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Cell-cell communication is critical for bacterial survival in natural habitats, in which miscellaneous regulatory networks are encompassed. However, elucidating the interaction networks of a microbial community has been hindered by the population complexity. This study reveals that γ-butyrolactone (GBL) molecules from Streptomyces species, the major antibiotic producers, can directly bind to the acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) receptor of Chromobacterium violaceum and influence violacein production controlled by the quorum sensing (QS) system. Subsequently, the widespread responses of more Gram-negative bacterial AHL receptors to Gram-positive Streptomyces signaling molecules are unveiled. Based on the cross-talk between GBL and AHL signaling systems, combinatorial regulatory circuits (CRC) are designed and proved to be workable in Escherichia coli (E. coli). It is significant that the QS systems of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria can be bridged via native Streptomyces signaling molecules. These findings pave a new path for unlocking the comprehensive cell-cell communications in microbial communities and facilitate the exploitation of innovative regulatory elements for synthetic biology.

In the paper, we study the following system of partial differential equations (PDEs) involving fractional Laplacian operators (1) (−△)α2u=vq,x∈R+n,(−△)β2v=up,x∈R+n, under the boundary conditions u≡...

Junlong Guo,1,2 Lulu Yang,1,2 Yan Xu,1,2 Chenxi Zhang,1,2 Xian Luo,1,2 Shuai Liu,1– 3 Lihua Yao,4 Hanping Bai,4 Xiaofen Zong,4 Jihui Zhang,5 Zhongchun Liu,4 Bin Zhang1,2 1Department of Psychiatry, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Guangdong Mental Health Center, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Psychiatry, The Third People’s Hospital of Qinghai Province, Xining, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 5Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Bin ZhangDepartment of Psychiatry, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, 1838 Guangzhou Avenue North, Guangzhou, 510515, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-20-62786731Email zhang73bin@hotmail.comZhongchun LiuDepartment of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, 238 Jiefang Road, Wuhan, 430060, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail zcliu6@whu.edu.cnIntroduction: The prevalence rate and related factors of insomnia remained unknown after the COVID-19 epidemic had been under control. Therefore, we conducted this survey to investigate the prevalence rate and related factors of insomnia symptoms in the Chinese general public after the COVID-19 had been initially control.Methods: An online survey was conducted among Chinese citizens through the JD Health APP. The questionnaire was used for collecting demographic data and self-designed questions related to the COVID-19 outbreak. Insomnia Severity Index, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Somatic Symptom Scale-8 and Impact of Events Scale-Revised were used for measuring psychological symptoms. To examine the associations of sociodemographic and psychological factors with insomnia symptoms, a binary logistic regression was used.Results: In total, there were 14,894 eligible participants, and 4601 (30.9%) participants were found to have insomnia symptoms. The regression model revealed that a higher risk of insomnia symptoms was associated with being over the age of 40 years, having history of psychiatric disorders, smoking, having infected friends or colleagues, having depressive or somatic symptoms, experiencing psychological distress and feeling estranged from family members. Meanwhile a lower risk of insomnia symptoms was associated with being female, having closer family relationships, not feeling alienated from others and being satisfied with the available information.Conclusion: In our study, 30.9% of the participants in the general public reported insomnia symptoms after the COVID-19 epidemic had been initially controlled. When providing precise interventions for insomnia, extra attention should be paid to the individuals who are male, elderly and smokers, and those with psychiatric disorder history, with infected friends or colleagues, with psychological symptoms and with poor social support.Keywords: insomnia symptoms, prevalence, COVID-19, under control, general public, China

Nickel based superalloy has been extensively applied in the critical mechanical bearing components, such as aeroengine owing to its excellent performance at high temperature, but its machinability has always been dissatisfied. In order to improve processing efficiency, reduce cost, and decrease environmental pollution, in this paper, the friction mechanics model within chip-tool-workpiece dual interfaces was established in turning of S-type difficult-to-machine nickel based superalloy Inconel 718 utilizing the PVD TiAlN coated carbide tool under the cooling and lubrication conditions of three forms oil-on-water mist in wide temperature range (-30 ℃ ~ 150 ℃)(high temperature oil-on-water mist (150 ℃), normal temperature oil-on-water mist (20 ℃), and low temperature oil-on-water mist (-30 ℃)). Meanwhile the influence law and mechanism of the cutting speed, depth of cut, and feed on the three-way cutting forces, friction coefficient between chip-tool-workpiece dual interfaces, and normal stress and tangential stress in chip-tool interface have been studied. The results showed that the lowest and highest friction coefficient within chip-tool interface was obtained at the conditions of the high temperature oil-on-water mist (HTOoW) and the normal temperature oil-on-water mist (NTOoW), respectively. The most notable influence of the low temperature oil-on-water mist (LTOoW) on the strain hardening, strain rate hardening, and thermal softening of the materials occurred.

Streptomycetes possess numerous gene clusters and the potential to produce large amounts of natural products. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors play an important role in the regulation of histone modifications in fungi, but little is known about the roles of HDAC in prokaryotes. Here, we described the global effects of the HDAC inhibitor, sodium butyrate (SB), on marine-derived Streptomyces olivaceus FXJ 8.021, particularly on the activation of secondary metabolites biosynthesis. antiSMASH analysis revealed 33 secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) in strain FXJ 8.021, among which the silent lobophorin BGC was activated by SB. Transcriptomic data showed that the expression of genes involved in lobophorin biosynthesis (ge00097-ge00139) and CoA-ester formation (e.g., ge02824), as well as glycolysis/gluconeogenesis pathway (e.g., ge01661), was mainly up-regulated in the presence of SB. Intracellular CoA-ester analysis confirmed that SB triggered the biosynthesis of CoA-ester, increasing the precursor supply for lobophorin biosynthesis. Further acetylome analysis revealed that the acetylation levels on 218 acetylation sites of 190 proteins were up-regulated and those on 411 sites of 310 proteins were down-regulated. These acetylated proteins were particularly enriched in transcriptional and translational machinery components (e.g., elongation factor GE04399), and their correlations with the proteins involved in lobophorin biosynthesis were established by protein-protein interaction network analysis, suggesting that SB might function via a complex hierarchical regulation to activate expression of lobophorin BGC. These findings provide solid evidence that acetylated proteins triggered by SB could affect the expression of genes in the biosynthesis of primary and secondary metabolites in prokaryotes.

BackgroundLifestyle of children and adolescents have changed extensively during the COVID-19 pandemic due to school suspension and social distancing measures, which can affect their sleep health. Existing studies in the area used convenient samples and focused on the initial months of the pandemic.MethodAs part of a territory-wide epidemiological study in Hong Kong, this cross-sectional study recruited primary and secondary school students by stratified random sampling. We investigated the pandemic’s effects on sleep parameters using multivariate regression, adjusting for age, sex, household income, seasonality and presence of mental disorders, and the effects’ moderators and mediators.FindingsBetween September 1, 2019 and June 2, 2021, 791 primary and 442 school students were recruited and analysed. After correcting for multiple testing, being assessed during COVID predicted a longer sleep latency in primary and secondary school students in school days (95% CI = 1.0–5.2 minutes, adjusted p-value = 0.010; and 95% CI= 3.9–13.0 minutes, adjusted p-value =0.004, respectively) and non-school days (95% CI = 1.7–7.2 minutes, adjusted p-value = 0.005; 95% CI = 3.4–13.7 minutes, adjusted p-value = 0.014, respectively). Low household income was a moderator for later bedtime (adjusted p-value = 0.032) and later sleep onset (adjusted p-value = 0.043) during non-school days among secondary school students. Sex and digital leisure time were not moderator and mediator of the pandemic’s effect on sleep parameters, respectively.InterpretationChanges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have a widespread and enduring effect on sleep health of school-aged students in Hong Kong. Household income play a role in adolescents’ sleep health’s resilience against these changes, and anti-epidemic measures effects on the health gap of the youth should be considered.FundingGovernment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Food and Health Bureau, Health and Medical Research Fund (Ref. No.: MHS-P1(Part 1)-CUHK).

This study aimed to examine the effect of sleep-corrected social jetlag (SJLsc) on mental health, behavioral problems, and daytime sleepiness in adolescents.This was a cross-sectional study which included 4787 adolescents (Mean age: 14.83±1.6y, 56.0% girls) recruited from 15 secondary schools in Hong Kong. SJLsc was defined as the absolute difference between sleep-corrected midsleep on weekdays and weekends, at which the sleep debt has been considered. It was classified into three groups: low-level ("LSJLsc",1h), mid-level ("MSJLsc", ≥1h and2h), and high-level of SJLsc ("HSJLsc", ≥2h). Adolescents' mental health, behavioral problems and daytime sleepiness were measured by the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale (PDSS). Logistic regression analysis and restricted cubic spline regression (RCS) analysis were applied with consideration of confounders including age, gender, puberty and sleep problems.Nearly half (46.9%) of adolescents had SJLsc for at least 1 h. Greater SJLsc was associated with more behavioral difficulties (MSJLsc: OR: 1.20, p = 0.03; HSJLsc: OR: 1.34, p = 0.02) when controlling for age, sex, puberty, chronotype, insomnia, and time in bed. There was a dose-response relationship in which higher SJLsc had an increased risk of conduct problems and hyperactivity, while only high-level SJLsc was associated with a peer relationship problem. In RCS analysis, SJLsc was associated with a higher likelihood of behavioral difficulties (p = 0.03) but not poor mental health or daytime sleepiness.Sleep-corrected social jetlag was a unique risk factor for behavioral problems in adolescents. Our findings highlighted the need for interventions to promote healthy sleep-wake patterns in school adolescents.

Aims Observational studies have suggested strong associations between sleep duration and many cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), but causal inferences have not been confirmed. We aimed to determine the causal associations between genetically predicted sleep duration and 12 CVDs using both linear and nonlinear Mendelian randomization (MR) designs. Methods and results Genetic variants associated with continuous, short (≤6 h) and long (≥9 h) sleep durations were used to examine the causal associations with 12 CVDs among 404 044 UK Biobank participants of White British ancestry. Linear MR analyses showed that genetically predicted sleep duration was negatively associated with arterial hypertension, atrial fibrillation, pulmonary embolism, and chronic ischaemic heart disease after correcting for multiple tests (P Conclusion This study suggests that genetically predicted short sleep duration is a potential causal risk factor of several CVDs, while genetically predicted long sleep duration is unlikely to be a causal risk factor for most CVDs.

TaiNan Lin,1,* Yan Yang,2,* JinHua Lin,1 JiHui Zhang,1 Qian Wen,1 XiaoLu He,1 GuoQing Chen1 1Department of Ophthalmology, Fujian Provincial Governmental Hospital, Fuzhou, 350003, People’s Republic of China; 2Fujian Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Fuzhou, 350001, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: TaiNan LinDepartment of Ophthalmology, Fujian Provincial Governmental Hospital, No. 67 of Gupin Street, Gulou District, Fuzhou, 350003, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 591 88013047Fax +86 591 88013003Email lintainandr@163.comObjective: This study aimed to compare the macular and choroidal thicknesses and blood-flow parameters of patients with intermediate and simple juvenile moderate myopia in order to provide a greater understanding of the pathogenesis of myopia and a basis for its prevention.Methods: Participants were selected from patients under the age of 18 with moderate myopia who were treated in our ophthalmic clinic between June and December 2019. Seventy-five right eyes were selected from participants with a mean spherical equivalent ranging from − 6.0 to − 3.0 D. These samples were divided into two groups based on eye axial length (AL). The thicknesses of the macula and choroid, the area of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ), and the blood flow density of the macular capillaries were measured, intergroup comparison was conducted.Results: The average area of the FAZ was larger in the intermediate group than in the simple group. PERIM in the upper half was lower in the intermediate group than in the simple group, and the blood-flow density in the lower half of the macular area was higher in the simple group than in the intermediate group. The blood-flow density within 1 mm of the fovea centralis and the downward blood-flow density were higher in the intermediate group than in the simple group. The thicknesses of the lower part of the FAZ, the choroid of the fovea centralis, and the choroid under the retina were all larger in the intermediate group than in the simple group.Conclusion: The area of the FAZ in patients with intermediate juvenile moderate myopia is larger than that in patients with simple myopia; the choroid in the fovea of macula compensatorily increases, and blood flow density also increases; the thickness of the choroid under the retina increases with myopia.Keywords: choroidal blood flow, choroidal thickness, myopic adolescents, moderate myopia, optical coherence tomography angiography

In this paper we study the following fractional nonlinear Schrodinger equation e2s(−Δ)sv+V(x)v=K(x)f(v),x∈RN where e is a positive parameter, s∈(0,1), N>2s, V(x) and K(x) are positive continuous fu...

In this work, we study the multiple results of positive solutions for a class of elliptic problem involving a critical Sobolev exponent −△u+λV(x)u=μf(x)uq−1+g(x)u2∗−1inRN, we prove that the problem...

AIMS: To examine the associations of disrupted circadian rest-activity rhythm (CRAR) with cardiovascular diseases and mortality among people with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: A total of 3147 participants with baseline type 2 diabetes (mean age 65.21 years, 39.78% female; mean HbA1c 50.02 mmol/mol) from UK Biobank were included. The following CRAR parameters were derived from acceleration data: interdaily stability (IS), intradaily variability (IV), relative amplitude (RA), most active 10 h period onset (M10 onset), and least active 5 h period onset (L5 onset). We used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate the associations of CRAR with cardiovascular diseases and mortality, adjusting for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health characteristics. RESULTS: Participants in the lowest quartile of IS and RA exhibited the greatest risk of developing cardiovascular disease (IS, hazard ratio [HR]Q1 vs. Q4 1.40 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04, 1.88]; RA, HRQ1 vs. Q4 2.45 [95% CI 1.73, 3.49]). However, the association between delayed L5 onset and cardiovascular disease risk did not reach statistical significance. Additionally, we found that high IV and low RA were associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. CONCLUSION: Objectively determined CRAR disturbances may increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases and mortality among people with type 2 diabetes.

In this work, macroscopical monolayer films of ordered arrays of gold nanoparticles (MMF-OA-Au NPs) are successfully prepared at the interfaces of toluene-diethylene glycol (DEG) with a water volume fraction of 10% (no more than 25%), which can greatly reduce the electrostatic repulsion among NPs during the self-assembly due to the quick transfer of the remaining citrate ions into the DEG solutions containing water. Thanks to the uniformity in the intensity of SERS signals, the as-prepared MMF-OA-Au NPs transferred onto polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as SERS substrates (MMF-OA-Au NP@PDMS) can achieve in situ quantitative detection of the analytes (such as crystal violet and malachite green) in aqueous solutions. Moreover, MMF-OA-Au NP@PDMS as SERS-based pH sensors can directly determine the pH value of the aqueous solution in the range of 3 to 10 by means of the established well-defined linear relationship with the intensity of the peak of νCOO− without any calibration, instead of the intensity ratio of the Raman peaks of νCOO− to ν8a with further calculation. In addition, the as-prepared SERS-based pH sensors can still have excellent long-term durability.

Objective Cataplexy is a pathognomonic symptom of narcolepsy type 1. This study was conducted to clarify the clinical characteristics of cataplexy by staging, and to further analyse the correlations of clinical features and cataplectic stages in patients with narcolepsy type 1 (NT1). Methods We experimentally triggered patients with NT1 into cataplexy while under video-polysomnography (v-PSG) monitoring in the sleep lab. The most serious cataplectic attack from each patient was analysed. Each cataplectic episode was segmented into four stages according to the v-PSG. Correlations were analysed between cataplectic stages in pairs, and between cataplectic stages and other clinical features. Results We observed 81 cataplectic episodes in 21 patients with diverse triggers, including humorous or exciting videos, tickling, recalling horrible memories and exercising. Nine patients (43%) went through complete cataplectic attacks while the others experienced partial attacks. Four cataplectic stages (ie, triggering, resisting, atonic, and recovering) were identified according to clinical and electromyograms characteristics. Resisting stage is predominant (56.4%) in cataplexy, while atonic stage is most related with the total duration of cataplexy. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale score (ESS) has a positive correlation with the total duration of cataplexy. Both duration of cataplexy and ESS score are negatively correlated with disease course. However, medication history seems have no influence on either cataplexy duration or ESS score. Conclusion Four-stage segmentation shows the dynamic process of the cataplectic attack, which is different from the traditional classification of complete or partial cataplexy. Resisting stage is necessary for every cataplexy and might reflect the compensation mechanism, while atonic stage may be omitted in some patients. The severity of narcolepsy reduces with the extension of natural course regardless of medication history.

Spatial active noise control (ANC) systems focus on minimizing unwanted acoustic noise over continuous spatial regions by generating anti-noise fields with secondary loudspeakers. Conventionally, error microphones are necessary inside the region to measure the channels from the secondary loudspeakers to the error microphones and record the residual sound field during the noise control. These error microphones highly limit the implementation of spatial ANC systems because of their impractical geometry and obstruction to the users from accessing the region. Recent advances, such as virtual sensing, focus on ANC with microphones placed away from the region. While these techniques relax the usage of error microphones during the noise control, an error microphone array remains necessary during the secondary channel estimation. In this paper, we propose a method to estimate secondary channels without using an error microphone array. Instead, a moving higher order microphone is applied to obtain the secondary channels from the secondary loudspeakers to the region of interest, which includes all desired error microphone locations. By simulation, we show that the proposed method is robust against various measuring errors introduced by the movement of the microphone and is suitable for the secondary channel estimation in spatial ANC systems.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an established risk factor for high blood pressure (BP) in adults. However, it remains unclear whether the same association could be found in children and adolescents. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies to evaluate the associations between childhood OSA and BP outcomes. The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021225683). We performed a systematic literature search to identify relevant cross-sectional and longitudinal studies up to July 6, 2021. Of the 4902 identified articles, a total of 12 cross-sectional studies and 2 cohort studies were included in the final analyses. In the cross-sectional analyses, the mean systolic BP (SBP) were significantly higher in children with mild or moderate-to-severe OSA compared to the healthy controls, and these effects were more pronounced during the nighttime. In prospective studies, moderate-to-severe childhood OSA was associated with a risk of elevated SBP in adulthood (Mean difference = 4.02 mm Hg, 95% CI = 1.32 to 6.72). Taken together, our results suggest that moderate-to-severe childhood OSA is associated with a higher risk of adverse SBP outcomes. Early detection and treatment of OSA may promote cardiovascular health in children and adolescents and possibly in future adulthood.

In this paper, the influence of the cutting speed, feed, and the depth of cut on the cutting force, surface roughness, cutting temperature, and tool wear were experimentally investigated under the low temperature oil-on-water (LTOoW) cooling and lubrication condition in turning the hardened tool steel AISI D2 (60±1HRC) with the PCBN cutting tool. The results showed that the three-component cutting forces is FY>FZ>FX and the cutting speed has more significant effect on the ratio of FY/FZ at the range of 55-495 m/min cutting speed, 0.05-0.25 mm feed, and 0.05-0.25 mm depth of cut. The influence of the cutting speed on the cutting temperature is slightly more visible compared to the feed and depth of cut. In this experiment, a satisfactory surface roughness value of 0.54 µm can be obtained, gaining the effect of the turning instead of the grinding. The flank wear values of the PCBN tool are 142 µm and 148 µm respectively at the cutting speeds of 55 and 140 m/min; however, the flank wear value abruptly increases to 668 µm at a 495 m/min, which has a very serious impact on the tool life. The abrasive wear is considered to be a predominant wear mechanism on the flank wear of PCBN tool. The rake face is dominated by crater wear due to the high temperature, high pressure, high stress and high friction at the chip-tool interface.

Objectives: Using a comprehensive indicator to measure the association between psychological wellbeing score and type 2 diabetes and whether this association was modified by genetic predisposition. Methods: In UK Biobank, a total of 127,496 participants were included in this prospective cohort study without type 2 diabetes at baseline. The healthy psychological wellbeing score was calculated according four factors: happiness, life satisfaction, broad depression and neuroticism. Cox proportional hazard models were used to test the association between quartile of weighted psychological wellbeing score and type 2 diabetes risk. Interaction analysis between psychological wellbeing and weighted genetic risk score to diabetes was further performed. Results: During the median follow-up of 10.0 years (about 1.3 million person-years), 2,547 incident type 2 diabetes were documented. Moderate to extreme unhappiness, satisfaction score ≤3, presence of broad depression and neuroticism score ≥3 were all significantly associated with increased risk of incident diabetes when mutually adjusted. When considered as a comprehensive indicator, there was a significant association between weighted psychological wellbeing score quartiles and type 2 diabetes. Compared with individuals in the highest quartile, which means healthiest, the fully adjusted HRs (95% CI) of type 2 diabetes in lower quintile groups were 1.39(1.19-1.63), 1.44(1.23-1.67) and 1.86(1.60-2.17), respectively. In the stratified analysis, we observed the significant interactions among age, physical activity, HbA1c and type 2 diabetes (P interaction

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Eveningness is associated with worse outcomes in depression. It remained unclear if eveningness could be altered with chronobiological therapy and whether such a change would predict long-term outcomes of depression. METHODS: Data from a randomized controlled trial of 5-week adjunctive bright light therapy with a gradual advance protocol conducted in 91 adult patients with nonseasonal unipolar depression and eveningness (Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire, score ≤ 41) was examined. “Change of eveningness” was defined by Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire score over 41 at posttreatment week 5 and “persistent change of eveningness” was defined as maintenance of Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire score > 41 throughout the follow-up period from week 5 to posttreatment 5 months. RESULTS: Thirty-three participants (36%) had change of eveningness at week 5. Generalized estimating equations models showed that a change of eveningness at week 5 predicted a 2-fold increase in remission of depression over the 5-month follow up (odds ratio = 2.61 95% confidence interval 1.20–5.71, P = .016). Twenty-five participants (75.7%) had a persistent change and were more likely to achieve a remission of depression over the 5-month follow up (odds ratio = 3.18, 95% confidence interval: 1.35–7.50, P = .008). CONCLUSIONS: One-third of the patients with depression changed their evening-preference after 5-week of chronotherapeutic treatment, and such change predicted a higher likelihood of depression remission over 5 months of follow-up. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registry: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry; Name: Adjunctive light treatment in major depressive disorder patients with evening chronotype-A randomized controlled trial; URL: https://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojen.aspx?proj=11672; Identifier: ChiCTR-IOR-15006937. CITATION: Chan JWY, Chan NY, Li SX, et al. Change in circadian preference predicts sustained treatment outcomes in patients with unipolar depression and evening preference. J Clin Sleep Med. 2022;18(2):523–531.