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In order to avoid the hesitation of choosing between aggressive and benevolent strategies, we propose two cross-efficiency models to get interval cross-efficiency (ICE) from the relatively neutral angle in fuzzy environment, and then propose a novel aggregation method for ICE to solve the full ranking of Decision-Making Units (DMUs). Firstly, regard the expected value of fuzzy data as the input and output of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method based on fuzzy set theory. Secondly, construct the cross-efficiency models based on the fuzzy expected values from the relatively neutral angle, and generate the lower and upper bounds of ICE for all DMUs, which determines the interval cross-efficiency matrix (ICEM). Thirdly, project all ICE onto the plane as points, then seek the optimal rally point for each DMU based on ICEM as the comprehensive ICE. Fourthly, rank the comprehensive ICE to obtain the complete ranking of DMUs by using the optimal number sorting method. Finally, the proposed model is applied to the evaluation of manufacturing enterprises, and the results are compared with different models to prove its effectiveness.

This study aimed to identify the possible function and the molecular mechanism of hsa_circ_0007334 in human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) osteogenic differentiation. The level of hsa_circ_0007334 was detected by means of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), RUNX2, osterix (OSX), and osteocalcin (OCN) were monitored to analyze the degree of osteogenic differentiation under routine culture or under the control of hsa_circ_0007334. The proliferation of hBMSCs was tested with a cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. The migration of hBMSCs was tested using the Transwell assay. Bioinformatics analysis was used to predict the possible targets of hsa_circ_0007334 or miR-144-3p. Dual-luciferase reporter assay system was used to analyze the combination between hsa_circ_0007334 and miR-144-3p. Hsa_circ_0007334 was upregulated in osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs. Osteogenic differentiation increased by hsa_circ_0007334 in vitro was confirmed with levels of ALP and bone markers (RUNX2, OCN, OSX). hsa_circ_0007334 overexpression promoted osteogenic differentiation, proliferation, and migration of hBMSCs, and knockdown of hsa_circ_0007334 has the opposite effects. miR-144-3p was identified as the target of hsa_circ_0007334. The targeting genes of miR-144-3p are involved in osteogenic-differentia-tion-related biological processes (such as bone development, epithelial cell proliferation, and mesenchymal cell apoptotic prosess) and pathways (including FoxO and VEGF signaling pathway). Hsa_circ_0007334, therefore, presents itself as a promising biological for osteogenic differentiation.

Although lactation mastitis (LM) has been extensively researched, the incidence rate of LM remains a salient clinical problem. To reduce this incidence rate and achieve a better prognosis, early and specific quantitative indicators are particularly important. It has been found that milk electrolyte concentrations (chloride, potassium, and sodium) and electrical conductivity (EC) significantly change in the early stages of LM in an animal model. Several studies have evaluated EC for the detection of subclinical mastitis in cows. EC, chloride, and sodium content of milk were more accurate for predicting infection status than were other variables. In the early stages of LM, lactic sodium, chloride, and EC increase, but potassium decreases. However, these indicators have not been reported in the diagnosis of LM in humans. This review summarizes the pathogenesis and the mechanism of LM in terms of milk electrolyte concentration and EC, and aim to provide new ideas for the detection of sub-clinical mastitis in humans.

This paper deeply investigated the gate leakage and dielectric breakdown mechanisms of the Normally-OFF GaN MOSFET with LPCVD-SiNx/PEALD-AlN dual Gate Dielectric and in-situ H2(15%)/N2(85%) plasma pretreatment. The in-situ plasma pretreatment was performed in a PEALD system prior to the PEALD-AlN deposition. Experimental studies showed that the in-situ H2(15%)/N2(85%) plasma pretreatment is effective in improving the quality of the AlN/GaN interface, the LPCVD-SiNx/PEALD-AlN dual Gate Dielectric exhibits not only high breakdown electric field but low leakage current. Experiments have proved dominant mechanism of the leakage current through LPCVD-SiNx/PEALD-AlN Gate Dielectric is identified to be Poole-Frenkel emission at low fields and Fowler-Nordheim tunneling at high fields. Further, gate dielectric time-dependent dielectric breakdown of electric-field-accelerated and temperature-accelerated was investigated.

Aims This study evaluated the control effect of the endophytic fungus Phomopsis liquidambaris B3 against rice bakanae disease (RBD) caused by Fusarium proliferatum and the disease control result of different inoculation times of beneficial micro-organisms. Methods and Results Rice seedlings preinoculated, coinoculated and noninoculated with B3 were exposed to F. proliferatum stress and grown under controlled conditions. Greenhouse experimental results showed that rice preinoculation with B3 significantly reduced rice bakanae disease by 21.45%, inhibited the colonization of F. proliferatum, increased defence-related enzyme activities, upregulated the expression of defence genes and promoted plant photosynthesis. However, bakanae disease in rice coinoculation with B3 increased by 11.45%, resulted in excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) bursts and plant cell death. Conclusions Preinoculation with the endophytic fungus P. liquidambaris B3 significantly reduced rice bakanae disease by triggering the SA-dependent defence pathways of plants, and promoted plant growth. However, coinoculatiton with P. liquidambaris B3 activated excessive defence responses, resulting in plants cell death and aggravation of bakanae disease. Significance and Impact of the Study This study indicated that P. liquidambaris B3 was an effective method for agricultural control against rice bakanae disease caused by F. proliferatum, and provides an experimental basis for the development of sustainable endophytic fungal resources to effectively control plant diseases caused by pathogenic fungi, and suggests that precise application of beneficial micro-organisms may be become a key factor in farmland crop disease management.

Although gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a common chronic disease in clinical practice, has been widely studied, its potential adverse impact on patients is still a significant clinical concern. It is necessary to understand the pathogenesis of the disease and choose appropriate treatment according to its mechanism. The pathogenesis of GERD is diverse and complex. As the traditional treatment methods are expensive and ineffective in alleviating symptoms in some patients, new treatment options need to be explored. Our previous study suggested that the activation of nuclear factor-kappa beta (NF-κB) in esophageal mucosa may be related to the injury of epithelial barrier function caused by reflux. Based on the literature and our previous study results, it is speculated that inhibition of NF-κB activation may block the insult of GERD on the esophageal mucosal barrier. NF-κB may play an important role in the development of GERD. This article reviews the pathogenesis of GERD and the relationship between NF-κB and GERD, in order to provide new strategies for the treatment of GERD.

The complex environments of plants force them to prioritize their immune responses to stimuli occurring simultaneously, including colonization by microbes or nutrient availability. Little is known about how the interplay between endophytes and nutrient status affects the immune responses of both plants and fungi. We primarily monitored immune responses in rice following inoculation with the endophytic fungus Phomopsis liquidambaris under different nitrogen (N) conditions. Ph. liquidambaris promoted plant growth under low N (LN) conditions, concomitant with higher root colonization. Plant production of oxidative signals, including hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide, was activated by Ph. liquidambaris colonization under LN conditions, while salicylic acid (SA) was maintained at high levels and was involved in controlling rice-fungal interactions. High N (HN) conditions enhanced the ability of Ph. liquidambaris in suppressing plant cell death and the ability of roots to degrade Ph. liquidambaris cell walls. Furthermore, under both LN and HN conditions, the activity of plant defence-associated enzymes and fungal antioxidases was not affected in the interactive association. Our data reveal the alteration of plant immunity, including oxidative signalling and plant cell death, by fungal colonization in response to external N conditions and identify SA signalling as a potential controller for rice-Ph. liquidambaris interaction.

Aquilaria sinensis is an important non-timber tree species for producing high-value agarwood, which is widely used as a traditional medicine and incense. Agarwood is the product of Aquilaria trees in response to injury and fungal infection. The APETALA2/ethylene responsive factor ( AP2/ERF) transcription factors (TFs) play important roles in plant stress responses and metabolite biosynthesis. In this study, 119 AsAP2/ERF genes were identified from the A. sinensis genome and divided into ERF, AP2, RAV, and Soloist subfamilies. Their conserved motif, gene structure, chromosomal localization, and subcellular localization were characterized. A stress/defense-related ERF-associated amphiphilic repression (EAR) motif and an EDLL motif were identified. Moreover, 11 genes that were highly expressed in the agarwood layer in response to whole-tree agarwood induction technique (Agar-Wit) treatment were chosen, and their expression levels in response to methyl jasmonate (MeJA), salicylic acid (SA), or salt treatment were further analyzed using the quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR). Among the 11 genes, eight belonged to subgroup B-3. All 11 genes were significantly upregulated under salt treatment, while eight genes were significantly induced by both MeJA and SA. In addition, the gene clusters containing these upregulated genes on chromosomes were observed. The results obtained from this research not only provide useful information for understanding the functions of AP2/ERF genes in A. sinensis but also identify candidate genes and gene clusters to dissect their regulatory roles in agarwood formation for future research.

Salmonella spp. are important foodborne pathogens, and multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella strains have become a serious threat to clinical therapy. MDR S .

BackgroundDepression is a prevalent mental health disorder. Although Internet use has been associated with depression, there is limited data on the association between smartphone use and depressive symptoms. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between smartphone use and depressive symptoms among older individuals in China.Methods5,244 Chinese older individuals over the age of 60 were selected as the sample from the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS) 2018 dataset. The dependent variable “depression symptoms” was measured using the 9-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale. The study employed multiple linear regression to investigate the relationship between smartphone use (independent variable) and depressive symptoms in older people. Thorough analyses of robustness, sensitivity, and heterogeneity were conducted to ensure the robustness and sensitivity of the findings. Additionally, mediating effect analysis was performed to elucidate the mechanism through which the dependent and independent variables were related.ResultsEmpirical study indicated that smartphone use had a negative impact on depressive symptoms among older adults, specifically leading to a reduction in such symptoms. The above-mentioned result was verified through endogenous and robustness tests. The heterogeneity analysis revealed that older individuals aged 70 years and above, male, and residing in urban areas exhibited a stronger association between smartphone use and depressive symptoms. Furthermore, the mediating effect model indicated that political participation, voluntary participation, and active leisure participation mediated the relationship between smartphone use and lower levels of depression symptoms among the older adults. However, passive leisure participation had a suppressing effect on the relationship between smartphone use and reduced depressive symptoms among the older adults.LimitationsThe causal relationship between variables required further investigation with a longitudinal design.ConclusionThese findings suggested that smartphone use may be considered an intervention to reduce depression symptoms among older people by increasing levels of political participation, voluntary participation, and active leisure participation.

Jing Wang,1– 3,* Yue Jiang,1,2,* Cai-Yue Mei,1,2 Zhen-Yu Wang,1,2 Fa-Gang Zhong,4 Xing-Xing Zhang,4 Lu-Chao Lv,5 Meng-Jun Lu,1,2 Han Wu,1,2 Xinan Jiao1– 3 1Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis/Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China; 2Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China; 3Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China; 4State Key Laboratory for Sheep Genetic Improvement and Healthy Production, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Science, Shihezi, Xinjiang Province, People’s Republic of China; 5College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xinan Jiao, Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Yangzhou University, No. 48 Wenhui East Road, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-514-87971136, Fax +86-514-87991747, Email jiao@yzu.edu.cn

Angiogenesis inhibitors targeting the VEGF signaling pathway are developed into drugs for the treatment of vaious diseases, such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and age-related macular degeneration. Recent studies have revealed that oleanolic acid (OA), a natural pentacyclic triterpenoid, inhibited the VEGF/VEGFR2 signaling pathway and angiogenesis in HUVECs, which may represent an attractive VEGF inhibitor. In this paper, rational structural modification towards OA was performed in order to improve its inhibitory effects aganist VEGF and anti-angiogenesis potential. As a result, a series of novel OA derivatives, possessing α,β-unsaturated ketone system in ring A and amide functional group at C-28, were prepared and evaluated for cytotoxicity and their ability to inhibit VEGF-induced abnormal proliferation of HUVECs. The results showed that two promising derivatives, OA-1 and OA-16, exhibited no in vitro cytotoxicity against HUVECs but showed more potent inhibitory activity against VEGF-induced proliferation and angiogenesis in HUVECs, compared with OA. The results of Western blot indicated that OA-1 and OA-16 inhibited VEGF-induced VEGFR2 activation. Furthermore, small interfering RNA experiments were performed to confirm that both compounds inhibited VEGF-induced angiogenesis via VEGFR2. Thus, the present study resulted in the discovery of new promising OA-inspired VEGF inhibitors, which can serve as potential lead compounds for the treatment of angiogenesis-related diseases.

Although the lung injury caused by cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) has been extensively investigated, the incidence and mortality of lung injury after CPB remain a prominent clinical problem. The poor outcome has been attributed to multifactorial etiology, including the systemic inflammatory response and ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury during CPB. Lung injury after CPB is a complex pathophysiological process and has many clinical manifestations of mild to severe disease. Which is associated with prognosis. To alleviate this lung injury, interventions that address the pathogenesis are particularly important. This review summarizes the pathogenesis, mechanism and treatment options of lung injury after CPB, such as lung protection with intralipid.

A Ni(ii) complex with tridentate phenoxy–amidate–aNHC donors was synthesized, which was efficient in Suzuki–Miyaura coupling with additional IMes·HCl.

Two novel diterpenoids, sinuaustones A (1) and B (2), featuring an unprecedented tricyclo[9.3.1.03,15]tetradecane carbon framework were isolated from the South China Sea soft coral Sinularia australiensis.

Four species belonging to Colletotrichum acutatum and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides species complexes, including C. aenigma, C. fioriniae, C. fructicola, and C. nymphaeae, were identified from ripe rot symptomatic fruit from Mid-Atlantic vineyards. A quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) SYBR Green method was developed to detect and quantify conidia of the two Colletotrichum complexes to better understand the distribution and the extent of Colletotrichum inoculum. Primers were designed to specifically target the β-tubulin gene of the C. acutatum complex or the C. gloeosporioides complex and were found to be specific to the desired complex, not amplifying DNA of other prevalent fungi from vineyards. The sensitivity of the primers was also assessed, and the C. acutatum complex-specific and C. gloeosporioides complex-specific primers were able to quantify as little as 50 C. fioriniae conidia and 100 C. aenigma conidia, respectively. Therefore, this would be a cost-effective, specific, and sensitive detection and quantification method for these two destructive species complexes in vineyards and many other crops through spore trapping applications.

In most of the simulations of the extraction region of negative hydrogen ion sources, the single-aperture simulation is often adopted by researchers to study the plasma phenomenon due to its small simulation domain and short calculation time. However, due to the complex three-dimensional magnetic field structure in the extraction region of the negative hydrogen ion source, the single aperture often does not meet the periodicity. In this paper, the complex three-dimensional magnetic field topology is established. The magnetic field includes the magnetic filter field and the magnetic deflection field. The influence of the plasma sheath is taken into account. The electron extraction process in the multi-aperture structure of the extraction region of a negative hydrogen ion source is numerically calculated using the PIC method. Besides, the magnetic field structure is optimized. Ultimately, the electron beam uniformity near the plasma grid is improved effectively, which has certain guiding significance for engineering application.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore the relative importance of various attributes (i.e. the total cost of attending, conference organizer, publishing opportunities for an academic career and personal development, reputation as measured by the number of conferences held, location and size) in terms of their ability to impact the decision of attendees in their selection of which academic conference to attend. Design/methodology/approach Conjoint analysis was used to examine the relative importance of various attributes to impact an attendee’s decision to select an academic conference (i.e. the total cost of attending, conference organizer, publishing opportunities for an academic career and personal development, reputation as measured by the number of conferences held, location and size). Findings The choice-based conjoint analysis revealed that the most crucial attributes for attending an academic conference were the total cost of attending the conference (28% of relative importance) and the conference organizer (28%). Practical implications Since the total cost of attending a conference is one of the top two attributes, conference organizers should reduce the costs as much as possible. Recommendations include choosing a university venue instead of a hotel or conference center and offering multiple options for registration passes (i.e. one-day pass). However, organizers should be careful about meals provided during the conference program, as meals have a positive effect on attendees’ decisions. Originality/value This study introduces to the literature a new indicator for selecting an academic conference – the reputation of the conference as measured by the number of times it had been held. In previous studies, this variable was not considered in the context of selecting an academic conference.

The Roller-Quadrotor is a novel quadrotor that combines the maneuverability of aerial drones with the endurance of ground vehicles. This work focuses on the design, modeling, and experimental validation of the Roller-Quadrotor. Flight capabilities are achieved through a quadrotor configuration, with four thrust-providing actuators. Additionally, rolling motion is facilitated by a unicycle-driven and rotor-assisted turning structure. By utilizing terrestrial locomotion, the vehicle can overcome rolling and turning resistance, thereby conserving energy compared to its flight mode. This innovative approach not only tackles the inherent challenges of traditional rotorcraft but also enables the vehicle to navigate through narrow gaps and overcome obstacles by taking advantage of its aerial mobility. We develop comprehensive models and controllers for the Roller-Quadrotor and validate their performance through experiments. The results demonstrate its seamless transition between aerial and terrestrial locomotion, as well as its ability to safely navigate through gaps half the size of its diameter. Moreover, the terrestrial range of the vehicle is approximately 2.8 times greater, while the operating time is about 41.2 times longer compared to its aerial capabilities. These findings underscore the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed structure and control mechanisms for efficient navigation through challenging terrains while conserving energy., Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures, accepted by 2023 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots(IROS). This work has been submitted to the IEEE for possible publication. Copyright may be transferred without notice, after which this version may no longer be accessible

Variational quantum algorithms, which consist of optimal parameterized quantum circuits, are promising for demonstrating quantum advantages in the noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) era. Apart from classical computational resources, different kinds of quantum resources have their contributions in the process of computing, such as information scrambling and entanglement. Characterizing the relation between complexity of specific problems and quantum resources consumed by solving these problems is helpful for us to understand the structure of VQAs in the context of quantum information processing. In this work, we focus on the quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA), which aims to solve combinatorial optimization problems. We study information scrambling and entanglement in QAOA circuits respectively, and discover that for a harder problem, more quantum resource is required for the QAOA circuit to obtain the solution. We note that in the future, our results can be used to benchmark complexity of quantum many-body problems by information scrambling or entanglement accumulation in the computing process., Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, Some minor corrections

Wavefunction is a fundamental concept of quantum theory. Recent studies have shown surprisingly that wavefunction can be directly reconstructed via the measurement of weak value. The weak value based direct wavefunction reconstruction not only gives the operational meaning of wavefunction, but also provides the possibility of realizing holographic imaging with a totally new quantum approach. Here, we review the basic background knowledge of weak value based direct wavefunction reconstruction combined with recent experimental demonstrations. The main purpose of this work focuses on the idea of holographic imaging via direct wavefunction reconstruction. Since research on this topic is still in its early stage, we hope that this work can attract interest in the field of traditional holographic imaging. In addition, the wavefunction holographic imaging may find important applications in quantum information science., Comment: Accepted review paper for Chinese Physics B

Additional file 1: Fig. S1. Co-expression construction. A Sample clustering dendrogram. The outliers are GSMA4753070, GSMA4753095 and GSMA4753087. B The relationship between soft-threshold (power) and scale-free topology. C The relationship between soft threshold (power) and mean connectivity

Additional file 2: Fig. S2. Performance of the key module. A Principal component analysis (PCA) of lightgreen module genes and gender. Each dot represents one sample. Red: female. Blue: male. B Receiver operating curve (ROC) plot of the performance based on accuracy using age for severity, mechanical ventilation and gender

Some new solitary solutions of (3+1)-dimensional Jimbo-Miwa equation such as breather solutions, double breather solutions and mixed solutions of different forms are studied via applying Hirota's b...

Colistin is a last-resort antibiotic for severe infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative pathogens. Colistin resistance genes mcr , particularly mcr-1 , have been found in Enterobacteriaceae around the world, mainly in Escherichia coli and Salmonella . Salmonella enterica is a major foodborne pathogen, with MDR Salmonella being considered a “Serious Threat Level pathogen” by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is closely related to hepatic fibrosis and plays a key role in its occurrence and development. In the damaged liver, inhibition of the activation, proliferation, and clearance of HSCs is an important therapeutic strategy. However, the mechanism underlying the activation of HSCs is not completely clear. Acid-sensitive ion channel 1a (ASIC1a) is a cation channel activated by extracellular acid, which is responsible for the transport of Ca2+ and Na+ and participates in the activation of HSCs and the occurrence and development of many inflammatory diseases, suggesting that ASIC1a plays an important role in liver fibrosis. A previous study by the project team found that when the membrane channel protein ASIC1a was opened, intracellular Ca2+ levels increased, the expression of CaM/CaMKII in HSCs was high, and HSC was activated and proliferated. Therefore, we established an SD rat model of hepatic fibrosis and induced HSC-T6 activation by stimulating ASIC1a with acid in vitro. In vivo, CCl4 was used to induce liver fibrosis in rats, and different doses of KN93 (0.5, 1, and 2 mg/kg/d) and colchicine (0.1 mg/kg/d) were administered. Eight weeks later, the activities of ALT and AST in serum were measured and hematoxylin-eosin and Masson staining in liver tissue, and immunohistochemistry analysis were performed in SD rats. The expressions of ASIC1a, α-SMA, Collagen-1, CaM, and CaMKII were detected. In vitro, we activated HSC-T6 cells by stimulating ASIC1a with acid. The results showed that inhibition of ASIC1a could improve acid-induced HSCs activation. In addition, CaM/CaMKII was expressed in HSC of rats with hepatic fibrosis regulated by ASIC1a. After blocking or silencing the expression of CaMKII, the fibrosis marker protein can be down-regulated. KN93 also reduced inflammation and improved the activation, proliferation and fibrosis of HSC. In summary, we concluded that CaM/CaMKII participates in ASIC1a regulation of the proliferation and activation of HSC and promotes the occurrence of liver fibrosis.

Taiwan's coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine procurement was delayed until October 2021. With the vaccine's introduction in Taiwan, the public will have an opportunity to choose vaccination. Choosing to vaccinate involves considerations regarding the trade-off between the protective power of the vaccine and its side effects, which is a planned behavior. College students have considered high-risk objects for COVID-19 outbreaks given their lifestyle, and their efficient vaccination may help reduce mutual infection between college students and the general public. This study obtained 707 valid questionnaires from Taiwan college students (20 years old and above). We investigated several factors during our college students' survey regarding vaccination. Among this integrated TPB model, "Attitude," "Subjective Norm," "Perceived Behavioral Control," and "COVID-19 Information Asymmetry" had a positive impact on vaccination "Behavioral Intention." COVID-19 information asymmetry positively and significantly affected behavioral intention through perceived behavioral control, while perceived behavioral control had a mediating effect. To promote the behavioral intention of college students to choose COVID-19 vaccination, public and private departments for epidemic prevention must aim to overcome the self-efficacy barriers of perceived behavioral control and promote the primary group influence effect of subjective norm and the self-interest factor of attitude. Governments and NGOs should also ensure prompt and accurate transmission of epidemic and vaccine information and actively investigate and prohibit misleading details from unknown sources and no scientific basis. Such a policy will generate trust, effectively increasing the vaccination rate and reducing cluster infection.

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and genomic characteristics of the colistin resistance gene

Objective: To construct a combined radiomics model based on pre-treatment ultrasound for predicting of advanced breast cancers sensitive to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Methods: A total of 288 eligible breast cancer patients who underwent NAC before surgery were enrolled in the retrospective study cohort. Radiomics features reflecting the phenotype of the pre-NAC tumors were extracted. With features selected using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression, radiomics signature (Rad-score) was established based on the pre-NAC ultrasound. Then, radiomics nomogram of ultrasound (RU) was established on the basis of the best radiomic signature incorporating independent clinical features. The performance of RU was evaluated in terms of calibration curve, area under the curve (AUC), and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results: Nine features were selected to construct the radiomics signature in the training cohort. Combined with independent clinical characteristics, the performance of RU for identifying Grade 4–5 patients was significantly superior than the clinical model and Rad-score alone (p < 0.05, as per the Delong test), which achieved an AUC of 0.863 (95% CI, 0.814–0.963) in the training group and 0.854 (95% CI, 0.776–0.931) in the validation group. DCA showed that this model satisfactory clinical utility, suggesting its robustness as a response predictor. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that RU has a potential role in predicting drug-sensitive breast cancers. Advances in knowledge: Aiming at early detection of Grade 4–5 breast cancer patients, the radiomics nomogram based on ultrasound has been approved as a promising indicator with high clinical utility. It is the first application of ultrasound-based radiomics nomogram to distinguish drug-sensitive breast cancers.

Water/oil separation from their mixture and emulsion has been a prominent topic in fundamental research and in practical applications. In this work, a smart superhydrophobic membrane (SHP) was obtained by dipping an off-the-shelf laboratory filter paper in an ethanol suspension of trichloro (1H,1H,2H,2H-tridecafluoro-n-octyl) silane, tetraethyl orthosilicate, and titanium dioxide nanoparticles with different dimensions of 20 and 100 nm. The selection of membrane substrates was optimized including different quantitative and quantitative filter papers with different filtration velocity (slow, intermediate, and fast). The as-prepared SHP was demonstrated to be superhydrophobic and photosensitive, which was used in the separation of carbon tetrachloride and water from their mixture and emulsion. Moreover, orderly aligned micropores were formed for the modified superhydrophobic filter papers by using nanosecond laser. Unidirectional penetration was obtained for the UV-irradiated paper with a bored pore in the range of 50–500 μm in the systems of air/water and water/oil. This study may promote the understanding of unidirectional transportation of liquid droplet and facilitate the design of interfacial materials with Janus-type wettability.

A detailed chemical investigation of the South China Sea soft coral Sarcophyton ehrenbergi has yield seven undescribed cembranoids, namely isoehrenbergol D and sarcoehrenolides F-K embodying a rare α,β-unsaturated-lactone moiety at C-6 to C-19, along with two known related compounds, ehrenbergol D and sarcoehrenolide A. Their structures and absolute configurations were unambiguously established in the light of extensive spectroscopic data analysis, modified Mosher's method, X-ray diffraction analysis, and quantum chemical computation method. In a bioassay for α-glucosidase inhibition, ehrenbergol D was evaluated as α-glucosidase inhibitor with an IC

Lipid metabolism disorders are found ubiquitously in farmed fish and occur as a result of excessive fat accumulation. Previous studies have found that miR-33 is involved in lipid metabolism; however, its role in fish lipid metabolism is unclear. We sought to clarify this relationship in grass carp in vivo and in vitro. Our findings revealed the length of miR-33 to be 65 bp. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that grass carp miR-33 was most closely related to fish miR-33 (Siganus canaliculatus). Hepatocytes transfected with miR-33 mimic displayed markedly raised TG content (P

The deficiency of N-P availability in soil is a primary cause for crop yield and nutrient loss. Since plant-beneficial microbial symbiosis is an eco-friendly method for compensating this negative effect, understanding the interconnection between endophytic fungus colonization and mineral nutrient accumulation in edible parts of crop is important in agricultural production. In this study, we focused on the effects of endophytic fungus Phomopsis liquidambaris on the absorption and distribution of 14 essential mineral elements in vegetative organs (root and shoot) and reproductive organs (grain) of rice during its growing period with reduced N-P fertilizer application, as well as the changes in yield, quality, and mineral nutrition of rice grains. The possible mechanisms including the transcriptional level of the transport-related genes and the structure of endophytic community were also investigated. The results indicated that the P. liquidambaris significantly increased the accumulation of N, P, Fe, Mn, Zn, Mo, and Se in rice grains by 20.5%, 18.9%, 18.2%, 9.5%, 17.9%, 13.3%, and 17.1%, respectively, accompanied by the significant increase in yield (23.8%) and protein content (17.3%). These beneficial effects were attributed to the enhancement formation of iron plaque, the upregulation of nutrient transporters genes, and the altered endophyte community by P. liquidambaris symbiosis. In conclusion, P. liquidambaris could promote the partition of nutrients to the grains by increasing the efficiency of nutrient uptake and remobilization. Our results suggest P. liquidambaris symbiosis as a useful candidate for improving the mineral nutrition, quality, and yield of rice grains under N-P-deficient field condition.

Multiple Colletotrichum species have been found to be responsible for strawberry anthracnose, and prevalence of each species seems to vary by regions and/or host tissues. In this study, a total of 200 Colletotrichum isolates were obtained from different strawberry cultivars displaying anthracnose symptoms in the mid-Atlantic fields. Analysis of g3pdh, tub2, and/or internal transcribed spacer sequences revealed four Colletotrichum species, including C. nymphaeae, C. fioriniae, C. siamense, and C. lineola. C. nymphaeae was the predominant species, representing 90% of all isolates collected. This species was found from all strawberry organs/tissues examined, whereas C. siamense and C. fioriniae were limited to the crown and fruit, respectively. Further, all Colletotrichum isolates were screened for resistance to azoxystrobin in vitro, and all C. siamense isolates were additionally screened for resistance to thiophanate-methyl. The overall frequency of resistance to azoxystrobin and thiophanate-methyl was 48 and 67%, respectively. G143A in the cytochrome b gene was found in all C. nymphaeae and C. siamense isolates with high level of resistance, with EC50 >100 µg/ml, while F129L was found in two of the five C. nymphaeae isolates with moderate resistance, with EC50 values ranging from 2.6 to 7.8 µg/ml. All C. fioriniae isolates tested were found to be less sensitive to azoxystrobin, with EC50 values ranging from 9.7 to 14.4 µg/ml, despite no mutations detected in the cytochrome b gene. Moreover, E198A in tub2 was linked with C. siamense isolates resistant to thiophanate-methyl (EC50 >100 µg/ml). These results revealed that resistance in Colletotrichum spp. to primary fungicides is widespread in the mid-Atlantic strawberry fields.