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Abstract Organometal halide perovskite (OHP) composites are flexible and easy to synthesize, making them ideal for ambient mechanical energy harvesting. Yet, the output current density from the piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs) remains orders of magnitude lower than their ceramic counterparts. In prior composites, high permittivity nanoparticles enhance the dielectric constant (ϵr) but reduce the dielectric strength (Eb). This guides our design: increase the dielectric constant by the high ϵr nanoparticle while enhancing the Eb by optimizing the perovskite structure. Therefore, we chemically functionalize the nanoparticles to suppress their electrically triggered ion migration for an improved piezoelectric response. The polystyrene functionalizes with FAPbBr2I enlarges the grains, homogenizes the halide ions, and maintains their structural integrity inside a polymer. Consequently, the PENG produces a current density of 2.6 µAcm−2N−1. The intercalated electrodes boost the current density to 25 µAcm−2N−1, an order of magnitude enhancement for OHP composites, and higher than ceramic composites.

The deterioration in fruit quality of commercial tomatoes is a major concern of modern tomato breeding. However, the metabolism and genetics of fruit quality are poorly understood. Here, we performed transgenic and molecular biology experiments to reveal that tomato phytoene synthase 1 (SlPSY1) is responsible for the accumulation of an important flavor chemical, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one (MHO). To dissect the function of SlPSY1 in regulating fruit quality, we generated and analyzed a dataset encompassing over 2 000 compounds detected by GC–MS and LC-MS/MS along with transcriptomic data. The combined results illustrated that SlPSY1 deficiency imparts novel flavor to yellow tomatoes with 236 volatiles significantly changed and improves fruit firmness, possibly due to accumulation of seven cutins. Further analysis indicated SlPSY1 is essential for carotenoid-derived metabolite biosynthesis by catalyzing prephytoene-PP (PPPP) to 15-cis-phytoene. Notably, we showed that SlPSY1 can influence the metabolic flux between carotenoid and flavonoid pathways, and this metabolic flux was confirmed by silencing SlCHS1. Our study provided insights into the multiple effects of SlPSY1 on tomato fruit metabolome and highlights the potential to produce high-quality fruit by rational design of SlPSY1 expression.

Abstract Harmonics and electromagnetic interference (EMI) pose serious threats to the safety and efficiency of grid‐tied inverters. Although the inductor‐capacitor‐inductor (LCL) filter offers commendable harmonic suppression, it does not sufficiently mitigate leakage current and EMI caused by high‐frequency pulse‐width modulation (PWM). This paper examines the use of a symmetrical LCL filter to reduce the AC side leakage current in grid‐tied inverters. The symmetrical structure bolsters the conducted EMI suppression capability of the LCL filter. A magnetic integration scheme for symmetric LCL filters is introduced, and through thoughtful structural design, it achieves filter inductance integration on the EIE magnetic core. An experimental platform, equipped with a high‐frequency SiC‐MOSFET voltage source inverter with a 600 W output, is utilized. The LCL filter, symmetric LCL filter, and magnetic integrated symmetric LCL filter are contrasted, proving the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed scheme. Furthermore, the experimental results demonstrate that the proposed magnetic integration scheme significantly reduces the filter's volume and weight, thereby enhancing the power density of the grid‐tied inverter system.

Abstract The 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (OGDHc) orchestrates a critical reaction regulating the TCA cycle. Although the structure of each OGDHc subunit has been solved, the architecture of the intact complex and inter-subunit interactions still remain unknown. Here we report the assembly of native, intact OGDHc from Sus scrofa heart tissue using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET), and subtomogram averaging (STA) to discern native structures of the whole complex and each subunit. Our cryo-EM analyses revealed the E2o cubic core structure comprising eight homotrimers at 3.3-Å resolution. More importantly, the numbers, positions and orientations of each OGDHc subunit were determined by cryo-ET and the STA structures of the core were resolved at 7.9-Å with the peripheral subunits reaching nanometer resolution. Although the distribution of the peripheral subunits E1o and E3 vary among complexes, they demonstrate a certain regularity within the position and orientation. Moreover, we analyzed and validated the interactions between each subunit, and determined the flexible binding mode for E1o, E2o and E3, resulting in a proposed model of Sus scrofa OGDHc. Together, our results reveal distinctive factors driving the architecture of the intact, native OGDHc.

Abstract Background The region-specific importance of carcinogenic HPV genotypes is required for optimizing HPV-based screening and promoting appropriate multivalent HPV prophylactic vaccines. This information is lacking for Ningbo, one of the first cities of China’s Healthy City Innovation Pilot Program for Cervical Cancer Elimination. Here, we investigated high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) genotype-specific distribution and attribution to biopsy-confirmed cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (CIN2+) before mass vaccination in Ningbo, China. Methods A total of 1393 eligible CIN2+ archived blocks (including 161 CIN2, 1107 CIN3, and 125 invasive cervical cancers [ICC]) were collected from 2017 to 2020 in Ningbo. HR-HPV DNA was genotyped using the SPF10-DEIA-LiPA25 version 1 detection system and the SureX HPV 25X Genotyping Kit. Genotype-specific attribution to CIN2+ was estimated using a fractional contribution approach. Results Ranking by the attributable proportions, HPV16 remained the most important genotype in both cervical precancers and cancers, accounting for 36.8% of CIN2, 53.2% of CIN3, and 73.3% of ICC cases. Among cervical precancers, HPV52 (17.3% in CIN2, 12.7% in CIN3) and HPV58 (13.9%, 14.9%) ranked second and third, while HPV33 (8.3%, 7.9%) and HPV31 (6.5%, 4.1%) ranked fourth and fifth, respectively. However, among ICCs, HPV18 (5.7%) accounted for the second highest proportion, followed by HPV33 (5.4%), HPV58 (4.0%), and HPV45 (3.2%). HPV18/45 together accounted for 46.8% of adenocarcinomas, which was slightly lower than that of HPV16 (47.7%). The remaining HR-HPV genotypes (HPV35/39/51/56/59/66/68) combined accounted for only 6.7% of CIN2, 2.9% of CIN3, and 4.2% of ICC. Conclusions With Ningbo’s strong medical resources, it will be important to continue HPV16/18 control efforts, and could broaden to HPV31/33/45/52/58 for maximum health benefits. However, different strategies should be proposed for other HR-HPV genotypes based on their lower carcinogenic risks.

Abstract Background Preliminary evidence demonstrates that visit-to-visit systolic blood pressure (SBP) variability is a prognostic factor of TBI. However, literature regarding the impact of initial blood pressure management on the outcomes of TBI patients is limited. We aimed to further validate the clinical significance of BPV on the prognostic outcomes of patients with TBI. Methods We performed the analysis by using individual patient-level data acquired from the eICU-CRD, which collected 200,859 ICU admissions of 139,367 patients in 2014 and 2015 from 208 US hospitals. Adult patients with traumatic intraparenchymal hemorrhage or contusion were included. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality and the secondary outcome was discharge-home rate. Blood pressure variability (BPV) was calculated according to standard criteria: at least six measurements were taken in the first 24 h (hyperacute group) and 36 over days 2–7 (acute group). We estimated the associations between BPV and outcomes with logistic and proportional odds regression models. The key parameter for BPV was standard deviation (SD) of SBP, categorized into quintiles. We also calculated the average real variability (ARV), as well as maximum, minimum, and mean SBP for comparison in our analysis. Results We studied 1486 patients in the hyperacute group and 857 in the acute group. SD of SBP had a significant association with the in-hospital mortality for both the hyperacute group (highest quintile adjusted OR 2.28 95% CI 1.18–4.42; ptrend

Abstract The effect of circumference and displacement of the third fracture fragment on fracture healing after intramedullary nailing of femoral shaft fractures with a third fracture fragment was investigated. A retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the data of 142 patients who suffered femoral shaft fractures with a third fracture fragment and were admitted to the First People’s Hospital of Lianyungang from February 2016 to December 2021. According to the circumference of the third fracture fragments, these were divided into three types of type 1: 71 cases; type 2: 52 cases; and type 3: 19 cases. On the basis of the diaphyseal diameter, the degree of displacement of the third fracture fragment was classified into three degrees of degree I: 95 cases; degree II: 31 cases; and degree III: 16 cases. Postoperative follow-up was performed to compare the fracture healing rate, healing time, and the modified Radiographic Union Scale for Tibia (mRUST) at 9th month after surgery in each group. All 142 patients were followed up after operation, with an average of (14.7 ± 4.1) months, and the overall healing rate was 73.4%. When the third fracture fragments were displaced in degree II and III, the mRUST score at 9th month in the type 1 group was higher than that in the type 2 and 3 groups (P = 0.017). Logistic regression analysis showed that greater displacement of third fracture fragments and greater circumference were associated with lower fracture healing rates (P

ObjectiveTo understand the structural variation in hospitalization costs for patients with cervical cancer and to investigate the reasons for these variations. MethodsUsing the degree of structural variation (DSV) analysis and grey relational analysis methods, we analyzed the hospitalization data of 5 654 cervical cancer patients from three class A tertiary hospitals in northern China from 2013 to 2022. The DSV was used to describe the overall characteristics and dynamic trends of the hospitalization cost composition, while gray relational analysis assessed the correlation between hospitalization costs and individual cost items. ResultsDuring this period, the average individual total cost of hospitalization for all patients studied showed an upward trend with a low overall DSV and an average annual DSV of 18.60%. Diagnostic fees and drug costs were two significant factors influencing cost changes. In particular, the structural variation values of diagnostic fees and drug costs showed positive changes during this period. The top three cost items contributing to the change in hospital cost structure were other fees (contribution rate: 35.87%), diagnostic fees (32.09%), and drug costs (16.44%), with a cumulative structural contribution rate of 84.40%. The proportion of diagnostic fees has increased significantly, contributing to the structural variation, indicating that diagnostic fees are a major component of hospitalization costs. Although the proportion of drug costs has decreased in recent years, it remains an important factor influencing cost changes. Gray relation analysis showed that from 2013 to 2022, other fees had the highest correlation with hospitalization costs (correlation coefficient: 0.855), followed by diagnostic fees (0.824) and drug costs (0.781). ConclusionFor the hospitalization costs of cervical cancer patients from tertiary hospitals in northern China, diagnostic fees, drug costs, and other fees contribute significantly to the cost structure and have the highest correlation with hospitalization costs, which are significant factors influencing the fluctuation of hospitalization costs. The structural contribution rates of comprehensive medical service fees and treatment fees are relatively low, and their correlation with hospitalization costs is also lower, so they have minimal impact on the structure and changing trends of hospitalization costs.

Disc brake performance is an important guarantee for the safe operation of high-speed trains. Brake pad fastener snap rings may fail during train braking, causing the friction body to fall off, which is a serious threat to the safety of train operation. This article establishes a finite element model of brake pads/discs taking into account the thermal-mechanical coupling field in the braking process. The temperature distribution of the brake disc surface, the displacement and stress results of the snap rings at different positions are investigated. The results show that the temperature of the brake disc rises and then falls during braking, and the surface temperature of the brake disc is spread in the form of an annular band. The highest displacement and stress variations are found in the snap ring group around the speed entrance area and the inner side of the brake pad. In the x and z directions, the average displacement changes are 0.1967 and 0.1233 mm, respectively. The average changes in contact stress and internal stress are 9.8 and 15.5 MPa. The results of the service behaviour of the snap ring provide a basis for the study of snap ring failure.

Abstract Unsupervised hashing for cross-modal retrieval has received much attention in the data mining area. Recent methods rely on image-text paired data to conduct unsupervised cross-modal hashing in batch samples. There are two main limitations for existing models: (1) learning of cross-modal representations is restricted to batches; (2) semantically similar samples may be wrongly treated as negative. In this paper, we propose a novel category-level contrastive learning for unsupervised cross-modal hashing, which alleviates the above problems and improves cross-modal query accuracy. To break the limitation of learning in small batches, a selected memory module is first proposed to take global relations into account. Then, we obtain pseudo labels through clustering and combine the labels with the Hadamard Matrix for category-centered learning. To reduce wrong negatives, we further propose a memory bank to store clusters of samples and construct negatives by selecting samples from different categories for contrastive learning. Extensive experiments show the significant superiority of our approach over the state-of-the-art models on MIRFLICKR-25K and NUS-WIDE datasets.

Abstract The green synthesis of metallic nanoparticles is attributable towards diverse applications in various fields, recently. In this research, we report simple and eco-friendly synthesis of chromium oxide (Cr2O3) nanoparticles using the fruit extract of Phyllanthus emblica as a reducing and capping agent. The absorbance peaks at 350 nm and 450 nm validated the nanoparticle formation in UV–visible spectrum. FTIR spectrum revealed the nature of functional groups. The crystalline properties of nanoparticles were ascertained by XRD analysis. EDX spectrum corroborated the elemental composition of nanoparticles in which chromium and oxygen constituted 68% of total weight. SEM images demonstrated agglomeration of nanoparticles resulting in the formation of large irregularly shaped flakes. Cr2O3 nanoparticles demonstrated excellent antimicrobial properties against 11 bacterial isolates and 1 fungal isolate. The largest inhibition zone (53 mm) was measured against A. baumannii while the smallest inhibition zone (26 mm) was recorded against S. aureus. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were 1). Nanoparticles possessed potent anti-biofilm powers with maximum (77%) inhibition of E. coli biofilms and minimum (45%) inhibition of S. enterica biofilms. Photocatalytic activity of Cr2O3 nanoparticles was evaluated to determine their efficacy in environmental bioremediation. Outcomes demonstrated degradation of methyl red (84%) but not of methylene blue dye. Furthermore, the Cr2O3 nanoparticles displayed considerable antioxidant (43%) as well as anti-inflammatory (44%) potentials. Hence, the present study accounts for the versatile applications of P. emblica-mediated Cr2O3 nanoparticles which could be pursued for future biomedical and environmental applications. Graphical Abstract

Abstract InGaN/GaN micro-light-emitting diodes (micro-LEDs) with a metal–insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structure on the sidewall are proposed to improve efficiency. In this MIS structure, a sidewall electrode is deposited on the insulating layer-coated sidewall of the device mesa between a cathode on the bottom and an anode on the top. Electroluminescence (EL) measurements of fabricated devices with a mesa diameter of 10 μm show that the application of negative biases on the sidewall electrode can increase the device external quantum efficiency (EQE). In contrast, the application of positive biases can decrease the EQE. The band structure analysis reveals that the EQE is impacted because the application of sidewall electric fields manipulates the local surface electron density along the mesa sidewall and thus controls surface Shockley–Read–Hall (SRH) recombination. Two suggested strategies, reducing insulator layer thickness and exploring alternative materials, can be implemented to further improve the EQE of MIS micro-LEDs in future fabrication. Graphical Abstract

ABSTRACTThis meta-analysis aimed to systematically review and analyze parental awareness of human papillomavirus (HPV) and its vaccine, as well as parental willingness of the HPV vaccine in China. The literature search selected studies that met the following criteria: study published between 2009 and 2023, study design involving parents with at least one child aged ≤ 18 years, sample sizes exceeding 300, availability of data on parental willingness of the HPV vaccine or sufficient information to calculate effect sizes, and studies published in either English or Chinese. Studies that did not meet one of the above points were excluded. From an initial pool of 660 papers, 33 studies were included, encompassing a total sample size of 92,802. The analysis revealed that the pooled awareness rates of HPV and the HPV vaccine among Chinese parents were 45.0% (95% CI: 36.1–54.0%) and 41.4% (95%CI: 30.7–52.5%), respectively. The overall parental willingness for vaccinating children against HPV was 61.0% (95% CI: 53.5–68.3%). Both parental awareness and willingness of the HPV vaccine in China were found to remain low when compared to other countries.

BackgroundDespite the efficacy of efgartigimod demonstrated in ADAPT phase 3 trial, data specifically derived from Chinese participants are not available. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of efgartigimod in Chinese patients with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG).MethodsThis is a prospective cohort study conducted in 8 hospitals across China. gMG patients received weekly intravenous infusions of efgartigimod (10 mg/kg) under a named patient program (NPP). The present study is an 8-week study, consisting of 4 consecutive doses of efgartigimod administered over 3 weeks (one cycle), followed by a 5-week follow-up period to assess the tolerability of efgartigimod’s therapeutic effects. The primary outcome was the mean change in MG activities of daily living (MG-ADL) total score from baseline to 4 weeks. MG-ADL responder was defined as a ≥ 2-point improvement that persisted for 4 weeks, starting by week 4. Safety evaluations encompassed the monitoring of adverse events (AE) and serious AE (SAE) throughout the study.ResultsBetween 5 July 2022 and 25 August 2023, a total of 14 gMG patients were included. The mean age was 57.7 years, with a mean MG-ADL score of 10.86 ± 3.32. At week 4, MG-ADL scores showed a mean reduction of 6 points, reaching a maximum decline of 13 points. Among the patients, 85.7% (12/14) achieved MG-ADL responder status after one cycle of treatment. The most significant reduction in quantitative MG (QMG) scores also occurred at week 4, with a mean decrease of 7 points. Notably, the improvements in MG-ADL and QMG scores persisted until week 8. During treatment and follow-up period, only two mild neck rashes occurred and resolved promptly. No infections or SAE were reported.DiscussionA single cycle of efgartigimod treatment demonstrates effectiveness and the tolerability through week 8, with no new safety signals observed in Chinese gMG patients.

Abstract Background The assessment of human papillomavirus (HPV) genotype distribution in terms of age and cervical lesions could contribute to the adoption of more targeted preventive approaches to specific populations against cervical cancer. The current study was conducted in Ordos City, China, with the aim of analyzing the HPV genotypes prevalence and infection patterns within a hospital-based population. Methods The analysis included a total of 26,692 women aged 25–64 who underwent cervical cancer screening between January 1st, 2019, and June 30th, 2022, in Ordos City. These women had valid results for both the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-reverse dot blot (RDB) HPV test and the liquid-based cytology (thinprep cytologic test/TCT). Data were extracted from the database of KingMed Diagnostics laboratories. The prevalence of HPV genotypes within different age groups and cytology diagnoses were calculated. Results Among 26,692 women, 7136 (26.73%) women were HPV positive, 5696 (21.34%) women were high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) positive, and 2102 (7.88%) women had multiple HPV infections. The most frequently detected HPV genotypes were HPV16 (4.72%) and HPV52 (4.15%), ranking as the first and second most prevalent genotypes, respectively. The prevalence of HR-HPV increased with age groups and severity of cervical lesions. Notably, the positive rate of HR-HPV among women aged 35–64 years showed a decreasing trend over the respective years, ranging from 26.00 to 19.70% (Ptrend

Abstract The control technology of virtual synchronization generator (VSG) based on energy storage system is proposed to compensate for the inertia and damping loss caused by the grid connection of distributed generators. However, with the addition of virtual inertia and damping, VSG is prone to generate frequency and power oscillation, and the regulating ability is weakened. For the above problems, this paper analyzes the inertia and damping characteristics of the synchronous motor in the rotation of synchronous motors, and applies artificial neural network control to VSG. In intelligent control strategy, a multi‐input‐output radial basis function (RBF) neural network is first proposed to adaptively adjust virtual inertia and damping. Finally, an experimental platform with a rated power of 1 kW and a variable load of 1 kW was built to validate the proposed control strategy. The experimental results show that the artificial neural network control strategy has a better regulation ability.

The stress state of the primary circuit main pipeline is very complex mixed constant stress and periodic cyclic stress during the operation of nuclear power plants, which often affects the failure behavior of the stainless steel (SS) pipe. The fatigue behavior of 304LN SS under mixed constant stress and cyclic stress was investigated, and it was found that the coupling effect of constant stress and cyclic stress has a significant collaborative acceleration on the fatigue behavior. The research results showed that the cracks in the 304LN SS did not propagate even after 78 days under both constant load conditions of 5 KN and 7.5 KN, while the crack growth rate (CGR) of the specimen increased by about an order of magnitude when coupled with a cyclic fatigue load. The fatigue life of 304LN SS was the longest under 200 °C high-temperature water, and its life was roughly the same under 250 °C and 300 °C water. In a 300 °C high-temperature water environment, the fatigue life under the coupling of constant stress and cyclic fatigue stress is significantly lower than that under symmetric cyclic stress alone. There is a synergistic acceleration effect on the fatigue life of 304LN SS when constant stress is coupled with periodic cyclic stress, which is attributed to the combined effect of a corrosion environment and mechanical factors.

A wind profiler radar detects fine spatiotemporal resolution dynamical information, enabling the capture of meso- and micro-scale systems. Experience gained from observing system experiments (OSEs) studies confirms that reasonable profiler assimilation techniques can achieve improved short-term forecasts. This study further applies the adjoint-based forecast sensitivity to observation (FSO) method to investigate the quantitative impact of a profiler data assimilation strategy on short-term forecasts, and the results are consistent with those obtained from OSEs, further demonstrating that FSO and OSEs can be used to evaluate the effect of data assimilation techniques from different perspectives. Considering the unique advantage that the FSO can quantify the interactions between various observing systems and the impact on improving the model forecasts according to specific needs without costly additional calculations, we further diagnose in detail the observation impacts from multiple perspectives, including the observation platform, observation variables, and spatial distribution. And the results show that dynamical variables are more significant in improving forecasts compared to the other observed variables. Meanwhile, the dense profiler observations resulted in a more significant impact when radiosonde observations were not detected. The upper-level single winds monitored by profiler radars play a more important role in improving forecast skill. The FSO method measures the impact of an individual observing system, which can be used to enrich the evaluation of data assimilation schemes, efficiently calculate the impacts of multisource observations, and contribute to future development in adaptive observation, observation quality control, and observation error optimization.

Sodium-ion battery (SIB) is an ideal candidate for large-scale energy storage due to high abundant sodium sources, relatively high energy density, and potentially low costs. Hard carbons, as one of the most promising anodes, could deliver high plateau capacities at low potentials, which boosts the energy densities of SIBs. Their slope capacities have been demonstrated from the defect adsorption of sodium ions, while the plateau capacity depends highly on intercalation and pore filling. Nevertheless, the specific structures of sodium ions stored in hard carbons have not been clarified, namely active sites of adsorption, intercalation, and pore-filling mechanisms. Therefore, delicate synthesis methods are required to prepare hard carbons with controllable specific structures, along with elucidating the precise active sites for enhancing the Na-ion storage performance. To offer databases for future designs, we summarized the synthesis strategies of hard carbon anodes for constructing active sites of plateau capacities. Synthesis methods were highlighted with corresponding influences on the meticulous structures of hard carbons and Na-ion storage behaviors. Last but not least, perspectives were proposed for developing hard carbon anodes from the points of research and practical applications.

The coordinated development of urban competitiveness (UC) and green total factor productivity (GTFP) is paramount for achieving global sustainable development objectives, especially for regional sustainability in China. This study utilizes panel data from 2011 to 2019 encompassing 273 Chinese cities to evaluate the urban competitiveness index employing the projection pursuit method. The research categorizes Chinese cities into four regions—East, Central, West, and Northeast—for comparative analysis purposes. The findings unveil: (1) a discernible rise in both overall and regional coordination between urban competitiveness and green total factor productivity in China; (2) throughout the study period, except for fluctuations observed in Northeastern China, coordination in other regions sustained relative stability, manifesting a trend of divergence-convergence; (3) the coordination between urban competitiveness and green total factor productivity across all regions demonstrated β-convergence, with Central China exhibiting the swiftest convergence and Northeastern China the slowest; (4) taking into account factors such as government intervention, industrial structure, and human capital, there is a likelihood that the growth rate of coordination between urban competitiveness and green total factor productivity in diverse regions will converge towards a synergistic trend. Therefore, as Chinese cities strive to enhance competitiveness and green total factor productivity, governmental attention should be directed towards discerning the developmental trends and influencing factors affecting their coordination. Such an approach will facilitate the realization of regional sustainable development objectives while propelling the synchronized advancement of urban competitiveness and green total factor productivity.

Abstract Enzymatic breakdown of sphingomyelin by sphingomyelinase (SMase) is the main source of the membrane lipids, ceramides, which are involved in many cellular physiological processes. However, the full-length structure of human neutral SMase has not been resolved; therefore, its catalytic mechanism remains unknown. Here, we resolve the structure of human full-length neutral SMase, sphingomyelinase 1 (SMPD2), which reveals that C-terminal transmembrane helices contribute to dimeric architecture of hSMPD2 and that D111 − K116 loop domain is essential for substrate hydrolysis. Coupled with molecular docking, we clarify the binding pose of sphingomyelin, and site-directed mutagenesis further confirms key residues responsible for sphingomyelin binding. Hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) molecular dynamic (MD) simulations are utilized to elaborate the catalysis of hSMPD2 with the reported in vitro substrates, sphingomyelin and lyso-platelet activating fator (lyso-PAF). Our study provides mechanistic details that enhance our knowledge of lipid metabolism and may lead to an improved understanding of ceramide in disease and in cancer treatment.

Abstract Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a class of proteins that play critical roles in recognizing pathogens and initiating innate immune responses. TASL, a recently identified innate immune adaptor protein for endolysosomal TLR7/8/9 signaling, is recruited by the lysosomal proton-coupled amino-acid transporter SLC15A4, and then activates IRF5, which in turn triggers the transcription of type I interferons and cytokines. Here, we report three cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of human SLC15A4 in the apo monomeric and dimeric state and as a TASL-bound complex. The apo forms are in an outward-facing conformation, with the dimeric form showing an extensive interface involving four cholesterol molecules. The structure of the TASL-bound complex reveals an unprecedented interaction mode with solute carriers. During the recruitment of TASL, SLC15A4 undergoes a conformational change from an outward-facing, lysosomal lumen-exposed state to an inward-facing state to form a binding pocket, allowing the N-terminal helix of TASL to be inserted into. Our findings provide insights into the molecular basis of regulatory switch involving a human solute carrier and offers an important framework for structure-guided drug discovery targeting SLC15A4-TASL-related human autoimmune diseases.

Abstract The α-molybdenum trioxide has attracted much attention for proton storage owing to its easily modified bilayer structure, fast proton insertion kinetics, and high theoretical specific capacity. However, the fundamental science of the proton insertion mechanism in α-molybdenum trioxide has not been fully understood. Herein, we uncover a three-proton intercalation mechanism in α-molybdenum trioxide using a specially designed phosphoric acid based liquid crystalline electrolyte. The semiconductor-to-metal transition behavior and the expansion of the lattice interlayers of α-molybdenum trioxide after trapping one mole of protons are verified experimentally and theoretically. Further investigation of the morphology of α-molybdenum trioxide indicates its fracture behavior upon the proton intercalation process, which creates diffusion channels for hydronium ions. Notably, the observation of an additional redox behavior at low potential endows α-molybdenum trioxide with an improved specific discharge capacity of 362 mAh g−1.

The reactor pressure vessel (RPV) is a critical barrier in nuclear power plants, but its embrittlement during service poses a significant safety challenge. This study investigated the effects of Cu-enriched clusters on the mechanical and magnetic properties of Fe-0.9 wt.%Cu model alloys through thermal aging. Using Vickers hardness tests, Magnetic Barkhausen Noise (MBN) detection, and Atom Probe Tomography (APT), the study aimed to establish a quantitative correlation between MBN signals, Vickers hardness, and Cu-enriched clusters, facilitating the non-destructive testing of RPV embrittlement. Experimental results showed that the hardness and MBN parameters (RMS and Vpp values) changed significantly with aging time. The hardness increased rapidly in the early stage (under-aged), followed by a plateau and then a decreasing trend (over-aged). In contrast, MBN parameters decreased initially and then increased. APT analysis revealed that Cu-enriched clusters increase in size to 4.60 nm and coalesced during aging, with their number density peaking to 3.76 × 1023 m−3 before declining. An inverse linear correlation was found between MBN signals and the combined factor Nd2Rg (product of the number density squared and the mean radius of Cu-enriched clusters). This correlation was consistent across both under-aged and over-aged states, suggesting that MBN signals can serve as applicable indicators for the non-destructive evaluation of RPV steel embrittlement.

Wheat hybrids have been widely demonstrated to have remarkable heterosis or hybrid vigor in increasing yield potential and stability since the 1960s. Two-line hybrid wheat can achieve higher yields than local varieties, especially in marginal environments. However, the commercial application of hybrid wheat is hindered by higher seed costs, primarily due to lower yields in hybrid seed production. Stigma exsertion has been verified as a decisive factor in increasing rice’s hybrid seed yield, but more investigation is needed in hybrid wheat breeding and production. In this study, four thermo-photo-sensitive genic male sterile lines, including K41S, K64S, K66S, and K68S, with different stigma exsertion rates (SERs) were used to compare the differences in floral architecture relative to stigma exsertion over two growing seasons. The results revealed that the K41S and K64S exhibited a relatively higher SER at 21.87% and 22.81%, respectively. No exserted stigma was observed in K66S, and K68S had an SER of only 0.82%. This study found that the stigma length, glume width and the length–width ratio of the glume were significantly correlated with the SER, with correlation coefficients of 0.46, −0.46 and 0.60, respectively. Other stigma features such as the branch angle, stretch width and hairbrush length, as well as the glume length, also had a weakly positive correlation with SER (r = 0.09–0.27). For K41S and K64S, the SER was significantly affected by the differences in the stigma branch angle and stigma stretch width among florets. A cross-pollination survey showed that the out-crossing ability of florets with an exserted stigma was about three times as high as that of florets with a non-exserted stigma. As a result, the stigma-exserted florets that accounted for 21.87% and 22.81% of the total florets in K41S and K64S produced 46.80% and 48.53% of the total cross-pollinated seeds in both sterile lines. These findings suggest that a longer stigma combined with a slender glume appears to be the essential floral feature of stigma exsertion in sterile wheat lines. It is expected that breeding and utilizing sterile lines with a higher SER would be a promising solution to cost-effective hybrid wheat seed production.

With the outbreak and evolution of the pandemic worldwide, the financial market has experienced unprecedented shocks and adjustments, and the volatility and correlation of the stock market, as an important indicator of economic activities, have shown new features and trends during the pandemic. Based on the CSI 300 Index, we construct a three-stage sequential network representing the pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-relaxation phases. We investigate the evolving dynamics and resilience of the network, forecasting potential future connections, thus offering fresh insights into comprehending market recovery. Our findings unveil that the market adapts dynamically to the pandemic’s progression, witnessing an overall augmentation in network interconnectedness. While the financial sector maintains its pivotal role, the influence of non-financial sectors experiences an upsurge. Despite the network demonstrating poor stability and heavy reliance on key nodes, there exists a positive recovery trajectory. Non-financial sectors such as energy and transportation emerge as pivotal catalysts for market rejuvenation. We provide suggestions for government regulators and investors, providing strong support for optimizing the market structure and promoting the long-term healthy development of the market.

There has been significant interest in the research field of ship automatic navigation, particularly in the area of autonomous berthing. To address the key challenges of path planning and control during ship berthing, we propose an enhanced Linear−Quadratic Regulator (LQR) control approach, reinforced by the Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategy (CMA−ES), along with an adaptive berthing strategy decision model. This integrated framework encompasses ship motion control, path planning, and berthing strategy selection to facilitate adaptive and autonomous ship berthing. Initially, a dynamic mathematical model of ship motion is established, taking into account wind and current interference effects. Subsequently, an adaptive environment−aware berthing strategy model is introduced to enable automatic selection of berthing strategies based on spatial relationships between environmental factors and the berth. By utilizing the refined LQR method, autonomous motion control for ship berthing is achieved. To validate the effectiveness of our controller, comprehensive simulation analyses are conducted under varying operating conditions to encompass crucial factors such as large drift angle characteristics of ships, shallow water effects, and bank effects across seven diverse working conditions. The simulation results underscore the robustness of our proposed method in responding to environmental interference while demonstrating its capability to select appropriate berthing strategies based on varying operational scenarios.

Autonomous berthing technology is a crucial engineering control problem within the ship intelligence system, encompassing a series of complex operations and technologies. Firstly, this paper analyses the research on autonomous berthing technology from a bibliometric point of view in order to obtain an overview of its past and present development and to outline the importance of this technology. Secondly, a literature review is conducted on each of the four aspects of autonomous berthing technology, namely sensing technology, berthing type, control method, and evaluation method, which can help to quickly understand the main aspects of this technology. Thirdly, the ship-assisting technologies needed to achieve autonomous berthing are discussed and analysed from six aspects: dynamic collision avoidance, path planning, path tracking, heading control, tug assistance, and shore-based systems. Finally, the challenges faced by the ship autonomous berthing technology on the way of development are summarised, and future development is projected. This paper aims to provide a more comprehensive perspective for analysing and researching ship autonomous berthing technology.

This paper presents an eye image segmentation-based computer-aided system for automatic diagnosis of ocular myasthenia gravis (OMG), called OMGMed. It provides great potential to effectively liberate the diagnostic efficiency of expert doctors (the scarce resources) and reduces the cost of healthcare treatment for diagnosed patients, making it possible to disseminate high-quality myasthenia gravis healthcare to under-developed areas. The system is composed of data pre-processing, indicator calculation, and automatic OMG scoring. Building upon this framework, an empirical study on the eye segmentation algorithm is conducted. It further optimizes the algorithm from the perspectives of “network structure” and “loss function”, and experimentally verifies the effectiveness of the hybrid loss function. The results show that the combination of “nnUNet” network structure and “Cross-Entropy + Iou + Boundary” hybrid loss function can achieve the best segmentation performance, and its MIOU on the public and private myasthenia gravis datasets reaches 82.1% and 83.7%, respectively. The research has been used in expert centers. The pilot study demonstrates that our research on eye image segmentation for OMG diagnosis is very helpful in improving the healthcare quality of expert doctors. We believe that this work can serve as an important reference for the development of a similar auxiliary diagnosis system and contribute to the healthy development of proactive healthcare services.

In recent years, the advancement of CubeSat technology has led to the emergence of high-resolution, flexible imaging satellites as a pivotal source of information for the efficient and precise monitoring of crops. However, the dynamic geometry inherent in flexible side-view imaging poses challenges in acquiring the high-precision reflectance data necessary to accurately retrieve crop parameters. This study aimed to develop an angular correction method designed to generate nadir reflectance from high-resolution satellite side-swing imaging data. The method utilized the Anisotropic Flat Index (AFX) in conjunction with a fixed set of Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) parameters to compute the nadir reflectance for the Jilin-1 GP01/02 multispectral imager (PMS). Crop parameter retrieval was executed using regression models based on vegetation indices, the leaf area index (LAI), fractional vegetation cover (FVC), and chlorophyll (T850 nm/T720 nm) values estimated based on angle corrected reflectance compared with field measurements taken in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The findings demonstrate that the proposed angular correction method significantly enhances the retrieval accuracy of the LAI, FVC, and chlorophyll from Jilin-1 GP01/02 PMS data. Notably, the retrieval accuracy for the LAI and FVC improved by over 25%. We expect that this approach will exhibit considerable potential to improve crop monitoring accuracy from high-resolution satellite side-view imaging data.

The growth of e-commerce has led to the widespread use of DeepCTR technology. Among the various types, the deep interest network (DIN), deep interest evolution network (DIEN), and deep session interest network (DSIN) developed by Alibaba have achieved good results in practice. However, the above models’ use of filtering for the user’s own historical behavior sequences and the insufficient use of context features lead to reduced recommendation effectiveness. To address these issues, this paper proposes a novel article model: the deep filter context network (DFCN). This improves the efficiency of the attention mechanism by adding a filter to filter out data in the user’s historical behavior sequence that differs greatly from the target advertisement. The DFCN pays attention to the context features through two local activation units. This model greatly improves the expressiveness of the model, offering strong environment-related attributes and the adaptive capability of the model, with a significant improvement of up to 0.0652 in the AUC metric when compared with our previously proposed DICN under different datasets.

Abstract Tacrolimus is an important immunosuppressant used in the treatment of myasthenia gravis (MG). However, the population pharmacokinetic (PK) characteristics together with the exposure‐response of tacrolimus in the treatment of MG remain largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to develop a population PK/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) model of tacrolimus in patients with MG, in order to explore the relationships among tacrolimus dose, exposure, and its therapeutic efficacy. The genotype of CYP3A5, Osserman's classification, and status of thymus, as well as demographic characteristics and other biomarkers from laboratory testing were tested as covariate, and simulations were performed based on the final model. The population PK model was described using a one‐compartment model with first‐order elimination and fixed absorption parameters. CYP3A5 genotype significantly influenced the apparent clearance, and total protein (TP) influenced the apparent volume of distribution as covariates. The quantitative MG scores were characterized by the cumulated area under curve of tacrolimus in a maximum effect function. Osserman's classification was a significant covariate on the initial score of patients with MG. The simulations demonstrated that tacrolimus showed an unsatisfying effect possibly due to insufficient exposure in some patients with MG. A starting dose of 2 mg/d and even higher dose for patients with CYP3A5 *1/*1 and *1/*3 and lower TP level were required for the rapid action of tacrolimus. The population PK/PD model quantitatively described the relationships among tacrolimus dose, exposure, and therapeutic efficacy in patients with MG, which could provide reference for the optimization of tacrolimus dosing regimen at the individual patient level.

Objective:Mammographic screening and management of breast cancer (BC) in elderly women are controversial and continue to be an important health problem. To investigate, through members of the Senologic International Society (SIS), the current global practices in BC in elderly women, highlighting topics of debate and suggesting perspectives.Materials and Methods:The questionnaire was sent to the SIS network and included 55 questions on definitions of an elderly woman, BC epidemiology, screening, clinical and pathological characteristics, therapeutic management in elderly women, onco-geriatric assessment and perspectives.Results:Twenty-eight respondents from 21 countries and six continents, representing a population of 2.86 billion, completed and submitted the survey. Most respondents considered women 70 years and older to be elderly. In most countries, BC was often diagnosed at an advanced stage compared to younger women, and age-related mortality was high. For this reason, participants recommended that personalized screening be continued in elderly women with a long life expectancy.In addition, this survey highlighted that geriatric frailty assessment tools and comprehensive geriatric evaluations needed to be used more and should be developed to avoid undertreatment. Similarly, multidisciplinary meetings dedicated to elderly women with BC should be encouraged to avoid under- and over-treatment and to increase their participation in clinical trials.Conclusion:Due to increased life expectancy, BC in elderly women will become a more important field in public health. Therefore, screening, personalized treatment, and comprehensive geriatric assessment should be the cornerstones of future practice to avoid the current excess of age-related mortality. This survey described, through members of the SIS, a global picture of current international practices in BC in elderly women.

Low-grade glioma (LGG), a common primary tumor, mainly originates from astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. Increasing evidence has shown that peroxisomes function in the regulation of tumorigenesis and development of cancer. However, the prognostic value of peroxisome-related genes (PRGs) in LGG has not been reported. Therefore, it is necessary to construct a prognostic risk model for LGG patients based on the expression profiles of peroxisome-related genes. Our study mainly concentrated on developing a peroxisome-related gene signature for overall survival (OS) prediction in LGG patients. First, according to these peroxisome-related genes, all LGG patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database could be divided into two subtypes. Univariate Cox regression analysis was used to find prognostic peroxisome-related genes in TCGA_LGG dataset, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator Cox regression analysis was employed to establish a 14-gene signature. The risk score based on the signature was positively associated with unfavorable prognosis. Then, multivariate Cox regression incorporating additional clinical characteristics showed that the 14-gene signature was an independent predictor of LGG. Time-dependent ROC curves revealed good performance of this prognostic signature in LGG patients. The performance about predicting OS of LGG was validated using the GSE107850 dataset derived from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Furethermore, we constructed a nomogram model based on the gene signature and age, which showed a better prognostic power. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encylopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses showed that neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction and phagosome were enriched and that the immune status was decreased in the high-risk group. Finally, cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) were used to detect cell proliferation of U251 and A172 cells. Inhibition of ATAD1 (ATPase family AAA domain-containing 1) and ACBD5 (Acyl-CoA binding-domain-containing-5) expression led to significant inhibition of U251 and A172 cell proliferation. Flow cytometry detection showed that ATAD1 and ACBD5 could induce apoptosis of U251 and A172 cells. Therefore, through bioinformatics methods and cell experiments, our study developed a new peroxisome-related gene signature that migh t help improve personalized OS prediction in LGG patients.

Background: Sarcopenia is an age-related condition that causes loss of skeletal muscle mass and disability. Sarcopenia is closely related to the prognosis of patients suffering osteoporotic thoraco-lumbar compression fractures (OTLCF). The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of sarcopenia on the efficacy of percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) in the treatment of older adults with OTLCF surgery and postoperative mortality. Methods: From February 2016 to June 2019, 101 patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in this study. The grip strength of the dominant hand was measured using an electronic grip tester. The diagnostic cutoff value of grip strength for sarcopenia was

The damage to the central nervous system and dysfunction of the body caused by spinal cord injury (SCI) are extremely severe. The pathological process of SCI is accompanied by inflammation and injury to nerve cells. Current evidence suggests that oxidative stress, resulting from an increase in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and an imbalance in its clearance, plays a significant role in the secondary damage during SCI. The transcription factor nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a crucial regulatory molecule for cellular redox. This review summarizes recent advancements in the regulation of ROS-Nrf2 signaling and focuses on the interaction between ROS and the regulation of different modes of neuronal cell death after SCI, such as apoptosis, autophagy, pyroptosis, and ferroptosis. Furthermore, we highlight the pathways through which materials science, including exosomes, hydrogels, and nanomaterials, can alleviate SCI by modulating ROS production and clearance. This review provides valuable insights and directions for reducing neuronal cell death and alleviating SCI through the regulation of ROS and oxidative stress.

Buildings are key contributors to the emissions of toxic carbon dioxide, which is a global greenhouse gas, and lowering the concentration of this gas is an essential mitigation in mitigating the effects of climate change. This study majorly focused on the strategies that could be applied in the building and construction industry to help in lowering carbon concrete in concrete mixes. Various challenges were reported to be prevailing when it comes to the adoption of the use of low-carbon concrete in the construction sector. The cost of low-carbon concrete alternatives was among the topmost challenges that made most of the owners of the construction projects apply them. The study was conducted at Huajie Construction Company, which was among the leading construction companies in China. This facilitated the acquisition of accurate information as per the needs of the research objectives. For data collection, 150 participants were selected from this company through the implementation of a purposive sampling technique. Therefore, to address all these, some low-carbon concrete alternatives were suggested for adoption in construction activities. These alternatives included: carbon capture concrete, hempcrete, ferrock, recycled aggregate concrete, and geopolymer concrete. All these alternatives had safe properties that could help to lower carbon emissions.

Metal ions play a pivotal role in regulating and determining the functions of proteins and peptides in nature. This study aims to investigate the regulatory role of metal ions in peptide assembly and explore the influence of sequence variations and metal ions on the structure and function of resulting peptide nanoarchitectures. Dipeptide sequences with distinct charged properties (positive and negative) and functional groups (-COOH, -NH2, and phenolic hydroxyl) were meticulously selected and co-assembled with various metal ions (Au3+, Ag+, and Pt4+). The findings highlight the crucial functional role of the phenolic hydroxyl group of tyrosine in metal ion reduction, while positively charged groups promote metal ion accumulation through electrostatic forces, facilitating co-assembly. The formation of ordered structures in Au@Fmoc-YK and Au@Fmoc-YR nanoarchitectures further validates the significant interaction among metal ions, tyrosine-OH, and positively charged NH2. Notably, these nanoarchitectures possess the unique attribute of being prepared under physiological conditions, specifically at 37 °C, without the need for organic solvents or chemical modifications of peptides. This approach offers a straightforward means of constructing diverse functional nanoarchitectures based on peptides and metal ions. Moreover, Au@Fmoc-YR exhibits good performance as a nanoenzyme for detecting glucose in complex bodily fluids and plasma GSH in tumor patients, showcasing its promising potential for medical applications.

Chemical synthesis has become an increasing popular approach for the production of proteins because of its flexibility and convenience in changing protein sequence and/or structure. However, at present, the efficiency of protein chemical synthesis is still low due to many methodological shortcomings. Here, we used a carbohydrate binding module (CBM) as a model molecule to explore the optimization of the oxidative folding of chemically synthesized proteins. By systematically comparing the reaction results, we were able to reveal the correlation between the overall folding rate and different reaction parameters, explain the possible reason for the observed correlation and identify the optimal conditions that maximize the synthetic efficiency. Overall, the findings from this study provided new insights into protein folding mechanisms and established new guiding principles for improving the efficiency of chemical protein synthesis.

The fatigue crack growth behavior of 304L austenitic stainless steel (SS) in a 325 °C high-temperature and high-pressure water environment were investigated by a corrosion fatigue test system, by electron back scatter diffraction (EBSD), and by a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The experimental results indicated that the crack growth rate (CGR) of 304L SS increases with increasing the stress intensity factor, stress level, and fatigue frequency (f). Compared to dissolved hydrogen (DH) in a high-temperature water environment, dissolved oxygen (DO) significantly enhances the CGR by about an order of magnitude higher. The crack tip of 304L SS after the corrosion fatigue test under higher stress levels is sharper, with more secondary cracks on the fracture surface, while the crack tip under lower stress levels is blunter with relatively fewer secondary cracks. The oxidation behavior at the crack tip was analyzed under different loading and water chemistry conditions, and a related effect on the crack tip and CGR was clarified.

Ecological porous concrete (EPC) is one of the novel formulations of concrete with unique phytogenic properties. However, achieving both low alkalinity and high strength in EPC proves challenging due to the inherently high alkalinity of the pore environment, which hinders the growth of the plant and affects its ecological benefits significantly. This research investigated the utilization of 15 types of chemical admixtures and diatomaceous earth as alkali-reducing agents to optimize the properties of silicate cementitious materials for the applications of EPC. To identify the most effective agents, the pH value and compressive strength of the cement paste were adopted as the screening criteria for the selection of the essential alkali-reducing ingredients. Subsequently, a composite approach combining chemical admixtures and DE was employed to explore the synergistic effects on the pH and strength of silicate cementitious materials. The results revealed that a combination of 8% DE, 5% oxalic acid, and 5% iron sulfate functioned effectively and resulted in desirable performance for the concrete. This synergistic blend effectively consumed a large amount of Ca(OH)2, reducing the pH of cement paste to 10.48 within 3 days. Furthermore, the hydration reaction generated C-S-H with a low Ca/Si ratio, leading to a remarkable increase in the compressive strength of the concrete, reaching 89.7 MPa after 56 days. This composite approach ensured both low alkalinity and high strength in silicate cementitious materials, providing a theoretical basis for the application and promotion of EPC in the ecological field.

PurposeIn this study, a deep learning model was established based on head MRI to predict a crucial evaluation parameter in the assessment of injuries resulting from human cytomegalovirus infection: the occurrence of glioma-related epilepsy. The relationship between glioma and epilepsy was investigated, which serves as a significant indicator of labor force impairment.MethodsThis study enrolled 142 glioma patients, including 127 from Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, and 15 from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University. T1 and T2 sequence images of patients’ head MRIs were utilized to predict the occurrence of glioma-associated epilepsy. To validate the model’s performance, the results of machine learning and deep learning models were compared. The machine learning model employed manually annotated texture features from tumor regions for modeling. On the other hand, the deep learning model utilized fused data consisting of tumor-containing T1 and T2 sequence images for modeling.ResultsThe neural network based on MobileNet_v3 performed the best, achieving an accuracy of 86.96% on the validation set and 75.89% on the test set. The performance of this neural network model significantly surpassed all the machine learning models, both on the validation and test sets.ConclusionIn this study, we have developed a neural network utilizing head MRI, which can predict the likelihood of glioma-associated epilepsy in untreated glioma patients based on T1 and T2 sequence images. This advancement provides forensic support for the assessment of injuries related to human cytomegalovirus infection.

BackgroundCerebrospinal fluid oligoclonal band (CSF-OCB) is an established biomarker in diagnosing multiple sclerosis (MS), however, there are no nationwide data on CSF-OCB prevalence and its diagnostic performance in Chinese MS patients, especially in the virtue of common standard operation procedure (SOP).MethodsWith a consensus SOP and the same isoelectric focusing system, we conducted a nationwide multi-center study on OCB status in consecutively, and recruited 483 MS patients and 880 non-MS patients, including neuro-inflammatory diseases (NID, n = 595) and non-inflammatory neurological diseases (NIND, n=285). Using a standardized case report form (CRF) to collect the clinical, radiological, immunological, and CSF data, we explored the association of CSF-OCB positivity with patient characters and the diagnostic performance of CSF-OCB in Chinese MS patients. Prospective source data collection, and retrospective data acquisition and statistical data analysis were used.Findings369 (76.4%) MS patients were OCB-positive, while 109 NID patients (18.3%) and 6 NIND patients (2.1%) were OCB-positive, respectively. Time from symptom onset to diagnosis was significantly shorter in OCB-positive than that in OCB-negative MS patients (13.2 vs 23.7 months, P=0.020). The prevalence of CSF-OCB in Chinese MS patients was significantly higher in high-latitude regions (41°-50°N)(P=0.016), and at high altitudes (>1000m)(P=0.025). The diagnostic performance of CSF-OCB differentiating MS from non-MS patients yielded a sensitivity of 76%, a specificity of 87%.InterpretationThe nationwide prevalence of CSF-OCB was 76.4% in Chinese MS patients, and demonstrated a good diagnostic performance in differentiating MS from other CNS diseases. The CSF-OCB prevalence showed a correlation with high latitude and altitude in Chinese MS patients.

Background Persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a known cause of a subset of head and neck cancers (HNCs). In the last two decades, the proportion of HNCs attributable to HPV infection has increased worldwide, notably the oropharyngeal cancers. However, the trend of HPV-related HNC burden is not clearly understood yet in China. Thus, the absolute burden of HPV-related head and neck cancers in China (BROADEN-China) will be conducted to estimate the proportion of HNCs attributable to HPV infection, per anatomic site, by genotype, in three time periods (2008–2009, 2013–2014 and 2018–2019).Methods and analysis BROADEN-China is a nationwide, multisite, cross-sectional study. A stratified, multistage, non-randomised cluster sampling method will be used to select 2601 patients with HNC from 14 hospitals across seven regions, based on population density in China. Patients with formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples collected prior to treatment induction during three time periods will be included, and factors (eg, smoking status, alcohol consumption, betel nut chewing, Epstein-Barr virus, teeth loss, etc) associated with HNC will be assessed. HPV testing (HPV-DNA, HPV-mRNA and p16INK4a immunohistochemistry) and histological diagnosis of the tissue samples will be conducted at a central laboratory.The study protocol and all required documents have been submitted for review and approval to the Independent Ethics Committees of all the participating sites. The informed consent was waived for all participants and all the recorded data will be treated as confidential.We have included 14 hospitals as our participating sites, of which Henan Cancer Hospital is the leading site. The study has been approved by the independent ethics committees of the leading site on 3 December 2020. The other 13 participating site names of ethics committee and IRB that have approved this study.

Joint replacement surgery is the most effective treatment for end-stage arthritis. Aseptic loosening caused by periprosthetic osteolysis is a common complication after joint replacement. Inflammation induced by wear particles derived from prosthetic biomaterials is a major cause of osteolysis. We emphasize that bone marrow-derived macrophages and their fusion-derived osteoclasts play a key role in this pathological process. Researchers have developed multiple intervention approaches to regulate macrophage/osteoclast activation. Aiming at wear particle-induced periprosthetic aseptic osteolysis, this review separately discusses the molecular mechanism of regulation of ROS formation and inflammatory response through intervention of macrophage/osteoclast RANKL-MAPKs-NF-κB pathway. These molecular mechanisms regulate osteoclast activation in different ways, but they are not isolated from each other. There is also a lot of crosstalk among the different mechanisms. In addition, other bone and joint diseases related to osteoclast activation are also briefly introduced. Therefore, we discuss these new findings in the context of existing work with a view to developing new strategies for wear particle-associated osteolysis based on the regulation of macrophages/osteoclasts.

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters are believed to protect aquatic organisms by pumping xenobiotics out, and recent investigation has suggested their involvement in the detoxification and efflux of nanoparticles (NPs), but their roles in fish embryos are poorly understood. In this regard, this paper summarizes the recent advances in research pertaining to the development of ABC transporter-mediated multi-xenobiotic resistance (MXR) mechanism in fish embryos and the potential interaction between ABC transporters and NPs. The paper focuses on: (1) Expression, function, and modulation mechanism of ABC proteins in fish embryos; (2) Potential interaction between ABC transporters and NPs in cell models and fish embryos. ABC transporters could be maternally transferred to fish embryos and thus play an important role in the detoxification of various chemical pollutants and NPs. There is a need to understand the specific mechanism to benefit the protection of aquatic resources.

Task generalization has been a long-standing challenge in Natural Language Processing (NLP). Recent research attempts to improve the task generalization ability of pre-trained language models by mapping NLP tasks into human-readable prompted forms. However, these approaches require laborious and inflexible manual collection of prompts, and different prompts on the same downstream task may receive unstable performance. We propose Unified Schema Prompt, a flexible and extensible prompting method, which automatically customizes the learnable prompts for each task according to the task input schema. It models the shared knowledge between tasks, while keeping the characteristics of different task schema, and thus enhances task generalization ability. The schema prompt takes the explicit data structure of each task to formulate prompts so that little human effort is involved. To test the task generalization ability of schema prompt at scale, we conduct schema prompt-based multitask pre-training on a wide variety of general NLP tasks. The framework achieves strong zero-shot and few-shot generalization performance on 16 unseen downstream tasks from 8 task types (e.g., QA, NLI, etc.). Furthermore, comprehensive analyses demonstrate the effectiveness of each component in the schema prompt, its flexibility in task compositionality, and its ability to improve performance under a full-data fine-tuning setting.

Highlights The N/S co-doped lignin-derived porous carbon (NSLPCs) with ultra-high heteroatom doping was prepared through a novel supramolecule-mediated pyrolysis strategy. Covalently bonded graphitic carbon/amorphous carbon intermediates induce the formation of high heteroatom doping. The high heteroatom doping of NSLPC could provide abundant defective active sites for the adsorption of K+.

Abstract The multi‐camera calibration is an essential step for many spatially aware applications, such as robotic navigation, augmented reality, and 3D human pose estimation. Traditional calibration methods use off‐the‐shelf checkerboards or triangles as the known world coordinate system and their corresponding corners are set as control points, which heavily depends on specific calibration patterns and is not suitable for calibration pattern‐denied environments. In this paper, an automatic calibration method is proposed to calibrate the multi‐camera system without the aid of a known calibration pattern. The key idea of the proposed method is that the authors consider the human body, which is always available, as the counterpart of the calibration pattern. The authors’ approach starts with binocular camera calibration, in which the extrinsic and intrinsic parameters are calculated in order and followed by a joint optimisation. With the results of each pair of binocular camera calibration, the multi‐camera system calibration is carried out in three steps: (i) parameters initialisation, (ii) extrinsic parameters optimisation, and (iii) jointly optimising intrinsic and extrinsic parameters. Since the authors’ approach does not require additional calibration patterns except for one visible person, it is flexible and easy to be implemented. Real experiments are conducted in different scenes, camera angles, and camera settings. Human pose estimation with the multi‐camera system is additionally performed for exhaustive experiments. The experimental results demonstrate that the authors’ method shows superior performance than the traditional method with the aid of a specific calibration pattern.