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To evaluate the accuracy of contrast-enhanced (CE) fat-suppressed three-dimensional (3D) T1-weighted imaging with volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (FS-T1-3D-VIBE) and fat-suppressed T1-weighted turbo spin echo (FS-T1-TSE) sequence in characteristics of anal fistula.One hundred and two patients underwent perianal CE-MRI examination on a 3T scanner including FS-T1-3D-VIBE and FS-T1-TSE sequences before surgery. The performance of each sequence was evaluated in terms of fistula classification, clarity of internal opening, number and position of internal openings including the distance between internal opening and anal verge, presence of secondary tracts and blind-ending sinus tracts. MRI findings were compared with surgical findings. Signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) and contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs) of fistula, gluteus maximus, and subcutaneous fat were compared between CE FS-T1-TSE and CE FS-T1-3D-VIBE.Compared with CE FS-T1-TSE, CE FS-T1-3D-VIBE displayed more accurate in secondary tract, lithotomy position of the internal opening and the distance between internal opening and anal verge (P 0.05). CE FS-T1-3D-VIBE was found superior to CE FS-T1-TSE in the clarity of the internal openings and in the diagnostic accuracy of blind-ending sinus tracts and complex fistulas in Standard Practice Task Force classification (P 0.05). CE FS-T1-3D-VIBE achieved higher SNRs and CNRs in fistula and gluteus maximus than CE FS-T1-TSE (P ≤ 0.001).CE-MRI of FS-T1-3D-VIBE might be a more valuable noninvasive technique than FS-T1-TSE to evaluate the anal fistula on evaluating the lithotomy position of internal opening, distance between internal opening and anal verge, clarity of internal opening, secondary tract, blind-ending sinus tract and classification of the complex fistula. The trial registration number for this prospective trial was Chi-TR1800020206 and the trial registration date was December 20, 2018.

In this work, we study the weak decay between two heavy baryons $ \mathcal{B}_i(\frac{1}{2}^+)\to \mathcal{B}_f(\frac{3}{2}^+)$ in the light-front quark model where three-quark picture is employed for baryon. We derive general form of transition amplitude of $ \mathcal{B}_i(\frac{1}{2}^+)\to \mathcal{B}_f(\frac{3}{2}^+)$, and analyze two specific cases of transitions: the weak decays of single heavy baryon $\Sigma_{b} \to \Sigma_{c}^*$ and the decays of double-charmed baryon $\Xi_{cc}\to \Sigma_{c}^*(\Xi_{c}^*)$. We compute the hadronic form factors for the transitions and apply them to study the decay widths of the semi-leptonic $\mathcal B_i(\frac{1}{2}^+)\to\mathcal B_f(\frac{3}{2}^+) l\bar{\nu}_l$ and non-leptonic $\mathcal B_i(\frac{1}{2}^+)\to\mathcal B_f(\frac{3}{2}^+)M$. Previously we studied the transition $\Sigma_{b} \to \Sigma_{c}^*$ with the quark-diquark picture of baryon in the light-front quark model. Here we revisit this transition with three-quark picture of baryon. At the quark level, the transition $\Sigma_{b} \to \Sigma_{c}^*$ is induced by the $b\rightarrow c$ transition.The subsystem of the two unchanged light quarks which possesses definite and same spin in initial and final state can be viewed as a spectator, so the spectator approximation can be applied directly. For the weak decay of doubly charmed baryon $\Xi_{cc}$, a $c$ quark decays to a light quark $q_1$, so both the initial state $cc$ and final state $q_1q_2$ ($q_1$ and the original $q_2$ in initial state may be the same flavor quarks) which possess definite spin are no longer spectators. A rearrangement of quarks for initial and final states is adopted to isolate the unchanged subsystem $cq_2$ which can be viewed as the spectator approximately. Future measurements on these channels will constrain the nonperturbative parameter in the wavefunctions and test the model predictions., Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures and 10 tables

Background The incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been on the rise in recent years, and there are no effective drugs to treat NAFLD; therefore, effective prevention and treatment of NAFLD have become a new challenge. Danggui Shaoyao Powder (DGSY) is a classic prescription commonly used in clinical practice and has been shown to reduce hepatic steatosis in patients with NAFLD. In addition, previous studies have shown that DGSY can alleviate hepatic steatosis and inflammation in NAFLD mice. Although clinical practice and basic studies have shown that DGSY is effective in NAFLD, high levels of clinical evidence are lacking. Therefore, a standardized RCT study protocol is required to evaluate its clinical efficacy and safety. Methods and analysis This study will be a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and single-center trial. According to the random number table, NAFLD participants will be randomly divided into the DGSY or placebo group for 24 weeks. The follow-up period will be 6 weeks after drug withdrawal. The primary outcome is the relative change in MRI-proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) from baseline to 24 weeks. Absolute changes in serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), liver stiffness measurement (LSM), body mass index (BMI), blood lipid, blood glucose, and insulin resistance index will be selected as secondary outcomes to comprehensively evaluate the clinical efficacy of DGSY in the treatment of NAFLD. The safety of DGSY will be evaluated by renal function, routine blood and urine tests, and electrocardiogram. Discussion This study will provide evidence-based medical corroboration for the clinical application of DGSY and promote the development and application of this classic prescription. Trial registration http://www.chictr.org.cn. Trial number: ChiCTR2000029144. Registered on 15 Jan 2020.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of oral vorolanib for the treatment of neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). Methods In the dose escalation, participants received ascending doses of oral vorolanib (25–100 mg daily). In the dose expansion, participants received recommended doses (25 and 50 mg daily). Results Between March 15, 2015, and January 23, 2019, 41 participants were enrolled in 6 centres in China. At the data cut-off (November 14, 2019), two dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) were observed during dose escalation (one in the 75 mg cohort and one in the 100 mg cohort). The maximum tolerated dose was not reached. Treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred in 33 (80.5%) participants, and grade 3 or higher TRAEs occurred in 12 (29.3%) participants. No fatal TRAEs were observed. Increases in the mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) from baseline to Day 360 of +7.7 letters (range, −5–29; n = 41) were observed in participants who were administered vorolanib. Corresponding reductions in mean central subfield thickness (CST) and choroidal neovascularization (CNV) area at Day 360 were observed in these three groups. Conclusions Oral administration of vorolanib improved visual outcomes in participants with nAMD with manageable systemic safety profiles.

Heat stress is a major restrictive factor that suppresses rice production. In this study, we investigated the potential priming effect of exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) on heat tolerance in rice seedlings. Seedlings were pretreated with 10 μM ABA by root drenching for 24 h and then subjected to heat stress conditions of 40 °C day/35 °C night. ABA pretreatment significantly decreased leaf withering by 2.5– 28.5% and chlorophyll loss by 12.8–35.1% induced by heat stress in rice seedlings. ABA application also mitigated cell injury, as shown by lower malondialdehyde (MDA) content, membrane injury and expression of cell death-related genes OsKOD1 , OsCP1 and OsNAC4 , while expression of OsBI1 , a cell death-suppressor gene, was upregulated by ABA pretreatment. Moreover, ABA pretreatment improved antioxidant defense capacity, as shown by an obvious upregulation of ROS-scavenging genes and a decrease in ROS content (O 2 – and H 2 O 2 ) and downregulation of the OsRbohs gene. The application of fluridone, an ABA biosynthesis inhibitor, increased membrane injury and the accumulation of ROS under heat stress. Exogenous potent antioxidants (proanthocyanidins, PC) significantly alleviated leaf withering by decreasing ROS overaccumulation and membrane injury induced by heat stress. In addition, ABA pretreatment significantly superinduced the expression of ABA-responsive genes SalT and OsWsi18 , the ABA biosynthesis genes OsNCED3 and OsNCED4 , and the heat shock-related genes OsHSP23.7 , OsHSP17.7 , OsHSF7 and OsHsfA2a . Taken together, these results suggest that exogenous ABA has a potential priming effect for enhancing heat stress tolerance of rice seedlings mainly by improving antioxidant defense capacity and heat shock-related genes.

Mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I) is a severe disease caused by loss-of-function mutation variants in the α-L-iduronidase (Idua) gene. In vivo genome editing represents a promising strategy to correct Idua mutations, and has the potential to permanently restore IDUA function over the lifespan of patients. Here, we used adenine base editing to directly convert A > G (TAG>TGG) in a newborn murine model harboring the Idua-W392X mutation, which recapitulates the human condition and is analogous to the highly prevalent human W402X mutation. We engineered a split-intein dual-adeno-associated virus 9 (AAV9) adenine base editor to circumvent the package size limit of AAV vectors. Intravenous injection of the AAV9-base editor system into MPS IH newborn mice led to sustained enzyme expression sufficient for correction of metabolic disease (GAGs substrate accumulation) and prevention of neurobehavioral deficits. We observed a reversion of the W392X mutation in 22.46 ± 6.74% of hepatocytes, 11.18 ± 5.25% of heart and 0.34 ± 0.12% of brain, along with decreased GAGs storage in peripheral organs (liver, spleen, lung and kidney). Collectively, these data showed the promise of a base editing approach to precisely correct a common genetic cause of MPS I in vivo and could be broadly applicable to the treatment of a wide array of monogenic diseases.

The process of natural silk production in the spider major ampullate (Ma) gland endows dragline silk with extraordinary mechanical properties and the potential for biomimetic applications. However, the precise genetic roles of the Ma gland during this process remain unknown. Here, we performed a systematic molecular atlas of dragline silk production through a high-quality genome assembly for the golden orb-weaving spider Trichonephila clavata and a multiomics approach to defining the Ma gland tri-sectional architecture: Tail, Sac, and Duct. We uncovered a hierarchical biosynthesis of spidroins, organic acids, lipids, and chitin in the sectionalized Ma gland dedicated to fine silk constitution. The ordered secretion of spidroins was achieved by the synergetic regulation of epigenetic and ceRNA signatures for genomic group-distributed spidroin genes. Single-cellular and spatial RNA profiling identified ten cell types with partitioned functional division determining the tri-sectional organization of the Ma gland. Convergence analysis and genetic manipulation further validated that this tri-sectional architecture of the silk gland was analogous across Arthropoda and inextricably linked with silk formation. Collectively, our study provides multidimensional data that significantly expand the knowledge of spider dragline silk generation and ultimately benefit innovation in spider-inspired fibers.

The prime editor (PE) can edit genomes with almost any intended changes, including all 12 possible types of base substitutions, small insertions and deletions, and their combinations, without the requirement for double strand breaks or exogenous donor templates. PE demonstrates the possibility of correcting a variety of disease-causing mutations and might expand the therapeutic application of gene editing. In this study, PE was optimized based on a dual-adeno-associated virus (AAV) split-intein system in vitro by screening different split sites and split inteins. We found that splitting PE before amino acid 1105(Ser) of SpCas9 with Rma intein resulted in the highest on-target editing. The orientations of pegRNA and nicking sgRNA in the AAV vector were further optimized. To test the in vivo performance of the optimized dual-AAV split-PE3, it was delivered by subretinal injection in rd12 mice with inherited retinal disease Leber congenital amaurosis. The prime editors corrected the pathogenic mutation with up to 16% efficiency in a precise way, with no detectable off-target edits, restored RPE65 expression, rescued retinal and visual function, and preserved photoceptors. Our findings establish a framework for the preclinical development of PE and motivate further testing of PE for the treatment of inherited retinal diseases caused by various mutations.

Platelets (PLTs) are believed to play a role in the process by which tumors can accelerate their growth rate, as well as offer the physical and mechanical support necessary to evade the immunological system and metastasis. There is, however, no literature available if PLTs have a role in leukemia. It is significant for PLTs to play a part in hematological malignancies from a therapeutic standpoint and to have the capacity to serve as a prognostic marker in the evolution of leukemia. This is because PLTs play a crucial role in the development of cancer and tumors. In this study, it will be shown that PLT count can be used to predict long-term prognosis after chemotherapy especially in the case of acute myeloid leukemia patients. Furthermore, low PLT-to-lymphocyte ratio and mean PLT volume, as well as high PLT distribution width, are associated with poor prognosis and may represent a novel independent prognostic factor.

The discovery and development of the CRISPR/Cas system is a milestone in precise medicine. CRISPR/Cas nucleases, base-editing (BE) and prime-editing (PE) are three genome editing technologies derived from CRISPR/Cas. In recent years, CRISPR-based genome editing technologies have created immense therapeutic potential with safe and efficient viral or non-viral delivery systems. Significant progress has been made in applying genome editing strategies to modify T cells and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) ex vivo and to treat a wide variety of diseases and disorders in vivo. Nevertheless, the clinical translation of this unique technology still faces many challenges, especially targeting, safety and delivery issues, which require further improvement and optimization. In addition, with the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), CRISPR-based molecular diagnosis has attracted extensive attention. Growing from the specific set of molecular biological discoveries to several active clinical trials, CRISPR/Cas systems offer the opportunity to create a cost-effective, portable and point-of-care diagnosis through nucleic acid screening of diseases. In this review, we describe the development, mechanisms and delivery systems of CRISPR-based genome editing and focus on clinical and preclinical studies of therapeutic CRISPR genome editing in disease treatment as well as its application prospects in therapeutics and molecular detection.

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation is regarded as a promising candidate for the treatment of ischaemic heart disease. The major hurdles for successful clinical translation of MSC therapy are poor survival, retention, and engraftment in the infarcted heart. Stromal cell-derived factor-1/chemokine receptor 4 (SDF-1/CXCR4) constitutes one of the most efficient chemokine/chemokine receptor pairs regarding cell homing. In this review, we mainly focused on previous studies on how to regulate the SDF-1/CXCR4 interaction through various priming strategies to maximize the efficacy of mesenchymal stem cell transplantation on ischaemic hearts or to facilitate the required effects. The strengthened measures for enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of the SDF-1/CXCR4 interaction for mesenchymal stem cell transplantation included the combination of chemokines and cytokines, hormones and drugs, biomaterials, gene engineering, and hypoxia. The priming strategies on recipients for stem cell transplantation included ischaemic conditioning and device techniques.

Issues concerning spatial dependence among cross-sectional units in econometrics have received more and more attention. Motivated by a Boston housing price data analysis, this paper studies the sparse inference of varying coefficient partially linear spatial autoregressive model, which is quite valuable in econometrics with high-dimensional data. A novel, efficient and convenient one-step variable selection procedure is proposed by using a twofold penalty for simultaneous estimation and variable selection of the parametric components and varying coefficient functions, in which the varying coefficient functions are approximated by the B-spline basis. Under some regularity conditions, asymptotic properties of the resulting estimators are established, including consistency, asymptotic normality and the oracle property. Besides, the optimal choices of the tuning parameters are discussed and a practical iterative algorithm based on the locally quadratic approximation approach is presented for implementation. Finally, extensive numerical simulations and a Boston housing price data analysis are conducted to confirm the finite sample performance and theoretical findings of the new method.

To maximize marketing effectiveness, many conscious and unconscious elements are simultaneously employed within campaign advertising. However, little is known about the individual contributions that conscious and unconscious processes make to the cognitive effectiveness of creative advertisements, some of which may also induce insight experiences. To quantify the roles of conscious and unconscious processes in memory effectiveness within commercial advertising, a dual-process, signal-detection technique was adopted to separate the contributions of conscious recollection and unconscious discrimination induced by 80 printed advertisements, among which half were considered standard and the other half creative. A total of 51 participants completed immediate (5 min later) and delayed (3 days later) memory recognition tests. In contrast to standard advertising, creative advertising was found to enhance recognition and to demonstrate advantages in both conscious and unconscious memory, which decreased across the test-time intervals. Further analyses showed that a moment of insight induced by an advertisement, regardless of whether it is standard or creative, can consolidate unconscious memory, whereas advertisements that do not induce insight improve conscious memory. The implications of these findings are discussed. [Abstract copyright: © 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.]

Comprehensive axillary surgery is associated with an elevated rate of morbidity. This trial aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of axillary dissection of lymph nodes from the breast (bALND) for the purpose of limiting the extent of surgery. Patients enrolled from two tertiary referral centers from September 2018 to September 2019 were randomly allocated to two groups: bALND and standard axillary lymph node dissection (sALND). In the bALND group, the sentinel lymph node was filled with 0.1 ml methylene blue before resection. Then, bALND based on lymphatic drainage was subsequently performed. Lymph nodes at each breast lymphatic level and lymph nodes at Berg levels were sent for separate pathological examination. Arm lymphedema, locoregional recurrence, and distant metastasis were documented. In the bALND group, lymphatic vessels and subsequent-echelon lymph nodes from the breast were stained blue after injection of methylene blue in 404 (89.0%, 404/454) cases, and 57.8% (228/394) of the patients harbored fewer than four metastatic nodes. With a median follow-up of 18 months, the incidence of arm lymphedema was 6.6% (26/394) in the bALND group versus 13.7% (60/438) in the sALND group (p = 0.008), while regional recurrence presented no difference between the two surgical procedures (0.76% vs 0.68%, p = 0.896). For node-positive breast cancer patients, bALND based on lymphatic drainage is a less radical axillary surgery that can eliminate morbidity without impairing cancer control.

Quantum dots (QDs) have recently attracted intensive attention for electrode materials due to their tunable physical dimensions, unique surface effect and pseudocapacitive property. Nevertheless, direct employment of QDs as electrode materials are plagued because of their intrinsic aggregation. In this work, we have successfully fabricated amorphous FeOOH QDs and FeOOH/g-C3N4 hybrid nanosheets as electrode materials using a scalable and bottom-up synthesis route. The FeOOH/g-C3N4 composite possesses a unique heterostructure, comprising a highly dispersed FeOOH QDs anchored on g-C3N4 nanosheets. We probe the behavior of as-prepared hybrid sample, which collectively delivers significant improvement in terms of ultrahigh specific capacitance and long-term stability. The FeOOH/g-C3N4-20 electrode exhibits a large specific capacitance of about 270.8 F g−1 at 1 A g −1, prominent rate capability at high scan rates, and favorable capacitance retention (78.3% capacitance retention after 3000 cycles).

As a non-invasive innovative diagnosis platform, advanced flexible contact lenses can dynamically monitor vital ocular indicators, spot abnormalities and provide biofeedback guidance for real-time diagnosis and rehabilitation tracking of chronic eye diseases. However, most of the state-of-the-art reported contact lenses either can only monitor a single indicator at a time or realize multifunctional integration based on multiple materials. Herein, we developed a flexible multifunctional contact lens based on inorganic γ-Fe2O3@NiO magnetic oxide nanosheets, which can be attached conformally and seamlessly to the eyeball to simultaneously monitor glucose level in tears, eyeball movement, and intraocular pressure. The optimized contact lens has a reliable glucose detection limit (0.43 μmol), superior eye movement measurement accuracy (95.27%) and high intraocular pressure sensitivity (0.17 MHz mmHg− 1). This work presents a concept in the biochemical and biophysical integrated sensing of ocular signals using contact lens via an innovative material, and provides a personalized and efficient way for health management. Graphical Abstract

Fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) has the advantages of high strength, light weight, corrosion resistance and convenient construction and is widely used in repairing and strengthening damaged concrete columns. Most of the existing strength models were built by regression analysis of experimental data; however, in this article, a new unified strength model is proposed using the Hoek-Brown failure criterion. To study the strength of FRP-confined damaged and undamaged concrete columns, 900 test data were collected from the published literature and a large database that contains the cross-sectional shape of each specimen, the damage type, the damage level and the FRP-confined stiffness was established. A new strength model using the Hoek-Brown failure criterion was established and is suitable for both circular and square columns that are undamaged, load-damaged and fire-damaged. Based on the database, most of the existing strength models from the published literature and the model proposed in this paper were evaluated. The evaluation shows that the proposed model can predict the compressive strength for FRP-confined pre-damaged and undamaged concrete columns with good accuracy.

Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths and has the third highest incidence in the world. Almost half of the patients with CRC have metastases at the time of diagnosis. However, the treatment for patients with metastatic CRC that progresses after approved conventional chemotherapy is still controversial. Chinese medicine (CM) has unique characteristics and advantages in treating metastatic CRC. Objective To assess the effectiveness and safety of CM in patients with metastatic CRC after failure of conventional chemotherapy. Methods The study is a multicenter prospective cohort study. A total of 384 patients with documented metastatic CRC after failure of conventional chemotherapy will be included from 9 hospitals among Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, and Guizhou, and assigned to three groups according to paitents' wishes: (1) integrated Chinese and Western medicine (ICM) group receiving CM herbal treatment combined with Western medicine (WM) anti-tumor therapy, (2) Chinese medicine (CM) group receiving only CM herbal treatment, and (3) WM group receiving only WM anti-tumor therapy. The primary endpoint is the overall survival (OS). Secondary endpoints include the progression free survival (PFS), quality of life (QOL) assessed by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Colorectal (FACT-C) questionnaire, tumor control, and CM symptom score. Discussion This prospective study will assess the effectiveness and safety of CM in treating metastatic CRC after conventional chemotherapy failure. Patients in the ICM group will be compared with those in the WM group and CM group. If certified to be effective, national provision of CM treatment in metastatic CRC will probably be advised. (Registration No. NCT02923622 on ClinicalTrials.gov).

High-performance polystyrene-b-poly (ethylene-butylene)-b-polystyrene/thermoplastic polyurethane (SEBS/TPU) blends containing polyurethane blocked styrene–ethylene–butylene–styrene (SEBS-b-TPU) and SEBS-b-TPU/clay were obtained by melt mixing. The influence of SEBS-b-TPU and nanoclay content on morphology, mechanical, thermal, rheological and abrasion behavior of the SEBS/TPU blends were investigated. SEM results indicated that the domain size of the TPU phase was remarkably reduced by the presence of SEBS-b-TPU. Moreover, the addition of clay further improved the extent of mixing. TEM and SEM–EDX revealed that nanoclays were preferentially located in and along the outer edge of the TPU phase with an intercalated/exfoliated structure. TGA results showed that the degradation temperatures (T5%) were increased by 12.3 °C and 20.8 °C for SEBS/TPU/SEBS-b-TPU-7% and SEBS/TPU/SEBS-b-TPU/clay-3% nanocomposites, respectively, compared with that of SEBS/TPU. There was also an improvement in mechanical and rheological properties as expected. Meanwhile, the abrasion resistance of SEBS/TPU blends was considerably enhanced by the presence of SEBS-b-TPU/clay, the DIN volume loss decreased by as much as 56%, which can be attributed to the dispersion of the clay platelets in nanoscales as well as the enhanced interfacial adhesion. These superior properties of the SEBS/TPU blends are important for many applications.

Background Cerebral infarction and cerebral hemorrhage, also known as “stroke”, is one of the leading cause of death. At present, there is no real specific medicine for stroke. Crinis Carbonisatus (named Xue-yu-tan in Chinese), produced from carbonized hair of healthy human, and has been widely applied to relieve pain and treat epilepsy, stroke and other diseases in China for thousands of years. Results In this work, a new species of carbon dots derived from Crinis Carbonisatus (CrCi-CDs) were separated and identified. And the neuroprotective effect of carbon dots from CrCi were evaluated using the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model. Neurological deficit score and infarction volume was assessed, evans blue content of ischemic hemispheres was measured, the concentrations of inflammatory factors, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the cortex were measured, and the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain were determined. Preconditioning of CrCi-CDs significantly reduced ischemic lesion volume and blood–brain-barrier (BBB) permeability, improved neurologic deficits, decreased the level of TNF-α and IL-6 in MCAO rats, inhibited excitatory neurotransmitters aspartate (Asp) and glutamate (Glu), and increased the level of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT). The RNA-Sequencing results reveal that further potential mechanisms behind the activities may be related to the anti-inflammation effects and inhibition of neuroexcitatory toxicity. Conclusion CrCi-CDs performs neuroprotective effect on cerebral ischemia and reperfusion injury, and the mechanisms may correlate with its anti-inflammatory action, which suggested that CrCi-CDs have potential value in clinical therapy on the acute apoplexy cases in combination with thrombolytic drugs. Graphic abstract

Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models have been extensively applied in the prediction of water resource variables, and Geographical Information System (GIS) includes powerful functions to visualize spatial data. In order to provide an efficient tool for environmental assessment and management that combines the advantages of these two modules, a GIS-based ANN water quality prediction system was developed in the present study. The ANN module and ArcGIS Engine module, along with a dynamic database, were imbedded in the system, which integrates water quality prediction via the ANN model and spatial presentation of the model results. The structure of the ANN model could be modified through the graphical user interface to optimize the model performance. The developed system was applied to a real case study for the prediction of the total phosphorus concentration in the Lake Champlain area. The prediction results were verified with the monitoring data, and the performance of the developed model was further evaluated through graphical techniques and quantitative statistical methods. Overall, the developed system provided satisfactory prediction results, and spatial distribution maps of the predicted results were obtained, which coincided with the monitored values. The developed GIS-based ANN water quality prediction system could serve as an efficient tool for engineers and decision makers.

The ∼ 5 nm degradable carbon dots (CDs) were synthesized directly from carbon rod by a one-step electrochemical method at room temperature. The as-prepared CDs can effectively enhance the ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase (RuBisCO) activity, and then promote the dicotyledons growth (soybean, tomato, eggplant and so on) and finally increase their yields. Here, we used Arabidopsis thaliana and Trifolium repens L. as model plants to systematically study the beneficial effects of CDs on plant growth. These include: (i) accelerating seed germination; (ii) enlarging root elongation; (iii) increasing metal ions absorption and delivery; (iv) improving enzymes activity; (v) enhancing the carbohydrate content; (vi) degradation into plant hormone analogues and CO2; and finally (vii) enhancing the grain production by about 20%.

Nowadays, a lot of types of digital high-speed video camera are available with a wide range of image rates. The new camera technology has made it possible to observe the cavitation on a propeller. However, until recently cavitation on ship propellers is observed visually using the so-called time-lapse observations. The conventional time-lapse method cannot accurately detect the temporal development of cavitation. High-speed video visualizes the complete process of cavitation. A high-speed video system was developed to observe the cavity dynamics in more detail in a more reliable way. This paper shows the high-speed visualization results of a cavitating propeller, which give a better recording of the complete cavitation dynamics. Appropriate post-processing of the obtained high-speed images enables the detailed illustration of the interface topology of the propeller cavitation, and the weak tip vortex cavitation which is not readily apparent to the naked eyes can be detected by the edge-detection methodology. This can be used to explain the major discrepancies between acoustic criterion and optical criterion of detection of cavitation inception, which are known to provide different answers in the most practical applications.

The vapor-cell rubidium atomic clock is widely used in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and telecommunications. The sensitivity of temperature is one of the most important factors affecting the performance of rubidium Atomic Frequency Standards (RAFS). It plays a significant role in the long-term frequency stability of the rubidium atomic clock, and largely depends on the Physics Package (PP). In this paper, we attempt to reduce the temperature sensitivity of RAFS in a specific environment of vacuum and extraterrestrial temperature. We achieve this by studying the theory of light shift, collision shift, and magnetic frequency shift in RAFS. By combining this with our engineering expertise, we have proposed a single method on three parameters to optimize the temperature coefficient of PP of the rubidium atomic clock, which can not only optimize the temperature coefficient of PP, but can also improve the long-term frequency stability of the rubidium atomic clock. Some related experiments, by the proposed method, further demonstrate a significant reduction in the temperature coefficient of PP, suggesting that the performance of RAFS can be improved.

The pathogenic fungus Neoscytalidium dimidiatum (Nd) is the causal agent of pitaya canker and causes significant yield losses. The mechanism by which Nd invades pitaya stems remains largely unknown. Here, quantitative proteomic analysis was employed to investigate pitaya immune responses against Nd infection. A total of 2766 proteins including 244 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified during infection. Nearly half of the upregulated proteins were predicted to be located in the chloroplast and mitochondrion, implying that these organelles are most affected by fungal infection. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that the DEPs were associated with photosynthesis, phytohormone activity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis, and pathogenic defense responses. Notably, the phytohormones auxin and abscisic acid were accumulated for defense against Nd invasion. qRT-PCR validation showed that the mRNA expression levels of auxin binding protein (ABP), auxin response 4 protein (ARP4), and aspartic protease 2 (ASP2) were not consistent with the protein variation, suggesting that these proteins were regulated post-transcriptionally. Additionally, DEPs associated with ROS metabolism changed markedly, indicating that ROS homeostasis in pitaya is important for defense against Nd invasion. In summary, the results revealed the involvement of many essential proteins in the response to Nd infection and provide a basis for studying other biotic stresses of pitaya.