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Abstract Background Nitrite inhalant use is very common among men who have sex with men (MSM) in China. However, there is lack of national representative data on use among Chinese MSM, and the mechanism of how nitrite inhalant use impacts HIV infection in MSM is unclear. This meta-analysis aims to understand the characteristics of Chinese MSM nitrite inhalant users and to determine the associations between nitrite inhalant use and sexual behaviors, the prevalence of HIV, and the prevalence of syphilis. Methods We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Wanfang Data, and VIP Chinese Journal Database for relevant literature published from January 1985 to December 2017. Results Fifteen eligible studies, with a total of 18,981 Chinese MSM participants, were included. Compared with nitrite inhalant nonusers, users were more likely to be younger, have a higher level of education, and seek sexual partners using the Internet. Nitrite inhalant users were more likely to engage in high-risk sexual behaviors, including condomless anal intercourse (odds ratio [OR] = 1.33), group sex (OR = 2.26), and commercial intercourse (OR = 1.50). Nitrite inhalants users had a higher prevalence of HIV (OR = 1.83), higher prevalence of syphilis (OR = 1.38) and had higher lifetime HIV testing rates (OR = 1.33) compared with nonusers (each p

Abstract Background Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective biomedical strategy to prevent transmission of HIV infection, although medication adherence remains a challenge. We present the protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial to measure the effectiveness of a real-time monitoring and just-in-time intervention on medication adherence among PrEP users in China. Methods Study participants will include 1000 men who have sex with men (MSM) from four cites in China (Shenyang, Beijing, Chongqing and Shenzhen) attending a tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) PrEP project as part of a real-world, prospective multicentre cohort study (CROPrEP). Participants will be randomised into the intervention and control arms in a 1:1 ratio. Participants in the intervention arm will be provided with remote real-time monitoring equipment that triggers twice just-in-time SMS (Short Messaging Service) medication reminders to PrEP users every half an hour when a scheduled dosage is missed, and followed with just-in-time SMS medication reminders to clinicians half an hour when there is no supplement after the second just-in-time SMS reminder to PrEP users. Clinicians will initiate individualised telephone intervention as soon as possible upon receipt of the just-in-time SMS missed dose alert. Those in the control arm will only receive generic weekly SMS reminders. The study will last 6 months. Participants will be seen at follow-up visits at three and 6 months. Trial outcomes to be measured include self-reported adherence assessed via questionnaire and pill counts, as well as drug concentration test results. Discussion Medication adherence is critical to achieve optimal benefits from PrEP. This study will be the first individualised behaviour intervention using real-time technology to increase adherence among MSM PrEP users globally. If found effective, a real-time monitoring and just-in-time intervention system may be utilized for improving adherence and thus effectiveness of global PrEP application. Trial registration This study registered at ClinicalTrials.gov ( ChiCTR1900025604 ) on September 2, 2019.

Applications of mineral nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilizer to grasslands become more frequently in recent decade, aiming to improve the grass production. Nonetheless, the ecological impacts of N and P fertilizer on ecosystem components, especially the belowground soil microbes, are not well acknowledged in grasslands ecosystem. We investigated the responses of plant traits, soil properties, bacterial community composition and potential functions to 5-year N and P fertilization in a mid-high latitude meadow grassland in Inner Mongolia, China. Bacterial species richness and diversity significantly (P

Objective: To assess the effect of heart rate at baseline on major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) among hypertensive patients in China.Methods: A multicenter retrospective study was conducted with a 24 month follow-up period. A total of 10,031 hypertensive patients treated with standard antihypertensive drugs were grouped according to their heart rate before treatment:

The effective clearance of apoptotic cells is essential for maintaining central nervous system (CNS) homeostasis and restoring homeostasis after injury. In most cases of physiological apoptotic cell death, efferocytosis prevents inflammation and other pathological conditions. When apoptotic cells are not effectively cleared, destruction of the integrity of the apoptotic cell membrane integrity, leakage of intracellular contents, and secondary necrosis may occur. Efferocytosis is the mechanism by which efferocytes quickly remove apoptotic cells from tissues before they undergo secondary necrosis. Cells with efferocytosis functions, mainly microglia, help to eliminate apoptotic cells from the CNS. Here, we discuss the impacts of efferocytosis on homeostasis, the mechanism of efferocytosis, the associations of efferocytosis failure and CNS diseases, and the current clinical applications of efferocytosis. We also identify efferocytosis as a novel potential target for exploring the causes and treatments of CNS diseases.

BackgroundHIV self-testing (HIVST) kits are common in key sexually active populations. Direct secondary distribution of HIVST kits (DSDHK) is effective in improving the uptake of HIVST. However, there are concerns about the various limitations of DSDHK, including limited geographic reach, payment problems, and need for face-to-face interactions. ObjectiveIn this study, we aim to evaluate the feasibility and characteristics of indirect secondary distribution of HIVST kits (ISDHK) via WeChat (distributing HIVST application links and follow-up HIVST kits to partners) among men who have sex with men (MSM). MethodsFrom October 2017 to September 2019, an HIVST recruitment advertisement was disseminated on the WeChat social media platform to invite MSM to apply for the HIVST kits (referred to as index participants [IPs]). All MSM participants were encouraged to distribute the HIVST application link to their friends and sexual partners (referred to as alters) through their social networks. All the alters were further encouraged to continue distributing the HIVST application link. All participants paid a deposit (US $7), which was refundable upon completion of the questionnaire, and uploaded the test results via a web-based survey system. ResultsA total of 2263 MSM met the criteria and successfully applied for HIVST. Of these, 1816 participants returned their HIVST results, including 1422 (88.3%) IPs and 394 (21.7%) alters. More alters had condomless anal intercourse, a higher proportion of them had never previously tested for HIV, and they showed a greater willingness to distribute HIVST kits to their sexual partners (P=.002) than the IPs. After controlling for age, education, and income, the alters had a greater proportion of MSM who had never tested for HIV before (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.29, 95% CI 1.00-1.68), were more willing to distribute the HIVST application link (aOR 1.71, 95% CI 1.21-2.40), had a lower number of sexual partners (aOR 0.71, 95% CI 0.57-0.90), and were less likely to search for sexual partners on the web (aOR 0.78, 95% CI 0.60-1.02) than IPs. In comparison, the rates of reactive HIVST results, conducting HIV confirmatory tests, HIV seropositivity, and initiation of HIV antiretroviral therapy were similar for IPs and alters. ConclusionsThe ISDHK model of distributing HIVST application links among the MSM population via social media is feasible. The ISDHK model should be used to supplement the DSDHK model to enable a greater proportion of the MSM population to know their HIV infection status.

The drug development pipeline involves several stages including in vitro assays, in vivo assays, and clinical trials. For candidate selection, it is important to consider that a compound will successfully pass through these stages. Using graph neural networks, we developed three subdivisional models to individually predict the capacity of a compound to enter in vivo testing, clinical trials, and market approval stages. Furthermore, we proposed a strategy combing both active learning and ensemble learning to improve the quality of the models. The models achieved satisfactory performance in the internal test datasets and four self-collected external test datasets. We also employed the models as a general index to make an evaluation on a widely known benchmark dataset DEKOIS 2.0, and surprisingly found a powerful ability on virtual screening tasks. Our model system (termed as miDruglikeness) provides a comprehensive drug-likeness prediction tool for drug discovery and development.

Biochar is a valuable soil amendment substance. However, no systematic study has investigated the effects of biochar on the microenvironment of saline-sodic soils and maize yield in cold areas of Heilongjiang Province. We investigated variations in soil physicochemical properties, soil bacterial and fungal community structure, maize root formation, plant dry matter accumulation, grain filling rate, and maize yield in saline soils treated with biochar (0, 20, 40, and 80 t/ha). Biochar improved saline soil properties and structure, slightly decreasing bulk density and pH and increasing the water-stable aggregate stabilization rate. Furthermore, the relative abundances of Sphingomonas, Lysobacter, Nitrospira, and Gemmatimonas and the fungal genus Guehomyces were increased, promoting the conversion of soil organic carbon and available nitrogen and phosphorus. Moreover, biochar reduced the relative abundance of some fungal pathogenic genera, including Fusarium, Gibberella, Cladosporium, Alternaria, and Epicoccum. However, shifts in soil bacterial and fungal community structure were indirectly driven by biochar-induced changes in soil physicochemical properties, with organic carbon as the most critical. Biochar promoted maize growth, development, and yield (root length, surface area, volume, dry matter accumulation, grain filling rate, and final weight). Biochar application at 40 t/ha had the greatest effect on soil microenvironment improvement, with the highest maize yield.

BackgroundRoutine HIV testing accompanied with pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) requires innovative support in a real-world setting. ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine the usage of HIV self-testing (HIVST) kits and their secondary distribution to partners among men who have sex with men (MSM) in China, who use PrEP, in an observational study between 2018 and 2019. MethodsIn 4 major cities in China, we prospectively followed-up MSM from the China Real-world oral PrEP demonstration study, which provides daily or on-demand PrEP for 12 months, to assess the usage and secondary distribution of HIVST on quarterly follow-ups. Half of the PrEP users were randomized to receive 2 HIVSTs per month in addition to quarterly facility-based HIV testing. We evaluated the feasibility of providing HIVST to PrEP users. ResultsWe recruited 939 MSM and randomized 471 to receive HIVST, among whom 235 (49.9%) were daily and 236 (50.1%) were on-demand PrEP users. At baseline, the median age was 29 years, 390 (82.0%) men had at least college-level education, and 119 (25.3%) had never undergone facility-based HIV testing before. Three months after PrEP initiation, 341 (74.5%) men had used the HIVST provided to them and found it very easy to use. Among them, 180 of 341 (52.8%) men had distributed the HIVST kits it to other MSM, and 132 (51.6%) among the 256 men who returned HIVST results reported that used it with their sexual partners at the onset of intercourse. Participants on daily PrEP were more likely to use HIVST (adjusted hazard ratio=1.3, 95% CI 1.0-1.6) and distribute HIVST kits (adjusted hazard ratio=1.3, 95% CI 1.1-1.7) than those using on-demand PrEP. ConclusionsMSM who used PrEP had a high rate of usage and secondary distribution of HIVST kits, especially among those on daily PrEP, which suggested high feasibility and necessity for HIVST after PrEP initiation. Assuming that fourth-generation HIVST kits are available, HIVST may be able to replace facility-based HIV testing to a certain extent. Trial RegistrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR1800020374; https://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojen.aspx?proj=32481 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)RR2-10.1136/bmjopen-2019-036231

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) TP53 target 1 (TP53TG1) is known to be strongly associated with tumor and cancer progression. However, its expression profile, unique role, and regulatory pathways in retinoblastoma (RB) are not known. Here, we revealed a large expression of TP53TG1 in RB tissues and cell lines. Conversely, we showed marked suppression of cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in TP53TG1 knocked down RB cells. Mechanistically, we established that TP53TG1 directly interacted with microRNA (miR)-33b in RB cells. Furthermore, TP53TG1 transcripts were found to be inversely correlated with miR-33b in RB tissues. We also showed that miR-33b suppression partly reversed the TP53TG1 knockdown mediated effects on tumor biology. Finally, TP53TG1 was shown to modulate the levels of SHC Binding and Spindle Associated 1 (SHCBP1), a direct target of miR-33b in RB cells. Based on the above data, we propose that TP53TG1 regulates RB progression via its modulation of the miR-33b/SHCBP1 pathway.

Dendritic cells (DCs) induce and regulate adaptive immunity through migrating and maturing in the kidney. In this procedure, they can adopt different phenotypes—rejection-associated DCs promote acute or chronic injury renal grafts while tolerogenic DCs suppress the overwhelmed inflammation preventing damage to renal functionality. All the subsets interact with effector T cells and regulatory T cells (Tregs) stimulated by the ischemia–reperfusion procedure, although the classification corresponding to different effects remains controversial. Thus, in this review, we discuss the origin, maturation, and pathological effects of DCs in the kidney. Then we summarize the roles of divergent DCs in renal transplantation: taking both positive and negative stages in ischemia–reperfusion injury (IRI), switching phenotypes to induce acute or chronic rejection, and orchestrating surface markers for allograft tolerance via alterations in metabolism. In conclusion, we prospect that multidimensional transcriptomic analysis will revolute researches on renal transplantation by addressing the elusive mononuclear phagocyte classification and providing a holistic view of DC ontogeny and subpopulations.

Abstract Background Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a promising and effective tool to prevent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission; however, context-specific data to guide optimal implementation are currently lacking in China. This study aims to systematically collect comprehensive, empirical data to determine effective ways to implement PrEP among at-risk men who have sex with men (MSM) in China. Methods The CROPrEP project, a real-world study of PrEP use, will recruit 1000 high-risk HIV-negative MSM participants from four cities in China, who will be able to choose between daily or event-driven dosing regimens, according to their preference. Participants will be followed up at months 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 for PrEP provision, clinical evaluation, laboratory testing (e.g., emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (FTC/TDF) concentrations, and HIV/sexually transmitted infections), alongside detailed, self-administered online questionnaires regarding sexual behaviors, adherence, and attitudes. Online weekly notes will be used to record pill use and sexual practice. Various measurements will be triangulated to assess adherence, including: self-reported adherence, pill count, and drug concentration. A propensity score matching model will be fitted to examine the effectiveness of PrEP use in HIV seroconversion compared with non-PrEP users selected from a local expanding cohort study of HIV-1-negative MSM at participating research centers. Analyses using a generalized estimating equation model will focus on elucidation of the cascade of PrEP implementation, effectiveness, safety, and possible effects of PrEP use on sexual behaviors. This study will provide a comprehensive assessment of real-world PrEP use among Chinese MSM, to develop guidelines and strategies for PrEP implementation in China. Discussion The CROPrEP project is the first study of the TDF/FTC combination as PrEP in China, which will provide primary data on PrEP implementation, including: the cascade of PrEP use, “real-world” effectiveness, adherence, and safety. The findings from this study have potential to be vital for promoting the integration of PrEP within the portfolio of HIV prevention interventions and developing guidance on PrEP implementation in China. Trial registration ChiCTR-IIN-17013762 (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry). Date of registration: 8 December 2017.

Background: Acral vitiligo often responses poorly to treatments. Objective: To observe whether pretreatment with ablative fractional CO2 laser aiding penetration of compound betamethasone solution plus NB-UVB could improve the response of refractory acral vitiligo. Methods: Subjects with symmetrical and stable acral vitiligo were enrolled in this study. The symmetrical lesions were randomly allocated to experimental and control sides in a subject. The experimental side underwent five sessions, one month apart, of ablative fractional CO2 laser followed by once of a topical painting of compound betamethasone solution, the control side applied topical betamethasone cream once a day; both sides underwent NB-UVB three times per week. The assessment was performed one month following each of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th treatment sessions. Results: Two hundred eighty-nine subjects entered the clinical trial and 126 subjects completed the study. The experiment side showed better improvement in repigmentation. Overall response rate (repigmentation percentage ≥10%) of experiment sides was 51.6%, in contrast, that of control side was 35.8%. There were no severe adverse events in all subjects during the trial. Conclusions: A triple method of ablative fractional CO2 laser, topical compound betamethasone solution plus NB-UVB provided an alternative choice for acral vitiligo with remarkable safety profile. Cinical trial registration: This clinical trial has been registered at Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (Registration number: ChiCTR-TRC-12002593)

Abstract Background Heterogeneity in bladder cancer results in variable clinical outcomes, posing challenges for clinical management of this malignancy. Recent studies suggest both tumor suppressive and oncogenic role of PPARγ in bladder cancer. The fuction of PPARγ signaling pathway in modulating carcinogenesis is controversial. Methods The expression of PPARγ and association with overall survival were analyzed in patients from two cohorts. The effect of PPARγ activation on cell proliferation, cell cycle, and cell apoptosis were determined with the agonists (rosiglitazone and pioglitazone), the inverse agonist (T0070907), and the antagonist (GW9662) in Umuc-3 and 5637 bladder cancer cells. The correlation of PPARγ activation with PI3K-Akt pathway was evaluated with RNA sequencing data from the TCGA cases and 30 human bladder cancer cell lines. The effect of PPARγ activation on tumor growth was validated with subcutaneous tumor models in vivo. The effect of PPARγ activation on PI3K-Akt signaling transduction was determined with multiple assays including immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry, proteomic array, and western blotting. Results We showed that PPARγ was a favorable prognostic factor in patients with bladder cancer. PPARγ activation by rosiglitazone and pioglitazone markedly induced cell cycle G2 arrest and apoptosis in bladder cancer cells, which resulted in inhibition of cell proliferation in vitro and suppression of tumor growth in vivo. The underlying mechanism involved marked inhibition of PI3K-Akt pathway. Conclusions This study reported the tumor-suppressive effect of PPARγ agonists in bladder cancer, suggesting that transactivation of PPARγ could be served as a potential strategy for the chemoprevention and therapeutic treatment of bladder cancer.

This paper presents an approach to implement multi-parameter (i.e., pressure, temperature, vibration, current, and liquid level) signals for fault diagnosis of the reciprocating compressor (RC). Due to the complexity of structure and motion of such compressor, the acquired signals involve transient impacts and noises. This causes the useful information to be corrupted and makes it difficult to diagnose the fault patterns accurately. A component estimating empirical mode decomposition (CEEMD) method is proposed to remove the random noise and improve data quality. Furthermore, a new template matching algorithm called de-dimension template with double-loop correction (DDT-DLC) is applied to diagnose the fault pattern contained in the time series signals. The DDT employs a judging criterion for key characterization parameters extraction and a multicellular parameter fusion method to reduce the dimension of the matching template, and then, the DLC supplies a double-loop correction algorithm to build a parameter state array computing model of the time series data by adjusting the dynamic factors. The proposed approach is validated with three fault patterns and the healthy pattern in a two-stage reciprocating air compressor. To confirm the superiority of the proposed method, its performance is compared with that of the traditional methods. The results have indicated that the proposed approach is of highly diagnostic accuracy and shortly computing time in the fault diagnosis.

The main aspects of material research: material synthesis, material structure, and material properties, are interrelated. Acquiring atomic structure information of electron beam sensitive materials by electron microscope, such as porous zeolites, organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites, metal-organic frameworks, is an important and challenging task. The difficulties in characterization of the structures will inevitably limit the optimization of their synthesis methods and further improve their performance. The emergence of integrated differential phase contrast scanning transmission electron microscopy (iDPC-STEM), a STEM characterization technique capable of obtaining images with high signal-to-noise ratio under lower doses, has made great breakthroughs in the atomic structure characterization of these materials. This article reviews the developments and applications of iDPC-STEM in electron beam sensitive materials, and provides an outlook on its capabilities and development.

To address the mechanical damages of limestone under the coupled mechanical(M)-hydrological(H)-chemical(C) effects, we performed uniaxial compression experiments and dissolution kinetics experiments on limestone in flowing and static solutions for different lengths of time. Through experiments, the peak strengths of the limestone under coupled MHC effects for different time lengths and the major ion concentrations in solutions were obtained. By analyzing the strength damage and chemical dissolution kinetic characteristics, we achieved the strength damage equations and chemical dissolution kinetic equations. Results show that when the solution shifted from the static state to the flowing state, and as its acidity increased, the peak strength loss of the limestone rose as well. The solution mobility had a more significant impact on the peak strength loss than the solution pH value. The limestone dissolution in flowing water was higher than in static water, indicating that solution mobility would promote the limestone dissolution. Among the contributing factors to limestone dissolution, the solution pH value showed the strongest impact, followed by the common-ion effect and then the salt effect. The research result is expected to provide a theoretical basis for maintaining the stability of rocks in geotechnical engineering practice and protection of stone cultural relics.

Most fast excitatory synaptic transmissions in the mammalian brain are mediated by α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid receptors (AMPARs), which are ligand-gated cation channels. The membrane expression level of AMPARs is largely determined by auxiliary subunits in AMPAR macromolecules, including porcupine O-acyltransferase (PORCN), which negatively regulates AMPAR trafficking to the plasma membrane. However, whether PORCN-mediated regulation depends on AMPAR subunit composition or particular regions of a subunit has not been determined. We systematically examined the effects of PORCN on the ligand-gated current and surface expression level of GluA1, GluA2, and GluA3 AMPAR subunits, alone and in combination, as well as the PORCN-GluA interaction in heterologous HEK293T cells. PORCN inhibited glutamate-induced currents and the surface expression of investigated GluA AMPAR subunits in a subunit-independent manner. These inhibitory effects required neither the amino-terminal domain (ATD) nor the carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) of GluA subunits. In addition, PORCN interacted with AMPARs independently of their ATD or CTD. Thus, the functional inhibition of AMPARs by PORCN in transfected heterologous cells was independent of the ATD, CTD, and subunit composition of AMPARs.

Introduction Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) reduces the risk of HIV infection among men who have sex with men by up to 99%. However, in real-world settings, PrEP users may exhibit risk compensation after uptake of PrEP, including more condomless anal intercourse (CAI) and increased sexually transmitted infection (STI) acquisition. HIV self-testing (HIVST) decreases CAI among men who have sex with men (MSM) by providing awareness of the HIV status of oneself and one’s sexual partners. Here, we describe the rationale and design of a randomised waitlist-controlled trial to examine the impact of HIVST on risk compensation among PrEP users.Methods and analysis The study is a two-arm randomised waitlist-controlled trial with 1000 HIV-negative MSM in four major cities in China who will be taking oral PrEP (involving tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine) either daily (n=500) or in an event-driven regimen (n=500). The participants will be randomised (1:1) to either the immediate HIVST intervention arm (HIVST plus standard facility-based counselling and testing from 0 to 12 months) or the waitlist arm (standard facility-based counselling and testing from 0 to 6 months, then crossover to receive the HIVST intervention in months 7–12). Participants will provide blood samples to assess the incidence of syphilis and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) during a follow-up. The primary outcomes will be the occurrence of CAI, number of sexual partners and incidence of syphilis and HSV-2 during a follow-up. The secondary outcomes will be the HIV and STI testing frequency and STI treatment adherence during a follow-up. The planned start and end dates for the study is 26 December 2018 and 31 December 2020.Ethics and dissemination The Medical Science Research Ethics Committee of The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University has approved the study (IRB(2018)273).Trial registration number ChiCTR1800020374

The goals of feature selection are to remove redundant and irrelevant features from high-dimensional data, extract the “optimal feature subset” of the original feature space to improve the classification accuracy, and reduce the time complexity. Traditional feature selection algorithms are based on static feature spaces that are difficult to apply in dynamic streaming data environments. Existing works, such as Alpha-investing and Online Streaming Feature Selection (OSFS), and Scalable and Accurate OnLine Approach (SAOLA), have been proposed to serve the feature selection with streaming feature, but they have drawbacks, including low prediction accuracy and a large number of selected features if the streaming features exhibit characteristics such as low redundancy and high relevance. To address the limitations of the abovementioned works, we propose the algorithm of Online Streaming Feature Selection via Conditional dependence and Mutual information (OSFSCM) for streaming feature, which is found to be superior to Alpha-investing and OSFS for datasets with low redundancy and high relevance. The efficiency of the proposed OSFSCM algorithm is validated through a performance test on widely used datasets, e.g., NIPS 2003 and Causality Workbench. Through extensive experimental results, we demonstrate that OSFSCM significantly improves the prediction accuracy and requires fewer selected features compared with Alpha-investing and OSFS.

Men are hypothesized to show stronger preferences for physical attractiveness in potential mates than women are, particularly when assessing the attractiveness of potential mates for short-term relationships. By contrast, women are thought to show stronger preferences for social status in potential mates than men are, particularly when assessing the attractiveness of potential mates for long-term relationships. These mate-preference sex differences are often claimed to be ‘universal' (i.e. stable across cultures). Consequently, we used an established ‘budget-allocation' task to investigate Chinese and UK participants' preferences for physical attractiveness and social status in potential mates. Confirmatory analyses replicated these sex differences in both samples, consistent with the suggestion that they occur in diverse cultures. However, confirmatory analyses also showed that Chinese women had stronger preferences for social status than UK women did, suggesting cultural differences in the magnitude of mate-preference sex differences can also occur.

Underwater source localization problems are complicated and challenging: 1) the sound propagation speed is often unknown and the unpredictable ocean current might lead to the uncertainties of sensor parameters (i.e., position and velocity); 2) the underwater acoustic signal travels much slower than the radio one in terrestrial environments, thus resulting into a significantly severe Doppler effect; and 3) energy-efficient techniques are urgently required and hence in favor of the design with a low computational complexity. Considering these issues, we propose a simple and efficient underwater source localization approach based on the time difference of arrival and frequency difference of arrival measurements, which copes with unknown propagation speed and sensor parameter errors. The proposed method mitigates the impact of the Doppler effect for accurately inferring the source parameters (i.e., position and velocity). The Cramér-Rao lower bounds (CRLBs) for this kind of localization are derived and, moreover, the analytical study shows that our method can yield the performance that is very close to the CRLB, particularly under small noise. The numerical results not only confirm the above conclusions but also show that our method outperforms other competing approaches.

Knowledge of the bubble-forming regime is important for studying the mechanism of gas-liquid two-phase flow. The process of bubble formation through an underwater nozzle at the bottom of a rectangular tank was observed using a high-speed camera. Five bubble-forming regimes were classified by considering both the bubble interaction and the periodic behavior. To automatically identify the bubble-forming regimes, 22 image textural features were extracted based on the grey-level co-occurrence matrix and grey-level gradient co-occurrence matrix. A feature selection method, the mathematical correlation weight algorithm (MCWA), was proposed to select the optimal textural feature subset for bubble-forming regime recognition. Experimental results demonstrated that the identification rates based on the feature subset selected by MCWA were 99.81% and 99.24% for support vector machine and artificial neural network, respectively, which were higher than those by the between-class distance method and the Fisher algorithm. The MCWA proposed in this paper is an effective feature selection method and can be widely used in pattern recognition.

The real-time position of an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is always of great interest. With advances of technologies, underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs) become promising tools for AUV tracking. Due to the energy constraint of underwater nodes, energy saving is a key issue that affects all aspects of the design of a tracking scheme. In this paper, we propose a novel energy-efficient tracking scheme for an AUV to locate itself in time by UWSNs. We first design a tracking protocol considering the energy consumptions in both the AUV and sensor nodes (SNs). Particularly, the protocol is designed in two aspects: 1) the passive listening mechanism and duty-cycle strategy for the AUV and 2) the detection-based ranging packet transmission for SNs. Since the tracking protocol will inevitably affect the packet delivery between the AUV and SNs, we analyze the packet delivery success rate (PDSR) to shed light on the impact of system parameters on the tracking performance. To cope with non-linearity of the model and the intermittent observations mainly arisen from the effect of the tracking protocol, we adopt two extended versions of the original intermittent Kalman filter for tracking. They are intermittent extended Kalman filter and intermittent unscented Kalman filter. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed tracking scheme, and reveal that the PDSR analysis provides a design guidance for parameter selection in system configuration.

In underwater wireless sensor networks, time synchronization and localization are basic requirements in many applications. A joint synchronization and localization framework is expected to provide better accuracy. In this paper, we propose a unified framework to execute synchronization and localization simultaneously taking stratification effect into account. In this method, the stratification effect of underwater medium is modeled using a ray tracing approach. The maximum likelihood (ML) estimator is derived, which is shown to be highly nonlinear and nonconvex. Therefore, we employ the Gauss-Newton algorithm to solve the original nonconvex ML problem in an iterative manner. Furthermore, the Cramér-Rao lower bound for this problem is derived as a benchmark. Simulation results indicate that the proposed method outperforms the existing methods in both accuracy and energy efficiency.

Atractylodes macrocephala is one of the most commonly used herbs in China, which is famous for its high medicinal value. In this study, we analyzed and characterized the complete plastome sequence of A. macrocephala. Sequence analysis indicated that the entire genome is 153,265 bp in length, consisting of a large single-copy (LSC, 84,311 bp) and a small single-copy (SSC, 18,674 bp) region separated by a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions of 25,140 bp for each. The genome contains 107 unique genes, including 80 different protein-coding genes, 23 tRNA genes, and 4 rRNA genes. The overall GC content of the genome is 37.7%. The phylogenetic analysis revealed a monophyletic Atractylodes and Cardueae. This research reports the complete plastome genome of Atractylodes macrocephala, which provides a better understanding of this important herb.

Social judgments of faces made by Western participants are thought to be underpinned by two dimensions: valence and dominance. Because some research suggests that Western and Eastern participants process faces differently, the two-dimensional model of face evaluation may not necessarily apply to judgments of faces by Eastern participants. Here we used a data-driven approach to investigate the components underlying social judgments of Chinese faces by Chinese participants. Analyses showed that social judgments of Chinese faces by Chinese participants are partly underpinned by a general approachability dimension similar to the valence dimension previously found to underpin Western participants' evaluations of White faces. However, we found that a general capability dimension, rather than a dominance dimension, contributed to Chinese participants' evaluations of Chinese faces. Thus, our findings present evidence for both cultural similarities and cultural differences in social evaluations of faces. Importantly, the dimension that explained most of the variance in Chinese participants' social judgments of faces was strikingly similar to the valence dimension previously reported for Western participants.

The aims of the study were to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between primary melanomas and metastasis melanomas (MMs), and to investigate the mechanisms of MMs. The microarray data GSE8401 including 31 primary melanomas and 52 MMs were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus. DEGs were identified using the Linear Models for Microarray Data package. The functional and pathway enrichment analyses were performed for DEGs. Identification of transcription factors, tumor-associated genes (TAGs), and tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) were performed with the TRANSFAC, TAG, and TSGene databases, respectively. A protein–protein interaction network was constructed using Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes. The modules construction and analysis was performed using Molecular Complex Detection and Gene Cluster with Literature Profiles, respectively. In total, 1004 upregulated and 1008 downregulated DEGs were identified. The upregulated DEGs, such as CDK1, BRCA1, MAD2L1, and PCNA, were significantly enriched in cell cycles, DNA replication, and mismatch repair. The downregulated DEGs, such as COLIAL, COL4A5, COL18A1, and LAMC2, were enriched in cell adhesion and extracellular matrix-receptor interaction. BRCA1 was identified as a transcription factor and TSG, and COL18A1 and LAMC2 were identified as a TSG and TAG, respectively. The upregulated DEGs had higher degrees in the protein–protein interaction network and module, such as PCNA, CDK1, and MAD2L1, and the heat map showed they were clustered in the functions of cell cycle and division. These results may demonstrate the potential roles of DEGs such as CDK1, BRCA1, COL18A1, and LAMC2 in the mechanism of MM.

On the Android platform, information leakage can use an application-layer privilege escalation attack composed of multi-app collusion. However, the detection effect of a single app that can construct privilege escalation attacks is not good. Furthermore, the existing software and app measurement methods are not applicable to the measurement of collusion privilege escalation attacks. We propose a method for measuring the risk of a single app by using process algebra to model and determine the attack behavior, and we construct a measurement function based on sensitive data transitions and the feature set of attack behavior. Through the analysis of the privilege escalation attack model, the feature set of attack behavior is obtained. Then, based on the extracted behavior feature set, process algebra is used to model the dangerous behavior of an app. The dangerous behavior of the app is determined by weak equivalence and non-equivalence, and finally the risk of the app is measured based on the measurement function. Three known applications are used to verify the attack, and the risk measurement values are above 0.98. Based on the classification of applications on the market, we select typical apps in each category to build the test set. Benchmark tests and test set experiments show that the risk measurement results are consistent with the actual detection results, verifying the feasibility and effectiveness of this method.

Social judgments of faces are thought to be underpinned by two perceptual components: valence and dominance. Recent work using a standard key-press task to assess reward value found that these valence and dominance components were both positively related to the reward value of faces. Although bodies play an important role in human social interaction, the perceptual dimensions that underpin social judgments of bodies and their relationship to the reward value of bodies are not yet known. The current study investigated these issues. We replicated previous studies showing that valence and dominance underpin social judgments of faces and that both components are positively related to the reward value of faces. By contrast, social judgments of bodies were underpinned by a single component that reflected aspects of both perceived valence and perceived dominance and was positively correlated with the reward value of bodies. These results highlight differences in how observers process faces and bodies.

Currently about 85% of the railway structure is constructed traditionally in Taiwan, which means the foundation of railways is composed by in-situ soil materials and covered by ballast, sleepers and tracks. The rail is continued by fishplates and then bolted. While train passes here, the deflection caused by repeated loads. The repeatedly force transfers through ballast to the saturated foundation, may create vacuum to draw phenomenon, called pump effect or mud pumping. It could lead to serious train derailment capsized. Present mud pumping detection method has to be performed during the non-operating time at night by visual. However, this approach may have omissions and shortcomings perspective concerns, and slow to find disasters during the rainy season. Using non-destructive testing techniques (ground-penetrating radar) to inspect the quality of rail bed is widely in foreign. However, detecting the distribution of mud beneath rail is an attractive subject here. By the usage of mention technology in this research, this technology is expected to be promoted. This study has been agreed by the official administration, Taiwan Railway Bureau, to be carried out in Nanwan branch in Hsinchu by using ground-penetrating radar. Comparing with the visual inspection results, the mud pumping can be verified. Where most serious mud pumping phenomenon observed was open to prove the function. The study is expected to launch the road bed structure further rehabilitation plans and preventative maintenance engineering. Furthermore, cost due to misjudgment is expected to be saved and traffic safety improved.

Phase retrieval from single frame projection fringe patterns, a fundamental and challenging problem in fringe projection measurement, attracts wide attention and various new methods have emerged to address this challenge. Many phase retrieval methods are based on the decomposition of fringe patterns into a background part and a fringe part, and then the phase is obtained from the decomposed fringe part. However, the decomposition results are subject to the selection of model parameters, which is usually performed manually by trial and error due to the lack of decomposition assessment rules under a no ground truth data situation. In this paper, we propose a cross-correlation index to assess the decomposition and phase retrieval results without the need of ground truth data. The feasibility of the proposed metric is verified by simulated and real fringe patterns with the well-known Fourier transform method and recently proposed Shearlet transform method. This work contributes to the automatic phase retrieval and three-dimensional (3D) measurement with less human intervention, and can be potentially employed in other fields such as phase retrieval in digital holography.

Both behavioral and neural measures of the motivational salience of faces are positively correlated with their physical attractiveness. Whether physical characteristics other than attractiveness contribute to the motivational salience of faces is not known, however. Research with male macaques recently showed that more dominant macaques' faces hold greater motivational salience. Here we investigated whether dominance also contributes to the motivational salience of faces in human participants. Principal component analysis of third-party ratings of faces for multiple traits revealed two orthogonal components. The first component ("valence") was highly correlated with rated trustworthiness and attractiveness. The second component ("dominance") was highly correlated with rated dominance and aggressiveness. Importantly, both components were positively and independently related to the motivational salience of faces, as assessed from responses on a standard key-press task. These results show that at least two dissociable components underpin the motivational salience of faces in humans and present new evidence for similarities in how humans and non-human primates respond to facial cues of dominance.