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Biosecurity encompasses the health and safety of humans, animals, plants, and the environment. In this article, "biosecurity" is defined as encompassing the comprehensive aspects of human, animal, plant, and environmental safety. Reliable biosecurity testing technology is the key point for effectively assessing biosecurity risks and ensuring biosecurity. Therefore, it is crucial to develop excellent detection technologies to detect risk factors that can affect biosecurity. An electrochemical microfluidic biosensing platform integrates fluid control, target recognition, signal transduction, and output and incorporates the advantages of electrochemical analysis technology and microfluidic technology. Thus, an electrochemical microfluidic biosensing platform, characterized by exceptional analytical sensitivity, portability, rapid analysis speed, low reagent consumption, and low risk of contamination, shows considerable promise for biosecurity detection compared to traditional, more complex, and time-consuming detection technologies. This review provides a concise introduction to electrochemical microfluidic biosensors and biosecurity. It highlights recent research advances in utilizing electrochemical microfluidic biosensing platforms to assess biosecurity risk factors. It includes the use of electrochemical microfluidic biosensors for the detection of risk factors directly endangering biosecurity (direct application: namely, risk factors directly endangering the health of human, animals, and plants) and for the detection of risk factors indirectly endangering biosecurity (indirect application: namely, risk factors endangering the safety of food and the environment). Finally, we outline the current challenges and future perspectives of electrochemical microfluidic biosensing platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) through alternative non-homologous end-joining (alt-NHEJ) pathway significantly contributes to genetic instability. However, the mechanism governing alt-NHEJ pathway choice, particularly its association with DSB complexity, remains elusive due to the absence of a suitable reporter system. In this study, we established a unique Escherichia coli reporter system for detecting complex DSB-initiated alternative end-joining (A-EJ), an alt-NHEJ-like pathway. By utilizing various types of ionizing radiation to generate DSBs with varying degrees of complexity, we discovered that high complexity of DSBs might be a determinant for A-EJ choice. To facilitate efficient repair of high-complexity DSBs, A-EJ employs distinct molecular patterns such as longer micro-homologous junctions and non-templated nucleotide addition. Furthermore, the A-EJ choice is modulated by the degree of homology near DSB loci, competing with homologous recombination machinery. These findings further enhance the understanding of A-EJ/alt-NHEJ pathway choice. The identification of the dependence of alternative end-joining mechanism on the complexity of DNA double-strands breaks (DSBs) and the homology of DSB loci advances our comprehension regarding pathway choice for repairing DNA damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrochemical advanced oxidation process (EAOP) has shown significant promise in the field of refractory organic wastewater treatment due to its high efficiency and environmentally friendly nature. In this study, Ti/Sb-SnO2 electrodes with varying proportions of Hf were prepared using the sol–gel method. The addition of Hf transformed the original collapsing and broken surface into a flat and regular surface. The results demonstrated that Ti/Sb-SnO2-Hf electrode doped with 6% Hf exhibited a higher oxygen evolution potential (OEP) and excellent stability. The OEP increased from 2.315 V without Hf-doping to 2.482 V, and the corresponding actual life was 321.05% higher than that without Hf. The current density (5–40 mA·cm−2), electrolyte concentration (0.02–0.2 mol·L−1), pH (3–11), and initial pollutant concentration (5–80 mg·L−1) were evaluated to confirm the tetracycline (TC) degradation characterization of Ti/Sb-SnO2-6%Hf electrodes. It was concluded that under the optimal degradation conditions, the removal rate of TC could reach 99.66% within 2 h. The degradation of TC follows first-order reaction kinetics. The oxidative degradation of TC was achieved through indirect oxidation, with ·OH playing a dominant role. TC's electrochemical oxidation degradation pathway has been proposed: Based on LC–MS results, three main pathways are speculated. During the electrocatalytic oxidation process, decarboxylation, deamidation, and ring-opening reactions occur under ·OH attack, producing intermediate compounds with m/z values of 427, 433, 350, 246, 461, 424, 330, 352, 309, 263, and 233. These intermediates are further oxidized to intermediate compounds with an m/z value of 218. This work introduces a new efficient anode electrochemical catalyst for the degradation of TC, providing a strategy for industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: Based on the dynamical principle and the time–frequency domain analysis method, the FAPMIM is developed. The index change of rock mass damage is analyzed from the perspective of energy and dynamics. The proposed method can identify all the noise points in the test and reduce the false alarm rate from 2.82% to 0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The multifunctional profibrotic cytokine transforming growth factor-beta2 (TGF-β2) is implicated in the pathophysiology of primary open angle glaucoma. Paeoniflorin (PAE) is a monoterpene glycoside with multiple pharmacological efficacies, such as antioxidant, anti-fibrotic, and anti-inflammatory properties. Studies have demonstrated that paeoniflorin protects human corneal epithelial cells, retinal pigment epithelial cells, and retinal microglia from damage. Here, the biological role of PAE in TGF-β2-dependent remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) within the trabecular meshwork (TM) microenvironment. Methods: Primary or transformed (GTM3) human TM (HTM) cells conditioned in serum-free media were incubated with TGF-β2 (5 ng/mL). PAE (300 μM) was added to serum-starved confluent cultures of HTM cells for 2 h, followed by incubation with TGF-β2 for 22 h. SB-431542, a TGF-β receptor inhibitor (10 μM), was used as a positive control. The levels of intracellular ROS were evaluated by CellROX green dye. Western blotting was used to measure the levels of TGF-β2/Smad2/3 signaling-related molecules. Collagen 1α1, collagen 4α1, and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) expression was evaluated by RT-qPCR. Immunofluorescence assay was conducted to measure collagen I/IV expression in HTM cells. Phalloidin staining assay was conducted for evaluating F-actin stress fiber formation in the cells. Results: PAE attenuated TGF-β2-induced oxidative stress and suppressed TGF-β2-induced Smad2/3 signaling in primary or transformed HTM cells. Additionally, PAE repressed TGF-β2-induced upregulation of collagen 1α1, collagen 4α1, and CTGF expression and reduced TGF-β2-mediated collagen I/IV expression and of F-actin stress fiber formation in primary or transformed HTM cells. Conclusion: PAE alleviates TGF-β2-induced ECM deposition and oxidative stress in HTM cells through inactivation of Smad2/3 signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a model-based deep reinforcement learning (DRL) method to design emergency control strategies for short-term voltage stability problems in power systems. Recent advances show promising results for model-free DRL-based methods in power systems control problems. But in power systems applications, these model-free methods have certain issues related to training time (clock time) and sample efficiency; both are critical for making state-of-the-art DRL algorithms practically applicable. DRL-agent learns an optimal policy via a trial-and-error method while interacting with the real-world environment. It is also desirable to minimize the direct interaction of the DRL agent with the real-world power grid due to its safety-critical nature. Additionally, the state-of-the-art DRL-based policies are mostly trained using a physics-based grid simulator where dynamic simulation is computationally intensive, lowering the training efficiency. We propose a novel model-based DRL framework where a deep neural network (DNN)-based dynamic surrogate model (SM), instead of a real-world power grid or physics-based simulation, is utilized within the policy learning framework, making the process faster and more sample efficient. However, having stable training in model-based DRL is challenging because of the complex system dynamics of large-scale power systems. We addressed these issues by incorporating imitation learning to have a warm start in policy learning, reward-shaping, and multi-step loss in surrogate model training. Finally, we achieved 97.5% reduction in samples and 87.7% reduction in training time for an application to the IEEE 300-bus test system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The symptoms of tracheobronchial foreign body in the elderly are not typical, so they are often missed or misdiagnosed. This study aims to depict the clinical characteristics of tracheobronchial foreign body inhalation in the elderly. We retrospectively analysed the clinical data of elder patients (age ≥ 65 years) diagnosed with tracheal and bronchial foreign bodies. The data included age, sex, clinical symptoms, type and location of foreign bodies, prehospital duration, Chest CT, bronchoscopic findings, and frequencies and tools for removing these elderly patients' tracheal and bronchial foreign bodies. All patients were followed up for a half year. Fifty-nine cases were included, of which only 32.2% had a definite aspiration history. Disease duration > 30 days accounted for 27.1% of the patients. 27.1% of the patients had a history of stroke, and 23.8% had Alzheimer's Disease. Regarding clinical symptoms, patients mainly experience cough and expectoration. The most common CT findings were abnormal density shadow (37.3%) and pulmonary infiltration (22.0%). Under bronchoscopy, purulent secretions were observed in 52.5% of patients, and granulation tissue hyperplasia was observed in 45.8%. Food (55.9%) was the most common foreign object, including seafood shells (5.1%), bones (20.3%), dentures (18.6%), and tablets (20.3%). The success rate of foreign body removal under a bronchoscope was 96.7%, 28.8% of the foreign bodies were on the left and 69.5% on the right. 5.1% of the elderly patients required rigid bronchoscopy, and 6.8% required two bronchoscopies. In elderly cohorts, tracheal foreign bodies are obscured by nonspecific clinical presentations and a paucity of aspiration history, challenging timely diagnosis. Predominantly constituted by food particles, with a notable predilection for the left bronchial tree, these cases demand skilled bronchoscopic management, occasionally requiring sophisticated approaches for successful extraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric Rivers (ARs), corridors of intensive water vapor transport, have received much attention recently due to their potentially large economic and societal impacts. However, a comprehensive understanding of the interannual variability of ARs over East Asia is still lacking. This study examines the frequency of AR occurrence over East Asia based on the EAR5 reanalysis. It is shown that the frequency of AR occurrence over East Asia displays obvious seasonality, with its peak in early boreal summer. ARs contribute to up to 50% of total precipitation and largely modulate the interannual variability of precipitation in East Asia during early boreal summer. The interannual variability of ARs over East Asia during early boreal summer is largely controlled by the Indo-western Pacific Ocean Capacitor (IPOC) effect, which is mainly triggered by El Niño-Southern Oscillation and sometimes by Indian Ocean dipole. During early boreal summer, a higher frequency of AR occurrence over East Asia is associated with anomalous anticyclonic circulation (AAC) over the Indo-western Pacific region. The AAC, the atmospheric signal of the IPOC mode, indicates an enhanced East Asian summer monsoon and a northwestward shift of the western North Pacific subtropical high, favoring the AR occurrence over East Asia. This study illustrates that a strong positive Indian Ocean dipole event could impact AR activity over East Asia in the following summer by triggering the IPOC effect. The IPOC-related signals 2–4 months ahead could be useful to predict the AR occurrence over East Asia during early boreal summer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of oral microbes in extra-oral sites is linked to gastrointestinal cancers. However, their potential ectopically colonization in the nasopharynx and impact on local cancer development remains uncertain. Our study involving paired nasopharyngeal-oral microbial samples from nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients and controls unveils an aberrant oral-to-nasopharyngeal microbial translocation associated with increased NPC risk (OR = 4.51, P = 0.012). Thirteen species are classified as oral-translocated and enriched in NPC patients. Among these, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Prevotella intermedia are validated through culturomics and clonal strain identification. Nasopharyngeal biopsy meta-transcriptomes confirm these microbes within tumors, influencing local microenvironment and cytokine response. These microbes correlate significantly with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) loads in the nasopharynx, exhibiting an increased dose-response relationship. Collectively, our study identifies oral microbes migrating to the nasopharynx, infiltrating tumors, impacting microenvironments and linking with EBV infection. These results enhance our understanding of abnormal microbial communication and their roles in carcinogenesis. Oral microbes in non-oral locations are noted across various cancers. This study highlights the abnormal translocation of oral microbes to the nasopharynx, raising the risk of nasopharyngeal cancer by remodeling the tumor microenvironment and potentially influencing EBV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to develop and validate a cuproptosis-related gene signature for the prognosis of gastric cancer. The data in TCGA GC TPM format from UCSC were extracted for analysis, and GC samples were randomly divided into training and validation groups. Pearson correlation analysis was used to obtain cuproptosis-related genes co-expressed with 19 Cuproptosis genes. Univariate Cox and Lasso regression analyses were used to obtain cuproptosis-related prognostic genes. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to construct the final prognostic risk model. The risk score curve, Kaplan–Meier survival curves, and ROC curve were used to evaluate the predictive ability of Cox risk model. Finally, the functional annotation of the risk model was obtained through enrichment analysis. Then, a six-gene signature was identified in the training cohort and verified among all cohorts using Cox regression analyses and Kaplan–Meier plots, demonstrating its independent prognostic significance for gastric cancer. In addition, ROC analysis confirmed the significant predictive potential of this signature for the prognosis of gastric cancer. Functional enrichment analysis was mainly related to cell–matrix function. Therefore, a new cuproptosis-related six-gene signature (ACLY, FGD6, SERPINE1, SPATA13, RANGAP1, and ADGRE5) was constructed for the prognosis of gastric cancer, allowing for tailored prediction of outcome and the formulation of novel therapeutics for gastric cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, PbO2 electrodes have received widespread attention due to their high oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity. However, due to the brittle nature of the plating layer, it is easy to cause the active layer to fall off. Pb2+ will leach out with the electrochemical process causing secondary pollution. The starting point of this study is established to improve the stability and adhesion of the electrode coating. Electrochemical oxidation technology has the characteristics of high treatment efficiency, wide range of applications, and non-polluting environment. In this study, conventional PbO2 electrodes were modified by using co-deposition of ZrO2 nanoparticles. In addition, α-PbO2 was added to increase the stability of the electrodes. At a high current density of 1 A/cm2, the accelerated life of the pure PbO2 electrode is 648 h, the accelerated life of the PbO2-ZrO2 electrode is 1.37 times that of the pure PbO2, and the electrode with an added α-PbO2 layer is 1.69 times that of the pure PbO2 electrode. The amount of dissolved Pb2+ was only 29% of that of pure PbO2. The electrochemical performance of the electrode is evaluated by studying the degradation effect of ceftriaxone sodium (CXM). The addition of ZrO2 nanoparticles alters the particle size and deposition content of PbO2, leading to a unique crystal structure distinct from pure PbO2. Compared to conventional PbO2 electrodes, the PbO2–ZrO2 can remove chemical oxygen demand (COD) and pollutants more efficiently, removing for 59% increased by 38.47%. Therefore, PbO2–ZrO2 is of great value in the field of electrochemical degradation of industrial pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a main cause of end-stage renal disease with high mortality. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are associated with the pathogenesis of DN. This study aimed to explore the role of circLARP1B in DN. Methods: The levels of circLARP1B, miR-578, TLR4 in DN and high glucose (HG)-treated cells using quantitative real-time PCR. Their relationship was analyzed using dual-luciferase reporter assay. The biological behaviors were assessed by MTT assay, EDU assay, flow cytometry, ELISA, and western blot. Results: The results indicated that circLARP1B and TLR4 were highly expressed, and miR-578 was low expressed in patients with DN and HG-induced cells. Knockdown of circLARP1B promoted the proliferation and cell cycle, and inhibited pyroptosis and inflammation of HG-induced cells. CircLARP1B is a sponge of miR-578, which targets TLR4. Rescue experiments showed that inhibition of miR-578 reversed the effects of circLARP1B knockdown, while TLR4 reversed the effects of miR-578. Conclusion: CircLARP1B/miR-578/TLR4 axis suppressed the proliferation, blocked cell cycle at the G0-G1 phase, promoted pyroptosis, and inflammatory factor release of renal mesangial cells induced by HG. The findings suggested that circLARP1B may be a target for the treatment of DN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, a novel hollow rod-like composite was obtained by doping nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (NCDs) into covalent organic frameworks (COFs) (NCDs@COFBTH-TT) by a one-pot hydrothermal method. Such a hollow structure not only facilitates the transport of Li+ but also exposes a large number of active sites. The doped NCDs improve the electrical conductivity of NCDs@COFBTH-TT. When NCDs@COFBTH-TT was applied as the anode materials of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), it showed excellent Li-storage performance. At a current density of 0.2 A g−1, the NCDs@COFBTH-TT exhibited an initial capacity of 336.8 mAh g−1 and then stabilized at 210.7 mAh g−1 after 226 charge/discharge cycles. This work combines zero-dimensional NCDs with two-dimensional COFs to improve the electrical conductivity and π-π stacking interaction of COFs, which is of great significance for the construction of COF-based LIBs with high storage capacity and ultra-long cycle life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grid-connected inverter (GCI)-based online grid impedance estimation (GIE) can be used in the fields of grid state monitoring, fault diagnosis, and the stability control of grid-connected equipment, which can collectively improve the intelligence of GCI. However, the available frequency range of GCI-based GIE is limited by the bandwidth of the controller because a perturbation signal is injected into the reference current. To broaden the bandwidth of grid impedance estimation, an online GIE technology based on multi-objective optimized random pulse width modulation (MOO-RPWM) is proposed in this paper. Besides taking advantage of the harmonic dispersion characteristic of RPWM, the distribution of the switching frequency is further optimized by the constraints on the measurement accuracy and the total harmonic distortion (THD) of the grid current. Moreover, the frequency boundary is constrained by the frequency range of GIE, the stability of the system, and power loss. A genetic algorithm (GA) is applied to obtain the switching frequency sequence that satisfies the optimization targets. A single-phase grid-connected inverter system is built on a StarSim hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) platform to verify that MOO-RPWM-based GIE has the advantages of a broad GIE range, high accuracy, and low disturbance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous knowledge graph-based recommendation models use Graph Neural Networks to aggregate information from neighbors. However, entities of the same hop should have different importance in aggregating, but this is often ignored. To overcome this problem, we try to utilize more helpful information to enhance the recommender system. This paper presents a new recommendation model: Neural Attention Network for Neighborhood Augmented Knowledge Graph (NKGAT). The model is developed based on knowledge graph and graph neural network. In the proposed model, we explore higher-order relationships using embeddings of nodes. Moreover, a new attention module (Neighbor-Augmented Attention (NAA)) is proposed. It assigns proper importance to different entities of neighbors at the same hop in the graph neural network. The experiments are carried out on Movie-Lens, Last-FM, Book-Crossing and Yelp2018 datasets. The experimental results show that NKGAT achieves state-of-the-art performance. It demonstrates that the proposed method integrates rich higher-order information with more proper attention to entities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infrared image is widely used in military, medical, monitoring security and other fields. Due to the limitation of hardware devices, infrared image has the problems of low signal-to-noise ratio, blurred edge and low contrast. In view of the above problems, In this paper, a super-resolution reconstruction method of infrared image based on mixed convolution multi-scale residual network is proposed. Through the multi-scale residual network to improve the utilization of features, the mixed convolution is introduced into the multi-scale residual network, which can increase the receptive field without changing the size of the feature map and eliminate the blind spots. The extracted features are fused by recursive fusion to improve the utilization of features. Through experiments and tests on multiple infrared image data sets, Through the test on the infrared image data set show that the proposed method can improve the infrared image edge information, fully extract the texture details from the infrared image, and suppress noise. The objective index of the reconstructed infrared image is mainly better than that of the contrast method, and can still achieve a better reconstruction effect in the real scene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Obesity is highly influenced by heritability and variant effects. While previous genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have successfully identified numerous genetic loci associated with obesity-related traits [body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR)], most causal variants remain unidentified. The high degree of linkage disequilibrium (LD) throughout the genome makes it extremely difficult to distinguish the GWAS-associated SNPs that exert a true biological effect. Objective: This study was to identify the potential causal variants having a biological effect on obesity-related traits. Methods: We used Probabilistic Annotation INTegratOR, a Bayesian fine-mapping method, which incorporated genetic association data (GWAS summary statistics), LD structure, and functional annotations to calculate a posterior probability of causality for SNPs across all loci of interest. Moreover, we performed gene expression analysis using the available public transcriptomic data to validate the corresponding genes of the potential causal SNPs partially. Results: We identified 96 SNPs for BMI and 43 SNPs for WHR with a high posterior probability of causality (> 99%), including 49 BMI SNPs and 24 WHR SNPs which did not reach genome-wide significance in the original GWAS. Finally, we partially validated some genes corresponding to the potential causal SNPs. Conclusion: Using a statistical fine-mapping approach, we identified a set of potential causal variants to be prioritized for future functional validation and also detected some novel trait-associated variants. These results provided novel insight into our understanding of the genetics of obesity and also demonstrated that fine mapping may improve upon the results identified by the original GWASs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A marine heatwave (MHW) is typically defined as an anomalous warm event in the surface ocean, with wide-ranging impacts on marine and socio-economic systems. The surface warming associated with MHWs can penetrate into the deep ocean; however, the vertical structure of MHWs is poorly known in the global ocean. Here, we identify four main types of MHWs with different vertical structures using Argo profiles: shallow, subsurface-reversed, subsurface-intensified, and deep MHWs. These MHW types are characterized by different spatial distributions with hotspots of subsurface-reversed and subsurface-intensified MHWs at low latitudes and shallow and deep MHWs at middle-high latitudes. These vertical structures are influenced by ocean dynamical processes, including oceanic planetary waves, boundary currents, eddies, and mixing. The area and depth of all types of MHWs exhibit significant increasing trends over the past two decades. These results contribute to a better understanding of the physical drivers and ecological impacts of MHWs in a warming climate. The authors identify four main types of vertical structures of marine heatwaves, with different impact depths and spatio-temporal distributions, that are influenced by multiscale ocean dynamical processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacteroides fragilis, one of the potential next-generation probiotics, but its protective mechanism is not yet known. We aimed to characterize the anti-inflammatory effect of B. fragilisATCC25285 and to elucidate its mechanism through in vivo and in vitro experiments. An in vitro model of inflammation by induction of colonic cells with TNF-a, and co-cultured with B. fragilis to detect cell viability, apoptosis and invasive capacity. Furthermore, critical proteins of the TLR/NF-κB pathway and the inflammatory cytokines were measured. For animal trials, C57BL/6 J male mice were orally administered B. fragilis or PBS once daily for 21 days. Colitis was induced by drinking 2.5% DSS from days 0 to 7. The mice were weighed daily and rectal bleeding, stool condition and blood in the stool were recorded. We found that B. fragilis treatment alone was harmless and had no effect on cell viability or apoptosis. While predictably TNF-α decreased cell viability and increased apoptosis, B. fragilis attenuated this deterioration. The NF-κB pathway and inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-1β activated by TNF-α were also blocked by B. fragilis. Notably, the metabolic supernatant of B. fragilis also has an anti-inflammatory effect. Animal studies showed that live B. fragilis rather than dead strain ameliorated DSS-induced colitis, as evidenced by weight loss, shortened colon length and enhanced barrier function. The colonic tissue levels of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6) were decreased and IL-10 was increased as a result of B. fragilis administration. In conclusion, B. fragilis ATCC25285 exhibited anti-inflammatory effects whether in vivo or in vitro, and it may be a potential probiotic agent for improving colitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) is an ophthalmic emergency that typically results in permanent vision damage even despite vigorous treatment. In this article, we describe a case of acute vaso-occlusive retinopathy that presented as the primary manifestation of SLE in the absence of elevated levels of APLAs. After treatment with intravenous steroids, immunoglobulin, intrathecal injection of dexamethasone, plasma exchange, and intravenous cyclophosphamide, SLE was well controlled in the patient, but her vision was permanently lost in the left eye. We also go over a brief review of the currently available literature on retinal vaso-occlusive disease present in SLE. The pathology mechanism of CRAO is related to immune complex-mediated "vasculitis", which is typically associated with neuropsychiatric lupus. However, the literature review identified antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) in only 6 of 19 patients, indicating that other mechanisms besides APS are associated with CRAO. Systemic immunosuppression and anticoagulants are required for the treatment of this severe vaso-occlusive retinopathy. Early recognition and aggressive intervention may prevent severe loss of vision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: Despite the evidence supporting the efficacy of the ketogenic diet (KD) on weight and type 2 diabetes (T2D) management, adherence to the KD is challenging. Additionally, no studies have reported changes in PA among individuals with overweight/obesity and T2D who have followed KD. We mapped out the methods used to assess adherence to the KD and level of physical activity (PA) in lifestyle interventions for weight and T2D management in individuals with overweight/obesity and T2D and compared levels of KD adherence and PA in these interventions. Methods: Articles published between January 2005 and March 2022 were searched in MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Scopus. Studies that included KD in lifestyle interventions for adults with T2D and overweight/obesity and measured ketone levels were included. Results: The eleven included studies comprised eight randomized controlled trials. They mainly used self-reported measures to evaluate adherence to the KD and level of PA. We found studies reported higher carbohydrate intake and lower fat intake than the KD regimen. Great inconsistencies were found among studies on the measurement and reporting of ketone and PA levels. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated the need to develop intervention strategies to improve adherence to the KD, as well as the necessity of developing standardized diet and PA assessment tools to establish a stronger evidence base for including KD in lifestyle interventions for weight and T2D management among adults with overweight/obesity and T2D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: The proposed method solves the difficulty of unstable sliding rock (USR) adjustment. The study provides a judgment criterion for the quantitative identification of USR. The improved method can provide a practical reference for engineers engaged in rapidly identifying USR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is a new cost-effective blue energy harvesting technology for its great performance in low frequency. However, many related energy harvesters operate on water surface, ignoring the ocean's depth. Herein, a chain-flipped plate TENG (CFP-TENG), consisting of longitudinally arranged repeating units, is proposed to collect wave energy. The chain structure design allows the surface wave energy to act effectively on the underwater generator. The maximum output power per unit ocean area reaches 1.5 W·m−2 at a loading resistance of 30 MΩ. Optimization of device parameters and application demonstrations are explored. Compared with previous works, the utilization rate of wave energy has been significantly improved. This work not only provides a new method to optimize the output of TENG but also makes a crucial step in promoting practical applications of TENG in renewable blue energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrode and MoS2@Ti electrochemical system were successfully optimized. However, there are problems such as easy flaking of catalytic layer and short electrode life. The use of electrode modifiers such as Nafion, Sodium dodecyl sulfate, or tin-antimony oxide interlayers attempts to optimize the bonding between the electrode substrate and the active layer. Moreover, we have successfully used foam titanium to replace the titanium plate substrate to improve the electrode stability. The adsorption reduction performance of MoS2@Ti electrodes and MoS2 powders was investigated to further clarify the mechanism of MoS2@Ti electrochemical system. The optimization of the MoS2@Ti electrode reaction system was attempted by designing the combined system as well as the diaphragm system, and the fact that the reduced mercury ions were re-oxidized in the original MoS2@Ti system was determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the fact that the response of tropical hydroclimate to North Atlantic cooling events during the Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS1) has been extensively studied in African, South American and Indonesia, the nature of such responses remains debated. Here we investigate the tropical hydroclimate pattern over the Indo-Asian-Australian monsoon region during the HS1 by integrating hydroclimatic records, and examining a δ18Oseawater record from Globigerinoides ruber (white) in the tropical Indian Ocean. Our findings indicate that tropical hydrological conditions were synchronously arid in both hemispheres during the early HS1 (~18.3-16.3 ka) in the Indo-Asian-Australian monsoon region, except for a narrow, wet hydrological belt in northern low latitudes, suggesting the existence of a contracted tropical precipitation belt at that time. This study reveals that the meltwater discharge and resulting changes in global temperatures and El Niño exerted a profound influence on the tropical hydroclimate in the Indo-Asian-Australian monsoon region during the early HS1. New and existing paleoclimatic records show the rain-belt range of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) in the Indo-Asian-Australian monsoon region contracted to the northern low latitudes during the early Heinrich Stadial 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CT diagnosis has been widely used in clinic because of its special diagnostic value. The image resolution of CT imaging system is constrained by X-ray focus size, detector element spacing, reconstruction algorithm and other factors, which makes the generated CT image have some problems, such as low contrast, insufficient high-frequency information, poor perceptual quality and so on. To solve the above problems, a super-resolution reconstruction method of CT image based on multi-scale attention mechanism is proposed. First, use a 3 × 3 and a 1 × 1 convolution layer extracting shallow features. In order to better extract the high-frequency features of CT images and improve the image contrast, a multi-scale attention module is designed to adaptively detect the information of different scales, improve the expression ability of features, integrate the channel attention mechanism and spatial attention mechanism, and pay more attention to important information, retain more valuable information. Finally, sub-pixel convolution is used to improve the resolution of CT image and reconstruct high-resolution CT image. The experimental results show that this method can effectively improve the CT image contrast and suppress the noise. The peak signal-to-noise ratio and structural similarity of the reconstructed CT image are better than the comparison method, and has a good subjective visual effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of water-entry cavities gives rise to interesting dynamic phenomena that occur in nature and engineering fields. The evolution and seal types of the cavities remain unsettled at Bo less than 10−2 since it is difficult to propel a small sphere to impact a water surface at high speed. In the present study, an experiment based on the laserdriven principle is conducted to accelerate a small sphere to hundreds m/s. The types of cavity seal are classified as quasi-static, shallow seal, deep seal, and surface seal within a Bo range of 1–7.57×10−2. The transition mechanism from a shallow seal to a deep seal is investigated by analyzing the cross-sectional characteristics of cavity necks. With a further decrease in Bo (5.69×10−2–8.41×10−3), the shallow seal is changed directly to a surface seal since the pinch-off time of the cross section at the cavity neck decreases with Bo, and hence, the deep seal disappears. Finally, a parameter study is conducted by varying We and Bo in the air cavity. Two boundaries are obtained: We ≈ 64 for the transition between quasi-static and shallow seals and We ≈ 326 for the transition between shallow seals and surface seals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International purchasing and supply management (PSM) teams have long faced the visibility and understandability challenges of managing geographically dispersed and culturally distant suppliers. Problems arising from inadequate monitoring and control over suppliers can be attributed to geographical and cultural distance, capability gaps, weak institutions, and supply market dynamism. With transaction costs theory as our lens, we examine how international geographically and culturally distant purchasing and supply management (PSM) teams control emerging economy suppliers with formal management controls. We use interview survey data on 339 international customer-Chinese supplier relationships using supplier perceptions of the extent to which performance measurement and monitoring practices are used by their primary customer in the purchase reorder decision and control. The results demonstrate that the cultural and, to a lesser extent, geographical distance between the customer and the supplier is associated with more extensive use of formal management controls. Also, we find the relationship between geographical or cultural distance and the importance of performance measurement is strengthened for suppliers of complex components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficiently converting the random vibration energy widely existed in human activities and natural environments into electricity is significant to the local power supply of sensor nodes in the internet of things. However, the conversion efficiency of energy harvester is relatively low due to the limitation of device's intrinsic frequency. In this work, a multi-layered, wavy super-structured-triboelectric nanogenerator (SS-TENG) is designed, whose output performances can be greatly promoted by combining the charge excitation mechanism. The steel sheet acts not only as an electrode but also as a supporter for the overall frame of SS-TENG, which effectively improves the space utilization rate and results in a volume charge density up to 129 mC·m−3. In addition, the resonant frequency width of the SS-TENG can be widened by changing the parameters of the superstructure. For demonstration, the SS-TENG can sustainably drive two temperature and humidity sensors in parallel by harvesting vibration energy. This work may provide an effective strategy for harvesting vibration energy and broadening frequency response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) is considered as ubiquitous and highly active chemicals that influence tendon integrity and orchestrate tendon repair. With significant recent advances in nanomaterials, cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs) exhibit superoxide dismutase- and catalase-like activities. Herein, we introduced a therapeutic approach of CeO2 NPs for Achilles tendinopathy (AT) healing. Methods: CeO2 NPs were synthesized to examine their effect as ROS scavengers on AT healing in vitro and in vivo. The mRNA levels of inflammatory factors were evaluated in AT after CeO2 NPs treatment in vitro. The mechanisms underlying CeO2 NPs-mediated stimulation of NRF2 translocation and ERK signaling were verified through immunofluorescence and Western blot analysis. The efficacy of CeO2 NPs was tested in an AT rat model in comparison with the control. Results: CeO2 NPs not only significantly scavenged multiple ROS and suppressed ROS-induced inflammatory reactions but also protected cell proliferation under oxidative stress induced by tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP). Moreover, CeO2 NPs could promote NRF2 nuclear translocation for anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation through the ERK signaling pathway. In a rat model of collagenase-induced tendon injuries, CeO2 NPs showed significant therapeutic efficacy by ameliorating tendon damage. Conclusion: The present study provides valuable insights into the molecular mechanism of CeO2 NPs to ameliorate ROS in tenocytes via the ERK/NRF2 signaling pathway, which underscores the potential of CeO2 NPs for application in the treatment of enthesopathy healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens Lx-11 can effectively control rice bacterial blight. This study developed a new formulation of B. amyloliquefaciens to further improve its field utilization. This formulation was derived from a raw fermentation broth of B. amyloliquefaciens Lx-11, adsorbed by nano-level fume silica, and emulsified to prepare an oil-in-water B. amyloliquefaciens suspoemulsion (SE). Inert ingredients, including soybean oil, emulsifier ST (a mixture of Span 80 and Tween 80), ethylene glycol, AEC-9NA, and SY-6535 showed good biocompatibility with B. amyloliquefaciens strain Lx-11. A Plackett–Burman experiment demonstrated that sodium alginate, AEC-9NA, and glycol were significant factors affecting the count of viable B. amyloliquefaciens. In addition, results of the steepest ascent experiment showed that concentrations of the three significant factors influencing viability were 1.00 g l−1 for sodium alginate, 15.00 ml l−1 for AEC-9NA, and 20.00 ml l−1 for glycol. A Box-Behnken design was applied to describe the nature of the response surface in the experimental region, and the optimal formulation was determined as follows: 10% silica, 40% soybean oil, 8% ST, 1.51% AEC-9NA, 2.36% glycol, 0.08% sodium alginate, and 2% SY-6535. Under optimized conditions, the viable count of B. amyloliquefaciens Lx-11 SE was up to 9.3×108 colony forming units (cfu) per ml. The results showed that the regression equation model had satisfactory accuracy in predicting the viable count of B. amyloliquefaciens Lx-11 SE. Pot experiments indicated that spraying 200 ml 667 m−2B. amyloliquefaciens Lx-11 SE effectively controlled rice bacterial blight with a control effect of 64.8–66.0%, equivalent to 20% Thiosen copper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslide damage time prediction is the most economical and reasonable means to carry out landslide control. The inverse velocity method (INVM), as the simplest and most practical method, has become the most common technique for landslide prediction nowadays. However, the application of the INVM results in false alarm when applied to step-like landslides. In this paper, we propose the conditions of using the INVM based on the trend speed ratio (TSR) to discriminate stepped landslides, analyse the real-time changes of TSR and discuss the changes of ΔTSR after the uniform deformation phase of the landslide. The results indicate that TSR reaches the extreme value one day earlier than the landslide deformation velocity; thus, TSR can help the INVM to be better applied to engineering sites and reduce the false alarm rate of risk assessment. The application of ΔTSR to eight engineering examples indicate that the new method is more sensitive and can help the traditional method to determine the starting point of landslide acceleration and the future trend of landslides. This method has better applicability and can provide new technical support for better response to landslide warning in engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of sea surface temperature (SST) variability in the pre-monsoonal (April to July) intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) over the South China Sea (SCS) is investigated using the Community Earth System Model Version 2 (CESM2). An Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP) simulation forced by daily sea surface temperatures (SSTs) derived from a parallel coupled general circulation model (CGCM) run was compared with observations and the mother coupled simulation. In the coupled model, the SST warming leads the peak convection about 1/4 period as in observations. The paralell uncoupled model fails to simulate this phase relationship, implying the importance of air-sea coupling in reproducing realistic ISO. Due to the near-quadrature phase relationship between SST and precipitation ISOs during the ISO events, it is difficult to distinguish the active/passive role of SST from observations alone. Significant correlation in intraseasonal precipitation between the daily SST-forced AMIP and mother CGCM runs indicates that SST plays a role in driving the atmospheric ISO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Luzon Strait is the main channel connecting the South China Sea (SCS) and the western Pacific, with complex atmospheric and oceanic dynamic processes. Based on 44 days of glider measurements and satellite observations, we investigated the temporal and vertical variations of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration in the Luzon Strait from July 25 to September 6, 2019. The Chl a was mainly distributed above 200 m and concentrated in the subsurface chlorophyll maximum (SCM) layer. The depth of SCM ranged between 50 m and 110 m, and the magnitude of SCM varied from 0.42 mg/m3 to 1.12 mg/m3. The variation of Chl a was identified with three stages responding to different dynamic processes. Under the influence of Kuroshio intrusion, the SCM depth sharply deepened, and its magnitude decreased in Stage 1. Afterward, a prominent Chl-a bloom was observed in the SCM layer from August 6 to August 16. The Chl-a bloom in Stage 2 was related to the influence of a cyclonic eddy, which uplifted of the thermocline and thus the deep nutrients. During Stage 3, prolonged heavy rainfall in the northeastern SCS resulted in a significant salinity decrease in the upper ocean. The convergence of upper water deepened the thermocline and the mixed layer. Thus, the Chl a decreased in the SCM layer but increased in the surface layer. In particular, a typhoon passed through the Luzon Strait on August 24, which induced the Chl a increase in the upper 50 m. However, there was little change in the depth-integrated Chl a (0–200 m), indicating that the Chl a increase in the surface layer was likely associated with physical entrainment of SCM caused by strong mixing, rather than the phytoplankton bloom in the upper water column. Underwater gliders provide frequent autonomous observations that help us understand the regional ocean's complex dynamic processes and biological responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the latest Coupled Model Intercomparison Projects phase 6 abrupt-4xCO2 scenario, this study investigates the sea surface salinity (SSS) and hydrological cycle changes in response to global warming in the tropical Atlantic and tropical eastern Pacific. The analysis results reveal the enhancement of the global water cycle and the effect of El Niño-like sea surface temperature (SST) warming. Under global warming, inter-basin water vapor transports increase by about 0.11 Sv (19%) from the tropical Atlantic to the Pacific in response to the rise of the freshwater flux gradient between the two basins. The increase of specific humidity dominates the enhancement of moisture transport (contribution of about 85%), resulting in an SSS decrease in the tropical Pacific and an increase in the tropical Atlantic. On seasonal scales, the increase of the trans-basin SST gradient leads to the enhancement and westward shift of the Walker Circulation in summer and autumn (contribution of 31% in August to 47% in November), further resulting in the precipitation increase and the salinity decrease in the tropical Pacific. Furthermore, the El Niño-like SST warming induces a wind-evaporation-SST feedback in the tropical eastern Pacific. The reduced SST meridional gradient weakens the atmospheric circulation, redistributing the trans-basin water vapor transport. Correspondingly, precipitation (salinity) decreases (increases) in the northeastern Pacific and increases (decreases) in the southeastern Pacific, following the "warmer-get-wetter" mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large number of engineering case studies have shown that the traditional early warning criteria, which evolved on the basis of displacement as a single piece of information, have many limitations in practical engineering. The displacement speed ratio (DSR) cannot determine the development trend of landslides due to the influence of periodic external environmental factors. Moreover, when landslides occur, the early warning system will have a false alarm due to the stepwise giant rise of landslides. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a new landslide warning criterion, the trend speed ratio (TSR), and also fuses TSR and DSR into a dual speed ratio method (DSRM) for judging landslide risk changes. We assess these methods by applying DSRM and DSR to 10 landslide cases, respectively. The results show that when TSR is greater than 2.0, the probability of landslide damage is high and when TSR tends to decrease, the landslide tends to be stable. For landslides that rise sharply in steps but are not damaged, DSR has a high false alarm rate, while DSRM can effectively reduce the false alarm rate. In terms of warning applicability, DSR can be applied in only half of the ten landslide cases studied, while DSRM is significantly more applicable. In addition, compared with the traditional method, the new method can determine the direction of landslide development and assess the risk of step-up landslides, providing new technical support for engineers engaged in landslide warning and control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When it is generated in extreme vicinity to a water surface, an oscillating bubble bursts into the atmosphere and high-pressure gas is simultaneously exhausted from it, forming a splash sheet and an open cavity. The dynamics of the splash sheet induced by the bursting of the oscillating bubble has drawn increasing attention, but it is not clearly understood. We conduct a numerical simulation in the framework of open-source software OpenFOAM. The volume of fluid and Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes methods are used to precisely capture the gas-liquid interface and obtain flow structure, respectively. In addition, an experimental setup is carried out based on an object distance compensation method for validation of the numerical model. Two patterns are summarized: (1) An open splash, (2) A sealed splash depending on whether a splash sheet completely closes. Detailed numerical results shows that the bubble bursting is induced by the Rayleigh-Taylor instability. Finally, the splash closures are discussed for two patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: A novel structure of the PC-TENG based on triboelectrification and electrostatic induction is designed. The PC-TENG produce ideal direct current output for driving small electronic devices directly even at low surface contact force. The novel PC-TENG owns a high durability and high output performance due to low wear of materials. The R-PC-TENG can efficiently harvest ambient mechanical energy.Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is regarded as an effective strategy to convert environment mechanical energy into electricity to meet the distributed energy demand of large number of sensors in the Internet of Things (IoTs). Although TENG based on the coupling of triboelectrification and air-breakdown achieves a large direct current (DC) output, material abrasion is a bottleneck for its applications. Here, inspired by primary cell and its DC signal output characteristics, we propose a novel primary cell structure TENG (PC-TENG) based on contact electrification and electrostatic induction, which has multiple working modes, including contact separation mode, freestanding mode and rotation mode. The PC-TENG produces DC output and operates at low surface contact force. It has an ideal effective charge density (1.02 mC m−2). Meanwhile, the PC-TENG shows a superior durability with 99% initial output after 100,000 operating cycles. Due to its excellent output performance and durability, a variety of commercial electronic devices are powered by PC-TENG via harvesting wind energy. This work offers a facile and ideal scheme for enhancing the electrical output performance of DC-TENG at low surface contact force and shows a great potential for the energy harvesting applications in IoTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Still’s disease is a severe inflammatory syndrome characterized by fever, skin rash and arthritis affecting children and adults. Patients with Still’s disease may also develop macrophage activation syndrome, a potentially fatal complication of immune dysregulation resulting in cytokine storm. Here we show that mTORC1 (mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1) underpins the pathology of Still’s disease and macrophage activation syndrome. Single-cell RNA sequencing in a murine model of Still’s disease shows preferential activation of mTORC1 in monocytes; both mTOR inhibition and monocyte depletion attenuate disease severity. Transcriptomic data from patients with Still’s disease suggest decreased expression of the mTORC1 inhibitors TSC1/TSC2 and an mTORC1 gene signature that strongly correlates with disease activity and treatment response. Unrestricted activation of mTORC1 by Tsc2 deletion in mice is sufficient to trigger a Still’s disease-like syndrome, including both inflammatory arthritis and macrophage activation syndrome with hemophagocytosis, a cellular manifestation that is reproduced in human monocytes by CRISPR/Cas-mediated deletion of TSC2. Consistent with this observation, hemophagocytic histiocytes from patients with macrophage activation syndrome display prominent mTORC1 activity. Our study suggests a mechanistic link of mTORC1 to inflammation that connects the pathogenesis of Still’s disease and macrophage activation syndrome.Still’s disease is an inflammatory syndrome linked to the development of further immune dysregulation and hypercytokinaemia termed macrophage activation syndrome. Here the authors implicate the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 in murine models of Still’s disease and macrophage activation syndrome, and provide associations with clinical cases in patients [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslide susceptibility analysis based on the strong ability of data mining of Geographic Information System (GIS) has become a hot topic in international landslide research. This paper used optimized decision tree and GIS databases to analyze the sensitivity in the northwest mountain areas of Yunnan province of China, and then discussed the formation mechanism of the landslide happened in the area. The translational landslide located in the area with an average gradient less than or equal to 28.7° was reclassified as a higher level 3 sensitive area than before according to the normalized different fault index (NDFI). The results showed that the data mining based on GIS 3D space–time information database can help to find the unique topography, geology hydrology and the other typical spatial information of some special typed of landslides such as translational landslides, thus it can illustrate the relationship between the landslides and their sensitivity factors. The improved landslide susceptibility analysis will provide a new method for identifying the genetic mechanism of landslide, and play an important role in the government regional planning and disaster prevention measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of myositis-specific autoantibodies (MSAs) in a cohort of Chinese patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) and to examine their associations with clinical characteristics and long-term prognosis. Methods: Adult patients with confirmed IIMs (n = 515) were studied using the EUROLINE Autoimmune Inflammatory Myopathies 16 Ag (IgG) commercial line blot test to detect MSAs/myositis-associated autoantibodies. We collected the laboratory data and clinical features. The frequencies of MSAs and their associations with clinical phenotypes were evaluated using SPSS 25.0 software. Results: At least one MSA was found in 88.2% of the 515 IIM patients studied. The most frequently detected MSAs were anti-MDA5 (25.4%), anti-Jo-1(15.1%), and anti-EJ (9.5%). Autoantibodies against MDA5, TIF1-γ, and NXP2 were significantly correlated with cutaneous involvement (P < 0.001 or P < 0.01). Anti-TIF1-γ-positive patients had an enhanced risk of malignancy (OR = 3.51). Rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (RP-ILD) was significantly correlated with anti-MDA5 (P < 0.0001). Anti-MDA5-positive patients had increased risks of elevated ferritin and decreased lymphocyte counts (OR = 5.65 and OR = 5.74, respectively). Kaplan–Meier survival revealed that individuals positive for anti-MDA5, especially anti-MDA5 combined with anti-Ro52, had the worst prognosis (P = 0.03). Male, old age, RP-ILD, and elevated ferritin were identified as predictors of poor prognosis in IIM patients. Conclusions: MSAs were present in the majority of the IIM patients. Numerous MSAs were independent factors for identifying exceptional clinical phenotypes. Key Points • This is a large Chinese cohort of IIM patients to analyze possible associations of MSA profiles with clinical characteristics, aiming to provide valuable data for clinical work. • MSAs were present in approximately 90% of IIM patients with distinct clinical subsets. Patients with anti-Jo-1 and non-anti-Jo-1 ASAs exhibited similar characteristics. • The association of anti-TIF1-γ with malignancy was confirmed in adult patients. Patients with IIMs who were positive for both anti-Ro52 and anti-MDA5 had a worse prognosis. • Male, RP-ILD, and heliotrope rash were independent risk factors for a poor prognosis in patients with IIMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Haploinsufficiency of suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) is a recently discovered autoinflammatory disorder with significant rheumatologic, immunologic, and hematologic manifestations. Here we report a case of SOCS1 haploinsufficiency in a 5-year-old child with profound arthralgias and immune-mediated thrombocytopenia unmasked by SARS-CoV-2 infection. Her clinical manifestations were accompanied by excessive B cell activity, eosinophilia, and elevated IgE levels. Uniquely, this is the first report of SOCS1 haploinsufficiency in the setting of a chromosomal deletion resulting in complete loss of a single SOCS1 gene with additional clinical findings of bone marrow hypocellularity and radiologic evidence of severe enthesitis. Immunologic profiling showed a prominent interferon signature in the patient's peripheral blood mononuclear cells, which were also hypersensitive to stimulation by type I and type II interferons. The patient showed excellent clinical and functional laboratory response to tofacitinib, a Janus kinase inhibitor that disrupts interferon signaling. Our case highlights the need to utilize a multidisciplinary diagnostic approach and consider a comprehensive genetic evaluation for inborn errors of immunity in patients with an atypical immune-mediated thrombocytopenia phenotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (VEGFR-TKIs) are a class of targeted anticancer agents that include pazopanib, sunitinib, axitinib, and others. Currently, VEGFR-TKIs are widely used in the clinical treatment of various tumors, which can prolong patients’ survival and even cure tumors. However, the use of VEGFR-TKIs is frequently associated with the occurrence of cardiovascular adverse events, with hypertension being the most prevalent. Hypertension and its complications can significantly impact the prognosis of patients, potentially jeopardizing their lives and resulting in the reduction or even cessation of treatment in severe cases. This review addresses the incidence of hypertension due to VEGFR-TKIs, mechanisms of toxicity, management strategies, and future research directions. In addition, hypertension due to VEGFR-TKIs may be associated with salt sensitivity, and possible mechanisms of hypertensive side effects are vasodilator imbalance, decreased capillary density, renal injury, impaired endothelial function due to oxidative stress, decreased lymphatic vascular density, and "off-target effect". A comprehensive understanding of hypertension toxicity due to cancer treatment with VEGFR-TKIs, can enhance clinical practice, thereby improving the prognostic outcomes of VEGFR-TKIs in oncology patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reanimates critical conversations concerning representations of female youth authorship in classic and contemporary adolescent fiction. It advocates for a reassessment of the significance of “low-brow”, “less original” types of authorship represented by fanfiction—or, what I term, “fannish writing.” Often dismissed by academics as a hindrance to the professional achievements of female writer protagonists, these modes of authorship actually provide a conduit for aspiring writers to challenge and disrupt established literary cultures and authorial conventions. This article explains how this process works in juvenile fiction by drawing from Deleuze and Guattari’s idea of minor literature, especially how this concept maps onto the characteristics of fannish writing. Through detailed analyses of L. M. Montgomery’s Emily of New Moon trilogy and Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl, this study illustrates how drawing parallels between young female characters’ fannish writing endeavours and Deleuzian minor politics offers a fresh perspective on authorial practices in female Künstler narratives, enabling critics to conceptualise acts of writing beyond the expectations of dominant authorship values. In this way, this work complicates previous research that disparages the legitimacy of fanfiction in narratives of female Künstler figures, revealing the distinct and vital worth of such writing as a ‘minoritarian’ discourse that shapes our perception of the subversive capacity of young girls’ writing strategies in adolescent fiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanozyme is a collection of nanomaterials with enzyme-like activity but higher environmental tolerance and long-term stability than their natural counterparts. Improving the catalytic activity and expanding the category of nanozymes are prerequisites to complement or even supersede enzymes. However, the development of hydrolytic nanozymes is still challenged by diverse hydrolytic substrates and following complicated mechanisms. Here, two strategies are informed by data to screen and predict catalytic active sites of MOF (metal–organic framework) based hydrolytic nanozymes: (1) to increase the intrinsic activity by finely tuned Lewis acidity of the metal clusters; (2) to improve the density of active sites by shortening the length of ligands. Finally, as-obtained Ce-FMA-MOF-based hydrolytic nanozyme is capable of cleaving phosphate bonds, amide bonds, glycosidic bonds, and even their mixture, biofilms. This work provides a rational methodology to design hydrolytic nanozyme, enriches the diversity of nanozymes, and potentially sheds light on future evolution of enzyme engineering. Developing hydrolytic nanozymes remains challenging. Here the authors present a rational methodology to design hydrolytic nanozyme by developing a data-informed strategy to screen and identify potential scaffold and active sites of hydrolase-like nanozyme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) through the bio-stimulation approach is a promising ground improvement technique that can improve the engineering performance of calcareous sand. This study investigated the shear response of bio-cemented calcareous sand (with 16.2% and 54.6% initial relative density) treated by bio-stimulated MICP. The calcareous sand samples, prepared at two initial relative densities, were firstly subjected to the enrichment and cementation treatment to gain various cementation levels. Biochemical parameters including viable cell number, urea and ammonium concentration, and cementation content were measured during the two stages. The direct shear tests were then conducted at five different normal stresses, and the peak stress ratio, cohesion intercept, peak dilation angle, and stress-dilatancy relationship were obtained. The Mohr–Coulomb linear and bilinear failure envelopes were adopted to obtain the shear parameters. The results were further substantiated by microstructural observations. Finally, a conceptual framework was proposed to analyze the peak state shear behavior of bio-cemented calcareous sand. The interdependence between external influential factors (cementation level, initial relative density, and normal stress) and strength components (interparticle friction, interlocking (dilatancy), particle rearrangement, interparticle bonds and particle crushing) at the peak state were discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distribution of sea surface salinity (SSS) in the Arabian Sea (AS) and Bay of Bengal (BoB) is in contrast due to differences in air-sea freshwater fluxes and river runoff inputs. The monsoon-induced inter-basin water exchange plays an important role in regional salinity balance and atmosphere–ocean feedback in the North Indian Ocean. The satellite SSS data set reveals that significant intraseasonal variability of SSS occurs in the region south of the Indian Peninsula with the strongest amplitude in winter. A case study in autumn-winter of 2016 showed that the Northeast Monsoon Current (NMC) and mesoscale eddies play a dominant role in the intraseasonal variability of the SSS in the region south of the Indian peninsula. In November, the East India Coastal Current (EICC) transports the low-salinity water southward to the region east of Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, a cyclonic eddy develops and moves westward south of the NMC. Both NMC and the cyclonic eddy advects the low-salinity water westward to the region south of the Indian Peninsula. Then, an anticyclonic eddy generates in the north of the NMC. Thus, an eddy pair forms for more than one and a half months, which develops and propagates westward, transporting low-salinity water westward. The perturbation of mesoscale eddies and SSS difference between BoB and AS leads to the significant intraseasonal variability of SSS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, daily outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) product is used to detect the atmospheric intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) in the eastern tropical Indian Ocean (TIO). A 50–80-day ISO is identified south of the equator, peaking in boreal winter and propagating eastward. The mechanisms underneath are investigated using observational data and reanalysis products. The results suggest that the 50–80-day atmospheric ISO is enhanced by ocean dynamic processes during December–January. Monsoon transition in October–November causes large wind variability along the equator. Equatorial sea surface height/thermocline anomalies appear off Sumatra due to the accumulative effects of the wind variability, leading the atmospheric 50–80-day ISO by ~ 5–6 weeks. The wind-driven ocean equatorial dynamics are reflected from the Sumatra coast as downwelling oceanic Rossby waves, which deepen the thermocline and contribute to the SST warming in the southeastern TIO, affecting local atmospheric conditions. It offers insights into the role of ocean dynamics in the intensification of 50–80-day atmospheric ISOs over the eastern TIO and explains the seasonal peak of the eastward-propagating ISO during boreal winter. These results have implications for intraseasonal predictability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]