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Pentatrichomonas hominis is a common intestinal parasitic protozoan that causes abdominal pain and diarrhea, and poses a zoonotic risk. Probiotics, known for enhancing immunity and pathogen resistance, hold promise in combating parasitic infections. This study aimed to evaluate two porcine-derived probiotics, Lactobacillus reuteri LR1 and Lactobacillus plantarum LP1, against P. hominis infections in pigs. Taxonomic identity was confirmed through 16 S rRNA gene sequencing, with L. reuteri LR1 belonging to L. reuteri species and L. plantarum LP1 belonging to L. plantarum species. Both probiotics exhibited robust in vitro growth performance. Co-culturing intestinal porcine epithelial cell line (IPEC-J2) with these probiotics significantly improved cell viability compared with the control group. Pre-incubation probiotics significantly enhanced the mRNA expression of anti-oxidative response genes in IPEC-J2 cells compared with the PHGD group, with L. reuteri LR1 and L. plantarum LP1 significantly up-regulating CuZn-SOD、CAT and Mn-SOD genes expression (p < 0.05). The anti-oxidative stress effect of L. reuteri LR1 was significantly better than that of L. plantarum LP1 (p < 0.05). Furthermore, pre-incubation with the probiotics alleviated the P. hominis-induced inflammatory response. L. reuteri LR1 and L. plantarum LP1 significantly down-regulated IL-6、IL-8 and TNF-α gene expression(p < 0.05) compared with the PHGD group. The probiotics also mitigated P. hominis-induced apoptosis. L. reuteri LR1 and L. plantarum LP1 significantly down-regulated Caspase3 and Bax gene expression (p < 0.05), significantly up-regulated Bcl-2 gene expression (p < 0.05) compared with the PHGD group. Among them, L. plantarum LP1 showed better anti-apoptotic effect. These findings highlight the probiotics for mitigating P. hominis infections in pigs. Their ability to enhance anti-oxidative responses, alleviate inflammation, and inhibit apoptosis holds promise for therapeutic applications. Simultaneously, probiotics can actively contribute to inhibiting trichomonal infections, offering a novel approach for preventing and treating diseases such as P. hominis. Further in vivo studies are required to validate these results and explore their potential in animal and human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bromhidrosis, characterized by foul‐smelling sweat, is a prevalent condition that significantly affects patients' social and psychological well‐being. Methods: This review presents novel treatment approaches and discusses the pros and cons of various treatment options for axillary bromhidrosis. Results: Extensive research has explored numerous treatment modalities for bromhidrosis. This article systematically reviews both surgical and nonsurgical interventions utilized in clinical practice. Conclusion: By synthesizing available evidence, this review aims to offer evidence‐based recommendations for effectively managing bromhidrosis, considering factors such as treatment efficacy, safety profiles, patient preferences, and clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of data heterogeneity is one of the main challenges facing federated learning (FL). Non-IID data usually introduce bias in the training process of FL models, which can impact the accuracy and convergence speed of the models. To this end, we propose a personalized federated learning (PFL) algorithm with adaptive dynamic adjustment of the gradient clipping boundaries and the idea of freezing to reduce the influence of non-IID data on the model, called PerFreezeClip. PerFreezeClip is a design decision regarding parameter architecture, comparing the private and federated models. PerFreezeClip facilitates the training of each device based on an adaptive clipping gradient during training, with more rational updates and more stable gradients. The results based on the CIFAR-10 and CIFAR-100 datasets show that the proposed PerFreezeClip algorithm provides higher test accuracy after controlling the gradient: a maximum of a 50% enhancement compared to typical federated learning (non-personalized) algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green leafy vegetables are an essential component of Chinese leafy vegetables. Due to their crisp stems and tender leaves, orderly harvester generally causes significant mechanical clamping damage. The physical and mechanical properties of green leafy vegetables are one of the important basis to design the orderly harvester. At the same time, they provide important parameters for the simulation and optimization of harvester. So, this paper measured the physical characteristic parameters of roots and stems of green leafy vegetables. Then, based on the TMS-Pro texture analyzer, the elasticity modulus of the roots and stems of green leafy vegetables were measured. The static friction coefficient, dynamic friction coefficient, and restitution coefficient of green leafy vegetables root-root, stem-stem, root-steel, and stem-steel were measured separately using a combination method of inclined plane and high-speed photography. Uniaxial compression creep experiments were carried out on whole and single leaf of green leafy vegetables using the TA.XT plus C universal testing machine. The constitutive equation of the four-element Burgers model was used to fit the deformation curve of the sample with time during the constant-pressure loading stage. The fitting determination coefficients R2 were all higher than 0.996, which verified the reasonable validity of the selected model. The above experimental results provide a parameter basis and theoretical support for the design and discrete element simulation optimization of orderly harvester critical components of green leafy vegetables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coccidiosis is one of the most frequently reported diseases in chickens, causing a significant economic impact on the poultry industry. However, there have been no previous studies evaluating the prevalence of this disease in broiler farms in Guangdong province. Therefore, this study aims to conduct an epidemiological investigation into the occurrence of Eimeria species and associated risk factors in intensive management conditions across four regions in Guangdong province, China. A total of 394 fecal samples were collected from 89 broiler farms in Guangdong province. The prevalence of Eimeria species infection was determined using PCR, and the occurrence of Clostridium perfringens type A was assessed using quantitative real-time PCR. Results: The results showed an overall prevalence of 98.88% (88/89) at the farm level and 87.06% (343/394) at the flock level. All seven Eimeria species were identified, with E. acervulina (72.53%; 64/89), E. tenella (68.54%; 61/89), and E. mitis (66.29%; 59/89) at the farm level, and E. acervulina (36.55%; 144/394), E. mitis (35.28%; 139/394), and E. tenella (34.01%; 134/394) at the flock level. The predominant species combination observed was a co-infection of all seven Eimeria species (6.74%; 6/89), followed by a combination of E. acervulina, E. tenella, E. mitis, E. necatrix, E. brunetti, and E. maxima (5.62%, 5/89). A combination of E. acervulina, E. tenella, E. mitis, E. necatrix, E. brunetti, and E. praecox (4.49%; 4/89) was also observed at the farm level. Furthermore, the study identified several potential risk factors associated with the prevalence of Eimeria species, including farm location, chicken age, drinking water source, control strategy, and the presence of C. perfringens type A were identified as potential risk factors associated with prevalence of Eimeria species. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed a significant association between E. necatrix infection and both grower chickens (OR = 10.86; 95% CI: 1.92–61.36; p < 0.05) and adult chickens (OR = 24.97; 95% CI: 4.29–145.15; p < 0.001) compared to starter chickens at the farm level. Additionally, farms that used groundwater (OR = 0.27; 95% CI: 0.08–0.94; p < 0.05) were less likely to have E. maxima compared to those that used running water. At the flock level, the prevalence of E. tenella was significantly higher in the Pearl River Delta (OR = 2.48; 95% CI: 1.0–6.15; p = 0.05) compared to eastern Guangdong. Interestingly, flocks with indigenous birds were less likely to have E. brunetti (OR = 0.48; 95% CI: 0.26–0.89; p < 0.05) compared to flocks with indigenous crossbred birds. Furthermore, flocks that used anticoccidial drugs (OR = 0.09; 95% CI: 0.03–0.31; p < 0.001) or a combination of vaccines and anticoccidial drugs (OR = 0.06; 95% CI: 0.01–0.25; p < 0.001) were less likely to be positive for E. tenella compared to flocks that only used vaccines. Finally, flocks with C. perfringens type A infection were significantly more likely to have E. necatrix (OR = 3.26; 95% CI: 1.96–5.43; p < 0.001), E. tenella (OR = 2.14; 95% CI: 1.36–3.36; p < 0.001), E. brunetti (OR = 2.48; 95% CI: 1.45–4.23; p < 0.001), and E. acervulina (OR = 2.62; 95% CI: 1.69–4.06; p < 0.001) compared to flocks without C. perfringens type A. Conclusions: This study conducted an investigation on the prevalence, distribution, and risk factors associated with Eimeria species infection in broiler chickens in Guangdong. The farm-level prevalence of Eimeria species was higher than the previous prevalence figures for other areas and countries. E. brunetti was identified at higher prevalence in Guangdong than previously survived prevalence in different regions in China. Farm location, chicken age, drinking water source, control strategy, and the presence of C. perfringens type A were considered as potential risk factors associated with prevalence of Eimeria species. It is imperative to underscore the necessity for further surveys to delve deeper into the occurrence of Eimeria species under intensive management conditions for different flock purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aging is a risk factor for human health and quality of life. Screening and development of novel supplements and medications to combat aging and delay the incidence of age-related diseases are of great significance. In this study, salidroside (SA), a primary natural small molecule from Rhodiola rosea, was investigated regarding its effects on life and healthspan and the underlying molecular mechanism(s) of anti-aging and antioxidation. Our results showed that SA effectively prolonged lifespan and exhibited anti-aging and antioxidative properties. Computer-assisted methods, label-free interaction analysis, and in vitro assays showed that SA directly bound heat shock protein 90 (HSP90). Furthermore, SA significantly inhibited the ATPase activity of HSP90, affecting the interaction between HSP90 and its interacting proteins and the expression of downstream genes to regulate lifespan and the oxidative stress response. Our findings provided new insights into the pharmacological properties of SA across multiple species and its potential as an anti-aging drug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To present the detailed implementation processes of the IDEAL algorithm for two-dimensional compressible flows based on Delaunay triangular mesh, and compare the performance of the SIMPLE and IDEAL algorithms for solving compressible problems. What's more, the implementation processes of Delaunay mesh generation and derivation of the pressure correction equation are also introduced. Design/methodology/approach: Programming completely in C++. Findings: Five compressible examples are used to test the SIMPLE and IDEAL algorithms, and the comparison with measurement data shows good agreement. The IDEAL algorithm has much better performance in both convergence rate and stability over the SIMPLE algorithm. Originality/value: The detail solution procedure of implementing the IDEAL algorithm for compressible flows based on Delaunay triangular mesh is presented in this work, seemingly first in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to develop prognostic prediction models for patients diagnosed with synchronous thyroid and breast cancer (TBC). Utilizing the SEER database, key predictive factors were identified, including T stage of thyroid cancer, T stage of breast cancer, M stage of breast cancer, patient age, thyroid cancer surgery type, and isotope therapy. A nomogram predicting 5-year and 10-year survival rates was constructed and validated, exhibiting strong performance (C-statistic: 0.79 in the development cohort (95% CI: 0.74-0.84), and 0.82 in the validation cohort (95% CI: 0.77-0.89)). The area under the Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curve ranged from 0.798 to 0.883 for both cohorts. Calibration and decision curve analyses further affirmed the model's clinical utility. Stratifying patients into high-risk and low-risk groups using the nomogram revealed significant differences in survival rates (P < 0.0001). The successful development and validation of this nomogram for predicting 5-year and 10-year survival rates in patients with synchronous TBC hold promise for similar patient populations, contributing significantly to cancer research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We trained a long short-term memory (LSTM) network based on a pooled dataset made of hundreds of liquid stocks aiming to forecast the next daily realized volatility for all stocks. Showing the consistent outperformance of this universal LSTM relative to other asset-specific parametric models, we uncovered nonparametric evidence of a universal volatility formation mechanism across assets relating past market realizations, including daily returns and volatilities, to current volatilities. A parsimonious parametric forecasting device combining the rough fractional stochastic volatility and quadratic rough Heston models with fixed parameters resulted in the same level of performance as the universal LSTM, which confirmed the universality of the volatility formation process from a parametric perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Federated learning (FL) is a distributed machine learning paradigm under privacy preservation. However, data heterogeneity among clients leads to the shared global model obtained after training, which cannot fit the distribution of each client's dataset, and the performance of the model degrades. To address this problem, we proposed a personalized federated learning method based on clustering and knowledge distillation, called pFedCK. In this algorithm, each client has an interactive model that participates in global training and a personalized model that is only trained locally. Both of the models perform knowledge distillation with each other through the feature representation of the middle layer and the soft prediction of the model. In addition, in order to make an interaction model only obtaining the model information from the client, which has similar data distribution and avoids the interference of other heterogeneous information, the server will cluster the clients according to the similarity of the amount of parameter variation uploaded by different interaction models during every training round. By clustering clients, interaction models with similar data distributions can cooperate with each other to better fit the local dataset distribution. Thereby, the performance of personalized model can be improved by obtaining more valuable information indirectly. Finally, we conduct simulation experiments on three benchmark datasets under different data heterogeneity scenarios. Compared to the single model algorithms, the accuracy of pFedCK improved by an average of 23.4% and 23.8% over FedAvg and FedProx, respectively; compared to typical personalization algorithms, the accuracy of pFedCK improved by an average of 0.8% and 1.3%, and a maximum of 1.0% and 2.9% over FedDistill and FML. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the inherent gain amplification ability of field-effect transistors (FETs), weak biological signals can be amplified. The present study unveils a pH sensor based on a carbon nanotube (CNT)-FET, which exhibits remarkable environmental stability. Moreover, we have successfully validated the feasibility of utilizing this CNT FET device for pH sensing, showcasing a remarkable sensitivity of Vth at 82 mV pH−1 and 87 mV pH−1 for pH ranges of 1–7 and 7–13, respectively, an extensive pH range spanning from 1 to 13, as well as minimal hysteresis measuring at 0.726 mA with pH switching loops ranging from 4.85–9.12. This research not only realizes high-performance pH sensors, but also lays the foundation for the development of FET biosensors with excellent environmental stability. This is essential to ensure that FET biosensors function properly in complex systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Body-centred cubic refractory multi-principal element alloys (MPEAs), with several refractory metal elements as constituents and featuring a yield strength greater than one gigapascal, are promising materials to meet the demands of aggressive structural applications1–6. Their low-to-no tensile ductility at room temperature, however, limits their processability and scaled-up application7–10. Here we present a HfNbTiVAl10 alloy that shows remarkable tensile ductility (roughly 20%) and ultrahigh yield strength (roughly 1,390 megapascals). Notably, these are among the best synergies compared with other related alloys. Such superb synergies derive from the addition of aluminium to the HfNbTiV alloy, resulting in a negative mixing enthalpy solid solution, which promotes strength and favours the formation of hierarchical chemical fluctuations (HCFs). The HCFs span many length scales, ranging from submicrometre to atomic scale, and create a high density of diffusive boundaries that act as effective barriers for dislocation motion. Consequently, versatile dislocation configurations are sequentially stimulated, enabling the alloy to accommodate plastic deformation while fostering substantial interactions that give rise to two unusual strain-hardening rate upturns. Thus, plastic instability is significantly delayed, which expands the plastic regime as ultralarge tensile ductility. This study provides valuable insights into achieving a synergistic combination of ultrahigh strength and large tensile ductility in MPEAs.A HfNbTiVAl10 alloy shows tensile ductility and ultrahigh yield strength from the addition of aluminium to a HfNbTiV alloy, resulting in a negative mixing enthalpy solid solution, which promotes strength and favours formation of hierarchical chemical fluctuations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a comprehensive performance evaluation algorithm explicitly designed for secondary equipment in substations, specifically targeting the relay protection system. In contrast to the current evaluation systems, this novel method navigates the complex internal interconnections and mechanisms inherent within secondary system equipment. Such complications have previously impeded the accuracy and breadth of evaluations, thereby limiting the degree of precision and innovation attainable within substations. The proposed approach effectively integrates the improved Analytic Hierarchy Process entropy weight (IAHP‐EW) method with the Learning Vector Quantization (LVQ) neural network. Initially, the IAHP‐EW method identified the comprehensive evaluation indicators and their corresponding weights for relay protection devices. Following weight allocation, these evaluation indicators are scrutinized and computed utilizing the multivariate regression analysis algorithm, resulting in performance evaluation outcomes for the relay protection system. These outcomes are subsequently classified and utilized in training the LVQ neural network, promoting the network's capacity to autonomously evaluate the performance status of the relay protection system. To corroborate the viability and effectiveness of this proposed performance evaluation and prediction algorithm, empirical operating data from a local substation is used. The results suggest a significant improvement in the evaluation accuracy of secondary equipment performance, indicating potential for practical application and a valuable contribution to the field through the introduction of a novel approach to performance assessment of substation relay protection systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying the day instar of silkworms is a fundamental task for precision rearing and behavioral analysis. This study proposes a new method for identifying the day instar of adult silkworms based on deep learning and computer vision. Images from the first day of instar 3 to the seventh day of instar 5 were photographed using a mobile phone, and a dataset containing 7, 000 images was constructed. An effective recognition network, called CSP-SENet, was proposed based on CSPNet, in which the hierarchical kernels were adopted to extract feature maps from different receptive fields, and an image attention mechanism (SENet) was added to learn more important information. Experiments showed that CSP-SENet achieved a recognition precision of 0.9743, a recall of 0.9743, a specificity of 0.9980, and an F1-score of 0.9742. Compared to state-of-the-art and related networks, CSP-SENet achieved better recognition performance with the advantage of computational complexity. The study can provide theoretical and technical references for future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to operational limitations in the industrial field, the operating variables of fluid catalytic cracking units (FCCU) are of multiple operating frequencies, which are CO combustion promoter amount, recycle slurry flow rate, combustion air flow rate, heat escape, and reaction temperature, from low frequency to high frequency. There are usually two schemes for operation optimization of FCCU. The former is called single-rate, single-window optimization, whose operating variables are optimized only once in the whole operation cycle, which is easy to achieve, but the optimization effect is poor. The latter is called single-rate multi-window optimization, whose operating variables are optimized repeatedly and whose operation cycle is discretized into multiple optimization periods with the same frequency, which costs a heavy calculation burden and cannot adapt to the optimization variables with multiple operating frequencies. So, a multi-rate, variable-window online dynamic optimization method is proposed. In an operation cycle, the high-frequency operating variable is optimized in a short optimization period, and the low-frequency operating variable is optimized in a long optimization period; each optimization period has integer multiples to the minimum optimization period. Each optimized result for each optimization period is put into use online immediately. The optimization model involves the time domain differential equations, integral cost objective function, and measured disturbances. The experimental results show that compared with the single-rate, single-window optimization method and single-rate multi-window optimization method, the optimization effect of multi-rate, variable-window online dynamic optimization is better than single-rate, single-window optimization but worse than single-rate multi-window optimization. However, the optimization results are consistent with the operation frequency of each optimization variable, which can be implemented in complex chemical processes and increase certain economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) has been widely used due to its advantages of low cost and high efficiency. However, one of the unsolved problems in WAAM is the heat accumulation. In this study, the compressed argon‐based interlayer active cooling (AC) process is employed to reduce heat accumulation, and the influence mechanism on microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti–6Al–4V samples are revealed. It is shown in the results that the introduction of interlayer AC leads to the interlayer temperature decreases from 468 to 53 °C, and the widths of prior‐β grains and αGB are refined. The increase of cooling rate (380–604 °C s−1) results in the transformation of large‐sized colonies into finer basket weave structure, accompanied by the production of martensite α'. The finer basket weave structure increases the strength of the samples, while the narrower αGB and the high‐angle grain boundaries increase the resistance of crack propagation. The high dislocation density caused by the faster cooling rate increases the plastic deformation to a certain extent. As a result, the interlayer AC improves the strength and plasticity of the samples simultaneously, the samples change from brittle and ductile‐mixed fracture to ductile fracture mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capacitive deionization is an electrochemical ion removal technique that has broad application prospects for the efficient desalination of brackish water. The current research mainly focuses on the improvement of the electrode material performance and device structure for capacitive deionization. However, the capacitive deionization process is subject to the coupling effect of multiple physical parameters inside the porous electrode, the dominant order and optimization of multiple physical parameters in the capacitive deionization process are needed to be further investigated. In this study, the ion transport in porous electrode of the capacitive deionization is investigated via numerical simulation and physical similarity analysis. Fourteen dimensional physical parameters involved in ion transport are unified into eight dimensionless parameters based on the nondimensionalization of Navier–Stokes and Poisson–Nernst–Planck equations, and the dimensionless parameters are summarized into four categories, including ion adsorption capability, ion transport characteristics, ion motion driving force, and ion adsorption equilibrium time. Analysis based on the numerical models with an irregular porous electrode structure shows that the dimensionless parameters can explain a series of similar physical phenomena in the capacitive deionization processes. Moreover, a parametric sensibility analysis is performed to reveal that the concentration and velocity of inlet solution are dominant factors for optimizing the salt adsorption capacity per unit area and the average salt removal rate. In addition, the inlet solution concentration and electrode potential are critical factors for improving the removal efficiency. The physical similarity and parametric sensitivity analysis in this study provide theoretical guidance for performance improvement in the practical application of capacitive deionization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In situ TEM mechanical stages based on micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) have developed rapidly over recent decades. However, image-based quantification of MEMS mechanical stages suffers from the trade-off between spatial and temporal resolutions. Here, by taking in situ TEM nanoindentation as an example, we developed a novel method for image-based quantified in situ TEM mechanical tests with both high spatial and temporal resolutions. A reference beam was introduced to the close vicinity of the indenter–sample region. By arranging the indenter, the sample, and the reference beam in a micron-sized area, the indentation depth and load can be directly and dynamically acquired from the relative motion of markers on the three components, while observing the indentation process at a relatively high magnification. No alteration of viewing area is involved throughout the process. Therefore, no deformation events will be missed, and the collection rate of quantification data can be raised significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bromhidrosis, also known as body odor, is a common disease in life, which often occurs in young adults. The histological basis of bromhidrosis is the hyperplasia of apocrine sweat glands. Objective: To compare the effects of different methods of endoscopy in microdynamic axillary osmidrosis removal on curative effect, complications, and surgical efficiency. Methods: A total of 149 patients with axillary osmidrosis were treated in our hospital from January 2020 to December 2021. They were treated with endoscopic assistance in the whole process of operation (Group A) and endoscope‐assisted exploration after blind rotary cutter suction (Group B), respectively, and the curative effect, complication rate, and surgical efficiency were evaluated. Results: There was no significant difference in the curative effect and complication rate between the two groups, but the endoscope‐assisted exploration group after suction with rotary cutter (Group B) had higher surgical efficiency. Conclusion: On the basis of professional use of rotary cutter, it is efficient to choose endoscope to check the excision of sweat gland in the operation area and stop bleeding in time after blind suction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is an important basic polymer, which was used widely in variety of fields. Due to its high crystallinity, compact structure and strong surface hydrophobicity, PET has prominent resistance to biodegradation. In recent years, microplastics, especially polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics, was considered as serious threaten to ecosystems. In this study, alkali-resistant bacteria were used as whole-cell catalysts to try to improve the biodegradation of PET microplastics by increasing the bio-interfacial activity of the polymer substrate. Surfactants were applicated to enhance interfacial activation of enzyme and PET interactions. And an integrated strategy was constructed based on alkali resistant bacteria to catalysis the hydrolysis of PET. The results showed that Tween 20 had the most obvious promoting effect among the four interfacial biocatalysts on biological-chemical combined hydrolysis of PET microplastics with whole-cell biocatalysts in alkaline environment. Obvious etching and fracture were observed on the PET fibre surface after biodegradation in presence of surfactant. The weight loss rate of PET substrate can reach 11.04% after 5 days of biodegradation. Thus, this research provides a promising method for efficient degradation of PET microplastics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emission characteristics of quantum-dot micropillar lasers (QDMLs) are located at the intersection of nanophotonics and nonlinear dynamics, which provides an ideal platform for studying the optical interface between classical and quantum systems. In this work, a noise-induced bimodal QDML with orthogonal dual-mode outputs is modeled, and nonlinear dynamics, stochastic mode jumping and quantum statistics with the variation of stochastic noise intensity are investigated. Noise-induced effects lead to the emergence of two intensity bifurcation points for the strong and the weak mode, and the maximum output power of the strong mode becomes larger as the noise intensity increases. The anti-correlation of the two modes reaches the maximum at the second intensity bifurcation point. The dual-mode stochastic jumping frequency and effective bandwidth can exceed 100 GHz and 30 GHz under the noise-induced effect. Moreover, the noise-induced photon correlations of both modes simultaneously exhibit super-thermal bunching effects ( g (2) (0) > 2) in the low injection current region. The g (2) (0) -value of the strong mode can reach over 6 in the high injection current region. Photon bunching ( g (2) (0) > 1) of both modes is observed over a wide range of noise intensities and injection currents. In the presence of the noise-induced effect, the photon number distribution of the strong or the weak mode is a mixture of Bose–Einstein and Poisson distributions. As the noise intensity increases, the photon number distribution of the strong mode is dominated by the Bose–Einstein distribution, and the proportion of the Poisson distribution is increased in the high injection current region, while that of the weak mode is reduced. Our results contribute to the development preparation of super-bunching quantum integrated light sources for improving the spatiotemporal resolution of quantum sensing measurements and enhancing the security of optical communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noise reduction with materials of finite thickness has been a hot research topic. In this study, multi‐layer gradient fiber‐based composites integrating porous, resonant and damping structures were prepared for efficient sound absorption. Here, the effects of composite structure, fiber‐based thickness and micro‐perforated membrane fabric (MPMF) structure on the sound absorption of the composites were investigated. From the results, the sound absorption band of the composite can be effectively tuned by adjusting the structure of the MPMF or the thickness of the fiber‐based. In addition, the established acoustic model can accurately predict the sound absorption performance of the structure. It is worth mentioning that the gradient structure optimized by the algorithm exhibits broadband sound absorption (noise reduction coefficient of 0.42) and thin feature (thickness of 0.9 cm). Moreover, the medium and low frequency sound waves can be propagated and absorbed more easily by optimizing the structure of the composite. This work provides a reference for the preparation of multi‐layer gradient sound‐absorbing structures and the design of acoustic products in a specific frequency range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coccidiosis, a prominent intestinal protozoan disease, carries significant economic implications for the poultry industry. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Fengqiang Shengtai (BLES), a probiotics product, and coccidiosis vaccine in modulating the intestinal microbiome and providing insight into mitigating the occurrence and management of avian coccidiosis. Methods: Broilers included in the study were divided into four pre-treatment groups: the Pre-Con group (commercial diet), Pre-BLES group (BLES supplement), Pre-Vac group (coccidiosis vaccination) and Pre-Vac-BLES group (combined vaccination and BLES). Body weight gain, feed consumption and feed conversion ratio were monitored from age 25 to 55 days. Cecum contents were collected at 8 and 15 days of age for comparative analysis of intestinal microbiomes. In the Pre-BLES and Pre-Vac-BLES groups, probiotics were administered at a dose of 0.01 g per chicken between ages 3 to 6 days and 10–13 days. At 3 days of age, chickens in the Pre-Vac and Pre-Vac-BLES groups were vaccinated with 1700 sporulated oocysts of the live coccidiosis vaccine per chicken. At the age of 25 days, Eimeria spp. challenge experiments were performed based on the aforementioned immunization strategy, and the oocysts per gram (OPG) in the feces, intestinal lesion score and intestinal pathological characteristics were evaluated. Specifically, 30 chickens were randomly selected from each group and orally administered 34,000 sporulated oocysts of Eimeria spp. per chicken, re-defined as Eimeria group, BLES-Eimeria group, Vac-Eimeria group and Vac-BLES-Eimeria group, respectively. Additionally, 30 chickens were randomly selected from the Pre-Con group and included as negative control without Eimeria spp. challenge. Intestinal microbiota was sequenced and analyzed when the broilers were 32 days old. Results: A significant improvement was observed in body weight gain of the broilers in the Pre-BLES and Pre-Vac-BLES group at 45 days of age. Analysis of the intestinal microbiota revealed a positive correlation between the experimental groups receiving BLES and coccidiosis vaccines at 8 and 15 days of age with the Enterococcus genus and Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 group, respectively. In addition to the reduced lesion score and OPG values, the combination of coccidiosis vaccine and BLES also reduced the intestinal epithelial abscission induced by coccidiosis vaccines. The results of intestinal microbial function prediction demonstrated that N-glycan biosynthesis and ferroptosis were the prominent signal pathways in the Vac-BLES-Eimeria group. Conclusions: Taken together, the results of the present study suggest that supplementation of BLES with coccidiosis vaccine represents a promising strategy for improving growth performance, alleviating clinical manifestations and inducing favorable alterations to the intestinal microbiota in broiler chickens affected by coccidiosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the field operation of rice combine harvester, the vibration generated by vibration component will only reduce mechanical reliability and yield, but also cause resonance in the human body, leading to a decrease in driving comfort and even damage to the driver's health. To study the impact of combine harvester vibration on driving comfort, a certain type of tracked rice combine harvester was selected as the research object, and vibration tests were carried out based on vibration source analysis in the driving cab during field harvesting operations. The study showed that under the influence of field road conditions and crop flow, the operating speed of the engine, threshing rotor, stirrer, cutting blade, threshing cylinder, vibration sieve and conveyor were fluctuating, and their rotation and reciprocating motion would produce vibration excitation in the driving cab. A spectrum analysis was conducted on the acceleration signal of the driver's cab, and it was found that vibration frequencies at three measuring points, namely the pedal, control lever, and seat, can reach up to 36.7~43.3 Hz. These frequencies can cause resonance in various parts of the driver's body, such as the head and lower limbs, leading to symptoms such as dizziness, throat discomfort, leg pain, defecation anxiety, and frequent urination, and even affect vision of the driver. At the same time, a weighted root-mean-square acceleration evaluation method was used to evaluate the driving comfort of the harvester. The evaluation method showed that the vibration at the foot pedal (Aw1 = 4.4 m/s2>2.5 m/s2) caused extreme discomfort, while the vibration at the seat (0.5 m/s2< Aw2 = 0.67 m/s2<1.0 m/s2) and the control lever (0.5 m/s2< Aw3 = 0.55 m/s2<1.0 m/s2) caused relatively less discomfort. This research can provide some reference for the optimization design of the joint harvester driver's cab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Douyin APP is the short video APP with the largest number of users in China. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the quality and reliability of short videos about cosmetic surgery on Douyin. Methods: In August 2022, we retrieved and screened 300 short videos related to cosmetic surgery from Douyin, extracted basic video information, encoded the content and identified the video source. The quality and reliability of short video information were evaluated using the DISCERN instrument. Results: A total of 168 short videos of cosmetic surgery were included in the survey, and the video sources included personal accounts and institutional accounts. Overall, the total proportion of institutional accounts (47/168, 27.98%) is significantly less than that of personal accounts (121/168, 72.02%); nonhealth professionals received the most praises, comments and even collections and reposts, while for‐profit academic organizations or institutions received the least. The DISCERN scores of 168 short videos of cosmetic surgery were 3.74–4.58 (average 4.22). Content reliability (p =.04) and overall short video quality (p =.02) are significantly different, but short videos published from different sources have no significant difference in treatment selection (p =.052). Conclusion: The overall information quality and reliability of short videos about cosmetic surgery on Douyin are satisfactory in China. Patient or Public Contribution: The participants were involved in developing research questions, study design, management and conduct, interpretation of evidence and dissemination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to explore the mechanism and influence mechanism of cabbage harvest damage, a low-loss cabbage harvest test platform was designed on the basis of combining the physical characteristics of cabbage with the mechanical characteristics of mechanical harvest and the cabbage harvest operation process. Through the design of key components of the test platform harvesting, the key parameters of the pulling-out device, the reel device, the flexible clamping and conveying device, and the double-disc cutting device were determined. The movement changes of cabbage during pulling out, conveying, and cutting were analyzed to clarify the process of damage generation and critical conditions of damage in cabbage harvesting operations. The test results showed that when the speed of the pulling out device was controlled at 80–120 r/min, the speed of the clamping and conveying device was controlled at 120–240 r/min, and the speed of the double disc cutter was controlled at 140–180 r/min, the average success rate of pulling on the low-loss harvesting test platform was 92.7%; the average damage rate of the pulling process was 7.32%; the average success rate of clamping and conveying was 88.6%; the average damage rate of the clamping and conveying link was 12%; the average success rate of root cutting was 89.3%; and the average damage rate of the cutting link was 11.34%. The average qualified rate of harvesting in the pulling link was 86.7%, the average qualified rate of harvesting in the clamping and conveying link was 75.3%, and the average qualified rate of harvesting in the cutting link was 77.3%. All the performance indicators meet the design requirements and relevant standards, and the research results can provide a reference for the development and structural improvement of low-loss harvesting equipment for cabbage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Federated learning (FL) is a novel distributed machine learning paradigm. It can protect data privacy in distributed machine learning. Hence, FL provides new ideas for user behavior analysis. User behavior analysis can be modeled using multiple data sources. However, differences between different data sources can lead to different data distributions, i.e., non-identically and non-independently distributed (Non-IID). Non-IID data usually introduce bias in the training process of FL models, which will affect the model accuracy and convergence speed. In this paper, a new federated learning algorithm is proposed to mitigate the impact of Non-IID data on the model, named federated learning with a two-tier caching mechanism (FedTCM). First, FedTCM clustered similar clients based on their data distribution. Clustering reduces the extent of Non-IID between clients in a cluster. Second, FedTCM uses asynchronous communication methods to alleviate the problem of inconsistent computation speed across different clients. Finally, FedTCM sets up a two-tier caching mechanism on the server for mitigating the Non-IID data between different clusters. In multiple simulated datasets, compared to the method without the federated framework, the FedTCM is maximum 15.8% higher than it and average 12.6% higher than it. Compared to the typical federated method FedAvg, the accuracy of FedTCM is maximum 2.3% higher than it and average 1.6% higher than it. Additionally, FedTCM achieves more excellent communication performance than FedAvg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poultry necrotic enteritis (NE) is a complex and multifactorial disease caused by Clostridium perfringens types. Earlier, the disease was prevented and/or controlled through the addition of in-feed antibiotics and antimicrobial growth promoters (AGPs). The ban on the use of these agents as feed additives has been a major reason for re-emergence of this disease leading to huge economic losses to the world poultry industry. Understanding the pathogenesis of NE by developing an effective experimental model remains challenging and lacks consistency owing to the involvement of several critical factors involved in causing lesions of disease in the field. In this study, locally characterized C. perfringens types, i.e., ACP (toxinotype A), and GCP (toxinotype G), obtained from NE outbreaks on commercial farms in China (2020–2022), were used to experimentally induce NE in Specific-Pathogen-Free (SPF) chicks. The lesion scores observed on day 20 were 1.9 ± 1.10 (GCP strain) and 1.5 ± 1.08 (ACP strain), and both had significant difference as compared to the control group. The inclusion of fishmeal in addition to oral clostridial dose, i.e., fishmeal (day 7 onward) + Clostridia (7.5 × 108 cfu/mL consecutively for 04 days) induced a lesion score of 2.0 ± 1.15 in respective groups. Use of coccidia (Eimeria necatrix) on day 9 followed by clostridia challenge enhanced the lesion scores to 2.5 ± 1.08 and 2.2 ± 1.23 for type G and type A strains, respectively. When both predisposing factors (coccidia + fish meal) were given together, i.e., fishmeal (day 7 onward) and coccidia (day 9) along with clostridia, the lesion scores were 3.2 ± 1.22 (GCP + coccidia + fish meal) and 3.0 ± 1.15 (ACP + coccidia + fish meal). These results were significantly different from group 1 (ACP) and 2 (GCP), in which only C. perfringens was used to induce NE. The clinical signs as well as histopathological lesions in experimentally induced groups were found similar as reported in the literature. The two type G strains identified in this study were also used for susceptibility testing against various drugs. Both strains were found to be resistant to amikacin, doxycycline, metronidazole, neomycin, nystatin, polymyxin B, streptomycin, and tetracycline. Variable susceptibility was seen against ceftriaxone, florfenicol, gentamicin, and kanamycin drugs. Amoxicillin, ampicillin, cefotaxime, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, ofloxacin, and penicillin were effective drugs based upon their low level of resistance and therefore they might be preferred over other antimicrobial agents for proper treatment/prophylaxis of NE infections. Further studies are needed to study the pathogenesis of NE in detail in experimentally induced models along with continuous monitoring of the resistance pattern of C. perfringens strains in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Profunda femoris artery perforator flaps (PAPFs) have not been widely used in head and neck reconstructions. The feasibility and outcomes of PAPFs for various head and neck reconstructions need to be investigated. Study Design: Retrospective analysis. Setting: A single‐institution review. Methods: PAPFs were utilized in head and neck reconstructions from 2019 to 2021. Local anatomy, surgical technique, and complications were discussed. Chimeric PAPF applications with muscle components were described for coverage of extensive multiunit defects. Additionally, aesthetic and functional outcomes were compared with anterolateral thigh perforator flaps. Results: A total of 33 cases were included. The average age was 54.2 years (range, 30‐74). The most common underlying pathology was oral squamous cell carcinoma (n = 26, 78.8%), while the mean ± SD body mass index was 25.4 ± 2.8 kg/m2. Middle perforators (n = 14, 42.4%) were the most commonly utilized ones. The perforator‐based chimeric/composite applications were used in 9 (27.3%), with the muscular components consisting of gracilis (n = 3, 9.1%), adductor magnus (n = 5, 15.2%), or semimembranosus muscles (n = 1, 3.0%). Venous thromboses of the PAPFs were found in 2 (6.1%), though salvaged. The occurrence of postoperative 90‐day morbidity (complication) was related to mandibulectomy/maxillectomy (P =.020). Postoperative validated questionnaires showed a trend of intermediate to high scores, indicating noninferior outcomes in several categories, when compared with the anterolateral thigh perforator flap counterparts. Conclusion: PAPFs are a good reconstructive alternative for intermediate to large head and neck reconstructions. Besides, PAPFs can provide sufficient tissue volume and versatility of potentially incorporating adjacent muscle components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transgenic expression of Cre recombinase driven by a specific promoter is normally used to conditionally knockout a gene in a tissue- or cell-type-specific manner. In αMHC-Cre transgenic mouse model, expression of Cre recombinase is controlled by the myocardial-specific α-myosin heavy chain (αMHC) promoter, which is commonly used to edit myocardial-specific genes. Toxic effects of Cre expression have been reported, including intro-chromosome rearrangements, micronuclei formation and other forms of DNA damage, and cardiomyopathy was observed in cardiac-specific Cre transgenic mice. However, mechanisms associated with Cardiotoxicity of Cre remain poorly understood. In our study, our data unveiled that αMHC-Cre mice developed arrhythmias and died after six months progressively, and none of them survived more than one year. Histopathological examination showed that αMHC-Cre mice had aberrant proliferation of tumor-like tissue in the atrial chamber extended from and vacuolation of ventricular myocytes. Furthermore, the αMHC-Cre mice developed severe cardiac interstitial and perivascular fibrosis, accompanied by significant increase of expression levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the cardiac atrium and ventricular. Moreover, cardiac-specific expression of Cre led to disintegration of the intercalated disc, along with altered proteins expression of the disc and calcium-handling abnormality. Comprehensively, we identified that the ferroptosis signaling pathway is involved in heart failure caused by cardiac-specific expression of Cre, on which oxidative stress results in cytoplasmic vacuole accumulation of lipid peroxidation on the myocardial cell membrane. Taken together, these results revealed that cardiac-specific expression of Cre recombinase can lead to atrial mesenchymal tumor-like growth in the mice, which causes cardiac dysfunction, including cardiac fibrosis, reduction of the intercalated disc and cardiomyocytes ferroptosis at the age older than six months in mice. Our study suggests that αMHC-Cre mouse models are effective in young mice, but not in old mice. Researchers need to be particularly careful when using αMHC-Cre mouse model to interpret those phenotypic impacts of gene responses. As the Cre-associated cardiac pathology matched mostly to that of the patients, the model could also be employed for investigating age-related cardiac dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to investigate and analyze the effect of different application sequences of CO2 fractional laser and triamcinolone acetonide injection on the application effect of hypertrophic scar in one operation. Patients with hypertrophic scars who received CO2 lattice laser combined with triamcinolone acetonide injection from January 2021 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the different initial operations, they were divided into CO2 FL-TA group and TA-CO2 FL group. The Vancouver Scar Scale score and scar thickness of the two groups before and after treatment were analyzed. The complications occurred in the two groups during the treatment period. The clinical efficacy of the two groups before and after the treatment was calculated. Before treatment, there was no difference in scar thickness and VSS score between the two groups (P > 0.05). After treatment, the above indexes in CO2 FL-TA group were significantly better than those in TA-CO2 FL group (P < 0.05); the incidence of adverse reactions in CO2 FL-TA group was 9.38%, which was significantly lower than that in TA-CO2 FL group (18.75%) (P < 0.05); the total effective rate of CO2 FL-TA group was 90.63%, which was significantly higher than that in TA-CO2 FL group (65.63%) (P < 0.05). In the process of combined CO2 fractional laser and triamcinolone acetonide injection in the treatment of hypertrophic scars, CO2 fractional laser treatment first, and then triamcinolone acetonide injection can reduce the number of treatments, reduce the incidence of adverse reactions, and achieve more satisfactory treatment effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the explosive growth in personal mobile devices, offloading computation through nearby mobile user devices as opportunistic edge servers to support complex applications with limited computation resources is receiving increasing attention. In this paper, we first establish the optimal opportunistic offloading problem using the statistical properties of user movement speed and CPU load of mobile edge servers. We then determine the amount of computation to be offloaded to individual mobile edge servers. Moreover, we design an adaptive mechanism based on PID to realize the function of continuing large data packets from breakpoints, mainly used to adjust the size of data packets automatically. It efficiently avoids data loss and reduces the cost of resources through the latency deviation as the variable of the gain function to estimate the packet size. Finally, an access control system based on edge computing is designed and developed to make full use of the mobile phones of nearby users. It can address the shortcomings of traditional schemes with high latency to some extent, and it makes latency lower and data reliability higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bio-degumming was gradually become more attracting strategy for obtaining of biomass fiber from bast of plant, which was considered as green and low-carbon approach compared with conventional chemical degumming. However, the current bio-degumming technology cannot meet the required effect and efficiency on a pilot scale. In this investigation, a novel strategy for improving bio-degumming was proposed by breaking of biomass recalcitrance in flax with clean pretreatment method. It is proved that biomass recalcitrance in bast fibers can be effectively broken by physical pretreatment, especially by cryogenic pretreatment. In process of cryogenic pretreatment, non-cellulose substance in flax was obviously decreased and the connection between cellulose and non-cellulose components of flax was evidently disrupted. This resulted in the increase of specific surface area of the bast fiber and the enhancing of binding sites for enzymes. As a result, bioavailability of flax was improved and the efficiency of bio-degumming can be increased with the breaking of biomass recalcitrance in flax. Thus, a clean strategy was provided by breaking of biomass recalcitrance in flax with cryogenic pretreatment for bio-degumming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Necrotic enteritis (NE) is an infectious intestinal disease caused by Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) that is now re-emerging and causing concern within the poultry industry. Previously, the supplementation of antibiotics in feed was the most popular control strategy against C. perfringens. However, with the ban on supplementing growth-promoting antibiotics in livestock feed, alternatives to antibiotics will be essential in order to control necrotic enteritis. A possible alternative to antibiotics could be the medium or long chain fatty acids (MCFA or LCFA) as these are able to destroy cell membranes which in turn results in the death of bacteria. In this study, the in vitro antimicrobial activity of different combinations with microencapsulated caprylic acid (C8: 0), capric acid (C10: 0), lauric acid (C12: 0) and myristic acid (C14: 0) against C. perfringens and in vivo control the NE-inducing C. perfringens in broiler chicken were analyzed. Results: The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) assay results revealed that three different combinations of medium/long chain fatty acids varied in antimicrobial activities against C. perfringens type A strain (CVCC52, quality control), C. perfringens type A strain (C8-1), C. perfringens type G strain (D25) and C. perfringens type G strain (MZ1). Specifically, combination of C12: 0 and C14: 0 (C12–14) showed the highest antimicrobial activity against the four strains of C. perfringens (MIC ≤ 12.5 μg/mL, MBC = 50 μg/mL), followed by the combination of C10: 0 and C12: 0 (C10–12) (MIC, MBC ≤ 50 μg/mL). The in vivo study, 189 of 818-crossbred chickens that were fed a wheat-based diet and randomly divided into nine groups, with six treatment groups supplemented with either a high dose (1 g/kg) or low dose (0.5 g/kg) of three combinations respectively. The remaining three groups comsisted of a positive group supplement with avilamycin (0.01 g/kg), an infected control and an uninfected control. All chickens were challenged with C. perfringens from day 14 to day 17, except those in the uninfected control group. On day 20, the duodenum and jejunum necrotic lesions scores were calculated and the results showed that there was significant decrease in the C12–C14 high dose group (1.43 ± 0.23, 0.48 ± 0.13) and the C10–12 high dose group (1.52 ± 0.19, 0.48 ± 0.11) compared to the infected group (2.86 ± 0.21, 1.20 ± 0.28). Conclusions: This finding indicated that dietary microencapsulated C12–C14 and C10–C12 could inhibit the growth of C. perfringens in chickens, which proves is viability to serve as an alternative to antibiotics used for necrotic enteritis caused by C. perfringens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the World Health Organization, noise pollution is second only to air pollution in its impact on health and the environment. Fiber-based sound-absorbing structures have great application potential in the field of sound absorption and noise reduction because they can provide a wider sound absorption range than traditional porous fiber materials, and at the same time have the advantages of light weight, low cost and strong processability. Consequently, significant research interest in the field of noise control has been directed into the study of composite sound-absorbing materials based on porous fiber materials. In this review, we have summarized manifold theoretical structures based on fiber materials, such as multilayer structure, porous micro/nano structure, membrane sound-absorbing structure and perforated resonance structure of fiber-based sound-absorbing structures, aiming to illustrate that the structure must affect the sound absorption performance of the material. The focus is on the research and development of the design concepts, and preparation methods of fiber-based acoustic structures are reviewed. Finally, this review concludes with the prospects and outlook for fiber-based acoustic structures. We hope that this article which reviews the structure design principle and preparation method of fiber-based sound-absorbing structures can give inspirations for readers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Blepharoplasty is a typical complex structural system, which involves many factors and the interaction among them. Therefore, it is the basis of controlling the occurrence of medical complications in blepharoplasty to clarify the hierarchical relationship of various risk factors and find out the key risk factors. Methods: On the basis of identifying the risk factors for quality management of blepharoplasty by means of literature research, questionnaire survey and expert interview, the risk factor model of blepharoplasty quality management were analyzed and constructed. The relationship between the risk factors and the degree of influence on the risk factors was studied using Decision‐Making Trialand Evaluation Laboratory and Interpretative Structural Modeling Method, and the hierarchical structure model of the risk factors for blepharoplasty quality management was obtained. Results: Six levels of risk factors in quality management of blepharoplasty were identified and classified, and the causal attributes among risk factors were determined. Six key risk factors in quality management of double eyelid surgery were determined according to centrality, and finally the above risk factors were divided into three categories: direct cause, excessive cause, and essential cause. Conclusions: This study realizes the comprehensive risk factor analysis of the complex system of quality management of blepharoplasty, which can provide reference for plastic surgeons to make safety decisions of blepharoplasty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) remains a global health challenge with poor prognosis and high mortality. FKBP1A was first discovered as a receptor for the immunosuppressant drug FK506 in immune cells and is critical for various tumors and cancers. However, the relationships between FKBP1A expression, cellular distribution, tumor immunity, and prognosis in LIHC remain unclear. Here, we investigated the expression level of FKBP1A and its prognostic value in LIHC via multiple datasets including ONCOMINE, TIMER, GEPIA, UALCAN, HCCDB, Kaplan–Meier plotter, LinkedOmics, and STRING. Human liver tissue microarray was employed to analyze the characteristics of FKBP1A protein including the expression level and pathological alteration in cellular distribution. FKBP1A expression was significantly higher in LIHC and correlated with tumor stage, grade and metastasis. The expression level of the FKBP1A protein was also increased in LIHC patients along with its accumulation in endoplasmic reticulum (ER). High FKBP1A expression was correlated with a poor survival rate in LIHC patients. The analysis of gene co-expression and the regulatory pathway network suggested that FKBP1A is mainly involved in protein synthesis, metabolism and the immune-related pathway. FKBP1A expression had a significantly positive association with the infiltration of hematopoietic immune cells including B cells, CD8+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells. Moreover, M2 macrophage infiltration was especially associated with a poor survival prognosis in LIHC. Furthermore, FKBP1A expression was significantly positively correlated with the expression of markers of M2 macrophages and immune checkpoint proteins such as PD-L1, CTLA-4, LAG3 and HAVCR2. Our study demonstrated that FKBP1A could be a potential prognostic target involved in tumor immune cell infiltration in LIHC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To explore the effect of absorbable collagen thread and cosmetic suture technique on scar inhibition after emergency facial trauma in children, and to explore the application value of absorbable collagen thread in emergency facial trauma. Methods: Children who received emergency treatment of facial trauma in plastic surgery department from January 2021 to January 2022 were analysed retrospectively, and were divided into absorbable collagen thread group and non‐absorbable nylon thread group. The general data, scar appearance and local symptoms of the two groups were analysed, and the scar appearance was scored by scar beauty rating scale and non‐inferiority test was analysed statistically. Results: A total of 632 children with facial trauma were included in this study, including 458 patients with absorbable collagen thread and 174 patients with non‐absorbable nylon thread. The SCAR score of the absorbable collagen thread group (3.03 ± 1.57) was similar to that of the non‐absorbable nylon thread group (2.98 ± 2.39) (95% confidence interval), and the final scar outcome score was not statistically different (P > 0.05). All families of the patients were satisfied with the results of the procedure, 95% very satisfied. Conclusion: The use of absorbable collagen thread and cosmetic suture technique to treat the wounds of children with facial emergency trauma, resulted in good wound healing, little scar expansion, low incidence of erythema and pigment abnormality, no obvious surgical trace, and no scar hypertrophy or atrophy. The overall impression was good, the pain of stitch removal was avoided for children's patients, and the satisfaction of family members was high. Cosmetic suture technique with absorbable sutures is worthy of clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lieb lattice has been proven to host various extraordinary properties due to its unique Dirac-flat band structure. However, the realization of tunable Lieb lattices with controllable configurations still remains a significant challenge. We demonstrate the first realization of a robust and tailorable plasma Lieb lattice in dielectric barrier discharges by the use of uniquely designed mesh-water electrodes. Fast reconfiguration between square lattice, Lieb lattice, and various Lieb superlattices has been achieved in a wide range of discharge parameters even in ambient air. Active control of the symmetry, size, and fine structures of plasma elements in Lieb lattices is realized. Three distinct discharge stages in plasma Lieb lattice are proposed on the basis of fast camera diagnostics. The Dirac-flat band structure of the plasma Lieb lattice is demonstrated. Experimental verification of the photonic bandgap for the Lieb lattice is provided. Moreover, the Gierer–Meinhardt reaction diffusion model with spatial modulations is established to simulate the formation of different Lieb lattices. Experimental observations and numerical simulations are in good agreement. The results provide an important step forward in the ongoing effort to realize tunable Lieb lattices, which may find promising applications in the manipulation of microwaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pigeon farming for meat has developed into an important economic industry in most countries, especially in China. Trichomoniasis, caused by the protozoan parasite Trichomonas gallinae, is a worldwide disease in pigeons. However, studies of the prevalence and distribution of T. gallinae lineages in domestic pigeons in southern China are limited. In this study, a total of 636 pigeon throat swabs samples from four regions in Guangdong Province were screened for T. gallinae by in vitro culture assays and microscopy. The results revealed an overall prevalence of T. gallinae infection in southern China of 26.6% (169/636). There were significant differences in the infection rate of T. gallinae between the four regions (χ2 = 117.948, df = 4, P = 0.000), with up to 44.6% in the Pearl River Delta region. The infection rate of young pigeons was as high as 70.8%. The rDNA sequences (18S rRNA/ITS1-5.8S rRNA-ITS2) of 153 positive samples were amplified and sequenced. Results identified 58.2% (89/153) overall as ITS-A (18S-VI) (also known as ITS-OBT-Tg-1) and 41.8% (64/153) as ITS-B (18S-IV) (also known as ITS-OBT-Tg-2). Thus, ITS-A (18S-VI) was the dominant T. gallinae genotype in southern China, especially in young pigeon (97.0%, 32/33). In conclusion, a high prevalence of T. gallinae infection in domestic pigeons was identified in southern China, particularly in the Pearl River Delta region. The ITS-A (18S-VI) was the dominant genotype highly pathogenic, which may weaken the immune system of pigeons, and cause a negative impact on the development of the pigeon industry in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A theoretical model for studying the temperature properties of singlemode-multimode-singlemode (SMS) fiber structure fabricated by absorptive multimode fiber (MMF) cladding is established. Moreover, an SMS-based temperature sensor is fabricated and experimentally demonstrated. Experimental results show that the dip wavelength of the transmission spectrum changes linearly with temperature, which is in good agreement with the simulated results obtained by using the model. Further, a comprehensive study of temperature characteristics affected by the thermo-optic effect, thermal expansion effect, and thermal effect of absorption characteristics is performed for SMS fiber optic structures with different refractive indexes, thermo-optic coefficients, and absorption properties of MMF cladding, MMF core diameters, and thermal expansion coefficients of packaging shell. According to the obtained rules, investigations are carried out into the thermal response of an SMS fiber structure resulting from combined thermal effects for temperature performance optimization. Excellent temperature stability with a temperature sensitivity of 0 pm/°C or good temperature sensitivity of −441.58 pm/°C is achieved accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in middle-aged and elderly populations, whereas there is no cure for PD so far. Novel animal models and medications await development to elucidate the aetiology of PD and attenuate the symptoms, respectively.Methods: A neurotoxin, 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), was used in the current study to establish a PD pathologic model in silkworms. The time required to complete specific behaviours was recorded. Dopamine content was detected by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). The activity of insect tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) was determined using a double-antibody sandwich method. Oxidative stress was assessed by changes in antioxidant enzyme activity and the content of oxidative products.Results: MPTP-treated silkworms were characterized by impaired motor ability, reduced dopamine content, and elevated oxidative stress level. The expression of TH, a dopamine biosynthetic enzyme within dopaminergic neurons in the brain, was significantly reduced, indicating that dopaminergic neurons were damaged. Moreover, MPTP-induced motility impairment and reduced dopamine level in the silkworm PD model could be rescued after feeding a combination of levodopa (L-dopa [LD]) and carbidopa (CD). MPTP-induced oxidative damage was also alleviated, in ways consistent with other PD animal models. Interestingly, administration of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) improved the motor ability, dopamine level, and TH activity, and the oxidative damage was concomitantly reduced in the silkworm PD model.Conclusions: This study provides a promising animal model for elucidating the pathogenesis of PD, as well as a relevant preliminary drug screening (e.g., LBP) and evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On account of a lack of suitable and specialized harvesting equipment for cabbage species and planting modes in China, in this study, a type of 4GCSD-1200 type cabbage harvester was designed to further optimize the working performance of the cabbage harvester. First, the structure and working principles of the harvester were introduced, and the cabbage harvesting process was analyzed. Based on the test method and theoretical analysis, a single-factor test was carried out on the main working parameters of the sample machine, the advancing speed, rotating speed of the pulling roller, rotating speed of the conveyor belt, and the cutter-head were taken as independent variables, and the qualifying rate of cabbage harvesting was taken as the response value. According to the Box–Behnken test design principles, a four-factor three-level response surface analysis was adopted to establish a mathematical model between all test factors and the qualifying rate of cabbage harvesting, then all test factors and their interaction effects were analyzed. The test results showed that the optimal working parameters of the harvester were: the advancing speed was 1.1 km/h, the rotating speed of the pulling roller was 90 r/min, the rotating speed of the conveyor belt was 205 r/min, and the rotating speed of the cutter-head was 395 r/min. The verification test results showed that the qualifying rate of cabbage harvesting was 96.3%, showing a good harvesting effect, with uniformly cut notches and a low damage rate. The test indicates that by optimizing the working parameters, the damage during the mechanized harvesting of cabbage can be reduced and the qualifying rate of harvesting can be improved; the working effect could, therefore, satisfy the requirements of market harvesting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the structural design of sound-absorbing materials, how to combine the merits of porous materials with acoustic functional fillers with special structures to improve the sound-absorbing performance of porous materials at low-medium frequencies is a challenging problem. Herein, a directionally antagonistic acoustic textile is proposed as a sound absorber fabricated via single-sided coating. It is found that the sound absorber presents a double gradient structure by controlling the distribution of filler on the porous material frame. Considering the incident plane of acoustic waves, two different paths are defined, namely A–B and B–A (A, coated side; B, uncoated side), under which the sound absorber shows remarkable anisotropic sound absorption. The peak frequency is from 5559 Hz of bare fabric to 3455 Hz of the A–B NWIII (coated nonwoven when sound waves propagate along A–B) sound absorber, showing a significant tendency to move to the lower frequencies. The peak value of sound absorption coefficient of the A–B NWIII is 0.94, indicating a high sound absorptivity. In addition, by adjusting the acoustic functional filler and weaving structure and thickness of the base fabric, the sound absorber exhibits the expected anisotropic sound absorption. The novel sound absorber can be fit for lightweight sound-absorbing applications because of the characteristics of light, soft, high efficiency and broadband sound absorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cancer, a deadly disease seems to be a major concern for the global medical field. Controlling the spread of disease is not only a problem for under developed countries but also the developed countries face a lot of concern in diagnosing and treating cancer. Among various cancer types lung cancer mortality incidence seems to be a global threat. Surgery and Chemoradiation therapies are mostly prescribe for lung cancer patients which renders post treatment side effects. Hence, treating cancer with alternative medicine tends to be a choice at present. Materials and Methods: In this study, we induced lung cancer in healthy Swiss albino mice by treating with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene. The treatment was carried out for a period of 18 weeks; both pre supplementation and post supplementation of prunetin was administered to the mice. Results: The changes in hematological and immunological parameters induced by prunetin in lung cancer induced mice were assessed. Oxidative stress in white blood cells which plays a key role in lung cancer induction was analyzed. The therapeutic of efficacy of prunetin was evaluated by estimating the levels of metabolizing enzymes in cancer induced mice. The anticancer effect of prunetin was assessed by estimating the tumor marker CEA and anti-inflammatory markers. It was further confirmed with histopathological analysis of lung tissue. Our results had proven that prunetin significantly increased the white blood cell count, phagocytic, and activity index in lung cancer induced mice. It also decreased the levels of immunoglobulins and oxidative stress in white blood cells. Prunetin treatment decreased the levels of metabolizing enzymes, tumor marker CEA, and proinflammatory markers in cancer induced mice which proven the anticancer efficacy of prunetin. It was further confirmed with histopathological analysis of lung tissue. Conclusion: Over all our results authentically confirms prunetin is a potent anticancer drug to treat lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]