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Acoustic emission (AE) technology, as a non-destructive testing methodology, is extensively utilized to monitor various materials’ structural integrity. However, AE signals captured during experimental processes are often tainted with assorted noise factors that degrade the signal clarity and integrity, complicating precise analytical evaluations of the experimental outcomes. In response to these challenges, this paper introduces an unsupervised deep learning-based denoising model tailored for AE signals. It juxtaposes its efficacy against established methods, such as wavelet packet denoising, Hilbert transform denoising, and complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise denoising. The results demonstrate that the unsupervised skip autoencoder model exhibits substantial potential in noise reduction, marking a significant advancement in AE signal processing. Subsequently, the paper focuses on applying this advanced denoising technique to AE signals collected during the tensile testing of steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC), the tensile testing of steel, and flexural experiments of reinforced concrete beam, and it meticulously discusses the variations in the waveform and the spectrogram of the original signal and the signal after noise reduction. The results show that the model can also remove the noise of AE signals.

The face of corporate governance is changing as new technologies in the scope of artificial intelligence and data analytics are used to make better future-oriented decisions on performance management. This study attempts to provide empirical results to analyze when the impact of diversity on the board of directors is most evident through the multi-breaks model and artificial neural networks. The input data for the simulation includes 853 electronic companies listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange from 2000 to 2021. The empirical results show that the higher the percentage of female board members, the more influential the company’s performance is, which is only evident when the company is in good business condition. By integrating ANNs with multi-breakpoint regression, this study introduces a novel approach to management research, providing a detailed perspective on how board diversity impacts firm performance across different conditions. The ANN results show that using the number of business board members for predicting Return on Assets yields the highest accuracy, with female board members following closely in predictive effectiveness. The presence of women on the board contributes positively to ROA, particularly when the company is experiencing favorable business conditions and high profitability. Our analysis also reveals that a higher percentage of male board members improves company performance, but this benefit is observed only in highly favorable and unfavorable business conditions. Conversely, a higher percentage of business members tends to affect performance during periods of high profitability negatively. The power of the board of directors and significant shareholders is positively correlated with performance, whereas CEO power positively impacts performance only when it is not extremely low. Independent board members generally do not have a significant effect on profits. Additionally, the company’s asset value positively influences performance primarily when the return on assets is high, and increased financial leverage is associated with reduced profitability.

Background and Objectives: In the literature, relationships between being married and having prediabetes or diabetes are inconsistent. We aimed to investigate whether marriage is a protective or risk factor for prediabetes and to uncover new insights into its impact on prediabetes. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, questionnaires were distributed by email to 1039 staff members who participated in an employee health check from a hospital affiliated with a medical university in Taiwan. Fasting blood glucose and triglyceride (TG) levels were checked and the questionnaires elicited basic demographic characteristics and included the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory and Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. The chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test, logistic regression, and mediation analysis were conducted for statistical analysis. Results: Among the group aged 20–37 years, married (OR = 1.89, 95%CI: 1.08, 3.33), obesity (OR = 2.95, 95%CI: 1.49, 5.83), neck and shoulder pain (OR = 1.31, 95%CI: 1.01, 1.69), and elevated TG levels (OR = 1.01, 95%CI: 1.00, 1.01) were independent risk factors for prediabetes (impaired fasting glucose). For those >38 years old, overweight (OR = 2.08, 95%CI: 1.27, 3.43), obesity (OR = 4.30, 95%CI: 2.38, 7.79), and elevated triglyceride (TG) (OR = 1.003, 95%CI: 1.00, 1.01) were the independent risk factors for impaired fasting glucose. Increased TG levels serve as a mediating factor (Zm = 2.64, p < 0.01) linking marriage to an increased risk of prediabetes for the group aged 20–37 years. Conclusions: TGs play a significant role in the association between marriage and prediabetes among the group aged 20–37 years. Therefore, dietary habits, especially those of young adult couples should be considered. Our findings connect marital status to prediabetes, facilitating advances in diabetes prevention.

Lithium-ion batteries are widely utilized in numerous applications, making it essential to precisely predict their degradation trajectory and remaining useful life (RUL). To improve the stability and applicability of RUL prediction for lithium-ion batteries, this paper uses a new method to predict RUL by combining CNN-LSTM-Attention with transfer learning. The presented model merges the strengths of both convolutional and sequential architectures, and it enhances the model’s capability to grasp comprehensive information by utilizing the attention mechanism, thereby boosting overall performance. The CEEMDAN algorithm is used for NASA batteries with obvious capacity regeneration phenomena to alleviate the difficulties caused by capacity regeneration on model prediction. During the model transfer phase, the CNN and LSTM layers of the pre-trained model from the source domain are kept unchanged during retraining, while the attention and fully connected layers are fine-tuned for NASA batteries and self-tested NCM batteries. The final results indicate that this method achieves superior accuracy relative to other methods while addressing the issue of limited labeled data in the target domain through transfer learning, thereby enhancing the model’s transferability and generalization capabilities.

Icaritin (ICT), a natural compound extracted from the dried leaves of the genus Epimedium, possesses antitumor and immunomodulatory properties. However, the mechanisms through which ICT modulates pyroptosis and immune response in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. This study demonstrated that ICT exhibits pyroptosis-inducing and anti-hepatocarcinoma effects. Specifically, the caspase1-GSDMD and caspase3-GSDME pathways were found to be involved in ICT-triggered pyroptosis. Furthermore, ICT promoted pyroptosis in co-cultivation of HepG2 cells and macrophages, regulating the release of inflammatory cytokines and the transformation of macrophages into a proinflammatory phenotype. In the Hepa1-6+Luc liver cancer model, ICT treatment significantly increased the expression of cleaved-caspase1, cleaved-caspase3, and granzyme B, modulated cytokine secretion, and stimulated CD8+ T cell infiltration, resulting in a reduction in tumor growth. In conclusion, the findings in this research suggested that ICT may modulate cell pyroptosis in HCC and subsequently regulate the immune microenvironment of the tumor. These observations may expand the understanding of the pharmacological mechanism of ICT, as well as the therapy of liver cancer.

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), known for being nontoxic, highly stable, and environmentally friendly, is extensively used in photocatalytic degradation technologies. Silver nanoparticles effectively capture the photogenerated electrons in g-C3N4, enhancing the photocatalytic efficiency. This study primarily focused on synthesizing graphitic carbon nitride via thermal polymerization and depositing noble metal silver onto g-C3N4 through photoreduction. Methyl orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB) were targeted as the pollutants in the photocatalytic experiments under visible light in conjunction with a H2O2 system. The characteristics peaks, structure, and morphology were analyzed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). g-C3N4 loaded with 6% Ag exhibited superior photocatalytic performance; the photocatalytic fraction of the degraded materials of the MO and MB solutions reached 100% within 70 and 80 min, respectively, upon adding 1 mL and 2 mL of H2O2. ·OH and ·O2− were the primary active free radicals in the dye degradation process within the synergistic system. Stability tests also demonstrated that the photocatalyst maintained good reusability under the synergistic system.

Deploying distributed fiber-optic sensor (DFOS) technology to gather environmental parameters over expansive areas is an essential monitoring strategy in the context of comprehensive searches for anomalous places. This study utilizes a single temperature measurement channel within a commercial Raman-based distributed temperature sensing (RDTS) interrogator and divides it into two separate, uncorrelated paths to enable spatial duplex temperature measurements. The distinction between temperature events corresponding to each path in the dual separate path (DSP) in RDTS can be achieved when temperature events are concurrently occurring in the DSP. Additionally, the RDTS–DSP solution may integrate free space optics (FSO) into its fiber path, which serves to enhance the user-friendliness, scalability, and cost-effectiveness of DFOS technology. An RDTS measurement channel can effectively function as a DSP, thus doubling the RDTS measurement pathway, and can be combined with FSO to significantly improve RDTS performance.

Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) plays a critical role in myoblast proliferation and fat deposition in animals. Our previous RNA-Seq analyses identified a close association between the JAK2 gene and muscle development. To date, research delving into the relationship between the JAK2 gene and growth traits has been sparse. In this study, we sought to investigate the relationship between novel mutations within the JAK2 gene and goat growth traits. Herein, two novel InDel (Insertion/Deletion) polymorphisms within the JAK2 gene were detected in 548 goats, and only two genotypes were designated as ID (Insertion/Deletion) and DD (Deletion/Deletion). The results indicate that the two InDels, the del19008 locus in intron 2 and del72416 InDel in intron 6, showed significant associations with growth traits (p < 0.05). Compared to Nubian and Jianzhou Daer goats, the del72416 locus displayed a more pronounced effect in the Fuqing breed group. In the Nubian breed (NB) group, both InDels showed a marked influence on body height (BH). There were strong linkages observed for these two InDels between the Fuqing (FQ) and Jianzhou (JZ) populations. The DD-ID diplotype was associated with inferior growth traits in chest width (ChW) and cannon circumference (CaC) in the FQ goats compared to the other diplotypes. In the NB population, the DD-DD diplotype exhibited a marked negative impact on BH and HuWI (hucklebone width index), in contrast to the other diplotypes. In summary, our findings suggest that the two InDel polymorphisms within the JAK2 gene could serve as valuable molecular markers for enhancing goat growth traits in breeding programs.

Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) is a prevalent phthalate ester widely used as a plasticizer, leading to its widespread presence in various environmental matrices. This study presents an innovative microbial immobilization strategy utilizing biochar, calcium alginate (alginate-Ca, (C12H14CaO12)n), and waterborne polyurethane (WPU) composites to enhance the biodegradation efficiency of DBP. The results revealed that rice husk biochar, pyrolyzed at 300 °C, exhibits relatively safer and more stable physical and chemical properties, making it an effective immobilization matrix. Additionally, the optimal cultural conditions for Bacillus aquimaris in DBP biodegradation were identified as incubation at 30 °C and pH 7, with the supplementation of 0.15 g of yeast extract, 0.0625 g of glucose, and 1 CMC of Triton X-100. Algal biotoxicity results indicated a significant decrease in biotoxicity, as evidenced by an increase in chlorophyll a content in Chlorella vulgaris following DBP removal from the culture medium. Finally, microbial community analysis demonstrated that encapsulating B. aquimaris within alginate-Ca and WPU layers not only enhanced DBP degradation, but also prevented ecological competition from indigenous microorganisms. This novel approach showcases the potential of agricultural waste utilization and microbial immobilization techniques for the remediation of DBP-contaminated environments.

Phosphorus is one of the major constraints to karst grassland productivity. Understanding the effects of different fertilization practices on soil phosphorus dynamics is essential for enhancing phosphorus bioavailability and rational management of soil phosphorus in karst grasslands. Here, we investigated the effects of fertilizers and manures on soil bioavailability of phosphorus fractions and explored the relationship between soil properties and soil phosphorus fractions. The four fertilizer application designs were as follows: control (CK; no fertilizer or manure); fertilization (F); manure application (M); fertilization and manure application (FM). The results showed that total phosphorus (TP) concentration was elevated by 23%, 1%, and 42% in F, M, and FM treatments, respectively, compared with CK. F and FM treatments enhanced the total inorganic phosphorus (Pi) concentration by 65% and 66%, respectively, while M and FM treatments enhanced the total organo-phosphorus (Po) concentration by 21% and 35%, respectively. FM treatment elevated bioavailable P, active Po, secondary mineral P, primary mineral P, and occluded P by 69%, 39%, 50%, 31%, and 41%, respectively. Fertilizers inhibited soil acid phosphatase activity, whereas alkaline phosphatase did not respond significantly to fertilizer management in low-latitude karst regions. SOM, TN, AP, and MBP are the key factors affecting the bioavailability of phosphorus fractions. The combined application of fertilizer and manure is the most beneficial measure for enhancing soil phosphorus bioavailability. This research helps deepen our understanding of soil phosphorus dynamics in the karst areas and provides a basis for further enhancement of nutrient availability and vegetation productivity of grassland ecosystems.

Background: Previous investigations have shown a positive relationship between baseball pitching velocity and the kinetic chain involved in pitching motion. However, no study has examined the influence of finger characteristics on pitching velocity and rate of spin via a sensor-embedded baseball. Methods: Twenty-one pitchers volunteered and were recruited for this study. An experimental baseball embedded with a force sensor and an inertial measurement unit was designed for pitching performance measurement. Finger length and strength were measured as dependent variables. Spin rate and velocity were independent variables. Pearson product–moment correlations (r) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) determined the relationship between finger characteristics and pitching performance. Results: Finger length discrepancy, two-point pinch strength, index finger RFD (rate of force development), middle finger impulse, and force discrepancy had significant correlations with spin rate (r = 0.500~0.576, p ≤ 0.05). Finger length discrepancy, two-point pinch, three-point pinch strength, index and middle finger RFD, middle finger impulse, and force combination had significant correlations with fastball pitching velocity (r = 0.491~0.584, p ≤ 0.05). Conclusions: Finger length discrepancy, finger pinch strength, and pitching finger force including maximal force and RFD may be factors that impact fastball spin rate and fastball pitching velocity.

Numerous advanced industrial countries emphasize green environmental protection alongside athletic healthcare. Many world-renowned sports brands are actively developing highly functional, environmentally friendly, and aesthetically pleasing products. For example, in the production of sports shoes, the eco-friendly yarn process is one of the important processes. This process involves multiple crucial larger-the-better quality characteristics closely tied to the functionality of sports shoes. Facing green environmental regulations and external competitors, it is evidently an imperative issue for enterprises to consider how to improve the quality of newly developed products, increase product value, and lower rates of both rework and scrap to accomplish the goals of saving energy and minimizing waste. Aiming to solve this problem, this study proposed a fuzzy evaluation model for products with multifunctional quality characteristics to assist the sporting goods manufacturing industry in evaluating whether all functional quality characteristics of its products meet the required quality level. This study first utilized the larger-the-better Six Sigma quality index concerning environmental protection for evaluation and then proposed product evaluation indicators for the eco-friendly yarn. Since the parameters of these indicators have not yet been determined, sample data need to be used for estimation. Enterprises require rapid response, so that the sample size is relatively small. Sampling error will increase the risk of misjudgment. Therefore, taking suggestions from previous studies, this study constructed the fuzzy evaluation model based on confidence intervals of quality indicators for the eco-friendly yarn. This method incorporated previous experience with data, thereby enhancing assessment accuracy.

In the modern era of Aquaculture, biofloc technology (BFT) systems have attained crucial attention. This technology is used to reduce water renewal with the removal of nitrogen and to provide additional feed. In BFT, microorganisms play a crucial role due to their complex metabolic properties. Pathogens can be controlled through multiple mechanisms using probiotics, which can promote host development and enhance the quality of the culture environment. During culturing in a biofloc technology system, the supplementation of microalgae and its accompanying bacteria plays a beneficial role in reducing nitrogenous compounds. This enhances water quality and creates favorable environmental conditions for specific bacterial groups, while simultaneously reducing the dependency on carbon sources with higher content. The fluctuations in the bacterial communities of the intestine are closely associated with the severity of diseases related to shrimp and are used to evaluate the health status of shrimp. Overall, we will review the microbes associated with shrimp culture in BFT and their effects on shrimp growth. We will also examine the microbial impacts on the growth performance of L. vannamei in BFT, as well as the close relationship between probiotics and the intestinal microbes of L. vannamei.

Given the scarcity of water and land resources, coupled with the competitive nature of aquaculture, the long-term viability of this industry will depend on strategies for vertical development. This involves enhancing production environments, increasing productivity, and advancing aquaculture technologies. The use of biofloc technology offers a potential solution to mitigate the adverse environmental impacts and the heavy reliance on fishmeal in the aquaculture sector. This method is designed to effectively assimilate inorganic nitrogen found in aquaculture wastewater, thereby enhancing water quality. Additionally, this process produces microbial protein, which can serve as a viable supplemental feed for aquatic animals. Furthermore, this technique has the potential to reduce the feed conversion ratio, thereby lowering overall production costs. This article provides an overview of the evolving field of biofloc system technology within aquaculture. In this study, we will examine the historical development and various types of biofloc systems, as well as the factors that influence their effectiveness. Finally, we will explore the economic potential of implementing biofloc systems in aquaculture.

To achieve n-type doping in diamond, extensive investigations employing first principles have been conducted on various models of phosphorus doping and boron–phosphorus co-doping. The primary focus of this study is to comprehensively analyze the formation energy, band structure, density of states, and ionization energy of these structures. It is observed that within a diamond structure solely composed of phosphorus atoms, the formation energy of an individual carbon atom is excessively high. However, the P-V complex substitutes 2 of the 216 carbon atoms, leading to the transformation of diamond from an insulator to a p-type semiconductor. Upon examining the P-B co-doped structure, it is revealed that the doped impurities exhibit a tendency to form more stable cluster configurations. As the separation between the individually doped atoms and the cluster impurity structure increases, the overall stability of the structure diminishes, consequently resulting in an elevation of the ionization energy. Examination of the electronic density of states indicates that the contribution of B atoms to the impurity level is negligible in the case of P-B doping.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is a pathogen that causes severe abortions in sows and high piglet mortality, resulting in huge economic losses to the pig industry worldwide. The emerging and novel PRRSV isolates are clinically and biologically important, as there are likely recombination and pathogenic differences among PRRSV genomes. Furthermore, the NADC34-like strain has become a major epidemic strain in some parts of China, but the characterization and pathogenicity of the latest strain in Inner Mongolia have not been reported in detail. In this study, an NADC34-like strain (CHNMGKL1-2304) from Tongliao City, Inner Mongolia was successfully isolated and characterized, and confirmed the pathogenicity in pigs. The phylogenetic tree showed that this strain belonged to sublineage 1.5 and had high homology with the strain JS2021NADC34. There is no recombination between CHNMGKL1-2304 and any other domestic strains. Animal experiments show that the CHNMGKL1-2304 strain is moderately virulent to piglets, which show persistent fever, weight loss and high morbidity but no mortality. The presence of PRRSV nucleic acids was detected in both blood, tissues, nasal and fecal swabs. In addition, obvious pathological changes and positive signals were observed in lung, lymph node, liver and spleen tissues when subjected to hematoxylin–eosin (HE) staining and immunohistochemistry (IHC). This report can provide a basis for epidemiological investigations and subsequent studies of PRRSV.

Aerial images record the dynamic Earth terrain, reflecting changes in land cover patterns caused by natural processes and human activities. Nonetheless, prevailing aerial image classification methodologies predominantly function within a closed-set framework, thereby encountering challenges when confronted with the identification of newly emerging scenes. To address this, this paper explores an aerial image recognition scenario in which a dataset comprises both labeled and unlabeled aerial images, intending to classify all images within the unlabeled subset, termed Generalized Category Discovery (GCD). It is noteworthy that the unlabeled images may pertain to labeled classes or represent novel classes. Specifically, we first develop a contrastive learning framework drawing upon the cutting-edge algorithms in GCD. Based on the multi-object characteristics of aerial images, we then propose a slot attention-based GCD training process (Slot-GCD) that contrasts learning at both the object and image levels. It decouples multiple local object features from feature maps using slots and then reconstructs the overall semantic feature of the image based on slot confidence scores and the feature map. Finally, these object-level and image-level features are input into the contrastive learning module to enable the model to learn more precise image semantic features. Comprehensive evaluations across three public aerial image datasets highlight the superiority of our approach over state-of-the-art methods. Particularly, Slot-GCD achieves a recognition accuracy of 91.5% for known old classes and 81.9% for unknown novel class data on the AID dataset.

The large-sized Tarangaole uranium deposit and its neighboring Daying and Nalinggou deposits, located in the northeastern margin of the Ordos Basin, constitutes a major uranium resource base in northern China. In order to further clarify the sedimentary material source, uranium source and regional sediment–tectonic setting of the uranium-fed clastic rocks (i.e., Zhiluo Formation(J2z)) in the district, this paper carried out whole-rock geochemistry, heavy minerals composition and in situ U-Pb dating of detrital zircons for sandstones from the lower section of the Zhiluo Formation. The results have shown that the average chemical differentiation index (CIA) for the host rocks is 73.16 and the chemical weathering degree is moderate. Heavy minerals are mainly composed of ilmenite, garnet, chlorpyrite, zircon, pyrite, apatite, hematite, etc. The U-Pb dating of detrital zircon generally indicates three age peaks, i.e., 260~Ma, 1850~Ma and 2450~Ma, respectively. In conclusion, the source rocks may have been formed at active continental margins, e.g., in a continental margin arc environment. The sedimentary materials mainly come from khondalite series, TTGs, granulite, and mafic–ultramafic intrusive rocks distributed among the Daqing–Ula Mountains and adjacent areas, etc. The Late Paleozoic U-rich intermediate and acidic magmatic rocks spreading over the eastern part of the Ula–Daqing and Wolf mountains have provided the main uranium sources for the formation of major U deposits in the northern Ordos Basin.

Near-infrared laser radiation based on Nd3+-doped yttrium ortho-aluminate (Nd:YAlO3, Nd:YAP) has garnered significant interest regarding solid-state lasers. Nevertheless, the crystal microstructures and electronic characteristics of Nd:YAP are still unclear, and the unique physical properties underlying its enormous applications require clarification. In this study, we conducted first-principles calculations at the atomic level to explore the electronic properties and mechanical characteristics of both pure YAP and Nd3+-doped YAP. The results suggest that the substitution of the Y3+ ion site with the Nd3+ impurity ion induces slight structural distortion in the YAP crystal lattice. An impurity band emerges between the original conduction band and the valence band, attributed to the 4f orbital of the Nd3+ ion, exerting a substantial influence on the narrowing of the band gap. Through an analysis of the mechanical characteristics of both pure YAP and Nd:YAP, we conclude that the incorporation of Nd3+ atoms leads to a reduction in the mechanical properties of YAP to a certain extent. Our study can serve as a foundational data source for investigations into material performance, especially for the application of Nd:YAP in solid-state laser systems.

Microbial communities associated with seagrass beds play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of seagrass ecosystems. However, the driving mechanisms behind the structure and functional succession of seagrass microbial communities are still unclear despite the close interaction between seagrass and surrounding microorganisms. To enhance our knowledge of the diversity and functional characteristics of microbial communities in seagrass beds, we employed 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to investigate bacterial communities in seagrass leaves, roots, seawater, and sediments in Caofeidian Zostera marina seagrass beds of Hebei Province, Northern China. Our results highlighted that specific types of bacteria were enriched in different sample compartments, indicating the importance of habitat in influencing microbial diversity and community structure in seagrass bed ecosystems. Notably, the microbial community structure of seagrass leaves and roots showed more similarity to that found in seawater and sediments. Among all the samples, the phylum Pseudomonadota exhibited the highest relative abundance, particularly in sediment samples where they accounted for over 95% of the total bacterial population. In addition, the enrichment of Vibrio, an opportunistic pathogen in several plant samples, alerted us to seagrass and its surrounding marine environments. Finally, functional predictions of microbial communities using PICRUSt2 revealed variations in microbial functions, indicating specific metabolic preferences of microbial communities in different natural environments. The present research sheds light on the mechanisms underlying microbial community succession and their ecological function in seagrass beds.

Various geostatistical models have been used in epidemiological research to evaluate ambient air pollutant exposures at a fine spatial scale. Few studies have investigated the performance of different exposure models on population-weighted exposure estimates and the resulting potential misclassification across various modeling approaches. This study developed spatial models for NO2 and PM2.5 and conducted exposure assessment in Beijing, China. It explored three spatial modeling approaches: variable dimension reduction, machine learning, and conventional linear regression. It compared their model performance by cross-validation (CV) and population-weighted exposure estimates. Specifically, partial least square (PLS) regression, random forests (RF), and supervised linear regression (SLR) models were developed based on an ordinary kriging (OK) framework for NO2 and PM2.5 in Beijing, China. The mean squared error-based R2 (R2mse) and root mean squared error (RMSE) in leave-one site-out cross-validation (LOOCV) were used to evaluate model performance. These models were used to predict the ambient exposure levels in the urban area and to estimate the misclassification of population-weighted exposure estimates in quartiles between them. The results showed that the PLS-OK models for NO2 and PM2.5, with the LOOCV R2mse of 0.82 and 0.81, respectively, outperformed the other models. The population-weighted exposure to NO2 estimated by the PLS-OK and RF-OK models exhibited the lowest misclassification in quartiles. For PM2.5, the estimates of potential misclassification were comparable across the three models. It indicated that the exposure misclassification made by choosing different modeling approaches should be carefully considered, and the resulting bias needs to be evaluated in epidemiological studies.

The primary factor leading to elevated rates of diarrhea and decreased performance in piglets is immunological stress. The regulation of immune stress through the intestinal flora is a crucial mechanism to consider. In total, 30 weaned piglets were randomly allocated to five groups: the basal diet group (Control), basal diet + lipopolysaccharides group (LPS), basal diet + 250 μg/kg 6-Formylindolo [3,2-b] carbazole + LPS group (FICZ), basal diet + 3mg/kg Cardamonin + LPS group (LCDN), and basal diet + 6mg/kg Cardamonin + LPS group (HCDN/CDN). The results showed that compared with those of the LPS group, the expression of tight junction proteins (occludin; claudin-1) in the FICZ group was significantly increased, and the mRNA levels of IL-1β and TNF-α were significantly reduced (p < 0.05). HCDN treatment had a better effect on LPS-induced intestinal barrier damage in this group than it did in the LCDN group. HCDN treatment leads to a higher villus height (VH), a higher ratio of villi height to crypt depth (V/C), higher tight junction proteins (ZO-1; occludin), and higher short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). In addition, correlation analyses showed that Succinivibrio was positively correlated with several SCFAs and negatively correlated with prostaglandin-related derivatives in the FICZ group and CDN group (p < 0.05). In summary, Cardamonin alleviates intestinal mucosal barrier damage and inflammatory responses by regulating the intestinal microbiota and its metabolism.

The evolution of the microstructure and the mechanical properties of a 15-6 martensite precipitated hardened (15-6 PH) stainless steel after thermal treatment and long-term aging at 480 °C were investigated. Compared with 17-4 PH steel, the content of Cr decreased and Ni increased in the newly developed 15-6 PH steel; therefore, reversed austenite formed after thermal treatment at 620 °C of the solution-treated 15-6 PH steel. Although the reversed austenite may reduce the strength of the steel, it is very beneficial for the inhibition of the aging brittleness of the steel. During the accelerated thermal aging at 480 °C, the Cu-rich phase gradually coarsened, and its crystal structure changed, while the reversed austenite phase sightly increased and the Charpy impact energy maintained a rather high value. The increase of the reversed austenite content can offset the reduction of the strengthening effect of the Cu-rich phase and therefore maintain an excellent impact property of the material after thermal aging.

The process capability index is a tool for quality measurement and analysis widely used in the industry. It is also a good tool for the sales department to communicate with customers. Although the value of the process capability index can be affected by the accuracy and precision of the process, the index itself cannot be differentiated. Therefore, the process incapability index is directly divided into two items, accuracy and precision, based on the expected value of the Taguchi process loss function. In fact, accuracy and precision are two important reference items for improving the manufacturing process. Thus, the process incapability index is good for evaluating process quality. The process incapability index contains two unknown parameters, so it needs to be estimated with sample data. Since point estimates are subject to misjudgment incurred by the inaccuracy of sampling, and since modern businesses are in the era of rapid response, the size of sampling usually tends to be small. A number of studies have suggested that a fuzzy testing method built on the confidence interval be adopted at this time because it integrates experts and the experience accumulated in the past. In addition to a decrease in the possibility of misjudgment resulting from sampling error, this method can improve the test accuracy. Therefore, based on the confidence interval of the process incapability index, we proposed the fuzzy testing method to assess whether the process capability can attain a necessary level of quality. If the quality level fails to meet the requirement, then an improvement must be made. If the quality level exceeds the requirement, then it is equivalent to excess quality, and a resource transfer must be considered to reduce costs.

Nb-Ti high-strength low-alloy pipeline steel was subjected to a six-pass rolling process followed by the coiling process at different temperatures between 600 and 650 °C using the thermo-mechanical testing system Gleeble 3500 (Gleeble, New York, NY, USA). This experimental steel was subjected to 72% heavy reduction through a thermos-mechanical controlled process. Thereafter, the microstructures were observed using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, electron backscatter scanning diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectrometry and selected area electron diffraction. For the selected three coiling temperatures of 600, 625, and 650 °C, acicular ferrite, polygonal ferrite, and pearlite were observed, and morphology and statistical analysis were adopted for the study of precipitates. Based on the estimation by the Ashby–Orowan formula, the incremental strength through precipitation strengthening decreases with coiling temperatures and reaches 26.67 Mpa at a coiling temperature of 600 °C. Precipitation-time-temperature curves were obtained to explain the transformation of precipitates. The (Nb, Ti)(C, N) particles tended to precipitate in the acicular ferrite with [011](Nb, Ti)(C, N)//[011]α-Fe orientation. The lower coiling temperature provided enough driving force for the nucleation of precipitates while inhibiting their growth.

Esophageal cancer shares strong associations with oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers, primarily due to shared risk factors like excessive tobacco and alcohol use. This retrospective study at Taichung Veterans General Hospital involved 54,692 participants, including 385 with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the esophagus, oropharynx, or hypopharynx. Using a polygenic risk score (PRS) derived from 8353 single-nucleotide polymorphisms, researchers aimed to assess its correlation with cancer incidence and prognosis. The study found a 1.83-fold higher risk of esophageal, oropharyngeal, and hypopharyngeal SCCs in participants with a high PRS (Q4) compared to the low-PRS group (Q1). Esophageal cancer risk demonstrated a significant positive association with the PRS, as did hypopharyngeal cancer. Clinical parameters and staging showed limited associations with PRS quartiles, and the PRS did not significantly impact recurrence or mortality rates. The research highlighted that a higher PRS is linked to increased susceptibility to esophageal and hypopharyngeal cancer. Notably, a specific polygenic risk score, PGS001087, exhibited a discernible association with SCC risk, particularly in specific subtypes and advanced disease stages. However, it was not significantly linked to clinical cancer staging, emphasizing the multifactorial nature of cancer development. This hospital study reveals that a higher PRS correlates with increased susceptibility to esophageal and hypopharyngeal cancers. Notably, PGS001087 shows a discernible association with SCC risk in specific subtypes and advanced stages, although not significantly linked to clinical cancer staging. These findings enhance our understanding of genetic factors in upper aerodigestive tract cancers, particularly esophageal SCC, guiding future research and risk assessment strategies.

The elemental segregation behaviors and interactions between point defects and symmetrical tilt grain boundaries (GBs) in TiVTa concentrated solid–solution alloys (CSAs) have been studied through hybrid Monte Carlo/molecular dynamics (MC/MD) simulations. A pure V model, a random TiVTa CSA with randomly distributed elements, and an equilibrated TiVTa CSA with Ti segregation were constructed to investigate the influence of chemical disorder and local elemental segregation on defect–GB interactions. For defect–GB interactions, GBs interact more strongly with interstitials than with vacancies. Compared with the pure V, the vacancy absorption length scale of GBs is greater, whereas the interstitial absorption length scale of GBs is shorter in TiVTa CSAs due to the chemical fluctuation and local lattice distortion. This means a higher recombination efficiency of point defects in TiVTa CSAs. The elemental (Ti) segregation in TiVTa CSAs can further enhance the sink strength of GBs towards interstitials, while simultaneously reducing their sink strength towards vacancies. Consequently, the preference effects of GBs towards interstitials and vacancies are amplified in the equilibrated CSA due to local ordering, thereby reducing efficient defect annihilation around GBs. These results provide fundamental insights into the irradiation defect dynamics of CSAs with body-centered cubic (bcc) structure.

In this study, 32 novel quinazolinone-scaffold-containing pyrazole carbamide derivatives were designed and synthesized in a search for a novel fungicide against Rhizoctonia solani. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction of 3-(difluoromethyl)-N-(2-((6,7-difluoro-4-oxoquinazolin-3(4H)-yl)methyl)phenyl)-1-methyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxamide (6a11) confirmed the structure of the target compounds. The in vitro antifungal activity of the target compounds against R. solani was evaluated at 100 µg/mL. The structure–activity relationship analysis results revealed that antifungal activity was highest when the substitution activity was at position 6. Moreover, the position and number of chlorine atoms directly affected the antifungal activity. Further in vitro bioassays revealed that 6a16 (EC50 = 9.06 mg/L) had excellent antifungal activity against R. solani that was higher than that of the commercial fungicide fluconazole (EC50 = 12.29 mg/L) but lower than that of bixafen (EC50 = 0.34 mg/L). Scanning electron microscopy), 7.33 (SEM) revealed that N-(2-((6,8-dichloro-4-oxoquinazolin-3(4H)-yl)methyl)phenyl)-3-(difluoromethyl)-1-methyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxamide (6a16) also affected the mycelial morphology. The findings revealed that molecular hybridization was an effective tool for designing antifungal candidates. Meanwhile, pyrazolecarbamide derivatives bearing a quinazolinone fragment exhibited potential antifungal activity against R. solani.

Intensive shrimp farming may lead to adverse environmental consequences due to discharged water effluent. Inoculation of microalgae can moderate the adverse effect of shrimp-farming water. However, how bacterial communities with different lifestyles (free-living (FL) and particle-attached (PA)) respond to microalgal inoculation is unclear. In the present study, we investigated the effects of two microalgae (Nannochloropsis oculata and Thalassiosira weissflogii) alone or in combination in regulating microbial communities in shrimp-farmed water and their potential applications. PERMANOVA revealed significant differences among treatments in terms of time and lifestyle. Community diversity analysis showed that PA bacteria responded more sensitively to different microalgal treatments than FL bacteria. Redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that the bacterial community was majorly influenced by environmental factors, compared to microalgal direct influence. Moreover, the neutral model analysis and the average variation degree (AVD) index indicated that the addition of microalgae affected the bacterial community structure and stability during the stochastic process, and the PA bacterial community was the most stable with the addition of T. weissflogii. Therefore, the present study revealed the effects of microalgae and nutrient salts on bacterial communities in shrimp aquaculture water by adding microalgae to control the process of community change. This study is important for understanding the microbial community assembly and interpreting complex interactions among zoo-, phyto-, and bacterioplankton in shrimp aquaculture ecosystems. Additionally, these findings may contribute to the sustainable development of shrimp aquaculture and ecosystem conservation.

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium), an important foodborne pathogen, causes diarrheal illness and gastrointestinal diseases. S. Typhimurium survives and replicates in phagocytic and non-phagocytic cells for acute or chronic infections. In these cells, S. Typhimurium resides within Salmonella-containing vacuoles (SCVs), in which the phosphate (Pi) concentration is low. S. Typhimurium senses low Pi and expresses virulence factors to modify host cells. However, the mechanism by which host cells reduce the Pi concentration in SCVs is not clear. In this study, we show that through the TLR4-MyD88-NF-κB signaling pathway, S. Typhimurium upregulates PIT1, which in turn transports Pi from SCVs into the cytosol and results in Pi starvation in SCVs. Immunofluorescence and western blotting analysis reveal that after the internalization of S. Typhimurium, PIT1 is located on SCV membranes. Silencing or overexpressing PIT1 inhibits or promotes Pi starvation, Salmonella pathogenicity island-2 (SPI-2) gene expression, and replication in SCVs. The S. Typhimurium ΔmsbB mutant or silenced TLR4-MyD88-NF-κB pathway suppresses the expression of the SPI-2 genes and promotes the fusion of SCVs with lysosomes. Our results illustrate that S. Typhimurium exploits the host innate immune responses as signals to promote intracellular replication, and they provide new insights for the development of broad-spectrum therapeutics to combat bacterial infections.

This study retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 602 patients with first-time positive results for the HCV nucleic acid test between 1 May 2021 and 31 March 2023, exploring the association between DAA treatment and SARS-CoV-2 infection. The results showed that 9.8% of HCV patients were co-infected with SARS-CoV-2. Gender, age, vaccination status, and HCV genotype did not significantly affect SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, patients undergoing DAA treatment showed significantly lower rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection and mortality compared to those not undergoing DAA treatment. The analysis also compared patients undergoing different DAA treatments, with Epclusa and Maviret showing superior protection against SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, this study explored the severity and mortality of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients undergoing and having completed DAA treatment. It revealed that patients diagnosed with COVID-19 during DAA treatment experienced only mild symptoms, and none died, suggesting a potential protective effect of DAA treatment against severe outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The findings contribute to the understanding of the interplay between HCV, DAA treatment, and SARS-CoV-2 infection, highlighting the need for continued monitoring and healthcare measures for individuals with chronic conditions during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The features or actuation behaviors of nature’s creatures provide concepts for the development of biomimetic soft bioactuators/robots with stimuli-responsive capabilities, design convenience, and environmental adaptivity in various fields. Mimosa pudica is a mechanically responsive plant that can convert pressure to the motion of leaves. When the leaves receive pressure, the occurrence of asymmetric turgor in the extensor and flexor sides of the pulvinus from redistributing the water in the pulvinus causes the bending of the pulvinus. Inspired by the actuation of Mimosa pudica, designing soft bioactuators can convert external stimulations to driving forces for the actuation of constructs which has been receiving increased attention and has potential applications in many fields. 4D printing technology has emerged as a new strategy for creating versatile soft bioactuators/robots by integrating printing technologies with stimuli-responsive materials. In this study, we developed a hybrid ink by combining gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) polymers with iron oxide nanoparticles (IONs). This hybrid ION-GelMA ink exhibits tunable rheology, controllable mechanical properties, magnetic-responsive behaviors, and printability by integrating the internal metal ion-polymeric chain interactions and photo-crosslinking chemistries. This design offers the inks a dual crosslink mechanism combining the advantages of photocrosslinking and ionic crosslinking to rapidly form the construct within 60 s of UV exposure time. In addition, the magnetic-responsive actuation of ION-GelMA constructs can be regulated by different ION concentrations (0–10%). Furthermore, we used the ION-GelMA inks to fabricate a Mimosa pudica-like soft bioactuator through a mold casting method and a direct-ink-writing (DIW) printing technology. Obviously, the pinnule leaf structure of printed constructs presents a continuous reversible shape transformation in an air phase without any liquid as a medium, which can mimic the motion characteristics of natural creatures. At the same time, compared to the model casting process, the DIW printed bioactuators show a more refined and biomimetic transformation shape that closely resembles the movement of the pinnule leaf of Mimosa pudica in response to stimulation. Overall, this study indicates the proof of concept and the potential prospect of magnetic-responsive ION-GelMA inks for the rapid prototyping of biomimetic soft bioactuators/robots with untethered non-contact magneto-actuations.

In this study, we successfully synthesized a novel triacid monomer by means of the thermal cyclization reaction. Subsequently, a series of nitrogen-rich (A3+B2)-type fluorinated hyperbranched poly(amide-imide)s (denoted as PAI-1 and -2, respectively) were prepared by means of a one-pot method using this triacid monomer and a diamine monomer with a triphenylamine-carbazole unit as precursors. The degree of support of the prepared hyperbranched PAIs was found to be about 60% via 1H NMR calculations. Through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), it was found that the binding energies of C-N (398.4 eV) and -NH (399.7 eV) became lower under a current, while the binding energy peak of N+ appeared at 402.9 eV. In addition, the PAIs have good solubility and thermal stability (Tgs: 256–261 °C, T10%: 564–608 °C). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) analysis shows that the hyperbranched PAI films have good redox properties, and a range of values for the HOMO (4.83 to 4.85 eV) versus LUMO (1.85 to 1.97 eV) energy levels are calculated. The PAI films have excellent electrochromic properties: PAI-1 on coloration efficiency (CE) and transmittance change (ΔT, 852 nm) are 257 cm2/C and 62%, respectively, and have long-lasting redox properties (100 cycles). In addition, we conduct iodine adsorption tests using the structural features of PAIs with electron-drawing units, and the results show that PAI-1 had a high adsorption capacity for iodine (633 mg/g).

The ecological functions of bacterial communities vary between particle-attached (PA) lifestyles and free-living (FL) lifestyles, and separately exploring their community assembly helps to elucidate the microecological mechanisms of shrimp rearing. Microalgal inoculation and nutrient enrichment during shrimp rearing are two important driving factors that affect rearing-water bacterial communities, but their relative contributions to the bacterial community assembly have not been evaluated. Here, we inoculated two microalgae, Nannochloropsis oculata and Thalassiosira weissflogii, into shrimp-rearing waters to investigate the distinct effects of various environmental factors on PA and FL bacterial communities. Our study showed that the composition and representative bacteria of different microalgal treatments were significantly different between the PA and FL bacterial communities. Regression analyses and Mantel tests revealed that nutrients were vital factors that constrained the diversity, structure, and co-occurrence patterns of both the PA and FL bacterial communities. Partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) analysis indicated that microalgae could directly or indirectly affect the PA bacterial community through nutrient interactions. Moreover, a significant interaction was detected between PA and FL bacterial communities. Our study reveals the unequal effects of microalgae and nutrients on bacterial community assembly and helps explore microbial community assembly in shrimp-rearing ecosystems.

A systematic investigation combined with a Global Natural Products Social (GNPS) molecular networking approach, was conducted on the metabolites of the deep-sea-derived fungus Samsoniella hepiali W7, leading to the isolation of three new fusaric acid derivatives, hepialiamides A–C (1–3) and one novel hybrid polyketide hepialide (4), together with 18 known miscellaneous compounds (5–22). The structures of the new compounds were elucidated through detailed spectroscopic analysis. as well as TD-DFT-based ECD calculation. All isolates were tested for anti-inflammatory activity in vitro. Under a concentration of 1 µM, compounds 8, 11, 13, 21, and 22 showed potent inhibitory activity against nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated BV-2 microglia cells, with inhibition rates of 34.2%, 30.7%, 32.9%, 38.6%, and 58.2%, respectively. Of particularly note is compound 22, which exhibited the most remarkable inhibitory activity, with an IC50 value of 426.2 nM.

The return-to-zero error of the resistance strain load cell is most obvious in the first zero-return process during loading and unloading. To improve the accuracy of the load cell, it is necessary to figure out the cause of the error. The influence of the temperature, material, and weld cup were analyzed in this paper. It was concluded that the hysteresis is the main factor affecting the return-to-zero error after the first load. The relationship between hysteresis and zero-return error after first load was obtained by a data fitting algorithm. A method to improve the return-to-zero error after the first load was proposed.

Soil-derived dust emissions have been widely associated with health and environmental problems and should therefore be accurately and reliably estimated and assessed. Of these emissions, the inhalable PM10 and PM2.5 are difficult to estimate. Consequently, to calculate PM10 and PM2.5 emissions from soil erosion, an approach based on an artificial neural network (ANN) model which provides a multilayered, fully connected framework that relates input parameters and outcomes was proposed in this study. Owing to the difficulty in obtaining the actual emissions of soil-derived PM10 and PM2.5 over a broad area, the PM10 and PM2.5 simulated results of the ANN model were compared with the published results simulated by the widely used wind erosion prediction system (WEPS) model. The PM10 and PM2.5 emission results, based on the WEPS, agreed well with the field data, with R2 values of 0.93 and 0.97, respectively, indicating the potential for using the WEPS results as a reference for training the ANN model. The calculated r, RMSE and MAE for the results simulated by the WEPS and ANN were 0.78, 3.37 and 2.31 for PM10 and 0.79, 1.40 and 0.91 for PM2.5, respectively, throughout Southern Xinjiang. The uncertainty of the soil-derived PM10 and PM2.5 emissions at a 95% CI was (−66–106%) and (−75–108%), respectively, in 2016. The results indicated that by using parameters that affect soil erodibility, including the soil pH, soil cation exchange capacity, soil organic content, soil calcium carbonate, wind speed, precipitation and elevation as input factors, the ANN model could simulate soil-derived particle emissions in Southern Xinjiang. The results showed that when the study domain was reduced from the entire Southern Xinjiang region to its five administrative divisions, the performance of the ANN improved, producing average correlation coefficients of 0.88 and 0.87, respectively, for PM10 and PM2.5. The performances of the ANN differed by study period, with the best result obtained during the sand period (March to May) followed by the nonheating (June to October) and heating periods (November to February). Wind speed, precipitation and soil calcium carbonate were the predominant input factors affecting particle emissions from wind erosion sources. The results of this study can be used as a reference for the wind erosion prevention and soil conservation plans in Southern Xinjiang.

The composition and stability of soil aggregates are important characteristics for evaluating soil health. The objective of this study was to explore the effects of different restoration modes and secondary succession sequences of Korean pine on the stability of forest soil aggregates after clear cutting and their causes. The stability and composition of soil aggregates in 0–10 cm, 10–20 cm, and 20–40 cm were analyzed in four natural forests in the secondary succession sequence and a Pinus koraiensis plantation in the clear-cutting area of Liangshui National Nature Reserve, and the effects of forest community characteristics and cementing materials on these aggregates were explored. With the advancement of succession, the large soil water-stable aggregates and mechanical aggregates increased, and the stability increased. From the pioneer community to the top community, the proportion of macroaggregates in the soil mechanical aggregates in the 20–40 cm soil layer increased by 36%, while that in the water-stable aggregates in the 10–20 cm soil layer increased by 19%. Compared with plantation, the stability of soil aggregates in natural forests with a similar age was stronger. Water-stable aggregates were negatively correlated with bulk density, density, and porosity, and positively correlated with organic-matter-related cement. The volume of the dominant tree, litter yield, tree species diversity, biomass of various tree species, and litter biomass in the undecomposed layer were the key indicators affecting the stability of aggregates. In terms of restoration measures, natural restoration is better than plantations with a single tree species. In addition, succession makes forest soil aggregates more stable. The change of dominant tree species leads to changes in soil aggregate stability, and the effect of organic-related cementing material was stronger than that of iron oxide.

Three new polyketides (penidihydrocitrinins A–C, 1–3) and fourteen known compounds (4–17) were isolated from the deep-sea-derived Penicillium citrinum W17. Their structures were elucidated by comprehensive analyses of 1D and 2D NMR, HRESIMS, and ECD calculations. Compounds 1–17 were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory and anti-osteoporotic bioactivities. All isolates exhibited significant inhibitory effects on LPS-stimulated nitric oxide production in murine brain microglial BV-2 cells in a dose-response manner. Notably, compound 14 displayed the strongest effect with the IC50 value of 4.7 µM. Additionally, compounds 6, 7, and 8 significantly enhanced osteoblast mineralization, which was comparable to that of the positive control, purmorphamine. Furthermore, these three compounds also suppressed osteoclastogenesis in a dose-dependent manner under the concentrations of 2.5 μM, 5.0 μM, and 10 μM.

Golden pompano, Trachinotus ovatus, as a highly nutritious commercially valuable marine fish, has become one of the preferred species for many fish farmers due to its rapid growth, wide adaptability, and ease of feeding and management. However, with the expansion of aquaculture scale, bacterial and parasitic diseases have also become major threats to the golden pompano industry. This study, based on comparative genomics, shows the possibility of preferential evolution of freshwater fish over marine fish by analyzing the phylogenetic relationships and divergence times of 14 marine fish and freshwater fish. Furthermore, we identified antimicrobial peptide genes from 14 species at the genomic level and found that the number of putative antimicrobial peptides may be related to species evolution. Subsequently, we classified the 341 identified AMPs from golden pompano into 38 categories based on the classification provided by the APD3. Among them, TCP represented the highest proportion, accounting for 23.2% of the total, followed by scolopendin, lectin, chemokine, BPTI, and histone-derived peptides. At the same time, the distribution of AMPs in chromosomes varied with type, and covariance analysis showed the frequency of its repeat events. Enrichment analysis and PPI indicated that AMP was mainly concentrated in pathways associated with disease immunity. In addition, our transcriptomic data measured the expression of putative AMPs of golden pompano in 12 normal tissues, as well as in the liver, spleen, and kidney infected with Streptococcus agalactiae and skin infected with Cryptocaryon irritans. As the infection with S. agalactiae and C. irritans progressed, we observed tissue specificity in the number and types of responsive AMPs. Positive selection of AMP genes may participate in the immune response through the MAPK signaling pathway. The genome-wide identification of antimicrobial peptides in the golden pompano provided a complete database of potential AMPs that can contribute to further understanding the immune mechanisms in pathogens. AMPs were expected to replace traditional antibiotics and be developed into targeted drugs against specific bacterial and parasitic pathogens for more precise and effective treatment to improve aquaculture production.

A systematic chemical investigation of the deep-sea-derived fungus Aspergillus versicolor 170217 resulted in the isolation of six new (1–6) and 45 known (7–51) compounds. The structures of the new compounds were established on the basis of exhaustive analysis of their spectroscopic data and theoretical–statistical approaches including GIAO-NMR, TDDFT-ECD/ORD calculations, DP4+ probability analysis, and biogenetic consideration. Citriquinolinones A (1) and B (2) feature a unique isoquinolinone-embedded citrinin scaffold, representing the first exemplars of a citrinin–isoquinolinone hybrid. Dicitrinones K–L (3–4) are two new dimeric citrinin analogues with a rare CH-CH3 bridge. Biologically, frangula-emodin (32) and diorcinol (17) displayed remarkable anti-food allergic activity with IC50 values of 7.9 ± 3.0 μM and 13.4 ± 1.2 μM, respectively, while diorcinol (17) and penicitrinol A (20) exhibited weak inhibitory activity against Vibrio parahemolyticus, with MIC values ranging from 128 to 256 μM.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 is now recognized as a multiorgan disease with a broad spectrum of manifestations. A substantial proportion of individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 are experiencing persistent, prolonged, and often incapacitating sequelae, collectively referred to as long COVID. To date, definitive diagnostic criteria for long COVID diagnosis remain elusive. An emerging public health threat is neuropsychiatric long COVID, encompassing a broad range of manifestations, such as sleep disturbance, anxiety, depression, brain fog, and fatigue. Although the precise mechanisms underlying the neuropsychiatric complications of long COVID are presently not fully elucidated, neural cytolytic effects, neuroinflammation, cerebral microvascular compromise, breakdown of the blood–brain barrier (BBB), thrombosis, hypoxia, neurotransmitter dysregulation, and provoked neurodegeneration are pathophysiologically linked to long-term neuropsychiatric consequences, in addition to systemic hyperinflammation and maladaptation of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system. Vitamin D, a fat-soluble secosteroid, is a potent immunomodulatory hormone with potential beneficial effects on anti-inflammatory responses, neuroprotection, monoamine neurotransmission, BBB integrity, vasculometabolic functions, gut microbiota, and telomere stability in different phases of SARS-CoV-2 infection, acting through both genomic and nongenomic pathways. Here, we provide an up-to-date review of the potential mechanisms and pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric long COVID syndrome and the plausible neurological contributions of vitamin D in mitigating the effects of long COVID.

Accurate measurements of the bubble size distribution (BSD) are crucial for investigating gas–liquid mass transfer mechanisms and describing the characteristics of chemical production. However, measuring the BSD in high-density bubbly flows remains challenging due to limited image algorithms and high data densities. Therefore, an end-to-end BSD detection method in dense bubbly flows based on deep learning is proposed in this paper. The bubble detector locates the positions of dense bubbles utilizing objection detection networks and simultaneously performs ellipse parameter fitting to measure the size of the bubbles. Different You Only Look Once (YOLO) architectures are compared, and YOLOv7 is selected as the backbone network. The complete intersection over union calculation method is modified by the circumferential horizontal rectangle of bubbles, and the loss function is optimized by adding L2 constraints of ellipse size parameters. The experimental results show that the proposed technique surpasses existing methods in terms of precision, recall, and mean square error, achieving values of 0.9871, 0.8725, and 3.8299, respectively. The proposed technique demonstrates high efficiency and accuracy when measuring BSDs in high-density bubbly flows and has the potential for practical applications.

The intensive use of benzoic acid (BA), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (HB), and dehydroacetate (DHA) as additives and preservatives in cosmetics and foods causes emerging environmental pollutions. Anthropogenic releases of BA, HB and DHA are primarily emissions into water and soil. However, few studies investigate the effects of BA, HB and DHA on microbial communities in freshwater river sediments. The aim of this study is to reveal the effects of BA, HB and DHA on microbial communities in freshwater river sediments. Tetracycline-, sulfamethoxazole- and preservative-resistant microbes were increased in the river sediments treated with BA, HB and DHA. The relative abundances of methanogen- and xenobiotic-degradation-associated microbial communities were also increased in the BA-, HB- and DHA-treated sediments. The relative abundance of four nitrogen cycle associated microbial groups (anammox, nitrogen fixation, denitrification, and dissimilatory nitrate reduction) were increased after the eighth week in the BA-, HB- and DHA-treated sediments. For the sulfur cycle, the relative abundance of thiosulfate oxidation associated microbial communities were increased after the eighth week in the BA-, HB- and DHA-treated sediments. Results of this study provide insight into the effects of BA, HB and DHA on antibiotic resistance, nitrogen cycle, sulfur cycle, drug resistance and methane production in freshwater aquatic environments.

Objectives: Studies have shown that people with diabetes have a high risk of osteoporosis and fractures. The effect of diabetic medications on bone disease cannot be ignored. This meta-analysis aimed to compare the effects of two types of glucose-lowering drugs, metformin and thiazolidinediones (TZD), on bone mineral density and bone metabolism in patients with diabetes mellitus. Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis were prospectively registered on PROSPERO, and the registration number is CRD42022320884. Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane Library databases were searched to identify clinical trials comparing the effects of metformin and thiazolidinediones on bone metabolism in patients with diabetes. The literature was screened by inclusion and exclusion criteria. Two assessors independently assessed the quality of the identified studies and extracted relevant data. Results: Seven studies involving 1656 patients were finally included. Our results showed that the metformin group had a 2.77% (SMD = 2.77, 95%CI [2.11, 3.43]; p < 0.00001) higher bone mineral density (BMD) than the thiazolidinedione group until 52 weeks; however, between 52 and 76 weeks, the metformin group had a 0.83% (SMD = −0.83, 95%CI: [−3.56, −0.45]; p = 0.01) lower BMD. The C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX) and procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide (PINP) were decreased by 18.46% (MD = −18.46, 95%CI: [−27.98, −8.94], p = 0.0001) and 9.94% (MD = −9.94, 95%CI: [−16.92, −2.96], p = 0.005) in the metformin group compared with the TZD group.

Two new xanthones (1 and 2) were isolated from the deep-sea-derived fungus Penicillium sp. MCCC 3A00126 along with 34 known compounds (3–36). The structures of the new compounds were established by spectroscopic data. The absolute configuration of 1 was validated by comparison of experimental and calculated ECD spectra. All isolated compounds were evaluated for cytotoxicity and ferroptosis inhibitory activities. Compounds 14 and 15 exerted potent cytotoxicity against CCRF-CEM cells, with IC50 values of 5.5 and 3.5 μM, respectively, whereas 26, 28, 33, and 34 significantly inhibited RSL3-induced ferroptosis, with EC50 values of 11.6, 7.2, 11.8, and 2.2 μM, respectively.

Backgrounds Parabens are pollutants of emerging concern in aquatic environments. Extensive studies regarding the occurrences, fates and behavior of parabens in aquatic environments have been reported. However, little is known about the effects of parabens on microbial communities in freshwater river sediments. This study reveals the effects of methylparaben (MP), ethylparaben (EP), propylparaben (PP) and butylparaben (BP) on antimicrobial-resistant microbiomes, nitrogen/sulfur cycle-associated microbial communities and xenobiotic degrading microbial communities in freshwater river sediments. Methods The river water and sediments collected from the Wai-shuangh-si Stream in Taipei City, Taiwan were used to construct a model system in fish tanks to test the effects of parabens in laboratory. Results Tetracycline-, sulfamethoxazole- and paraben-resistant bacteria increased in all paraben treated river sediments. The order of the overall ability to produce an increment in sulfamethoxazole-, tetracycline- and paraben-resistant bacteria was MP > EP > PP > BP. The proportions of microbial communities associated with xenobiotic degradation also increased in all paraben-treated sediments. In contrast, penicillin-resistant bacteria in both the aerobic and anaerobic culture of paraben-treated sediments decreased drastically at the early stage of the experiments. The proportions of four microbial communities associated with the nitrogen cycle (anammox, nitrogen fixation, denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction) and sulfur cycle (thiosulfate oxidation) largely increased after the 11th week in all paraben-treated sediments. Moreover, methanogens and methanotrophic bacteria increased in all paraben-treated sediments. In contrast, the nitrification, assimilatory sulfate reduction and sulfate-sulfur assimilation associated to microbial communities in the sediments were decreased by the parabens. The results of this study uncover the potential effects and consequences of parabens on microbial communities in a freshwater river environment.