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ABSTRACT Traditional photosynthesis‐driven growth models have considerable uncertainties in predicting tree growth under changing climates, partially because sink activities are directly affected by the environment but not adequately addressed in growth modelling. Therefore, we developed a semi‐mechanistic model coupling stomatal optimality, temperature control of enzymatic activities and phenology of cambial growth. Parameterized using Bayesian inference and measured data on Picea abies and Pinus sylvestris in peatland and mineral soils in Finland, the coupled model simulates transpiration and assimilation rates and stem radial dimension (SRD) simultaneously at 30 min resolution. The results suggest that both the sink and phenological formulations with environmental effects are indispensable for capturing SRD dynamics across hourly to seasonal scales. Simulated using the model, growth was more sensitive than assimilation to temperature and soil water, suggesting carbon gain is not driving growth at the current temporal scale. Also, leaf‐specific production was occasionally positively correlated with growth duration but not with growth onset timing or annual cambial area increment. Thus, as it is hardly explained by carbon gain, phenology itself should be included in sink‐driven growth models of the trees in the boreal zone and possibly other environments where sink activities and photosynthesis are both restrained by harsh conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MYB transcription factors (TFs) play important roles in plant growth and development, metabolic regulation, and stress responses. In the current study, 258 2R‐MYB TFs were identified in Nicotiana tabacum and systemically analyzed. The 2R‐NtMYB TFs were unevenly distributed on 23 chromosomes and were classified into 33 subgroups according to the Arabidopsis thaliana 2R‐MYB classification. The promoters of the 2R‐NtMYB harbor numerous potential cis‐acting elements involved in plant growth, metabolism, hormone signaling, and stress responsiveness. Chip‐based expression profiling of different tissues and growth stages revealed that the 2R‐NtMYBs showed constitutive or spatiotemporally specific expressions. RNA‐sequencing data indicated that some 2R‐NtMYBs, including NtMYB16, NtMYB27, NtMYB35, and NtMYB170, are involved in the response to one or several abiotic and biotic stresses, namely drought and resistance to black shank and bacterial wilt. Quantitative PCR results further revealed that NtMYBs respond to different hormones (abscisic acid, indole acetic acid, gibberellic acid, methyl jasmonate, and salicylic acid) and confirmed their involvement in abiotic stress responses like heat, drought, and salt. NtMYB35 overexpression and mutant lines generated using CRISPR‐Cas9 gene editing were used to verify the important role of NtMYB35 in regulating tobacco growth, pigment metabolism, and aphid resistance. These results provide a detailed overview of this TF family in N. tabacum and valuable insights for future functional analyses of NtMYB TFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unique structure of human teeth limits dental repair to custom-made solutions. The production process requires a lot of time and manpower. At present, artificial intelligence (AI) has begun to be used in the medical field and improve efficiency. This study attempted to design a variety of dental restorations using AI and evaluate their clinical applicability. Using inlay and crown restoration types commonly used in dental standard models, we compared differences in artificial wax-up carving (wax-up), artificial digital designs (digital) and AI designs (AI). The AI system was designed using computer calculations, and the other two methods were designed by humans. Restorations were made by 3D printing resin material. Image evaluations were compared with cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) by calculating the root mean squared error. Surface truth results showed that AI (68.4 µm) and digital-designed crowns (51.0 µm) had better reproducibility. Using AI for the crown reduced the time spent by 400% (compared to digital) and 900% (compared to wax-up). Optical microscopic and CBCT images showed that AI and digital designs had close margin gaps (p < 0.05). The margin gap of the crown showed that the wax-up group was 4.1 and 4.3 times greater than those of the AI and digital crowns, respectively. Therefore, the utilization of artificial intelligence can assist in the production of dental restorations, thereby enhancing both production efficiency and accuracy. It is expected that the development of AI can contribute to the reproducibility, efficiency, and goodness of fit of dental restorations. [Display omitted] • Artificial intelligence-designed dental restorations exhibit similar external shapes as those designed by human experts. • Artificial intelligence can reduce the manufacturing time of dental restorations. • The use of artificial intelligence can improve the marginal adaptation. • AI-designed dental restorations may become potential options for clinical selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waterlogging causes hypoxic or anoxic conditions in soils, which lead to decreases in root and stomatal hydraulic conductance. Although these effects have been observed in a variety of plant species, they have not been quantified continuously over a range of water table depths (WTD) or soil water contents (SWC). To provide a quantitative theoretical framework for tackling this issue, we hypothesized similar mathematical descriptions of waterlogging and drought effects on whole-tree hydraulics and constructed a hierarchical model by connecting optimal stomata and soil-to-leaf hydraulic conductance models. In the model, the soil-to-root conductance is non-monotonic with WTD to reflect both the limitations by water under low SWC and by hypoxic effects associated with inhibited oxygen diffusion under high SWC. The model was parameterized using priors from literature and data collected over four growing seasons from Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) trees grown in a drained peatland in Finland. Two reference models (RMs) were compared with the new model, RM1 with no belowground hydraulics and RM2 with no waterlogging effects. The new model was more accurate than the RMs in predicting transpiration rate (fitted slope of measured against modeled transpiration rate = 0.991 vs 0.979 (RM1) and 0.984 (RM2), R 2 = 0.801 vs 0.665 (RM1) and 0.776 (RM2)). Particularly, RM2's overestimation of transpiration rate under shallow water table conditions (fitted slope = 0.908, R 2 = 0.697) was considerably reduced by the new model (fitted slope = 0.956, R 2 = 0.711). The limits and potential improvements of the model are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Poor sleep quality is a known risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. This longitudinal imaging study aimed to determine the acceleration in the rates of tissue loss in cognitively critical brain regions due to poor sleep in healthy elderly individuals. Cognitively‐normal healthy individuals, aged ≥60 years, reported Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and underwent baseline and 2‐year follow‐up magnetic resonance imaging brain scans. The links between self‐reported sleep quality, rates of tissue loss in cognitively‐critical brain regions, and white matter hyperintensity load were assessed. A total of 48 subjects were classified into normal (n = 23; PSQI score <5) and poor sleepers (n = 25; PSQI score ≥5). The two groups were not significantly different in terms of age, gender, years of education, ethnicity, handedness, body mass index, and cognitive performance. Compared to normal sleepers, poor sleepers exhibited much faster rates of volume loss, over threefold in the right hippocampus and fivefold in the right posterior cingulate over 2 years. In contrast, there were no significant differences in the rates of volume loss in the cerebral and cerebellar grey and white matter between the two groups. Rates of volume loss in the right posterior cingulate were negatively associated with global PSQI scores. Poor sleep significantly accelerates volume loss in the right hippocampus and the right posterior cingulate cortex. These findings demonstrate that self‐reported sleep quality explains inter‐individual differences in the rates of volume loss in cognitively‐critical brain regions in healthy older adults and provide a strong impetus to offer sleep interventions to cognitively normal older adults who are poor sleepers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the circular Gaussian spot emitted by a laser light source is shaped into a rectangular flat-top beam to improve the scanning efficiency of a selective laser sintering scanning system. A CO2 laser with a power of 200 W, wavelength of 10.6 μm, and spot diameter of 9 mm is shaped into a flat-top spot with a length and width of 0.5 × 0.1 mm, and the mapping function and flat-top Lorentzian function are calculated. We utilize ZEMAX to optimize the aspherical cylindrical lens of the shaping system and the cylindrical lens of the focusing system. We then calculate the energy uniformity of the flat-top line-shaped beam at distances from 500 to 535 mm and study the zoom displacement of the focusing lens system. The results indicated that the energy uniformity of the flat-top beam was greater than 80% at the distances considered, and the focusing system must precisely control the displacement of the cylindrical lens in the Y-direction to achieve precise zooming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents oxidation behaviours of Al-bearing Cr-based alloys GA1 (51Cr-22Al-13Mo-9Ta-5Si in at%) and GA2 (40Cr-33Al-13Mo-9Ta-5Si in at%) at 1100–1400 ˚C for up to 24 h. The formation of oxides on the surfaces was influenced by constituent phases; BCC phase was rich in Al and formed only α-Al 2 O 3 , complex oxides (Cr 2 O 3 , AlTaO 4 , CrTaO 4 , and Ta 2 O 5) occurred on top of C14 Laves phase. Sufficient Al content is crucial to the formation of protective α-Al 2 O 3 , as GA2 was able to resist severe oxidation at 1400 ˚C with an oxidation weight gain of only 3.3 mg/cm2 after 24 h. [Display omitted] • Al-bearing Cr-based alloys in this work contained BCC matrix and C14 phases. • The BCC phase was rich in Al and formed only α-Al 2 O 3. • Complex oxides formed on top of C14 Laves phase and at phase boundaries. • Increasing Al content can enhance oxidation resistance from 1100 to 1400 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although substance use is widespread across the lifespan from early adolescence to older adulthood, the prevalence of substance use disorder (SUD) differs between age groups. These age differences in SUD rates necessitate an investigation into how age moderates reward sensitivity, and consequently influences the risks and consequences related to substance use. This theoretical review integrates evidence from the literature to address the dynamic interplay between age and reward in the context of substance use. Overall, increasing evidence demonstrates that age moderates reward sensitivity and underlying reward system neurobiology. Reward sensitivity undergoes a non-linear trajectory across the lifespan. Low levels of reward sensitivity are associated with childhood and late adulthood. In contrast, high levels are associated with early to late adolescence, followed by a decline in the twenties. These fluctuations in reward sensitivity across the lifespan contribute to complex associations with substance use. This lends support to adolescence and young adulthood as vulnerable periods for the risk of subsequent SUD. More empirical research is needed to investigate reward sensitivity during SUD maintenance and recovery. Future research should also involve larger sample sizes and encompass a broader range of age groups, including older adults. • Rates of substance use initiation and disorder vary across different age groups. • Age moderates reward sensitivity, indicating high sensitivity during adolescence. • Changes in the reward system support age-related reward sensitivity. • Adolescents and young adults appear to be vulnerable to substance use. • Substance use may interact with age-related reward sensitivity/system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proper placement of suture anchors is an important step in Bankart repair as improper placement can lead to failure. Concern surrounding suture anchor placement inspired the use navigation systems in shoulder arthroscopy. We aimed to demonstrate the technological advantage of using the O-arm (Medtronic Navigation, Denver, CO, USA) image guidance system to provide real-time images during portal and anchor placements in shoulder arthroscopy. Consecutive patients (from July to October 2014) who were admitted for arthroscopic capsulolabral repair surgeries were included. Ten patients were randomly enrolled in the navigation group and 10 in the traditional group. The glenoid was divided into four zones, and the penetration rates in each zone were compared between the two groups. In zone III, the most inferior region of the glenoid, the penetration rate was 40.9% in the traditional group and 15.7% in the navigation group (P = 0.077), demonstrating a trend toward improved accuracy of anchor placement with the aid of the navigation system; however, this was not statistically significant. Average surgical time in the navigation and traditional groups was 177.6±40.2 and 117.7±17.6 mins, respectively. American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Shoulder Scores showed no difference before and 6 months after surgery. This pilot study showed a trend toward decreased penetration rate in O-arm-navigated capsulolabral repair surgeries and decreased risks of implant misplacement; however, possibly due to the small sample size, the difference was not statistically significant. Further large-scale studies are needed to confirm the possible benefit of the navigation system. Even with the use of navigation systems, there were still some penetrations in zone III of the glenoid. This penetration may be attributed to the micro-motion of the acromioclavicular joint. Although the navigation group showed a significant increase in surgical time, with improvements in instrument design, O-arm-navigated arthroscopy will gain popularity in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In conclusion, this study demonstrated that composition of the gut microbiota among patients with CU is generally different from healthy people; additionally, the use of probiotics is an efficacious adjuvant therapy. The forest plots revealed significantly higher prevalence of clinical response among patients received probiotics versus patients received placebo. Chronic urticaria (CU) is an immune-mediated disease that manifests with recurrent wheals. [Extracted from the article]

Objective: To determine long term (11 year) trends in gabapentin and pregabalin prescribing among workers' compensation claimants at various opioid dose combinations (low, medium, high, and very high) in Louisiana. Method: A longitudinal study of 18,737 claimants who filled any prescriptions between 2008 and 2018. Results: The proportion of claimants prescribed opioids alone at all dose levels decreased dramatically. The proportion claimants prescribed the combination of low dose opioids and low dose gabapentinoids increased (7.7% to 10.9%). Prescribing higher daily doses of gabapentinoids was associated with higher daily doses of opioids. Gabapentinoid prescribing was associated with continued prescribing of medium and high dose opioids as claims matured. Conclusions: Overall opioid prescribing decreased over time, while prescribing low dose opioids with gabapentinoids, increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Recent studies demonstrated reduced hippocampal volumes in elderly healthy individuals who are cognitively normal but poor sleepers. The association between sleep quality and the pattern of volume loss across hippocampal subfields (HSs) is not well known. Thus, it is the focus of the present study. Sleep quality was self‐assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The HS volumes were measured using sub‐millimetre in‐plane resolution T2‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging data. A total of 67 cognitively normal elderly individuals aged 60–83 years were classified into 30 normal sleepers with a PSQI <5 and 37 poor sleepers with a PSQI ≥5. The two groups were equivalent in age, gender distribution, ethnicity, education attainment, handedness and cognitive performance. Compared to normal sleepers, poor sleepers exhibited significantly lower normalised volumes in the left cornu ammonis field 1 (CA1), dentate gyrus (DG) and subiculum. In contrast, there were no significant differences in normalised grey and white matter volumes between the two groups. The global PSQI was negatively associated with the normalised volumes of the left CA1, DG and subiculum. Sleep duration was associated with the normalised volumes of the bilateral CA1, DG, left CA2 and subiculum. Verbal memory scores were associated with the left CA1 volume. In conclusion, poor sleep quality, especially insufficient sleep duration, was associated with volume loss in several HSs that are involved in specific learning and memory tasks. As the hippocampus does not regulate sleep, it is more likely that poor sleep leads to small hippocampi. Thus, based on this assumption, improving sleep quality of poor sleeper elderly individuals could benefit hippocampal health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study aimed to (i) utilize novel electrical cardiometry and observe acute changes in cardiac biomarkers among 24-h and 48-h ultra-marathoners, and (ii) examine whether alterations in cardiac responses were associated with the average running speed of these participants. Twenty-four 24-h and sixteen 48-h ultra-marathoners were recruited. Electrical cardiometry in the 2 groups showed significant post-race drops in systolic pressure (24-h: p=0.001; 48-h: p=0.016) and rapid increases in heart rate (24-h, p=0.004; 48-h, p=0.001). Cardiac output increased in 48-h runners (p=0.012) and stroke volume decreased in 24-h runners (p=0.009) at post-test. Six of 20 (30%) 24-h and 4 of 16 (25%) 48-h runners had high-sensitivity troponin T values above the reference interval after the races. N-terminal proB-type natriuretic peptide levels showed a 15-fold increase in 24-h runners and a 10-fold increase in 48-h runners at post-race. There was a positive correlation between delta N-terminal proB-type natriuretic peptide and running mileage (rs= 0.629, p=0.003) in 24-h ultra-marathoners. In conclusion, stroke volume and cardiac output showed inconsistent changes between the 2 groups. Average running speed has a significant effect on post-exercise elevation in cardiac biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domains of unknown function (DUF) proteins represent a large group of uncharacterized protein families. The DUF868 gene family in Nicotiana has not yet been described. In the present study, we identified 12, 11, and 25 DUF868 family members in the genome of Nicotiana sylvestris , N. tomentosiformis , and N. tabacum , respectively. Based on phylogenetic analysis, these were categorized into five groups (A-E). Within each group, the gene structures, motifs, and tertiary structures showed high similarity. NtDUF868 family expansion during evolution was mainly driven by segmental duplication events. MicroRNA (miRNA) target site prediction identified 12 miRNA members that target 16 NtDUF868 family genes. The promoters of these genes contain cis -regulatory elements responsive to light, phytohormones, and abiotic stresses. Expression profiling revealed their tissue- and stage-specific expression patterns. RNA-sequencing and quantitative reverse transcription PCR revealed that the NtDUF868 family genes are potentially involved in the response to abiotic and biotic stresses, particularly drought and hormone stresses, and in the resistance to black shank and bacterial wilt. We generated transformed plants using NtDUF868-E5 overexpression and gene-editing vectors. NtDUF868-E5 overexpression resulted in enhanced tobacco plant growth and development, leading to increased leaf photosynthetic capacity and higher chlorophyll and carotenoid contents. This study provided a comprehensive genome-wide analysis of the DUF868 gene family, shedding light on their potential roles in plant growth and stress responses. [Display omitted] • 12, 11, and 25 DUF868 were identified from Nicotiana sylvestris , N. tomentosiformis , and N. tabacum , respectively, and systematically analyzed. • NtDUF868 gene family show their tissue and stage-specific expression patterns and play potential roles in response to abiotic and biotic stresses. • NtDUF868-E5 overexpression can promote tobacco growth and development, improve leaf photosynthetic capacity, and increase chlorophyll and carotenoids contents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-precision wind power prediction is important for the planning, economics, and security maintenance of a power grid. Meteorological features and seasonal information are strongly related to wind power prediction. This paper proposes a hybrid method for ultrashort-term wind power prediction considering meteorological features (wind direction, wind speed, temperature, atmospheric pressure, and humidity) and seasonal information. The wind power data are decomposed into stationary subsequences using the ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD). The principal component analysis (PCA) is used to reduce the redundant meteorological features and the algorithm complexity. With the stationary subsequences and extracted meteorological features data as inputs, the long short-term memory (LSTM) network is used to complete the wind power prediction. Finally, the seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) is innovatively used to fit seasonal features (quarterly and monthly) of wind power and reconstruct the prediction results of LSTM. The proposed method is used to predict 15-minute wind power. In this study, three datasets were collected from a windfarm in Laizhou to validate the prediction performance of the proposed method. The experimental results showed that the prediction accuracy was significantly improved when meteorological features were considered and further improved with seasonal correction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Two types of screw trajectories are commonly used in lumbar surgery. Both traditional trajectory (TT) and cortical bone trajectory (CBT) were shown to provide equivalent pull-out strengths of a screw. CBT utilizing a laterally-directed trajectory engaging only cortical bone in the pedicle is widely used in minimal invasive spine posterior fusion surgery. It has been demonstrated that CBT exerts a lower likelihood of violating the facet joint, and superior pull-out strength than the TT screws, especially in osteoporotic vertebral body. No design yet to apply this trajectory to dynamic fixation. To evaluate kinetic and kinematic behavior in both static and dynamic CBT fixation a finite element study was designed. This study aimed to simulate the biomechanics of CBT-based dynamic system for an evaluation of CBT dynamization.Methods: A validated nonlinearly lumbosacral finite-element model was used to simulate four variations of screw fixation. Responses of both implant (screw stress) and tissues (disc motion, disc stress, and facet force) at the upper adjacent (L3-L4) and fixed (L4-L5) segments were used as the evaluation indices. Flexion, extension, bending, and rotation of both TT and CBT screws were simulated in this study for comparison.Results: The results showed that the TT static was the most effective stabilizer to the L4-L5 segment, followed by CBT static, TT dynamic, and the CBT dynamic, which was the least effective. Dynamization of the TT and CBT fixators decreased stability of the fixed segment and alleviate adjacent segment stress compensation. The 3.5-mm diameter CBT screw deteriorated stress distribution and rendered it vulnerable to bone-screw loosening and fatigue cracking.Conclusions: Modeling the effects of TT and CBT fixation in a full lumbosacral model suggest that dynamic TT provide slightly superior stability compared with dynamic CBT especially in bending and rotation. In dynamic CBT design, large diameter screws might avoid issues with loosening and cracking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excitotoxicity mediated by the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) is believed to be a primary mechanism of neuronal injury following stroke. Thus, many drugs and therapeutic peptides were developed to inhibit either the NMDAR at the cell surface or its downstream intracellular death-signaling cascades. Nevertheless, the majority of focal ischemia studies concerning NMDAR antagonism were performed using the intraluminal suture-induced middle cerebral arterial occlusion (MCAO) model, which produces a large cortical and subcortical infarct leading to hypothalamic damage and fever in experimental animals. Here, we investigated whether NMDAR antagonism by drugs and therapeutic peptides was neuroprotective in a mouse model of distal MCAO (dMCAO), which produces a small cortical infarct sparing the hypothalamus and other subcortical structures. For establishment of this model, mice were subjected to dMCAO under normothermic conditions or body-temperature manipulations, and in the former case, their brains were collected at 3–72 h post-ischemia to follow the infarct development. These mice developed cortical infarction 6 h post-ischemia, which matured by 24–48 h post-ischemia. Consistent with the hypothesis that the delayed infarction in this model can be alleviated by neuroprotective interventions, hypothermia strongly protected the mouse brain against cerebral infarction in this model. To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of NMDAR antagonism in this model, we treated the mice with MK801, Tat-NR2B9c, and L-JNKI-1 at doses that were neuroprotective in the MCAO model, and 30 min later, they were subjected to 120 min of dMCAO either in the awake state or under anesthesia with normothermic controls. Nevertheless, NMDAR antagonism, despite exerting pharmacological effects on mouse behavior, repeatedly failed to show neuroprotection against cerebral infarction in this model. The lack of efficacy of these treatments is reminiscent of the recurrent failure of NMDAR antagonism in clinical trials. While our data do not exclude the possibility that these treatments could be effective at a different dose or treatment regimen, they emphasize the need to test drug efficacy in different stroke models before optimal doses and treatment regimens can be selected for clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variational Data Assimilation (DA) has been broadly used in engineering problems for field reconstruction and prediction by performing a weighted combination of multiple sources of noisy data. In recent years, the integration of deep learning (DL) techniques in DA has shown promise in improving the efficiency and accuracy in high-dimensional dynamical systems. Nevertheless, existing deep DA approaches face difficulties in dealing with unstructured observation data, especially when the placement and number of sensors are dynamic over time. We introduce a novel variational DA scheme, named Voronoi-tessellation Inverse operator for VariatIonal Data assimilation (VIVID), that incorporates a DL inverse operator into the assimilation objective function. By leveraging the capabilities of the Voronoi-tessellation and convolutional neural networks, VIVID is adept at handling sparse, unstructured, and time-varying sensor data. Furthermore, the incorporation of the DL inverse operator establishes a direct link between observation and state space, leading to a reduction in the number of minimization steps required for DA. Additionally, VIVID can be seamlessly integrated with Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) to develop an end-to-end reduced-order DA scheme, which can further expedite field reconstruction. Numerical experiments in a fluid dynamics system demonstrate that VIVID can significantly outperform existing DA and DL algorithms. The robustness of VIVID is also accessed through the application of various levels of prior error, the utilization of varying numbers of sensors, and the misspecification of error covariance in DA. • The proposed approach can assimilate data from position-varying and number-varying sensors. • The proposed method substantially outperforms the variational DA and the state-of-the-art DL field reconstruction method. • The robustness of the proposed approach, regarding different noise levels and number of sensors is extensively studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background and aim Chronic hepatitis C is a major global health challenge. China has the world's largest burden of hepatitis C and related liver disease, with several groups having an increased risk of acquiring hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We undertook a systematic review in Chinese and English literature to determine the seroprevalence of anti-HCV among men who have sex with men (MSM), sex workers, people who use drugs (PWUD) and migrant workers in China. Methods We searched three Chinese databases (CNKI, Wanfang and Chongqing VIP Information) and four English databases (Pubmed, EMBASE, Global Health and CINAHL) for studies published between 2010 and 2015. Included were 89 studies for MSM, 112 for sex workers, 11 for migrant workers, 94 for people who inject drugs (PWID) and 67 for non-injectors. Random-effect models pooled estimates of anti-HCV seroprevalence in each population and a meta-regression model examined the relationship between anti-HCV seroprevalence and injecting drug use. Results The overall pooled seroprevalence of anti-HCV among MSM was 0.67% (CI 95 0.51–0.86); for sex workers 0.65% (CI 95 0.53–0.77); for migrant workers 0.48 (CI 95 0.20–0.85); for IDUs 72.41% (CI 95 68.71–75.97); among non-injectors 25.07% (CI 95 21.51%–28.80%). Our meta-regression model predicted that the seroprevalence of anti-HCV among PWID increased by 8.6% for each 10% increase seroprevalence of reporting ever having injected drugs. Conclusions Overall, seroprevalence of HCV infection is high among PWUD, especially those who inject. Lower HCV seroprevalence (<1%) was found among MSM, sex workers and migrant workers. Our estimates for IDU seroprevalence are higher than that from the national surveillance system, though estimates for other at-risk populations are similar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • We investigate the effect of increasing the information endowment of customers in markets where experts provide both a diagnosis and the service under two alternative institutions: customers may either directly acquire information through personal research (PR) before consulting the expert or obtain a second opinion (SO) after diagnosis. • We compute the equilibrium for these institutions and study their effects empirically in a series of experiments. • We find that PR dominates both the baseline (of no access to information for customers) and SO with respect to market efficiency, and extracts greater effort from experts. • Customers exhibit a preference for PR over SO. Abstract We investigate the effect of increasing the information endowment of customers in markets where experts provide both a diagnosis and the service under two alternative institutions: customers may either directly acquire information through personal research (PR) before consulting the expert or obtain a second opinion (SO) after diagnosis. We compute the equilibrium for these institutions and study their effects empirically in a series of experiments. We find that PR dominates the baseline (of no access to information for customers) and SO with respect to market efficiency, and extracts greater effort from experts. Our results also indicate that decisions are optimal conditional on investment in information acquisition, and customers exhibit a preference for PR over SO. Finally, we find that lower information acquisition costs for customers in PR have positive effects on market efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents two case studies involving treatment of 40- and 32-year-old males suffering from ingrown toenails, using a combination of two types of nail braces in the Wan Fang Hospital. The COMBIped brace was applied to the 40-year-old man presented with a grade II ingrown toenail on the left toenail's medial side. A Podofix brace was applied to the 32-year-old man who suffered from a grade III ingrown toenail with periungual erythema, tenderness, and discharge on the right big toe.

In order to accurately predict the day-ahead of household electric demand, a day-ahead high-resolution prediction model termed temporal-behavior coalescing forecast is proposed for the household energy demand. This model considers both behavioral and temporal dependencies. Feature extraction and data decomposition techniques are used to construct the behavioral and temporal inputs for the proposed model to reduce the negative impact of invalid data on its performance. In the proposed model the behavioral feature step and temporal feature step are constructed based on the convolutional network and long short-term memory network. Particularly, a coalescing step is designed in end the proposed model to strive for model convergence and enables the model to process two input matrices of different dimensions simultaneously. A 15-min resolution residential building energy demand dataset is used to validate the proposed model. The accuracy and generality of the proposed method are increased by 20.69% and 25.28%, respectively, compared with other related models. The validity of the proposed model is verified. In the robustness experimental, the proposed model can still maintain excellent prediction performance with the large noise introduced. A basis for its reproducibility and engineering application is provided. • A day-ahead prediction method is proposed for high-resolution household energy demand. • The performance of prediction is improved by characterizing temporal and behavioral dependencies of the energy demand. • A prediction model inputs construction approach is executed to make a positive effect on model convergence. • The accuracy, generality, and robustness of the proposed method are validated and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel transparent conductive films were successfully fabricated by forming graphene/PEDOT:PSS nanohybrids and then spin-coating the mixture onto glass substrates. The mechanism and characterization of graphene nanosheets dispersed at various concentrations of polar solvents (isopropanol, IPA) to improve the conductivity of the nanohybrids are evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), four-point probe sheet resistance measurements, and UV/vis spectroscopy. The results show that the conductivity of the graphene/PEDOT:PSS nanohybrids significantly improves upon addition of 50 wt.% IPA (the optimum conditions). The sheet resistance of the nanohybrids was reduced by ~ 95% from 16.6 kΩ/□ by addition of 0 wt.% IPA to 0.85 kΩ/□ by addition of 50 wt.% IPA, whereas the transparency still remained up to 82%. The conductivity could then be rapidly enhanced (from 0.85 kΩ/□ to 0.64 kΩ/□) by a second treatment of H 2 SO 4 , with a concomitant loss of transmittance. The correlations among the roughness, hydrophilicity, conductivity, and transparency also are investigated in detail in this paper. It is anticipated that graphene/PEDOT:PSS nanohybrids can be potentially used in an electronic and biomedical platform, such as biosensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distant organ metastasis of prostate cancer is a puzzle, and various theories have successively arisen to explain the mechanism of lethal cancer progression. While perhaps agreeable to many cancer biologists, the very statement of 'seed and soil' proposed by Stephan Paget in 1881 is arguably still the major statement for organ-specific cancer metastasis. Since recent studies showed important correlations of regulation of cancer cells and the microenvironment, exosomes from cancer and stromal cells seem to create another important niche for metastasis. Stromal cells pretreated with exosomes from metastatic cancer cells increase the potential of change stromal cells. The poorly metastatic cancer cells could also enhance malignancy through transfer of proteins, microribonucleic acid and messenger ribonucleic acid to recipient cancer cells. Herein, we reviewed extracellular exosomes as a factor involved in cross-talk between stromal and prostate cancer epithelial cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extracellular portion of the human fibroblast growth factor receptor2 D2 domain (FGFR2 D2) interacts with human fibroblast growth factor 1 (hFGF1) to activate a downstream signaling cascade that ultimately affects mitosis and differentiation. Suramin is an antiparasitic drug and a potent inhibitor of FGF-induced angiogenesis. Suramin has been shown to bind to hFGF1, and might block the interaction between hFGF1 and FGFR2 D2. Here, we titrated hFGF1 with FGFR2 D2 and suramin to elucidate their interactions using the detection of NMR. The docking results of both hFGF1-FGFR2 D2 domain and hFGF1-suramin complex were superimposed. The results indicate that suramin blocks the interaction between hFGF1 and FGFR2 D2. We used the PyMOL software to show the hydrophobic interaction of hFGF1-suramin. In addition, we used a Water-soluble Tetrazolium salts assay (WST1) to assess hFGF1 bioactivity. The results will be useful for the development of new antimitogenic activity drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tensile creep, which is one of the most important deformation modes for high temperature applications, is rarely reported for refractory high entropy alloys (RHEAs). In the present study, the optical floating zone (OFZ) technique was used to fabricate HfNbTaTiZr with grain size larger than 1 mm on average; tensile creep tests under vacuum at 1100-1250°C and stepwise loading of 5–30 MPa were conducted. The stress exponents and creep activation energies were determined to be 2.5–2.8 and 273 ± 15 kJ mol–1, respectively. The stress exponents determined have suggested solute drag creep behavior, and deformation was governed by a/2<111> type dislocations. To elucidate the effect of alloying constituents on solute drag creep, intrinsic diffusion coefficients of all elements were determined by simulation, and theoretical minimum creep strain rates were compared with those of experimental values. Analysis suggests that creep rate of HfNbTaTiZr appears to be controlled by Ta, which possesses the lowest intrinsic diffusivity and contributes the most to drag dislocations. To our knowledge, this work is the first to report tensile creep deformation mechanism of HfNbTaTiZr, especially up to 1250°C. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, porous silicon carbide (SiC) was prepared by mixing coarse SiC particles with a small amount of sodium silicate. The firing was then carried out at 1000 °C in air for 10 min. Though the resulting porosity is as high as 40%, the thermal conductivity of the porous SiC reached 19 W/m K, with the flexural strength reaching 20 MPa. The sodium silicate formed a strong bond between SiC particles; the thermal resistance of the thin bonding layer was low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biometrics has been vigorously promoted around the world as a means to strengthen security and privacy in the IT world. Biometrics has been applied in specific areas for decades and proliferated in customer and resident electronic products to enhance security and privacy. This study evaluated biometrics through conventional technology assessment considerations combined with viewpoints from the particularity of biometric technologies and provides suggestions for selection. In order to achieve biometric technology assessment, we examined how different evaluating objects, technology assessment, biometric competence and key elements of biometric, lead to corresponding biometric technologies. The relative importance of each object was evaluated using the analytic hierarchy process. The weight of each object was adjusted separately to construct evaluating scenarios by sensitivity analysis. The results show that fingerprint recognition, iris recognition and palm print recognition are three biometric technologies that could meet the three objects requirements at the same time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The ballistic performances of liquid-phase sintered silicon carbide (SiC) specimens prepared by pressureless sintering were evaluated. Solid-state sintering additives were also used in preparation of additional SiC specimens for comparison purposes. SiC specimens prepared by adding solid-state sintering additives were also prepared for the purpose of comparison. With the addition of 10–15wt% of Al2O3 and Y2O3, the strength and toughness of the liquid-phase sintered SiC (LSC) were higher than those of solid-state sintered SiC (SSC). Nevertheless, the hardness of LSC specimen tended to be lower. However, LSC specimens sintered at 1875°C can pass the NIJ Level IV test. The microstructure observation provides direct evidence of the importance of hardness and toughness regarding ballistic performance. A performance index, the hardness/density ratio, is proposed to rank the ballistic performance on ceramics used for personnel armor applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Mutations in the novel serine/threonine WNK [With No lysine (= K)] kinases WNK1 and WNK4 cause PHAII (pseudohypoaldosteronism type II or Gordon's syndrome), a rare monogenic syndrome which causes hypertension and hyperkalaemia on a background of a normal glomerular filtration rate. Current animal models for PHAII recapitulate some aspects of the disease phenotype, but give no clues to how rapidly the phenotype emerges or whether it is reversible. To this end we have created an inducible PHAII transgenic animal model that expresses a human disease-causing WNK4 mutation, WNK4 Q565E, under the control of the Tet-On system. Several PHAII inducible transgenic mouse lines were created, each with differing TG (transgene) copy numbers and displaying varying degrees of TG expression (low, medium and high). Each of these transgenic lines demonstrated similar elevations of BP (blood pressure) and plasma potassium after 4 weeks of TG induction. Withdrawal of doxycycline switched off mutant TG expression and the disappearance of the PHAII phenotype. Western blotting of microdissected kidney nephron segments confirmed that expression of the thiazide-sensitive NCC (Na+ -Cl- co-transporter) was increased, as expected, in the distal convoluted tubule when transgenic mice were induced with doxycycline. The kidneys of these mice also do not show the morphological changes seen in the previous transgenic model expressing the same mutant form of WNK4. This inducible model shows, for the first time, that in vivo expression of a mutant WNK4 protein is sufficient to cause the rapid and reversible appearance of a PHAII disease phenotype in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary brain tumor in adults. The poor prognosis and minimally successful treatments of these tumors indicates a need to identify new therapeutic targets. Therapy resistance of GBMs is attributed to heterogeneity of the glioblastoma due to genetic alterations and functional subpopulations. Chemokine receptors CXCR4 and CXCR7 play important roles in progression of various cancers although the specific functions of the CXCL12−CXCR4−CXCR7 axis in GBM are less characterized. In this study we examined the expression and function of CXCR4 and CXCR7 in four primary patient-derived GBM cell lines of the proliferative subclass, investigating their roles in in vitro growth, migration, sphere and tube formation. CXCR4 and CXCR7 cell surface expression was heterogeneous both between and within each cell line examined, which was not reflected by RT-PCR analysis. Variable percentages of CXCR4+CXCR7− (CXCR4 single positive), CXCR4−CXCR7+ (CXCR7 single positive), CXCR4+CXCR7+ (double positive), and CXCR4−CXCR7− (double negative) subpopulations were evident across the lines examined. A subpopulation of slow cell cycling cells was enriched in CXCR4 and CXCR7. CXCR4+, CXCR7+, and CXCR4+/CXCR7+ subpopulations were able to initiate intracranial tumors in vivo. CXCL12 stimulated in vitro cell growth, migration, sphere formation and tube formation in some lines and, depending on the response, the effects were mediated by either CXCR4 or CXCR7. Collectively, our results indicate a high level of heterogeneity in both the surface expression and functions of CXCR4 and CXCR7 in primary human GBM cells of the proliferative subclass. Should targeting of CXCR4 and CXCR7 provide clinical benefits to GBM patients, a personalized treatment approach should be considered given the differential expression and functions of these receptors in GBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A set of small star-shaped chromophores composed of three fluorene-based congeners have been synthesized and shown experimentally to possess strong and widely dispersed two-photon absorptivities in the visible to near-IR region under the irradiation of femtosecond and nanosecond laser pulses. In addition, the number of electron-donating fluorenyl units incorporated in the final structure was closely connected to the molecular two-photon activities of these model compounds. Effective optical power attenuation and stabilization behaviors of these dye molecules in the nanosecond time domain were also investigated. The results indicate that such a structural motif could be useful in the molecular design of strong two-photon absorbing material systems for quick-responding and broadband optical suppressing-related applications, particularly for laser pulses with long durations in the near-IR region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common primary brain tumor in adults. The poor prognosis and minimally successful treatments of GBM indicates a need to identify new therapeutic targets. In this study, we examined the role of CXCR3 in glioma progression using the GL261 murine model of malignant glioma. Intracranial GL261 tumors express CXCL9 and CXCL10 in vivo. Glioma-bearing CXCR3-deficient mice had significantly shorter median survival time and reduced numbers of tumor-infiltrated natural killer and natural killer T cells as compared with tumor-bearing wild-type (WT) mice. In contrast, pharmacological antagonism of CXCR3 with NBI-74330 prolonged median survival times of both tumor-bearing WT and CXCR3-deficient mice when compared with vehicle-treated groups. NBI-74330 treatment did not impact tumor infiltration of lymphocytes and microglia. A small percentage of GL261 cells were identified as CXCR3+, which was similar to the expression of CXCR3 in several grade IV human glioma cell lines (A172, T98G, U87, U118 and U138). When cultured as gliomaspheres (GS), the human and murine lines increased CXCR3 expression; CXCR3 expression was also found in a primary human GBM-derived GS. Additionally, CXCR3 isoform A was expressed by all lines, whereas CXCR3-B was detected in T98G-, U118- and U138-GS cells. CXCL9 or CXCL10 induced in vitro glioma cell growth in GL261- and U87-GS as well as inhibited cell loss in U138-GS cells and this effect was antagonized by NBI-74330. The results suggest that CXCR3 antagonism exerts a direct anti-glioma effect and this receptor may be a potential therapeutic target for treating human GBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: Phototransduction in microvillar photoreceptors is mediated via G protein-coupled phospholipase C (PLC), but how PLC activation leads to the opening of the light-sensitive TRPC channels (TRP and TRPL) remains unresolved. In Drosophila, InsP3 appears not to be involved, and recent studies have implicated lipid products of PLC activity, e.g., diacylglycerol, its metabolites, or the reduction in PIP2. The fact that hydrolysis of the phosphodiester bond in PIP2 by PLC also releases a proton is seldom recognized and has neither been measured in vivo nor implicated previously in a signaling context. Results: Following depletion of PIP2 and other phosphoinositides by a variety of experimental manipulations, the light-sensitive channels in Drosophila photoreceptors become remarkably sensitive to rapid and reversible activation by the lipophilic protonophore 2-4 dinitrophenol in a pH-dependent manner. We further show that light induces a rapid (<10 ms) acidification originating in the microvilli, which is eliminated in mutants of PLC, and that heterologously expressed TRPL channels are activated by acidification of the cytosolic surface of inside-out patches. Conclusions: Our results indicate that a combination of phosphoinositide depletion and acidification of the membrane/boundary layer is sufficient to activate the light-sensitive channels. Together with the demonstration of light-induced, PLC-dependent acidification, this suggests that excitation in Drosophila photoreceptors may be mediated by PLC''s dual action of phosphoinositide depletion and proton release. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: Phototransduction in flies is the fastest known G protein-coupled signaling cascade, but how this performance is achieved remains unclear. Here, we investigate the mechanism and role of rhodopsin inactivation. We determined the lifetime of activated rhodopsin (metarhodopsin = M∗) in whole-cell recordings from Drosophila photoreceptors by measuring the time window within which inactivating M∗ by photoreisomerization to rhodopsin could suppress responses to prior illumination. M∗ was inactivated rapidly (τ ∼20 ms) under control conditions, but ∼10-fold more slowly in Ca2+-free solutions. This pronounced Ca2+ dependence of M∗ inactivation was unaffected by mutations affecting phosphorylation of rhodopsin or arrestin but was abolished in mutants of calmodulin (CaM) or the CaM-binding myosin III, NINAC. This suggests a mechanism whereby Ca2+ influx acting via CaM and NINAC accelerates the binding of arrestin to M∗. Our results indicate that this strategy promotes quantum efficiency, temporal resolution, and fidelity of visual signaling. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most malignant form of human brain tumors. A characteristic of GBM is the marked presence of tumor infiltrated microglia/macrophages and lymphocytes. The goal of this study was directed toward understanding the role of the chemokine system CX3CL1 and its receptor CX3CR1 in the GL261 murine model of malignant glioma. In situ hybridization analysis identified CX3CL1 and CX3CR1 expression in GL261 tumors. The impact of CX3CR1 deletion on the growth of intracranial GL261 gliomas and associated immune cell infiltration was evaluated in CX3CR1 gene-disrupted C57BL/6 mice. A slight increase in the tumor growth rate in CX3CR1−/− mice was evident with similar numbers of microglia and CD4+, CD8+, FoxP3+, or Ly49G2+ lymphocytes within tumors established in CX3CR1 +/− and −/− mice. These data indicate that CX3CR1 has little or no effects on either gliomagenesis or the migration of microglia and lymphocytes into GL261 tumors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this work, the pits were successfully etched onto (0001) or () sapphire single crystal surfaces by using a Na2B4O7 solution. The difference in the morphology of etch pits on different planes of the sapphire was examined by atomic force microscopy measurements. It was found that the size of the etch pits was affected by the etching duration. The results of X-ray diffraction analysis also indicated the particular in-plane orientation of the etch pits on the sapphire surface. The relationship between the morphology of etch pit and the sapphire structure will be explained in the paper. In addition, the etching rates for the (0001) and () types of sapphire will be compared. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Null mutations in the transient receptor potential (trp) gene eliminate the major, Ca2+-selective component of the light-sensitive conductance in Drosophila photoreceptors. Although it is the prototypical member of the TRP ion channel superfamily, conclusive evidence that TRP is a pore-forming channel subunit in vivo is lacking. We show here that mutating a specific acidic residue (Asp621) in the putative pore virtually eliminated Ca2+ permeation in vivo and altered other biophysical properties of the native TRP conductance. The results identify Asp621 as a critical residue of the TRP Ca2+ selectivity filter, provide the first rigorous demonstration that a TRP protein is a pore-forming subunit in any native system, and point to the likely location of the pore in mammalian canonical TRP channels. The specific elimination of Ca2+ permeation in TRP also provided a unique opportunity to address the roles of Ca2+ influx in vivo. We found that Asp621 mutations profoundly affected several key aspects of the light response and caused light-dependent retinal degeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this work an epitaxial Mg–Al spinel layer was successfully grown on a C- and A-plane sapphire single crystal surface by solid-state reactions. When observed by a scanning electron microscope, it can be seen that the morphology of an epitaxial spinel layer surface has a three-fold symmetrical structure. The results of X-ray diffraction analysis indicate that the surface morphology of the epitaxial spinel layer has particular crystallographic directions and the crystallographic directions will be influenced by the orientation of the sapphire substrates. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this work an epitaxial Mg–Al spinel layer was successfully grown on a sapphire single crystal surface by solid-state reactions. An Mg film (15μm) was sputtered onto the sapphire crystal using RF magnetron sputtering. An epitaxial Mg–Al spinel layer was formed on the sapphire surface; an MgO layer was formed on top of the spinel layer by solid-state reactions that occurred around 1300–1600°C, in an air atmosphere. When the reaction time was lengthened to over 30h at 1600°C, these layers were almost completely transformed into an epitaxial Mg–Al spinel layer. The thickness of the epitaxial layer could be controlled by the length of the reaction time and the temperature. The results of X-ray diffraction analysis indicate that the orientation of the MgO and the spinel growth was dependent on the plane of the sapphire, that is (0001)sapphire||(111)spinel||(111)MgO and (112¯0)sapphire||(111)spinel||(111)MgO. It was confirmed that the in-plane orientation of the spinel with respect to the C- and A-sapphire surface was [11¯00]sapphire||[1¯10]spinel, [112¯0]sapphire||[1¯1¯2]spinel and [101¯0]sapphire||[1¯10]spinel, [0001]sapphire||[1¯1¯2]spinel, and there would be (1¯10)-oriented spinel growth on the M-plane sapphire substrate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Digital metasurfaces based on space‐time coding have established themselves as a powerful and versatile platform for joint spatial/spectral control of electromagnetic waves. However, their advanced design remains a largely open problem with significant computational challenges. This study introduces a novel approach, based on deep neural networks, to address this challenge. The proposed technique enables the simultaneous and independent multi‐frequency synthesis of scattering patterns, allowing precise tailoring of the harmonic equivalent currents (both in magnitude and phase), and enhancing spectral efficiency. These results, experimentally validated at X‐band microwave frequencies, substantially broaden the capabilities of space‐time coding digital metasurfaces, paving the way for advanced applications in wireless communications, sensing, and imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the data‐driven society, fidelity and accuracy of automatic decisions behind the scene rely fundamentally on a solid data or imaging acquisition system. However, conventional microwave imagers are inadequate relating to their resolution and noise capability, mainly due to the limited aperture size and rigid working principle. Here, a programmable metasurface imager with high‐resolution and anti‐interference performance is proposed. By implementing the structure of multilayer perceptron network in the analog domain, the metasurface‐based microwave imager intelligently adapts to different datasets through illuminating a set of designed scattering patterns that mimic the feature patterns. A prototype imager system working at microwave frequency is designed and fabricated. The accuracy rate rises by 18% under the classification task of MNIST dataset, with a decline in the reconstruction imaging error. The authors experimentally demonstrate that the resolution to distinguish strip patterns goes beyond to one‐fifth of the equivalent wavelength on the target plane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a partition optimization design method that combines K-means and genetic algorithm (GA) for regional integrated energy systems (IESs) composed of complex loads. Building partitions are obtained by a multi-energy unified clustering model based on a K-means algorithm and performed for the electrical, heating, cooling, and gas loads of various buildings. The availability of all types of resources is evaluated by clustering the local resource data. According to the unified analysis of characteristics such as the thermoelectric ratio of loads and availability of resources, suitable energy supply equipment are selected to form an alternative structure set. Capacity configuration optimization models are established based on energy, economy, and environmental evaluation indicators considering the off-design performance of the equipment. The GA is used to optimize the configuration of each alternative structure for every partition. The system evaluation indicators are sorted by the linear weighting method to obtain an optimal system configuration suitable for each building partition. A case study is used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. The energy supply effect of the system designed for each partition is significantly improved compared with that of a separated production system. The proposed method has engineering significance for guiding the construction of regional IESs. • A partition design method for regional integrated energy system with complex load. • The design method is based on a multi-energy unified clustering model. • Alternative structure set based on data characteristics simplifies the design. • Results provide guidance for energy supply structural design of certain buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel hybrid model is proposed for residential electricity consumption forecasting. • The model is applied to residential electricity consumption forecasting under 15-min resolution. • The model can be developed using a small training set while ensuring high precision. • The training time of the model is the shortest in comparison with all the relevant models. Residential electricity consumption accounts for a large proportion of the primary energy consumption in China. Building energy management can effectively improve energy efficiency, where the accurate and reliable prediction results of residential electricity consumption are vital for the optimal management of building energy. In this paper, a hybrid model is developed for the ultra-short-term predictions of residential electricity consumption based on the Holt-Winters (HW) method and Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) network. The original data are decomposed into a stationary linear component and a fluctuant nonlinear residual using the Moving Average (MA) filter. The HW method is responsible for establishing the linear prediction model to forecasting the linear component. With the linear prediction results, nonlinear residual, and original data as inputs, the ELM could build a nonlinear prediction model for residential electricity consumption. The proposed HW-ELM model was used to predict 15-minute electricity consumption values in different training set sizes and seasons. When predicting residential electricity consumption, in comparison with HW, ELM, and long short-term memory network, the proposed model commonly demonstrated lower error. For a training set size of 50 days in spring, the root mean square error values were reduced by 87.98%, 64.89%, and 53.39%, respectively. The results of the experiments show that the proposed HW-ELM model offers more outstanding performance compared with the established models by the other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transdermal delivery of therapeutic agents amplifying a local concentration of active molecules have received considerable attention in wide biomedical applications, especially in vaccine development and medical beauty. Unlike oral or subcutaneous injections, this approach can not only avoid the loss of efficacy of oral drugs due to the liver's first-pass effect but also reduce the risk of infection by subcutaneous injection. In this study, a magneto-responsive transdermal composite microneedle (MNs) with a mesoporous iron oxide nanoraspberry (MIO), that can improve the drug delivery efficiency, was fabricated by using a 3D printing-molding method. With loading of Minoxidil (Mx, a medication commonly used to slow the progression of hair loss and speed the process of hair regrowth), MNs can break the barrier of the stratum corneum through the puncture ability, and control the delivery dose for treating androgenetic alopecia (AGA). By 3D printing process, the sizes and morphologies of MNs is able to be, easily, architected. The MIOs were embedded into the tip of MNs which can deliver Mx as well as generate mild heating for hair growth, which is potentially attributed by the expansion of hair follicle and drug penetration. Compared to the mice without any treatments, the hair density of mice exhibited an 800% improvement after being treated by MNs with MF at 10-days post-treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuronal loss is a hallmark of stroke and other neurodegenerative diseases, and as such, neuronal loss caused by microglia has been thought to be a contributing factor to disease progression. Here, we show that microglia indeed contribute significantly to neuronal loss in a mouse model of stroke, but this microglial-dependent process of neuronal clearance specifically targets stressed and degenerating neurons in the ischemic cortical region and not healthy non-ischemic neurons. Nonspecific stimulation of microglia decreased the density of neurons in the ischemic cortical region, whereas specific inhibition of MFG-E8 signaling, which is required for microglial phagocytosis of neurons, had the opposite effect. In both scenarios, the effects were microglia specific, as the same treatments had no effect in mice whose microglia were depleted prior to stroke. Finally, even though the inhibition of MFG-E8 signaling increased neuronal density in the ischemic brain region, it substantially exacerbated the development of cortical infarction. In conclusion, microglia through MFG-E8 signaling contribute to the loss of ischemic neurons and, in doing so, minimize the development of cortical infarction after stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant non-specific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTPs) are characterized by an eight-cysteine motif backbone stabilized by four disulfide bonds; these proteins can bind or transfer lipids. NsLTPs play important roles in plant growth and development, and in the responses to abiotic and biotic stresses. In this study, 50, 51, and 100 nsLTPs from Nicotiana sylvestris , N. tomentosiformis , and their descendant N. tabacum , respectively, were identified and classified into six types (I, II, IV, V, VII, and VIII). The phylogeny, gene structures, motifs, tertiary structures, gene duplications and expression patterns were systematically analyzed. The intron/exon patterns and the conserved motifs were highly similar among the same types of nsLTP genes. Purifying selection and segmental duplication dominated the expansion of the nsLTPs family during evolution. Cis -regulatory elements of the NtLTP promoters were involved in light responsiveness, abiotic stress, and phytohormone responsiveness. Expression pattern analysis using RNA-seq and qPCR revealed that NtLTP family genes exhibited tissue-specific expression patterns and they have potential roles in response to abiotic and biotic stresses, especially drought stress, and resistance to black shank and bacterial wilt. Furthermore, overexpression of NtLTPI.38 in tobacco increased drought tolerance by improving the antioxidant defense ability, through reducing O2•— and H 2 O 2 accumulation and increasing the number of lateral roots. These results provide a comprehensive overview of this gene family and provide valuable insights for the functional characterization of nsLTP family genes. [Display omitted] • 50, 51, and 100 nsLTPs were identified from Nicotiana sylvestris , N. tomentosiformis , and N. tabacum , respectively. • NtLTPs gene family have important roles under abiotic (drought) and biotic (black shank and Ralstonia solanacearum inoculation) stresses. • Overexpression of NtLTPI.38 increases tobacco drought stress tolerance by enhancing the antioxidant capacity through reducing O2.•— accumulation and increasing the number of lateral roots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inclusion criteria were cohort studies comparing the incidence of BCC in smoking vs. nonsmoking patients and case-control studies reporting the prevalence of smoking in patients with BCC and healthy controls. Smoking and the risk of basal cell carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis Dear Editor, Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is known as the most commonly diagnosed skin cancer.1 However, the association between smoking and BCC remains controversial. [Extracted from the article]

In this study we evaluated the wind resources of wind farms in the Changhua offshore area of Taiwan. The offshore wind farm in Zone of Potential (ZoP) 26 was optimized through an economic evaluation. The annual energy production (AEP) of the offshore wind farm in ZoP 26 was predicted for 10 and 25 years with probabilities of 50%, 75%, and 90% by using measured mast data, measure-correlate-predict (MCP) data derived from Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA), and Central Weather Bureau (CWB) data. When the distance between the turbines in a wind farm was decreased from 12D to 6D, the turbine number increased from 53 to 132, while the capacity factor decreased slightly from 48.6% to 47.6%. MCP data derived from the inland CWB station with similar levels of wind resources can be used to accurately predict the power generation of the target offshore wind farm. The use of MCP with mast data as target data, together with CWB and MERRA data as reference data, proved to be a feasible method for predicting offshore wind power generation in places where a mast is available in a neighboring area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]