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This study empirically examines the impact of noncontrolling large shareholders (NCLSs) on short‐term debt for long‐term investment (SDFLI) using a sample of Chinese A‐share firms listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges from 2005 to 2021. The findings suggest that NCLSs reduce the level of SDFLI; however, asset collateralizability mitigates the negative relationship between NCLSs and SDFLI. Conversely, stock liquidity reinforces the governance effect of NCLSs in mitigating SDFLI. The mechanism analysis suggests that improving agency efficiency is an important channel through which NCLSs influence SDFLI. This study deepens the understanding of the factors driving the SDFLI of listed Chinese firms and provides insights into how to mitigate this problem. Additionally, it provides empirical support for the governance role NCLSs play in listed firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global climate change has become one of the most large-scale, widespread, and far-reaching challenges facing mankind. Against this background, China has proposed a "dual-carbon" target in 2020, which greatly demonstrates China's determination and commitment to carbon emission reduction, and the burden of realizing the "dual-carbon" target is mainly borne by heavy polluters. The burden of achieving the "dual-carbon" goal is mainly borne by the heavily polluting firms. Although this has increased the economic burden of the firms to a certain extent, carbon information disclosure reduces the degree of information asymmetry and also obtains the support of the government, which improves the financial performance of the firms. Based on the data of A-share listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen in the heavy pollution industry in 2013–2023, this paper analyzes the relationship between carbon information disclosure, and corporate financial performance according to signaling theory, rent-seeking theory, and sustainable development theory. It is found that enhanced corporate carbon disclosure can significantly improve corporate financial performance, and the main effect is realized through reducing debt financing costs and increasing the proportion of institutional investors' shareholding. In the heterogeneity analysis, this paper finds that the main effect is more significant in the samples of firms located in the western region and the central region. Based on existing research, this paper deepens the study of the relationship between carbon disclosure and corporate financial performance. By integrating the multiple perspectives of signaling theory, rent-seeking theory and sustainable development theory, this paper systematically analyzes how creditors, institutional investors and other stakeholders play a role in the dynamic interaction between carbon disclosure and corporate financial performance, and reveals the motives and mechanisms behind the behaviors of these stakeholders. In order to further refine the analysis path, this paper constructs an intermediary model in order to deconstruct the deep logic of the path and mechanism through which carbon disclosure indirectly affects corporate financial performance. This model not only enhances the theoretical explanatory power, but also provides a more refined analytical framework for empirical testing, which helps to reveal the "black box" mechanism of carbon disclosure's impact on corporate financial performance. In addition, in view of China's vast territory and the uneven level of economic development between regions, this paper adopts a differentiated analysis strategy, based on the economic characteristics of the regions where the heavy polluters are located, and divides the whole sample into three sub-samples for independent regression analysis. This heterogeneity test incorporates inter-regional development differences into the scope of analysis, making the research conclusions more geographically specific and policy-guiding significance. By comparing and analyzing the differences in the impact of carbon disclosure on the financial performance of enterprises in different regions, this paper provides a reference for the government to formulate differentiated carbon disclosure policies in the future, accurately promote the construction of the carbon trading market, and efficiently achieve the carbon emission reduction targets at the national level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acer griseum (Franch.) Pax is an endangered species endemic to China, mainly scattered in the Qinling–Daba Mountains. The genetic diversity of 17 natural populations were analyzed by nuclear DNA (nDNA) and chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) to explore the driving forces for its microevolution. A high level of genetic diversity (nDNA: He = 0.296, cpDNA: Ht = 0.806) was found in A. griseum. Genetic variation was mainly within populations (92.52%) based on nDNA, while it was mainly among populations (96.26%) based on cpDNA. The seventeen populations were divided into two groups, corresponding to the subtropical zone (Group I) and temperate zone (Group II), with haplotype 4 (Hap4) and Hap5 being the most common haplotypes, respectively. Consequently, genes associated with heat and heavy metal stress were identified in Group I, while genes related to salt and drought stress were identified in Group II. Haplotype differentiation was driven by the heterogeneous microenvironment caused by the uplifting of the Qinling-Daba Mountains, which was a vital source of its high genetic diversity. Furthermore, the uplifted Qinling–Daba mountains may bridge high pollen flow among populations, whereas rivers can result in low seed flow among populations, which has led to the incongruent genetic structure between nDNA and cpDNA. This study represents a new perspective that geological events, especially orogeny, play an important role in plant microevolution through the establishment of maternal genetic structure and provides a meaningful conservation strategy for A. griseum. Overall, the Qinling–Daba Mountains not only are cradles for the genetic diversity of A. griseum but also provided refugia for it during the Quaternary glacial period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/objectives: Sepsis-related acute kidney injury (SA-AKI) is a severe condition characterized by high mortality rates. The utility of the sCAR (secrum creatinine/albumin) and LAR (Lactate dehydrogenase/albumin) as diagnostic markers for persistent severe SA-AKI remains unclear. Methods: We acquired training set data from the MIMIC-IV database and validation set data from the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify key predictors of persistent severe SA-AKI, considering factors such as sCAR, LAR, PAR (Platelet/albumin), BAR (BUN/albumin), and LAO (Lactic/albumin). Independent predictors, sCAR and LAR, were combined into a composite Log(sCAR)_Log(LAR) score, denoted as the Log(sCAR)_Log(LAR) score. Possible confounding factors were screened out by univariate logistic regression, and multivariable logistic regression was applied to evaluate the association of Log (sCAR) _Log (LAR) score with persistent severe sepsis and other secondary clinical outcomes. The ROC curve was utilized to obtain the best cutoff value of the Log(sCAR)_Log(LAR) score. The Kaplan–Meier curve was used to evaluate the prognosis predictive ability of the risk model. Results: Logistic regression analysis indicated that sCAR and LAR independently predicted persistent severe SA-AKI. This led to the creation of Log(sCAR)_Log(LAR) score on the base of logarithms of sCAR and LAR. ROC curve analysis showed that the Log(sCAR)_Log(LAR) score was more effective in predicting persistent severe SA-AKI (AUC = 0.71) than Log(sCAR) (AUC = 0.69), Log(LAR) (AUC = 0.65), SOFA score (AUC = 0.66) and Δ Scr (AUC = 0.70). Multivariate regression identified that the SOFA score, PT, ΔScr, Tbil, chronic liver disease, and Vasopressor use as independent risk factors for persistent severe SA-AKI (P < 0.05). A basic clinical prediction model was created using these variables, and its predictive ability, recognition capability, and clinical utility improved with the inclusion of the Log(sCAR)_Log(LAR) score. The model's predictive ability for secondary outcomes, such as renal replacement therapy (RRT), also improved with the addition of the Log(sCAR)_Log(LAR) score. The sensitivity analysis further corroborated the stability of the Log(sCAR)_Log(LAR) score in predicting persistent severe SA-AKI and secondary outcomes, such as RRT. Conclusions: The Log(sCAR)_Log(LAR) score effectively predicted persistent severe SA-AKI, potentially aiding intensive care physicians in risk assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The northeastern Hunan district in the Jiangnan Orogen (South China) holds significant gold resources, whose genesis remains perplexing, especially in terms of the gold source and mineralization process. Yanzhupo (2.50 t @ 2.52 g/t) is a newly discovered gold deposit in the northeastern Hunan district and is characterized by multiple generations of pyrite. Its alteration/mineralization can be divided into three stages: (I) quartz-ankerite-pyrite; (II) quartz-ankerite-chlorite-pyrite-gold; (III) quartz-ankerite-calcite-pyrite. Petrographic observations and back-scattered electron (BSE) imaging revealed six generations of pyrite: Cu-Au rich bright rims (Py1a) and porous cores (Py1b) in Stage I, Py2a with homogenous textures, Py2b with oscillatory zoning and Py2c with homogenous textures in Stage II and Py3 with homogenous textures in Stage III. Galena Pb isotopes, similar to the Wangu deposit, and pyrite chemical compositions show that the ore-forming materials of Yanzhupo came from deep magma, and some metal elements may be extracted from deep basement by fluid-mineral interactions during the upward migration of hydrothermal-magmatic fluid. The positive correlation between Cu and Au in pyrite reflects the oxidized ore-forming fluids. The enrichment of Cu and Au in Py1a reflects the precipitation of pyrite under high temperature fluid, forming the primary enrichment of Au. Porous Py1b is characterized by lower trace elements than Py1a, sharp reaction front and rich chalcopyrite and galena inclusions, indicating Py1b formed via coupled dissolution-reprecipitation (CDR) reactions of Py1a. The CDR reactions promoted by the oxidizing fluid itself re-release Au into the fluid. From Py2a to Py2c, the contents of As, Sb and Pb first increased and then decreased, which may reflect the increase of fluid pH caused by sulfidation of the wall rocks and the impoverishment of ore-forming fluids caused by the precipitation of a large number of elements. The sulfidation of the wall rocks in Stage II destroyed the stability of the Au(HS)2− and Au (HS)S3− complexes and led to the deposition of native gold. The barren ore-forming fluids precipitated homogenous Py3 in a stable environment. Therefore, we think that the Yanzhupo gold deposit may have been associated with magmatic-hydrothermal activity, and the mineralization mechanism may be CDR reactions and sulfidation of the wall rocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mineralization temperature determination is fundamental to economic geology research, yet quantifying it across mineralization remains a challenge. Sphalerite is ubiquitous in various types of mineral deposits and particularly abundant in Pb–Zn deposits, and its trace element composition is temperature-dependent, making it an ideal candidate for geothermometry. Here, we first compiled a global sphalerite trace element composition dataset (n = 1416, T = 75–430 °C), encompassing different Pb–Zn deposit types (Mississippi Valley-type, epithermal, sedimentary-exhalative, skarn-type, and volcanic massive sulfide deposits). After data processing following statistical norms, the different machine learning algorithms (random forest (RF), gradient boosted decision trees, artificial neural networks, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, support vector machine, k-nearest neighbors, and linear regression) were employed to train different models to explore the potential link between the sphalerite-forming temperature and trace element geochemistry. Each of the model's performance was evaluated using the leave-one-out cross-validation approach, which revealed the RF (R2 = 0.88, RMSE = 26 °C) as the best-performing algorithm. Meanwhile, five-fold cross-validation results indicated that the RF model (R2 = 0.87, RMSE = 25 °C) outperformed the GGIMFis thermometer (R2 = 0.53, RMSE = 50 °C). Meanwhile, the feature importance analysis revealed that Ge and Mn displayed significant impacts on temperature prediction as the high temperature generally favors Mn, but not Ge, incorporation into the sphalerite structure. Finally, a model was trained with the entire dataset, generating a reliable sphalerite thermometer (SPRFT software, freely provided here) suitable for low to moderate temperature (75–430 °C) hydrothermal environments. This SPRFT thermometer was applied to evaluate the temperature of Pb–Zn mineralization in the Sichuan–Yunnan–Guizhou Pb–Zn metallogenic belt (SW China) and it provides an innovative perspective into the ore-fluid evolution. This study demonstrated a robust approach for calculating mineralization temperatures using machine learning. This novel methodology opens new avenues for investigating and recalculating more mineral geothermometers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Melanoma is an aggressive tumor with a high mortality rate. Metformin, a commonly prescribed diabetes medication, has shown promise in cancer prevention and treatment. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are non-protein-coding RNA molecules that play a key role in tumor development by interacting with cellular chromatins. Despite the benefits of metformin, the anticancer mechanism underlying its effect on the regulation of lncRNAs in melanoma remains unclear. Methods: We investigated the lncRNA profiles of human melanoma cells with and without metformin treatment using a next-generation sequencing approach (NGS). Utilizing public databases, we analyzed the expression levels and clinical impacts of LINC00094 and miR-1270 in melanoma. The expression levels of LINC00094 and miR-1270 were verified in human cell lines and clinical samples by real-time PCR and in situ hybridization. The biological roles of LINC00094 and miR-1270 in cell growth, proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, and motility were studied using in vitro assays. Results: We identify a novel long noncoding RNA, namely LINC00094, whose expression considerably decreased in melanoma cells after metformin treatment. In situ hybridization analysis revealed substantially higher expression of LINC00094 in cutaneous melanoma tissue compared with adjacent normal epidermis and normal control tissues (P < 0.001). In nondiabetic patients with melanoma, the overall survival of high LINC00094 expression group was shorter than the low LINC00094 expression group with borderline statistical significance (log-rank test, P = 0.057). Coexpression analysis of LINC00094 indicated its involvement in the mitochondrial respiratory pathway, with its knockdown suppressing genes associated with mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, glycolysis, antioxidant production, and metabolite levels. Functional analysis revealed that silencing-LINC00094 inhibited the proliferation, colony formation, invasion, and migration of melanoma cells. Cell cycle analysis following LINC00094 knockdown revealed G1 phase arrest with reduced cell cycle protein expression. Combined TargetScan and reporter assays revealed a direct link between miR-1270 and LINC00094. Ectopic miR-1270 expression inhibited melanoma cell growth and motility while inducing apoptosis. Finally, through in silico analysis, we identified two miR-1270 target genes, CD276 and centromere protein M (CENPM), which may be involved in the biological functions of LINC00094. Conclusions: Overall, LINC00094 expression may regulate melanoma cell growth and motility by modulating the expression of miR-1270, and targeting genes of CD276 and CENPM indicating its therapeutic potential in melanoma treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer‐related deaths worldwide. Patients with lung cancer usually exhibit poor prognoses and low 5‐year survival rates. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are both chronic lung dysfunctions resulting in lung fibrosis and increased risk of lung cancer. Myofibroblasts contribute to the progression of asthma, COPD and IPF, leading to fibrosis in the airway and lungs. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that metabolic reprogramming is a major hallmark of fibrosis, being important in the progression of fibrosis. Using gene expression microarray, we identified and validated that the lipid metabolic pathway was upregulated in lung fibroblasts upon interleukin (IL)‐4, IL‐13 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α treatment. In this study, we described that prostaglandin E synthase (PTGES) was upregulated in lung fibroblasts after IL‐4, IL‐13 and TNF‐α treatments. PTGES increased α‐SMA levels and promoted lung fibroblast cell migration and invasion abilities. Furthermore, PTGES was upregulated in a lung fibrosis rat model in vivo. PTGES increased AKT phosphorylation, leading to activation of the HIF‐1α‐glycolysis pathway in lung fibroblast cells. HIF‐1α inhibitor or 2‐DG treatments reduced α‐SMA expression in recombinant PTGES (rPTGES)‐treated lung fibroblast cells. Targeting PGE2 signalling in PTGES‐overexpressing cells by a PTGES inhibitor reduced α‐SMA expression. In conclusion, the results of this study demonstrate that PTGES increases the expression of myofibroblast marker via HIF‐1α‐dependent glycolysis and contributes to myofibroblast differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Conflicting results comparing bivalirudin versus heparin anticoagulation in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), in part due to the confounding effect of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors (GPI). The aim of the study was to compare the safety and effectiveness of bivalirudin plus a post-PCI high-dose infusion vs heparin with or without bail-out GPI use. Methods: We conducted a pre-specified subgroup analysis from the BRIGHT-4 trial that randomized 6016 STEMI patients who underwent primary PCI to receive either bivalirudin plus a post-PCI high-dose infusion for 2–4 h or heparin monotherapy. GPI use was only reserved as bail-out therapy for procedural thrombotic complications. The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause death or Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) types 3–5 bleeding at 30 days. Results: A total of 5250 (87.4%) patients received treatment without GPI while 758 (12.6%) received bail-out GPI. Bail-out GPI use was associated with an increased risk of the primary outcome compared to non-GPI use (5.28% vs. 3.41%; adjusted hazard ratio (aHR), 1.62; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.13–2.33; P = 0.009) and all-cause death (5.01% vs. 3.12%; aHR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.20–2.52; P = 0.004) but not in the risk of BARC types 3–5 bleeding (0.53% vs. 0.48%; aHR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.31–2.66; P = 0.85). Among patients without GPI use, bivalirudin was associated with lower rates of the primary outcome (2.63% vs. 4.21%; aHR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.39–0.77; P = 0.0005), all-cause death (2.52% vs. 3.74%; aHR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.41–0.83; P = 0.003), and BARC types 3–5 bleeding (0.15% vs. 0.81%; aHR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.06–0.57; P = 0.003) compared with heparin. However, among patients requiring bail-out GPI, there were no significant differences observed in the rates of the primary outcome (5.76% vs. 4.87%; aHR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.36–1.66; P = 0.50; Pinteraction = 0.07) or its individual components between bivalirudin and heparin groups. Conclusions: Bivalirudin plus a post-PCI high-dose infusion was associated with significantly reduced 30-day composite rate of all-cause death or BARC types 3–5 bleeding compared with heparin monotherapy in STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI without GPI use. However, these benefits might be less pronounced in patients requiring bail-out GPI due to thrombotic complications during primary PCI. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03822975. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar (BC) applications in soil has positive effects on plant performance, particularly for loose soil in agricultural context. However, how biochar types affect plant performance of non-crop species and soil–plant carbon relationships is not clear. We selected five different BC types and three plant species to investigate the responses of plant performance and the soil–plant carbon relationship to BC effects. The result demonstrated that peanut shell BC led to the death of both R. tomentosa and C. edithiae, due to a reduction in nutrient uptake caused by higher soil electricity conductivity (2001.7 and 976.3 µS cm−1). However, the carbon content of S. arboricola increased by 57% in peanut shell BC-amended soil, suggesting that S. arboricola has a higher tolerance for soil salinity. Wood BC-amended soil led to better stomatal conductance (gs) and leaf area index (LAI) of both R. tomentosa and C. edithiae due to the higher water retention in the soil (22.68% and 20.79%). This illustrated that a higher amount of water retention brought by wood BC with a great amount of pore volume might be the limited factor for plant growth. The relationship between gs and LAI suggested that gs would not increase when LAI reached beyond 3. Moreover, wood and peanut shell BC caused a negative relationship between soil organic carbon and plant carbon content, suggesting that plants consume more carbon from the soil to store it in the plant. Overall, wood BC is recommended for plant growth of R. tomentosa and C. edithiae, and peanut shell BC is suggested for S. arboricola carbon storage. Highlights: Peanut shell biochar enhanced soil salinity which causes the death of R. tomentosa and C. edithiae, while wood biochar is suitable for these plant species. Wood and peanut shell biochar caused a negative relationship between soil organic carbon and plant carbon content. The stomatal conductance will not increase when the leaf area reaches the limiting value 3. An empirical function is developed to correlate plant carbon content and leaf area index under different biochar applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the sample of Chinese A-share listed firms from 2010 to 2020, this study examines the impact of non-controlling large shareholders (NCLSs) on corporate capital structure adjustment. The results show that NCLSs significantly increase the dynamic capital structure adjustment speed and reduce capital structure deviation. NCLSs have an asymmetric influence on capital structure adjustment speed for different deviation directions, i.e. compared to the speed of upward adjustment after a downward deviation of the capital structure, the effect of NCLSs on the speed of downward adjustment of the capital structure after an upward deviation is stronger. Whether in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) or non-state-owned enterprises (NSOEs), NCLSs significantly increase the dynamic capital structure adjustment speed. However, compared with SOEs, NCLSs in NSOEs have a more significant positive impact on the dynamic capital structure adjustment speed. The mechanism analysis suggests that reducing agency costs and mitigating financing constraints serve as the important channels through which NCLSs influence the dynamic adjustment of capital structure. This paper not only enriches and improves the theoretical basis of dynamic capital structure adjustment, but also helps to deepen the understanding of dynamic capital structure adjustment of Chinese listed firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covalent-organic frameworks (COFs) with photoinduced donor-acceptor (D-A) radical pairs show enhanced photocatalytic activity in principle. However, achieving long-lived charge separation in COFs proves challenging due to the rapid charge recombination. Here, we develop a novel strategy by combining [6 + 4] nodes to construct zyg -type 3D COFs, first reported in COF chemistry. This structure type exhibits a fused Olympic-rings-like shape, which provides a platform for stabilizing the photoinduced D-A radical pairs. The zyg -type COFs containing catalytically active moieties such as triphenylamine and phenothiazine (PTZ) show superior photocatalytic production rates of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Significantly, the photochromic radical states of these COFs show up to 400% enhancement in photocatalytic activity compared to the parent states, achieving a remarkable H2O2 synthesis rate of 3324 μmol g−1 h−1, which makes the PTZ-COF one of the best crystalline porous photocatalysts in H2O2 production. This work will shed light on the synthesis of efficient 3D COF photocatalysts built on topologies that can facilitate photogenerating D-A radical pairs for enhanced photocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Residual risk assessment for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients after sufficient medical management remains challenging. The usefulness of measuring high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and remnant cholesterol (RC) in assessing the level of residual inflammation risk (RIR) and residual cholesterol risk (RCR) for risk stratification in these patients needs to be evaluated. Methods: Patients admitted for ACS on statin treatment who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) between March 2016 and March 2019 were enrolled in the analysis. The included patients were stratified based on the levels of hsCRP and RC during hospitalization. The primary outcome was ischemic events at 12 months, defined as a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, or stroke. The secondary outcomes included 12-month all-cause death and cardiac death. Results: Among the 5778 patients, the median hsCRP concentration was 2.60 mg/L and the median RC concentration was 24.98 mg/dL. The RIR was significantly associated with ischemic events (highest hsCRP tertile vs. lowest hsCRP tertile, adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 1.52, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01–2.30, P = 0.046), cardiac death (aHR: 1.77, 95% CI:1.02–3.07, P = 0.0418) and all-cause death (aHR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.24–3.24, P = 0.0048). The RCR was also significantly associated with these outcomes, with corresponding values for the highest tertile of RC were 1.81 (1.21–2.73, P = 0.0043), 2.76 (1.57–4.86, P = 0.0004), and 1.72 (1.09–2.73, P = 0.0208), respectively. The risks of ischemic events (aHR: 2.80, 95% CI: 1.75–4.49, P < 0.0001), cardiac death (aHR: 4.10, 95% CI: 2.18–7.70, P < 0.0001), and all-cause death (aHR: 3.00, 95% CI, 1.73–5.19, P < 0.0001) were significantly greater in patients with both RIR and RCR (highest hsCRP and RC tertile) than in patients with neither RIR nor RCR (lowest hsCRP and RC tertile). Notably, the RIR and RCR was associated with an increased risk of ischemic events especially in patients with adequate low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) control (LDL-C < 70 mg/dl) (Pinteraction=0.04). Furthermore, the RIR and RCR provide more accurate evaluations of risk in addition to the GRACE score in these patients [areas under the curve (AUC) for ischemic events: 0.64 vs. 0.66, P = 0.003]. Conclusion: Among ACS patients receiving contemporary statin treatment who underwent PCI, high risks of both residual inflammation and cholesterol, as assessed by hsCRP and RC, were strongly associated with increased risks of ischemic events, cardiac death, and all-cause death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To provide reference for controlling or delaying the decline of pulmonary ventilation function in male pneumoconiosis patients by studying associations of serum albumin levels with the risk of severe or very severe pulmonary ventilation dysfunction in male pneumoconiosis patients. Methods A retrospective cohort design was adopted in this study. Male pneumoconiosis patients who were hospitalized in West China Fourth Hospital from January 2012 to December 2021 and did not have pulmonary ventilation dysfunction at baseline were selected as the study objects. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to calculate HRs and 95% CIs to evaluate the association of baseline serum albumin levels and the risk of severe or very severe pulmonary ventilation dysfunction. Restricted cubic spline plot was used to explore whether there was a dose-response relationship between baseline serum albumin concentrations and the risk of severe or very severe pulmonary ventilation dysfunction. Results A total of 746 subjects were included in this study. Fully adjusted model results of Cox proportional hazard regression analysis showed that male pneumoconiosis patients with serum albumin higher than 40.8 g/L had a reduced risk of severe or very severe pulmonary ventilation dysfunction compared with male pneumoconiosis patients with serum albumin lower than 34.4g/L (HR = 0.660, 95% CI: 0.439-0.992). The restricted cubic spline figure showed that the risk of severe or very severe pulmonary ventilation dysfunction in male pneumoconiosis patients gradually decreased with the gradual increase of serum albumin concentrations and there was a linear negative relationship between baseline serum albumin concentrations and the incidence risk of severe or very severe pulmonary ventilation dysfunction in male pneumoconiosis patients (P < 0.05). Conclusion Higher serum albumin is a protective factor for severe or very severe pulmonary ventilation dysfunction in male pneumoconiosis patients and maintaining the serum albumin concentrations above 40.8 g/L can reduce the risk of severe or very severe pulmonary ventilation dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To describe and conclude the in vitro fertilization (IVF) results of patients with X chromosome abnormality. Methods: A retrospective case series was conducted. According to the number of normal X, patients were allocated into two groups: Group A (patients with only a normal X, while other X has any types of abnormalities) and Group B (patients have two or more normal X chromosomes). Clinical data, including basic information, fertility information, and IVF outcomes, were collected. Results: Fourteen patients with X chromosome abnormality were included, among which 13 patients underwent a total of 29 cycles. Patients in Group B had five successful pregnancies and three live births, while no patient in Group A had a clinical pregnancy. Furthermore, the blastocyst formation rate and incidence of pregnancy were significantly lower in Group A (Z = −3.135, p =.002; Z = −2.946, p =.003, respectively). When controlled covariates, the karyotype of one normal X was also a risk factor for both blastocyst formation rate and success pregnancy (β =.820, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.458–1.116, β =.333, 95% CI = 0.017–0.494, respectively). Conclusions: Our results revealed that women with only one normal X might suffer from worse IVF outcomes, mainly blastocyst formation rate, compared with those who had two or more normal X, including mosaic Turner syndrome and 47,XXX. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial neural network‐based computing is anticipated to surpass the von Neumann bottleneck of traditional computers, thus dramatically boosting computational efficiency and showing a wide range of promising applications. In this paper, sol−gel deposition was used to prepare thin films of samarium‐doped hafnium dioxide (Sm:HfO2). When Sm is doped at a concentration of 4%, it mimics biological synapses; meantime, by voltage scanning, an obvious mimicry of resistive switching can be detected, demonstrating that the technology may be applied to simulate biological synapse characteristics, including long‐term potentiation (depression), short‐term potentiation (depression), paired‐pulse facilitation, and learning rules of spike‐time‐dependent plasticity. Additionally, a pulsed neural network is built on the MNIST dataset to test the memristor's capacity to handle visual input. The findings show the possibility of synthetic synapses in artificial intelligence systems that integrate neuromorphic computing with synaptic brain activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we consider the existence of ground state sign-changing solutions to a class of Schrödinger–Poisson systems - Δ u + V λ (x) u + ϕ u = | u | 4 u + μ f (u) , in R 3 , - Δ ϕ = u 2 , in R 3 , where μ > 0 and V λ (x) = λ V (x) + 1 with λ > 0 . Under suitable conditions on f and V, by using the constraint variational method and quantitative deformation lemma, we prove that the above problem has one ground state sign-changing solution and the energy of ground state sign-changing solution is strictly more than twice the energy of the ground state solution. Furthermore, we also study the asymptotic behavior of ground state sign-changing solutions as λ → ∞ . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the utilization of outpatient and inpatient services in patients with pneumoconiosis and its influencing factors. Methods By using the convenient sampling method, 199 pneumoconiosis patients were selected from the West China Fourth Hospital, and their population characteristics, medical treatment-seeking behavior, and influencing factors were investigated by using the questionnaire on pneumoconiosis patients and its influencing factors compiled by CDC of China. Multivariate logistic regression model and multivariate poisons regression model were used to analyze the influencing factors of outpatient and inpatient service utilization. Results The two-week outpatient rate of pneumoconiosis patients surveyed was 27.6%, the median number of outpatients used in one year was twice, and the annual hospitalization rate was 61.8%. For hospitalized patients, the median number of hospitalizations per year was 1, and the median cumulative hospitalization days was 30 days. The average visual health scale (VAS) score of patients was 48.3±17.4. Multivariate logistic regression and multivariate poisons regression analysis showed that pneumoconiosis patients with basic health insurance (OR = 0.067, 95% CI: 0.006-0.716), higher frequency of medication (OR=0.100, 95% CI: 0.037-0.269), and lower VAS score (OR = 0.992, 95% CI: 0.988-0.997) had less use of outpatient services. Pneumoconiosis patients with recent exacerbation of cough (OR=5.530, 95% CI: 2.446-12.501), work injury insurance (OR=1.183, 95% CI:1.015-1.379), and lower income (OR=0.980, 95% CI: 0.965-0.997) had more use of outpatient services. Pneumoconiosis patients who were married (OR=0.063, 95% CI: 0.005-0.771) and had lower VAS scores (OR=8.463, 95% CI: 3.090-23.248) had less use of inpatient services. Pneumoconiosis patients with higher frequency of medication (OR=8.463, 95% CI: 3.090-23.248), complicated with core pulmonale (OR = 1.855, 95% CI: 1.307-2.634), pneumoconiosis compensation (OR=3.358, 95% CI: 1.183-9.529), social relief (OR=1.402, 95% CI: 1.047-1.877) and more active communication with patients (OR=2.158, 95% CI: 1.061-4.390) were likely to have more use of inpatient services. Conclusion The utilization rates of outpatients and inpatients with pneumoconiosis are higher than the national average. The health status, economic level, and social support level of patients with pneumoconiosis are important factors affecting their medical treatment behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whole genome sequencing techniques are capable of providing insights into plant genetic adaptation to climate oscillations. Acer truncatum Bunge is a new resource tree for food with ornamental, timber and medicinal value. However, it has been listed as a near-threatened species because of the decreasing number of natural populations. In order to develop conservation strategies and sustainable innovative utilization for genetic resources, spatial pattern of genetic diversity and demographic history of A. truncatum from 13 natural populations, which cover the entire range, were analyzed by 9,086,353 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) through whole genome resequencing. The genetic diversity of natural populations was high (He = 0.289, I = 0.449), and genetic variations mainly resided within populations (82.47%) by AMOVA analysis. Cluster analysis showed that 13 natural populations mainly originated from three common gene pools. Therefore, it is recommended that the natural populations (LBGM, BTM, WLS and DQT) with high genetic diversity in different groups were given priority for in situ conservation and the genetic resources from these populations were collected for ex situ conservation. The effective population size of A. truncatum experienced two large-scale sharp contractions and currently decreased to its bottom in history. Nonetheless, A. truncatum could have expanded its effective population size to its historical peak after the last glacial period, indicating that it is highly resilient to fluctuations of temperature and humidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking Chinese non-financial A-share companies listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE) between 2003 and 2018 as a sample, this paper empirically examines whether and how institutional investors' site visits (SVs) affect corporate investment-cash flow sensitivity (ICFS). The results show that institutional investors' SVs can reduce ICFS, and this effect is more obvious for companies with fewer investment opportunities, larger sizes, higher internal cash flows, and higher agency costs, indicating that institutional investors' SVs primarily inhibit ICFS caused by agency conflicts rather than financing constraints. In addition, the inhibitory effect of institutional investors' SVs on ICFS exists mainly in companies with poor internal supervision governance and weak executive compensation incentive mechanisms, indicating that institutional investors' SVs and other forms of corporate governance mechanisms operate as substitutes in reducing ICFS. This paper reveals the important role of institutional investors' SVs in reducing ICFS, with important theoretical and practical implications for regulators to progressively regulate and promote this form of investor activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Processes taking place within the magma plumbing system can exert an important control on the composition of mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB). Plagioclase ultraphyric basalts (PUBs) found at magma-poor mid-ocean ridges exhibit diverse disequilibrium characteristics, which can provide vital insights for distinguishing the complex effects of melt transport from those of source heterogeneity on the compositions of MORBs. Here, we present new insights into magmatic processes using integrated petrologic and geochemical studies of the PUBs from two zones (~ 50° and ~ 64°E longitude) along the ultraslow-spreading southwest Indian ridge (SWIR). The studied PUBs have complex mineral morphologies, including skeletal and acicular crystals, glomerocrysts with open and closed structure, reverse and normally zoned crystals and external and internal resorption even in single samples. Both low- and high-Fo olivine and An plagioclase crystals are in disequilibrium with their matrix glasses. Some plagioclase phenocrysts have repeated oscillatory zoning (An77–86) going from their core to rim and an abrupt decrease in An content toward the rim. Disequilibrium Sr isotopic compositions are present at several scales: between cores and rims of plagioclase crystals, between different plagioclase crystals and between plagioclase and their host lavas. Inferred pressures of magma storage range from 0.3 to 11.3 kbar. The textural and compositional diversity of crystals together with the variability in melt compositions reflect the combined influences of source heterogeneity and magmatic processes (e.g. crystallization, assimilation and magma mixing processes) taking place within crystal mushes. Our data combined with previous studies suggest that the magmatic processes within the SWIR magma plumbing system involve formation, disaggregation and juxtaposition of crystal-rich mush zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study takes Chinese A‐share listed firms from 2007 to 2020 as samples to examine the impact of top management team (TMT) stability on corporate default risk. The research findings reveal that TMT stability significantly mitigates corporate default risk. Furthermore, industry competition significantly strengthens the inhibitory effect of TMT stability on corporate default risk, while strategic deviance notably weakens this inhibitory effect. Heterogeneity analysis results indicate that the inhibitory effect of TMT stability on default risk is more pronounced for non‐state‐owned enterprises, firms situated in regions with higher levels of social trust, and during periods of elevated economic policy uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in hydrological processes and water resources required to sustain vegetation for ecological restoration of landfill covers and post mining sites in arid environments pose challenges in the context of extended droughts. Knowledge of actual threshold and wilting suction values based on tree morphological feature or plant age is essential for understanding the variation of root water uptake with drought stress and numerically predict the pore water pressure profile in root zone. The objective of this study is to quantify the transpiration reduction function (TRF; in terms of stomatal conductance (SC) and xylem sap flow (SF)) of Schefflera arboricola, considering the effects of tree morphology. Continuous drought condition was applied on the plant quantified with leaf area index (LAI) values at 0.5, 2 and 3.5, wherein each LAI represent tree age. The soil matric suction (ψ) and volumetric water content were measured by embedded sensors in the root zone. Based on the TRF obtained from SC values, a unique threshold suction (ψNTRt) ranging from 30 to 50 kPa was identified. Beyond this ψNTRt, measured leaf abscisic acid concentration increased up to 35 ng/mL, indicating the start of water stress avoidance mechanism. It is evident that ψNTRt is independent of tree morphological parameter- leaf area to root length ratio (LA/RL). On the contrary, a threshold suction (ψSAPt), depending on LA/RL ratio, can be determined, indicating the start of xylem cavitation. This ψSAPt values ranging from 80 to 500 kPa depending on the LA/RL value, imply that the plant could significantly resist xylem embolization at higher LA/RL. In contrast, the plant with low LA/RL values have less tolerance of drought stress and hence low survivability. The results from this research study can be vital for devising and predicting plant available water in water scarce arid environments by a flux-based approach which is dependent on the tree age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to assess the effect of SGLT2i on arrhythmias by conducting a meta-analysis using data from randomized controlled trials(RCTs). Background: Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) have shown cardioprotective effects via multiple mechanisms that may also contribute to decrease arrhythmias risk. Methods: We searched in databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and clinicaltrials.gov) up to April 2023. RCTs comparing SGLT2i with placebo were included. The effects of SGLT2i on atrial fibrillation(AF), atrial flutter(AFL), composite AF/AFL, ventricular fibrillation(VF), ventricular tachycardia(VT), ventricular extrasystoles(VES), sudden cardiac death(SCD) and composite VF/VT/SCD were evaluated. Results: 33 placebo-controlled RCTs were included, comprising 88,098 patients (48,585 in SGLT2i vs. 39,513 in placebo). The mean age was 64.9 ± 9.4 years, 63.0% were male. The mean follow-up was 1.4 ± 1.1 years. The pooled-results showed that SGLT2i was associated with a significantly lower risk of AF [risk ratio(RR): 0.88, 95% confidence interval(CI) 0.78–1.00, P = 0.04] and composite AF/AFL (RR: 0.86, 95%CI 0.77–0.96, P = 0.01). This favorable effect appeared to be substantially pronounced in patients with HFrEF, male gender, dapagliflozin, and > 1 year follow-up. For SCD, only in heart failure patients, SGLT2i were found to be associated with a borderline lower risk of SCD (RR: 0.67, P = 0.05). No significant effects of SGLT2i on other ventricular arrhythmic outcomes were found. Conclusions: SGLT2i lowers the risks of AF and AF/AFL, and this favorable effect appeared to be particularly pronounced in patients with HFrEF, male gender, dapagliflozin, and longer follow-up (> 1 year). SGLT2i lowers the risk of SCD only in heart failure patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The study aimed to explore the mechanism of artemisinin in treating primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) based on network pharmacology and experimental validation. Methods: Relevant targets of the artemisinin and pSS-related targets were integrated by public databases online. An artemisinin-pSS network was constructed by Cytoscape. The genes of artemisinin regulating pSS were imported into STRING database to construct a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network in order to predict the key targets. The enrichment analyses were performed to predict the crucial mechanism and pathway of artemisinin against pSS. The active component of artemisinin underwent molecular docking with the key proteins. Artemisinin was administered intragastrically to SS-like NOD/Ltj mice to validate the efficacy and critical mechanisms. Results: Network Pharmacology analysis revealed that artemisinin corresponded to 412 targets, and pSS related to 1495 genes. There were 40 intersection genes between artemisinin and pSS. KEGG indicated that therapeutic effects of artemisinin on pSS involves IL-17 signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway, apoptosis signaling pathway, Th17 cell differentiation, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, and MAPK signaling pathway. Molecular docking results further showed that the artemisinin molecule had higher binding energy by combining with the key nodes in IL-17 signaling pathway. In vivo experiments suggested artemisinin can restored salivary gland secretory function and improve the level of glandular damage of NOD/Ltj mice. It contributed to the increase of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and the downregulated secretion of IL-17 in NOD/Ltj model. Conclusion: The treatment of pSS with artemisinin is closely related to modulating the balance of Tregs and Th17 cells via T cell differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fact that rural hydropower stations are scattered in sites and discharge facilities differ widely in their forms causes the high costs of ecological flow discharge monitoring in China. Meanwhile, the irregularity of river sections and the randomness of hydrological situations also increase the difficulty of flow monitoring, impeding the extensive application of regular monitoring equipments. Under such circumstances, non-contact video recognition is an effective alternative. Based on the data extracted from a large number of ecological flow discharge videos, the authors develop a video recognition intelligent algorithm, which can be used to identify whether the ecological flow has been discharge or not. By combining a main algorithm and a sub-model, this system ensures not only the universality and ease of use of the identification, but also the accuracy of the identification results. The authors also develop a water conservancy video AI general component system, which integrates the video recognition intelligent system and the identification business process, and has been put into use in 499 rural hydropower stations through a period of five months. The effectiveness and promotion value of this system is testified by the statistics of all recognition results: after ruling out the cases where the videos or images are blurred, the average recognition accuracy under normal conditions is 97.8%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Nuclear protein 1 (Nupr1) is a multifunctional stress-induced protein involved in the regulation of tumorigenesis, apoptosis, and autophagy. However, its role in pulmonary hypertension (PH) after METH exposure remains unexplored. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether METH can induce PH and describe the role and mechanism of Nupr1 in the development of PH. Methods and results: Mice were made to induce pulmonary hypertension (PH) upon chronic intermittent treatment with METH. Their right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) was measured to assess pulmonary artery pressure. Pulmonary artery morphometry was determined by H&E staining and Masson staining. Nupr1 expression and function were detected in human lungs, mice lungs exposed to METH, and cultured pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) with METH treatment. Our results showed that chronic intermittent METH treatment successfully induced PH in mice. Nupr1 expression was increased in the cultured PASMCs, pulmonary arterial media from METH-exposed mice, and METH-ingested human specimens compared with control. Elevated Nupr1 expression promoted PASMC phenotype change from contractile to synthetic, which triggered pulmonary artery remodeling and resulted in PH formation. Mechanistically, Nupr1 mediated the opening of store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) by activating the expression of STIM1, thereby promoting Ca2+ influx and inducing phenotypic conversion of PASMCs. Conclusions: Nupr1 activation could promote Ca2+ influx through STIM1-mediated SOCE opening, which promoted METH-induced pulmonary artery remodeling and led to PH formation. These results suggested that Nupr1 played an important role in METH-induced PH and might be a potential target for METH-related PH therapy. 1. Chronic intermittent methamphetamine exposure can induce the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension. 2. Nupr1 plays a key role in the development of methamphetamine-related pulmonary arterial hypertension. 3. Nupr1 mediates PASMCs phenotypic transformation via STIM1signal axis, which results in the development of methamphetamine-related pulmonary arterial hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by extensive pulmonary arterial remodelling. Although mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived exosomes provide protective effects in PAH, MSCs exhibit limited senescence during in vitro expansion compared with the induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Moreover, the exact mechanism is not known. Methods and results In this study, we used murine iPSCs generated from mouse embryonic fibroblasts with triple factor (Oct4, Klf4, and Sox2) transduction to determine the efficacy and action mechanism of iPSC-derived exosomes (iPSC-Exo) in attenuating PAH in rats with monocrotaline (MCT)-induced pulmonary hypertension. Both early and late iPSC-Exo treatment effectively prevented the wall thickening and muscularization of pulmonary arterioles, improved the right ventricular systolic pressure, and alleviated the right ventricular hypertrophy in MCT-induced PAH rats. Pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC) derived from MCT-treated rats (MCT-PASMC) developed more proliferative and pro-migratory phenotypes, which were attenuated by the iPSC-Exo treatment. Moreover, the proliferation and migration of MCT-PASMC were reduced by iPSC-Exo with suppression of PCNA, cyclin D1, MMP-1, and MMP-10, which are mediated via the HIF-1α and P21-activated kinase 1/AKT/Runx2 pathways. Conclusion IPSC-Exo are effective at reversing pulmonary hypertension by reducing pulmonary vascular remodelling and may provide an iPSC-free therapy for the treatment of PAH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Explicitly sharing individual level data in genomics studies has many merits comparing to sharing summary statistics, including more strict QCs, common statistical analyses, relative identification and improved statistical power in GWAS, but it is hampered by privacy or ethical constraints. In this study, we developed encG-reg, a regression approach that can detect relatives of various degrees based on encrypted genomic data, which is immune of ethical constraints. The encryption properties of encG-reg are based on the random matrix theory by masking the original genotypic matrix without sacrificing precision of individual-level genotype data. We established a connection between the dimension of a random matrix, which masked genotype matrices, and the required precision of a study for encrypted genotype data. encG-reg has false positive and false negative rates equivalent to sharing original individual level data, and is computationally efficient when searching relatives. We split the UK Biobank into their respective centers, and then encrypted the genotype data. We observed that the relatives estimated using encG-reg was equivalently accurate with the estimation by KING, which is a widely used software but requires original genotype data. In a more complex application, we launched a finely devised multi-center collaboration across 5 research institutes in China, covering 9 cohorts of 54,092 GWAS samples. encG-reg again identified true relatives existing across the cohorts with even different ethnic backgrounds and genotypic qualities. Our study clearly demonstrates that encrypted genomic data can be used for data sharing without loss of information or data sharing barrier. Author summary: Estimating pairwise genetic relatedness within a single cohort is straightforward. However, in practice, related samples are often distributed across different cohorts, making it challenging to estimate inter-cohort relatedness. In this study, we propose a method called encrypted genotype regression (encG-reg), which provides an unbiased estimation of inter-cohort relatedness using encrypted genotypes. The genotype matrix of each cohort is masked by a random matrix, which acts similarly to a private key in a cryptographic scheme. This masking process produces encrypted genotypes, which are a projection of the original genotype matrix. We derive the expectation and particularly the sampling variance for encG-reg, the latter involves eighth-order moments calculation. encG-reg allows us to accurately identify relatedness across cohorts, even for large-scale biobank data. To demonstrate the efficacy of encG-reg, we verified it in a multi-ethnicity UK Biobank dataset comprising 485,158 samples. For this case, we successfully tracked down to the 1st-degree relatedness (such as full sibs and parent-offspring). Furthermore, we used encG-reg in a collaboration involving 9 Chinese cohorts, encompassing a total of 54,092 samples from 5 genomic centers. It is worth noting that if the number of effective markers is sufficient encG-reg has the potential to detect even more distant degrees of relatedness beyond what we demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: MiRNAs are closely related to tumor radiosensitivity. MiR-378a-5p level is down-regulated in colorectal cancer (CRC). Therefore, this study intends to explore the role of miR-378a-5p in CRC, especially radiosensitivity. Methods: The expression of miR-378a-5p was analyzed in CRC samples. CRC cell lines were treated with different doses of X-rays. Bioinformatics analysis, dual-luciferase reporter assay and RT-qPCR were used to detect the expressions and binding relationship of miR-378a-5p and low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 8 (LRP8). MiR-378a-5p inhibitor or/and siLRP8 were transfected into CRC cells with or without irradiation. Subsequently, clonogenic assay, flow cytometry and in vivo experiments including tumorigenesis assay, immunohistochemistry, RT-qPCR and Western blot were performed to clarify the role of miR-378a-5p/LRP8 axis in the radiosensitivity of CRC. Results: The down-regulated expression of miR-378a-5p in CRC is related to histological differentiation and tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage. After irradiation, the survival fraction of CRC cells was decreased, while the apoptotic rate and the level of miR-378a-5p were increased. Restrained miR-378a-5p repressed apoptosis and apoptosis-related protein expressions, yet promoted the proliferation and the radioresistance of cells by regulating β-catenin in CRC cells. LRP8 was highly expressed in CRC, and targeted by miR-378a-5p. SiLRP8 improved radiosensitivity and reversed the effect of miR-378a-5p down-regulation on CRC cells. Overexpressed miR-378a-5p and irradiation enhanced the level of miR-378a-5p, yet suppressed the expressions of Ki67 and LRP8 as well as tumorigenesis. Conclusion: MiR-378a-5p may exert a radiosensitizing effect on CRC through the LRP8/β-catenin axis, which may be a new therapeutic target for CRC radioresistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To quantify the results of superficial parotidectomy (SP) and partial SP (PSP) for benign parotid tumours using a systematic evaluation method. Methods: A systematic search of English and Chinese databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China Knowledge Network, Wanfang and Vipshop) was conducted to include studies comparing the treatment outcomes of SP with PSP. Results: Twenty-three qualified, high-quality studies involving 2844 patients were included in this study. The results of this study showed that compared to the SP surgical approach, the PSP surgical approach reduced the occurrence of temporary facial palsy (OR = 0.33; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.26–0.41), permanent facial palsy (OR = 0.28; 95% CI 0.16–0.52) and Frey syndrome (OR = 0.36; 95% CI 0.23–0.56) in patients after surgery, and the surgery operative time was reduced by approximately 27.35 min (95% CI − 39.66, − 15.04). However, the effects of PSP versus SP on salivary fistula (OR = 0.70; 95% CI 0.40–1.24), sialocele (OR = 1.48; 95% CI 0.78–2.83), haematoma (OR = 0.34; 95% CI 0.11–1.01) and tumour recurrence rate (OR = 1.41; 95% CI 0.48–4.20) were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Compared with SP, PSP has a lower postoperative complication rate and significantly shorter operative time, suggesting that it could be used as an alternative to SP in the treatment of benign parotid tumours with the right indications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of glutamine on the growth performance and systemic innate immune response in broiler chickens challenged with Salmonella pullorum. A total of 600 one-day-old Arbor Acres broiler chickens were assigned randomly to 6 dietary treatments with 10 replicates for a 21-day feeding experiment. The experimental treatments were as follows: the control treatment (birds fed the basal diet), the Gln1 treatment, and the Gln 2 treatment (birds fed the basal diet supplemented with 0.5%, and 1.0% Glutamine, respectively). At 3 d of age, half of the birds from each treatment were challenged oral gavage with 2.0 × 104 CFU/mL of S. pullorum suspension (1.0 mL per bird) or an equivalent amount of sterile saline alone, which served as a control. Results: The results showed that S. pullorum infection had adverse effects on the average daily feed intake, average daily gain, and feed conversion ratio of broiler chickens compared with those of the CON treatment on d 7, decreased the spleen and bursa of fabricius relative weights (except on d 21), serum immunoglobulin A (IgA),immunoglobulin G (IgG), and immunoglobulin M (IgM) concentrations, and spleen melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) and laboratory of genetics and physiology gene 2 (LGP2) mRNA expression levels, and increased the mRNA expression levels of spleen Nodinitib-1 (NOD1), Toll-like receptors 2,4 (TLR2, TLR4), DNA-dependent activator of IFN-regulatory factors (DAI), mitochondrial antiviral-signaling protein (MAVS), P50, P65, and RelB on d 4, 7, 14, and 21. Supplementation with Gln improved the relative weights of the spleen and bursa of Fabricius (except on d 21), increased the serum IgA, IgG, and IgM concentrations and the mRNA expression levels of spleen MDA5 and LGP2, and decreased the mRNA expression levels of spleen NOD1, TLR2, TLR4, DAI, MAVS, P50, P65, and RelB of S. pullorum-challenged broiler chickens. Conclusion: These results indicate that Gln might stimulate the systemic innate immune responses of the spleen in broiler chickens challenged with S. pullorum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of glutamine on the growth performance and systemic innate immune response in broiler chickens challenged with Salmonella pullorum. A total of 600 one-day-old Arbor Acres broiler chickens were assigned randomly to 6 dietary treatments with 10 replicates for a 21-day feeding experiment. The experimental treatments were as follows: the control treatment (birds fed the basal diet), the Gln1 treatment, and the Gln 2 treatment (birds fed the basal diet supplemented with 0.5%, and 1.0% Glutamine, respectively). At 3 d of age, half of the birds from each treatment were challenged oral gavage with 2.0 × 104 CFU/mL of S. pullorum suspension (1.0 mL per bird) or an equivalent amount of sterile saline alone, which served as a control. Results: The results showed that S. pullorum infection had adverse effects on the average daily feed intake, average daily gain, and feed conversion ratio of broiler chickens compared with those of the CON treatment on d 7, decreased the spleen and bursa of fabricius relative weights (except on d 21), serum immunoglobulin A (IgA),immunoglobulin G (IgG), and immunoglobulin M (IgM) concentrations, and spleen melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) and laboratory of genetics and physiology gene 2 (LGP2) mRNA expression levels, and increased the mRNA expression levels of spleen Nodinitib-1 (NOD1), Toll-like receptors 2,4 (TLR2, TLR4), DNA-dependent activator of IFN-regulatory factors (DAI), mitochondrial antiviral-signaling protein (MAVS), P50, P65, and RelB on d 4, 7, 14, and 21. Supplementation with Gln improved the relative weights of the spleen and bursa of Fabricius (except on d 21), increased the serum IgA, IgG, and IgM concentrations and the mRNA expression levels of spleen MDA5 and LGP2, and decreased the mRNA expression levels of spleen NOD1, TLR2, TLR4, DAI, MAVS, P50, P65, and RelB of S. pullorum-challenged broiler chickens. Conclusion: These results indicate that Gln might stimulate the systemic innate immune responses of the spleen in broiler chickens challenged with S. pullorum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the following semilinear elliptic system involving strongly coupled critical terms and concave nonlinearities is considered - Δ u = η 1 α 1 2 ∗ | u | α 1 - 2 | v | β 1 u + η 2 α 2 2 ∗ | u | α 2 - 2 | v | β 2 u + a 1 | u | q - 2 u | x | γ , x ∈ Ω , - Δ v = η 1 β 1 2 ∗ | u | α 1 | v | β 1 - 2 v + η 2 β 2 2 ∗ | u | α 2 | v | β 2 - 2 v + a 2 | v | q - 2 v | x | γ , x ∈ Ω , u , v > 0 , x ∈ Ω , u = v = 0 , x ∈ ∂ Ω , where Ω ⊂ R N (N ≥ 3) is a bounded domain with smooth boundary and 0 ∈ Ω , 1 < q < 2 , η 1 + η 2 > 0 , 0 ≤ η i < + ∞ , a i > 0 , 0 ≤ γ < N + q - qN 2 , α i , β i > 1 , α i + β i = 2 ∗ = 2 N N - 2 (i = 1 , 2) is the critical Sobolev exponent. By the Nehari method and variational method, two positive solutions are obtained which generalizes and improves some corresponding results in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly integrated and stable devices are appealing in optical communication and sensing. This appeal arises from the presence of high refractive index contrast and high-quality waveguides. In this study, we improved the vapor proton exchange (VPE) process, enabling large-scale waveguide fabrication and addressing the issue of liquid exchange during cooling. Additionally, we have prepared and characterized planar waveguides on X-cut lithium niobate (LN) crystals. The exchanged samples exhibit α and k1 phases, refractive index contrasts as high as 0.082, and exceptional refractive index uniformity. Furthermore, we utilized the same process to fabricate channel waveguides and Y-branch waveguides. We achieved low propagation losses in channel waveguides, accompanied by small mode sizes, and low-loss Y-branch waveguides with a highly uniform beam splitting ratio. All waveguides exhibited consistent performance across multiple preparations and tests, remaining free from aging effects for three months. Our results underscore the promising potential of VPE for creating Y-branch splitters and modulators in LN crystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotions have long been regarded as a central component of the entertainment media experience. The present study combines computational analysis and quantitative content analysis to analyze the emotional arcs of inspirational media content and associated elicitors of self-transcendent emotions in order to develop a more comprehensive understanding of inspirational media. Results demonstrate that inspirational movies can be characterized by a positive shift in sentiment at the end of the narrative and multiple shifts between relatively negative and relatively positive sentiment throughout the story. Furthermore, the "peaks" and "valleys" in the emotional arcs are associated with the presence of differing inspirational elicitors, and the presence of certain elicitors (such as kindness/moral goodness) within a scene predicted positive shifts in the emotional arcs in the scenes following the elicitor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction (ECR) coupled with organic oxidation is a promising strategy to produce high value-added chemicals and improve energy efficiency. However, achieving the efficient redox coupling reaction is still challenging due to the lack of suitable electrocatalysts. Herein, we designed two bifunctional polyimides-linked covalent organic frameworks (PI-COFs) through assembling phthalocyanine (Pc) and porphyrin (Por) by non-toxic hydrothermal methods in pure water to realize the above catalytic reactions. Due to the high conductivity and well-defined active sites with different chemical environments, NiPc-NiPor COF performs efficient ECR coupled with methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) (Faradaic efficiency of CO (FECO) = 98.12%, partial current densities of CO (jCO) = 6.14 mA cm−2 for ECR, FEHCOOH = 93.75%, jHCOOH = 5.81 mA cm−2 for MOR at low cell voltage (2.1 V) and remarkable long-term stability). Furthermore, experimental evidences and density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate that the ECR process mainly conducts on NiPc unit with the assistance of NiPor, meanwhile, the MOR prefers NiPor conjugating with NiPc. The two units of NiPc-NiPor COF collaboratively promote the coupled oxidation-reduction reaction. For the first time, this work achieves the rational design of bifunctional COFs for coupled heterogeneous catalysis, which opens a new area for crystalline material catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high local electron density and efficient charge carrier separation are two important factors to affect photocatalytic activity, especially for the CO2 photoreduction reaction. However, the systematic studies on the structure‐functional relationship regarding the above two factors based on precisely structure model are rarely reported. Herein, as a proof‐of‐concept, we developed a new strategy on the evaluation of local electron density by controlling the relative electron‐deficient (ED) and electron‐rich (ER) intensity of monomer at a molecular level based on three rational‐designed vinylene‐linked sp2 carbon‐covalent organic frameworks (COFs). As expected, the as‐prepared vinylene‐linked sp2 carbon‐conjugated metal‐covalent organic framework (MCOFs) (VL‐MCOF‐1) with molecular junction exhibited excellent activities for CO2‐to‐HCOOH conversion (283.41 μmol g−1 h−1) and high selectivity of 97.1 %, much higher than the VL‐MCOF‐2 and g‐C34N6‐COF, which is due to the synergistic effect of the multi‐electronic metal clusters (Cu3(PyCA)3) (PyCA=pyrazolate‐4‐carboxaldehyde) as strong ER roles and cyanopyridine units as ED roles and active sites, as well as the boosted photo‐induced charge separation efficiency of vinyl connection and increased light utilization ability. These results not only provide a strategy for regulating the electron‐density distribution of photocatalysts at the molecular level but also offers profound insights for metal clusters‐based COFs to effective CO2 conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high local electron density and efficient charge carrier separation are two important factors to affect photocatalytic activity, especially for the CO2 photoreduction reaction. However, the systematic studies on the structure‐functional relationship regarding the above two factors based on precisely structure model are rarely reported. Herein, as a proof‐of‐concept, we developed a new strategy on the evaluation of local electron density by controlling the relative electron‐deficient (ED) and electron‐rich (ER) intensity of monomer at a molecular level based on three rational‐designed vinylene‐linked sp2 carbon‐covalent organic frameworks (COFs). As expected, the as‐prepared vinylene‐linked sp2 carbon‐conjugated metal‐covalent organic framework (MCOFs) (VL‐MCOF‐1) with molecular junction exhibited excellent activities for CO2‐to‐HCOOH conversion (283.41 μmol g−1 h−1) and high selectivity of 97.1 %, much higher than the VL‐MCOF‐2 and g‐C34N6‐COF, which is due to the synergistic effect of the multi‐electronic metal clusters (Cu3(PyCA)3) (PyCA=pyrazolate‐4‐carboxaldehyde) as strong ER roles and cyanopyridine units as ED roles and active sites, as well as the boosted photo‐induced charge separation efficiency of vinyl connection and increased light utilization ability. These results not only provide a strategy for regulating the electron‐density distribution of photocatalysts at the molecular level but also offers profound insights for metal clusters‐based COFs to effective CO2 conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibrio vulnificus, a gram‐negative bacterium, causes serious wound infections and septicemia. Once it develops into early phase sepsis, hyperinflammatory immune responses result in poor prognosis in patients. The present study aimed to examine the possible underlying pathogenic mechanism and explore potential agents that could protect against V. vulnificus cytotoxicity. Here, we report that infection of mouse macrophages with V. vulnificus triggers antiphagocytic effects and pyroptotic inflammation via ATP‐mediated purinergic P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) signaling. V. vulnificus promoted P2X7‐dependent nuclear factor kappa‐light‐chain‐enhancer of activated B cells (NF‐κB) p65 translocation, modulating the expression of the inflammasome sensor NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), adaptor apoptosis‐associated speck‐like protein containing a card (ASC), and pyroptotic protein gasdermin D (GSDMD) in mouse macrophages. V. vulnificus induced the NLRP3/caspase‐1 inflammasome signaling complex expression that drives GSDMD transmembrane pore formation and secretion of interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐18, and macrophage inflammatory protein‐2 (MIP‐2). This effect was blocked by P2X7R antagonists, indicating that the P2X7R mediates GSDMD‐related pyroptotic inflammation in macrophages through the NF‐κB/NLRP3/caspase‐1 signaling pathway. Furthermore, blockade of P2X7R reduced V. vulnificus‐colony‐forming units in the spleen, immune cell infiltration into the skin and lung tissues, and serum concentrations of IL‐1β, IL‐18, and MIP‐2 in mice. These results indicate that P2X7R plays a vital role in mediating phagocytosis by macrophages and pyroptotic inflammation during V. vulnificus infection and provides new opportunities for therapeutic intervention in bacterial infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paper, by using the variational methods we study a non-autonomous Schrödinger-Bopp-Podolsky system, where a > 0, 3 < p < 4 are fixed, λ > 0 is a parameter, and the potentials V, Q satisfy appropriate assumptions. We give some existence results, depending on the parameter λ. Moreover the results are still valid for the classical Schrödinger-Poisson system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the face of increasing concerns around privacy and security in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for mobile edge computing (MEC), this study proposes a novel approach to secure UAV-assisted federated learning. This research integrates a trusted execution environment (TEE) into UAV-assisted federated learning and proposes a robust aggregation algorithm based on cosine distance, denoted as CosAvg. This study further designs and evaluates a TEE-based federated learning model, comparing its resource overhead with other secure aggregation frameworks, like homomorphic encryption (HE) and differential privacy (DP). Experimental results indicate a significant reduction in resource overhead for TEE against DP and HE. Moreover, the proposed CosAvg algorithm demonstrated superior robustness against adversarial scenarios, maintaining high accuracy in the presence of malicious clients. The integration of TEE and the CosAvg algorithm provides a secure and robust solution for UAV-assisted federated learning, effectively defending both gradient inversion attacks and byzantine attacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumor burden score (TBS) has been recently introduced to indicate the extent of tumor burden in different cancers, but its role in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unclear. We aimed to determine the prognostic role of TBS in patients with HCC beyond the Milan criteria receiving surgical resection (SR) or transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). A total of 1303 newly diagnosed HCC patients beyond Milan criteria receiving SR or TACE as the primary therapy were retrospectively analyzed. Independent prognostic predictors were examined by the multivariate Cox proportional hazards model. SR was associated with better overall survival compared with TACE in these patients. Multivariate Cox analysis of the entire cohort revealed that age > 66 years (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.145, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.004–1.305, p = 0.043), serum α-fetoprotein > 200 ng/mL (HR: 1.602, 95% CI: 1.402–1.831, p < 0.001), performance status 2–4 (HR: 1.316, 95% CI: 1.115–1.553, p < 0.001), medium TBS (HR: 1.225, 95% CI:1.045–1.436, p = 0.012), high TBS (HR: 1.976, 95% CI: 1.637–2.384, p < 0.001), albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade 2–3 (HR: 1.529, 95% CI: 1.342–1.743, p < 0.001), presence of vascular invasion (HR: 1.568, 95% CI: 1.354–1.816, p < 0.001), and TACE (HR: 2.396, 95% CI: 2.082–2.759, p < 0.001) were linked with decreased survival. SR consistently predicted a significantly better survival in different TBS subgroups. TBS is a feasible and independent prognostic predictor in HCC beyond the Milan criteria. SR provides better long-term outcome compared with TACE in these patients independent of TBS grade, and should be considered as the primary treatment modality in this special patient group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we innovatively assembled two types of traditional photosensitizers, that is pyridine ruthenium/ferrum (Ru(bpy)32+/Fe(bpy)32+) and porphyrin/metalloporphyrin complex (2HPor/ZnPor) by covalent linkage to get a series of dual photosensitizer‐based three‐dimensional metal‐covalent organic frameworks (3D MCOFs), which behaved strong visible light‐absorbing ability, efficient electron transfer and suitable band gap for highly efficient photocatalytic hydrogen (H2) evolution. Rubpy‐ZnPor COF achieved the highest H2 yield (30 338 μmol g−1 h−1) with apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) of 9.68 %@420 nm, which showed one of the best performances among all reported COF based photocatalysts. Furthermore, the in situ produced H2 was successfully tandem used in the alkyne hydrogenation with ≈99.9 % conversion efficiency. Theoretical calculations reveal that both the two photosensitizer units in MCOFs can be photoexcited and thus contribute optimal photocatalytic activity. This work develops a general strategy and shows the great potential of using multiple photosensitive materials in the field of photocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]