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This study investigates the impact of digital media on promoting high-quality skills by assessing its impact on collaborative education and technological skills within Chinese higher education. A survey-based strategy was adopted and three explanatory variables were incorporated, namely students' learning using social media, students' experience of using social media in teaching and social media usage frequency. The learner's motivation was also included as a mediator. The study collected data from university students across mainland China, focusing on those engaged in learning using social media platforms. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was employed to analyze the data. The findings showed that usage of social media for learning positively impacts collaborative education, indicating students' preference for interactive projects and online lectures on social media. Regarding the impact on technological skills, the findings showed that social media usage frequency positively influenced technological skills among students in Chinese universities. Additionally, it was found that learner's motivation significantly mediated the association of social media usage frequency with collaborative education and technological skills. Learner's motivation played a significant mediating role in the relationship between students' experience of social media learning and collaborative education. The findings hold implications for educators, institutions, and policymakers striving to leverage digital media to advance high-quality skills in educational settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary objective of this study was to forecast the core targets of formononetin through network pharmacology and to assess its potential anti-benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) effects using molecular docking and animal experimentation. Active compounds were filtered from the Swiss ADME database, while drug targets were extrapolated from TTD, GeneCards, and DrugBank databases. Targets overlapping between drug and disease were pinpointed, and PPI networks were subsequently developed. Both GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were executed. The AutodockVina software facilitated molecular docking to examine formononetin's estrogen activity. Mice diagnosed with BPH were grouped into control, TP, 2.5 mg/kg, 5 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg, 5 mg/kg + fulvestrant (20 mg/kg/week), and 10 mg/kg + fulvestrant (20 mg/kg/week) groups. Pathological deviations were discerned through H&E and Masson staining. Estrogen receptor and cell cycle gene expressions were quantified by qPCR. Our findings pinpointed 35 potential protein targets bridging formononetin and BPH, with ER-α, EGFR, ER-β, CYP19A1, AChE, and PPARA being the focal targets. The GO and KEGG enrichment analyses indicated that formononetin's targets predominantly revolved around cellular responses to estradiol stimulation, estrogen biosynthesis, steroid hormone receptor activity, steroid binding, and other related processes. These extended to pathways like steroid hormone biosynthesis and estrogen signaling. Molecular docking deduced a stronger affinity of formononetin for ER-β than for ER-α. Examination of pathological sections in formononetin-treated BPH mice demonstrated its significant inhibitory effect on BPH. Concurrently, the estrogen receptor inhibitor, fulvestrant, markedly dampened formononetin's therapeutic efficacy. qPCR assessments revealed that formononetin effectively curtailed ER-β expression within hyperplastic prostate tissues. Moreover, post-formononetin treatment led to a decline in expression levels of cell cycle-related genes, such as CDK1, cyclin A2, CDK2, and cyclin B1. However, this trend was notably stunted with the introduction of an estrogen receptor inhibitor. In summation, through the combined insights of network pharmacology and animal testing, we ascertained that formononetin mitigated cell cycle progression via the estrogen receptor when addressing prostatic hyperplasia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low efficiency of protease hydrolysis on wool keratin limits the development of protease-based wool shrink-proofing finishing. In this paper, a highly efficient protease catalytic system consisting of a trihydroxy organ phosphine compound and the protease Savinase 16L was used for wool shrinkproofing treatment by multiple padding. The directional friction effect, area shrinkage, fineness, and strength of wool samples were measured. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, zeta potential, and amino acid analyses were used to characterize the structure of the wool samples. Additionally, the dyeing properties of the treated wool were also investigated. The results showed that the hydrolysis of wool fiber scales using the protease catalytic system was an uneven process from point to surface. The padding treatments could promote a synergistic process of biochemical keratin degradation and physical scale removal, improving the efficiency and uniformity of the reaction. The area of the treated wool sample shrank by 1.65% after the TM31 5 x 4N test, while the tenacity decreased by 9.69%. The isoelectric point of the treated fiber increased from 4.37 to 6.09. Under dyeing conditions, the positively charged surface of the treated wool increased, which significantly increased the adsorption rate of the fiber for negatively charged dyes. In addition, the increase in the surface roughness and surface dyeing seat resulted in a significant increase in the color depth of the treated wool fibers after dyeing. This study provides a feasible route for the industrial application of the protease method for the shrink-proofing treatment of wool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Multiplex PCR methods have significantly improved the diagnosis of acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) in children. The ResP-CE System coupled with capillary electrophoresis is a highly specialized, automated, and expensive technology for detecting common pathogens in ARTIs. The XYRes-MCA System, a remarkably less expensive multiplex PCR instrument, employs hybridization for the detection of ARTI pathogens. Both methods detect 9 common microorganisms in ARTIs, i.e., RSV, FLUAV, FLUBV, ADV, PIV, HMPV, HBOV, HCOV, and MP. In this study, we aimed to compare the performance of these two methods in the detection of pathogens from sputum specimens collected from children with ARTIs. Methodology: Sputum specimens were collected from 237 hospitalized children with ARTIs. Nucleic acid was extracted on an automated workstation. The ResP-CE and XYres-MCA systems were applied to detect pathogens from the samples, and the test result agreement between the two methods was evaluated using Kappa statistics. Results: The ResP-CE and XYres-MCA identified pathogens, single or in combination, in 151 (63.7%) and 171 (72.1%) of 237 samples, respectively. Approximately 85% of positive samples identified by either method contained a single pathogen. Moderate to almost perfect concordance between the two methods was found in detecting the following 7 pathogens: RSV, FLUAV, FLUBV, PIV, HMPV, HBOV, and MP. Conclusions: These two methods are comparable in detecting common pathogens of ARTIs in children. As XYres-MCA analysis is more costeffective, it could play an important role in diagnosing ARTIs in children in less economically developed regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Previous studies have suggested that a single dose of rifampin has protective effects against leprosy in close contacts of patients with the disease. Rifapentine was shown to have greater bactericidal activity against Mycobacterium leprae than rifampin in Inurine models of leprosy, but data regarding itS effectiveness in preventing leprosy are lacking. METHODS We conducted a cluster-randomized, controlled trial to investigate whether single-dose rifapentine is effective in preventing leprosy in household contacts of patients with leprosy. The clusters (counties or districts in Southwest China) were assigned conto one of three trial groups: single-dose rifapentine, single-dose rifampin, or con. trol (no intervention). The primary outcome was the 4-year cumulative incidence of leprosy among household contacts. RESULTS A total of 207 clusters comprising 7450 household contacts underwent randomization; 68 clusters (2331 household contacts) were assigned to the rifapentine group, 71 (2760) to the rifampin group, and 68 (2359) to the control group. A total of 24 new cases of leprosy occurred over the 4-year follow-up, for a cumulative incidence of 0.09% (9596 confidence interval [CI], 0.02 to 0.34) with rifapentine (2 cases), 0.33% (95% CI, 0.17 to 0.63) with rifampin (9 cases), and 0.55% (95% CI, 0.32 to 1.95) with no intervention (13 cases). In an intention-to-treat analysis, the cumulative incidence in the rifapentine group was 84% lower than that in the control group (cumulative incidence ratio, 0.16; multiplicity-adjusted 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.87; P=0.02); the cumulative incidence did not differ significantly between the rifampin group and the control group (cumulative incidence ratio, 0.59; multiplicityadjusted 95% CI, 0.22 to 1.57; P=O.23). In a per-protocol analysis, the cumulative incidence was 0.05% with rifapentine, 0.19% with rifampin, and 0.63% with no intervention. No severe adverse events were observed. CONCLUSIONS The incidence of leprosy among household contacts over 4 years was lower with single-dose rifapentine than with no intervention. (Funded by the Ministry of Health of China and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; Chinese Clinical Trial Registry number, ChiCTR-IPR-15007075.). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objectives: Human epidermal cell sheet (human‐ECS) is a feasible treatment option for wound injury. Traditionally, researchers often use murine 3T3 fibroblast cells as feeder layer to support human epidermal cell sheet grafts, thus increase risk to deliver animal‐borne infection. To overcome the potential risks involved with xenotransplantation, we develop human foreskin fibroblast cell as feeder layer culture system and investigate the effects of human‐ECS on second‐degree burn wound healing in mini‐pig in order to develop more effective and safer therapies to enhance wound healing in human. Materials and methods: Human epidermal keratinocytes and fibroblasts were isolated from foreskin tissue and were co‐cultured to manufacture human‐ECS. The cell morphology was monitored with phase‐contrast microscopy, the stem cell markers were assessed by flow cytometry, and by colony‐forming efficiency (CFE) assay. The structure of human‐ECS was observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Expression of cytokines in human‐ECS was confirmed by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Second‐degree burn wounds were created on the dorsal of miniature pig to evaluate the effect of oil gauze, oil gauze combined with commercial epidermal growth factor (EGF) cream, and oil gauze combined with human‐ECS. Wound healing rate, histological examination, and Masson staining were measured to observe the wound repair efficacy. Real‐time PCR and Western blot were utilized to detect the expression level of EGF and interleukin 6 (IL‐6). Results: Stratified human‐ECS with 6‐7 layers of epidermal cells was successfully cultivated with human‐derived feeder cells, in which epidermal cell highly expressed CD49f and CFE was 3% ± 0.45%. Application of human‐ECS induced a higher wound healing rate than commerical EGF cream and oil gauze control. The expression of EGF in human‐ECS group was higher than those in the other groups; however, the expression of IL‐6 was significantly decreased at day 14 by human‐ECS treatment group. Conclusions: Human‐derived feeder cells are suitable for cultivation of human‐ECS, avoiding pathogen transmission. Human‐ECS could enhance second‐degree burn wound healing, and its promoting effect involved secreting a variety of cytokines to regulate tissue reparative process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hypergraph is said to be oriented if each edge-vertex incidence has a label of +1 or −1. An oriented hypergraph is called incidence balanced if there exists a bipartition of the vertex set such that every edge intersects one part of the bipartition in positively incident vertices with the edge and the other part in negatively incident vertices with the edge. In this paper, we investigate the incidence balance of oriented hypergraphs and induced signed hypergraphs by means of the eigenvalues of associated matrices and tensors and provide a spectral method to characterize the incidence balanced oriented hypergraphs and their induced signed hypergraphs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A interdigital flow field plate for PEM was designed based on plant vein system. • Two-phase flow behaviors and influences on electrolysis performance were studied. • Electrolysis performance was improved by eliminating the flow dead zone. Proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolytic hydrogen production has the advantages of high current density, high operating pressure, wide power regulation range and so on. It has good adaptability to wind and photovoltaic power with high volatility and recognized as an important way to solve the effective utilization of renewable energy. In PEM electrolyzer cell (PEMEC), anode flow field plate plays a crucial role in the process of water electrolysis to produce oxygen, which affects the of gas and liquid transfer. Among them, the channel blockage caused by bubble retention is an important factor limiting the performance of PEMEC. In this paper, an interdigital flow field plate is designed based on the plant leaf vein system. The two-phase flow behaviors within the interdigital flow field channel are studied. The results show that the interdigital flow field plate is superior to the traditional serpentine flow field in terms of electrolytic efficiency and voltage loss. The reaction kinetics rate is accelerated, the overall ohmic resistance is reduced by about 4.8 %, and the hydrogen production is increased by about 9.1 %. The above research can provide guidance for the structural improvement and performance improvement of PEMEC. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peak force infrared (PFIR) microscopy is an emerging atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based infrared microscopy that bypasses Abbe’s diffraction limit on spatial resolution. The PFIR microscopy utilizes a nanoscopically sharp AFM tip to mechanically detect the tip-enhanced infrared photothermal response of the sample in the time domain. The time-gated mechanical signals of cantilever deflections transduce the infrared absorption of the sample, delivering infrared imaging and spectroscopy capability at sub 10 nm spatial resolution. Both the infrared absorption response and mechanical properties of the sample are obtained in parallel while preserving the surface integrity of the sample. This review describes the constructions of the PFIR microscope and several variations, including multiple-pulse excitation, total internal reflection geometry, dual-color configuration, liquid-phase operations, and integrations with simultaneous surface potential measurement. Representative applications of PFIR microscopy are also included in this review. In the outlook section, we lay out several future directions of innovations in PFIR microscopy and applications in chemical and material research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C-type lectin domain family 4, member a4 (Clec4a4) is a C-type lectin inhibitory receptor specific for glycans thought to be exclusively expressed on murine CD8α- conventional dendritic cells. Using newly generated Clec4a4-mCherry knock-in mice, we identify a subset of Clec4a4- expressing eosinophils uniquely localized in the small intestine lamina propria. Clec4a4+ eosinophils evinced an immunomodulatory signature, whereas Clec4a4- eosinophils manifested a proinflammatory profile. Clec4a4+ eosinophils expressed high levels of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (Ahr), which drove the expression of Clec4a4 as well as other immunomodulatory features, such as PD-L1. The abundance of Clec4a4+ eosinophils was dependent on dietary AHR ligands, increased with aging, and declined in inflammatory conditions. Mice lacking AHR in eosinophils expanded innate lymphoid cells of type 2 and cleared Nippostrongylus brasiliensis infection more effectively than did wild-type mice. These results highlight the heterogeneity of eosinophils in response to tissue cues and identify a unique AHR-dependent subset of eosinophils in the small intestine with an immunomodulatory profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective(s): Cigarette smoke may play a direct role in proliferation of human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (HPASMCs). However, the mechanism involved and the effect of interventions remain unclear. We aimed to evaluate the effect of cigarette smoke extract (CSE) on HPASMCs, explore the role of inflammation and oxidative stress, and the effects of Tempol and PDTC in this process. Materials and Methods: HPASMCs were subjected to normal control (NC), CSE, CSE+Tempol (CSE+T), and CSE+PDTC (CSE+P) groups. Proliferation of HPASMCs was measured by CCK-8 and Western blot. TNF-α, IL-6, MDA, and SOD levels were determined by ELISA and commercial kits. Nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 was evaluated by western blot. Results: 1%, 2.5%, and 5% CSE all promoted proliferation of HPASMCs, and effect of 1% CSE was the most significant, however, 7.5% and 10% CSE inhibited viability of cells (all P<0.05). Compared with the NC group, TNF-α, IL-6, and MDA levels increased, SOD activity decreased (all P<0.05), and NF-κB p65 expression in nuclei increased (P=0.04) in the CSE group. Tempol and PDTC inhibited the proliferation of HPASMCs induced by CSE (all P<0.05). And compared with the CSE group, TNF-α, IL-6, and MDA levels in CSE+T and CSE+P groups decreased, while SOD activity increased (all P<0.05). Tempol reduced the expression of NF-κB p65 in nuclei but did not achieve a significant difference (P=0.08). PDTC inhibited the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 (P=0.03). Conclusion: CSE stimulates HPASMCs proliferation in a certain concentration range. The CSEinduced proliferation of HPASMCs involved excessive inflammatory response and oxidative stress. Tempol and PDTC attenuate these effects of CSE on HPASMCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aegilops tauschii is the donor of the D subgenome of hexaploid wheat and an important genetic resource. The reference-quality genome sequence Aet v4.0 for Ae. tauschii acc. AL8/78 was therefore an important milestone for wheat biology and breeding. Further advances in sequencing acc. AL8/78 and release of the Aet v5.0 sequence assembly are reported here. Two new optical maps were constructed and used in the revision of pseudomolecules. Gaps were closed with Pacific Biosciences long-read contigs, decreasing the gap number by 38,899. Transposable elements and protein-coding genes were reannotated. The number of annotated high-confidence genes was reduced from 39,635 in Aet v4.0 to 32,885 in Aet v5.0. A total of 2245 biologically important genes, including those affecting plant phenology, grain quality, and tolerance of abiotic stresses in wheat, was manually annotated and disease-resistance genes were annotated by a dedicated pipeline. Disease-resistance genes encoding nucleotide-binding site domains, receptor-like protein kinases, and receptor-like proteins were preferentially located in distal chromosome regions, whereas those encoding transmembrane coiled-coil proteins were dispersed more evenly along the chromosomes. Discovery, annotation, and expression analyses of microRNA (miRNA) precursors, mature miRNAs, and phasiRNAs are reported, including miRNA target genes. Other small RNAs, such as hc-siRNAs and tRFs, were characterized. These advances enhance the utility of the Ae. tauschii genome sequence for wheat genetics, biotechnology, and breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fractal calculus is an excellent tool to explaining natural phenomena in porous media. In this paper, we first give a simple introduction on He's fractal derivative, and then it is used to establish a model for thermal conduction of silkworm cocoon reveal its biomechanism. The theoretical results obtained in this paper are helpful for the biomimetic design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study that explores spontaneous phase segregation of Strontium nitrate (Sr2NiO3) and Antimony(III) oxide (SrNi2O3) during strontium-nickel oxides (SrNiO3) heteroepitaxy. It mentions about the metastable reduced Ruddlesden-Popper structures offer a testbed for further studying emerging phenomena in nickel-based oxides.

Along the approach to Lie symmetry, it is always needed to solve an over-determined system, which is difficult and complex if not impossible. Here we suggest a new polynomial characteristic method combined with Lie algorithm to complete symmetry classification for a class of perturbed equations. A differential polynomial characteristic set algorithm is proposed to decompose the determining equations into a series of equations easy to be solved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, He's fractional derivative is adopted to establish fractional evolution equations in a fractal space. He's fractional complex transform is used to convent the fractional evolution equation into its traditional partner, and the homotopy perturbation method is used to solve the equations. Some illustrative examples are presented to show that the proposed technology is very excellent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the direct construction method combined with the differential polynomial characteristic set algorithm is used to complete conservation laws of PDE. The process of the direct construction method is to solve a system of linear determining equations, which is not easy to be solved. This paper uses the differential polynomial characteristic set algorithm to overcome the shortcoming, and constructs an explicit conservation law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microglial activation is an important contributor to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Microglia are tightly and efficiently regulated by immune checkpoints, including CD200-CD200R1 and CX3CL1- CX3CR1. Understanding the involvement of these checkpoints in disease progression provides important insights into how microglial activation contributes to PD pathology. However, so far, studies have produced seemingly conflicting results. In this study, we demonstrate that CD200R1 expression is down-regulated at both early and late stage of PD model, and CX3CR1 expression is down-regulated in early stage and recovered in late stage. In primary cultured microglia, CD200R1 and CX3CR1 expressions are both directly regulated by LPS or a-synuclein, and CD200R1 expression is more sensitively regulated than CX3CR1. In addition, CD200 knockout causes an increase in proinflammatory cytokine production and microglial activation in the midbrain. Remarkably, DA neurons in the substantial nigra are degenerated in CD200-/- mice. Finally, activation of the CD200R with CD200Fc alleviates the neuroinflammation in microglia. Together, these results suggest that immune checkpoints play distinct functional roles in different stage of PD pathology, and the CD200-CD200R1 axis plays a significant role in nigrostriatal neuron viability and function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferroelectric (FE) distortions in a metallic material were believed to be experimentally inaccessible because itinerant electrons would screen the long-range Coulomb interactions that favor a polar structure. It has been suggested by Anderson and Blount [P. W. Anderson, E. I. Blount, Phys. Rev. Lett. 14, 217-219 (1965)] that a transition from paraelectric phase to FE phase is possible for a metal if, in the paraelectric phase, the electrons at the Fermi level are decoupled from the soft transverse optical phonons, which lead to ferroelectricity. Here, using Raman spectroscopy combined with magnetotransport measurements on a recently discovered FE metal LiOsO3, we demonstrate active interplay of itinerant electrons and the FE order: Itinerant electrons cause strong renormalization of the FE order parameter, leading to a more gradual transition in LiOsO3 than typical insulating FEs. In return, the FE order enhances the anisotropy of charge transport between parallel and perpendicular to the polarization direction. The temperature-dependent evolution of Raman active in-plane 3Eg phonon, which strongly couples to the polar-active out-ofthe- plane A2u phonon mode in the high-temperature paraelectric state, exhibits a deviation in Raman shift from the expectation of the pseudospin-phonon model that is widely used to model many insulating FEs. The Curie-Weiss temperature (θ ≈ 97 K) obtained from the optical susceptibility is substantially lower than Ts, suggesting a strong suppression of FE fluctuations. Both line width and Fano line shape of 3Eg Raman mode exhibit a strong electron- phonon coupling in the high-temperature paraelectric phase, which disappears in the FE phase, challenging Anderson/Blount's proposal for the formation of FE metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely accepted in word-of-mouth (WOM) research that weak ties have a greater macro-level impact than strong ties on the spread of WOM and that marketers should thus intentionally stimulate WOM between weak ties to optimize a given WOM campaign. Here, we challenge this idea based on the fact that, in practice, marketers often incorporate a WOM campaign into other forms of marketing activities, typically advertising. Using an agent-based modeling approach, we demonstrate that while advertising serves as one source of information flow, the WOM that is most effective at driving product growth is created by strong rather than weak ties. The rationale behind this is simple: advertising competes against weak ties in disseminating information globally, and it is this global reach that has been widely considered the vital strength of weak ties over strong ties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new approximate analytical method is established, and it is useful in constructing approximate analytical solution a system of fractional differential equations. The results show that our method is reliable and efficient for solving the fractional system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is a common complication of liver cirrhosis. The association between endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS) and PVT is unclear. In this paper, we reported that a male cirrhotic patient developed acute mesenteric vein thrombosis after EIS for secondary prophylaxis of esophageal variceal bleeding. Immediate anticoagulation therapy was effective and safe in this patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, they authors introduce a suboptimal training sequence for burst-mode continuous phase modulation. The optimum training sequence has been prove to be optimal for the estimates of carrier frequency offset, carrier phase error and timing error. However, the optimum sequence brings high side-lobe of the log-likelihood function (LLF), that is not benefit for detecting the start of the sequence (SOS). Thus, the suboptimal sequence is designed to improve the SOS performance through decreasing the side-log effect of the LLF. Meanwhile, the proposed sequence can minimise the Cramer-Rao bound for the joint estimation of carrier frequency offset, carrier phase error and symbol timing error. The data-aided maximum likelihood algorithms for timing error and phase error estimation are derived for evaluating the performance of the proposed sequence. The simulation results demonstrate that the new sequence provides better performance on start detection of the sequence than the optimal one. The performance of timing and carrier phase recovery is also close to the ideal synchronisation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild emmer (Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccoides) is the progenitor of all modern cultivated tetraploid wheat. Its genome is large (. 10 Gb) and contains over 80% repeated sequences. The successful whole-genome-shotgun assembly of the wild emmer (accession Zavitan) genome sequence (WEW_v1.0) was an important milestone for wheat genomics. In an effort to improve this assembly, an optical map of accession Zavitan was constructed using Bionano Direct Label and Stain (DLS) technology. The map spanned 10.4 Gb. This map and another map produced earlier by us with the Bionano's Nick Label Repair and Stain (NLRS) technology were used to improve the current wild emmer assembly. The WEW_v1.0 assembly consisted of 151,912 scaffolds. Of them, 3,102 could be confidently aligned on the optical maps. Forty-seven were chimeric. They were disjoined and new scaffolds were assembled with the aid of the optical maps. The total number of scaffolds was reduced from 151,912 to 149,252 and N50 increased from 6.96 Mb to 72.63 Mb. Of the 149,252 scaffolds, 485 scaffolds, which accounted for 97% of the total genome length, were aligned and oriented on genetic maps, and new WEW_v2.0 pseudomolecules were constructed. The new pseudomolecules included 333 scaffolds (68.51 Mb) which were originally unassigned, 226 scaffolds (554.84 Mb) were placed into new locations, and 332 scaffolds (394.83 Mb) were re-oriented. The improved wild emmer genome assembly is an important resource for understanding genomic modi- fication that occurred by domestication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic behaviors of gas-liquid two-phase flow were simulated in a lab-scale intermittent bubble column by Euler-Euler two-fluid model coupled with the PBM (population balance model) using two different liquid phases, i.e., Newtonian fluid (water)/non-Newtonian fluid (activated sludge). When non-Newtonian fluid was used during intermittent aeration, some interesting results were obtained. Two symmetric vortexes existed in the time-averaged flow field; the vertical time-averaged velocity of the liquid phase decreased with increasing anaerobic time; the average gas holdup distribution was like a trapezoid with long upper side and short lower side and affected by the dynamic viscosity of the liquid phase. Compared with non-Newtonian fluid, the use of Newtonian fluid as the liquid phase led to a more complicated time-averaged flow field structure and vertical time-averaged velocity distribution, higher average gas holdup, and the asymmetric column-shaped gas holdup distribution with increasing anaerobic time. For different liquid phases, the instantaneous flow field, instantaneous vertical velocity, and instantaneous gas holdup distribution all periodically changed with anaerobic time; however, different from Newtonian liquid phase, non-Newtonian liquid phase had no periodic oscillating instantaneous horizontal velocity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article addresses the results of a 4-year trial investigating the use of single-dose rifapentine as an intervention for preventing leprosy in household contacts of patients, raising concerns about the short follow-up period, and the potential delay of disease progression.

• Presents the latest epidemiological characteristics of syphilis infection among blood donors. • Analyzes the risk factors of syphilis infection in this population. • Discusses strategies for preventing the spread of syphilis infection among blood donors. To investigate the epidemiological characteristics and risk factors for syphilis in Huzhou City, and to provide data to support the design of more effective health counselling and screening measures for blood donors. A retrospective study was conducted to analyse the demographic characteristics and seropositivity of syphilis among blood donors from 2019 to 2021. The differences in the serological status of syphilis among different populations under different demographic factors were compared, and conditional logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors for syphilis. The seropositivity rate of syphilis among blood donors in Huzhou City was 133/100,000, which decreased year by year. There were significant differences in the syphilis seropositivity rate among different groups in terms of age, education level, occupation, household registration, marital status and blood donation history (P < 0.05). The multivariate logistic regression model showed that all six factors, including age, education level, occupation, household registration, marital status and blood donation history, had significant effects on syphilis infection (P < 0.01), with OR values and 95% CIs of 2. 387 (1.381–4.127), 3.607 (1.609–8.086), 2.784 (1.657–4.679), 5.074 (1.865–13.804), 11.177 (3.481–35.888), and 11.244 (3.940–32.091), respectively. There is room for improvement in pre-donation health counselling and screening of high-risk populations. Timely monitoring and updating of demographic data for specific high-risk populations is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the reduced differential transform method is modified and successfully used to solve the fractional heat transfer equations. The numerical examples show that the new method is efficient, simple, and accurate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research in human action recognition has accelerated significantly since the introduction of powerful machine learning tools such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). However, effective and efficient methods for incorporation of temporal information into CNNs are still being actively explored in the recent literature. Motivated by the popular recurrent attention models in the research area of natural language processing, we propose the Attention-aware Temporal Weighted CNN (ATW CNN) for action recognition in videos, which embeds a visual attention model into a temporal weighted multi-stream CNN. This attention model is simply implemented as temporal weighting yet it effectively boosts the recognition performance of video representations. Besides, each stream in the proposed ATW CNN framework is capable of end-to-end training, with both network parameters and temporal weights optimized by stochastic gradient descent (SGD) with back-propagation. Our experimental results on the UCF-101 and HMDB-51 datasets showed that the proposed attention mechanism contributes substantially to the performance gains with the more discriminative snippets by focusing on more relevant video segments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adjustment of metabolic patterns is fundamental to fungal biology and plays vital roles in adaptation to diverse ecological challenges. Nematodetrapping fungi can switch their lifestyle from saprophytic to pathogenic by developing specific trapping devices induced by nematodes to infect their prey as a response to nutrient depletion in nature. However, the chemical identity of the specific fungal metabolites used during the switch remains poorly understood. We hypothesized that these important signal molecules might be volatile in nature. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to carry out comparative analysis of fungal metabolomics during the saprophytic and pathogenic lifestyles of the model species Arthrobotrys oligospora. Two media commonly used in research on this species, cornmeal agar (CMA) and potato dextrose agar (PDA), were chosen for use in this study. The fungus produced a small group of volatile furanone and pyrone metabolites that were associated with the switch from the saprophytic to the pathogenic stage. A. oligospora fungi grown on CMA tended to produce more traps and employ attractive furanones to improve the utilization of traps, while fungi grown on PDA developed fewer traps and used nematodetoxic furanone metabolites to compensate for insufficient traps. Another volatile pyrone metabolite, maltol, was identified as a morphological regulator for enhancing trap formation. Deletion of the gene AOL_s00079g496 in A. oligospora led to increased amounts of the furanone attractant (2-fold) in mutants and enhanced the attractive activity (1.5-fold) of the fungus, while it resulted in decreased trap formation. This investigation provides new insights regarding the comprehensive tactics of fungal adaptation to environmental stress, integrating both morphological and metabolomic mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-destructive plant growth measurement is essential for plant growth and health research. As a 3D sensor, Kinect v2 has huge potentials in agriculture applications, benefited from its low price and strong robustness. The paper proposes a Kinect-based automatic system for non-destructive growth measurement of leafy vegetables. The system used a turntable to acquire multi-view point clouds of the measured plant. Then a series of suitable algorithms were applied to obtain a fine 3D reconstruction for the plant, while measuring the key growth parameters including relative/absolute height, total/projected leaf area and volume. In experiment, 63 pots of lettuce in different growth stages were measured. The result shows that the Kinect-measured height and projected area have fine linear relationship with reference measurements. While the measured total area and volume both follow power law distributions with reference data. All these data have shown good fitting goodness (R2 = 0.9457–0.9914). In the study of biomass correlations, the Kinect-measured volume was found to have a good power law relationship (R2 = 0.9281) with fresh weight. In addition, the system practicality was validated by performance and robustness analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

β-Sialon:Eu2+ has been reported to be the most promising narrow-band green phosphor for wide color gamut LCD backlights, but the coexistence of the Eu3+ luminescence killer with the Eu2+ luminescence center limits its luminescence performance to a great extent. In this study, we propose a direct reduction strategy to successfully realize the reduction of Eu3+ to Eu2+ and, finally, increase the effective concentration of Eu2+ in the crystal lattice and greatly minimize the amount of Eu3+ on the particle surface. As a result, the luminescence of treated β-sialon:Eu2+ is enhanced by 2.3 times, and the internal quantum efficiency significantly increases from 52.2 to 96.5%. The mechanisms for such large enhancements in luminescence are clarified by investigating the microstructure, luminescence spectra, valence state, concentration, and distribution of Eu using a variety of chemical analyses. We find that the low efficiency is ascribed to the coexistence of the Eu3+ luminescence killer with the Eu2+ luminescence center. The white LED backlight using the treated β-sialon:Eu2+ demonstrates a high luminous efficacy of 136 lm W-1 (22.5% up) and a wide color gamut (∼96% National Television System Committee standard (NTSC)), which thus promises high brightness and energy saving. We believe that the strategy proposed in this work would also work for other luminescent materials containing mixed valence of dopants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Osmanthus fragrans has been used as folk medicine for thousands of years. The extracts of Osmanthus fragrans flowers were reported to have various bioactivities including free radical scavenging, anti-inflammation, neuroprotection and antitumor effects. However, there is still lack of knowledge about its essential oil. Methods: In this work, we analyzed the chemical composition of the essential oil from Osmanthus fragrans var. thunbergii by GC-MS. A complex network approach was applied to investigate the interrelationships between the ingredients, target proteins, and related pathways for the essential oil. Statistical characteristics of the networks were further studied to explore the main active ingredients and potential bioactivities of O. fragrans var. thunbergii essential oil. Results: A total of 44 ingredients were selected from the chemical composition of O. fragrans var. thunbergii essential oil, and that 191 potential target proteins together with 70 pathways were collected for these compounds. An ingredient-target-pathway network was constructed based on these data and showed scale-free property as well as power-law degree distribution. Eugenol and geraniol were screened as main active ingredients with much higher degree values. Potential neuroprotective and anti-tumor effect of the essential oil were also found. A core subnetwork was extracted from the ingredient-target-pathway network, and indicated that eugenol and geraniol contributed most to the neuroprotection of this essential oil. Furthermore, a pathway-based protein association network was built and exhibited small-world property. MAPK1 and MAPK3 were considered as key proteins with highest scores of centrality indices, which might play an important role in the anti-tumor effect of the essential oil. Conclusions: This work predicted the main active ingredients and bioactivities of O. fragrans var. thunbergii essential oil, which would benefit the development and utilization of Osmanthus fragrans flowers. The application of complex network theory was proved to be effective in bioactivities studies of essential oil. Moreover, it provides a novel strategy for exploring the molecular mechanisms of traditional medicines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Mn2+-based metal-organic framework (coordination porous framework-5, CPF-5) can serve as a crystalline sponge for single crystal X-ray structural characterization of a variety of compounds using a combination of coordinative alignment and second coordination sphere interactions (e.g., hydrogen bonding). This technique requires only a conventional X-ray source to obtain high quality crystallographic data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anti-glomerular basement membrane glomerulonephritis (anti-GBM GN) is an autoimmune disease that leads to severe and rapidly progressive renal injury. Inhibition of DNA-binding factor 3 (ID3) serves a key role in autoimmune diseases, such as asthma and Sjögren's syndrome, and in experimental allergic encephalitis models. However, the role of ID3 in the progression of anti-GBM GN remains unknown. In the present study, ID3 mRNA expression increased between 3- and 20-fold in the renal tissues of anti-GBM GN mice compared with the Control group, with a peak at day 14 post-induction. In addition, ID3 protein expression was upregulated from day 7 onwards. The expression of ID3 was also examined in the spleen, and was demonstrated to be increased in the spleen of nephritic mice. T helper 17 (Th17) cells and regulatory T (Treg) cells were present throughout the entire period of observation (from day 7 to day 28) in anti-GBM GN mice, which may vary at different time points, accompanied with the expression of ID3. In vitro, ID3 expression was increased when CD4+ T cells differentiated into Tregs; however, expression was lower in Th17 cells. Following treatment with ID3 small interfering RNA, RAR-related orphan receptor γt, but not forkhead box P3, expression increased. Furthermore, increased expression of interleukin-17A was also observed when ID3 was blocked. In addition, ID3 was able to interact with transcription factor E2A. A significant increase in binding between ID3 and E2A was observed in anti-GBM GN from day 7 onwards, with a peak at day 14 in both renal tissue and spleen. In conclusion, ID3 may be involved in the differentiation of Th17 and Tregs by downregulating Th17 cells, which is probably associated with binding to E2A. The present results suggested that ID3 may offer protection against anti-GBM GN in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of bromodomain and extraterminal domain (BET) bromodomain inhibitors and their examination in clinical studies, particularly in oncology settings, has garnered substantial recent interest. An effort to generate novel BET bromodomain inhibitors with excellent potency and drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK) properties was initiated based upon elaboration of a simple pyridone core. Efforts to develop a bidentate interaction with a critical asparagine residue resulted in the incorporation of a pyrrolopyridone core, which improved potency by 9-19-fold. Additional structure-activity relationship (SAR) efforts aimed both at increasing potency and improving pharmacokinetic properties led to the discovery of the clinical candidate 63 (ABBV-075/mivebresib), which demonstrates excellent potency in biochemical and cellular assays, advantageous exposures and half-life both in animal models and in humans, and in vivo efficacy in mouse models of cancer progression and inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prediction of fluid phase behavior in nanoscale pores is critical for shale gas/oil development. In this work, we use a molecular density functional theory (DFT) to study the effect of molecular size and shape on partitioning to graphite nanopores as a model of shale. Here, interfacial statistical associating fluid theory (iSAFT) is applied to model alkane (C1 - C8) adsorption/desorption/phase behavior in graphite slit pores for both pure fluids and mixtures. The pure component parameters were fit to the bulk saturated liquid density and vapor pressure data in selected temperature ranges. The potential of interaction between the fluid and graphite is modeled with a Steele 10-4-3 potential that is fit to the potential of mean force from single-molecule simulations. Good agreement is found between theory and molecular simulation for the density distributions of pure components in slit pores. The critical properties of methane, ethane, and their mixtures as well as the shift in bubble point and dew point densities were studied, showing good agreement with simulation. The competitive adsorption of mixtures of normal and branched alkanes in graphite pores was also studied. Heavier components more strongly adsorb up to the point that the entropic penalty due to confinement reduces adsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fractional Fornberg-Whitham equation with He's fractional derivative is studied in a fractal process. The fractional complex transform is adopted to convert the studied fractional equation into a differential equation, and He's homotopy perturbation method is used to solve the equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic--luminescent nanoparticles are now attracting great attention in biochemistry and biomedicine for their promising bifunctional characteristics. In this work, we propose a strategy of Liþ doping to enhance both the luminescent and magnetic properties of Fe3O4@Y2O3:Eu3+ core--shell particles. A comprehensive investigation of phase assembly, microscopic morphology, luminescence, and magnetic characteristics of the bifunctional particles was carried out. The core--shell structured particles have a spherical morphology and the agglomerated particle size is ~1 µm in diameter. Under 254 nm excitation, the co-doped sample (5 mol-% Li+) with a dominant emission peak at 612 nm, exhibits luminescence 2.35 times more intense than the undoped sample (0 mol-% Li+). Li+ doping also leads to an improved saturation magnetisation, which was 2.41 times greater than the undoped sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generally, pipelines in the deep ocean are laid without artificial embedded depth, but they penetrate into the sea floor under their own weight and the influence of the installation. Under this condition, pipelines easily experience lateral buckling. The pipe-soil interaction plays a critical role in the thermal buckling of a pipeline. In this study, a pipe segment with a 16-cm outer diameter and 1-m length is considered the object. Pipe-soil interaction model tests of lateral movement under different pipe segment weights within the scope of 0.05 to 0.65 kN=m are implemented in sand. The maximal lateral resistance, the trajectories of the pipe segment, and the large deformation behavior of the seabed are investigated. In the foundation of the test analysis, an upper-bound mechanism that consists of two isosceles triangles and a logarithmic spiral is proposed. The formula to calculate the maximal lateral resistance is proposed on the basis of the upperbound mechanism. The maximal lateral resistance can be obtained by knowing only the pipe weight, the internal friction angle, and the density of sand. Compared with the existing calculation methods, the result of this paper is much closer to the real situations when the weight of a pipe segment is within the range of 0.15-0.45 kN/m. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catalytic direct conjugate addition and [2 + 2] cycloaddition reactions of β,γ-unsaturated α-ketoesters with simple olefins have been developed, affording vinylation products and functionalized cyclobutanes, respectively, in good yields with high regioselectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins are widely involved in plant defense against both biotic and abiotic stresses. Among the 17 PRs classified, the PR5 family has been found in numerous plant species. In this study, a PR5 protein from the oriental hybrid lily cultivar Sorbonne (designated LhSorPR5) was characterized. The isolated full-length cDNA was 1391 bp, consisting of a 5' untranslated region (UTR) of 137 bp, a predicted open reading frame (ORF) of 939 bp, and a 3' UTR of 315 bp. The predicted ORF encoded a protein of 312 amino acids with a 22-amino-acid signal peptide located at the N-terminus. The mature LhSorPR5 (devoid of a signal peptide) had a theoretical isoelectric point of 4.5 and a calculated molecular weight of 30.49 kDa. The deduced LhSorPR5 shared high similarity to PR5 orthologues originating from other plants. Using homology modeling, a three-dimensional model of LhSorPR5 was built, and an acidic cleft which formed by five conserved REDDD residues was found in the model constructed. LhSorPR5 transcript levels in response to different stress treatments were quantified using qPCR and LhSorPR5 expression was induced by salt, polyethylene glycol (PEG), Botrytis elliptica infection, and phytohormones (methyl jasmonate, sodium salicylate, ethephon and abscisic acid) treatments. The His6-tagged LhSorPR5 recombinant protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and successfully purified. The LhSorPR5 characterized in this study is the first PR5 family gene to be isolated from Lilium, and it could potentially be used as an aid in future studies on lily disease resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis, Jacq.) is the most important source of edible oil. The improvement of oil yield is currently slow in conventional breeding programs due to long generation intervals. Marker-assisted selection (MAS) has the potential to accelerate genetic improvement. To identify DNA markers associated with oil content traits for MAS, we performed quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping using genotyping by sequencing (GBS) in a breeding population derived from a cross between Deli Dura and Ghana Pisifera, containing 153 F1 trees. Results: We constructed a high-density linkage map containing 1357 SNPs and 123 microsatellites. The 16 linkage groups (LGs) spanned 1527 cM, with an average marker space of 1.03 cM. One significant and three suggestive QTL for oil to bunch (O/B) and oil to dry mesocarp (O/DM) were mapped on LG1, LG8, and LG10 in a F1 breeding population, respectively. These QTL explained 7.6-13.3% of phenotypic variance. DNA markers associated with oil content in these QTL were identified. Trees with beneficial genotypes at two QTL for O/B showed an average O/B of 30.97%, significantly (P < 0.01) higher than that of trees without any beneficial QTL genotypes (average O/B of 28.24%). QTL combinations showed that the higher the number of QTL with beneficial genotypes, the higher the resulting average O/B in the breeding population. Conclusions: A linkage map with 1480 DNA markers was constructed and used to identify QTL for oil content traits. Pyramiding the identified QTL with beneficial genotypes associated with oil content traits using DNA markers has the potential to accelerate genetic improvement for oil yield in the breeding population of oil palm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Members of the BET family of bromodomain containing proteins have been identified as potential targets for blocking proliferation in a variety of cancer cell lines. A two-dimensional NMR fragment screen for binders to the bromodomains of BRD4 identified a phenylpyridazinone fragment with a weak binding affinity (1, K i = 160 μM). SAR investigation of fragment 1, aided by X-ray structure-based design, enabled the synthesis of potent pyridone and macrocyclic pyridone inhibitors exhibiting single digit nanomolar potency in both biochemical and cell based assays. Advanced analogs in these series exhibited high oral exposures in rodent PK studies and demonstrated significant tumor growth inhibition efficacy in mouse flank xenograft models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) enables mapping of nanoscale field distributions in two dimensions. However, the standard s-SNOM technique lacks direct resolving ability along the vertical direction, therefore unable to provide full three-dimensional near-field responses. Here, we develop a reconstruction technique that enables s-SNOM to collect a three-dimensional response cube of near-field interaction. The technique also allows a new operational mode of s-SNOM based on the characteristic decay range of near-field interactions. As a demonstration, the bound near-field at the sides of a polaritonic boron nitride nanotube is revealed through the collection of the near-field response cube. The graphene boundary and discontinuities are revealed by the near-field decay range mapping. The reconstruction s-SNOM technique extends the capability of s-SNOM and is generally applicable for a wide range of nanoscale characterizations that are suitable for s-SNOM, such as characterizations of plasmonic and polaritonic nanostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The properties of perovskite nickelates are very sensitive to their oxygen content, which allows us to tune their electronic structures by varying the oxygen partial pressure during film deposition. Under the optimized condition, we have obtained GdNiO3 films that are sensitive to a wide spectrum of light. By combining the GdNiO3 film with Nb-doped SrTiO3 to form a heterojunction, we design a self-powered photodetector with high sensitivity toward light with a wavelength between 650 nm and 365 nm. Under 365 nm illumination (50 μW/cm2), the device shows a responsivity of 0.23 A/W at 0V bias, comparable to or even better than the ultraviolet photodetectors made of semiconductor materials such as GaN or ZnO. The photo-dark ratio can be close to 103 when the power light density reaches 0.6 mW/cm2. Moreover, the device performance is very stable without any decay after 6 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of facile and versatile strategies with low-cost for hydrogel construction is of tremendous scientific interest. Herein, we demonstrate that naturally derived, cost-effective tannic acid (TA) can be an efficient gelation binder for the hydrogel formation with a series of commercially available water-soluble polymers. With a five-polyphenol-arm structure, TA molecules are able to grasp polymer chains through either hydrogen or ionic bonds and cross-link them together by coordinate bonds in the presence of Fe(III) ions. These two interactions can be elegantly balanced by tuning the weight ratios of polymer/TA and TA/Fe3+, which is the key point for the construction of supramolecular hydrogels. The supramolecular hydrogels exhibit multiple functionalities including mechanical tenability, rapid self-healing, pH-stimuli responsiveness, and free radical scavenging abilities. TA as a dynamic and versatile catechol group modifier provides a simple path to the construction of multifunctional hydrogels, which shows obvious advantages such as easy and green processing, low cost, and large-scale preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A high-density genetic map is essential for de novo genome assembly, fine mapping QTL for important complex traits, comparative genomic studies and understanding the mechanisms of genome evolution. Although a number of genomic resources are available in Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer), a high-density linkage map is still lacking. To facilitate QTL mapping for marker-assisted selection and genome assembly, and to understand the genome-wide recombination rates, we constructed high density linkage maps using three families and genotyping by sequencing. Results: A high-density consensus linkage map consisting of 8, 274 markers was constructed based on sex-averaged genetic maps. The genetic maps were then aligned and integrated with the current genome assembly of Asian seabass. More than 90% of the genome contig sequences were anchored onto the consensus genetic map. Evidence of assembly errors in the current genome assembly was identified. A fragment of up to 2.5 Mb belonging to LG14 was assembled into Chr15. The length of family-specific sex-averaged maps ranged from 1348.96 to 1624.65 cM. Female maps were slightly longer than male maps using common markers. Female-to-male ratios were highly variable both across chromosomes within each family and throughout three families for each chromosome. However, the distribution patterns of recombination along chromosomes were similar between sexes across the whole genome. The overall recombination rates were significantly correlated with genome-wide GC content and the correlations were revealed to be stronger in females than in males. Conclusions: These high-density genetic maps provide not only essential tools for facilitating de novo genome assembly and comparative genomic studies in teleosts, but also critical resources for fine mapping QTL and genome-wide association mapping for economically important traits in Asian seabass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study is to make a diagnosis and a classification for congenital central slip hypoplasia. The surgical treatment was determined according to the classification. Methods: A retrospective study of 25 treated digits in 13 patients with congenital central slip hypoplasia was carried out. The central slip was classified into two types. Type I: The distance between the insertion of central slip and the proximal interphalangeal joint was shorter than or equal to 5 mm. Type II: The distance between the insertion of central slip and the proximal interphalangeal joint was longer than 5 mm. Tendon advancement or tendon graft was used for type I or II, respectively. Results: The preoperative mean extension lag was 91° (range, 80°-100°), and the mean follow-up duration was 18 months (range, 9-24 months). The postoperative mean extension lag was 19° (range, 0°-50°). No matter whether in type I or II, the postoperative ranges of proximal interphalangeal joint extension had significant improvement compared with the preoperative ones. There was no statistical difference of proximal interphalangeal joint extension lag changes before and after surgery between the two types. Conclusion: Congenital central slip hypoplasia could be classified into two types. Either tendon advancement or tendon graft might be effective, which depended on the classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]