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The application of global navigation satellite system in vehicle navigation imposes high requirements on its safety, which makes it extremely important to detect deceptive interference (DI). The integration of prior road position information is usually necessary for the vehicle navigation, but it requires extensive learning and data collection, resulting in high implementation costs. We focus on efficient and practical research on DI detection by utilizing the most traditional wheel speed sensor auxiliary information. The classical pseudorange consistency detection method avoids the use of absolute position information, and overcomes the limitation of clustering algorithms caused by the number of spoofing interferences. Hypothesis test statistics are constructed by using the differencing method in the east and north directions, and the probability distributions of detection values under normal and spoofing conditions are theoretically derived. A comprehensive deception detection scheme is introduced to enhance the detection probability, catering to both single and multiple satellite deception situations, with a central focus on the contribution change factor of positioning satellites. Experimental results demonstrate that within a time scale of several tens of seconds, effective identification and correction of DI involving more than one code chip bias can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammation plays an integral role in the formation, growth, and progression to rupture of unruptured intracranial aneurysms. Aneurysm wall enhancement (AWE) in high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR-MRI) has emerged as a surrogate biomarker of vessel wall inflammation and unruptured intracranial aneurysm instability. We investigated the correlation between anti-inflammatory drug use and three-dimensional AWE of fusiform intracranial aneurysms (FIAs). We retrospectively analyzed consecutive patients with FIAs in our database who underwent 3T HR-MRI at three Chinese centers. FIAs were classified as fusiform-type, dolichoectatic-type, or transitional-type. AWE was objectively defined using the aneurysm-to-pituitary stalk contrast ratio in three-dimensional space by determining the contrast ratio of the average signal intensity in the aneurysmal wall and pituitary stalk on post-contrast T1-weighted images. Data on aneurysm size, morphology, and location, as well as patient demographics and comorbidities, were collected. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine factors independently associated with AWE of FIAs on HR-MRI. In total, 127 FIAs were included. In multivariate analysis, statin use (β = -0.236, P = 0.007) was the only independent factor significantly associated with decreased AWE. In the analysis of three FIA subtypes, the fusiform and transitional types were significantly associated with statin use (rs = -0.230, P = 0.035; and rs = -0.551, P = 0.010; respectively). It establishes an incidental correlation between the use of statins daily for ≥ 6 months and decreased AWE of FIAs. The findings also indicate that the pathophysiology may differ among the three FIA subtypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with autoimmune encephalitis (AE) often developed psychiatric features during the disease course. Many studies focused on the psychiatric characteristic in anti-NMDAR encephalitis (NMDAR-E), but anti-LGI1 encephalitis (LGI1-E) had received less attention regarding the analysis of psychiatric features, and no study compared psychiatric characteristic between these two groups. The clinical data of AE patients (62 NMDAR-E and 20 LGI1-E) who developed psychiatric symptoms were analyzed in this study. In NMDAR-E, the most common higher-level feature was "behavior changes" (60/62, 96.8%) and the lower-level feature "incoherent speech" was observed in 33 patients (33/62, 53.2%), followed by "agitation" (29/62, 46.8%) and "incongruent laughter/crying" (20/62, 32.3%). Similar to NMDAR-E, "behavior changes" was most common in LGI1-E (17/20, 85.0%), but the features of suicidality, eating, and obsessive–compulsive were not reported. The top three lower-level features were visual hallucinations (9/20, 45.0%), incoherent speech (8/20, 40.0%), and mood instability (7/20, 35.0%). The comparative study found that "incongruent laughter/crying", in lower-level features, was more frequently observed in NMDAR-E (32.3% vs. 0%, p = 0.002). Moreover, the Bush Francis Catatonia Rating Scale (BFCRS) assessing the catatonic symptoms in NMDAR-E were higher than LGI1-E, but the 18 item-Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS-18) showed no difference in the two groups. In summary, both NMDAR-E and LGI1-E often developed psychiatric symptoms. In contrast with LGI1-E, the psychiatric feature "incongruent laughter/crying" was more frequently associated with NMDAR-E, and catatonic symptoms were more severe in NMDAR-E. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: White blood cells (WBC) play an important role in the inflammatory response of the body. Elevated WBC counts on admission in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) correlate with a poor prognosis. However, the role of longitudinal WBC trajectories based on repeated WBC measurements during hospitalization remains unclear. We explored the association between different WBC trajectory patterns and in-hospital mortality. Methods: We analyzed a cohort of consecutive patients with SAH between 2012 and 2020. Group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) was used to group the patients according to their white blood cell patterns over the first 4 days. Stabilized inverse probability treatment weighting (sIPTW) was used to balance baseline demographic and clinical characteristics. We analyzed the association between the WBC trajectory groups and in-hospital mortality using a Cox proportional hazards model. Results: In total, 506 patients with SAH were included in this retrospective cohort. The final model identified two distinct longitudinal WBC trajectories. After adjusting for confounding factors, multivariate regression analysis suggested that an elevated longitudinal WBC trajectory increased the risk of in-hospital mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 2.476; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.081–5.227; P = 0.024) before sIPTW, and (HR, 2.472; 95%CI 1.489–4.977; P = 0.018) after sIPTW. Conclusion: In patients with SAH, different clinically relevant groups could be identified using WBC trajectory analysis. The WBC count trajectory—initially elevated and then decreased— may lead to an increased risk of in-hospital mortality following SAH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AI-aided clinical diagnosis is desired in medical care. Existing deep learning models lack explainability and mainly focus on image analysis. The recently developed Dynamic Uncertain Causality Graph (DUCG) approach is causality-driven, explainable, and invariant across different application scenarios, without problems of data collection, labeling, fitting, privacy, bias, generalization, high cost and high energy consumption. Through close collaboration between clinical experts and DUCG technicians, 46 DUCG models covering 54 chief complaints were constructed. Over 1,000 diseases can be diagnosed without triage. Before being applied in real-world, the 46 DUCG models were retrospectively verified by third-party hospitals. The verified diagnostic precisions were no less than 95%, in which the diagnostic precision for every disease including uncommon ones was no less than 80%. After verifications, the 46 DUCG models were applied in the real-world in China. Over one million real diagnosis cases have been performed, with only 17 incorrect diagnoses identified. Due to DUCG’s transparency, the mistakes causing the incorrect diagnoses were found and corrected. The diagnostic abilities of the clinicians who applied DUCG frequently were improved significantly. Following the introduction to the earlier presented DUCG methodology, the recommendation algorithm for potential medical checks is presented and the key idea of DUCG is extracted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To design a deep learning-based framework for automatic segmentation and detection of intracranial aneurysms (IAs) on magnetic resonance T1 images and test the robustness and performance of framework. Methods: A retrospective diagnostic study was conducted based on 159 IAs from 136 patients who underwent the T1 images. Among them, 127 cases were randomly selected for training and validation, and 32 cases were used to assess the accuracy and consistency of our algorithm. We developed and assembled three convolutional neural networks for the segmentation and detection of IAs. The segmentation and detection performance of the model were compared with the ground truth, and various metrics were calculated at the voxel level, IAs level, and patient level to show the performance of our framework. Results: Our assembled model achieved overall Dice, voxel-level sensitivity, specificity, balanced accuracy, and F1 score of 0.802, 0.874, 0.9998, 0.937, and 0.802, respectively. A coincidence greater than 0.7 between the aneurysms predicted by the model and the ground truth was considered as a true positive. For IAs detection, the sensitivity reached 90.63% with 0.58 false positives per case. The volume of IAs segmented by our model showed a high agreement and consistency with the volume of IAs labeled by experts. Conclusion: The deep learning framework is achievable and robust for IAs segmentation and detection. Our model offers more clinical application opportunities compared to digital subtraction angiography (DSA)-based, CTA-based, and MRA-based methods. Clinical relevance statement: Our deep learning framework effectively detects and segments intracranial aneurysms using clinical routine T1 sequences, showing remarkable effectiveness and offering great potential for improving the detection of latent intracranial aneurysms and enabling early identification. Key Points: •There is no segmentation method based on clinical routine T1 images. Our study shows that the proper deep learning framework can effectively localize the intracranial aneurysms. •The T1-based segmentation and detection method is more universal than other angiography-based detection methods, which can potentially reduce missed diagnoses caused by the absence of angiography images. •The deep learning framework is robust and has the potential to be applied in a clinical setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammation contributes to deep vein thrombosis (DVT) formation in patients with aSAH after endovascular treatment. The relationship between systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII) as an inflammatory marker and DVT formation remains unclear. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the association between SII and aSAH-associated DVT following endovascular treatment. We enrolled 562 consecutive patients with aSAH after endovascular treatment at three centers from January 2019 to September 2021. The endovascular treatments included simple coil embolization and stent-assisted coil embolization. Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) was assessed by Color Doppler ultrasonography (CDUS). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to establish the model. We assessed the association of the SII, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), the systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and DVT by using restricted cubic spline (RCS). ASAH-associated DVT was found in 136 (24.20%) patients. Based on the multiple logistic regression analysis, the correlation was found between aSAH-associated DVT and elevated SII (fourth quartile) (adjusted odds ratio = 8.20 [95% confidence interval, 3.76–17.92]; p < 0.001 [p for trend < 0.001]), elevated NLR (fourth quartile) (adjusted odds ratio = 6.94 [95% confidence interval, 3.24–14.89]; p < 0.001 [p for trend < 0.001]), elevated SIRI (fourth quartile) (adjusted odds ratio = 4.82 [95% confidence interval, 2.36–9.84]; p < 0.001 [p for trend < 0.001]), and elevated PLR (fourth quartile) (adjusted odds ratio = 5.49 [95% confidence interval, 2.61–11.57]; p < 0.001 [p for trend < 0.001]). The increased SII was correlated with the formation of aSAH-associated DVT after endovascular treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We aim to investigate associations between different coil strategies and outcomes in the aneurysms treated by a pipeline embolization device (PED). Methods: Patients with medium-to-giant-sized aneurysms treated by PED were included. The total cohort was divided into PED-alone and PED-coiling groups, and the PED-coiling group was further divided into loose and dense packing subgroups. Multivariate logistic analyses and stabilized inverse probability of treatment weighting (sIPTW) were performed to investigate the relationships between coiling strategies and outcomes. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) curves were used to describe the coiling degree and angiographic outcome relationship. Results: A total of 398 patients with 410 aneurysms were included. Aneurysms treated with PED coiling had a lower incomplete occlusion rate (15.3% vs. 30.3%, p = 0.002), higher total perioperative complication rate (14.2% vs. 3.5%, p = 0.001), longer production time (142.14 min vs. 101.26 min, p < 0.001), and higher total cost ($45,158.63 vs. $34,680.91, p < 0.001) than those treated with PED alone. There were no differences in outcomes between the loose and dense packing subgroups. However, the total cost was higher in the dense packing group ($43,787.46 vs. $47,288.32, p = 0.001) than in the loose packing group. The result was still robust in the multivariate and sIPTW analyses. The RCS curves showed "L-shape" relationships between the coil degree and angiographic outcomes. Conclusion: Compared with PED alone, PED coiling could improve aneurysm occlusion. However, it could also increase the total complication risk, prolong procedure time, and increase the total cost. Compared with loose packing, dense packing did not enhance the treatment effectiveness but increased the treatment cost. Clinical relevance statement: The additional treatment effect from coiling embolization declines sharply after a certain point. Specifically, the aneurysm occlusion rate is roughly stable when the coil number is greater than 3 or the total coil length is longer than 150 cm. Key Points: • Compared with pipeline embolization device (PED) alone, PED combined with coiling can improve aneurysm occlusion. • Compared with PED alone, PED combined with coiling increases the total complication risk, cost, and prolongs procedure time. • Compared with loose packing, dense packing did not increase the treatment effectiveness but increased the cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metals exposure has gained increasing attention in the hypertension prevention. However, previous studies have focused on the impacts of single or separated metals on hypertension, and the critical metals contributing to the prevalence of hypertension are still under discussion. We collected data from 5092 participants across three consecutive National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) circles (2011–2016). Weighted logistic regression, weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression, quantile-based g-computation (QGC), and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) analyses were conducted to evaluate the combined and individual effects of 15 urinary metals, as well as to identify the critical metals on the development of hypertension. In our study, the weighted prevalence of hypertension was 37.9%, and the average age was 47.42 years. Manganese, uranium and tin were found as the independent risk factors for hypertension, while barium, lead, and thallium were found to have protective effects against hypertension. Lead, barium, tungsten, uranium, and tin were determined as critical elements for the prediction of hypertension. No significant interaction relationship was detected between multiple metals. There might be potential positive combined effects of urinary metal mixture on hypertension. Tungsten, uranium, and tin were positively associated with hypertension while lead and barium were negatively associated with hypertension. The underlying mechanisms of urinary metal exposure on the risk of hypertension deserve further investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI) is a well-known marker of systemic inflammation reflecting the body's inflammatory/immune state. The study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the SIRI on admission and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH)-associated pneumonia and compare with other currently used bio-markers. We reviewed 562 successive patients with aneurysmal SAH who underwent endovascular treatment between January 2019 and September 2021. ASAH-associated pneumonia was diagnosed using the modified Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria. The SIRI on admission was calculated as monocyte count × neutrophil count / lymphocyte count. Multiple logistic regression models were used for data analysis. A total of 158 (28.11%) patients developed aSAH-associated pneumonia. Using the Multiple logistic regression analysis, a notable dose–response association was found between the elevated SIRI (fourth quartile) and aSAH-associated pneumonia (adjusted odds ratio = 6.759; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.280–13.930; p < 0.001 [p for trend < 0.001]). The SIRI (0.701, 95% CI: 0.653–0.749) presented a higher area under the curve (AUC) than systemic immune- inflammation index (SII) (0.669, 95% CI: 0.620–0.718) (p = 0.089); neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (0.665, 95% CI: 0.616–0.714) (p = 0.035) and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) (0.587, 95% CI: 0.534–0.641) (p < 0.001). A higher SIRI on admission was associated with aSAH-associated pneumonia, which may guide further clinical trials of prophylactic antibiotic therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the associations between aneurysm wall enhancement (AWE), atherosclerotic protein levels, and aneurysm size in unruptured intracranial fusiform aneurysms (IFAs). Methods: Patients with IFAs underwent high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR-MRI) and atherosclerotic protein examinations from May 2015 to December 2021 were collected. A CRstalk (signal intensity [SI] of IFA wall/SI of pituitary stalk) > 0.60 was considered to indicate AWE. Atherosclerotic protein data was obtained from the peripheral blood. Aneurysmal characteristics included the maximal diameter of the cross-section (Dmax), location, type of IFA, presence of mural thrombus, and mural clots. Statistical analyses were performed with univariate analysis, logistic regression analysis, and Spearman's correlation coefficient. Results: Seventy-one IFAs from 71 patients were included in the study. Multivariate analysis revealed statin use (OR = 0.189, p = 0.026) and apolipoprotein B (Apo-B) level (OR = 6.019, p = 0.026) were the independent predictors of AWE in IFAs. In addition, statin use (OR = 0.813, p = 0.036) and Apo-B level (OR = 1.610, p = 0.003) were also the independent predictors of CRstalk. Additionally, we found that CRstalk and AWE were significantly positively associated with Dmax (rs = 0.409 and 0.349, respectively; p < 0.001 and p = 0.003, respectively). Conclusions: There may be correlations between AWE, atherosclerotic protein levels, and aneurysm size in patients with IFAs. Apo-B and statin use were independent predictors of AWE in IFAs, which have the potential to be new therapeutic targets for IFAs. Key Points: • There may be correlations between aneurysm wall enhancement, atherosclerotic protein levels in the peripheral blood, and aneurysm size in patients with intracranial fusiform aneurysms. • Apolipoprotein B and statin use were independent predictors of aneurysm wall enhancement in intracranial fusiform aneurysms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective pressures at the boundaries of the outer-, inner-, and shell-confined H atoms are investigated using the numerical differentiation technique in which the system energies are solved by employing the generalized pseudospectral method. High-precision inner and outer effective pressures are obtained, and the results are compared with previous predictions based on a formula from the virial equation of state. We find that although the virial-based formula is well-suited for estimating the pressure on outer-confined atoms, it is generally not applicable for the inner- and shell-confined situations. The asymptotic laws of effective pressures on the outer- and inner-confined H atoms as the confinement radius approaches zero and infinity, respectively, are analyzed. For the shell-confined H atom, the distinct behaviors of effective pressures at the inner and outer boundaries as well as for the s and non-s bound states are attributed to the different confinement effect of boundaries on both the system eigenenergies and wave functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First published in 1854, Walden, by Henry David Thoreau, has been translated into many languages. The last three decades have witnessed a growing number of Chinese versions of Walden, together with an upsurge of interest in this classic American book. Adopting a descriptive and diachronic approach, this article surveys the different Chinese versions of Walden, the studies by Chinese scholars on Thoreau/Walden, as well as eco-writings inspired by Thoreau/Walden in China, with the purpose of investigating the translation and reception of Thoreau in China from three perspectives: those of translators, literary scholars and writers. Thoreau was initially understood by his Chinese translators as a foreign thinker whose work endorses traditional Chinese values such as the celebration of Nature and Tianrenheyi 天人合— (or "harmony between Nature and man"), and Walden was valued mainly for its perceived alignment with a "native" component in Chinese philosophy and a multifaceted figure in China. Later, this writing was regarded as a product of the complex integration of Chinese and American thinking in the eyes of Chinese literary scholars. Most recently, Thoreau has been transformed into a multifaceted figure in China, one who has enjoyed a great influence upon Chinese eco-writers. In some respects, the rising popularity of Thoreau in China mirrors his increasing popularity in the United States; however, the evolving reception of his work by translators, literary scholars and writers in China may diverge in detail from his critical and popular reception in his native country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent literature has highlighted the therapeutic implication of exosomes (Exos) released by adipose tissue-originated stromal cells (ADSCs) in regenerative medicine. Herein, the current study sought to examine the potential protective effects of ADSC-Exos on neuronal injury following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) by delivering miR-140-5p. Firstly, isolated primary neurons were co-cultured together with well-identified ADSC-Exos. TDP-43-treated neurons were subsequently treated with PKH67-ADSC-Exos and Cy3-miR-140-5p to assess whether ADSC-Exos could transmit miR-140-5p to the recipient neurons to affect their behaviors. Moreover, a luciferase assay was carried out to identify the presumable binding of miR-140-5p to IGFBP5. IGFBP5 rescue experimentation was also performed to testify whether IGFBP5 conferred the impact of miR-140-5p on neuronal damage. The role of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway was further analyzed with the application of its inhibitor miltefosine. Lastly, SAH rat models were developed for in vivo validation. It was found that ADSC-Exos conferred protection against TDP-43-caused neuronal injury by augmenting viability and suppressing cell apoptosis. In addition, miR-140-5p was transmitted from ADSC-Exos to neurons and post-transcriptionally downregulated the expression of IGFBP5. As a result, by means of suppressing IGFBP5 and activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, miR-140-5p from ADSC-Exos induced a neuroprotective effect. Furthermore, in vivo findings substantiated the aforementioned protective role of ADSC-Exos-miR-140-5p, contributing to protection against SAH-caused neurological dysfunction. Collectively, our findings indicated that ADSC-Exos-miR-140-5p could inhibit TDP-43-induced neuronal injury and attenuate neurological dysfunction of SAH rats by inhibiting IGFBP5 and activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The s-wave resonance in the exponential cosine screened Coulomb potential is investigated by employing the uniform complex-scaling generalized pseudospectral method. It is found that beyond the well-known critical screening parameter λ c = 0.720524 where the ground state merges into the continuum, there exists a huge gap for the screening parameter before the ground state transforms into a well-defined shape resonance lying above the autoionization threshold. The critical value for the emergence of such a shape resonance is determined at about λ r + = 0.90035 . The behavior of the system in the gap λ c < λ < λ r + is still a mystery, and it is conjectured that the bound state would probably transform into negative-energy virtual states and below-threshold shape resonances. For screening parameters larger than λ r + , the resonance positions and widths are calculated with high precision and the results are comparable to previous predictions available in the literature. The trajectories of the poles of S-matrix in both the complex energy and momentum planes are obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tracheobronchomegaly is a rare disease with congenital abnormal change in respiratory tract; its image features are also very special. In this case, we described a 57-year-old male with cough, expectoration, chest pain, and dyspnea. In our institution, the result of chest CT scan is highly extraordinary, which showed obvious dilation of the trachea and main bronchi, emphysema, and a number of pulmonary bullae, and there was a big bulla with air-fluid level on the lower lobe of the right lung. Fortunately, after wedge resection for the big bulla on the lower lobe of right lung under video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, this patient's symptoms were significantly relieved. The clinical manifestations of tracheobronchomegaly lack specificity; this disease has freakish image features. At present, there are no effective treatments for tracheobronchomegaly, which just was an accidental discovery in this patient; we just mainly take surgical measures to treat the big bulla for relieving symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) during pregnancy can adversely affect the neurodevelopment of the offspring. The balance of nerve growth factor (NGF)-related tropomyosin receptor kinase A/p75 neurotrophin receptor (TrkA/p75NTR) signaling in the hippocampus is important in brain development, and whether it affects cognitive function in maternal SCH's offspring is not clear. In this study, we found that compared with the control (CON) group, expression of proliferation-related proteins [NGF, p-TrkA, phospho-extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (p-ERK1/2) and phospho-cAMP response element-binding protein (p-CREB)] decreased in the hippocampus of the offspring in the SCH group, overt hypothyroidism (OHT) group, and the group with levothyroxine (L-T4) treatment for SCH from gestational day 17 (E17). In contrast, expression of apoptosis-related proteins [pro-NGF, p75NTR, phospho-C-Jun N-terminal kinase (p-JNK), p53, Bax and cleaved caspase-3] was increased. The two groups with treatment with L-T4 for SCH from E10 and E13, respectively, showed no significant difference compared with the CON group. L-T4 treatment enhanced relative expression of NGF by increasing NGF/proNGF ratio in offspring from maternal SCH rats. In conclusion, L-T4 treatment for SCH from early pregnancy dramatically ameliorated cognitive impairment via TrkA/p75NTR signaling, which involved activation of the neuronal proliferation and inhibition of neuronal apoptosis in SCH rats' offspring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large amount of historical data regarding urinary iodine concentration (UIC) were measured with the Sandell-Kolthoff (S-K) method for iodine nutrition surveillance. The congruence in urinary iodine measurements between inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and the S-K method has been debated. A total of 2064 adult urine samples were included in the present study. The UIC measurement results obtained simultaneously by standardized ICP-MS and the S-K method were analyzed. The UIC obtained with ICP-MS was significantly higher than that obtained with the S-K method (158 μg/L vs. 148 μg/L, p < 0.001). The Bland-Altman difference plot showed a small but significant mean difference of 6.12 μg/L between the two methods. The stratified analysis showed that the correlation coefficient was higher in the UIC < 300 μg/L group than the UIC ≥ 300 μg/L group (0.93 vs. 0.88, p = 0.0001). The mean difference between the S-K and ICP-MS methods was positively correlated with the UIC. The ICP-MS and S-K methods were comparable when the UIC was less than 300 μg/L; however, UIC values between 300 and 600 μg/L should be compared with caution after considering the research objective. We do not suggest comparing UICs obtained from the ICP-MS and S-K methods in iodine monitoring studies if the UIC is greater than 600 μg/L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multipole polarizabilities for hydrogen-like atoms with Hulthén potential are calculated with the sum-over-states formalism where the system bound and pseudocontinuum states are produced by employing the generalized pseudospectral method. Energies for nonzero angular momentum states, transition oscillator strengths, and dipole polarizabilities for the ground state of H atom with HP are calculated with high accuracy and compared with previous calculations. Quadrupole, octupole, and hexadecapole polarizabilities for both the ground and excited states are reported for the first time. The combined effect of Hulthén potential and impenetrable sphere on the polarizabilities is investigated, and the relation of such system with the confined H atom and particle in a box is discussed. Further comparison among Hulthén, screened Coulomb, and exponential cosine screened Coulomb potentials reveals that although the ground state energies follow the comparison theorem very well, their first-order energy corrections show complicated variations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring and revealing the secret of the function of the human brain has been the dream of mankind and science. Delineating brain transcriptional regulation has been extremely challenging, but recent technological advances have facilitated a deeper investigation of molecular processes in the brain. Tracing the molecular regulatory mechanisms of different gene expression profiles in the brain is divergent and has made it possible to connect spatial and temporal variations in gene expression to distributed properties of brain structure and function. Here, we review the molecular diversity of the brain among rodents, non-human primates and humans. We also discuss the molecular mechanism of non-coding DNA/RNA at the transcriptional/post-transcriptional level based on recent technical advances to highlight an improved understanding of the complex transcriptional network in the brain. Spatiotemporal and single-cell transcriptomics have attempted to gain novel insight into the development and evolution of the brain as well as the progression of human diseases. Although it is clear that the field is developing and challenges remain to be resolved, the impressive recent progress provides a solid foundation to better understand the brain and evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of brain diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the long-term clinical and angiographic outcomes and their related predictors in endovascular treatment (EVT) of small (<5 mm) ruptured intracranial aneurysms (SRA). Methods: The study retrospectively reviewed patients with SRAs who underwent EVT between September 2011 and December 2016 in two Chinese stroke centers. Medical charts and telephone call follow-up were used to identify the overall unfavorable clinical outcomes (OUCO, modified Rankin score ≤2) and any recanalization or retreatment. The independent predictors of OUCO and recanalization were studied using univariate and multivariate analyses. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify the predictors of retreatment. Results: In this study 272 SRAs were included with a median follow-up period of 5.0 years (interquartile range 3.5–6.5 years) and 231 patients with over 1171 aneurysm-years were contacted. Among these, OUCO, recanalization, and retreatment occurred in 20 (7.4%), 24 (12.8%), and 11 (7.1%) patients, respectively. Aneurysms accompanied by parent vessel stenosis (AAPVS), high Hunt-Hess grade, high Fisher grade, and intraoperative thrombogenesis in the parent artery (ITPA) were the independent predictors of OUCO. A wide neck was found to be a predictor of recanalization. The 11 retreatments included 1 case of surgical clipping, 6 cases of coiling, and 4 cases of stent-assisted coiling. A wide neck and AAPVS were the related predictors. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated relatively favorable clinical and angiographic outcomes in EVT of SRAs in long-term follow-up of up to 5 years. THE AAPVS, as a morphological indicator of the parent artery for both OUCO and retreatment, needs further validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to study the antimicrobial resistance, genetic characterization, and molecular epidemiology of Ureaplasma species in order to provide clinicians sufficient data to select optimal strategies of treatment for genitourinary tract infections of infertile male patients. Firstly, a total of 817 clinical semen specimens were detected for Ureaplasma species by molecular detection. Secondly, culture and identification of Ureaplasma species were achieved by using Mycoplasma ICS Test, and the antimicrobial susceptibility tests were determined by using broth microdilution assay. Then, the tetracycline resistance genetic determinants in Ureaplasma species were identified by PCR, and the fluoroquinolone and macrolide resistance genetic determinants were identified by DNA sequencing. Finally, the molecular epidemiology of Ureaplasma species was studied by both multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and expanded MLST (eMLST) schemes. Among the 817 semen specimens, 320 (39.17%) specimens were positive for Ureaplasma species. The percentages of resistance in 320 isolates against LEV, MXF, TET, and ERY were 47.5%, 39.38%, 19.69%, and 3.75%, respectively. The tet(M) and int-Tn genes were detected positive in all the tetracycline-resistant isolates. One macrolide-resistant UU isolate had a novel amino acid alteration (R66T) in L4 ribosomal protein and another UU isolate harbored a novel alteration (S109T) in L22. In fluoroquinolone-resistant isolates, S83L substitution in the ParC was predominant. In this area, ST22 and eST16 were the most prevalent ST and eST, respectively. One ST and 3 eSTs were newly identified in this study. This study has demonstrated that ERY can be first-line therapy for Ureaplasma species infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic health records (EHR) are rich heterogeneous collections of patient health information, whose broad adoption provides clinicians and researchers unprecedented opportunities for health informatics, disease-risk prediction, actionable clinical recommendations, and precision medicine. However, EHRs present several modeling challenges, including highly sparse data matrices, noisy irregular clinical notes, arbitrary biases in billing code assignment, diagnosis-driven lab tests, and heterogeneous data types. To address these challenges, we present MixEHR, a multi-view Bayesian topic model. We demonstrate MixEHR on MIMIC-III, Mayo Clinic Bipolar Disorder, and Quebec Congenital Heart Disease EHR datasets. Qualitatively, MixEHR disease topics reveal meaningful combinations of clinical features across heterogeneous data types. Quantitatively, we observe superior prediction accuracy of diagnostic codes and lab test imputations compared to the state-of-art methods. We leverage the inferred patient topic mixtures to classify target diseases and predict mortality of patients in critical conditions. In all comparison, MixEHR confers competitive performance and reveals meaningful disease-related topics. Electronic Health Records (EHR) are subject to noise, biases and missing data. Here, the authors present MixEHR, a multi-view Bayesian framework related to collaborative filtering and latent topic models for EHR data integration and modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel biomass carbon doped with dual-metal oxide mischcrystal (cobalt oxide and molybdenum oxide) was synthesized by using Enteromorpha (EP) of marine algae as carbon source. Multi-wrinkles biomass carbon (MWBC) with magnetic properties was obtained and formed highly dispersed CoOx/MoOy nanoparticles onto the surface of MWBC in situ via a simple impregnation and direct carbonization at 700 °C. The framework of CoOx/MoOy@MWBC was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The as-prepared CoOx/MoOy@MWBC was applied as efficient adsorbents for selective removal methyl blue (MB) at pH 10 from water medium. For comparison, single metal-derived porous carbon, i.e., CoOx@MWBC and MoOy@MWBC, was also synthesized, characterized and tested for MB adsorption. The results exhibited that CoOx/MoOy@MWBC has the highest MB adsorption capacity (1587.3 mg g−1) and excellent selectivity. In addition, it could be easily separated from water by an external magnetic field without any organic reagent added. Adsorption equilibrium data were described by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms, and kinetic data were described by pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and intraparticle diffusion model. Moreover, CoOx/MoOy@MWBC also owned outstanding stability and renewability, which can be regenerated by an easy-going method of ethanol washing and reused at least 10 times without a significant loss in removal percentage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the classification ability of quantitative radiomics features extracted on non-contrast-enhanced CT (NECT) image for discrimination of AVM-related hematomas from those caused by other etiologies.Methods: Two hundred sixty-one cases with intraparenchymal hematomas underwent baseline CT scan between 2012 and 2017 in our center. Cases were split into a training dataset (n = 180) and a test dataset (n = 81). Hematoma types were dichotomized into two classes, namely, AVM-related hematomas (AVM-H) and hematomas caused by other etiologies. A total of 576 radiomics features of 6 feature groups were extracted from NECT. We applied 11 feature selection methods to select informative features from each feature group. Selected radiomics features and the clinical feature age were then used to fit machine learning classifiers. In combination of the 11 feature selection methods and 8 classifiers, we constructed 88 predictive models. Predictive models were evaluated and the optimal one was selected and evaluated.Results: The selected radiomics model was RELF_Ada, which was trained with Adaboost classifier and features selected by Relief method. Cross-validated area under the curve (AUC) on training dataset was 0.988 and the relative standard deviation (RSD%) was 0.062. AUC on the test dataset was 0.957. Accuracy (ACC), sensitivity, specificity, positive prediction value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were 0.926, 0.889, 0.937, 0.800, and 0.967, respectively.Conclusions: Machine learning models with radiomics features extracted from NECT scan accurately discriminated AVM-related intraparenchymal hematomas from those caused by other etiologies. This technique provided a fast, non-invasive approach without use of contrast to diagnose this disease.Key Points: • Radiomics features from non-contrast-enhanced CT accurately discriminated AVM-related hematomas from those caused by other etiologies. • AVM-related hematomas tended to be larger in diameter, coarser in texture, and more heterogeneous in composition. • Adaboost classifier is an efficient approach for analyzing radiomics features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study sought to assess factors associated with quality of life (QoL), and predictive of improvements in QoL over time, in a population-based cohort study. A 4-year longitudinal survey was administered to 2433 individuals at the study baseline; of these, 1828 individuals participated in Wave 2, and 1303 participated in Wave 3. QoL was measured by the Satisfaction with Life Domains Scale. Thirty-two variables were correlated with baseline QoL and together explained 58.2% of the variance. Eleven variables were independent predictors of improvement in QoL over time. Among these variables, social support and stress/coping showed the strongest association with QoL, and neighbourhood characteristics had an additional influence. Multidimensional modelling of a broad spectrum of the factors related to QoL enabled situating mental health and well-being in an ecological system with attendant implications for public health and social policy intervention to facilitate improvement of QoL in the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The PANI/porous ZFO composites were successfully prepared via an in situ method. The phase structures and the morphologies of the samples have been characterized. The electrochemical properties of the samples were assessed according to the cyclic voltammetry (CV), constant current charge-discharge measurements and electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tested in 1 M H2SO4 aqueous electrolyte. The PANI/porous ZFO composites exhibit higher specific capacitance compared to the pure PANI and porous ZFO, which is due to the fact that the depositing PANI on porous ZFO increases the electrical conductivity according to the EIS results. The PANI/porous ZFO composite with the mass ratio of 10:1 possess a specific capacitance of 328 F g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1 and increased 8.5% of its initial specific capacitance after 2000 successful CV cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined factors associated with mental health services (MHS) use by individuals with mental disorders within a developmental perspective of adulthood. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted separately for each developmental stage on independent variables using the Andersen's behavioral health service model. For 18-29-year-old emerging adults (n = 141), autonomy, daily life/relations, Internet searching, alcohol dependence, cognitive impulsiveness, number of stressful events, and self-harm were associated with MHS use. For 30-49-year olds (n = 292), being female, country of origin, being on welfare, social integration, Internet searching, and number of stressful events were associated with MHS use. For 50-64-year-old middle-aged adults (n = 126), current occupation was associated with MHS use. Developing online resources for emerging adults may increase MHS use. For 30-49-year olds, outreach should target male, immigrants, and individuals less socially integrated and on welfare. For middle-aged adults, workplace programs that reduce stigma and offer psychological help could increase MHS use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apoptosis occurs in many autoimmune diseases. Excess iodine induces thyrocyte apoptosis and increases the incidence and prevalence of autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT). However, the sequence of events between the appearance of thyrocyte apoptosis and the occurrence of thyroiditis remains uncharacterized. Furthermore, few studies have investigated the role of macrophage phagocytosis in the development of AIT. Therefore, we evaluated the relationship between apoptosis and inflammatory infiltration in NOD.H-2h4 mouse thyroids by comparing the sequence of events in tissue samples. We also investigated the role of macrophages by comparing macrophage phagocytosis function in BALB/c, C57BL/6, and NOD.H-2h4 mice treated with different levels of iodine. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assays and thyroid inflammatory scores revealed that apoptosis (2 weeks) occurred before inflammatory infiltration (4 weeks). Phosphatidylserine (PS) expression on the extracellular surface of the cell membrane and double-stranded DNA fragments associated with apoptosis appeared at 2 and 8 weeks, respectively. Additionally, although apoptosis was enhanced in the thyroids of mice supplemented with excess iodine (0.05 ± 0.12 vs 1.63 ± 0.82% for BALB/c, 0.09 ± 0.14 vs 1.51 ± 0.34% for C57BL/6, and 0.07 ± 1.11 vs 4.72 ± 0.62% for NOD.H-2h4 mice), only NOD.H-2h4 mouse thyroids presented with inflammation. Furthermore, macrophages from NOD.H-2h4 mice (44.46 ± 1.79%) exhibited decreased phagocytotic activity relative to that in BALB/c (54.21 ± 4.58%) and C57BL/6 (58.96 ± 4.04%) mice. There were no differences in phagocytosis function between NOD.H-2h4 mice supplemented with excess iodine or left untreated (24.50 ± 2.66 vs 21.71 ± 1.79%, p = 0.06). In conclusion, deficiencies in the apoptosis clearance of macrophages in NOD.H-2h4 mice may constitute an early pathogenic mechanism in AIT that is not influenced by iodine intake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor postnatal mental health is a major public health issue, and risk factors include experiencing adverse life events during pregnancy. We assessed whether midwifery group practice, compared to standard hospital care, would protect women from the negative impact of a sudden-onset flood on postnatal depression and anxiety. Women either received midwifery group practice care in pregnancy, in which they were allocated a primary midwife who provided continuity of care, or they received standard hospital care provided by various on-call and rostered medical staff. Women were pregnant when a sudden-onset flood severely affected Queensland, Australia, in January 2011. Women completed questionnaires on their flood-related hardship (objective stress), emotional reactions (subjective stress), and cognitive appraisal of the impact of the flood. Self-report assessments of the women’s depression and anxiety were obtained during pregnancy, at 6 weeks and 6 months postnatally. Controlling for all main effects, regression analyses at 6 weeks postpartum showed a significant interaction between maternity care type and objective flood-related hardship and subjective stress, such that depression scores increased with increasing objective and subjective stress with standard care, but not with midwifery group practice (continuity), indicating a buffering effect of continuity of midwifery carer. Similar results were found for anxiety scores at 6 weeks, but only with subjective stress. The benefits of midwifery continuity of carer in pregnancy extend beyond a more positive birth experience and better birthing and infant outcomes, to mitigating the effects of high levels of stress experienced by women in the context of a natural disaster on postnatal mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenotypic modulation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is involved in the pathophysiological processes of the intracranial aneurysms (IAs). Although shear stress has been implicated in the proliferation, migration, and phenotypic conversion of VSMCs, the molecular mechanisms underlying these events are currently unknown. In this study, we investigated whether shear stress(SS)-induced VSMC phenotypic modulation was mediated by autophagy involved in adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/Unc-51-like kinase 1 (ULK1) pathway. The results show that shear stress could inhibit the expression of key VSMC contractile genes and induce pro-inflammatory/matrix-remodeling genes levels, contributing to VSMCs phenotypic switching from a contractile to a synthetic phenotype. More importantly, Shear stress also markedly increased the levels of the autophagy marker microtubule-associated protein light chain 3-II (LC3II), Beclin-1, and p62 degradation. The autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) significantly blocked shear-induced phenotypic modulation of VSMCs. To further explore the molecular mechanism involved in shear-induced autophagy, we found that shear stress could activate AMPK/mTOR/ULK1 signaling pathway in VSMCs. Compound C, a pharmacological inhibitor of AMPK, significantly reduced the levels of p-AMPK and p-ULK, enhanced p-mTOR level, and finally decreased LC3II and Beclin-1 level, which suggested that activated AMPK/mTOR/ULK1 signaling was related to shear-mediated autophagy. These results indicate that shear stress promotes VSMC phenotypic modulation through the induction of autophagy involved in activating the AMPK/mTOR/ULK1 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two-machine flow shop scheduling scenario with an availability constraint on one of the two machines is considered. Seven mixed integer programming formulations (MIPFs) are proposed for the problem where the availability constraint is imposed on the first machine. Seven analogs are proposed for its counterpart. Size complexity analysis of these MIPFs is provided. Numerical results indicate that, for either one of the two problems, each of the corresponding first three MIPFs can solve instances of size up to 100 jobs in reasonable times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In terms of the coal reservoir permeability of effective stress, coal matrix shrinkage and gas slippage, we conduct the tests of gas permeability under constant confining pressure and effective stress, as well as illustrate the cumulating method of permeability increment caused by the effects of gas slippage and coal matrix shrinkage. The results show that under the constant confining pressure, gas slippage affecting coal permeability changes to effective stress affecting it mainly. The change point increases with the increase of the confining pressure. The gas slippage effect leads to high permeability under low confining pressure, but coal matrix expansion results in the low value as confining and gas pressures increase. Combined with the drainage process of coalbed methane (CBM) well, the permeability is divided into four change stages based on the above analysis about the three effects, which can improve the change regulation understanding. Four stages are the downward phase under effective stress, the conversion phase of effective stress-coal matrix contraction effect (mainly based on effective stress), the rising stage of the effective stress-coal matrix contraction effect (mainly based on coal matrix contraction effect) and the rising phase of coal matrix contraction-slippage effect (mainly based on slippage effect). Permeability of coal reservoir during the process of drainage and production goes through four stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With and without mental disorders, low levels of positive mental health are associated with limitations in daily life and with an economic burden in developed countries. We aimed to assess the correlates and predictors of high levels of well-being (WB) in Keyes' model of mental health. A four-year longitudinal population-based study was administered, in Montreal, Canada. At baseline, 1828 participated in wave 1, and 1303 in wave 2. WB was measured by the Mental Health Continuum Short Form, and data were collected by direct interviews. 17 variables were correlated with WB. Seven variables were predictors of having excellent WB. Stress/coping variables like ability to handle difficult problems or having the personal ability to deal with stress showed the strongest effects (respectively, OR = 1.790, 95% CI 1.232-2.601, OR = 2.118, CI 95% 1.324-3.387). This study underscores the importance of testing a multidimensional model accounting for a spectrum of relevant variables relating to WB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated the relationship between child (aged 6-36 months) height and blood zinc, copper, iron, calcium, and magnesium concentrations. We selected 840 children following a physical examination. Weight and supine length or standing height were measured according to the World Health Organization guidelines. Polarographic analysis was used to measure zinc, copper, iron, magnesium, and calcium levels. Differences in heights between groups with low vs. high mineral concentrations, stratified by sex and age, were compared by analysis of variance. Relationships between these five elements and heights were tested by multiple regression analysis. Zinc levels in the shorter group (height for age (HAZ) ≤ −0.3) were 135.84 ± 39.76 and 134.83 ± 37.57 μmol/L in boys and girls, respectively. Zinc concentrations in the taller group (HAZ > −0.3) were 142.50 ± 35.85 and 140.52 ± 35.80 μmol/L in boys and girls, respectively. The difference between the two height groups in boys and girls was statistically significant. Compared with those (143.06 ± 33.76 μmol/L) in the taller group, zinc concentration (131.30 ± 40.75 μmol/L) in the shorter group was significantly lower ( p = 0.04) at age 6-12 months. Height was positively correlated with zinc level in children aged 6-12 months ( p < 0.05). Zinc levels were positively correlated with calcium, magnesium, and iron concentrations in children aged 6-36 months ( p < 0.05). Our results indicated that zinc levels and height are correlated, and zinc levels were related to calcium, magnesium, copper, and iron concentrations. Therefore, to ensure healthy development in children, blood levels of these five elements should be balanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additional hemodynamic parameters are highly desirable in the clinical management of intracranial aneurysm rupture as static medical images cannot demonstrate the blood flow within aneurysms. There are two ways of obtaining the hemodynamic information-by phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (PCMRI) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). In this paper, we compared PCMRI and CFD in the analysis of a stable patient's specific aneurysm. The results showed that PCMRI and CFD are in good agreement with each other. An additional CFD study of two stable and two ruptured aneurysms revealed that ruptured aneurysms have a higher statistical average blood velocity, wall shear stress, and oscillatory shear index (OSI) within the aneurysm sac compared to those of stable aneurysms. Furthermore, for ruptured aneurysms, the OSI divides the positive and negative wall shear stress divergence at the aneurysm sac. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of prolonged iodine overdose on type 2 iodothyronine deiodinase (D2) ubiquitination-related enzymes. Male Wistar rats were fed different doses of iodine and were then euthanized at the 4, 8, 12, or 24 weeks (4w, 8w, 12w, or 24w) after iodine administration. Urinary iodine concentration (UIC), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), total thyroxine (TT4), and total triiodothyronine (TT3) were determined. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot were used to measure mRNA and protein expression levels of pituitary D2 as well as two D2-specific ubiquitin ligases [WD repeat and SOCS box-containing protein 1 (WSB-1), membrane-associated ring finger (C3HC4) 6 (MARCH6 or TEB4)] and two D2-specific deubiquitinating enzymes [ubiquitin-specific peptidase 20 (USP20) and ubiquitin-specific peptidase 33 (USP33)]. The mRNA and protein expression levels of USP19, a TEB4-specific deubiquitinating enzyme, were also measured. Prolonged high iodine intake significantly increased TSH expression. At 12w, TSH was 1.57-, 1.44-, and 2.11-fold of NI group in 6HI, 10HI, and 50HI groups, respectively. At 24w, TSH had increased to 2.11-fold in the 50HI group. The pituitary D2 protein level decreased at 12w and 24w; though the mRNA level did not change. Prolonged iodine intake increased mRNA and protein expression levels of pituitary WSB-1 and TEB4. High iodine intake had no discernible effects on USP20. Temporary increases in USP33 and USP19 mRNA levels were observed. The enzymes related to D2 ubiquitination change with prolonged high iodine intake. Increased D2 ubiquitination suppresses the activity of D2, causing a decrease in negative feedback of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Main conclusion: The three homeologues of wheat NCED2 were identified; the wheat NCED2A and CYP707A1B affect seed ABA level and dormancy but not leaf ABA level and transpirational water loss in Arabidopsis. Biosynthesis and catabolism of abscisic acid (ABA) in plants are primarily regulated by 9- cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenases (NCEDs) and ABA 8′-hydroxylase (ABA8′OH), respectively. The present study identified the complete coding sequences of a second NCED gene, designated as TaNCED2, and its homeologues ( TaNCED2A, TaNCED2B and TaNCED2D) in hexaploid wheat, and characterized its functionality in seed dormancy and leaf dehydration tolerance using the TaNCED2A homeologue. The study also investigated the role of the B genome copy of the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase 707A1 ( CYP707A1) gene of hexaploid wheat ( TaCYP707A1B), which encodes ABA8′OH, in regulating the two traits as this has not been studied before. Ectopic expression of TaNCED2A and TaCYP707A1B in Arabidopsis resulted in altered seed ABA level and dormancy with no effect on leaf ABA content and transpirational water loss. To gain insights into the physiological roles of TaNCED2 and TaCYP707A1 in wheat, the study examined their spatiotemporal expression patterns and determined the genomic contributions of transcripts to their total expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bismuth selenide (BiSe) nanostructures have been synthesized via chemical vapor deposition at different temperatures. In order to reduce the Se vacancy in BiSe, the ultrapure BiSe mixed with the Se powder source is used to supply a sufficient selenium atmosphere. The crystallization, composition, morphology of the products effected by temperature were characterized by XRD, SEM, EDX, HRTEM, SAED and Raman. The results show that the nanostructures of BiSe deposited at 500 °C is optimized in our experimental conditions. Meanwhile, it provided an evidence to synthesize BiSe nanostructures, which is more advantageous to investigate the exotic surface states and potential applications in spintronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Despite the availability of efficacious treatments, few individuals with a new-onset mental disorder access treatment in a timely manner. While barriers to mental health treatment have been studied among prevalent cases, few studies have focused specifically on incident cases. The purpose of the current study was to examine the prevalence and correlates of perceived barriers to mental health treatment among incident cases. Methods: Data came from the Canadian Community Health Survey, cycle 1.2 (CCHS 1.2), which represents a nationally representative sample of 36,984 Canadians. We used descriptive analyses to estimate the prevalence of different types of perceived barriers to treatment and logistic regression analyses to estimate the association between potential correlates and the probability of endorsing each type of barrier. Results: The most frequently reported type of barrier was acceptability. Coping efficacy and psychological well-being were negatively associated with the likelihood of reporting accessibility barriers. Education was negatively associated with reporting acceptability barriers but positively associated with reporting availability barriers. Conclusions: Among individuals with a recent disorder onset, acceptability barriers are the most frequently reported. Perceived accessibility barriers may be open to influence from current clinical functioning and current perceptions of internal coping resources. These findings contribute to an important discussion about the complexity of pathways to care and point to the need for comprehensive approaches to overcoming barriers to care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backgrond: Because of complex angioarchitecture, the transarterial or venous pathway is not feasible for some cavernous sinus dural arteriovenous fistulas (CS DAVFs). We present six cases in which onyx embolization of a CS DAVFs was made possible through direct transorbital puncture. Methods: In the present study, all patients were penetrated through one third of the medial-lateral of the inferior orbital rim under the guidance of fluoroscopy superimposed on the three-dimensional reconstructed skull image to complete embolization (onyx with or without coils). The records of patient demographics, clinical manifestation, fistula features, procedures, clinical outcome and angiographic outcome were reviewed and analyzed. Results: In our series of six patients, the immediate angiographic result showed complete occlusion in all patients. The six patients experienced retrobulbarhematoma and eye swelling right after embolization, while the swelling significantly subsided after 3-5 days of conservative treatment. During the postoperative angiography and clinical follow-up (4-10 months), one of the patients had decreased visual acuity; the other five patients did not have neurological dysfunction. Conclusions: Onyx embolization via direct transorbital puncture provides a method to be considered to treat CS DAVFs when the conventional transvenous approaches are inaccessible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competitive multi-agent scheduling has attracted increasingly more and more researchers' attention recently. Inspired by the observation that a machine may not be always available during the whole planning horizon, we study a new category of scheduling problems where competitive two-agent scheduling and flexible periodic maintenance are considered simultaneously. As a start of this new topic, we focus our attention on establishing mathematical programming models for some of these scheduling problems. Specifically, we first present a framework for the general problem, and then construct various constraint blocks, which include common constraint block, constraint block for the relationship between start times and completion times of the jobs, constraint block for the relationship between the jobs and the maintenance activities, constraint block for various regular objective functions of the two agents, constraint block for the ranges of variables, and constraint block for the other constraint factors. One can establish mathematical programming models for at least 512 scheduling scenarios of this category easily based on these constraint blocks. The work presented in this paper is extremely useful for the production managers and software developers who are seeking for optimization models to generate optimal schedules for their problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]