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Even though Asian countries are expected to become a dominant market for organic foods in the coming years, there are few studies which focused on young Asian consumers’ organic food purchase behaviour. This study aims to investigate how attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, and health concerns influence consumers’ intention to purchase and consume organic foods. A purposive sampling method was adopted for this study and a total of 289 usable questionnaires were collected for empirical testing of the postulated hypotheses using SPSS and structural equation modelling (SEM). The results showed that attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control and health concern positively influenced intention. In addition, subjective norm positively influenced attitude while attitude played a partial mediation effect on the relationship between subjective norm and intention. Lastly, the theoretical and practical implications as well as the limitations of the study are discussed.

Dynamic path optimization is an important part of intelligent transportation systems (ITSs). Aiming at the shortcomings of the current dynamic path optimization method, the improved ant colony algorithm was used to optimize the dynamic path. Through the actual investigation and analysis, the influencing factors of the multiobjective planning model were determined. The ant colony algorithm was improved by using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to transform path length, travel time, and traffic flow into the comprehensive weight-influencing factor. Meanwhile, directional guidance and dynamic optimization were introduced to the improved ant colony algorithm. In the simulated road network, the length of the optimal path obtained by the improved ant colony algorithm in the simulation road network is 3.015, which is longer than the length of the optimal path obtained by the basic ant colony algorithm (2.902). The travel time of the optimal path obtained by the improved ant colony algorithm (376 s) is significantly shorter than that of the basic ant colony algorithm (416.3 s). The number of iterations of the improved ant colony algorithm (45) is less than that of the basic ant colony algorithm (58). In the instance network, the number of iterations of the improved ant colony algorithm (18) is less than that of the basic ant colony algorithm (26). The travel time of the optimal path obtained by the improved ant colony algorithm (377.1 s) is significantly shorter than that of the basic ant colony algorithm (426 s) and the spatial shortest distance algorithm (424 s). Compared with the basic ant colony algorithm and the spatial shortest distance algorithm, the results of the optimal path obtained by the improved ant colony algorithm were more accurate, and the effectiveness of the improved ant colony algorithm was verified.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the value of vascular architecture detected by micro vascular imaging (MVI) in preoperative diagnosis of focal liver lesions (FLLs). METHODS: In this retrospective study, patients with surgery and histopathologically proved or radiologically confirmed FLLs were included. Vascular architecture of FLLs were acquired by color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) and MVI on LOGIQ™ E20 ultrasound machine (C1–6 convex array probes). Alder semiquantitative analysis (grade 0–3) and morphologic features of blood vessels (pattern a–f) were used to assess the blood flow within the FLLs. Interobserver agreement for evaluating blood flow of FLLs was analyzed. Using Adler’s grading or morphologic patterns as diagnostic criteria for malignant FLLs, the diagnostic efficiency was analyzed and compared. RESULTS: From October 2021 and February 2022, 50 patients diagnosed with 40 malignant FLLs and 10 benign FLLs were finally included. The Kappa value within two observers for evaluating the blood flow of FLLs was 0.78 for MVI and 0.55 for CDFI. According to Alder semiquantitative analysis, more high-level blood flow signals (grade 2–3) were detected by MVI than CDFI (P < 0.05). Based on high-level blood flow signals (grade 2–3) and hypervascular supply patterns (pattern e and f), the diagnostic accuracy for malignant FLLs were 76% and 68% for MVI, 56% and 38% for CDFI, respectively. CONCLUSION: MVI is superior to CDFI in evaluating vascular architecture of FLLs. The high-level flow signals and hypervascular pattern detected by MVI have a useful and complementary value in preoperative non-invasive identification of malignant FLLs.

Emotion recognition based on electroencephalography (EEG) is a significant task in the brain-computer interface field. Recently, many deep learning-based emotion recognition methods are demonstrated to outperform traditional methods. However, it remains challenging to extract discriminative features for EEG emotion recognition, and most methods ignore useful information in channel and time. This paper proposes an attention-based convolutional recurrent neural network (ACRNN) to extract more discriminative features from EEG signals and improve the accuracy of emotion recognition. First, the proposed ACRNN adopts a channel-wise attention mechanism to adaptively assign the weights of different channels, and a CNN is employed to extract the spatial information of encoded EEG signals. Then, to explore the temporal information of EEG signals, extended self-attention is integrated into an RNN to recode the importance based on intrinsic similarity in EEG signals. We conducted extensive experiments on the DEAP and DREAMER databases. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed ACRNN outperforms state-of-the-art methods.

Homochiral cadmium chlorides were prepared under mild conditions using enantiopure amino acids as structure-directing agents. They feature a lacunary hexagonal CdCl

BACKGROUND: Pneumonia is the leading cause of death in young children globally. However, the underlying pathological mechanism of pediatric pneumonia remains unclear. In infection disease contexts, small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) have been shown to be a useful source of markers for pathogenesis and immune response. We hypothesized that functional molecules such as protein harbored by sEVs would provide mechanistic insights into the immune response in children with pneumonia. METHODS: We isolated sEVs from serum collected from children with and without pneumonia, performed proteomic analysis of the sEVs with label-free mass spectrometry, and then conducted functional enrichment analysis of proteomic data. RESULTS: We identified fifteen differentially expressed proteins and ten unique proteins in children with pneumonia as compared to healthy children. In the pneumonia group, immune-related processes and pathways were positively enriched as upregulated proteins were involved in neutrophil activation, complement regulation, defense against bacteria, humoral immune response and regulation of immune effector processes However, pathways associated with tissue development and extracellular matrix remodeling were negatively enriched, as downregulated proteins were linked to extracellular matrix structure and cell adhesions. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provided insights into host responses to pathogen infection, which has contributed to understanding the pathogenesis of children with pneumonia. Furthermore, our studies suggested that serum sEVs proteins could be considered a potential source of biomarkers for diagnosing pediatric pneumonia.

Background: Recently, low estrogen and the age at menopause as independent risk factors for Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) were attracting high attention. In clinical practice, pre-/post-operative Local Estrogen Therapy (LET) shown effectiveness in alleviating POP symptoms. However, there is lack of scientific evidence to support the validity of these claims. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the anti-senescence effect and mechanism of 17β-estradiol on POP derived fibroblasts. Methods: The primary fibroblasts cells were isolated and cultured form surgical POP samples (n = 8, age from 50–75), the passage-0 cells confluence at 80% takes about 15 days and the passage 3–5 cells were used for further test. Immunocytochemistry was used to characterize the primary fibroblasts, CCK8 assay was used to test the cell proliferative capacity and the Senescence-Associated β-Galactosidase (SA-β Gal) Staining was tested to calculate the senescence rate of fibroblasts. Moreover, western blotting was used to detect the expression of COL-I, COL-III, p16INK4A, p21, p-53, SIRT-1 and LC3-I/II protein. In addition, Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) was used to observe the ultrastructure of fibroblasts. Results: The results showed that 17β-estradiol (E2) significantly promoted the POP derived-fibroblasts proliferation and reduced the staining rate of senescence-associated-β-galactosidase (SA-β-Gal), markedly enhanced the extracellular matrix protein COL-I and COL-III accompanied by the inhibition of senescent protein P16INK4a, as well as improved the cells autophagy and metabolic activity. In addition, E2 significantly up-regulated the anti-aging protein SIRT1 and markedly down-regulated p53 and p21, indicating the anti-senescence mechanism of E2 through mediated the Sirt1/p53/p21 axis pathway. Conclusion: We provide preliminary evidence that anti-aging effect and mechanism of estrogen on POP fibroblasts, hoping to provide a theoretical basis for estrogen against POP senescence, guide the clinical application and local administration of estrogen on POP treatment, thereby improve long-term maintenance and rejuvenation of the pelvic floor connective tissue.

Antecedentes Pocos estudios han investigado el impacto del síndrome metabólico (SM) en la enfermedad por coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). Describimos las características clínicas y el pronóstico de los pacientes con COVID-19 confirmados con SM durante la hospitalización y después del alta. Métodos Se incluyeron retrospectivamente 233 pacientes con COVID-19 de los hospitales de 8 ciudades de Jiangsu, China. Se describieron las características clínicas de los pacientes con COVID-19 y se analizaron los factores de riesgo de enfermedad grave mediante un análisis de regresión logística. Resultados Cuarenta y cinco (19,3%) de los 233 pacientes de COVID-19 tenían EM. La mediana de edad de los pacientes de COVID-19 con EM fue significativamente mayor que la de los pacientes sin EM (53,0 años frente a 46,0 años, P=0,004). No hubo diferencias significativas en cuanto a los síntomas clínicos, las imágenes de TC torácica anormales y los fármacos de tratamiento entre los dos grupos. Hubo más pacientes con EM que tuvieron enfermedades graves (33,3% frente a 6,4%, P

Background and Objectives: Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) often lead to high mortality. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma physiology score (CAPS) is a simple clinical severity score. The aim of this study was to explore whether CAPS could be an effective predictor for in-hospital and 1-year mortality in AECOPD patients. Methods. We used CAPS to grade all patients and record their clinical characteristics. The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the cut-off of CAPS that discriminated survivors and non-survivors. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses and Cox regression analyses were used to identify the risk factors for in-hospital and 1-year mortality, respectively. Results. 240 patients were enrolled in our study; 18 patients died during hospitalization and 29 patients died during the 1-year follow-up. Compared with in-hospital survivors, those who died were older (80.83 ± 6.06 vs. 76.94 ± 8.30 years old, P = 0.019) and had a higher percentage of congestive heart failure (61.1% vs. 14.4%, P

In this article, we develop a martingale approach to localized Bismut-type Hessian formulas for heat semigroups on Riemannian manifolds. Our approach extends the Hessian formulas established by Stroock (1996) and removes in particular the compact manifold restriction. To demonstrate the potential of these formulas, we give as application explicit quantitative local estimates for the Hessian of the heat semigroup, as well as for harmonic functions on regular domains in Riemannian manifolds., 18

Multicellular organisms undergo several developmental transitions during their life cycles. In contrast to animals, the plant germline is derived from adult somatic cells. As such, the juvenility of a plant must be reset in each generation. Previous studies have demonstrated that the decline in the levels of miR156/7 with age drives plant maturation. Here we show that the resetting of plant juvenility during each generation is mediated by de novo activation of MIR156/7 in Arabidopsis. Blocking this process leads to a shortened juvenile phase and premature flowering in the offspring. In particular, an Arabidopsis plant devoid of miR156/7 flowers even without formation of rosette leaves in long days. Mechanistically, we find that different MIR156/7 genes are reset at different developmental stages through distinct reprogramming routes. Among these genes, MIR156A, B and C are activated de novo during sexual reproduction and embryogenesis, while MIR157A and C are reset upon seed germination. This redundancy generates a robust reset mechanism that ensures accurate restoration of the juvenile phase in each plant generation.

The study aimed to investigate the incidence of and risk factors for liver damage in patients with human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) mono-infection receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART).We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of patients who were diagnosed with HIV-1 infection and initiated ART from January to December 2017. Among them, 382 patients with HIV-1 mono-infection and normal baseline liver function were included in the analysis. The incidence of liver damage at each follow-up point, and possible risk factors for liver damage were evaluated via COX regression survival analyses.The overall incidence of liver damage (grade I-IV) was 27.23% (interquartile range [IQR]: 26.38%-28.72%). Grade I liver damage was most common and accounted for 22.13% of cases (IQR: 21.06%-24.04%), while grade II liver damage accounted for 3.40% of cases (IQR: 3.19%-4.26%). COX regression and survival analyses revealed that baseline body mass index (BMI), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level, CD4Liver damage is common in patients with HIV-1 mono-infection undergoing ART. Patients with risk factors for liver damage should be well-informed before the initiation of ART, and liver function should be closely monitored during ART even in patients with normal liver function before ART.

For a complete connected Riemannian manifold M let V∊ C^2(M) be such that µ(dx)=exp(-V(x))vol(dx) is a probability measure on M. Taking µ as reference measure, we derive inequalities for probability measures on M linking relative entropy, Fisher information, Stein discrepancy and Wasserstein distance. These inequalities strengthen in particular the famous log-Sobolev and transportation-cost inequality and extend the so-called Entropy/Stein-discrepancy/Information (HSI) inequality established by Ledoux, Nourdin and Peccati (2015) for the standard Gaussian measure on Euclidean space to the setting of Riemannian manifolds.

Hepatic fibrosis is a damage repair response caused by multiple factors. A growing body of research suggests that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in a wide range of biological processes, and thus regulate disease progression, including hepatic fibrosis. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms of the long non-coding RNA-non-coding RNA activated by DNA damage (NORAD) in modulating hepatic fibrosis development. Platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) was used to activate LX-2 hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). The expression of NORAD and microRNA (miR)-495-3p was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis. The effects of PDGF-BB on LX-2 cell viability, migration, invasion, and apoptosis were evaluated using MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide), Transwell, flow cytometry, and Western blot assays. The activation of HSCs was further verified by examining the expression of the typical markers, alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and collagen I (Col1α1), using qRT-PCR and Western blot assays. StarBase and dual-luciferase reporter assays were used to assess the binding relationship between miR-495-3p and NORAD. The NORAD levels remarkably increased, whereas the miR-495-3p levels decreased, in PDGF-BB-treated LX-2 cells. miR-495-3p was a putative downstream target of NORAD. NORAD silencing played an anti-fibrotic role by targeting miR-495-3p; this was accomplished by hindering PDGF-BB-treated LX-2 cell viability, migration, and invasion, decreasing the levels of α-SMA and Col1α1, and promoting apoptosis. miR-495-3p protected against hepatic fibrosis by inhibiting sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 3 (S1PR3) expression. In summary, NORAD silencing inhibited hepatic fibrosis by suppressing HSC activation via the miR-495-3p/S1PR3 axis.

Synthesis of aryl-fused 1,4-oxathiepines from pyridinium 1,4-zwitterionic thiolates with vinylidene ortho-quinone methides generated in situ via a formal (3 + 4) pathway.

The first enantioselective synthesis of axially chiral styrene-type allylamines through chiral phosphoric acid mediated atroposelective reductive amination of 1-enal substituted 2-naphthols is achieved.

Purpose To evaluate the early activity of ankylosing spondylitis(AS)is very important for clinical decision. Owing to lacking of uniform standard and some other limitations, the methods for it are still difficult to practice by clinicians. The study aimed to explore the value of texture analysis of radiomics based on STIR to evaluate the activity of bone marrow edema of sacroiliac joint in early AS. Methods A total of 43 patients with early AS were collected in our hospital, including 30 males and 13 females. According to the ratio of 7:3, all the patients were randomly divided into the training cohort (n = 116) and verification cohort (n = 56). Optimal feature subsets were obtained by the Mann-Whitney U test, the minimum-Redundancy Maximum-Relevancy (mRMR), and then the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) using these texture feature parameters. The optimal feature subset was used to construct the final prediction model, and Radscore was obtained by summing the selected features after being weighted by their coefficients. The effectiveness of Radscore value, SPARCC score and ADC value was evaluated by ROC curve. The correlations between Radscore values and the values of SPARCC score, ADC, BASDAI, ESR, CRP, ASDAS-ESR, ASDAS-CRP were analyzed by the Spearman correlation test. Results The eight texture feature subsets were selected to obtain Redscore. In the training cohort, to differentiate early AS sacroiliac joint bone marrow edema between between active and stable group,the AUC values of Radscore, SPARCC score and ADC were 0.81,0.91,0.78, respectively. In the validation cohort, the AUC values of them were 0.87,0.89,0.85. In the two cohorts, there were no significant differences in AUC values between values of Radscore and SPARCC score, ADC (P > 0.05). There was a significant difference in AUC values betweenvalues of SPARCC score and ADC in the training cohort (P 0.05). The correlations were all low between Radscore values and the values of the ESR, CRP, BASDAI, ASDAS-ESR, ASDAS-CRP (P

IntroductionIn the pathology of pelvic organ prolapse (POP), little is known about the contributing role of pelvic microenvironment. Also, the age-related differences in pelvic microenvironment of POP patients is always ignored. In the present study, we investigated the age-related differences in pelvic microenvironment between Young POP patients and Old POP patients, and the novel cell types and critical regulators which contributes to the age-related differences.MethodsSingle-cell transcriptomic analyses were used to detect the changes in cell composition and gene expression from the pelvic microenvironment of control group (60 years). Then, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence were used to verify the novel cell types and critical regulators in the pelvic microenvironment. Furthermore, histopathological alteration and mechanical property alteration in POP with different ages were revealed by vaginal tissue histology and biomechanical testing.ResultsThe up-regulated biological process in Old women with POP is mainly related to chronic inflammation, while the up-regulated biological process in Young women with POP is mainly related to extracellular matrix metabolism. Meantime, CSF3+ endothelial cells and FOLR2+ macrophages were found to play a central role in inducing pelvic chronic inflammation. Furthermore, the collagen fiber and mechanical property of POP patients decreased with aging.ConclusionsTaken together, this work provides a valuable resource for deciphering the aging-related immune cell types and the critical regulators in pelvic microenvironment. With better understanding of normal and abnormal events in this pelvic microenvironment, we provided rationales of personalized medicine for POP patients with different ages.