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Motivation Transcription factors are pivotal in the regulation of gene expression, and accurate identification of transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) at high resolution is crucial for understanding the mechanisms underlying gene regulation. The task of identifying TFBSs from DNA sequences is a significant challenge in the field of computational biology today. To address this challenge, a variety of computational approaches have been developed. However, these methods face limitations in their ability to achieve high-resolution identification and often lack interpretability. Results We propose BertSNR, an interpretable deep learning framework for identifying TFBSs at single-nucleotide resolution. BertSNR integrates sequence-level and token-level information by multi-task learning based on pre-trained DNA language models. Benchmarking comparisons show that our BertSNR outperforms the existing state-of-the-art methods in TFBS predictions. Importantly, we enhanced the interpretability of the model through attentional weight visualization and motif analysis, and discovered the subtle relationship between attention weight and motif. Moreover, BertSNR effectively identifies TFBSs in promoter regions, facilitating the study of intricate gene regulation. Availability and implementation The BertSNR source code can be found at https://github.com/lhy0322/BertSNR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a class of full‐states constraints nonlinear system with actuator failure, an adaptive fuzzy disturbance observer tracking design is carried out by using Lyapunov function and the dynamic surface method. The integral explosion problem is avoided by using the dynamic surface design method. Because the disturbance of the system is unknown, a nonlinear fuzzy disturbance observer is designed to estimate the unknown disturbance. And the unknown nonlinear function is approximated fuzzy logic systems. Based on the Lyapunov function method and backstepping approach, the stability of considered systems are analysed. And the proposed method can guarantee that all the signals in the closed‐loop system are bounded and the system output can track the desired signal to the small neighbourhood range. In addition, the fuzzy disturbance observer can estimate the unknown disturbance state well. Finally, several sets of simulation examples are given and compared with other method, and the experimental results are quantitatively analysed. Then, the robustness and superiority of the proposed control scheme are verified and demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: After China ended its 'dynamic zero-COVID policy' on 7 December 2022, a large-scale outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infections emerged across the country. We conducted a hospital-wide prospective study to document the epidemiological characteristics of the outbreak among healthcare workers in a hospital of Chengdu, where no previous staff SARS-CoV-2 infections were detected. Methods: All hospital staff members were invited to complete an online questionnaire on COVID-19 in January 2023, and SARS-CoV-2 infection cases were followed up by telephone in June 2023 to collect data on long COVID. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results: A total of 2,899 hospital staff (93.5%) completed the online questionnaire, and 86.4% were infected with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron. The clinical manifestations of these patients were characterized by a high incidence of systemic symptoms. Cough (83.4%), fatigue (79.8%) and fever (74.3%) were the most frequently reported symptoms. Multivariable logistic analysis revealed that females [adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.42, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07–1.88] and clinical practitioners (aOR: 10.32, 95% CI: 6.57–16.20) were associated with an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, whereas advanced age ≥ 60 years (aOR: 0.30, 95% CI: 0.19–0.49) and a three-dose COVID-19 vaccination with the most recent dose administered within 3 months before 7 December 2022 (aOR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.23–0.87 for within 1 month; aOR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.22–0.97 for within 1–3 months) were associated with reduced risk. Among the cases, 4.27% experienced long COVID of fatigue, brain fog or both, with the majority reporting minor symptoms. Conclusion: Our findings provide a snapshot of the epidemiological situation of SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers in Chengdu after China's deregulation of COVID-19 control. Data in the study can aid in the development and implementation of effective measures to protect healthcare workers and maintain the integrity of healthcare systems during challenging times such as a rapid and widespread Omicron outbreak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Often, the indirect impact of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) presents the family with significant challenges. One of these challenges is affiliate stigma due to parental affiliation with their child. This study aimed to explore affiliate stigma, resilience and quality of life (QoL) among parents of children with ASD. Methods: Cross-sectional study of 144 parents of children with ASD were recruited from two main tertiary hospitals in Kelantan, Malaysia, a developing country in Southeast Asia. Pearson correlation was used to examine the relationship between parental affiliate stigma, resilience and QoL. Simple and multiple linear regression analyses were used to identify the significant associated factors of affiliate stigma, resilience and QoL. Results: Correlational analyses revealed that perceived affiliate stigma demonstrated an inverse relationship with resilience and QoL. Additionally, resilience had a positive relationship with QoL. Regression analyses revealed that the father's employment status, the mother's level of education, having a disability card, the child's age at ASD diagnosis, comorbidities of the child and ASD severity perceived by parents were associated with parental affiliate stigma, resilience and QoL. Conclusion: Study findings highlight the contribution of socio-demographic characteristics of children with ASD and their families in the determination of affiliate stigma, resilience and QoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The potential for totipotency exists in all plant cells; however, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Earlier findings have revealed that the overexpression of LEAFY COTYLEDON 2 (LEC2) can directly trigger the formation of somatic embryos on the cotyledons of Arabidopsis. Furthermore, cotyledon cells that overexpress LEC2 accumulate significant lipid reserves typically found in seeds. The precise mechanisms and functions governing lipid accumulation in this process remain unexplored.In this study, we demonstrate that WRINKLED1 (WRI1), the key regulator of lipid biosynthesis, is essential for somatic embryo formation, suggesting that WRI1‐mediated lipid biosynthesis plays a crucial role in the transition from vegetative to embryonic development.Our findings indicate a direct interaction between WRI1 and LEC2, which enhances the enrichment of LEC2 at downstream target genes and stimulates their induction. Besides, our data suggest that WRI1 forms a complex with LEC1, LEC2, and FUSCA3 (FUS3) to facilitate the accumulation of auxin and lipid for the somatic embryo induction, through strengthening the activation of YUCCA4 (YUC4) and OLEOSIN3 (OLE3) genes.Our results uncover a regulatory module controlled by WRI1, crucial for somatic embryogenesis. These findings provide valuable insights into our understanding of plant cell totipotency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to identify different trajectories of remnant cholesterol (RC) and investigate the association of RC trajectories with vascular endothelial function and atherosclerosis progression in a longitudinal cohort of the Chinese population. A total of 521 participants were included in the flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) subcohort study, and 7775 participants were included in the brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) subcohort study. All participants had ≥ 3 medical examinations during the 10-year follow-up period. In the FMD subcohort study, three distinct RC trajectories were identified according to the RC range and changing pattern over time: "low" (57.58%), "moderate" (30.90%) and "high" (11.52%). The proportion of the three groups with vascular endothelial dysfunction (FMD < 7.0%) was 20.00%, 39.75% and 60.00% respectively. Taking the low group as a reference, participants in the moderate and high groups had over 1.88 and 2.94 times the odds of vascular endothelial dysfunction (P = 0.048). In the baPWV subcohort study, three distinct RC trajectories were also identified: "low" (54.29%), "moderate" (38.97%) and "high" (6.74%). The proportion of the three groups with atherosclerosis (baPWV > 1400 cm/s) was 38.79%, 51.26% and 59.01% respectively. Taking the low group as a reference, participants in the moderate and high groups had over 1.46 and 2.16 times the odds of atherosclerosis (P < 0.001). The findings indicated that distinct RC trajectories are significantly associated with vascular endothelial function and atherosclerosis. Regular monitoring to identify persistent increases in RC may be more helpful in identifying individuals with a high risk of cardiovascular disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bilayer hydrogel actuators, consisting of an actuating layer and a functional layer, show broad applications in areas such as soft robotics, artificial muscles, drug delivery and tissue engineering due to their inherent flexibility and responses to stimuli. However, to achieve the compatibility of good stimulus responses and high mechanical properties of bilayer hydrogel actuators is still a challenge. Herein, based on the double-network strategy and using the synchronous ultraviolet (UV) polymerization method, an upper critical solution temperature (UCST)-type bilayer hydrogel actuator was prepared, which consisted of a poly(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid)[MC] actuating layer and an agar/poly(N-hydroxyethyl acrylamide-co-methacrylic acid)[AHA] functional layer. The results showed that the tensile stress/strain of the bilayer hydrogel actuator was 1161.21 KPa/222.07%. In addition, the UCST of bilayer hydrogels was ~35 °C, allowing the bilayer hydrogel actuator to be curled into an "◎" shape, which could be unfolded when the temperature was 65 °C, but not at a temperature of 5 °C. Furthermore, hydrogel actuators of three different shapes were designed, namely "butterfly", "cross" and "circle", all of which demonstrated good actuating performances, showing the programmable potential of bilayer hydrogels. Overall, the bilayer hydrogels prepared using double-network and synchronous UV polymerization strategies realized the combination of high mechanical properties with an efficient temperature actuation, which provides a new method for the development of bilayer hydrogel actuators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Shuangyuangou copper deposit is located in the southern segment of the Qinling orogenic belt in central China. The ore‐related intrusions include quartz diorite porphyry, granite porphyry and lamprophyre. In this study, we present whole‐rock geochemistry, zircon U–Pb geochronology, trace elements and Lu–Hf isotope data on the Shuangyuangou intrusions which provide critical constraints on the emplacement age, magma origin, petrogenesis and implications for porphyry Cu mineralization in this newly discovered deposit. Zircon U–Pb dating constrains the emplacement age of quartz diorite porphyry, lamprophyre and granite porphyry at 150–147 Ma. The quartz diorite porphyry and granite porphyry display high‐K calc–alkaline I‐type granite affiliation. The rocks show enrichment of LREE and LILE (Rb, Ba), depletion in HREE and HFSE (Nb, Ta, Ti) and absence of Eu anomaly. Zircon εHf(t) values of quartz diorite porphyry, lamprophyre and granite porphyry range from −7.5 to −1.7 with TDM2 ages of 1.3–1.6 Ga. Our data suggest that the parental magma was derived from partial melting of juvenile lower crust and metasomatic lithospheric mantle, with more involvement of mantle material for the lamprophyre. The zircon Eu/Eu* values of 0.55–0.78 suggest high magmatic water content which suppresses the fractionation of plagioclase. In addition, the ΔFMQ values calculated from zircon trace elements range from −0.90 to 2.96 which is a favourable factor for porphyry Cu mineralization at Shuangyuangou. The Late Jurassic Shuangyuangou intrusion and associated Cu mineralization were formed within an intracontinental setting after the collisional assembly of the Qinling orogenic belt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Trans‐North China Orogen (TNCO) is a major Palaeoproterozoic collisional orogen in the North China Craton and has experienced complex tectonic evolution during the assembly of the Eastern and Western Blocks. The vestiges of subducted oceanic crust preserved in this orogen can be used to gain insights into the subduction–collision process associated with the Palaeoproterozoic orogeny. In this study, we investigate garnet amphibolites from the Wanzi Group in the Fuping Complex along the TNCO through integrated petrography, mineral chemistry, phase equilibrium modelling and zircon U–Pb geochronology. Three stages of metamorphic mineral assemblages are identified as follows: (i) the prograde assemblage is preserved as plagioclase, amphibole, biotite and quartz inclusions in garnet porphyroblasts; (ii) the peak mineral assemblage includes coarse‐grained amphibole, garnet, plagioclase, ilmenite, biotite and quartz; and (iii) the retrograde assemblage is mainly represented by the corona of amphibole, plagioclase and biotite in the matrix. Petrological features and phase equilibrium modelling define a clockwise pressure–temperature path involving a prograde stage of 7.2–9.6 kbar and <670°C, peak conditions of 10.0–10.2 kbar and 690–810°C, and a retrograde stage with near‐isothermal decompression to ~7.4 kbar and cooling. Zircon U–Pb dating shows weighted mean ages of 1848 ± 22 Ma and 1836 ± 31 Ma, representing the growth of zircon in the retrograde stage during the uplift and cooling process. In combination with available data from the TNCO, the post‐peak decompression and cooling process is inferred to be long‐lived during 1.90–1.76 Ga, following collision along the TNCO that occurred during 1.97–1.90 Ga, ultimately leading to the final assembly of the North China Craton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objectives: In anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, the strength of the graft was found to be unsatisfactory usually the anterior half of the peroneus longus tendon was taken for supplementation, but the effect on foot and ankle function and gait in the donor area is unclear. This study aims to explore the changes in the ankle and gait after using the harvested anterior half of the peroneus longus tendon as a reconstruction graft for the anterior cruciate ligament. Methods: A total of 20 patients, 6 males and 14 females, aged 18 to 44 years, with unilateral anterior cruciate ligament injuries, underwent reconstruction using the harvested anterior half of the peroneus longus tendon as a graft between June 2021 and December 2021. The part on which the anterior half of the peroneus longus tendon was harvested was considered the experimental group, while the contralateral foot was the control group. At the 6-month follow-up, the Lysholm knee score, AOFAS ankle score, and gait-related data (foot length, arch index, arch volume, arch volume index, and gait cycle parameters: percentage of time in each gait phase, step frequency, step length, foot strike angle, and push-off angle) were assessed using a 3D foot scanner and wearable sensors for both groups. Results: All 20 patients completed the six-month follow-up. There were no statistically significant differences between the experimental and control groups regarding knee scores, ankle scores, foot length, arch index, arch volume, arch volume index, step frequency, and step length (P > 0.05). However, there were statistically significant differences between the experimental and control groups in terms of the gait cycle parameters, including the percentage of time in the stance, mid-stance, and push-off phases, as well as foot strike angle and push-off angle (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Through our study of the surgical experimental group we have shown that harvesting the anterior half of the peroneus longus tendon does not affect foot morphology and gait parameters; however, it does impact the gait cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) oxidatively depolymerize recalcitrant polysaccharides, which is important for biomass conversion. The catalytic domains of many LPMOs are linked to carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs) through flexible linkers, but the function of these CBMs in LPMO catalysis is not well understood. In this study, we utilized MtLPMO9L and MtLPMO9G derived from Myceliophthora thermophila to investigate the impact of CBMs on LPMO activity, with particular emphasis on their influence on H2O2 tolerance. Using truncated forms of MtLPMO9G generated by removing the CBM, we found reduced substrate binding affinity and enzymatic activity. Conversely, when the CBM was fused to the C terminus of the single-domain MtLPMO9L to create MtLPMO9L-CBM, we observed a substantial improvement in substrate binding affinity, enzymatic activity, and notably, H2O2 tolerance. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulations confirmed that the CBM fusion enhances the proximity of the active site to the substrate, thereby promoting multilocal cleavage and impacting the exposure of the copper active site to H2O2. Importantly, the fusion of CBM resulted in more efficient consumption of H2O2 by LPMO, leading to improved enzymatic activity and reduced auto-oxidative damage of the copper active center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, studies have shown nosocomial infections contribute to increased mortality rates, prolonged hospital stays, and added financial burdens for patients. Previous studies have demonstrated that effective infection control training can enhance the quality of infection control practices, particularly in intensive care unit (ICU) settings. However, there is currently no universally accepted training mode or program that adequately addresses the specific needs of ICU medical staff regarding nosocomial infection control. The objective of this study was to develop a standardized training system for preventing and controlling hospital-acquired infections among new medical staff in the internal medicine ICU. Our methodology encompassed an extensive literature review, technical interviews focusing on key events, semi-structured in-depth interviews, and two rounds of Delphi expert correspondence. We employed intentional sampling to select 16 experts for the Delphi expert consultation. Indicators were chosen based on an average importance score of >3.5 and a coefficient of variation of <0.25. The weight of each indicator was determined using the analytic hierarchy process. The efficacy of the two rounds of questionnaires was also evaluated. Our findings revealed that the questionnaires achieved a 100% effective recovery rate, with expert authority coefficients of 0.96 and 0.90. The Kendall coordination coefficients for the first-, second-, and third-level indicators in the initial round of expert consultation questionnaires were 0.440, 0.204, and 0.386 (P < 0.001), respectively. In the second round of expert consultation questionnaires, the Kendall coordination coefficients for the first, second, and third-level indicators were 0.562, 0.467, and 0.556 (P < 0.001), respectively. The final training model consisted of four first-level indicators (hospital infection prevention and control training content, training methods/forms, assessment content, and evaluation indicators), 26 second-level indicators, and 44 third-level indicators. In conclusion, the proposed standardized training system for infection prevention and control among new medical staff in the internal medicine ICU is both scientifically sound and practical, which can contribute to improved patient safety, reduced healthcare costs, and enhanced overall quality of care in internal medicine ICUs. Moreover, it can serve as a framework for future training projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Subjective memory impairment (SMI) is common in older people. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors influencing SMI among older people in China, with specific focus on the interaction effect of midday napping duration and depressive symptoms on the risk of SMI. Methods: Using a dataset representative of the Chinese population from a longitudinal study of health and retirement in China, subjects with SMI were screened using the question "how do you feel about your memory now?" and the Mini-Mental State Examination. A logistic regression model was applied to explore the factors affecting SMI. Additive and multiplicative models were used to analyze the interaction effect of midday napping duration and depressive symptoms on the risk of SMI. Results: We enrolled 8,254 subjects included and the incidence of SMI was 63.9%. Depressive symptoms, nap time, and physical activity were influencing factors of SMI. Midday napping duration and depressive symptoms had positive additive interaction effects on the risk of SMI. When extended-length naps and depressive symptoms coexisted, the risk of SMI was 1.06 times greater than that for either alone (RERI, relative excess risk due to interaction = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.07–0.43; AP, attributable proportion = 0.14, 95% CI = 0.01–0.23; S, synergy index = 1.06, 95% CI = 0.57–1.62). When short naps and depressive symptoms coexisted, the risk of SMI was 1.2 times higher than that for either alone (RERI = 0.12, 95% CI=-0.14–0.39; AP = 0.13, 95% CI=-0.07–0.22; S = 1.20, 95% CI = 0.79–1.82). Limitations: Since this was a cross-sectional study, the cause-and-effect relationships between the associated variables cannot be inferred. Conclusions: The interaction effect that exists between nap time and depressive symptoms in older people is important for the identification and early intervention of people at risk for SMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This study aimed to investigate the causal interaction between significant sensorimotor network (SMN) regions and other brain regions in Parkinson's disease patients with drooling (droolers). Methods: Twenty‐one droolers, 22 PD patients without drooling (non‐droolers), and 22 matched healthy controls underwent 3T‐MRI resting‐state scans. We performed independent component analysis and Granger causality analysis to determine whether significant SMN regions help predict other brain areas. Pearson's correlation was computed between imaging characteristics and clinical characteristics. ROC curves were plotted to assess the diagnostic performance of effective connectivity (EC). Results: Compared with non‐droolers and healthy controls, droolers showed abnormal EC of the right caudate nucleus (CAU.R) and right postcentral gyrus to extensive brain regions. In droolers, increased EC from the CAU.R to the right middle temporal gyrus was positively correlated with MDS‐UPDRS, MDS‐UPDRS II, NMSS, and HAMD scores; increased EC from the right inferior parietal lobe to CAU.R was positively correlated with MDS‐UPDRS score. ROC curve analysis showed that these abnormal ECs are of great significance in diagnosing drooling in PD. Conclusion: This study identified that PD patients with drooling have abnormal EC in the cortico‐limbic‐striatal‐cerebellar and cortio‐cortical networks, which could be potential biomarkers for drooling in PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tethys domain preserves one of the largest continent‐continent collisional orogenic belts on Earth. This belt can be divided into the Proterozoic to Palaeozoic Proto‐Tethyan orogenic belt, Late Palaeozoic to Triassic Palaeo‐Tethyan orogenic belt and Triassic to Cenozoic Meso‐ and Neo‐Tethyan orogenic belts. The Tethyan metallogenic domain, representing one of the three major metallogenic domains in the world, extends more than 10,000 km from east to west and has developed world‐class ore belts, such as the South‐east Asia tin ore belt, Sanjiang metallogenic belt in South‐west China, Gangdese–Pakistan–Iran porphyry copper belt and South‐east Europe epithermal gold belt. The geology of the Tethys domain has been studied for more than 100 years and many important advances have been made recently, although scientific issues remain controversial. This thematic section of Geological Journal contains 10 articles focusing on the formation of rocks and ore deposits, including petrology and geochemistry of magmatic, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks, and the formation mechanism of mineral deposits in the Eastern Tethyan Realm. These articles reflect new progress in related studies and provide important reference for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influenza A virus (IAV) can infect respiratory epithelial cells where it replicates, triggers cellular innate immune responses, and even induces cell apoptosis. Ubiquitin-specific peptidase 18 (USP18) was reported to be associated with IAV replication and immune response homeostasis. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the role of USP18 in IAV-infected lung epithelial cells. The cell viability was determined by the CCK-8 method. Viral titers were quantified by standard plaque assay. Innate immune response-associated cytokines were detected by RT-qPCR and ELISA and cell apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry. The results showed that overexpression of USP18 promoted viral replication, innate immune factor secretion and apoptosis in IAV-infected A549 cells. Mechanistically, USP18 reduced cGAS degradation by decreasing its K48-linked ubiquitination to promote IAV-induced cGAS-STING pathway activation. In conclusion, USP18 is a pathological mediator of IAV in lung epithelial cells. [Display omitted] • IAV promote their own replication by increasing USP18 levels. • USP18 mediates innate immune responses in IAV-infected lung epithelial cells. • USP18 mediates apoptosis in IAV-infected lung epithelial cells. • USP18 reduces cGAS degradation by decreasing its ubiquitination to promote cGAS-STING pathway activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Explosives have a wide range of applications in many fields due to their high energy and high density. Recently, a new synthesized co-crystal explosive DAF:ADNP presents high detonation performance and low sensitivity. This work is aimed to understand how the structure and intermolecular interactions affect the performance of the DAF:ADNP co-crystal. The results indicate that the formed π–π interactions and stronger hydrogen bonds in the co-crystal enhance its stability and its impact sensitivity is reduced. The strong intralayer H···N and H···O interactions and interlayer π–π stacking are the main driving force for the formation of the co-crystal. Compared with the pure crystals, the detonation performance of the co-crystal slightly decreases, while its sensitivity reduces. Methods: All calculations were used the DFT-PBE-D method with Vanderbilt-type ultrasoft pseudopotentials and plane wave (340.0 eV) in the CASTEP package. Radial distribution function were calculated by NVT-MD simulations for 100 ps with a time step of 1 fs at 298 K. Hirshfeld surfaces were generated by CrystalExplorer 3.0 and reduced density gradient analyses were performed by Multiwfn 3.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 80,000 new cases of bladder cancer are estimated to be diagnosed in 2023. However, the 5-year survival rate for bladder cancer has not changed in decades, highlighting the need for prevention. Numerous cancer-causing mutations are present in the urothelium long before signs of cancer arise. Mutation hotspots in cancer-driving genes were identified in non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) tumor samples. Mutation burden within the hotspot regions was measured in normal urothelium with a low and high risk of cancer. A significant correlation was found between the mutation burden in normal urothelium and bladder cancer tissue within the hotspot regions. A combination of measured hotspot burden and personal risk factors was used to fit machine learning classification models. The efficacy of each model to differentiate between adjacent benign urothelium from bladder cancer patients and normal urothelium from healthy donors was measured. A random forest model using a combination of personal risk factors and mutations within MIBC hotspots yielded the highest AUC of 0.9286 for the prediction of high- vs. low-risk normal urothelium. Currently, there are no effective biomarkers to assess subclinical field disease and early carcinogenic progression in the bladder. Our findings demonstrate novel differences in mutation hotspots in NMIBC and MIBC and provide the first evidence for mutation hotspots to aid in the assessment of cancer risk in the normal urothelium. Early risk assessment and identification of patients at high risk of bladder cancer before the clinical presentation of the disease can pave the way for targeted personalized preventative therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The superior colliculus (SC) represents a major visual processing station in the mammalian brain that receives input from many types of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). How many parallel channels exist in the SC, and what information does each encode? Here, we recorded from mouse superficial SC neurons under a battery of visual stimuli including those used for classification of RGCs. An unsupervised clustering algorithm identified 24 functional types based on their visual responses. They fall into two groups: one that responds similarly to RGCs and another with more diverse and specialized stimulus selectivity. The second group is dominant at greater depths, consistent with a vertical progression of signal processing in the SC. Cells of the same functional type tend to cluster near each other in anatomical space. Compared to the retina, the visual representation in the SC has lower dimensionality, consistent with a sifting process along the visual pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of EU-Idd both in vivo and in vitro. In vivo, we used the collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rat model to investigate the efficacy of EU-Idd on rheumatoid arthritis. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and Safranin O-fast green staining were used to evaluate the pathological status of the ankle joints in CIA rats. Micro-CT scanning was used to investigate bone erosion of the ankle joints. In vitro, the effect of EU-Idd on Th17 cell differentiation was identified by flow cytometry. TRAP staining was used to detect osteoclast cells. HFLS-RA model cells, induced by tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), were used to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of EU-Idd while the levels of related inflammatory cytokines and JAK2/STAT3 proteins were detected by RT-qPCR and western blotting. EU-Idd alleviated joint inflammation in CIA rats and exerted protective effects on the ankle joints. EU-Idd also prevented the differentiation of CD4+ T cells into Th17 cells, reduced the number of osteoclasts, and improved the expression levels of bone metabolism-related proteins including OPG and RANKL. Moreover, EU-Idd inhibited the invasion and migration of HFLS-RA cells and downregulated the expression of related inflammatory cytokine genes and the protein expression levels of p-JAK2 and p-STAT3, both in vivo and in vitro. EU-Idd exerts anti-inflammatory and osteoprotective effects by regulating the JAK2/STAT3 pathway in rheumatoid arthritis. These results are beneficial to excavate new pharmaceutical ingredients for rheumatoid arthritis from iridoid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Zigui–Badong section of the Three Gorges Reservoir area is used as the research area in this study to research the impact of unbalanced sample sets on Landslide Susceptibility Mapping (LSM) and determine the sample ratio interval with the best performance for different models. We employ 12 LSM factors, five training sample sets with different sample ratios (1:1, 1:2, 1:4, 1:8, and 1:16), and C5.0, Support Vector Machine (SVM), Logistic Regression (LR), and one-dimensional Convolution Neural Network (CNN) models are used to obtain landslide susceptibility index and landslide susceptibility zoning in the study area, respectively. The prediction performance of the model is evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic curve area under the curve value, five statistical methods, and specific category precision. The results show that the CNN, SVM, and LR models in the sample ratio of 1:2 achieve better performance than on the balanced sample set, which indicates the importance of the unbalanced sample set in training the LSM modeling. The C5.0 model is always in a state of overfitting in this study and needs to be further studied. The conclusions put forward in this study help improve the scientificity and reliability of LSM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TATA-box-binding protein-associated Factor 15 (TAF15), a member of the FUS/EWS/TAF15 (FET) family, contributes to the progression of various tumours. However, the role and molecular mechanism of TAF15 in gastric cancer (GC) progression are still unknown. In this study, we found that TAF15 was significantly upregulated in GC tumour tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of TAF15 was associated with a larger tumour size, high pathologic stage and high T stage of GC. TAF15 knockdown suppressed the proliferation, migration and invasion of GC cells in vitro and inhibited the tumour growth in vivo. Additionally, TAF15 knockdown led to the significant reductions in the phosphorylation levels of RAF1, MEK and ERK1/2, while total RAF1, MEK and ERK1/2 exhibited no significant change in GC cell lines. In summary, TAF15 is overexpressed in GC tumour tissues and cell lines, and promotes cell proliferation, migration and invasion in GC via the RAF1/MEK/ERK signaling pathway, which suggests that TAF15 might be a potential molecular diagnostic marker or therapeutic target for GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We constrain the photon mass from well-localized fast radio bursts (FRBs) using Bayes inference method. The probability distributions of dispersion measures (DMs) of host galaxy and intergalactic medium are properly taken into account. The photon mass is tightly constrained from 17 well-localized FRBs in the redshift range 0 < z < 0.66. Assuming that there is no redshift evolution of host DM, the 1σ and 2σ upper limits of photon mass are constrained to be m γ < 4.8 × 10−51 kg and m γ < 7.1 × 10−51 kg, respectively. Monte Carlo simulations show that even enlarging the FRB sample to 200 and extending the redshift range to 0 < z < 3 could not significantly improve the constraining ability on photon mass. This is because of the large uncertainty on the DM of intergalactic medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent study published in the National Science Review proposes a new approach to enhance the effectiveness of CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumors. CAR-T cells are genetically modified T cells that can target and kill cancer cells. While CAR-T cell therapy has been successful in treating hematologic disorders, its efficacy in solid tumors has been limited. The study introduces a biomimetic injectable scaffold that activates and expands CAR-T cells within cervical carcinoma, leading to a significant increase in their anti-tumor activity. This innovative approach has the potential to improve the outcomes of CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumors and may have broader applications in delivering cell-based therapies. [Extracted from the article]

Nanostructured cobalt sulfide-based electrode materials for supercapacitors (SCs) still suffer from easy aggregation, sluggish reaction kinetics, and poor structural stability. To resolve these issues, we adopt a two-step electrochemical deposition method to fabricate CoS nanosheets decorated on polypyrrole (PPy) nanowires that grow directly on Ni foam. The PPy nanowires serve as supports for growing CoS nanosheets, which not only make the CoS nanosheets well dispersed but also reduce their size and thickness. In addition, the intensive interaction between CoS and PPy endows the nanoarchitecture with high mechanical strength. Therefore, the constructed PPy@CoS nanocomposites feature abundant electroactive sites, high charge transport and transfer efficiencies, a short ion diffusion distance, and good structural stability. As a result, the optimized PPy@CoS nanocomposites as SC electrodes demonstrate specific capacities of 860C g−1 at 1 A g−1 and 595C g−1 at 20 A g−1, as well as a 92% initial capacity retention after 5000 cycles at 10 A g−1. Furthermore, a fabricated asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) device with PPy@CoS nanocomposites as the positive electrode realizes a specific energy of 51.1 Wh kg−1 at 800 W kg−1, suggesting a promising potential for their practical application in SCs. This work may provide a feasible strategy for fabricating other metal sulfide/conducting polymer nanocomposites with enhanced charge storage capabilities as SC electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atomically precise nanoclusters (NCs) provide opportunities for correlating the structure and electrocatalytic properties at atomic level. Herein, we report the single-atom doping effect and ligand effect on CO2 electroreduction (eCO2RR) by comparing monogold-doped Au1Cu24 and homocopper Cu25 NCs protected by triphenylphosphine or/and tris(4-fluorophenyl)phosphine. Catalytic results revealed that the electronic distribution of Cu25 NCs is enormously contracted by doping Au atoms, entitling it to exhibit the unique inhibition of hydrogen evolution reaction. And the inductive effect of ligand strongly favors the formation of formate in eCO2RR. Overall, this work will provide guidance for the rational design of the copper-based catalysts in the eCO2RR. Tuning the metal core and ligand environment of atomically precise nanoclusters enables the correlation of structural and electrocatalytic properties at an atomic level. Here, single-atom doping and ligand tuning of atomically precise copper clusters is shown to be an effective route to tuning CO2 electroreduction activity and selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a respiratory disease with high morbidity and mortality rates and is the primary cause of death in children and the elderly around the world. The use of Chinese foods in the complementary and alternative treatment of ALI has attracted more and more attention. This study aimed to explore the anti‐ALI activity of Chinese functional foods Rosa roxburghii Tratt fruit polyphenols (RRTP). RRTP was administered to lipopolysaccharide‐induced ALI mice, and its protective effects were comprehensively evaluated by lung histopathological examination, wet/dry (W/D) ratio, and cytokine production. Metabolomics analysis was used to identify the differential metabolites and metabolic pathways in plasma, and molecular docking and systemic biology‐based network pharmacology assay were performed to explore the active components and potential therapeutic targets. The results indicated that RRTP significantly attenuated the severity of pathological changes and pulmonary capillary permeability. Furthermore, RRTP limited the increase in tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α), interleukin 1β (IL‐1β), and interleukin 6 (IL‐6) levels and the decrease in interleukin 10 (IL‐10) levels in ALI mice. Metabolomics studies revealed that RRTP markedly affected 19 different metabolites, three amino acid metabolism pathways, and sphingolipid metabolism. Moreover, network pharmacology identified AKT1 (AKT serine/threonine kinase 1), TP53, IL‐6, VEGFA (vascular endothelial growth factor A), and TNF (tumor necrosis factor) as the most promising target proteins, while quercetin, luteolin, and kaempferol were the core active components of RRTP. This study investigated the complex mechanisms of RRTP against ALI for the first time, and provided a foundation for the application of RRTP as a functional food, facilitating the research of nutritional food additives for the adjuvant treatment of ALI. This study revealed the protective effects and mechanism of RRTP against ALI for the first time and clarified the potential therapeutic targets of RRTP on ALI. This study provided a breakthrough for the development and demonstration of RRTP as a functional food, or the research of nutritional food additives for the adjuvant treatment of ALI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Image steganography is a scheme that hides secret information in a cover image without being perceived. Most of the existing steganography methods are more concerned about the visual similarity between the stego image and the cover image, and they ignore the recovery accuracy of secret information. In this paper, the steganography method based on invertible neural networks is proposed, which can generate stego images with high invisibility and security and can achieve lossless recovery for secret information. In addition, this paper introduces a mapping module that can compress information actually embedded to improve the quality of the stego image and its antidetection ability. In order to restore message and prevent loss, the secret information is converted into a binary sequence and then embedded in the cover image through the forward operation of the invertible neural networks. This information will then be recovered from the stego image through the inverse operation of the invertible neural networks. Experimental results show that the proposed method in this paper has achieved competitive results in the visual quality and safety of stego images and achieved 100% accuracy in information extraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) is a recognized autoinflammatory disorder of unknown etiology. The standard initial management for AOSD includes conventional corticosteroids and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. In cases that are resistant to these treatments, additional therapeutic options such as immunosuppressants, biologics, and other alternative treatments may be considered. Yet, a significant proportion of patients remain unresponsive to these therapeutic interventions. Herein, a case is reported involving a patient with AOSD who had persistent pruritic lesions that did not respond to conventional therapy, but were alleviated with Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi), namely baricitinib and upadacitinib. The objective is to expand the number of refractory AOSD cases treated with JAKi in clinical practice. Another aim is to offer potentially effective therapeutic options for AOSD patients who experience persistent pruritus.A case was reported involving AOSD characterized by persistent pruritic lesions that failed to respond to conventional treatment, but showed favorable outcomes with JAKi therapy. An analysis of the PubMed literature was performed to assess the medication’s efficacy and explore possible mechanisms.The present case study is one of the few documented instances exploring the use of JAKi for treating AOSD, aligning with previously published research. After initiating JAKi therapy, the patient exhibited significant improvement in symptoms, most notably a reduction in persistent pruritus. Additionally, there was a substantial decrease in the patient’s glucocorticoid dosage. Aside from minor renal function anomalies, no adverse reactions were observed.The present case illustrates that JAKi can provide rapid and sustained clinical improvement in patients with AOSD, especially those who have not responded to conventional treatment, and they have the ability to alleviate persistent itching. Further investigation is needed to ascertain the precise mechanism.Methods: Adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) is a recognized autoinflammatory disorder of unknown etiology. The standard initial management for AOSD includes conventional corticosteroids and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. In cases that are resistant to these treatments, additional therapeutic options such as immunosuppressants, biologics, and other alternative treatments may be considered. Yet, a significant proportion of patients remain unresponsive to these therapeutic interventions. Herein, a case is reported involving a patient with AOSD who had persistent pruritic lesions that did not respond to conventional therapy, but were alleviated with Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi), namely baricitinib and upadacitinib. The objective is to expand the number of refractory AOSD cases treated with JAKi in clinical practice. Another aim is to offer potentially effective therapeutic options for AOSD patients who experience persistent pruritus.A case was reported involving AOSD characterized by persistent pruritic lesions that failed to respond to conventional treatment, but showed favorable outcomes with JAKi therapy. An analysis of the PubMed literature was performed to assess the medication’s efficacy and explore possible mechanisms.The present case study is one of the few documented instances exploring the use of JAKi for treating AOSD, aligning with previously published research. After initiating JAKi therapy, the patient exhibited significant improvement in symptoms, most notably a reduction in persistent pruritus. Additionally, there was a substantial decrease in the patient’s glucocorticoid dosage. Aside from minor renal function anomalies, no adverse reactions were observed.The present case illustrates that JAKi can provide rapid and sustained clinical improvement in patients with AOSD, especially those who have not responded to conventional treatment, and they have the ability to alleviate persistent itching. Further investigation is needed to ascertain the precise mechanism.Results: Adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) is a recognized autoinflammatory disorder of unknown etiology. The standard initial management for AOSD includes conventional corticosteroids and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. In cases that are resistant to these treatments, additional therapeutic options such as immunosuppressants, biologics, and other alternative treatments may be considered. Yet, a significant proportion of patients remain unresponsive to these therapeutic interventions. Herein, a case is reported involving a patient with AOSD who had persistent pruritic lesions that did not respond to conventional therapy, but were alleviated with Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi), namely baricitinib and upadacitinib. The objective is to expand the number of refractory AOSD cases treated with JAKi in clinical practice. Another aim is to offer potentially effective therapeutic options for AOSD patients who experience persistent pruritus.A case was reported involving AOSD characterized by persistent pruritic lesions that failed to respond to conventional treatment, but showed favorable outcomes with JAKi therapy. An analysis of the PubMed literature was performed to assess the medication’s efficacy and explore possible mechanisms.The present case study is one of the few documented instances exploring the use of JAKi for treating AOSD, aligning with previously published research. After initiating JAKi therapy, the patient exhibited significant improvement in symptoms, most notably a reduction in persistent pruritus. Additionally, there was a substantial decrease in the patient’s glucocorticoid dosage. Aside from minor renal function anomalies, no adverse reactions were observed.The present case illustrates that JAKi can provide rapid and sustained clinical improvement in patients with AOSD, especially those who have not responded to conventional treatment, and they have the ability to alleviate persistent itching. Further investigation is needed to ascertain the precise mechanism.Conclusions: Adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) is a recognized autoinflammatory disorder of unknown etiology. The standard initial management for AOSD includes conventional corticosteroids and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. In cases that are resistant to these treatments, additional therapeutic options such as immunosuppressants, biologics, and other alternative treatments may be considered. Yet, a significant proportion of patients remain unresponsive to these therapeutic interventions. Herein, a case is reported involving a patient with AOSD who had persistent pruritic lesions that did not respond to conventional therapy, but were alleviated with Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi), namely baricitinib and upadacitinib. The objective is to expand the number of refractory AOSD cases treated with JAKi in clinical practice. Another aim is to offer potentially effective therapeutic options for AOSD patients who experience persistent pruritus.A case was reported involving AOSD characterized by persistent pruritic lesions that failed to respond to conventional treatment, but showed favorable outcomes with JAKi therapy. An analysis of the PubMed literature was performed to assess the medication’s efficacy and explore possible mechanisms.The present case study is one of the few documented instances exploring the use of JAKi for treating AOSD, aligning with previously published research. After initiating JAKi therapy, the patient exhibited significant improvement in symptoms, most notably a reduction in persistent pruritus. Additionally, there was a substantial decrease in the patient’s glucocorticoid dosage. Aside from minor renal function anomalies, no adverse reactions were observed.The present case illustrates that JAKi can provide rapid and sustained clinical improvement in patients with AOSD, especially those who have not responded to conventional treatment, and they have the ability to alleviate persistent itching. Further investigation is needed to ascertain the precise mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decomposition mechanisms of energetic CL-20:2,4-dinitro-2,4-diazapentane (DNP) and CL-20:2,4-dinitro-2,4-diazaheptane (DNG) co-crystals at high temperatures (1000, 2000, and 3000 K) were studied by density functional tight-binding molecular dynamics (DFTB-MD) simulations. At different temperatures, their decomposition mechanisms are very different. At 1000 K, conformational changes are observed only for the CL-20:DNG co-crystal, in which the CL-20 changes from β-CL-20 to γ-CL-20. When the temperature is increased to 2000 K, CL-20, DNP, and DNG begin to decompose, and there are five paths for the main initial mechanisms. Further increasing the temperature to 3000 K promotes a more complete decomposition. The initial reactions of CL-20 in the two co-crystals have two channels. There are two initial decomposition channels in the DNP molecule and only one channel in the DNG molecule. As the temperature increases, the decomposition products of the two co-crystals are different. Our work may provide the in-depth understanding of the decomposition mechanisms of high-energy CL-20-based co-crystals at high temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Peri-implantitis (PI) is one of the main reasons for dental implant failure. Until now, the etiology and pathogenesis of PI remain unclear. Methods. In this study, we used differentially expressed genes (DEGs) analysis and gene function enrichment analysis to assess the expression profile of peri-implant bone tissue and gingiva in PI public data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Then, we used gingival tissues from patients with PI and healthy individual to construct gene coexpression networks to reveal the biological functions of the genes in PI using RNA sequencing data. Afterward, key gene modules were selected to reveal the critical biological process or signaling pathway using Hallmark's gene enrichment and expression analysis of the related pathway members in PI. Results. DEGs were enriched in the formation of cellular responses to external stimuli in bone tissue. Cytokine production, lymphocyte activation, immune response-regulating signaling pathway, and blood vessel development were the top GO biology process or pathways of the DEGs in gingival tissue. Weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) of RNA-seq data was used to assess the results of correlation analysis between modules and traits and correlation analysis between modules and functions. kMEpurple, kMEgreen, and kMEred modules were selected as the key gene modules. Signaling pathways and gene expression analysis were performed on selected modules, such as IL2/STAT5 signaling pathway, TNFα signaling pathway via NFκB, and angiogenesis were enriched in kMEpurple module. Hedgehog signaling pathway, Wnt β-catenin signaling pathway, and IL2/STAT5 signaling pathway were enriched in kMEgreen module. Peroxisome, IL2/STAT5 signaling pathway, and epithelial-mesenchymal transformation process were enriched in kMEred module. All the enrichment results of key modules contained IL2/STAT5 signaling pathway. Conclusion. Differential gene and enrichment analysis based on public data showed differences in gene expression patterns and biological process between bone and gingival tissues in PI. This spatial-temporal heterogeneity is reflected in the formation of cellular responses to external stimuli, which was enriched in bone tissue, but cytokine production, lymphocyte activation, immune response regulating signaling pathway, and blood vessel development were enriched in gingival tissue. WGCNA and Hallmark gene sets enrichment analysis of the gingival tissue expression profile and showed that IL2-mediated activation of immune cells could be a critical mechanism in PI. As a new clinical treatment alternative, we suggest that IL2/STAT5 pathway blockers could be helpful in the treatment of PI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cytokines released after T cell activation improve the efficacy of T cell therapies in mice. Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) with antigen-specific T cells has shown remarkable clinical success; however, approaches to safely and effectively augment T cell function, especially in solid tumors, remain of great interest. Here we describe a strategy to 'backpack' large quantities of supporting protein drugs on T cells by using protein nanogels (NGs) that selectively release these cargos in response to T cell receptor activation. We designed cell surface–conjugated NGs that responded to an increase in T cell surface reduction potential after antigen recognition and limited drug release to sites of antigen encounter, such as the tumor microenvironment. By using NGs that carried an interleukin-15 super-agonist complex, we demonstrated that, relative to systemic administration of free cytokines, NG delivery selectively expanded T cells 16-fold in tumors and allowed at least eightfold higher doses of cytokine to be administered without toxicity. The improved therapeutic window enabled substantially increased tumor clearance by mouse T cell and human chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a modified material, nano-SiO2 can be compounded with many high molecular polymer resins to improve the performance of the polymer and be used as a concrete filler. PVA is a kind of synthetic fiber made of high-quality polyvinyl alcohol with a high degree of polymerization and processed by specific advanced technology. This research mainly discusses the optimization of the antifreeze, antipermeability, and anticorrosion performance of the concrete reinforced by nano-SiO2 and PVA fiber synergistically. In this paper, nanosilica PVA fiber-modified concrete was synthesized. Through compressive strength test, split tensile strength test, rapid freeze-thaw test, and microstructure test (X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope), this paper also analyzed the modification effect of PVA fiber concrete in different blends and the corresponding mechanism of nanoparticles. The instrument model of the scanning electron microscope used is S-4700; the manufacturer is Hitachi, a Japanese company; and the test voltage is 20 kV. Before the test, the hydrogel was placed in a freeze-drying oven at −40°C for 48 hours to remove water. Then, we put the sample in liquid nitrogen and break. The morphology of the cross-section was observed by SEM, and the microscopic morphology changes brought by different amounts of MTMS to the hydrogel were analyzed. After the test piece is immersed in water to reach a saturated state, we check the appearance size of the test piece, wipe the surface of the test piece clean with a rag, weigh the unfreeze-thaw test piece, then measure the ultrasonic wave speed of the test piece with a nondestructive testing instrument, and do good record. After every 25 freeze-thaw cycles, we measure the mass and relative dynamic elastic modulus of each group of specimens, make corresponding records, then put them into the freeze-thaw box, and add clean water as the freeze-thaw medium to continue the test. The average initial crack load of the three specimens of W W3 is increased by 52% compared with that of the specimens of W W1, and the load of W W4 is increased by 77%. This research helps promote the application of concrete on roads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the problem of transverse vibration suppression of a belt system moving in the horizontal direction is investigated. This system is characterized by the boundary vibration constraint and is affected by external disturbances. For it, we introduced a logarithmic function in the candidate term of the Lyapunov function and used a symbolic function in the controller to compensate for the effects of boundary vibration constraints and boundary disturbances, respectively. In order to better achieve the control objective, we designed a boundary control scheme. The state feedback boundary controller was designed using the boundary signals of the system when they can be available directly. Considering the presence of noise in the practical system, some system signals cannot be measured accurately. Therefore, a high-gain observer was introduced to estimate these signals, and an output feedback boundary controller was designed. Finally, the simulation example showed that both controllers guarantee effective suppression of the transverse vibration of the system without violating the boundary vibration constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Density gradient centrifugation (DGC) and swim-up (SU) are the two most widely used sperm preparation methods for in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). However, existing comparisons of IVF/ICSI outcomes following these sperm preparation methods are insufficient and controversial. Methods: This retrospective study included all first autologous IVF and ICSI cycles performed between March 1, 2016, and December 31, 2020 in a single university-based center. A total of 3608 cycles were matched between DGC and SU using propensity score (PS) matching for potential confounding factors at a ratio of 1:1. The primary outcome was the cumulative live birth rate (cLBR) per aspiration. Results: PS matching provided 719 cycles after DGC and 719 cycles after SU. After adjusting for confounders, the recovery rate, progressive motility rate after sperm preparation, fertilization rate, good-quality embryo rate, and blastocyst formation rate were similar between the DGC and SU groups. The cLBR (odds ratio [OR] = 1.143, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.893–1.461) and LBR per transfer (OR = 1.082, 95% CI: 0.896–1.307) were also not significantly different between the groups. Furthermore, no significant differences were found in all of the laboratory and clinical outcomes following conventional IVF or ICSI cycles between the two groups. However, a significantly higher fertilization rate (β = 0.074, 95% CI: 0.008–0.140) was observed when using poor-quality sperm in the DGC group than in the SU group. Conclusions: Sperm preparation using DGC and SU separately resulted in similar IVF/ICSI outcomes. Further studies are warranted to compare the effects of these methods on IVF/ICSI outcomes when using sperm from subgroups of different quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study investigates the effects of COMTval158met gene polymorphism on maternal anxiety and pain during delivery and on the analgesic and anxiety efficacy of dexmedetomidine during delivery. Methods: Sixty-one pregnant women, who were hospitalized in our hospital from January to November of 2016 were recruited and randomly divided into two groups, F and D groups. The pregnant women in the F group were given labor analgesia with ropivacaine combined with fentanyl. The pregnant women in the D group were given labor analgesia with ropivacaine combined with dexmedetomidine. Before and after labor analgesia, the genotype of COMT in the blood from two groups was detected, and the situation of labor anxiety and analgesia was analyzed. Then, the relationship between labor anxiety, analgesia, and COMT polymorphism was analyzed. Results: In the 61 pregnant women, there were 30 women of wild homozygotes (GG) of COMT, 22 women of mutant heterozygotes (GA), and nine women of mutant homozygotes (AA), the mutation rate of allele A was 23.77%. The anxiety status score, anxiety trait score, and pain score in the AA genotype were significantly higher than those in the GG and GA genotype (p < 0.05). There was a significant difference in the efficacy of GG and AA genotypes between groups D and F for treating labor anxiety (p < 0.05), the efficacy of group D was better than that of group F in treating delivery anxiety, there was no significant difference in anxiety scores between the two groups in GA genotypes (p > 0.05); there was no significant difference in pain between group D and F in GG, GA, and AA genotypes (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in pain and anxiety scores between the three genotypes in group D (p > 0.05), there was significant difference in pain scores among the three genotypes in group F (p < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in anxiety (p > 0.05). Conclusions: The mutation of the COMTval158met gene leads to increased anxiety and pain during childbirth. The effect of dexmedetomidine on the anxiety of GG and AA genotypes is better than that of fentanyl, and the mutation of the COMTval158met gene has no impact on dexmedetomidine effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hoya longlingensis (E.F. Huang) and H. sichuanensis E.F. Huang are two new species of Apocynaceae from Southwestern China that are described in this study. Morphologically, the two species resemble H. tamdaoensis Rodda & T.B. Tran and H. lyi H. Lév., respectively. However, H. longlingensis differs from H. tamdaoensis by its elliptic leaves, mid-vein of leaf blades raised adaxially and depressed abaxially, lateral veins 2–4-paired, corolla yellow-green, outer angles of corona convex and spreading outside obviously. While H. sichuanensis differs from H. lyi by its obovate leaves, leaf apex rounded and base cuneate, petioles 1–3.5 cm long and ca. 3 mm in diameter, calyx lobes triangular, and corona whitish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite increasing interest in quality end-of-life care (EOLC), critically ill patients often receive suboptimal care. Critical care nurses play a crucial role in EOLC, but face numerous barriers that hinder their ability to provide compassionate and effective care. Methods: An integrative literature review was conducted to investigate barriers impacting the quality of end-of-life care. This review process involved searching database like MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, EBSCO, and ScienceDirect up to November 2023. Search strategies focused on keywords related to barriers in end-of-life care and critical care nurses from October 30th to November 10th, 2023. The inclusion criteria specified full-text English articles published between 2010 and 2023 that addressed barriers perceived by critical care nurses. This integrative review employs an integrated thematic analysis approach, which combines elements of deductive and inductive analysis, to explore the identified barriers, with coding and theme development overseen by the primary and secondary authors. Results: Out of 103 articles published, 11 articles were included in the review. There were eight cross-sectional descriptive studies and three qualitative studies, which demonstrated barriers affecting end-of-life care quality. Quality appraisal using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool was completed by two authors confirmed the high credibility of the selected studies, indicating the presence of high-quality evidence across the reviewed articles. Thematic analysis led to the three main themes (1) barriers related to patients and their families, (2) barriers related to nurses and their demographic characteristics, and (3) barriers related to health care environment and institutions. Conclusion: This review highlights barriers influencing the quality of end of life care perceived by critical care nurses and the gaps that need attention to improve the quality of care provided for patients in their final stages and their fsmilies within the context of critical care. This review also notes the need for additional research to investigate the uncover patterns and insights that have not been fully explored in the existing literature to enhance understanding of these barriers. This can help to inform future research, care provision, and policy-making. Specifically, this review examines how these barriers interact, their cumulative impact on care quality, and potential strategies to overcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Effective response and reducing the burden of family care for children with cancer is critical, and China currently lacks a specific assessment tool. Aims: This study aimed to translate and validate the Caregiving Burden Scale for Family Caregivers of Children with Cancer (CBSFC-CC) and then test and implement the tool. Methods: According to the Beaton cross-cultural debugging guide, preliminary Chinese version of CBSFC-CC scale was formed, which was suitable for Chinese language environment and clinical context. Exploratory factor analyses (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were performed to verify structural validity. Convergent validity, discriminant validity and reliability were also conducted. Results: A total of 529 family caregivers of children with cancer participated in the survey. EFA extracts and combines four factors and explained 65.80% of the total variation. CFA proved that all the goodness-of-fit indicators were acceptable. The Cronbach's alpha of the Chinese version of CBSFC-CC was.96, and the test–retest reliability coefficient was.95. Four dimensions and 29 items were identified in the final Chinese version of CBSFC-CC. Conclusion: The chinese version CBSFC-CC is scientifically reasonable and has good reliability and validity, which can be applied to the investigation of the nursing burden of family caregivers of children with cancer in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We calibrate the distance and reconstruct the Hubble diagram of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) using deep learning. We construct an artificial neural network, which combines the recurrent neural network and Bayesian neural network, and train the network using the Pantheon compilation of Type-Ia supernovae. The trained network is used to calibrate the distance of 174 GRBs based on the Combo-relation. We verify that there is no evident redshift evolution of Combo-relation, and obtain the slope and intercept parameters, |$\gamma =0.856^{+0.083}_{-0.078}$| and |$\log A=49.661^{+0.199}_{-0.217}$|⁠ , with an intrinsic scatter |$\sigma _{\rm int}=0.228^{+0.041}_{-0.040}$|⁠. Our calibrating method is independent of cosmological model, thus the calibrated GRBs can be directly used to constrain cosmological parameters. It is shown that GRBs alone can tightly constrain the ΛCDM model, with |$\Omega _{\rm M}=0.280^{+0.049}_{-0.057}$|⁠. However, the constraint on the ωCDM model is relatively looser, with |$\Omega _{\rm M}=0.345^{+0.059}_{-0.060}$| and ω < −1.414. The combination of GRBs and Pantheon can tightly constrain the ωCDM model, with |$\Omega _{\rm M}=0.336^{+0.055}_{-0.050}$| and |$\omega =-1.141^{+0.156}_{-0.135}$|⁠. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurons in the developing visual cortex undergo progressive functional maturation as indicated by the refinement of their visual feature selectivity. However, changes of the synaptic architecture underlying the maturation of spatial visual receptive fields (RFs) per se remain largely unclear. Here, loose-patch as well as single-unit recordings in layer 4 of mouse primary visual cortex (V1) of both sexes revealed that RF development following an eye-opening period is marked by an increased proportion of cortical neurons with spatially defined RFs, together with the increased signal-to-noise ratio of spiking responses. By exploring excitatory and inhibitory synaptic RFs with whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings, we observed a balanced enhancement of both synaptic excitation and inhibition, and while the excitatory subfield size remains relatively constant during development, the inhibitory subfield is broadened. This balanced developmental strengthening of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs results in enhanced visual responses, and with a reduction of spontaneous firing rate, contributes to the maturation of visual cortical RFs. Visual deprivation by dark rearing impedes the normal strengthening of excitatory inputs but leaves the apparently normal enhancement of inhibition while preventing the broadening of the inhibitory subfield, leading to weakened RF responses and a reduced fraction of neurons exhibiting a clear RF, compared with normally reared animals. Our data demonstrate that an experience-dependent and coordinated maturation of excitatory and inhibitory circuits underlie the functional development of visual cortical RFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd)-contaminated rice is a serious issue affecting food safety. Understanding the molecular regulatory mechanisms of Cd accumulation in rice grains is crucial to minimizing Cd concentrations in grains. We identified a member of the low-affinity cation transporter family, OsLCT2 in rice. It was a membrane protein. OsLCT2 was expressed in all tissues of the elongation and maturation zones in roots, with the strongest expression in pericycle and stele cells adjacent to the xylem. When grown in Cd-contaminated paddy soils, rice plants overexpressing OsLCT2 significantly reduced Cd concentrations in the straw and grains. Hydroponic experiment demonstrated its overexpression decreased the rate of Cd translocation from roots to shoots, and reduced Cd concentrations in xylem sap and in shoots of rice. Moreover, its overexpression increased Zn concentrations in roots by up-regulating the expression of OsZIP9, a gene responsible for Zn uptake. Overexpression of OsLCT2 reduces Cd accumulation in rice shoots and grains by limiting the amounts of Cd loaded into the xylem and restricting Cd translocation from roots to shoots of rice. Thus, OsLCT2 is a promising genetic resource to be engineered to reduce Cd accumulation in rice grains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd)-contaminated rice is a serious issue affecting food safety. Understanding the molecular regulatory mechanisms of Cd accumulation in rice grains is crucial to minimizing Cd concentrations in grains. We identified a member of the low-affinity cation transporter family, OsLCT2 in rice. It was a membrane protein. OsLCT2 was expressed in all tissues of the elongation and maturation zones in roots, with the strongest expression in pericycle and stele cells adjacent to the xylem. When grown in Cd-contaminated paddy soils, rice plants overexpressing OsLCT2 significantly reduced Cd concentrations in the straw and grains. Hydroponic experiment demonstrated its overexpression decreased the rate of Cd translocation from roots to shoots, and reduced Cd concentrations in xylem sap and in shoots of rice. Moreover, its overexpression increased Zn concentrations in roots by up-regulating the expression of OsZIP9, a gene responsible for Zn uptake. Overexpression of OsLCT2 reduces Cd accumulation in rice shoots and grains by limiting the amounts of Cd loaded into the xylem and restricting Cd translocation from roots to shoots of rice. Thus, OsLCT2 is a promising genetic resource to be engineered to reduce Cd accumulation in rice grains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the era of evidence-based policy-making (EBPM), scientific outputs and public policy should engage with each other in a more interactive and coherent way. Notably, this is becoming increasingly critical in preparing for public health emergencies.Methods: To explore the coevolution dynamics between science and policy (SAP), this study explored the changes in, and development of, COVID-19 research in the early period of the COVID-19 outbreak in China, from 30 December 2019 to 26 June 2020. In this study, VOSviewer was adopted to calculate the link strength of items extracted from scientific publications, and machine learning clustering analysis of scientific publications was carried out to explore dynamic trends in scientific research. Trends in relevant policies that corresponded to changing trends in scientific research were then traced.Results: The study observes a salient change in research content as follows: an earlier focus on "children and pregnant patients", "common symptoms", "nucleic acid test", and "non-Chinese medicine" was gradually replaced with a focus on "aged patients", "pregnant patients", "severe symptoms and asymptomatic infection", "antibody assay", and "Chinese medicine". "Mental health" is persistent throughout China's COVID-19 research. Further, our research reveals a correlation between the evolution of COVID-19 policies and the dynamic development of COVID-19 research. The average issuance time of relevant COVID-19 policies in China is 8.36 days after the launching of related research.Conclusions: In the early stage of the outbreak in China, the formulation of research-driven-COVID-19 policies and related scientific research followed a similar dynamic trend, which is clearly a manifestation of a coevolution model (CEM). The results of this study apply more broadly to the formulation of policies during public health emergencies, and provide the foundation for future EBPM research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tyrosinase is a bifunctional enzyme mediating the o-hydroxylation and two-electron oxidation of monophenols to o-quinones. The monophenolase activity of tyrosinase is much desired for the industrial synthesis of catechols. However, the generally low ratio of monophenolase/diphenolase activity of tyrosinase limited its utilization in the industry. In this study, a novel tyrosinase from Armillaria ostoyae strain C18/9 (AoTyr) was characterized, and the results showed that the enzyme has an optimal temperature of 25°C and an optimal pH of 6. The enzyme has comparable monophenolase and diphenolase activities and exhibits substrate inhibition in both of the activities. In silico analysis and mutagenesis experiments showed that residues 262 and 266 play important roles in modulating the substrate inhibition and enzymatic activities of AoTyr, and the replacement of D262 with asparagine significantly increased the monophenolase/diphenolase catalytic efficiencies (kcat/Km ratios) (1.63-fold) of the enzyme. The results from this study indicated that this novel tyrosinase could be a potential candidate for the industrial biosynthesis of catechols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A content analysis of 62 job postings for East Asian studies librarians in the United States and Canada during 2008-2019 demonstrates that major job responsibilities have expanded to include collection development and management, reference and research assistance, instruction, liaison work, and outreach; relationship building and collaboration are emerging roles; skills and abilities have been progressively occupying a larger proportion than knowledge and experience in the required qualifications; top frequently required abilities and skills are generic and behavioral; and professional experiences are often preferred rather than required. The results of this research are of practical relevance to subject specialists in other areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]