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In this article, by using the method of upper and lower solutions combined with the monotone iterative technique, we investigate a Caputo‐Hadamard–type fractional turbulent flow model. We prove new comparison results and obtain explicit monotone iterative sequences converging to the extremal solutions and unique solution of the model problem. Examples illustrating the main results are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thyroid cancer is the most common type of endocrine cancer, and most patients have a good prognosis. However, the thyroid cancer differentiation status strongly affects patient response to conventional treatment and prognosis. Therefore, exploring the molecular mechanisms that influence the differentiation of thyroid cancer is very important for understanding the progression of this disease and improving therapeutic options. In this study, SETMAR as a key gene that affects thyroid cancer differentiation is identified. SETMAR significantly regulates the proliferation, epithelial‐mesenchymal transformation (EMT), thyroid differentiation‐related gene expression, radioactive iodine uptake, and sensitivity to MAPK inhibitor‐based redifferentiation therapies of thyroid cancer cells. Mechanistically, SETMAR methylates dimethylated H3K36 in the SMARCA2 promoter region to promote SMARCA2 transcription. SMARCA2 can bind to enhancers of the thyroid differentiation transcription factors (TTFs) PAX8, and FOXE1 to promote their expression by enhancing chromatin accessibility. Moreover, METTL3‐mediated m6A methylation of SETAMR mRNA is observed and showed that this medication can affect SETMAR expression in an IGF2BP3‐dependent manner. Finally, the METTL3‐14‐WTAP activator effectively facilitates the redifferentiation of thyroid cancer cells via the SETMAR‐SMARCA2‐TTF axis utilized. The research provides novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying thyroid cancer dedifferentiation and provides a new approach for therapeutically promoting redifferentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new emerging disease of quinoa, quinoa basal stem rot (QBSR), has been recorded in Shanxi Province, China. Observed during the inflorescence emergence stage, the pathogen causes wilting, foliar chlorosis, leaf abscission and eventual death of quinoa. In this study, isolates were identified as Fusarium solani using morphology, molecular and phylogenetic analysis (using sequences of calmodulin, rDNA internal transcribed spacer region, RNA polymerase II B‐subunits RPB1 RPB1 and RPB2 RPB2, and translation elongation factor 1‐α), and pathogenicity analysis. Twenty‐seven isolates were classified into two different groups according to their morphological characteristics, and the mycelial growth rate of Group 2 was higher than that of Group 1 on six different media. The optimum growth temperature for both groups was 30°C and the highest mycelial growth rates were 9.2 and 10.0 mm/day, for Groups 1 and 2, respectively. The sporodochial conidia (SC) and aerial conidia (AC) germinated normally at 15–25°C and 10–40°C, respectively, and the width of SC and AC germ tubes were 1.4 and 2.2 μm. The lethal temperature for AC was 51°C for 20 min, and SC stopped germinating at 45°C. Pathogenicity tests of representative isolates showed that mycelia or conidia caused typical symptoms of QBSR on wounded basal stems of Chenopodium quinoa at 6 days postinoculation. The optimum temperature for the onset of QBSR was 30°C for both groups of isolates, and lesion lengths ranged from 5.4 to 5.9 cm. Knowledge of this pathogen will provide useful information for effective disease management to prevent its spread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The C1 ERP component reflects the earliest visual processing in V1. However, it remains debated whether attentional load can influence it or not. We conducted two EEG experiments to investigate the effect of attentional load on the C1. Task difficulty was manipulated at fixation using an oddball detection task that was either easy (low load) or difficult (high load), while the distractor was presented in the upper visual field (UVF) to score the C1. In Experiment 1, we used a block design and the stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) between the central stimulus and the peripheral distractor was either short or long. In Experiment 2, task difficulty was manipulated on a trial‐by‐trial basis using a visual cue, and the peripheral distractor was presented either before or after the central stimulus. The results showed that the C1 was larger in the high compared to the low load condition irrespective of SOA in Experiment 1. In Experiment 2, no significant load modulation of the C1 was observed. However, we found that the contingent negative variation (CNV) was larger in the low compared to the high load condition. Moreover, the C1 was larger when the peripheral distractor was presented after than before the central stimulus. Combined together, these results suggest that different top‐down control processes can influence the initial feedforward stage of visual processing in V1 captured by the C1 ERP component. Our new ERP findings inform about top‐down modulatory effects created by attentional load on early visual processing in the primary visual cortex (V1). In two experiments, we found that V1 activity was not reduced when attentional load increased. However, this lack of modulation could be explained by the likely contribution of other cognitive processes, including working memory, which could mask or interfere with the early gating of sensory processing in V1 created by attentional load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We find that high‐frequency trading (HFT) in stocks held by mutual funds negatively affects fund performance: when sorted by HFT intensity of holdings, funds in the top quintile underperform funds in the bottom quintile by 2.64% per year. The negative relation can be at least partially explained by the illiquidity premium induced by high‐frequency traders' preference for more liquid stocks. This reason for underperformance of mutual funds has not been previously explored or documented. In addition, we do not find evidence to support the concern that HFT raises trading costs of mutual funds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly stretchable electrodes with electrically robust behavior are critical for wide applications of soft robots, electronic skins, and flexible sensors. However, it remains challenging to fabricate such electrodes with traditional fabrication methods, such as lithography, conductive composite material synthetization, stencil printing, and microchannel injection. Herein, a facile method is proposed to construct robust and stretchable electrodes by direct‐written liquid metal (LM) onto a predeposited interface bonding layer, which greatly improves the interfacial force between the LM and substrate. An electrospun graphene oxide/thermoplastic polyurethane composite nanofiber membrane is used as the bonding layer, which provides rich –OH on the interface and in situ forming of hydrogen bond (H‐bond) with the LM oxide layer. A prototype electrode shows stretchability of 580%. The resistance remains stable that varies from 2.8 to 19.3 Ω at 500% elongation, and varies slightly after 7500 stretching cycles under 50% elongation, from 2.6–4.0 to 4.4–6.4 Ω. The fabrication technique is demonstrated with applications in stretchable circuit board assemblies and stretchable electronic cables, indicating a potential effective method for fabricating high‐performance stretchable electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing high‐capacity electrodes requires the evaluation of electrochemical behaviors with an increasing current density. Currently, the current density for evaluation of high‐capacity electrodes has reached a new stage where the polarization at the lithium counter electrode has become a technical barrier for the accurate evaluation of battery electrodes, resulting in severe performance and mechanism mischaracterizations. Here, the accurate electrochemical behavior for high‐capacity electrodes via a single‐channel three‐electrode vehicle is decoupled, by which the impact of lithium counter electrode is minimized. The testing high‐capacity graphite electrode is capable of delivering an excellent rate capability with 81.7% capacity retention at 0.3 C, as well as stable cycling performance retaining 97.5% practical reversible capacity after 225 cycles, much higher than the graphite electrode tested with traditional half‐cell testing vehicle but in close agreement with the results obtained from a well‐matched full cell, reflecting accurate electrochemical performance evaluations of high‐capacity electrodes. Moreover, detailed electrochemical mechanisms of impedance and diffusion properties for working electrodes are also successfully decoupled individually. This work uncovers the mismatch between traditional evaluation configuration and increasing testing current density and provides a guideline for accurate electrochemical evaluation for ever‐increasing high‐capacity electrodes, which is of great significance for high‐energy lithium or other alkali‐metal ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little information is available for antibody levels against SARS‐CoV‐2 variants of concern induced by Omicron breakthrough infection and a third booster with an inactivated vaccine (InV) or Ad5‐nCoV in people with completion of two InV doses. Plasma was collected from InV pre‐vaccinated Omicron‐infected patients (OIPs), unvaccinated OIPs between 0 and 22 days, and healthy donors (HDs) 14 days or 6 months after the second doses of an InV and 14 days after a homogenous booster or heterologous booster of Ad5‐nCoV. Anti‐Wuhan‐, Anti‐Delta‐, and Anti‐Omicron‐receptor binding domain (RBD)‐IgG titers were detected using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. InV pre‐vaccinated OIPs had higher anti‐Wuhan‐, anti‐Delta‐, and anti‐Omicron‐RBD‐IgG titers compared to unvaccinated OIPs. Anti‐Wuhan‐RBD‐IgG titers sharply increased in InV pre‐vaccinated OIPs 0–5 days postinfection (DPI), while the geometric mean titers (GMTs) of anti‐Delta‐ and anti‐Omicron‐RBD‐IgG were 3.3‐fold and 12.0‐fold lower. Then, the GMT of anti‐Delta‐ and anti‐Omicron‐RBD‐IgG increased to 35 112 and 28 186 during 11–22 DPI, about 2.6‐fold and 3.2‐fold lower, respectively, than the anti‐Wuhan‐RBD‐IgG titer. The anti‐Wuhan‐, anti‐Delta‐, and anti‐Omicron‐RBD‐IgG titers declined over time in HDs after two doses of an InV, with 25.2‐fold, 5.6‐fold, and 4.5‐fold declination, respectively, at 6 months relative to the titers at 14 days after the second vaccination. Anti‐Wuhan‐, anti‐Delta‐, and anti‐Omicron‐RBD‐IgG titers elicited by a heterologous Ad5‐nCoV booster were significantly higher than those elicited by an InV booster, comparable to those in InV pre‐vaccinated OIPs. InV and Ad5‐nCoV boosters could improve humoral immunity against Omicron variants. Of these, the Ad5‐nCoV booster is a better alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The C1 event‐related potential (ERP) captures the earliest stage of feedforward processing in the primary visual cortex (V1). An ongoing debate is whether top‐down selective attention can modulate the C1. One side of the debate pointed out that null findings appear to outnumber positive findings; thus, selective attention does not seem to influence the C1. However, this suggestion is not based on a valid approach to summarizing evidence across studies. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis investigating the effects of selective attention on the C1, involving 47 experiments and 794 subjects in total. Despite heterogeneity across studies, results suggested that attention has a moderate effect on the C1 (Cohen's dz = 0.33, p <.0001); that is, C1 amplitude is larger for visual stimuli that are attended than unattended. These results suggest that C1 is affected by top‐down selective attention. This is the first systematic review and meta‐analysis for the effects of selective attention on the C1 ERP component. We showed statistical evidence in favor of an effect of selective attention on the C1 and no difference of modulation by different types of attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastric cancer ranks the fifth most common and third leading cause of cancer‐related deaths worldwide. Alterations in the RTK/MAPK, WNT, cell adhesion, TP53, TGFβ, NOTCH, and NFκB signaling pathways could be identified as main oncogenic drivers. A combination of altered pathways can be associated with molecular subtypes of gastric cancer. In order to generate model systems to study the impact of different pathway alterations in a defined genetic background, we generated three murine organoid models: a RAS‐activated (KrasG12D, Tp53R172H), a WNT‐activated (Apcfl/fl, Tp53R172H), and a diffuse (Cdh1fl/fl, Apcfl/fl) model. These organoid models were morphologically and phenotypically diverse, differed in proteome expression signatures and possessed individual drug sensitivities. A differential vulnerability to RTK/MAPK pathway interference based on the different mitogenic drivers and according to the level of dependence on the pathway could be uncovered. Furthermore, an association between RTK/MAPK pathway activity and susceptibility to HDAC inhibition was observed. This finding was further validated in patient‐derived organoids from gastric adenocarcinoma, thus identifying a novel treatment approach for RTK/MAPK pathway altered gastric cancer patients. Synopsis: The analysis of murine and human gastric tumor organoids uncovered an association between RTK/MAPK pathway activity and susceptibility to HDAC inhibition, thereby identifying a potential new treatment approach for gastric cancer patients. Three murine tumor organoid models with a defined genetic background were generated by altering frequently mutated pathways in gastric cancer.The organoid models were characterized concerning their phenotype, proteome expression pattern, and therapeutic response via a drug screen.RAS activation in murine tumor organoids led to a significantly increased sensitivity to HDAC inhibition.HDAC sensitivity was confirmed in patient derived gastric cancer organoids with MAPK pathway alterations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive Summary: The cholinesterases are essential targets implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We have identified tryptophan‐tetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives as selective micro‐nanomolar butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitors. Molecular docking was applied for the rational design and binding mode analysis. They were defined according to their target inhibitory activity, low cytotoxicity, predicted permeability through the blood‐brain barrier (BBB), and in vivo cognitive improvement. Additionally, the preferred compound showed ability to decrease self‐induced Aβ1‐42 aggregation and Aβ1‐42 induced SH‐SY5Y cell injury. Altogether, these factors indicated their potential as unique lead compounds for AD treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) is highly desired to prevent parasitic reactions during normal operation of lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). Lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) is one of the most significant components for smooth SEI passivation layers; while the formation mechanism and special distribution of the Li2CO3 layer has not yet been illustrated. Here, an over‐potential tailored Li2CO3 growth mechanism based on the typical hard carbon anode is demonstrated. With an increase in the over‐potential, the size of Li2CO3 decreases gradually as the amount increases. When the over‐potential is large (potential at 0.01 V), a Li2CO3‐rich thin and dense inorganic layer with the average thickness of 4.4 nm in the SEI is constructed. The special SEI the completely wraps the boundaries of the anode enables a larger Li‐ion de‐solvation energy barrier and a lower Li‐ion diffusion energy barrier, which supports low self‐discharge behavior and a fast kinetic rate at the anode. More generally, this Li2CO3 growth mechanism is also applicable to commercialized graphite anodes and similar results are also obtained. Therefore, this work provides a new insight into the Li2CO3 growth mechanism in SEIs, as well as a guideline for the design of stable artificial SEIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing consensus that plant‐derived antimicrobials may be a safe and effective alternative to synthetic chemical preservatives against foodborne pathogens. This study aims to investigate the potential application of the stems and leaves of Astragalus membranaceus (AMSL) in food preservation. Antibacterial activity of AMSL was evaluated by the disk diffusion method and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay, and then the activity stability at different conditions (temperatures, pHs and ultraviolet irradiations) was analyzed and the antibacterial mechanism was revealed. Chemical composition of the active substances was also identified by UPLC–MS/MS. The results showed that the extracts from AMSL had low activities against Geotrichum candidum and Escherichia coli, while good action on Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Aspergillus flavus, and Candida albicans. In contrast, the ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) of AMSL was the most active against Bacillus subtilis with a diameter of inhibition zone of 15.75 mm and the MIC value of 12.5 mg/mL. EAF exhibited good stability against heating at 80°C for 30 min, 60 min exposure to UV light, and it was effective in pH range of 2.0–6.0. After treating by EAF, the growth of the Bacillus subtilis was inhibited with delayed logarithmic phase, and the cell wall and the cell membrane of the bacteria were damaged deduced from the increased extracellular activity of alkaline phosphatase, the leakage of nucleic acids, and the increase of extracellular conductivity. Further SEM and TEM analysis confirmed the destroying of the cell wall integrity and cell membrane permeability with visually wrinkled even empty cells caused by EAF. Subsequent analysis revealed that flavonoids were the predominant components of EAF, followed by organic acids. Our findings provided a theoretical possibility that the AMSL could be used as a natural food preservative in the food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quinoa panicle rot (QPR) is a novel disease that poses a significant threat to quinoa production in China. Typical symptoms on panicles include a film of pale pink, grey‐white, or dark brown mould on the grains during the grain‐filling stage. Furthermore, QPR causes quinoa grain discolouration, unfilling, and malformation. In total, 37 isolates were identified as belonging to three species: Trichothecium roseum (nine isolates), Alternaria alternata (12), and Fusarium citri (16) based on morphology, and phylogenetic and pathogenicity characterization. The present study shows for the first time that T. roseum, A. alternata, and F. citri are the pathogens responsible for QPR. An evaluation of the growth and germination rates revealed a significant difference among the three species, with T. roseum and F. citri isolates having higher fitness in warmer (25–30℃) and humid conditions (water activity ≥0.98). However, A. alternata preferred cooler (20–25℃) and more arid conditions, and germinated in a wide range of water activities (water activity of 0.90–1.00). Among the three species, T. roseum and F. citri are probably responsible for the pink and grey diseased grains in humid regions, and A. alternata for the black‐brown diseased grains in arid regions. Pathogenicity tests showed that all three species could infect the quinoa panicles. The results of this study provide a basis for the recognition and management of QPR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Progress toward intelligent human–robotic interactions requires monitoring sensors that are mechanically flexible, facile to implement, and able to harness recognition capability under harsh environments. Conventional sensing methods have been divided for human‐side collection or robot‐side feedback and are not designed with these criteria in mind. However, the iontronic polymer is an example of a general method that operates properly on both human skin (commonly known as skin electronics or iontronics) and the machine/robotic surface. Here, a unique iontronic composite (silk protein/glycerol/Ca(II) ion) and supportive molecular mechanism are developed to simultaneously achieve high conductivity (around 6 kΩ at 50 kHz), self‐healing (within minutes), strong stretchability (around 1000%), high strain sensitivity and transparency, and universal adhesiveness across a broad working temperature range (−40–120 °C). Those merits facilitate the development of iontronic sensing and the implementation of damage‐resilient robotic manipulation. Combined with a machine learning algorithm and specified data collection methods, the system is able to classify 1024 types of human and robot hand gestures under challenging scenarios and to offer excellent object recognition with an accuracy of 99.7%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aesculetin, a coumarin compound present in the sancho tree and chicory, exhibits excellent antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory activities in the vascular and immune system. In this study, a rapid and sensitive ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–ESI–MS/MS) method was established and validated for the determination of aesculetin in rat plasma. Plasma samples were prepared by protein precipitation with acetonitrile. Chromatographic separation was performed on an Acquity UPLC HSS T3 C18 column (2.1 × 100 mm, 1.8 μm) with gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.3 ml/min, using mobile phase consisting of 0.1% formic acid (A) and acetonitrile (B). Aesculetin and puerarin (internal standard) were detected by multiple reaction monitoring in negative ion mode. The method was fully validated according to the US Food and Drug Administration guidelines. The calibration curve was linear over the range of 2–1,000 ng/ml with correlation coefficient >0.9980. The carry‐over, matrix effect, extraction recovery, dilution effect, intra‐ and inter‐day precision and the accuracy were within acceptable limits. The method was then applied to a pharmacokinetic study of aesculetin in rats. After oral administration at doses of 5, 10 and 20 mg/kg, the plasma concentration reached peaks of 95.7, 219.9, 388.6 ng/ml at times of 1.22–1.78 h. The oral bioavailability was calculated as 15.6–20.3% in rat plasma. The result provided pre‐clinical information for further application of aesculetin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selective attention is essential when we face sensory inputs with distractions. In the past decades, Lavie's load theory of selective attention delineates a complete picture of distractor suppression under different attentional control load. The present study was originally designed to explore how reward modulates the load effect of attentional selection. Unexpectedly, it revealed new findings under extended attentional load that was not involved in previous work. Participants were asked to complete a rewarded attentive visual tracking task while presented with irrelevant auditory oddball stimuli, with their behavioral performance, event‐related potentials and pupillary responses recorded. We found that although the behavioral performance and pupil sizes varied unidirectionally with the attentional load, the processing of distractors as reflected by the mismatch negativity (MMN) increased first and then decreased. In contrast to the prediction of Lavie's theory that attentional control fails to effectively suppress distractor processing under high attentional control load, our finding suggests that extremely high attentional control load may instead require suppression of distractor processing at a stage as early as possible. Besides, P3a, a positive‐polarity response sometimes following the MMN, was not affected by the attentional load, but both N1 (a negative‐polarity component peaking ~100 ms from sound onset) and P3a were weakened at higher reward, indicating that reward leads to attenuated early processing of distractor and thus suppresses the attentional orienting towards distractors. These findings altogether complement Lavie's load theory of selective attention, presenting a more complex picture of how attentional load and reward affects selective attention. In a rewarded attentive tracking task with auditory distractors, the processing of distractors was found to increase first and then decrease with attentional load, and also weakened with higher reward. This contradicts the prediction of previous theory that attentional control fails to suppress distractor processing under high attentional control load. Instead, it suggests that extremely high attentional control load may require suppression of distractor processing at an early stage, presenting a more complex picture of how attentional load and reward affect selective attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Immunoglobulin A vasculitis (IgAV), previously known as Henoch–Schönlein purpura, is the most common vasculitis that has a classical skin manifestation of palpable purpuric rash. Factors pertinent to IgAV remain inadequately understood. Here, we aimed to examine the gut microbiome shifts associated with IgAV and its recovery. Methods: Stool samples were collected from 10 children with IgAV (6–14 years old) before and after a multi‐drug therapy, along with 9 age‐matched healthy children. The samples were subjected to metagenomic analyses to investigate the taxonomic and functional shifts of the gut microbiome. Results: The analyses revealed that compared with healthy controls, treatment‐naïve patients exhibited substantial taxonomic and functional alterations of gut microbiota, including 104 IgAV‐depleted species and 7 IgAV‐elevated species (FDR < 0.05). After treatment, the IgAV patients displayed a partial restoration of the microbiota shifts, as the relative abundances of some biomarkers (e.g. 9 genera and 22 species) became comparable (FDR > 0.1) between the patients and healthy controls. The treatment‐responsive features included Weissella, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum and three components of a putative glutamine transport system. Importantly, gram‐positive bacteria accounted for over 85% of the numbers and total relative abundance of the species that were associated with IgAV and responsive to the treatment. In addition, of the 122 IgAV‐depleted bacterial genes, 82 were mainly contributed by gram‐positive bacteria and 12 by gram‐negative bacteria. Conclusions: Gram‐positive bacteria are the main drivers underlying the gut microbiome shifts of IgAV, which may assist rational management of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]