Search

Abstract The D s + → K + K − μ + ν μ $$ {D}_s^{+}\to {K}^{+}{K}^{-}{\mu}^{+}{\nu}_{\mu } $$ decay is studied based on 7.33 fb −1 of e + e − collision data collected with the BESIII detector at center-of-mass energies in the range from 4.128 to 4.226 GeV. The absolute branching fraction is measured as B D s + → ϕ μ + ν μ = 2.25 ± 0.09 ± 0.07 × 10 − 2 $$ \mathcal{B}\left({D}_s^{+}\to \phi {\mu}^{+}{\nu}_{\mu}\right)=\left(2.25\pm 0.09\pm 0.07\right)\times {10}^{-2} $$ , the most precise measurement to date. Combining with the world average of B D s + → ϕ e + ν e $$ \mathcal{B}\left({D}_s^{+}\to \phi {e}^{+}{\nu}_e\right) $$ , the ratio of the branching fractions obtained is B D s + → ϕ μ + ν μ B D s + → ϕ e + ν e = 0.94 ± 0.08 $$ \frac{\mathcal{B}\left({D}_s^{+}\to \phi {\mu}^{+}{\nu}_{\mu}\right)}{\mathcal{B}\left({D}_s^{+}\to \phi {e}^{+}{\nu}_e\right)}=0.94\pm 0.08 $$ , in agreement with lepton universality. By performing a partial wave analysis, the hadronic form factor ratios at q 2 = 0 are extracted, finding r V = V 0 A 1 0 = 1.58 ± 0.17 ± 0.02 $$ {r}_V=\frac{V(0)}{A_1(0)}=1.58\pm 0.17\pm 0.02 $$ and r 2 = A 2 0 A 1 0 = 0.71 ± 0.14 ± 0.02 $$ {r}_2=\frac{A_2(0)}{A_1(0)}=0.71\pm 0.14\pm 0.02 $$ , where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic. No significant S-wave contribution from f 0(980) → K + K − is found. The upper limit B D s + → f 0 980 μ + ν μ ⋅ B f 0 980 → K + K − < 5.45 × 10 − 4 $$ \mathcal{B}\left({D}_s^{+}\to {f}_0(980){\mu}^{+}{\nu}_{\mu}\right)\cdot \mathcal{B}\left({f}_0(980)\to {K}^{+}{K}^{-}\right)

Abstract Using e + e − collision datasets corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 21.7 fb −1 collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider at center-of-mass energies ranging from 4.009 GeV to 4.951 GeV, the energy-dependent cross sections of e + e − → p K − Λ ¯ + c . c . $$ {e}^{+}{e}^{-}\to p{K}^{-}\overline{\Lambda}+c.c. $$ are measured for the first time. By fitting these energy-dependent cross sections, we search for the excited ψ states ψ(4160) and ψ(4415), and the vector charmonium-like states ψ(4230), ψ(4360), and ψ(4660). No evidence for these is observed and the upper limits on the branching fractions of these states decaying into p K − Λ ¯ + c . c . $$ p{K}^{-}\overline{\Lambda}+c.c. $$ are set at the 90% confidence level.

Abstract Aim and objective To compare the clinical effect of reconstruction of internal and lateral column periosteal hinge-assisted treatment with Kirschner wire and internal fixation with Kirschner wire in the treatment of multidirectional unstable supracondylar fractures of humerus in children. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 48 patients (31 male, 17 female; mean age: 6.7 ± 2.4 years old) with multidirectionally unstable supracondylar fractures of the humerus treated in our Hospital from August 2020 to August 2022. Twenty-five cases were treated with Kirschner wire reconstruction of the internal and lateral column periosteal hinge assisted by closed reduction and Kirschner wire internal fixation (study group). Twenty-three cases were treated with closed reduction and Kirschner wire internal fixation (control group). The operation time, intraoperative fluoroscopy times, percentage of patients who underwent open reduction after failure of closed reduction, fracture healing time, Baumann angle (BA), shaft-condylar angle (SCA), range of motion (ROM), and Flynn score of elbow at the last follow-up were compared between two groups. Complications such as infection and irritation of Kirschner wire tail were observed in two groups 2 months after the operation. Results All patients were followed up for 10–22 months ([13.85 ± 2.89] months). The average operation time of the control group was 82.1 min, which was significantly longer than that of the study group 32.3 min (P 0.05). There was no significant difference in fracture healing time, BA, SCA, and ROM between the two groups (P > 0.05). No infection or Kirschner wire tail irritation occurred in the two groups during the 2-month follow-up. Conclusion Reconstruction of internal and lateral periosteal hinges with Kirscher wire has similar effects to closed reduction and Kirschner wire fixation in the treatment of multidirectionally unstable supracondylar fractures of the humerus in children, but it can shorten the operation time and reduce intraoperative fluoroscopy times and incision rate.

Abstract Background Anal fistula is a common benign anorectal disease that often requires surgical intervention for effective treatment. In recent years, preoperative colonoscopy as a diagnostic tool in patients with anal fistula has garnered increasing attention due to its potential clinical application value. By investigating underlying inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), polyps, and other abnormalities, preoperative colonoscopy can offer insights to refine surgical strategies and improve patient outcomes. Methods This retrospective study focused on 1796 patients with various benign anorectal diseases who underwent preoperative intestinal endoscopy and met surgical criteria within the preceding three years at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Among these patients, 949 diagnosed with anal fistula comprised group A, while 847 patients without anal fistula were assigned to group B for comparison. The investigation encompassed an analysis of general patient information, endoscopic findings, polyp histopathology, distribution of bowel inflammation sites, and results of inflammatory bowel disease assessments between the two patient cohorts. A subgroup analysis was also conducted on 2275 anal fistula patients with no surgical contraindications. This subgroup was categorized into Group A (949 patients who underwent preoperative intestinal endoscopy) and Group C (1326 patients who did not undergo preoperative colonoscopy). The study compared the rates of detecting endoscopic lesions and IBD-related findings between the two subgroups. Results The study initially confirmed the comparability of general patient information between groups A and B. Notably, the abnormal detection rate in group A was significantly higher than in group B (P 0.05). Subsequently, the analysis of the subgroup (groups A and C) revealed a significant disparity in intestinal endoscopic detection rates (P

Abstract Background In the context of an aging population, the Gerontological Nursing course is becoming more and more important. Escape room games have been shown to have a positive effect on nursing education, but they have not been applied in the Gerontological Nursing course. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of adding an escape room game-based learning activity at the end of classroom teaching in a Gerontological Nursing course on nursing students’ learning attitude and game flow experience. Methods In April 2023, a total of 84 nursing students from two classes at a medical school in Northeast China were selected for the study, and the classes were divided into a test group (n = 41) and a control group (n = 43). Both groups received regular classroom teaching on “Safe Medication Care for the Elderly”, and the test group participated in an escape room game at the end of the classroom teaching. General information about the nursing students in both groups was collected prior to participation; learning attitude were measured before and after participation; and game flow experience was measured before and after participation in the test group. Data were analyzed using independent samples t-tests and paired samples t-tests. Results There was no statistically significant difference in the general information and learning attitude of nursing students between the two groups before participation. After participation, the total learning attitude score of nursing students in the test group was (73.17 ± 1.67) and that of the control group was (61.63 ± 2.66), and the difference was statistically significant (p

Abstract Background Fungi play a crucial role in ecosystems, and they have been widely considered a promising source for natural compounds that are crucial for drug discovery. Fungi have a high diversity, but about 95% of them remain unknown to science. The description rate of fungi is very low, mainly due to the inability of most fungi to grow in artificial media, which could not provide a sufficiently similar environment to their natural habitats. Moreover, many species in nature are in a state of low metabolic activity which cannot readily proliferate without proper resuscitation. Previously developed culturomics techniques are mostly designed and applicable for bacteria, with few attempts for fungal isolation because of their significantly larger cell size and hyphal growth properties. Results This study attempted to isolate previously uncultured and rare fungi from mangrove sediments using newly developed fungal enrichment culture method (FECM) and fungal isolation chips (FiChips). Comparison of fungal community composition at different enrichment stages showed that FECM had great influence on fungal community composition, with rare taxa increased significantly, thus improving the isolation efficiency of previously uncultured fungi. Similarly, in situ cultivation using FiChips has a significant advantage in detecting and culturing rare fungi, as compared to the conventional dilution plate method (DPM). In addition, based on morphological comparisons and phylogenetic analyses, we described and proposed 38 new ascomycetous taxa, including three new families, eight new genera, 25 new species, and two new combinations (presented in additional file 1). Conclusions Our study demonstrated that mangrove sediments harbor a high diversity of fungi, and our new isolation approaches (FECM and FiChips) presented a high efficiency in isolating hitherto uncultured fungi, which is potentially usable for fungal isolation in other similar environments . Video Abstract

Abstract Background Comparing to PET/CT, integrative PET/MRI imaging provides superior soft tissue resolution. This study aims to evaluate the added value of regional delayed 18F-FDG PET/MRI-assisted whole-body 18F-FDG PET/CT in diagnosing malignant ascites patients. Results The final diagnosis included 22 patients with ovarian cancer (n = 11), peritoneal cancer (n = 3), colon cancer (n = 2), liver cancer (n = 2), pancreatic cancer (n = 2), gastric cancer (n = 1), and fallopian tube cancer (n = 1). The diagnosis of the primary tumor using whole-body PET/CT was correct in 11 cases. Regional PET/MRI-assisted whole-body PET/CT diagnosis was correct in 18 cases, including 6 more cases of ovarian cancer and 1 more case of fallopian tube cancer. Among 4 cases that were not diagnosed correctly, 1 case had the primary tumor outside of the PET/MRI scan area, 2 cases were peritoneal cancer, and 1 case was colon cancer. The diagnostic accuracy of regional PET/MRI-assisted whole-body PET/CT was higher than PET/CT alone (81.8% vs. 50.0%, κ 2 = 5.14, p = 0.023). The primary tumor conspicuity score of PET/MRI was higher than PET/CT (3.67 ± 0.66 vs. 2.76 ± 0.94, P

Abstract Objective To investigate the relationship between dietary carotenoid intake and sleep duration. Methods Adults enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007–2018 without missing information on dietary carotenoid intake (α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, and lutein + zeaxanthin), sleep duration, and covariates were included. Participants’ carotenoid consumption was divided into three groups by quartiles and sleep duration was grouped as short ( 8 h/night). Multinominal logistic regression was constructed to examine the association between dietary carotenoid intake and sleep duration. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression was further utilized to explore their dose-response relationship. The weighted quantile sum (WQS) model was adopted to calculate the mixed and individual effect of 5 carotenoid sub-types on sleep duration. Results Multinominal logistic regression presented that people with higher intakes of α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, and lutein + zeaxanthin were less likely to sleep too short or too long. Consistent with the findings from multinominal logistic regression, the RCS models suggested a reverse U-shaped relationship between sleep duration and carotenoid intakes. The mixed effects were also significant, where β-cryptoxanthin and lutein + zeaxanthin were the top 2 contributors associated with the decreased risks of short sleep duration, while β-carotene, α-carotene, and β-cryptoxanthin were the main factors related to the lower risk of long sleep duration. Conclusion Our study revealed that the American adults with optimal sleep duration were associated with more dietary carotenoid intake, in comparison to short or long sleepers.

Abstract Small noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) are crucial regulators of gene expression in bacteria. Acting in concert with major RNA chaperones such as Hfq or ProQ, sRNAs base-pair with multiple target mRNAs and form large RNA-RNA interaction networks. To systematically investigate the RNA-RNA interactome in living cells, we have developed a streamlined in vivo approach iRIL-seq (intracellular RIL-seq). This generic approach is highly robust, illustrating the dynamic sRNA interactomes in Salmonella enterica across multiple stages of growth. We have identified the OmpD porin mRNA as a central regulatory hub that is targeted by a dozen sRNAs, including FadZ cleaved from the conserved 3’UTR of fadBA mRNA. Both ompD and FadZ are activated by CRP, constituting a type I incoherent feed-forward loop in the fatty acid metabolism pathway. Altogether, we have established an approach to profile RNA-RNA interactomes in live cells, highlighting the complexity of RNA regulatory hubs and RNA networks.

Abstract Target speaker separation aims to separate the speech components of the target speaker from mixed speech and remove extraneous components such as noise. In recent years, deep learning-based speech separation methods have made significant breakthroughs and have gradually become mainstream. However, these existing methods generally face problems with system latency and performance upper limits due to the large model size. To solve these problems, this paper proposes improvements in the network structure and training methods to enhance the model’s performance. A lightweight target speaker separation network based on long-short-term memory (LSTM) is proposed, which can reduce the model size and computational delay while maintaining the separation performance. Based on this, a target speaker separation method based on joint training is proposed to achieve the overall training and optimization of the target speaker separation system. Joint loss functions based on speaker registration and speaker separation are proposed for joint training of the network to further improve the system’s performance. The experimental results show that the lightweight target speaker separation network proposed in this paper has better performance while being lightweight, and joint training of the target speaker separation network with our proposed loss function can further improve the separation performance of the original model.

AbstractBackground We discovered that vitiligo was associated with sexual dysfunction in clinical diagnosis and treatment; however, no further analysis had been performed due to a lack of data.Objective This study aimed to clarify the relationship between vitiligo and sexual dysfunction.Methods We searched six databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Science and Technology Journal, and Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform) for nearly 40 years.Results According to the search strategy, 91 relevant studies were retrieved, of which 4 were included in the analysis. The Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX) score (mean difference [MD] 4.96, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.78–7.13, p

AbstractContext Although Tongguan capsule (TGC) is used in the treatment of coronary atherosclerotic disease, the exact mechanism remains unclear.Objective Network pharmacology and experimental validation were applied to examine the mechanism of TGC for treating myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI).Materials and methods The components and candidate targets were searched based on various databases such as TCMSP, TCMID, BATMAN-TCM. The binding ability was determined by molecular docking. The ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) model was constructed by ligating the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery. APOE-/- mice were divided into three groups (n = 6): Sham group, I/R group, and TGC group (1 g/kg/d). To further verification, HCAEC cells were subjected to hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R) to establish in vitro model.Results The compounds, such as quercetin, luteolin, tanshinone IIA, kaempferol and bifendate, were obtained after screening. The affinity values of the components with GSK-3β, mTOR, Beclin-1, and LC3 were all

AbstractContext Slow transit constipation (STC), the most common type of constipation, seriously affects the life of patients. Zhizhu decoction (ZZD), a traditional Chinese medicine compound, has is effective against functional constipation, but the mechanism is still unclear.Objective This research explores the mechanism of ZZD on STC from the perspective of metabolomics and gut microbiota.Materials and methods Fifty-four C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into six groups (n = 9): control (control); STC (model); positive control (positive); low-dose (5 g/kg; L-ZZD), medium-dose (10 g/kg; M-ZZD), and high-dose (20 g/kg; H-ZZD) ZZD treatment. Following treatment of mice with ZZD for two weeks, the changes in intestinal motility, colon histology, intestinal neurotransmitters, and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) pathway determined the effects of ZZD on the pathophysiology of STC. LC-MS targeting serum metabolomics was used to analyze the regulation of ZZD on neurotransmitters, and 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing was used to detect the regulation of the gut microbiome.Results ZZD had the highest content of naringin (6348.1 mg/L), and could significantly increase the 24 h defecations (1.10- to 1.42-fold), fecal moisture (1.14-fold) and intestinal transport rate (1.28-fold) of STC mice, increased the thickness of the mucosal and muscular tissue (1.18- to 2.16-fold) and regulated the neurotransmitters in the colon of STC mice. Moreover, ZZD significantly activated the AHR signaling pathway, and also affected the composition of gut microbiota in STC mice.Discussion and conclusions The beneficial effect and the possible mechanism of ZZD on STC could provide a theoretical basis for the broader clinical application of ZZD.

Abstract Purpose To investigate the distribution of the incidence and genotypes of human papillomavirus (HPV) among women with cervical cancer (CC) and precancerous cervical lesions in Yueyang City, China, to develop prevention and control strategies for CC. Methods A total of 3674 patients with cervical lesions and cervical cancer who attended 7 hospitals in Yueyang City between September 2019 and September 2022 were included. They included 1910 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) I, 718 CIN II, 576 CIN II and 470 CC, respectively. The HPV genotyping of the above patients was detected by Real time-PCR in the laboratory department of each hospital. Results The total HPV prevalence was 74.69% (95% CI 73.28–76.09%) in 3674 patients. The incidence of high- and low-risk HPV was 73.46% and 7.21%, respectively. The prevalence of HPV in CIN I, CIN II, CIN III, and invasive CC (ICC) groups was 66.65% (1273/1910, 95% CI 64.53–68.77%), 80.78% (580/718, 95% CI 77.89–83.67%), 83.88% (483/576, 95% CI 80.84–86.87%), and 86.81% (408/470, 95% CI 83.74–89.88%), respectively. The top three HPV subtypes in ICC are HPV16, HPV52, and HPV58. The prevalence of HPV 16 increased with increasing disease severity, with this genotype being present in 12.57%, 20.89%, 36.98%, and 50.85% of CIN I, CIN II, CIN III, and ICC cases, respectively (p

Abstract Background Vector control tools, long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS), have significantly contributed to malaria prevention efforts in sub-Saharan Africa. However, insecticide resistance has seriously hampered their efficacy in recent years and new tools are essential to further progress. In2Care® EaveTubes (ETs) are an inexpensive, new resistance-breaking vector control product under World Health Organization (WHO) evaluation informed by mosquito ecology to efficiently target malaria vectors. By installing ETs in the walls of the house at the eave level that funnel the natural airflow, mosquitoes are drawn in by the same heat and odor cues that typically attract them through open eaves. Once inside an ET, mosquitoes are exposed to insecticide-treated netting placed inside the ET. The aim of this study is to test whether ETs as stand-alone tool have an effect on the epidemiology of malaria in villages where houses have been modified with the ET intervention. Methods A two-armed, cluster randomized controlled trial will be conducted to evaluate the effect of ETs on clinical malaria incidence in children living in Côte d’Ivoire. Thirty-four villages will be selected based on population size and the proportion of houses suitable for modification with ETs (17 treatment arms (ETs + LLINs, 17 control arms (LLINs only)). Based on the population census, 55 households per cluster with eligible children (i.e., between the ages of 6 months to 8 years old at the start of the study) will be randomly selected for recruitment into the active detection cohorts. In the treatment arm, we will enroll eligible children who reside in ET-treated houses. The intervention and control cohorts will be followed for 4 months for baseline covariate measurements and 24 months with intervention. During case detection visits, blood samples will be taken from all febrile children and tested for malaria infection with rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). All positive clinical malaria infections will be treated. To estimate the impact of the ET on malaria vector densities, entomological measurements (indoor sampling with CDC traps) will be conducted monthly in 20 clusters (10 ET, 10 Control) in 10 randomly selected households per cluster. To estimate the infectiousness of malaria vectors, sporozoite rates will be measured in subsets of the collected mosquito samples. Discussion Findings will serve as an efficacy trial of ETs and will be submitted to the WHO Vector Control Advisory Group (VCAG) for assessment of public health value. Entomological outcomes will also be measured as proxies of malaria transmission to help develop guidelines for the evaluation of future In2Care® ETs products. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05736679. Registered on 10 February 2023.

Abstract Background To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of refractive astigmatism (RA) and corneal astigmatism (CA) in preschool children and school-aged children in Shanghai, China. Methods In this school-based, cross-sectional study, 4–15 years old children across three learning stages of kindergarten, primary school, and junior high school underwent noncycloplegic autorefraction and completed comprehensive questionnaires involving time spent on daily homework and outdoor activities. Data from the right eyes were analysed. Results Overall, 7084 children (mean ± standard deviation (SD) of age: 8.08 ± 3.11 years) were included, and the prevalence rates of RA/CA ( ≤ − 1.0 D) in children were 15.8%/64% in kindergartens, 16.5%/65% in primary schools, and 32.8%/76.9% in junior high schools. The magnitude and prevalence of RA and CA all increased with age or with learning stage (all P

Abstract To improve the accuracy of runoff forecasting, a combined forecasting model is established by using the kernel extreme learning machine (KELM) algorithm optimised by the butterfly optimisation algorithm (BOA), combined with the variational modal decomposition method (VMD) and the complementary ensemble empirical modal decomposition method (CEEMD), for the measured daily runoff sequences at Jiehetan and Huayuankou stations and Gaochun and Lijin stations. The results show that the combined model VMD-CEEMD-BOA-KELM predicts the best. The average absolute errors are 30.02, 23.72, 25.75, 29.37, and the root mean square errors are 20.53 m3/s, 18.79 m3/s, 18.66 m3/s, and 21.87 m3/s, the decision coefficients are all above 90 percent, respectively, and the Nash efficiency coefficients are all more than 90%, from the above it can be seen that the method has better results in runoff time series prediction.

Abstract Using e + e − collision data corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 12.9 fb −1 collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider, the exclusive Born cross sections and the effective form factors of the reaction e + e − → Ξ − Ξ ¯ + $$ {e}^{+}{e}^{-}\to {\Xi}^{-}{\overline{\Xi}}^{+} $$ are measured via the single baryon-tag method at 23 center-of-mass energies between 3.510 and 4.843 GeV. Evidence for the decay ψ 3770 → Ξ − Ξ ¯ + $$ \psi (3770)\to {\Xi}^{-}{\overline{\Xi}}^{+} $$ is observed with a significance of 4.5σ by analyzing the measured cross sections together with earlier BESIII results. For the other charmonium(-like) states ψ(4040), ψ(4160), Y(4230), Y(4360), ψ(4415), and Y(4660), no significant signal of their decay to Ξ − Ξ ¯ + $$ {\Xi}^{-}{\overline{\Xi}}^{+} $$ is found. For these states, upper limits of the products of the branching fraction and the electronic partial width at the 90% confidence level are provided.

Abstract Based on 4.5 fb −1 e + e − collision data collected with BESIII detector at seven energy points between 4.600 and 4.699 GeV, the branching fractions for Λ c + → pη $$ {\Lambda}_c^{+}\to p\eta $$ and Λ c + → pω $$ {\Lambda}_c^{+}\to p\omega $$ were measured by means of single-tag method. The branching fractions of Λ c + → pη $$ {\Lambda}_c^{+}\to p\eta $$ and Λ c + → pω $$ {\Lambda}_c^{+}\to p\omega $$ are determined to be (1.57 ± 0.11stat ± 0.04syst) × 10 −3 and (1.11 ± 0.20stat ± 0.07syst) × 10 −3, with a statistical significance of greater than 10σ and 5.7σ, respectively. These results are consistent with the previous measurements by BESIII, LHCb and Belle, and the result of Λ c + → pη $$ {\Lambda}_c^{+}\to p\eta $$ is the most precise to date.

Abstract Gamma radiation is progressively emerging as an effective method to enhance the sterilization efficiency of medical plastics including Polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The parameters of the radiation facility will affect the efficiency of radiation sterilization. To investigate these effects, we simulate the gamma radiation sterilization performance of PVC material sample using Monte Carlo Method. The simulation results indicated that compared with the sterilization time of 20–90 min from high-temperature steam sterilization of medical waste, by optimizing the parameters of the model radiation facility, the radiation sterilization time can be reduced to 6.61 min. The optimized model facility parameters are as follows: the gamma photon energy is 1.25 MeV, the model space is 300 × 300 × 300 cm3, the reflective layer material is concrete and its thickness is 8 cm, the PVC sample layer area is 100 × 100 cm2, the distance between the radiation source and the PVC sample layer is 150 cm, the energy deposition in the bottom layer of the PVC sample layer is 1.31315 × 10–6 MeV/g. This study offers a potentially feasible way for PVC sterilization, while also providing a crucial reference for the further promotion and application of radiation sterilization technology.

Abstract Rainfall forecasting is an important means for macro-control of water resources and prevention of future disasters. In order to achieve a more accurate prediction effect, this paper analyzes the applicability of the "full decomposition" and "stepwise decomposition" of the VMD (Variational mode decomposition) algorithm to the actual prediction service; The MAVOA (Modified African Vultures Optimization Algorithm) improved by Tent chaotic mapping is selected; and the DNC (Differentiable Neural Computer), which combines the advantages of recurrent neural networks and computational processing, is applied to the forecasting. The different VMD decompositions of the MAVOA-DNC combination together with other comparative models are applied to example predictions at four sites in the Huaihe River Basin. The results show that SMFSD (Single-model Fully stepwise decomposition) is the most effective, and the average Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of the forecasts for the four sites of SMFSD-MAVOA-DNC is 9.02, the average Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of 7.13, and the average Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) of 0.94. Compared with the traditional VMD full decomposition, the RMSE is reduced by 7.42, the MAE is reduced by 4.83, and the NSE is increased by 0.05; the best forecasting results are obtained compared with other coupled models.

Abstract In recent years, lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) has become a focus of attention due to its low response to treatment, poor prognosis, and lack of reliable indicators to predict the progression or therapeutic effect of LUAD. Different cell death patterns play a crucial role in tumor development and are promising for predicting LUAD prognosis. From the TCGA and GEO databases, we obtained bulk transcriptomes, single-cell transcriptomes, and clinical information. Genes in 15 types of cell death were analyzed for cell death index (CDI) signature establishment. The CDI signature using necroptosis + immunologic cell death-related genes was established in the TCGA cohort with the 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-year AUC values were 0.772, 0.736, 0.723, 0.795, and 0.743, respectively. The prognosis was significantly better in the low CDI group than in the high CDI group. We also investigated the relationship between the CDI signature and clinical variables, published prognosis biomarkers, immune cell infiltration, functional enrichment pathways, and immunity biomarkers. In vitro assay showed that HNRNPF and FGF2 promoted lung cancer cell proliferation and migration and were also involved in cell death. Therefore, as a robust prognosis biomarker, CDI signatures can screen for patients who might benefit from immunotherapy and improve diagnostic accuracy and LUAD patient outcomes.

AIM: To explore changes in the optic disc and peripapillary atrophy (PPA) in school-age children with ametropia using color fundus photography combined with artificial intelligence (AI) technology. METHODS: Based on the retrospective case-controlled study, 226 eyes of 113 children aged aged 6–12y were enrolled from October 2021 to May 2022. According to the results of spherical equivalent (SE), the children were divided into four groups: low myopia group (66 eyes), moderate myopia group (60 eyes), high myopia group (50 eyes) and emmetropia control group (50 eyes). All subjects underwent un-aided visual acuity, dilated pupil optometry, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure, ocular axis measurement and color fundus photography. RESULTS: The width of PPA, horizontal diameter ratio of PPA to the optic disc and area ratio of PPA to the optic disc were significantly different among the four groups (P

As the penetration rate of wind turbines gradually increases, the fluctuation of system voltage and frequency significantly increases under power grid fault. In severe cases, wind turbines will disconnect from the grid, leading to large-scale power outages. In order to improve the stability of wind turbine grid connection, a large number of literature has studied the frequency and voltage regulation strategies. However, the existing fault ride through control methods mainly solve the problem of reactive power support during faults, while frequency regulation schemes focus on the frequency changes caused by load fluctuations. There is little research on methods that simultaneously consider voltage ride through and frequency regulation under power grid fault. This paper proposes a voltage and frequency regulation control strategy of wind turbines based on supercapacitors to address the above issues. By switching the functional modes of the energy storage device at different stages, wind turbines achieve the fault through and frequency recovery, thereby enhancing the fault tolerance ability. In the strategy, control process is divided into power grid fault period and fault recovery stage, and it adjusts the auxiliary priority level of energy storage devices based on the electrical response degree of different stages. During the fault, energy storage device is in voltage regulation stage because the voltage drop degree is greater than the frequency fluctuation, and it can ensure the wind turbine does not run off the grid by providing dynamic reactive power support to power grid. In the fault recovery stage, energy storage device is in the frequency regulation stage because of the large frequency deviation, it output active power to accelerate the system frequency recovery rating. Finally, the effectiveness of the control strategy proposed in this paper is verified through simulation.

Abstract Radiotherapy (RT) plays an important role in tumor therapy due to its noninvasiveness and wide adaptation. In recent years, radiation therapy has been discovered to induce an anti-tumor immune response, which arouses widespread concern among scientists and clinicians. In this review, we highlight recent advances in the applications of nano-biomaterials for radiotherapy-activated immunotherapy. We first discuss the combination of different radiosensitizing nano-biomaterials and immune checkpoint inhibitors to enhance tumor immune response and improve radiotherapy efficacy. Subsequently, various nano-biomaterials-enabled tumor oxygenation strategies are introduced to alleviate the hypoxic tumor environment and amplify the immunomodulatory effect. With the aid of nano-vaccines and adjuvants, radiotherapy refreshes the host's immune system. Additionally, ionizing radiation responsive nano-biomaterials raise innate immunity-mediated anti-tumor immunity. At last, we summarize the rapid development of immune modulatable nano-biomaterials and discuss the key challenge in the development of nano-biomaterials for tumor radio-immunotherapy. Understanding the nano-biomaterials-assisted radio-immunotherapy will maximize the benefits of clinical radiotherapy and immunotherapy and facilitate the development of new combinational therapy modality. Graphical Abstract

Abstract Fermentation is the key process required for developing the characteristic properties of cigar tobacco leaves, complex microorganisms are involved in this process. However, the microbial fermentation mechanisms during the fermentation process have not been well-characterized. This study investigated the dynamic changes in conventional chemical composition, flavor compounds, and bacterial community during the fermentation of cigar tobacco leaves from Hainan and Sichuan provinces in China, as well as the potential roles of bacteria. Fermentation resulted in a reduction of conventional chemical components in tobacco leaves, with the exception of a noteworthy increase in insoluble protein content. Furthermore, the levels of 10 organic acids and 19 amino acids showed a significant decrease, whereas the concentration of 30 aromatic substances exhibited a unimodal trend. Before fermentation, the bacterial community structures and dominant bacteria in Hainan and Sichuan tobacco leaves differed significantly. As fermentation progressed, the community structures in the two regions became relatively similar, with Delftia, Ochrobactrum, Rhodococcus, and Stenotrophomonas being dominant. Furthermore, a total of 12 functional bacterial genera were identified in Hainan and Sichuan tobacco leaves using bidirectional orthogonal partial least squares (O2PLS) analysis. Delftia, Ochrobactrum, and Rhodococcus demonstrated a significant negative correlation with oleic acid and linoleic acid, while Stenotrophomonas and Delftia showed a significant negative correlation with undesirable amino acids, such as Ala and Glu. In addition, Bacillus showed a positive correlation with benzaldehyde, while Kocuria displayed a positive correlation with 2-acetylfuran, isophorone, 2, 6-nonadienal, and β-damascenone. The co-occurrence network analysis of microorganisms revealed a prevalence of positive correlations within the bacterial network, with non-abundant bacteria potentially contributing to the stabilization of the bacterial community. These findings can improve the overall tobacco quality and provide a novel perspective on the utilization of microorganisms in the fermentation of cigar tobacco leaves. Graphical Abstract

It has been shown that Allee effect can change predator-prey dynamics and impact species persistence. Allee effect in the prey population has been widely investigated. However, the study on the Allee effect in the predator population is rare. In this paper, we investigate the spatiotemporal dynamics of a diffusive predator-prey model with digestion delay and Allee effect in the predator population. The conditions of stability and instability induced by diffusion for the positive equilibrium are obtained. The effect of delay on the dynamics of system has three different cases: (a) the delay doesn't change the stability of the positive equilibrium, (b) destabilizes and stabilizes the positive equilibrium and induces stability switches, or (c) destabilizes the positive equilibrium and induces Hopf bifurcation, which is revealed (numerically) to be corresponding to high, intermediate or low level of Allee effect, respectively. To figure out the joint effect of delay and diffusion, we carry out Turing-Hopf bifurcation analysis and derive its normal form, from which we can obtain the classification of dynamics near Turing-Hopf bifurcation point. Complex spatiotemporal dynamical behaviors are found, including the coexistence of two stable spatially homogeneous or inhomogeneous periodic solutions and two stable spatially inhomogeneous quasi-periodic solutions. It deepens our understanding of the effects of Allee effect in the predator population and presents new phenomena induced be delay with spatial diffusion.

Abstract Background Platelet (PLT) count at diagnosis plays an important role in cancer development and progression in solid tumors. However, it remains controversial whether PLT count at diagnosis influences therapeutic outcome in patients with non-acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Methods This study analyzed the relationship between PLT count at diagnosis and genetic mutations in a cohort of 330 newly diagnosed non-APL AML patients. The impact of PLT count on complete remission, minimal residual disease status and relapse-free survival (RFS) were evaluated after chemotherapy or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Results Our studies showed that patients with DNMT3A mutations have a higher PLT count at diagnosis, while patients with CEBPA biallelic mutations or t(8;21)(q22; q22) translocation had lower PLT count at diagnosis. Furthermore, non-APL AML patients with high platelet count (> 65 × 109/L) at diagnosis had worse response to induction chemotherapy and RFS than those with low PLT count. In addition, allo-HSCT could not absolutely attenuated the negative impact of high PLT count on the survival of non-APL AML patients. Conclusion PLT count at diagnosis has a predictive value for therapeutic outcome for non-APL AML patients.

Abstract Background A high concentration of CO2 will stagnate the development of the newly formed primordia of Hypsizygus marmoreus, hinder the development of the mushroom cap, thereby inhibiting the normal differentiation of the fruiting body. Moreover, in the previous experiment, our research group obtained the mutant strain HY68 of H. marmoreus, which can maintain normal fruiting under the condition of high concentration of CO2. Our study aimed to evaluate the CO2 tolerance ability of the mutant strain HY68, in comparison with the starting strain HY61 and the control strain HY62. We analyzed the mycelial growth of these strains under various conditions, including different temperatures, pH levels, carbon sources, and nitrogen sources, and measured the activity of the cellulose enzyme. Additionally, we identified and predicted β-glucosidase-related genes in HY68 and analyzed their gene and protein structures. Results Our results indicate that HY68 showed superior CO2 tolerance compared to the other strains tested, with an optimal growth temperature of 25 °C and pH of 7, and maltose and beef paste as the ideal carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. Enzyme activity assays revealed a positive correlation between β-glucosidase activity and CO2 tolerance, with Gene14147 identified as the most closely related gene to this activity. Inbred strains of HY68 showed trait segregation for CO2 tolerance. Conclusions Both HY68 and its self-bred offspring could tolerate CO2 stress. The fruiting period of the strains resistant to CO2 stress was shorter than that of the strains not tolerant to CO2 stress. The activity of β-GC and the ability to tolerate CO2 were more closely related to the growth efficiency of fruiting bodies. This study lays the foundation for understanding how CO2 regulates the growth of edible fungi, which is conducive to the innovation of edible fungus breeding methods. The application of the new strain HY68 is beneficial to the research of energy-saving production in factory cultivation.

Abstract Background The cotton industry suffers significant yield losses annually due to Verticillium wilt, which is considered the most destructive disease affecting the crop. However, the precise mechanisms behind this disease in cotton remain largely unexplored. Methods Our approach involved utilizing transcriptome data from G. australe which was exposed to Verticillium dahliae infection. From this data, we identified ethylene-responsive factors and further investigated their potential role in resistance through functional validations via Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) in cotton and overexpression in Arabidopsis. Results A total of 23 ethylene response factors (ERFs) were identified and their expression was analyzed at different time intervals (24 h, 48 h, and 72 h post-inoculation). Among them, GauERF105 was selected based on qRT-PCR expression analysis for further investigation. To demonstrate the significance of GauERF105, VIGS was utilized, revealing that suppressing GauERF105 leads to more severe infections in cotton plants compared to the wild-type. Additionally, the silenced plants exhibited reduced lignin deposition in the stems compared to the WT plants, indicating that the silencing of GauERF105 also impacts lignin content. The overexpression of GauERF105 in Arabidopsis confirmed its pivotal role in conferring resistance against Verticillium dahliae infection. Our results suggest that WT possesses higher levels of the oxidative stress markers MDA and H2O2 as compared to the overexpressed lines. In contrast, the activities of the antioxidant enzymes SOD and POD were higher in the overexpressed lines compared to the WT. Furthermore, DAB and trypan staining of the overexpressed lines suggested a greater impact of the disease in the wild-type compared to the transgenic lines. Conclusions Our findings provide confirmation that GauERF105 is a crucial candidate in the defense mechanism of cotton against Verticillium dahliae invasion, and plays a pivotal role in this process. These results have the potential to facilitate the development of germplasm resistance in cotton.

This is an essay in the field of metallurgical engineering. Thermodynamics of the reaction, hydrochloric acid leaching for waste ceria-based rare earth polishing powder, was studied in this work.The influences on the leaching rate of the waste polishing powder was respectively considered including hydrochloric acid concentration and leaching temperature in the experiment. The result of the Gibbs free energy of leaching reaction and leaching experiment showed, thermodynamics theoretical analysis was consistent with experiment date for CeO2 and La2O3. CeO2 could not be immersed in dissolution, and La2O3 was easy to get leached. However, the experiment result was quite opposite of theoretical thermodynamics calculation for Al2O3. The Gibbs free energy of leaching reaction for Al2O3 were always a positive value, and Al2O3 from the waste polishing powder couldn’t be immersed by hydrochloric acid, but experiment result indicated that the Al2O3 leaching rate can be stabilized above 91%. Amorphous forms Al2O3 had high reactive activity in the waste, but the thermodynamic parameter of inert Al2O3 crystal structure (corundum) was adopted in the Gibbs free energy calculation.

Abstract With data samples collected with the BESIII detector at seven energy points at s $$ \sqrt{s} $$ = 3.68 − 3.71 GeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 333 pb −1, we present a study of the Λ transverse polarization in the e + e − → Λ Λ ¯ $$ \Lambda \overline{\Lambda} $$ reaction. The significance of polarization by combining the seven energy points is found to be 2.6σ including the systematic uncertainty, which implies a non-zero phase between the transition amplitudes of the Λ Λ ¯ $$ \Lambda \overline{\Lambda} $$ helicity states. The modulus ratio and the relative phase of EM-psionic form factors combined with all energy points are measured to be R Ψ = 0.71 − 0.10 + 0.10 $$ {0.71}_{-0.10}^{+0.10} $$ ± 0.03 and ∆ΦΨ = 23 − 8.0 + 8.8 $$ {23}_{-8.0}^{+8.8} $$ ± 1.6°, where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic.

Abstract Bacterial communities play an important role in mangrove ecosystems. In order to gain information on the bacterial communities in mangrove species and rhizospheres grown in Zhangjiangkou National Mangrove Nature Reserve, this study collected root, branch, and leaf samples from five mangrove species as well as rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere samples and analyzed the community structure of endophytic bacteria and bacteria in rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere using Illumina high-throughput sequencing technique. Bacteria in 52 phyla, 64 classes, 152 orders, 295 families, and 794 genera were identified, which mainly belonged to Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Fusobacteria, and Nitrospirota. At each taxonomic level, the community structure of the rhizosphere bacteria varied slightly with mangrove species, but endophytic bacteria differed greatly with plant species. The diversity indices of endophytic bacteria in branch and leaf samples of Acanthus ilicifolius were significantly lower, and endophytic bacteria in the plant tissues had higher abundance in the replication/repair and translation Clusters of Orthologous Genes functional categories but lower abundance in the carbohydrate metabolism category. This study helps to understand the community structure and diversity characteristics of endophytic and rhizosphere bacteria in different mangrove plants. Provide a theoretical basis for in-depth research on the functions of mangrove ecosystems.

Abstract Background In April 2022, an outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 virus Omicron variant in Shanghai precipitated an extensive lockdown. We assessed changes in healthcare utilization during this outbreak and investigated the relationship between the stringency of mitigation strategies and disruptions in healthcare utilization. Methods Using provincial-level data from routine health information systems covering all hospitals across Mainland China, we conducted an interrupted time series analysis to examine changes in healthcare utilization during the Shanghai outbreak. Linear regression was used to evaluate the direction and magnitude of the association between the relative changes in the move-out movement index, a proxy for the stringency in population-level mitigation strategies, and the estimated relative changes in healthcare utilization. Results Overall, there were 22.9 billion outpatient visits and 1.2 billion discharged inpatients during the study period from January 2016 to May 2022, including 9.1 billion (39.7%) and 0.46 billion (38.2%) in the post-COVID-19 period (January 2020–May 2022), respectively. From March through May 2022, the outbreak resulted in an accumulative loss of 23.5 million (47%) outpatient visits and 0.6 million (55%) discharged inpatients in Shanghai, and a loss of 150.3 million (14%) outpatient visits and 3.6 million (7%) discharged inpatients in other regions. We find that for every 10-percentage point reduction in the relative change of move-out index, a 2.7 (95% CI: 2.0–3.4) percentage point decline in the relative change of outpatient visits, and a 4.3 (95% CI: 3.5–5.2) percentage points decline in the relative change of inpatient discharges. Conclusions The Shanghai COVID-19 Omicron outbreak associates with a substantial reduction in outpatient visits and inpatient discharges within Shanghai and other regions in China. The stringency of the COVID-19 lockdown policies associates with more profound reductions in healthcare utilization.

Abstract We previously found that global deletion of the mitochondrial enzyme arginase 2 (A2) limits optic nerve crush (ONC)-induced neuronal death. Herein, we examined the cell-specific role of A2 in this pathology by studies using wild type (WT), neuronal-specific calbindin 2 A2 KO (Calb2cre/+ A2 f/f), myeloid-specific A2 KO (LysMcre/+ A2f/f), endothelial-specific A2 KO (Cdh5cre/+ A2f/f), and floxed controls. We also examined the impact of A2 overexpression on mitochondrial function in retinal neuronal R28 cells. Immunolabeling showed increased A2 expression in ganglion cell layer (GCL) neurons of WT mice within 6 h-post injury and inner retinal neurons after 7 days. Calb2 A2 KO mice showed improved neuronal survival, decreased TUNEL-positive neurons, and improved retinal function compared to floxed littermates. Neuronal loss was unchanged by A2 deletion in myeloid or endothelial cells. We also found increased expression of neurotrophins (BDNF, FGF2) and improved survival signaling (pAKT, pERK1/2) in Calb2 A2 KO retinas within 24-hour post-ONC along with suppression of inflammatory mediators (IL1β, TNFα, IL6, and iNOS) and apoptotic markers (cleavage of caspase3 and PARP). ONC increased GFAP and Iba1 immunostaining in floxed controls, and Calb2 A2 KO dampened this effect. Overexpression of A2 in R28 cells increased Drp1 expression, and decreased mitochondrial respiration, whereas ABH-induced inhibition of A2 decreased Drp1 expression and improved mitochondrial respiration. Finally, A2 overexpression or excitotoxic treatment with glutamate significantly impaired mitochondrial function in R28 cells as shown by significant reductions in basal respiration, maximal respiration, and ATP production. Further, glutamate treatment of A2 overexpressing cells did not induce further deterioration in their mitochondrial function, indicating that A2 overexpression or glutamate insult induce comparable alterations in mitochondrial function. Our data indicate that neuronal A2 expression is neurotoxic after injury, and A2 deletion in Calb2 expressing neurons limits ONC-induced retinal neurodegeneration and improves visual function.

Abstract Background The cyclic nucleotide-gated channel (CNGC) gene family plays a significant role in the uptake of both essential and toxic cations, and has a role in enhancing tolerance to various forms of abiotic stresses as well as the modulation of the heavy metal toxicity to plant through the absorption of heavy metals. Results A complete genome-wide identification and functional characterization of the cotton CNGC genes was carried out, in which 55, 28, and 29 CNGC genes were identified in Gossypium hirsutum, G. raimondii, and G. arboreum, respectively. The protein encoded by the CNGC genes exhibited GRAVY value below zero, indicating their hydrophilic property. CNGC genes were unevenly distributed in 19 out of 26 chromosomes, in which the highest density were observed on Ah05, with 8 genes. High gene coverage was observed among the diploid cotton species, with CNGC genes mapped on all A chromosomes and on 11 out of 13 of D chromosomes. The majority of CNGC proteins were localized in the endoplasmic reticulum, nucleus, and plasma membrane. Gene expression analysis revealed the up-regulation of Gh_A01G0520 (CNGC4) and Gh_D13G1974 (CNGC5) across various forms of abiotic stresses. Moreover, down-regulation of Gh_A01G0520 (CNGC4) and Gh_D13G1974 (CNGC5) in CNGC s silenced plants caused the significantly reduced ability to tolerate drought and salt stresses. All CNGCs silenced plants were recorded to have significantly low content of antioxidants but relatively higher content of oxidant, including MDA and H2O2. Furthermore, SPAD, CMS (cell membrane stability), ELWL (excised leaf water loss), SDW (shoot dry matter weight), and RDW (root dry matter weight) were all lower in CNGCs silenced plants compared with the wild type plants. Conclusion Significant reduction in antioxidant content and negative effects of physiological and morphological characters in CNGCs silenced plants has revealed the novel role of CNGC genes in enhancing cell integrity under abiotic stress conditions. These results provide vital information that will expand our understanding of the CNGC gene family in cotton and other plants, thus promoting the integration of these genes in the development of the environmental resilient plants.

Abstract Background The fruits of Gardenia are rich in flavonoids and geniposides, which have various pharmacological effects such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer. In this study, we analyzed the transcriptome and metabolome of gardenia peel and kernel at different growth stages, revealed the regulatory network related to flavonoid synthesis, and identified the key regulatory genes. Results The results showed that in terms of flavonoid metabolic pathways, gardenia fruits mainly synthesized cinnamic acid through the phenylpropanoid pathway, and then synthesized flavonoids through the action of catalytic enzymes such as 4-coumaroyl-CoA ligase, chalcone synthase, chalcone isomerase and flavanol synthase, respectively. In addition, we found that the metabolomics data showed a certain spatial and temporal pattern in the expression of genes related to the flavonoid metabolism pathway and the relative content of metabolites, which was related to the development and ripening process of the fruit. Conclusions In summary, this study successfully screened out the key genes related to the biosynthesis metabolism of flavonoids in gardenia through the joint analysis of transcriptome and metabolome. This is of certain significance to the in-depth study of the formation mechanism of gardenia efficacy components and the improvement of quality.

Coix lacryma-jobi L., an annual or perennial plant belonging to the Poaceae family, has long been cultivated as a food and medicine plant in China. In recent years, coix cultivation for high yields and good quality has become a research hotspot in Southwest China. Soil optimization is essential for improving crop growth. To ensure the robust establishment of coix plants, eight soil substrates, prepared from three typical soils, i.e., red clay soil, peat soil, and sandy soil, were used to cultivate two local coix varieties (Pu coix from Fujian Province, China; Qi coix from Hebei Province, China), and the plant growth and root coixol content of the two coix varieties were investigated. It was found that coix plants could maintain growth when cultivated with peat soil or sandy soil, but red clay soil was unfavorable for coix growth. The mixtures of sandy soils and peat soils resulted in synergistic benefits for coix growth and root coixol levels over the effects of sandy soil or peat soil alone. In conclusion, the mixtures of sandy soils and peat soils with appropriate proportions (sandy soils/peat soils = 2:1) were suggested as an ideal soil substrate for coix cultivation. The results provide valuable guidance for the establishment of coix plants, which could contribute to high yields and good quality in coix cultivation.

Background: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating neurological disease affecting the central nervous system and significantly impacting patients’ quality of life. MS is known as an autoimmune disease affecting the white matter. The disease involves inflammation, demyelination, and neurodegeneration, causing irreversible disabilities. Current treatments for MS target the inflammatory phase, with limited effects on long-term disability. While neuronal damage significantly contributes to MS pathology, mechanisms of neurodegeneration are not well studied. Methods: This study evaluated neurodegenerative changes in the retina during disease progression, using data collected from an experimental MS model (Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis, EAE). Utilizing Hematoxylin and Eosin-stained retinal sections and assessment using Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), the study investigated the neurodegenerative changes, such as loss of cells in the retinal ganglion cell layer (GCL) and retinal thinning in the retina of the EAE model and the control groups. Results: Our results showed a significant reduction in the number of cells in the GCL of the EAE retina at two different time points studied, suggesting loss of neurons compared to the control group. Thickness measurements showed a reduction in the total retina and inner retinal layer thicknesses in the EAE retina compared to the controls. Our results indicate evidence of neurodegenerative changes in the retina of the experimental model of MS. No significant differences were observed between the percent losses of cells between the two time points studied. The pattern of cell loss suggests that neurodegeneration occurs at an earlier stage of disease progression. Conclusions: Overall, the retina is an excellent model to investigate neurodegeneration in MS, and possibly, loss of cells in the GCL could be used as an early indicator of neurodegeneration in MS and to identify novel therapeutic agents to treat the disease.

Sea cucumber viscera contain various naturally occurring active substances, but they are often underutilized during sea cucumber processing. Polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) is an adenosine A2A receptor agonist that activates the A2A receptor to produce various biological effects. Currently, most studies on the activity of PDRN have focused on its anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and tissue repair properties, yet relatively few studies have investigated its antioxidant activity. In this study, we reported for the first time that PDRN was extracted from the sperm of Apostichopus japonicus (AJS-PDRN), and we evaluated its antioxidant activity using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS), and hydroxyl radical scavenging assays. An in vitro injury model was established using H2O2-induced oxidative damage in RAW264.7 cells, and we investigated the protective effect of AJS-PDRN on these cells. Additionally, we explored the potential mechanism by which AJS-PDRN protects RAW264.7 cells from damage using iTRAQ proteomics analysis. The results showed that AJS-PDRN possessed excellent antioxidant activity and could significantly scavenge DPPH, ABTS, and hydroxyl radicals. In vitro antioxidant assays demonstrated that AJS-PDRN was cytoprotective and significantly enhanced the antioxidant capacity of RAW264.7 cells. The results of GO enrichment and KEGG pathway analysis indicate that the protective effects of AJS-PDRN pretreatment on RAW264.7 cells are primarily achieved through the regulation of immune and inflammatory responses, modulation of the extracellular matrix and signal transduction pathways, promotion of membrane repair, and enhancement of cellular antioxidant capacity. The results of a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis indicate that AJS-PDRN reduces cellular oxidative damage by upregulating the expression of intracellular selenoprotein family members. In summary, our findings reveal that AJS-PDRN mitigates H2O2-induced oxidative damage through multiple pathways, underscoring its significant potential in the prevention and treatment of diseases caused by oxidative stress.

The rational design of magnetic carbon composites, encompassing both their composition and microstructure, holds significant potential for achieving exceptional electromagnetic wave-absorbing materials (EAMs). In this study, FeCo@CM composites were efficiently fabricated through an advanced microwave plasma-assisted reduction chemical vapor deposition (MPARCVD) technique, offering high efficiency, low cost, and energy-saving benefits. By depositing graphitized carbon microspheres, the dielectric properties were significantly enhanced, resulting in improved electromagnetic wave absorption performances through optimized impedance matching and a synergistic effect with magnetic loss. A systematic investigation revealed that the laminar-stacked structure of FeCo exhibited superior properties compared to its spherical counterpart, supplying a higher number of exposed edges and enhanced catalytic activity, which facilitated the deposition of uniform and low-defect graphitized carbon microspheres. Consequently, the dielectric loss performance of the FeCo@CM composites was dramatically improved due to increased electrical conductivity and the formation of abundant heterogeneous interfaces. At a 40 wt% filling amount and a frequency of 7.84 GHz, the FeCo@CM composites achieved a minimum reflection loss value of −58.2 dB with an effective absorption bandwidth (fE) of 5.13 GHz. This study presents an effective strategy for developing high-performance EAMs.

The OSGEP gene encodes O-sialoglycoprotein endopeptidase, a catalytic unit of the highly conserved KEOPS complex (Kinase, Endopeptidase, and Other Proteins of small Size) that regulates the second biosynthetic step in the formation of N-6-threonylcarbamoyladenosine (t6A). Mutations in KEOPS cause Galloway–Mowat syndrome (GAMOS), whose cellular function in mammals and underlying molecular mechanisms are not well understood. In this study, we utilized lentivirus-mediated OSGEP knockdown to generate OSGEP-deficient human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). OSGEP-knockdown hESCs exhibited reduced stemness factor expression and G2/M phase arrest, indicating a potential role of OSGEP in the regulation of hESC fate. Additionally, OSGEP silencing led to enhanced protein synthesis and increased aggregation of proteins, which further induced inappropriate autophagy, as evidenced by the altered expression of P62 and the conversion of LC3-I to LC3-II. The above findings shed light on the potential involvement of OSGEP in regulating pluripotency and differentiation in hESCs while simultaneously highlighting its crucial role in maintaining proteostasis and autophagy, which may have implications for human disease.

AbstractGlobal warming has evolved into a global environmental concern. Despite the significant impact of rivers on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, there remains a lack of wide quantification of emissions at high temporal resolution. This research investigated the characteristics of the CO2 exchange flux (FCO2) and CH4 exchange flux (FCH4) at the interface of water and gas, as well as the primary determinants that impact these fluxes, at both the seasonal and 24-h scales, in the Inner Mongolia section of the Yellow River (IMYR). FCO2 was 52.52 ± 78.26 mmol·m−2·d−1 in summer, which was higher than autumn (30.81 ± 51.24 mmol·m−2·d−1) and spring (-96.09 ± 264.31 mmol·m−2·d−1). FCH4 peaked in summer (928.45 ± 513.31 μmol·m−2·d−1) and declined in the fall (326.76 ± 576.31 μmol·m−2·d−1). The lowest FCH4 was recorded in spring (61.75 ± 190.26 μmol·m−2·d−1). Wind speed (WS) and organic carbon mineralisation were the primary determinants of FCO2 at the seasonal scale, whereas temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) were the primary determinants of FCH4. Monitoring FCO2 and FCH4 at night revealed higher average levels than during the day. FCO2 was regulated by levels of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and total phosphorus (TP) levels over a 24-h period, whereas FCH4 was regulated by levels of dissolved oxygen (DO) and total nitrogen (TN). Throughout the majority of the time period, the IMYR river segment emits carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) to the atmosphere. Due to the fact that emission patterns and driving mechanisms of riverine CO2 and CH4 differ across time scales, it is necessary to conduct more precise observations with high spatial and temporal resolution in order to acquire the most reliable data and comprehend more targeted approaches to carbon emission reduction.

Viruses are encapsidated mobile genetic elements that rely on host cells for replication. Several cytoplasmic RNA viruses synthesize proteins and/or RNAs that translocate to infected cell nuclei. However, the underlying mechanisms and role(s) of cytoplasmic-nuclear trafficking are unclear. We demonstrate that infection of small brown planthoppers with rice stripe virus (RSV), a negarnaviricot RNA virus, results in K63-linked polyubiquitylation of RSV's nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) at residue K127 by the RING ubiquitin ligase (E3) LsRING. In turn, ubiquitylation leads to NS3 trafficking from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, where NS3 regulates primary miRNA pri-miR-92 processing through manipulation of the microprocessor complex, resulting in accumulation of upregulated miRNA lst-miR-92. We show that lst-miR-92 regulates the expression of fibrillin 2, an extracellular matrix protein, thereby increasing RSV loads. Our results highlight the manipulation of intranuclear, cytoplasmic, and extracellular components by an RNA virus to promote its own replication in an insect vector.

IntroductionAir curing (AC) plays a crucial role in cigar tobacco leaf production. The AC environment is relatively mild, contributing to a diverse microbiome. Fungi are important components of the tobacco and environmental microbiota. However, our understanding of the composition and function of fungal communities in AC remains limited.MethodsIn this study, changes in the chemical constituents and fungal community composition of cigar tobacco leaves during AC were evaluated using flow analysis and high-throughput sequencing.ResultsThe moisture, water-soluble sugar, starch, total nitrogen, and protein contents of tobacco leaves exhibited decreasing trends, whereas nicotine showed an initial increase, followed by a decline. As determined by high-throughput sequencing, fungal taxa differed among all stages of AC. Functional prediction showed that saprophytic fungi were the most prevalent type during the AC process and that the chemical composition of tobacco leaves is significantly correlated with saprophytic fungi.ConclusionThis study provides a deeper understanding of the dynamic changes in fungal communities during the AC process in cigar tobacco leaves and offers theoretical guidance for the application of microorganisms during the AC process.

The fast neutron reactor is an internationally promising fourth-generation reactor. The main fuel for this reactor is a mixed oxide fuel, and its reprocessing is currently one of the technical challenges being tackled by various countries. One of the difficulties in the reprocessing of mixed oxide (MOX) fuel lies in the nitric acid dissolution process. The high Pu content in MOX fuel can lead to issues such as solvent radiolysis, nuclear criticality, increased insoluble residues, and slow dissolution rates during the nitric acid dissolution process. These challenges have yet to be effectively addressed. This article discusses the chemical aspects of nitric acid dissolution of MOX fuel and investigates the impact of fuel manufacturing processes, the addition of metal catalyst ions, hydrofluoric acid addition, fuel plutonium content, dissolution temperature, and ultrasonic assistance on the nitric acid dissolution of MOX fuel. A review of various countries' engineering practices related to MOX fuel dissolution is presented. Based on the research findings and experiences, a potentially feasible future industrial processing route for MOX fuel is proposed, and future research priorities are outlined.

De novo assembly plays a pivotal role in metagenomic analysis, and the incorporation of third-generation sequencing technology can significantly improve the integrity and accuracy of assembly results. Recently, with advancements in sequencing technology (Hi-Fi, ultra-long), several long-read-based bioinformatic tools have been developed. However, the validation of the performance and reliability of these tools is a crucial concern. To address this gap, we present MCSS (microbial community simulator based on structure), which has the capability to generate simulated microbial community and sequencing datasets based on the structure attributes of real microbiome communities. The evaluation results indicate that it can generate simulated communities that exhibit both diversity and similarity to actual community structures. Additionally, MCSS generates synthetic PacBio Hi-Fi and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) long reads for the species within the simulated community. This innovative tool provides a valuable resource for benchmarking and refining metagenomic analysis methods.Code available at:https://github.com/panlab-bio/mcss

Objectives: Adjacent segment disc degeneration (ASDD) is one of the long-term sequelae of spinal fusion, which is more susceptible with osteoporosis. As an anti-osteoporosis drug, strontium ranelate (SR) has been reported to not only regulate bone metabolism but also cartilage matrix formation. However, it is not yet clear whether SR has a reversal or delaying effect on fusion-induced ASDD in a model of osteoporosis. Materials and methods: Fifth three-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats that underwent L4-L5 posterolateral lumbar fusion (PLF) with spinous-process wire fixation 4 weeks after bilateral ovariectomy (OVX) surgery. Animals were administered vehicle (V) or SR (900 mg/kg/d) orally for 12 weeks post-PLF as follows: Sham+V, OVX + V, PLF + V, OVX + PLF + V, and OVX + PLF + SR. Manual palpation and X-ray were used to evaluate the state of lumbar fusion. Adjacent-segment disc was assessed by histological (VG staining and Scoring), histomorphometry (Disc Height, MVD, Calcification rate and Vascular Bud rate), immunohistochemical (Col-II, Aggrecan, MMP-13, ADAMTS-4 and Caspase-3), and mRNA analysis (ColI, Col-II, Aggrecan, MMP-13 and ADAMTS-4). Adjacent L6 vertebrae microstructures were evaluated by microcomputed tomography. Results: Manual palpation and radiographs showed clear evidence of the fused segment's immobility. After 12 weeks of PLF surgery, a fusion-induced ASDD model was established. Low bone mass caused by ovariectomy can significantly exacerbate ASDD progression. SR exerted a protective effect on adjacent segment intervertebral disc with the underlying mechanism possibly being associated with preserving bone mass to prevent spinal instability, maintaining the functional integrity of endplate vascular microstructure, and regulating matrix metabolism in the nucleus pulposus and annulus fibrosus. Discussion: Anti-osteoporosis medication SR treatments not only maintain bone mass and prevent fractures, but early intervention could also potentially delay degenerative conditions linked to osteoporosis. Taken together, our results suggested that SR might be a promising approach for the intervention of fusion-induced ASDD with osteoporosis.