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Previous studies exploring the relationship between dietary potassium and magnesium intake and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have yielded inconsistent results and the lack evidence from rural China. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between dietary potassium and magnesium intake and the risk of T2DM in rural China. Data was collected from the Henan Rural Cohort Study in 2017. A validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire assessed dietary potassium and magnesium intake. Logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratio (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to evaluate the effect of dietary potassium, magnesium and the potassium-magnesium ratio on the risk of T2DM. A total of 38384 individuals were included in the study, and 3616 participants developed T2DM. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the OR (95% CI) of the highest versus dietary potassium and magnesium and potassium-magnesium ratio intakes were 0.67 (0.59, 0.75), 0.76 (0.67, 0.88), and 0.57 (0.50, 0.66), respectively, compared to the subjects with the lowest quartile of intakes. In addition, gender partially influences the relationship between dietary magnesium and T2DM prevalence (P-interaction = 0.042). The group with the highest dietary potassium and dietary magnesium intake had the lowest risk of T2DM, with an OR (95% CI) of 0.63 (0.51-0.77). Dietary potassium and magnesium intake are important modifiable risk factors for T2DM in rural China. Dietary potassium intake > 1.8g/day, dietary magnesium intake > 358.6mg/day and < 414.7mg/day and potassium-magnesium ratio >5.1 should be encouraged to prevent better and manage T2DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complexities of energy transfer mechanisms in the flagella of mammalian sperm flagella have been intensively investigated and demonstrate significant diversity across species. Enzymatic shuttles, particularly adenylate kinase (AK) and creatine kinase (CK), are pivotal in the efficient transfer of intracellular ATP, showing distinct tissue- and species-specificity. Here, the expression profiles of AK and CK were investigated in mice and found to fall into four subgroups, of which Subgroup III AKs were observed to be unique to the male reproductive system and conserved across chordates. Both AK8 and AK9 were found to be indispensable to male reproduction after analysis of an infertile male cohort. Knockout mouse models showed that AK8 and AK9 were central to promoting sperm motility. Immunoprecipitation combined with mass spectrometry revealed that AK8 and AK9 interact with the radial spoke (RS) of the axoneme. Examination of various human and mouse sperm samples with substructural damage, including the presence of multiple RS subunits, showed that the head of radial spoke 3 acts as an adapter for AK9 in the flagellar axoneme. Using an ATP probe together with metabolomic analysis, it was found that AK8 and AK9 cooperatively regulated ATP transfer in the axoneme, and were concentrated at sites associated with energy consumption in the flagellum. These findings indicate a novel function for RS beyond its structural role, namely, the regulation of ATP transfer. In conclusion, the results expand the functional spectrum of AK proteins and suggest a fresh model regarding ATP transfer within mammalian flagella. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to propose an impact analysis model to explore the effect of the post-earthquake landslide surge on local damage to ultra-high arch dams. Based on the existing pressure model of landslide-generated waves impacting the dam, nonlinear dynamic analysis is conducted on a high arch dam subjected to the landslide surge of different surge heights after the earthquake, through numerical simulation. According to the theory of nonlinear least squares, the relationship between the surge height and the damage value of all dam elements is fitted with a Sigmoid function, and the results show good fitting performance. This result proves that the proposed impact analysis model can well reflect the influence of the surge height on the local damage to arch dams. In addition, three parameters are defined based on this model. The influence of the post-earthquake landslide surge on the local damage of arch dams at different positions is analyzed based on these three parameters, and the vulnerable positions of the dam body under the impact of the post-earthquake landslide surge are determined. The model has important significance for the safety evaluation of dams affected by landslide-generated waves after an earthquake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the association between low-carbohydrate diet scores (LCDs) and the risk of type 2 diabetes in rural China. Methods: A total of 38,100 adults were included in the Henan Rural Cohort Study. Macronutrient intake was assessed via a validated food-frequency questionnaire to create low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) scores. Multivariate logistic regression models and subgroup analysis were performed to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Results: After multivariable adjustment, participants with a high total low-carbohydrate diet score have a high risk of T2D (extreme-quartile OR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.04–1.41; P = 0.007), whereas plant-based LCD score is not related to T2D risk. Among individuals with a BMI < 24 (extreme-quartile OR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.01–1.47; P < 0.001) or high levels of physical activity (extreme-quartile OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.17–1.72; P < 0.001), the animal-based LCD score is positively correlated with the risk of T2D. Conclusion: Among Chinese rural populations, high-fat-low carbohydrate diet is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. High intake of animal protein and fat also increases T2D risk in those who are overweight or have high physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between dietary branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and the risk of developing hypertension. Methods: A cohort study of 14,883 Chinese adults without hypertension at baseline with were followed for an average of 8.9 years. Dietary intakes of BCAAs, including Ile, Leu, and Val, were collected using 3-day 24-h meal recall and household condiment weighing. Cox proportional hazards regression, restricted cubic splines, interaction analysis, and sensitivity analysis were used to assess the relationship between dietary BCAAs and risk of developing self-reported hypertension, adjusting for age, gender, region, body mass index (BMI), smoking and drinking status, physical activity, energy intake, salt intake. Results: Among 14,883 study subjects, 6386(42.9%) subjects aged ≥ 45 years at baseline, 2692 (18.1%) had new-onset hypertension during the study period, with a median age of 56 years. High levels of dietary BCAAs were associated with an increased risk of new-onset hypertension. Compared with the 41st–60th percentile, multivariable adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for new-onset hypertension was 1.16 (95% CI 1.01–1.32) for dietary BCAAs 61st–80th percentiles, 1.30 (1.13–1.50) for 81st–95th, 1.60 (1.32–1.95) for 96th–100th. The cut-off value of new-onset hypertension risk, total BCAAs, Ile, Leu, and Val were 15.7 g/day, 4.1 g/day, 6.9 g/day, 4.6 g/day, respectively, and the proportion of the population above these intake values were 13.9%, 13.1%, 15.4%, and 14.4%, respectively. Age, BMI, and salt intake had an interactive effect on this relationship (P < 0.001). Conclusion: There was a significant positive association between total dietary BCAAs, Ile, Leu, Val intake and the risk of developing hypertension, after adjustment for confounders. This relationship was influenced by age, BMI, and salt intake. Further research is needed to clarify the mechanism and potential role of BCAAs in the pathogenesis of hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equipment failures and communication interruptions of satellites, aircraft and ground devices lead to data loss in Space-Air-Ground Integrated Internet of Things (SAGIoT). The incomplete data affect the accuracy of data modeling, decision-making and spectrum prediction. Reconstructing the incomplete data of electromagnetic environment is a significant task in the SAGIoT. Most spectral data completion algorithms have the problem of limited accuracy and slow iterative optimization. In light of these challenges, a novel high-precision reconstruction method for electromagnetic environment data based on multi-component time series generation adversarial network (MTS-GAN) is proposed in this paper. MTS-GAN transforms the reconstruction method of electromagnetic environment data into the data generation problem of multiple time series. It extracts the time–frequency joint features and the overall distribution of electromagnetic environment data. To improve the reconstruction precision, MTS-GAN simulates the time irregularity of incomplete time series by applying a gate recursive element to adapt to the attenuation effect of discontinuous time series observations. Experimental results show that the proposed MTS-GAN provides high completion accuracy and achieves better results than competitive data completion algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sitting time may affect health by altering the methylation of certain genes. This research aimed to estimate the association of sitting time with abdominal obesity and the role of Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) methylation in the association among rural adults. Methods: A total of 1062 rural adults from the Henan Rural Cohort Study were included. Whole blood was used to extract genomic DNA. JAK2 DNA methylation level was assessed by MethylTargetTM. The logistic regression model was utilized to assess the association of sitting time with abdominal obesity, and the possible effect of JAK2 DNA methylation on the association were conducted by using mediation analyses. Results: Average time of sitting of participants was 7.28 ± 3.37 h/d. For per 1 h increment in sitting time, the odd ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of abdominal obesity was 1.153 (1.095, 1.214) after controlling potential risk factors. Simultaneously, the methylation levels of Chr9: 4985407 site and Chr9: 4985238-4985455 region were negatively correlated with abdominal obesity (OR: 0.549, 95% CI: 0.394, 0.765; OR: 0.189, 95% CI: 0.056, 0.640, respectively). Moreover, Chr9: 4985407 site and Chr9: 4985238-4985455 region methylation levels mediated the association of sitting time with abdominal obesity, and the indirect effects account for 6.78% and 4.24%, respectively. Conclusions: Longer sitting time was positively correlated with abdominal obesity in the rural population, and methylation level of JAK2 may be an underlying mediation of the effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dalian is the most important farming region in China for the economically important kelp Undaria pinnatifida and there are several major hatcheries for seedling production of this alga in this region. The excess zoospores are discharged from the hatchery to the sea after the seeding process is completed. They are expected to have the potential to colonize the rocky reefs nearby and form a population in the wild. We discovered a subtidal wild population (W22) near the outlet of discharged seawater of a nearby hatchery in Dalian in 2022. Its origin was unclear. The sporophytes of W22 are characterized with some desirable economic traits and thus have the potential to be exploited for breeding purpose. Identification of its origin will be helpful for its better exploitation in the breeding program. In the present study we used informative mitochondrial sequences and nuclear microsatellites to analyze the genetic relationship of W22 with the farmed populations produced in the nearby hatchery and other wild populations from Dalian. The results showed that W22 was genetically close to other subtidal wild populations and some wild populations on the cultivation rafts, but highly differentiated from the farmed populations. We thereby confirm that W22 has not been founded recently by the zoospores discharged from the nearby hatchery and suggest that it has been derived from the introduced stocks from Korea in 1930s. The very limited pedigree of farmed populations detected in W22 suggests that it has not been impacted by the zoospores discharged from the hatchery. This study represents a case of successfully determining the origin of a newly discovered wild seaweed population through genetic analyses based on informative DNA markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inappropriate sleep duration is a potential cause of stroke. But the effect of napping on stroke risk remains controversial and the interaction between night sleep and napping duration remains unclear. The objective of this study was to examine the independent and combined effects of napping and nocturnal sleep duration on stroke. Methods: Subjects were derived from a rural cohort study in Henan. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was applied to identify nap duration and nocturnal sleep duration. Binary logistic regression was employed to indicate the dose–response relationships between naps, nocturnal sleep, total 24-h sleep duration, and stroke. Results: Among the 37,341 participants (14,485 men), 2600 suffered from a stroke. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence level (CI) for stroke in the fully adjusted model were 1.37 (1.13–1.65) for men nappers compared to non-nappers. Compared to 7–8 h of sleep per day, night sleep durations < 6 h and ≥ 9 h and 24-h sleep duration ≥ 10 h were linked to increased odds of stroke in men. The ORs (95%CI) were 1.34 (1.06–1.69) in nocturnal sleep duration < 6 h, 1.30 (1.06–1.59) in nocturnal sleep duration ≥ 9 h, and 1.40 (1.15–1.71) in 24-h sleep duration ≥ 10 h in men. In addition, long naps and prolonged nocturnal sleep duration have a joint effect on stroke in the fully adjusted model. Conclusion: The napping duration and nocturnal sleep duration have independently and jointly effects on stroke in rural populations. More research is required to explore the underlying mechanisms for this relationship. Clinical trial registration: The Henan Rural Cohort Study has been registered on the Chinese Clinical Trial Register (Registration number: ChiCTR-OOC-15006699) (http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=11375). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of bacterial engineering is to rewire metabolic pathways to generate high-value molecules for various applications. However, the production of recombinant proteins is constrained by the complexity of the connections between cellular physiology and recombinant protein synthesis. Here, we used a rational and highly efficient approach to improve bacterial engineering. Based on the complete genome and annotation information of the Escherichia coli ER2566 strain, we compared the transcriptomic profiles of the strain under leaky expression and low temperature-induced stress. Combining the gene ontology (GO) enrichment terms and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with higher expression, we selected and knocked out 36 genes to determine the potential impact of these genes on protein production. Deletion of bluF, cydA, mngR, and udp led to a significant decrease in soluble recombinant protein production. Moreover, at low-temperature induction, 4 DEGs (gntK, flgH, flgK, flgL) were associated with enhanced expression of the recombinant protein. Knocking out several motility-related DEGs (ER2666-ΔflgH-ΔflgL-ΔflgK) simultaneously improved the protein yield by 1.5-fold at 24 °C induction, and the recombinant strain had the potential to be applied in the expression studies of different exogenous proteins, aiming to improve the yields of soluble form to varying degrees in comparison to the ER2566 strain. Totally, this study focused on the anabolic and stress-responsive hub genes of the adaptation of E. coli to recombinant protein overexpression on the transcriptome level and constructs a series of engineering strains increasing the soluble protein yield of recombinant proteins which lays a solid foundation for the engineering of bacterial strains for recombinant technological advances. Key points: • Comparative transcriptome analysis shows host responses with altered induction stress. • Deletion of bluF, cydA, mngR, and udp genes was identified to significantly decrease the soluble recombinant protein productions. • Synchronal knockout of flagellar genes in E. coli can enhance recombinant protein yield up to ~ 1.5-fold at 24 °C induction. • Non-model bacterial strains can be re-engineered for recombinant protein expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the associations between overall lifestyles and HRQoL, as well as the variations in age, sex, education level, and income. Methods: A total of 23,402 participants from the Henan rural cohort were included. The healthy lifestyle score (HLS) consists of five lifestyle factors: smoking, alcohol drinking, physical activity, diet, and body mass index. HRQoL was assessed by the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire. The general linear model and Tobit regression model were utilized to assess the associations of HLS with visual analogue score (VAS) and utility index. Results: Compared with participants with an HLS of 0–2, the corresponding regression coefficients (β) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of participants with an HLS of 3, 4, and 5 for VAS score were 1.09 (0.59, 1.59), 1.92 (1.38, 2.46), and 2.60 (1.83, 3.37); the corresponding β and 95% CI for utility index were 0.02 (0.01, 0.03), 0.05 (0.03, 0.06), and 0.06 (0.04, 0.07). Notably, these positive associations were greater among the elderly, female, and those with lower education level and average monthly income (p for interaction < 0.05). For instance, the corresponding β and 95% CI of individuals with an HLS of 5 for utility index in average monthly income < 500 RMB, 500–999 RMB, and ≥ 1000 RMB groups were 0.08 (0.05, 0.11), 0.06 (0.03, 0.09), and 0.02 (− 0.00, 0.05). Conclusion: Engaging in healthier lifestyle habits was associated with a higher level of HRQoL, especially in the elderly, females, and those with low education level and average monthly income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In mobile communication, automatic modulation recognition of mobile signals has always attracted attention. In the more and more complex electronic environment, the researchers are trying their best to deal with the communication signals, the study of this part can be used in the reality of the war environment, and it has the most important significance for the complex environment. The color time-frequency images of one-dimensional signals can be obtained by using the smooth pseudo-Wigner distributed time-frequency algorithm, at the same time, color time-frequency diagram contains rich texture information, so this paper proposes a mobile signal modulation recognition algorithm based on multimodal feature fusion. The features extracted from the two modes of the time-frequency diagram are fused to realize the signal recognition. The results of the simulations show that if compared with the other algorithms which were not consider the connections between different characters, the algorithm of this paper can improve the result in some way at low SNR. In order to solve the problems that they were less consider about the connections between different characters of the signals, this paper used the convolutional neural network to solve this kind of problem. The results of the simulation experiments show that the TF-CNN and TF-Resnet of this paper have better performance at low signal-to-noise ratio, they can achieve the high precision signal automatic modulation recognition and classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the association of sleep duration with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in a rural Chinese population. Methods: A 1:1 matched nested case–control study was performed based on a cohort that had been established in rural communities in Henan Province, China. T2DM patients and healthy controls (550 pairs) were included in this study. Results: Abnormal sleep duration significantly increased the risk of T2DM with an approximate U-shaped association (sleep duration ≤ 6 h, OR = 1.742, 95% CI = 1.007–3.011, P = 0.047; sleep duration 8–9 h, OR = 1.462, 95% CI = 1.038–2.060, P = 0.030) compared with participants with a night sleep duration of 7–8 h, after adjusting for multiple confounders. When stratified by gender, only women were sensitive to shorter sleep duration (OR = 2.483, 95% CI = 1.149–5.366, P = 0.021). Abnormal sleep duration (too short or too long) had adverse effects on homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) and blood metabolites, and the effect was more noticeable in people with longer sleep durations. Conclusion: In a rural Chinese population, both too short and too long sleep duration increased the risk of T2DM. Especially women with less sleep duration have a higher risk of T2DM. Abnormal sleep also affects the HOMA index and metabolites; the relationship between HOMA-IR, total cholesterol, and LDL-Cholesterol with sleep duration was U-shaped, while fasting plasma glucose, body mass index, waist circumference, and triglyceride levels increased significantly only with longer sleep duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) and premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) represent the most serious forms of human infertility caused by gametogenic failure. Although whole-exome sequencing (WES) has uncovered multiple monogenic causes of human infertility, our knowledge of the genetic basis of human gametogenesis defects remains at a rudimentary stage. Coiled-coil-domain-containing protein 155 (CCDC155) encodes a core component of the linker of the nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton complex that is essential for modulating telomere-led chromosome movements during the meiotic prophase of mice. Additionally, Ccdc155 deficiency in mice causes infertility in both sexes with meiotic arrest. In this study, we applied WES to identify the pathogenic genes for 15 NOA and POI patients whose parents were consanguineous and identified a novel homozygous missense mutation in CCDC155 [c.590T>C (p.Leu197Pro)] in a pair of familial NOA and POI patients whose parents were first cousins. The affected spermatocytes were unable to complete meiotic division coupled with unresolved repair of the DNA double-strand break. This rare missense mutation with lesions in the conserved CC domain of CCDC155 blocked nuclear envelope (NE) distribution and subsequently prevented NE-specific enrichment of Sad1- and UNC84-domain-containing 1 either ex vivo or in vitro, eventually leading to disruptive NE anchoring of chromosome-induced meiotic arrest in both sexes. This study presents the first evidence of the necessity of the SUN1–CCDC155 complex during human meiosis and provides insight into the CCDC155 CC domain, thereby expanding the genetic spectrum of human NOA and POI and promoting adequate genetic counselling and appropriate fertility guidance for these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Object detection is a basic part in remote sensing image processing. At present, it is more common to conduct the topic based on deep learning, however the volume of remote sensing images has become a limitation. In order to solve the problem of small sample of remote sensing image, transfer learning is combined with deep learning in the research. First, the detection problem is caused by insufficient data, such as over-fitting, which is solved by model-based transfer learning. The structure of models and parameters obtained based on natural images are transferred to the detection task in remote sensing target domain. In addition, it is usually assumed that the distribution of training data and the testing data are the same in detection, but this is not the case. Therefore, how to improve the robustness of training models and widen the scope of application should be taken into consideration. In the research, Domain Adaptation Faster R-CNN (DA Faster R-CNN) algorithm is proposed for detecting aircraft in remote sensing images. Two domain adaptation structures are designed and selected as the criterion of similarity measurement between domains. Adversarial training is applied to alleviate the domain shift. Finally, the effectiveness of the algorithm is certified in the low brightness experiment. DA Faster R-CNN detection algorithm improves the accuracy of the original algorithm for low quality images. It is worth noting that the DA Faster R-CNN algorithm is a kind of unsupervised transfer learning method for remote sensing object detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The insula, consisting of functionally diverse subdivisions, plays a significant role in Parkinson's disease (PD)-related cognitive disorders. However, the functional connectivity (FC) patterns of insular subdivisions in PD remain unclear. Our aim is to investigate the changes in FC patterns of insular subdivisions and their relationships with cognitive domains. Three groups of participants were recruited in this study, including PD patients with mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI, n = 25), PD patients with normal cognition (PD-NC, n = 13), and healthy controls (HCs, n = 17). Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) was used to investigate the FC in insular subdivisions of the three groups. Moreover, all participants underwent a neuropsychological battery to assess cognition so that the relationship between altered FC and cognitive performance could be elucidated. Compared with the PD-NC group, the PD-MCI group exhibited increased FC between the left dorsal anterior insular (dAI) and the right superior parietal gyrus (SPG), and altered FC was negatively correlated with memory and executive function. Compared with the HC group, the PD-MCI group showed significantly increased FC between the right dAI and the right median cingulate and paracingulate gyri (DCG), and altered FC was positively related to attention/working memory, visuospatial function, and language. Our findings highlighted the different abnormal FC patterns of insular subdivisions in PD patients with different cognitive abilities. Furthermore, dysfunction of the dAI may partly contribute to the decline in executive function and memory in early drug-naïve PD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: A significant shift in meal pattern with frequent eating out was closely associated with multiple chronic outcomes, but with limited evidence on hyperuricemia. We aimed to explore the associations between eating out and serum uric acid (SUA) as well as hyperuricemia. Methods: A total of 29,597 participants were recruited from the Henan Rural Cohort Study. A validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to collect dietary data, including the frequency of eating out. Linear regression models were used to examine the association of eating-out frequency with SUA and BMI. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline were performed to assess the association and dose–response relationship between eating-out frequency and hyperuricemia. The mediation effect of BMI between eating out and the risk of hyperuricemia was evaluated. Results: Eating out was significantly associated with higher SUA levels in the total population and males (P < 0.001). Multivariate-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence interval (CIs) of hyperuricemia were 1.26 (1.09, 1.46) for the total population and 1.18 (1.00, 1.40) for males (≥ 7 times/week vs 0 time/week). A non-linear positive dose–response relationship between eating-out frequency and hyperuricemia was observed. Furthermore, BMI played a partial mediating role in the relationship between eating out frequency and hyperuricemia, which explained 30.7% in the total population and 44.8% in males. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that eating out was associated with increased SUA levels and elevated hyperuricemia risk in rural China, especially in males. Moreover, the relationship was partly mediated by BMI. Clinical trials: ChiCTR-OOC-15006699 (2015-07-06). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corn stover is one of the dominant agricultural wastes in China, with high lignocellulose contents. Anaerobic digestion of corn stover converts biomass to biogas as sustainable energy. To improve the performance of anaerobic digestion, as well as for flexible biogas production, the effects of different feeding regimes on biogas production, system stability, and microbial community structure were investigated using laboratory-scale semi-continuously stirred tank reactors (semi-CSTRs) fed pretreated corn stover once a day (R1), every 2 days (R2) and every 3 days (R3) at an equivalent amount. The results showed that R3 and R2 produced 11.1% and 8.4% more methane, respectively. R3 correspondingly had higher lignocellulose conversion rates and system stability, followed by R2 and R1. Greater fluctuations in biogas, VFA concentrations and pH were found in less frequently fed reactors during the time interval between two feeds. Additionally, less feeding increased the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes during hydrolysis and acidogenesis, and the dominant genus of archaea in all reactors was Methanobacterium, which is a hydrogenotrophic methanogen. Therefore, appropriately reducing the feeding frequency can increase the process performance of anaerobic digestion of corn stover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the most common form of hemorrhagic stroke with high morbidity and mortality. Rapid and massive bleeding may compress the brain tissue, causing space-occupying and pathological effects, such as reduced local cerebral blood flow, acidosis, and inflammatory and immune responses. Although the development of minimally invasive technique provides a new option for the treatment of ICH, their application is limited due to the difficulty in achieving accurate puncture localization under the guidance of the marks on CT. We selected 30 patients treated with neuroendoscopic surgery guided by 3D-printed navigation technology (experimental group) and 30 patients treated with neuroendoscopic surgery guided by hand-painted on the patient's body surface according to the marks on CT (control group). Our results showed that patients in the experimental group had a lower number of intraoperative punctures, shorter operation time, less intraoperative blood loss, higher hematoma clearance rate, and smaller volume of perihematomal edema than the patients in the control group. Moreover, patients in the experimental group had higher Glasgow Coma Scale score at discharge, shorter postoperative hospitalization time and ICU stay, and a lower rate of postoperative complications, despite the lack of statistically significant differences. In addition, no statistically significant differences were observed in mortality and Glasgow Outcome Scale score between the two groups. In conclusion, 3D-printed navigation technology used for the neuroendoscopic hematoma removal is a more reliable and less invasive approach in the treatment of ICH. This technique has great application prospects and deserves promotion in the future clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) has been shown to play a critical role in the development of several malignancies. However, the potential molecular mechanism of MALAT1 in glioma remains unclear. In the present study, we found that the expression of MALAT1 was aberrantly increased in both human glioma tissues and cells and associated with poor prognosis in glioma patients. We further found that MALAT1 silencing significantly inhibited glioma cell proliferation while induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. In parallel, knockdown of MALAT1 decreased tumor volume in vivo. These results suggested that MALAT1 acts as a functional oncogene, resulting in the oncogenicity in glioma. Nevertheless, the tumor-suppressive effect of MALAT1 silencing was reversed by miR-124. Besides, the relevance of ZEB2 in tumor progression has been studied in several forms of human cancer, and ZEB2 was identified as a target of miR-124 and negatively regulated by miR-124. MALAT1 overexpression or miR-124 inhibitor led to increased expression of ZEB2. In summary, our study depicts a novel pathway of MALAT1/miR-124/ZEB2 that regulates the progression of glioma and might provide a promising strategy for glioma therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perovskite solar cell has emerged rapidly in the field of photovoltaics as it combines the merits of low cost, high efficiency, and excellent mechanical flexibility for versatile applications. However, there are significant concerns regarding its operational stability and mechanical robustness. Most of the previously reported approaches to address these concerns entail separate engineering of perovskite and charge-transporting layers. Herein we present a holistic design of perovskite and charge-transporting layers by synthesizing an interpenetrating perovskite/electron-transporting-layer interface. This interface is reaction-formed between a tin dioxide layer containing excess organic halide and a perovskite layer containing excess lead halide. Perovskite solar cells with such interfaces deliver efficiencies up to 22.2% and 20.1% for rigid and flexible versions, respectively. Long-term (1000 h) operational stability is demonstrated and the flexible devices show high endurance against mechanical-bending (2500 cycles) fatigue. Mechanistic insights into the relationship between the interpenetrating interface structure and performance enhancement are provided based on comprehensive, advanced, microscopic characterizations. This study highlights interface integrity as an important factor for designing efficient, operationally-stable, and mechanically-robust solar cells. Operational stability and mechanical robustness remain as engineering bottlenecks in perovskite solar cells technology. Here, Dong et al. introduce an interpenetrating perovskite at the electron-transporting-layer interface that enables a 1000-hour stable operation and high endurance against bending fatigue over 2500 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Type 2 diabetes is a complex disease determined by variable genes and environmental factors. The study was designed to investigate the effect of interactions of four polymorphisms of suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) with fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake on type 2 diabetes in a rural population of China. Methods: A total of 4411 participants from the rural areas of Henan, China were included in the study. Multivariate logistic regression and restricted cubic splines were used to estimate the associations between polymorphisms and risk allele score of SOCS3 and type 2 diabetes in different groups. Haplotype analysis was conducted to examine the effects of linkage inheritance at these four loci on type 2 diabetes. Results: Three of the four polymorphisms showed significant associations with type 2 diabetes in the less F&V intake group after adjusting the covariates, the odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were 1.24 (1.08–1.41) for rs4969168, 1.16 (1.02–1.32) for rs9892622, and 1.21 (1.06–1.39) for rs9914220. No significant association was detected in the more F&V intake group. The obvious dose–response relationship between the risk allele score and type 2 diabetes was also noted only in the less F&V intake group. Conclusions: Variants of SOCS3 gene were associated with type 2 diabetes and the associations could be modified by the F&V intake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automatically describing image content with natural language is a fundamental challenge for computer vision community. General methods used visual information to generate sentences directly. However, only depending on the visual information is not enough to generate the fine-grained descriptions for given images. In this paper, we exploit the fusion of visual information and high-level semantic information for image captioning. We propose a hierarchical deep neural network, which consists of the bottom layer and the top layer. The former extracts the visual and high-level semantic information from image and detected regions, respectively, while the latter integrates both of them with adaptive attention mechanism for the caption generation. The experimental results achieve the competing performances against the state-of-the-art methods on MSCOCO dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The incidence of meningiomas among the elderly is considered to be high, and are at increased risk of severe morbidity and mortality following surgery due to their aging physiology and unexpected comorbidities. This study aimed to evaluate the optimal management strategies of meningiomas in elderly patients. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 150 patients with incidental large (≥ 3 cm) and giant (≥ 6 cm) anterior skull base meningiomas from 2009 to 2018. These patients were divided into elderly group (≥ 65 years, n = 70) and younger group (< 65 years, n = 80). Information of patients with regard to their medical records, operative details, relevant imaging, and follow-up data were obtained from their respective electronic medical records. Results: The elderly patients had significantly longer length of hospital stay (15.9 ± 3.5) compared to younger patients (13.6 ± 3.6, P < 0.001). Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) at discharge was significantly lower in elderly group when compared to younger group (P = 0.04). However, the KPS at 1-year after surgery was similar between the two groups. In addition, there was no significant difference in the incidence of surgical complications between the two groups. Multivariate regression analysis of postoperative complications revealed blood loss ≥ 800 mL (P = 0.007) and BMI (< 18.5 or ≥ 24, P < 0.001) as risk factors, rather than age. Conclusions: Surgical resection in elderly patients with incidental anterior skull base large and giant meningiomas is considered to be a safe and effective therapeutic option owing to acceptable mortality, postoperative complications and postoperative clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focused on the oral bioaccessibility and children health risks of metal(loid)s (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) in soil/indoor dust of school and households from Lanzhou, China. The simple bioaccessibility extraction test method was applied to assess bioaccessibility, and children's health risk was assessed via statistical modeling (hazard quotients, hazard index and incremental lifetime carcinogenic risk). Metal(loid) content and bioaccessibility in indoor dust samples were significantly higher than those in corresponding soil samples (p < 0.05). The order for mean values of bioaccessibility of the elements in soil was as follows: Cd (57.1%) > Zn (44.6%) > Pb (39.9%) > Cu (33.2%) > Ni (12.4%) > Cr (5.3%) > As (4.4%), while for indoor dust, the order was: As (73.0%) > Cd (68.4%) > Pb (63.3%) > Zn (60.4%) > Cu (36.5%) > Ni (25.2%) > Cr (13.6%). The Pearson correlation coefficient showed that metal(loid) bioaccessibility was in general significantly negatively correlated to the Al, Fe and Mn contents. Neither noncarcinogenic nor carcinogenic risks exceeded the tolerance interval for 3–5- and 6–9-year-old children for all elements. They both were mostly attributed to As considering metal(loid)s types and to school indoor dust considering sources. Therefore, maintaining interior sanitation would be an effective measure to reduce the potential health effects of indoor dust on children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Soil nutrients, elemental stoichiometry, and their associated environmental control play important roles in nutrient cycling. The objectives of this study were (1) to investigate soil nutrients and elemental stoichiometry, especially potassium and its associative elemental stoichiometry with other nutrients under different land uses in terrestrial ecosystems; (2) to discuss the impacts of climate factors, soil texture, and soil physicochemical properties; and (3) to identify the key factors on soil nutrient levels and elemental stoichiometry. Materials and methods: Soil data, including pH, bulk density (BD), cation exchange capacity (CEC), volumetric water content (VMC), clay, silt and sand contents, total carbon (TC), nitrogen (TN), phosphorous (TP) and potassium (TK), available nitrogen (AN), phosphorus (AP), potassium (AK), and soil organic matter (SOM) under different land-use types, were collected, and their elemental stoichiometry ratios were calculated. Climate data including temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, wind speed, and evapotranspiration were collected. The least significant difference test and one-way analysis of variance were applied to investigate the variability of soil nutrients and elemental stoichiometry among land-use types; the ordinary least squares method and the general linear model were used to illustrate the correlations between soil nutrients, elemental stoichiometry, and soil properties or climate factors and to identify the key influencing factors. Results and discussion: Woodlands had the highest SOM, TN, AN, and AK contents, followed by grasslands, croplands, and shrublands, while the TP and TK contents only varied slightly among land-use types. SOM, TN, AN, N/P, and N/K were strongly negatively correlated to soil pH (p < 0.05) and were strongly positively correlated to soil CEC (p < 0.05). For soil texture, only C/N was moderately negatively correlated to silt content but moderately positively correlated to sand content (p < 0.05). For climate factors, SOM, TN, AN, N/P, and N/K were significantly negatively correlated to evapotranspiration and temperature (p < 0.05), and the correlations were usually moderate. Soil pH explained most of the total variation in soil nutrients, and climate factors explained 5.64–28.16% of soil nutrients and elemental stoichiometry (except for AP (0.0%) and TK (68.35%)). Conclusions: The results suggest that climate factors and soil properties both affect soil nutrients and elemental stoichiometry, and soil properties generally contribute more than climate factors to soil nutrient levels. The findings will help to improve our knowledge of nutrient flux responses to climate change while also assisting in developing management measures related to soil nutrients under conditions of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness and practicality of 3D-printed model-guided endoscopic surgery for the treatment of basal ganglia hemorrhage. The authors retrospectively analyzed the data of all patients who underwent endoscopic evacuation of basal ganglia hemorrhage in the Department of Neurosurgery at Dalang Hospital and Shipai Hospital between December 2017 and February 2019. Twelve patients, in whom the 3D-printed model guidance was used for endoscopic evacuation, were included in this investigation. Using 3D reconstructed technology, we designed the appropriate surgical approach. Then, an individualized facial model with the guide orifice was printed by a 3D printer. Further, the 3D-printed model was employed to guide the insertion of the endoscope sheath. As a result, the average evacuation rate was 97.2% (range 90.1–100.0%). The GCS and mRS score were improved in each patient from admission to discharge examination. All patients had a good prognosis based on their functional independence measure (FIM) scores at the 6-month follow-up. The 3D-printed model-guided endoscopic evacuation was effective and safe for basal ganglia hemorrhage. This technique deserves further investigation to determine its role in intracerebral hemorrhage management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Without precaution to deal with gas emissions and leachate generation, dumpsites have become a severe environmental problem in many developing countries. The objectives of this study were to investigate the pollution status of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in dumpsite soil in rural areas of China and to verify phytoremediation effectiveness with Sedum alfredii Hance and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) under complex pollution conditions in PAH-contaminated soil. Materials and methods: In this study, we collected soil cores from four dumpsites in rural areas of North China (Hebei Province) for analysis, and correspondingly conducted an in situ phytoremediation experiment using Sedum alfredii Hance and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) at one of these sites, monitoring the total PAH concentration in soil. Results and discussion: Results showed generally moderate pollution by PAHs in soil samples from dumpsites with pockets of heavy pollution. PAH concentrations in dumpsite soil ranged from 827 to 1101 ng/g (dry weight). High-molecular-weight PAHs were present in higher proportions at oldest dumpsite in operation. Certain molecular ratios of PAHs can be used to diagnose the source of PAHs in soil, and it indicated that the main sources were combustion of domestic coal and biomass, as well as the automobile exhaust and kitchen exhaust. A 17-month in situ phytoremediation experiment resulted in the effective removal of PAHs in the Sedum alfredii and alfalfa plots, with total PAH concentrations decreasing by 82.4% and 81.3%, respectively. Furthermore, PAH concentrations in plants correlated to plant growth conditions. Conclusions: This study indicated that the soils of the dumpsites were generally moderately polluted by PAHs, and some parts of the area were heavily polluted. Both Sedum alfredii and alfalfa absorbed PAHs from soil, and PAH concentrations in these two plants correlated to the growth conditions of the plants. Phytoremediation can effectively be used for PAH removal in open dumpsites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Clinical outcomes for advanced malignant melanoma (MM) are often poor due to tumor invasiveness, metastasis, recurrence, and multidrug resistance.Methods: We investigated whether apoptosis, cell cycle regulation, oxidative status, and redox balance were altered by changes in the expression of the long noncoding RNA, growth arrest-specific transcript 5 (GAS5), in MM cells.Results: Analysis of clinical samples from MM patients showed that the rate of reduced GAS5 expression, relative to that in adjacent noncancerous tissues, was significantly lower for tumors from patients with advanced disease (76.6%, P < 0.001), as evidenced by larger tumor size, higher TNM stage, and higher incidences of ulceration and metastasis (P < 0.001 for all). Cell culture experiments showed that siRNA-mediated knockdown of GAS5 increased the viability of A375-GAS5si cells. Flow cytometry and western blotting showed that GAS5 knockdown increased MM cell proliferation by inducing G1/S cell cycle progression through increases in Cyclin D1, CDK4, and p27 expression (P < 0.05 for all) and by inhibiting apoptosis through an increase in Bcl-2 expression (P < 0.001). Knockdown of GAS5 also increased levels of superoxide anion (P < 0.01), NADP+(P < 0.001), and oxidized glutathiones (P < 0.01) through increases in NOX4 expression (P < 0.001), G6PD expression (P < 0.01), and NOX activity (P < 0.05), and RNA co-immunoprecipitation showed that GAS5 induced these changes through a physical interaction between GAS5 and the G6PD protein.Conclusions: Our findings show GAS5 contributes to regulation of the apoptosis, cell cycle, homeostasis of reactive oxygen species, and redox balance in MM cells, and suggest that reduced GAS5 expression contributes to disease progression in MM patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulating evidence has supported the role of microRNAs in the initiation and development of malignant tumors. MicroRNA-211 (miR-211), which was reported to involve in diverse physiological activities in several cancers, was investigated for its expression in human glioma and adjacent normal brain tissues, as well as its correlation with patient prognosis. Glioma tissues and adjacent normal brain tissues were obtained from 82 patients who underwent surgical resection, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to assess the expression level of miR-211. Here, we found that miR-211 was significantly decreased in glioma tissues compared with adjacent normal brain tissues (glioma, 3.52 ± 0.14 vs. normal, 4.96 ± 0.17, p < 0.001), and inversely associated with ascending WHO classification (grade III-IV, 3.16 ± 0.21 vs. grade I-II, 4.22 ± 0.26, p < 0.001). Then, the correlation of miR-211 with clinicopathological factors was investigated by Pearson's Chi square test, indicating that miR-211 might be a potential biomarker to predict the malignant status of glioma. Further, Kaplan-Meier curves with log-rank analysis were carried out to determine the relationship between miR-211 expression level and the overall survival rate of glioma patients. Our data showed that there was a close correlation between down-regulated miR-211 and shorter survival time in 82 patients ( p = 0.026). Finally, the multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that WHO grade (HR = 2.437, 95% CI 1.251-4.966, p = 0.007), KPS (HR = 2.215, 95% CI 1.168-4.259, p = 0.016), and miR-211 expression level (HR = 3.614, 95% CI 2.152-6.748, p < 0.001) were considered as independent risk factors for glioma prognosis. These results suggested that lower miR-211 expression might be a marker for poor prognosis of glioma patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microglia activation plays an important role in neuroinflammation. Sirtuin1 (SIRT1) has been shown to play a role in regulation of inflammation. Resveratrol, a potent SIRT1 activator, has anti-inflammation property. MicroRNA (miRNA or miR) related to inflammation pathways has been shown to be a promising therapeutic approach for septic encephalopathy (SE). The miR mediated mechanism of regulation of SIRT1 expression in encephalitis. However, the mechanism of was unknown. To address this question, we investigated whether miRNAs and resveratrol regulate the SIRT1 and the functional changes of mice microglia cell lines pre-treated with or without lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The research about direct role of miR-204 and resveratrol on expression of SIRT1 in mice microglia cell lines (N9 and BV2) pre-treated with or without LPS had been performed. Mice microglia cell lines were transfected with miR-204 mimics and inhibitors or treated with resveratrol, and the effects on cell growth, proliferation, and apoptosis of cells were assessed. LPS induced inflammation and activation of mice microglia. Through overexpression of SIRT1, resveratrol, and inhibitor of miR-204 inhibited inflammation process, proliferation of mice microglia cells and promoted its apoptosis. We identified if resveratrol and miR-204 could repress inflammation process and proliferation of mice microglia cell through promoting the expression of SIRT1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to establish a simple and effective risk score for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in middle-aged rural Chinese. Total of 5453 participants aged 30-59 years from the Rural Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle (RuralDiab) study were recruited for establishing the RuralDiab risk score by using logistic regression analysis. The RuralDiab risk score was validated in a prospective study from Henan Province of China, and compared with previous risk scores by using the receiver-operating characteristics cure. Ultimately, sex, age, family history of diabetes, physical activity, waist circumference, history of dyslipidemia, diastolic blood pressure, body mass index were included in the RuralDiab risk score (range from 0 to 36), and the optimal cutoff value was 17 with 67.9% sensitivity and 67.8% specificity. The area under the cures (AUC) of the RuralDiab risk score was 0.723(95%CI: 0.710-0.735) for T2DM in validation population, which was significant higher than the American Diabetes Association score (AUC: 0.636), the Inter99 score (AUC: 0.669), the Oman risk score (AUC: 0.675). The RuralDiab risk score was established and demonstrated an appropriate performance for predicting T2DM in middle-aged Chinese rural population. Further studies for validation should be implemented in different populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]