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Anxiety among pregnant women can significantly impact their overall well-being. However, the development of data-driven HCI interventions for this demographic is often hindered by data scarcity and collection challenges. In this study, we leverage the Empatica E4 wristband to gather physiological data from pregnant women in both resting and relaxed states. Additionally, we collect subjective reports on their anxiety levels. We integrate features from signals including Blood Volume Pulse (BVP), Skin Temperature (SKT), and Inter-Beat Interval (IBI). Employing a Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm, we construct a model capable of evaluating anxiety levels in pregnant women. Our model attains an emotion recognition accuracy of 69.3%, marking achievements in HCI technology tailored for this specific user group. Furthermore, we introduce conceptual ideas for biofeedback on maternal emotions and its interactive mechanism, shedding light on improved monitoring and timely intervention strategies to enhance the emotional health of pregnant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By comprehensive utilizing of the geometry structure of 2D Burgers equation and the stochastic noise, we find the decay properties of the solution to the stochastic 2D Burgers equation with Dirichlet boundary conditions. Consequently, the expected ergodicity for this turbulence model is established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a novel Fast Visually Meaningful Image Encryption based on Compressive Sensing and Joint Diffusion and Scrambling (FVMIECJ). Our approach leverages several innovative aspects: First, we employ a novel seven-dimensional (7D) hyper-chaotic system to generate the measurement matrix for Compressive Sensing (CS) and the random sequences essential for subsequent encryption operations. Utilizing this 7D hyper-chaotic system enhances the randomness and security of the image encryption process. Second, we propose a novel joint diffusion and scrambling encryption scheme to improve the security performance of the algorithm further. This algorithm combines different cryptographic techniques to provide robust protection against attacks. Finally, we present an efficient visual image encryption framework for high-speed encryption applications. This framework ensures robust security and delivers exceptional encryption speed, making it suitable for scenarios where fast encryption is required. Through simulations and comparative analysis, FVMIECJ demonstrated outstanding performance in terms of security and speed, making it a promising solution for image encryption applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal, which is both an environmental pollutant, and a threat to human health. A fluorescent probe was developed to detect Cd2+ selectively, sensitively, and quickly. This study reports the successful development of a polypeptide fluorescent probe TPE-HC (TPE-His-Pro-Gly-Cys) which selectively detects Cd2+ by Aggregation-Induced Emission effect. After fluorescence excitation, Cd2+ can be effectively detected based on the change of fluorescence intensity. The detection limit of Cd2+ in buffer solution was determined to be 151 nM (R2 = 0.9933). This probe exhibits high sensitivity, high cell permeabilit y, and low biological toxicity, and can perform live cell imaging under biological conditions. This study indicates that TPE-HC can detect Cd2+ in biological environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimating the overlap between two states is an important task with several applications in quantum information. However, the typical swap test circuit can only measure a sole pair of quantum states at a time. In this study, a recursive quantum circuit is designed to measure overlaps of n quantum states | ϕ 1 〉 , | ϕ 2 〉 , ... | ϕ n 〉 concurrently with O (k 2 k) controlled-swap(CSWAP) gates and O (k) ancillary qubits, where k = ⌈ log n ⌉ . All pairwise overlaps among input quantum states | 〈 ϕ i | ϕ j 〉 | 2 can be obtained in this circuit. Compared with existing scheme for measuring the overlap of multiple quantum states, the circuit provides higher precision and less consumption of ancillary qubits. In addition, some simulation experiments are performed on IBM quantum cloud platform to verify the superiority of this algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Central South University is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Advancements in nanofabrication technology have greatly facilitated research on nanostructures and their associated properties. Among these structures, subwavelength components have emerged as promising candidates for ultra-compact optical elements, can potentially supplant conventional optical components and enable the realization of compact and efficient optical devices. Spectral analysis within the infrared spectrum offers a wealth of information for monitoring crop health, industrial processes, and target identification. However, conventional spectrometers are typically bulky and expensive, driving an increasing demand for cost-effective spectral sensors. Here we investigate three distinct subwavelength grating structures designed to function as narrowband filters within the short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) range. Through simple adjustments to the period of grating strips, these filters selectively transmit light across a wide wavelength range from 1100 to 1700 nm with transmission exceeding 70% and full width at half maximum (FWHM) down to 6 nm. Based on a simple design, the results present great potential of subwavelength grating filters for multiband integration and developing ultra-compact spectral sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integer-order hyperchaotic image encryption has demonstrated significant potential in ensuring image security. Recent research suggests fractional-order hyperchaotic systems typically exhibit superior chaotic characteristics to integer-order ones. As a critical operation in image encryption, diffusion usually changes the values of the image pixel by pixel, resulting in low efficiency. At the same time, most image encryption approaches conduct the diffusion and the other operation, permutation that changes the positions of pixels, separately, leading to a high risk of being cracked. To address these issues, an image encryption approach based on a newly designed fractional-order hyperchaotic system and fast row-column-level joint permutation and diffusion, termed FHFJPD, is proposed in this paper. A new 5D fractional-order hyperchaotic system is designed to generate pseudorandom sequences, and the corresponding analysis demonstrates its favorable complex dynamical characteristics. With the sequences generated by the designed fractional-order hyperchaotic system, we propose a novel joint permutation and diffusion scheme that can change the pixel values row by row or column by column rather than point by point as in typical image encryption schemes. Various experimental results demonstrate that the proposed FHFJPD exhibits excellent security and performance for image encryption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we are concerned with multi-scale distribution-dependent stochastic differential equations driven by fractional Brownian motion (with Hurst index H > 1 2 ) and standard Brownian motion, simultaneously. Our aim is to establish a large deviation principle for the multi-scale distribution-dependent stochastic differential equations. This is done via the weak convergence approach and our proof is based heavily on the fractional calculus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polarized light is critical for a wide range of applications, but is usually generated by filtering unpolarized light, which leads to substantial energy losses and requires additional optics. Here we demonstrate the direct emission of linearly polarized light from light-emitting diodes made of CsPbI3 perovskite nanoplatelet superlattices. The use of solvents with different vapour pressures enables the self-assembly of the nanoplatelets with fine control over their orientation (either face-up or edge-up) and therefore their transition dipole moment. As a result of the highly uniform alignment of the nanoplatelets, as well as their strong quantum and dielectric confinement, large exciton fine-structure splitting is achieved at the film level, leading to pure red light-emitting diodes with linearly polarized electroluminescence exhibiting a high degree of polarization of 74.4% without any photonic structures. This work demonstrates the potential of perovskite nanoplatelets as a promising source of linearly polarized light, opening up the development of next-generation three-dimensional displays and optical communications from a highly versatile, solution-processable system. Self-assembled perovskite nanoplatelets emit linearly polarized light, enabling the realization of red perovskite light-emitting diodes with a 74.4% degree of linear polarization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutrophil elastase (NE) is a proteolytic enzyme released extracellular during the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) through degranulation. In addition to participating in the body's inflammatory response, NE also plays an important role in cancer. It can promote tumor proliferation, migration, and invasion, induce epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and change the tumor microenvironment (TME) to promote tumor progression. Concurrently, NE promotes systemic treatment resistance by inducing EMT. However, it can also selectively kill cancer cells and attenuate tumor development. Sivelestat is a specific NE inhibitor that can be used in the perioperative period of esophageal cancer patients to reduce the incidence of postoperative complications after esophagectomy. In addition, the combination of sivelestat and trastuzumab can enhance the efficacy of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER 2) positive breast cancer patients. Meanwhile, targeting the human antibody domains and fragments of NE is also a new way to treat cancer and inflammation-related diseases. This review provides valuable insights into the role of NE in cancer treatment. Additionally, we discuss the challenges associated with the clinical application of sivelestat. By shedding light on the promising potential of NE, this review contributes to the advancement of cancer treatment strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aptamers, as a kind of small-molecule nucleic acid, have attracted much attention since their discovery. Compared with biological reagents such as antibodies, aptamers have the advantages of small molecular weight, low immunogenicity, low cost, and easy modification. At present, aptamers are mainly used in disease biomarker discovery, disease diagnosis, treatment, and targeted drug delivery vectors. In the process of screening and optimizing aptamers, it is found that there are still many problems need to be solved such as the design of the library, optimization of screening conditions, the truncation of screened aptamer, and the stability and toxicity of the aptamer. In recent years, the incidence of liver-related diseases is increasing year by year and the treatment measures are relatively lacking, which has attracted the people's attention in the application of aptamers in liver diseases. This article mainly summarizes the research status of aptamers in disease diagnosis and treatment, especially focusing on the application of aptamers in liver diseases, showing the crucial significance of aptamers in the diagnosis and treatment of liver diseases, and the use of Discovery Studio software to find the binding target and sequence of aptamers, and explore their possible interaction sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We investigated in older adult non-cardiac surgical patients whether receipt of perioperative non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is associated with increased incidence of postoperative cardiovascular complications. Methods: We retrospectively extracted the information for patients with age ≥ 65 years who had inpatient non-cardiac surgery with a duration of ≥ 1 h from the American College of Surgeons-National Surgical Quality Improvement Program registry data acquired at the University of Washington Medical Center. We compared patients who received NSAIDs perioperatively to those who did not receive NSAIDs, on the two composite outcomes: (1) the incidence of postoperative cardiovascular complications within 30 days of the surgery, and (2) the incidence of combined postoperative gastrointestinal and renal complications, and length of postoperative hospital stay. We used separate multivariable logistic regression models to analyze the two composite outcomes and a Poisson regression model for the length of hospital stay. Results: The receipt of perioperative NSAIDs was not associated with postoperative cardiovascular complications (estimated odds ratio (OR), 1.78; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.97 to 3.25; P = 0.06), combined renal and gastrointestinal complications (estimated OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 0.53 to 3.20; P = 0.57), and length of postoperative hospital stay in days (incidence rate ratio, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.93 to 1.21; P = 0.39). Conclusions: In older adult non-cardiac surgical patients, receipt of perioperative NSAIDs was not associated with increased incidences of postoperative cardiovascular complications, and renal and gastrointestinal complications within 30 days after surgery, or length of postoperative hospital stay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumer perceptions of helpfulness remain an open question due to the lack of semantic and spatial features of review content. This paper aims to explore three aspects of the contents of a review: time, rating, and location, to assess the helpfulness of hotel reviews. A multi-view graph convolutional network (MVGCN) and attention mechanisms that capture multimodal semantic information are designed. The experimental results on Yelp and TripAdvisor are evaluated. The findings indicate that this facilitates the filtering of helpful information and avoids information overload when reading to customers. The results show that the proposed model outperforms the baseline and illustrates the interpretability of the models in each view. Our work is essential for professionals of both hotel and travel platforms that can utilize our findings to optimize their sales systems. Also, the results can help visitors or users acquire beneficial information and avoid information overload. This study is one of the few articles that can promote a model interpretable for information overload, which aims to guide research on evaluating the helpfulness of reviews in the hotel sector. This study contributes also to the methodology by developing extracting features of multimodal data, giving a multi-view feature with several novel assessments, and a novel framework involving deep learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bisphenol A (BPA), an important endocrine disrupting compound, has infiltrated human daily lives through electronic devices, food containers, and children's toys. Developing of novel BPA assay methods with high sensitivity holds tremendous importance in valuing the pollution state. Here, we constructed an ultrasensitive photoelectrochemical (PEC) aptasensor for BPA determination by regulating photoactivities of CdS/Ni-based metal–organic framework (CdS/Ni-MOF) with [Ru(bpy)2dppz]2+ sensitizer. CdS/Ni-MOF spheres exhibited excellent photocatalytic performance, serving as a potential sensing platform for the construction of target recognition process. [Ru(bpy)2dppz]2+ were embedded into DNA double-stranded structure, functioning as sensitizer for modulating the signal response of the developed PEC aptasensor. The proposed PEC sensor exhibited outstanding analytical performances, including a wide linear range (0.1 to 1000.0 nM), low detection limit (0.026 nM, at 3σ/m), excellent selectivity, and high stability. This work provides a perspective for the design of ideal photosensitive materials and signal amplification strategies and extends their application in environment analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Central South University is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study is nationwide multicenter epidemiological research, aimed at investigating the distribution changes and seasonal patterns of various airborne allergens among preschool children with allergic rhinitis (AR) in different regions of China, and analyzing the clinical correlation between sensitization to various airborne allergens and AR symptoms in children. Information on children was collected through standard questionnaires, and total IgE (tIgE) and specific IgE (sIgE) for 11 inhalant allergens were tested. The results showed that dust mites are the primary allergens for preschool AR children (39%). Among pollen allergens, Amb a had the highest positivity rate (8.1%), followed by Art v (7.8%). The sensitization rates for two mites peaked in May (46.9% and 40.6%). Art v peaked in August (21.5%), while Amb a had peaks in May (12.7%) and August (17.8%). The sensitization peaks for various tree pollens mainly occurred in August. In the Eastern monsoon region, the sensitization rate to mites was significantly higher than in the Northwest arid and semi-arid regions; whereas, for pollen allergens, the sensitization rates to Amb a, Pla a, Pin a, Pop d, and Bet v were significantly higher in the Northwest arid and semi-arid regions than in the Eastern monsoon region. The correlation among various tree pollens, specifically between Pla a, Pin r, Pop d, and Bet v was strong (0.63 ~ 0.79), with a cross-overlapping percentage of 53.9%. Children with multiple pollen sensitizations had higher cumulative nasal symptom scores than those negative for pollen (P < 0.01). Children with only pollen sensitization had higher cumulative rhinitis symptom scores than the all-negative group (P < 0.0001) and the mite-only sensitization group [P < 0.05], while the mite-only sensitization group also had higher scores than the all-negative group [P < 0.05], and the group sensitized to both pollen and mites had lower scores than the pollen-only group [P < 0.05]. This study indicates that sensitization to mites and grass pollens exhibits significant regional differences, with grass pollen allergies primarily occurring in autumn, sensitization to pollens in general exhibits a pronounced seasonal pattern. Moreover, pollen sensitization aggravates nasal and ocular symptoms in AR children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3D Burgers equation is an important model for turbulence. It is natural to expect the long-time behaviour for this hydrodynamics equation. However, there is no result about the long-time behaviour for this deterministic model. Surprisingly, if the system is perturbed by stochastic noise, we establish the existence and uniqueness of invariant measure for 3D stochastic Burgers equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To realize the harmless treatment of various wastes and develop alternative fertilizers, fly ash and slags were soaked in waste acid liquid from desulfurization and denitrification to extract N, P, K, and other nutrient elements for fertilizer preparation. The experiments had shown that both slags with special porous structure and unburned biochar derived from biomass fly ash had good adsorption performance for crystalline salt, while the fine particles existing in biomass fly ash had significant agglomeration effects on crystalline salt. The coupling among the three substances above formed the multi-dimensional cross-scale structure carriers with sizes in the nanometer to millimeter range, which had good adsorption capacities for crystalline salt and effectively improved the slow-release performance of the self-prepared solid fertilizer. The microwave irradiation further enhanced the slow-release performance of the self-prepared solid fertilizer by promoting the coupling effects among various raw materials. Lastly, aiming the self-prepared solid fertilizer, the increments of plant height, leaf width, leaf length, and expansion diameter of chlorophytum were 5.10%, 77.19%, 47.37%, and 4.05%, respectively, higher than those with commercial solid fertilizer. These desirable slow-release characteristics and positive effects on chlorophytum growth highlighted the self-prepared fertilizer potential to improve plant growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusion: The HDL research community recognizes the pivotal role of bug localization in the debugging workflow, offering substantial relief to developers. This paper introduces ContextHD, a robust bug localization method tailored for Verilog, leveraging enhanced contexts. ContextHD integrates static slicing techniques with advanced suspiciousness measurement methods to generate a prioritized list of statements based on their suspicious values, arranged in descending order. Our experimental evaluation involved comparing ContextHD with seven established state-of-the-art bug localization techniques. The results unequivocally demonstrate that ContextHD outperforms these methods significantly. Future endeavors include refining ContextHD to further enhance its accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the associations between high uterine artery pulsatility index (UtA-PI) values and congenital heart disease (CHD) risk and whether they differed between singleton and multiple pregnancies. This hospital-based cohort study involving 52,047 pregnant women who underwent prenatal examinations from 2012 to 2016. Infants born to the included pregnant women were followed until 42 days after birth to identify those with CHDs. Generalized estimating equations were used to estimate the associations of high right UtA-PI (> 95th percentile) values with maternal preeclampsia and fetal CHDs. Logistic regression analyses were conducted using path analysis models to quantify the effect of high right UtA-PI values on fetal CHD risk. A total of 42,552 women and 43,470 infants (147 with CHDs) were included. Preeclampsia risk was associated with a high right UtA-PI in singleton-pregnant women (adjusted PR, 3.01; 95% CI 2.57–3.52). CHD risk was marginally associated with a high right UtA-PI in singleton-pregnant women (adjusted PR, 2.26, 95% CI 1.03–4.95). Considering only two factors, 96.0% of the fetal CHD risk was mediated by preeclampsia in singleton-pregnant women, while 93.8% of the risk was related to a high right UtA-PI in multiple-pregnant women. A high right UtA-PI was marginally associated with an increased fetal CHD risk in singleton-pregnant women and might play an important role in multiple-pregnant women. Further studies are warranted to confirm these findings given the high loss to follow-up rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let b → = (b 1 , b 2 , ... , b m) be a collection of locally integrable functions and T Σ b → the commutator of multilinear singular integral operator T. Denote by L (δ) and L (δ (⋅)) the Lipschitz spaces and the variable Lipschitz spaces, respectively. The main purpose of this paper is to establish some new characterizations of the (variable) Lipschitz spaces in terms of the boundedness of multilinear commutator T Σ b → in the context of the variable exponent Lebesgue spaces, that is, the authors give the necessary and sufficient conditions for bj (j = 1, 2, ..., m) to be L (δ) or L (δ (⋅)) via the boundedness of multilinear commutator from products of variable exponent Lebesgue spaces to variable exponent Lebesgue spaces. The authors do so by applying the Fourier series technique and some pointwise estimate for the commutators. The key tool in obtaining such pointwise estimate is a certain generalization of the classical sharp maximal operator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring biomarkers interrelated the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) provides novel ideas for predicting the prognosis of gastric cancer (GC) and developing new treatment strategies. We analyzed the differential gene expression levels between the high and low StromalScore and ImmuneScore groups. Neutrophil elastase (ELANE) was evaluated as a potential biomarker by conducting intersection analysis of the protein–protein interaction network and univariate Cox regression analysis. The expression of ELANE was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Its prognostic value was evaluated using Kaplan–Meier (K–M) survival curves and multivariate Cox regression analysis and its potential biological molecular mechanism was examined by gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). We applied the CIBERSORT computing method to analyze the relationship between ELANE and tumor immune-infiltrating cells (TIICs). K–M survival curve showed that higher ELANE expression was closely related to shorter overall survival. The Cox regression analysis indicated that the high expression of ELANE was an independent prognostic risk factor in patients with GC. The GSEA revealed that genes in the ELANE high-expression group were involved in the signaling pathways regulating immune response; genes in the ELANE low-expression group were involved in the signaling pathways that regulate metabolism. ELANE might be participate in the change of TIME from immunodominant to metabolically dominant and its expression was closely related to tumor mutation burden and multiple TIICs. ELANE is a potential biomarker for predicting the GC patients' survival and prognosis. It influences the tumor immune cell infiltration in the TIME, and affects the TIME to maintain their immune status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a highly lethal pathogen of domestic and wild pigs. Due to no vaccines or drugs available, early accurate diagnosis and eradication of infected animals are the most important measures for ASFV prevention and control. Bluetongue virus (BTV) core-like particles (CLPs) are non-infectious hollow nanoparticles assembled from the BTV VP3 and VP7 proteins, which could be used as a platform for presenting foreign epitopes. In this study, the secondary structure of BTV VP7 protein was analyzed and predicted using the IEDB Analysis resource. Based on the prediction results of the VP7 protein, the chimeric CLPs with an ASFV P54 epitope were successfully prepared through the BAC-to-BAC baculovirus expression system and sucrose gradient centrifugation. Based on the chimeric CLPs and mAb 2E4 against AFSV P54 epitope, a blocking ELISA for detecting AFSV antibodies was established, and its reaction conditions were optimized. Through comprehensive evaluation of the method, the results showed the chimeric CLPs-based blocking ELISA displayed the best detection performance, with an AUC of 0.9961, a sensitivity of 97.65%, and a specificity of 95.24% in ROC analysis. Compared with western blot and a commercial c-ELISA for detecting anti-ASFV antibodies, this method had an excellent agreement of 96.35% (kappa value = 0.911) and 97.76% (kappa value = 0.946) with the other tests, respectively. This ELISA also had high repeatability, with CV < 10%, and no cross-reaction with the serum antibodies against other swine viruses or Orbivirus. In brief, this was the first report on developing a blocking ELISA based on virus-like nanoparticles chimerized with an antigenic epitope of ASFV P54 for serological diagnosis of ASFV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the underlying mechanism of inhibition by Jinkui Shenqi Pills (JKSQP) on glucocorticoid-enhanced axial length elongation in experimental lens-induced myopia (LIM) guinea pigs. Methods: Sixty 2-week old male guinea pigs were randomly divided into 4 groups with 15 guinea pigs in each group, according to the random numbers generated by SPSS software: control, LIM, saline and JKSQP groups. The control group includes animals with no treatment, while the guinea pigs in the other 3 groups received lens-induced myopization on the right eyes throughout the experiment (for 8 weeks). The saline and JKSQP groups were given daily intraperitoneal injections of 10 mg/kg hydrocortisone for 2 consecutive weeks at the same time, and then orally administered either saline or JKSQP [13.5 g/(kg•d) for 6 consecutive weeks. Body weight, anal temperature and animal appearance were observed and recorded to evaluate the GC-associated symptoms. The ocular parameters, including refraction and axial length, were measured by streak retinoscopy and A-scan ultrasonography, respectively. The levels of plasma hormones associated with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA), including free triiodothyronine, free thyroxine, estradiol and testosterone, were measured by radioimmunoassay, and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In addition, the mRNA and protein expressions of retinal amphiregulin (AREG) was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting, respectively. Results: JKSQP effectively increased body weight and anal temperature, improved animal appearance and suppressed axial length elongation in glucocorticoid-enhanced myopic guinea pigs with normalization of 4 HPAA-associated plasma hormones (all P<0.05). The plasma level of cAMP was significantly increased, whereas the plasma level of cGMP and the mRNA and protein expressions of retinal AREG were decreased after treatment with JKSQP (all P<0.05). Conclusion: JKSQP exhibited a significant inhibitory effect on axial length elongation with decreased expression of AREG in the retina, and normalized 4 HPAA-associated plasma hormones and the expression of cAMP and cGMP in GC-enhanced myopic guinea pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evaluation of cardiac magnetic resonance feature tracking may have great diagnostic value in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and hypertensive heart disease. Exploring the diagnostic and clinical research value of cardiac magnetic resonance feature tracks in evaluation of myocardium deformation in patients with subclinical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy(SHCM)and subclinical hypertensive heart disease(SHHD). Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR) scans were performed on a 1.5 T MR scanner in 33 patients with SHCM, 31 patients with SHHD, and 27 controls(NS). The CMR image post-processing software was used to analyze the characteristics of routine cardiac function, different global and regional myocardial strain in each group. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare age, blood pressure, heart rate, routine cardiac function, body mass index (BMI), as well as the strain between different segments within each of the three groups. Once a significant difference was detected, a least significant difference (LSD) comparison would be performed. The diagnostic efficacy of different parameters in differentiating SHHD from SHCM was evaluated through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, and the best cut-off value was determined. There was no statistical difference among three groups (P>0.05) in routine cardiac function while significant statistical differences were found in the global myocardial strain parameters and the peak strain parameters of some segments (especially basal segments) (P < 0.05). The global radial peak strain (GRPS) was most effective (AUC = 0.885, 95% CI: 0.085–0.971, P<0.001) with a sensitivity and specificity of 84% and 88% at a cut-off value of 40.105, contributing to distinguishing SHCM from SHHD group. Cardiac magnetic resonance feature tracking could detect left ventricular deformation in patients with SHCM and SHHD group. The abnormality of strain has important research value for subclinical diagnosis and clinical evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper concerns the strong convergence rate of an averaging principle for two-time-scale coupled forward–backward stochastic differential equations (CFBSDEs, for short) driven by fractional Brownian motion (fBm, for short). The fast component is a forward stochastic differential equation (FSDE, for short) driven by Brownian motion, while the slow component is a backward stochastic differential equation (BSDE, for short) driven by fBm with the Hurst index greater than 1/2. Combining Malliavin calculus theory with stochastic integral and Khasminskii's time discretization method, the rate of strong convergence for the slow component towards the solution of the averaging equation in the mean square sense is derived. The strong convergence rate of an averaging principle for fast–slow CFBSDEs driven by fBm is new. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a class of distribution dependent stochastic differential equations driven by time-changed Brownians motion is studied. The existence and uniqueness theorem of strong solutions for the distribution dependent stochastic differential equations is established. Then, sufficient conditions are provided to guarantee the solutions to be stable in several different senses in terms of Lyapunov function. Finally, we show that the solutions of the distribution dependent stochastic differential equations can be approximated by solutions of the associated averaged stochastic differential equations in mean square convergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of vacancy-mediated anomalous transport properties have flourished in diverse fields since these properties endow solid materials with fascinating photoelectric, ferroelectric, and spin-electric behaviors. Although phononic and electronic transport underpin the physical origin of thermoelectrics, vacancy has only played a stereotyped role as a scattering center. Here we reveal the multifunctionality of vacancy in tailoring the transport properties of an emerging thermoelectric material, defective n-type ZrNiBi. The phonon kinetic process is mediated in both propagating velocity and relaxation time: vacancy-induced local soft bonds lower the phonon velocity while acoustic-optical phonon coupling, anisotropic vibrations, and point-defect scattering induced by vacancy shorten the relaxation time. Consequently, defective ZrNiBi exhibits the lowest lattice thermal conductivity among the half-Heusler family. In addition, a vacancy-induced flat band features prominently in its electronic band structure, which is not only desirable for electron-sufficient thermoelectric materials but also interesting for driving other novel physical phenomena. Finally, better thermoelectric performance is established in a ZrNiBi-based compound. Our findings not only demonstrate a promising thermoelectric material but also promote the fascinating vacancy-mediated anomalous transport properties for multidisciplinary explorations. Vacancy has only played a stereotyped role as a scattering center in thermoelectrics, and the boundaries of its versatility have not been tested. Here, authors reveal the multifunctionality of vacancy in tailoring the phononic and electronic transport in a defective half-Heusler ZrNiBi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deformation-to-failure process of rock is accompanied by the dissipation and release of energy and is the result of the mutual conversion of energy. The uniaxial compression and uniaxial cyclic loading–unloading testing of rock samples with eight height–diameter ratios (size) was performed using the MTS 816 rock mechanics testing system to determine the effect of the height–diameter ratio on the rock strength, energy accumulation, and dissipation. The influence rules of the height–diameter ratio on the uniaxial compressive strength, deformation parameters, and failure mode of the rock samples were analyzed. The total, elastic, and dissipated energy densities absorbed by the rock samples with various height–diameter ratios were obtained through calculation, and the evolution and distribution rules of the size effect on energy accumulation and dissipation were revealed. The energy density of rock samples with various height–diameter ratios increased nonlinearly with the increase in the cycle index or axial stress, whereas the energy density of the rock sample decreased with the increase in the height–diameter ratio. At the pre-peak stage, the elastic energy accumulated in the rock samples was higher than the dissipated energy, and the proportion of the elastic energy density was greater. With the increase in the height–diameter ratio of the rock sample, the proportion of elastic energy approximately increased, and the proportion of dissipated energy decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At a time of global epidemic control, the location of the medical logistics distribution center (MLDC) has an important impact on the operation of the entire logistics system to reduce the operating costs of the company, enhance the service quality and effectively control the COVID-19 on the premise of increasing the company's profits. Thus, the research on the location of MLDC has important theoretical and practical application significance separately. Recently, the TODIM and VIKOR method has been used to solve multiple-attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) issues. The probabilistic uncertain linguistic term sets (PULTSs) are used as a tool for characterizing uncertain information. In this paper, we design the TODIM-VIKOR model to solve the MAGDM in PULT condition. Firstly, some basic concept of PULTSs is reviewed, and TODIM and VIKOR method are introduced. The extended TODIM-VIKOR model is proposed to tackle MAGDM problems under the PULTSs. At last, a numerical case study for medical logistics center site selection (MLCSS) is given to validate the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A variety of novel monoclonal antibodies and immunosuppressant have been proved effective in treating Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD). This network meta-analysis compared and ranked the efficacy and tolerability of currently used monoclonal antibodies and immunosuppressive agents in NMOSD. Methods: Electronic database including PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library were searched for relevant studies evaluating monoclonal antibodies and immunosuppressants in patients with NMOSD. The primary outcome measures were annualized relapse rate (ARR), relapse rate, the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score, and total adverse events (AEs). Results: We identified 25 studies with 2919 patients in our meta-analysis. For the primary outcome, rituximab (RTX) (SUCRA: 0.02) ranked first in reduction ARR with a significant difference compared with azathioprine (AZA) (MD – 0.34, 95% CrI – 0.55 to – 0.12) and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) (MD –0.38, 95% CrI – 0.63 to – 0.14). Tocilizumab (SUCRA: 0.05) ranked first in relapse rate, which was superior to satralizumab (lnOR – 25.4, 95% CrI – 74.4 to – 2.49) and inebilizumab (lnOR – 24.86, 95% CrI – 73.75 to – 1.93). MMF (SUCRA: 0.27) had the fewest AEs followed by RTX (SUCRA: 0.35), both of which showed a significant difference compared with AZA and corticosteroids (MMF vs AZA: lnOR – 1.58, 95% CrI – 2.48 to – 0.68; MMF vs corticosteroids: lnOR – 1.34, 95% CrI – 2.3 to – 0.37) (RTX vs AZA: lnOR – 1.34, 95% CrI – 0.37 to – 2.3; RTX vs corticosteroids: lnOR – 2.52, 95% CrI – 0.32 to – 4.86). In EDSS score, no statistical difference was found between different interventions. Conclusion: RTX and tocilizumab showed better efficacy than traditional immunosuppressants in reducing relapse. For safety, MMF and RTX had fewer AEs. However, studies with larger sample size on newly developed monoclonal antibodies are warranted in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The basal Cambrian is characteristic for the appearance of small shelly fossils and acanthomorphic acritarchs with relatively small vesicles. In the Tarim Block (NW China) and South China, this microfossil assemblage is dominated by small acanthomorphs and was referred to as the ‘Micrhystridium-Paracymatiosphaera-Megathrix’ (MPM) association, based on microfossils from the lower Cambrian Yurtus and Xishanblaq formations of the Tarim Block. This study provides the new early Cambrian microfossil assemblage preserved in cherts of carbonates in Tikebuladahuang section of the Kruktag area, Tarim Block. These early Cambrian microfossil assemblages come from upper part of the lower Cambrian Xishanblaq Formation in Tikebuladahuang section correlated with the Cambrian Stage 2, and the microfossil association dominated by Heliosphaeridium dissimilare, sponge spicules, Leiosphaeridia spp., and Siphonophycus sp. also occurs. The organic-walled microfossil assemblage found in this study can be compared with the microfossils in the early Cambrian Chert of the Yangtze plate. The Asteridium–Heliosphaeridium–Comasphaeridium (AHC) association in South China and the Tarim block may mix two fossil associations of different ages and fossil compositions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an extremely promising technology about decarburization, the reduction of CO2 driven by sunlight shows a glamourous prospect, so it is valuable to design a sort of photocatalyst with excellent performance i.e., low cost, high photocatalytic activity and high product selectivity, which is the key factor to promote the further popularity of this technology in industry. In this work, the SnS2/SnO2/rGO ternary nanocomposites were successfully designed and fabricate through a simple one pot in-situ hydrothermal synthesis. It is worth noting that the XRD, SEM and Raman results indicate that the molar of SnS2 to SnO2 could be increased with the content of l-cysteine, and it is proved that the ternary material is simply adjustable. The separation and transference of photogenerated electrons and holes could be accelerated due to the reduced graphite oxide with outstanding electrical conductivity. At the same time, under the condition of inputting appropriate sulfur source precursors, appropriate pore size and pore volume structure characteristics are obtained, which further contributes the adsorption capacity of CO2. Moreover, the proper position of the conduction band improves the selectivity for photoreduction of CO2 to CH4 of SnS2/SnO2/rGO composite. Hence, under visible-near infrared light, the highest CH4 productivity of SnS2/SnO2/rGO ternary composite is 5.52 μmol g−1 h−1. This work provides some references for the field of photocatalytic decarburization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tilted viewing nature of the off-nadir aerial images brings severe challenges to the building change detection (BCD) problem: the mismatch of the nearby buildings and the semantic ambiguity of the building facades. To tackle these challenges, we present a multi-task guided change detection network model, named as MTGCD-Net. The proposed model approaches the specific BCD problem by designing three auxiliary tasks, including: (1) a pixel-wise classification task to predict the roofs and facades of buildings; (2) an auxiliary task for learning the roof-to-footprint offsets of each building to account for the misalignment between building roof instances; and (3) an auxiliary task for learning the identical roof matching flow between bi-temporal aerial images to tackle the building roof mismatch problem. These auxiliary tasks provide indispensable and complementary building parsing and matching information. The predictions of the auxiliary tasks are finally fused to the main BCD branch with a multi-modal distillation module. To train and test models for the BCD problem with off-nadir aerial images, we create a new benchmark dataset, named BANDON. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our model achieves superior performance over the previous state-of-the-art competitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and hypothesis: The objective was to explore the current practice of using animal models for female pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD). Methods: By applying PFD and animal models as the keywords, we made a computerized search using PubMed, Ovid-Medline and Ovid-Embase from 2000 to 2022. The publications on the construction and application of animal models for PFD were included, and the results are presented in narrative text. Results: Studies on PFD primarily use rodents, large quadrupeds, and nonhuman primates (NHPs). NHPs are closest to humans in anatomy and biomechanics of the pelvic floor, followed by large quadrupeds and rodents. Rodents are more suitable for studying molecular mechanism, histopathology of PFD, and mesh immune rejection. Large quadrupeds are adaptable to the study of pelvic floor biomechanics and the development of new surgical instruments for PFD. NHPs are suitable for studying the occurrence and pathogenesis of pelvic organ prolapse. Among modeling methods, violent destruction of pelvic floor muscles, regulation of hormone levels, and denervation were used to simulate the occurrence of PFD. Gene knockout can be used to study both the pathogenesis of PFD and the efficacy of treatments. Other methods such as abdominal wall defect, vaginal defect, and in vitro organ bath system are more frequently used to observe wound healing after surgery and to verify the efficacy of treatments. Conclusions: The rat is currently the most applicable animal type for numerous modeling methods. Vaginal dilation is the most widely used modeling method for research on the pathogenesis, pathological changes, and treatment of PFD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: The resistance of Huaidao5 results from the high constitutive expression of tolerance genes, while that of Huaidao9 is due to the cold-induced resistance in flag leaves and panicles. The regulation mechanism of rice seedlings' cold tolerance is relatively clear, and knowledge of its underlying mechanisms at the reproductive stage is limited. We performed differential expression and co-expression network analyses to transcriptomes from panicle and flag leaf tissues of a cold-tolerant cultivar (Huaidao5), and a sensitive cultivar (Huaidao9), under reproductive-stage cold stress. The results revealed that the expression levels of genes in stress-related pathways such as MAPK signaling pathway, diterpenoid biosynthesis, glutathione metabolism, plant–pathogen interaction and plant hormone signal transduction were constitutively highly expressed in Huaidao5, especially in panicles. Moreover, the Hudaidao5's panicle sample-specific (under cold) module contained some genes related to rice yield, such as GW5L, GGC2, SG1 and CTPS1. However, the resistance of Huaidao9 was derived from the induced resistance to cold in flag leaves and panicles. In the flag leaves, the responses included a series of stress response and signal transduction, while in the panicles nitrogen metabolism was severely affected, especially 66 endosperm-specific genes. Through integrating differential expression with co-expression networks, we predicted 161 candidate genes (79 cold-responsive genes common to both cultivars and 82 cold-tolerance genes associated with differences in cold tolerance between cultivars) potentially affecting cold response/tolerance, among which 85 (52.80%) were known to be cold-related genes. Moreover, 52 (65.82%) cold-responsive genes (e.g., TIFY11C, LSK1 and LPA) could be confirmed by previous transcriptome studies and 72 (87.80%) cold-tolerance genes (e.g., APX5, OsFbox17 and OsSTA109) were located within QTLs associated with cold tolerance. This study provides an efficient strategy for further discovery of mechanisms of cold tolerance in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical simulation can provide an effective theoretical basis for studying carrier transport, collection and diffusion in perovskite solar cells. We used SCAPS-1D software to perform numerical simulations based on CH3NH3Pb(I1−xBrx)3 solar cells. First, we analyzed the thickness of the absorbing layer, doping concentration and defect density, and found that the thickness of 0.5 μm and the defect density of 3 × 1011 cm−3 have great photoelectric conversion performance. We then adjusted the thickness and doping concentration of the hole transport layer to further optimize the P3HT hole transport and diffusion performance. In addition, we found that the interface defect layer has little effect on device performance, but the FTO layer plays an important role in the electron-free layer structure of transmitting electrons. Finally, we compared the electron-transport-layer-free structure with the traditional electron transport layer structure containing PC61BM, SnO2, TiO2 and C60, and predicted the excellent photoelectric conversion performance of the electron-transport-layer-free solar cell structure by 26.15%. Our work simplifies the preparation process of traditional solar cells, providing new insights not only for the development of high-efficiency solar cells, but also for the development of solar cells without electron transport layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Broadband high absorption of long-wavelength infrared light for rough submicron active material films is quite challenging to achieve. Unlike conventional infrared detection units, with over three-layer complex structures, a three-layer metamaterial with mercury cadmium telluride (MCT) film sandwiched between an Au cuboid array and Au mirror is studied through theory and simulations. The results show that propagated/localized surface plasmon resonance simultaneously contribute to broadband absorption under the TM wave of the absorber, while the Fabry–Perot (FP) cavity resonance causes absorption of the TE wave. As surface plasmon resonance concentrates most of the TM wave on the MCT film, 74% of the incident light energy is absorbed by the submicron thickness MCT film within the 8–12 μm waveband, which is approximately 10 times than that of the rough same thickness MCT film. In addition, by replacing the Au mirror with Au grating, the FP cavity along the y-axis direction was destroyed, and the absorber exhibited excellent polarization-sensitive and incident angle-insensitive properties. For the corresponding conceived metamaterial photodetector, as carrier transit time across the gap between Au cuboid is much less than that of other paths, the Au cuboids simultaneously act as microelectrodes to collect photocarriers generated in the gap. Thus the light absorption and photocarrier collection efficiency are hopefully improved simultaneously. Finally, the density of the Au cuboids is increased by adding the same arranged cuboids perpendicular to the original direction on the top surface or by replacing the cuboids with crisscross, which results in broadband polarization-insensitive high absorption by the absorber. Highlights: Compared with single-layer MCT film, the submicron same thickness MCT film sandwiched between Au cuboids and Au mirror shows approximately 10 times enhanced absorption (8–12 μm waveband). As the absorption mechanism for TM/TE, wave is propagated/localized surface plasmon resonance and FP cavity resonance, respectively, we can easily achieve polarization absorption by replacing Au mirror with Au grating. For the corresponding conceived photodetector model, Au cuboids are potential to act as microelectrodes to effectively collect photocarriers generated in the gap between Au cuboids, which will improve responsibility and response speed of the photodetector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We previously reported the critical involvement of metabotropic GluR1 (mGluR1) signaling in complement C1q-dependent microglial phagocytosis of glutamatergic synapses in a rat model of Alzheimer's disease (AD) injected with amyloid fibrils. Here, we explored the role of type 2A protein phosphatase (type 2A PPase), a key enzyme downstream of mGluR1 signaling, in the pathogenesis of AD in rats. Significant local upregulation of PP2A expression was observed in the hippocampal CA1 after bilateral microinjection of amyloid-beta (Aβ1-40) fibrils. Amyloid fibrils induced remarkable dephosphorylation of pFMRP (fragile X mental retardation protein) and C1q upregulation in hippocampal glutamatergic synapses, which was ameliorated by microinjection of type 2A PPase inhibitor okadaic acid (OA). Microinjection of OA further attenuated the microglial phagocytosis of glutamatergic synapses, recovered the hippocampal glutamatergic transmission, and improved the performance in Morris water maze test. These findings demonstrated that dysfunction of type 2A PPase signaling contributed to complement C1q-dependent microglial phagocytosis of glutamatergic synapses and the cognitive impairments in the rat model of AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E26 transformation specific or E twenty-six (ETS) protein family consists of 28 transcription factors, five of which, named ETS1/2, PU.1, ERG and EHF, are known to involve in the development of liver fibrosis, and are expected to become diagnostic markers or therapeutic targets of liver fibrosis. In recent years, some small molecule inhibitors of ETS protein family have been discovered, which might open up a new path for the liver fibrosis therapy targeting ETS. This article reviews the research progress of ETS family members in the development liver fibrosis as well as their prospect of clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flow of nematic liquid crystals can be described by a highly nonlinear stochastic hydrodynamical model, thus is often influenced by random fluctuations, such as uncertainty in specifying initial conditions and boundary conditions. In this article, we consider a 2-D stochastic nematic liquid crystals with the velocity field perturbed by affine-linear multiplicative white noise, with random initial data and random boundary conditions. Our main objective is to obtain the global well-posedness of the stochastic equations under the sufficient Malliavin regularity of the initial condition. The Malliavin calculus techniques play important roles when we obtain the global existence of the solutions to the stochastic nematic liquid crystal model with random initial and boundary conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We developed prediction models for postoperative respiratory depression and respiratory complications for 958 patients who were on methadone preoperatively. Methods: The primary outcome was postoperative respiratory depression as defined by respiratory rate < 10/min, oxygen saturation (SpO2) < 90%, or requirement of naloxone for 48 h postoperatively. Secondary outcome was the composite of postoperative respiratory complications. Prediction models for postoperative respiratory depression and respiratory complications were constructed using multivariate logistic regression with preoperative and intraoperative characteristics as the predictors. Results: For the multivariate logistic regression model for postoperative respiratory depression, surgery duration (P = 0.005), body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.008), surgery involving digestive system (P = 0.031), and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status ≥ 4 (P = 0.038) were statistically significant predictors. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of the model was 0.581 (0.558–0.601) [median (95% confidence interval (CI))] with fivefold cross-validation. For the model for postoperative respiratory complications, surgery duration (P = 0.001), history of hypertension (P = 0.028), surgery involving musculoskeletal system (P < 0.001), surgery involving integumental system (P = 0.034), surgery categorized to miscellaneous therapeutic procedures (P = 0.028), combined general and regional anesthesia (P = 0.033), ASA physical status 3 (P < 0.001), and ASA physical status ≥ 4 (P < 0.001) were statistically significant predictors, and AUROC of the model was 0.726 (0.712–0.737). Conclusions: Multivariate logistic regression models including preoperative, and intraoperative characteristics as the predictors performed poorly to predict postoperative respiratory depression, and moderately for postoperative respiratory complications. Neither model is accurate enough to be subject to clinical use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]