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The family Diatrypaceae is a less well-known group within the order Xylariales (Ascomycota). Initially, the focus on its metabolites was related to the pathogenicity of one of its members, Eutypa lata. To date, a total of 254 natural products have been identified from Diatrypaceae strains. These compounds include terpenoids, sterols, polyketones, phenols, and acetylene aromatic compounds, which have shown anticancer, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antiviral activities. The complex and diverse structural types, along with the diverse bioactivities, highlight the potential of Diatrypaceae as a valuable source of bioactive natural products. In this review, a deep analysis of the biosynthesis of pimarane diterpenes and scoparasin-type cytochalasins is provided, coupled with a compilation of the biosynthetic pathways of aromatic acetylene compounds in filamentous fungi. This comprehensive review not only enhances our understanding of the natural product chemistry, biological activities, and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites from the Diatrypaceae family but also promotes the exploitation and development of important bioactive compounds and potential strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractPolygonati rhizoma (Huangjing in Chinese) is a common clinical tonic with the traditional effects of tonifying Qi, nourishing Yin. However, the lack of precise control of processing parameters has led to the uneven quality of processed Huangjing. A prediction model using the CRITIC method optimizes processing by correlating method, component contents, and biological activity, ensuring consistent quality and efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water scarcity is a major environmental constraint on plant growth in arid regions. Soluble sugars and amino acids are essential osmolytes for plants to cope with osmotic stresses. Sweet sorghum is an important bioenergy crop and forage with strong adaptabilities to adverse environments; however, the accumulation pattern and biosynthesis basis of soluble sugars and amino acids in this species under osmotic stresses remain elusive. Here, we investigated the physiological responses of a sweet sorghum cultivar to PEG-induced osmotic stresses, analyzed differentially accumulated soluble sugars and amino acids after 20% PEG treatment using metabolome profiling, and identified key genes involved in the biosynthesis pathways of soluble sugars and amino acids using transcriptome sequencing. The results showed that the growth and photosynthesis of sweet sorghum seedlings were significantly inhibited by more than 20% PEG. After PEG treatments, the leaf osmotic adjustment ability was strengthened, while the contents of major inorganic osmolytes, including K+ and NO3−, remained stable. After 20% PEG treatment, a total of 119 and 188 differentially accumulated metabolites were identified in the stems and leaves, respectively, and the accumulations of soluble sugars such as raffinose, trehalose, glucose, sucrose, and melibiose, as well as amino acids such as proline, leucine, valine, serine, and arginine were significantly increased, suggesting that these metabolites should play key roles in osmotic adjustment of sweet sorghum. The transcriptome sequencing identified 1711 and 4978 DEGs in the stems, as well as 2061 and 6596 DEGs in the leaves after 20% PEG treatment for 6 and 48 h, respectively, among which the expressions of genes involved in biosynthesis pathways of sucrose (such as SUS1, SUS2, etc.), trehalose (including TPS6), raffinose (such as RAFS2 and GOLS2, etc.), proline (such as P5CS2 and P5CR), leucine and valine (including BCAT2), and arginine (such as ASS and ASL) were significantly upregulated. These genes should be responsible for the large accumulation of soluble sugars and amino acids under osmotic stresses. This study deepens our understanding of the important roles of individual soluble sugars and amino acids in the adaptation of sweet sorghum to water scarcity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study a new method for establishing animal models of prenatal bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), we used lung ultrasound score (LUS) to semi-quantitatively assess the severity of lung lesions in model rats. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was injected into the right lung of the fetus of the rat under ultrasound-guided, and the right lung of the neonates were scanning for LUS. Specimens were collected for pathological scoring and detection of pulmonary surfactant-associated glycoprotein (SP)-C and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression quantity. The correlation between LUS and pathological scores was analyzed. (1) The animal models were consistent with the pathological manifestations of BPD. (2) It showed a strong positive correlation between LUS and pathological scores in animal models (r = 0.84, P < 0.005), and the expression quantity of SP-C and VEGF in lung tissue were decreased (both P < 0.05). Animal models established by ultrasound-guided puncture of the lung of rats and injection of LPS were consistent with the manifestation of BPD. This method could be used to establish animal models of BPD before birth, and the severity of BPD could be assessed by using LUS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A variable cross-section combustion chamber with different inner cone length L is designed, composing of an annular part with divergent width and a cylinder part without inner cone. Ethylene-air and hydrogen-air continuous rotating detonation (CRD) experimental tests are conducted. The results show that the ethylene-air CRD wave can be achieved in the variable cross-section combustor with the short inner cone. The propagation velocity of ethylene-air CRD wave can be 1661.37 m/s with the equivalence ratio of 0.91 and L of 10 mm. With L increasing from 0 mm to 30 mm, the combustion mode varies in the single wave mode, the sawtooth wave mode, and the hybrid mode. The combustor width is not the main factor leading to the failure of detonation in this study. The acceleration of propellent mixture caused by the expansion of the annulus channel, and the downstream movement and reduction of recirculation zone around the inner cone both increase the difficulty in CRD realization. While the hydrogen-air CRD can self-sustain with the intensive reaction zone in the annular part in the critical configuration of ethylene-air CRD. This study will contribute to the understandings of self-sustaining mechanism of CRD in the divergent combustor and the combustor design of the hollow chamber. • A combustor composing of a divergent annular part and a cylinder part is designed. • Coupling of reaction zone and shock wave in hybrid mode is verified quantitatively. • Combustor width is not the main factor leading to failure in divergent combustor. • Propellent acceleration and recirculation zone reduction destory CRD realization. • H 2 -air CRD self-sustain in annular part in the critical combustor of C 2 H 4 -air CRD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaf spot, a major apple disease, manifests in diverse symptoms. In this study, the pathogen was isolated from diseased 'Yanfu 3' apple leaves in Yantai, Shandong Province, and identified as Neopestalotiopsis clavispora through morphological observation, molecular identification, and multi-gene (ITS, TEF1α, and TUB2) phylogenetic analysis. Three isolates (YTNK01, YTNK02, and YTNK03) were selected for pathogenicity tests to verify Koch's postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of N. clavispora being responsible for apple leaf spots in China, and the disease has been named 'apple Neopestalotiopsis leaf spot'. Additionally, N. clavispora was found to infect crabapple, sweet cherry, grape, peach, and pear under laboratory conditions, indicating that these fruit trees may be potential hosts for N. clavispora in the field. The in vitro toxicity of ten fungicides to the pathogen was assessed using the mycelial growth rate method. All ten fungicides were effective in inhibiting the growth of N. clavispora. Among them, those based on pylocyanonitrile, propiconazole, pyraclostrobin, tebuconazole, diphenoxazole, and osthole showed higher toxicity to N. clavispora, with EC50 values of 0.11, 0.41, 0.47, 1.32, 1.85, and 3.82 µg/mL, respectively. These fungicides could be used as alternatives to prevent this disease in production. Overall, these findings provide valuable insights into the characteristics of N. clavispora causing apple leaf spot and are crucial for developing effective management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hibisceae subtribe Trionum is the largest clade within Hibiscus s.l. and contains genera with a wide range of growth forms: herbaceous (Abelmoschus), shrubs (Malvaviscus), trees (Wercklea), and exceptionally lianas. The rare and localized Thepparatia species are unique in that they combine a lianescent habit and trioecy. Several problems have delayed the study of Hibisceae classification including low genetic variability, lack of synapomorphic morphological characters, transoceanic dispersal events, and allopolyploidy. Here, we present a comprehensive phylogenomic hypothesis of Thepparatia based on analyses of the maternally inherited chloroplast and biparentally inherited nuclear ribosomal cistron sequences, and compare these results with its speciation, karyology, and breeding system. Chloroplast genomes in subtribe Trionum were highly conserved except in Abelmoschus where four additional genes were duplicated. Recent diploid interspecific hybridization is suggested in Thepparatia sipsongpannaensis between T. fragrans and T. scandens during the Pleistocene, around 640 000 years ago. Our observations also indicate Thepparatia have a trioecious breeding system that combined with a unique habit, and a highly localized distribution pattern, have created cross-pollination barriers and ecological specialization. This suggests hybridization events are rare but evolutionary significant in subtribe Trionum. Finally, our study supports important nomenclature changes: the synonymization of Hibiscus austroyunnanensis with Thepparatia fragrans and the publication of a new species, Thepparatia sipsongpannaensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the quantum phases of two-component bosons in a non-Hermitian optical lattice system featuring a nonreciprocal hopping phase factor. Our analysis focuses on the Bose–Hubbard model in a two-dimensional (2D) square lattice, utilizing the inhomogeneous dynamical Gutzwiller mean-field theory (DGMFT) to examine the ground state. The impact on quantum phases of the inter component interaction varies in the weak-interaction (the inter-component interactions are smaller than intra-component interactions, i.e., | U a b | ≤ U) and in the strong-interaction (the inter-component interactions are bigger than intra-component interactions, i.e., U a b > U) regime. In the weak regime, we observe a diverse range of quantum phases, including vortex-like liquid, MI islands (the Mott insulator (MI) islands periodically distributed in the superfluid (SF) background) and SF islands (the SF islands periodically distributed in the MI background), and the inter-component counterflow superfluid (CFSF) phases. In the strong regime, we observe phase separation of the two-component bosons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryptosporidiosis is a worldwide zoonotic disease. Oxymatrine, an alkaloid extracted and isolated from the plant bitter ginseng, has been reported to have therapeutic effects on cryptosporidiosis. However, the underlying mechanism of its action remains unclear. In this study, we utilized network pharmacology and experimental validation to investigate the mechanism of oxymatrine in the treatment of cryptosporidiosis. First, the potential targets of drugs and diseases were predicted by TCMSP, Gene Cards, and other databases. Following the intersection of drug-disease targets, the DAVID database was used to implement the enrichment analysis of GO functions and KEGG pathways, and then the network diagram of "intersected target-KEGG" relationship was constructed. Autodock 4.2.6 software was used to carry out the molecular docking of core targets to drug components. Based on the establishment of a mouse model of cryptosporidiosis, the validity of the targets in the TNF/NF-κB signaling pathway was confirmed using Western blot analysis and Quantitative Rea-ltime-PCR. A total of 41 intersectional targets of oxymatrine and Cryptosporidium were generated from the results, and five core targets were screened out by network analysis, including RELA, AKT1, ESR1, TNF, and CASP3. The enrichment analysis showed that oxymatrine could regulate multiple gene targets, mediate TNF, Apoptpsis, IL-17, NF-κB and other signaling pathways. Molecular docking experiments revealed that oxymatrine was tightly bound to core targets with stable conformation. Furthermore, we found through animal experiments that oxymatrine could regulate the mRNA and protein expression of IL-6, NF-κB, and TNF-α in the intestinal tissues of post-infected mice through the TNF/NF-κB signaling pathway. Therefore, it can be concluded that oxymatrine can regulate the inflammatory factors TNF-α, NF-κB, and IL-6 through the TNF/NF-κB signaling pathway for the treatment of cryptosporidiosis. This prediction has also been validated by network pharmacology and animal experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a mobile-based goal-setting intervention among university students compared to the control group. The main hypothesis of the study was that the intervention would affect the behavioral regulation and life quality of students. The participants of this study were first-year economics students from a Chinese university. The research method was a questionnaire. At the start, the life quality and behavioral regulation of students did not significantly differ. In the post-test, intergroup differences in behavioral regulation were generally significant, but the size of the effects was small. In terms of life quality, the post-test revealed significant intergroup differences with strong effect sizes. Changes in Intrinsic regulation predicted change in Social Relationships, and changes in lntrojected regulation and Identified regulation predicted change in Psychological Health. This study postulates the need to develop behavioral skills to systematically engage in physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An external electric field is an effective tool to induce the polymorphic transformation of molecular crystals, which is important practically in the chemical, material, and energy storage industries. However, the understanding of this mechanism is poor at the molecular level. In this work, two types of order parameters (OPs) were constructed for the molecular crystal based on the intermolecular distance, bond orientation, and molecular orientation. Using the K-means clustering algorithm for the sampling of OPs based on the Euclidean distance and density weight, the polymorphic transformation of TNT was investigated using a finite temperature string (FTS) under external electric fields. The potential of mean force (PMF) was obtained, and the essence of the polymorphic transformation between o-TNT and m-TNT was revealed, which verified the effectiveness of the FTS method based on K-means clustering to OPs. The differences in PMFs between the o-TNT and transition state were decreased under external electric fields in comparison with those in no field. The fields parallel to the c-axis obviously affected the difference in PMF, and the relationship between the changes in PMFs and field strengths was found. Although the external electric field did not promote the convergence, the time of the polymorphic transformation was reduced under the external electric field in comparison to its absence. Moreover, under the external electric field, the polymorphic transformation from o-TNT to m-TNT occurred while that from m-TNT to o-TNT was prevented, which was explained by the dipole moment of molecule, relative permittivity, chemical potential difference, nucleation work and nucleation rate. This confirmed that the polymorphic transformation orientation of the molecular crystal could be controlled by the external electric field. This work provides an effective way to explore the polymorphic transformation of the molecular crystals at a molecular level, and it is useful to control the production process and improve the performance of energetic materials by using the external electric fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel higher-order multi-scale computational approach for efficient nonlocal gradient elasticity simulation of composite materials is proposed in this paper. Based on the use of decoupling technique, raw fourth-order nonlocal gradient equations with periodically oscillatory coefficients are decoupled as the new second-order multi-scale equations for reducing the continuity requirements when implementing multi-scale simulation. Next, a novel macro-micro coupled multi-scale computational model with higher-order corrected terms is rigorously devised for high-resolution multi-scale and nonlocal analysis of composite materials via multi-scale asymptotic analysis. Then, the local error analysis of higher-order multi-scale solutions in the point-wise sense illustrates that establishing higher-order asymptotic corrected terms plays a vital role in investigating the micromechanical mechanisms. Moreover, a rigorous global error estimation with an explicit rate of higher-order multi-scale solutions is first derived in the energy norm sense. In addition, an efficient multi-scale numerical algorithm is presented to effectively simulate nonlocal gradient elasticity problems of composite materials based on finite element method (FEM). And we also derive the convergence estimation of the proposed numerical algorithm. Finally, numerical experiments are conducted to gauge the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed higher-order multi-scale method. This paper offers a unified higher-order two-scale computational framework for enabling nonlocal gradient elasticity behavior simulation of composite materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A generation method of new metric in the case of static spherically symmetric space-time is derived. Using this approach, we construct a metric which describes Euler–Heisenberg black hole surrounded by perfect fluid dark matter and investigate its optical and thermodynamic properties. We found that radius of shadow will increase with the increase of dark matter effect, and more strong dark matter will diminish the light intensity of accretion disk generally. Moreover, in thermodynamics, when quantum electrodynamic parameter is positive, there will be a critical value of dark matter parameter, which determine the number of black hole’s critical points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractConstipation is a common gastrointestinal condition, which may occur at any age and affects countless people. The search for new treatments for constipation is ongoing as current drug treatments fail to provide fully satisfactory results. In recent years, probiotics have attracted much attention because of their demonstrated therapeutic efficacy and fewer side effects than pharmaceutical products. Many studies attempted to answer the question of how probiotics can alleviate constipation. It has been shown that different probiotic strains can alleviate constipation by different mechanisms. The mechanisms on probiotics in relieving constipation were associated with various aspects, including regulation of the gut microbiota composition, the level of short-chain fatty acids, aquaporin expression levels, neurotransmitters and hormone levels, inflammation, the intestinal environmental metabolic status, neurotrophic factor levels and the body’s antioxidant levels. This paper summarizes the perception of the mechanisms on probiotics in relieving constipation and provides some suggestions on new research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bulk phosphorus oxynitride (PON), isoelectronic with SiO2, is confirmed to have many polymorphs as the latter. However, its 2D counterparts have not been studied. In this work, crystal structure exploration and property study are performed on 2D PON with the help of first‐principle calculation. Three 2D PON sheets are found with thermal, dynamical, and mechanical stability and all of them can be viewed as oxygen‐doped known 2D γ phosphorus nitride (γ‐PN). In the studies, it is indicated that they are indirect bandgap materials with gap values larger than 3 eV. The situations of orbital hybridization are discussed and their bonding properties are analyzed. Infrared vibrational spectra of these 2D materials are simulated and the vibrational modes at the Brillouin center are assigned by the factor group analysis. The reasons for the disappearance of some infrared peaks in the simulated spectra are revealed based on the calculated Born effective charges and vibrational eigenvectors. Their piezoelectric stress tensors are computed via density‐functional perturbation method and the piezoelectric strain tensors are also deduced via the calculated elastic constants. In the results, it is uncovered that these 2D PON sheets have considerably greater piezoelectric coefficients than the primitive 2D γ‐PN, which make them promising for nanopiezoelectric use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Up to day 14 apheresis platelet storage, the expression of microRNAs has not been investigated. • We found that hsa-miR-30c-5p, hsa-miR-22-3p, and hsa-mir-4433b-5p may be related to platelet activation, aggregation, and degranulation. We suggest hsa-miR-30c-5p as a biomarker of the quality and viability of apheresis platelets during storage in blood banks. This study lays the foundation for further research on apheresis platelet storage lesions. • A new generation of high-throughput sequencing for small RNA identification was used to integrate bioinformatics analysis methods and to screen out differentially expressed miRNAs. Here, we used a more precise Bulge-loop miRNA qRT-PCR (Guangzhou RiboBio, China) method. Storage affects platelet microRNAs (miRNAs); discussing miRNA expression differences in apheresis platelets after varied storage periods is important for developing platelet quality measurement tools and identifying platelet storage lesion biomarkers. To our knowledge, the difference of MicroRNA expression profile in up to 14-day storage apheresis platelets has less relevant reports. Apheresis platelet bags from three donors were collected, divided into six groups, and stored for 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 14 days. miRNA expression was determined using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Differentially expressed miRNAs were screened using RNA sequencing. MiRNA expression profiles showed that the six treatment groups generally highly expressed hsa-let-7 family, hsa-miR-26a-5p, hsa-miR-92a-3p, hsa-miR-199, and hsa-miR-103a-3p. A total of 15 miRNAs in the top 10 known miRNAs of the six groups were highly expressed. Time series analyses for the trend classification of 944 differentially expressed miRNAs indicated 43 genes with 14 trend changes. Hsa-miR-223-3p, hsa-miR-181a-5p, hsa-miR-4433b-5p, hsa-miR-22-3p, and hsa-miR-30c-5p were selected, and the qRT-PCR results also showed that they were significantly reduced under standard blood bank condition. Expression of microRNAs lays the foundation for further research on apheresis platelet storage lesions. Based on our results from information analysis and miRNA target gene prediction, we suggest hsa-miR-30c-5p as a biomarker of the quality and viability of apheresis platelets during storage in blood banks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of big data, with the continuous popularization of social media, various text data are growing in the network and in life. It is of great significance to analyze and manage text data using text classification technology. Text classification is a basic research field in the field of artificial intelligence natural language processing. Under the given criteria, it classifies text according to content. The application scenarios of text classification are very extensive, such as sentiment analysis, topic classification, relationship classification, etc. Deep learning is a method of representation learning based on data in machine learning, and it shows good classification effect in text data processing. Chinese text and English text have differences in form, sound, and image. Focusing on the uniqueness of Chinese text classification, this paper analyzes and expounds the deep learning methods used for Chinese text classification, and finally sorts out commonly used datasets for Chinese text classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BiOX (X = Cl, Br, I) monolayers are photocatalytic materials having many potential applications, but their basic properties are still not systematically studied. Herein, first‐principles calculations are performed to study their electronic, mechanical, and infrared properties. Band structures calculated by the Heyd–Scuseria–Ernzerhof (HSE06) functional with and without spin orbital coupling uncover that they are indirect bandgap materials. Partial densities of states of these materials are computed and compared to reveal the reason for the differences among their band structures. Studies imply that the BiO bonds are chiefly covalent while the interaction between the Bi and the X atoms is mainly ionic. Elastic constants and ideal in‐plane stresses of these materials are computed to explore their mechanical properties. Performed factor group analyses indicate that there are nine Raman‐active and six infrared‐active modes in their Brillouin zone centers. Their infrared spectra are simulated and the reason for the disappearance of some infrared peaks is given. Comparisons on the above properties are also made for these BiOX monolayers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most common subtype of esophageal cancer and lacks effective treatment. A growing number of studies have confirmed that Frizzled class receptor 2 (FZD2), a receptor for Wnts, regulates cancer metastasis in cancers. This study aims to reveal the anti‐metastatic activity of miltirone on ESCC cells and its mechanism on FZD2 in vitro. Cell‐counting‐kit‐8 (CCK‐8) was used to detect the effect of miltirone on cell growth in ESCC cells. The invasion of ESCC cells was detected by wound healing and transwell assay. Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect the expressions of epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers and the location of FZD2. Western blot and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (q‐PCR) were used to detect levels of target genes, and FZD2 ubiquitination was detected by the co‐immunoprecipitation method. The levels of roof plate‐specific spondins (RSPO1‐4) in cells were determined by ELISA, q‐PCR, and western blot assays. Miltirone exhibits its strongest cytotoxicity with IC50 values of 6.80 μM and 8.43 μM for K30 and K150 cells, respectively. Miltirone inhibited the cell viability and expression of EMT markers, affecting the invasion ability of ESCC, attenuated the Wnt2/FZD2 pathway, and down‐regulated the level of FZD2, which is regulated by the ubiquitination of E3 ubiquitin ligase. Furthermore, we found that miltirone could reduce the expression of RSPO1, and RSPO2, increasing E3 protein levels, and promoting FZD2 ubiquitination, leading to the ubiquitination and subsequent degradation of FZD2. Collectively, our results revealed that miltirone might be a promising drug for the treatment of ESCC, at least partly through regulation of the FZD2 ubiquitination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Malignant melanoma most commonly occurs in the skin. Primary malignant melanoma of endometrium is quite rare. Its diagnosis depends on clinical characteristics and pathological examination. It usually exhibits high degree of tumor histology, early onset of distant metastases, and unfavorable prognoses. Case Presentation: In this paper, we report a case of a 73-year-old woman with primary malignant melanoma of endometrium. This patient denied a history of nevus removal or any family medical history of cancer. She was admitted to the hospital for irregular vaginal bleeding after menopause and performed an endometrial biopsy. Pathological of the scrapings suggested malignant melanoma. She subsequently underwent a radical surgery. The final pathology diagnosis was primary malignant melanoma of endometrium, and BRAF gene mutation was detected. The tumor staged as IVB according to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) classification. Thus, she then started adjuvant chemotherapy. This patient is currently on oral targeted therapy and is still being followed up. Conclusion: Mucosal melanoma is infrequent, and primary malignant melanoma of endometrial is a rare subtype. To the best of our knowledge, malignant melanoma originating from endometrium has never been reported before. It has a high degree of malignancy and is prone to early metastasis. Further investigations are warranted to explore its underlying pathogenesis, management, and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Healthy parturients may experience pulmonary edema and disturbed cardiac function during labor. We aimed to evaluate the extravascular lung water (EVLW), intravascular volume, and cardiac function of normal parturients during spontaneous vaginal delivery by bedside ultrasound. And to explore the correlation between EVLW and intravascular volume, cardiac function. Methods: This was a prospective observational study including 30 singleton-term pregnant women undergoing spontaneous vaginal delivery. Bedside ultrasound was performed at the early labor, the end of the second stage of labor, 2 and 24 h postpartum, and 120 scanning results were recorded. EVLW was evaluated by the echo comet score (ECS) obtained by the 28-rib interspaces technique. Inferior vena cava collapsibility index (IVC-CI), left ventricle ejection fraction, right ventricle fractional area change, left and right ventricular E/A ratio, and left and right ventricular index of myocardial performance (LIMP and RIMP) were measured. Measurements among different time points were compared, and the correlations between ECS and other measurements were analyzed. Results: During the spontaneous vaginal delivery of healthy pregnant women, 2 had a mild EVLW increase at the early labor, 8 at the end of the second stage of labor, 13 at 2 h postpartum, and 4 at 24 h postpartum (P < 0.001). From the early labor to 24 h postpartum, ECS first increased and then decreased, reaching its peak at 2 h postpartum (P < 0.001). IVC-CI first decreased and then increased, reaching its minimum at the end of the second stage of labor (P < 0.001). RIMP exceeded the cut-off value of 0.43 at the end of the second stage of labor. ECS was weakly correlated with IVC-CI (r=-0.373, P < 0.001), LIMP (r = 0.298, P = 0.022) and RIMP (r = 0.211, P = 0.021). Conclusions: During spontaneous vaginal delivery, the most vital period of perinatal care is between the end of the second stage of labor and 2 h postpartum, because the risk of pulmonary edema is higher and the right ventricle function may decline. IVC-CI can be used to evaluate maternal intravascular volume. The increase in EVLW may be related to the increase in intravascular volume and the decrease in ventricular function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explored how and when sensation seeking influences consumers' automobile insurance purchasing behavior by taking risk perception as a mediator and gender as a moderator. We collected data from 413 participants who purchased automobile liability insurance in China and employed the SPSS PROCESS macro for moderated mediation analysis. Our results revealed that sensation seeking had an indirect effect on insurance coverage purchasing behavior through risk perception, and that this mediating effect was moderated by gender. Men with higher (vs. lower) sensation seeking were more likely to have a lower risk perception and tended to purchase less insurance coverage. However, the indirect effect of sensation seeking was not significant among women. Our findings provide insight into the psychological mechanisms that influence consumers' automobile insurance purchasing behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Systemic lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease that involves multiple organ systems. One of its major complications, lupus nephritis (LN), is associated with a high mortality rate, and children-onset LN have a more severe course and worse prognosis than adults. Oxidative stress and inflammatory responses are involved in LN development and pathogenesis. Thus, this study aimed to explore the role of signaling regulation of the Nrf2/HMGB1/TLR/NF-κB pathway in LN pathogenesis and unravel the expression of TLR4+CXCR4+ plasma cells subset (PCs) in LN. Methods: C57BL/6 and MRL/lpr mice were divided into four groups: control, model, vector control, and Nrf2 overexpression groups. The vector control and Nrf2 overexpression groups were injected with adenoviral vectors into the kidney in situ. Pathological changes in kidney tissues were observed by hematoxylin–eosin staining. The expression of Nrf2, HMGB1, TLR4, NF-κB, and downstream inflammatory factors in kidney samples was analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The ratios of TLR4+CXCR4+ PC subsets in the blood and kidneys of mice were determined by flow cytometry. Results: In MRL/lpr mice, Nrf2 was downregulated while HMGB1/TLR4/NF-κB pathway proteins were upregulated. Nrf2 overexpression decreased the expression of HMGB1, TLR4, NF-κB, and its downstream inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and TNFα). These cytokines were negatively correlated with an increase in Nrf2 content. PC and TLR4 + CXCR4 + PCs in the blood and kidney samples were significantly increased in MRL/lpr mice; however, they were decreased upon Nrf2 overexpression. Conclusion: This study showed severe kidney injury in an LN mouse model and an increased ratio of TLR4 + CXCR4 + PCs. Furthermore, we observed that Nrf2 regulates LN immune response through the Nrf2/HMGB1/TLR4/NF-κB pathway, which can be considered an important target for LN treatment. The clinical value of the findings of our study requires further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helium white dwarfs (HeWDs) are thought to form from low-mass red giant stars experiencing binary interaction. Because the helium core mass of a red giant star is closely related to the stellar radius, there exists well-known relation between the orbital period (P orb) and the mass (M WD) of the HeWDs, which is almost independent of the type of the companion star. Traditional derivation of the M WD– P orb relation generally neglected the effect of wind mass-loss from the red giants, while observations show that wind mass-loss from red giants in binary systems is systematically higher than that from isolated stars. In this work, we calculate binary evolution with tidally enhanced stellar wind (TEW) and find that it causes significantly scatter of the traditional M WD– P orb relation. The TEW can prevent the red giants from overflowing their Roche lobes and slow down the growth of the helium core, leaving a lower mass HeWD for given orbital period. This scenario may account for some of the HeWD binaries that deviate from the traditional M WD– P orb relation. However, we point out that observations of more HeWD binaries in wide orbits are needed to test the TEW model and to constrain the enhanced wind factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dead zone in ultrasonic time-of-flight diffraction (TOFD) restricts the quantitation of near-surface defects. Alternative TOFD techniques introduce other tip-diffracted/scattered waves with longer propagation times to implement defect detection, but the applicability is influenced due to ignoring the change of acoustic path of the diffracted shear wave in wedge. In this paper, the mode-converted wave (MCW) method is exemplified to analyze the propagation path of diffracted shear wave and the change of the received point in wedge. On this basis, the corrected MCW method is proposed by establishing the relationship between the propagation time of MCW and defect depth according to Fermat's principle. The simulation and experiments show that the depth of near-surface dead zone is reduced by 60% with the corrected MCW method. The positioning errors of the defects in the aluminum alloy sample with a thickness of 20.0 mm are no more than 0.15 mm by using the TOFD probes with 10 MHz center frequency and 40 mm probe center spacing (PCS) and the 60° wedges. Compared to the conventional MCW method, the corrected method widens the range of applicable TOFD signals in B-scan images and reduces the measurement errors of defect depths to within 3.5% under ideal conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LNG is a potential alternative fuel for ships. Generating H2 through exhaust reforming is an effective method to improve the performance of the LNG engine and reduce its pollutant emissions. It is necessary to study the mechanism of methane exhaust reforming to guide the design of the reformer. Based on the detailed mechanism, the characteristics of methane reforming reaction were studied for a marine LNG engine. Firstly, the reforming characteristics of exhaust were studied. The results show that methane reforming requires a lean oxygen environment, and the hydrogen production reaction will not occur when the O2 concentration is too high. Then, the effects of the O2/CH4 ratio (0.2–1) and H2O/CH4 ratio (0–2) on the reforming reaction were studied. The results show that under O2/CH4 = 0.4, the molar fraction of hydrogen at the outlet of the reactor decreases with the increase in the H2O/CH4 ratios. Finally, a mechanism analysis was conducted. The results show that an oxidation reaction occurs first and then the steam reforming reaction occurs on palladium-based catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Schwarzschild black hole in the Cold Dark Matter (CDM) halo is studied, and the radiation laws of the thin accretion disk near the black hole are discussed and summarized. The orbits of light around the black hole are also calculated. Additionally, using the Novikov–Thorne model's light intensity function of the thin accretion disk, it is possible to solve for the shadow created by the thin accretion disk near the Schwarzschild black hole as well as the observed luminosity of the disk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We determined the sperm retrieval rate in men with persistent azoospermia post-chemotherapy in relation to cyclophosphamide equivalent dose (CED), a unit for quantifying alkylating agent exposure. Methods: Medical records were retrospectively reviewed of 1098 patients diagnosed with non-obstructive azoospermia who had undergone microdissection testicular sperm extraction (mTESE) between January 2010 and 2021 at our institution. Twenty-three patients with a prior history of chemotherapy were included in the study. Oncological data, chemotherapy regime, and dosage were reviewed. The pretreatment hormone profile, CED, and mTESE outcomes were analyzed. Results: Testicular spermatozoa were successfully retrieved from 11 patients (47%). The mean patient age was 37.3 years (range, 27–41 years), and mean time interval from chemotherapy to mTESE, 11.8 years (range, 1–45 years). Patients exposed to alkylating agents had significantly lower sperm retrieval rates than those not exposed to alkylating agents (1/9, 11% vs. 10/14, 71%, p = 0.009). No men with CED > 4000 mg/m2 (n = 6) had viable sperm in the testes during mTESE. Moreover, patients diagnosed with testicular non-seminomatous germ cell tumors had a favorable sperm retrieval rate (67%) compared to patients with lymphoma (20%) or leukemia (33%). Conclusion: Patients with permanent azoospermia post-chemotherapy have a lower testicular sperm retrieval rate when the chemotherapy regimen included alkylating agents. In cases where patients have undergone more intensive gonadotoxic treatments, such as higher CED, the likelihood of successful sperm retrieval is low. It is advisable to counsel such patients using the CED model prior to considering surgical sperm retrieval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine whether the integrity of the entry portal of head-neck implant is related to postoperative mechanical complications. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients with pertrochanteric fractures in our hospital treated from January 1, 2018, to September 1, 2021. Based on the integrity of the entry portal for head-neck implants on the femoral lateral wall, patients were divided into two groups, including the ruptured entry portal (REP) group and the intact entry portal (IEP) group. After 4:1 propensity score-matched analyses were used to balance the baseline of the two groups, a total of 55 patients were extracted from the original participants, including 11 patients in the REP group and 44 matched patients in the IEP group. The anterior to posterior cortex width on the mid-level of the lesser trochanter was measured and defined as the residual lateral wall width (RLWW). Results: Compared with the IEP group, the REP group was correlated with postoperative mechanical complications (OR = 12.00, 95% CI 1.837–78.369, P = 0.002) and hip-thigh pain (OR = 26.67, 95% CI 4.98–142.86). RLWW ≤ 18.55 mm indicated a high likelihood (tau-y = 0.583, P = 0.000) of becoming the REP type postoperatively and being more likely to suffer from mechanical complications (OR = 30.67, 95% CI 3.91–240.70, P = 0.000) and hip-thigh pain (OR = 14.64, 95% CI 2.36–90.85, P = 0.001). Conclusion: Rupture of entry portal is a high-risk factor for mechanical complications in intertrochanteric fractures. RLWW ≤ 18.55 mm is a reliable predictor of the postoperative REP type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the dynamic and acoustic characteristics of functionally graded microplates in micro- and nano-electro-mechanical systems, this paper established the vibro-acoustic governing equation of functionally graded (FG) sandwich microplates, which contains one material length scale parameter. Two types of FG sandwich microplates are studied, and the effects of different parameters on the vibro-acoustic characteristics are discussed. The results show that the size effect is significant when the thickness of microplate is close to the material length scale, especially at the higher order mode and for the thicker plate. Moreover, the sound insulation performance with the size effect increasing becomes better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary aim of our research was to examine the moderating role of prevention focus (PRE) and the mediating role of risk perception (RP) on the relationship between driving accident history (DAH) and insurance coverage (IC) decisions to test this moderated mediation mechanism. We collected survey data from 808 newly eligible voluntary automobile liability insurance policyholders in Taiwan and analyzed the data using PROCESS macro. The estimated results showed that PRE moderated the indirect effect of DAH on IC through RP. In general, a worse DAH would increase the RP of people who were high prevention-focused, thereby increasing their willingness to purchase a higher IC. Conversely, a worse DAH would not increase the RP of people who were low prevention-focused, and such people would not increase or would even decrease their IC. The results provide an explanation for the inconsistent paths from DAH to IC in the literature. From a marketing perspective of psychographic segmentation, our research helps insurance companies to determine what types of consumers they should pay more attention to and to formulate marketing strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a microscopic theory for the decoupling of self-diffusion and structural relaxation in glass-forming liquids within the Elastically Collective Nonlinear Langevin Equation (ECNLE) activated dynamics framework. Our central hypothesis is that the heterogeneity relevant to this problem is static fluctuations of local density on the scale of 3–4 particle diameters and how this changes local packing correlations. These fluctuations modify the degree of dynamical cage expansion that mechanistically couples intracage large amplitude hopping and longer range collective elasticity in ECNLE theory. Decoupling only emerges in the deeply supercooled regime where the strongly temperature dependent elastic barrier becomes non-negligible relative to its noncooperative local analog. The theory makes predictions for various aspects of the decoupling phenomenon, including apparent fractional power law Stokes-Einstein behavior, that appear to be consistent with experiments and simulations on hard sphere fluids and molecular liquids. Of central importance is a microscopic connection between the barrier fluctuation variance and most probable barrier height. Sensible results are also obtained for the nonexponential stretching of a generic relaxation time correlation function and its temperature evolution. Nonuniversality can arise from the relative importance of the local and collective barriers (related to fragility) and the precise magnitude of the length scale that defines the transition from local cage to elastic physics. Comparison is made with a traplike model based on a Gaussian distribution of barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19's infection control policies have hindered the Deliberate Practice of clinical examinations. Guided Mental Rehearsal (GMR) may overcome this obstacle by facilitating independent, repetitive practice. Underpinned by the 'Motor Simulation Theory,' GMR reinforces similar neuro-circuit activations during physical practice and was proven effective in surgical training. This prospective, randomized controlled study evaluated the efficacy of GMR versus 'peer-learning' of Confrontational Visual Field Examination (CVFE). Third-year medical-students without clinical Ophthalmology experience were recruited. Controls (n = 40) watched an e-learning instructional video (8-min CVFE tutorial) followed by 6-min of 'peer-learning.' GMR-students (n = 40) had 'peer-learning' replaced by a 6-min GMR audio-recording (CVFE running commentary). Pre-test and post-test MCQs were administered to determine baseline knowledge and knowledge acquisition, respectively. 28 controls and 26 GMR-students performed CVFE on simulated patients with right homonymous hemianopia. Four Ophthalmologists graded their performances using a checklist-based marking scheme. Both groups did not exhibit a significant difference in pre-test scores (8.550 vs. 7.947, p = 0.266); outcome of sub-group analysis of CVFE-performing candidates was similar (8.214 vs. 7.833, p = 0.561). Post-test scores were significantly higher than pre-test in both groups (all p <.001), without inter-group difference (14.000 vs. 15.000, p = 0.715). GMR-group had significantly higher scores on CVFE performance than controls (85.354 vs. 73.679%, p =.001). GMR improved psychomotor but not cognitive aspect of learning CVFE. This may be attributable to GMR's theoretical resemblance with physical practice, with additional expert guidance. By enabling independent learning, GMR may also reduce the demand for teaching manpower and thus education cost in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by the significant synergistic charring effect and catalytic graphitizing effect of metal ion, cupric ion decorated ammonium polyphosphate (APP@Cu) was prepared to improve the fire safety of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The characterization on micromorphology, chemical composition and structure of APP@Cu confirmed that copper hydroxide was decorated on the surface of APP. Comparing for TPU/APP, TPU/APP@Cu achieved a higher LOI value of 28.2% and reached UL-94 V-0 rating. What's more, the peak of heat release rate, total smoke production and the fire growth rate significantly reduced by 72%, 36% and 76%, respectively, in comparison with that of TPU. These results demonstrated that APP@Cu preferably magnified the flame-retardant efficiency of APP for TPU due to the synergistic charring effect of phosphorus and cupric ion, and the catalytic graphitizing effect of copper species. Therefore, the enhancing char-forming mechanism would provide a strategy for improving the fire safety of TPU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present high-precision mass-dependent nickel isotopic data for a comprehensive suite of achondrites and lunar rocks, providing key insights into the early planetary differentiation and Earth-Moon system formation. The primitive achondrites display high Ni contents and invariant Ni isotopic compositions. Incomplete core-mantle differentiation in primitive achondrite parent bodies resulted in the retention of metal in the mantle, which dominated the Ni budget and accounted for the bulk chondritic Ni isotopic values. The highly reduced differentiated achondrites, aubrites and an ungrouped achondrite (NWA 8409), have variable, and extremely light Ni isotopic compositions. Acid leaching experiments demonstrate that the sulfides are a significant host of light Ni isotopes in aubrites. The most extreme Ni isotope values of aubrites may be due to large Ni isotope fractionation accompanied by silicate-sulfide-metal separation during differentiation of the parent bodies, and subsequent global disruptive collision and reassembly with variably high proportions of sulfides enriched in the mantle. The howardite-eucrite-diogenite (HED) meteorites show Ni isotopic variations that are positively correlated with Ni/Co ratios, a feature that cannot be produced by igneous differentiation. Late accretion of high-Ni and high-Ni/Co chondritic materials after core formation of their likely parent body, Vesta, could have accounted for this correlation. Thus, the primitive silicate mantle of Vesta may have sub-chondritic Ni isotopic compositions, implying possible Ni isotope fractionation during core-mantle differentiation of small planetary bodies. The lunar breccia meteorites have homogenously chondritic Ni isotope values, together with their high Ni/Co of bulk rock and metals therein, suggesting impact contamination. Lunar basalt meteorites have low Ni/Co ratios and are systematically isotopically lighter than the breccias, displaying a positive correlation between Ni isotope value and Ni/Co ratio, as that seen in the HEDs. Therefore, the Ni isotopic systematics in lunar rocks also indicates the effect of late accretion, with the primitive lunar mantle having sub-chondritic Ni isotope values. This implies that the Moon-forming impactor, Theia, was likely an aubrite-like differentiated planetary body whose mantle was enriched in light Ni isotopes. We suggest that there was significant Ni isotope fractionation between core and mantle during differentiation of early formed small planetary bodies, but this signature can be obscured by late accretion in the bulk achondrite records. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The concept of flagship species plays a vital role in biodiversity conservation. In order to establish a technical route for selecting flagship species and strengthen the application of the concept of flagship species in biodiversity conservation at the local scale, we selected birds as a target group and conducted a study on selecting flagship species in Lishui, Zhejiang Province, China. Through the analytic hierarchy process-entropy weight method (AHP-EM) and the MaxEnt model, 10 bird species were selected as the flagship species of Lishui, and a further analysis showed that these 10 species were fully representative of birds of Lishui and that their distribution covered the main protected areas in Lishui. It is hoped that the selection method of flagship species detailed in this study can provide a reference and promote a biodiversity conservation level for other regions. The concept of flagship species is widely used in conservation biology. Flagship birds play a key role in raising conservation funds, increasing awareness of biodiversity conservation, and maintaining ecosystem services. This study selected flagship bird species in Lishui, Zhejiang Province, China, and assessed their conservation effectiveness and ability to serve as umbrella species. A regional bird survey program from 2019–2022 recorded 361 bird species in Lishui. This study constructed a framework of flagship species selection based on social, ecological, economic, and cultural criteria. The analytic hierarchy process-entropy weight method (AHP-EM) was used to rank the score of 361 bird species, and the MaxEnt model was used to analyze the suitable distribution areas of these species. Finally, 10 species, which covered the distribution sites of all 361 bird species, were selected as the flagship species of Lishui. The distribution areas covered all the nature reserves and the priority areas of biodiversity of Lishui, in which these 10 species can also serve as umbrella species to protect local biodiversity. The methodology and ideas in this study could provide insights into the application of conservation concepts at the local level, as well as suggest possible recommendations for local governments to select flagship species for conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) and total mesorectal excision are standard treatment regimen for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). This sphincter-saving treatment strategy may be accompanied by a series of anorectal functional disorders. Yet, prospective studies that dynamically evaluating the respective roles of radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery on anorectal function are lacking. Patients/design: The study is a prospective, observational, controlled, multicentre study. After screening for eligibility and obtaining informed consent, a total of 402 LARC patients undergoing NCRT followed by surgery, or neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery, or surgery only would be included in the trial. The primary outcome measure is the average resting pressure of anal sphincter. The secondary outcome measures are maximum anal sphincter contraction pressure, Wexner continence score and low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) score. Evaluations will be carried out at the following stages: baseline (T1), after radiotherapy or chemotherapy (before surgery, T2), after surgery (before closing the temporary stoma, T3), and at follow-up visits (every 3 to 6 months, T4, T5......). Follow-up for each patient will be at least 2 years. Discussion: We expect the program to provide more information of neoadjuvant radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy on anorectal function, and to optimize the treatment strategy to reduce anorectal dysfunction for LARC patients. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05671809). Registered on 26 December 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hermetic pressurized buildings have been developed to reduce the effects of high altitude. The behavior and effect of fire in this new type of building have not been studied before. Unlike common buildings, the inside pressure in this new type of building is maintained at around standard atmospheric pressure, which is significantly higher than the outside environment pressure in high altitude regions. In addition, at the early stage of a fire, the oxygen required to maintain combustion in the sealed building is supplied by mechanical vents (if in operation) instead of opening windows or doors as in common buildings. This paper presents a case study on the behavior of fire in a sealed pressurized hotel building located in Tibet. Fire dynamics simulator (FDS) is used to study fire behavior under different design fire scenarios. Available evacuation time under different fire scenarios are obtained by analyzing oxygen concentration, gas content, temperature, visibility and other indicators. Based on this, a fire protection design scheme is suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Gastrointestinal dysfunction seriously affects the prognosis and quality of life of patients with multiple fractures. However, experimental evidence of this relationship is lacking. Here we describe a newly developed mouse model of postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction after multiple fractures. Methods: Trauma severity was assessed using the injury severity score (ISS). Based on the ISS, a multiple fracture model was established in mice as follows: limb fractures with pelvic fractures and multiple rib fractures; limb fractures with multiple rib fractures; closed fracture of both forelegs with pelvic fracture and rib fractures; closed limb fractures; limb fracture with pelvic fracture; spinal fractures; hind leg fractures with pelvic fractures; pelvic fracture with multiple rib fractures; closed fracture of both fore legs with pelvic fracture; and closed fracture of both fore legs with multiple rib fractures. In each model group, gastrointestinal motility was assayed and the histopathology of the small intestine was examined. Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses of jejunal tissue were performed to detect c‐kit protein expression, the level of which was compared with that of a control group. The results of ANOVA are expressed as mean ± standard deviation. Results: In mice with multiple fractures, food intake was greatly reduced, consistent with histopathological evidence of an injured intestinal epithelium. The jejunal tissue of mice in groups a, c, f, and h was characterized by extensively necrotic and exfoliated intestinal mucosal epithelium and inflammatory cell infiltration in the lamina propria. In the gastrointestinal function assay, gastrointestinal motility was significantly reduced in groups a, b, c, f, and g; these group also had a higher ISS (p < 0.01). The expression of c‐kit protein in groups with gastrointestinal dysfunction was significantly up‐regulated (p < 0.001) compared with the control group. The close correlation between c‐kit expression and the ISS indicated an influence of trauma severity on gastrointestinal motility. Conclusion: Gastrointestinal dysfunction after multiple fractures was successfully reproduced in a mouse model. In these mice, c‐kit expression correlated with gastrointestinal tissue dysfunction and might serve as a therapeutic target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apostasia shenzhenica belongs to the subfamily Apostasioideae and is a primitive group located at the base of the Orchidaceae phylogenetic tree. However, the A. shenzhenica mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) is still unexplored, and the phylogenetic relationships between monocots mitogenomes remain unexplored. In this study, we discussed the genetic diversity of A. shenzhenica and the phylogenetic relationships within its monocotyledon mitogenome. We sequenced and assembled the complete mitogenome of A. shenzhenica, resulting in a circular mitochondrial draft of 672,872 bp, with an average read coverage of 122× and a GC content of 44.4%. A. shenzhenica mitogenome contained 36 protein-coding genes, 16 tRNAs, two rRNAs, and two copies of nad4L. Repeat sequence analysis revealed a large number of medium and small repeats, accounting for 1.28% of the mitogenome sequence. Selection pressure analysis indicated high mitogenome conservation in related species. RNA editing identified 416 sites in the protein-coding region. Furthermore, we found 44 chloroplast genomic DNA fragments that were transferred from the chloroplast to the mitogenome of A. shenzhenica, with five plastid-derived genes remaining intact in the mitogenome. Finally, the phylogenetic analysis of the mitogenomes from A. shenzhenica and 28 other monocots showed that the evolution and classification of most monocots were well determined. These findings enrich the genetic resources of orchids and provide valuable information on the taxonomic classification and molecular evolution of monocots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although nanocarriers have been widely applied in the delivery of anticancer drugs, many commercialized anticancer nanodrug systems still suffer from the problem of being easily trapped by lysosomes, which severely limits the drug delivery efficiency of a nanodrug system. Meanwhile, in drug-resistant tumors, the efflux of anticancer therapeutic drugs via the drug efflux transporters on the plasma membrane of cancer cells can significantly decrease the intracellular drug concentration and lead to the failure of the drug treatment. Here, we developed a small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)- and doxorubicin (Dox, a common anticancer drug)-loaded membrane fusion liposome (MFL) (termed Dox@Lapa-MFL) to achieve tumor cell membrane fusion-mediated drug delivery and enhanced chemotherapy of drug-resistant tumor. MFL could deliver drugs in a membrane fusion manner, circumventing the capture by lysosomes. Lapatinib, as the TKI doped in the MFL, could inhibit the efflux of Dox by ATP-binding cassette transporters (ABC transporters), further promoting the intracellular Dox accumulation. As a result, Dox achieved effective killing of drug-resistant tumors under the dual effect of MFL and lapatinib. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first example that employs membrane fusion-mediated TKI delivery for achieving tumor chemosensitization with good biosafety. This work presents an efficient and easily achievable strategy for treating drug-resistant tumors, which may hold promise for clinical applications. [Display omitted] • A membrane fusion liposome loaded with lapatinib and doxorubicin (Dox) is prepared. • It can realize membrane fusion-mediated drug delivery and avoid lysosomal trapping. • Lapatinib promotes the cellular accumulation of Dox by modulating ABC transporter. • Dox kills drug-resistant tumor cells due to lapatinib's chemosensitization effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this note, we present an L2 extension approach to the effectiveness result of Lp strong openness property of multiplier ideal sheaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crack growth rate in two high strength martensitic steels with the Mo contents of 0.43 wt.% and 1.06 wt.% was investigated by means of slow strain rate tests (SSRT) on compact tensile specimens after hydrogen pre-charging. It was found that the crack growth rate increased and the values of stress intensity factors K IH and K Imax decreased with the increase of pre-charged hydrogen concentration. The steel with higher Mo content showed much lower crack growth rate than the steel with lower Mo content. It could be attributed to more nano-sized precipitates that can act as the hydrogen trapping sites and mitigate hydrogen deleterious effects on crack growth rate and the K IH and K Imax values. • Crack growth rate increased with increasing pre-charged hydrogen concentration. • K IH and K Imax decreased with increasing pre-charged hydrogen concentration. • Higher Mo-containing steel showed lower crack growth rate. • Nano-sized precipitates can act as the hydrogen trapping sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lobophorins (LOBs) are a growing family of spirotetronate natural products with significant cytotoxicity, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial activities. Herein, we report the transwell-based discovery of Streptomyces sp. CB09030 from a panel of 16 in-house Streptomyces strains, which has significant anti-mycobacterial activity and produces LOB A (1), LOB B (2), and LOB H8 (3). Genome sequencing and bioinformatic analyses revealed the potential biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) for 1–3, which is highly homologous with the reported BGCs for LOBs. However, the glycosyltransferase LobG1 in S. sp. CB09030 has certain point mutations compared to the reported LobG1. Finally, LOB analogue 4 (O-β-D-kijanosyl-(1→17)-kijanolide) was obtained through an acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of 2. Compounds 1–4 showed different antibacterial activities against Mycobacterium smegmatis and Bacillus subtilis, which revealed the varying roles of different sugars in their antibacterial activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tool condition is the key factor affecting the quality and efficiency of precision cutting of parts. As tool wear is inevitable during machining, tool wear status during machining must be regularly monitored. This study proposes a combined convolutional neural network and support vector machine (SVM) approach for tool wear status monitoring. First, 1D cutting force data are wavelet-transformed and converted into 2D spectrogram. Second, the leaky-ReLU activation function is adopted to enhance network robustness. Third, an SVM classifier is used to replace the traditional Softmax function to improve the model generalization capability. Finally, the cutting force signal of the tool used for the machining of the aero-engine integral blisk is verified. The accuracy of the constructed network model can reach 98.28 %. Moreover, the proposed model has a simple structure, requires a small number of parameters, and has good robustness and reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary aim of our research was to examine the moderating role of prevention focus (PRE) and the mediating role of risk perception (RP) on the relationship between driving accident history (DAH) and insurance coverage (IC) decisions to test this moderated mediation mechanism. We collected survey data from 808 newly eligible voluntary automobile liability insurance policyholders in Taiwan and analyzed the data using PROCESS macro. The estimated results showed that PRE moderated the indirect effect of DAH on IC through RP. In general, a worse DAH would increase the RP of people who were high prevention-focused, thereby increasing their willingness to purchase a higher IC. Conversely, a worse DAH would not increase the RP of people who were low prevention-focused, and such people would not increase or would even decrease their IC. The results provide an explanation for the inconsistent paths from DAH to IC in the literature. From a marketing perspective of psychographic segmentation, our research helps insurance companies to determine what types of consumers they should pay more attention to and to formulate marketing strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cataract, the leading cause of blindness worldwide, is caused by crystallin protein aggregation within the protected lens environment. Phase separation has been implicated as an important mechanism of protein aggregation diseases, such as neurodegeneration. Similarly, cataract has been proposed to be a protein condensation disease in the last century. However, whether crystallin proteins aggregate via a phase separation mechanism and which crystallin protein initiates the aggregation remain unclear. Here, we showed that all types of crystallin-GFP proteins remain soluble under physiological conditions, including protein concentrations, ion strength, and crowding environments. However, in age or disease-induced aberrant conditions, α-crystallin-GFP, including αA- and αB-crystallin-GFP, but not other crystallin-GFP proteins, undergo phase separation in vivo and in vitro. We found that aging-related changes, including higher crystallin concentrations, increased Na+, and decreased K+ concentrations, induced the aggregation of α-crystallin-GFP. Furthermore, H2O2, glucose, and sorbitol, the well-known risk factors for cataract, significantly enhanced the aggregation of αB-crystallin-GFP. Taken together, our results revealed that α-crystallin-GFP forms aggregates via a phase transition process, which may play roles in cataract disease. Opposite to the previously reported function of enhancing the solubility of other crystallin, α-crystallin may be the major aggregated crystallin in the lens of cataract patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Heat conduction, driven by thermal non-equilibrium, is the transfer of internal thermal energy through physical contacts, and it exists widely in various engineering problems, such as spacecraft and state-of-the-art dilution refrigerators. The mathematical equation for heat conduction is a prototypical partial differential equation. Here we report a quantum algorithm for heat conduction (QHC) that significantly outperforms classical algorithms. We represent the original heat conduction system by a symmetric system with an ancilla qubit so that the quantum circuit complexity is polylogarithmic in the number of discretized grid points. Compared with the existing algorithms based on solving linear equations via the Harrow-Hassidim-Lloyd (HHL) algorithm, our method evolves the linear process directly without phase estimation, which involves complex quantum operations and large output error. Therefore, this algorithm is experimental-friendly and without output error after the discretization procedure. We experimentally implemented the algorithm for a one-dimensional thermal conduction process with two-edge constant temperatures and adiabatic conditions on a nuclear spin quantum processor. The spatial and temporal distributions of the temperature are accurately determined from the experimental results. Our work can be naturally applied to any physical processes that can be reduced to the heat equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Average neighborhood margin maximization (ANMM) is a local supervised metric learning approach, which aims to find projection directions where the local class discriminability is maximized. Furthermore, it has no assumption of class distribution and works well on small sample size. In this work, we address this problem in the quantum setting and present a quantum ANMM algorithm for linear feature extraction. More specifically, a quantum algorithm is designed to construct scatterness and compactness matrices in the quantum state form. Then a quantum algorithm is presented to obtain the features of the testing sample set in the quantum state form. The time complexity analysis of the quantum ANMM algorithm shows that our algorithm may achieve an exponential speedup on the dimension of the sample points D , and a quadratic speedup on the numbers of training samples N and testing samples M compared to the classical counterpart under certain conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants has shown its promise in wastewater purification, however the photocatalytic activity on most catalysts are still unsatisfactory due to the poor reactive oxygen species production as a result of sluggish charge separation. Here, an innovative silicotungstic acid mediated charge transfer system over the Z-scheme g-C 3 N 4 /H 4 SiW 12 O 40 /Ag 3 PO 4 photocatalyst is proposed, exhibiting remarkable photocatalytic activity toward oxygen activation for reactive oxygen species generation. We verify that the H 4 SiW 12 O 40 with the unique Keggin units could serve as charge transfer mediator to speed up charge transportation between g-C 3 N 4 and Ag 3 PO 4 , as a result showing dramatically enhanced charge separation efficiency. By virtue of the aforementioned advantages, the as-prepared Z-scheme photocatalyst of g-C 3 N 4 /H 4 SiW 12 O 40 /Ag 3 PO 4 shows excellent photocatalytic performance toward carbamazepine degradation, where the pseudo-first-order rate constant is estimated to be 78, 18, and 9 times higher than that of g-C 3 N 4 , Ag 3 PO 4 , and g-C 3 N 4 /Ag 3 PO 4. The innovative design of using H 4 SiW 12 O 40 as solid charge transfer mediator offers new viewpoints in designing high-efficient photoctalysts for environmental related applications. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]