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Abstract Objective To compare the clinical outcomes of control of drainage volume through either elevating the drainage height or tilting the head down in a supine position for the management of cerebrospinal fluid leakage (CSFL) following posterior lumbar surgery. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted to review the data of patients who underwent lumbar spine surgery at a single hospital over a 4-year period from January 2020 to December 2023. Postoperative CSFL and complications were recorded. All patients with CSFL were managed with bed rest, a 20–30° head-down tilt position, or a drainage system elevated by 10 cm, along with subfascial drains, for a duration of 3 days. The clinical outcomes of drainage volume control were compared between the elevation of the drainage system and the head-down tilt position in the supine posture. Results The incidence of CSFL after lumbar surgeries was 1.2% (84 out of 7,284 cases). None of the CSFL patients experienced significant complications or required reoperation. When compared to the traditional Trendelenburg position, elevating the drainage height reduced the incidence of headache and dizziness, as well as shortened the time to ambulation, postoperative defecation time, and postoperative hospital stay, with statistically significant differences (p

This is an article in the field of mineral processing engineering. Three samples of 5#, 9# and Mugua coal from Coal Preparation Plant of Lyulin Energy & Chemical Co., Ltd. were collected as the research objects. Screening, proximate analysis and ultimate analysis of the three coal samples were carried out. The mineral composition and surface functional groups of the three coal samples were analyzed by XRD, FT-IR and XPS. Kerosene, on-site reagent and TY6 developed in the laboratory were used for flotation tests. The collecting effect of the three reagents on different types of coal samples was compared. The results showed that 5# coal sample was easy to float, 9# coal sample showed less floatability than 5# coal, while Mugua coal showed the poorest floatability owing to high oxidation and strong hydrophilicity. For the three coal samples, TY6 and the on-site reagents both showed much better collective ability than kerosene and consume less as well. For easy-to-float coal, TY6 showed better selectivity, while for difficult-to-float coal, TY6 showed better collectivity. Smaller particle size dispersed in water, higher viscosity, and containing oxygen-bearing organic substances were the main characteristics of TY6 and the on-site reagents that made them stand out as compared with kerosene, which resulted in better reaction with coal surface, bigger contact angle and better hydrophobicity. In this point of view, TY6 behaved even a little better than the on-site reagents.

Abstract Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) begins with premature activation of enzymes, promoted by the immune system, triggering a potential systemic inflammatory response that leads to organ failure with increased mortality and a bleak prognosis. Interleukin-22 (IL-22) is a cytokine that may have a significant role in SAP. IL-22, a member of the IL-10 cytokine family, has garnered growing interest owing to its potential tissue-protective properties. Recently, emerging research has revealed its specific effects on pancreatic diseases, particularly SAP. This paper provides a review of the latest knowledge on the role of IL-22 and its viability as a therapeutic target in SAP.

Abstract Asian soybean rust (ASR), caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi, is a devastating disease that is present in all major soybean-producing regions. The limited availability of resistant germplasm has resulted in a scarcity of commercial soybean cultivars that are resistant to the disease. To date, only the Chinese soybean landrace SX6907 has demonstrated an immune response to ASR. In this study, we present the isolation and characterization of Rpp6907-7 and Rpp6907-4, a gene pair that confer broad-spectrum resistance to ASR. Rpp6907-7 and Rpp6907-4 encode atypic nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) proteins that are found to be required for NLR-mediated immunity. Genetic analysis shows that only Rpp6907-7 confers resistance, while Rpp6907-4 regulates Rpp6907-7 signaling activity by acting as a repressor in the absence of recognized effectors. Our work highlights the potential value of using Rpp6907 in developing resistant soybean cultivars.

Summary: Host specificity plays important roles in expanding the host range of rhizobia, while the genetic information responsible for host specificity remains largely unexplored. In this report, the roots of four symbiotic systems with notable different symbiotic phenotypes and the control were studied at four different post-inoculation time points by RNA sequencning (RNA-seq). The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were divided into “found only in soybean or Lotus,” “only expressed in soybean or Lotus,” and “expressed in both hosts” according to the comparative genomic analysis. The distributions of enriched function ontology (GO) terms and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways vary significantly in different symbiotic systems. Host specific genes account for the majority of the DEGs involved in response to stimulus, associated with plant-pathogen interaction pathways, and encoding resistance (R) proteins, the symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF) proteins and the target proteins in the SNF-related modules. Our findings provided molecular candidates for better understanding the mechanisms of symbiotic host-specificity.

Abstract Ischaemic bowel disease (ICBD) is a group of intestinal ischaemia syndromes caused by various aetiologies of reduced intestinal blood flow or vascular occlusion. ICBD can present as abdominal pain, bloody stool, and diarrhoea. This disease often occurs in middle-aged and elderly individuals with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. The incidence of ischaemic bowel disease has been increasing for decades, and it is difficult to diagnose, resulting in rapid disease progression and a high mortality rate. Therefore, fully understanding this disease, improving the diagnosis rate of this disease, and finding appropriate treatment methods are urgently needed to improve the condition and prognosis of patients. Umbilical cord blood stem cells are accessible, have weak immunogenicity, and have various biological functions, such as angiogenesis, inflammation and immune regulation. Many studies have confirmed that cord blood stem cells can relieve ischaemia, and these cells have attracted tremendous amounts of attention in regenerative medicine in recent years. In this paper, we discuss the clinical characteristics of ICBD, analyse the characteristics of human umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells (HUCB-MNCs), and use its to treat ischaemic bowel disease. Additionally, we compare the clinical manifestations and related indicators before and after treatment to evaluate the efficacy and safety of these methods.

Abstract Reversible protein phosphorylation, regulated by protein phosphatases, fine-tunes target protein function and plays a vital role in biological processes. Dysregulation of this process leads to aberrant post-translational modifications (PTMs) and contributes to disease development. Despite the widespread use of artificial catalysts as enzyme mimetics, their direct modulation of proteins remains largely unexplored. To address this gap and enable the reversal of aberrant PTMs for disease therapy, we present the development of artificial protein modulators (APROMs). Through atomic-level engineering of heterogeneous catalysts with asymmetric catalytic centers, these modulators bear structural similarities to protein phosphatases and exhibit remarkable ability to destabilize the bridging μ3-hydroxide. This activation of catalytic centers enables spontaneous hydrolysis of phospho-substrates, providing precise control over PTMs. Notably, APROMs, with protein phosphatase-like characteristics, catalytically reprogram the biological function of α-synuclein by directly hydrolyzing hyperphosphorylated α-synuclein. Consequently, synaptic function is reinforced in Parkinson’s disease. Our findings offer a promising avenue for reprogramming protein function through de novo PTMs strategy.

In this article, a mathematical model was developed to describe disease control by media factors. The Lambert W function was used to convert the system definition by implicit functions into explicit functions. We analyzed the dynamics of the defined piecewise smooth system and verified the correctness of the theoretical analysis through numerical simulation. Research revealed that media factors can delay the peak of an epidemic and reduce the scale of the epidemic. It is worth noting that adopting different control measures has a certain impact on the scale of the epidemic; the analysis results indicate that implementing dual-control is the most effective way to limit the spread of diseases and this strategy may provide clues for disease control.

In this paper, we investigate a Lyapunov trajectory tracking design method that incorporates a Schrödinger equation with a dipole subterm and polarizability. Our findings suggest that the proposed control law can overcome the limitations of certain existing control laws that do not converge. By integrating a quadratic performance index, we introduce an optimal control law, which we subsequently analyze for stability and optimality. We also simulate the spin-1/2 particle system to illustrate our results. These findings are further validated through numerical illustrations involving a 3D, 5D system, and a spin-1/2 particle system.

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a degenerative disease, caused by genetic mutations that lead to a loss in photoreceptors. For research on RP, rd10 mice, which carry mutations in the phosphodiesterase (PDE) gene, exhibit degenerative patterns comparable to those of patients with RP, making them an ideal model for investigating potential treatments. Although numerous studies have reported the potential of biochemical drugs, gene correction, and stem cell transplantation in decelerating rd10 retinal degeneration, a comprehensive review of these studies has yet to be conducted. Therefore, here, a comparative analysis of rd10 mouse treatment research over the past decade was performed. Our findings suggest that biochemical drugs capable of inhibiting the inflammatory response may be promising therapeutics. Additionally, significant progress has been made in the field of gene therapy; nevertheless, challenges such as strict delivery requirements, bystander editing, and off-target effects still need to be resolved. Nevertheless, secretory function is the only unequivocal protective effect of stem cell transplantation. In summary, this review presents a comprehensive analysis and synthesis of the treatment approaches employing rd10 mice as experimental subjects, describing a clear pathway for future RP treatment research and identifies potential clinical interventions.

Soybean (Glycine max), the primary source of high-quality plant protein, plays a crucial role as a grain and oil crop in China. Harnessing the full potential of symbiotic nitrogen fixation in soybean production holds immense significance for agriculture and ecology alike. Zhongdou 63, a newly developed early-maturing summer soybean cultivar in 2021, exhibits remarkable traits such as high yield, superior quality, multi-resistance, and wide adaptability. In this study, eight distinct rhizobia strains from diverse regions were meticulously screened to identify highly effective strains specifically suited for Zhongdou 63. The aboveground biomass, plant height, chlorophyll content, root length, nodule number, and nodule dry weight of Zhongdou 63 were measured and the data were subjected to statistical analysis. The results demonstrated that Y63-1 is a predominant strain of Zhongdou 63. Subsequently, we conducted further investigations on the broad-spectrum nodulation characteristics of Y63-1. Ten representative soybean cultivars were individually inoculated with Y63-1 and subsequently analyzed for nodule numbers and nodule dry weight in their symbiotic systems with rhizobia. The findings revealed that Y63-1 effectively formed nodules with all ten soybean varieties tested. In summary, our current study identified highly efficient broad-spectrum Bradyrhizobium elkanii strain Y63-1 as the predominant strain in Zhongdou 63 and provided a theoretical foundation for enhancing yield potential not only in Zhongdou 63 but also in other varieties through inoculation with highly efficient rhizobia in production.

This paper investigates a quantum system described by the Schrödinger equation, utilizing the concept of the quantum Lyapunov function. The Lyapunov function is chosen based on the mean value of a virtual mechanical quantity, where different values of P, the mean value of the virtual mechanical quantity in the Lyapunov function, have an impact on the attractive domain of the quantum system. The selected primary optimization algorithms approximating matrix P are the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm and the simulated annealing (SA) algorithm. This study examines the characteristics of the system’s attraction domain under these two distinct algorithms and establishes stability conditions for the nonlinear quantum system. We introduce a method to estimate the size of the attractive domain using the Lyapunov function approach, converting the attractive domain issue into an optimization challenge. Numerical simulations are conducted in various two-dimensional test systems and spin 1/2 particle systems.

Low molecular weight chitosan selenium nanoparticles (LCS-SeNPs), a biologically active compound derived from selenium polysaccharides, have demonstrated potential in addressing obesity. However, the mechanism through which LCS-SeNPs alleviate high-fat diet (HFD)-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains unclear. Our results elucidated that LCS-SeNPs significantly inhibited fat accumulation and markedly improved the intestinal barrier by increasing mucus secretion from goblet cells. Moreover, LCS-SeNPs reshaped intestinal flora composition by increasing the abundance of mucus-associated microbiota (Bifidobacterium, Akkermansia, and Muribaculaceae_unclassified) and decreasing the abundance of obesity-contributed bacterium (Anaerotruncus, Lachnoclostridium, and Proteus). The modulation of intestinal microbiota by LCS-SeNPs influenced several metabolic pathways, including bile acid secretion, purine metabolites, and tryptophan derivation. Meanwhile, glycocholic acid and tauro-beta-muricholic acid were significantly reduced in the LCS-SeNP group. Our study suggests the crucial role of intestinal microbiota composition and metabolism, providing a new theoretical foundation for utilizing selenium polysaccharides in the intervention of HFD-induced NAFLD.

This article proposes a novel robust invariance condition for uncertain linear discrete-time systems with state and control constraints, utilizing a method of semidefinite programming duality. The approach involves approximating the robust invariant set for these systems by tackling the dual problem associated with semidefinite programming. Central to this method is the formulation of a dual programming through the application of adjoint mapping. From the standpoint of semidefinite programming dual optimization, the paper presents a novel linear matrix inequality (LMI) conditions pertinent to robust positive invariance. Illustrative examples are incorporated to elucidate the findings.

The recycling of waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs) generates nonmetallic fractions (NMFs); due to the complex components of NMFs and the limited nature of economic benefits of treating NMFs, treatment of NMFs is challenging. In this study, two types of NMFs—dry-NMFs (D-NMFs) and wet-NMFs (W-NMFs)—derived from the dry and wet separation processes of WPCBs, respectively, were investigated. These NMFs were used as fillers to reinforce the polyethylene (PE) matrix, and their effects on the composite properties were examined. Thermal property studies revealed that incorporating both types of NMFs improved the thermal stability of the prepared composite samples. When neat PE was filled with 15 wt% of D-NMFs and W-NMFs, the final decomposition temperature (Tf) increased from 475 to 482 and 487 °C, respectively. Mechanical property studies revealed that the addition of NMFs to the composite sample, particularly that of W-NMFs, enhanced the stiffness of the prepared samples, although at the expense of some reduction in their toughness values. The tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength, and flexural modulus values increased from 9.41, 121.80, 5.89, and 99.15 MPa for neat PE to 11.15, 521.82, 17.94, and 597.29 MPa, respectively, for composites containing 25 wt% of W-NMFs. Furthermore, the introduction of shellfish wastes in the NMF/PE blend, especially that of clam shell, further enhanced the overall properties of the composite. After adding 8 wt% of clam shell with 15 wt% W-NMFs, the Tf increased from 487 to 498 °C. The tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength, and flexural modulus values increased from 11.37, 355.13, 16.06, and 443.31 MPa for neat PE to 12.26, 466.73, 18.71, and 568.46 MPa, respectively, for the composite prepared with clam shell. Thus, this study contributes to the WPCB recycling literature and promotes circular economy development.

Human cells have a natural cancerous defense system, and p53 protein is at the core. It is well known that p53 relies on oscillatory dynamic behavior to perform tumor suppressor functions. However, the mechanism of its oscillation remains unclear. To reveal the effect of time lag on the onset of p53 oscillations, we analytically and numerically investigate a possible scenario in which p53 oscillations are driven by a time lag. The model has only three nodes, two negative loops, and one delay. We focus on two types of time delays: discrete and distributed, use Hopf bifurcation theory to derive conditions for the occurrence of limit cycle oscillations, and confirm the properties of Hopf bifurcations by normal form and central manifold approaches. The analytical results are supported by numerical results. We suggest that discrete time lag promote p53 oscillations, while distributed time lag have a dual effect on p53 oscillations. These results imply that controlling the time lag in an appropriate range favors the inhibition of p53 on cancer cells.

【Objective】According to the market's demand for taste-type and fresh-eatable cabbage, more varieties of cabbage with good characters and in line with market supply and demand were selected by using its own germplasm resources.【Method】Using 13 Ougra sterile heading cabbage materials selected by the team as female parents and 10 inbred lines heading cabbage materials (GL14000-14009) as male parents, 14 heading cabbage hybrid combinations were prepared through hybridization, the experiments were compared and screened from the aspects of plant width, outer leaf number, longitudinal diameter, transverse diameter, central column length, yield and disease resistance.【Result】After comparison, GL22-02, GL22-06, GL22-11 and GL22-13 were obtained, and their agrtural traits, quality and yield were better than those of the control Tejia No. 2. All the leaf bulbs were round, and the petiole-leaf ratio was 26.9%, 20.8%, 23.1% and 16.8%. It was better than that of control variety (31.3%). Leaf bulb compactness was 0.76, 0.73, 0.59 and 0.62 g/cm3, which was more than 0.16 g/cm3 higher than that of the control variety. The central column length was less than half of the leaf bulb height, 4.9, 4.3, 4.8 and 4.6 cm, respectively. The moisture contents were 93.22%, 94.17%, 93.75% and 93.61%, protein contents were 1.51%, 1.28%, 1.39% and 1.36%, respectively. The soluble sugar content were 5.61%, 5.69%, 5.56% and 5.84%, respectively, which were 0.14-0.37 percentage point higher than that of the control variety. The crude cellulose content were 0.61%, 0.71%, 0.69% and 0.67%, respectively, which were 0.08-0.18 percentage point lower than that of the control variety. The vitamin C contents were 682.3, 687.1, 699.1 and 682.3 mg/kg, respectively, which were 48.4-65.2 mg/kg higher than the control variety. After edible quality identification, four hybrid materials of heading cabbage were selected, the leaf balls were raw (fresh) to eat, crisp texture, sweet taste. The black rot disease resistance of the composite materials was high (HR), the same as that of the control.The yield was 4.80%, 8.46%, 10.97% and 8.46% higher than that of control Tejia No. 2.【Conclusion】The four composite materials GL22-02, GL22-06, GL22-11 and GL22-13 were selected. They both had agronomic and economic characters, which can be used for production demonstration in large scale.

This paper deals with the constrained state regulation problem (CSRP) of descriptor fractional-order linear continuous-time systems (DFOLCS) with order 0<α<1. The objective is to establish the existence of conditions for a linear feedback control law within state constraints and to propose a method for solving the CSRP of DFOLCS. First, based on the decomposition and separation method and coordinate transformation, the DFOLCS can be transformed into an equivalent fractional-order reduced system; hence, the CSRP of the DFOLCS is equivalent to the CSRP of the reduced system. By means of positive invariant sets theory, Lyapunov stability theory, and some mathematical techniques, necessary and sufficient conditions for the polyhedral positive invariant set of the equivalent reduced system are presented. Models and corresponding algorithms for solving the CSRP of a linear feedback controller are also presented by the obtained conditions. Under the condition that the resulting closed system is positive, the given model of the CSRP in this paper for the DFOLCS is formulated as nonlinear programming with a linear objective function and quadratic mixed constraints. Two numerical examples illustrate the proposed method.

Background: Overexpression of the NAD(P)H: Quinone Oxidoreductase 1 (NQOI) gene has been linked with tumor progression, aggressiveness, drug resistance, and poor patient prognosis. Most research has described the biological function of the NQO1 in certain types and limited samples, but a comprehensive understanding of the NQO1’s function and clinical importance at the pan-cancer level is scarce. More research is needed to understand the role of NQO1 in tumor infiltration, and immune checkpoint inhibitors in various cancers are needed.Methods: The NQO1 expression data for 33 types of pan-cancer and their association with the prognosis, pathologic stage, gender, immune cell infiltration, the tumor mutation burden, microsatellite instability, immune checkpoints, enrichment pathways, and the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) were downloaded from public databases.Results: Our findings indicate that the NQO1 gene was significantly upregulated in most cancer types. The Cox regression analysis showed that overexpression of the NQO1 gene was related to poor OS in Glioma, uveal melanoma, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma, and adrenocortical carcinoma. NQO1 mRNA expression positively correlated with infiltrating immune cells and checkpoint molecule levels. The single-cell analysis revealed a potential relationship between the NQO1 mRNA expression levels and the infiltration of immune cells and stromal cells in bladder urothelial carcinoma, invasive breast carcinoma, and colorectal cancer. Conversely, a negative association was noted between various drugs (17-AAG, Lapatinib, Trametinib, PD-0325901) and the NQO1 mRNA expression levels.Conclusion: NQO1 expression was significantly associated with prognosis, immune infiltrates, and drug resistance in multiple cancer types. The inhibition of the NQO1-dependent signaling pathways may provide a promising strategy for developing new cancer-targeted therapies.

Abstract We report the scalable fabrication of CdS/ZnS 1D/2D heterojunctions under ambient air conditions (i.e., room temperature and atmospheric pressure) in which ZnS nanoparticles are anchored on the surface of CdS nanosheets. The as‐formed heterojunctions exhibit a significantly enhanced photocatalytic H2 evolution rate of 14.02 mmol h−1 g−1 when irradiated with visible light, which is ~10 and 85 times higher than those of pristine CdS nanosheets and CdS nanoparticles, respectively, and superior to most of the CdS‐based photocatalysts reported to date. Furthermore, they provide robust photocatalytic performance with demonstratable stability over 58 h, indicating their potential for practical applications. The formation of 1D/2D heterojunctions not only provides improved exposed active sites that respond to illumination but also provides a rapid pathway to generate photogenerated carriers for efficient separation and transfer through the matrix of single‐crystalline CdS nanosheets. In addition, first‐principles simulations demonstrate that the existence of rich Zn vacancies increases the energy level of the ZnS valence band maximum to construct type‐II and Z‐scheme mixed heterojunctions, which plays a critical role in suppressing the recombination of carriers with limited photocorrosion of CdS to enhance photocatalytic behavior.

This study assessed the physicochemical properties of air-fried hairtail fillets (190 °C, 24 min) under different storage temperatures (4, 25, and 35 °C). The findings revealed a gradual decline in sensory scores across all samples during storage, accompanied by a corresponding decrease in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and total viable count over time. Lower storage temperatures exhibited an effective capacity to delay lipid oxidation and microbiological growth in air-fried hairtail fillets. Subsequently, alterations in the microbiota composition of air-fried hairtail fillets during cold storage were examined. Throughout the storage duration, Achromobacter, Escherichia-Shigella, and Pseudomonas emerged as the three dominant genera in the air-fried hairtail samples. Additionally, Pearson correlation analysis demonstrated that among the most prevalent microbial genera in air-fried hairtail samples, Achromobacter and Psychrobacter exhibited positive correlations with the L* value, a* value, and sensory scores. Conversely, they displayed negative correlations with pH, b* value, and TBARS. Notably, air-fried samples stored at 4 °C exhibited prolonged freshness compared with those stored at 25 °C and 35 °C, suggesting that 4 °C is an optimal storage temperature. This study offers valuable insights into alterations in the physicochemical properties and microbial distribution in air-fried hairtail fillets during storage, facilitating the improvement of meat quality by adjusting microbial communities in air-fried hairtail fillets.

This paper investigates reachable set estimation and state-feedback controller design for linear time-delay control systems with bounded disturbances. By constructing an appropriate Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional, we obtain a delay-dependent condition, which determines the admissible bounding ellipsoid for the reachable set of the system we considered. Then, a sufficient condition in the form of liner matrix inequalities is given to solve the problem of controller design and reachable set estimation. Then, by minimizing the volume of the ellipsoid and solving the liner matrix inequality, we obtain the desired ellipsoid and controller gain. A comparative numerical example is given to show the effectiveness of our result.

Abstract Background The prevalence of comorbid depressive and anxiety disorders in people living with HIV (PLWH) is high. However, it is unclear which symptom is the bridge symptom between depression and anxiety in PLWH. This study aimed to develop symptom networks for depression and anxiety and explore the bridge symptoms and interconnectedness between these disorders in PLWH with comorbid depressive and anxiety disorders. Methods A multisite, hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2020 to November 2021. Depression and anxiety were measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. We visualized the symptom network using the qgraph package and computed the bridge expected influence of each node. The GLASSO layout was used to generate undirected association networks. Results A total of 2016 individuals were included in the analysis. In the anxiety cluster, “not feeling relaxed” had the highest bridge expected influence and strength (r bridge expected influence = 0.628, r strength = 0.903). In the depression cluster, “not feeling cheerful” was identified as having a high bridge expected influence (r bridge expected influence = 0.385). “Not feeling cheerful” and “not feeling relaxed” were the strongest edges across the depression and anxiety clusters (r = 0.30 ± 0.02). Conclusions Healthcare professionals should take note when PLWH report severe bridge symptoms. To enhance the levels of perceived cheerfulness and relaxation, positive psychology interventions could be implemented.

Abstract. In recent years, with the increasing incidence of obesity and other metabolic diseases, the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has increased and it has become a major health problem affecting more than one quarter of the world's population. Recently, experts reached a consensus that NAFLD does not reflect the current knowledge, and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) was suggested as a more appropriate term. MAFLD is not just a simple renaming of NAFLD. The definition of MAFLD allows a patient to have dual (or more) etiologies for their liver disease, which will help to exclude more heterogeneous patients. In this review, we introduce the significant differences between the definitions of NAFLD and MAFLD. In addition, we also describe the advantages of the term MAFLD in the pathophysiology, therapy, and patient management.

Abstract. Background:. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging infectious disease and has spread worldwide. Clinical risk factors associated with the severity in COVID-19 patients have not yet been well delineated. The aim of this study was to explore the risk factors related with the progression of severe COVID-19 and establish a prediction model for severity in COVID-19 patients. Methods:. We retrospectively recruited patients with confirmed COVID-19 admitted in Enze Hospital, Taizhou Enze Medical Center (Group) and Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital between January 24 and March 12, 2020. Take the Taizhou cohort as the training set and the Nanjing cohort as the validation set. Severe case was defined based on the World Health Organization Interim Guidance Report criteria for severe pneumonia. The patients were divided into severe and non-severe groups. Epidemiological, laboratory, clinical, and imaging data were recorded with data collection forms from the electronic medical record. The predictive model of severe COVID-19 was constructed, and the efficacy of the predictive model in predicting the risk of severe COVID-19 was analyzed by the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). Results:. A total of 402 COVID-19 patients were included in the study, including 98 patients in the training set (Nanjing cohort) and 304 patients in the validation set (Nanjing cohort). There were 54 cases (13.43%) in severe group and 348 cases (86.57%) in non-severe group. Logistic regression analysis showed that body mass index (BMI) and lymphocyte count were independent risk factors for severe COVID-19 (all P

In this paper, we investigate the iterative methods for the solution of different types of nonlinear matrix equations. More specifically, we consider iterative methods for the minimal nonnegative solution of a set of Riccati equations, a nonnegative solution of a quadratic matrix equation, and the maximal positive definite solution of the equation X+A∗X−1A=Q. We study the recent iterative methods for computing the solution to the above specific type of equations and propose more effective modifications of these iterative methods. In addition, we make comments and comparisons of the existing methods and show the effectiveness of our methods by illustration examples.

In this paper, we focus on the numerical solutions of Maxwell’s equations with Dirichlet boundary conditions in rectangular coordinate. A class of explicit methods is derived by using an effective solver for a system of ordinary differential equations which is obtained by approximating on spatial fields. A significant advantage of this class of methods is their simplicity and their ease of implementation. The error estimates presented in this paper show that the numerical solutions obtained by this class of methods is of high-order. The main advantage of this class of methods is that it is divergence-free.

This paper proposes two novel methods for computing the robustly controlled invariant set of linear discrete-time systems with additive bounded disturbances. In the proposed methods, the robustly controlled invariant set of discrete-time systems is obtained by solving the linear matrix inequality given by logarithmic norm and difference inequality. Illustrative examples are presented to demonstrate the obtained methods.

The impact of parental involvement on student academic achievement has been confirmed by many studies. However, researchers differ on whether parental involvement can statistically improve student writing skills. Furthermore, the association between parental intervention duration and student writing ability is unclear. Consequently, this study examines the impact of parental involvement on student writing ability through a meta-analysis of 13 studies conducted between 1996 and 2021, with effect sizes of 117 and 1449 participants. Three main findings in the meta-analysis results werek identified. First, the overall effect of parent writing participation on student writing ability was statistically significant, resulting in a moderate positive effect (g = 0.666 95% CI [0.324, 1.008]), p < 0.001). Second, parental participation behavior methods and student educational stages had no significant impact on student writing ability. Third, differences in school area and parental intervention duration had a significant impact on student writing ability, suggesting that parental involvement has a greater role in promoting an improvement in student writing ability in urban schools, and that long-term intervention is more conducive to improving student writing ability.

The p53 oscillator is an essential cell fate controller after DNA damage. In general, the delayed p53-Mdm2 negative feedback loop is thought to be the foundational structure responsible for p53 oscillations. However, it is experimentally found that Mdm2 also has a positive effect on p53. Therefore, we redevelop a p53 model to investigate the effect of the p53-Mdm2 positive feedback loop and time delay on p53 oscillations. To study the effect of delay on the Hopf bifurcation, we analyze the characteristic equation of the linearized system and apply the central manifold method to determine the properties of the Hopf bifurcation. The theoretical results are proved numerically. Furthermore, we reveal that the delay induces not only oscillatory birth but also oscillatory death, depending on the parameters in the positive feedback. Finally, considering the biological background, we discuss the effects of the p53-Mdm2 positive feedback parameters on the amplitude of p53 oscillations. This work may be helpful for artificially altering p53 dynamics and even cell fate.

A positively invariant set is an important concept in dynamical systems. The study of positively invariant set conditions for discrete-time systems is one interesting topic in both theoretical studies and practical applications research. Different methods for characterizing the invariance of different types of sets have been established. For example, the ellipsoidal and the Lorenz cone, which are quadratic convex sets, have different properties from a polyhedral set. This paper presents an optimization method and a dual optimization method to characterize the positive invariance of the ellipsoidal and the Lorenz cone. The proposed methods are applicable to both linear and nonlinear discrete-time systems. Using nonlinear programming and an induced norm, the positive invariance condition problems are transformed into optimization problems, and the dual optimization method is also used to give equivalent dual forms. Fewer results on the positive invariance condition of Lorenz cones can be found than for the other type of set; this paper fulfills the results of this problem. In addition, the proposed methods in this paper provide more options for checking the positive invariance of quadratic convex sets from the perspective of optimization and dual optimization. The effectiveness of this method is demonstrated by numerical examples.

BackgroundMelanoma brain metastases (BMs) are associated with poor prognosis and are the main cause of mortality in melanoma patients. BRAF inhibitors have shown intracranial activity in both treatment-naïve and previously treated BM patients. We aimed to investigate if there was any difference in response of BRAF inhibitors in these two cohorts.Materials and MethodsElectronic database search included PubMed, Medline, and Cochrane library until March 2021 for studies with desired comparative outcomes. Outcomes of interest that were obtained for meta-analysis included intracranial response rate as the primary outcome and survival and safety outcomes as the secondary outcomes. Review Manager version 5.4 was used for data analysis.ResultsThree studies comprising 410 BRAF-mutated melanoma patients with BMs were included according to eligibility criteria. The comparative cohort included patients with treatment-naïve BMs (TN cohort; n = 255) and those who had progressive disease after receiving local brain treatment for BMs (PT cohort; n = 155). Meta-analysis revealed that BRAF inhibitors (vemurafenib and dabrafenib) and BRAF/MEK inhibitor combination (dabrafenib and trametinib) induced significantly higher intracranial disease control (OR 0.58 [95% CI: 0.34, 0.97], p = 0.04) and a trend toward improved progression-free survival (PFS) (HR 1.22 [95% CI: 0.98, 1.52], p = 0.08) in the PT cohort as compared to the TN cohort. Overall survival was not significantly different between the cohorts (HR 1.16 [95% CI: 0.89, 1.51], p = 0.28). Subgroup analysis revealed that PFS was significantly improved (HR 1.67 [95% CI: 1.06, 2.62], p = 0.03), and a trend toward improved OS (HR 1.62 [95% CI: 0.95, 2.75], p = 0.08) was achieved in patients receiving BRAF/MEK inhibitor combination and patients with BRAFv600K mutation receiving dabrafenib alone. No increase in overall adverse events (AEs), grade 3/4 AEs, and severe adverse events (SAEs) was observed between the cohorts.ConclusionsBRAF inhibitors (plus MEK inhibitor) may achieve better intracranial disease stability in BRAF-mutant melanoma patients who have received previous local treatment for BMs.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/), identifier CRD42020185984.

Leaf-chewing insects are important pests that cause yield loss and reduce seed quality in soybeans (Glycine max). Breeding soybean varieties that are resistant to leaf-chewing insects can minimize the need for insecticide use and reduce yield loss. The marker gene for QTL-M, Glyma.07g110300 (LOC100775351) that encodes a UDP-glycosyltransferase (UGT) is the major determinant of resistance against leaf-chewing insects in soybean; it exhibits a loss of function in insect-resistant soybean germplasms. In this study, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation introduced the CRISPR/Cas9 expression vector into the soybean cultivar Tianlong No. 1 to generate Glyma.07g110300-gene mutants. We obtained two novel types of mutations, a 33-bp deletion and a single-bp insertion in the GmUGT coding region, which resulted in an enhanced resistance to Helicoverpa armigera and Spodoptera litura. Additionally, overexpressing GmUGT produced soybean varieties that were more sensitive to H. armigera and S. litura. Both mutant and overexpressing lines exhibited no obvious phenotypic changes. The difference in metabolites and gene expression suggested that GmUGT is involved in imparting resistance to leaf-chewing insects by altering the flavonoid content and expression patterns of genes related to flavonoid biosynthesis and defense. Furthermore, ectopic expression of the GmUGT gene in the ugt72b1 mutant of Arabidopsis substantially rescued the phenotype of H. armigera resistance in the atugt72b1 mutant. Our study presents a strategy for increasing resistance against leaf-chewing insects in soybean through CRISPR/Cas9-mediated targeted mutagenesis of the UGT genes.

The first successful sand-control was achieved in the Mu Us Desert by local people in the 1950–1960s, and their experience and approach have been extended to the whole Ordos and Northern China since then. The objective of this paper is to assess comprehensively the effectiveness of sand-control in 15 counties in and around Mu Us using multitemporal satellite images and socioeconomic data. After atmospheric correction, Landsat TM and OLI images were harnessed for land cover classification based on the ground-truth data and for derivation of the GDVI (generalized difference vegetation index) to extract the biophysical changes of the managed desert and desertification. Climatic, socioeconomic, environmental and spatial factors were selected for coupling analysis by multiple linear and logistic regression models to reveal the driving forces of desertification and their spatial determinants. The results show that from 1991 to 2020, 8712 km2 or 63% of the desert has been converted into pastures and shrublands with a greenness increase of 0.3509 in GDVI; the effectiveness of sand-control is favored by the rational agropastoral activities and policies; though desertification occurs locally, it is associated with both climatic and socioeconomic factors, such as wind speed, precipitation, water availability, distance to roads and animal husbandry.