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Intercropping with Pleurotus ostreatus has been demonstrated to increase the tea yield and alleviate soil acidification in tea gardens. However, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, high-throughput sequencing and Biolog Eco analysis were performed to identify changes in the community structure and abundance of soil microorganisms in the P. ostreatus intercropped tea garden at different seasons (April and September). The results showed that the soil microbial diversity of rhizosphere decreased in April, while rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soil microbial diversity increased in September in the P. ostreatus intercropped tea garden. The diversity of tea tree root microorganisms increased in both periods. In addition, the number of fungi associated with organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling, such as Penicillium, Trichoderma, and Trechispora, was significantly higher in the intercropped group than in the control group. Intercropping with P. ostreatus increased the levels of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and available phosphorus (AP) in the soil. It also improved the content of secondary metabolites, such as tea catechins, and polysaccharides in tea buds. Microbial network analysis showed that Unclassified_o__Helotiales, and Devosia were positively correlated with soil TN and pH, while Lactobacillus, Acidothermus, and Monascus were positively correlated with flavone, AE, and catechins in tea trees. In conclusion, intercropping with P. ostreatus can improve the physical and chemical properties of soil and the composition and structure of microbial communities in tea gardens, which has significant potential for application in monoculture tea gardens with acidic soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study explored the effects of attention shifting on Chinese children's word reading. Objective: The sample consisted of 87 fourth-grade children from Shaoxing City, China. Methods: The students completed measures of the attention shifting task, reading accuracy test, reading fluency test, and rapid automatized naming test. Results: The results showed that reading fluency was significantly correlated with attention shifting scores, specifically with tag1 and tag6 (ps < 0.05). The reading accuracy score was also significantly correlated with tag6 (p < 0.05). According to the regression analysis of attention shifting on word reading, even when controlling for rapid automatic naming, attention shifting significantly affected word reading fluency at approximately 600 ms (p =.011). Attention shifting did not affect children's word reading accuracy. Short conclusion: These findings suggest that attention shifting is significantly associated with children's word reading. Educators should focus on developing children's attention shifting to improve their word reading ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex chronic respiratory disease with cumulative impacts on multiple systems, exhibiting significant extrapulmonary impacts, and posing a serious public health problem. Skeletal muscle dysfunction is one of the most pronounced extrapulmonary effects in patients with COPD, which severely affects patient prognosis and mortality primarily through reduced productivity resulting from muscle structural and functional alterations. Although the detailed pathogenesis of COPD has not been fully determined, some researchers agree that oxidative stress plays a significant role. Oxidative stress not only catalyzes the progression of pulmonary symptoms but also drives the development of skeletal muscle dysfunction. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), is a key transcription factor that regulates the antioxidant response and plays an enormous role in combating oxidative stress. In this review, we have summarized current research on oxidative stress damage to COPD skeletal muscle and analyzed the role of Nrf2 in improving skeletal muscle dysfunction in COPD through exercise. The results suggest that oxidative stress drives the occurrence and development of skeletal muscle dysfunction in COPD. Exercise may improve skeletal muscle dysfunction in patients with COPD by promoting the dissociation of Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) and Nrf2, inducing sequestosome1(p62) phosphorylation to bind with Keap1 competitively leading to Nrf2 stabilization and improving dynamin-related protein 1-dependent mitochondrial fission. Nrf2 may be a key target for exercise anti-oxidative stress to alleviate skeletal muscle dysfunction in COPD. Graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Filtration surgery is commonly performed for glaucoma treatment to reduce intraocular pressure (IOP); however, scarring of the filtering bleb is the main cause of failure. In this study, we evaluated the effects of the chloride channel blocker 5‐nitro‐2‐(3‐phenylpropylamino)benzoic acid (NPPB) on scar formation in filtering blebs. A glaucoma filtering surgery model was generated using Sprague–Dawley rats, divided into the control and NPPB groups receiving injections of different NPPB concentrations. The IOP of all rats decreased 1‐day post‐surgery and gradually increased afterward. However, IOP in rats from the NPPB groups recovered more slowly than that of the control group rats. In addition, the area and survival times of filtering blebs in rats from the NPPB groups were substantially larger and longer than those in the control group. Twenty‐eight days after surgery, the protein and mRNA expression of collagen I, fibronectin and α‐smooth muscle actin in the filtering area of rats from the NPPB groups were significantly lower than that in the control group rats. Collectively, our study demonstrates that NPPB inhibits filtering bleb scar formation, maintains filtering bleb morphology and prolongs filtering bleb survival time by inhibiting the differentiation of conjunctival fibroblasts and extracellular matrix synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: For children with congenital lung malformations (CLMs), there is insufficient evidence of the efficacy of direct visual paravertebral block (PVB). We aimed to evaluate its effectiveness and safety by comparing it with local anesthetic infiltration (LAI). Materials and Methods: This was a nonrandomized control study of CLMs in children younger than 3 years of age who underwent thoracoscopic surgery in our hospital from January to December 2020. The children were divided into group A (PVB analgesia group) and group B (LAI group). The primary outcome was the incidence of rebound pain within 72 hours. Secondary outcomes included the Face, Legs, Activity, Crying, Consolability (FLACC) pain scores at 0, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 72 hours, side effects, adverse events, the number of rebound pains, and the postoperative family observation scores. Results: The incidence of rebound pain was 10% in group A and 60.5% in group B within 72 hours (P < .001). The PVB was associated with decreased FLACC pain scores at 12, 24, 36, 48, and 72 hours, family observation scores, and the number of rebound pains (P < .001, P = .01, P = .028, P = .005, P = .006, P = .026, and P < .001, respectively). Group B was also associated with a higher rate of side effects and adverse events. There was no difference in the length of hospital stay. Conclusion: The PVB under direct vision analgesia technique is effective and safe for postoperative pain control in pediatric patients with CLMs. It may be an attractive alternative to LAI for pediatric thoracoscopic surgical procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hafnium dioxide (HfO2) has a wide bandgap and high dielectric constant. We prepared ceramic coatings on Ti6Al4V alloys via plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) in an electrolyte with HfO2 particles. The influence of the HfO2 particles on the microstructure, phase composition, elemental distribution, and corrosion resistance of the PEO coatings was systematically investigated. The results showed that the addition of HfO2 increased the oxidation voltage (from 462 to 472 V) and promoted the microarc sintering reaction so that the thickness and hardness of the resulting PEO coating increased. Moreover, the quantity of the micropores on the coating surface caused by the discharge decreased after adding the HfO2 particles. The X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed that the HfO2 particles were incorporated into the coating by remelting and sintering the microarc. Furthermore, the corrosion resistance of the PEO coating was remarkably increased after introducing HfO2, which was attributed to the increase in the electrode potential and the densification of the coating structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A plasmonic refractive index sensor based on metal–insulator–metal (MIM) waveguide coupled with concentric ring and disk resonator (CRDR) is proposed in this work. The plasmonic refractive index sensor with a sensitivity of 1039 nm/RIU and a high figure of merit (FOM) of 401 in the near-infrared region is numerically investigated using a finite element method (FEM). The physical mechanism of high Q factor of the mode of CRDR can be explained by the coupled mode theory. The structural parameters of the plasmonic sensor are also discussed. The structural parameters can be changed to adjust the sensor properties. Furthermore, the application of proposed plasmonic sensor in bio-sensing is analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex chronic respiratory disease with cumulative impacts on multiple systems, exhibiting significant extrapulmonary impacts, and posing a serious public health problem. Skeletal muscle dysfunction is one of the most pronounced extrapulmonary effects in patients with COPD, which severely affects patient prognosis and mortality primarily through reduced productivity resulting from muscle structural and functional alterations. Although the detailed pathogenesis of COPD has not been fully determined, some researchers agree that oxidative stress plays a significant role. Oxidative stress not only catalyzes the progression of pulmonary symptoms but also drives the development of skeletal muscle dysfunction. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), is a key transcription factor that regulates the antioxidant response and plays an enormous role in combating oxidative stress. In this review, we have summarized current research on oxidative stress damage to COPD skeletal muscle and analyzed the role of Nrf2 in improving skeletal muscle dysfunction in COPD through exercise. The results suggest that oxidative stress drives the occurrence and development of skeletal muscle dysfunction in COPD. Exercise may improve skeletal muscle dysfunction in patients with COPD by promoting the dissociation of Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) and Nrf2, inducing sequestosome1(p62) phosphorylation to bind with Keap1 competitively leading to Nrf2 stabilization and improving dynamin-related protein 1-dependent mitochondrial fission. Nrf2 may be a key target for exercise anti-oxidative stress to alleviate skeletal muscle dysfunction in COPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is prevalent all over the world, which may even cause gastric cancer. Unfortunately, current antibiotic therapy cannot completely eradicate drug-resistant H. pylori. HF-18 (GFFKKAWRKVKKAFRRVL-NH2), a novel cationic antimicrobial peptide, showed broad antimicrobial activities, low cytotoxicity toward mammalian cells and low drug tolerance during our previous research. In this paper, to investigate the antibacterial activities and possible mechanisms underlying HF-18 against drug-resistant H. pylori, cytotoxin associated protein (CagA)-carrying recombinant E. coli BL21 was constructed. Subsequently, Zeta potential detection, N-Phenyl-1-naphthylamine uptake, propidium iodide fluorescence uptake, transmission electron microscope, qRT-PCR and Western blot assays were performed. Consequently, we found that HF-18 had potent antibacterial effects on clarithromycin- and amoxicillin- resistant H. pylori. In terms of its mode of action, HF-18 could neutralize negative charges on the surface of H. pylori, penetrate into and disrupt the integrity of bacterial membranes, resulting in the death of drug-resistant H. pylori to reduce cells infection. In addition, HF-18 inhibited the transcription of adhesion gene alpA/alpB and the expression of virulence protein CagA under sub-inhibitory concentration, and ultimately decreased bacterial virulence. Therefore, HF-18 lays a foundation for the development and utilization of new antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thrombus components are dynamically influenced by local blood flow and blood immune cells. After a large-vessel occlusion stroke, changes in the cerebral thrombus are unclear. Here we assessed a total of 206 cerebral thrombi from patients with ischemic stroke undergoing endovascular thrombectomy. The thrombi were categorized by time to reperfusion of <4 h (T4), 4–8 h (T4–8), and >8 h (T8). The cellular compositions in thrombus were analyzed, and relevant clinical features were compared. Both white blood cells and neutrophils were increased and then decreased in thrombus with time to reperfusion, which were positively correlated with those in peripheral blood. The neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) content in thrombus was correlated with the degree of neurological impairment of patients. Moreover, with prolonged time to reperfusion, the patients showed a trend of better collateral grade, which was associated with a lower NET content in the thrombus. In conclusion, the present results reveal the relationship between time-related endovascular immune response and clinical symptoms post-stroke from the perspective of thrombus and peripheral blood. The time-related pathological changes of cerebral thrombus may not be the direct cause for the difficulty in thrombolysis and thrombectomy. A low NET content in thrombi indicates excellent collateral flow, which suggests that treatments targeting NETs in thrombi might be beneficial for early neurological protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digital technology underlying the concept of Industry 4.0 has brought new disruptive changes to the economy. As an innovative service model, the unique characteristics of the space‐sharing economy require the understanding of emotional and psychological aspects in managing such a disruptive service model. We empirically examine the impact of unstructured emotional information that service providers offer (i.e., marketer‐generated content) on the popularity and sales of services in space‐sharing platforms (e.g., Airbnb) above and beyond objective qualities such as guest ratings or the size and amenities of the properties. For this, we leverage a unique dataset of a large‐scale sample of Airbnb listings from New York City (NYC). The results of a panel analysis and a series of robustness checks reveal a curvilinear association between the affective expression of service providers and the sales of their services, that is, the effect of emotional expressions is positive at low levels, but it diminishes at high levels. To address the potential endogeneity, we use a 2SLS‐IV approach, and the results validate our findings. Moreover, we conduct a randomized experiment to further establish causal inference. This study makes valuable contributions to the literature on service operation management and the sharing economy. Our findings shed light on how operations managers and service providers can use emotional information in space‐sharing platforms. We provide practical examples to guide their actions. These insights also have implications for other platform owners and users to leverage emotional information and improve outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An investigation of micro-porous neck reservoir components is critical for determining the tank's capability. In the Gaotaizi oil deposit location in Zijia, the micro-pore characteristics of surrounding horizontal wells were investigated. The aggregate capillary pressure distribution very nearly in agreement with either the relative permeability curve including its pore because mercury penetrated pores substantially reduced difficulty regulated by the deep throat. The Government had been gradually controlling the average use through mercury. Mercury intrusion regression is a potent tool for the characterization of a huge spectrum with strong as well as granules objects by determining permeability, particle size, including adsorption capacity. Oil was discovered in a source fluid that was particularly impervious. Tight oil is produced through rock with a high solubility that can only be activated by oil extraction to establish enough mobility for developed oil and/or refined petroleum products to stream near merchant outlets. Only after advent of mercury penetration technology, the normal capillary pressure gradient increased significantly in recent degree courses. The writers suggest that longevity changes and that pores and throats have varied amount of responsibility on the generation. This hypothesis does have an influence on the necessary reservoir, therefore, as both a result, upon this development of reservoir conscious techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of the lower limit of filling of the pore throat in tight sandstone reservoirs is an essential part of reservoir evaluation. It can guide exploration and development and helps understand tight oil accumulation and estimate saturation. Determining this lower limit of pore throat filling has mainly been based on experience in a particular reservoir or field, and there is a lack of theoretical and experimental support. In this paper, the lower limit of pore throat filling of the tight sandstone reservoir in the Gaotaizi oil layer in the Zijia area is theoretically derived. Experiments show that oil charging at the source-reservoir interface is affected by the increasing pressure within the reservoir due to hydrocarbon generation. Based on the equilibrium relationship between the hydrodynamic effects and the actual reservoir parameters, the theoretical derivation of the lower limit of the pore throat diameter at the source-reservoir interface is 23.6 nm. The mechanical mechanism of the internal charging of the reservoir is different from the source-reservoir interface. In this paper, the lower limit of the pore throat filling in the Gaotaizi reservoir is 54.45 nm based on environmental scanning electron miscopy and the energy spectrum. Combined with the analysis of mercury injection tests, the lower limit of the filling pore throat is used to determine that oil saturation near the source-reservoir interface is 33%, and 19% within the reservoir. The results of the study on the lower limit of pore throat filling in different parts of the reservoir provide a theoretical basis and prediction method for the distribution and target evaluation of tight oil sandstone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Valley pseudospin in transition metal dichalcogenides monolayers intrinsically provides additional possibility to control valley carriers, raising a great impact on valleytronics in following years. The spin-valley locking directly contributes to optical selection rules which allow for valley-dependent addressability of excitons by helical optical pumping. As a binary photonic addressable route, manipulation of valley polarization states is indispensable while effective control methods at deep-subwavelength scale are still limited. Here, we report the excitation and control of valley polarization in h-BN/WSe2/h-BN and Au nanoantenna hybrid structure by electron beam. Near-field circularly polarized dipole modes can be excited via precise stimulation and generate the valley polarized cathodoluminescence via near-field interaction. Effective manipulation of valley polarization degree can be realized by variation of excitation position. This report provides a near-field excitation methodology of valley polarization, which offers exciting opportunities for deep-subwavelength valleytronics investigation, optoelectronic circuits integration and future quantum information technologies. Here, the authors generate near-field circularly polarized dipole modes in a hBN/WSe2/hBN–Au nanoantenna hybrid structure by electron beam excitation, and show nanoscale control of the valley polarization through spatial variation of the electron beam excitation position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of planar metalenses, including the super-oscillatory lens (SOL) and the supercritical lens (SCL) with distinctive interference properties, has profoundly impacted on the long-lasting perception of the far-field optical diffraction limit. In spite of its conspicuous success in achieving marvelously small focal spots, the planar metalens still faces tough design and fabrication challenges to realize high focusing efficiency. In this work, we demonstrated a dual-mode laser fabrication technique based on two-photon polymerization for realizing the multilevel phase SCL with focusing efficiency spiking. Synergistically controlling two types of movement trajectory, which is implemented with the piezo stage and the scanning galvo mirror, enables the fabrication of complicated structures with sub-diffraction-limit feature size. By utilizing such advantage, SCLs with discretized multilevel phase configurations are explicitly patterned. The experimental characterization results have shown that a four-level phase SCL can focus light into a sub-diffraction-limit spot with the lateral size of 0.41 λ/NA (NA is the numerical aperture), while achieve the focal spot intensity and the energy concentration ratio in the focal region 7.2 times and 3 times that of the traditional binary amplitude-type SCL with the same optimization conditions, respectively. Our results may release the application obstacles for the sub-diffraction-limit planar metalens and enable major advances in the fields from label-free optical super-resolution imaging to high precision laser fabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Network function virtualization is a promising technique to greatly improve the effectiveness and flexibility of network services through a process named service function chain (SFC) mapping, with which network functions are deployed over virtualized and shared platforms in data centers. However, failures are quite common in data centers. Therefore, a practical and yet theoretically challenging issue in SFC mapping in such an environment is to manage the availability of the requests. In this paper, we present a framework to provision availability of SFC requests in a data center with multiple layers of connected devices, and the devices follow heterogeneous failure processes with the objective of minimizing resource usage. To expedite the process, we further propose an optimization problem of request mapping and backup estimation and solve it efficiently with an approximation algorithm. With simulations, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Octahedral MnO/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) composite was synthesized by thermal decomposition method and characterized by XRD, Raman, XPS, TGA/DSC, TEM and SEM. The analysis results show that GO was reduced to RGO, and the octahedral MnO nanoparticles disperse on the RGO sheet by thermal decomposition process. It is important that the as-prepared composite exhibits excellent electrocatalytic performance for oxygen reduction reaction. The onset potential of the octahedral MnO/RGO composite is about 100 and 200 mV positive-shifted compared with that of MnO and RGO, respectively. The current density of O reduction for the MnO/RGO composite is also much higher than that of MnO and RGO, respectively. In addition, the composite shows better stability and tolerance ability toward CHOH and CO poisoning than that of commercial Pt-based catalyst. The enhanced electrocatalytic performance of octahedral MnO/RGO may make it available to be an efficient and cheap noble-metal free cathodic catalyst for fuel cells and metal-air batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activated macrophages serve a key role in various inflammatory diseases, such as atherosclerosis and septic shock. Tripartite motif-containing protein 65 (TRIM65) has been previously reported to participate in tumor progression and lung inflammation. However, the molecular mechanisms that controls its expression under inflammatory conditions and its consequences in activated macrophages remain poorly understood. The present study first collected the tissues of C57BL/6J mice, smooth muscle cells, macrophages and endothelial cells to determine the expression and distribution of TRIM65 by reverse transcription-quantitative (RT-q) PCR and western blotting. Mouse and human macrophages were treated with LPS and C57BL/6J mice were intraperitoneally injected with LPS followed by isolation of spleen, lung, aorta and bone marrow. Following treatment, TRIM65 mRNA and protein level was examined by RT-qPCR and western blotting. The results showed that TRIM65 was highly expressed in organs of the immune system, such as the spleen, lymph node and thymus, but lowly expressed in heart, liver, brain and kidneys. TRIM65 was also highly expressed in macrophages and endothelial cells. TRIM65 mRNA and protein expression levels were found to be decreased in LPS-treated macrophages in vitro and in tissues isolated from C57BL/6J mice intraperitoneally injected with LPS in vivo. In addition, to identify the signaling pathways by which LPS regulates TRIM65 expression, inhibitors of MAPK and Akt signaling pathways were used to treat macrophages followed by examination the expression of TRIM65 by western blotting. The results demonstrated that LPS-inhibited TRIM65 expression was blocked by treatment with the ERK1/2 inhibitor U0126. Moreover, the RT-qPCR results showed that TRIM65 knockout potentiated LPS-induced expression of inflammatory cytokines in macrophages. Taken together, data from the present study suggest that LPS decreased TRIM65 expression in macrophages and C57BL/6J mouse by activating the ERK1/2 signaling pathway, whilst TRIM65 knockout promoted macrophage activation. This information may facilitate the development of potential therapeutic strategies for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory diseases, such as atherosclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monte Carlo numerical simulations were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of colloidal gold as a contrast agent. The simulations were conducted using a simple configuration, modeling a phantom to maintain the generality of the results, and the effects of the mass percentage of gold accumulated inside the tumor and the energy of the irradiating X-rays were evaluated, as well as other information, such as the energy spectrum of the photons reaching the detector and the change in the energy deposited inside the phantom. The contrast of the X-ray image due to the layer is calculated from the total energy of photons transmitted to the back surface of the phantom. The simulation revealed that colloidal gold with a mass percentage of 1.0% provided an image for which the contrast was almost 70% of that for bone of the same thickness when X-rays from conventional X-ray tubes were considered. Monochromatic X-rays of 44, 66, and 88 keV, which simulated the Compton scattering monochromatic X-ray source being developed, were also evaluated. X-rays at the first two energies did not have a significant advantage over the rays from the X-ray tubes. For colloidal gold with a mass percentage of 1.0%, the 88 keV monochromatic X-ray produced an image contrast that was about 10% higher than the contrast for bone of the same thickness, as suggested by the K-absorption energy of gold. However, the improvement was not large considering the difficulty involved in making such a high-energy monochromatic X-ray source available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]