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Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in pediatric patients, leading to long-term physical, cognitive, and psychological impairments. Blood lactate and fibrinogen levels have emerged as potential biomarkers associated with tissue hypoperfusion and coagulation dysfunction, respectively. However, limited research has specifically focused on the significance of these biomarkers in pediatric TBI. This study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of blood lactate and fibrinogen levels upon admission in pediatric patients with traumatic brain injury. Methods: The medical records of 80 children with a traumatic brain injury who were admitted from January 2017 to January 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The two groups were compared according to whether the blood lactate in the admission arterial blood gas increased and the fibrinogen content in the coagulation function decreased. The clinical data of the children in the two groups were different, and then they were divided into a good prognosis group and a poor prognosis group according to the GOS prognostic score, and the differences in the clinical indicators of the two groups were compared. Results: Among the 80 patients, 33 had elevated blood lactate levels, 34 had decreased fibrinogen levels, and 29 had an unfavorable outcome (GOS < 4). Compared to the normal blood lactate group, there were no statistically significant differences in age, sex ratio, or platelet count in the elevated blood lactate group (P > 0.05). However, the elevated blood lactate group had lower Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores upon admission, higher blood lactate levels, lower fibrinogen levels, longer hospital stay, lower GOS scores, and a higher proportion of GOS < 4 (P < 0.05). Compared to the normal fibrinogen group, there were no statistically significant differences in age, sex ratio, or platelet count in the decreased fibrinogen group (P > 0.05). However, the decreased fibrinogen group had lower GCS scores upon admission, higher blood lactate levels, lower fibrinogen levels, longer hospital stays, lower GOS scores, and a higher proportion of GOS < 4 (P < 0.05). Compared to the favorable outcome group, there were no statistically significant differences in age, sex ratio, or platelet count in the unfavorable outcome group (P > 0.05). However, the unfavorable outcome group had lower GCS scores upon admission, higher blood lactate levels, lower fibrinogen levels, longer hospital stays, a higher incidence of pulmonary infection, a higher incidence of stress ulcers, and lower GOS scores (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The levels of blood lactate and fibrinogen may represent the severity of children with traumatic brain injury and may be risk factors for poor prognosis of children with traumatic brain injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, we assessed mortality after major bleeding events in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients taking four direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). Drawing data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database between 2016 and 2019, we focused on AF patients on DOACs who had major bleeding episodes. Using propensity score stabilized weighting, we established four comparable pseudo-DOAC groups. Among 2770 patients (460 dabigatran, 1322 rivaroxaban, 548 apixaban, 440 edoxaban), 85.3% were prescribed low-dose regimens. The 7-day mortality rate was 9.0%, surging to 16.0% by the 30th day. Compared with dabigatran, there was a distinct divergence in 7-day mortality of factor Xa inhibitors (p = 0.012), with hazard ratios of 1.83 (95% CI 1.11–3.00, p = 0.017) for rivaroxaban, 2.13 (95% CI 1.23–3.66, p = 0.007) for apixaban, and 2.41 (95% CI 1.39–4.19, p = 0.002) for edoxaban. This pattern remained consistent when analyzing the subgroup that received lower dosages of DOACs. In conclusion, factor Xa inhibitors were associated with a significantly higher risk of 7-day mortality following major bleeding events than dabigatran among AF patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing works in the optimization of five-axis machining mainly focus on the efficiency, precision, or dynamic performance of the machine tools, while the performance of other equipment which assists the machining process has not been considered. This paper takes the robot assisted supporting machining of thin-walled blades as the research objective and proposes an axial-sensitivity-reduction based five-axis toolpath re-scheduling method for facilitating the collaborative support machining with a machine-tool and a robot. The input of the method is lenient, merely including the original toolpath and the workpiece point-cloud model. The output of the method is the re-scheduled toolpath which requires lower motion ability of the assisted support equipment. This is realized by the following approaches. First, an axial sensitivity concept is defined, which quantificationally reflects the influence extent of the machine-tool axis motion on the assisted supporter motion, thus the most sensitive axis which affects the assisted process maximally can be identified. Then, an optimal-partition dual-domain-assisted-fitting method is provided to reconstruct the parameterized geometrical model of blades according to the point-cloud model, thus the multi-value property of the blades which troubles the surface construction is solved. After that, a sensitive-axis-calming bidirectional-tangent-bug-searching method is proposed to re-schedule the toolpath of five-axis machining, thus reducing the sensitivity of the most-sensitive axis. The whole method is universal, because a general cutter model is used and the cutter-contact point keeps invariant after re-scheduling. The correctness and effectiveness of the proposed method are verified by illustration machining tests of a steam turbine blade using an AB-type five-axis machine tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased temperature and acidification are two important environmental factors affecting algal growth in marine ecosystems with the increase of atmospheric CO2. The dinoflagellate Amphidinium carterae and the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum were chosen to study the effect of warming and acidification on their sulfate assimilation and reduction processes by continuous incubation at different temperatures (15, 20 and 25 °C) and pHNBS values (8.10, 7.80 and 7.60). Variations in associated sulfur compounds, namely sulfate, dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), dimethylsulfide (DMS) and acrylic acid (AA) were observed. The largest sulfate uptake was at 25 °C for A. carterae and at 20 °C for P. tricornutum, however, the optimal growth temperature for both microalgae was 20 °C. The release of DMSP and DMS decreased in A. carterae while they increased in P. tricornutum under the condition of increased temperature. Seawater acidification increased the uptake of sulfate and promoted the growth of the microalgae. Acidification also reduced the release of DMSP, dissolved DMSP (DMSPd), DMS and AA from A. carterae with mean values of 55%, 22%, 9% and 40%, respectively. However, acidification increased the release of DMSP and DMSPd by P. tricornutum with mean values of 44% and 186%, the release of DMS was inhibited (25%) and with no significant difference in the release of AA (2%). Amino acids were found to inhibit the uptake of sulfate by the two microalgae, and the inhibitory effect of cysteine was found to be stronger than that of methionine. The inhibitory effect of amino acids was temperature sensitive and relatively weak at 20 °C. Besides, acidification could enhance the inhibitory effect and was evident in A. carterae. The sulfur metabolism intermediates (cysteine and methionine) have a feedback regulation effect on the sulfate absorption process of algae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microstructure distribution in polyolefin resins is one of the key factors governing the macroscopic properties of the products. The chain microstructure of two transparent poly(propylene-co-1-butene) (PPB) resins is investigated in this study through temperature rising elution fractionation in the temperature range of 35 − 140 °C. Both resins contain small amount of room temperature soluble component, i.e. less than 3.80 wt% fractions eluted at 35 − 50 °C, implying that the two resins could be used as food containers or food packaging films safely with very low migration of soluble contents. The two resins exhibit remarkable differences in composition distributions as 41.24 wt% of resin PPB-1 was collected at 100 °C, whereas 58.24 wt% of resin PPB-2 was collected at 83 °C. The composition and sequence distribution in each fraction were analyzed by 13C NMR spectroscopy. All the fractions are random propylene/1-butene copolymers containing 1-butene concentration in the range of 2.7 − 7.6 mol% for resin PPB-1 and 2.2 − 8.5 mol% for resin PPB-2. Individual 1-butene unit is mainly inserted into the polypropylene main chains since the average sequence length of 1-butene (nB) is really short (1.0 − 1.3). Resin PPB-1 has more fractions with high molecular weight and isotacticity collected above 105 °C than resin PPB-2, which contributes to a better stiffness of resin PPB-1. Besides, the difference in haze for the films produced from resins PPB-1 and PPB-2 is also demonstrated based on the chain microstructure results. It is found that resin PPB-2 has higher MFR and longer propylene sequences than resin PPB-1, resulting in a higher haze. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change mitigation scenarios generated by integrated assessment models have been extensively used to support climate change negotiations on the global stage. To date, most studies exploring ensembles of these scenarios focus on the global picture, with more limited attention to regional metrics. A systematic approach is still lacking to improve the understanding of regional heterogeneity, highlighting key regional decarbonisation measures and their relative importance for meeting global climate goals under deep uncertainty. This study proposes a novel approach to gaining robust insights into regional decarbonisation strategies using machine learning techniques based on the IPCC SR1.5 scenario database. Random forest analysis first reveals crucial metrics to limit global temperature increases. Logistic regression modelling and the patient rule induction method are then used to identify which of these metrics and their combinations are most influential in meeting climate goals below 2 °C or below 1.5 °C. Solar power and sectoral electrification across all regions have been found to be the most effective measures to limit temperature increases. To further limit increase below 1.5 °C and not only 2 °C, decommissioning of unabated gas plants should be prioritised along with energy efficiency improvements. Bioenergy and wind power show higher regional heterogeneity in limiting temperature increases, with lower influences than aforementioned measures, and are especially relevant in Latin America (bioenergy) and countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Former Soviet Union (bioenergy and wind). In the future, a larger scenario ensemble can be applied to reveal more robust and comprehensive insights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth (PCB), a medicinal and edible homologous Chinese herb, has a protective effect on the structure and function of intestine. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of PCB granule (PCBG) on the improvement of irinotecan-induced intestinal mucositis and the regulation of intestinal microorganisms in mice. Our results demonstrated that PCBG supplementation significantly improved diarrhea symptoms caused by irinotecan, as evidenced by inhibiting weight loss, reversing intestinal atrophy, protecting against splenomegaly and balancing oxidative stress. Furthermore, compared with the model group, PCBG restored the intestinal morphology and improved intestinal barrier dysfunction by promoting the expression of tight junction proteins and mucin. Moreover, high-throughput sequencing analysis revealed that PCBG improved the flora disorder caused by irinotecan and regulated microbial community structure, such as decreasing the relative abundance of Bacteroides as well as increasing the relative abundance of Lactobacillus. Meanwhile, the disordered microbial functions in intestinal mucositis mice were recovered more closely to the controls by PCBG. Finally, we found that a robust correlation between the specific microbiota and intestinal mucositis-related index. In summary, these findings revealed the beneficial effects of PCBG on the intestinal barrier and gut microbiota of irinotecan-induced intestinal mucositis, which may be one of the potential strategies to reduce the clinical side effects of irinotecan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term temperature reconstructions are urgently needed to prolong meteorological climatic data, which are too short to evaluate the anthropogenic effect on climate change since the Industrial Revolution. The maximum latewood chronology (MXD) of Picea schrenkiana in the middle of the southern Tien Shan was established, and it showed a strong correlation with the mean maximum temperature of the current July to August (TmaxJA), with r = 0.773 (p < 0.001, 1959–2016), which implies that a high temperature in the late growing season could increase the cell wall thickness and lead to high latewood density. Then, the TmaxJA of the middle of the southern Tien Shan was reconstructed over the period of 1720–2018. Three MXD chronologies from Kyrgyzstan significantly correlated with our TmaxJA reconstruction at the interannual scale, and they also showed similar variations on decadal scales. None of these MXD series showed a warming trend in the past century, which was also found in several MXD series from different regions of the world. Spatial correlation analysis revealed that our TmaxJA reconstruction showed significant correlations with that in eastern Asia, southern Europe, and north-western Africa, forming a teleconnection called the Silk Road Pattern. However, moving correlation analysis between our TmaxJA reconstruction and Hokkaido temperature series indicated that this teleconnection was unstable in the past 3 centuries. The volcanic eruptions from the mid-high latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere showed a stronger cooling effect than those from the Southern Hemisphere and the low latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. The summer North Atlantic Oscillation was also shown to affect the temperature in the Tien Shan to a certain extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryptochromes are blue light receptors that mediate circadian rhythm and magnetic sensing in various organisms. A typical cryptochrome consists of a conserved photolyase homology region domain and a varying carboxyl-terminal extension across species. The structure of the flexible carboxyl-terminal extension and how carboxyl-terminal extension participates in cryptochrome's signaling function remain mostly unknown. In this study, we uncover the potential missing link between carboxyl-terminal extension conformational changes and downstream signaling functions. Specifically, we discover that the blue-light induced opening of carboxyl-terminal extension in C. reinhardtii animal-like cryptochrome can structurally facilitate its interaction with Rhythm Of Chloroplast 15, a circadian-clock-related protein. Our finding is made possible by two technical advances. Using single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer technique, we directly observe the displacement of carboxyl-terminal extension by about 15 Å upon blue light excitation. Combining structure prediction and solution X-ray scattering methods, we propose plausible structures of full-length cryptochrome under dark and lit conditions. The structures provide molecular basis for light active conformational changes of cryptochrome and downstream regulatory functions. Refined structures, protein-docking analysis and single molecule assays provides insights into light-induced conformational changes in the cryptochrome CraCRY. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to conduct a 2-year follow-up of individuals having unsatisfactory reports of Pap smears and to analyze the contributing factors. This was a retrospective study at a medical center that performed about 5000–6000 Pap smears annually in Eastern Taiwan. Women who had unsatisfactory results due to scant cellularity between January 1, 2015–December 31, 2016, were included in this study. The control group comprised age-matched women with normal Pap smears at a 1:4 ratio, during the same period. The clinical characteristics and the 2-year outcomes were followed. Patients who were unavailable for follow-up assessments or who had insufficient clinical information were excluded. Student's t-test and chi-square test were used for continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Statistical significance was defined as a p-value < 0.05. A total of 887 Pap smears were included. A total of 717 and 170 women had normal Pap and unsatisfactory Pap tests, respectively. After excluding women who were unavailable for follow-up, the final analysis included 248 and 67 women with normal and unsatisfactory Pap tests, respectively. The mean age was not significantly different between the two groups (49.97 ± 10.69 and 51.61 ± 11.28 years in the unsatisfactory Pap and control groups, respectively [p > 0.05]). The percentage of menopause and vaginal discharge were significantly different between the two groups. Multivariate analysis revealed that premenopausal status, increased discharge were associated with the risk of unsatisfactory Pap tests. Of the 67 women with unsatisfactory Pap tests, all tested negative for any malignancies at a 2-year follow-up assessment. Women with increased vaginal discharge and without menopause were at an increased risk of having an unsatisfactory Pap test. Our results indicate that an unsatisfactory Pap smear due to scant cellularity might not increase the risk of intraepithelial neoplasia or cancer after 2 years. Further, large-scale studies with longer follow-up periods are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) is a rapidly emerging modality in biomedical research with the advantages of noncontact operation, high optical resolution, and deep penetration. Great efforts and progress in the development of PAI agents with improved imaging resolution and sensitivity have been made over the past 2 decades. Among them, organic agents are the most promising candidates for preclinical/clinical applications due to their outstanding in vivo properties and facile biofunctionalities. Motivated by the unique properties of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) luminogens (AIEgens), various optical probes have been developed for bioanalyte detection, multimodal bioimaging, photodynamic/photothermal therapy, and imaging-guided therapeutics. In particular, AIE-active contrast agents have been demonstrated in PAI applications with excellent performance in imaging resolution and tissue permeability in vivo. This paper presents a brief overview of recent progress in AIE-based agents in the field of photoacoustic imaging. In particular, we focus on the basic concepts, data sorting and comparison, developing trends, and perspectives of photoacoustic imaging. Through numerous typical examples, the way each system realizes the desired photoacoustic performance in various biomedical applications is clearly illustrated. We believe that AIE-based PAI agents would be promising multifunctional theranostic platforms in clinical fields and will facilitate significant advancements in this research topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document discusses the use of machine learning algorithms in predicting the recurrence of renal stones using clinical data. The study compares different algorithmic techniques, including support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), and logistic regression (GLM), to find the best model for predicting urolithiasis recurrence. The data set used in the study consisted of 401 clinical cases, and the RF model demonstrated the best performance in terms of internal validity. The study concludes that the RF model has better generalization ability compared to the other models. The authors declare no conflict of interests. [Extracted from the article]

With the improvement of people's living standards and rice trade worldwide, the demand for high-quality rice is increasing. Therefore, breeding high quality rice is critical to meet the market demand. However, progress in improving rice grain quality lags far behind that of rice yield. This might be because of the complexity of rice grain quality research, and the lack of consensus definition and evaluation standards for high quality rice. In general, the main components of rice grain quality are milling quality (MQ), appearance quality (AQ), eating and cooking quality (ECQ), and nutritional quality (NQ). Importantly, all these quality traits are determined directly or indirectly by the structure and composition of the rice seeds. Structurally, rice seeds mainly comprise the spikelet hull, seed coat, aleurone layer, embryo, and endosperm. Among them, the size of spikelet hull is the key determinant of rice grain size, which usually affects rice AQ, MQ, and ECQ. The endosperm, mainly composed of starch and protein, is the major edible part of the rice seed. Therefore, the content, constitution, and physicochemical properties of starch and protein are crucial for multiple rice grain quality traits. Moreover, the other substances, such as lipids, minerals, vitamins, and phytochemicals, included in different parts of the rice seed, also contribute significantly to rice grain quality, especially the NQ. Rice seed growth and development are precisely controlled by many genes; therefore, cloning and dissecting these quality-related genes will enhance our knowledge of rice grain quality and will assist with the breeding of high quality rice. This review focuses on summarizing the recent progress on cloning key genes and their functions in regulating rice seed structure and composition, and their corresponding contributions to rice grain quality. This information will facilitate and advance future high quality rice breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) is an important and dominant trace gas that is transferred from the ocean to the atmosphere; however, the production of DMS from marine algae is still rudimentary, with the enzymatic cleavage of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) to DMS and acrylic acid (AA), one of the main considered pathways. Dissolved DMSP (DMSPd) was supplied to batch cultures of Prorocentrum minimum at different algal growth stages and the kinetics of overall DMSPd consumption and DMS (AA) production were investigated. The kinetics of overall DMSPd consumption and DMS (AA) production from DMSPd were different during the growth cycle. The cultures displayed Michaelis–Menten-type kinetics for DMS production during the entire growth period, which yielded an apparent half-saturation constant (Km(app)) value of 37.8 ± 12.8 μM and a maximum rate (Vmax) value of 75.6 ± 12.2 nmol min−1 (1010 cells)−1. The production rates of AA had a nearly linear fit over the concentration range of the added DMSPd except during mid-exponential growth phase. A Km(app) value of 1.73 ± 0.75 μM and a Vmax value of 2.36 ± 0.12 μmol min−1 (1010 cells)−1 were observed. The ratio of DMS/AA increased with the concentration of the added DMSPd, which was less than 12% during the entire growth period. The low ratios of DMS/(DMSP + AA), which ranged from 0.01 to 1.83%, demonstrate that degradation of DMSP tends to take a non-DMS-production pathway. The ratios of AA/(DMSP + AA) varied from 9 to 95% during the stationary phase and from 6 to 69% during the senescent phase and declined with substrate concentration when different concentrations of DMSPd were added. The degradation ratios of DMSPd were related to the initial concentrations of DMSPd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitric oxide (NO) is a non-traditional regulator of the growth of plants and phytoplankton. Here, the growth of five marine phytoplankton species, Platymonas helgolandica var. tsingtaoensis, Platymonas subcordiformis, Skeletonema costatum, Gymnodinium sp., and Prorocentrum donghaiense, was monitored, and carbonate system parameters in the culture media were determined after adding different concentrations of NO and sodium nitroprusside (SNP, NO donor) solutions. The two dietary algae (P. helgolandica var. tsingtaoensis and P. subcordiformis) and three red tide algae (S. costatum, Gymnodinium sp., and P. donghaiense) showed different responses to the same NO concentration. The red tide algae were more sensitive to exogenous NO than the dietary algae. NO with a concentration of 1.4 × 10−6 mol L−1 had the optimal stimulatory effect on the growth of the microalgae and increased the cell density by 9.8–38.3%. SNP solution with a concentration of 100 μmol L−1 inhibited the growth of the two dietary algae, and the cell density decreased by 38.8–84.3%. The addition of 10 μmol L−1 SNP solution to the three red tide algae decreased the cell density by 95.3–99.9%. Low concentrations of SNP (0.1 μmol L−1 for the two dietary algae and 0.01 μmol L−1 for the red tide algae) slightly promoted the growth of microalgae. High concentrations of NO (100 μmol L−1 SNP) inhibited CO2 assimilation, whereas low concentrations of NO (0.01–1.0 μmol L−1 SNP) promoted CO2 assimilation, indicating that NO participates in the regulation of photosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, two series of novel diacylhydrazine derivatives containing an isoxazole carboxamide or a pyridine carboxamide moiety have been synthesized and their structures confirmed by 1H and 13C NMR, and mass spectra. According to bioassay data LC50 values for the product 3-(2-chlorophenyl)-N-{2-[2-(2,6-difluorobenzoyl)hydrazinecarbonyl]-4-fluorophenyl}-5-methylisoxazole-4-carboxamide (5f) against Plutella xylostella (P. xylostella) and Empoasca vitis (E. vitis) have been determined to be 1.67 and 1.29 mg/L, respectively, that were higher than those of spinosad, chlorpyrifos, beta cypermethrin, and azadirachtin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to evaluate fetal adverse outcomes of laparoscopy and laparotomy in pregnant women to determine the safety of these surgical approaches.Methods: This was a retrospective nationwide case-control study of women who became pregnant for the first time between 2000 and 2012 in Taiwan. The case (with adverse fetal outcomes) and control groups comprised 208,604 and 417,124 participants, respectively. Participants who underwent appendectomy, cholecystectomy, ovarian cystectomy, or myomectomy were treated with either laparoscopy or laparotomy. A conditional logistic regression model was used to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) for adverse fetal outcomes.Results: The laparotomy and laparoscopy groups comprised 632 and 536 patients, respectively. Women who underwent laparoscopy had a significantly higher risk of adverse fetal outcomes (adjusted OR [AOR] = 2.33; 95% CI 1.66-2.99) than those who underwent laparotomy. Adverse fetal outcomes were found to be significantly associated with laparoscopy among women aged 20-39 years (AOR = 2.30; 95% CI 1.70-3.31). Regarding surgical indication, unlike laparotomy, laparoscopic cholecystectomy and appendectomy were not associated with adverse fetal outcomes. However, laparoscopic myomectomy and ovarian surgeries were associated with a higher incidence of adverse fetal outcomes than the laparotomy group (AOR = 2.29 [95% CI 1.57-3.35, p < 0.0001] and AOR = 2.52 [95% CI 1.58-4.04, p = 0.0001], respectively).Conclusions: Pregnant women who underwent laparoscopic surgery experienced significantly more adverse fetal outcomes than those who underwent laparotomy. Therefore, pregnant women undergoing either laparotomy or laparoscopy should be informed of the risk of adverse fetal outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The differential characteristics with high probability are critical for differential cryptanalysis. The process of searching such differential characteristics, especially the best one, is time-consuming. We believe that the modern hybrid computing systems can be used to accelerate the search process. However, to the best of our knowledge, the existing solutions are not designed for heterogeneous architectures. In this paper, we propose a parallel search algorithm for the best differential characteristic. Our method can be applied to any substitution–permutation network (SPN) block ciphers after making minor modifications. We implemented the proposed parallel search algorithm for PRESENT block cipher and also a sequential version, which based on the classic Matsui's method, for comparison. The experimental result shows that the parallel algorithm using both CPU and GPU can achieve at least 4.4x and up to 18x speed-up compared to the sequential version. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The popularity of diverse IoT-based applications and services continuously generating tremendous amount of data has revealed the significance of data compression (DC). Principal component analysis (PCA) is one of the most commonly employed algorithms for DC. However, when dealing with large-scale matrices, the standard PCA takes a very long time and requires a lot of memory. Therefore, this paper presents a novel distributed stochastic PCA algorithm (DSPCA) for hierarchical sensor network based on gradient-based adaptive PCA (GA-PCA), where the standard PCA is reformulated as a single-pass stochastic setting to find the direction of approximate maximal variance. The step-size in each iteration is obtained by incorporating the stabilized Barzilai-Borwein method with the gradient optimization. This enables DSPCA to be processed with low computational complexity while maintaining a high convergence speed. Computer simulation with two types of datasets displays that the proposed scheme consistently outperforms the representative DC schemes in terms of reconstruction accuracy of original data and explained variance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ancherythroculter nigrocauda is a fish endemic to the upper areas of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River in China. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping is a powerful tool to identify potential genes affecting traits of economic importance in domestic animals. In this study, a high-density genetic map was constructed with 5 901 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) makers by sequencing 92 individual fish from a F1 family using the specific-locus amplified fragment sequencing approach. Initially, 48 QTLs for total length, body length, body height, and body weight were identified according to the high density of the genetic map with 24 LGs, a total length of 3 839.4 cM, and marker spacing of about 0.82 cM. These QTLs explained 27.1%–49.9% of phenotypic variance. The results of this study suggest that major QTLs are responsible for the growth of A. nigrocauda, and these are potentially useful in comparative genomics research, genome assembly, and marker-assisted breeding programs for this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

African swine fever, a serious infectious disease, has been found in many countries around the world over the last nearly 100 years, and causes untold damage to the economy wherever it occurs. Diagnosis is currently performed by real-time PCR, which is highly sensitive but can only be carried out in a diagnostic laboratory environment with sophisticated equipment and expertise. A sensitive, rapid diagnostic method that can be implemented in agricultural settings is thus urgently needed for the detection and control of African swine fever virus (ASFV) infection. In this study, we developed an isothermal amplification technology to achieve molecular diagnosis of ASFV in clinical samples, using recombinase-aided amplification (RAA) assay combined with a portable instrument. This assay method avoids the limitations of traditional real-time PCR and offers detection times within 20 min, enabling detection of as few as 10 copies of ASFV DNA molecules per reaction without cross-reaction with other common swine viruses. We evaluated clinical performance using 200 clinical blood samples. The coincidence rate of the detection results between rt-RAA and RT-qPCR was 96.94% positive, 100% negative, and 97.50% total. We have also developed an rt-RAA system for the detection of ASFV targeting the EP402R gene, with detection of as few as 10 copies of DNA per reaction; this offers the possibility of DIVA (differentiating infected from vaccinated animals) diagnosis, because CD2V gene-deleted ASFV could soon be approved to be the leading candidate for live attenuated vaccine in China. The rt-RAA assay is a reliable, rapid, highly sensitive method, and it offers a reasonable alternative to RT-qPCR for point-of-care detection of ASFV. Key points: • The RT-RAA assay can detect as few as 10 copies of ASFV genome per reaction within 20 min. • The rt-RAA assay system targeting different genes can achieve differentiating infected from vaccinated diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We herein described a rapid, sensitive, and selective colorimetric sensing platform for biothiols in human serum, which relies on the dual functions of biothiols as anti-etching and aggregating agent for silver nanoprisms (AgNPRs). In principle, the target biothiols that bind to the surface of AgNPRs through Ag–S covalent interactions protect the AgNPRs from being etched by chloride ion (Cl−) in human serum, thus exhibiting the blue/purple color that is indicative of AgNPRs. On the other hand, the color of AgNPRs turned to yellow in the absence of biothiols or the presence of non-sulfur-containing amino acids, indicating the formation of small silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Importantly, we found that individual biothiols (Hcy, Cys, and GSH) exert not only the anti-etching effect, but also the aggregating effect on AgNPRs, which can be modulated by simply tuning the pH conditions, and this consequently allows for the discriminative detection of each biothiol. Based on this simple and cost-effective strategy, we successfully determined the Hcy, Cys, and GSH in human serum with high sensitivity and selectivity within 10 min, demonstrating the diagnostic capability and potential in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial and temporal correlation between sensor observations in an Internet of Things environment can be exploited to eliminate unnecessary transmissions. Transmitting less data certainly contributes to meet the growing need for energy-saving and robust transmissions, thus prolong the lifespan of the entire WSN. Spatiotemporal correlation-based dual prediction (DP) and data compression (DC) schemes aim to reduce the amount of data transmission while ensuring data accuracy. In practice, however, the existing methods restrict the stability of the system when the model hyper-parameters are uncertain. Thus adaptive model has lately attracted extensive attention for the development of resource-constrained WSN. In this paper, we propose a gradient-based adaptive model that implements both schemes in a two-tier data reduction framework. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed scheme is the first attempt to introduce adaptiveness into both the DP and DC schemes by using a simple gradient optimization method. Gradient-based Optimal Step-size LMS (GO-LMS) is introduced to make the DP aspects adaptive, while a Gradient-based Adaptive PCA (GA-PCA) approach is used for the DC aspects. The Barzilai–Borwein method is incorporated into the gradient optimization to enable adaptive computation of the step-size for each iteration. Through extensive simulations, the developed framework was found to outperform other state-of-the-art schemes in terms of both the transmission reduction ratio and data recovery accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manufacturing resources sharing and collaboration has become the inevitable trend to optimize the operation of manufacturing industry. The development of various advanced manufacturing systems (AMSs) and new-generated information technologies (New ITs) prompt the emergence of various industrial Internet platforms. In this context, it provides a brand new opportunity for enterprises to conduct manufacturing resources sharing and collaboration in the form of manufacturing services, namely, manufacturing services collaboration (MS-collaboration). However, the relevant research on MS-collaboration under the environment of industrial Internet platforms is still insufficient. Therefore, in this paper, the evolution from manufacturing collaboration to MS-collaboration toward industrial Internet platforms is analyzed at first, and the derived environment characteristics and challenges of MS-collaboration are discussed accordingly. After exploring the connotation of MS-collaboration, its implementation framework and corresponding enabling technologies are proposed. A 3D Printing case is presented to illustrate the application of the proposed methods. Finally, in order to promote the application of an industrial Internet platform, stimulate more enterprises to participate in, and conduct MS-collaboration in it, several future research issues are pointed out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at increased risk of developing herpes zoster. In October 2017, the FDA approved a two-dose adjuvanted, recombinant herpes zoster vaccine (RZV). There is a theoretical concern that vaccine adjuvants may cause flares in patients with immune-mediated diseases. We aimed to assess the rates of IBD flare and adverse reactions after administration of RZV in a cohort of patients with IBD.Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study of patients with IBD who received RZV between February 2018 and July 2019 at a tertiary IBD referral center. IBD activity scores were collected from patients during office visit or phone call after vaccination. The primary outcome was rate of IBD flare, defined as an increase in IBD activity, resulting in escalation of medical therapy, following vaccination. The secondary outcomes were rates of local and systemic adverse reactions after vaccination.Results: We identified 67 patients (28 with ulcerative colitis and 39 with Crohn's disease) who received at least one dose of RZV. The two-dose vaccine series was completed by 55 patients (82%). Median duration of follow-up after vaccination was 207 days. One case of IBD flare was identified. No cases of herpes zoster were identified. Local and systemic adverse reactions were reported in 74.6% and 56.7% of patients, respectively.Conclusions: In this cohort of 67 patients, a low rate of IBD flare (1.5%) was observed after RZV administration. Rates of local and systemic adverse reactions were comparable to those seen in the RZV clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the selective laser melting (SLM) forming method was combined with the requirement of boiling heat transfer for porous structure to study the forming process and boiling heat transfer characteristics of porous structure of G-surface lattice formed by SLM. 316L stainless steel powder was used to rasterize the G-surface structure. Besides, porosity and surface morphology of G-surface lattice were analyzed. Deionized water was used for boiling heat transfer experiment to study the effect of technological parameters on boiling heat transfer enhancement. On this basis, the bubble escape modes in different stages of boiling heat transfer of G-surface lattice were considered, and the delay of the critical heat flux caused by G-surface lattice was explained. This study provides a useful reference for the design of lattice heat cooling structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The supply of metal materials for mintage is important for state governance, and the patterns of which appear to reflect the rise and decline of the central authority to some extent. Many details about this issue in the early western Han dynasty, China, still need to be verified, such as what is the pattern of metal supply for mintage and whether other sources exist in addition to the domestically exploited raw metal? In this paper, 15 early Western Han Banliang半两 coins excavated from the Guanghuacun光华村 cemetery, Chengdu city, Southwest China, were studied via scientific analyses (SEM–EDS, ICP–AES and MC-ICP-MS etc.). The results reveal three types of alloys and might constitute the first scientific identification of Cu-Sb-As alloyed ancient Chinese coins. By combining the comparisons of alloying techniques and lead isotopic ratios, with the archaeological context and historical texts, it can be inferred that many coins should be made of domestically exploited metal from the Xiaoqinling region, which was also the main provenance of the material for the Banliang coins of the Qin dynasty, while the materials of others are probably derived from the Sichuan-Yunnan-Guizhou Rhombic Block region, Southwest China, which was outside of Han’s control. This finding provides new insight into the weakness of the central government in the early stage of the Han empire and reflects the communication between the Central Plains dynasty and the culture in Southwest China in this era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research shows that the origin and distribution of formation overpressure are governed by several dominant factors including disequilibrium compaction, hydrocarbon generation, tectonic compression and diagenesis, influenced by salt components and their concentration, but it is unclear how salts affect formation overpressure in saline lacustrine basins. This paper investigated the effect of salts on formation overpressure based on organic geochemistry, rock mineralogy, logging curve comparison and wave velocity-density cross-plot by combining the sedimentary and structural background. In the Western Qaidam Basin, the proportion of abnormally high pressures rises from the Neogene to the Paleogene. The top surface of the overpressure is between 2300 and 2500 m deep. As the subsidence and sedimentary centers of the basin moved eastward, the centers of the overpressure migrated from west to east. In the Upper Oligocene, the overpressure is developed in the deep and semi-deep lacustrine facies, and the pressure coefficient is 1.8–2.0. Disequilibrium compaction is the primary control factor with a contribution rate of more than 60% in the intersalt and subsalt strata, followed by tectonic compression with a contribution rate of 20–30%. Fracture reducing by salt filling and fluid volume expanding by gypsum dehydration increase the fluid volume in the formation, which promotes formation overpressure. The gypsum salt rocks also have strong plasticity and sealing effect, thus providing a closed environment for the formation overpressure. Through providing the primary migration driven force and sealing conditions for oil and gas, the overpressure is meaningful to petroleum accumulation and preservation in saline lacustrine formation of the Paleogene and Neogene in the Western Qaidam Basin, NW China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The volatile compounds of super fresh, superior fresh, general fresh, corrupt and completely corrupt fish meal were studied by headspace solid-phase microextraction–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Principal component analysis was used to analyze the sensor and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry data, so as to study the resolution of sensor array. A total of 198 fish meal samples with different freshness were classified by the gradient boosting decision tree method, yielding a model between the sensor array data and the freshness index, such as the acid value and the volatile base nitrogen value. The gradient boosting decision tree model shows that the correlation between the predicted acid value by electronic nose and the measured acid value is 0.90 and the correlation between the predicted volatile base nitrogen value and the measured volatile base nitrogen is 0.97. The combination of an electronic nose and a pattern recognition method based on a gas sensor can predict the acid value and volatile base nitrogen of the freshness index and can detect the freshness of fish meal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ocean acidification and global warming might affect the production of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), dimethylsulfide (DMS), and dissolved acrylic acid (AAd) by marine phytoplankton. Monoculture incubation experiments were conducted with the dinoflagellate Amphidinium carterae to investigate the effects of elevated CO2 concentration and temperature on growth and productions of DMSP, DMS, and AAd. Two pCO2 levels were set as 400 and 1000 μatm, and two temperatures were set as 20 and 23 °C. The growth of A. carterae remained unaffected by an increase of CO2 to 1000 μatm and a rise of temperature of 3 °C. Moreover, the elevated CO2 concentration and temperature had no significant effects on the concentrations and cell-normalized concentrations of DMSP, DMS, and AAd. No additive or synergistic effects of elevated CO2 concentration and temperature on A. carterae were observed, indicating that A. carterae was insensitive to elevated CO2 and temperature in short time incubation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The white-backed planthopper (WBPH), Sogatella furcifera (Horváth), is a destructive pest of rice. Bacterial symbionts play an important role in insect hosts, especially hemipteran hosts. This study was designed to examine the bacterial symbionts of the WBPH using 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing. A total of 63 and 177 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified in females and males of three WBPH populations, respectively. These OTUs included bacteria of 75 genera from 11 phyla, where Wolbachia, Cardinium, and Asaia were the dominant genera, accounting for over 97.99% of all the symbiotic bacteria. Fluorescence in situ hybridization detected Wolbachia, Cardinium, and Asaia in the salivary glands, guts, testes, and eggs of the WBPH, indicating the potential for both horizontal and vertical transmission. Moreover, the infection pattern of the three dominant bacterial symbionts was detected in six WBPH populations. The frequencies of Wolbachia infection of females and Cardinium infection of both sexes were over 96.7%. Wolbachia infection of males ranged between 46.7 and 63.3%, which was significantly lower than that observed for females. Asaia infection of both sexes varied substantially among the populations. These results indicate that the complex host-symbiotic bacteria interaction is influenced by host sex and geographical origin and potentially by the transmission modes of the symbionts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demand-side response (DSR), the incentivised time-shifting of energy use by consumers away from peak times, is regarded as a potentially effective measure to balance electricity supply and demand. This will be even more important in the low-carbon energy system of the future, with a high share of non-dispatchable power, such as variable renewable energy and nuclear power. Most DSR programmes require consumers' active engagement in shifting end-use activities. Previous studies have, however, rarely revealed socio-demographic factors influential for consumers' willingness-to-shift specific end-use activities. This study thus aims to fill this research gap and, using a multinomial logistic model to analyse a nationwide survey, identify factors influential for DSR-related decisions. The nationwide survey for 1004 respondents was carried out to collect data about consumers' willingness-to-shift their daily activities. We focused on the activities that constitute the major part of domestic energy consumption, i.e. cooking, dish-washing, entertainment, heating, laundry and showering. According to the results, consumers' original timing of the end-use activities, socio-demographic factors, ownership of specific appliances and level of concern for energy-saving are influential for their willingness-to-shift activities. These findings can not only help policymakers make more targeted DSR promotion plans but also help to improve broader modelling tools to better consider consumers' willingness-to-shift their demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the functions of NAC-like genes, we reported the characterization and functional analysis of one Arabidopsis NAC-like gene which showed a novel function in the regulation of gibberellin biosynthesis and named as GIBBERELLIN SUPPRESSING FACTOR (GSF). GSF acts as a transcriptional activator and has transactivation capacity based on yeast transcription activity assays. YFP + GSF-TM (lacking a transmembrane domain) fusion proteins accumulated in the nuclei, while the YFP + GSF fusion proteins only accumulated in the ER membrane and were absent from the nuclei. These results revealed that GSF requires processing and release from the ER and transportation into the nucleus to perform its function. The ectopic expression of GSF-TM caused a dwarfism phenotype, which was correlated with the upregulation of the gibberellin (GA) deactivation genes GA2-oxidases 2/6 (GA2ox2/6) and the downregulation of the GA biosynthetic genes GA20-oxidases 1–4 (GA20ox1-4). The external application of GA rescued the dwarfism in the 35 S::GSF-TM plants, indicating that GSF affects GA biosynthesis, rather than the GA signaling pathway. Further analysis indicated that the upregulation of GA2ox2/6 is a key factor for the GSF function to regulate the GA level, since 35 S::GA20ox1 could not rescue the dwarfism in the 35 S::GSF-TM plants. Cold treatment induced the processing of the YFP + GSF fusion proteins from the ER membrane and their entry into the nuclei, which is correlated with the cold-induced upregulation of GA2oxs. In addition, the expression of GA2oxs was induced by drought, and the 35 S::GSF-TM plants showed drought tolerance compared to the wild-type plants. Our data suggest a role for GSF in response to abiotic stresses, such as cold and drought, by suppressing the biosynthesis of GA in Arabidopsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sinomenine (SIN) has been shown to protect against IL-1β-induced chondrocyte apoptosis in vitro. However, the role of SIN in the anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT)-induced osteoarthritis (OA) mouse model and its underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, the protective effect of SIN on ACLT-induced articular cartilage degeneration and IL-1β-induced chondrocyte apoptosis miR-223-3p/NLRP3 signaling regulation was investigated. Safranin O staining was performed to evaluate the pathological changes of articular cartilage. Chondrocyte apoptosis was measured with Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/polyimide (annexin V-FITC/PI) staining using flow cytometry. Gene and protein expression were detected by RT-qPCR and Western blotting, respectively. SIN administration markedly improved articular cartilage degradation in mice undergoing ACLT surgery. In addition, SIN treatment downregulated the levels of inflammatory cytokines and the protein expression of NLRP3 inflammasome components and upregulated the expression of miR-223-3p in OA mice and IL-1β-stimulated chondrocytes. In vitro, we found that NLRP3 was a direct target of miR-223-3p, and overexpression of miR-223-3p blocked IL-1β-induced apoptosis and the inflammatory response in chondrocytes. These findings indicate that miR-223-3p/NLRP3 signaling could be used as a potential target of SIN for the treatment of OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a simple, sensitive, and rapid analytical method was developed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled with tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry (MS) for the determination of nootkatone in normal and chronic kidney disease (CKD) rat plasma using clarithromycin as internal standard. After sample preparation by simple liquid–liquid extraction, chromatography was performed on an Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column (2.1 × 50 mm, 1.7 mm particle size) using gradient elution with the mobile phase composed of acetonitrile and water acidified with 0.1% (v/v) formic acid. Detection was achieved by electrospray ionisation MS under the multiple selective reaction monitoring mode. The linear range was 0.01‒500 ng/mL with the square regression coefficient (r) of 0.9975. The lower limit of quantification was 0.01 ng/mL. The intra- and inter-day precision was under 5% and the stability accuracy was between 3.6 and 7.0%. The average recoveries from spiked plasma samples were >83% and matrix effect was over 81%. The developed method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of nootkatone in normal and CKD rats after an oral administration of 50 mg/kg nootkaone. The results showed the cmax and area under curve of nootkaone were greatly decreased, meanwhile Vd/F and t1/2 were markedly increased in CKD rats. The pharmacokinetic characteristics of nootkatone in rats were significantly altered in CKD rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To compare the average number of culprit arteries per patient, clinical success rate, and hemoptysis-free survival rate between hemoptysis patients with multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) angiography prior to bronchial artery embolization (BAE) and those without preprocedural MDCT angiography METHODS: This retrospective study was approved by the institutional review board with waiver of patient informed consent. From September 2012 to March 2017, 157 consecutive hemoptysis patients had been undergoing BAE. Among them, 106 patients received preprocedural MDCT angiography (MDCT group), while 51 patients did not receive preprocedural MDCT angiography (control group). The average number of culprit arteries per patient, clinical success rate, and hemoptysis-free survival rate were compared between the two groups.Results: The average number of culprit ectopic bronchial arteries and that of non-bronchial systemic arteries originating from the subclavian and internal mammary arteries per patient in the MDCT group were both significantly higher than those in the control group (0.15 ± 0.51 vs 0.04 ± 0.20, p = 0.022, and 0.17 ± 0.56 vs 0.08 ± 0.39, p = 0.040, respectively). The clinical success rate of BAE with preprocedural MDCT angiography tended to be higher than that without MDCT angiography (97.2 vs 88.2%, p = 0.057). Importantly, patients in the MDCT group had a significantly higher hemoptysis-free early survival rate compared to those in the control group (96.1 vs 86.7%, p = 0.031).Conclusions: Preprocedural MDCT angiography helps detect culprit ectopic bronchial arteries and non-bronchial systemic arteries originating from subclavian and internal mammary arteries during BAE, and can improve the hemoptysis-free early survival rate, which could be recommended as a regular examination prior to BAE in patients with hemoptysis.Key Points: • Preprocedural MDCT angiography helps detect culprit ectopic bronchial arteries and NBSAs originating from subclavian and internal mammary arteries during BAE. • Conducting MDCT angiography prior to BAE can improve hemoptysis-free early survival rate in hemoptysis patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA polymerase (DNApol) is highly conserved in all baculoviruses and plays an essential role in viral DNA replication. Previous results showed that the DNApol of the betabaculovirus Pieris rapae granulovirus (PiraGV) can localize in the nucleus. However, it is not clear how the DNApol is transported into the nucleus. Bioinformatic and GFP localization analysis showed that PiraGV DNApol contains a nuclear localization signal (NLS) at aa 4-25 (LFKRKLDEPPTDHTLVKAIKLS) of the N-terminus that does not match either the classical monopartite or the bipartite NLS consensus sequence. Multiple-point-substitution analysis confirmed that the NLS is required for transport of PiraGV DNApol into the nucleus. We also substituted the NLS of the PiraGV DNApol for that of the alphabaculovirus Spodoptera litura nuclear polyhedrosis virus (SpltNPV) DNApol. A viral growth curve and quantitative real-time PCR revealed that the substitution impaired viral DNA replication and resulted in a reduction in virus production. Together, our results show that PiraGV contains a novel NLS and that the NLS cannot efficiently replace that of SpltNPV DNApol for viral DNA synthesis and virus production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Microbial properties are often used to assess the recovery of soil health during phytoremediation. A field survey was conducted to test the effects of different plant metallophytes (excluder and hyperaccumulator) on soil microbial characteristics.Methods: Microbial properties in the rhizosphere of four metallophytes (Sedum alfredii, Rubus hunanensis, Lysimachia christinae and Clinopodium gracile) growing naturally on highly Cd-, Zn- and Pb-contaminated soils were investigated. Microbial biomass carbon, basal respiration, enzyme activities and phospholipid fatty acids were analyzed to study microbial community function and composition.Results: The total microbial biomass, bacterial, actinomycete, fungal, and protozoan PLFAs, basal respiration and enzyme activities in the rhizosphere of metallophytes were significantly higher than in bulk soil. Moreover, the largest increases were found in the rhizosphere of the hyperaccumulator S. alfredii. The microbial community composition in the rhizosphere of S. alfredii was significantly different from the other 3 plants. Redundancy analysis showed that soil physico-chemical properties such as metal concentrations, labile carbon and pH explained most of the variation in microbial community biomass, activity and structure.Conclusions: Metallophytes using different strategies to adapt to metal-rich soils induced different effects on soil microbial properties, which were also influenced by physico-chemical characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reentry research has received much less attention than research on cultural adjustment in a foreign country, especially in the marriage and family therapy (MFT) field in the United States. Lack of research on international students’ job experiences and professional developments during reentry does not provide further information to evaluate the quality of MFT education in the United States. This study was intended to extend the reentry literature and specifically to understand personal and professional reentry experiences and cross-cultural transformation of MFT returnees in Taiwan. Thirteen participants were interviewed, and the resulting data was analyzed using constructivist grounded theory. Analyses results demonstrated macro contextual factors that situated unique personal and professional reentry phenomena for international MFT graduate in Taiwan. The returnees strived to explore their MFT identity and interpret cross-cultural differences by developing four coping strategies (e.g., not wanting to fit in, doing what you were supposed to do or could do, processing with others, and therapists’ multicultural awareness) that were associated with three conditions, such as personal networks linking to professional networks, supervision, and training in MFT. Findings suggested that reentry adaption was varied and fitting into Taiwanese society might not be the final goal for the returnees. Training implications in the MFT field were provided based on the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to validate the previously reported association between delayed bladder repair and increased infection rates using the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB). Methods: Bladder injury patients with bladder repair in the NTDB from 2013 to 2015 were included. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to compare mortality, infection rates, and hospital length of stay (LOS) between patients who underwent bladder repair within 24 h and those who underwent repair after 24 h. Linear regression and multivariate logistic regression analyses were also performed. Results: A total of 1658 patients were included in the study. Patients who underwent bladder repair after 24 h had significantly higher infection rates (5.4% vs. 1.2%, p = 0.032) and longer hospital LOS (17.1 vs. 14.0 days, p = 0.032) compared to those who underwent repair within 24 h after a well-balanced 1:1 PSM (N = 166). Linear regression analysis showed a positive correlation between time to bladder repair and hospital LOS for patients who underwent repair after 24 h (B-value = 0.093, p = 0.034). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that bladder repair after 24 h increased the risk of infection (odds = 3.162, p = 0.018). Subset analyses were performed on patients who underwent bladder repairs within 24 h and were used as a control group. These analyses showed that the time to bladder repair did not significantly worsen outcomes. Conclusions: Delayed bladder repair beyond 24 h increases the risk of infection and prolongs hospital stays. Timely diagnosis and surgical intervention remain crucial for minimizing complications in bladder injury patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nonlinear branching process with immigration is constructed as the pathwise unique solution of a stochastic integral equation driven by Poisson random measures. Some criteria for the regularity, recurrence, ergodicity and strong ergodicity of the process are then established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the problem of joint allocation of subchannel, transmission power, and phase duration in the relay-enhanced bidirectional orthogonal frequency-division multiple access time division duplex systems. The challenges of this resource allocation problem arise from the complication of multiple-phase assignments within a subchannel since the relay station can provide an additional signal path from the base station to the user equipments (UEs). Existing research work does not fully consider all the influential factors to achieve feasible resource allocation for the relay-based networks. Since energy consumption is one of the principal issues, the energy minimization resource allocation (EMRA) schemes are proposed in this paper to design the allocation of subchannel, power, and phase duration for the UEs with the consideration of UE's quality-of-service (QoS) requirements. Both the four-phase and two-phase bidirectional relaying assignments and the network coding technique are adopted to obtain the suboptimal solutions for the proposed EMRA schemes. Different weights are designed for the UEs to achieve the minimization of weighted system energy for the relay-enhanced networks. Simulation results show that the proposed EMRA schemes can provide comparably better energy conservation and outage performance with QoS support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been shown to play roles in regulating sepsis. Sepsis is a major cause of acute kidney injury (AKI). Herein, we aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of circ_0001714 in the progression of sepsis-induced AKI. Methods: Human HK-2 cells were exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for functional experiments. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting were used for expression analysis. Functional experiments were performed by using MTT assay, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine assay, flow cytometry, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The binding between miR-129-5p and circ_0001714 or TRAF6 (TNF receptor associated factor 6) was validated using dual-luciferase reporter assay. Results: Circ_0001714 expression was higher in sepsis-AKI patients. HK-2 cells were exposed to LPS to imitate the injury of renal tubular epithelial cells during sepsis-AKI. LPS dose-dependently up-regulated circ_0001714, moreover, circ_0001714 silencing reversed LPS-evoked apoptosis and inflammation in HK-2 cells. Mechanistically, circ_0001714 sequestered miR-129-5p to up-regulate TRAF6 expression, implying the circ_0001714/miR-129-5p/TRAF6 feedback loop. MiR-129-5p was decreased, while TRAF6 was increased in sepsis-AKI patients and LPS-stimulated HK-2 cells. MiR-129-5p re-expression or TRAF6 silencing protected against LPS-induced HK-2 cell apoptosis and inflammation. Additionally, a series of rescue experiments showed that miR-129-5p inhibition reversed the inhibitory action of circ_0001714 knockdown on LPS-induced HK-2 cell injury. Furthermore, TRAF6 overexpression also attenuated the protective effects of miR-129-5p on HK-2 cells under LPS treatment. Conclusion: Circ_0001714 silencing might alleviate LPS-induced apoptosis and inflammation via targeting miR-129-5p/TRAF6 axis in HK-2 cells. Highlight: 1. Circ_0001714 and TRAF6 were elevated, while miR-129-5p was decreased in sepsis-AKI patients and LPS-induced HK-2 cells. 2. Knockdown of circ_0001714 or TRAF6, or re-expression of miR-129-5p attenuated LPS-evoked apoptosis and inflammation. 3. Circ_0001714/miR-129-5p/TRAF6 constituted a ceRNA network. 4. Circ_0001714 performed its effects by miR-129-5p/TRAF6 axis in LPS-induced HK-2 cell injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence suggests that mechanical load is related to structural destruction of disk annulus fibrosus (AF) either in adult disk degeneration or in child disk acute injury. Both biochemical and biomechanical properties are different between immature and mature disks. However, the effects of mechanical compression on immature AF are not fully clear. This study was to investigate the effects of a relatively wide range of dynamic compressive frequency on matrix homeostasis within the immature AF. Immature disks from pig (3-4 months) were randomly assigned into the control group (non-compression) and compression groups (0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 3.0 and 5.0 Hz). All disks were bioreactor-cultured for 7 days. AF matrix production was evaluated by histology, gene expression, glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content, hydroxyproline (HYP) content and immunohistochemistry. Generally, no obvious difference was found in HE staining between control group and compression groups. However, alcian blue staining indicated proteoglycan content in the 5.0-Hz group was decreased compared with the control group and other compression groups. Similarly, a catabolic remodeling gene expression profile with the down-regulated matrix genes (aggrecan, collagen I and collagen II) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP-1 and TIMP-3) and the up-regulated matrix catabolic enzymes (ADAMTS-4 and MMP-3) was found in the 5.0-Hz group. Further analysis indicated that GAG content, HYP content and aggrecan protein deposition were also decreased in the 5.0-Hz group. Hence, we concluded that matrix homeostasis within the immature AF was compressive frequency dependent, and the relatively higher frequency (5.0 Hz) is unfavorable for matrix production within the immature AF. These findings will contribute to further understanding of the relationship between mechanical compression and immature AF biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiomyocyte proliferation and regeneration are key to the functional recovery of myocardial tissue from injury. In the recent years, studies on cardiomyocyte proliferation overturned the traditional belief that adult cardiomyocytes permanently withdraw from the cell cycle activity. Hence, targeting cardiomyocyte proliferation is one of the potential therapeutic strategies for myocardial regeneration and repair. To achieve this, a deep understanding of the fundamental mechanisms involved in cardiomyocyte cell cycle as well as differences between neonatal and adult cardiomyocytes' cell cycle activity is required. This review focuses on the recent progress in understanding of cardiomyocyte cell cycle activity at different life stages viz., gestation, birth, and adulthood. The temporal expression/activities of major cell cycle activators (cyclins and CDKs), inhibitors (p21, p27, p57, p16, and p18), and cell-cycle-associated proteins (Rb, p107, and p130) in cardiomyocytes during gestation and postnatal life are described in this review. The influence of different transcription factors and microRNAs on the expression of cell cycle proteins is demonstrated. This review also deals major pathways (PI3K/AKT, Wnt/β-catenin, and Hippo-YAP) associated with cardiomyocyte cell cycle progression. Furthermore, the postnatal alterations in structure and cellular events responsible for the loss of cell cycle activity are also illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), which are well characterized and widely utilized adult stem cells, encompass the capacity to commit to a variety of cell types. This study was conducted to develop an effective way to induce goat BMSCs (gBMSCs) to transdifferentiate toward putative male germ cells by overexpressing STRA8 (stimulated by RA-8), BOULE (also called BOLL), and DAZL (deleted in azoospermia-like). First, we found that the expression levels of these 3 genes gradually increased during development of the goat testis from 10 days postnatal to 8 months old. Therefore, we hypothesized that overexpressing these genes might contribute to the transdifferentiation of gBMSCs toward germ cells. We then overexpressed, separately and in combination, STRA8, BOULE, and DAZL in gBMSCs. Our results showed that a small population of transfected gBMSCs transdifferentiated into early goat germ cell-like cells and that these cells expressed primordial germ cell specification genes STELLA (also known as DPPA3, developmental pluripotency associated 3) and C-KIT (tyrosine kinase receptor) as well as premeiotic genes MVH (mouse vasa homolog), DAZL, BOULE, STRA8, PIWIL2 (piwi-like RNA-mediated gene silencing 2), and RNF17 (ring finger protein 17). Importantly, results from quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, immunofluorescence, and Western blot analysis showed that the meiotic marker synaptonemal complex protein 3 (SCP3) significantly increased in transfected cells compared to untransfected control cells (P < .05). Additionally, the co-overexpression group cells had the highest SCP3 messenger RNA and protein expression levels, which indicated that 3-gene co-overexpression had the highest potential to transdifferentiate gBMSCs to germ cells. Taken together, these results demonstrate that the overexpression of STRA8, BOULE, and DAZL was able to promote the transdifferentiation of gBMSCs to early goat germ cell–like cells in vitro, which probably enhanced maturation and progression through meiosis. This approach would be important to generating gametes for future basic science as well as for potential clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple route to synthesize a new type of charring agent in high yield is reported. The polyphosphate oligomer polyphosphate poly(6-oxido-6H-dibenzo[c,e][1,2]oxa-phosphinin-6-yl phenyl phenylphosphate) (POBPP) was synthesized by addition reaction between 10-(2,5-dihydroxyl phenyl)-9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO-BQ) and phenyl dichlorophosphate. The structure of this product was characterized by means of the Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-, C- and P-NMR. The molecular weight was determined by Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC). By blending this flame retardant resin with diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) resin, a flame retardant and anti-dripping epoxy resin was obtained. Thermal stability of flame retardant (FR) and cured composites was studied by the Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA). Flame retarding performances of this epoxy were characterized by limiting oxygen index (LOI) and vertical burning test (UL94). Morphology of residue was investigated by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results reveal that FR improve the thermal stability of epoxy resin and help matrix to leave more residue by forming net structure in char. Graphical abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel purine derivatives containing 1,4-pentadien-3-one moiety were designed and synthesized. The optimal conditions for the synthesis of the target compounds E - E were as follows: solvent, DMF; catalyst, KOH; temperature, 40 °C; time, 2 h; and molar equivalent of A: D:Catalyst, 1:0.8:1.2. Antiviral bioassays indicated that compounds E , E , E , E , E , and E showed excellent protection activities, with EC values of 188.9, 194.6, 125.2, 134.1, 137.8, and 195.4 µg/mL, respectively, which were better than that of Ningnanmycin (271.2 μg/mL). To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first report on the design, synthesis, and antiviral activity of novel purine derivatives containing 1,4-pentadien-3-one moiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-stage hierarchical structure is a basic and effective design pattern in convolution neural networks (CNNs). Recently, Vision Transformers (ViTs) have achieved impressive performance as a new architecture for various vision tasks. However, many unknown properties of ViTs need to be further explored. In this paper, we empirically find that despite having no explicit multi-stage hierarchical design like CNNs, ViT models are able to automatically organize layers into stages (or blockgroups) to gradually extract different levels of feature information. Moreover, ViT models organize more highly similar Transformer blocks in the last stage, where the multi-head self-attention becomes less effective to learn useful concepts for feature learning and thus may limit the model to get the expected performance gain. To this end, we further recast a new ViT framework, named TransMCGC, replacing the inefficient Transformer blocks in the last stage of Vision Transformer with the proposed convolutional operation MCGC blocks. The MCGC block consists of two sub-modules in parallel: Multi-branch Convolution module to integrate local neighborhood features and multi-scale context information, and Global Context module to capture global dependencies with negligible parameters. In this way, the proposed MCGC block integrates collaboratively convolution locality and global dependencies to enhance the feature learning ability of the model. Finally, extensive experiments on six standard small-scale benchmark datasets, including CIFAR10, CIFAR100, Stanford Cars, Oxford102flowers, DTD and Food101, demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed MCGC block and indicate that our TransMCGC models achieve better performance over baseline model ViT, while achieving competitive performance compared to state-of-the-art ViT variants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reversible protein acetylation catalyzed by histone acetyltransferases (HATs) and histone deacetylases (HDACs) is an essential post-translational modification (PTM) mechanism which correlates largely with epigenetic gene regulation such as transcriptional activation, DNA replication, histone deposition, and DNA repair. Dysfunction of histone acetylation and the aberrant activity of HATs/HDACs is often associated with the pathogenesis of numerous diseases, especially cancer. Therefore, developing potent and specific analytical methods for HATs/HDACs is important for fundamental biochemical research, disease diagnosis and treatment, and drug development. This paper briefly summarizes the general design strategies used in HAT/HDAC sensors, gives a systematic overview of recent advances in the analytical methods for HAT/HDAC enzymatic analysis, classifies these methods by their biorecognition mechanisms and relative applications either in vitro or in living cells, then outlines challenges faced by these bioanalytical methods and offers perspectives on future developments. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]