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As the primary variable load of bridges, vehicle load is an important parameter for bridge health monitoring. However, traditional Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) systems and the commonly used method of placing sensors on the bridge are challenging to apply in load monitoring for many small and medium-sized bridges. Therefore, this paper proposes a bridge vehicle load identification method based on traffic surveillance video data. Leveraging the surveillance video data on the bridge, without introducing additional hardware devices, the displacement of target points is detected through sub-pixel level image detection algorithms, enabling non-contact measurement of bridge structural response through imaging. A spatiotemporal relationship model of structural displacement, vehicle load, and load distribution is established to solve for vehicle load. Finally, model bridge tests under various loading conditions and engineering practice experiments are conducted to validate the feasibility of the method. The results of the model bridge tests show that the structural displacement measured using traffic video measurement has a deviation of less than 10% compared to the measurements obtained using contact displacement sensors (LVDT), and it can accurately reflect the displacement characteristics of the structure. The results of the field tests demonstrate that the average estimation deviation for heavy vehicle loads ranging from 12 to 18 tons is approximately 18%, meeting the engineering requirements. The proposed method can provide load statistical information for the extensive health monitoring of small and medium-sized bridges and offer a new technical pathway for obtaining bridge load information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a technology for water landscape performance that considers landscape, ecological, and social effects, nature-based solutions play a crucial role in enhancing the functionality of integrated ecosystem services on the micro-scale. This study conducted a systematic investigation into the landscape performance of the "Clear as a Drain" composite sponge facility at Handan Garden Expo Park. The following conclusions were drawn: (1) In terms of ecological restoration support services, the "Clear as a Drain" artificial wetland exhibited diverse habitat types, a rich variety of plant species specific to the site's region, and high plant diversity indices for shrubs (1.776) and herbaceous aquatic plants (3.352). Reclaimed water reused in the artificial terraced wetland promoted plant growth and diversity while contributing to site self-rehabilitation; plants also significantly contributed to carbon fixation, oxygen release, and carbon emission reduction. (2) Regarding ecological restoration regulation services, the artificial wetland effectively purified reclaimed water with substantial improvements observed in incoming water quality during spring, summer, and autumn—particularly notable purification effects were observed during the summer months. Pollutant reduction rates for COD, BOD5 ammonia nitrogen, TP, and TN reached 75.8%, 72.1%, 93.8%, 96.7%, and 90.3%, respectively; different independent subsystems within the wetland demonstrated distinct advantages in pollutant removal; park plants displayed strong air purification capabilities; annual energy savings from park plants could fully cover daily energy consumption for nearby residents. This case could serve as guidance for scientific management and design parameter optimization of other composite sponge facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amidst the COVID‐19 pandemic, uncertainty persists among caregivers regarding the vaccination of pediatric liver transplant recipients (PLTRs). This study evaluates the immunogenicity and safety of COVID‐19 vaccination in this vulnerable population. A cohort of 30 PLTRs underwent sequential vaccinations with an inactivated SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccine followed by an Ad5‐nCoV booster. We collected and analyzed blood samples pre‐vaccination and four weeks post‐vaccination to quantify antibody and IGRA (IFN‐γ Release Assay) levels. We also documented any adverse reactions occurring within seven days post‐vaccination and monitored participants for infections over six months post‐vaccination, culminating in a comprehensive statistical analysis. The Ad5‐nCoV booster substantially elevated IgG (T1: 18.01, 20%; T2: 66.61, 55%) and nAb (T1: 119.29, 8%; T2: 3799.75, 80%) levels, as well as T‐cell responses, in comparison to the initial dose. The first dose was associated with some common adverse reactions, such as injection site pain (13.3%) and fever (16.6%), but a low rate of systemic reactions (16.0%). There was no significant difference in Omicron infection rates or RTPCR conversion times between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. Notably, following Omicron infection, vaccinated individuals exhibited significantly higher SARS‐CoV‐2 IgG and nAb titers (average IgG: 231.21 vs. 62.09 S/CO, p = 0.0003; nAb: 5246.11 vs. 2592.07 IU/mL, p = 0.0002). The use of inactivated vaccines followed by an Ad5‐nCoV booster in PLTRs is generally safe and elicits a robust humoral response, albeit with limited T‐cell responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The diminished expression of microRNA‐146a (miR‐146a) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) contributes to the aberrant activation of the interferon pathway. Despite its significance, the underlying mechanism driving this reduced expression remains elusive. Considering the integral role of enhancers in steering gene expression, our study seeks to pinpoint the SLE‐affected enhancers responsible for modulating miR‐146a expression. Additionally, we aim to elucidate the mechanisms by which these enhancers influence the contribution of miR‐146a to the activation of the interferon pathway. Methods: Circular chromosome conformation capture sequencing and epigenomic profiles were applied to identify candidate enhancers of miR‐146a. CRISPR activation was performed to screen functional enhancers. Differential analysis of chromatin accessibility was used to identify SLE‐dysregulated enhancers, and the mechanism underlying enhancer dysfunction was investigated by analyzing transcription factor binding. The therapeutic value of a lupus‐related enhancer was further evaluated by targeting it in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with SLE through a CRISPR activation approach. Results: We identified shared and cell‐specific enhancers of miR‐146a in distinct immune cells. An enhancer 32.5 kb downstream of miR‐146a possesses less accessibility in SLE, and its chromatin openness was negatively correlated with SLE disease activity. Moreover, CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α, a down‐regulated transcription factor in patients with SLE, binds to the 32.5‐kb enhancer and induces the epigenomic change of this locus. Furthermore, CRISPR‐based activation of this enhancer in SLE PBMCs could inhibit the activity of interferon pathway. Conclusion: Our work defines a promising target for SLE intervention. We adopted integrative approaches to define cell‐specific and functional enhancers of the SLE critical gene and investigated the mechanism underlying its dysregulation mediated by a lupus‐related enhancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To‐date there have been minimal studies to investigate an association between the gut microbiome and erectile dysfunction. There have been many inflammatory diseases linked to gut microbiome dysbiosis; such as cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. These same inflammatory diseases have been heavily linked to erectile dysfunction. Given the correlations between both conditions and cardiovascular disease and the metabolic syndrome, we believe that it is worthwhile to investigate a link between the two. Objective: To investigate the potential association between the gut microbiome and erectile dysfunction. Methods: Stool samples were collected from 28 participants with erectile dysfunction and 32 age‐matched controls. Metatranscriptome sequencing was used to analyze the samples. Results: No significant differences were found in the gut microbiome characteristics, including Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes richness (p = 0.117), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes diversity (p = 0.323), species richness (p = 0.364), and species diversity (p = 0.300), between the erectile dysfunction and control groups. Discussion: The association of gut microbiome dysbiosis and pro‐inflammatory conditions has been well studied and further literature continues to add to this evidence. Our main limitation for this study was our small‐sample size due to recruitment issues. We believe that a study with a larger population size may find an association between the gut microbiome and erectile dysfunction. Conclusions: The results of this study do not support a significant association between the gut microbiome and erectile dysfunction. Further research is needed to fully understand the relationship between these two conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabolic fingerprints in serum characterize diverse diseases for diagnostics and biomarker discovery. The identification of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) by serum metabolic fingerprints (SMFs) will facilitate precision medicine in SLE in an early and designed manner. Here, a discovery cohort of 731 individuals including 357 SLE patients and 374 healthy controls (HCs), and a validation cohort of 184 individuals (SLE/HC, 91/93) are constructed. Each SMF is directly recorded by nano‐assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI MS) within 1 minute using 1 µL of native serum, which contains 908 mass to charge features. Sparse learning of SMFs achieves the SLE identification with sensitivity/specificity and area‐under‐the‐curve (AUC) up to 86.0%/92.0% and 0.950 for the discovery cohort. For the independent validation cohort, it exhibits no performance loss by affording the sensitivity/specificity and AUC of 89.0%/100.0% and 0.992. Notably, a metabolic biomarker panel is screened out from the SMFs, demonstrating the unique metabolic pattern of SLE patients different from both HCs and rheumatoid arthritis patients. In conclusion, SMFs characterize SLE by revealing its unique metabolic pattern. Different regulation of small molecule metabolites contributes to the precise diagnosis of autoimmune disease and further exploration of the pathogenic mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of the economy and information services, there is an increasing demand for indoor positioning. However, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals face difficulties in penetrating buildings, making indoor positioning challenging. As a complementary solution to outdoor GNSS signals, pseudolites have shown promising results in various scenarios, and have become one of the research hotspots in the field of indoor positioning. Previous studies on indoor positioning with pseudolites have focused on issues such as initial position determination and carrier phase ambiguity resolution. However, most of these studies have remained in the research stage due to data post-processing and complex calculations. To overcome the limitations associated with the aforementioned factors, this paper proposes a real-time indoor positioning method that utilizes only a smartphone equipped with a built-in GNSS chip. By effectively obtaining pseudolite signal information, the smartphone establishes a simple model based on the distance and received power between the pseudolite and the smartphone. Kalman filtering is employed to mitigate the effects of multipath and occlusion. This simple and low-complexity model enables fast estimation of the user's distance from the pseudolite, thereby facilitating indoor positioning services. In this paper, the effectiveness and low complexity of the method are verified through data collection and experiments in the actual scene of the underground garage. The valuation results show that the root mean square error (RMSE) of its navigation and positioning is better than 3 m, which can meet the needs of daily life applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is complex autoimmune disease with heterogenous manifestations, unpredictable disease course and response to treatment. One of the critical needs in SLE management is the identification of reliable biomarkers that can aid in early diagnosis, accurate monitoring of disease activity, and assessment of treatment response. In the current review, we focus on the commonly affected organs (skin, kidney, and nervous system) in SLE to summarize the emerging biomarkers that show promise in disease diagnosis, monitoring and treatment response assessment. The subtitles within each organ domain were determined based on the most relevant and promising biomarkers for that specific organ damage. Biomarkers have the potential to significantly benefit the management of SLE by aiding in diagnosis, disease activity monitoring, prognosis, and treatment response assessment. However, despite decades of research, none has been validated and implemented for routine clinical use. Novel biomarkers could lead to the development of precision medicine for SLE, guide personalized treatment, and improve patient outcomes. Challenges in biomarker research in SLE include defining clear and clinically relevant questions, accounting for the heterogeneity of SLE, and confirming initial findings in larger, multi-center, multi-ethnic, independent cohorts that reflect real-world clinical scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries, recognized as one of the most promising next-generation energy storage systems, are still limited by the "shuttle effect" of soluble polysulfides (LiPSs) on the cathode and the uncontrolled growth of lithium dendrites on the anode. These issues are critical obstacles to their practical application. Currently, many researchers have addressed these challenges from a unilateral perspective. Herein, we propose bifunctional hosts based on high-entropy selenides (HE-Se) to simultaneously tackle the persistent problems on both the positive and negative electrodes of Li-S batteries. On the one hand, HE-Se interacts with polysulfides to promote their conversion, effectively mitigating the shuttle effect. On the other hand, HE-Se provides multiple lithophilic sites during the initial nucleation of Li+, which reduces overpotential and exhibits excellent lithophilicity and cyclic stability. As a result, Li-S batteries incorporating the HE-Se host demonstrate outstanding performance in terms of rate capability and cycling stability. Additionally, the porous lithophilic HE-Se structure offers sufficient nucleation sites, inhibits the growth of dendritic lithium, and accommodates volume changes during charging and discharging cycles. This study highlights the potential of sulphophilic/lithophilic high-entropy materials in designing advanced Li-S batteries and encourages further exploration in this area., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Through genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and integrated expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) analyses, numerous susceptibility genes ("eGenes", whose expressions are significantly associated with common variants) associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have been identified. Notably, a subset of these eGenes is correlated with disease activity. However, the precise mechanisms through which these genes contribute to the initiation and progression of the disease remain to be fully elucidated. In this investigation, we initially identify SPATS2L as an SLE eGene correlated with disease activity. eSignaling and transcriptomic analyses suggest its involvement in the type I interferon (IFN) pathway. We observe a significant increase in SPATS2L expression following type I IFN stimulation, and the expression levels are dependent on both the concentration and duration of stimulation. Furthermore, through dual-luciferase reporter assays, western blot analysis, and imaging flow cytometry, we confirm that SPATS2L positively modulates the type I IFN pathway, acting as a positive feedback regulator. Notably, siRNA-mediated intervention targeting SPATS2L , an interferon-inducible gene, in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with SLE reverses the activation of the interferon pathway. In conclusion, our research highlights the pivotal role of SPATS2L as a positive-feedback regulatory molecule within the type I IFN pathway. Our findings suggest that SPATS2L plays a critical role in the onset and progression of SLE and may serve as a promising target for disease activity assessment and intervention strategies.