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The L-type Ca2+ channel (LTCC, also known as Cav1,2) is involved in the regulation of key neuronal functions, such as dendritic information integration, cell survival, and neuronal gene expression. Clinical studies have shown an association between L-type calcium channels and the onset of depression, although the precise mechanisms remain unclear. The development of depression results from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. DNA methylation, a significant epigenetic modification, plays a regulatory role in the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and autism. In our study, we observed reduced Dnmt3a expression levels in the hippocampal DG region of mice with LPS-induced depression compared to control mice. The antidepressant Venlafaxine was able to increase Dnmt3a expression levels. Conversely, Bay K 8644, an agonist of the L-type Ca2+ channel, partially ameliorated depression-like behaviors but did not elevate Dnmt3a expression levels. Furthermore, when we manipulated DNA methylation levels during Bay K 8644 intervention in depression-like models, we found that enhancing the expression of Dnmt3a could improve LPS-induced depression/anxiety-like behaviors, while inhibiting DNA methylation exacerbated anxiety-like behaviors, the combined use of BAY K 8644 and L-methionine can better improve depressive-like behavior. These findings indicate that DNA methylation plays a role in the regulation of depression-like behaviors by the L-type Ca2+ channel, and further research is needed to elucidate the interactions between DNA methylation and L-type Ca2+ channels.

Purpose: We propose an FDK-based neural network to directly learn the filter from an iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithm and apply the learned filter in the FDK algorithm to obtain a high-quality CBCT reconstruction. Methods: The FDK algorithm is transformed into a linear expression of several matrix multipliers and embedded into neural network layers. Then, the FDK-based neural network framework is built including two fundamental modules and four core network layers. This network model can learn a filter directly from the iteratively reconstructed CBCT images by cascading the network layers of cosine weighting, filtering, backprojection, and leaky rectified linear unit and setting filter as the only trainable parameter. Preliminary and simulation studies performed on abdominal CT datasets are conducted to explore the correctness and effectiveness of the learned filter. Then, the head and neck CT data and Catphan phantom are utilized to demonstrate the generalization performance of the learned filter. Results: Preliminary study shows that the learned filter is consistent with the target filter, and the mean absolute difference is around 0.001. Compared with conventional FDK, the FDK-based neural network shows a better image quality with the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity (SSIM) increasing by 67% and 6%, respectively. In terms of the line-pair slice in the Catphan phantom, the SSIM and PSNR are improved by 13.75% and 42.78%, respectively. Conclusions: The FDK-based neural network can reconstruct high-quality images by directly learning a filter from the label images and provides a new perspective on solving the time-consuming problem of IR methods.

The pathogenicity of grapevine geminivirus A (GGVA), a recently identified DNA virus, to grapevine plants remains largely unclear. Here, we report a new GGVA isolate (named GGVAQN) obtained from grapevine ‘Queen Nina’ plants with severe disease symptoms. The infectious clone of GGVAQN (pXT-GGVAQN) was constructed to investigate its pathogenicity. Nicotiana benthamiana plants inoculated with GGVAQN by agroinfiltration displayed upward leaf curling and chlorotic mottling symptoms. A simple, quick, and efficient method for delivering DNA clones of GGVAQN into grapevine plants was developed, by which Agrobacterium tumefaciens cells carrying pXT-GGVAQN were introduced into the roots of in vitro-grown ‘Red Globe’ grape plantlets with a syringe. By this method, all ‘Red Globe’ grape plants were systemically infected with GGVAQN, and the plants exhibited chlorotic mottling symptoms on their upper leaves and downward curling, interveinal yellowing, and leaf-margin necrosis symptoms on their lower leaves. Our results provide insights into the pathogenicity of GGVA and a simple and efficient inoculation method to deliver infectious viral clones to woody perennial plants.

Abstract Inspired by the successful application of the q‐Weibull distribution in other research fields, we took the lead to use it in the field of medical devices in this work. The parameter estimation of the q‐Weibull distribution was performed using the probability plot method. The CT failure data from Nanfang Hospital in Guangzhou, China, were used to study the reliability of CT equipment at two levels: the CT system and its seven main components. In terms of evaluation accuracy, the mean squared error, Akaike's information criterion, and the determination coefficient were used to compare the accuracy of fitting of different distribution models. The results show that the accuracy of fitting the q‐Weibull distribution is higher than that of the Weibull distribution in terms of determination coefficient and mean squared error. When considering the complexity of the model, the fit accuracy of the Weibull distribution is better. The results were analyzed using reliability and failure rate plots. The q‐Weibull distribution gives a good fit for the failure data of the CT system and components. Though the Weibull distribution fits better in a few cases, the q‐Weibull distribution can describe the entire “bathtub curve” with only a set of parameters. The findings of this study can be extended to other medical devices.

Abstract Background Ferroptosis is a newly recognized type of cell death, which is different from traditional necrosis, apoptosis or autophagic cell death. However, the position of ferroptosis in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) has not been explored intensively so far. In this study, we mainly analyzed the relationship between ferroptosis and LPS-induced ALI. Methods In this study, a human bronchial epithelial cell line, BEAS-2B, was treated with LPS and ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1, ferroptosis inhibitor). The cell viability was measured using CCK-8. Additionally, the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), and iron, as well as the protein level of SLC7A11 and GPX4, were measured in different groups. To further confirm the in vitro results, an ALI model was induced by LPS in mice, and the therapeutic action of Fer-1 and ferroptosis level in lung tissues were evaluated. Results The cell viability of BEAS-2B was down-regulated by LPS treatment, together with the ferroptosis markers SLC7A11 and GPX4, while the levels of MDA, 4-HNE and total iron were increased by LPS treatment in a dose-dependent manner, which could be rescued by Fer-1. The results of the in vivo experiment also indicated that Fer-1 exerted therapeutic action against LPS-induced ALI, and down-regulated the ferroptosis level in lung tissues. Conclusions Our study indicated that ferroptosis has an important role in the progression of LPS-induced ALI, and ferroptosis may become a novel target in the treatment of ALI patients.

Context Lilium davidii var. unicolour Cotton (Lilium genus, Liliaceae) is an edible plant and a herb used in China to alleviate insomnia. Objective To investigate the alleviating insomnia mechanism of L. davidii (LD). Materials and methods Wistar rats were intraperitoneally injected with p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) to establish an insomnia model. Rats were divided into six groups (n = 8): Control, PCPA, Estazolam (0.5 mg/kg), LD extract in low, medium and high doses (185.22, 370.44, 740.88 mg/kg). Serum hormone levels of the HPA axis, levels of 5-HT, NE and MT, and the expression of GABAA and 5-HT1A receptors in hypothalamus were determined. Moreover, behavioural and pathological changes in the hypothalamus were evaluated. Results After LD administration, body weight and brain coefficient increased by 2.74% and 8.22%, respectively, and the adrenal coefficient decreased by 25%, compared with PCPA group. Elevation of the serum hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis hormone CRH (11.24 ± 3.16 ng/mL), ACTH (565.87 ± 103.44 pg/mL) and CORT (44.28 ± 8.73 ng/mL) in the PCPA group was reversed after LD treatment. Furthermore, abnormal excitatory behaviour [5 min movement distance (2096.34 ± 259.51 cm), central exercise time (5.28 ± 1.08 s)] of insomnia rats in the PCPA group was also relieved. LD extract increased 5-HT and MT levels, reduced NE level in the hypothalamus, and upregulated the expression of GABAA R and 5-HT1A. Moreover, LD extract may improve the pathology of neurons in the hypothalamus. Conclusions LD can be considered to develop health-care food or novel drugs to cope with the increasing number of insomniacs.

Phosphorus (P) is a key and a limiting nutrient in ecosystems and plays an important role in many physiological and biochemical processes, affecting both terrestrial ecosystem productivity and soil carbon storage. However, only a few global land surface models have incorporated P cycle and used to investigate the interactions of C-N-P and its limitation on terrestrial ecosystems. The overall objective of this study was to integrate the P cycle and its interaction with carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) into new processes model of TRIPLEX-CNP. In this study, key processes of the P cycle, including P pool sizes and fluxes in plant, litter, and soil were integrated into a new model framework, TRIPLEX-CNP. We also added dynamic P:C ratios for different ecosystems. Based on sensitivity analysis results, we identified the phosphorus resorption coefficient of leaf (rpleaf) as the most influential parameter to gross primary productivity (GPP) and biomass, and determined optimal coefficients for different plant functional types (PFTs). TRIPLEX-CNP was calibrated with 49 sites and validated against 116 sites across eight biomes globally. The results suggested that TRIPLEX-CNP performed well on simulating the global GPP and soil organic carbon (SOC) with respective R2 values of 0.85 and 0.78 (both p < 0.01) between simulated and observed values. The R2 of simulation and observation of total biomass are 0.67 (p < 0.01) by TRIPLEX-CNP. The overall model performance had been improved in global GPP, total biomass and SOC after adding the P cycle comparing with the earlier version. Our work represents the promising step toward new coupled ecosystem process models for improving the quantifications of land carbon cycle and reducing uncertainty.

Background: Systemic inflammation and severe fibrosis can reduce serum zinc levels, while zinc supplementation is reported to improve the prognosis of patients with chronic liver disease (CLD). Objectives: We aimed to investigate the clinical application of serum zinc in patients with CLD and the anti-infective mechanism of zinc supplementation. Methods: Based on the serum zinc level, 149 CLD patients were divided into 3 groups and their clinical parameters were compared. In in-vitro experiments, microbial isolates derived from patients were used to stimulate human liver non-parenchymal cells, and the zinc sulfate solution was added in certain experiments. The effect of zinc was compared by LDH and thromboxane A2 levels in the cell supernatant. Result: Compared with other groups, patients with low serum zinc levels had significantly higher C-reactive protein (CRP), total bilirubin, INR, creatinine, and MELD scores, while albumin and GOT levels were reduced. Only CRP and albumin were significantly correlated with serum zinc in both low and normal-zinc groups. Bacterial isolates significantly increased LDH levels in Kupffer cells (KCs) and stellate cells but had no effect on sinusoidal endothelial cells, whereas zinc pretreatment protected KCs but not stellate cells. Thromboxane A2 secreted by KCs can also be induced by bacterial stimulation, accompanied by increased gene expression of Myd88, MAPK and NF-kB, while zinc pretreatment can attenuate that. Conclusion: Serum zinc levels can be used to estimate infection and liver fibrosis in CLD patients. As a new antibacterial weapon, zinc supplementation acts on KCs through Myd88-MAPK related pathways.

Data about the feasibility and safety of thoracoscopic surgery under non-intubated anesthesia and regional block are limited. In this prospective study, 57 consecutive patients scheduled for thoracoscopic surgery were enrolled. Patients were sedated with dexmedetomidine and anesthetized with propofol and remifentanil. Ropivacaine was used for intercostal nerve and paravertebral block. Lidocaine was used for vagal block. The primary outcomes were mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), oxygen saturation, and end-tidal carbon dioxide partial pressure (ETCO2) at T0 (pre-anesthesia), T1 (immediately after laryngeal mask/nasopharyngeal airway placement), T2 (immediately after skin incision), T3 (10 min after opening the chest), T4 (end of surgery), and T5 (immediately after laryngeal mask/nasopharyngeal airway removal). One patient required conversion to intubation, 15 developed intraoperative hypotension, and two had hypoxemia. MAP at T0 and T5 was higher than at T1–T4; MAP at T3 was lower (P

This study examines the integration experiences of mainland Chinese tertiary-level students in Finland, a non-Anglophone country. The article identifies four conceptual domains of integration – academic, social, economic and cultural – as central to the students’ integration processes. Data for analysing the Chinese students’ integration experiences were collected through semi-structured interviews (n = 30), and the research findings showed that both English and the host language Finnish mediated the Chinese students’ integration into the host academic and social environments. Although the students initially faced challenges in their studies and daily lives, many of them managed to establish meaningful cross-cultural social contact and overcame cultural differences and language barriers to integrate into the new academic environment. The findings suggest that the maintenance of transnational ties and co-national networks can facilitate Chinese international student integration abroad, through promotion of meaningful cross-cultural contacts that contribute to the host society.

This article presents an analysis of the academic integration experiences of mainland Chinese tertiary-level students in Germany. Using Tinto’s model, the article explores the challenges that Chinese students face during their academic integration, the strategies they employ, and the relationship between academic and social integration. The data were collected in spring 2016 by interviewing 26 mainland Chinese students studying either in German universities or universities of applied sciences. Four major challenges were identified and analyzed: language barrier, knowledge gap, pedagogical differences, and cultural differences. An important outcome of the study presented is that social integration serves as a facilitator for enhancing academic integration, but is not a prerequisite for academic success. Group learning with peers was found to enhance learning outcomes. Overall, Chinese students have exploited their own advantages in academic integration by exploring feasible strategies and benefiting from their past learning experiences. It is suggested that academic integration as a long and challenging process for international students should be acknowledged by the German HEIs, and that more institutional support and guidance are needed.

Introduction: Preliminary data suggested that non-invasive methods could be useful to assess presence of oesophageal varices (OV) in liver cirrhosis. The primary objectives were to investigate non-invasive markers for diagnosing and grading OV in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis. Material and methods: This study included a total of 106 consecutive treatment-naive patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). Results of physical examination, blood tests, and abdominal ultrasound scan (USS) were measured. Performance of non-invasive markers for OV was expressed as sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values (PPV, NPV), accuracy, and area under the curve (AUC). Results: Oesophageal varices were found in 54 (50.9%) and large OV in 28 of the 106 patients. Variables found to differ significantly between patients with any grade or large and without OV included increased spleen length, increased portal vein diameter, low platelet count, and low levels of albumin or low -glutamyltranspeptidase (-GGT) values. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve showed that spleen length (cutoff = 156.0) had AUC 0.753 (95% CI: 0.657–0.849), and high NPV (82.1%) to exclude any grade OV. Large OV could be excluded with NPV 70.6% by spleen length. Conclusions : Predictive risk factors that use readily available laboratory results and ultrasound scan results may reliably identify esophageal varices in patients with PBC.

Urban rail transit is a new type of rail transit, between railway and urban rail transit, mainly used to solve the traffic problems between cities. By using the urban functional network model, this paper analyzes the complementary coefficient changes of Guangzhou, Zhuhai and Macao before and after the completion of urban rail transit in Guangdong Province. Through quantitative data, it intuitively shows the objective changes brought by urban rail transit to urban planning and development, and also brings development space for urban tourism economy, and deepens the economic ties between cities.

The 2001–2012 MODIS MCD12Q1 land cover data and MOD17A3 NPP data were used to calculate changes in land cover in China and annual changes in net primary productivity (NPP) during a 12-year period and to quantitatively analyze the effects of land cover change on the NPP of China’s terrestrial ecosystems. The results revealed that during the study period, no changes in land cover type occurred in 7447.31 thousand km2 of China, while the area of vegetation cover increased by 160.97 thousand km2 in the rest of the country. Forest cover increased to 20.91%, which was mainly due to the conversion of large areas of savanna (345.19 thousand km2) and cropland (178.96 thousand km2) to forest. During the 12-year study period, the annual mean NPP of China was 2.70 PgC and increased by 0.25 PgC, from 2.50 to 2.75 PgC. Of this change, 0.21 PgC occurred in areas where there was no land cover change, while 0.04 PgC occurred in areas where there was land cover change. The contributions of forest and cropland to NPP exhibited increasing trends, while the contributions of shrubland and grassland to NPP decreased. Among these land cover types, the contributions of forest and cropland to the national NPP were the greatest, accounting for 40.97% and 27.95%, respectively, of the annual total NPP. There was no significant correlation between changes in forest area and changes in total annual NPP (R2 < 0.1), while the correlation coefficient for changes in cropland area and total annual NPP was 0.48. Additionally, the area of cropland converted to other land cover types was negatively correlated with the changes in NPP, and the loss of cropland caused a reduction in the national NPP.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to longitudinally evaluate and analyze the role of interleukin-22-producing CD4 positive cells (IL-22) in the pathogenesis of Hepatitis C Virus recurrence after Orthotopic Liver Transplantation (HCV-OLT).Methods15 HCV-OLT, 15 age- and gender- matched non-HCV post-OLT (OLT) and 15 hepatitis C virus infected (HCV) patients were enrolled into our study from the liver transplantation and research center at Beijing 302 Hospital. We determined the frequencies of IL-22 using flow cytometry and expression of IL-22 mRNA using PCR in peripheral blood and liver tissue. We also divided HCV-OLT patients into rapid fibrosis progression (RFP) and slow fibrosis progression (SFP), examined IL-22 cells and analyzed the correlations between IL-22 frequencies and liver injury, fibrosis and clinical parameters. Moreover, we investigated the role of IL-22 in Human Hepatic Stellate Cells (HSCs).ResultsThe levels of serum IL-22, frequencies of IL-22 producing cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and expression of IL-22 mRNA and protein in the liver in the HCV-OLT group were significantly higher than that in the HCV and OLT groups. Furthermore, eight (53.3%) patients developed RFP after two years; another three patients were diagnosed liver cirrhosis. The frequencies of IL-22 were much higher in RFP compared with SFP, while no significant difference existed between OLT and SFP. Intrahepatic IL-22 positive cells were located in fibrotic areas and significantly correlated with α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and fibrosis staging scores, not with grading scores and HCRVNA. In vitro, IL-22 administration prevented HSCs apoptosis, promoted HSCs proliferation and activation, up-regulated the expression of HSC-sourced growth factors including α-SMA, TGF-β and TIMP-1, and increased the production of liver fibrosis markers including laminin, hyaluronic acid and collagen type IV.ConclusionPeripheral and intrahepatic IL-22 is up-regulated and plays a pathological role in exacerbating liver fibrosis by activating HSCs in HCV-OLT patients, which may predict RFP and serve as an attractive target for anti-fibrotic therapy.

Computational investigations on the bisphospholanoethane (BPE)-ligated Cu-catalyzed enantioselective addition of enynes to ketones were performed with the density functional theory (DFT) method. Two BPE-mesitylcopper (CuMes) catalysts, BPE-CuMes and (S,S)-Ph-BPE–CuMes, were employed to probe the reaction mechanism with the emphasis on stereoselectivity. The calculations on the BPE-CuMes system indicate that the active metallized enyne intermediate acts as the catalyst for the catalytic cycle. The catalytic cycle involves two steps: (1) ketone addition to the alkene moiety of the metallized enyne; and (2) metallization of the enyne followed by the release of product with the recovery of the active metallized enyne intermediate. The first step accounts for the distribution of the products, and therefore is the stereo-controlling step in chiral systems. In the chiral (S,S)-Ph-BPE–CuMes system, the steric hindrance is vital for the distribution of products and responsible for the stereoselectivity of this reaction. The steric hindrance between the phenyl ring of the two substrates and groups at the chiral centers in the ligand skeleton is identified as the original of the stereoselectivity for the titled reaction.

ObjectiveTo longitudinally investigate the role of FoxP3+ Regulatory T cells (Treg) and interleukin17-producing T helper 17 cells (Th17) in De Novo Hepatitis B Virus infection after orthotopic Liver Transplantation (DNHB-OLT), and analyze the possible correlation between these cells and HBV clearance of the disease.MethodsWe enrolled 12 control cases after orthotopic Liver Transplantation (OLT) and 24 patients, including 12 diagnosed with DNHB-OLT and 12 diagnosed with Acute Hepatitis B Virus infection (AHB), into the study from the liver transplantation and research center at Beijing 302 Hospital. Flow cytometry was used to detect the frequencies of Treg and Th17, and ELISA was applied to detect the concentration of IL6, IL22, TGF-β and IL2 in peripheral blood. We also measured the gene expression level by real time-quantitative PCR and protein expression using immunohistochemistry and western-blot. Furthermore, we divided DNHB-OLT patients into the clearance and non-clearance groups and examined longitudinally Th17, Treg cells at different times.ResultsThe percentage of Treg cells, expression of FoxP3 mRNA and related anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL2 and TGF-β1 in the DNHB-OLT group were significantly higher than that in the AHB and OLT groups. The percentage of Th17 cells, expression of RORγt mRNA and related pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL17 and IL22 in the DNHB-OLT group were significantly lower than that in the AHB group, but the levels of these cytokines are very similar to the OLT group. The ratios of Treg to Th17 in the DNHB-OLT group were significantly higher than that in the OLT and AHB groups. Treg frequencies significantly correlated with HBV DNA, whereas IL17 frequencies didn't significantly correlate with ALT. In DNHB-OLT patients, the clearance group was accompanied by a rapid increase in the Th17 cells during the first 4th week and afterwards continuously decrease to the control group, together with a continuously decrease in Treg cells from the onset time point, which lead to a significant reduction in the ratios of Treg to Th17. The non-clearance group was accompanied by an increase in the Treg cells during the first 4th week and afterwards sharply decrease, together with a relatively stable and unchanged Th17 cells, which lead to a significant change in the ratios. In addition, compared to clearance group, the ratios of Treg to Th17 in non-clearance group were significantly higher at the onset point, 4th and 12th week, but no difference at 24th week.ConclusionDNHB-OLT patients possessed a favorable Treg differentiation environment, accompanied by a sustained higher preferentially Treg frequencies and up-regulation of related anti-inflammatory cytokines. The immune imbalance of the ratios between Treg and Th17 existed in DNHB-OLT patients. The changes of the ratios during the DNHB-OLT events were associated with HBV clearance, which suppressed immune inflammation reaction as well as inhibited ability of specific HBV clearance and led to immune escape and chronicity.

The L-type Ca2+ channel (LTCC, also known as Cav1,2) is involved in the regulation of key neuronal functions, such as dendritic information integration, cell survival, and neuronal gene expression. Clinical studies have shown an association between L-type calcium channels and the onset of depression, although the precise mechanisms remain unclear. The development of depression results from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. DNA methylation, a significant epigenetic modification, plays a regulatory role in the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and autism. In our study, we observed reduced Dnmt3a expression levels in the hippocampal DG region of mice with LPSinduced depression compared to control mice. The antidepressant Venlafaxine was able to increase Dnmt3a expression levels. Conversely, Bay K 8644, an agonist of the L-type Ca2+ channel, partially ameliorated depression-like behaviors but did not elevate Dnmt3a expression levels. Furthermore, when we manipulated DNA methylation levels during Bay K 8644 intervention in depression-like models, we found that enhancing the expression of Dnmt3a could improve LPS-induced depression/anxiety-like behaviors, while inhibiting DNA methylation exacerbated anxiety-like behaviors, the combined use of BAY K 8644 and L-methionine can better improve depressive-like behavior. These findings indicate that DNA methylation plays a role in the regulation of depression-like behaviors by the L-type Ca2+ channel, and further research is needed to elucidate the interactions between DNA methylation and L-type Ca2+ channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The frequent interactions of rodents with humans make them a common source of zoonotic infections. Brandt's vole is the dominant rodent species of the typical steppe in Inner Mongolia, and it is also an important pest in grassland. Objectives: To obtain an initial unbiased measure of the microbial diversity and abundance in the blood and intestinal tracts and to detect the pathogens carried by wild Brandt's voles in Hulun Buir, Inner Mongolia. Methods Twenty wild adult Brandt's voles were trapped using live cages, and 12 intestinal samples were collected for metagenomic analysis and 8 blood samples were collected for meta‐transcriptomic analysis. We compared the sequencing data with pathogenic microbiota databases to analyse the phylogenetic characteristics of zoonotic pathogens carried by wild voles. Results A total of 122 phyla, 79 classes, 168 orders, 382 families and 1693 genera of bacteria and a total of 32 families of DNA and RNA viruses in Brandt's voles were characterized. We found that each sample carried more than 10 pathogens, whereas some pathogens that were low in abundance were still at risk of transmission to humans. Conclusion This study improves our understanding of the viral and bacterial diversity in wild Brandt's voles and highlights the multiple viral and bacterial pathogens carried by this rodent. These findings may serve as a basis for developing strategies targeting rodent population control in Hulun Buir and provide a better approach to the surveillance of pathogenic microorganisms in wildlife.

To better assess the practical value and avoid potential risks of the traditionally medicinal and edible basidiomycete Schizophyllum commune, which may arise from undescribed metabolites, a combination of elicitors was introduced for the first time to discover products from cryptic and low-expressed gene clusters under laboratory cultivation. Treating S. commune NJFU21 with the combination of five elicitors led to the upregulated production of a class of unusual linear diterpene-derived variants, including eleven new ones (1–11), along with three known ones (12–14). The structures and stereochemistry were determined by 1D and 2D NMR, HRESIMS, ECD, OR and VCD calculations. Notably, the elongation terminus of all the diterpenes was decorated by an unusual butenedioic acid moiety. Compound 1 was a rare monocyclic diterpene, while 2–6 possessed a tetrahydrofuran moiety. The truncated metabolites 4, 5 and 13 belong to the trinorditerpenes. All the diterpenes displayed approximately 70% scavenging of hydroxyl radicals at 50 μM and null cytotoxic activity at 10 μM. In addition, compound 1 exhibited potent antifungal activity against the plant pathogenic fungi Colletotrichum camelliae, with MIC values of 8 μg/mL. Our findings indicated that this class of diterpenes could provide valuable protectants for cosmetic ingredients and the lead compounds for agricultural fungicide development.

The fermentation of a soil-derived fungus Acremonium sp. led to the isolation of thirteen ascochlorin congeners through integrated genomic and Global Natural Product Social (GNPS) molecular networking. Among the isolated compounds, we identified two unusual bicyclic types, acremochlorins O (1) and P (2), as well as two linear types, acremochlorin Q (3) and R (4). Compounds 1 and 2 contain an unusual benzopyran moiety and are diastereoisomers of each other, the first reported for the ascochlorins. Additionally, we elucidated the structure of 5, a 4-chloro-5-methylbenzene-1,3-diol with a linear farnesyl side chain, and confirmed the presence of eight known ascochlorin analogs (6–13). The structures were determined by the detailed interpretation of 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, MS, and ECD calculations. Compounds 3 and 9 showed potent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus, with MIC values ranging from 2 to 16 μg/mL.

The comprehensive carrying capacity of land is a key indicator for judging the sustainable development of nature and economy. Conducting comprehensive studies on this land capacity can provide the government with valuable information for decision-making. To divide and utilize land in a more reasonable and scientific manner, this study constructed an evaluation model based on the Random Forest and Support Vector Machine algorithms. The objective is to establish a more precise evaluation model and conduct a more comprehensive evaluation of the indicators. Based on the experimental results, it can be concluded that the carrying capacity of all five systems increased between 2014 and 2022. System Dexhibited the fastest increase in carrying capacity, with a growth rate of 58.43%, while system R recorded a growth rate of 46.29%. The difference in data before and after spatial processing in a certain region was analyzed: the average error of the five regions was relatively small, indicating that the processed values can accurately express spatial visualization information. The accuracy of Random forest support vector machine evaluation model is higher than that of support vector machine, which verifies the optimization effect of Random forest algorithm on support vector machine. In the comparative experiment of four models, each error evaluation parameter from the constructed evaluation module was superior to those from other models. These results illustrate the superior applicability of the proposed research model in terms of comprehensive land bearing capacity. The study optimized the evaluation model for comprehensive carrying capacity of land. This model proposes countermeasures and suggestions for the assessment of land carrying capacity and provides decision-making references for the protection and development of land resources.

Global climate change is one of the major challenges facing the world, and the spatial optimization of land use patterns has been regarded as critical in realizing carbon mitigation. In this study, the linear programming model and the Markov Chain model are integrated in different scenarios to optimize land use structure for low-carbon development. The land use pattern is then simulated through the adjusted convolutional neural network and cellular automata model, taking Guangzhou City as the case study area. The results reveal that construction land with high economic efficiency will increase its area, and the reaming types will experience slight changes, in 2035 in the natural development scenario and the economic priority scenario. Ecological land such as forest land, grassland, and water is partly occupied by construction land in the urban–rural fringe areas. The total carbon emissions decrease by 2.32% and 1.57% in these two scenarios. In the low-carbon-oriented scenario, the expansion of construction land is restricted, and the forest land and grassland undergo great expansion. The total carbon emission decreases by 18.95%—a figure much larger than that in the natural development scenario and the economic priority scenario. Our paper embeds the needs and constraints in land spatial planning into the spatial optimization of the land use pattern, which provides valuable references for low-carbon city development in the future.

BackgroundNinety-eight percent of documented cases of the zoonotic disease human monkeypox (MPX) were reported after 2001, with especially dramatic global spread in 2022. This longitudinal study aimed to assess spatiotemporal risk factors of MPX infection and predict global epidemiological trends.MethodTwenty-one potential risk factors were evaluated by correlation-based network analysis and multivariate regression. Country-level risk was assessed using a modified Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Removed (SEIR) model and a risk-factor-driven k-means clustering analysis.ResultsBetween historical cases and the 2022 outbreak, MPX infection risk factors changed from relatively simple [human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and population density] to multiple [human mobility, population of men who have sex with men, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, and socioeconomic factors], with human mobility in the context of COVID-19 being especially key. The 141 included countries classified into three risk clusters: 24 high-risk countries mainly in West Europe and Northern America, 70 medium-risk countries mainly in Latin America and Asia, and 47 low-risk countries mainly in Africa and South Asia. The modified SEIR model predicted declining transmission rates, with basic reproduction numbers ranging 1.61–7.84 in the early stage and 0.70–4.13 in the current stage. The estimated cumulative cases in Northern and Latin America may overtake the number in Europe in autumn 2022.ConclusionsIn the current outbreak, risk factors for MPX infection have changed and expanded. Forecasts of epidemiological trends from our modified SEIR models suggest that Northern America and Latin America are at greater risk of MPX infection in the future.

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE)–a major complication of liver disease–has been found to increase the risk of olfactory dysfunction, which may be attributed to elevated levels of ammonia/ammonium in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying hyperammonemia-induced olfactory dysfunction remain unclear. By performing patch-clamp recordings of mitral cells (MCs) in the mouse olfactory bulb (OB), we found that 3 mM ammonium (NH4+) increased the spontaneous firing frequency and attenuated the amplitude, but synaptic blockers could prevent the changes, suggesting the important role of glutamate receptors in NH4+-induced hyperexcitability of MCs. We also found NH4+ reduced the currents of voltage-gated K+ channel (Kv), which may lead to the attenuation of spontaneous firing amplitude by NH4+. Further studies demonstrated NH4+ enhanced the amplitude and integral area of long-lasting spontaneous excitatory post-synaptic currents (sEPSCs) in acute OB slices. This enhancement of excitatory neurotransmission in MCs occurred independently of pre-synaptic glutamate release and re-uptake, and was prevented by the exocytosis inhibitor TAT-NSF700. In addition, an NH4+-induced increasement in expression of NR1 and GluR1 was detected on cytoplasmic membrane, indicating that increased trafficking of glutamate receptors on membrane surface in MCs is the core mechanism. Moreover, NH4+-induced enhanced activity of glutamate receptors in acute OB slices caused cell death, which was prevented by antagonizing glutamate receptors or chelating intracellular calcium levels. Our study demonstrates that the enhancement of the activity and recruitment of glutamate receptor directly induces neuronal excitotoxicity, and contributes to the vulnerability of OB to acute hyperammonemia, thus providing a potential pathological mechanism of olfactory defects in patients with hyperammonemia and HE.

The preventive monitoring and sustainable conservation of large-scale cultural heritage sites require satellite-based Earth observations. In this study, we present the first monitoring and thematic mapping results of the Badaling Great Wall (Beijing, China) using deformation indicators calculated from very high-resolution (VHR) multi-temporal spotlight TerraSAR-X data. The proposed coarse–fine search algorithm achieved high computational efficiency for calculating the unknown parameters of the two-tier network persistent scatterer synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry (PSInSAR) approach. The spatiotemporal deformation anomalies, characterized by the absolute velocity, deformation deviation and acceleration, are informative to identify suspected hotspots for prioritizing monitoring activities. We provide an understandable method for thematic mapping and subsequent sustainable conservation of heritage sites by synergistically exploiting impacts from natural degradation and the tourism industry. We determine that the optimum tourist capacity of the site could be 1.0 million per month based on comparing pre- and post-COVID data (2019–2020). This study demonstrates the potential and performance of spaceborne PSInSAR tools for the intelligent management of large-scale architectural heritage sites by integrating InSAR deformation products with environmental and social data.

Accurately predicting resistance spot welding (RSW) quality is essential for the manufacturing process. In this study, the RSW process signals of 2219/5A06 aluminum alloy under two assembly conditions (including gap and spacing) were analyzed, and then artificial intelligence modeling was carried out. To improve the performance and efficiency of RSW quality evaluation, this study proposed a multi-signal fusion method that was performed by combining principal component analysis and a correlation analysis. A backpropagation neural network (BPNN) model was optimized using the sine-chaotic-map-improved sparrow search algorithm (SSA), and the input and output of the model were the variables after multi-signal fusion and the button diameter, respectively. Compared with the standard BPNN model, the Sine-SSA-BP model reduced the MAE by 42.33%, MSE by 51.84%, and RMSE by 31.45%. Its R2 coefficient reached 0.6482, which is much higher than that of BP (0.2464). According to various indicators (MAE, MSE, RMSE, and R2), the evaluation performance of the Sine-SSA-BP model was better than that of the standard BPNN model. Compared with other models (BP, GA-BP, PSO-BP, SSA-BP, and Sine-PSO-BP), the evaluation performance of the Sine-SSA-BP model was best, which can successfully predict abnormal spot welds.

Leg Length Discrepancy (LLD) is a critical problem which not only impacts the quality of life but also causes other physical ailments such as limping and severe back pain. Most people had a non-negligible difference in the length of their two legs, and 0.1% of the population with differences of 20 mm or more are diagnosed as a difference in limb length. The Ilizarov external fixator is commonly used in treating LLD as conventional therapeutic equipment, but often causes serious complications that cannot be prevented. Therefore, intramedullary leg-lengthening treatment has become popular in distraction osteogenesis to eliminate extracorporeal surgery. This paper presents a study on the design and optimization of a novel electromagnetic-driven Intramedullary Skeletal Distraction Robot (ISDR) with robust mechanical stiffness and surplus electromagnetic driving force. Compared with PRECICE, the split structure of ISDR eases the optimal design and manufacturing difficulties to strengthen mechanical stiffness, and the electromagnetic configuration allows improving the distraction force by adjusting the Permanent Magnet Brushless Direct Current (PMBLDC) motor parameters. ISDR, which is implanted in the medullary cavity, has the Von-Mises stress of 952.15 MPa, and the first mode of natural frequency is 28.823 Hz indicating that it can withstand the load during the walking gait phases. On the other hand, the ISDR distraction force encounters resistance from muscle fibers, and an average driving torque of 9 Nmm ensures its distraction. Based on the results, ISDR is proven secure and reliable during and after leg-lengthening treatment, which can significantly reduce lifestyle disruption and medical complications.

Studies have shown that illuminance and correlated colour temperature (CCT) are strongly correlated with body responses such as circadian rhythm, alertness, and mood. It is worth noting that these responses show a complex and variable coupling, which needs to be solved using accurate mathematical models for the regulation of indoor light parameters. Therefore, in this study, by weighing the evaluations of visual comfort, alertness, valence, and arousal of mood, a multi-objective optimisation mathematical model was developed with constraints conducive to the healthy rhythm. The problem was solved with the multi-objective evolutionary algorithm based on the decomposition differential evolution (MOEA/D-DE) algorithm. Taking educational space as the analysis goal, a dual-parameter setting strategy for illuminance and CCT covering four modes was proposed: focused learning, comfortable learning, soothing learning, and resting state, which could provide a scientific basis for the regulation of the lighting control system. The alertness during class time reached 3.01 compared to 2.34 during break time, showing a good light facilitation effect. The proposed mathematical model and analysis method also have the potential for application in the lighting design and control in other spaces to meet the era of intelligent, highly flexible, and sustainable buildings.

The presence of mutual coupling usually causes space-time steering vector distortion for space-time adaptive processing (STAP) in airborne radar, thereby causing significant performance degradation. In this paper, a robust STAP approach was proposed against mutual coupling based on middle subarray clutter covariance matrix reconstruction. To address the space-time steering vector distortion caused by the mutual coupling, the training snapshots of middle subarray were obtained using the spatial-temporal selection matrix, and they were collected to compute the sample covariance matrix (SCM). Thus, the clutter-plus-noise covariance matrix (CNCM) of middle subarray was reconstructed by utilizing the clutter Capon spectrum of middle subarray to integrate over the possible clutter spatial-temporal domain. Moreover, the target covariance matrix of middle subarray was calculated by employing the target Capon spectrum of middle subarray to integrate over the possible target region, and the space-time steering vector of the target was estimated with the eigenvector corresponding to its maximum eigenvalue. Finally, the proposed robust STAP weight vector of middle subarray was built. The proposed method is capable of simultaneously mitigating the mutual coupling, target components in the SCM, and target space-time steering vector mismatch. The simulation results verified the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

In order to promote the development and construction of smart cities, the massive equipment requirements of sensing terminals increased the pressure on urban site resource allocation. The light pole is suitable for carrying various urban functional equipment to form a smart street lighting system, which can provide rich site resources for the large-scale construction of urban functional facilities such as 5G micro base stations. However, the selection and combination of equipment mounted in the smart street lighting system only focus on the functional superposition at the physical level, without considering the relevance of each subsystem in practical application scenarios. Therefore, this study proposed a 5G micro base station location model based on a smart street lighting system. The correlation and cooperativity between 5G micro base stations and mounted devices were fully considered, and a universal system-level location selection index was developed to realize rational utilization of urban space site resources and intelligent linkage between subsystems. The results showed that the model is significantly effective for functional areas with different road network characteristics and provides practical, robust, effective, and accurate help for similar location selection problems.

New Findings What is the central question of this study? In this study, by using motor vehicle exhaust (MVE) exposure with or without lipopolysaccharide (LPS) instillation, we established, evaluated and compared MVE, LPS and MVE+LPS treatment‐induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) models in mice. What is the main finding and its importance? Our study demonstrated that the combination of chronic exposure to MVE with early LPS instillation can establish a mouse model with some features of COPD, which will allow researchers to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms linking air pollution and COPD pathogenesis. Abstract Although it is well established that motor vehicle exhaust (MVE) has a close association with the occurrence and exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), very little is known about the combined effects of MVE and intermittent or chronic subclinical inflammation on COPD pathogenesis. Therefore, given the crucial role of inflammation in the development of COPD, we wanted to establish an animal model of COPD using both MVE exposure and airway inflammation, which could mimic the clinical pathological changes observed in COPD patients and greatly benefit the study of the molecular mechanisms of COPD. In the present study, we report that mice undergoing chronic exposure to MVE and intratracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) successfully established COPD, as characterized by persistent air flow limitation, airway inflammation, inflammatory cytokine production, emphysema and small airway remodelling. Moreover, the mice showed significant changes in ventricular and vascular pathology, including an increase in right ventricular pressure, right ventricular hypertrophy and remodelling of pulmonary arterial walls. We have thus established a new mouse COPD model by combining chronic MVE exposure with early intratracheal instillation of LPS, which will allow us to study the relationship between air pollution and the development of COPD and to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of different concentrations of ropivacaine in ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia with regard to postoperative analgesic and patient's satisfaction in elderly patients undergoing inguinal hernioplasty in the People's Republic of China. Methods: A total of 60 patients (>75 years of age) who scheduled inguinal hernioplasty at the Shenzhen People's Hospital from December 2013 to March 2015 were randomly assigned to three groups: 0.25% ropivacaine (n=20), 0.5% ropivacaine (n=20), and 0.75% ropivacaine (n=20). Ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia was performed before every surgery. Non-invasive blood pressure and heart rate were recorded before the operation, during the first 5 minutes of the surgical procedure, and 5 minutes after the operation of the patients, and compared between the groups. Incidence of adverse reactions, postoperative Visual Analog Scale score, and analgesic effect were also recorded and analyzed. Results: The surgical procedure and anesthesia was performed successfully in all patients. Patients with high-dose ropivacaine (0.5% and 0.75%) in ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia exhibited lower arterial pressure and lower heart rate during the operation when compared to low-dose group. The interquartile range of Visual Analog Scale scores in both group C (0.75% ropivacaine) and group B (0.5% ropivacaine) were significantly lower (P<0.05) than in group A (0.25% ropivacaine). Accordingly, the interquartile range of satisfactory scores in both group C (0.75% ropivacaine) and group B (0.5% ropivacaine) were significantly higher (P<0.05) than in group A (0.25% ropivacaine). More cases in high-dose groups reported abnormal skin sensation; however, it did not negatively affect the satisfaction level of patients. Conclusion: The use of ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia with ropivacaine as an anesthetic in inguinal hernia repair for elderly patients is safe and effective, and ropivacaine is optimally effective at the concentration of 0.5% with least side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study was to characterize uncommon portosystemic collateral circulation in hepatic cirrhosis. Portosystemic uncommon collateral circulation (UCC) was detected, characterized and evaluated by a combination of spiral computed tomography angiography, three-dimensional imaging angiography and electronic gastroscopy in patients diagnosed with hepatic cirrhosis. In total, 118 cases with UCC were detected from a pool of 700 hepatic cirrhosis patients with portal hypertension. The incidence was 16.86% and included cases with splenic-renal, gastro-renal, paravertebral, retroperitoneal, gastric-splenic and cardio-phrenic angle vein shunts. The occurrence rate of UCC formation increased with the Child-Pugh grade. Compared with common collateral circulations, the incidence of severe esophageal or gastric fundus varicose veins, severe portal hypertensive gastropathy and the incidence of a large quantity of ascites was much lower in the patients with UCC (P<0.01), whereas the incidence of hepatic encephalopathy and chronic elevated blood ammonia levels was significantly higher (P<0.01). The incidence of uncommon portosystemic collateral circulation is extremely common in patients with liver cirrhosis and is associated with the Child-Pugh grades of hepatic function. UCC can aid in the relief of the complications derived from portal hypertension, but it may increase the incidence of hepatic encephalopathy and chronic elevated blood ammonia levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the problem of large training samples requirement of space time adaptive processing (STAP), a jointly sparse matrices recovery-based method is proposed for clutter plus noise covariance matrix estimation by exploiting the transmitting waveform orthogonality of multiple-in multiple-out (MIMO) radar. The clutter spatio-temporal spectrum estimation problem is modeled as a sparse matrix reconstruction problem. Multiple training samples are generated based on the received signal of MIMO radar from a single training range cell. In order to recover the spatio-temporal spectrum matrices corresponding to different training samples, a jointly 2-D iterative adaptive approach is formulated to provide high accuracy and efficiency. Compared with the existing sparse recovery (SR)-based STAP method with single training range cell, due to the application of matricization process and MIMO radar, the proposed method can not only improve the clutter covariance matrix estimation accuracy but also reduce the computational complexity. In the heterogeneous and non-stationary environment, the proposed method can achieve better clutter suppression performance than conventional SR-based STAP methods using multiple training range cells. Simulation results are given to demonstrate the advantages of the proposed method over existing methods.

Objective: L1 cell adhesion molecule (L1CAM), as a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily, has recently been observed in a variety of human malignancies. However, no data of L1CAM are available for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of L1CAM in HCC and determine its correlation with tumor progression and prognosis. Methods: One-hundred and thirty HCC patients who had undergone curative liver resection were selected and immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) were performed to analyze L1CAM expression in the respective tumors. Results: Immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and Q-PCR consistently confirmed the overexpression of L1CAM in HCC tissues compared with their adjacent nonneoplastic tissues at both protein and gene level (both P <0.01). Additionally, the high expression of L1CAM was significantly associated with advanced tumor stage (P = 0.02) and advanced tumor grade (P = 0.03), respectively. Moreover, HCC patients with high L1CAM expression were significantly associated with lower 5-year overall survival (P <0.01) and lower 5-year disease-free survival (P <0.01), respectively. The Cox proportional hazards model further showed that L1CAM over-expression was an independent poor prognostic factor for both 5-year disease-free survival (P = 0.02) and 5-year overall survival (P = 0.008) in HCC. Conclusion: Our data suggest for the first time that L1CAM expression in HCC was significantly correlated with the advanced tumor progression and was an independent poor prognostic factor for both overall survival and disease-free survival in patients with HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: SOX9 as a member of the SOX (SRY [sex determining region Y] box) gene superfamily has been previously demonstrated to be a proto-oncogene in a variety of malignancies. However, the clinical significance of SOX9 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of SOX9 in HCC and determine its correlation with tumor progression and prognosis. Methods: One-hundred and thirty HCC patients who had undergone curative liver resection were selected and immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) were performed to analyze SOX9 expression in the respective tumors. Results: Immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and Q-PCR consistently confirmed SOX9 overexpression in HCC tissues compared with their adjacent nonneoplastic tissues (P<0.01). Additionally, immunostaining showed more SOX9 positive cells in the higher tumor stage (T3 ~ 4) and tumor grade (G3) than in the lower tumor stage (T1 ~ 2, P = 0.03) and tumor grade (G1 ~ 2, P = 0.01), respectively. Moreover, HCC patients with high SOX9 expression were significantly associated with lower 5-year overall survival (P<0.01) and lower 5-year disease-free survival (P<0.01), respectively. The Cox proportional hazards model further showed that SOX9 over-expression was an independent poor prognostic factor for both 5-year disease-free survival (hazards ratio [HR] = 2.621, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.548-5.829, P = 0.01) and 5-year overall survival (HR = 3.825, CI = 1.638-7.612, P = 0.003) in HCC. Conclusion: Our data suggest for the first time that the overexpression of SOX9 protein in HCC tissues is of predictive value on tumor progression and poor prognosis.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a prevailing indicator to present the status and trend of sustainability of nations, hereby offers a valuable measurement on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Revealing the dynamics of the HDI of the Eastern Hemisphere countries is vital for measurement and evaluation of the human development process and revealing the spatial disparities and evolutionary characteristics of human development. However, the statistical data-based HDI, which is currently widely applied, has defects in terms of data availability and inconsistent statistical caliber. To tackle such an existing gap, we applied nighttime lights (NTL) data to reconstruct new HDI indicators named HDINTL and quantify the HDINTL at multispatial scales of Eastern Hemisphere countries during 1992–2013. Results showed that South Central Asia countries had the smallest discrepancies in HDINTL, while the largest was found in North Africa. The national-level HDINTL values in the Eastern Hemisphere ranged between 0.138 and 0.947 during 1992–2013. At the subnational scale, the distribution pattern of HDINTL was spatially clustered based on the results of spatial autocorrelation analysis. The evolutionary trajectory of subnational level HDINTL exhibited a decreasing and then increasing trend along the northwest to the southeast direction of Eastern Hemisphere. At the pixel scale, 93.52% of the grids showed an increasing trend in HDINTL, especially in the urban agglomerations of China and India. These results are essential for the ever-improvement of policy making to reduce HDI’s regional disparity and promote the continuous development of humankind’s living qualities. This study offers an improved HDI accounting method. It expects to extend the channel of HDI application, e.g., potential integration with environmental, physical, and socioeconomic data where the NTL data could present as well.

China’s rapid urbanization has led to increasing steel consumption for buildings and civil engineering infrastructure. The in-use steel stock in the same is considered to be closely related to social welfare and urban metabolism. Traditional approaches for determining the in-use steel stock are labor-intensive and time-consuming processes and always hindered by the availability of statistical data. To address this issue, this study proposed the use of long-term nighttime lights as a proxy to effectively estimate in-use steel stock for buildings (IUSSB) and civil engineering infrastructure (IUSSCE) at the provincial level in China. Significant relationships between nighttime lights versus IUSSB and IUSSCE were observed for provincial variables in a single year, as well as for time series variables of a single province. However, these relationships were found to differ among provinces (referred to as “inter-individual differences”) and with time (referred to as “temporal differences”). Panel regression models were therefore proposed to estimate IUSSB and IUSSCE in consideration of the temporal and inter-individual differences based on a dataset covering 1992–2007. These models were validated using data for 2008, and the results showed good estimation for both IUSSB and IUSSCE. The proposed approach can be used to easily monitor the dynamic of IUSSB and IUSSCE in China. This should be critical in providing valuable information for policy making regarding regional development of buildings and infrastructure, sustainable urban resource management, and cross-boundary material recycling.