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The lack of precise spatiotemporal gene modulation and therapy impedes progress in medical applications. Herein, a 980 nm near‐infrared (NIR) light‐controlled nanoplatform, namely URMT, is developed, which can allow spatiotemporally controlled photodynamic therapy and trigger the enzyme‐activated gene expression regulation in tumors. URMT is constructed by engineering an enzyme‐activatable antisense oligonucleotide, which combined with an upconversion nanoparticle (UCNP)‐based photodynamic nanosystem, followed by the surface functionalization of triphenylphosphine (TPP), a mitochondria‐targeting ligand. URMT allows for the 980 nm NIR light‐activated generation of reactive oxygen species, which can induce the translocation of a DNA repair enzyme (namely apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1, APE1) from the nucleus to mitochondria. APE1 can recognize the basic apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites in DNA double‐strands and perform cleavage, thereby releasing the functional single‐strands for gene regulation. Overall, an augmented antitumor effect is observed due to NIR light‐controlled mitochondrial damage and enzyme‐activated gene regulation. Altogether, the approach reported in this study offers high spatiotemporal precision and shows the potential to achieve precise and specific gene regulation for targeted tumor treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gaseous ethylene (ET) and the oxylipin‐derived jasmonic acid (JA) in plants jointly regulate an arsenal of pathogen responsive genes involved in defending against necrotrophic pathogens. The APETALA2 (AP2)/ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR (ERF) transcription factor ORA59 is a major positive regulator of the ET/JA‐mediated defense pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana. The Arabidopsis agmatine coumaroyltransferase (AtACT) catalyzes the formation of hydroxycinnamic acid amides (HCAAs) which are effective toxic antimicrobial substances known as phytoalexins and play an important role in plant defense response. However, induction and regulation of AtACT gene expression and HCAAs synthesis in plants remain less understood. Through gene coexpression network analysis, we identified a list of GCC‐box cis‐element containing genes that were coexpressed with ORA59 under diverse biotic stress conditions and might be potential downstream targets of this AP2/ERF‐domain transcription factor. Particularly, ORA59 directly binds to AtACT gene promoter via the GCC‐boxes and activates AtACT gene expression. The ET precursor 1‐aminocyclopropane‐1‐carboxylic acid (ACC)‐treatment significantly induces AtACT gene expression. Both ORA59 and members of the class II TGA transcription factors are indispensable for ACC‐induced AtACT expression. Interestingly, the expression of AtACT is also subject to the signaling crosstalk of the salicylic acid‐ and ET/JA‐mediated defense response pathways. In addition, we found that genes of the phenylpropanoid metabolism pathway were specifically induced by Botrytis cinerea. Taking together, these evidence suggest that the ET/JA signaling pathway activate the expression of AtACT to increase antimicrobial HCAAs production through the transcription factor ORA59 in response to the infection of necrotrophic plant pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of the digital economy, the power demand for data centers (DCs) is rising rapidly, which presents a challenge to the economic and low‐carbon operation of the future distribution system. To this end, this paper fully considers the multiple flexibility of DC and its impact on the active distribution network, and establishes a collaborative planning model of DC and active distribution network. Differing from most existing studies that apply robust optimization or stochastic optimization for uncertainty characterization, this study employs a novel interval optimization approach to capture the inherent uncertainties within the system (including the renewable energy source (RES) generation, electricity price, electrical loads, emissions factor and workloads). Subsequently, the planning model is reformulated as the interval multi‐objective optimization problem (IMOP) to minimize economic cost and carbon emission. On this basis, instead of using a conventional deterministic‐conversion approach, an interval multi‐objective optimization evolutionary algorithm based on decomposition (IMOEA/D) is proposed to solve the proposed IMOP, which is able to fully preserve the uncertainty inherent in interval‐typed information and allow to obtain an interval‐formed Pareto front for risk‐averse decision‐making. Finally, an IEEE 33‐node active distribution network is utilized for simulation and analysis to confirm the efficacy of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogel coatings, with natural tissue‐like mechanical and biological compatibility, demonstrate promise for bulk material applications. However, existing coating methods lack efficiency and control, especially when dealing with complex geometries, diverse substrate materials, and varying sizes. In this study, an enzyme‐immobilized surface‐catalyzed cross‐link approach is proposed for the growth of hydrogel coatings on multiple substrates, accommodating various materials and shapes. The hydrogel coating is formed through the catalytic action of interface‐immobilized enzymes, which induce the crosslinking of hyaluronic acid, and its mechanical properties are further enhanced by introducing a secondary polyacrylamide network. This approach enables the controlled growth of conformal double network hydrogel coatings with a desired thickness on a wide range of substrate surfaces and devices. Notably, the hydrogel coating exhibits remarkable lubricity and anti‐thrombotic properties, especially desire for medical intervention devices. This advancement offers a universal route to impart biocompatible soft interfaces to bulk materials or devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Circular RNA (circRNA) has been found to mediate ulcerative colitis (UC) progression by regulating intestinal mucosal barrier function. However, the role of circSOD2 in UC process and its underlying molecular mechanism still need to be further elucidated. Methods: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced Caco2 cells were used to mimic UC cell models. CircSOD2, miR‐378g, and Snail1 levels were determined by quantitative real‐time PCR. Cell viability was detected using MTT assay, and inflammatory cytokine levels were measured using ELISA. The intestinal mucosal barrier function was evaluated by testing transepithelial electrical resistance and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)‐dextran permeability. Snail1 and tight junction‐related markers (Zo‐1 and Claudin2) protein levels were examined using western blot. The interaction between miR‐378g and circSOD2 or Snail1 was confirmed by dual‐luciferase reporter assay. Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) was used to induce UC rat models in vivo. Results: CircSOD2 was overexpressed in UC patients, and its knockdown significantly increased cell viability, transepithelial electrical resistance, and tight junction‐related protein expression, while reduced inflammation cytokine levels and the permeability of FITC‐dextran in LPS‐induced Caco2 cells. In terms of mechanism, circSOD2 sponged miR‐378g to positively regulate Snail1 expression. MiR‐378g inhibitor reversed the effect of circSOD2 knockdown on intestinal mucosal barrier injury and Snail1 expression in LPS‐induced Caco2 cells. In DSS‐induced UC rat models, circSOD2 knockdown also could repair the intestinal mucosal barrier injury through regulating miR‐378g/Snail1 axis. Conclusion: CircSOD2 could destroy intestinal mucosal barrier function in LPS‐induced Caco2 cells and DSS‐induced UC rats by miR‐378g/Snail1 axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Meloidogyne incognita is one of the most widely distributed plant‐parasitic nematodes and causes severe economic losses annually. The parasite produces effector proteins that play essential roles in successful parasitism. Here, we identified one such effector named MiCE108, which is exclusively expressed within the nematode subventral esophageal gland cells and is upregulated in the early parasitic stage of M. incognita. A yeast signal sequence trap assay showed that MiCE108 contains a functional signal peptide for secretion. Virus‐induced gene silencing of MiCE108 impaired the parasitism of M. incognita in Nicotiana benthamiana. The ectopic expression of MiCE108 in Arabidopsis suppressed the deposition of callose, the generation of reactive oxygen species, and the expression of marker genes for bacterial flagellin epitope flg22‐triggered immunity, resulting in increased susceptibility to M. incognita, Botrytis cinerea, and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) DC3000. The MiCE108 protein physically associates with the plant defense protease RD21A and promotes its degradation via the endosomal‐dependent pathway, or 26S proteasome. Consistent with this, knockout of RD21A compromises the innate immunity of Arabidopsis and increases its susceptibility to a broad range of pathogens, including M. incognita, strongly indicating a role in defense against this nematode. Together, our data suggest that M. incognita deploys the effector MiCE108 to target Arabidopsis cysteine protease RD21A and affect its stability, thereby suppressing plant innate immunity and facilitating parasitism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain aging is associated with cognitive decline, memory loss and many neurodegenerative disorders. The mammalian brain has distinct structural regions that perform specific functions. However, our understanding in gene expression and cell types within the context of the spatial organization of the mammalian aging brain is limited. Here we generated spatial transcriptomic maps of young and old mouse brains. We identified 27 distinguished brain spatial domains, including layer‐specific subregions that are difficult to dissect individually. We comprehensively characterized spatial‐specific changes in gene expression in the aging brain, particularly for isocortex, the hippocampal formation, brainstem and fiber tracts, and validated some gene expression differences by qPCR and immunohistochemistry. We identified aging‐related genes and pathways that vary in a coordinated manner across spatial regions and parsed the spatial features of aging‐related signals, providing important clues to understand genes with specific functions in different brain regions during aging. Combined with single‐cell transcriptomics data, we characterized the spatial distribution of brain cell types. The proportion of immature neurons decreased in the DG region with aging, indicating that the formation of new neurons is blocked. Finally, we detected changes in information interactions between regions and found specific pathways were deregulated with aging, including classic signaling WNT and layer‐specific signaling COLLAGEN. In summary, we established a spatial molecular atlas of the aging mouse brain (http://sysbio.gzzoc.com/Mouse‐Brain‐Aging/), which provides important resources and novel insights into the molecular mechanism of brain aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of tempered blast‐furnace slag through the direct fiber forming process to produce high‐value thermal insulation materials offers a dual benefit: it efficiently utilizes the latent heat in the unused slag and significantly increases the value of blast‐furnace slag utilization. However, measuring the melting properties of iron slag at high temperatures is challenging. In this study, the melting behavior of SiO2 in a high‐temperature molten pool was investigated. We employ dynamic visual data (video stream) captured via a non‐contact charge coupled device video recording system to extract SiO2 contours through image processing. The change in image centroid characteristics is used to establish a convolution function relationship, and MATLAB's traversal search algorithm determines the centroid position of SiO2. Given that SiO2 is proportionate to crucible pixels, the area of the SiO2 is calculated through pixel statistics within these contours. A new indirect method is then proposed to process image information to obtain SiO2 volume and mass at different time points. An exponential fitting yields the melting rate function of SiO2. Finally, this indirect method has been compared with shape from shading, quantitative characterization, and dimensional analysis techniques. Besides, the strengths and limitations of each method have been discussed. Our findings reveal that the indirect solution method presented here boasts straightforward calculation steps and imposes minimal image format requirements, which provides theoretical and technical support for the direct fiber forming process of blast‐furnace slag. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate the role of oral microbiome in promoting oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) development. Materials and Methods: We investigated the salivary microbiome of 108 controls and 70 OSCC cases by16S rRNA gene sequencing and detected the fluorescence signal of OSCC‐related pathological bacteria by fluorescence in situ hybridization assay (FISH). The invasion and migration assays were used to show the differences of invasive and migrative abilities between control and experimental groups. Quantitative real‐time PCR and Western blotting were used to verify the epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT). Results: In our study, the overall microbiome abundance and composition were richer in the 108 controls than in the 70 OSCC cases. We demonstrated that Streptococcus, Capnocytophaga, Peptostreptococcus, and Lactobacillus were highly abundant in the saliva of OSCC patients by 16S rDNA sequencing and FISH. Moreover, we found that Capnocytophaga gingivalis (C. gingivalis) was highly presented in OSCC tissues by FISH. We focused on C. gingivalis and found that its supernatant induced OSCC cells to undergo EMT, causing the cells to acquire a mesenchymal phenotype associated with highly invasive and metastatic properties. Conclusion: Taken together, these results indicated that C. gingivalis might invade OSCC tissues and played an important role in OSCC by promoting OSCC invasion and metastasis by inducing EMT. Hence, the role of C. gingivalis in cancer progression revealed a new direction for the research of OSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alopecia areata (AA) is a complex genetic disease that results in hair loss due to an autoimmune‐mediated attack on the hair follicle. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have great potential to induce hair regeneration due to their strong secretion ability and multidirectional differentiation. Recent studies have revealed that the therapeutic potential of MSCs comes from their secretion ability, which can produce large amounts of bioactive substances and regulate the key physiological functions of subjects. The secretion products of MSCs, such as vesicles, exosomes, and conditioned media, have significant advantages in preparing of biological products derived from stem cells. Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (uMSCs) are the best choice for exosome production. uMSCs are obtained from the human umbilical cord. The umbilical cord is easy to obtain, and the efficiency of uMSCs isolation and culture higher than that of obtaining MSCs from bone marrow or adipose tissue. In this study, we investigated the effects of exosomes released from uMSCs in AA mice. In summary, due to easy isolation and cultivation, simple preparation, and convenient storage, it is possible to obtain uMSCs, or uMSCs exosomes for research and clinical treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Near‐infrared photobiomodulation has been identified as a potential strategy for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the mechanisms underlying this therapeutic effect remain poorly characterize. Herein, it is illustrate that 1070‐nm light induces the morphological alteration of microglia from an M1 to M2 phenotype that secretes exosomes, which alleviates the β‐amyloid burden to improve cognitive function by ameliorating neuroinflammation and promoting neuronal dendritic spine plasticity. The results show that 4 J cm−2 1070‐nm light at a 10‐Hz frequency prompts microglia with an M1 inflammatory type to switch to an M2 anti‐inflammatory type. This induces secretion of M2 microglial‐derived exosomes containing miR‐7670‐3p, which targets activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6) during endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Moreover, it is found that miR‐7670‐3p reduces ATF6 expression to further ameliorate ER stress, thus attenuating the inflammatory response and protecting dendritic spine integrity of neurons in the cortex and hippocampus of 5xFAD mice, ultimately leading to improvements in cognitive function. This study highlights the critical role of exosomes derive from 1070‐nm light‐modulated microglia in treating AD mice, which may provide a theoretical basis for the treatment of AD with the use of near‐infrared photobiomodulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, steel slag foamed ceramics were fabricated by using steel slag, kaolin, feldspar, and quartz as main raw materials, and adding SiC as high‐temperature foaming agent. The effects of steel slag content and SiC particle size on porosity and mechanical properties of foamed ceramics were researched. Results indicate that when content of steel slag is 40 wt%, and particle size of SiC is 20 µm, foamed ceramics exhibited optimized properties: water absorption rate of 2.59%, total porosity of 55.91%, bulk density of 1.33 g·cm−3, and compressive strength of 1.21 MPa. The results show that with the increase of steel slag content, the phase composition of foamed ceramics changes, and foam process is hindered. The increase of steel slag content contributes to the formation of diopside. Fe3+, Fe2+ in liquid phase enter into diopside by solid solution, the amount of liquid phase decreases. Liquid phase mass transfer slows down, and content of SiC in liquid phase decreases, so that the porosity decreases. At the same steel slag content, different SiC particle size affects the difference between pressure inside the closed pore and surface pressure, thereby the porosity changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) are formed in long‐term chronic inflammation, promoting the local recruitment of lymphocytes, antigen presentation and regulation of immune response, correlated with a better prognosis for cancer patients. Although studies have been conducted to explore methods that accelerate the establishment of TLSs, related research in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is still lacking. In this study, we analysed data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and performed immunohistochemical staining analyses of 188 patient samples. The results showed that TLSs promoted the infiltration of immune cells. Patients with TLSs with high infiltration of CD8+ cells showed the best prognosis. Since lymphotoxin α (LTα) was significantly increased in tissues with TLSs, we overexpressed LTα in SCC7 cells (a mouse‐derived HNSCC cell line) and established tongue‐tumour‐bearing models. The polychromatic observation of tissue sections showed that T‐cell aggregation increased in the LTα cell group, and a grade 1 TLS was formed on the 12th day after inoculating the cells. Moreover, the tumour volume in the LTα group was significantly less than that of the control group, whereas both the number and the proportion of infiltrated CD8+ T cells were increased. The peripheral CD8+ cells in mice were removed, and no difference was observed in tumour size or TLS formation. Remarkably, we found that TLS led to an increase in the antitumour effect by recruiting CD8+ T cells in HNSCC, showing a CD8+ T‐cell‐dependent antitumour effect. Moreover, LTα overexpression in the tumour promoted the formation of TLSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart electromagnetic (EM) functional materials that can arbitrarily utilize EM energy and reduce EM pollution are attractive for future EM devices in an information society; however, studies on precise EM interference (EMI) shielding and sensing are rare. In this work, dual‐action electrical and EM‐responsive mechanoreceptors are prepared from electrically conductive polypyrrole (PPy) nanoparticle (NP)‐infiltrated anisotropic wood (PW) aerogels. The prepared PW aerogels are composed of curved stacked layers of aligned cellulose nanofibers, and can be reversibly condensed and reconstructed for conductive network control during cyclic compression. These PW aerogels can withstand up to 74% compressive strain in a tangential direction and exhibit pressing‐enhanced electrical conductivity and polarization loss. The piezoresistive gauge factor (GF) and linearity of the PW aerogels can be adjusted by varying the PPy deposition time, leading to varying GF values in the range of 1.87–4.62. During mechanosensing based on EMI shielding effectiveness (SE), rapid off/on switching between the EM wave transmission and shielding is achieved when the SE varies above and below the effective EMI shielding area (>20 dB) through continuous compression. Such dual‐action electrical/EM off/on wood aerogel switches provide opportunities for the development of advanced smart devices from biomass resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the effect of emollient on atopic march in a murine model of atopic dermatitis (AD). Following induction of AD with topical calcipotriol (MC903) and ovalbumin (OVA), one group of mice was treated topically with a linoleic acid‐ceramide‐containing emollient, while mice without emollient treatment served as disease controls. After 28 days, clinical, histological and transcriptomic analyses were performed in the skin lesions and the lung as well as serum cytokine levels. Treatments of mice with MC903 and OVA induced a typical phenotype of AD, accompanied by increased expression levels of Th2 and basophil‐related genes in the lung. Topical emollients markedly decreased the severity of skin lesions and inflammatory cell infiltration. Moreover, emollient treatments significantly downregulated expression levels of AD‐related genes (286 of 1450 differentially expressed genes), including those related to innate inflammation (S100a8/a9, Il1b, Defb3/6, Mmp12), chemokines (Cxcl1/3, Ccl3/4) and epidermal permeability barrier (Krt2/6b/80, Serpinb12, Lce3e, Sprr2), etc. Downregulated genes were enriched in mitochondrial OXPHOS‐related pathways, while upregulated genes were mainly enriched in axon guidance and tight junctions. Moreover, topical emollient treatments decreased total serum levels of IL‐4, along with substantial reductions in IgE and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) levels. Furthermore, 187 of 275 upregulated genes in lung tissue were also significantly downregulated, including those involved in leucocyte chemotaxis (Ccl9, Ccr2, Retnlg, Ccl3, Cxcl10, Il1r2, etc.) and basophil activation (Mcpt8, Cd200r3, Fcer1a, Ms4a2). In conclusion, topical emollient not only reduces skin inflammation, but also mitigates systemic inflammation by decreasing TSLP and IgE levels. Moreover, topical emollient reduces chemokine production and basophil infiltration and activation in the lung. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pathological diagnosis of intracranial germinoma (IG), oligodendroglioma, and low‐grade astrocytoma on intraoperative frozen section (IFS) and hematoxylin–eosin (HE)‐staining section directly determines patients' treatment options, but it is a difficult task for pathologists. We aimed to investigate whether whole‐slide imaging (WSI)‐based deep learning can contribute new precision to the diagnosis of IG, oligodendroglioma, and low‐grade astrocytoma. Two types of WSIs (500 IFSs and 832 HE‐staining sections) were collected from 379 patients at multiple medical centers. Patients at Center 1 were split into the training, testing, and internal validation sets (3:1:1), while the other centers were the external validation sets. First, we subdivided WSIs into small tiles and selected tissue tiles using a tissue tile selection model. Then a tile‐level classification model was established, and the majority voting method was used to determine the final diagnoses. Color jitter was applied to the tiles so that the deep learning (DL) models could adapt to the variations in the staining. Last, we investigated the effectiveness of model assistance. The internal validation accuracies of the IFS and HE models were 93.9% and 95.3%, respectively. The external validation accuracies of the IFS and HE models were 82.0% and 76.9%, respectively. Furthermore, the IFS and HE models can predict Ki‐67 positive cell areas with R2 of 0.81 and 0.86, respectively. With model assistance, the IFS and HE diagnosis accuracy of pathologists improved from 54.6%–69.7% and 53.5%–83.7% to 87.9%–93.9% and 86.0%–90.7%, respectively. Both the IFS model and the HE model can differentiate the three tumors, predict the expression of Ki‐67, and improve the diagnostic accuracy of pathologists. The use of our model can assist clinicians in providing patients with optimal and timely treatment options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial photoreceptors are extensively developed to help the patients with serious eye diseases by converting light into electric signals. However, the existing systems still suffer from poor output signals, restricting signal transduction to cells. Here, a neuron‐readable artificial photoreceptor with significant voltage output is constructed by using photodeformable liquid crystal polymers (LCPs) and polyvinylidene fluoride trifluoroethylene (P(VDF‐TrFE)). The significant voltage output originates from light‐stress‐electricity conversion, where the photo‐induced stress is attributed to the free volume expansion of the photodeformable LCPs and subsequently converts them into strong electric signals by the P(VDF‐TrFE) layer. The photo‐induced open‐circuit voltage reaches up to 0.79 ± 0.02 V, which is, to the knowledge, 19 times higher than the maximum voltage (0.04 V) that has been reported to date. Hence, such artificial photoreceptor successfully transduces photo‐induced electric signals to cells and tissues, communicates with the neurons, and triggers spiking activities in blind retinas. Besides, visual image recognition is demonstrated in a pixelated matrix by analyzing electric signals of each unit. This artificial photoreceptor opens new opportunities for the combination of the photodeformability and piezoelectricity, providing an avenue to develop neuron‐readable artificial retinas and implantable sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serum/plasma proteome analysis can monitor physiological and pathological changes in the human population. In addition to the proteins secreted by tissues, the common blood proteins, including some inherently high‐abundance proteins, also play an important role in the process of the physiological process of organisms. Herein, we establish a Common Serum Protein Database (1090 proteins and 1727 peptides) and integrate it with the Cancer Serum Atlas (www.cancerserumatlas.com) we built before to construct the deep and comprehensive cancer serum protein atlas (DCCSP Atlas). This atlas contains over 2700 proteins with targeted mass spectrometry assays and spectra of corresponding unique peptides. We simultaneously targeted 539 proteins in 29 sera of two hardly distinguishable cancer types (breast and lung) and non‐tumor controls using the DCCSP Atlas and the pan‐targeted proteomic strategy. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve exceeded 0.96 for cancer detection and classification. The DCCSP Atlas will enable the pan‐targeting of common serum proteins and cancer‐secreted proteins to improve the sensitivity and specificity of proteomics‐based multi‐cancer detection and classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To develop and validate a questionnaire on knowledge, attitude, behaviour and care preference of family members of Chinese older adults related to palliative care. Design: A descriptive study design and STROBE checklist were applied in this research. Methods: The theoretical framework of the questionnaire was knowledge–attitude–behaviour model. An additional dimension of palliative care preference of family members was set up in the questionnaire. Items were generated from a rapid review of international literature and interviews with 61 family members of the older adults living either in an aged care service organization or the community. The content validity was examined by five experts. A preliminary questionnaire with 69 items was then set up, and its psychometric property was assessed. Results: A final version of questionnaire with 42 items under four dimensions was constructed. The content validity index of the overall questionnaire was 0.93 and of each item ranged 0.80–1.00. The factor loading of all items was higher than 0.50 as per exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis; the average variance extracted for each dimension was higher than 0.50; the composite reliability was higher than 0.90; and the absolute value of the correlation coefficient of each dimension was <0.50 and less than the square root of the average variance extracted. The Cronbach's alpha value and the split‐half reliability value of the overall questionnaire were 0.93 and 0.97, respectively. Conclusions: This questionnaire has good validity and reliability, but needs further testing in multi‐centered settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlled dielectric breakdown (CDB) is gaining popularity for fabricating solid‐state nanopores in situ with size control in a simple, low‐cost, and scalable way. This technique could be used for a broad type of applications in the field of nucleic acid analysis and even for protein studies. In this work, we studied the entry and transport of double‐stranded DNAs using a solid‐state nanopore fabricated by CDB as a function of applied voltage for two different DNA lengths. We showed that the blockade rate increases exponentially with voltage up to 120 mV. The energy barrier depends on the chain length, and the dwell times decrease with applied voltage up to 120 mV. Moreover, no matter the chain length, it is possible to differentiate two families of blockade amplitudes, high and low ones, due to DNA folding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semitransparent organic solar cells (ST‐OSCs) offer unique features such as spectral tunability and see‐through function, giving them great potential in photovoltaic (PV) agriculture. However, the combination of sufficient average visible transmittance (AVT) and high power conversion efficiency (PCE) with eco‐friendly device fabrication has always been a key issue. Herein, a simple but effective strategy by incorporating pentacyclic aromatic lactam acceptor unit (TPTI) in copolymer donors for toluene processed high‐efficiency ST‐OSCs is performed. The comparisons between D18‐ and DEH‐X‐based ST‐OSCs demonstrate the effect of TPTI inserting on the polymer main skeleton can not only lower the energy level, improve the processability in nonhalogen solvent, tune the ideal morphology for efficient charge dissociation, but also control a photon transport window suitable for plant absorption. Therefore, the resulting OSCs processed with toluene exhibit a PCE of 14.6% with an AVT of 22%, which represents one of the highest values for ST‐OSCs made from nonhalogenated solvents. What's more, it is found that plant growth under ST‐OSCs filtered light is comparable with that under natural light. Herein, a guide for developing high‐performance ST‐OSCs is provided and the prospect of ST‐OSCs for green manufacturing PV greenhouse application is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant pancreatic islet dysfunction and loss shortly after transplantation to the liver limit the widespread implementation of this procedure in the clinic. Nonimmune factors such as reactive oxygen species and inflammation have been considered as the primary driving force for graft failure. The adipokine adiponectin plays potent roles against inflammation and oxidative stress. Previous studies have demonstrated that systemic administration of adiponectin significantly prevented islet loss and enhanced islet function at post‐transplantation period. In vitro studies indicate that adiponectin protects islets from hypoxia/reoxygenation injury, oxidative stress as well as TNF‐α‐induced injury. By applying adenovirus mediated transfection, we now engineered islet cells to express exogenous adiponectin gene prior to islet transplantation. Adenovirus‐mediated adiponectin transfer to a syngeneic suboptimal islet graft transplanted under kidney capsule markedly prevented inflammation, preserved islet graft mass and improved islet transplant outcomes. These results suggest that adenovirus‐mediated adiponectin gene therapy would be a beneficial clinical engineering approach for islet preservation in islet transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Preoperative differentiation of borderline from malignant epithelial ovarian tumors (BEOT vs. MEOT) is challenging and can significantly impact surgical management. Purpose: To develop a multiple instance convolutional neural network (MICNN) that can differentiate BEOT from MEOT, and to compare its diagnostic performance with that of radiologists. Study Type: Retrospective study of eight clinical centers. Subjects: Between January 2010 and June 2018, a total of 501 women (mean age, 48.93 ± 14.05 years) with histopathologically confirmed BEOT (N = 165) or MEOT (N = 336) were divided into the training (N = 342) and validation cohorts (N = 159). Field Strength/Sequence: Three axial sequences from 1.5 or 3 T scanner were used: fast spin echo T2‐weighted imaging with fat saturation (T2WI FS), echo planar diffusion‐weighted imaging, and 2D volumetric interpolated breath‐hold examination of contrast‐enhanced T1‐weighted imaging (CE‐T1WI) with FS. Assessment: Three monoparametric MICNN models were built based on T2WI FS, apparent diffusion coefficient map, and CE‐T1WI. Based on these monoparametric models, we constructed an early multiparametric (EMP) model and a late multiparametric (LMP) model using early and late information fusion methods, respectively. The diagnostic performance of the models was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and compared to the performance of six radiologists with varying levels of experience. Statistical Tests: We used DeLong test, chi‐square test, Mann–Whitney U‐test, and t‐test, with significance level of 0.05. Results: Both EMP and LMP models differentiated BEOT from MEOT, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.855 (95% CI, 0.795–0.915) and 0.884 (95% CI, 0.831–0.938), respectively. The AUC of the LMP model was significantly higher than the radiologists' pooled AUC (0.884 vs. 0.797). Data Conclusion: The developed MICNN models can effectively differentiate BEOT from MEOT and the diagnostic performances (AUCs) were more superior than that of the radiologists' assessments. Level of Evidence: 3 Technical Efficacy Stage: 2 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stretchable structural colors that can dynamically respond to mechanical stimuli are garnering interest as energy‐free mechanical‐optical sensors. Typical technologies for embedding photonic crystals (PCs) in elastic hydrogels generally involve etching processes, which have raked controversy for straying from green manufacturing practices. Here, a facile pressure‐assisted self‐assembly strategy to fabricate an interfacial photonic structure, i.e., semicrystalline photonic structure (SPS), consisting of two diffraction nanopatterns, including randomly oriented, medium‐scale ordered PCs and arbitrarily distributed amorphous photonic glass using hydrophilically modified colloidal polystyrene (PS) nanospheres configured at the hydrogel interface is introduced. The structural colors of the SPS hydrogel interfaces undergo immediate and repeatable mechanochromic redshift or blueshift in real time when the sample is longitudinally compressed or tensed, respectively, at both the micro zone and macroscopic color block levels. The SPS hydrogel interfaces display long‐term colorfast, angle‐independent, or non‐iridescent coloration and bright structural colors in a high reflective‐intensity range of 62%–96% at a normal viewing angle. With these features, this study demonstrates the feasibility of fabricating SPS hydrogel interfaces with mechanical and optical properties that are compatible with state‐of‐the‐art stretchable optical sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the variance‐constrained H∞ synchronization control problem is investigated for a class of discrete time‐delayed complex dynamical networks. Considering the case where a dynamical network cannot achieve the synchronization by itself, the feedback controllers are added to drive the network toward a desired orbit. To further decrease both the frequency of controller update and the energy consumption, an intermittent pinning strategy is developed to control only a small part of the network nodes. The purpose of the addressed synchronization control problem is to design a set of feedback controllers such that the closed‐loop system achieves both the prescribed H∞ disturbance attenuation level and the variance constraints. By resorting to a combination of the Lyapunov stability theory and the switching system approach, a sufficient condition is obtained under which the dynamical network reaches the overall synchronization. Furthermore, the expected gains of the intermittent pinning controllers are parameterized by solving a set of linear matrix inequalities. Finally, a numerical example is exploited to verify the effectiveness of our proposed theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Conditioned medium (CM) from 2D cell culture can mitigate the weakened regenerative capacity of the implanted stem cells. However, the capacity of 3D CM to prime dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) for pulp regeneration and its protein profile are still elusive. We aim to investigate the protein profile of CM derived from 3D tooth germs, and to unveil its potential for DPSCs‐based pulp regeneration. Materials and Methods: We prepared CM of 3D ex vivo cultured tooth germ organs (3D TGO‐CM) and CM of 2D cultured tooth germ cells (2D TGC‐CM) and applied them to prime DPSCs. Influences on cell behaviours and protein profiles of CMs were compared. In vivo pulp regeneration of CMs‐primed DPSCs was explored using a tooth root fragment model on nude mice. Results: TGO‐CM enhanced DPSCs proliferation, migration, in vitro mineralization, odontogenic differentiation, and angiogenesis performances. The TGO‐CM group generated superior pulp structures, more odontogenic cells attachment, and enhanced vasculature at 4 weeks post‐surgery, compared with the TGC‐CM group. Secretome analysis revealed that TGO‐CM contained more odontogenic and angiogenic growth factors and fewer pro‐inflammatory cytokines. Mechanisms leading to the differential CM profiles may be attributed to the cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction and PI3K‐Akt signalling pathway. Conclusions: The unique secretome profile of 3D TGO‐CM made it a successful priming cocktail to enhance DPSCs‐based early pulp regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Size‐exclusion chromatography (SEC) is a widely adopted method for the isolation of extracellular vesicles (EVs) from complex samples. SEC can efficiently remove high‐abundant proteins, while often requires multiple fractionation operation using diversified column settings. In this study, we aim to establish a simplified SEC method to acquire high quality EVs. In comparison of all three cross‐linked Sepharose resins with the sample types of FBS and human serum (HS), CL‐6B and CL‐4B showed superior performance in regular SEC to CL‐2B in terms of significantly narrower EV and protein peaks, higher resolutions and EV purity. By increasing their bed volumes to 20 ml, the resolutions of CL‐6B and CL‐4B columns could be significantly improved, while the CL‐6B column had the best performance with higher particle yields and tighter EV peaks. With the CL‐6B 20 ml column, we further established a simplified dichotomic SEC method that only requires two bulk elutions to acquire EVs in the Eluate 1 and proteins in the Eluate 2. We further justified that such CL‐6B columns were reusable for at least 10 consecutive times, and the dichotomic SEC was applicable to EV isolations from HS and FBS‐free supernatants of fluorescently labelled and unlabelled SW620 cells. The proteomics analysis implicated that although the two methods had dissimilar abilities in removing different co‐isolating contaminant proteins from EVs, the dichotomic SEC and ultracentrifugation could isolate EVs from human plasma with comparable purity. This dichotomic SEC has its intriguing potential to be used for EV preparation toward clinical testing and/or basic research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across computer graphics, vision, robotics and simulation, many applications rely on determining the 3D rotation that aligns two objects or sets of points. The standard solution is to use singular value decomposition (SVD), where the optimal rotation is recovered as the product of the singular vectors. Faster computation of only the rotation is possible using suitable parameterizations of the rotations and iterative optimization. We propose such a method based on the Cayley transformations. The resulting optimization problem allows better local quadratic approximation compared to the Taylor approximation of the exponential map. This results in both faster convergence as well as more stable approximation compared to other iterative approaches. It also maps well to AVX vectorization. We compare our implementation with a wide range of alternatives on real and synthetic data. The results demonstrate up to two orders of magnitude of speedup compared to a straightforward SVD implementation and a 1.5‐6 times speedup over popular optimized code. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To provide a comprehensive and systematic analysis of demographic characteristics, clinical symptoms, laboratory findings, and imaging features of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) in pediatric patients. A meta‐analysis was carried out to identify studies on COVID‐19 from 25 December 2019 to 30 April 2020. A total of 48 studies with 5829 pediatric patients were included. Children of all ages were at risk for COVID‐19. The main illness classification ranged as: 20% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 14%‐26%; I2 = 91.4%) asymptomatic, 33% (95% CI: 23%‐43%; I2 = 95.6%) mild and 51% (95% CI: 42%‐61%; I2 = 93.4%) moderate. The typical clinical manifestations were fever 51% (95% CI: 45%‐57%; I2 = 78.9%) and cough 41% (95% CI: 35%‐47%, I2 = 81.0%). The common laboratory findings were normal white blood cell 69% (95% CI: 64%‐75%; I2 = 58.5%), lymphopenia 16% (95% CI: 11%‐21%; I2 = 76.9%) and elevated creatine‐kinase MB 37% (95% CI: 25%‐48%; I2 = 59.0%). The frequent imaging features were normal images 41% (95% CI: 30%‐52%; I2 = 93.4%) and ground‐glass opacity 36% (95% CI: 25%‐47%; I2 = 92.9%). Among children under 1 year old, critical cases account for 14% (95% CI: 13%‐34%; I2 = 37.3%) that should be of concern. In addition, vomiting occurred in 33% (95% CI: 18%‐67%; I2 = 0.0%) cases that may also need attention. Pediatric patients with COVID‐19 may experience milder illness with atypical clinical manifestations and rare lymphopenia. High incidence of critical illness and vomiting symptoms reward attention in children under 1 year old. Highlights: To provide a comprehensive characterization of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) in pediatric patients.The majority of pediatric cases with COVID‐19 have milder illness with atypical clinical manifestations and rare lymphopenia.It is worth noting that the high incidence of critical illness and vomiting in children under 1 year old.Our evidence‐based data will help formulate strategies for early clinical identification and epidemic control of COVID‐19 in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 'water window', covering 2.4–4.4 nm, is an important wavelength range particularly essential to biology research. Cr/Ti multilayers are one of the promising reflecting elements in this region because the near‐normal‐incidence reflectivity is theoretically as high as 64% at 2.73 nm. However, due to multilayer imperfections, the reported reflectivity is lower than 3% for near‐normal incidence. Here, B and C were intentionally incorporated into ultra‐thin Cr/Ti soft X‐ray multilayers by co‐deposition of B4C at the interfaces. The effect on the multilayer structure and composition has been investigated using X‐ray reflectometry, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and cross‐section electron microscopy. It is shown that B and C are mainly bonded to Ti sites, forming a nonstoichiometric TiBxCy composition, which hinders the interface diffusion, supresses the crystallization of the Cr/Ti multilayer and dramatically improves the interface quality of Cr/TiBxCy multilayers. As a result, the near‐normal‐incidence reflectivity of soft X‐rays increases from 4.48% to 15.75% at a wavelength of 2.73 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a current outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), with a global spread. With the rapid increase in the number of infections, an increase is observed in the number of children with COVID‐19. Most research findings are regarding adult cases, which are not always transferrable to children. Evidence‐based studies are still expected to formulate clinical decisions for pediatric patients. In this review, we included 2597 pediatric patients that reported recently and evaluated the demographic, clinical, laboratory, and imaging features of children with COVID‐19. We found that even lymphopenia was the most common lab finding in adults; it infrequently occurred in children (9.8%). Moreover, elevated creatine kinase MB isoenzyme was much more commonly observed in children (27.0%) than that in adults, suggesting that heart injury would be more likely to occur in pediatric patients. Our analysis may contribute to determine the spectrum of disease in children and to develop strategies to control the disease transmission. Highlights: There is a current outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), with a global spread. Most research findings are regarding adult cases, which are not always transferrable to children. Here, we include 2597 pediatric patients and summarize the demographic, clinical, laboratory, and imaging characteristics of children with COVID‐19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Preoperative differentiation of borderline from malignant epithelial ovarian tumors (BEOT from MEOT) can impact surgical management. MRI has improved this assessment but subjective interpretation by radiologists may lead to inconsistent results.Purpose: To develop and validate an objective MRI-based machine-learning (ML) assessment model for differentiating BEOT from MEOT, and compare the performance against radiologists' interpretation.Study Type: Retrospective study of eight clinical centers.Population: In all, 501 women with histopathologically-confirmed BEOT (n = 165) or MEOT (n = 336) from 2010 to 2018 were enrolled. Three cohorts were constructed: a training cohort (n = 250), an internal validation cohort (n = 92), and an external validation cohort (n = 159).Field Strength/sequence: Preoperative MRI within 2 weeks of surgery. Single- and multiparameter (MP) machine-learning assessment models were built utilizing the following four MRI sequences: T2 -weighted imaging (T2 WI), fat saturation (FS), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and contrast-enhanced (CE)-T1 WI.Assessment: Diagnostic performance of the models was assessed for both whole tumor (WT) and solid tumor (ST) components. Assessment of the performance of the model in discriminating BEOT vs. early-stage MEOT was made. Six radiologists of varying experience also interpreted the MR images.Statistical Tests: Mann-Whitney U-test: significance of the clinical characteristics; chi-square test: difference of label; DeLong test: difference of receiver operating characteristic (ROC).Results: The MP-ST model performed better than the MP-WT model for both the internal validation cohort (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.932 vs. 0.917) and external validation cohort (AUC = 0.902 vs. 0.767). The model showed capability in discriminating BEOT vs. early-stage MEOT, with AUCs of 0.909 and 0.920, respectively. Radiologist performance was considerably poorer than both the internal (mean AUC = 0.792; range, 0.679-0.924) and external (mean AUC = 0.797; range, 0.744-0.867) validation cohorts.Data Conclusion: Performance of the MRI-based ML model was robust and superior to subjective assessment of radiologists. If our approach can be implemented in clinical practice, improved preoperative prediction could potentially lead to preserved ovarian function and fertility for some women.Level Of Evidence: Level 4.Technical Efficacy: Stage 2. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2020;52:897-904. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allograft interstitial fibrosis was characterized by massive extracellular matrix deposition caused by activated fibroblasts and myofibroblasts. Epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) is recognized as an important source of myofibroblasts contributing to the pathogenesis of allograft interstitial fibrosis. Smad ubiquitination regulatory factor 1 (Smurf1) has been recently reported to be involved in the progression of EMT. Our study was to detect the effect of Bortezomib and Smurf1 in the EMT and allograft interstitial fibrosis. Biomarkers of EMT, as well as Smurf1, were examined in human proximal tubular epithelial cells (HK‐2) treated with tumour necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α) in various doses or at various time points by Western Blotting or qRT‐PCR. We knockdown or overexpressed Smurf1 in HK‐2 cells. Furthermore, rat renal transplant model was established and intervened by Bortezomib. Allograft tissues from human and rats were also collected and prepared for HE, Masson's trichrome, immunohistochemical staining and western blotting assays. As a result, we found that TNF‐α significantly promoted the development of EMT in a time‐dependent and dose‐dependent manner through Smurf1/Akt/mTOR/P70S6K signalling pathway. More importantly, Bortezomib alleviated the progression of EMT and allograft interstitial fibrosis in vivo and in vitro by inhibiting the production of TNF‐α and expression of Smurf1. In conclusion, Smurf1 plays a critical role in the development of EMT induced by TNF‐α. Bortezomib can attenuate the Sumrf1‐mediated progression of EMT and renal allograft interstitial fibrosis, which could be suggested as a novel choice for the prevention and treatment of renal allograft interstitial fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addition to the known antitumour effects of ursolic acid (UA), increasing evidence indicates that this molecule plays a role in cardiac protection. In this study, the effects of ursolic acid on the heart in mice treated with doxorubicin (DOX) were assessed. The results showed that ursolic acid improved left ventrical fractional shortening (LVFS) and left ventrical ejection fraction (LVEF) of the heart, increased nitrogen oxide (NO) levels, inhibited reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and decreased cardiac apoptosis in mice treated with doxorubicin. Mechanistically, ursolic acid increased AKT and endothelial nitric‐oxide synthase (eNOS) phosphorylation levels, and enhanced eNOS expression, while inhibiting doxorubicin induced eNOS uncoupling through NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) down‐regulation. These effects of ursolic acid resulted in heart protection from doxorubicin‐induced injury. Therefore, ursolic acid may be considered a potential therapeutic agent for doxorubicin‐associated cardiac toxicity in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interior structure, morphology and ligand surrounding of a sputtering‐deposited chromium monolayer and Cr/C and Cr/Sc multilayers are determined by various hard X‐ray techniques in order to reveal the growth characteristics of Cr‐based thin films. A Cr monolayer presents a three‐stage growth mode with sudden changes occurring at a layer thickness of ∼2 nm and beyond 6 nm. Cr‐based multilayers are proven to have denser structures due to interfacial diffusion and layer growth mode. Cr/C and Cr/Sc multilayers have different interfacial widths resulting from asymmetry, degree of crystallinity and thermal stability. Cr/Sc multilayers present similar ligand surroundings to Cr foil, whereas Cr/C multilayers are similar to Cr monolayers. The aim of this study is to help understand the structural evolution regulation versus layer thickness and to improve the deposition technology of Cr‐based thin films, in particular for obtaining stable Cr‐based multilayers with ultra‐short periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cooperative linear dispersion coding (LDC) can support arbitrary configurations of source nodes and destination nodes in virtual multi‐input–multi‐output systems. In this study, the authors investigate two spatial diversity applications of cooperative LDC for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)‐based wireless sensor systems in order to achieve space–time/frequency (ST/SF) diversity gains when transmitting over time‐/frequency‐selective fading channels. Cooperative LDC‐aided ST‐/SF‐OFDM is flexible in configuring various numbers of cooperative source nodes and time‐slots or frequency‐tones. Their results show that the ST‐OFDM scheme is sensitive to exploiting diversity gains, subject to the impact of varying channel Doppler spreads; while the performance of SF‐OFDM is mainly subject to delay spread. Specifically, when the system involves more than two cooperative nodes, the cooperative LDC‐aided ST‐/SF‐OFDM outperforms the cooperative orthogonal block codes (e.g. Tarokh's codes) aided ST‐/SF‐OFDM, when communicating over a higher Doppler/delay spread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effective capacity of communication systems over generalised κ–μ shadowed fading channels is investigated. A novel and analytical expression for the exact effective capacity is derived in terms of the extended generalised bivariate Meijer's‐G function. To intuitively reveal the impact of the system and channel parameters on the effective capacity, closed‐form expressions are derived for the effective capacity in the asymptotically high signal‐to‐noise ratio regime. The results demonstrate that the effective capacity is a monotonically increasing function of channel fading parameters κ and μ as well as the shadowing parameter m, while it decays to zero when the delay constraint θ → ∞. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organolithium solutions, especially Li‐arene solutions (LASs) with high reactivity and controllable redox potentials, have gained significant attention because of their wide applications in chemical lithiation, liquid anodes, and battery recycling. However, the sudden loss of reactivity when stored or applied at room temperature is still puzzling and inhibits the application of LASs. In this work, the degradation mechanism of LASs is fully investigated and revealed by combining various experimental characterization and computational simulations. A hierarchical reaction mechanism for lithium biphenyl/2‐methyl tetrahydrofuran (Li‐Bp‐2MT), a lithiation solution used for most anodes, explains degradation and side product formation. Specifically, the dimerization of the active component Li1Bp[2MT]1 forms an inactive dimer that is irreversibly reduced in the presence of locally accumulated highly reductive Li0. This reaction mechanism reveals the atomic origins of lithiation solution deactivation and accounts for all solid and gaseous byproducts. LiH is identified as the dominating solid byproduct, indicating irreversible destruction of the active components and facilitating side reactions producing H2 and CH4. Based on reaction mechanism insights, modifying molecular interactions and reaction kinetics are experimentally shown to inhibit Li0 aggregation kinetics, enhancing long‐term prelithiation performance. This research provides comprehensive guidelines for practical applications of LASs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]