Search

Diabetes is a metabolic disease that seriously endangers human health, and monitoring glucose levels is one of the main diagnostic methods for its prevention and treatment. In this paper, we propose a high-performance glucose sensor based on the Sagnac interferometer (SI) utilizing photonic crystal fiber (PCF) with micro-holes. By setting two columns of micro-holes in the center of the PCF, the high birefringence effect is obtained to improve the detection sensitivity. All air holes are assumed to fill with the glucose solution, and the sensing characteristics of the PCF sensor are theoretically studied by the finite element method (FEM). The results show that the sensitivity and resolution of the PCF glucose sensor can reach 4.14 nm/(g/L) and 0.48 mg/dL within the concentration range of 0–120 g/L, respectively. In addition, the effects of the partial-filling methods and PCF structural parameters on the sensing performance are also analyzed to achieve optimal performance. The proposed glucose sensor possesses high sensitivity and simple structure, which exhibits good application prospects in the field of medical monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: This review systematically summarizes the source of electricity, the key choice of catalyst, and the potentiality of electrolyte for prospective hydrogen generation. Each section provides comprehensive overview, detailed comparison and obvious advantages in these system configurations. The problems of hydrogen generation from electrolytic water splitting and directions of next-generation green hydrogen in the future are discussed and outlooked. Green hydrogen from electrolysis of water has attracted widespread attention as a renewable power source. Among several hydrogen production methods, it has become the most promising technology. However, there is no large-scale renewable hydrogen production system currently that can compete with conventional fossil fuel hydrogen production. Renewable energy electrocatalytic water splitting is an ideal production technology with environmental cleanliness protection and good hydrogen purity, which meet the requirements of future development. This review summarizes and introduces the current status of hydrogen production by water splitting from three aspects: electricity, catalyst and electrolyte. In particular, the present situation and the latest progress of the key sources of power, catalytic materials and electrolyzers for electrocatalytic water splitting are introduced. Finally, the problems of hydrogen generation from electrolytic water splitting and directions of next-generation green hydrogen in the future are discussed and outlooked. It is expected that this review will have an important impact on the field of hydrogen production from water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly sensitive and simple structure side-polished micro-structured fiber (MOF) refractive index (RI) sensor based on surface plasmon resonance is proposed and studied by the finite element method. The gold nanofilm used to stimulate plasmons is directly deposited on the inner wall of the open-loop channel of a MOF consisting of an arrangement of six cladding air-holes. The sample analyte is arranged on the outer surface of the optical fiber to improve the utilization rate of the sensor and reduce the tediousness of operation. Meanwhile, in order to increase the leakage intensity of evanescent field, three large air-holes were introduced near the fiber core. Research has shown that the proposed sensor can achieve sensing detection in the range of 1.19–1.37 RI. The maximum sensitivity in the x-polarized direction can reach 12,500 nm/RIU, and its corresponding resolution is 3.64 × 10–5 RIU. Moreover, it has a high linear response of 0.9944 within the RI detection range of 1.19–1.33. Obviously, the proposed sensor has a simple structure, wide RI detection range, and high sensitivity, which can make it widely used in biomedical and analytical chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gut microbiota and their metabolites play a regulatory role in skeletal muscle growth and development, which be known as gut-muscle axis. 3-phenylpropionic acid (3-PPA), a metabolite produced by colonic microorganisms from phenylalanine in the gut, presents in large quantities in the blood circulation. But few study revealed its function in skeletal muscle development. Results: Here, we demonstrated the beneficial effects of 3-PPA on muscle mass increase and myotubes hypertrophy both in vivo and vitro. Further, we discovered the 3-PPA effectively inhibited protein degradation and promoted protein acetylation in C2C12 and chick embryo primary skeletal muscle myotubes. Mechanistically, we supported that 3-PPA reduced NAD+ synthesis and subsequently suppressed tricarboxylic acid cycle and the mRNA expression of SIRT1/3, thus promoting the acetylation of total protein and Foxo3. Moreover, 3-PPA may inhibit Foxo3 activity by directly binding. Conclusions: This study firstly revealed the effect of 3-PPA on skeletal muscle growth and development, and newly discovered the interaction between 3-PPA and Foxo3/NAD+ which mechanically promote myotubes hypertrophy. These results expand new understanding for the regulation of gut microbiota metabolites on skeletal muscle growth and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tandem nitrate electroreduction reaction (NO3−RR) is a promising method for green ammonia (NH3) synthesis. However, the mismatched kinetics processes between NO3−‐to‐NO2− and NO2−‐to‐NH3 results in poor selectivity for NH3 and excess NO2− evolution in electrolyte solution. Herein, a Ni2+ substitution strategy for developing oxide heterostructure in Co/Fe layered double oxides (LDOs) was designed and employed as tandem electrocataltysts for NO3−RR. (Co0.83Ni0.16)2Fe exhibited a high NH3 yield rate of 50.4 mg ⋅ cm−2 ⋅ h−1 with a Faradaic efficiency of 97.8 % at −0.42 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) in a pulsed electrolysis test. By combining with in situ/operando characterization technologies and theoretical calculations, we observed the strong selectivity of NH3 evolution over (Co0.83Ni0.16)2Fe, with Ni playing a dual role in NO3−RR by i) modifying the electronic behavior of Co, and ii) serving as complementary site for active hydrogen (*H) supply. Therefore, the adsorption capacity of *NO2 and its subsequent hydrogenation on the Co sites became more thermodynamically feasible. This study shows that Ni substitution promotes the kinetics of the NO3−RR and provides insights into the design of tandem electrocatalysts for NH3 evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tandem nitrate electroreduction reaction (NO3−RR) is a promising method for green ammonia (NH3) synthesis. However, the mismatched kinetics processes between NO3−‐to‐NO2− and NO2−‐to‐NH3 results in poor selectivity for NH3 and excess NO2− evolution in electrolyte solution. Herein, a Ni2+ substitution strategy for developing oxide heterostructure in Co/Fe layered double oxides (LDOs) was designed and employed as tandem electrocataltysts for NO3−RR. (Co0.83Ni0.16)2Fe exhibited a high NH3 yield rate of 50.4 mg ⋅ cm−2 ⋅ h−1 with a Faradaic efficiency of 97.8 % at −0.42 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) in a pulsed electrolysis test. By combining with in situ/operando characterization technologies and theoretical calculations, we observed the strong selectivity of NH3 evolution over (Co0.83Ni0.16)2Fe, with Ni playing a dual role in NO3−RR by i) modifying the electronic behavior of Co, and ii) serving as complementary site for active hydrogen (*H) supply. Therefore, the adsorption capacity of *NO2 and its subsequent hydrogenation on the Co sites became more thermodynamically feasible. This study shows that Ni substitution promotes the kinetics of the NO3−RR and provides insights into the design of tandem electrocatalysts for NH3 evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

About 80% of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients are in advanced stages and ineligible for curative surgery. Palliative treatments just maintained limited survival, thus an effective downstaging therapy is badly needed. Here we report an initially unresectable patient who underwent radical hepatectomy after successful downstaging with selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT). A 34‐year‐old man was diagnosed with China Liver Cancer Staging (CNLC) IIIa HCC. Due to insufficient future liver remnant and vascular involvement, the patient was suggested to be unresectable. SIRT with yttrium‐90 resin microspheres was given. At three months post‐SIRT, a complete response was achieved. The tumor was downstaged to CNLC Ia stage. The patient underwent anatomical hepatectomy 5 months after SIRT. Histopathological examination of the resected specimen showed 4% viable tumor cells inside a necrotic mass. To our knowledge, this is the first case who underwent SIRT with yttrium‐90 resin microspheres in China mainland. The success of the downstaging in this case renders a possible cure to be achieved in an initially unresectable patient. In addition, the nearly complete tumor necrosis in the resected specimen indicates a good prognosis post‐surgery. This is the first case who underwent SIRT with yttrium‐90 resin microspheres in China mainland. SIRT followed by anatomical hepatectomy is a potentially curative strategy for unresectable HCC, which deserves a confirmative trial in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce the impact of additional torque caused by complex road conditions on the automotive driveline, a new type of automotive drive axle system connected by a trident-ball-cage duplex universal joint (DUCS) is used and analyzed for torsional vibration. The concentrated mass approach is employed to establish the dynamic model of DUCS, and the Lagrangian method is utilized to establish the vibration differential equations of DUCS. The higher-order Runge-Kutta algorithm as well as the filtering treatment are employed to address vibration responses of the system. Meanwhile, considering the strong coupling between the input and output axles, the active-disturbance (ADRC) decoupling control method is incorporated to reduce the system amplitude. The Fibonacci series is used to regulate the parameters of the expansion state observer (ESO) in it, and the bandwidth method is used to regulate the controller parameters to improve the efficiency of parameter regulation. The results show the usefulness of the approach to regulate the torsional vibration of DUCS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the quality of life and the spiritual and cultural well-being of the inhabitants progress, the current rural infrastructure has challenges in adequately addressing the physical and psychological requirements of individuals. This work presents a method for evaluating rural habitats by utilizing electroencephalography (EEG) signals and virtual reality (VR) technology to address the existing gap in physiological data evaluation in rural areas. We choose as experimental images the current situation (C1–C5) scenes of five rural main street nodes as well as the comparative transformation scenes (T1–T5). It then assesses the subjects' subjective cognition and level of relaxation–arousal responses using the α/β value in the EEG data and the three subjective scale indexes of "Interest", "Comfort", and "Vitality". The study's findings demonstrated the following: 1. All three scores increased in the transformation scenarios, and subjects' subjective assessments varied significantly across all five sets of scenes. 2. In all α/β values where significant differences existed, every electrode demonstrated a relaxation response in the transformation scenes (T1–T5) compared to the current scenes (C1–C5), whereas the T8 electrode demonstrated the only arousal response. 3. The Pz electrode in the parietal lobe area was found to be the most sensitive to the visual response to the green landscape and the form of the building façade along the street, and the T8 electrode in the right temporal lobe area was the most sensitive to the response to the overall perception of the surrounding environment, according to a comparison of the longitudinal α/β value. More options for rural streetscape design as well as fresh insights and methodologies for assessing the rural human environment in the future are anticipated from this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ulva prolifera (U. prolifera) green tide outbreaks have occurred in the Yellow Sea of China for many years, causing serious losses to marine ecology and the marine economy. The monitoring and tracking of U. prolifera green tide is a crucial aspect of marine ecological disaster prevention and control management. This paper aims to investigate the spatiotemporal distribution changes in U. prolifera green tide in the Yellow Sea throughout its life cycle. A survey of the Yellow Sea from 2008 to 2023 was conducted using multi-source remote sensing images. Long-term monitoring and analysis of U. prolifera revealed the evolution process of the green tide, including the early development, outbreak, decline, and extinction stages, considering time, space, and frequency of occurrence. Additionally, this study examined peak coverage change patterns over the past 16 years and analyzed the influence of environmental factors such as sea surface temperature and sea surface wind field on the development of U. prolifera. The research results serve as a valuable reference for the monitoring, early warning, and scientific prevention and control of U. prolifera green tide in the Yellow Sea, as well as other similar marine disaster areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Allergic asthma is an important respiratory system problem characterized by airway inflammation, breathlessness, and bronchoconstriction. Allergic asthma and its outcomes are triggered by type 2 allergic immune responses. Tectorigenin is a methoxy‐isoflavone with anti‐inflammatory effects. In this study, we investigated the effects of tectorigenin on the pathophysiology of allergic asthma in an animal model. Methods: Asthmatic mice were treated with tectorigenin. Then airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), eosinophil percentage, levels of interleukin (IL)‐33, IL‐25, IL‐13, IL‐5, IL‐4, total and ovalbumin (OVA)‐specific immunoglobulin (Ig)E, and lung histopathology were evaluated. Result: Tectorigenin significantly (P 〈 0.05) reduced eosinophil infiltration (41 ± 7%) in the broncho‐alveolar lavage fluid (BALF), serum IL‐5 level (41 ± 5, pg/mL), and bronchial and vascular inflammation (scores of 1.3 ± 0.2 and 1.1 ± 0.3, respectively) but had no significant effects on AHR, serum levels of IL‐33, −25, −13, and −4 (403 ± 24, 56 ± 7, 154 ± 11, and 89 ± 6 pg/mL, respectively), total and OVA‐specific IgE (2684 ± 265 and 264 ± 19 ng/mL, respectively), goblet cell hyperplasia, and mucus production. Conclusion: Tectorigenin could control inflammation and the secretion of inflammatory mediators of asthma, so it can be regarded as a potential antiasthma treatment with the ability to control eosinophilia‐related problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Straw returning is an important strategy for effectively using straw resources to improve soil fertility and quality, but the effects of this process on reactive intermediates (RIs) formation in paddy water are not fully explored. In this study, we conducted a field experiment to explore the effects of straw returning on RIs formation including triplet chromophoric dissolved organic matter (3CDOM*), hydroxyl radicals (•OH), and singlet oxygen (1O2) in paddy water. It was found that straw returning considerably increased the steady-state concentration of RIs, and the application of rice straw with 25% and 75% organic replacement ratio increased RIs concentration by 2.52 and 2.25 times, respectively. The optical spectroscopy, Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS) analysis and structural equation model showed that straw returning produces abundant humified and aromatic DOM containing fulvic acid, lignin and protein-like substances, which could induce more RIs under irradiation. In addition, straw returning significantly accelerated imidacloprid (IMD) degradation, yielding degradation products that were highly toxic to aquatic animals (i.e., fish and daphnia) but less toxic to aquatic plants (i.e., green algae). This study would offer an innovative viewpoint on the effects of straw returning on the photochemistry of paddy water and the naturally occurring abiotic degradation pathway of organic contaminants. Highlights: • Straw returning produces abundant humified and aromatic DOM as a key photosensitizer. • Straw returning increased the steady-state concentration of RIs in paddy water. • Straw returning significantly accelerated IMD degradation and 3DOM* was the dominant RI for IMD degradation in paddy water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of long-term biochar application on soil phosphorus (P) flux across the root-soil interface and its availability in the rhizosphere of rice (Oryza sativa L) remain unclear. We used diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT), laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and planar optode sensor techniques to characterize, in-situ, the 2D heterogeneity and dynamics of rhizosphere soil P, iron (Fe), sulfur (S) and trace element fluxes, dissolved oxygen and pH in paddy soil, after 10 years of biochar application. Compared to the control (no biochar applied), biochar applied at 4.5, 22.5 and 45.0 Mg ha−1 yr−1 decreased rhizospheric P fluxes by 11.6%, 63.4% and 79.0%, respectively. This decrease under biochar treatments was attributed to changed redox status of Fe and S caused by the lower dissolved oxygen in rhizosphere soil and increased soil pH induced precipitating of soluble inorganic P into insoluble P forms, such as calcium-bound and residual P that are unavailable for crop uptake. Higher application rate of biochar resulted in lower As and Pb fluxes in rice rhizosphere and their availabilities for crop uptake. The in-situ observation results in rice rhizosphere at μm-scale after 10 years of biochar addition directly showed the complex effects of long-term biochar and rhizosphere heterogeneity on P transformation process. Highlights: In-situ 2D imaging of rice rhizosphere P, Fe, S, and trace elements was elucidated. Long-term biochar application conspicuously lowered rice rhizosphere available P. Soil P release process was related to Fe and S redox status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) program is an innovative approach that provides economic incentives directly to natural resource exploiters in order to shape their behavior. Although the implementation of PES programs and the context in which these programs are implemented are often different across space, the spatial heterogeneities in the impacts of PES programs are often neglected in studies. In this study, we demonstrate the spatial and temporal dynamics of the Normalized Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI) in the grassland where China's Grassland Ecological Compensation Program (GECP) has been implemented, and we evaluate the impacts of the GECP on the NDVI. We found that most of the grassland in the GECP area showed small changes in NDVI between 2000 and 2010. On average, the GECP only had a marginal positive effect on the NDVI of grassland. Although the magnitude of impacts of the GECP was relatively small in most places where the program is implemented, we detected substantial heterogeneities in the impacts of the GECP on the NDVI. The impact of the GECP on the NDVI differed substantially, particularly between Inner Mongolia, Sichuan, and other provinces. Our findings suggest that there can be substantial heterogeneities in the impacts of PES programs across space, which can be leveraged to promote the efficacy of the GECP and many other PES programs around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban landscape parks play a crucial role in providing recreational opportunities for citizens. Different types of landscapes offer varying levels of comfort experiences. However, the assessment of landscape comfort primarily relies on subjective evaluations and basic physiological measurements, which lack sufficient quantification of relevant data. This study employed electroencephalography (EEG) technology and subjective questionnaire evaluation methods. Participants observed two sets of landscape demonstration videos using virtual reality (VR) devices, and EEG alpha values and subjective evaluation scores were collected to assess the comfort levels of free-form landscape and regular-form landscape. Additionally, this study explored the correlation between landscape characteristics and physiological comfort. The analysis of the results showed that: 1. The average amplitude of EEG alpha waves recorded from 11 electrodes in the left temporal lobe and right parietal lobe of the participants was higher after they watched the free-form landscape demonstration. The increased alpha values suggest that free-form landscapes are more likely to induce physiological comfort in these specific brain regions. In contrast, regular-form landscape was found to induce higher alpha values at seven specific electrodes located in the occipital cortex, right temporal lobe, and central regions of the participants. In general, free-form landscape provided physiological comfort to a greater number of brain regions. 2. The two groups of landscapes exhibit distinct subjective cognitive differences in terms of their landscape characteristics. These differences, ranked in order of magnitude, include rhythmicity, sense of order, sense of security, and sense of dependence. 3. This study examined the α-waves of specific brain regions, including the right and left temporal lobe and occipital lobe, as well as subjective scoring. It discovered that the rhythmicity, degree of variation, degree of color, and sense of nature of a landscape impact the α-wave value of electrodes in different brain regions. Moreover, there exists a certain linear relationship between the four landscape features and the α-wave values in different regions of the brain. The results of this study provide some reference for the creation of a comfortable landscape design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advance of high-throughput sequencing enhances the discovery of short ORFs embedded in long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Here, we uncovered the production and biological activity of lncRNA-hidden polypeptides in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). In the present study, bioinformatics was used to screen the lncRNA-hidden polypeptides in LUAD. Analysis of protein expression was done by western blot or immunofluorescence assay. The functions of the polypeptide were determined by detecting its effects on cell viability, proliferation, migration, invasion, and pemetrexed (PEM) sensitivity. The protein interactors of the polypeptide were analyzed by mass spectrometry after Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) assay. The results showed that the lncRNA LINC00954 was confirmed to encode a novel polypeptide LINC00954-ORF. The polypeptide had tumor-suppressor features in A549 cells by repressing cell growth, motility and invasion. Moreover, the polypeptide enhanced PEM sensitivity and suppressed growth in A549/PEM cells. The protein interactors of this polypeptide had close correlations with RNA processing, amide metabolic process, translation, RNA binding, RNA transport, and DNA replication. As a conclusion, the LINC00954-ORF polypeptide embedded in lncRNA LINC00954 possesses tumor-suppressor features in A549 and PEM-resistant A549 cells and sensitizes PEM-resistant A549 cells to PEM, providing evidence that the LINC00954-ORF polypeptide is a potential anti-cancer agent in LUAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of various strategies aimed at simultaneously promoting environmental conservation and human development are closely related to sustainable development regionally and globally. However, although the effects of many such strategies have been evaluated by ecologists and sociologists separately, their ability to simultaneously meet these two anticipated goals (i.e., environmental conservation and human development) at the fine spatial scale remains unclear. To answer this fundamental but crucial question, incorporating household and forest change data, we concurrently estimated the ecological and socioeconomic effects of two world-renowned Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) programs (i.e., the Nature Forest Conservation Program, the Grain to Green Program) and nature-based tourism in 30 protected areas across 8 provinces in China. Here we showed a trade-off between the ecological and economic effects of two PES programs, while synergistic effects exist in the ecological and economic benefits of tourism. Attributes of household and protected areas significantly influenced economic and environmental benefits as well. Our research provides new insights into the complex effects of PES programs and tourism, and crucial information to support their adequate and sustainable implementation in China and the rest of the world. Significance Statement: This work answers a fundamental but crucial question, that is, whether the policies commonly advocated to incorporate environmental conservation and human development can yield positive effects both for conservation and economic development. Our evaluation is also timely to inform some shortness (i.e., negligible economic effects, or the lack of expected positive economic benefits) and provides new insights (e.g., the implication of households and protected-areas attributes in conservation and economic outcomes) of Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) programs and the complex effects of instruments in the context of multiple policies, particularly given the upcoming 2030 deadline for achieving the Sustainable Development goals (SDGs). We expected that implications in this study can provide important lessons for these two instruments, other PES programs, and other conservation and development instruments to support their adequate and sustainable implementation in China and beyond and to contribute to the achievement of relevant SDGs in the remaining years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

:'The deep gas group of a certain gas field in the western part of South China Sea is a high-carbon gas reservoir, and the shallow gas group is a high-hvdrocarbon gas reservoir. In order to effectivelv improve the recoverv rate of high-hvdrocarbon gas reservoirs and increase the economic benefits, the indoor experiments of replacing high-hvdrocarbon gas with high-carbon gas were carried out, and the mechanism evaluation method was adopted, to ob-tain the changes of gas components and solubilitv after the replacement of high-hvdrocarbon gas with high-carbon gas, as well as the effect of the high-hvdrocarbon reservoirs on the recoverv rate after the replacement and the influ-encing factors, and the studv results were applied to the evaluation of the mine pilot experiments and the prediction of the effect of CO2 storage in high-carbon gas reservoirs of a certain gas field in western part of South China Sea. The results show that after the replacement of the high-hvdrocarbon gas with the high-carbon gas, the high-carbon gas can displace the high-hvdrocarbon gas in formation irreducible water, free CH4 increases, and the long core replacement was carried out under reservoir conditions such as low-injection and high-production, large dip and high permeabilitv of the core, with a higher cumulative CH4 recoverv degree of up to 4.5%. This studv provides theoreti-cal references for the efficient development of high-hvdrocarbon gas reservoirs in China, and the evaluation of CO2 storage mode in high-carbon gas reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play a key role in tumor cell growth, drug resistance, recurrence, and metastasis. Proanthocyanidins (PC) is widely existed in plants and endowed with powerful antioxidant and anti‐aging effects. Interestingly, recent studies have found that PC exhibits the inhibitory effect on tumor growth. However, the role of PC in CSCs of colorectal cancer (CRC) and molecular mechanism remain unclear. Methods: CCK‐8, colony, and tumorsphere formation assay were used to evaluate cancer cell viability and stemness, respectively. Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression. Tumor xenograft experiments were employed to examine the tumorigenicity of CRC cells in nude mice. Results: PC decreased the proliferation of CRC cells (HT29 and HCT‐116), and improved the sensitivity of CRC cells to oxaliplatin (L‐OHP), as well as inhibited tumor growth in nude mice. Further studies showed that PC also down‐regulated CSCs surface molecular and stemness transcriptional factors, while suppressed the formations of tumorspheres and cell colony in CRC. In addition, PC‐impaired proteins expressions of p‐GSK3β, β‐catenin and DVL1‐3. LiCl, an activator of the Wnt/β‐catenin signaling, rescued PC‐induced downregulation of CSCs markers, and reduction of tumorspheres and cell colony formation abilities in CRC cells. Furthermore, the effects of PC on inhibiting cell proliferation and enhancing L‐OHP sensitivity were impaired by LiCl. Conclusions: PC exerted an inhibitory effect on CSCs via Wnt/β‐catenin in CRC, and may be a potential new class of natural drug for CRC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: LncRNAs and DNA methylation are both key regulators of tumorigenesis and immune regulation. However, the interaction between lncRNA and DNA methylation, their regulation and their clinical and immune relevance in gastric cancer (GC) remain unclear. Methods: In this study, we identified DNA methylation regulator-related lncRNAs through Pearson correlation analysis in The Cancer Genome Atlas datasets. Univariate Cox regression was used to screen DNA methylationrelated prognostic lncRNAs. Further, through least absolute shrinkage and selection operator Cox regression, a prognostic model based on 13 lncRNAs was established. Survival analysis and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis verified the accuracy of the model in predicting the survival of GC patients. Univariate and multivariate analyses also confirmed that the risk score obtained from the risk model could be applied as an independent prognostic factor for patients with GC. Furthermore, based on the risk score and other clinicopathological characteristics that can be used as independent prognostic factors, we constructed a nomogram that could accurately determine the survival time of each patient. In addition, a lncRNA score was constructed using a principal component analysis algorithm to quantify the DNA methylation-related lncRNA expression patterns of individual tumors. Results: We found that a higher lncRNA score indicated a worse the prognosis and was associated with a reduced tumor mutation burden and immunosuppression. A low lncRNA score was related to an increase in neoantigen load and an increase in the anti-PDL1/CTLA4 immunotherapy response. Additionally, a low lncRNA score was related to a significant therapeutic advantage and clinical benefit. Conclusions: This study describes a DNA methylation regulator-related lncRNA signature model, which provides a new approach for predicting therapeutic response and patient stratification in GC. Assessing lncRNA expression patterns in individual tumors will contribute to enhancing our understanding of tumor microenvironment infiltration and guide more effective immunotherapy strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies have unequivocally demonstrated that biochar and, to a lesser degree, earthworms can independently improve soil fertility and crop productivity, although information about their co-application effects on soil characteristics is limited. In this review, (1) earthworm biomarkers and underlying influencing factors, as well as the changes in the amended soil quality in response to co-application of earthworms and biochar are presented, (2) the functional interactions between earthworms and biochar in soil are summarized; (3) the principles governing the synergetic effects of biochar and earthworms on soil quality enhancement are probed; and (4) alternative strategies to optimize the efficacy of earthworm and biochar amendments are provided. It is noteworthy that while low doses of biochar can have a positive effect on various earthworm biomarkers, including growth and reproduction, restoration of the intestinal environment, and the mitigation of cellular organelle toxicity and genetic damage, high biochar dosages can yield adverse effects. Conversely, earthworms play a crucial role in distributing biochar particles deeper into the soil matrix, bolstering carbon sequestration potential, and enhancing the persistence and efficiency of biochar utilization. Moreover, earthworms stimulate the production of soil extracellular enzymes by microorganisms, which are pivotal to the processing, stabilization, and decomposition of soil organic matter, as well as nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Additionally, they enhance the binding affinities of these enzymes to biochar. Significantly, changes in earthworm biomarkers in response to biochar integration are predominately governed by biochar properties and dosage, contact time, and soil type. Highlights: A lesser degree of biochar amendment had positive effects on earthworm metabolism. Earthworms homogenized biochar particles into soil matrix and increased biochar utilization efficiency. Earthworm biomarker responses was modulated by its types, biochar, contact time, and soils. Co-application of biochar and earthworms promoted soil health and fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This brief proposes a 1–6 GHz broadband double-balanced mixer. On the basis of the standard Marchand balun mixer, two techniques to enhance the performance of the mixer are proposed. Firstly, by loading capacitors, the amplitude and phase imbalance of the balun at high frequencies are improved, thereby expanding the relative bandwidth of the mixer by 0.1. Secondly, by cascading a first-order LC filter at the intermediate-frequency (IF) port, the leakage of radio frequency (RF) and local oscillator (LO) signals at the IF port is reduced by approximately 8 dB and 7 dB, respectively. This brief analyzes the various parameters that affect balun indicators and designs a broadband balun with a double-layer spiral line structure. As a result of these technologies, a 1–6 GHz double-balanced mixer is realized. The chip area is 1.13 mm × 0.95 mm, and the isolation between the IF port and the RF port is 34 dB and yields 13.5 dBm input power at 1 dB compression point (IP1 dB). The chip is fabricated via the GaAs pHEMT process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Trauma is the leading cause of death among children worldwide. The inflammatory response of paediatric patients to multiple injuries can be monitored using serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels. This study aimed to assess the value of IL-6 levels in predicting the severity of paediatric trauma and its clinical association with disease activity. Method: We prospectively tested serum IL-6 levels and evaluated the Paediatric Trauma Score (PTS) and other clinical data among 106 paediatrics trauma patients from January 2022 to May 2023 at the Emergency Department of the Xi'an Children's Hospital in China. The relationship between IL-6 and trauma severity levels by PTS was analyzed statistically. Results: IL-6 levels were elevated in 76 (71.70%) of the 106 paediatric patients with trauma. Spearman's test showed a significant negative linear correlation between IL-6 and PTS (rs = − 0.757, p < 0.001). IL-6 levels were moderate positively correlated with alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, white blood cells, blood lactic acid and interleukin 10 (rs = 0.513, 0.600, 0.503, 0.417, 0.558, p < 0.01). IL-6 levels were positively correlated with hypersensitive C-reactive protein and glucose (rs = 0.377, rs = 0.389, respectively, p < 0.001). IL-6 levels were negatively correlated with fibrinogen and PH (rs = − 0.434, p < 0.001; rs = − 0.382, respectively, p < 0.001). Binary scatter plots further demonstrated higher levels of IL-6 correlated with lower PTS scores. Conclusion: Serum IL-6 levels significantly increased with increasing severity of paediatric trauma. Serum levels of IL-6 can function as important indicators for predicting disease severity and activity in paediatric trauma patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six high-performance photonic crystal fiber polarization filters based on surface plasmon resonance are proposed and studied by Matlab and Comsol Multiphysics based on finite element method. Dual D structure is adopted in order to improve birefringence and increase coupling strength between surface plasmon and fiber core light energy. The characteristics of loss, filtering, and extinction ratio were studied, including six material situations: gold, silver, aluminum, gold and graphene, silver and graphene, aluminum and graphene. The mode coupling phenomenon and the influence of metal thickness on optical fiber devices are analyzed. Research result shows that the proposed fibers have good filtering ability, and when the fiber length is 2 mm, the extinction ratio can reach 4520 dB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The gastrointestinal tract contains a massive microbiota, and targeting the gut could be a potential intervention for sepsis. However, the interaction between sepsis and the intestinal microbiota is defined as an "incompletely understood bidirectional relationship". Methods: This retrospective observational cohort study investigated the fecal microbiota of sepsis patients admitted to the Department of Critical Care Medicine of the Central Hospital of Wuhan, China, from May 2019 to January 2020. 14 septic patients were divided into the non-severe group and the severe group according to the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score. Herein, fecal samples were serially collected on admission, the third, fourth, and fifth days, and ICU discharge. The fecal microbiota was analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and its correlation with clinical parameters was evaluated. Results: Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria were dominant phyla at ICU admission, and fecal biodiversity was not significantly different between the non-severe group (APACHE II < 15) and the severe group (APACHE II > 15). However, the diversity of the gut microbiota was significantly lower at ICU discharge than that at ICU admission with the extension of treatment time. Further significant difference flora analysis (LEfSe) showed that the genera Veillonella and Ruminococcus were the most discriminant biomarkers at ICU admission in non-severe and severe patients, respectively, while Enterococcus was the most discriminant biomarker at ICU discharge in all septic patients. Of note, liver function tests, including ALT, AST, TBIL, and DBIL correlated with the prevalence of various bacterial genera. Conclusions: The diversity of the gut microbiota in patients with sepsis decreases dramatically during ICU stay, and there are distinct dynamic changes in gut microbiota among patients with different severity in sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The classification of primary lung adenocarcinoma is complex and varied. Different subtypes of lung adenocarcinoma have different treatment methods and different prognosis. In this study, we collected 11 datasets comprising subtypes of lung cancer and proposed FL-STNet model to provide the assistance for improving clinical problems of pathologic classification in primary adenocarcinoma of lung. Methods: Samples were collected from 360 patients diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma and other subtypes of lung diseases. In addition, an auxiliary diagnosis algorithm based on Swin-Transformer, which used Focal Loss for function in training, was developed. Meanwhile, the diagnostic accuracy of the Swin-Transformer was compared to pathologists. Results: The Swin-Transformer captures not only information in the overall tissue structure but also the local tissue details in the images of lung cancer pathology. Furthermore, training FL-STNet with the Focal Loss function can further balance the difference in the amount of data between different subtypes, improving recognition accuracy. The average classification accuracy, F1, and AUC of the proposed FL-STNet reached 85.71%, 86.57%, and 0.9903. The average accuracy of the FL-STNet was higher by 17% and 34%, respectively, than in the senior pathologist and junior pathologist group. Conclusion: The first deep learning based on an 11-category classifier was developed for classifying lung adenocarcinoma subtypes based on WSI histopathology. Aiming at the deficiencies of the current CNN and Vit, FL-STNet model is proposed in this study by introducing Focal Loss and combining the advantages of Swin-Transformer model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nitration of toluene with mixed acid is one of the most representative nitration reactions. Accurate kinetic study is essential for controlling the reaction and designing reactors. Due to the characteristics of fast rate, high exothermicity and heterogeneity in toluene nitration, the effects of mass and heat transfer may result in inaccurate determination of kinetics. In this work, the adiabatic temperature rises of the reaction system were studied to provide precise ranges of experimental conditions for accurately controlling the reaction rate and heat release rate in a liquid–liquid microflow system. The adiabatic temperature rise was successfully controlled to below 0.3 °C. The effects of mass and heat transfer on the reaction rate were completely eliminated, so that the kinetic study was carried out under the control of intrinsic kinetics only. The activation energy for toluene nitration was determined to be 28.00 kJ/mol. The activation energies for the formation of o-nitrotoluene and p-nitrotoluene were obtained for the first time, which were 25.71 and 31.91 kJ/mol, respectively. The obtained kinetic models can predict the reaction performance of toluene nitration very well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common tumor with high morbidity and mortality. The use of oxaliplatin (L‐OHP) as a first‐line treatment for CRC is limited due to chemoresistance. Growing evidence have revealed that the existence of cancer stem‐like cells (CSLCs) is one of the important reasons for drug resistance and recurrence of cancers. Dihydroartemisinin (DHA), a derivative of artemisinin, has showed anticancer effects on a variety of malignancies, in addition to its antimalarial effects. However, the effect and mechanism of DHA on CSLCs and chemosensitivity in CRC cells remains unclear. In this study, we found that DHA inhibited cell viability in HCT116 and SW620 cells. Moreover, DHA decreased cell clonogenicity, and improved L‐OHP sensitivity. Furthermore, DHA treatment attenuated tumor sphere formation, and the expressions of stem cell surface marker (CD133 and CD44) and stemness‐associated transcription factor (Nanog, c‐Myc, and OCT4). Mechanistically, the present findings showed that DHA inhibited of AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. The activation of AKT/mTOR signaling reversed DHA‐decreased cell viability, clonogenicity, L‐OHP resistance, tumor sphere, and expressions of stemness‐associated protein in CRC. The inhibitory effect of DHA on tumorigenicity of CRC cells has also been demonstrated in BALB/c nude mice. In conclusion, this study revealed that DHA inhibited CSLCs properties in CRC via AKT/mTOR signaling, suggesting that DHA may be used as a potential therapeutic agent for CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The beneficial effect of probiotics on host health is impaired due to the substantial loss of survivability during gastric transit caused by small intestinal enzymes and bile acids. Encapsulation helps to preserve the probiotics species from severe environmental factors. Lactobacillus paracasei, highly sensitive probiotic species to gastric acid, was encapsulated with polyacrylate resin. C57BL/6 male mice were equally divided into three groups; control group was fed with basal diet without any additives, the un‐encapsulated group was fed with 0.1% of a mixture of encapsulating material and L. paracasei, and encapsulated group was fed with 0.1% encapsulated L. paracasei (microcapsule) for 4 weeks. The result showed elevated fecal moisture percentage in the encapsulated group, but not in the un‐encapsulated group. Further study showed that the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the small intestine was significantly higher compared to un‐encapsulated and the control group. Microencapsulated probiotics also remarkably increased intestinal mucin and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) concentration, intestinal MUC‐2, and tight junction protein mRNA expression levels improving the intestinal barrier function of mice. In addition, microcapsules also reduced proinflammatory factor mRNA expression, while considerably increasing anti‐inflammatory factor mRNA expression. Microbiota metabolites, fecal LPS (Lipopolysaccharide) were downregulated, and acetate and lactate were upraised compared to control. Furthermore, glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px) and TAOC levels were increased and Malondialdehyde (MDA) was decreased improving antioxidant capacity. Microflora and bioinformatic predictive analysis of feces showed that encapsulated probiotics remarkably increased Lactobacillus proportions. Mice's intestinal health can thus be improved by using microencapsulated probiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The restoration of dental implants presents a unique challenge due to the intrinsic biomechanical differences between osseointegrated implants and natural teeth, and their subsequent responses to occlusal loading. However, controversy exists regarding the role that occlusion plays in the physiology of the peri‐implant complex. Purpose: To provide an overview of the scientific literature regarding occlusion as it relates to implant dentistry and peri‐implant disease. Materials and Methods: This article presents a narrative review on occlusal loading and its potential effects on the peri‐implant complex, as well as some generally accepted guidelines for occlusion in implant dentistry. Results and Conclusions: Although there is strong evidence linking occlusal factors to mechanical complications of dental implants, the same cannot be said regarding biological complications. There is no clear scientific evidence on the relationship between occlusal overload and peri‐implant disease. However, occlusal overload may be an accelerating factor for peri‐implant disease in the presence of inflammation. As the biomechanical properties of dental implants differ from that of the natural dentition, modifications to classic concepts of occlusion may be necessary when dental implants are involved. Thus, clinical recommendations are proposed which function to minimize unfavorable occlusal forces on implant restorations and reduce the associated biological and mechanical complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Advances in Atmospheric Sciences is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

As an important part of lake and reservoir ecosystem, sediment is an important "source" and "sink" of pollutants. Antibiotics, as a kind of important emerging organic pollutants, have attracted global attention. In order to understand the adsorption behavior and mechanism of antibiotics in sediment, enrofloxacin (ENR) was used as the target pollutant to evaluate its adsorption behavior in sediment and soil and the response mechanism of environmental factors by using the intermittent equilibrium method. The results showed that the adsorption equilibrium time of ENR in sediment and soil was 6 h, and the adsorption kinetics was in line with the quasi-second-order kinetics. The two-compartment model Herry-Langmuir can better describe the adsorption of ENR by sediment and soil. There is a lag phenomenon in desorption process.The average lag coefficient HI of sediment and soil was 1.08 × 10−3 and 0.43 × 10−3, respectively, indicating that ENR was difficult to be released. When pH = 5, the adsorption capacity is the highest, indicating that the adsorption mechanism of ENR in the sample is mainly cation exchange; the higher the cationic valence state of the background liquid is, the stronger the competitive adsorption capacity is, which leads to the gradual decrease of ENR adsorption capacity in the sample. Because ENR contains -F group, resulting in complex reaction with Al3+ in the solution, thus reducing the activity of Al3+, reducing the competitive adsorption of Al3+ and ENR, then ENR adsorption capacity increased. The change of ENR adsorption capacity of sediment and soil is Q(Al3+)>Q(Na+)>Q(K+)>Q(Ca2+)>Q(Mg2+)>Q(Fe3+). The adsorption capacity of ENR on sediment was higher than that on soil under all conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The joint toxicological effects of Cd2+ and As(V) mixture on wheat root as affected by environmental factors, such as pH, coexisting cations, and humic acids etc., were investigated using hydroponic experiments. The interaction and toxicological mechanisms of co-existing Cd2+ and As(V) at the interface of solution and roots in presence of humic acid were further explored by incorporating root cell membrane surface potential ψ0 into a mechanistic model of combined biotic ligand model (BLM)-based Gouy−Chapman−Stern (GCS) model and NICA-DONNAN model. Besides, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of lipid bilayer equilibrated with solution containing Cd2+ and H2AsO4− further revealed the molecular distribution of heavy metal(loid) ions under different membrane surface potentials. H2AsO4− and Cd2+ can be adsorbed on the surface of the membrane alone or as complexes, which consolidate the limitation of the macroscopic physical models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystem services (ES) have complex flow dynamics that operate across distances. However, ES assessments have focused more on their supply. Few studies consider the impacts of interregional flows on ES provision and the spatial and temporal changes of interregional flows are little known. Here, we quantified interregional flows and analyzed their variations by evaluating the interregional dependency of four water-related ES (water yield, flood mitigation, water purification, and soil retention) in the Yellow River Basin, China. The results showed that about one-third of the basin area had 51.3%–98.9% of the ES sourced from interregional flows, and these areas increased by 2.6%–11.9% during 2000–2015. Generally, the upstream regions with contributions of 64.0%–79.7% of water yield, 93.2%–96.9% of flood mitigation, 89.0%–95.3% of water purification, and 53.7%–97.4% of soil retention played an important role in sustaining the human well-being in downstream regions. Our approach offers a reference for building a telecoupled decision-making for other regions based on interregional flows. Moreover, the results of this study provide insights into interregional dependency on and responsibility for the transboundary ES impacts, and can help in sustainable development of watersheds by achieving environmental equality through guiding transboundary management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biocatalysis is increasingly replacing traditional methods of manufacturing fine chemicals due to its green, mild, and highly selective nature, but biocatalysts, such as enzymes, are generally costly, fragile, and difficult to recycle. Immobilization provides protection for the enzyme and enables its convenient reuse, which makes immobilized enzymes promising heterogeneous biocatalysts; however, their industrial applications are limited by the low specific activity and poor stability. Herein, we report a feasible strategy utilizing the synergistic bridging of triazoles and metal ions to induce the formation of porous enzyme-assembled hydrogels with increased activity. The catalytic efficiency of the prepared enzyme-assembled hydrogels toward acetophenone reduction is 6.3 times higher than that of the free enzyme, and the reusability is confirmed by the high residual catalytic activity after 12 cycles of use. A near-atomic resolution (2.1 Å) structure of the hydrogel enzyme is successfully analyzed via cryogenic electron microscopy, which indicates a structure–property relationship for the enhanced performance. In addition, the possible mechanism of gel formation is elucidated, revealing the indispensability of triazoles and metal ions, which guides the use of two other enzymes to prepare enzyme-assembled hydrogels capable of good reusability. The described strategy can pave the way for the development of practical catalytic biomaterials and immobilized biocatalysts. Biocatalysis using immobilized enzymes is increasingly replacing traditional methods of manufacturing fine chemicals but heir industrial applications are limited by the low specific activity and poor stability. Here, the authors report a feasible strategy utilizing the synergistic bridging of triazoles and metal ions to induce the formation of porous enzyme-assembled hydrogels with increased activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-chain α-olefins have a high added value as important raw materials for many highly marketable products. Fishcher-Tropsch synthesis products contain ultrahigh-content α-olefins, which are of great value if the challenging separation of α-olefin/paraffin is achieved through energy-saving ways, for which adsorption separation is an attractive technology. One of the most significant differences between the adsorption separation of long-chain and light hydrocarbons is the steric hindrance of the molecular chain. Herein, we propose a combination of window size, metal node spacing, and bending degree to quantitatively describe the adsorption cavity structure for the separation of long-chain α-olefin/paraffin. The general cavity structural characteristics of microporous materials with good separation performance for long-chain α-olefin/paraffin are revealed. The selective adsorption of liquid C6 and C8 α-olefin/paraffin mixtures on CuBTC (BTC = benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate) was studied in detail to reveal the influence of the cavity structure on the adsorption and interaction using a combination of batch adsorption experiments and molecular simulation techniques. CuBTC exhibited 360 and 366 mg/g olefin adsorption capacities for C6 and C8 linear α-olefins, respectively. The adsorption energies were −0.540 and −0.338 eV for C8 linear α-olefin and paraffin, respectively. The contributions of different types of interactions to the overall adsorption energy were quantified to illustrate the adsorption energy difference between α-olefin/paraffin and CuBTC. This work provides a new understanding of the long-chain hydrocarbon adsorption behavior different from ethylene/ethane and propylene/propane, which guides the design of adsorbents for α-olefin/paraffin separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) are ubiquitous in the environment and enter the terrestrial food chain via plant uptake. However, plant uptake behaviors of TiO2 NPs remain elusive. Here, the uptake kinetics of TiO2 NPs by wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings and the effects on cation flux in roots were examined in a hydroponic system. Uptake rate of TiO2 NPs ranged from 119.0 to 604.2 mg kg− 1 h− 1 within 8 h exposure. NP uptake decreased by 83% and 47%, respectively, in the presence of sodium azide (NaN3) and carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP), indicating an energy-dependent uptake of TiO2 NPs. Moreover, accompanied with TiO2 NP uptake, net influx of Cd2+ decreased by 81%, while Na+ flux shifted from inflow to outflow at the meristematic zone of root. These findings provide valuable information for understanding plant uptake of TiO2 NPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biotic transformation of imidacloprid (IMD) has been widely investigated in the environments. However, little was known about IMD degradation via abiotic pathways, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS)-based oxidation processes. Here we systematically investigated the mechanism of hydroxyl radical (•OH) production and the associated IMD degradation in the goethite (α-FeOOH)-based Fenton-like systems. Results showed that IMD can be efficiently degraded in the α-FeOOH/H2O2 systems, with degradation rate exceeded 80% within 48 h. Based on the examination of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and chemical probes, •OH was identified as the key ROS that responsible for IMD degradation. IMD can be decomposed via hydroxylation or removal of -N-NO2 to produce hydroxylated IMD, cyclic urea and 6-chloronicotinic acid, with the associated toxicities also evaluated. In addition, the increasing H2O2 concentration and decreasing solution pH both significantly increased IMD degradation. This study provides theoretical understanding for the implications of soil mineral-based Fenton-like reactions in the abiotic transformation of pesticide pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies have reported the diagnostic values of multiple obesity indicators for predicting the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. However, the diagnostic values of obesity indicators for predicting the risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) in early postmenopausal women is still unknown. Therefore, this study investigated the predictive values of common obesity indices for estimating the risk of MAFLD in early postmenopausal Chinese women. Methods: This study enrolled 2514 early postmenopausal women, aged between 45 and 55 years, who underwent abdominal ultrasonography examination at the Health examination center of the Huadong Sanatorium between June 2021 and December 2021. The values for six obesity indices, namely, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), body adiposity index (BAI), and Chinese visceral adiposity index (CVAI) were extracted from the medical records. Results: Our data showed that all the six obesity indices were significantly associated with the risk of MAFLD (P < 0.05) in the obese subjects and five obesity indices except for BAI were significantly associated with the risk of MAFLD (P < 0.05) in the lean subjects. The six obesity indices showed a linear relationship with the risk of MAFLD (all P-values > 0.05). The ORs for the obesity indices with the exception of BAI showed proportional increase with the risk of MAFLD in the lean subjects. CVAI was the strongest predictor of the risk of MAFLD in both lean (AUC=0.868) and overweight/obese subjects (AUC=0.704) among the early postmenopausal women. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that all the obesity indices were associated with an increased risk of MAFLD in the obese subjects and five obesity indices except for BAI were associated with an increased risk of MAFLD in the lean subjects among the early postmenopausal women. CVAI showed the strongest predictive performance in estimating the risk of MAFLD among early menopausal women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flow biocatalysis involving oxidoreductase is limited by the difficulty in recycling expensive cofactors. In this study, an enzyme‐rich hydrogel monolithic microreactor was developed via in situ microfluidic assembly of inexpensive crude enzymes. This porous gel biocatalyst exhibited good tethering functions to nicotinamide cofactors; thus, they were retained by the hydrogel to controllably form a novel heterogeneous biocatalyst with self‐sufficient cofactors. The flow asymmetric production of a chiral alcohol in this cofactor‐entrapped gel microreactor achieved >99 % enantioselectivity and a high space‐time yield of 46.3 g L−1 h−1 at 94.8 % conversion. Moreover, the turnover number of cofactors reached as high as 4800 after continuous operation of 160 reactor volumes, realizing significantly higher utilization of the cofactors compared with many reported strategies. Furthermore, this engineered heterogeneous biocatalyst exhibited improved performance in terms of product tolerance and storage stability, paving the way for a green, cost‐effective, and sustainable continuous‐flow production of enantiopure alcohols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents some techniques to improve the linearity of traditional resistive feedback PGAs. By utilizing the switched op-amp in the PGA, the MOS switches in the feedback resistor array can be eliminated and thus the PGA's linearity can be improved. The PGA's linearity is further improved with an additional capacitor, which is used for pre-charging the sampling capacitor to strengthen its capability to drive the sampling capacitor without any extra power consumption. The pre-charge technique is especially suitable for the case where the PGA drives a large sampling capacitance. Implemented in SMIC 0.18 um CMOS technology, the proposed PGA can achieve a gain of 0.5 or 1 and consumes 4.68 mW at a single 5 V supply with the switched output stage enabled. When driving a 20 pF sampling capacitor at a sampling frequency of 200 kHz, the simulation results show that the proposed PGA can give a 9 dBc improvement in SFDR of the sampled signal compared to the traditional PGA design and the SFDR can reach up to 114 dBc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corrosion of rebar is the key factor affecting the service life of reinforced concrete, and amorphous coatings with superior corrosion resistance can be a potential protective material for the rebar. In the present study, a self-designed arc-sprayed Fe-based amorphous coating deposited on the surface of Q235 steel was investigated. The long-term electrochemical behavior of arc-sprayed Fe-based amorphous coating after pore-sealing treatment was studied for the first time. The microstructure of the sprayed coating was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The pores of the coating were sealed using the infiltration method. To explore the electrochemical behavior of the unmodified sprayed coating and the pore-sealed coating, electrochemical tests in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution were employed. According to the SEM and TEM results, the unmodified sprayed coating was dense with a layered structure and was composed of an amorphous matrix and nanocrystalline structures. The average porosity of the unmodified sprayed coating was 3.95%. Electrochemical experiments revealed that the electrochemical response of the coating was more capacitive after pore-sealing treatment, which resulted in improved corrosion resistance. Kindly check and confirm whether the corresponding author is correctly identified.The identity of the corresponding author is correct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV) is a highly lethal virus, which has brought significant losses to aquaculture. Therefore, a new vaccine against ISKNV with high efficiency, safety and convenience must be developed. While baculoviruses are more commonly used as protein expression systems for vaccine antigen production, this paper used baculovirus technology to develop a live‐vector vaccine, BacMCP, which contains the coding sequence of the major capsid protein (MCP) (GenBank accession no. AF371960) of ISKNV and is driven by a CMV promoter. Real‐time PCR and immunofluorescence showed that the MCP gene was successfully delivered to and expressed in fish cells and tissues inoculated with BacMCP. Immune‐related gene (IgM, TGF‐β, IL‐1, IL‐8, TNF‐α) expression was induced in BacMCP‐treated groups of largemouth bass compared with control groups. Specific antibodies could be detected in the serum of BacMCP injection‐vaccinated largemouth bass by ELISA. After injection or immersion vaccination with BacMCP for 21 days, largemouth bass were infected with ISKNV. The immune effect of the injected immunization on fish in different sizes was evaluated. The vaccine efficacy of injection‐vaccinated bass was 100% in small bass and 85.7% in large bass. The vaccine efficacy of immersion‐vaccinated small bass was 77.3%. This study suggested that BacMCP can be used as a vector‐based vaccine candidate to prevent the diseases caused by ISKNV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outage performance of the cognitive relay networks is analyzed based on simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) and non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA). The analytical expressions of overall outage probability and asymptotic expressions on high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) are derived for the direct link transmission mode and the two-stage communication transmission mode. The analytical expressions are validated by Monte-Carlo simulations. The simulation results demonstrate that the outage performance is improved by through the direct link transmission. Furthermore, compared with the conventional cognitive relay networks with orthogonal multiple access (OMA), superior outage performance and high energy efficiency are achieved for the cognitive relay networks based on SWIPT-NOMA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents an on-chip state-adjustable 8 GHz~12 GHz low-noise amplifier (LNA). It has two characteristics. First, an improved current reuse topology is proposed. By connecting a small capacitor in parallel with the drain of the first-stage transistor, the bandwidth is expanded and the in-band flatness is improved. Second, an innovative adaptive bias circuit is designed to cope with the influence of temperature and process on the performance of the amplifier, and a design method for on-chip adjustment of the chip state is proposed for the first time. As a result of these technologies, the chip area is 1.1 mm × 0.8 mm, the chip provides 24.4 dB nominal gain with merely 0.75 dB noise at 10 GHz, and yields 14.5 dBm output power at 1 dB compression point (OP1dB) when biased at 30 mA quiescent current, meanwhile, gain, OP1dB, and quiescent current can be adjusted on-chip. This design improves the comprehensive performance of X-band LNA and provides more flexibility for system engineers in application. The chip is fabricated using Win Semiconductors' 0.15 um InGaAs pHEMT E-mode process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A DNA barcode is a short piece of standard DNA sequence used for species determination and discrimination. Representation of DNA barcodes is essential for DNA barcodes' applications in the transportation and recognition of biological materials. Previously, we have compared different strategies for representing the DNA barcodes. In the present study, we have developed a compression algorithm based on binary coding or Huffman coding scheme, followed by converting the binary digits into Base64 digits. The combination of this compression algorithm and the QR representation leads to the dynamic DNA QR coding algorithm (DDQR). We tested the DDQR algorithm on simulated data and real DNA barcode sequences from the commonly used plant and animal DNA barcode markers: rbcL, matK, trnH-psbA, ITS2, and COI. We compared the compression efficiency of DDQR and another state-of-the-art DNA compression algorithm GeCo3 for sequences with various base compositions and lengths. We found that DDQR had a higher compression rate than GeCo3 for DNA sequences shorter than 800 bp, which is the typical size range for DNA barcodes. We also upgraded a web server (http://www.1kmpg.cn/ddqr) that provides three functions: retrieval of DNA barcode sequences, encoding DNA barcode sequences to DDQR codes, and decoding DDQR codes to DNA barcode sequences. The DDQR algorithm and the webserver will be invaluable to applying DNA barcode technology in the food and traditional medicine industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adequately designed and positioned surface textures are recognized as a promising way to increase load-carrying capacity and reduce frictional losses of journal bearings. The aim of this work is to analyze the local lubrication mechanisms of textures in journal bearings from microflow perspective, while considering the interactions between textures and the film formation in the whole bearing. For this purpose, hydrodynamic lubrication models of textured journal bearings are built. The results show that placing textures downstream of the high-pressure region leads to a reduced friction force, with a less severe loss of load-carrying capacity. The effects of textures on the load-carrying capacity include the positive micro-hydrodynamic pressure effect and the negative effect caused by the discontinuity of the high-pressure region. The micro-hydrodynamic pressure of textures can be generated on one hand by limiting pressure drop (cavitation) in the divergent gap and on the other hand by the inertia effect. For the friction, the vortex inside textures affects the friction force by influencing the maximum shear stress at the minimum oil film. In turn the vortex is influenced by the bearing lubrication film. The research provides the fundamental reference and theoretical basis for the design and optimization of textured journal bearings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]