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As urban environments become increasingly complex and the costs and challenges of infrastructure upgrades continue to rise, wayfinding signage has become an effective solution to cope with urban dynamics due to its low cost and high flexibility. Although the functionality of wayfinding signage has been extensively studied, the perceptual differences between designers and non-designers have not been adequately explored. Ignoring these differences may lead to the overlooking of users' real and diverse needs, resulting in suboptimal signage performance in practical applications and ultimately a reduction in the overall functionality and user experience of urban spaces. This study aims to bridge this perceptual gap. For this study, we conducted a questionnaire survey in China to compare the visual preferences of designers and non-designers regarding text, shape, color coding, and patterns. The results indicate that designers prioritize functionality and clarity to ensure the effective use of signage in complex urban environments, whereas non-designers prefer wayfinding signages that reflect local cultural symbols and characteristics. Our conclusions suggest that the public's expectations for wayfinding signage extend beyond basic navigational functions, with an emphasis on cultural expression and visual appeal. Understanding these perceptual differences is crucial in developing design strategies that balance functionality, esthetics, and sustainability, thereby facilitating the sustainable integration of signage into urban landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As global urbanization accelerates, the integration, readability, and connectivity of urban spaces are becoming focal points of international concern, particularly in rapidly developing regions like Asia. The inadequacies of urban wayfinding systems directly affect pedestrians' wayfinding experiences within city spaces. Pedestrian wayfinding signage, as a critical element supporting pedestrian navigation and urban readability, is often neglected in vehicle-centric urban planning. This study explores the visual preferences of pedestrians regarding wayfinding signage and how these perceptions can be incorporated into the design process. A photo-based survey consisting of 385 pedestrians in Nanning, China, reveals that while many wayfinding signs provide cognitive information, they score lower in visual preference due to poor sensory perception and difficulty in conveying meaning. This study also highlights that the material, color, graphics, and text on signage are key physical attributes influencing the visual preferences of pedestrians. Demographic factors such as age, gender, and professional background also impact these preferences. These findings underscore a broader urban design issue: wayfinding signs must not only clearly communicate navigational information but also enhance the aesthetic and cultural expressions of urban spaces. Current signage systems often neglect these aesthetic and cultural needs, potentially leading to visual fatigue or cultural disconnection, thereby affecting navigation efficiency and urban experience. The results provide empirical foundations for optimizing wayfinding signage designs in urban areas, aiding urban planners and designers in integrating pedestrian preferences to create clearer, more attractive navigation systems, thus improving walking experiences and significantly enhancing the daily lives of city residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain-type glycogen phosphorylase (pygb) is one of the rate-limiting enzymes in glycogenolysis that plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Here we investigated the role of pygb in high-glucose (HG)-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and explored the underlying mechanisms, by using the specific pygb inhibitors or pygb siRNA. Our results show that inhibition of pygb significantly attenuates cell apoptosis and oxidative stress induced by HG in H9c2 cardiomyocytes. Inhibition of pygb improved glucose metabolism in cardiacmyocytes, as evidenced by increased glycogen content, glucose consumption, and glucose transport. Mechanistically, pygb inhibition activates the Akt-GSK-3p signaling pathway and suppresses the activation of NF-KB in H9c2 cells exposed to HG. Additionally, pygb inhibition promotes the expression and the translocation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1a (HIF-1[alpha]) after HG stimulation. However, the changes in glucose metabolism and HIF-1[alpha] activation mediated by pygb inhibition are significantly reversed in the presence of the Akt inhibitor MK2206. In conclusion, this study found that inhibition of pygb prevents HG-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis via activation of Akt-HIF-[alpha]. Key words: pygb, high glucose, cardiomyocytes, Akt, HIF-1[alpha]. La glycogene phosphorylase de type cerebral (pygb) est l'une des enzymes cinetiquement limitantes de la glycogenolyse qui joue un role cle dans la pathogenese du diabete sucre de type 2. Les auteurs ont examine ici le role de la pygb dans l'apoptose des cardiomyocytes induite par un taux de glucose eleve (TGE), et explore les mecanismes sous-jacents en utilisant des inhibiteurs specifiques de la pygb ou des ARNsi de la pygb. Les resultats ont montre que l'inhibition de la pygb attenuait significativement l'apoptose et le stress oxydant induits par un TGE chez les cardiomyocytes H9c2. L'inhibition de la pygb ameliorait le metabolisme du glucose chez les cardiomyocytes comme le demontrait l'accroissement du contenu en glycogene, de la consommation de glucose et du transport de glucose. Du point de vue du mecanisme, l'inhibition de la pygb activait la voie de signalisation Akt-GSK-3E et reprimait l'activation du NF-KB chez les cellules H9c2 exposees a un TGE. De plus, l'inhibition de la pybg favorisait l'expression et la translocation du facteur inductible par l'hypoxie HIF-1[alpha] (hypoxia-inducible factor-la) a la suite d'une stimulation par un TGE. Toutefois, les changements observes dans le metabolisme du glucose et l'activation de HIF-1[alpha] medies par l'inhibition de pygb etaient significativement renverses en presence de l'inhibiteur d'Akt, le MK2206. En conclusion, la presente etude suggere que l'inhibition de la pygb previent l'apoptose des cardiomyocytes induite par un TGE par l'activation de Akt-HIF-1[alpha]. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles: pygb, taux de glucose eleve, cardiomyocytes, Akt, HIF-1[alpha]., Introduction Cardiovascular disease and its complications are primary causes of morbidity and mortality, especially in patients with diabetes mellitus (Mazzone 2010). Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is characterized by impaired cardiac contractility [...]

Traditional Chinese buildings serve as a carrier for the inheritance of traditional culture and national characteristics. In the context of rural revitalization, achieving the 3D reconstruction of traditional village buildings is a crucial technical approach to promoting rural planning, improving living environments, and establishing digital villages. However, traditional algorithms primarily target urban buildings, exhibiting limited adaptability and less ideal feature extraction performance for traditional residential buildings. As a result, guaranteeing the accuracy and reliability of 3D models for different types of traditional buildings remains challenging. In this paper, taking Jingping Village in Western Hunan as an example, we propose a method that combines multiple algorithms based on the slope segmentation of the roof to extract feature lines. Firstly, the VDVI and CSF algorithms are used to extract the building and roof point clouds based on the MVS point cloud. Secondly, according to roof features, village buildings are classified, and a 3D roof point cloud is projected into 2D regular grid data. Finally, the roof slope is segmented via slope direction, and internal and external feature lines are obtained after refinement through Canny edge detection and Hough straight line detection. The results indicate that the CSF algorithm can effectively extract the roofs of I-shaped, L-shaped, and U-shaped traditional buildings. The accuracy of roof surface segmentation based on slope exceeds 99.6%, which is significantly better than the RANSAC algorithm and the region segmentation algorithm. This method is capable of efficiently extracting the characteristic lines of roofs in low-rise buildings within traditional villages. It provides a reference method for achieving the high-precision modeling of traditional village architecture at a low cost and with high efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Mentha haplocalyx Briq (MHB) is a medicinal and edible herbal plant that has the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, and aiding digestion as a traditional Chinese medicine. However, there is limited research on MHB as a feed ingredient for meat sheep. This study shows that adding MHB to feed can improve the growth performance of fattening sheep. We have revealed the mechanism by which MHB affects the growth and metabolism of meat sheep through aspects such as rumen and fecal microbial sequencing, rumen metabolomics, serum metabolomics, urine metabolomics, and rumen epithelial cell transcriptome sequencing. Our research results will provide a theoretical basis for the application of MHB in the production of meat sheep. Mentha haplocalyx Briq (MHB) and its components have been proven to improve the growth performance of livestock and poultry. The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effects of MHB addition on growth performance, rumen and fecal microbiota, rumen fluid, serum and urine metabolism, and transcriptomics of rumen epithelial cells in meat sheep. Twelve Hu sheep were selected for the experiment and fed with basic diet (CON) and a basal diet supplemented with 80 g/kg DM of Mentha haplocalyx Briq (MHB). The experimental period was 10 weeks with the first 2 weeks as the pre-trial period. The results showed that compared with the CON group, the average daily weight gain of meat sheep in the MHB group increased by 20.1%; the total volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration significantly increased (p < 0.05); The thickness of the cecal mucosal layer was significantly reduced (p < 0.01), while the thickness of the colonic mucosal layer was significantly increased (p < 0.05), the length of ileal villi significantly increased (p < 0.01), the thickness of colonic mucosal layer and rectal mucosal muscle layer significantly increased (p < 0.05), and the thickness of cecal mucosal layer significantly decreased (p < 0.05); The serum antioxidant capacity has increased. At the genus level, the addition of MHB changed the composition of rumen and fecal microbiota, increased the relative abundance of Paraprevotella, Alloprevotella, Marinilabilia, Saccharibacteria_genera_incertae_sedis, Subdivision5_genera_incertae_sedis and Ornatilinea in rumen microbiota, and decreased the relative abundance of Blautia (p < 0.05). The relative abundance of Prevotella, Clostridium XlVb and Parasutterella increased in fecal microbiota, while the relative abundance of Blautia and Coprococcus decreased (p < 0.05). There were significant differences in the concentrations of 105, 163, and 54 metabolites in the rumen, serum, and urine between the MHB group and the CON group (p < 0.05). The main metabolic pathways of the differences were pyrimidine metabolism, taurine and taurine metabolism, glyceride metabolism, and pentose phosphate pathway (p < 0.05), which had a significant impact on protein synthesis and energy metabolism. The transcriptome sequencing results showed that differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in immune regulation, energy metabolism, and protein modification. Therefore, adding MHB improved the growth performance of lambs by altering rumen and intestinal microbiota, rumen, serum and urine metabolomics, and transcriptome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigating the relationship between the glass-forming ability (GFA), mechanical properties, and structure of metallic glasses is crucial to understanding the nature of the metallic glass state. In this study, the correlation among the atomic structure, electronic valence band, and properties have been studied using Zr50Cu44.5−xAl5.5Agx (x = 0, 1.5, 3 at.%) bulk metallic glasses (BMGs). The results reveal that through the micro-addition of Ag, the GFA of Zr50Cu44.5Al5.5 BMG can be enhanced; meanwhile, the critical diameter of Zr50Cu44.5Al5.5 glass rods increases from approximately 2.5 mm to 5.0 mm with the addition of 3% Ag. Through the addition of Ag, the thermal stability of Zr50Cu44.5Al5.5 BMG is improved, and the proportion of icosahedral-like clusters increases. The plasticity of the Zr50Cu44.5−xAl5.5Agx (x = 0, 1.5, 3 at.%) BMGs decreased from 4.6% to 0.8% with the addition of Ag. The valence band spectrum of the Zr50Cu44.5−xAl5.5Agx (x = 0, 1.5, 3 at.%) BMGs indicates that with the addition of Ag, the p-d hybridization near the Fermi level is enhanced, and the binding energy will move to a lower value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) provides effective photon-counting light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data for estimating forest height across extensive geographical areas. Although prior studies have illustrated canopy conditions during leaf-on and leaf-off phases may influence ICESat-2 derived forest heights, a comprehensive understanding of this effect remains incomplete. This study seeks to comprehensively assess how varying canopy conditions (leaf-on/leaf-off) affect ICESat-2 forest height retrieval and modelling. First, the accuracies of ICESat-2 terrain and canopy heights under leaf-on and leaf-off conditions were validated. Second, random forest algorithm was utilized to model forest height by integrating ICESat-2, Sentinel-2, and other ancillary datasets. Finally, we evaluated the influence of leaf-on and leaf-off conditions on forest height retrieval and modelling. Results reveal higher consistency between ICESat-2 and airborne LiDAR-derived terrain heights compared to the agreement between two canopy height datasets. Accuracies of ICESat-2 terrain and canopy heights are higher under leaf-off conditions in contrast to leaf-on conditions. Notably, the accuracies of ICESat-2 terrain and canopy heights under various conditions are closely linked to canopy cover. Furthermore, the accuracy of forest height modelling can be enhanced by combining ICESat-2 data collected during both leaf-on and leaf-off seasons with further eliminating low-quality samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endometrial carcinoma (EC), a common female reproductive system malignant tumor, affects thousands of people with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. This study was aimed at developing a prediction model for the diagnosis of EC in the general population. First, we obtained datasets GSE63678, GSE106191, and GSE115810 from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, dataset GSE17025 from the GEO database, and the RNA sequence of EC from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database to constitute the training, test, and validation groups, respectively. Subsequently, the 96 most significantly differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified and analyzed for function and pathway enrichment in the training group. Next, we acquired the disease-specific genes by random forest and established an artificial neural network for the diagnosis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were utilized to identify the signature across the three groups. Finally, immune infiltration was analyzed to reveal tumor-immune microenvironment (TIME) alterations in EC. The top 96 DEGs (77 down-regulated and 19 up-regulated genes) were primarily enriched in the interleukin-17 signaling pathway, protein digestion and absorption, and transcriptional misregulation in cancer. Subsequently, 14 characterizing genes of EC were identified by random forest. In the training, test, and validation groups, the artificial neural network was constructed with high diagnostic accuracies of 0.882, 0.864, and 0.839, respectively, and areas under the ROC curve (AUCs) of 0.928, 0.921, and 0.782, respectively. Finally, resting and activated mast cells were found to have increased in TIME. We constructed an artificial diagnostic model with excellent reliability for EC and uncovered variations in the immunological ecosystem of EC through integrated bioinformatics approaches, which might be potential diagnostic targets for EC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have demonstrated CO2 absorption by soils in arid regions, where the absorbed CO2 is conjectured to be finally sequestrated in the "subterranean ocean"—groundwater. This study compares environmental controls of ocean CO2 concentration (surface ocean pCO2) and quasi-ocean CO2 concentration (deep-soil pCO2). We aim to explore the latent relationship, both linear and nonlinear between the environmental variables, and CO2 concentration, utilizing two intelligent algorithms—the partial least linear regression (PLSR) algorithm and the artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm. For quasi-ocean CO2 concentration, RPD <1.4 and R2 <40%. While for ocean CO2 concentration, RPD >1.4 and R2 is 99.7%. Linear relationships between the considered environmental controls and ocean CO2 concentration are proved; however, there is no evident relationship between most of the considered environmental controls and quasi-ocean CO2 concentration. Groundwater level is proved to be a relatively important environmental control on the quasi-ocean CO2 concentration, suggesting groundwater discharge/recharge as a significant modulator of soil CO2 absorption in arid regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most lethal and malignant tumours worldwide. New therapeutic targets for HCC are urgently needed. CYCLOPS (copy number alterations yielding cancer liabilities owing to partial loss) genes have been noted to be associated with cancer-targeted therapies. Therefore, we intended to explore the effects of the CYCLOPS gene RBM17 on HCC oncogenesis to determine if it could be further used for targeted therapy. Methods: We collected data on 12 types of cancer from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) queries for comparison with adjacent non-tumour tissues. RBM17 expression levels, clinicopathological factors and survival times were analysed. RNAseq data were downloaded from the Encyclopaedia of DNA Elements database for molecular mechanism exploration. Two representative HCC cell models were built to observe the proliferation capacity of HCC cells when RBM17 expression was inhibited by shRBM17. Cell cycle progression and apoptosis were also examined to investigate the pathogenesis of RBM17. Results: Based on 6,136 clinical samples, RBM17 was markedly overexpressed in most cancers, especially HCC. Moreover, data from 442 patients revealed that high RBM17 expression levels were related to a worse prognosis. Overexpression of RBM17 was related to the iCluster1 molecular subgroup, TNM stage, and histologic grade. Pathway analysis of RNAseq data suggested that RBM17 was involved in mitosis. Further investigation revealed that the proliferation rates of HepG2 (P = 0.003) and SMMC-7721 (P = 0.030) cells were significantly reduced when RBM17 was knocked down. In addition, RBM17 knockdown also arrested the progression of the cell cycle, causing cells to halt at the G2/M phase. Increased apoptosis rates were also found in vitro. Conclusion: These results suggest that RBM17 is a potential therapeutic target for HCC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional residences are among the most important tangible cultural heritage. This paper evaluates and explores the quality of individual traditional residences and the heritage value of a complex of traditional residences in Western Hunan in China. The former indicates how well the external characteristics of the building are preserved, whilst the latter refers to the integration of use values, ecology principles and cultural features. Based on the survey of the selected 7 traditional villages, the authors have built a spatial database of these villages on the strength of GIS, RS and GPS techniques, and employed an architectural evaluation method to grade the exterior quality of individual traditional residences, followed by the construction of an evaluation indicator system and the use of entropy weight method to score the value of traditional residences, thereby systematically unveiling how indicators influence the value of traditional residences. The results reveal that well-preserved and prime-quality traditional residences are quite rare. Average-quality individual traditional residences outnumber other quality levels in all selected traditional villages. These villages differ in the value of their traditional residences, which is susceptible to both natural and cultural factors. Architectural elements play a dominant role, and the change in architectural form serves as an important criterion for determining whether the traditional residence in question has been transformed into a modern building. The value of traditional rural residences is mainly reflected in the authenticity of the architectural form and the building material, which are crucial to the intact pass-down of their unique architectural styles. • Traditional residences were systematically investigated based on GIS, RS and GPS. • The quality of individual traditional rural residences was quantified and analyzed. • Well-preserved and prime-quality traditional residences are quite rare. • The entropy weight method was used to estimate the value of traditional residences. • The influencing factors of the value of traditional residences were unveiled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We identified genes related to non-leukocyte stromal fractions. • HCC was classified based on genes related to non-leukocyte stromal fraction. • We analyze the difference between genome and clinical indicators of HCC subtyping. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies and inflicts high mortality worldwide. The effect of tumor microenvironment components on HCC oncogenesis remains unknown. In particular, the nonleukocyte portion of the stromal fraction (SF) is poorly understood. We comprehensively evaluated the proportional cell counts and gene expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to examine the contributions of cell components to the tumor microenvironment. Single-cell sequencing data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) were also analyzed to verify the association between the nonleukocyte SF and genes. We classified HCC using a hierarchical clustering method based on diversity of nonleukocyte SF–related gene expression among different components, and we used an appropriate GEO dataset to verify the clusters with a support vector machine (SVM) model. The prognosis of subtypes and their relationship with tumor microenvironmental cell proportions, clinicopathogenesis factors, and other indicators were evaluated. Based on linear regression, 711 genes related to nonleukocyte SF were selected from the TCGA dataset. We classified HCC into three subtypes using genes related to the nonleukocyte SF. Additionally, the GEO single-cell sequencing data confirmed the relationship between genes and the nonleukocyte SF. The tumor microenvironment of Type 2 contained the most significant mutually reinforcing interaction between the nonleukocyte SF and tumor cells. Meanwhile, Type 2 patients had the poorest prognosis and the most severe tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stages, histological grades, etc. The analysis based on the GEO dataset verified the classification results with an SVM model. Type 2 was associated with worse clinicopathological characteristics, including tumor grading and staging, than the other types. In addition, the pathway analysis revealed that signals related to the SF and cell proliferation were significantly enhanced in Type 2 compared to the other group, which consisted of Types 1 and 3. The nonleukocyte SF in the tumor microenvironment contributed greatly to HCC oncogenesis. We can use these HCC classification criteria to stratify patients into subtypes for personalized treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]