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Abstract Background Changes in the oxidative stress and lipid metabolism (OSLM) pathways play important roles in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) pathogenesis and development. Consequently, a systematic analysis of genes related to OSLM was conducted to identify molecular clusters and explore new biomarkers that are helpful for the diagnostic of PCOS. Methods Gene expression and clinical data from 22 PCOS women and 14 normal women were obtained from the GEO database (GSE34526, GSE95728, and GSE106724). Consensus clustering identified OSLM-related molecular clusters, and WGCNA revealed co-expression patterns. The immune microenvironment was quantitatively assessed utilizing the CIBERSORT algorithm. Multiple machine learning models and connectivity map analyses were subsequently applied to explore potential biomarkers for PCOS, and nomograms were employed to develop a predictive multigene model of PCOS. Finally, the OSLM status of PCOS and the hub genes expression profiles were preliminarily verified using TUNEL, qRT‒PCR, western blot, and IHC assays in a PCOS mouse model. Results 19 differential expression genes (DEGs) related to OSLM were identified. Based on 19 DEGs that were strongly influenced by OSLM, PCOS patients were stratified into two distinct clusters, designated Cluster 1 and Cluster 2. Distinct differences in the immune cell proportions existed in normal and two PCOS clusters. The random forest showed the best results, with the least cross-entropy and the utmost AUC (cross-entropy: 0.111 AUC: 0.960). Among the 19 OSLM-related genes, CXCR1, ACP5, CEACAM3, S1PR4, and TCF7 were identified by a Bayesian network and had a good fit with PCOS disease risk by the nomogram (AUC: 0.990 CI: 0.968–1.000). TUNEL assays revealed more severe DNA damage within the ovarian granule cells of PCOS mice than in those of normal mice (P

Background: Dysregulation of RNA guanine-7 methyltransferase (RNMT) plays a crucial role in the tumor progression and immune responses. However, the detailed role of RNMT in pan-cancer is still unknown. Methods: Bulk transcriptomic data of pan-cancer were obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), and Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) databases. Single-cell transcriptomic and proteomics data of lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) were analyzed in the Tumor Immune Single-cell Hub 2 (TISCH2) and Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) databases, respectively. The correlation between RNMT expression and cancer prognosis was analyzed by Cox proportional hazards regression and Kaplan–Meier analyses. The correlation of RNMT expression with common immunoregulators, tumor mutation burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), mismatch repair (MMR), and DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) was analyzed. Additionally, the correlation between RNMT expression and immune infiltration level was evaluated. A total of 1287 machine learning combinations were used to construct prognostic models for LUSC. qRT-PCR and Western blot were used to validate the bioinformatics findings of RNMT upregulation in LUSC. Results: RNMT was widely expressed across different cancers, with significant correlation to prognosis in cancers such as kidney chromophobe (KICH) (p = 0.0033, HR = 7.12), liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) (p = 0.01, HR = 1.41), and others. Notably, RNMT participates in the regulation of the tumor microenvironment. RNMT expression positively correlated with immune cell expression (Spearman’s rank correlation, p

Despite extensive investigations, urosepsis remains a life-threatening and high-mortality illness. The absence of widely acknowledged animal models for urosepsis prompted this investigation with the objective of formulating a replicable murine model. Eighty-four adult male C57BL/6J mice were arbitrarily distributed into three cohorts based on the concentration of the Escherichia coli (E. coli) solution administered into the renal pelvis: Sham, Low-grade sepsis (1.0 × 108 cfu/mL), and High-grade sepsis (1.0 × 109 cfu/mL). By fabricating a glass needle with a 100 μm outer diameter, bacterial leakage during renal pelvic injection was minimized. After the ureteral ligation, the mice were injected with this needle into the right renal pelvis (normal saline or E. coli solution, 1 ml/kg). Ten days post after E. coli injection, the mortality rates for the Low-grade sepsis and High-grade sepsis groups stood at 30 % and 100 %, respectively. Post-successful modeling, mice in the urosepsis cohort exhibited a noteworthy reduction in activity, body temperature, and white blood cell count within a 2-h timeframe. At the 24-h mark post-modeling, mice afflicted with urosepsis displayed compromised coagulation functionality. Concurrently, multiple organ dysfunction was confirmed as evidenced by markedly elevated levels of inflammatory factors (IL-6 and TNF-α) in four distinct organs (heart, lung, liver, and kidney). This study confirmed the feasibility of establishing a standardized mouse model of urosepsis by ureteral ligation and E. coli injection into the renal pelvis. A primary drawback of this model resides in the mice's diminished blood volume, rendering continuous blood extraction at multiple intervals challenging.

Abstract Background Increasing epidemiological studies demonstrated that modifiable risk factors affected the risk of kidney stones. We aimed to systemically assess these causal associations using a bidirectional Mendelian randomization study. Methods We obtained instrumental variables related to each exposure at the genome-wide significant threshold (P

AGIs (agricultural geographical indicators) are effective quality signals that can improve market welfare, but few studies have investigated the impact of AGIs on economic development. To fill this gap, this paper explores the impact of AGIs on per capita GDP and its mechanisms, according to country-level data in China from 2000 to 2018. For every additional AGI in the country, GDP per capita increased by 0.2–0.4%. Our conclusion remained reliable after various robustness tests. These effects were more salient in western areas, the main grain-producing areas, and settled areas. AGIs related to aquatic environments, animal husbandry, and planting products promoted economic development most significantly. For these effects, encouraging an increase in agricultural value (improving the quantity and quality of products) and promoting the agglomeration of populations, capital, and enterprises in the agricultural sector were the main mechanisms.

Abstract Background Vascular remodelling is an essential pathophysiological state in many circulatory diseases. Abnormal vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) behaviour leads to neointimal formation and may eventually results in major adverse cardiovascular events. The C1q/TNF‐related protein (C1QTNF) family is closely associated with cardiovascular disease. Notably, C1QTNF4 has unique two C1q domains. However, the role of C1QTNF4 in vascular diseases remains unclear. Methods C1QTNF4 expression was detected in human serum and artery tissues using ELISA and multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF) staining. Scratch assay, transwell assay and confocal microscopy were used to investigate C1QTNF4 effects on VSMC migration. EdU incorporation, MTT assay and cell counting experiment revealed C1QTNF4 effects on VSMC proliferation. C1QTNF4‐transgenic, C1QTNF4−/− and AAV9‐mediated VSMC‐specific C1QTNF4 restoration C1QTNF4−/‐ mouse and rat disease models were generated. RNA‐seq, quantitative real‐time PCR, western blot, mIF, proliferation and migration assays were used to investigate the phenotypic characteristics and underlying mechanisms. Results Serum C1QTNF4 levels were decreased in patients with arterial stenosis. C1QTNF4 shows colocalisation with VSMC in human renal arteries. In vitro, C1QTNF4 inhibits VSMC proliferation and migration and alters VSMC phenotype. In vivo, an adenovirus‐infected rat balloon injury model, C1QTNF4‐transgenic and C1QTNF4−/− mouse wire‐injury models with or without VSMC‐specific C1QTNF4 restoration were established to mimic the VSMC repair and remodelling. The results show that C1QTNF4 decreases intimal hyperplasia. Especially, we displayed the rescue effect of C1QTNF4 in vascular remodelling using AAV vectors. Next, transcriptome analysis of artery tissue identified the potential mechanism. In vitro and in vivo experiments confirm that C1QTNF4 ameliorates neointimal formation and maintains vascular morphology by downregulating the FAK/PI3K/AKT pathway. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that C1QTNF4 is a novel inhibitor of VSMC proliferation and migration that acts by downregulating the FAK/PI3K/AKT pathway, thus protecting blood vessels from abnormal neointima formation. These results provide new insights into promising potent treatments for vascular stenosis diseases.

Abstract Background Identifying cellular and functional heterogeneity within aged prostate is critical for understanding the spatial distribution of prostate diseases. Methods Aged human prostate peripheral zone (PZ) and transitional zone (TZ) tissues were used for single‐cell RNA‐sequencing. Results were validated by immunofluorescence staining. Results We found that club/hillock epithelial cells, compared with other epithelial cells, had significantly higher NOTCH signaling activity and expressed higher levels of neuro‐stems but lower androgen‐related genes. These cells were primarily found in the TZ and provided a stem‐like niche around the proximal prostate ducts. Significant heterogeneity was observed in the aged luminal population. A novel TFF3+ luminal subtype with elevated MYC and E2F pathway activities was observed, primarily in the PZ. Further analysis revealed that epithelial cells in the TZ had higher levels of stem‐ and inflammation‐related pathway activities but lower androgen/lineage‐related pathway activities than those in the PZ. Notably, the activation of MYC, E2F and DNA repair pathways significantly increased in PZ luminal cells. In the immune landscape, we found that the immune microenvironment in the TZ is more complex and disordered with more infiltration of NK and Treg cells. CD8 T cell and macrophage in the TZ exhibit both inflammation activation and suppression phenotypes. In the stroma, the TZ had a higher fibroblast density, and fibroblasts in the TZ exhibited stronger transcriptome activity in immunity and proliferation. Ligand–receptor interaction analysis revealed that fibroblasts could contribute to a NOTCH signaling niche for club/hillock cells in the TZ and balance the prostate immune microenvironment. The activation of stem properties, inflammatory infiltration and loss of androgen/lineage activity are prominent features distinguishing the TZ from PZ. Conclusions Our study explains the heterogeneity between the TZ and PZ of aged prostate, which may help understand the spatial distribution of prostate diseases and establish a foundation for novel target discovery.

Prostate cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in men. Pyroptosis is related to tumor immune infiltration and tumor microenvironment (TME) and has been confirmed to be related to the progression of a variety of tumors. However, the relationship between prostate cancer and pyroptosis, as well as TME and tumor immune infiltration, has not been discussed yet. We obtained and combined the RNA-seq data of prostate cancer from TCGA and GEO databases, analyzed the differential expression of pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs), and divided them into two groups according to the PRG expression level. The relationship between pyroptosis subtypes and the TME of prostate cancer was further verified, and the differential expression genes (DEGs) in the two subtypes were identified. The relationship between the DEGs and clinicopathology was explored and KEGG and GO enrichment analysis was conducted; it was found that most DEGs were enriched in immune-related pathways. Then, we randomly divided datasets into training and testing sets, performed the LASSO and multicox progression analysis, selected eight genes as prognostic signatures and used the eight genes, calculated the risk score, and then separated the entire cohort into high- and low-risk groups. The prognosis between two groups and the 1-, 3-, and 5-year ROC curves of biochemical relapse (BCR) were verified in training, testing, and the entire cohort, respectively. The TME, CSC index, mutation, and drug susceptibility were also discussed.

Background: The effect of the adenoviral early region 2 binding factors (E2Fs) target pathway on prostate cancer is not clear. It is necessary to establish an E2F target-related gene signature to predict prognosis and facilitate clinical decision-making.Methods: An E2F target-related gene signature was established by univariate and LASSO Cox regression analyses, and its predictive ability was verified in multiple cohorts. Moreover, the enrichment pathway, immune microenvironment, and drug sensitivity of the activated E2F target pathway were also explored.Results: The E2F target-related gene signature consisted of MXD3, PLK1, EPHA10, and KIF4A. The patients with high-risk scores showed poor prognosis, therapeutic resistance, and immunosuppression, along with abnormal growth characteristics of cells. Tinib drugs showed high sensitivity to the expression of MXD3 and EPHA10 genes.Conclusion: Our research established an E2F target-related signature for predicting the prognosis of prostate cancer. This study provides insights into formulating individualized detection and treatment as well as provides a theoretical basis for future research.

Background: Systemic metastasis is the main cause of death in patients with prostate cancer. It is necessary to establish a more accurate model to distinguish and predict patients with a high risk of metastasis to optimize individualized treatment.Methods: In this study, it was determined that hypoxia could affect the metastasis-free survival of patients with prostate cancer, and a hypoxia-related gene signature composed of seven genes for predicting metastasis was established and verified in different cohorts. The study further evaluated the effects of ALDOB expression on the proliferation and invasion of the LNCaP and DU145 cell lines under hypoxia and finally constructed a nomogram containing specific clinical characteristics of prostate cancer combined with the hypoxia gene signature to quantify the metastasis risk of individual patients.Results: The hypoxia-related gene signature was identified as an independent risk factor for metastasis-free survival in patients with prostate cancer. The expression of ALDOB increased under hypoxia and promoted the proliferation and invasion of LNCaP and DU145 cells. In addition, patients with a high risk score showed therapeutic resistance and immunosuppression. Compared with other parameters, the nomogram had the strongest predictive power and net clinical benefit.Conclusion: The study established a hypoxia-related gene signature and a nomogram to distinguish and predict patients with a high risk of prostate cancer metastasis, which may help to optimize individualized treatment and explore possible therapeutic targets.

Copper oxide nanoparticles (nano-CuO) are recognized as an emerging pollutant. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can mitigate the adverse impacts of various pollutants on host plants. However, AMF’s mechanism for alleviating nano-CuO phytotoxicity remains unclear. The goal of this study was to evaluate how AMF inoculations affect the physiological features of Canna indica seedlings exposed to nano-CuO stress. Compared with the non-AMF inoculated treatment, AMF inoculations noticeably improved plant biomass, mycorrhizal colonization, leaf chlorophyll contents, and the photosynthetic parameters of C. indica under nano-CuO treatments. Moreover, AMF inoculation was able to significantly mitigate nano-CuO stress by enhancing antioxidant enzyme activities and decreasing ROS levels in the leaves and roots of C. indica, thus increasing the expression of genes involved in the antioxidant response. In addition, AMF inoculation reduced the level of Cu in seedlings and was associated with an increased expression of Cu transport genes and metallothionein genes. Furthermore, AMF inoculations increased the expression levels of organic acid metabolism-associated genes while facilitating organic acid secretion, thus reducing the accumulation of Cu. The data demonstrate that AMF–plant symbiosis is a feasible biocontrol approach to remediate nano-CuO pollution.

Abstract Due to the richness of natural image semantics, natural image colourisation is a challenging problem. Existing methods often suffer from semantic confusion due to insufficient semantic understanding, resulting in unreasonable colour assignments, especially at the edges of objects. This phenomenon is referred to as colour bleeding. The authors have found that using the self‐attention mechanism benefits the model's understanding and recognition of object semantics. However, this leads to another problem in colourisation, namely dull colour. With this in mind, a Position‐Spatial Attention Network(PSANet) is proposed to address the colour bleeding and the dull colour. Firstly, a novel new attention module called position‐spatial attention module (PSAM) is introduced. Through the proposed PSAM module, the model enhances the semantic understanding of images while solving the dull colour problem caused by self‐attention. Then, in order to further prevent colour bleeding on object boundaries, a gradient‐aware loss is proposed. Lastly, the colour bleeding phenomenon is further improved by the combined effect of gradient‐aware loss and edge‐aware loss. Experimental results show that this method can reduce colour bleeding largely while maintaining good perceptual quality.

Abstract Objectives This study aims to investigate molecular epidemiology and clinical characteristics of enterovirus associated hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) in Chengdu, China, 2013–2022. Monitoring the molecular epidemiology and clinical features of HFMD for up to 10 years may provide some ideas for future protection and control measures. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of the medical records of all patients with laboratory-confirmed HFMD-related enterovirus infection at the West China Second University Hospital from January 2013 to December 2022. We described the characteristics in serotype, age, sex distribution and hospitalization of enterovirus infection cases using data analysis and graphic description. Results A total of 29,861 laboratory-confirmed cases of HFMD-related enterovirus infection were reported from 2013 to 2022. There was a significant reduction in the number and proportion of EV-A71 cases after 2016, from 1713 cases (13.60%) in 2013–2015 to 150 cases (1.83%) in 2017–2019. During the COVID-19 pandemic, EV-A71 cases even disappeared. The proportion of CV-A16 cases decreased from 13.96% in 2013–2015 to 10.84% in 2017–2019 and then to 4.54% in 2020–2022. Other (non-EV-A71 and non-CV-A16) serotypes accounted for 95.45% during 2020–2022, with CV-A6 accounting for 50.39% and CV-A10 accounting for 10.81%. Thus, CV-A6 and CV-A10 became the main prevalent serotypes. Furthermore, There was no significant difference in the enterovirus prevalence rate between males and females. The hospitalization rate of EV-A71 patients was higher that of other serotypes. In general, the proportion of HFMD hospitalizations caused by other pathogens except for EV-A71, CV-A16, CV-A10 and CV-A16 was second only to that caused by EV-A71. The proportion of children over 4 years old infected with enterovirus increased. Conclusion The incidence of HFMD associated with enterovirus infection has decreased significantly and CV-A6 has been the main pathogen of HFMD in Chengdu area in recent years. The potential for additional hospitalizations for other untested enterovirus serotypes suggested that attention should also be paid to the harms of infections with unknown enterovirus serotypes. Children with HFMD were older. The development of new diagnostic reagents and vaccines may play an important role in the prevention and control of enterovirus infection.

Abstract Objective To investigate the correlation between positional skull deformation (PD) and motor performance of infants under 4 months of age. Methods Infants aged under 4 months were enrolled in the children’s healthcare and the premature infants follow-up Clinic of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Army Military Medical University. The cranial vault asymmetry (CVA) and cephalic index (CI) were calculated in all infants, and the infant motor performance test (TIMP) was used to evaluate the infant motor performance. The motor performances of infants with different types and degrees of PD were compared, so were the incidences of PD in infants with different motor performance levels. Results Overall, 2118 infants were recruited and divided according to the types of PD and TIMP scores. The comparison of TIMP scores within different types of PD at different months of age showed that, regardless of the types of PD, TIMP scores of infants with PD were lower than those of normal infants. In particular, the difference in TIMP scores was statistically significant (P

BackgroundVisceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a neglected vector-borne tropical disease caused by Leishmania donovani (L. donovani) and Leishmania infantum (L. infantum). Due to the very small dimensions of the protozoa impounded within blood cells and reticuloendothelial structure, diagnosing VL remains challenging.Case presentationHerein, we reported a case of VL in a 17-month-old boy with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The patient was admitted to West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, due to repeated fever after chemotherapy. After admission, chemotherapy-related bone marrow suppression and infection were suspected based on clinical symptoms and laboratory test results. However, there was no growth in the conventional peripheral blood culture, and the patient was unresponsive to routine antibiotics. Metagenomics next-generation sequencing (mNGS) of peripheral blood identified 196123 L. donovani reads, followed by Leishmania spp amastigotes using cytomorphology examination of the bone marrow specimen. The patient was given pentavalent antimonials as parasite-resistant therapy for 10 days. After the initial treatment, 356 L. donovani reads were still found in peripheral blood by mNGS. Subsequently, the anti-leishmanial drug amphotericin B was administrated as rescue therapy, and the patient was discharged after a clinical cure.ConclusionOur results indicated that leishmaniasis still exists in China. Unbiased mNGS provided a clinically actionable diagnosis of a specific infectious disease from an uncommon pathogen that eluded conventional testing.

Prostate cancer is the second-most common malignancy of the male genitourinary system. TNF-α has attracted intense attention as a potential therapeutic agent against various cancers. However, its therapeutic application is restricted by short half life and severe toxic side-effects. In this study, we constructed a stable nanodrug, called TNF-α-derived polypeptide (P16)-conjugated, chitosan (CTS)-modified selenium nanoparticle (SC; SCP), which is composed of SC as a slow-release carrier conjugated to P16. SCP had significant inhibitory effects on multiple types of tumor cells, especially DU145 prostate cancer cells, but not on RWPE-1 normal human prostate epithelial cells. SCP could induce G0/G1 cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in DU145 cells more effectively than could P16 and TNF-α. In DU145 xenograft tumor models, SCP exerted much stronger antitumor effects than P16 or estramustine (the clinical drug for prostate cancer) but caused fewer toxic side-effects. In addition, SCP significantly inhibited proliferation and accelerated apoptosis in DU145 xenograft tumors. Further mechanistic studies revealed that SCP exerted antitumor effects via activation of the p38 MAPK/JNK pathway, thus inducing G0/G1 cell-cycle arrest and caspase-dependent apoptosis. These findings suggest that SCP may represent a potential long-lasting therapeutic agent for human prostate cancer with fewer side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Lichens are well known as pioneer organisms or stress-tolerant extremophiles, potentially playing a core role in the early formation of terrestrial ecosystems. Epiphytic macrolichens are known to contribute to the water- and nutrient cycles in forest ecosystem. But due to the scarcity of fossil record, the evolutionary history of epiphytic macrolichens is poorly documented. Based on new fossil of Jurassic Daohugouthallus ciliiferus, we demonstrate the hitherto oldest known macrolichen inhabited a gymnosperm branch. We applied energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and geometric morphometric analysis to complementarily verify lichen affinity of D. ciliiferus and quantitatively assess the potential relationships with extant lichenized lineages, providing new approaches for study of this lichen adpression fossil. Considering the results, and the inferred age of D. ciliiferus, a new family, Daohugouthallaceae, is established. This work updates current knowledge to the early evolution of epiphytic macrolichens and reveals more complex lichen-plant interactions in a Jurassic forest ecosystem.

Abstract Background Infection prevention and control (IPC) measures are crucial to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to explore the levels and determinants of HCWs’ IPC behaviors based on the theoretical domains framework (TDF), which has been shown to be effective in guiding behavior change. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Wuhan, China in January 2020. Self-reported hand hygiene and droplet isolation behaviors (including the use of masks, gloves, goggles and gowns) were set as dependent variables. TDF domains and HCWs’ characteristics were independent variables. Negative binomial regression analyses were performed to explore their relationships. Results HCWs reported good IPC behaviors, while the compliance with goggle and gown use was relatively low (below 85%). Environmental context and resources domain was significantly related to hand hygiene (β = 0.018, p = 0.026), overall droplet isolation behaviors (β = 0.056, p = 0.001), goggle (β = 0.098, p = 0.001) and gown use (β = 0.101. p

BackgroundsA significant proportion of breast cancer patients showed receptor discordance between primary cancers and breast cancer brain metastases (BCBM), which significantly affected therapeutic decision-making. But it was not always feasible to obtain BCBM tissues. The aim of the present study was to analyze the receptor status of primary breast cancer and matched brain metastases and establish radiomic signatures to predict the receptor status of BCBM.MethodsThe receptor status of 80 matched primary breast cancers and resected brain metastases were retrospectively analyzed. Radiomic features were extracted using preoperative brain MRI (contrast-enhanced T1-weighted imaging, T2-weighted imaging, T2 fluid-attenuated inversion recovery, and combinations of these sequences) collected from 68 patients (45 and 23 for training and test sets, respectively) with BCBM excision. Using least absolute shrinkage selection operator and logistic regression model, the machine learning-based radiomic signatures were constructed to predict the estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status of BCBM.ResultsDiscordance between the primary cancer and BCBM was found in 51.3% of patients, with 27.5%, 27.5%, and 5.0% discordance for ER, PR, and HER2, respectively. Loss of receptor expression was more common (33.8%) than gain (18.8%). The radiomic signatures built using combination sequences had the best performance in the training and test sets. The combination model yielded AUCs of 0.89, 0.88, and 0.87, classification sensitivities of 71.4%, 90%, and 87.5%, specificities of 81.2%, 76.9%, and 71.4%, and accuracies of 78.3%, 82.6%, and 82.6% for ER, PR, and HER2, respectively, in the test set.ConclusionsReceptor conversion in BCBM was common, and radiomic signatures show potential for noninvasively predicting BCBM receptor status.

Abstract A bidirectional multi‐resonant DC/DC converter is proposed in this study. The structure of the converter is symmetrical, and the operating characteristics of the bidirectional operation mode are the same. Adopting synchronous driving, the converter can regulate the output voltage over a wide range. Regardless of a forward mode or reverse mode, the switches of the converter can realise zero‐voltage switching over the entire voltage range. The gain of the converter can be zero due to its characteristics similar to the notch filtre. The converter can transmit the fundamental wave and the third harmonic at the same time, and the energy utilisation rate is high. The converter has a wide voltage range and high efficiency at the same time. A 3.3 kW experimental prototype is designed. In forward mode, the secondary‐side voltage varies from 250 to 450 V, and the peak efficiency is 97.7%. In reverse mode, the secondary‐side voltage varies from 300 to 450 V, and the peak efficiency is 97.6%.

At present, people mainly rely on traditional try-on to observe the effect of clothes, and the research on how to make clothe virtual try-on on the image of characters through the computer has gradually become a hot topic. The results of the existing methods of virtual fitting show that the details of characters are lost and the features of non-fitting areas are changed, which affect the appearance of clothes and the judgment of tryers on clothes. Aiming at the above problems, a try on method combining style transformation and local rendering was proposed. First of all, in order to ensure the accuracy of try-on, a strategy of pixel-level semantic segmentation of human image was proposed to find the location of clothing area, and at the same time provide the implementation conditions for local rendering; Second, in order to realize try-on between different clothing styles, a learnable style transformation module was constructed; Again, in order to make the clothing better fit the body shape of the tryer, a learnable clothing deformation module was proposed; Finally, in order to retain the original details of the characters and maintain the appearance of the fitting image, a local rendering strategy was proposed, which only renders the clothing area to ensure that the details of non-fitting area will not be lost. The experimental results show that the method has a significant effect in maintaining details such as characters’ arms, hands, and other aspects. In addition to fitting area, the feature information of non-fitting area is better preserved, and the image is more realistic and of fidelity after fitting. This method was applied to the try-on task for the first time, which solves the problem that try-on cannot be done correctly when the pose is complex, so that it can meet the requirements of multi-pose try-on in daily scenarios, and also provide new research ideas for virtual try-on field.

Abstract Background Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-targeted therapy is effective in patients with ovarian cancer. Whether adipose tissue (AT) could predict the efficacy of VEGF receptor (VEGFR) inhibitors in ovarian cancer is unknown. We aimed to evaluate the ability of distinct AT depots to predict the efficacy of apatinib, a VEGFR inhibitor, in recurrent ovarian cancers included in the AEROC trial. Methods The AEROC was a single-arm phase 2 trial of apatinib and oral etoposide in patients with platinum-resistant or platinum-refractory ovarian cancer. Apatinib was administered continuously, and oral etoposide was administered every 21 days for a maximum of six cycles. This was a post hoc study based on the AEROC trial. Areas of visceral AT (VAT), subcutaneous AT (SAT), and intermuscular AT (IMAT) were measured using computed tomography scan at baseline to assess their association with the objective response rate, progression-free survival, and overall survival. Results Of the 35 treated patients, 31 patients with at least one post-baseline efficacy assessment by computed tomography scan were included in this study. After adjusting for apatinib exposure, high VAT (odds ratio [OR], 0.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.03–0.90, P = 0.037) and SAT (OR, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.03–0.87, P = 0.034) were significantly associated with a higher objective response rate. Further, decreased risks of disease progression and death were associated with high VAT (hazard ratio [HR], 0.39; 95% CI, 0.17–0.92, P = 0.031, and HR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.04–0.40, P

Abstract Background COVID-19 arise global attention since their first public reporting. Infection prevention and control (IPC) is critical to combat COVID-19, especially at the early stage of pandemic outbreak. This study aimed to measure level of healthcare workers’ (HCW’) self-reported IPC behaviors with the risk of COVID-19 emerges and increases. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in two tertiary hospitals. A structured self-administered questionnaire was delivered to HCWs in selected hospitals. The dependent variables were self-reported IPC behavior compliance; and independent variables were outbreak risk and three intent of infection risk (risk of contact with suspected patients, high-risk department, risk of affected area). Chi-square tests and multivariable negative binomial regression models were employed. Results A total of 1386 participants were surveyed. The risk of outbreak increased self-reported IPC behavior on each item (coefficient varied from 0.029 to 0.151). Considering different extent of risk, HCWs from high-risk department had better self-reported practice in most IPC behavior (coefficient ranged from 0.027 to 0.149). HCWs in risk-affected area had higher self-reported compliance in several IPC behavior (coefficient ranged from 0.028 to 0.113). However, HCWs contacting with suspected patients had lower self-reported compliance in several IPC behavior (coefficient varied from − 0.159 to − 0.087). Conclusions With the risk of COVID-19 emerges, HCWs improve IPC behaviors comprehensively, which benefits for better combat COVID-19. With the risk (high-risk department and affected area) further increases, majority of IPC behaviors achieved improvement. Nevertheless, under the risk of contact with suspected patients, HCWs show worse IPC behaviors. Which may result from higher work load and insufficient supplies and resources among these HCWs. The preparedness system should be improved and medical assistance is urgently needed.

In this study, two new species, Peltula confusa Q.X. Yang & X.L. Wei, sp. nov., growing in a dry microenvironment within a semi-humid area, and Peltula subpatellata Q.X. Yang & X.L. Wei, sp. nov., occurring in arid and semi-arid regions, are described. In addition, two species, P. polyspora (Tuck.) Wetmore and P. obscuratula (Nyl.) Poelt ex Egea, are recorded for the first time in China. All four species are described based on morphological, anatomical and molecular data. Peltula confusa is characterized by a lighter, brighter, and more yellowish upper surface than other species of this genus, with discs concentrated in the central part of squamules, and a thick lower cortex. Peltula subpatellata can be distinguished from P. patellata (Bagl.) Swinscow & Krog by its non-thickened and sometimes darkened margins and sometimes the presence of peltate squamules. Phylogenetic analysis based on DNA sequences of four loci (ITS, nrSSU, nrLSU, and RPB2) demonstrates the placement of these species within Peltula, and supports current species delimitations. We suggest that the growth substrate should be considered as an additional characteristic for species delimitation.

Abstract Background To investigate whether the relative computed tomography (CT) value (rCT) of adjacent pancreatic parenchyma can distinguish focal‐type autoimmune pancreatitis (fAIP) from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Methods A total of 13 patients with fAIP and 20 patients with PDAC were included in this study. The rCT was calculated as the ratio of the CT value of adjacent pancreatic parenchyma to that of muscle. The diagnostic performance of rCT for discriminating fAIP from PDAC was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results Both fAIP and PDAC presented hyper‐fibrosis histologically and delayed enhancement on CT examination. Moreover, the pancreatic parenchyma of fAIP presented serious inflammation. The mean rCT of the parenchyma was significantly lower in fAIP than in PDAC in all phases. The best diagnostic performance of the rCT value was found in the pancreatic phase, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.912, while the areas under the ROC curve of the portal and delayed phases were 0.812 and 0.754, respectively. The optimal cut‐off value for distinguishing fAIP from PDAC was 1.62 in the pancreatic phase. Conclusions The rCT of the pancreatic parenchyma during the pancreatic phase may be a feasible CT feature for differentiating fAIP from PDAC.

Verrucariaceae is the third-largest lichen family with high species diversity. However, this diversity has not been well-explored in China. We carried out a wide-scale field investigation in the arid and semi-arid regions of Northwest China from 2017 to 2021. A large number of lichen groups, especially those commonly distributed in deserts, were collected. Based on molecular phylogeny using ITS and nuLSU sequences by Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses, combining morphological characters, seven taxa of catapyrenioid lichens in Verricariaceae were found in this study, including one genus (Clavascidium) and one species (Clavascidium lacinulatum) new to China; one genus (Placidium) new to the mainland of China; and four species (Clavascidium sinense, Placidium nitidulum, Placidium nigrum, and Placidium varium) new to science. It enriched our understanding of the high species diversity in Verrucariaceae and the lichen flora of Chinese arid and semi-arid deserts.

BackgroundIrrational use of antimicrobial agents for gastrointestinal diseases deserves attention, but corresponding antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) are generally not a priority for managers. We conducted this study to evaluate the effectiveness of multifaceted pharmacist-led (MPL) interventions in the gastroenterology ward (GW) to provide evidence for the efficacy of ASPs in a non-priority department.MethodsThis was an interventional, retrospective study implemented in China. The MPL intervention lasting 1.5 years involved daily ward rounds with physicians, regular review of medical orders, monthly indicator feedback, frequent physician training, and necessary patient education. Data on all hospitalized adults receiving antibiotics was extracted from the hospital information system over a 36-month period from January 2016 to December 2018. Segmented regression analysis of interrupted time series was performed to evaluate the effect of the MPL interventions (started in July 2017) on antibiotic use and length of hospital stay, which was calculated monthly as analytical units.ResultsA total of 1763 patients receiving antibiotics were enrolled. Segmented regression models showed descending trends from the baseline in the intensity of antibiotic consumption (coefficient = −0.88, p = 0.01), including a significant decline in the level of change of the proportion of patients receiving combined antibiotics (coefficient = −9.91, p = 0.03) and average length of hospital stay (coefficient = −1.79, p = 0.00), after MPL interventions. The MPL interventions led to a temporary increase in the proportion of patients receiving antibiotics (coefficient = 4.95, p = 0.038), but this was part of a declining secular trend (coefficient = −0.45, p = 0.05).ConclusionThe MPL interventions led a statistically significant decline in the number of patients receiving antibiotics, the antibiotic consumption, and the average hospital stay post-intervention compared to the pre-intervention phase of the study. Health policymakers should actively practice MPL interventions by clinical pharmacists in ASPs in those departments that are not included in priority management.

The genus Peltula is an important cyanobacterial lichen group. We performed a taxonomic study on the Peltula from China using phylogenetic analysis based on three gene loci (ITS, nuSSU, nuLSU) together with additional species delimitation analyses by ABGD, bPTP and GMYC approaches and the phenotypic characteristics. Five new species (Peltula lobulata, P. polycarpa, P. polyphylla, P. pseudoboletiformis and P. submarginata) were found and described. Peltula lobulata is diagnostic in its small thallus with plenty of lobules, rolled down and irregularly lobed margins, and uneven cracked surfaces. Peltula polycarpa has convex and rolled down lobes and numerous apothecia with a thalloid rim covering the whole lobe, and it can be distinguished from fertile P. farinosa (southern Switzerland) by a bright olive-green and epruinose surface, and the absence of isidia. Peltula polyphylla is differentiated from any other known Peltula species by a very small polyphyllous thallus composed of abundant olive-brown to olive-black small lobes growing tightly and sometimes anastomosing and attaching to the substrate by a large and strong umbilical cluster. Peltula submarginata is similar to P. marginata but differs in the presence of encircled epinecral and algae layers, and the absence of a lower cortex. Peltula pseudoboletiformis is different from the similar species P. boletiformis in greener lobes, more yellow–green umbilici and certain phylogenetic differences. Moreover, a key to the species of Peltula in China is also provided here.

We characterize the self-adjoint domains of general even order linear ordinary differential operators which have finite interior singular points in terms of real-parameter solutions of the differential equation. For the purpose we constructed a direct sum space. By the theory of direct sum space and the decomposition of the corresponding maximal domain, we give this complete and analytic characterization in terms of limit-circle solutions. This is for endpoints which are regular or singular and for arbitrary deficiency index.

Rapid and non-destructive diagnostic tools to accurately assess crop nitrogen nutrition index (NNI) are imperative for improving crop nitrogen (N) diagnosis and sustaining crop production. This study was aimed to develop the relationships among NNI, leaf N gradient, chlorophyll meter (CM) readings gradient, and positional differences chlorophyll meter index [PDCMI, the ratio of CM readings between different leaf layers (LLs) of crop canopy] and to validate the accuracy and stability of these relationships across the different LLs, years, sites, and cultivars. Six multi-N rates (0–320 kg ha−1) field experiments were conducted with four summer maize cultivars (Zhengdan958, Denghai605, Xundan20, and Denghai661) at two different sites located in China. Six summer maize plants per plot were harvested at each sampling stage to assess NNI, leaf N concentration and CM readings of different LLs during the vegetative growth period. The results showed that the leaf N gradient, CM readings gradient and PDCMI of different LLs decreased, while the NNI values increased with increasing N supply. The leaf N gradient and CM readings gradient increased gradually from top to bottom of the canopy and CM readings of the bottom LL were more sensitive to changes in plant N concentration. The significantly positive relationship between NNI and CM readings of different LLs (LL1 to LL3) was observed, yet these relationships varied across the years. In contrast, the relationships between NNI and PDCMI of different LLs (LL1 to LL3) were significantly negative. The strongest relationship between PDCMI and NNI which was stable across the cultivars and years was observed for PDCMI1−3 (NNI = −5.74 × PDCMI1−3+1.5, R2 = 0.76**). Additionally, the models developed in this study were validated with the data acquired from two independent experiments to assess their accuracy of prediction. The root mean square error value of 0.1 indicated that the most accurate and robust relationship was observed between PDCMI1–3 and NNI. The projected results would help to develop a simple, non-destructive and reliable approach to accurately assess the crop N status for precisely managing N application during the growth period of summer maize crop.

The objective of this study was to improve the stability and water-solubility of patchouli alcohol by complexing with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD). The interactions between patchouli alcohol and β-CD were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transformation-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and Scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively. According to molecular modeling method, the enthalpy formation of host-guest illustrated the predominant configuration and the lowest value ΔbGo was -10.8174±1.9235 kcal/mol, suggesting the complex could reduce the energy of the system. The characterization analysis confirmed the formation of PA-CD inclusion complex, and the results indicated the advantage of the inclusion complex in stability and dissolution rates. These results identified PA-CD inclusion complex an effective way for the storage of PA, and better inclusion method still needed to be studied.

Based on the concept of cyber physical system (CPS), a novel hierarchical control strategy for islanded microgrids is proposed in this paper. The control structure consists of physical and cyber layers. It’s used to improve the control effect on the output voltages and frequency by droop control of distributed energy resources (DERs), share the reactive power among DERs more reasonably and solve the problem of circumfluence in microgrids. The specific designs are as follows: to improve the control effect on voltages and frequency of DERs, an event-trigger mechanism is designed in the physical layer. When the trigger conditions in the mechanism aren’t met, only the droop control (i.e., primary control) is used in the controlled system. Otherwise, a virtual leader-following consensus control method is used in the cyber layer to accomplish the secondary control on DERs; to share the reactive power reasonably, a method of double virtual impedance is designed in the physical layer to adjust the output reactive power of DERs; to suppress circumfluence, a method combined with consensus control without leader and sliding mode control (SMC) is used in the cyber layer. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed hierarchical control strategy is confirmed by simulation results.

Swallowable capsule robots which travel in body cavities to implement drug delivery, minimally invasive surgery, and diagnosis have provided great potential for medical applications. However, the space constraints of the internal environment and the size limitations of the robots are great challenges to practical application. To address the fundamental challenges of narrow body cavities, a different-frequency driven approach for multiple capsule robots with screw structure manipulated by external electromagnetic field is proposed in this paper. The multiple capsule robots are composed of driven permanent magnets, joint permanent magnets, and a screw body. The screw body generates a propulsive force in a fluidic environment. Moreover, robots can form new constructions via mutual docking and release. To provide manipulation guidelines for active locomotion, a dynamic model of axial propulsion and circumferential torque is established. The multiple start and step-out frequencies for multiple robots are defined theoretically. Moreover, the different-frequency driven approach based on geometrical parameters of screw structure and the overlap angles of magnetic polarities is proposed to drive multiple robots in an identical electromagnetic field. Finally, two capsule robots were prototyped and experiments in a narrow pipe were conducted to verify the different motions such as docking, release, and cooperative locomotion. The experimental results demonstrated the validity of the driven approach for multiple capsule robots in narrow body cavities.

Demand-side energy management is used for regulating the consumers’ energy usage in smart grid. With the guidance of the grid’s price policy, the consumers can change their energy consumption in response. The objective of this study is jointly optimizing the load status and electric supply, in order to make a tradeoff between the electric cost and the thermal comfort. The problem is formulated into a nonconvex optimization model. The multiplier method is used to solve the constrained optimization, and the objective function is transformed to the augmented Lagrangian function without constraints. Hence, the Powell direction acceleration method with advance and retreat is applied to solve the unconstrained optimization. Numerical results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve the balance between the electric supply and demand, and the optimization variables converge to the optimum.

This paper proposes an economic dispatch strategy for the electricity system with one generation company, multiple utility companies and multiple consumers, which participate in demand response to keep the electricity real-time balance. In the wholesale markets, multiple utility companies will commonly select a reliable agent to negotiate with the generation company on the wholesale price. It is challengeable to find a wholesale price to run the electricity market fairly and effectively. In this study, we use the multiple utility companies’ profits to denote the utility function of the agent and formulate the interaction between the agent and the generation company as a bargaining problem, where the wholesale price was enforced in the bargaining outcome. Then, the Raiffa–Kalai–Smorodinsky bargaining solution (RBS) was utilized to achieve the fair and optimal outcome. In the retail markets, the unfavorable disturbances exist in the power management and price when the consumers participate in the demand response to keep the electricity real-time balance, which motivates us to further consider the dynamic power management algorithm with the additive disturbances, and then obtain the optimal power consumption and optimal retail price. Based on the consumers’ utility maximization, we establish a price regulation model with price feedback in the electricity retail markets, and then use the iterative algorithm to solve the optimal retail price and the consumer’s optimal power consumption. Hence, the input-to-state stability condition with additive electricity measurement disturbance and price disturbance is given. Numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of the economic dispatch strategy.