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The presence of side-lobe noise degrades the image quality and adversely affects the performance of inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) image understanding applications, such as automatic target recognition (ATR), target detection, etc. However, methods reliant on data processing, such as windowing, inevitably encounter resolution reduction, and current deep learning approaches under-appreciate the sparsity inherent in ISAR images. Taking the above analysis into consideration, a convolutional neural network-based process for ISAR side-lobe noise training is proposed in this paper. The proposed processing, based on the ISAR images sparsity characteristic analysis, undergoes enhancements in three core ideas, dataset construction, prior network design, and loss function improvements. In the realm of dataset construction, we introduce a bin-by-bin fast clean algorithm and accelerate the processing speed significantly on the basis of image complete information. Subsequently, a spatial attention layer is incorporated into the prior network designed to augment the network’s focus on the crucial regions of ISAR images. In addition, a loss function featuring a weighting factor is devised to ensure the precise recovery of the strong scattering point. Simulation experiments demonstrate that the proposed process achieves significant improvements in both quantitative and qualitative results over the classical denoise methods.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of the dietary fiber pectin on the gut microbiota and health of parturient sows. A total of 30 parity 5–7, multiparous gestation sows (Large White × Landrace) were randomly assigned to two treatment groups after mating: Con (control, basic diet) and Pec (pectin, 3%). The sows received the two diets during gestation, and all sows were fed the same standard basic diet during lactation. The results of β-diversity showed that the composition of the gut microbiota was different in the Con and Pec groups. Compared with the sows in the Con group, the Pec sows showed a higher abundance of the gut bacteria Clostridium and Romboutsia and a lower abundance of harmful bacteria (Micrococcaceae, Coriobacteriaceae, Dorea, Actinomyces). On the other hand, the SCFA plasma concentration was increased in the Pec group, while pro-inflammatory cytokine (IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α) concentrations were decreased. In conclusion, the soluble dietary fiber pectin could improve the reproductive performance and health of sows by increasing the abundance of some commensal bacteria enhancing the metabolite SCFA levels and reducing the pro-inflammatory cytokine plasma levels.

This research presents a new, eco-friendly, and swift method combining solid-phase extraction and hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents (DES) with high-performance liquid chromatography (SPE-DES-HPLC) for extracting and quantifying catechin and epicatechin in Shanxi aged vinegar (SAV). The parameters, such as the elution solvent type, the XAD-2 macroporous resin dosage, the DES ratio, the DES volume, the adsorption time, and the desorption time, were optimized via a one-way experiment. A central composite design using the Box–Behnken methodology was employed to investigate the effects of various factors, including 17 experimental runs and the construction of three-dimensional response surface plots to identify the optimal conditions. The results show that the optimal conditions were an HDES (tetraethylammonium chloride and octanoic acid) ratio of 1:3, an XAD-2 macroporous resin dosage of 188 mg, and an adsorption time of 11 min. Under these optimal conditions, the coefficients of determination of the method were greater than or equal to 0.9917, the precision was less than 5%, and the recoveries ranged from 98.8% to 118.8%. The environmentally friendly nature of the analytical process and sample preparation was assessed via the Analytical Eco-Scale and AGREE, demonstrating that this method is a practical and eco-friendly alternative to conventional determination techniques. In summary, this innovative approach offers a solid foundation for the assessment of flavanol compounds present in SAV samples.

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a nomogram to predict survival in testicular cancer patients. Methods Testicular cancer patients diagnosed between 2004 and 2015 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were selected for this study. A random sampling method was used to divide patients into training and validation cohorts, which accounted for 30% and 70% of the total sample, respectively. The nomogram was developed using the training cohort and evaluated using the C index, calibration chart, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results Seven risk factors that affect the survival of testicular cancer patients (AJCC stage, marital status, age at diagnosis, race, SEER historic stage A, surgery status, and origin) were identified using Cox proportional hazard regression analysis. The nomogram has a higher C index (0.897) and AUC when compared with the AJCC staging system. The results of the calibration chart of the nomogram show that the predicted survival of testicular cancer patients at 3, 5, and 10 years after diagnosis is very close to their actual survival. Conclusions We developed and validated a nomogram for predicting the survival rate of testicular cancer patients at 3, 5, and 10 years after diagnosis. This nomogram has better discrimination, calibration, and clinical validity than the AJCC staging system. This indicates that the nomogram can be used to predict the survival of testicular cancer patients effectively, and provide a reference for patient treatment strategies.

Abstract The secretory properties of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play predominant roles in shaping a pro-metastatic tumor microenvironment. The present study demonstrated that SLIT2, an axon guidance protein, produced by CAFs and promoted gastric cancer (GC) metastasis in two gastric cancer cell lines (AGS and MKN45) by binding to roundabout guidance receptor 1 (ROBO1). Mass-spectrometry analysis revealed that ROBO1 could interact with NEK9, a serine/threonine kinase. And their mutual binding activities were further enhanced by SLIT2. Domain analysis revealed the kinase domain of NEK9 was critical in its interaction with the intracellular domain (ICD) of ROBO1, and it also directly phosphorylated tripartite motif containing 28 (TRIM28) and cortactin (CTTN) in AGS and MKN45 cells. TRIM28 function as a transcriptional elongation factor, which directly facilitate CTTN activation. In addition, Bioinformatics analysis and experimental validation identified transcriptional regulation of STAT3 and NF-κB p100 by TRIM28, and a synergetic transcription of CTTN by STAT3 and NF-κB p100 was also observed in AGS and MKN45. Therefore, CAF-derived SLIT2 increased the expression and phosphorylation levels of CTTN, which induced cytoskeletal reorganization and GC cells metastasis. A simultaneous increase in the expression levels of NEK9, TRIM28 and CTTN was found in metastatic GC lesions compared with paired non-cancerous tissues and primary cancer lesions via IHC and Multiplex IHC. The analysis of the data from a cohort of patients with GC revealed that increased levels of NEK9, TRIM28 and CTTN were associated with a decreased overall survival rate. On the whole, these findings revealed the connections of CAFs and cancer cells through SLIT2/ROBO1 and inflammatory signaling, and the key molecules involved in this process may serve as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for GC.

Background Before the advent of total hip arthroplasty, Vitallium mold arthroplasty had been widely performed. We present a case with a 42‐year follow‐up after Vitallium mold arthroplasty. To our knowledge, this case represents the longest known follow‐up of Vitallium mold arthroplasty in China. Case presentation This was a 59‐year‐old male. He underwent Vitallium mold arthroplasty of the left hip 42 years ago because of osteonecrosis of the femoral head. He developed left hip pain 3 months ago and underwent total hip revision surgery. There was some clear synovial fluid in the hip joint. The mold was loosened entirely and taken out effortlessly. Gram‐positive cocci could be observed occasionally in the synovial fluid smear, while the synovial fluid culture was negative. The inflammatory markers elevated perioperatively, and prophylactic cefuroxime and vancomycin were utilized successively. All elevated inflammatory markers fell since postoperative day 5, and there was no other sign of infection. The pain and function of the hip joint improved significantly after surgery. Conclusions Although Vitallium mold arthroplasty was inferior to total hip arthroplasty in survival rate and functional outcome, it did provide an excellent long‐term function of the hip joint.

Abstract Background Autophagy is a critical self-eating pathway involved in numerous physiological and pathological processes. Lysosomal degradation of dysfunctional organelles and invading microorganisms is central to the autophagy mechanism and essential for combating disease-related conditions. Therefore, monitoring fluctuations in the lysosomal microenvironment is vital for tracking the dynamic process of autophagy. Although much effort has been put into designing probes for measuring lysosomal viscosity or pH separately, there is a need to validate the concurrent imaging of the two elements to enhance the understanding of the dynamic progression of autophagy. Methods Probe HFI was synthesized in three steps and was developed to visualize changes in viscosity and pH within lysosomes for real-time autophagy tracking. Then, the spectrometric determination was carried out. Next, the probe was applied to image autophagy in cells under nutrient-deprivation or external stress. Additionally, the performance of HFI to monitor autophagy was employed to evaluate acetaminophen-induced liver injury. Results We constructed a ratiometric dual-responsive probe, HFI, with a large Stokes shift over 200 nm, dual-wavelength emission, and small background interference. The ratiometric fluorescent signal (R = I 610/I 460) of HFI had an excellent correlation with both viscosity and pH. More importantly, high viscosity and low pH had a synergistic promotion effect on the emission intensity of HFI, which enabled it to specially lit lysosomes without disturbing the inherent microenvironment. We then successfully used HFI to monitor intracellular autophagy induced by starvation or drugs in real-time. Interestingly, HFI also enabled us to visualize the occurrence of autophagy in the liver tissue of a DILI model, as well as the reversible effect of hepatoprotective drugs on this event. Conclusions In this study, we developed the first ratiometric dual-responsive fluorescent probe, HFI, for real-time revealing autophagic details. It could image lysosomes with minimal perturbation to their inherent pH, allowing us to track changes in lysosomal viscosity and pH in living cells. Ultimately, HFI has great potential to serve as a useful indicator for autophagic changes in viscosity and pH in complex biological samples and can also be used to assess drug safety.

Abstract Background Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a common disease with high morbidity and lacks effective treatment. We investigated the protective effects of the long-term application of the sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) dapagliflozin on diabetes-associated HFpEF in a rat model. Serum proteomics and metabolomics analysis were also conducted in type 2 diabetic patients with HFpEF treated with dapagliflozin. Methods Male Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats were used as a model of diabetic cardiomyopathy. From weeks 16 to 28, animals were given a vehicle or dapagliflozin (1 mg/kg) once daily. Primary blood biochemistry indices, echocardiography, histopathology, and cardiac hemodynamics were determined during the study period. The key markers of myocardial fibrosis, nitro-oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, autophagy, and AMPK/mTOR signaling were examined. Additionally, healthy controls and individuals with type 2 diabetes were enrolled and 16 serum samples from 4 groups were randomly selected. Serum proteome and metabolome changes after dapagliflozin treatment were analyzed in diabetic individuals with HFpEF. Results Dapagliflozin effectively prevented the development of HFpEF in rats with diabetes by mitigating nitro-oxidative stress, pro-inflammatory cytokines, myocardial hypertrophy, and fibrosis, reducing apoptosis, and restoring autophagy through AMPK activating and mTOR pathway repressing. Proteomics and metabolomics revealed that cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein particle metabolism, nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism, arginine biosynthesis, and cAMP and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling are the major disturbed pathways in HFpEF patients treated with dapagliflozin. Conclusion Long-term treatment with dapagliflozin significantly prevented the development of HFpEF in diabetic rats. Dapagliflozin could be a promising therapeutic strategy in managing HFpEF individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Abstract. Background:. Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) can reduce severe joint pain and improve functional disability in hemophilia. However, the long-term outcomes have rarely been reported in China. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the long-term outcomes and complications of TKA in Chinese patients with hemophilic arthropathy. Methods:. We retrospectively reviewed patients with hemophilia who underwent TKA between 2003 and 2020, with at least 10 years of follow-up. The clinical results, patellar scores, patients' overall satisfaction ratings, and radiological findings were evaluated. Revision surgery for implants during the follow-up period was recorded. Results:. Twenty-six patients with 36 TKAs were successfully followed up for an average of 12.4 years. Their Hospital for Special Surgery Knee Score improved from an average of 45.8 to 85.9. The average flexion contracture statistically significantly decreased from 18.1° to 4.2°. The range of motion (ROM) improved from 60.6° to 84.8°. All the patients accepted patelloplasty, and the patients' patellar score improved from 7.8 preoperatively to 24.9 at the last follow-up. There was no statistically significant difference in clinical outcomes between the unilateral and bilateral procedures, except for a better ROM at follow-up in the unilateral group. Mild and enduring anterior knee pain was reported in seven knees (19%). The annual bleeding event was 2.7 times/year at the last follow-up. A total of 25 patients with 35 TKAs were satisfied with the procedure (97%). Revision surgery was performed in seven knees, with 10- and 15-year prosthesis survival rates of 85.8% and 75.7%, respectively. Conclusions:. TKA is an effective procedure for patients with end-stage hemophilic arthropathy, which relieves pain, improves knee functions, decreases flexion contracture, and provides a high rate of satisfaction after more than ten years of follow-up.

Abstract Using an adult female miniature pig model with diet-induced weight gain/weight loss, we investigated the regulatory mechanisms of three-dimensional (3D) genome architecture in adipose tissues (ATs) associated with obesity. We generated 249 high-resolution in situ Hi-C chromatin contact maps of subcutaneous AT and three visceral ATs, analyzing transcriptomic and chromatin architectural changes under different nutritional treatments. We find that chromatin architecture remodeling underpins transcriptomic divergence in ATs, potentially linked to metabolic risks in obesity development. Analysis of chromatin architecture among subcutaneous ATs of different mammals suggests the presence of transcriptional regulatory divergence that could explain phenotypic, physiological, and functional differences in ATs. Regulatory element conservation analysis in pigs and humans reveals similarities in the regulatory circuitry of genes responsible for the obesity phenotype and identified non-conserved elements in species-specific gene sets that underpin AT specialization. This work provides a data-rich tool for discovering obesity-related regulatory elements in humans and pigs.

Objective Although total joint replacement (TJR) procedures are efficacious, perioperative high‐dose factors replacement therapy (FRT) to avoid catastrophic bleeding represents a significant hurdle, particularly for patients with multiple joint affection. Double simultaneous bilateral TJRs were reported as safe and cost‐effective. However, little is known about multiple TJRs. The feasibility and effects remain debatable. Surgeons need to weigh the high cost of FRT against safety. Accordingly, we aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes and cost‐effectiveness of single‐anesthetic multiple‐joint procedures of lower limbs in end‐stage hemophilic arthropathy. Methods Our retrospective cohort study retrieved data from an inpatient database of patients with hemophilia who underwent total knee arthroplasty (TKA), total hip arthroplasty (THA), and/or ankle arthrodesis from January 2000 to April 2016. Complications, hospital stays, transfusion, doses of clotting factor, medical costs, range of motion (ROM), Harris hip scores (HHSs) and Hospital for special surgery knee scores (HSSs) were recorded. A P value 0.05). Conclusion Our data indicated that simultaneous multiple TJRs are a safe and cost‐effective choice for treating hemophilic patients with multiple HA‐affected lower limb joints.

Abstract Background The feed intake of sows during lactation is often lower than their needs. High-fiber feed is usually used during gestation to increase the voluntary feed intake of sows during lactation. However, the mechanism underlying the effect of bulky diets on the appetites of sows during lactation have not been fully clarified. The current study was conducted to determine whether a high-fiber diet during gestation improves lactational feed intake (LFI) of sows by modulating gut microbiota. Methods We selected an appropriate high-fiber diet during gestation and utilized the fecal microbial transplantation (FMT) method to conduct research on the role of the gut microbiota in feed intake regulation of sows during lactation, as follows: high-fiber (HF) diet during gestation (n = 23), low-fiber (LF) diet during gestation (n = 23), and low-fiber diet + HF-FMT (LFM) during gestation (n = 23). Results Compared with the LF, sows in the HF and LFM groups had a higher LFI, while the sows also had higher peptide tyrosine tyrosine and glucagon-like peptide 1 on d 110 of gestation (G110 d). The litter weight gain of piglets during lactation and weaning weight of piglets from LFM group were higher than LF group. Sows given a HF diet had lower Proteobacteria, especially Escherichia-Shigella, on G110 d and higher Lactobacillus, especially Lactobacillus_mucosae_LM1 and Lactobacillus_amylovorus, on d 7 of lactation (L7 d). The abundance of Escherichia-Shigella was reduced by HF-FMT in numerically compared with the LF. In addition, HF and HF-FMT both decreased the perinatal concentrations of proinflammatory factors, such as endotoxin (ET), lipocalin-2 (LCN-2), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β). The concentration of ET and LCN-2 and the abundance of Proteobacteria and Escherichia-Shigella were negatively correlated with the LFI of sows. Conclusion The high abundance of Proteobacteria, especially Escherichia-Shigella of LF sows in late gestation, led to increased endotoxin levels, which result in inflammatory responses and adverse effects on the LFI of sows. Adding HF during gestation reverses this process by increasing the abundance of Lactobacillus, especially Lactobacillus_mucosae_LM1 and Lactobacillus_amylovorus.

Climate change will impact the distribution of species and their preferred habitat, thereby influencing the ecological processes intrinsic to these species. To investigate these phenomena, we analyzed the habitat distribution, structure, and connectivity of 6 forest ungulate species in Southwest China under current and future climate scenarios. Habitat projections indicate that forest ungulates will migrate to the southwest at higher elevations and the northwest at higher latitudes and elevations in the study area under climate change. The extent to which climate change affects the 6 forest ungulates is quite different. By 2050, there will still be a certain range of habitats for migration in the study area, but the habitat quality of species will have decreased to varying degrees after migration. By 2070, most forest ungulates will begin to experience significant habitat loss and habitat quality decline. The migration of species habitat also leads to a change in species habitat structure. Habitat landscape quality declines for most forest ungulate species. The loss of patches at the junction habitat has a huge impact on species habitat connectivity. The number and distance of corridors between the marginal habitat patches and the core habitat patches increase to a certain extent. To better achieve biodiversity conservation, we should strengthen the restoration and connectivity management of fragmented habitats to protect and restore the current habitats of species. Examples include the management of specific key areas and the establishment of large-scale integrated protected areas such as the Giant Panda National Park.

IntroductionConsidering the role of bacteria in the onset of acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD), we hypothesized that the use of influenza-Streptococcus pneumoniae vaccination, oral probiotics or inhaled amikacin could prevent AECOPD.MethodsIn this pilot prospective, muti-central, randomized trial, moderate-to-very severe COPD subjects with a history of moderate-to-severe exacerbations in the previous year were enrolled and assigned in a ratio of 1:1:1:1 into 4 groups. All participants were managed based on the conventional treatment recommended by GOLD 2019 report for 3 months, with three groups receiving additional treatment of inhaled amikacin (0.4 g twice daily, 5–7 days monthly for 3 months), oral probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (1 tablet daily for 3 months), or influenza-S. pneumoniae vaccination. The primary endpoint was time to the next onset of moderate-to-severe AECOPD from enrollment. Secondary endpoints included CAT score, mMRC score, adverse events, and survival in 12 months.ResultsAmong all 112 analyzed subjects (101 males, 96 smokers or ex-smokers, mean ± SD age 67.19 ± 7.39 years, FEV1 41.06 ± 16.09% predicted), those who were given dual vaccination (239.7 vs. 198.2 days, p = 0.044, 95%CI [0.85, 82.13]) and oral probiotics (248.8 vs. 198.2 days, p = 0.017, 95%CI [7.49, 93.59]) had significantly delayed onset of next moderate-to-severe AECOPD than those received conventional treatment only. For subjects with high symptom burden, the exacerbations were significantly delayed in inhaled amikacin group as compared to the conventional treatment group (237.3 vs. 179.1 days, p = 0.009, 95%CI [12.40,104.04]). The three interventions seemed to be safe and well tolerated for patient with stable COPD.ConclusionThe influenza-S. pneumoniae vaccine and long-term oral probiotic LGG can significantly delay the next moderate-to-severe AECOPD. Periodically amikacin inhalation seems to work in symptomatic patients. The findings in the current study warrants validation in future studies with microbiome investigation.Clinical trial registration:https://clinicaltrials.gov/, identifier NCT03449459.

Summary: In biological systems, protein function depends on spatial and temporal changes known as protein dynamics, which can be probed by amide hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchange. Here, we present a protocol for determining protein dynamics by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. We describe steps for protein sample preparation and FT-IR spectra collection. We then detail procedures for spectra analysis. Applications include the effects of protein mutation or protein and metal ion or ligand interactions on the protein H/D exchange rate.For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Yu et al. (2013).1 : Publisher’s note: Undertaking any experimental protocol requires adherence to local institutional guidelines for laboratory safety and ethics.

The Gutong Patch (GTP) is common in clinical practice for bone diseases. This study compared the efficacy and safety of GTP and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for KOA patients from 35 medical centers assigned to GTP, selective COX-2 inhibitor (SCI), GTP + SCI, non-selective COX-2 inhibitor (NSCI), and GTP + NSCI groups. The visual analog scale (VAS) pain score, EuroQol-VAS, EuroQol 5D-3 L, time to articular pain relief / disappearance, and joint motion recovery were the efficacy assessments. Safety assessments included contact dermatitis, gastrointestinal disorders, etc. The p-value

Abstract Background Macroautophagy is an essential cellular self-protection mechanism, and defective autophagy has been considered to contribute to a variety of diseases. During the process, cytoplasmic components are transported via autophagosomes to acidic lysosomes for metabolism and recycling, which represents application niches for lysosome-targeted fluorescent probes. Additionally, in view of the complexity of the autophagy pathway, it entails more stringent requirements for probes suitable for monitoring autophagy. Meanwhile, aggregation-induced emission (AIE) fluorescent probes have been impressively demonstrated in the biomedical field, which bring fascinating possibilities to the autophagy visualization. Methods We reported a generalizable de novo design of a novel pH-sensitive AIE probe ASMP-AP tailored to lysosome targeting for the interpretation of autophagy. Firstly, the theoretical calculation was carried out followed by the investigation of optical properties. Then, the performance of ASMP-AP in visualizing autophagy was corroborated by starvation or drugs treatments. Furthermore, the capability of ASMP-AP to monitor autophagy was demonstrated in ex vivo liver tissue and zebrafish in vivo. Results ASMP-AP displays a large stokes shift, great cell permeability and good biocompatibility. More importantly, ASMP-AP enables a good linear response to pH, which derives from the fact that its aggregation state can be manipulated by the acidity. It was successfully applied for imaging autophagy in living cells and was proved capable of monitoring mitophagy. Moreover, this novel molecular tool was validated by ex vivo visualization of activated autophagy in drug-induced liver injury model. Interestingly, it provided a meaningful pharmacological insight that the melanin inhibitor 1-phenyl-2-thiourea (PTU)-induced autophagy was clearly presented in wild-type zebrafish. Conclusions ASMP-AP offers a simple yet effective tool for studying lysosome and autophagy. This is the first instance to visualize autophagy in zebrafish using a small-molecule probe with AIE characters, accurate lysosome targeting and simultaneous pH sensitivity. Ultimately, this novel fluorescent system has great potential for in vivo translation to fuel autophagy research. Graphical Abstract

Abstract Background Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are the leading health risks for the elderly. Triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index is a novel and reliable indicator of insulin resistance (IR). This study aims to explore the relationship between the TyG index and all-cause mortality in oldest-old patients with ACS and DM. Methods Seven hundred twenty hospitalized patients with ACS aged ≥ 80 years were enrolled, and 699 patients signed informed consent for the study. During the follow-up period, 37 were lost to follow-up, and the follow-up rate was 94.7%. 231 ACS patients with DM were selected for the study’s analyses. Kaplan–Meier curve, Cox regression model and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to analyze the association between the TyG index and all-cause mortality. Results The mean age of participants was 81.58 ± 1.93 years, and 32.47% were women. Compared to TyG tertile 1, the Hazard Ratio (HR) [95% confidence interval (CI)] of all-cause mortality was 2.04 (1.09, 3.81) for TyG tertile 3 in the fully adjusted model. For the TyG index per standard deviation (SD) increment, the HR (95% CI) of all-cause mortality was 1.44 (1.13, 1.83). Further, the association between the TyG index and all-cause mortality was dose–response (P for trend = 0.026). ROC curve analyses indicated that the TyG index outperformed FBG and TG in the prediction of mortality risk and improved the prognostic value of the Gensini score combined with LVEF. Conclusion The TyG index predicts the risk of all-cause mortality in the oldest-old ACS patients with DM.

Graph neural networks (GNNs) have shown significant success in graph representation learning. However, the performance of existing GNNs degrades seriously when their layers deepen due to the over-smoothing issue. The node embedding incline converges to a certain value when GNNs repeat, aggregating the representations of the receptive field. The main reason for over-smoothing is that the receptive field of each node tends to be similar as the layers increase, which leads to different nodes aggregating similar information. To solve this problem, we propose an adaptive multi-channel deep graph neural network (AMD-GNN) to adaptively and symmetrically aggregate information from the deep receptive field. The proposed model ensures that the receptive field of each node in the deep layer is different so that the node representations are distinguishable. The experimental results demonstrate that AMD-GNN achieves state-of-the-art performance on node classification tasks with deep models.

This paper concentrates on the elevator passenger detection task, a pivotal element for subsequent elevator passenger tracking and behavior recognition, crucial for ensuring passenger safety. To enhance the accuracy of detecting passenger positions inside elevators, we improved the YOLOv8 network and proposed the SC-YOLOv8 elevator passenger detection network with soft-pooling and attention mechanisms. The main improvements in this paper encompass the following aspects: Firstly, we transformed the convolution module (ConvModule) of the YOLOv8 backbone network by introducing spatial and channel reconstruction convolution (SCConv). This improvement aims to reduce spatial and channel redundancy in the feature extraction process of the backbone network, thereby improving the overall efficiency and performance of the detection network. Secondly, we propose a dual-branch SPP-Fast module by incorporating a soft-pooling branch into the YOLOv8 network’s SPP-Fast module. This dual-branch SPP-Fast module can preserve essential information while reducing the impact of noise. Finally, we propose a soft-pooling and multi-scale convolution CBAM module to further enhance the network’s performance. This module enhances the network’s focus on key regions, allowing for more targeted feature extraction, thereby further improving the accuracy of object detection. Additionally, the attention module enhances the network’s robustness in handling complex backgrounds. We conducted experiments on an elevator passenger dataset. The results show that the precision, recall, and mAP of our improved YOLOv8 network are 94.32%, 91.17%, and 92.95%, respectively, all surpassing those of the original YOLOv8 network.

Two α-pyrone analogs were isolated from the endophytic fungus Diaporthe sp. CB10100, which is derived from the medicinal plant Sinomenium acutum. These analogs included a new compound, diaporpyrone F (3), and a known compound, diaporpyrone D (4). The structure of 3 was identified by a comprehensive examination of HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that biosynthetic gene clusters for α-pyrone analogs are common in fungi of Diaporthe species. The in vitro α-glucosidase inhibitory activity and antibacterial assay of 4 revealed that it has a 46.40% inhibitory effect on α-glucosidase at 800 μM, while no antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Mycolicibacterium (Mycobacterium) smegmatis or Klebsiella pneumoniae at 64 μg/mL. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations of 4 with α-glucosidase further suggested that the compounds are potential α-glucosidase inhibitors. Therefore, α-pyrone analogs can be used as lead compounds for α-glucosidase inhibitors in more in-depth studies.

The classification of urban functional areas is important for understanding the characteristics of urban areas and optimizing the utilization of urban land resources. Existing related methods have improved accuracy. However, they neglect cognitive differences amongst humans in the different scales of regional functions. Moreover, how to build the correlations of cross-scale characteristics is still unresolved when realizing the classification of multiscale urban functional zones. To resolve these problems, a transportation analysis zone involving urban buildings as research units is created and these units are described by geometric and functional characteristics using multiple data sources. Then, a hierarchical clustering model is built for the recognition of urban functional areas at varying scales with landmark semantic constraints. In the experiments, Shanghai served as the study area, and multiscale zones were created using different levels of road networks considering the constraint correlation of the significance between cross-scale maps. The experiential results show the proposed method has excellent performance and optimizes the functional zone classification at different scales. This study not only enriches the multiscale urban functional area-recognition methods but also can be used in other aspects, like cartographic generalization or spatial analysis.

High-fat-diet (HFD)-induced obesity parallels hypothalamic inflammation and oxidative stress, but the correlations between them are not well-defined. Here, with mouse models targeting the antioxidant gene LanCL1 in the hypothalamus, we demonstrate that impaired hypothalamic antioxidant defense aggravates HFD-induced hypothalamic inflammation and obesity progress, and these could be improved in mice with elevated hypothalamic antioxidant defense. We also show that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α), a critical transcriptional coactivator, is implicated in regulating hypothalamic LanCL1 transcription, in collaboration with SP1 through a direct interaction, in response to HFD-induced palmitic acid (PA) accumulation. According to our results, when exposed to HFD, mice undergo a process of overwhelming hypothalamic antioxidant defense; short-time HFD exposure induces ROS production to activate PGC-1α and elevate LanCL1-mediated antioxidant defense, while long-time exposure promotes ubiquitin-mediated PGC-1α degradation and suppresses LanCL1 expression. Our findings show the critical importance of the hypothalamic PGC-1α-SP1-LanCL1 axis in regulating HFD-induced obesity, and provide new insights describing the correlations of hypothalamic inflammation and oxidative stress during this process.

BackgroundObesity and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are prevailing worldwide, bringing a heavy medical burden. Clinical and pathophysiological relationship between obesity and COPD is paradoxical and elusive. We aim to explore their inherent associations from clinical, genetic, and animal levels.MethodsWe performed literature review and cohort analysis of patients with COPD to compare lung function, symptom, and prognosis among different weight groups. After retrieving datasets of obesity and COPD in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, we carried out differentially expressed gene analysis, functional enrichment, protein–protein interactions network, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis. Then, we acquired paraffin-embedded lung tissues of fatty acid–binding protein 4–Cre-BMPR2fl/fl conditional knockout (CKO) mice that were characterized by adipocyte-specific knockout of bone morphogenetic protein receptor 2 (BMPR2) for staining and analysis.ResultsOur cohort study reports the effect of obesity on COPD is inconsistent with previous clinical studies. Lung function of overweight group was statistically superior to that of other groups. We also found that the inflammatory factors were significantly increased hub genes, and cytokine-associated pathways were enriched in white adipose tissue of patients with obesity. Similarly, injury repair–associated genes and pathways were further enhanced in the small airways of patients with COPD. CKO mice spontaneously developed lung injury, emphysema, and pulmonary vascular remodeling, along with increased infiltration of macrophages. BMPR2-defiecient adipocytes had dysregulated expression of adipocytokines.ConclusionInflammation and abnormal repair might be potential mechanisms of the pathological association between obesity and COPD. BMPR2-associated adipocyte dysfunction promoted lung inflammation and aberrant repair, in which adipocytokines might play a role and thus could be a promising therapeutic target.

The paleogeographic reconstruction of ancient source-to-sink systems is a current focus and challenge in the field of Earth sciences; however, there are few established method or representative reconstruction case for ancient source-to-sink system paleogeographic reconstruction. Using drilling, thin-section, core, and 3D seismic data guided by sequence stratigraphy and sedimentology and the source-to-sink system approach, the source-to-sink system characteristics of the second member of the Paleogene Shahejie Formation in the Miaoxibei area of the Bohai Bay Basin were reconstructed. In addition, a new method for paleogeographic reconstruction of the ancient source-to-sink system was established using geomorphology and sediment backfilling technology to identify the erosion evolution history of the provenance area and to reconstruct the study area source-to-sink system for the investigated time-span. This study shows that a complete near-transport source-to-sink system developed in the Miaoxibei area, with the source area composed of Mesozoic granites, Neoproterozoic quartzites, and conglomerates. The primary and secondary watersheds were trending in N–S and E–W directions, respectively. The paleo drainage system trended in a N–S and E–W direction. The sedimentary facies represent mainly fan deltas and lakes. During the Paleogene, erosion was stronger in the western part of the source area than that in the eastern part, and the position of the paleo watershed gradually shifted eastward. The reconstruction method presented here and its results on the source-to-sink system can facilitate ancient source-to-sink system research in continental basins and serve as a model for paleogeographic reconstruction of ancient source-to-sink systems and related hydrocarbon exploration in other regions.

ABSTRACT Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a clinical threat with high morbidity and mortality. Here, we describe a new simple, rapid identification method for MRSA using oxacillin sodium salt, a cell wall synthesis inhibitor, combined with Gram staining and machine vision (MV) analysis. Gram staining classifies bacteria as positive (purple) or negative (pink) according to the cell wall structure and chemical composition. In the presence of oxacillin, the integrity of the cell wall for methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) was destroyed immediately and appeared Gram negative. In contrast, MRSA was relatively stable and appeared Gram positive. This color change can be detected by MV. The feasibility of this method was demonstrated in 150 images of the staining results for 50 clinical S. aureus strains. Based on effective feature extraction and machine learning, the accuracies of the linear linear discriminant analysis (LDA) model and nonlinear artificial neural network (ANN) model for MRSA identification were 96.7% and 97.3%, respectively. Combined with MV analysis, this simple strategy improved the detection efficiency and significantly shortened the time needed to detect antibiotic resistance. The whole process can be completed within 1 h. Unlike the traditional antibiotic susceptibility test, overnight incubation is avoided. This new strategy could be used for other bacteria and represents a new rapid method for detection of clinical antibiotic resistance. IMPORTANCE Oxacillin sodium salt destroys the integrity of the cell wall of MSSA immediately, appearing Gram negative, whereas MRSA is relatively stable and still appears Gram positive. This color change can be detected by microscopic examination and MV analysis. This new strategy has significantly reduced the time to detect resistance. The results show that using oxacillin sodium salt combined with Gram staining and MV analysis is a new, simple and rapid method for identification of MRSA.

Brain and muscle arnt-like protein 1 (Bmal1) is a crucial transcription factor, regulating circadian rhythm and involved in multiple heart diseases. However, it is unknown whether Bmal1 promotes diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) pathogenesis. The objective of this investigation was to ascertain the vital role of Bmal1 in the progression of DCM. Mice with T2D and H9c2 cardiomyoblasts exposed to high glucose and palmitic acid (HGHP) were used. Cardiomyocyte-specific knockout mouse of Bmal1 (CKB) was also generated, and cardiac Bmal1 was overexpressed in type 2 diabetes (T2D) mice using an adeno-associated virus. Bmal1 gene recombinant adenovirus was used to either knockdown or overexpress in H9c2 cardiomyoblasts. Bmal1 expression was significantly altered in diabetic mice hearts. Bmal1 downregulation in CKB and T2D mice heart accelerated cardiac hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction, while Bmal1 overexpression ameliorated these pathological changes in DCM mice. Furthermore, DCM mice had significant mitochondrial ultrastructural defects, reactive oxygen species accumulation, and apoptosis, which could be alleviated by overexpressing Bmal1. In H9c2 cardiomyoblasts, genetic downregulation of Bmal1 or HGHP markedly decreased the binding of Bcl2 to IP3R, thus increasing Ca2+ release to mitochondria through mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membranes. Importantly, chromatin immunoprecipitation revealed Bmal1 could bind directly to the Bcl2 gene promoter region. Bmal1 overexpression augmented the Bmal1/Bcl2 binding, enhancing the inhibition of Bcl2 on IP3R activity, thus alleviating mitochondrial Ca2+ overload and subsequent cell apoptosis. These results show that Bmal1 is involved in the DCM development through Bcl2/IP3R-mediated mitochondria Ca2+ overload. Therapy targeting the circadian clock (Bmal1) can treat DCM.

In this paper, a MMP algorithm is proposed. Compared with the classical algorithm, the proposed algorithm reduces the noise threshold of stably extractable parameters by 15 dB and reduces the computing time by ten or more. As an efficient way to interpret the measurements of high-frequency Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR), the Geometric Theory of Diffraction (GTD) model provides concise features of complex targets. However, the existing parameter extraction algorithms suffer from high computational complexity and poor ability against noise. To solve these challenges, a Maximum Matching Pursuit (MMP) algorithm is proposed in this paper. The proposed algorithm achieves parameter estimation by searching the maximum value of the dictionary matrix and observation signal matrix product. Compared to the classical OMP algorithm, the proposed algorithm significantly reduces the computational complexity by estimating params without cycles. To demonstrate the reconstruction efficiency of the improved algorithm, the Root-Mean-square-error (RMSE), and the computer time of the proposed algorithms are compared with the original algorithms, such as the OMP and the Estimating Signal Parameters via Rotational Invariance Techniques (ESPRIT) algorithm, under different Signal-to-Noise-Ratio (SNR). The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm reduces the noise threshold of stably extractable parameters by 15 dB, reducing the computing time by ten or more.

Purpose: Radiation pneumonitis (RP)(grade ≥ 2) can have a considerable impact on patient quality-of life. In previous studies, the traditional method commonly used radiomics and clinical factors for RP prediction. This study aims to develop and evaluate a novel pseudo-siamese network (PSN) to assist radiologists predict RP before radiotherapy based on combination of dosimetric and clinical factors, radiomics features, CT (computed tomography) images, and dose distribution (hybrid model). Method: One hundred and ten patients with lung cancer (19 RP ≥ 2) who received radiotherapy between 2016 and 2020 were retrospectively enrolled in this study. Dosimetric factors were calculated from DVH (dose-volume histogram), such as lung mean dose, lung V5, and prescription dose. Clinical characteristics were recorded, such as age, sex, smoking status, TN stage, and overall stage. A total of 1419 radiomics features were extracted. Cluster analysis was used for detecting radiomics features that associated with RP. Patients were randomly split into a training set (90 %, 85 non-RP, and 14 RP) and a validation set (10 %, 6 non-RP, and 5 RP). A PSN architecture was designed for combining 1D (dosimetric and clinical factors, radiomics) and 3D (CT images, 3D dose distribution) features. 5-fold cross-validation procedure for estimating the skill of the model on new data. Results: For cluster analysis, totally of 106 radiomics features with high correlation were selected. The accuracy was 0.727, 0.636, 0.545, and 0.727 for input dosimetric and clinical factors, dose distribution, CT images, and radiomics features, respectively. The accuracy of hybrid model was 0.818. The sensitivity of hybrid model was 0.800 (95 % confidence interval (CI) [0.299, 0.989]), and specificity was 0.833(95 % CI [0.364, 0.991]). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) result in 5-fold cross-validation was 0.77–0.90(mean AUC ± std was 0.85 ± 0.05). Conclusion: This study firstly propose method that the combination of high dimensional and low dimensional features for RP prediction. The results confirm the feasibility of multi-dimensional features predict RP.

In order to screen Perilla resources suitable for both medicine and food, basic nutritional quality, main active components and mineral content were determined in 14 purple Perilla frutescens lines (No.C01~C14), which were collected from Guizhou, Hunan, Shanxi and Heilongjiang provinces. The nutritional quality of Perilla leaves was evaluated by factor analysis and systematic cluster analysis. In addition, the essential oil types of the Perilla lines were also analyzed. The results showed that the content of crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, soluble protein, total free amino acids and soluble sugar were 12.87~19.52, 2.07~4.19, 6.59~9.84 g/100 g, 0.99~2.49, 0.17~1.57 and 28.90~61.54 g/kg, respectively. The contents of flavonoids, total phenols and vitamin C were 13.28~24.35 g/kg, 59.26~99.18 mg/kg and 1.16~8.17 mg/100 g. The content of Fe, Zn, Mn and Cu was 13.96~27.86, 5.60~8.94, 4.63~19.74 and 0.52~2.61 mg/kg, respectively. Factor analysis showed that the four common factors of ''sugar and mineral elements'', ''active substances'', ''protein'' and ''fat'' could be extracted from the multitudinous nutrient factors of Perilla leaves. The best comprehensive quality performance was C05, followed by C12, C11, C06 and C10. Cluster analysis indicated that 14 Perilla lines could be divided into three groups, they were ''high-sugar and high-mineral group'', ''high-fat and high-protein and high-active ingredient group'' and ''high-fiber and low-nutrition group'', including 8, 3 and 3 lines correspondingly. The essential oil detection and composition analysis showed that the content of essential oil ranged from 0.25% to 1.09% in 14 Perilla lines. The chemotype of essential oil of 14 Perilla lines could be divided into four types: PA type (rich in L-perillaldehyde), pp-m type (rich in 1,3-benzodioxole, 4-methoxy-6-(2-propenyl)-), atypical EK+type (mainly containing elsholtzia ketone) and MP type (rich in 1-(furan-2-yl)-4-methylpentan-1-one), including 7, 1, 2 and 4 Perilla lines respectively. After comprehensive evaluation, it was concluded that C05 was the best line in quality and was also rich in PA-type essential oil, which could be developed into both medicine and food.

The objective was to evaluate the effect of different standardised ileal digestible lysine (SID-Lys) levels on performance, nutrient digestibility, serum metabolites, and carcase and meat traits of Yacha pigs. A total of 50 pigs were blocked by body weight and randomly assigned to five dietary treatments with six replicate pens (2 pigs/pen) per treatment using a randomised complete block design. Five diets in mash form were formulated to contain SID-Lys at 0.57%, 0.62%, 0.67%, 0.72%, 0.77% of diet in phase 1 (15 ∼ 30 kg), at 0.40%, 0.48%, 0.56%, 0.64%, 0.72% of diet in phase 2 (30 ∼ 50 kg), and at 0.30%, 0.39%, 0.48%, 0.57%, 0.66% of diet in phase 3 (50 ∼ 90 kg), respectively. The results showed that the average daily gain and gain to feed ratio increased with increasing dietary Lys levels in phases 1 and 2 (p ≤ 0.05). Increasing dietary Lys levels increased linearly (p ≤ 0.05) apparent total-tract digestibility of dry matter, gross energy, crude protein, and phosphorus in Phase 3 and also increased (p ≤ 0.05) concentration of serum glucose and tended to increase (p