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Salt stress is a significant environmental factor that impedes maize growth and yield. Exogenous 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) has been shown to mitigate the detrimental effects of various environmental stresses on plants. However, its regulatory role in the photosynthesis mechanisms of maize seedlings under salt stress remains poorly understood. Transcriptome sequencing and physiological index measurements were conducted on the leaves of the "Zhengdan 958" cultivar subjected to three different treatments. Differential expression analysis revealed 4634 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including key transcription factor (TF) families such as NAC, MYB, WRKY, and MYB-related, across two comparisons (SS_vs_CK and ALA_SS_vs_SS). Significant enrichment was observed in the metabolic pathways related to porphyrin metabolism, photosynthesis-antenna proteins, photosynthesis, and carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms. ALA treatment modulated the expression of photosynthesis-related genes, increased photosynthetic pigment content, and enhanced the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), thereby mitigating the excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, ALA increased starch content under salt stress. These findings establish a foundational understanding of the molecular mechanisms through which ALA regulates photosynthesis under salt stress in maize seedlings. Collectively, exogenous ALA enhances maize's salt tolerance by regulating photosynthesis-related pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) constitute myeloid malignancies, and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is considered as a potentially optimal approach for achieving a long term cure. However, post-allo-HSCT relapse remains a leading cause of mortality and therapeutic failure. Methods: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of combining hypomethylating agents (HMAs) with Bcl-2 inhibitors in the treatment of AML/MDS relapse following allo-HSCT, we retrospectively collected data from 42 patients who experienced relapse between April 2012 and March 2022 at Peking University First Hospital. Among these patients, 21 underwent intensive chemotherapy (IC) alone, while the other 21 received treatment with HMAs after IC treatment, either alone or in combination with the Bcl-2 inhibitor venetoclax (VEN). Results: The median overall survival (OS) was 9 ± 2.153 months, and the one-year OS rate was 41.5%. The overall response rate (ORR) in the chemotherapy group and the IC+HMAs ± VEN group was 52.38% (11/21) and 76.19% (16/21), respectively, with no significant difference found (P=0.107). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a significant difference in OS between the chemotherapy group and the IC+HMAs ± VEN group in our retrospective cohort study (P=0.041, χ2= 4.016). Additionally, a significant difference in overall survival (OS) rates was observed between the two groups for patients categorized as intermediate/high risk (P=0.008). The secondary relapse rate was 45.45% (5/11) in the IC cohort and 25% (4/16) in the IC+HMAs ± VEN group, respectively, with no significant difference identified between the two cohorts (P=0.268). Furthermore, upon assessing the risk of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), infection, and agranulocytosis, no notable differences were observed with the use of HMAs, suggesting that HMAs did not increase the risk. In the IC+HMAs ± VEN group, 7 patients received VEN in addition to HMAs, and no significant statistical difference was found in OS when comparing patients who received HMAs alone and those who received HMA+VEN (P=0.183), also, a statistically significant difference in OS was noted between the two groups whenaccounting for competing risks (P=0.028). Conclusions: This retrospective study highlights the efficacy of IC+HMAs ± VEN in treating AML/MDS patients experiencing relapse post allo-HSCT, improving survival rates, especially for those classified as intermediate/high risk, with favorable tolerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-invasive brain stimulation, particularly transcranial electrical stimulation (tES), has been explored for its potential in controlling epileptic activity. Based on the whole-brain epilepsy model, this study proposes a mechanism of stimulus effects on excitatory synaptic levels within nodes to explain the lasting effect of tES on the control of epileptic oscillatory propagation. It is found that cathodal tES effectively controls seizure propagation and maintains it for a period of time by affecting excitatory synaptic levels. Further, we propose a closed-loop tES strategy based on amplitude control. The choice of feedback indicator determines the time of stimulus onset and is particularly important for stimulus effectiveness. An unsuitable feedback signal may shorten stimulus duration, reduce long-term effectiveness, or fail to suppress already widespread oscillations. Additionally, the duration after each stimulus trigger and synaptic decay rate also influence the lasting effectiveness of closed-loop tES. The construction of specific epilepsy network models based on information from six patients suggests that the choice of stimulation parameters should be based on patient-specific information. Although the stimulation parameters required varied across models, the overall trend indicates improved lasting effects with increased stimulation duration and synaptic decay rates. Finally, the study introduces a dual-target closed-loop tES approach for a patient with extensively distributed seizure zones, where single-target stimulation proved ineffective. This study provides theoretical support for the application of closed-loop tES technology for the treatment of epilepsy, highlighting the necessity of personalized treatment protocols based on detailed patient-specific information and the innovative potential of dual-target stimulation strategies in refractory cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacillus subtilis has been reported to maintain the homeostasis of intestinal flora. In this study, a mouse model of alcoholic liver injury (ALI) was constructed to study the ameliorative effect of B. subtilis C10 on ALI and to further clarify its mechanism of action. Significant correlations between intestinal flora and biochemical indicators of ALI were found by statistical correlation analysis. Supplementation with B. subtilis C10 modulated the equilibrium of gut flora by reducing the population of detrimental bacteria while enhancing the numbers of beneficial microorganisms, which resulted in an improvement in lipid metabolism and oxidative stress in the liver. The results of RT‐qPCR showed that B. subtilis C10 intervention regulated the main regulatory factors of liver lipid metabolism (PPAR‐α, SREBP‐1c) and interfered with Nrf‐2/Ho‐1 signal pathway, which in turn ameliorated alcohol‐induced lipid metabolism disorder and liver peroxidation stress. In addition, liver metabonomic analysis showed that B. subtilis C10 intervention reduced the production of harmful metabolites and increased beneficial metabolites in the liver, thereby reversing the metabolic disturbances caused by excessive alcohol consumption. KEGG analysis showed that B. subtilis C10 intervention modulated liver metabolic disorders and accelerated lipid metabolism by regulating glutathione metabolic pathway, purine metabolic pathway, pantothenic acid and CoA biosynthesis pathway, ABC transporter protein pathway, and HIF‐1 signaling pathway. Taken together, these findings suggest that B. subtilis C10 ameliorates ALI by modifying the structure of intestinal flora and liver metabolic pathways to attenuate alcohol‐exposure‐induced liver oxidative damage and lipid metabolism abnormalities. Practical Application: Bacillus subtilis C10 is an effective probiotic intervention that significantly ameliorated alcoholic liver injury in mice through the gut–liver axis. B. subtilis C10 can be used as a dietary probiotic to develop functional foods with beneficial effects for the population of excessive alcohol consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the complex variations in water use efficiency (WUE) is critical for optimizing agricultural productivity and resource management. Traditional analytical methods often fail to capture the nonlinear and multiscale variations inherent in WUE, where multifractal theory offers distinct advantages. Given its limited application in WUE studies, this paper analyzes the spatiotemporal characteristics and influencing factors of the WUE in Anhui Province from 2001 to 2022 using a multifractal, multiscale approach. The results indicated that the WUE exhibited significant interannual variation, peaking in summer, especially in August (2.4552 gC·mm−1·m−2), with the monthly average showing an inverted "V" shape. Across different spatial and temporal scales, the WUE displayed clear multifractal characteristics. Temporally, the variation in fractal features between years was not prominent, while inter-seasonal variation was most complex in August during summer. Spatially, the most distinct multifractal patterns were observed in hilly and mountainous areas, particularly in regions with brown soil distribution. Rainfall was identified as the primary natural driver influencing regional WUE changes. This study aims to promote the sustainable use of water resources while ensuring the stability of agricultural production within protected farmlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease that poses a severe threat to public health security. The study of the transmission patterns and control strategies of brucellosis has become a hot topic in fields such as animal husbandry and biomathematics. To this end, we constructe a two-stage sheep-environment coupled transmission dynamics model based on the transmission characteristics of brucellosis. First, the basic reproduction number is calculated, with the result that the global stabilities of disease-free and endemic equilibria are acquired, respectively. Subsequently, an optimal control problem is addressed following Pontryagin's maximum principle considering the slaughter of infected sheep and the reduction of brucella emission into the environment. Finally, numerical simulations are used to validate the accuracy of theoretical results. In addition, the sensitivities of some major parameters and the impacts of different control strategies on brucellosis transmission are also investigated, the results reveal that any control strategy can control the transmission of brucellosis to a certain extent, but mixed control is more beneficial to reduce the number of exposed sheep, infected sheep, and brucellosis in environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces cooperative game theory into the data envelopment analysis (DEA) method for building a novel fixed cost allocation (FCA) approach from group and individual consciousness. We start by acknowledging the divergences of decision-making units (DMUs) and propose an asymmetrical Nash bargaining DEA game, where DMUs' bargaining powers are defined through the functions of cross-efficiency and operation scale. However, the asymmetrical Nash bargaining solution is proposed from an individual perspective, without providing the theoretical support of full cooperation. To narrow this gap, we further introduce the core concept of a coalitional cooperative game into the built asymmetrical Nash bargaining DEA game, resulting in the asymmetrical core-Nash bargaining DEA game. The asymmetrical core-Nash bargaining solution is based on the common weights, with the properties of stability, fairness, Pareto-efficiency, and invariance to affine transformation. Furthermore, our proposed approach inherently ensures the uniqueness of the fixed cost scheme. Finally, numerical analysis and case study are provided to show the concrete application of the new method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by Bacillus species exhibit biocontrol activity against fungal pathogens of fruits and vegetables. However, research on the effect of VOCs on Aspergillus flavus in stored grains is limited. This study aimed to investigate the effects of VOCs extracted from the strain R2, which was isolated from unhulled rice and identified as Bacillus paramycoides on A. flavus in vitro and unhulled rice. R2 VOCs effectively inhibited conidial germination and the hyphal growth of A. flavus in vitro. Moreover, R2 VOCs reduced the fungal population, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) levels, and free fatty acid (FFA) value by 90.8%, 67%, and 38.7%, respectively, in unhulled rice. Eighteen R2 VOCs were identified using headspace solid-phase micro-extraction gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, and the individual activity of the VOCs against A. flavus was tested in vitro. Benzaldehyde (Ben) and 3,7-dimethyl-1-octanol (Dmo) showed strong inhibitory activities against A. flavus on PDA plates, with inhibition rates of 100% and 91.2%, respectively, at a concentration of 20 μL/dish. Ben at the concentration of 0.09 mg/mL, Dmo at the concentration of 0.07 mg/mL, or a mixture of both at halved concentrations could reduce the fungal population, AFB1 levels, and FFA content in unhulled rice. Our findings suggest that R2 VOCs are good alternatives to traditional chemical fumigants for suppressing A. flavus in stored grains. However, further research is necessary to establish the optimal fumigation concentration of these two components in unhulled rice. The impact of their residues on grain quality should be explored through sensory evaluation and nutritional analysis, and their safety to the environment and human body should be evaluated through safety assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncertainty in robot dynamic systems is caused by model errors in the dynamic parameters, and accurate identification of the dynamic parameters is essential to improve the control accuracy of the robot. In this paper, a hybrid optimization strategy for modular robot manipulator dynamic model parameter identification is proposed to accurately identify the dynamic parameters of the robot manipulator. Firstly, the robot dynamics model with Coulomb viscous friction is established. Secondly, the cosine adaptive learning and reversal strategies are introduced to improve the genetic algorithm, and the improved genetic optimization algorithm is applied to optimize the excitation trajectories, and all the robot arm joints are commanded to follow the optimized excitation trajectories. In addition, considering that the Coulomb viscous friction model is not sufficient to accurately express the friction terms, a two-step identification method is proposed by analyzing the sensitivity of the parameters of the Stribeck friction model, combining the significantly identified friction coefficients with the quadratically optimized coefficients of the adaptive inverse genetic algorithm, which solves the problem of lower accuracy caused by the inaccuracy of the friction parameter identification. Then, the dynamic parameters are calculated using the least squares method to determine the system dynamics model information. Finally, the parameter identification and load identification are verified using a 6-degree-of-freedom modular robot manipulator, and the proposed hybrid optimization strategy effectively solves the defect of the low accuracy of the robot manipulator dynamics model compared to the dynamics model moment with Coulomb viscous friction, which in turn improves the control accuracy. Meanwhile, the load identification accuracy can reach 97% depending on the identified dynamics information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stimulus size modulation of neuronal firing activity is a fundamental property of the primary visual cortex. Numerous biological experiments have shown that stimulus size modulation is affected by multiple factors at different spatiotemporal scales, but the exact pathways and mechanisms remain incompletely understood. In this paper, we establish a large‐scale neuronal network model of primary visual cortex with layer 2/3 to study how gamma oscillation properties are modulated by stimulus size and especially how long‐range connections affect the modulation as realistic neuronal properties and spatial distributions of synaptic connections are considered. It is shown that long‐range horizontal synaptic connections are sufficient to produce dimensional modulation of firing rates and gamma oscillations. In particular, with increasing grating stimulus size, the firing rate increases and then decreases, the peak frequency of gamma oscillations decreases and the spectral power increases. These are consistent with biological experimental observations. Furthermore, we explain in detail how the number and spatial distribution of long‐range connections affect the size modulation of gamma oscillations by using the analysis of neuronal firing activity and synaptic current fluctuations. Our results provide a mechanism explanation for size modulation of gamma oscillations in the primary visual cortex and reveal the important and unique role played by long‐range connections, which contributes to a deeper understanding of the cognitive function of gamma oscillations in visual cortex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Memristor has been extensively employed to emulate neuron/synapse-inspired behaviors and to characterize the electromagnetic induction generated by ionic flowing. A link between memristive features and neural electrical activities is significantly necessary to be investigated. Thus, we propose a new neuron model with a locally active threshold flux-controlled (LTF) memristor, which depicts the electromagnetic induction. The LTF memristive neuron model can exhibit a regular evolution and transition of various firing patterns dependent upon the negative different conductance of the memristor, through performing the corresponding numerical simulations. It is demonstrated that due to the locally active threshold effect, the obtained model has complex firing behaviors. The memristive neural network is connected via chemical synapses. The memristive neural network under the modulation of excitatory and inhibitory chemical synapses shows different synchronous patterns. The captured results reveal that the locally active threshold effect is crucial for the generation of complex firing modes and the emergence of synchronization behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dopamine modulates working memory in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and is crucial for obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). However, the mechanism is unclear. Here we establish a biophysical model of the effect of dopamine (DA) in PFC to explain the mechanism of how high dopamine concentrations induce persistent neuronal activities with the network plunging into a deep, stable attractor state. The state develops a defect in working memory and tends to obsession and compulsion. Weakening the reuptake of dopamine acts on synaptic plasticity according to Hebbian learning rules and reward learning, which in turn affects the strength of neuronal synaptic connections, resulting in the tendency of compulsion and learned obsession. In addition, we elucidate the potential mechanisms of dopamine antagonists in OCD, indicating that dopaminergic drugs might be available for treatment, even if the abnormality is a consequence of glutamate hypermetabolism rather than dopamine. The theory highlights the significance of early intervention and behavioural therapies for obsessive–compulsive disorder. It potentially offers new approaches to dopaminergic pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy for OCD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of different thermal treatments including pasteurisation, ultra‐pasteurisation, ultra‐high temperature instantaneous sterilisation and in‐container sterilisation on physicochemical properties and peptide profiles of infant formula protein model after in vitro digestion were investigated. Results indicated that different extent of protein–protein and protein–lactose interactions caused different particle size, colour, functional groups and thermal properties. Peptide profiles were also different after in vitro digestion. About 32, 4, 15, 157 and 42 unique peptides, as well as 14, 10, 12, 13 and 10 bioactive peptides were identified in the five groups, respectively. Pasteurisation may be better for the processing of infant formula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil erosion is an obstacle in the process of maintaining and restoring the ecological environment in desert steppe landforms. We studied soil erosion in typical desert steppe landform areas in the northern foothills of the Yinshan Mountains. We used differences in altitude maps from different years to construct a dataset for soil erosion research, combined with data on precipitation, human activities, land cover, topography, and soil properties. We employed a convolutional neural network to learn and predict ASED and SEDD in different regions of the Yinshan Mountains. The trained model provided satisfactory prediction performance. We also determined the contributions of different factors and years to soil erosion prediction. Human activities had a greater impact on ASED prediction, while the impact of various factors on SEDD prediction was more balanced. Topography and precipitation factors had a relatively small effect on ASED prediction but played a prominent role in SEDD prediction. This study provides a new approach to exploring the mechanism of different factors on soil erosion in the Yinshan Mountains' northern foothills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dioxide fixation presents a potential solution for mitigating the greenhouse gas issue. During carbon dioxide fixation, C1 compound reduction requires a high energy supply. Thermodynamic calculations suggest that the energy source for cofactor regeneration plays a vital role in the effective enzymatic C1 reduction. Hydrogenase utilizes renewable hydrogen to achieve the regeneration and supply cofactor nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), providing a driving force for the reduction reaction to reduce the thermodynamic barrier of the reaction cascade, and making the forward reduction pathway thermodynamically feasible. Based on the regeneration of cofactor NADH by hydrogenase, and coupled with formaldehyde dehydrogenase and formolase, a favorable thermodynamic mode of the C1 reduction pathway for reducing formate to dihydroxyacetone (DHA) was designed and constructed. This resulted in accumulation of 373.19 µmol·L−1 DHA after 2 h, and conversion reaching 7.47%. These results indicate that enzymatic utilization of hydrogen as the electron donor to regenerate NADH is of great significance to the sustainable and green development of bio-manufacturing because of its high economic efficiency, no by-products, and environment-friendly operation. Moreover, formolase efficiently and selectively fixed the intermediate formaldehyde (FALD) to DHA, thermodynamically pulled formate to efficiently reduce to DHA, and finally stored the low-grade renewable energy into chemical energy with high energy density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research is to achieve biologically autonomous control by utilizing a whole-brain network model, drawing inspiration from biological neural networks to enhance the development of bionic intelligence. Here, we constructed a whole-brain neural network model of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), which characterizes the electrochemical processes at the level of the cellular synapses. The neural network simulation integrates computational programming and the visualization of the neurons and synapse connections of C. elegans, containing the specific controllable circuits and their dynamic characteristics. To illustrate the biological neural network (BNN)'s particular intelligent control capability, we introduced an innovative methodology for applying the BNN model to a 12-legged robot's movement control. Two methods were designed, one involving orientation control and the other involving locomotion generation, to demonstrate the intelligent control performance of the BNN. Both the simulation and experimental results indicate that the robot exhibits more autonomy and a more intelligent movement performance under BNN control. The systematic approach of employing the whole-brain BNN for robot control provides biomimetic research with a framework that has been substantiated by innovative methodologies and validated through the observed positive outcomes. This method is established as follows: (1) two integrated dynamic models of the C. elegans' whole-brain network and the robot moving dynamics are built, and all of the controllable circuits are discovered and verified; (2) real-time communication is achieved between the BNN model and the robot's dynamical model, both in the simulation and the experiments, including applicable encoding and decoding algorithms, facilitating their collaborative operation; (3) the designed mechanisms using the BNN model to control the robot are shown to be effective through numerical and experimental tests, focusing on 'foraging' behavior control and locomotion control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The competitive sorption of arsenite, As(III), and antimonite, Sb(III) on mackinawite (FeS) was investigated, so as to better understand the influence between As(III) and Sb(III) in anaerobic water, soil, or sediment systems rich in FeS. Methods: FeS was synthesized and As(III) and Sb(III) were simultaneously or sequentially added into the FeS suspensions, so as to simulate the competitive sorption of As(III) and Sb(III) on the surface of FeS particles when As(III) and Sb(III) were parallelly sorbed or As(III) sorption was priorly aged. Results: It was found that As(III) uptake by FeS could be significantly inhibited by Sb(III) at pH 7.0. When As(III) (initial concentration: 1 mg L−1) and Sb(III) were simultaneously added into FeS suspensions at pH 7.0, the presence of Sb(III) reduced the As(III) uptake by FeS from 51.8% (no Sb(III) added) to 22.7% (1 mg L−1 Sb(III) added) and to 6.9% (5 mg L−1 Sb(III) added), respectively. In contrast, As(III) uptake by FeS was only slightly inhibited at pH 5.5 and not inhibited at pH 9.0. It was postulated that the competitive sorption of As(III) and Sb(III) was primarily associated with the binding of As(III) and Sb(III) to FeS at the sulfur sites and the different chalcophility of Sb(III) and As(III) led to the significant replacement of As(III) by Sb(III) at pH 7.0. It was also found that aging of As(III) sorption significantly reduced the amount of As(III) that was outcompeted by Sb(III). Conclusion: This study revealed the competitive sorption of As(III) and Sb(III) on FeS particles, and implicated the importance of competitive sorption in evaluating the mobilization or immobilization of arsenic or antimony in iron- and sulfur-rich anaerobic lake sediments or soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the resilient leaderless consensus problem for a multi‐agent system (MAS) under denial‐of‐service(DoS) attack is investigated. The DoS attack is carried out with multiple strategies. The sufficient condition for MASs achieving consensus under multi‐mode DoS attack is developed. In order to actively alleviate the influence caused by the DoS attack, the MAS switches between normal and secure modes. Once a DoS attack occurs, the agents will switch into the secure mode with a lower open‐loop divergence rate. A dynamic event‐based consensus protocol is proposed, driving the MAS achieve consensus while saving communication resources effectively. Moreover, rigorous proof analysis demonstrates the Zeno‐free property of the developed dynamic event‐triggered mechanism. Finally, a numerical simulation is provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biological experiments targeting the mammalian primary visual cortex have shown that neuronal response to a preferred orientation grating is cross-inhibited by an orthogonal orientation mask grating. The plaid formed by the overlap of the two gratings not only causes a decrease in the neuronal firing rate but also shifts the gamma oscillation to a weaker oscillation at a higher frequency. The mechanism for the above phenomena is unclarified. In this paper, a large-scale cortical neuronal network model with biological details is constructed. In this model, two modes of connectivity that may contribute to cross-inhibition are considered: the thalamo-cortical feedforward pathway and the push-pull organization of cortical layer 4. Based on this model, the modulation of firing rate and gamma oscillation by a plaid stimulation are successfully reproduced, which is consistent with biological experiments and suggests that it is the thalamo-cortical feedforward pathway that leads to cross-inhibition. Furthermore, our analysis of the neuronal spike clusters and current fluctuations suggests that the push-pull organization leads to an increase in gamma frequency during the transition of visual stimuli from grating to plaid by modulating the source of synaptic inhibition in local neuronal populations. Such results will help to understand the visual processing under multi-input integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precise information about the phase center corrections (PCCs) for BeiDou satellite antennas is not only essential to the generation of high-precision orbit and clock products but also important to the determination of terrestrial scale. However, the existing BDS PCCs still suffer from some deficiencies, such as the lack of phase center variations (PCVs) for several BDS satellites as well as the misalignment of phase center offsets (PCOs) and the latest IGS20 frame. We present the estimation results of both PCVs and PCOs for all 37 currently in-service BDS Inclined Geosynchronous Satellite Orbit (IGSO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites. The results demonstrate that the nadir-angle-dependent PCVs of the same satellite block type have fairly good consistency. The horizontal PCO estimates and the igs20.atx values have a consistency of several centimeters. As for the Z-PCOs aligned to IGS20 frame, the estimated values are 2380 and 530 mm smaller than the igs20.atx values for BDS-2 IGSO and BDS-2 MEO satellites, while those of BDS-3 MEOs have mean differences of −61 and 46 mm with respect to igs20.atx values for satellites manufactured by the China Academy of Space Technology and Shanghai Engineering Center for Microsatellites, respectively. By using the estimated PCCs instead of the igs20.atx values, the precise orbit and clock determination precision can be improved by 5–32% and 4–20%, respectively. Furthermore, applying the estimated PCCs, the scale factors determined by BDS solutions exhibit good consistency with IGS20 frame, with mean scale differences below 0.15 ppb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on deep vision sensing-assisted gesture recognition for athletes in dynamic scenes. Although many research attention had been devoted to this field in recent years, most of existing works failed to fully take characteristics of dynamic scenes into consideration. To deal with this challenge, this paper proposes a diffusion convolution neural network-based multiview gesture recognition approach in dynamic scenes. For one thing, the dynamic spatiotemporal slice position selection based on the body mask heatmap is adopted to calculate positions of horizontal and vertical slices. Thus, the dynamic selection of slice positions in two directions can be realized, and then the extraction of bi-directional spatiotemporal slice images can be completed. For another, action sequences through the 3D residual neural network are learned, and the spatiotemporal information among frames are mined through recurrent networks. Through their combination, a multi-view gesture recognition approach for athletes is constructed. In the experiments, two standard datasets UCF101 and HMDB51 are utilized to establish simulation environment. The proposed method can reach the accuracy beyond 95% on the two datasets. Compared with several typical recognition methods, the proposed method shows higher accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transiting mechanism of abnormal brain functional activities, such as the epileptic seizures, has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we employ a probabilistic neural network model to investigate the impact of negative regulation, including negative connections and negative inputs, on the dynamical transition behavior of network dynamics. It is observed that negative connections significantly influence the transition behavior of the network, intensifying the oscillation of discharge probability, corresponding to uneven discharge and epileptic states. Negative inputs, within a certain range, exhibited a similar impact on the dynamic state of the network as negative connections, enhancing network oscillations and resulting in higher fragility. However, larger negative inputs can led to the disappearance of oscillations in the discharge probability, indicating a maintenance of lower fragility. We speculate that negative regulation may be an indispensable factor in the occurrence of epileptic seizures, and future research should give it due consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Absence seizures are not only associated with abnormal interactions in basal gangliacorticothalamic (BGCT) circuits, but are also influenced by glial functions. By introducing extracellular glutamate dynamics associated with neurons and astrocytes, we develop a BGCT model containing the astrocytic function module to simulate seizure phenomena resulting from insufficient glutamate uptake from astrocytes. Differential alterations in the occurrence threshold of spike wave discharges (SWDs) are found by comparing the astrocytic function parameter under different GABA A or GABA B inhibition degrees from the reticular nuclei (TRN). Specifically, with enhancement from GABA A inhibition, thresholds undergo the non-monotonic change, whereas raising GABA B inhibition will always increase thresholds. Afterwards, we reveal the effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) frequency and timing on seizure waveform under different pathological degree. Most importantly, a closed-loop strategy based on extracellular glutamate concentration is proposed, which is more on-demand and current-saving than traditional open-loop stimulation. Our theoretical study may provide insights into understanding the astrocytic triggers of absence seizures and further designing regulatory strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a neural field network model with impulsive and random disturbances, a preview control method that makes full use of known future information is proposed to reduce the static error of the target signal and the transient oscillatory behavior of the controlled system when it receives random disturbance inputs. The preview controller for epileptic seizures is constructed, and the feasibility and effectiveness of clinical single-target and multi-target stimulation in epilepsy regulation are explored from a computational perspective. In addition, a performance index function is proposed to evaluate the energy consumption of controller with and without preview under different input (target) strategies. Suggestions for different strategies are given in terms of the individualized disease environment of patients. From the perspective of seizure control effectiveness and performance consumption, the results show that the preview controller has a greater advantage. The theory of preview control is applied to the control of epileptic seizures for the first time, and the conclusions of the multifaceted study provide some references for clinical trials and controller applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurological disorders place a significant burden on patients, their families, and society, posing immense scientific challenges in terms of treatment and mechanistic research. Neuromodulation involves the application of invasive or non-invasive technologies to externally manipulate the nervous system of the brain, aiming to provide excitatory or inhibitory modulation that can improve abnormal neural activity. In the previous studies, neurodynamic analysis methods have not only provided novel tools for the study of neuromodulation techniques, but also provided new modulation strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of neurological diseases. In this paper, we present a brief overview of the current state of dynamic modeling and analysis for various neuromodulation techniques, including electrical, optical, magnetical, and ultrasonic approaches, and discuss the future prospects of modeling and analysis developments in neuromodulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose is to ascertain the clinical impact of Castleman disease (CD) by reassessment of the real-world data from Peking University First Hospital (PKUFH). The results will contribute to the standardization of diagnosis and treatment on CDs. Based on the last 15-year retrospective real-world data from Peking University First Hospital (PKUFH), we reclassified and re-evaluated the clinical and pathological information of patients with pathologically suspected diagnosis of CD. A total of 203 patients were included in our study, in which the diagnosis of CD was confirmed in 189 cases, including 118 patients with unicentric CD (UCD, n = 118, 62.4%) and 71 patients with multicentric CD (MCD, n = 71, 37.6%). A total of 44.1% (n = 52) of UCDs in our cohort were complicated with paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP). The treatment of UCD is primarily surgical, with a 5-year overall survival (OS) of 88.1%. Patients with PNP had a poorer prognosis than those without PNP (82.9% (95% CI 123–178) vs 92.8% (95% CI 168–196), log-rank p = 0.041). The rate of concurrent systemic symptoms was 74.6% (n = 53), and renal involvement occurred in 49.3% (n = 35) MCD patients. The MCD treatments were mainly chemotherapy regimens, with a 5-year OS of 77.6% (95% CI, 143–213). Patients with UCD demonstrate a better overall prognosis than patients with MCD. But the prognosis of those complicated with PNP was poor. The differential diagnosis of MCD is extensive. MCD treatment in China is heterogeneous. The inaccessibility of anti-IL-6–targeted drugs in China may contribute to the poor prognosis for patients with MCD. A preprint has previously been published (Guo et al. 34). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate soil management has long been the focus of research in agroecology. Crop productivity can be enhanced while reducing environmental threats from excessive fertilization by fully comprehending the spatial variability of soil properties and delineating management zones (MZs). A field investigation was carried out at experimental sites outside Hefei City's administrative districts in China to study the spatial variability of soil properties and the delineation of MZs. A total of 9601 soil samples were collected in the study area. A variety of soil properties were analyzed, including the pH, organic matter, total nitrogen, alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium, slowly released potassium, available sulfur, available boron, available copper, available zinc, available iron, and available manganese. The coefficient of variation for various soil properties exhibited a wide range, spanning from 12.2% to 100.5%. The geostatistical results show that most soil properties have moderate to strong spatial autocorrelation, and the ordinary kriging method is used to map the distribution of soil properties. The principal component analysis method was used to reduce the dimension of 13 soil properties to 4 principal components, and the fuzzy c-means clustering method was used to delineate MZs. The calculation results of the fuzzy performance index and normalized classification entropy show that the optimum number of MZs is five. In the study area, the western part exhibits the highest soil fertility, primarily attributed to its elevated organic matter content. Additionally, organic matter emerges as a key factor influencing sustainable agricultural production in this region. These results form the basis for soil managing areas outside the administrative districts of Hefei City. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel neural adaptive integral terminal sliding mode control for decentralized fault-tolerant control strategy, including the integral terminal sliding mode surface, the nonlinear disturbance observer, the radial basis neural network and robust controller, is presented in this paper to achieve fault-tolerant control of modular robot manipulators. First, the integral terminal sliding mode is designed for the fault-tolerant controller. Then, to boost the performance of the controlled system, the radial basis neural network and disturbance observer are introduced to approximate the nonlinear terms and disturbances. The reconstructed approximate uncertainty term is applied as compensation. Next, the super-twisting technique is employed to compensate for estimation errors to ensure stability. In addition, for the actuator saturation problem, the radial basis function neural network-based compensation control is proposed. Finally, the stability of the closed-loop robotic system is demonstrated based on Lyapunov theory. Computer simulations verified the efficiency and advantages of the presented approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, formation control of networked mobile robots is studied. Two control strategies for the leaderless case and the leader‐following case are developed from the Udwadia–Kalaba approach, respectively. Differing from the existing results about formation control, which focus on kinematic models of robots, this article considers dynamic models and obtained a lower‐cost control force. To improve the robustness of the communication network, two distributed formation controllers are designed by establishing distributed estimators. Different from the centralized controllers, the distributed controllers established here only require local information, thus save communication resources and improve system robustness. Finally, some numerical simulations are provided to demonstrate the proposed methods are effective and have lower control cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The co-gasification of biomass and coal is helpful for achieving the clean and efficient utilization of phosphorus-rich biomass. A large number of alkali and alkaline earth metals (AAEMs) present in the ash system of coal (or biomass) cause varying degrees of ash, slagging, and corrosion problems in the entrained flow gasifier. Meanwhile, phosphorus is present in the slag in the form of PO 4 3 − , which has a strong affinity for AAEMs (especially for Ca2+) to produce minerals dominated by calcium phosphates or alkaline Ca-phosphate, effectively mitigating the aforementioned problems. To investigate the changing behavior of the slag flow temperature (FT) under different CaO/P2O5 ratios, 72 synthetic ashes with varying CaO/P2O5 ratios at different Si/Al contents and compositions were prepared, and their ash fusion temperatures were tested. The effects of different CaO/P2O5 ratios on the FT were analyzed using FactSage thermodynamic simulation. A model for predicting slag FT at different CaO/P2O5 ratios was constructed on the basis of the average molar ionic potential (Ia) method and used to predict data reported from 19 mixed ashes in the literature. The results showed that Ia and FT gradually increased with a decreasing CaO/P2O5 ratio, and the main mineral types shifted from anorthite → mullite → berlinite, which reasonably explained the decrease in ash fusion temperatures in the mixed ash. The established model showed good adaptability to the prediction of 19 actual coal ash FTs in the literature; the deviation of the prediction was in the range of 40 °C. The model proposed between FT and Ia based on the different CaO/P2O5 ratios can be used to predict the low-rank coal and phosphorus-rich biomass and their mixed ashes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive technique that uses constant, low-intensity direct current to regulate brain activities. Clinical studies have shown that cathode-tDCS (c-tDCS) is effective in reducing seizure frequency in patients with epilepsy. Due to the heterogeneity and patient specificity of seizures, patient-specific epilepsy networks are increasingly important in exploring the regulatory role of c-tDCS. In this study, we first set the left hippocampus, para-hippocampus, and amygdala as the epileptogenic zone (EZ), and the left inferior temporal cortex and ventral temporal cortex as the initial propagation zone (PZ) to establish a large-scale epilepsy network model. Then we set tDCS cathode locations according to the maximum average energy of the simulated EEG signals and systematically study c-tDCS inhibitory effects on the propagation of epileptic activity. The results show that c-tDCS is effective in suppressing the propagation of epileptic activity. Further, to consider the patient specificity, we set specific EZ and PZ according to the clinical diagnosis of 6 patients and establish patient-specific epileptic networks. We find that c-tDCS can suppress the propagation of abnormal activity in most patient-specific epileptic networks. However, when the PZ is widely distributed in both hemispheres, the treatment effect of c-tDCS is not satisfactory. Hence, we propose dual-cathode tDCS. For epilepsy models with a wide distribution of PZ, it can inhibit the propagation of epileptiform activity in other nodes except EZ and PZ without increasing the tDCS current strength. Our results provide theoretical support for the treatment of epilepsy with tDCS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hearing loss is one of the most prevalent chronic health problems worldwide and a common intervention is the wearing of hearing aids. However, the tedious fitting procedures and limited hearing experts pose restrictions for the popularity of hearing aids. This paper introduced a hearing loss classification method based on the insertion gain of hearing aids, which aims to simplify the fitting procedure and achieve a fitting-free effect of the hearing aid, in line with current research trends in key algorithms for fitting-free hearing aids. The proposed method innovatively combines the insertion gain of hearing aids with the covariates of patient's gender, age, wearing history to form a new set of hearing loss vectors, and then classifies the hearing loss into six categories by unsupervised cluster analysis method. Each category of representative parameters characterizes a typical type of hearing loss, which can be used as the initial parameter to improve the efficiency of hearing aid fitting. Compared with the traditional audiogram classification method AMCLASS (Automated Audiogram Classification System), the proposed classification method reflect the actual hearing loss of hearing impaired patients better. Moreover, the effectiveness of the new classification method was verified by the comparison between the obtained six sets of representative insertion gains and the inferred hearing personalization information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a malignant lymphohematopoietic tumor that ranks among the most frequent indications for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). This article aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the application of allo-HSCT for AML and identify prognostic factors to enhance future treatment effect. This retrospective study collected data from 323 patients diagnosed with AML at Peking University First Hospital who underwent allo-HSCT between September 2003 and July 2022. The annual number of transplantations has steadily increased. Our center has observed a rise in the proportion of cytogenetic high-risk and measurable residual disease (MRD) positive patients since 2013, as well as an increase in the number of haploidentical transplantations. The overall leukocyte engraftment time has decreased over the past 20 years. Furthermore, both overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) have significantly improved, while non-relapse mortality (NRM) has significantly decreased since 2013. Multivariate analysis identified transplantation before 2013, patients in complete remission (CR) 2 or non-CR, and recipients older than 50 years as risk factors for NRM, while patients in non-CR and patients with positive MRD are risk factors for recurrence. These findings offer insights into AML treatment outcomes in China, highlighting changes in transplantation practices and the need to reduce post-transplant relapse. Effective interventions, such as MRD monitoring and risk stratification schemes, are crucial for further enhancing transplant outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the synchronizability of multilayer star-ring networks. Two types of multilayer networks, including aggregated coupling and divergent coupling, are established based on the connections between the hub node and the leaf nodes in the subnetwork. The eigenvalue spectrum of the two types of multilayer networks is strictly derived, and the correlation between topological parameters and synchronizability is analyzed by the master stability function framework. Moreover, the variable coupling strength has been investigated, revealing that it is significantly related to the synchronizability of the aggregated coupling while having no influence on the divergent coupling. Furthermore, the validity of the synchronizability analysis is obtained by implementing adaptive control on the multilayer star-ring networks previously mentioned. Calculations and comparisons show that the differences caused by the sizes of multilayer networks and interlayer coupling strength are not negligible. Finally, numerical examples are also provided to validate the effectiveness of the theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is associated with multi-nodal abnormalities in brain networks, characterized by recurrent intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviours or mental acts (compulsions), which might manifest as pathological low-frequency oscillations in the frontal EEG and low-frequency bursting firing patterns in the subthalamus nucleus (STN). Abnormalities in the cortical-striatal-thalamic-cortical (CSTC) loop, including dysregulation of serotonin, dopamine, and glutamate systems, are considered to contribute to certain types of OCD. Here, we extend a biophysical computational model to investigate the effect of orbitofronto-subcortical loop abnormalities on network oscillations. Particularly, the OCD lesion process is simulated by the loss of connectivity from striatal parvalbumin interneurons (PV) to medium spiny neurons (MSNs), excessive activation to the hyperdirect pathway, and high dopamine concentrations. By calculating low-frequency oscillation power in the STN, STN burst index, and average firing rates levels of the cortex and thalamus, we demonstrate that the model can explain the pathology of glutamatergic and dopamine system dysregulation, the effects of pathway imbalance, and neuropsychiatric treatment in OCD. In addition, results indicate the abnormal brain rhythms caused by the dysregulation of orbitofronto-subcortical loop may serve as a biomarker of OCD. Our studies can help to understand the cause of OCD, thereby facilitating the diagnosis of OCD and the development of new therapeutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a distributed control method based on the differential flatness (DF) property of robot swarms. The swarm DF mapping is established for underactuated differentially flat dynamics, according to the control objective. The DF mapping refers to the fact that the system state and input of each robot can be derived algebraically from the flat outputs of the leaders and the cooperative errors and their finite order derivatives. Based on the proposed swarm DF mapping, a distributed controller is designed. The distributed implementation of swarm DF mapping is achieved through observer design. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated through a numerical simulation of quadrotor swarm synchronization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A carbene-catalyzed asymmetric access to chiral β-cyano carboxylic esters is disclosed. The reaction proceeds between β,β-disubstituted enals and aromatic thiols involving enantioselective protonation of enal β-carbon. Two main factors contribute to the success of this reaction. One involves in situ ultrafast addition of the aromatic thiol substrates to the carbon-carbon double bond of the enal substrate. This reaction converts almost all enal substrate to a Thiol-click Intermediate, significantly reducing aromatic thiol substrates concentration and suppressing the homo-coupling reaction of enals. Another factor is an in situ release of enal substrate from the Thiol-click Intermediate for the desired reaction to proceed effectively. The optically enriched β-cyano carboxylic esters from our method can be readily transformed to medicines that include γ-aminobutyric acids derivatives such as Rolipram. In addition to synthetic utilities, our control of reaction outcomes via in situ substrate modulation and release can likely inspire future reaction development. The search for efficient methods for the enantioselective synthesis of cyano-containing molecules is important but synthesis methods are often limited by the need of toxic cyano salts or reduction with hydrogen gas. Here the authors report the efficient and selective access to β-cyano carboxylic esters which can be easily converted into γ-aminobutyric acid derivatives with high optical purities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the performance of traditional oil absorption materials, a novel concept is proposed for the fabrication of composite oil absorption materials with three-dimensional porous structure via a double Pickering emulsion template. Oil‐in‐water‐in‐oil type double Pickering emulsion is prepared with modified attapulgite (ATP) and modified Fe3O4. Then, the Pickering emulsion as a template is synthesized ATP/P(EHMA-St)/Fe3O4 composite porous materials. The influences of the amount of inorganic additives-modified ATP, initiator, cross-linking agent, and oil–water ratio on the oil absorption rate and oil retention rate of the material were studied. It showed that under the conditions of polymerization temperature of 80°C and reaction time of 6 h, the morphology of the material was the best and the oil absorption rate was the largest with the content of modified ATP, nano Fe3O4, DVB, and BPO of 0.20%, 0.10%, 1.20%, and 0.32%, respectively, and the oil–water ratio of 1:5. The absorption of diesel oil can reach 986.65%, and the oil retention rate of material can reach 82.37%. Our work provides a novel strategy for the preparation of composite porous materials, which is expected to be popularized and applied in oil spill treatment and oily wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Avian influenza is an infectious viral disease caused by type A virus, which occurs frequently around the world and causes serious economic losses. Therefore, the adaptive control problem is explored in this paper for an avian influenza model in consideration of slaughtering to poultry, educational campaigns to the susceptible human and treatment to the infected human. First, by analyzing the transmission mechanism of avian influenza, a nonlinear adaptive control problem of avian influenza model is formulated, where some errors between model parameters and real values are allowed. Then, the parameters are estimated by constructing adaptive laws, which can be effectively used to design the applicative controllers to achieve the control goals. Besides, the stability of controlled model is analyzed with the aid of Lyapunov stability theory. Finally, numerical examples are proposed to verify the effectiveness and robustness of the designed controllers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inhibitory interneurons in the cortex are abundant and have diverse roles, classified as parvalbumin (PV), somatostatin (SOM), and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) according to chemically defined categories. Currently, their involvement with seizures has been partially uncovered in physiological terms. Here, we propose a corticothalamic model containing heterogeneous interneurons to study the effects of various interneurons on absence seizure dynamics by means of optogenetic stimulation. First, the important role of feedforward inhibition caused by SRN → P V → P N projections on seizures is verified. Then, we demonstrate that light activation targeting either PV or SOM INs can control seizures. Finally, with different inhibition contributions from PV INs and SOM INs, the possible disinhibitory effect of blue light acting on VIP INs is mainly discussed. The results suggest that depending on the inhibition degree of both types, the disinhibition brought about by the VIP INs will trigger seizures, will control seizures, and will not work or cause the PNs to tend toward a high saturation state with high excitability. The circuit mechanism and the related bifurcation characteristics in various cases are emphatically revealed. In the model presented, in addition to Hopf and saddle-node bifurcations, the system may also undergo period-doubling and torus bifurcations under stimulus action, with more complex dynamics. Our work may provide a theoretical basis for understanding and further exploring the role of heterogeneous interneurons, in particular, the VIP INs, a novel target, in absence seizures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A carbene-catalyzed chemoselective reaction of unsymmetric enedials is disclosed. The reaction provides a concise access to bicyclic furo[2,3-b]pyrroles derivatives in excellent selectivity. A main challenge in this reaction is chemoselective reaction of the two aldehyde moieties in the enedial substrates. Mechanistic studies via experiments suggest that our chemoselectivity controls are mostly achieved on the reducing properties of different sited Breslow intermediates. Several side reactions processes and the corresponding side adducts are also studied by high resolution mass spectroscopy analysis. Our method allows for efficient assembly of the furo[2,3-b]pyrrole structural moieties and their analogues widely found in natural products and pharmaceuticals. Chemoselective reactions of two or multiple functional groups with similar reactivities remain an ongoing challenge in chemistry. Here the authors disclosed a chemoselective reaction of enedial and observed that the high chemoselectivity is mainly controlled via redox (rather than steric) properties of the substrate/catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is thought to be associated with neuronal hyperexcitability in the hippocampal-entorhinal cortical (EC) circuit. Due to the complexity of the hippocampal-EC network connections, the biophysical mechanisms of the different circuits in epilepsy generation and propagation are still not fully established. In this work, we propose a hippocampal-EC neuronal network model to explore the mechanism of epileptic generation. We demonstrate that enhanced excitability of pyramidal neurons in cornu ammonis 3 (CA3) can drive hippocampal-EC to produce a transition from background to seizure state and cause exaggerated phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) phenomenon of theta modulated high-frequency oscillations (HFO) in CA3, cornu ammonis 1 (CA1), dentate gyrus, and EC. Interestingly, PAC strength indirectly responds to the degree of CA3 pyramidal (PY) neuron hyperexcitability, suggesting that PAC can be used as a potential marker of seizures. Furthermore, we find that enhanced synaptic connectivity of mossy cells to granule cells and CA3 PY neurons drives the system to produce epileptic discharges. These two channels may play a key role in mossy fiber sprouting. In particular, the PAC phenomenon of delta-modulated HFO and theta-modulated HFO can be generated according to the different degrees of moss fiber sprouting. Finally, the results suggest that hyperexcitability of stellate cells in EC can lead to seizures, which supports the argument that EC can act as an independent source of seizures. Overall, these results highlight the key role of different circuits in seizures, providing a theoretical basis and new insights into the generation and propagation of TLE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dysfunction of basal ganglia is associated with the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease including alteration of firing rate and excessive beta-band (13-30 Hz) synchronization activity. Neuronal heterogeneity enriches dynamics of external globus pallidus (GPe), especially showing significant differences in firing alterations under pathological state. The precise mechanism underlying these neural signatures remains elusive. To address this, we propose a subthalamopallidal network containing two classes of GPe neurons, calcium-binding protein parvalbumin (PV) and Lim homeobox (Lhx6) GPe. Our results show that Lhx6 GPe tends to rein in synchronous behavior and abnormal activity of PV GPe. Under the pathological condition, the alteration of synaptic coupling in a heterogenous pallidal network manifests itself as a direct increase of inhibitory input to PV GPe or an indirect elevation of Lhx6 GPe firing rate. These essentially enhance the inhibition of PV GPe, which results in beta-band synchronous bursting. The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is instrumental in stabilizing the spiking sequence of GPe neurons, inhibiting abnormal synchronous oscillations both in control and pathological conditions. In a dopamine-depleted state, the PV GPe-PV GPe pathway notably impacts the enhancement of beta rhythmic oscillations in STN-GPe circuit. Besides, the synaptic coupling in heterogenous pallidal and STN-GPe affect the propagation of abnormal rhythms in pallidal and subthalamopallidal networks, respectively. Our study highlights the pivotal role played by PV GPe in producing and amplifying pathological oscillatory behavior. Our results suggest that STN prevents abnormal oscillatory rhythm in GPe, providing a novel insight into the precise mechanism by which STN affects pallidal activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spine degeneration is an aging-related disease, but its molecular mechanisms remain unknown, although elevated β-catenin signaling has been reported to be involved in intervertebral disc degeneration. Here, we determined the role of β-catenin signaling in spinal degeneration and in the homeostasis of the functional spinal unit (FSU), which includes the intervertebral disc, vertebra and facet joint and is the smallest physiological motion unit of the spine. We showed that pain sensitivity in patients with spinal degeneration is highly correlated with β-catenin protein levels. We then generated a mouse model of spinal degeneration by transgenic expression of constitutively active β-catenin in Col2+ cells. We found that β-catenin-TCF7 activated the transcription of CCL2, a known critical factor in osteoarthritic pain. Using a lumbar spine instability model, we showed that a β-catenin inhibitor relieved low back pain. Our study indicates that β-catenin plays a critical role in maintaining spine tissue homeostasis, its abnormal upregulation leads to severe spinal degeneration, and its targeting could be an avenue to treat this condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Main conclusion: Glycosylation from an anthocyanidin 3-O-glucosyltransferase Ps3GT (PsUGT78A27) facilitates the accumulation of pelargonidin 3-O-glucoside, which defines the vivid red flower color and occurs only in specific peony tree cultivars. Although tree peony cultivars of Chinese and Japanese both originated from China, vivid red color is only found in flowers of Japanese cultivars but not of Chinese cultivar groups. In this study, a Japanese tree peony cultivar ‘Taiyoh’ with vivid red petals and a Chinese tree peony cultivar ‘Hu Hong’ with reddish pink petals were chosen as the experimental materials. Flavonoids profiling indicated that pelargonidin 3-O-glucoside (Pg3G) detected only in Japanese cultivar contributed to vivid red color of tree peony petals, while pelargonidin 3,5-di-O-glucoside (Pg3G5G) found in both of Japanese and Chinese cultivars was responsible for pink flower color. Through the integration of full-length transcriptome sequencing and in vitro enzymatic activity analysis, two anthocyanin glucosyltransferase genes PsUGT78A27 and PsUGT75L45 were isolated from the petals of tree peony, and their encoding products exhibited enzymatic activities of pelargonidin 3-O-glucosyltransferase and anthocyanin 5-O-glucosyltransferase, respectively. Further quantitative real-time PCR revealed that PsUGT78A27 displayed high expression in petals of both cultivars and PsUGT75L45 was expressed at high levels in cultivar ‘Hu Hong’ only. Using a gene gun technique, the GFP fusion proteins of PsUGT78A27 and PsUGT75L45 were visualized to be cytoplasmic and nuclear localization in the epidermal cells of tree peony petals, and the glucosylation function of PsUGT78A27 and PsUGT75L45 to alter petal color of tree peony and herbaceous peony had been directly validated in vivo. These results demonstrated that PsUGT78A27 and PsUGT75L45 are key players for the presence or absence of vivid red flower color in tree peony cultivars. Our findings further elucidated the chemical and molecular mechanism of petal pigmentation of Paeonia and could help breed the Paeonia cultivars possessing novel flower colors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]