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Yan-Hua Chen,1 Xue-Luo Zhang,1 Zhong-Yun Li,2 Xian-Ping Wang,1 Jun Wang,3 Zhi-Ping Zhang,1 Peng-Fei Zhu,1 Xue-Qing Wu1 1Reproductive Medicine Center, Shanxi Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Taiyuan, People’s Republic of China; 2Rectum Branch, Shanxi Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Taiyuan, People’s Republic of China; 3The Sixth Hospital of Shanxi Medical University (General Hospital of Tisco), Taiyuan, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Xue-Qing Wu, Reproductive Medicine Center, Shanxi Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, No. 13, Xinmin Middle Street, Xinghualing District, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, 030013, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 351-3360725, Email xueqingwu18@outlook.comObjective: This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of Dan’e Fukang soft extracts in moderate ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) for the simultaneous treatment of blood and fluid, guided by the traditional Chinese medicine principle of “triple prevention”.Methods: This study conducted a retrospective analysis of clinical data from outpatients who underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection embryo transfer (ICSI-ET). A total of 2245 cases were included and divided into a treatment group (1002 cases) and a control group (1243 cases). Patients in the treatment group were administered Dan’e Fukang soft extracts orally in addition to conventional Western medicine. Comparative assessments were made between the two groups on pelvic ascites volume, maximum ovary diameter, dysmenorrhea incidence post-oocyte retrieval, and safety indicators.Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the treatment group and the control group in terms of general characteristics or the levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteotropic hormone (LH), estradiol (E2), or progesterone (P) at the time of gonadotropin (Gn) initiation. The groups did not differ significantly when

Transformer-based and MLP-based methods have emerged as leading approaches in time series forecasting (TSF). While Transformer-based methods excel in capturing long-range dependencies, they suffer from high computational complexities and tend to overfit. Conversely, MLP-based methods offer computational efficiency and adeptness in modeling temporal dynamics, but they struggle with capturing complex temporal patterns effectively. To address these challenges, we propose a novel MLP-based Adaptive Multi-Scale Decomposition (AMD) framework for TSF. Our framework decomposes time series into distinct temporal patterns at multiple scales, leveraging the Multi-Scale Decomposable Mixing (MDM) block to dissect and aggregate these patterns in a residual manner. Complemented by the Dual Dependency Interaction (DDI) block and the Adaptive Multi-predictor Synthesis (AMS) block, our approach effectively models both temporal and channel dependencies and utilizes autocorrelation to refine multi-scale data integration. Comprehensive experiments demonstrate that our AMD framework not only overcomes the limitations of existing methods but also consistently achieves state-of-the-art performance in both long-term and short-term forecasting tasks across various datasets, showcasing superior efficiency. Code is available at \url{https://github.com/TROUBADOUR000/AMD}

Irrigation has important implications for sustaining global food production by enabling crop water demand to be met even under dry conditions. Added water also cools crop plants through transpiration; irrigation might thus play an important role in a warmer climate by simultaneously moderating water and high temperature stresses. Here we used satellite-derived evapotranspiration estimates, land surface temperature (LST) measurements, and crop phenological stage information from Nebraska maize to quantify how irrigation relieves both water and temperature stresses. Unlike air temperature metrics, satellite-derived LST revealed a significant irrigation-induced cooling effect, especially during the grain filling period (GFP) of crop growth. This cooling appeared to extend the maize growing season, especially for GFP, likely due to the stronger temperature sensitivity of phenological development during this stage. Our analysis also revealed that irrigation not only reduced water and temperature stress but also weakened the response of yield to these stresses. Specifically, temperature stress was significantly weakened for reproductive processes in irrigated maize. Attribution analysis further suggested that water and high temperature stress alleviation was responsible for 65±10 % and 35±5.3 % of the irrigation yield benefit, respectively. Our study underlines the relative importance of high temperature stress alleviation in yield improvement and the necessity of simulating crop surface temperature to better quantify heat stress effects in crop yield models. Finally, considering the potentially strong interaction between water and heat stress, future research on irrigation benefits should explore the interaction effects between heat and drought alleviation.

Irrigation has important implications for sustaining global food production by enabling crop water demand to be met even under dry conditions. Added water also cools crop plants through transpiration; irrigation might thus play an important role in a warmer climate by simultaneously moderating water and high temperature stresses. Here we used satellite-derived evapotranspiration estimates, land surface temperature (LST) measurements, and crop phenological stage information from Nebraska maize to quantify how irrigation relieves both water and temperature stresses. Unlike air temperature metrics, satellite-derived LST revealed a significant irrigation-induced cooling effect, especially during the grain filling period (GFP) of crop growth. This cooling appeared to extend the maize growing season, especially for GFP, likely due to the stronger temperature sensitivity of phenological development during this stage. Our analysis also revealed that irrigation not only reduced water and temperature stress but also weakened the response of yield to these stresses. Specifically, temperature stress was significantly weakened for reproductive processes in irrigated maize. Attribution analysis further suggested that water and high temperature stress alleviation was responsible for 65±10 % and 35±5.3 % of the irrigation yield benefit, respectively. Our study underlines the relative importance of high temperature stress alleviation in yield improvement and the necessity of simulating crop surface temperature to better quantify heat stress effects in crop yield models. Finally, considering the potentially strong interaction between water and heat stress, future research on irrigation benefits should explore the interaction effects between heat and drought alleviation.

Gang Qin,1 Bo Wang,2 Geng Zhang,2 Lili Wu,1 Peng Zhu,1 Qian Zhang2 1Department of Gastroenterology, Suining First People’s Hospital, Suining, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Infectious Diseases, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Qian Zhang, Department of Infectious Diseases, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China, Email zhangqian105@swmu.edu.cnPurpose: To screen out potential prognostic biomarkers for HBV-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF).Patients and Methods: Peripheral blood samples of HBV-ACLF patients (n=56) and normal controls (n=15) from the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University from January 2021 to April 2022 were collected, 5 normal patients and 10 patients with ACLF were randomly selected for Data independent acquisition (DIA) mass spectrometry analysis, and the potential core proteins were screened out via bioinformatics. All samples were validated by Enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) technology, and the survival curve was constructed based on the patient’s 90-day survival time.Results: A total of 247 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were screened, of which 148 were upregulated and 99 were down-regulated. The DEPs were mainly enriched in high-density lipoprotein particle remodeling, coagulation, and hemostasis and participated in signaling pathways such as cholesterol metabolism, coagulation cascades, and PPAR signaling pathway. Finally, bikunin was selected for further study and validated via the ELISA, compared with the normal group, bikunin was poorly expressed in the HBV-ACLF group, the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.0001), the area under the curve (AUC) for Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was 0.917. Furthermore, compared with the non-survival group, bikunin was highly expressed in the HBV-ACLF survival group, the di

We incorporate a time-varying negative relationship for implied volatility and underlying price into the delta hedging problem, where traders aim to minimize the variance of changes in the value of an option position by trading an appropriate amount of the underlying asset. We show that volatility-price elasticity is mean-reverting and embed predictions of the elasticity in a hedge ratio model that incorporates the negative volatility-price relationship. Our tests show that when applied to index options data, the proposed approach improves hedging performance over methods that rely solely on the long-run mean of the volatility-price relationship.

Jun Wan,* Jie Yang,* Wenrui Lei, Zezhou Xiao, Pengyu Zhou, Shaoyi Zheng, Peng Zhu Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Shaoyi Zheng; Peng Zhu, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-20-62786747, Email zhsy@smu.edu.cn; doctff@smu.edu.cnPurpose: Oxidative stress is one of the main pathogenic factors of atherosclerosis. However, no antioxidants have brought positive effects on the treatment of atherosclerosis. To selectively treat atherosclerosis, various means such as antioxidation, anti-apoptosis, and M2 polarization are used. The ultimate goal is that multiple regulatory pathways can help to treat atherosclerosis.Patients and Methods: In this study, Simvastatin (SIM) as a model drug, EGCG as an antioxidant agent, and distearyl phosphatidylcholine (DSPC) as major carriers were used to make liposome nanoparticles (SE-LNPs). The cytotoxicity, phagocytosis, antioxidant, and anti-apoptotic properties of nanoparticles were tested in vitro. ApoE−/− atherosclerotic mice were treated with nanoparticles. The changes of aortic Oil red staining, blood lipid, HE, and Masson sections of the aortic root were observed.Results: SE-LNPs exhibited a sustained release profile, potentially enabling the accumulation of the majority amount of drugs at the atherosclerotic plaque. The phagocytosis effect was stronger in RAW. The anti-oxidative and anti-apoptotic effects of the formulation were verified in vitro. SE-LNPs promoted the polarization of M2 macrophages. The therapeutic effect of SE-LNPs was assessed in the ApoE−/− mice model of atherosclerosis. SE-LNPs reduced reactive oxygen species and lipids in vivo. The results of Oil red staining, blood lipid, HE, and Masson sections of the aorti

Remote sensing object detection (RSOD), one of the most fundamental and challenging tasks in the remote sensing field, has received longstanding attention. In recent years, deep learning techniques have demonstrated robust feature representation capabilities and led to a big leap in the development of RSOD techniques. In this era of rapid technical evolution, this review aims to present a comprehensive review of the recent achievements in deep learning based RSOD methods. More than 300 papers are covered in this review. We identify five main challenges in RSOD, including multi-scale object detection, rotated object detection, weak object detection, tiny object detection, and object detection with limited supervision, and systematically review the corresponding methods developed in a hierarchical division manner. We also review the widely used benchmark datasets and evaluation metrics within the field of RSOD, as well as the application scenarios for RSOD. Future research directions are provided for further promoting the research in RSOD., Comment: Accepted with IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine. More than 300 papers relevant to the RSOD filed were reviewed in this survey

In this article, a weak Galerkin method is firstly presented and analyzed for the quasi-linear elliptic problem of non-monotone type. By using Brouwer's fixed point technique, the existence of WG solution and error estimates in both the energy-like norm and the $L^2$ norm are derived. Then an efficient two-grid WG method is introduced to improve the computational efficiency. The convergence error of the two-grid WG method is analyzed in the energy-like norm. Numerical experiments are presented to verify our theoretical findings., Comment: 26 pages, 4 figures

In this article, we present and analyze a stabilizer-free $C^0$ weak Galerkin (SF-C0WG) method for solving the biharmonic problem. The SF-C0WG method is formulated in terms of cell unknowns which are $C^0$ continuous piecewise polynomials of degree $k+2$ with $k\geq 0$ and in terms of face unknowns which are discontinuous piecewise polynomials of degree $k+1$. The formulation of this SF-C0WG method is without the stabilized or penalty term and is as simple as the $C^1$ conforming finite element scheme of the biharmonic problem. Optimal order error estimates in a discrete $H^2$-like norm and the $H^1$ norm for $k\geq 0$ are established for the corresponding WG finite element solutions. Error estimates in the $L^2$ norm are also derived with an optimal order of convergence for $k>0$ and sub-optimal order of convergence for $k=0$. Numerical experiments are shown to confirm the theoretical results., Comment: 26 pages, 1 figure

One of the malignant transformation hallmarks is metabolism reprogramming, which plays a critical role in the biosynthetic needs of unchecked proliferation, abrogating cell death programs, and immunologic escape. However, the mechanism of the metabolic switch is not fully understood. Here, we found that the S-nitrosoproteomic profile of endogenous nitrogen oxide in ovarian cancer cells targeted multiple components in metabolism processes. Phosphofructokinase (PFKM), one of the most important regulatory enzymes of glycolysis, was S-nitrosylated by nitric oxide synthase NOS1 at Cys351. S-nitrosylation at Cys351 stabilized the tetramer of PFKM, leading to resist negative feedback of downstream metabolic intermediates. The PFKM-C351S mutation decreased the proliferation rate of cultured cancer cells, and reduced tumor growth and metastasis in the mouse xenograft model. These findings indicated that S-nitrosylation at Cys351 of PFKM by NOS1 contributes to the metabolic reprogramming of ovarian cancer cells, highlighting a critical role of endogenous nitrogen oxide on metabolism regulations in tumor progression.

Semantic segmentation has been continuously investigated in the last ten years, and majority of the established technologies are based on supervised models. In recent years, image-level weakly supervised semantic segmentation (WSSS), including single- and multi-stage process, has attracted large attention due to data labeling efficiency. In this paper, we propose to embed affinity learning of multi-stage approaches in a single-stage model. To be specific, we introduce an adaptive affinity loss to thoroughly learn the local pairwise affinity. As such, a deep neural network is used to deliver comprehensive semantic information in the training phase, whilst improving the performance of the final prediction module. On the other hand, considering the existence of errors in the pseudo labels, we propose a novel label reassign loss to mitigate over-fitting. Extensive experiments are conducted on the PASCAL VOC 2012 dataset to evaluate the effectiveness of our proposed approach that outperforms other standard single-stage methods and achieves comparable performance against several multi-stage methods.

In this paper, we focus on the challenging multicategory instance segmentation problem in remote sensing images (RSIs), which aims at predicting the categories of all instances and localizing them with pixel-level masks. Although many landmark frameworks have demonstrated promising performance in instance segmentation, the complexity in the background and scale variability instances still remain challenging for instance segmentation of RSIs. To address the above problems, we propose an end-to-end multi-category instance segmentation model, namely Semantic Attention and Scale Complementary Network, which mainly consists of a Semantic Attention (SEA) module and a Scale Complementary Mask Branch (SCMB). The SEA module contains a simple fully convolutional semantic segmentation branch with extra supervision to strengthen the activation of interest instances on the feature map and reduce the background noise's interference. To handle the under-segmentation of geospatial instances with large varying scales, we design the SCMB that extends the original single mask branch to trident mask branches and introduces complementary mask supervision at different scales to sufficiently leverage the multi-scale information. We conduct comprehensive experiments to evaluate the effectiveness of our proposed method on the iSAID dataset and the NWPU Instance Segmentation dataset and achieve promising performance., Comment: 14 pages

The waste printed circuit boards are important urban mineral resources. However, it is difficult to treat and utilise them due to its complicated composition. In this study, the current recycling technologies from waste printed circuit boards were reviewed. Aiming at the adverse effects of tin, lead, zinc and organics on pyrometallurgy treatments of waste printed circuit boards, a technical route for removing impurities from copper powder of waste printed circuit boards using the combination method of beneficiation and metallurgy was proposed. The copper powders were leached in an alkaline solution by a pressurised oxidation process. Tin, lead, zinc and other impurity metals were leached into the leaching solution, and the leaching rate was above 98.2%. The leaching solution was purified by sulphide precipitation, and the precipitation rate of lead and zinc was up to 99.5%. Then, the crude tin containing more than 98% tin was produced from the leaching solution by electrowinning. The organics in leaching residue, such as the substrate of waste circuit board and solder mask, were stripped from the copper foil by a shaking table, and the removal rate of organics was more than 50.0%. In this process, the impurity metal of tin and organics from copper powders of waste printed circuit boards were removed by the combination method of beneficiation and metallurgy, which provides high quality raw materials for copper pyrometallurgy., The waste printed circuit boards are important urban mineral resources. However, it is difficult to treat and utilise them due to its complicated composition. In this study, the current recycling technologies from waste printed circuit boards were reviewed. Aiming at the adverse effects of tin, lead, zinc and organics on pyrometallurgy treatments of waste printed circuit boards, a technical route for removing impurities from copper powder of waste printed circuit boards using the combination method of beneficiation and metallurgy was proposed. The copper powders were leached in an alkaline solution by a pressurised oxidation process. Tin, lead, zinc and other impurity metals were leached into the leaching solution, and the leaching rate was above 98.2%. The leaching solution was purified by sulphide precipitation, and the precipitation rate of lead and zinc was up to 99.5%. Then, the crude tin containing more than 98% tin was produced from the leaching solution by electrowinning. The organics in leaching residue, such as the substrate of waste circuit board and solder mask, were stripped from the copper foil by a shaking table, and the removal rate of organics was more than 50.0%. In this process, the impurity metal of tin and organics from copper powders of waste printed circuit boards were removed by the combination method of beneficiation and metallurgy, which provides high quality raw materials for copper pyrometallurgy.

This study was attempted to explore what sorts of linguaculture potentials had been manifested by English language lecturers, and how did the lectures manifest the linguaculture potentials in English class. In general, this study applied qualitative research thoroughly. Data collection was collected in in-class observation, in which seven classes had been observed in a sum. Coding derived from the in-class observation transcript was separately analyzed, by then findings were synthesized as themes to illustrate the main points of linguaculture implements in English class. Based on the themes, there were two aspects presented from the findings. The first one was the ways of linguaculture incorporation, and second was the content of linguaculture incorporation. The study suggested the innovation in linguaculture implemented English teaching. Keywords: key words, linguaculture implements, effect, English class DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-33-02 Publication date: November 30th 2020

This study was attempted to explore what sorts of linguaculture potentials had been manifested by English language lecturers, and how did the lectures manifest the linguaculture potentials in English class. In general, this study applied qualitative research thoroughly. Data collection was collected in in-class observation, in which seven classes had been observed in a sum. Coding derived from the in-class observation transcript was separately analyzed, by then findings were synthesized as themes to illustrate the main points of linguaculture implements in English class. Based on the themes, there were two aspects presented from the findings. The first one was the ways of linguaculture incorporation, and second was the content of linguaculture incorporation. The study suggested the innovation in linguaculture implemented English teaching. Keywords: key words, linguaculture implements, effect, English class DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-33-02 Publication date: November 30th 2020

This study was attempted to define to the language learning and teaching practice of the English lecturer had been influenced by personal foreign study experience, and also the student’s attitude toward the foreign study experienced lecturer in class. Since the researcher immersed into the phenomena to collect first-hand data, therefore a qualitative research was applied in this study, to assume dynamic reality initially. Totally, 6 lecturers and 9 students had interviewed in random. By analyzing the data, the outcomes of the study presented that the lecturers’ English learning and teaching performance were influenced by personal study experiences at abroad in different aspects, which inspired the lecturers in teaching innovation in certain areas. And most of the students expressed positive attitude towards those lecturers who had foreign study experienced and claimed personal concerns and suggestions on these lecturers. Eventually, these impacts also contributed to the innovations in English teaching concepts, English teaching methods, and English teaching skills. Finally, findings from the students’ interview also suggested practical concerns on the foreign- experienced lecturers in real teaching. Keywords: key words, foreign study experience affection, students’ attitude DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-32-01 Publication date: November 30th 2020

Objectives: This study depicts the dose-response relationship between blood pressure (BP) during pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes in different trimesters. Study design: We used restricted cubic spline to quantify the dose-response relationship between maternal BP in different trimesters and risk of adverse birth outcomes (small for gestational age, SGA; and pre-term birth, PTB). The data were from the Ma'anshan birth cohort study in China (N = 3273). Main outcome measures: Risk of SGA and PTB. Results: There were dose-response associations of both systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) with risk of SGA in the third trimester and with PTB in both second and third trimesters. In the third trimester, compared with SBP of 120 mmHg, the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of SGA were 1.12 (1.01–1.19), 1.32 (1.10–1.60), 1.65 (1.20–2.27) and 2.05 (1.30–3.24) for SBP of 125, 130, 135 and 140 mmHg, respectively. The corresponding ORs and 95% CIs of PTB were 1.15 (1.00–1.32), 1.59 (1.28–1.98), 2.35 (1.66–3.33) and 3.47 (2.10–5.73), respectively. Compared with DBP of 70 mmHg, the ORs and 95% CIs of SGA were 1.44 (1.16–1.78) and 3.04 (2.06–4.50) for DBP of 80 and 90 mmHg, respectively. The corresponding ORs and 95% CIs of PTB were 1.32 (0.93–1.90) and 3.58 (2.21–5.78), respectively. Conclusions: A consistent set of dose-response relationships between maternal BP and adverse birth outcomes were observed. Most importantly, we found that moderately elevated maternal BP, even within a normal range, increased the risk of adverse birth outcomes.

The Back-n white neutron beam line, which uses back-streaming white neutrons from the spallation target of the China Spallation Neutron Source, is used for nuclear data measurements. A Micromegas-based neutron detector with two variants was specially developed to measure the beam spot distribution for this beam line. In this article, the design, fabrication, and characterization of the detector are described. The results of the detector performance tests are presented, which include the relative electron transparency, the gain and the gain uniformity, and the neutron beam profile reconstruction capability. The result of the first measurement of the Back-n neutron beam spot distribution is also presented., Comment: 31 pages, 18 figures

Context: Maternal Vitamin D insufficiency has been associated with fetal growth restriction. However, the effect of maternal Vitamin D supplementation on fetal growth has not been confirmed. Objective: To assess the effect of maternal Vitamin D supplementation recommended by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) during pregnancy on the neonatal Vitamin D status and the risk of small for gestational age (SGA). Design and Participants: As part of the China-Anhui Birth Cohort study, maternal socio-demographic characteristics, food intake, lifestyle, information on Vitamin D supplementation, and birth outcomes were prospectively collected. For participants, 600 IU/d of Vitamin D3 was routinely advised to take during pregnancy. Cord blood levels of 25-hydroxyVitamin D [25(OH)D], calcium, and phosphorus were measured in 1491 neonates who were divided into three groups based on the duration of maternal Vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy. Results: Mean cord blood concentrations of 25(OH)D were 3.5 nmol/L higher [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.8, 6.2] in neonates (median, 37.9 nmol/L) whose mother took Vitamin D supplementation for >2months during pregnancy compared with those (median, 34.3 nmol/L)whose mother did not take any supplement. These significant differences on cord blood concentrations of 25(OH)D occurred regardless of the season of birth. The adjusted risk of SGA in pregnant women with Vitamin D supplementation for >2 months was significantly decreased than that in women without any Vitamin D supplementation (11.8% vs 6.9%; adjusted odds ratio = 0.53; 95% CI, 0.32, 0.87). Conclusions: The findings from China suggest that maternal Vitamin D supplementation recommended by the IOM results in a slight but significantly higher fetal level of 25(OH)D and improves fetal growth.

Hereditary spastic paraplegias are a large, diverse group of neurological disorders (SPG1-71) with the unifying feature of prominent lower extremity spasticity, owing to a length-dependent axonopathy of corticospinal motor neurons. The most common early-onset form of pure, autosomal dominant hereditary spastic paraplegia is caused by mutation in the ATL1 gene encoding the atlastin-1 GTPase, which mediates homotypic fusion of ER tubules to form the polygonal ER network. We have identified a p.Pro342Ser mutation in a young girl with pure SPG3A. This residue is in a critical hinge region of atlastin-1 between its GTPase and assembly domains, and it is conserved in all known eukaryotic atlastin orthologs. We produced induced pluripotent stem cells from skin fibroblasts and differentiated these into forebrain neurons to generate a human neuronal model for SPG3A. Axons of these SPG3A neurons showed impaired growth, recapitulating axonal defects in atlastin-1-depleted rat cortical neurons and impaired root hair growth in loss-of-function mutants of the ATL1 ortholog rhd3 in the plant Arabidopsis. Both the microtubule cytoskeleton and tubular ER are important for mitochondrial distribution and function within cells, and SPG3A neurons showed alterations in mitochondrial motility. Even so, it is not clear whether this change is involved in disease pathogenesis. The SPG3A axon growth defects could be rescued with microtubule-binding agents, emphasizing the importance of tubular ER interactions with the microtubule cytoskeleton in hereditary spastic paraplegia pathogenesis. The prominent alterations in axon growth in SPG3A neurons may represent a particularly attractive target for suppression in screens for novel pharmacologic agents.

Free to read Background - Little is known about the relation between vitamin D status in early life and neurodevelopment outcomes. Objective - This study was designed to examine the association of cord blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] at birth with neurocognitive development in toddlers. Methods - As part of the China-Anhui Birth Cohort Study, 363 mother-infant pairs with completed data were selected. Concentrations of 25(OH)D in cord blood were measured by radioimmunoassay. Mental development index (MDI) and psychomotor development index (PDI) in toddlers were assessed at age 16–18 mo by using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. The data on maternal sociodemographic characteristics and other confounding factors were also prospectively collected. Results - Toddlers in the lowest quintile of cord blood 25(OH)D exhibited a deficit of 7.60 (95% CI: −12.4, −2.82; P = 0.002) and 8.04 (95% CI: −12.9, −3.11; P = 0.001) points in the MDI and PDI scores, respectively, compared with the reference category. Unexpectedly, toddlers in the highest quintile of cord blood 25(OH)D also had a significant deficit of 12.3 (95% CI: −17.9, −6.67; P < 0.001) points in PDI scores compared with the reference category. Conclusions - This prospective study suggested that there was an inverted-U–shaped relation between neonatal vitamin D status and neurocognitive development in toddlers. Additional studies on the optimal 25(OH)D concentrations in early life are needed.

We determined the association of cord blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] with birth weight and the risk of small for gestational age (SGA). As part of the China-Anhui Birth Cohort (C-ABC) study, we measured cord blood levels of 25(OH)D in 1491 neonates in Hefei, China. The data on maternal sociodemographic characteristics, health status, lifestyle, birth outcomes were prospectively collected. Multiple regression models were used to estimate the association of 25(OH)D levels with birth weight and the risk of SGA. Compared with neonates in the lowest decile of cord blood 25(OH)D levels, neonates in four deciles (the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh deciles) had significantly increased birth weight and decreased risk of SGA. Multiple linear regression models showed that per 10 nmol/L increase in cord blood 25(OH)D, birth weight increased by 61.0 g (95% CI: 31.9, 89.9) at concentrations less than 40 nmol/L, and then decreased by 68.5 g (95% CI: −110.5, −26.6) at concentrations from 40 to 70 nmol/L. This study provides the first epidemiological evidence that there was an inverted U shaped relationship between neonatal vitamin D status and fetal growth, and the risk of SGA reduced at moderate concentration.

We report here the genetic basis for a form of progressive hereditary spastic paraplegia (SPG43) previously described in two Malian sisters. Exome sequencing revealed a homozygous missense variant (c.187G>C; p.Ala63Pro) in C19orf12, a gene recently implicated in neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA). The same mutation was subsequently also found in a Brazilian family with features of NBIA, and we identified another NBIA patient with a three-nucleotide deletion (c.197_199del; p.Gly66del). Haplotype analysis revealed that the p.Ala63Pro mutations have a common origin, but MRI scans showed no brain iron deposition in the Malian SPG43 subjects. Heterologous expression of these SPG43 and NBIA variants resulted in similar alterations in the subcellular distribution of C19orf12. The SPG43 and NBIA variants reported here as well as the most common C19orf12 missense mutation reported in NBIA patients are found within a highly conserved, extended hydrophobic domain in C19orf12, underscoring the functional importance of this domain.

Freeway systems are becoming more congested each day. One contribution to freeway traffic congestion comprises platoons of on-ramp traffic merging into freeway mainlines. As a relatively low-cost countermeasure to the problem, ramp meters are being deployed in both directions of an 11-mile section of I-95 in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The local Fuzzy Logic (FL) ramp metering algorithm implemented in Seattle, Washington, has been selected for deployment. The FL ramp metering algorithm is powered by the Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC). The FLC depends on a series of parameters that can significantly alter the behavior of the controller, thus affecting the performance of ramp meters. However, the most suitable values for these parameters are often difficult to determine, as they vary with current traffic conditions. Thus, for optimum performance, the parameter values must be fine-tuned. This research presents a new method of fine tuning the FLC parameters using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). PSO attempts to optimize several important parameters of the FLC. The objective function of the optimization model incorporates the METANET macroscopic traffic flow model to minimize delay time, subject to the constraints of reasonable ranges of ramp metering rates and FLC parameters. To further improve the performance, a short-term traffic forecasting module using a discrete Kalman filter was incorporated to predict the downstream freeway mainline occupancy. This helps to detect the presence of downstream bottlenecks. The CORSIM microscopic simulation model was selected as the platform to evaluate the performance of the proposed PSO tuning strategy. The ramp-metering algorithm incorporating the tuning strategy was implemented using CORSIM's run-time extension (RTE) and was tested on the aforementioned I-95 corridor. The performance of the FLC with PSO tuning was compared with the performance of the existing FLC without PSO tuning. The results show that the FLC with PSO tuning ou

Freeway systems are becoming more congested each day. One contribution to freeway traffic congestion comprises platoons of on-ramp traffic merging into freeway mainlines. As a relatively low-cost countermeasure to the problem, ramp meters are being deployed in both directions of an 11-mile section of I-95 in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The local Fuzzy Logic (FL) ramp metering algorithm implemented in Seattle, Washington, has been selected for deployment. The FL ramp metering algorithm is powered by the Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC). The FLC depends on a series of parameters that can significantly alter the behavior of the controller, thus affecting the performance of ramp meters. However, the most suitable values for these parameters are often difficult to determine, as they vary with current traffic conditions. Thus, for optimum performance, the parameter values must be fine-tuned. This research presents a new method of fine tuning the FLC parameters using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). PSO attempts to optimize several important parameters of the FLC. The objective function of the optimization model incorporates the METANET macroscopic traffic flow model to minimize delay time, subject to the constraints of reasonable ranges of ramp metering rates and FLC parameters. To further improve the performance, a short-term traffic forecasting module using a discrete Kalman filter was incorporated to predict the downstream freeway mainline occupancy. This helps to detect the presence of downstream bottlenecks. The CORSIM microscopic simulation model was selected as the platform to evaluate the performance of the proposed PSO tuning strategy. The ramp-metering algorithm incorporating the tuning strategy was implemented using CORSIM's run-time extension (RTE) and was tested on the aforementioned I-95 corridor. The performance of the FLC with PSO tuning was compared with the performance of the existing FLC without PSO tuning. The results show that the FLC with PSO tuning ou

A quantitative test of the universality of the FL scaling function for the late stages of microphase separation in paraffin mixtures was performed. Using a scaling function based on a two-phase model with kinetics based on a Cahn-Hilliard equation, the scaled structures of microphase separation in paraffin mixtures were described. At the late stages of the microphase separation the scaling behavior in the paraffin mixtures agreed well with the universal features predicted by the scaling function.

In order to solve the separation problem of rhenium (Re) and molybdenum (Mo) in an aqueous solution system, the medium basic anion exchange resin Purolite A172 was used to separate Re and Mo through the resin selection experiment. The adsorption characteristics of Re and separation behaviour for the Re-Mo system using A172 resin were studied respectively. The results show that the adsorption of Re by A172 resin is an exothermic reaction, the adsorption rate is very fast and the constant is k(298 K)=7.719×10-4 s-1. The adsorption reaction is limited by internal diffusion, and the static saturated adsorption capacity of A172 on Re reaches 340.13 mg/g swollen resin. The maximum adsorption capacity are obtained at pH 9, reciprocating concussion rate of 110 r/min, bath temperature of 25 degrees C and adsorption time of 1 h. Meanwhile, the desorption rate of Re can reach 99.19% when using ammonium thiocyanate as desorption agent with concentration of 2 mol/l, pH 5, reciprocating concussion rate of 150 r/min, bath temperature of 50 degrees C, and desorption time of 5 h. A large amount of Mo will hinder the adsorption of Re. However, with the extension of adsorption time, adsorbed Mo will gradually be replaced by Re, therefore, the separation factor of Re and Mo increases gradually and reaches the maximum value of 1 192. In the desorption experiment, the loaded Mo inhibits the desorption of Re, and the greater the Mo content, the more obvious the inhibition effect., In order to solve the separation problem of rhenium (Re) and molybdenum (Mo) in an aqueous solution system, the medium basic anion exchange resin Purolite A172 was used to separate Re and Mo through the resin selection experiment. The adsorption characteristics of Re and separation behaviour for the Re-Mo system using A172 resin were studied respectively. The results show that the adsorption of Re by A172 resin is an exothermic reaction, the adsorption rate is very fast and the constant is k(298 K)=7.719×10-4 s-1. The adsorption reaction is limited by internal diffusion, and the static saturated adsorption capacity of A172 on Re reaches 340.13 mg/g swollen resin. The maximum adsorption capacity are obtained at pH 9, reciprocating concussion rate of 110 r/min, bath temperature of 25 degrees C and adsorption time of 1 h. Meanwhile, the desorption rate of Re can reach 99.19% when using ammonium thiocyanate as desorption agent with concentration of 2 mol/l, pH 5, reciprocating concussion rate of 150 r/min, bath temperature of 50 degrees C, and desorption time of 5 h. A large amount of Mo will hinder the adsorption of Re. However, with the extension of adsorption time, adsorbed Mo will gradually be replaced by Re, therefore, the separation factor of Re and Mo increases gradually and reaches the maximum value of 1 192. In the desorption experiment, the loaded Mo inhibits the desorption of Re, and the greater the Mo content, the more obvious the inhibition effect.

Desilication experiments were conducted using reverse flotation with the cationic collector GE-609, based on the mineralogical characteristics of the Fe concentrate obtained by magnetic separation at the Jiusteel (Jiuquan Iron and Steel) plant in Gansu, China. The results showed that optimum separation was obtained with 25% neutralisation and that acetic acid was better than hydrochloric acid for the neutralisation of GE-609. The presence of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions had little effect on the behaviour of GE-609. An Fe concentrate with a grade of 61.83% and recovery of 93.47% was obtained in closed-circuit tests using one roughing stage, one concentration stage and four scavenging stages. The tests were carried out in hard water and confirmed that the collector was effective under these conditions., Desilication experiments were conducted using reverse flotation with the cationic collector GE-609, based on the mineralogical characteristics of the Fe concentrate obtained by magnetic separation at the Jiusteel (Jiuquan Iron and Steel) plant in Gansu, China. The results showed that optimum separation was obtained with 25% neutralisation and that acetic acid was better than hydrochloric acid for the neutralisation of GE-609. The presence of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions had little effect on the behaviour of GE-609. An Fe concentrate with a grade of 61.83% and recovery of 93.47% was obtained in closed-circuit tests using one roughing stage, one concentration stage and four scavenging stages. The tests were carried out in hard water and confirmed that the collector was effective under these conditions.