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Episodic memory deficits are consistently documented as a core aspect of cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia patients, present from the onset of the illness and strongly associated with functional disability. Over the past decade, research using approaches from experimental cognitive neuroscience revealed disproportionate episodic memory impairments in schizophrenia (Sz) under high cognitive demand relational encoding conditions and relatively unimpaired performance under item-specific encoding conditions. These specific deficits in component processes of episodic memory reflect impaired activation and connectivity within specific elements of frontal-medial temporal lobe circuits, with a central role for the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), relatively intact function of ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and variable results in the hippocampus. We propose that memory deficits can be understood within the broader context of cognitive deficits in Sz, where impaired DLPFC-related cognitive control has a broad impact across multiple cognitive domains. The therapeutic implications of these findings are discussed.

Influenza virus is a significant pathogen in humans and animals with the ability to cause extensive morbidity and mortality. Exuberant immune responses induced following infection have been described as a “cytokine storm,” associated with excessive levels of proinflammatory cytokines and widespread tissue damage. Recent studies have painted a more complex picture of cytokine networks and their contributions to clinical outcomes. While many cytokines clearly inflict immunopathology, others have non-pathological delimited roles in sending alarm signals, facilitating viral clearance, and promoting tissue repair, such as the IL-33—amphiregulin axis, which plays a key role in resolving some types of lung damage. Recent literature suggests that type 2 cytokines, traditionally thought of as not involved in anti-influenza immunity, may play an important regulatory role. Here, we discuss the diverse roles played by cytokines after influenza infection and highlight new, serene features of the cytokine storm, while highlighting the specific functions of relevant cytokines that perform unique immune functions and may have applications for influenza therapy.

Soil acidification is a major problem in soils of intensive Chinese agricultural systems. We used two nationwide surveys, paired comparisons in numerous individual sites, and several long-term monitoring-field data sets to evaluate changes in soil acidity. Soil pH declined significantly (P < 0.001) from the 1980s to the 2000s in the major Chinese crop-production areas. Processes related to nitrogen cycling released 20 to 221 kilomoles of hydrogen ion (H⁺) per hectare per year, and base cations uptake contributed a further 15 to 20 kilomoles of H⁺ per hectare per year to soil acidification in four widespread cropping systems. In comparison, acid deposition (0.4 to 2.0 kilomoles of H⁺ per hectare per year) made a small contribution to the acidification of agricultural soils across China.

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are millisecond-duration radio transients 1 , 2 of unknown origin. Two possible mechanisms that could generate extremely coherent emission from FRBs invoke neutron star magnetospheres 3 – 5 or relativistic shocks far from the central energy source 6 – 8 . Detailed polarization observations may help us to understand the emission mechanism. However, the available FRB polarization data have been perplexing, because they show a host of polarimetric properties, including either a constant polarization angle during each burst for some repeaters 9 , 10 or variable polarization angles in some other apparently one-off events 11 , 12 . Here we report observations of 15 bursts from FRB 180301 and find various polarization angle swings in seven of them. The diversity of the polarization angle features of these bursts is consistent with a magnetospheric origin of the radio emission, and disfavours the radiation models invoking relativistic shocks. Polarization observations of the fast radio burst FRB 180301 with the FAST radio telescope show diverse polarization angle swings, consistent with a magnetospheric origin of the emission.

In the past 4 years, many publications described a concentration-dependent deposition of gadolinium in the brain both in adults and children, seen as high signal intensities in the globus pallidus and dentate nucleus on unenhanced T1-weighted images. Postmortem human or animal studies have validated gadolinium deposition in these T1-hyperintensity areas, raising new concerns on the safety of gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs). Residual gadolinium is deposited not only in brain, but also in extracranial tissues such as liver, skin, and bone. This review summarizes the current evidence on gadolinium deposition in the human and animal bodies, evaluates the effects of different types of GBCAs on the gadolinium deposition, introduces the possible entrance or clearance mechanism of the gadolinium and potential side effects that may be related to the gadolinium deposition on human or animals, and puts forward some suggestions for further research.

Heterostructures based on layering of two-dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene and hexagonal boron nitride represent a new class of electronic devices. Realizing this potential, however, depends critically on the ability to make high-quality electrical contact. Here, we report a contact geometry in which we metalize only the ID edge of a 2D graphene layer. In addition to outperforming conventional surface contacts, the edge-contact geometry allows a complete separation of the layer assembly and contact metallization processes. In graphene heterostructures, this enables high electronic performance, including low-temperature ballistic transport over distances longer than 15 micrometers, and room-temperature mobility comparable to the theoretical phonon-scattering limit. The edge-contact geometry provides new design possibilities for multilayered structures of complimentary 2D materials.

Wide-angle optical systems play a vital role in imaging applications and have been researched for many years. In traditional lenses, attaining a wide field of view (FOV) by using a single optical component is difficult because these lenses have crucial aberrations. In this study, we developed a wide-angle metalens with a numerical aperture of 0.25 that provided a diffraction-limited FOV of over 170° for a wavelength of 532 nm without the need for image stitching or multiple lenses. The designed wide-angle metalens is free of aberration and polarization, and its full width of half maximum is close to the diffraction limit at all angles. Moreover, the metalens which is designed through a hexagonal arrangement exhibits higher focusing efficiency at all angles than most-seen square arrangement. The focusing efficiencies are as high as 82% at a normal incident and 45% at an incident of 85°. Compared with traditional optical components, the proposed metalens exhibits higher FOV and provides a more satisfactory image quality because of aberration correction. Because of the advantages of the proposed metalens, which are difficult to achieve for a traditional single lens, it has the potential to be applied in camera systems and virtual and augmented reality.

The c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway represents one subgroup of MAP kinases that are activated primarily by cytokines and exposure to environmental stress. Autophagy is a protein-degradation system characterized by the formation of double-membrane vacuoles termed autophagosomes. Autophagy-related gene beclin 1 plays a key role in autophagosome formation. However, the relationships between activation of JNK pathway, autophagy induction and Beclin 1 expression remain elusive. In this study, we used human cancer cell lines CNE2 and Hep3B to investigate the role of JNK-mediated Beclin 1 expression in ceramide-induced autophagic cell death. Ceramide-treated cells exhibited the characteristics of autophagy (that is, acidic vesicular organelle formation and the LC3-II generation). JNK was activated in these two cell lines exposed to ceramide and the phosphorylation of c-Jun also increased. In the meantime, we found that ceramide upregulated Beclin 1 expression in cancer cells. The upregulation of Beclin 1 expression could be blocked by SP600125 (a specific inhibitor of JNK) or a small interfering RNA (siRNA) directed against JNK1/2 or c-Jun. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter analysis revealed that c-Jun was involved in the regulation of beclin 1 transcription in response to ceramide treatment. In addition, inhibition of JNK activity by SP600125 could inhibit autophagy induction by ceramide. Furthermore, Beclin 1 knockdown by siRNA also inhibited ceramide-mediated autophagic cell death. JNK-mediated Beclin 1 expression was also observed in topotecan-induced autophagy. These data suggest that activation of JNK pathway can mediate Beclin 1 expression, which plays a key role in autophagic cell death in cancer cells.

Atmospheric hydrodynamic escape sculpts the population of low-mass close-in planets. However, distinguishing between the driving mechanisms responsible for the hydrodynamic escape of hydrogen-rich atmospheres is a complex task due to the involvement of many physical factors. Using simulations, I show that hydrodynamic escape can be driven solely by thermal energy deposited in the lower layers of the atmosphere, but only if the planet’s Jeans parameter is below 3. Otherwise, additional exogenous drivers are necessary. To characterize these drivers, an upgraded Jeans parameter that takes into account tidal forces is introduced. When the upgraded Jeans parameter falls below 3 or exceeds 6, atmospheric escape is primarily driven by tidal forces or extreme ultraviolet radiation from the host star, respectively. In the range 3 to 6, both factors can trigger the escape of the atmosphere. The upgraded Jeans parameter, which is closely related to the underlying physics, provides a concise method for categorizing the driving mechanisms of hydrodynamic escape. The results can also be applied to planetary evolution calculations. An updated Jeans parameter that includes tidal forces can distinguish the various driving forces, both exogenous and endogenous, of atmospheric escape from low-mass close-in exoplanets. Depending on its value, escape can be dominated by tidal forces, extreme ultraviolet stellar radiation or a combination of the two.

A number of agents are now approved for the treatment of renal cancer. A comparison of two agents, pazopanib and sunitinib, showed similar levels of antitumor activity but distinct side-effect profiles. Symptoms affecting quality of life were somewhat worse with sunitinib. Renal-cell carcinoma is the most common kidney cancer. 1 Up to 30% of patients have metastases at the time of the initial diagnosis. 2 Systemic treatment for patients who have metastatic renal-cell carcinoma with a clear-cell histologic component has shifted from cytokines to drugs targeting angiogenesis. Sunitinib, pazopanib, and five other agents have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of clear-cell, metastatic renal-cell carcinoma. 3 , 4 Among the tyrosine kinase inhibitors, pazopanib and sunitinib are first-line treatment options. Sunitinib has been compared with interferon alfa in patients who had not previously received systemic therapy for renal-cell carcinoma, 5 whereas . . .