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Polyimide (PI) is one of the most important engineering plastics, but its stability in aqueous environments is insufficient, which limits its anti‐corrosion efficiency. In this study, a novel P(VDF‐HFP)/SMT‐RS@BNNSs/PI composite coating is prepared by incorporating poly(vinylidene fluoride‐hexafluoropropylene) (P(VDF‐HFP)) and the exfoliated boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) which were highly co‐functionalized with two kinds of materials of the rosin and the soy‐maleic anhydride‐tannic acid adhesive molecules (SMT‐RS@BNNSs). The coatings are characterized in detail by using the XRD, FT‐IR, XPS, and SEM technologies. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and polarization curve tests further evaluated the corrosion resistance of the coating. As results, the obtained P(VDF‐HFP)/SMT‐RS@BNNSs/PI coating with good adhesion (grade 1) to the low‐carbon steel plate displays a larger water contact angle of 93.10° compared to blank PI (75.5°) and SMT‐RS@BNNSs/PI (83.2°). The dispersed distribution and interaction of SMT‐RS@BNNSs can effectively reduce the phase separation between P(VDF‐HFP) and PI. Even after soaking in electrolyte for 15 days, the impedance modulus, corrosion current, and corrosion voltage of the P(VDF‐HFP)/SMT‐RS@BNNSs/PI coating are 1.568 × 1010 Ω cm2, 4.612 × 10−12 A cm−2, and 0.325 V, respectively. These properties are superior to those of the PI and SMT‐RS@BNNSs/PI coatings. It is believed that the excellent anti‐corrosive performance of this PI‐based composite will broaden the application fields of PI materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conventional molecular immunogenic cell death (ICD) inducers suffer from poor biocompatibility and unsatisfactory efficacy. Here, a biocompatible nanosized covalent organic framework (nCOF)-based pyroelectric catalyst (denoted as TPAD-COF NPs) is designed for pyroelectric catalysis-activated in situ immunotherapy. TPAD-COF NPs confine organic pyroelectric molecules to rigid TPAD-COF NPs to substantially reduce aggregation and enhance biocompatibility, thus improving pyroelectrocatalytic efficiency. After tumor internalization, TPAD-COF NPs facilitate photothermal tumor ablation under near-infrared (NIR) laser exposure, resulting in effective ICD induction. In addition, TPAD-COF NPs effectively catalyze the conversion of temperature changes to pyroelectric changes, which subsequently react with adjacent O2 to generate reactive oxygen species, thus triggering robust ICD activation. In vivo evaluation using mouse models confirmed that TPAD-COF NPs evidently inhibited the proliferation of primary and distant tumors and prevented lung metastasis under NIR laser illumination. Therefore, this study opens an avenue for designing nCOF-based catalysts for pyroelectric catalysis-activated in situ immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), a common subtype of NSCLC, has a high mortality rate. Telomere genes are influenced by radiation therapy, affecting treatment response. Additionally, immune cell presence in the tumor microenvironment plays a crucial role in cancer prognosis. However, the role of Radioresistant-Related Telomere Genes (RRTGs) in LUAD prognosis and immune infiltration remains unclear. Methods: In this research, we utilized diverse bioinformatics techniques to examine our personally tested information along with publicly accessible datasets. We conducted a comprehensive study on the genetic and transcriptional differences, predictive significance, and expression profiles of RRTGs. Afterwards, a RRTGs score was developed to forecast the overall survival (OS) and ascertain its reliable predictive capacity for patients with LUAD. Following this, dependable nomograms were developed to enhance the practicality of RRTGs scoring in a clinical setting. Furthermore, the investigation delved into the associations among RRTGs, infiltration of immune cells, prognosis, and clinical treatments of patients. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was conducted to explore the potential mechanisms by which RRTGs influence the regulation of LUAD. Then, Western blot, qRT-PCR and Immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expression levels of RRTGs in cell lines and LUAD tumor tissues. Results: Our research indicates that certain genes related to telomeres have a notable correlation with the prognosis of patients diagnosed with LUAD. The RRTGs score, which includes three key genes (ARRB1, PLK1, and DSG2), was developed to forecast the OS and its dependable predictive capability for individuals diagnosed with LUAD was ascertained. Afterwards, extremely reliable nomograms were developed to improve the practicality of the RRTGs score. Moreover, as illustrated, genetic characteristics can be utilized to assess the infiltration of immune cells in tumors, as well as clinical attributes and prognosis. RRTGs score characterizes tumor mutational burden, immune activity, and notable survival probabilities in addition. Furthermore, GSEA results revealed that RRTGs may influence LUAD by modulating immune-related pathways in high-risk groups and regulating cell cycle and DNA repair processes in low-risk groups. The RRTGs (ARRB1 and PLK1) were upregulated in A549 cells and radiosensitive NSCLC tissues compared to radioresistant A549 cells and NSCLC tissues. Conclusion: In conclusion, this research emphasizes the significance of RRTGs in the outlook of LUAD. The findings contributed to a better understanding of the link between radiotherapy, telomere-related genes, and prognosis in LUAD, and identified potential therapeutic targets for patients with LUAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PurposeMethodology/approachFindingsOriginality/valueImplicationsThe effectiveness of channel integration performed by manufacturers in facilitating their online market entry is still an under-researched topic. This study fills the research gap by investigating and comparing the effects of channel integration strategies and their components implemented by manufacturers.A questionnaire was designed and distributed to purchasing managers in downstream dealers. The survey yielded 2051 valid responses, and data analysis employed hierarchical and polynomial regressions, along with structural equation modeling and response surface analyses.First, dealers’ dependence plays a crucial role in triggering manufacturers’ online market entry. Second, manufacturers’ channel consistency and transparency are more relevant to dealers’ active dependence, while information and interaction integration lead to dealers’ passive dependence. Third, channel ambidexterity is superior to integration ambidexterity in ensuring dealers’ dependence.Significant contributions to omnichannel integration research are made by introducing four distinct types of channel integration strategies. Enhancements to the interfirm dependence literature are achieved through a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of channel integration strategies in shaping dealers’ dependency behavior.Manufacturers should carefully evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies, avoiding a blind pursuit of all forms of channel integration ambidexterity. Strategic leverage of channel feature ambidexterity is recommended as a cornerstone for fostering dealers’ dependence and achieving success in online market entry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation Proteins play pivotal roles in biological systems, and precise prediction of their functions is indispensable for practical applications. Despite the surge in protein sequence data facilitated by high-throughput techniques, unraveling the exact functionalities of proteins still demands considerable time and resources. Currently, numerous methods rely on protein sequences for prediction, while methods targeting protein structures are scarce, often employing convolutional neural networks (CNN) or graph convolutional networks (GCNs) individually. Results To address these challenges, our approach starts from protein structures and proposes a method that combines CNN and GCN into a unified framework called the two-model adaptive weight fusion network (TAWFN) for protein function prediction. First, amino acid contact maps and sequences are extracted from the protein structure. Then, the sequence is used to generate one-hot encoded features and deep semantic features. These features, along with the constructed graph, are fed into the adaptive graph convolutional networks (AGCN) module and the multi-layer convolutional neural network (MCNN) module as needed, resulting in preliminary classification outcomes. Finally, the preliminary classification results are inputted into the adaptive weight computation network, where adaptive weights are calculated to fuse the initial predictions from both networks, yielding the final prediction result. To evaluate the effectiveness of our method, experiments were conducted on the PDBset and AFset datasets. For molecular function, biological process, and cellular component tasks, TAWFN achieved area under the precision-recall curve (AUPR) values of 0.718, 0.385, and 0.488 respectively, with corresponding F max scores of 0.762, 0.628, and 0.693, and S min scores of 0.326, 0.483, and 0.454. The experimental results demonstrate that TAWFN exhibits promising performance, outperforming existing methods. Availability and implementation The TAWFN source code can be found at: https://github.com/ss0830/TAWFN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suspension bridge hangers over 100m are prone to wind-induced vibration. To investigate the vibration characteristics of a suspension bridge hanger over 140m with two cables on a day affected by typhoon Sura, the field measurement of the wind field and acceleration of two cables at different heights was performed. The wavelet transform method was introduced to analyze the time–frequency characteristics of the hanger and girder, while based on the stochastic subspace identification method, the damping ratios of the hanger were identified. The cluster analysis was performed to investigate the relationship between the wind field and hanger vibration. The result of measurement at the site indicated that under the nonstationary wind, the hanger exhibited three different forms of vibration: vortex-induced vibration, buffeting, and another high-frequency vibration. The first two forms may be caused by the incoming wind, and the last one may be due to the vibration of the bridge deck. The vibration was the same between two cables, but different in multiple heights of a cable. For the same cable, there existed a linear relationship between the in-plane and out-of-plane vibration. The hanger exhibited single-mode and multimode vibrations with an elliptical or eight-shaped motion trajectory. For the multimode vibration, a clear energy alternation phenomenon between the dominant frequency and subdominant frequency was found. The out-of-plane acceleration was greater than the in-plane vibration due to the damping difference in the two directions. The wind field was divided into five clusters, and the clusters of the wind field were related to the mode of hanger vibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rubisco is assembled from large subunits (encoded by chloroplast gene rbcL) and small subunits (encoded by the nuclear rbcS multigene family), which are involved in the processes of carbon dioxide fixation in the Calvin cycle of photosynthesis. Although Rubisco has been studied in many plants, the evolutionary divergences among the different rbcS genes are still largely unknown. Here, using a rice closely related wild species, Oryza punctata Kotschy ex Steud, we investigated the differential properties of the rbcS genes in the species. We identified five rbcS genes (OprbcS1 through OprbcS5), OprbcS1 showed a different evolutionary pattern from the remaining four genes in terms of chromosome location, gene structure, and sequence homology. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that plant rbcS1 and other non‐rbcS1 genes originated from a common ancient duplication event that occurred at least in seed plants ancestor. RbcS1 was then retained in a few plant lineages, including Oryza, whereas non‐rbcS1 was mainly amplified in angiosperms. OprbcS1, OprbcS2–OprbcS4, and OprbcS5 were prominently expressed in stems and seeds, young leaves, and mature leaves, respectively. The yeast two‐hybrid assay detected a significant decrease in the interaction between OprbcS1 and OprbcL compared to the other four pairs of proteins (OprbcS2–OprbcS5 and OprbcL). We propose that OprbcS1 might be assigned a divergent function that was predominantly specific to nonphotosynthetic organs, whereas OprbcS2–OprbcS5, having different affinity in the assembly process of Rubisco, might be subfunctionalized in photosynthetic organs. This study not only deepens our understanding of the fine assembly of Rubisco, but also sheds some light on future de novo domestication of wild rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 booster dose vaccination has been crucial in ensuring protection against COVID-19 including recently predominant Omicron variants. Because vaccines against newer SARS-CoV- 2 variants are likely to be recommended in future, it will be valuable to understand past booster dose uptake among different demographic groups. Using U.S. vaccination data, this study examined intervals between primary series completion and receipt of first booster dose (monovalent or bivalent) during August 2021 - October 2022 among persons ≥12 years of age who had completed a COVID-19 vaccine primary series by October 2021. Sub-populations who were late booster recipients (received a booster dose ≥12 months after the primary series) or received no booster dose included persons <35 years old, Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine primary dose recipients, persons in certain racial and ethnic groups, and persons living in rural and more socially vulnerable areas, and in the South region of the United States; these groups may benefit the most from public health outreach efforts to achieve timely COVID-19 vaccination completion in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: At present, there is a preliminary clinical consensus that prone position ventilation (PPV) is beneficial to the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and further research on the details of treatment and patients' benefits will help to assess its effectiveness and safety. Aim: To evaluate the timing, efficacy, and safety of different mechanical ventilation positions (MVP) in treating ARDS. Study Design: The results of clinical trials were directly or indirectly compared by network meta‐analysis to compare the effects of different MVP. Two authors independently searched the papers published in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Biomedical Discs (CBM), WanFang, and VIP database from January 2000 to August 2022. The outcome indicators were oxygenation index, mechanical ventilation time, ICU hospitalization time, in‐hospital mortality, and incidence of adverse events. Two authors independently screened the literature, evaluated the quality of the studies, and completed the data extraction. Stata 14.0 was used to conduct a network Meta‐analysis, and the intervention measures were ranked according to the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA). Funnel plots were drawn to evaluate publication bias. Results: According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 75 studies (including 6333 patient data) were finally included. According to the analysis results, PPV was the best for improving the oxygenation index. The SUCRA values of mechanical ventilation time, ICU hospitalization time, and in‐hospital mortality were ranked as PPV > lateral position ventilation (LPV) > supine position ventilation (SuPV) > semireclining position ventilation (SePV). The SUCRA values in the incidence of adverse events were ranked as LPV > PPV > SuPV > SePV. All outcome measures had good consistency and low statistical heterogeneity. Funnel plot analysis shows that papers reported within three days of mechanical ventilation time, over five days of mechanical ventilation time, and in‐hospital mortality were more likely to have publication bias. Conclusions: PPV has the best effect on improving the oxygenation index, reducing mechanical ventilation time, shortening ICU hospitalization time, and reducing in‐hospital mortality. Early and long‐term use of PPV to improve pulmonary ventilatory function will be the key to improving patients' survival and quality of life with ARDS. Relevance to clinical practice: PPV significantly affects patients with ARDS, which can shorten the treatment time and reduce hospital costs. During the treatment, nursing observation should be strengthened to prevent adverse events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) showing unusual expressions have been discovered in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD). However, the functions and underlying mechanisms of these circRNAs still remain largely unclear. Our current study discovered a notable increase in the expression of circRNA hsa_circ_0002395 (circ_0002395) in both PAAD tissues and cell lines. This up-regulation of circ_0002395 was found to be associated with larger tumor sizes and lymph node metastasis. Furthermore, our findings showed that circ_0002395 facilitated aerobic glycolysis and cell proliferation in PAAD cells by regulating the miR-548c-3p/PDK1 axis. Mechanistically, we identified circ_0002395 as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) that sponged miR-548c-3p, thereby promoting PDK1 expression and aerobic glycolysis, and ultimately resulting in the enhancement of cell proliferation. Our findings found that circ_0002395 promoted proliferation of PAAD cells by enhancing PDK1 expression and aerobic glycolysis by sponging miR-548c-3p. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reconstruction of visual stimuli from fMRI signals, which record brain activity, is a challenging task with crucial research value in the fields of neuroscience and machine learning. Previous studies tend to emphasize reconstructing pixel-level features (contours, colors, etc.) or semantic features (object category) of the stimulus image, but typically, these properties are not reconstructed together. In this context, we introduce a novel three-stage visual reconstruction approach called the Dual-guided Brain Diffusion Model (DBDM). Initially, we employ the Very Deep Variational Autoencoder (VDVAE) to reconstruct a coarse image from fMRI data, capturing the underlying details of the original image. Subsequently, the Bootstrapping Language-Image Pre-training (BLIP) model is utilized to provide a semantic annotation for each image. Finally, the image-to-image generation pipeline of the Versatile Diffusion (VD) model is utilized to recover natural images from the fMRI patterns guided by both visual and semantic information. The experimental results demonstrate that DBDM surpasses previous approaches in both qualitative and quantitative comparisons. In particular, the best performance is achieved by DBDM in reconstructing the semantic details of the original image; the Inception, CLIP and SwAV distances are 0.611, 0.225 and 0.405, respectively. This confirms the efficacy of our model and its potential to advance visual decoding research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cryptographic system is the foundation of blockchain security mechanisms. This paper constructs a blockchain security mechanism based on the Chinese national cryptographic SM2 algorithm, involving the generation of public–private key pairs and the signing of block information using key pairs. However, the original SM2 algorithm has a high computational complexity, which cannot meet the requirements of low on-chain delay in blockchain applications. To solve this problem, this paper optimizes the SM2 digital signature algorithm. The scalar multiplication operation in the digital signature algorithm has a large computational complexity, which affects the efficiency of a digital signature. To reduce its computational complexity, this paper improves the traditional window non-adjacent form (w-NAF) algorithm for the scalar multiplication operation and proposes a low computational complexity Fw-NAF algorithm based on the prime number precomputation window, which greatly reduces its computational complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibrio alginolyticus, a Gram-negative bacterium, is a dominant bacterium in the marine environment. At the same time, it is also a common pathogenic bacterium in daily life. When the temperature is between 25 °C and 35 °C, the epidemic vibriosis is particularly easy to break out, which has a significant impact on the mariculture industry. RseB gene was successfully deleted with Overlap PCR and homologous gene recombination. The results showed that the RseB gene was correlated with the growth rate of V. alginolyticus, and the deletion strain increased the growth rate of Vibrio alginolyticus. RseB gene deletion resulted in a 37.5% decrease in hemolysis of V. alginolyticus. The pathogenicity test results showed that the death time of the RseB gene deleted strain in the experimental group was delayed by 4 h, and the LT50 was delayed by 20 h. At 24 h after challenge, the colonization ability of RseB gene deletion strain in L. vannamei decreased by 53.4%. The hepatopancreas of L. vannamei infected by Vibrio phagolysii were seriously infected, the order of hepatic tubules was out of order, the space became larger, the boundary began to blur gradually, and the lumen of hepatopancreas tubules disappeared. The arrangement of liver cells began to be irregular, and some liver cells were obviously enlarged or even the whole cell began to degenerate, dyed dark with eosin, and the nucleus began to disappear. The results of pathological sections at 8, 16, 32 and 64 h showed that the hepatopancreas damage of RseB gene knockout strain was relatively mild. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Evaluation of vestibular graviceptive pathway (VGP) in patients with unilateral peripheral vestibular dysfunction (UPVD) has received increasing attention from researchers. The study aimed to investigate the value of VGP evaluation in the diagnosis of UPVD. Methods: Ninety‐five UPVD patients were divided into attack and remission phase groups. VGP evaluation‐related indicators, including subjective visual vertical (SVV), subjective visual horizontal (SVH), head tilt, ocular torsion (OT), and skew deviation (SD), were measured, and their correlations with cochleovestibular function test results were analyzed. The possible etiologies of contralesional VGP (c‐VGP) were analyzed. Results: Positive rates of SVV, SVH, OT, and SD were significantly higher, and the degrees of SVV, SVH, and OT were significantly greater in the attack phase group than the remission phase group. The sides with abnormal VGP evaluation results were correlated with the sides with hearing loss, abnormal caloric, and video head impulse test (vHIT) results. A total of 14 patients showed c‐VGP, and possible etiologies included contralateral benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (n = 4), bilateral hearing loss (n = 8), bilateral vHIT gain reduction (n = 1), autoimmune diseases (n = 6), vascular risk factors (n = 6), lacunar infarction (n = 3), and endolymphatic hydrops (n = 3). Conclusions: Alterations in SVV, SVH, OT, and SD were noted in UPVD patients in different phases, which are presumed to be related to dynamic vestibular compensation; correlations between VGP evaluation results and cochleovestibular function test results indicate that VGP evaluation may be helpful for the diagnosis of the side affected in UPVD; the presence of c‐VGP may be related to bilateral labyrinth lesions or endolymphatic hydrops on the affected side; and the involvement of autoimmune mechanisms also deserves attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Wheat fixes CO2 by photosynthesis into kernels to nourish humankind. Improving the photosynthesis rate is a major driving force in assimilating atmospheric CO2 and guaranteeing food supply for human beings. Strategies for achieving the above goal need to be improved. Here, we report the cloning and mechanism of CO2ASSIMILATION RATE AND KERNEL‐ENHANCED 1 (CAKE1) from durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum). The cake1 mutant displayed a lower photosynthesis rate with smaller grains. Genetic studies identified CAKE1 as HSP90.2‐B, encoding cytosolic molecular chaperone folding nascent preproteins. The disturbance of HSP90.2 decreased leaf photosynthesis rate, kernel weight (KW) and yield. Nevertheless, HSP90.2 over‐expression increased KW. HSP90.2 recruited and was essential for the chloroplast localization of nuclear‐encoded photosynthesis units, for example PsbO. Actin microfilaments docked on the chloroplast surface interacted with HSP90.2 as a subcellular track towards chloroplasts. A natural variation in the hexaploid wheat HSP90.2‐B promoter increased its transcription activity, enhanced photosynthesis rate and improved KW and yield. Our study illustrated an HSP90.2–Actin complex sorting client preproteins towards chloroplasts to promote CO2 assimilation and crop production. The beneficial haplotype of Hsp90.2 is rare in modern varieties and could be an excellent molecular switch promoting photosynthesis rate to increase yield in future elite wheat varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiral symmetry and its spontaneous breaking play an important role both in the light hadron and heavy hadron systems. The chiral perturbation theory (χ PT) is the low energy effective field theory of the Quantum Chromodynamics. In this work, we shall review the investigations on the chiral corrections to the properties of the heavy mesons and baryons within the framework of χ PT. We will also review the scatterings of the light pseudoscalar mesons and heavy hadrons, through which many new resonances such as the D s 0 ∗ (2317) could be understood. Moreover, many new hadron states were observed experimentally in the past decades. A large group of these states is near-threshold resonances, such as the charged charmoniumlike Z c and Z c s states, bottomoniumlike Z b states, hidden-charm pentaquark P c and P c s states and the doubly charmed T c c state, etc. They are very good candidates of the loosely bound molecular states composed of a pair of charmed (bottom) hadrons, which are very similar to the loosely bound deuteron. The modern nuclear force was built upon the chiral effective field theory (χ EFT), which is the extension of the χ PT to the systems with two matter fields. The long-range and medium-long-range interactions between two nucleons arise from the single- and double-pion exchange respectively, which are well constrained by the chiral symmetry and its spontaneous breaking. The short-distance interactions can be described by the low energy constants. Such a framework works very well for the nucleon–nucleon scattering and nuclei. In this work, we will perform an extensive review of the progress on the heavy hadronic molecular states within the framework of χ EFT. We shall emphasize that the same chiral dynamics not only govern the nuclei and forms the deuteron, but also dictates the shallow bound states or resonances composed of two heavy hadrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hexavalent chromium can promote centrosome amplification (CA) as well as tumorigenesis. Since CA can lead to tumorigenesis, it is plausible that the chromium promotes the development of cancer via CA. In the present study, we investigated the signaling pathways of the chromium-induced CA. Our results showed that sub-toxic concentration of chromium was able to cause CA in HCT116 cells, and decrease the expression of TMOD2 and NPM2. Furthermore, TMOD2 and NPM2 interacted to each other via their C-terminal and the N-terminal, respectively, which was inhibited by the chromium. Overexpression of TMOD2 and NPM2 increased their binding and significantly attenuated the CA. Moreover, TMOD2 and NPM2 were co-localized with the centrosomes. The chromium inhibited the centrosomeal localization of NPM2, which was reversed by the overexpression of TMOD2, C-terminal of TMOD2, but not the N-terminal of NPM2. Our results suggest that the chromium induces CA via inhibiting the binding between TMOD2 and NPM2 as well as the dissociation of NPM2 from centrosomes. • Hexavalent chromium inhibited TMOD2-NPM2 signaling pathway. • The inhibition of TMOD2-NPM2 induce centrosome amplification. • TMOD2 interacts with the N-terminal of NPM2 by its C-terminal. • The interaction contributes to the centrosomal localization of NPM2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Oogonial stem cells (OSCs) are germ cells that can sustain neo‐oogenesis to replenish the pool of primary follicles in adult ovaries. In lower vertebrates, fresh oocytes are produced by numerous OSCs through mitosis and meiosis during each reproduction cycle, but the OSCs in adult mammals are rare. The birds have retained many conserved features and developed unique features of ovarian physiology during evolution, and the presence of OSCs within avian species remain unknown. Materials and Methods: In this study, we investigated the existence and function of OSCs in adult chickens. The chicken OSCs were isolated and expanded in culture. We then used cell transplantation system to evaluate their potential for migration and differentiation in vivo. Results: DDX4/SSEA1‐positive OSCs were identified in both the cortex and medulla of the adult chicken ovary. These putative OSCs undergo meiosis in the reproductively active ovary. Furthermore, the isolated OSCs were expanded in vitro for months and found to express germline markers similar to those of primordial germ cells. When transplanted into the bloodstream of recipient embryos, these OSCs efficiently migrated into developing gonads, initiated meiosis, and then derived oocytes in postnatal ovaries. Conclusions: This study has confirmed the presence of functional OSCs in birds for the first time. The identification of chicken OSCs has great potential for improving egg laying and preserving endangered species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CRISPR-Cas, as a tool for gene editing, has received extensive attention in recent years. Anti-CRISPR (Acr) proteins can inactivate the CRISPR-Cas defense system during interference phase, and can be used as a potential tool for the regulation of gene editing. In-depth study of Anti-CRISPR proteins is of great significance for the implementation of gene editing. In this study, we developed a high-accuracy prediction model based on two-step model fusion strategy, called AcrPred, which could produce an AUC of 0.952 with independent dataset validation. To further validate the proposed model, we compared with published tools and correctly identified 9 of 10 new Acr proteins, indicating the strong generalization ability of our model. Finally, for the convenience of related wet-experimental researchers, a user-friendly web-server AcrPred (Anti-CRISPR proteins Prediction) was established at http://lin-group.cn/server/AcrPred , by which users can easily identify potential Anti-CRISPR proteins. • High-accuracy prediction model was developed to identify Anti-CRISPR (Acr) proteins based on two-step model fusion strategy. • AcrPred was demonstrated that it has robustness and excellent generalization ability on test dataset. • AcrPred showed the excellent superiority in case studies and comparison with published tools. • A user-friendly web-server AcrPred was built to detect Acr proteins at http://lin-group.cn/server/AcrPred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This study aimed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the Canadian Stroke Network (CSN) brief (5 min) screen composed of three items of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients during hospital admission, relative to the full MoCA and potential alternative combinations of other items. Methods and results: Participants were consecutively recruited during ACS admission and administered the MoCA before discharge. The three NINDS–CSN screen items were extracted, collated and compared to the full MoCA. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were created to determine the sensitivity, specificity, and appropriate cut-off scores of the screens. The mean age of the sample (n = 81) was 63.49 [standard deviation (SD) 10.85] years and 49.4% screened positive for cognitive impairment. The NINDS–CSN mean score was 9.22 (SD 2.09 of the potential range 0–12). Area under the ROC (AUC) indicated high accuracy levels for screening for cognitive impairment (AUC = 0.89, P < 0.01, 95% confidence interval 0.82, 0.96) with none of the alternative combination screens performing better on both sensitivity and specificity. A cut-off score of ≤10 on the NINDS–CSN protocol provided 83% sensitivity and 80% specificity for classifying cognitive impairment. Conclusion: The NINDS–CSN protocol presents an accurate, feasible screen for cognitive impairment in patients following ACS for use at the bedside and potentially also for telephone screens. Diagnostic accuracy should be confirmed using a neurocognitive battery. Graphical Abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prediction of protein-protein interaction sites (PPIS) is currently crucial for regulating many biological activities in cells and developing drugs for various diseases. Deep learning-based methods have been proposed for predicting PPIS, significantly reducing the manpower and time costs associated with traditional experimental methods such as yeast two-hybrid, mass spectrometry, and affinity purification. However, the predictive accuracy of these deep learning methods has not yet reached the expected level. Therefore, we introduce a model called GACT-PPIS. The design of the GACT-PPIS algorithm aims to utilize combined information from protein sequences and structures as input to predict protein-protein interaction sites. The core of GACT-PPIS utilizes an Enhanced Graph Attention Network (EGAT) with initial residual and identity mappings, along with a deep Transformer network as the basic units, supplemented by Graph Convolutional Networks (GCN), effectively aggregating information from neighboring nodes for each node. After multiple network layers, the information of the entire protein is also fused into the nodes, and the Transformer network further enhances the model's performance. Experimental results show that GACT-PPIS outperforms the most representative models in terms of Recall, F1-measure, MCC, AUROC, and AUPRC on the benchmark test set (Test-60). Additionally, on other independent test sets (UBTest-31-6), GACT-PPIS leads in terms of Accuracy, Precision, Recall, F1-measure, MCC, AUROC, and AUPRC compared to the most representative models. It is worth noting that GACT-PPIS demonstrates excellent generalization and versatility across different test sets, showcasing good performance on multiple test sets for the same trained GACT-PPIS model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from the nationally representative National Immunization Survey (NIS), we applied conditional linear regression tree methodology to examine relationships between demographic and geographic factors and propensity of receiving various doses of COVID-19 vaccine over time; these analyses identified temporal changes in these relationships that heretofore had not been identified using conventional logistical regression methodologies. Three regression tree models were built using an R package, Recursive Partitioning for Modeling Survey (rpms), to examine propensities over time of receiving a (1) first dose of a two-dose COVID-19 mRNA primary vaccination series or single dose of the Janssen vaccine (vaccine initiation), (2) primary series completion, and (3) monovalent booster dose, using a conditional linear effect model. Persons ≥50 years were more likely to complete a primary series and receive a first booster dose; persons reporting having received non-COVID-19 vaccines recently were more likely to initiate vaccination, complete the primary series, and get a first booster dose; persons reporting having work or school requirements were more likely to complete the primary series. Persons not reporting having received non-COVID-19 vaccines in 2 years but reporting having work or school vaccination requirements were more likely to initiate vaccination than those without work/school requirements. Among persons not reporting having received non-COVID-19 vaccines in 2 years and not reporting having work or school vaccination requirements, those aged ≥50 years were more likely to initiate vaccination than were younger adults. Propensity of receiving various doses was correlated with age, having recently received non-COVID 19 vaccines, and having vaccination requirements at work or school. Regression tree methodology enabled modeling of different COVID-19 vaccination dose propensities as a linear effect of time, revealed changes in relationships over time between demographic factors and propensity of receipt of different doses, and identified populations that may benefit from vaccination outreach efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• AMF boost plant growth and chlorophyll a, b , and a / b under Mn-toxicity, along with up-regulated expression of leaf PtHEMA2. • AMF promote leaf gas exchange and photosynthetic efficiency of PSII under Mn-toxicity. • AMF can reduce leaf and root Mn levels and root Mn allocation in the plant under Mn-toxicity, along with down-regulated expression of root PtMTP11 and PtMnSOD. Citrus plants are susceptible to the detrimental effects of excess manganese (Mn) in soil during their growth, but it's unclear if and how arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with citrus can ameliorate the toxicity of excess Mn. This study was to investigate the effects of an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus, Funneliformis mosseae , on trifoliate orange subjected to Mn toxicity. Plant growth, leaf gas exchange, chlorophyll levels and fluorescence, Mn acquisition, and expression of three associated gene (PtMTP11, PtHEMA2 , and PtMnSOD) were examined. Mn toxicity significantly impaired root mycorrhizal colonization, soil mycelium length, and spore density. Mn toxicity also suppressed plant morphological characters, biomass accumulation, root morphological characteristics, and leaf gas exchange, while the inhibitory effects on leaf gas exchange were greater in uninoculated plants than in inoculated plants. However, inoculation with F. mosseae significantly promoted shoot and root growth and leaf gas exchange, especially under Mn toxicity conditions. Despite a reduction in chlorophyll a, b , and a / b levels due to in Mn toxicity, F. mosseae significantly increased these chlorophylls under Mn toxicity, along with an up-regulated expression of leaf PtHEMA2 , resulting in inoculated plants exhibiting reduced photoinhibition and increased photosynthetic efficiency. Mn toxicity caused a substantial increase in Mn levels in both leaves and roots, with a higher increase magnitude in uninoculated plants than in inoculated plants. In addition, such inoculation significantly reduced root Mn levels, root PtMTP11 expression, and root Mn allocation in whole plants, but this only happened under Mn toxicity. Inoculation with F. mosseae also mitigated leaf Mn levels and up-regulated leaf PtMTP11 and PtMnSOD expression only under Mn toxicity, thereby increasing tolerance to excess Mn by lowering cytoplasmic Mn levels. In conclusion, F. mosseae confers enhanced tolerance of trifoliate orange to Mn toxicity, associated with elevated chlorophyll levels and fluorescence as well as reduced Mn acquisition and regionalization. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a new generation of reactor type, lead-cooled fast reactors, have better safety behaviors, higher reliability, and better economic performance, aiming at island power supply through nuclear energy, seawater desalination, optimization of nuclear submarines, etc. Its evolution of nuclear waste and the advantages of nuclear non-proliferation provide a good prospect for development. This paper studied the safety performances of an offshore stationary lead-cooled reactor (OSLR) proposed in the National Key Research and Development Program of China. The transient analysis code SAS4A/SASSYS-1 was used to perform simulations of unprotected over-power accidents (UTOP) and unprotected loss of heat sink (ULOHS) accidents. The results indicated that offshore stationary lead-cooled reactors can withstand a maximum positive reactivity insertion of 0.5$ within 1 s during UTOP accidents without exceeding the working limits of the core. In ULOHS accidents, the inherent safety characteristics of OSLR allowed it to withstand 75 % heat removal capability of IHX. The simulation results were used to analyze the response of this stationary offshore reactor to transient accident conditions and the limits of its ability to withstand accidents in order to provide reference data for subsequent design and ideas for possible development of natural cycle lead-cooled reactors in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Image reconstruction is a critical task in brain decoding research, primarily utilizing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. However, due to challenges such as limited samples in fMRI data, the quality of reconstruction results often remains poor. We proposed a three-stage multi-level deep fusion model (TS-ML-DFM). The model employed a three-stage training process, encompassing components such as image encoders, generators, discriminators, and fMRI encoders. In this method, we incorporated distinct supplementary features derived separately from depth images and original images. Additionally, the method integrated several components, including a random shift module, dual attention module, and multi-level feature fusion module. In both qualitative and quantitative comparisons on the Horikawa17 and VanGerven10 datasets, our method exhibited excellent performance. Comparison with existing methods: For example, on the primary Horikawa17 dataset, our method was compared with other leading methods based on metrics the average hash value, histogram similarity, mutual information, structural similarity accuracy, AlexNet(2), AlexNet(5), and pairwise human perceptual similarity accuracy. Compared to the second-ranked results in each metric, the proposed method achieved improvements of 0.99 %, 3.62 %, 3.73 %, 2.45 %, 3.51 %, 0.62 %, and 1.03 %, respectively. In terms of the SwAV top-level semantic metric, a substantial improvement of 10.53 % was achieved compared to the second-ranked result in the pixel-level reconstruction methods. The TS-ML-DFM method proposed in this study, when applied to decoding brain visual patterns using fMRI data, has outperformed previous algorithms, thereby facilitating further advancements in research within this field. • Proposes TS-ML-DFM with novel 3-stage training for enhanced image reconstruction. • First to use depth images for feature extraction via MiDaS and VGG19 for holistic representation. • Introduces random shift, dual attention, and multi-level fusion for improved feature utilization. • Employs a unique combination of losses for more effective model training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) are important assets to fight COVID-19, but most existing nAbs lose the activities against Omicron subvariants. Here, we report a human monoclonal antibody (Ab08) isolated from a convalescent patient infected with the prototype strain (Wuhan-Hu-1). Ab08 binds to the receptor-binding domain (RBD) with pico-molar affinity (230 pM), effectively neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 and variants of concern (VOCs) including Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Mu, Omicron BA.1 and BA.2, and to a lesser extent for Delta and Omicron BA.4/BA.5 which bear the L452R mutation. Of medical importance, Ab08 shows therapeutic efficacy in SARS-CoV-2-infected hACE2 mice. X-ray crystallography of the Ab08-RBD complex reveals an antibody footprint largely in the β-strand core and away from the ACE2-binding motif. Negative staining electron-microscopy suggests a neutralizing mechanism through which Ab08 destructs the Spike trimer. Together, our work identifies a nAb with therapeutic potential for COVID-19. Author summary: To fight against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants, we screened and selected one human monoclonal antibody (Ab08) previously isolated from a convalescent patient infected with the SARS-CoV-2 prototype strain (Wuhan-Hu-1). The features of Ab08 are as followed: (1) Ab08 can effectively neutralize SARS-CoV-2 and variants of concern (VOCs) including Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Mu, Omicron BA.1 and BA.2, and to a lesser extent, Delta and Omicron BA.4/BA.5. (2) Ab08 can act as a therapeutic agent in SARS-CoV-2-infected hACE2 mice which are highly susceptible to infection. (3) Ab08 could destruct the Spike trimer which is essential for SARS-CoV-2 entry into the host cells. Together, our work identifies an effective neutralizing antibody with therapeutic potential for COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2 and CUC2) is a large gene family of plant-specific transcription factors that play a pivotal role in various physiological processes and abiotic stresses. Due to the lack of genome-wide characterization, intraspecific and interspecific synteny, and drought-responsive expression pattern of NAC genes in poplar, the functional characterization of drought-related NAC genes have been scarcely reported in Populus species. Here, we identified a total of 170 NAC domain-containing genes in the P. trichocarpa genome, 169 of which were unevenly distributed on its nineteen chromosomes. These NAC genes were phylogenetically divided into twenty subgroups, some of which exhibited a similar pattern of exon–intron architecture. The synteny and Ka/Ks analysis indicated that the expansion of NAC genes in poplar was mainly due to gene duplication events occurring before and after the divergence of Populus and Salix. Ten PdNAC (P. deltoids × P. euramericana cv.'Nanlin895') genes were randomly selected and cloned. Their drought-responsive expression profiles showed a tissue-specific pattern. The transcription factor PdNAC013 was verified to be localized in the nucleus. Our research results provide genomic information for the expansion of NAC genes in the poplar genome, and for further characterizing putative poplar NAC genes associated with water-deficit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

QT interval length is an important risk factor for adverse cardiovascular outcomes; however, the genetic architecture of QT interval remains incompletely understood. We conducted a genome-wide association study of 76,995 ancestrally diverse Kaiser Permanente Northern California members enrolled in the Genetic Epidemiology Research on Adult Health and Aging cohort using 448,517 longitudinal QT interval measurements, uncovering 9 novel variants, most replicating in 40,537 individuals in the UK Biobank and Population Architecture using Genomics and Epidemiology studies. A meta-analysis of all 3 cohorts (n = 117,532) uncovered an additional 19 novel variants. Conditional analysis identified 15 additional variants, 3 of which were novel. Little, if any, difference was seen when adjusting for putative QT interval lengthening medications genome-wide. Using multiple measurements in Genetic Epidemiology Research on Adult Health and Aging increased variance explained by 163%, and we show that the 6 measurements in Genetic Epidemiology Research on Adult Health and Aging was equivalent to a 2.4 increase in sample size of a design with a single measurement. The array heritability was estimated at 17%, approximately half of our estimate of 36% from family correlations. Heritability enrichment was estimated highest and most significant in cardiovascular tissue (enrichment 7.2, 95% CI= 5.7–8.7, P = 2.1e-10), and many of the novel variants included expression quantitative trait loci in heart and other relevant tissues. Comparing our results to other cardiac function traits, it appears that QT interval has a multifactorial genetic etiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain decoding is to predict the external stimulus information from the collected brain response activities, and visual information is one of the most important sources of external stimulus information. Decoding functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) based on visual stimulation is helpful in understanding the working mechanism of the brain visual function regions. Traditional brain decoding algorithms cannot accurately extract stimuli features from fMRI. To address these shortcomings, this paper proposed a brain decoding algorithm based on a graph convolution network (GCN). Firstly, 11 regions of interest (ROI) were selected according to the human brain visual function regions, which can avoid the noise interference of the non-visual regions of the human brain; then, a deep three-dimensional convolution neural network was specially designed to extract the features of these 11 regions; next, the GCN was used to extract the functional correlation features between the different human brain visual regions. Furthermore, to avoid the problem of gradient disappearance when there were too many layers of graph convolutional neural network, the residual connections were adopted in our algorithm, which helped to integrate different levels of features in order to improve the accuracy of the proposed GCN. The proposed algorithm was tested on the public dataset, and the recognition accuracy reached 98.67%. Compared with the other state-of-the-art algorithms, the proposed algorithm performed the best. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are the undifferentiated progenitors of the gametes. Unlike the poor maintenance of cultured mammalian PGCs, the avian PGCs can be expanded in vitro indefinitely while preserving pluripotency and germline competence. In mammals, the Oct4 is the master transcription factor that ensures the stemness of pluripotent cells such as PGCs, but the specific function of Oct4 in chicken PGCs remains unclear. As expected, the loss of Oct4 in chicken PGCs reduced the expression of key pluripotency factors and promoted the genes involved in endoderm and ectoderm differentiation. Furthermore, the global active chromatin was reduced as shown by the depletion of the H3K27ac upon Oct4 suppression. Interestingly, the de-activated chromatin caused the down-regulation of adjacent genes which are mostly known regulators of cell junction, chemotaxis and cell migration. Consequently, the Oct4-deficient PGCs show impaired cell migration and could not colonize the gonads when re-introduced into the bloodstream of the embryo. We propose that, in addition to maintaining pluripotency, the Oct4 mediated chromatin activation is dictating chicken PGC migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tree model identified adults age ≤34 years, Johnson & Johnson primary series recipients, people from racial/ethnic minority groups, residents of nonlarge metro areas, and those living in socially vulnerable communities in the South as less likely to be boosted. These findings can guide clinical/public health outreach toward specific subpopulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A deep atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) with a height of up to 4000–6000 m can develop over the Taklimakan Desert (TD). Nevertheless, the deep ABL in the TD was only studied for clean days. To date, the observational evidence concerning the interaction between the ultra-high ABL and dust aerosols over the TD remains scarce. In May 2022, we conducted the inaugural observational particle-sounding experiment in the TD, selecting representative cases of light and heavy dust days. The results captured a distinctive stratified structure of the daytime ABL induced by dust aerosols characterized by an ultra-thick residual layer (RL) in the afternoon. On heavy dust days, the daytime ABL was divided into convective boundary layer (CBL), capping inversion layer (CIL), RL and residual capping inversion layer (RCIL). Dust aerosols exerted a warming effect in the atmosphere reaching a maximum of about 1.0 K/day at the top of the dust aerosol layer and causing a temperature inversion. A CIL about 1000 m occurred between the CBL and the RL, which acted as a barrier, restraining CBL development and hindering dust aerosol transport. Furthermore, a deeper stable boundary layer on heavy dust days at night was observed. A unique vertical structure of nocturnal dust aerosol concentrations peaks of 477 μg/m3 was also observed in the deep RL at 1800–2600 m. The radiation effects of dust aerosols strengthened and weakened the stability of the RL above and below the dust layer, respectively. The study provided vertical observational evidence of the impact of dust aerosols on the deep ABL structure, thus contributing to a more profound comprehension of aerosol–radiation interactions over the desert arid region. [Display omitted] • First particle sounding experiment in the hinterland of Taklimakan Desert, capturing the vertical structure of dust aerosols. • Observed the unique vertical structure of nocturnal anomalously high dust aerosol peaks from 1800 to 2600 m in the deep RL. • A distinctive stratified structure in daytime ABL induced by dust aerosols, with an ultra-thick CIL covering the CBL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A direct FE2 method was proposed for concurrent multilevel modeling of Joule heating effect in multiscale materials and structures. • The proposed methods can accurately capture the coupled thermoelectric response of Joule heating phenomenon in heterogeneous materials and structures. • Computational efficiency of the proposed method is 15 times higher than traditional FE simulations. Coupled thermoelectric problem significantly affects the performance of electric devices, while there seems to be no method for concurrent multiscale modeling of such problems, which significantly limits the development of advanced electric devices consisting of multiscale structures. To this end, a Direct FE2 (D-FE2) method is proposed for concurrent multiscale modeling of a typical type of coupled thermoelectric problems, i.e., Joule heating effect, in heterogeneous materials and structures. To enforce energy equilibrium and realize information transfer between the macro- and meso‑scales, the Hill-Mandel homogenization condition was generalized to account for both thermal and electric energy, while periodic boundary conditions derived from kinematic constraints were prescribed to both electric potential and temperature to link meso‑scale RVEs to macro-elements in the D -FE2 model. The proposed D -FE2 method can be easily implemented using the available feature "Multiple Points Constraint (MPC)" in many commercial FE software. A series of numerical examples including steady-state analysis and transient analysis of fiber composites, porous materials and lattice structures validate the favorable accuracy and efficiency of the proposed D-FE2 method in modeling the Joule heating phenomenon in multiscale materials and structures. This also implies the promising potential of the proposed D -FE2 method in modeling and design of large-scale electric devices with multiscale structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of the mining industry and the overuse of inorganic fertilizers have led to an excess of manganese (Mn) in the soil, thereby, contaminating the soil environment and people's health. On heavy metal-contaminated soils, the combined arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)-phytoremediation technique becomes a hotspot because of its environmentally friendly, in situ remediation. AMF inoculation often leads to a decrease in host Mn acquisition, which provides a basis for its application in phytoremediation of contaminated soils. Moreover, the utilization value of native AMF is greater than that of exotic AMF, because native AMF can adapt better to Mn-contaminated soils. In addition to the fact that AMF enhance plant Mn tolerance responses such as regionalization, organic matter chelation, limiting uptake and efflux, and so on, AMF also develop plant-independent fungal pathways such as direct biosorption of Mn by mycorrhizal hyphae, fungal Mn transporter genes, and sequestration of Mn by mycorrhizal hyphae, glomalin, and arbuscule-containing root cortical cells, which together mitigate excessive Mn toxicity to plants. Clarifying AMF-plant interactions under Mn stress will provide support for utilizing AMF as a phytoremediation in Mn-contaminated soils. The review reveals in detail how AMF develop its own mechanisms for responding to excess Mn and how AMF enhance plant Mn tolerance, accompanied by perspectives for future research. [Display omitted] • AMF inoculation diversely affects host Mn levels, dominated by reduced Mn uptake. • Mn-contaminated soils reduce AMF diversity, along with Glomus as the dominant genus and native AMF more tolerant. • AMF enhances plant Mn tolerance such as regionalization and chelation. • AMF hyphae have direct biosorption and sequestration of Mn. • Fungal Mn transporters, glomalin, and arbuscule-contained cortical cells mitigate Mn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs), osimertinib, aumolertinib, and furmonertinib represent a new treatment option for patients with EGFR p.Thr790 Met (T790 M)-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Currently, there are no studies reporting the simultaneous quantification of these three drugs. A simple ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous quantitative determination of osimertinib, aumolertinib, and furmonertinib concentrations in human plasma, and it was applied for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). Plasma samples were processed using the protein precipitation method (acetonitrile). A positive ion monitoring mode was used for detecting analytes. D3-Sorafenib was utilized as the internal standard (IS), and the mobile phases were acetonitrile (containing 0.1% formic acid) and water with gradient elution on an XSelect HSS XP column (2.1 mm × 100.0 mm, 2.5 µm, Waters, Milford, MA, USA) at a flow rate of 0.5 mL·min−1. The method's selectivity, precision (coefficient of variation of intra-day and inter-day ≤ 6.1%), accuracy (95.8–105.2%), matrix effect (92.3–106.0%), extraction recovery, and stability results were acceptable according to the guidelines. The linear ranges were 5–500 ng·mL−1, 2–500 ng·mL−1, and 0.5–200 ng·mL−1 for osimertinib, aumolertinib, and furmonertinib, respectively. The results show that the method was sensitive, reliable, and simple and that it could be successfully applied to simultaneously determine the osimertinib, aumolertinib, and furmonertinib blood concentrations in patients. These findings support using the method for TDM, potentially reducing the incidence of dosing blindness and adverse effects due to empirical dosing and inter-patient differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence (EDXRF) is a physical rapid detection method to analyze the types of elements through the energy characteristics of fluorescent X‐ray particles. When applied to the detection of food element content, it not only needs simple sample pretreatment but also the element measurement time generally does not exceed 10 min to have the accuracy of μg/g, which can greatly reduce the time and cost of detection. Due to the limitations of the EDXRF instrument and measurement mechanism, it has low sensitivity to light elements in food, and the detection sensitivity varies with elements in food element analysis. For example, the detection sensitivity of Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu and other elements concerned by people is not high when the content is low, and the measurement accuracy is extremely dependent on the detector resolution. However, with the improvement of detector performance and algorithm optimization of EDXRF, the detection limit of this technology can reach 0.1 μg/g, the detection of trace elements has also been improved, which has made a new breakthrough in the field of food element detection. Therefore, this paper reviews that in recent 20 years, in order to overcome the various difficulties of EDXRF in food detection, the hardware optimization of EDXRF (For example, the development of an analyzer without sample preparation can greatly reduce the time required for the detection of food elements, and a series of instruments combined with EDXRF and cluster capillary technology can greatly improve the excitation efficiency of lighter elements in food. The spectrometer with a high‐resolution detector can improve the detection accuracy of target elements with low content in food) and in order to solve the problem of spectrum resolution in food detection, (For example, the wavelet transform method which has good performance in spectrum smoothing, identifying weak peaks and maintaining peak shape is applied to EDXRF spectrum resolution, which can better solve the problem that the X‐ray characteristic peaks of elements with a low atomic number in food are submerged) the reform and innovation of spectrum resolution methods are introduced. This paper summarizes and analyzes the representative application examples of EDXRF in food safety detection, discusses the advantages and disadvantages of EDXRF compared with other rapid detection or food detection methods in different situations, concludes its application conditions, and discusses the application prospect of EDXRF technology in the field of food detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Realizing real-time and robust crosswalk (zebra crossing) detection in complex scenarios and under limited computing power is one of the important difficulties of current intelligent traffic management systems (ITMS). Limited edge computing capabilities and real complex scenarios such as in cloudy, sunny, rainy, foggy and at night simultaneously challenge this task. In this study, the crosswalk detection network (CDNet) based on YOLOv5 is proposed to achieve fast and accurate crosswalk detection under the vision of the vehicle-mounted camera, and real-time detection is implemented on Jetson nano device. The powerful convolution neural network feature extractor is used to handle complex environments, the squeeze-and-excitation (SE) attention mechanism module is embedded into the network, the negative samples training (NST) method is used to improve the accuracy, the region of interest (ROI) algorithm is utilized to further improve the detection speed, and a novel slide receptive field short-term vector memory (SSVM) algorithm is proposed to improve vehicle-crossing behavior detection accuracy, the synthetic fog augmentation algorithm is used to allow the model adaptable to foggy scenario. Finally, with a detection speed of 33.1 FPS on Jetson nano, we obtained an average F1 score of 94.83% in the above complex scenarios. For better weather condition such as sunny and cloudy days, the F1 score exceeds 98%. This work provides a reference for the specific application of artificial neural network algorithm optimization methods on edge computing devices. The datasets, tutorials and source codes are available on GitHub. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the impacts of rumors' information characteristics on people's believing and spreading of rumors online. Design/methodology/approach: This study employed a mixed-methods approach by combining qualitative and quantitative methods. In study 1, the authors explored different types of rumors and their information source characteristics through qualitative research. In study 2, the authors utilized the findings from study 1 to develop an empirical model to verify the impact of these characteristics on the public's behaviors of believing and spreading rumors by content analysis and quantitative research. Findings: The results show that five information source characteristics – credibility, professionalism, attractiveness, mystery and concreteness – influence the spreading effect of different types of rumors. Research limitations/implications: This study contributes to rumor spreading research by deepening the theory of information source characteristics and adding to the emerging literature on the COVID-19 pandemic. Practical implications: Insights from this research offer important practical implications for policymakers and online-platform operators by highlighting how to suppress the spread of rumors, particularly those associated with COVID-19. Originality/value: This research introduces the theory of information source characteristics into the field of rumor spreading and adopts a mixed-methods approach, taking COVID-19 rumors as a typical case, which provides a unique perspective for a deeper understanding of rumor spreading's antecedences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oral vaccination has wide applicability in poor areas, particularly during the epidemic periods of infectious diseases. However, successful oral antigen delivery and immune activation remain highly challenging due to the instability of vaccines in gastric acid and the low capture of antigens in the intestine. Here, we present a facile approach for the preparation of a robust oral delivery system via encapsulating antigen-carrying pseudoviruses inside positively charged polyethyleneimine-modified yeast capsules (P-YC). By virtue of the physical barrier role and surface β-glucan of YC, encapsulated pseudoviruses can be protected from gastric insult and delivered into Peyer's patches via uptake mediated by microfold cells located in the intestinal epithelium. Given the ability to carry diverse antigens, the enhanced oral delivery of pseudoviruses achieved by P-YC provides a versatile platform for the development of various oral vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Recently, the hidden charm tetraquark states Z cs (3985) and Z cs (4000) with strangeness were observed by the BESIII and LHCb collaborations, respectively, which are great breakthroughs for exploring exotic quantum chromodynamics (QCD) structures. The first and foremost question is whether they are the same state. In this work, we explore the implications of the narrower state Z cs (3985) in BESIII and the wider one Z cs (4000) in LHCb as two different states. Within a solvable nonrelativistic effective field theory, we include the possible violations of heavy quark spin symmetry and SU(3) flavor symmetry in a comprehensive approach. If Z cs (3985) and Z cs (4000) are two different states, our results show that Z cs (4000) / Z cs (3985) is the pure (| D ‾ s ∗ D 〉 + / - | D ‾ s D ∗ 〉) / 2 state, and the SU(3) flavor partner of Z c (3900) is Z cs (4000) rather than the Z cs (3985). Another two important consequences are the existence of a tensor D ‾ s ∗ D ∗ resonance with mass about 4126 MeV and width 13 MeV, and the suppression of the decay mode Z cs (3985) → J / ψ K. The two consequences can be tested in experiments and distinguish the two-state interpretation from the one-state scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose an alternative approach to Lüscher's formula for extracting two-body scattering phase shifts from finite volume spectra with no reliance on the partial wave expansion. We use an effective-field-theory-based Hamiltonian method in the plane wave basis and decompose the corresponding matrix elements of operators into irreducible representations of the relevant point groups. The proposed approach allows one to benefit from the knowledge of the long-range interaction and avoids complications from partial wave mixing in a finite volume. We consider spin-singlet channels in the two-nucleon system and pion-pion scattering in the ρ-meson channel in the rest and moving frames to illustrate the method for non-relativistic and relativistic systems, respectively. For the two-nucleon system, the long-range interaction due to the one-pion exchange is found to make the single-channel Lüscher formula unreliable at the physical pion mass. For S-wave dominated states, the single-channel Lüscher method suffers from significant finite-volume artifacts for a L = 3 fm box, but it works well for boxes with L > 5 fm. However, for P-wave dominated states, significant partial wave mixing effects prevent the application of the single-channel Lüscher formula regardless of the box size (except for the near-threshold region). Using a toy model to generate synthetic data for finite-volume energies, we show that our effective-field-theory-based approach in the plane wave basis is capable of a reliable extraction of the phase shifts. For pion-pion scattering, we employ a phenomenological model to fit lattice QCD results at the physical pion mass. The extracted P-wave phase shifts are found to be in a good agreement with the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A hydroxyl-containing triazine-based conjugated microporous polymers was facilely synthesized. • The material showed high adsorption efficiency for fluoroquinolones. • Hydrogen bonding and π-π interactions dominate the extraction. • The proposed method was successfully achieved in environmental and food samples. Fluoroquinolones (FQs) are a category of broadly used antibiotics. Development of an effective and sensitive approach for determination of trace FQs in environmental and food samples is still challenging. Herein, the hydroxyl-containing triazine-based conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs-OH) was constructed and served as SPE absorbent for the efficient enrichment of FQs. Based on DFT simulations, the excellent enrichment capacity between CMPs-OH and FQs was contributed by hydrogen bonding and π-π interactions. In combination with high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, the proposed approach exhibited a wide linear range (0.2–400 ng L−1), low detection limits (0.05–0.15 ng L−1), and good intraday and interday precisions under optimal conditions. In addition, the established method was effectively utilized for the determination of FQs in fourteen samples with recoveries between 82.6 % and 109.2 %. This work provided a feasible sample pretreatment method for monitoring FQs in environmental and food matrices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pathogenesis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has not been fully elucidated. Gestational hypertension could double the probability of ADHD in the offspring, while the initial bacterial communication between the mother and offspring has been associated with psychiatric disorders. Thus, we hypothesize that antihypertensive treatment during pregnancy may abate the impairments in neurodevelopment of the offspring. To test this hypothesis, we chose Captopril and Labetalol, to apply to pregnant spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) dams and examined the outcomes in the male offspring. Our data demonstrated that maternal treatment with Captopril and Labetalol had long-lasting changes in gut microbiota and behavioral alterations, including decreased hyperactivity and increased curiosity, spatial learning and memory in the male offspring. Increased diversity and composition were identified, and some ADHD related bacteria were found to have the same change in the gut microbiota of both the dam and offspring after the treatments. LC-MS/MS and immunohistochemistry assays suggested elevated expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and dopamine in the prefrontal cortex and striatum of offspring exposed to Captopril/ Labetalol, which may account for the improvement of the offspring's psychiatric functions. Therefore, our results support the beneficial long-term effects of the intervention of gestational hypertension in the prevention of ADHD. [Display omitted] • Maternal Captopril/Labetalol treatment alleviated ADHD symptoms in SHR offspring. • Maternal Captopril/Labetalol treatment altered gut microbiota in SHR offspring. • Maternal Captopril/Labetalol treatment elevated brain dopamine in SHR offspring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] In this work, we investigate the SU(3) flavor symmetry, heavy quark spin symmetry and their breaking effects in the di-meson systems. We prove the existence of the [ D ‾ s ∗ D s ∗ ] 0 + + , [ D ‾ s ∗ D s / D ‾ s D s ∗ ] 1 + - , and [ D ‾ s ∗ D s ∗ ] 1 + - bound states as the consequence of two prerequisites in the SU(3) flavor symmetry and heavy quark spin symmetry. The first prerequisite, the X (3872) as the weakly D ‾ ∗ D / D ‾ D ∗ bound state is supported by its mass and decay branching ratios. The second prerequisite, the existence of the [ D ‾ s D s ] 0 + + bound state is supported by the lattice QCD calculation and the observation of χ c 0 (3930) by the LHCb Collaboration. We hope the future experimental analyses can search for these bound states in the B → D (s) (*) D ‾ (s) (*) h processes (h denotes the light hadrons). The [ D ‾ s ∗ D s ∗ ] 0 + + bound state is also expected to be reconstructed in the J / ψ ϕ final state in the B → J / ψ ϕ K decay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wearable devices are increasingly popular for health monitoring via electrocardiograms (ECGs) as they can portably monitor heart conditions over a long time. However, so far there are no publicly available ECG data sets collected from wearable devices. Most ECG analysis algorithms target ECG data collected by hospital equipment. In the present study, we used the IREALCARE2.0 Flexible Cardiac Monitor Patch as the wearable device to collect ECG signals and formed ECG data sets. Wearable ECG data tended to contain more interference and be large in size. This article proposed a deep CNN approach, named time–spatial convolutional neural networks (TSCNNs), for the automatic classification and analysis of ECG signals from wearable devices. First, the original long-term ECG signals were divided into separate heartbeats and input into the TSCNN. Second, we applied convolution over time and spatial filtering for each heartbeat to extract abundant features. Finally, the cascaded small-scale kernel convolution was applied to improve classification performance and reduce the number of network parameters. To avoid overfitting, some regularized methods such as dropout and batch normalization were adopted. In the experiments, the method proposed in this letter is compared with other eight ECG classification algorithms. Our method attained the highest classification accuracy. The experimental results indicated that the proposed method can achieve better performance for wearable ECG data and can effectively monitor whether the wearer has an abnormal ECG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dairy cows with mastitis are frequently treated with antibiotics. The potential effect of antibiotics on the milk microbiome is still not clear. Therefore, the objective of this research was to investigate the effect of 2 commonly used cephalosporins on the milk microbiota of dairy cows and the antibiotic resistance genes in the milk. The milk samples were collected from 7 dairy cows at the period before medication (d 0), medication (d 1, 2, 3), withdrawal period (d 4, 6, 8), and the period after withdrawal (d 9, 11, 13, 15). We applied 16S rRNA sequencing to explore the microbiota changes, and antibiotic resistance patterns were investigated by quantitative PCR. The microbiota richness and diversity in each sample were calculated using the Chao 1 (richness), Shannon (diversity), and Simpson (diversity) indices. The cephalosporins treatment lowered the Simpson diversity value at the period of withdrawal. Members of the Enterobacter genera were the most affected bacteria associated with mastitis. Meanwhile, antibiotic resistance genes in the milk were also influenced by antibiotic treatment. The cephalosporins treatment raised the proportion of bla TEM in milk samples at the period of withdrawal. Therefore, the treatment of cephalosporins led to change in the milk microbiota and increase of β-lactam resistance gene in the milk at the time of withdrawal period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe geographical origin of traditional Chinese medicine, which concerns the growth, collection, and processing location, significantly affecting the quality and efficacy of the materials and is a key indicator for the evaluation and identification. This work utilized untargeted proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) metabolomics alongside machine learning techniques to accurately identify the geographical origins of 40 Croton tiglium L. samples from Sichuan, Guangxi, Henan, and Dabie Mountain Employing solvents with varying polarities for sample pretreatment, principal component analysis (PCA) suggests that extraction using petroleum ether (PE) optimally retains metabolite information, effectively distinguishing Croton tiglium L. samples across regions. There are eighteen major metabolites, including alkanes, esters, organic acids, and lipids were identified in the PE extract. The nonlinear random forest algorithms of geographical origin achieved an accuracy of 100% for both the training and test sets. The organic acids and ester were highlighted as the variable majorly responsible for this separation by machine learning algorithms. This approach provides an effective method for determining the origin and quality of the seeds of Croton tiglium L. with broad application prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Freezing stress is the key factor that affecting the cell activity and fermentation performance of baker's yeast in frozen dough production. Generally, cells protect themselves from injury and maintain metabolism by regulating gene expression and modulating metabolic patterns in stresses. The Snf1 protein kinase is an important regulator of yeast in response to stresses. In this study, we aim to study the role of the catalytic subunit of Snf1 protein kinase in the cell tolerance and dough leavening ability of baker's yeast during freezing. Furthermore, the effects of SNF1 overexpression on the global gene expression and metabolite profile of baker's yeast before and after freezing were analysed using RNA-sequencing and untargeted UPLC − QTOF-MS/MS, respectively. Results: The results suggest that overexpression of SNF1 was effective in enhancing the cell tolerance and fermentation capacity of baker's yeast in freezing, which may be related to the upregulated proteasome, altered metabolism of carbon sources and protectant molecules, and changed cell membrane components. SNF1 overexpression altered the level of leucin, proline, serine, isoleucine, arginine, homocitrulline, glycerol, palmitic acid, lysophosphatidylcholine (LysoPC), and lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LysoPE) before freezing, conferring cells resistance in freezing. After freezing, relative high level of proline, lysine, and glycerol maintained by SNF1 overexpression with increased content of LysoPC and LysoPE. Conclusions: This study will increase the knowledge of the cellular response of baker's yeast cells to freezing and provide new opportunities for the breeding of low-temperature resistant strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]