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Stenotaphrum secundatum is an excellent shade-tolerant warm-season turfgrass. Its poor cold resistance severely limits its promotion and application in temperate regions. Mining cold resistance genes is highly important for the cultivation of cold-resistant Stenotaphrum secundatum. Although there have been many reports on the role of the Shaker potassium channel family under abiotic stress, such as drought and salt stress, there is still a lack of research on their role in cold resistance. In this study, the transcriptome database of Stenotaphrum secundatum was aligned with the whole genome of Setaria italica, and eight members of the Shaker potassium channel family in Stenotaphrum secundatum were identified and named SsKAT1.1, SsKAT1.2, SsKAT2.1, SsKAT2.2, SsAKT1.1, SsAKT2.1, SsAKT2.2, and SsKOR1. The KAT3-like gene, KOR2 homologous gene, and part of the AKT-type weakly inwardly rectifying channel have not been identified in the Stenotaphrum secundatum transcriptome database. A bioinformatics analysis revealed that the potassium channels of Stenotaphrum secundatum are highly conserved in terms of protein structure but have more homologous members in the same group than those of other species. Among the three species of Oryza sativa, Arabidopsis thaliana, and Setaria italica, the potassium channel of Stenotaphrum secundatum is more closely related to the potassium channel of Setaria italica, which is consistent with the taxonomic results of these species belonging to Paniceae. Subcellular location experiments demonstrate that SsKAT1.1 is a plasma membrane protein. The expression of SsKAT1.1 reversed the growth defect of the potassium absorption-deficient yeast strain R5421 under a low potassium supply, indicating that SsKAT1.1 is a functional potassium channel. The transformation of SsKAT1.1 into the cold-sensitive yeast strain INVSC1 increased the cold resistance of the yeast, indicating that SsKAT1.1 confers cold resistance. The transformation of SsKAT1.1 into the salt-sensitive yeast strain G19 increased the resistance of yeast to salt, indicating that SsKAT1.1 is involved in salt tolerance. These results suggest that the manipulation of SsKAT1.1 will improve the cold and salt stress resistance of Stenotaphrum secundatum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recovering a non-negative sparse signal from an underdetermined linear system remains a challenging problem in signal processing. Despite the development of various approaches, such as non-negative least squares, as well as variants of greedy algorithms and iterative thresholding methods, their recovery performance and efficiency often fall short of practical expectations. Aiming to address this limitation, this paper first devises a momentum-boosted adaptive thresholding algorithm for non-negative sparse signal recovery. Then, we establish two sufficient conditions of stable recovery for the proposed algorithm by using the restricted isometry property and mutual coherence. Extensive tests based on synthetic and real-world data demonstrate the superiority of our approach over the state-of-the-art non-negative orthogonal greedy algorithms and iterative thresholding methods, in terms of the probability of successful recovery, phase transition, and computational attractiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the poor cold tolerance of Stenotaphrum Trin and the urgent need for shade-tolerant grass species in temperate regions of East China, this study evaluated the cold tolerance of 55 Stenotaphrum accessions, aiming to provide shade-tolerant materials for temperate regions. A fine cold-tolerant turfgrass should have both the advantages of delayed fall dormancy and early spring green-up. However, previous research on the cold resistance of turfgrass has mainly focused on the performance of the spring green-up, with less attention paid to the fall dormancy, which has affected the ornamental and application value of turfgrass. This study first dynamically investigated the leaf colour of each accession during the fall dormancy and the coverage during the spring green-up and evaluated the cold resistance of the accession through membership functions and cluster analysis. Significant differences in the cold resistance were found with the assignment of breeding lines to four categories. The weak correlation (R2 = 0.1682) between leaf colour during the fall dormancy and coverage during the spring green-up indicates that using the performance of a single period to represent the cold resistance of accessions is not appropriate. To test whether using the laboratory-based LT50 and stolon regrowth rating analysis can replace the above-improved method, we conducted a related analysis and found that the fit between these two methods is very poor. This phenomenon is attributed to the poor correlation between the laboratory-based parameters and the pot-investigated data. Therefore, this study presents a cold resistance evaluation method for Stenotaphrum that integrates performance in both the fall dormancy and spring green-up periods. This improved evaluation method cannot be simplified by the growth performance of a single period or replaced by using laboratory-based LT50 and stolon regrowth tests. With the help of this improved method, several excellent cold tolerance accessions (ST003, S13, and S12) were identified for temperate regions of East China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Whole genome variants offer sufficient information for genetic prediction of human disease risk, and prediction of animal and plant breeding values. Many sophisticated statistical methods have been developed for enhancing the predictive ability. However, each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, so far, no one method can beat others. Results: We herein propose an Ensemble Learning method for Prediction of Genetic Values (ELPGV), which assembles predictions from several basic methods such as GBLUP, BayesA, BayesB and BayesCπ, to produce more accurate predictions. We validated ELPGV with a variety of well-known datasets and a serious of simulated datasets. All revealed that ELPGV was able to significantly enhance the predictive ability than any basic methods, for instance, the comparison p-value of ELPGV over basic methods were varied from 4.853E−118 to 9.640E−20 for WTCCC dataset. Conclusions: ELPGV is able to integrate the merit of each method together to produce significantly higher predictive ability than any basic methods and it is simple to implement, fast to run, without using genotype data. is promising for wide application in genetic predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the experiment was to investigate the effect of fresh Cajanus cajan leaf powder on the growth performance, breeding economic benefits, slaughtering performance, meat quality, and intestinal microorganisms of finishing pigs. Twenty-four healthy Hainan black pigs with similar weights in the same batch were randomly divided into four groups, with six replicates in each group and one pig in each replicate. The pigs in the control group were fed a basal diet, and the experimental group B, group C, and group D were supplemented with 10%, 15%, and 20% fresh Cajanus cajan leaf powder in the basal diet, respectively. The pre-test period was seven days, and the formal test period was 270 days. The results showed that compared with the control group, the average daily feed intake of finishing pigs in the experimental groups decreased significantly (P<0.05), and the average daily gain and final weight of finishing pigs in the experimental group D decreased significantly (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, experimental group B, and experimental group D, the breeding profit of the experimental group C increased by 6.36%, 5.68%, and 9.99%, respectively. Compared with the control group, the backfat thickness of finishing pigs in the experimental groups decreased significantly (P<0.05), the meat color score of the experimental groups increased significantly (P<0.05), and the pH24 h value of pork in the experimental group B and group C increased significantly (P<0.05). The content of total amino acids, total essential amino acids and flavor amino acids in the longissimus dorsi muscle of the experimental groups increased significantly (P<0.05). The content of saturated fatty acids in the experimental group C and group D decreased significantly (P<0.05), the content of monounsaturated fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids increased significantly (P<0.05), and the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids increased significantly in the experimental group D (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the relative abundance of Bacteroides in the experimental group B increased (P<0.05), while the relative abundance of Proteobacteria in the experimental group B and group C decreased (P<0.05). At the genus level, the relative abundance of Escherichia-shigella in the experimental groups decreased (P<0.05). The study indicates that adding fresh Cajanus cajan leaf powder to the diet can improve slaughter performance, meat quality, and flavor of fattening pigs, optimize intestinal microbial structure, reduce fat deposition and relative abundance of harmful bacteria, and adding 15% fresh Cajanus cajan leaf powder was the best. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let μ M , D be the self-affine measure generated by an expanding integer matrix M ∈ M n (Z) and a finite digit set D ⊂ Z n . It is well known that the two measures μ M , D and μ M ~ , D ~ have the same spectrality if M ~ = B - 1 M B and D ~ = B - 1 D , where B ∈ M n (R) is a nonsingular matrix. This fact is usually used to simplify the digit set D or the expanding matrix M. However, it often transforms integer digit set D or integer expanding matrix M into real, which brings many difficulties to study the spectrality of μ M ~ , D ~ . In this paper, we introduce a similar transformation of general linear group G L n (p) for some self-affine measures, and discuss their spectral properties. This kind of similar transformation can keep the integer properties of D and M simultaneously, which leads to many advantages in discussing the spectrality of self-affine measures. As an application, we extend some well-known spectral self-affine measures to more general forms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Muscularis macrophages, as the most abundant immune cells in the intestinal muscularis externa, exhibit tissue protective phenotype in the steady state. Owing to tremendous advances in technology, we now know the fact that muscularis macrophages are a heterogeneous population of cells which could be divided into different functional subsets depending on their anatomic niches. There is emerging evidence showing that these subsets, through molecular interactions with their neighbours, take part in a wide range of physiological and pathophysiological processes in the gut. In this review, we summarize recent progress (particularly over the past 4 years) on distribution, morphology, origin and functions of muscularis macrophages and, where possible, the characteristics of specific subsets in response to the microenvironment they occupy, with particular emphasis on their role in muscular inflammation. Furthermore, we also integrate their role in inflammation-related gastrointestinal disorders, such as post-operative ileus and diabetic gastroparesis, in order to propose future therapeutic strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to explore the therapeutic effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on post stroke shoulder pain (PSSP).Methods: We enrolled 13 individuals in this study who underwent three different treatments in a random sequence: active tDCS+active TENS, active tDCS+sham TENS, and sham tDCS+active TENS. Each treatment was administered once, with a 3-day washout period between interventions. A blinded rater assessed the visual analog scale (VAS) scores, fNIRS readings, and sensory and pain tolerance thresholds of the participants before and after the stimulation.Results: All three treatment methods can significantly alleviate PSSP (p< 0.05). Compared with using tDCS alone, tDCS+TENS can significantly improve pain, with a statistically significant difference (p< 0.05). In the 2KHz PTT task, the three treatment methods showed significant differences (p< 0.05) in the mean oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) levels in the false premotor cortex (PMC)/auxiliary motor area (SMA) before and after intervention.Conclusion: The combination of tDCS+TENS can increase the pain-relieving impact on PSSP when compared to using tDCS alone. TENS may contribute an additional effect on the inhibitory systems influenced by tDCS that help reduce pain.Clinical Registration Number: Registration website: https://www.chictr.org.cn. Registration date: 2022-02-25. Registration number: ChiCTR2200056970. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Susceptibility to domain changes for image classification hinders the application and development of deep neural networks. Domain adaptation (DA) makes use of domain-invariant characteristics to improve the performance of a model trained on labeled data from one domain (source domain) on an unlabeled domain (target) with a different data distribution. But existing DA methods simply use pretrained models (e.g., AlexNet, ResNet) for feature extraction, which are convolutional models that are trapped in localized features and fail to acquire long-distance dependencies. Furthermore, many approaches depend too much on pseudo-labels, which can impair adaptation efficiency and lead to unstable and inconsistent results. In this research, we present S2AC, a novel approach for unsupervised deep domain adaptation, that makes use of a stacked attention architecture as a feature map extractor. Our method can fuse domain discrepancy with minimizing a linear transformation of the second statistics (covariances) extended by the p-norm, while simultaneously designing pretext tasks on heuristics to improve the generality of the learning representation. In addition, we have developed a new trainable relative position embedding that not only reduces the model parameters but also enhances model accuracy and expedites the training process. To illustrate our method's efficacy and controllability, we designed extensive experiments based on the Office31, Office_Caltech_10, and OfficeHome datasets. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed method is the first attempt at incorporating attention-based networks and self-supervised learning for image domain adaptation, and has shown promising results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let μ M , D be a self-similar measure generated by an n × n expanding real matrix M = ρ - 1 ⁢ I and a finite digit set D ⊂ ℤ n , where 0 < | ρ | < 1 and I is an n × n unit matrix. In this paper, we study the existence of a Fourier basis for L 2 ⁢ (μ M , D) , i.e., we find a discrete set Λ such that E Λ = { e 2 ⁢ π ⁢ i ⁢ 〈 λ , x 〉 : λ ∈ Λ } is an orthonormal basis for L 2 ⁢ (μ M , D) . Under some suitable conditions for D, some necessary and sufficient conditions for L 2 ⁢ (μ M , D) to admit infinite orthogonal exponential functions are given. Then we set up a framework to obtain necessary and sufficient conditions for L 2 ⁢ (μ M , D) to have a Fourier basis. Finally, we demonstrate how these results can be applied to self-similar measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional ferromagnetic semiconductors with coupled valley physics and piezoelectric responses offer unprecedented opportunities to miniaturize low-power multifunctional integrated devices. Prompted by epitaxial fabrication of nonmagnetic 2H-TiTe2 monolayer on the Au(111) substrate, we predict through both density functional theory and Monte Carlo simulations that the semilithiated 2H-TiTe2 monolayer (Li@2H-TiTe2) is a stable near room-temperature semiconducting ferromagnet. Under an out-of-plane magnetization, Li@2H-TiTe2 exhibits a clean valley polarization up to 160 meV in its conduction band and a valley-contrasting Berry curvature due to the broken inversion and time-reversal symmetries, in favor of achievable anomalous valley Hall effect. Alternatively, the simultaneous charge, spin, valley Hall currents can be realized as well in the ferromagnetic system with circularly polarized light. Furthermore, the missing mirror symmetry generates a scarce vertical piezoelectricity as large as 0.89 pm V−1. These findings indicate that asymmetric surface functionalization by Li deposition on the 2H-TiTe2 monolayer opens up a vital avenue to predesign superior and tailored multifunctional materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accumulating data indicate that N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation and lncRNA deregulation act crucial roles in cancer progression. Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A2B1 (HNRNPA2B1) as an m6A "reader" has been reported to be an oncogene in multiple malignancies. We herein aimed to elucidate the role and underlying mechanism by which HNRNPA2B1-mediated m6A modification of lncRNAs contributes to non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: The expression levels of HNRNPA2B1 and their association with the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis in NSCLC were determined by RT-qPCR, Western blot, immunohistochemistry and TCGA dataset. Then, the role of HNRNPA2B1 in NSCLC cells was assessed by in vitro functional experiments and in vivo tumorigenesis and lung metastasis models. HNRNPA2B1-mediated m6A modification of lncRNAs was screened by m6A-lncRNA epi-transcriptomic microarray and verified by methylated RNA immunoprecipitation (Me-RIP). The lncRNA MEG3-specific binding with miR-21-5p was evaluated by luciferase gene report and RIP assays. The effects of HNRNPA2B1 and (or) lncRNA MEG3 on miR-21-5p/PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling were examined by RT-qPCR and Western blot analyses. Results: We found that upregulation of HNRNPA2B1 was associated with distant metastasis and poor survival, representing an independent prognostic factor in patients with NSCLC. Knockdown of HNRNPA2B1 impaired cell proliferation and metastasis in vitro and in vivo, whereas ectopic expression of HNRNPA2B1 possessed the opposite effects. Mechanical investigations revealed that lncRNA MEG3 was an m6A target of HNRNPA2B1 and inhibition of HNRNPA2B1 decreased MEG3 m6A levels but increased its mRNA levels. Furthermore, lncRNA MEG3 could act as a sponge of miR-21-5p to upregulate PTEN and inactivate PI3K/AKT signaling, leading to the suppression of cell proliferation and invasion. Low expression of lncRNA MEG3 or elevated expression of miR-21-5p indicated poor survival in patients with NSCLC. Conclusions: Our findings uncover that HNRNPA2B1-mediated m6A modification of lncRNA MEG3 promotes tumorigenesis and metastasis of NSCLC cells by regulating miR-21-5p/PTEN axis and may provide a therapeutic target for NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let M = ρ − 1 I ∈ M n (R) be an expanding matrix with 0 < ∣ ρ ∣ < 1 and D ⊂ Z n be a finite digit set with 0 ∈ D and Z (m D) − Z (m D) ⊂ Z (m D) ∪ { 0 } ⊂ m − 1 Z n for a prime m, where Z (m D) := { x : ∑ d ∈ D e 2 π i ⟨ λ , x ⟩ = 0 } . Let μM,D be the associated self-similar measure defined by μ M , D (⋅) = 1 | D | ∑ d ∈ D μ M , D (M (⋅) − d) . In this paper, the necessary and sufficient conditions for L2(μM,D) to admit infinite orthogonal exponential functions are given. Moreover, by using the order theory of polynomial, we estimate the number of orthogonal exponential functions for all cases that L2(μM,D) does not admit infinite orthogonal exponential functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wearable electronics, as essential components of the Internet of Things (IoT), have attracted widespread attention, and the trend is to configure attractive wearable smart microsystems by integrating sensing, powering, and other functions. Herein, we developed an elastic hybrid triboelectric–electromagnetic microenergy harvester (named EHTE) to realize hybrid sensing and microenergy simultaneously. This EHTE is a highly integrated triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and electromagnetic nanogenerator (EMG). Based on the triboelectric–electromagnetic hybrid mechanism, an enhanced electrical output of the EHTE was achieved successfully, which demonstrates the feasibility of the EHTE for microelectronics powering. Moreover, with the merits of the EMG, the developed hybrid microenergy harvester integrated both active frequency sensing and passive inductive sensing capabilities. Specifically, the almost linear correlation of the electromagnetic outputs to the frequencies of the external stimulus endowed the proposed EHTE with an outstanding active frequency sensing ability. In addition, due to the unique structural configuration of the EMG (i.e., a conductive permanent magnet (PM), hybrid deformation layer, and flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) coil), an opportunity was provided for the developed EHTE to serve as a passive inductive sensor based on the eddy current effect (i.e., a form of electromagnetic induction). Therefore, the developed EHTE successfully achieved the integration of hybrid sensing (i.e., active frequency sensing and passive inductive sensing) and microenergy (i.e., the combination of electromagnetic effect and triboelectric effect) within a single device, which demonstrates the potential of this newly developed EHTE for wearable electronic applications, especially in applications of compact active microsystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. High-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (HF-rTMS) has been proposed as a promising therapeutic intervention for patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC). However, its therapeutic effects in the literature are inconsistently documented. The primary aim of this study was to explore the alterations in neural connectivity and neurobehavioral reactivity during rTMS modulation in patients with DOC. In addition, safety was investigated as a secondary aim. Methods. The presence of bilateral N20 components in DOC patients was determined by somatosensory-evoked potential (SEP) before enrollment in the study. A total of 64 patients were enrolled and randomly placed into the active and sham groups. Ultimately, 50 patients completed the study. Twenty-five patients in the active group underwent real HF-rTMS, and 25 patients in the sham group underwent sham HF-rTMS, which was delivered over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). The outcome measures of performed pre- and postintervention included the latencies of the N20 and N20-P25 amplitudes of SEP, brainstem auditory-evoked potential (BAEP) grade, JFK Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) score, and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score; any adverse events were recorded at any time during the intervention. Result. Following six weeks of treatment, a significant increase was observed in the total CRS-R and GCS scores, and the N20-P25 amplitudes of patients in the two groups were compared with that obtained from preintervention (all p values < 0.05). The waves of BAEP in the two groups also showed a trend toward normalized activity compared with preintervention grades (p values < 0.05). A significant decrease in the latencies of N20 (p values < 0.001) was observed in the active group compared with measurements obtained from preintervention, whereas no significant decrease was observed in the sham group (p values = 0.013). The improvement in total CRS-R scores (p values = 0.002), total GCS scores (p values = 0.023), and N20-P25 amplitudes (p values = 0.011) as well as the decrease in latencies of N20 (p values = 0.018) and change in BAEP grades (p values = 0.013) were significantly different between the two groups. The parameters in neural connectivity (N20-P25 amplitudes, N20 latencies, and BAEP grades) were significantly correlated with the total CRS-R and GCS scores at postintervention, and the changes of CRS-R before and after interventions have a positive relationship with N20-P25 amplitudes. No adverse events related to the rTMS protocol were recorded. Conclusion. Neural connectivity levels are affected by HF-rTMS and are significantly related to clinical responses in DOC patients with the presence of bilateral N20. The elevation of neural connectivity levels may lay a foundation for successful HF-rTMS treatment for DOC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different types of vegetation patches are alternately and randomly distributed in a timberline ecotone where the upper limit is the treeline and the lower limit is the timberline. However, most studies on timberline/treeline altitudinal distributions have simplified timberline or treeline as continuous curves and disregarded the fuzziness of timberline/treeline and the randomness of different vegetation patch distributions in a timberline ecotone. To study the altitudinal distribution characteristics of timberline and treeline from the perspective of uncertainty theory, we constructed the timberline and treeline elevation cloud models in Mt. Namjagbarwa in east Himalayas. Subsequently, we established multiple linear regression models by using nine influencing factors, namely, aspect, slope, topographic relief, dryness index, average temperature in January and July, latitude, summit syndrome (represented by the vertical distance from the peak), and snow effect (represented by the nearest distance from the snow) as independent variables, and the elevations of timberline/treeline as dependent variables. Then we compared the contributions of the nine factors in timberline, treeline, and the core and peripheral areas of timberline and treeline. The results show that 1) the timberline/treeline elevation cloud model can represent the overall characteristics (especially the uncertainty) of the altitudinal distributions of the timberline/treeline well. The uncertainty of treeline's altitudinal distribution is higher than that of timberline (entropy and hyper entropy: 207.59 m and 70.36 m for treeline elevation cloud; entropy and hyper entropy: 191.17 m and 50.13 m for timberline elevation cloud). 2) The influence of climate and topography on timberline and treeline are similar. The average temperature in July has a significant negative correlation with the timberline/treeline elevation in Mt. Namjagbarwa, which is the most critical factor that affects timberline and treeline elevation, explaining the altitudinal distribution of 44.01% timberline and 46.74% treeline. However, the contributions of the nine factors in core and peripheral areas of timberline and treeline area are evidently different. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wearable electronics, as essential components of the Internet of Things (IoT), have attracted widespread attention, and the trend is to configure attractive wearable smart microsystems by integrating sensing, powering, and other functions. Herein, we developed an elastic hybrid triboelectric–electromagnetic microenergy harvester (named EHTE) to realize hybrid sensing and microenergy simultaneously. This EHTE is a highly integrated triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and electromagnetic nanogenerator (EMG). Based on the triboelectric–electromagnetic hybrid mechanism, an enhanced electrical output of the EHTE was achieved successfully, which demonstrates the feasibility of the EHTE for microelectronics powering. Moreover, with the merits of the EMG, the developed hybrid microenergy harvester integrated both active frequency sensing and passive inductive sensing capabilities. Specifically, the almost linear correlation of the electromagnetic outputs to the frequencies of the external stimulus endowed the proposed EHTE with an outstanding active frequency sensing ability. In addition, due to the unique structural configuration of the EMG (i.e., a conductive permanent magnet (PM), hybrid deformation layer, and flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) coil), an opportunity was provided for the developed EHTE to serve as a passive inductive sensor based on the eddy current effect (i.e., a form of electromagnetic induction). Therefore, the developed EHTE successfully achieved the integration of hybrid sensing (i.e., active frequency sensing and passive inductive sensing) and microenergy (i.e., the combination of electromagnetic effect and triboelectric effect) within a single device, which demonstrates the potential of this newly developed EHTE for wearable electronic applications, especially in applications of compact active microsystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrophysiological recording can be used to quantify the clinical features of central poststroke pain (CPSP) caused by different lesion locations. We aimed to explore the relationship between clinical features and lesion location in patients with CPSP using the current perception threshold (CPT) approach. Here, patients underwent the standardized CPT measure at five detection sites on both the contralesional and ipsilesional sides, using a constant alternating-current sinusoid waveform stimulus at three frequencies: 2000 Hz, 250 Hz, and 5 Hz. 57 CPSP patients were recruited in this cross-sectional study, including 13 patients with thalamic lesions and 44 patients with internal capsule lesions. Patients with a thalamic lesion had more frequent abnormal Aδ and C fibers than those with an internal capsule lesion (69.2% versus 36.4%, p value = 0.038; 53.8% versus 63.6%, p value = 0.038). The patients with internal capsule lesions had more frequent abnormal Aβ fibers than those with thalamic lesions (53.8% versus 63.6%, p value < 0.001). The sensory dysfunction in the patients with thalamic lesions was more likely to occur in the upper limbs (i.e., the shoulder (p value = 0.027) and the finger (p value = 0.040)). The lower limbs (i.e., the knee (p value = 0.040) and the toe (p value = 0.005)) were more likely to experience sensory dysfunction in the patients with internal capsule lesions. Hyperesthesia was more likely to occur in the thalamic patients, and hypoesthesia was more likely to occur in the patients with internal capsule lesions (p value < 0.001). In patients with thalamic lesions, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) had a positive correlation with 5 Hz CPT on the shoulder (r = 0.010 , p value = 0.005), 250 Hz CPT on the finger (r = 0.690 , p value = 0.009) from the contralesional side, and 2000 Hz CPT on the knee (r = 0.690 , p value = 0.009). In patients with internal capsule lesions, VAS had a positive correlation with 2000 Hz CPT on the knee (r = 0.312 , p value = 0.039) and foot (r = 0.538 , p value < 0.001). In conclusion, the abnormal fiber types, sensory dysfunction territory, and clinical signs of CPSP in thalamic stroke differ from those in internal capsule stroke. Implementation of the portable and convenient CPT protocol may help clarify the locations of different stroke lesions in various clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In comparison with the numerous studies that have centered on developing molecular frameworks for the functionalization of fluorescent materials, less research has addressed the influence of the side chains, despite such appendages contributing significantly to the properties and applications of fluorescent materials. In this work, a new series of cationic fluorescent probes with AIE characteristics have been developed, which exhibit unique sensitivity for charge-diffusion anions, namely HSO3−, via the interactions of ions and the cooperation of the controllable hydrophobicity. The impact of the alkyl chain length attached at the cationic probes suggested that the fluorescent intensity and sensitivity of the probes could be partially enhanced by adjusting their aggregation tendency through the action of the hydrophobic effect under aqueous conditions. DLS and SEM images indicated that different particle sizes and new morphologies of the probes were formed in the anion-recognition-triggered self-assembly process, which could be attributed to the composite effect of electrostatic actions, Van der Waals forces and π-π stacking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A set of shaking table tests were conducted to investigate the dynamic response characteristics of a single-layer cylindrical reticulated shell (SLCRS) with three-dimensional column-top seismic isolation. The influence of infilled wall on the seismic and isolation performance of the structure was investigated. The dynamic response characteristics of structures with and without seismic isolation were compared to investigate the effects of seismic isolation. The dynamic responses of lower-frame models with and without an infilled wall were also compared to investigate the effects of the infilled wall on the seismic isolation. Results show that the three-dimensional column-top seismic isolation improved the seismic safety of infilled wall. At the same time, the three-dimensional column-top isolation bearing can significantly reduce the acceleration and stress of the structure. The excellent isolation performance of the three-dimensional isolation bearing promises outstanding application prospects for this isolation bearing in highly seismic areas. In addition, under a small earthquake, the acceleration of the second floor with the isolation bearing was unfavorably magnified. Therefore, the seismic performance of the acceleration-sensitive nonstructural components should be improved when the three-dimensional column-top seismic isolation is applied in the areas of low seismicity. The test data and conclusions obtained in the present study can provide theoretical and technical support for the actual engineering application of such three-dimensional seismic isolation bearings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional (2D) intrinsic ferrovalley semiconductors provide unprecedented opportunities to investigate valley physics as well as providing promising device applications due to their exceptional combination of spontaneous spin and valley polarizations. Here, we have predicted from first-principles calculations and Monte Carlo simulations that monolayers (MLs) GdX2 are such extremely rare excellent materials. Apart from their robust stabilities energetically, dynamically, thermally, and mechanically, these 2D materials are found to be semiconducting intrinsic ferromagnets where the magnetic coupling is ascribed to 5d-electron-mediated 4f–4f exchange interactions. Moreover, MLs GdX2 (X = F, Cl, Br) not only exhibit significant magnetic anisotropy energy of 351, 268, and 30 μeV per Gd, but also have a high Curie temperature of 300, 245, and 225 K, respectively. In particular, spontaneous valley polarization in three systems occurs due to the cooperative interplay between the spin–orbit coupling and magnetic exchange interactions, whose magnitude is as sizable as 55, 38, and 82 meV for MLs GdF2, GdCl2, and GdBr2, respectively. Under the action of an in-plane longitudinal electrical field, the valley-contrasting Berry curvatures arising from the broken space-inversion and time-reversal symmetries in MLs GdX2 could yield opposite transverse velocities of the carriers, giving rise to the occurrence of a spin-polarized anomalous valley Hall effect. Overall, these findings render 2D GdX2 a class of promising candidate materials for experimental studies and practical spintronics and valleytronics applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabolic labeling using stable isotopes is widely used for the relative quantification of proteins in proteomic studies. In plants, metabolic labeling using 15N has great potential, but the associated complexity of data analysis has limited its usage. Here, we present the 15N stable-isotope labeled protein quantification workflow utilizing open-access web-based software Protein Prospector. Further, we discuss several important features of 15N labeling required to make reliable and precise protein quantification. These features include ratio adjustment based on labeling efficiency, median and interquartile range for protein ratios, isotope cluster pattern matching to flag incorrect monoisotopic peak assignment, and caching of quantification results for fast retrieval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is one of the most common hereditary neurodegenerative diseases. Postural control dysfunction is the main symptom of SCA3, and the proprioceptive system is a critical sensory component of postural control. Accordingly, proprioception quantification assessment is necessary in monitoring the progression of SCA3. Objective: We aimed to quantitatively assess lower limb proprioception and investigate the relationship between proprioception and clinical characteristics in patients with SCA3. Methods: A total of 80 patients with SCA3 and 62 health controls were recruited, and their lower limb proprioception was measured using the Pro-kin system. Clinical characteristics of the SCA3 patients were collected. Multivariable linear regression was used to investigate potential affected factors for lower limb proprioception. Results: We found that the patients with SCA3 experience poorer lower limb proprioception characterized by significant impairment in the average trace error (ATE) and time to carry out the test time execution (TTE) compared to controls (P < 0.05). Moreover, there were significant differences in TTE between the right and left lower limbs (P < 0.05) of the patients. Regression analyses revealed that increasing age at onset (AAO) predicts poorer lower limb proprioception for both ATE (β = 2.006, P = 0.027) and TTE (β = 1.712, P = 0.043) and increasing disease duration predicts poorer lower limb proprioception for ATE (β = 0.874, P = 0.044). AAO (β = 0.328, P = 0.019) along with the expanded alleles (β = 0.565, P = 0.000) could affect the severity of ataxia. By contrast, ATE (β = 0.036, P = 0.800) and TTE (β = −0.025, P = 0.862) showed no significant predictors. Conclusions: Lower limb proprioception in patients with SCA3 is significantly impaired when compared to healthy controls. Increasing AAO and disease duration are related to impaired lower limb proprioception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional (2D) intrinsic room-temperature ferromagnetic semiconductors are of great importance for the development of high-performance flexible electronic and spintronic nanodevices. In this work, we identify that the hexagonal chromium carbide (h-CrC) sheet is such a material using comprehensive density functional theory computations. Its thermodynamic structure and ferromagnetic ground state are both verified to be highly stable in an ambient environment. Apart from a large magnetic anisotropy with an easy out-of-plane magnetization axis, Monte Carlo simulations based on the classical Heisenberg model predict a high Curie temperature up to 555 K, well above room temperature for device applications. The ultrahigh carrier mobilities are recognized to be electron-dominated and feature directional migration. More importantly, the semiconducting and ferromagnetic nature of 2D h-CrC crystals remains rather robust and becomes even more excellent when subjected to different levels of biaxial strain. In particular, the moderate compressive strains not only activate the semiconducting h-CrC sheet into a half-metallic state but also strikingly enhance the Curie temperature and magnetic anisotropy energy. On the other hand, it is observed that the 2D h-CrC crystal begins to undergo an indirect-to-direct band gap transition at a 5% tensile strain. A feasible synthetic route is also proposed to realize the deposition of a h-CrC monolayer on the MoSe2 substrate. The combination of these findings shows that the h-CrC monolayer is a promising candidate material for future practical applications in nanoscale electronics and spintronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAIP) has been proposed to regulate gastrointestinal inflammation via acetylcholine released from the vagus nerve activating α7 nicotinic receptor (α7nAChR) on macrophages. Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and PD rats with substantia nigra (SN) lesions exhibit gastroparesis and a decayed vagal pathway. To investigate whether activating α7nAChR could ameliorate inflammation and gastric dysmotility in PD rats, ELISA, western blot analysis, and real-time PCR were used to detect gastric inflammation. In vitro and in vivo gastric motility was investigated. Proinflammatory mediator levels and macrophage numbers were increased in the gastric muscularis of PD rats. α7nAChR was located on the gastric muscular macrophages of PD rats. The α7nAChR agonists PNU-282987 and GTS-21 decreased nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) activation and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 mRNA expression in the ex vivo gastric muscularis of PD rats, and these effects were abolished by an α7nAChR antagonist. After treatment with PNU-282987 in vivo, the PD rats showed decreased NF-κB activation, inflammatory mediator production, and contractile protein expression and improved gastric motility. The present study reveals that α7nAChR is involved in the development of gastroparesis in PD rats and provides novel insight for the treatment of gastric dysmotility in PD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C24H16N2S, monoclinic, P21/n (no. 14), a = 18.443(2) Å, b = 4.0161(6) Å, c = 23.396(4) Å, β = 99.246(6)°, V = 1710.4(4) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0589, wRref(F2) = 0.1173, T = 273.15 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C12H8Br2O2, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 4.1957(13) Å, b = 13.402(4) Å, c = 11.160(3) Å, β = 99.645(10)°, V = 618.7(3) Å3, Z = 2, Rgt(F) = 0.0287, wRref(F2) = 0.0701, T = 273(2) K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C12H16Br2O4, monoclinic, P21/n (no. 14), a = 12.594(5) Å, b = 4.4613(16) Å, c = 12.878(4) Å, β = 91.209(12)∘, V = 723.4(4) Å3, Z = 2, Rgt(F) = 0.0450, wRref(F2) = 0.1103, T = 293 (2) K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When ethanol and water are mixed into gasoline, the dielectric properties of gasoline will change. Based on this characteristic, we propose an antenna sensor and study its radiation and sensing performance in detection of ethanol gasoline in 6-7GHz band. In order to avoid the corrosion of the oil sample on the antenna, the antenna adopts a multilayer dielectric substrate structure. A $2\times 2$ artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) array is loaded on the bottom of the antenna to increase the gain of the sensor and reduce the return loss. The antenna sensor has good radiation pattern with a peak gain of 4 dB and high quality factor(Q) up to 69. Furthermore, the antenna sensor shows the advantages of high sensitivity and wide detection range on the detection of oil-water mixture and ethanol gasoline concentration. In order to verify the simulated results, the radiation and sensing performance of the antenna were measured, and the measured results were basically consistent with the simulated ones. Therefore, the proposed antenna sensor can be used for real-time wireless detection in ethanol gasoline transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the Cauchy problem for the Davey-Stewartson equation The dichotomy between scattering and finite time blow-up shall be proved for initial data with finite variance and with mass-energy M(u0)E(u0) above the ground state threshold M(Q)E(Q). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the spectrality of Sierpinski-Moran measure defined as an infinite convolution measure: μ { M j } , { D j } = δ M 1 - 1 D 1 ∗ δ (M 1 M 2) - 1 D 2 ∗ ⋯ , where D n = { (0 , 0) t , (a n , 0) t , (0 , b n) t } ⊂ Z 2 and M n = diag (s n , t n) ∈ M 2 (Z) are 2 × 2 expanding diagonal matrices. Our goal is to investigate the existence of Fourier orthonormal basis for L 2 (μ { M n } , { D n } ) , i.e., find an exponential function system { e 2 π i ⟨ λ , x ⟩ } λ ∈ Λ forming an orthonormal basis for L 2 (μ { M n } , { D n } ) . Some sufficient conditions for this aim are given, and some spectra Λ are found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CORrelation ALignment (CORAL) is an unsupervised domain adaptation method that uses a linear transformation to align the covariances of source and target domains. Deep CORAL extends CORAL with a nonlinear transformation using a deep neural network and adds CORAL loss as a part of the total loss to align the covariances of source and target domains. However, there are still two problems to be solved in Deep CORAL: features extracted from AlexNet are not always a good representation of the original data, as well as joint training combined with both the classification and CORAL loss may not be efficient enough to align the distribution of the source and target domain. In this paper, we proposed two strategies: attention to improve the quality of feature maps and the p-norm loss function to align the distribution of the source and target features, further reducing the offset caused by the classification loss function. Experiments on the Office-31 dataset indicate that our proposed methodologies improved Deep CORAL in terms of performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sugar, light, and hormones are major signals regulating plant growth and development, however, the interactions among these signals are not fully understood at the molecular level. Recent studies showed that sugar promotes hypocotyl elongation by activating the brassinosteroid (BR) signaling pathway after shifting Arabidopsis seedlings from light to extended darkness. Here, we show that sugar inhibits BR signaling in Arabidopsis seedlings grown under light. BR induction of hypocotyl elongation in seedlings grown under light is inhibited by increasing concentration of sucrose. The sugar inhibition of BR response is correlated with decreased effect of BR on the dephosphorylation of BZR1, the master transcription factor of the BR signaling pathway. This sugar effect is independent of the sugar sensors Hexokinase 1 (HXK1) and Target of Rapamycin (TOR), but requires the GSK3-like kinase Brassinosteroid-Insensitive 2 (BIN2), which is stabilized by sugar. Our study uncovers an inhibitory effect of sugar on BR signaling in plants grown under light, in contrast to its promotive effect in the dark. Such light-dependent sugar-BR crosstalk apparently contributes to optimal growth responses to photosynthate availability according to light-dark conditions. Author summary: Genetic studies of the brassinosteroid (BR) deficient mutants revealed its essential role in seedling development in the dark, but subsequent studies showed no significant difference in BR level between seedlings grown under light and darkness. We recently observed that light does affect BR levels in Arabidopsis, but in a sugar dependent manner. In the dark, sugar increases BR level as well as BR sensitivity by stabilizing the steroid response factor BZR1 through the Target of Rapamycin (TOR) signaling pathway. However, the BR level is decreased by sugar under light and by darkness on sugar-free medium. These observations raised the question of how the combinations of light and sugar modulate BR signaling. We addressed this question using genetic physiological analyses and found interestingly that sugar inhibits brassinosteroid response in light-grown plants by stabilizing the glycogen synthase kinase 3 homolog BIN2 and attenuating the dephosphorylation of BZR1, but independently of TOR. Our results indicate that sugar acts through distinct pathways to promote and inhibit BR signaling in dark and light conditions. Our work illustrates an intricate three-way crosstalk whereby the combination of light and sugar signals modulate the brassinosteroid signaling pathway to optimize growth according to both environmental and metabolic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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O-GlcNAc modification plays important roles in metabolic regulation of cellular status. Two homologs of O-GlcNAc transferase, SECRET AGENT (SEC) and SPINDLY (SPY), which have O-GlcNAc and O-fucosyl transferase activities, respectively, are essential in Arabidopsis but have largely unknown cellular targets. Here we show that AtACINUS is O-GlcNAcylated and O-fucosylated and mediates regulation of transcription, alternative splicing (AS), and developmental transitions. Knocking-out both AtACINUS and its distant paralog AtPININ causes severe growth defects including dwarfism, delayed seed germination and flowering, and abscisic acid (ABA) hypersensitivity. Transcriptomic and protein-DNA/RNA interaction analyses demonstrate that AtACINUS represses transcription of the flowering repressor FLC and mediates AS of ABH1 and HAB1, two negative regulators of ABA signaling. Proteomic analyses show AtACINUS's O-GlcNAcylation, O-fucosylation, and association with splicing factors, chromatin remodelers, and transcriptional regulators. Some AtACINUS/AtPININ-dependent AS events are altered in the sec and spy mutants, demonstrating a function of O-glycosylation in regulating alternative RNA splicing. AtACINUS is an Arabidopsis homolog of a mammalian splicing regulator and previously found to be O-GlcNAcyated. Here Bi et al. characterize the interactors and targets of AtACINUS, show it is required for development and stress responses and provide evidence that its O-glycosylation affects alternative splicing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]