole ligands possessing another novel quadridentate bridging mode. Sulfite anions controlled compound 5 displays a three-dimensional network with peculiar cage-like hexnuclear cadmium clusters. As for organic anions, low dimensional structures have been found for alkylcarboxylate anions MeCO2-, EtCO2-, and tBuCO2- controlled compounds 6, 7, and 8 (two-dimensional) and for H2Edta2- controlled compound 9 (zero-dimensional), and their guanazole ligands manifest low coordination numbers as well. These hybrid materials also present interesting structure-induced physical properties. The chiral compound 1 exhibits the second-order nonlinear optical properties at room temperature. Compounds 2-9 except 6 all exhibit photoluminescence of blue fluorescent emissions in the solid state at ambient temperature, which may be assigned to the intraligand pi-pi* transitions. Some structure related red or blue emission shifts have been investigated. Thermal studies show that most compounds of this study possess a high thermal stability.
The impact of substitution at the Fe site in LiFePO 4 on reaction pathway, kinetics, and crystallographic changes upon electrochemical delithiation has been determined. Substitution was found by X-ray diffraction to reduce the lattice mismatch between the Li-rich and the Li-poor phases of the substituted samples as compared to the unsubstituted one. Substitution was also found, by monitoring the 200 reflection peaks of both the triphylite and heterosite phases, to increase the composition width of the single phase formed on lithium removal, Li 1 − x FePO 4 . A single phase was observed as high as x = 0.15 in Li 1 − x Fe 0.85 V 0.1 PO 4 , whereas LiFePO 4 at the same state of charge and of similar particle size show the existence of two phases. In addition, the temperature at which a single phase is observed for the composition range 0 ≤ x ≤ 1 is decreased from slightly above 300 °C to ca. 200 °C. This increased single-phase-like behavior explains the enhanced kinetics of substituted LiFePO 4 and is consistent with a pseudosingle-phase reaction mechanism.
The crystal structure and delithiation mechanism of Li-site substituted LiFePO4 have been revealed by investigation of supervalent V3+ substitution. The combined X-ray and neutron powder diffraction data analysis surprisingly shows that the substituting aliovalent vanadium ions occupy the Fe site while some of the Fe resides at the Li site, probably as sarcopside, which leads to an increase in the unit cell volume. Such substitution reduces the miscibility gap at room temperature and also significantly lowers the solid solution formation temperature in the two-phase region. The effect of the phase diagram modification results in improved kinetics, leading to better rate performance. Such substitution, however, significantly lowers the LiFePO4 capacity at moderate current densities.
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