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Improving the reversible plastic deformability and damage tolerance of nanosized metals remains challenging. Here, the authors custom-design low angle grain boundaries in metallic bicrystals to achieve controllable plastic reversibility via fully conservative grain boundary migration.

Abstract Background After surgery, wound recovery in diabetic patients may be disrupted due to delayed inflammation, which can lead to undesired consequences, and there is currently a lack of effective measures to address this issue. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived exosomes (Exo) have been proven to be appropriate candidates for diabetic wound healing through the anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we investigated whether melatonin (MT)-pretreated MSCs-derived exosomes (MT-Exo) could exert superior effects on diabetic wound healing, and we attempted to elucidate the underlying mechanism. Methods For the evaluation of the anti-inflammatory effect of MT-Exo, in vitro and in vivo studies were performed. For in vitro research, we detected the secreted levels of inflammation-related factors, such as IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-10 via ELISA and the relative gene expression of the IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-10, Arg-1 and iNOS via qRT-PCR and investigated the expression of PTEN, AKT and p-AKT by Western blotting. For in vivo study, we established air pouch model and streptozotocin (STZ)-treated diabetic wound model, and evaluated the effect of MT-Exo by flow cytometry, optical imaging, H&E staining, Masson trichrome staining, immunohistochemical staining, immunofluorescence, and qRT-PCR (α-SMA, collagen I and III). Results MT-Exo significantly suppressed the pro-inflammatory factors IL-1β and TNF-α and reduced the relative gene expression of IL-1β, TNF-α and iNOS, while promoting the anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 along with increasing the relative expression of IL-10 and Arg-1, compared with that of the PBS, LPS and the Exo groups in vitro. This effect was mediated by the increased ratio of M2 polarization to M1 polarization through upregulating the expression of PTEN and inhibiting the phosphorylation of AKT. Similarly, MT-Exo significantly promoted the healing of diabetic wounds by inhibiting inflammation, thereby further facilitating angiogenesis and collagen synthesis in vivo. Conclusions MT-Exo could promote diabetic wound healing by suppressing the inflammatory response, which was achieved by increasing the ratio of M2 polarization to M1 polarization through activating the PTEN/AKT signalling pathway, and the pretreatment of MT was proved to be a promising method for treating diabetic wound healing. Graphical abstract: MT-Exo promotes diabetic wound healing by regulating M1 and M2 macrophage polarization.

To prevent counterfeiting, a lot of advanced security technologies have been developed, including luminescent printing. Therefore, the pigments with advanced security features are urgently pursued for luminescence printing-based anti-counterfeiting technology. Here, micron-sized spheres of hexagonal-structured and color-tunable emitting (Y, Tb, Eu, Bi)BO3 have been rapidly synthesized by microwave processing, followed by a proper annealing. Incorporation of Bi3+ greatly enhances the emission intensity of Eu3+ and of Tb3+. Under the excitation at 260 nm, the spheres exhibit UV emission at 330 nm (3P1→1S0 transition of Bi3+), green emission at 546 nm (5D4→7F5 transition of Tb3+) and orange-red emission at 592 nm (5D0→7F1 transition of Eu3+), mainly due to the three energy transfer processes of Bi3+→Tb3+, Bi3+→Eu3+, and Tb3+→Eu3+. However, under the excitation at 230 nm, the Tb3+→Eu3+ energy transfer contributes to the orange-red emission of Eu3+ and the green emission of Tb3+, in the absence of Bi3+ emission. The maximum energy transfer efficiency of Bi3+→ “Eu3+ and Tb3+” and Tb3+→ Eu3+ is 63% and 50% for (Y0.883Tb0.02Eu0.09Bi0.007)BO3. The (Y0.963Tb0.02Eu0.01Bi0.007)BO3 spheres exhibit a distinct excitation-dependent luminescence behavior. Facile switching the excitation wavelength from 260 nm to 230 nm yields emission color changing from orange to green yellow, which possesses the advanced security feature.

Using wave measurements from the EMFISIS instrument onboard Van Allen Probes, we investigate statistically the spatial distributions of the intensity of plasmaspheric hiss waves. To reproduce these empirical results, we establish a fitting model that is a third-order polynomial function of L-shell, magnetic local time (MLT), magnetic latitude (MLAT), and AE*. Quantitative comparisons indicate that the model’s fitting functions can reflect favorably the major empirical features of the global distribution of hiss wave intensity, including substorm dependence and the MLT asymmetry. Our results therefore provide a useful analytic model that can be readily employed in future simulations of global radiation belt electron dynamics under the impact of plasmaspheric hiss waves in geospace.

In this paper, we investigate the performance analysis of the buffer-aided energy harvesting device-to-device (D2D) communication system. A joint data and energy resource scheduling problem is proposed considering the data packet and energy packet Poisson arrival but interactive departure. Considering the coupling relationship between data and energy, the joint resource scheduling problem is modeled as a data and energy coupled queuing model. We raise the expressions of carrier-to-interference and noise-ratio (CINR) interval division, which contains the dynamic interferences from cellular users and the other D2D users. To compromise between data delay and energy consumption, we propose a novel adaptive power transfer (APT) strategy that allows more energy consumption to improve data delay. Studying user mobility and APT strategies will lead to complex boundary behavior of the system transition state matrix. By random geometry theory and quasi-birth and death method to obtain steady-state transition probability, the expressions of throughput, delay and packet drop rate for both data queue and energy queue are derived. Simulations are demonstrated to verify the accuracy of the theoretical derivation results.

Ti3+ self-doped rutile/anatase/TiO2(B) mixed-crystal tri-phase heterojunctions photocatalysts are fabricated via hydrothermal approach and mechanochemical process, followed by in-situ solid-state chemical reduction approach. The as-prepared samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The photocatalysts are consisted by anatase/rutile TiO2 nanoparticles and 1D TiO2(B) single-crystalline nanorods, which form rutile/anatase/TiO2(B) tri-phase heterojunctions. The visible-light-driven photocatalytic degradation rates of methyl orange and phenol are up to ∼98 and 97%, which are 2.2 and 1.8 times higher than that of commercial Degussa P25, 2.3 and 2.2 times higher than that of pure TiO2(B) as well. The enhancement can be attributed to the synergistic effect of special nanostructure, tri-phase heterojunctions, oxygen vacancy and Ti3+ self-doping, which facilitates the absorption of visible light and the spatial separation of photo-generated charge carriers. This work provides a new perspective for designing high-active visible-light-driven photocatalyst in future. Keywords: TiO2, Visible-light-driven photocatalysis, Tri-phase heterojunction, Ti3+ self-doped, Pollutants degradation

Preferential flow pathways connect upstream and downstream channels in abandoned mines or seasonally pumping areas. The inactive supply well facilitates contaminant migration between aquifers leading to water quality challenges; it is important to note that the impacts of regional groundwater flow on contaminant migration through pumping wells have not been well elucidated in literature. In the study, we developed a numerical model describing contaminant migration through an inactive supply well that is pumped seasonally influenced by the regional groundwater flow field. The model was developed using the finite-element COMSOL Multiphysics software to estimate the potential threats to water quality. Major findings showed that a larger regional groundwater velocity results in lower concentration of contaminant. In addition, during pumping, a smaller recovery ratio inside the wellbore facilitates the deterioration of water quality in the deep aquifer. Furthermore increasing pumping frequency can effectively prevent contamination and improve the water quality in the deep aquifer. Similarly, higher pumping rate leads to a larger capture zone, which can significantly improve the water quality in the deep aquifer. The general conclusion is that the regional groundwater flow has a negative impact on the quality of groundwater extracted by seasonally pumping well.

Background Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in elderly population in the developed world. Dysfunction of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) likely triggers early AMD stages. The effect of Quercetin on the early AMD in-vitro model remained unclear.Methods The effect of Quercetin in the cell viability was detected with CCK8 methods in control, CSE treated, and CSE with Quercetin treatment group. The apoptotic status in each group was detected with tunnel assay. The oxidative and inflammation biomarkers were detected by ELISA. The expression levels of Keap1/Nrf2/ARE in RPE cells were measured by western blot after pretreatment of Quercetin followed by CSE treatment.Results It was found that Quercetin could improve the cell viability and decrease cellular apoptotic rate in the CSE treated RPE group. The expressions of inflammatory and apoptotic biomarkers were significantly decreased in Quercetin treatment group. Furthermore, Quercetin exerts protective effects via activation Keap1/Nrf2/ARE pathway in CSE treated RPE cells.Conclusions Quercetin demonstrated significant protective effects in an in-vitro model of early AMD and it might be a new therapeutic strategy for the management of early AMD.

Abstract. Background:. Clinical outcomes of undifferentiated arthritis (UA) are diverse, and only 40% of patients with UA develop rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after 3 years. Discovering predictive markers at disease onset for further intervention is critical. Therefore, our objective was to analyze the clinical outcomes of UA and ascertain the predictors for RA development. Methods:. We performed a prospective, multi-center study from January 2013 to October 2016 among Chinese patients diagnosed with UA in 22 tertiary-care hospitals. Clinical and serological parameters were obtained at recruitment. Follow-up was undertaken in all patients every 12 weeks for 2 years. Predictive factors of disease progression were identified using multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression. Results:. A total of 234 patients were recruited in this study, and 17 (7.3%) patients failed to follow up during the study. Among the 217 patients who completed the study, 83 (38.2%) patients went into remission. UA patients who developed RA had a higher rheumatoid factor (RF)-positivity (42.9% vs. 16.8%, χ2 = 8.228, P = 0.008), anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibody-positivity (66.7% vs. 10.7%, χ2 = 43.897, P

Phase-pure eulytite-type Sr3Y0.88(PO4)3:0.10Yb3+,0.02Ln3+ upconversion (UC) phosphors (Ln = Ho, Er, Tm) were synthesized via gel-combustion and subsequent calcination at 1250°C. Their UC luminescence, temperature-dependent fluorescence intensity ratio of thermally and/or non-thermally coupled energy levels, and performance of optical temperature sensing were systematically investigated. The phosphors typically exhibit green, orange-red and blue luminescence under 978 nm NIR laser excitation for Ln = Er, Ho and Tm, respectively, which were discussed from two- and three-photon processes. The 524 nm green (Er3+), 657 nm red (Ho3+) and 476 nm blue (Tm3+) main emissions were analyzed to have average decay times of ~52 ± 2, 260.6 ± 0.7 and 117 ± 1 μs, respectively. It was shown that (1) the Er3+ doped phosphor has a better overall performance of temperature sensing with thermally coupled 2H11/2 and 4S3/2 energy levels, whose maximum absolute (SA) and relative (SR) sensitivities are ~5.07 × 10−3 K−1 at 523 K and ~1.16% at 298 K, respectively; (2) the Ho3+ doped phosphor shows maximum SA and SR values of ~0.019 K−1 (298–573 K) and 0.42% at 573 K for the non-thermally coupled energy pairs of 5F5/(5F4,5S2) and 5I4/5F5, respectively; (3) the Tm3+ doped phosphor has a maximum SA of ~12.74 × 10−3 K−1 at 573 K for the non-thermally coupled 3F2,3/1G4 energy levels and a maximum SR of ~1.74% K−1 at 298 K for the thermally coupled 3F2,3/3H4 levels. Advantages of the current phosphors in optical temperature sensing were also revealed by comparing with other typical UC phosphors.

Spectrum sensing is the key technology of cognitive radio. In this article, we apply blockchain technology in spectrum sensing process and propose a related algorithm based on reputation. The algorithm builds a system model based on smart contract in blockchain and applies blockchain asymmetric encryption algorithm and digital signature technology in the process of secondary users’ transmitting local judgments to the secondary user base station. The algorithm can resist spectrum sensing data falsification (SSDF) attack launched by malicious users. This article comprehensively considers the channel error rate, detection probability, secondary user base station budget and remaining energy of the secondary users (SUs) and then establishes the SU’s utility function as well as the game model. By solving the Nash equilibrium, the SU determines whether it uploads sensing data. Finally, the SU base station selects registered SUs by calculating and updating their reputation, obtaining the final judgment by voting rule. With simulations, we prove that the algorithm proposed in this article increases the accuracy and security of spectrum sensing and can effectively resist SSDF attack.

A fetal autoimmune-mediated atrioventricular block is a passively acquired autoimmune disease in which maternal autoantibodies enter the fetal circulation via the placenta and subsequently cause inflammation and fibrosis of the atrioventricular node. Once fetal autoimmune-mediated atrioventricular block occurs, it only takes a short time to progress from first-degree atrioventricular block to complete atrioventricular block, meaning that the damage is often irreversible. Autoimmune—associated AVB, a rare but life—threatening disorder, occurs in 2–5% of pregnancies with positive anti—Ro/SSA (the most common one) and La/SSB antibodies. The perinatal mortality of neonates with AVB outlined in research is approximately 30%. Thus far, for autoimmune-associated AVB fetuses, currently used treatments include corticosteroids, hydroxychloroquine, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), b—sympathomimetic agent, and even plasma exchange. Currently, approaches for preventing the progression and recurrence of a fetal atrioventricular block are still controversial. Here, we reported a baby of successful prevention from the fate of the fetal atrioventricular block by adopting prophylactic comprehensive prenatal therapy.

Background: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is a severe neurological event with limited treatment options, and little is known about its pathophysiology. There are few objective tools for predicting outcomes of aSAH patients and further aiding in directing clinical therapeutic programs. This study aimed to determine whether an elevated serum D-dimer/albumin ratio (DAR) reflects disease severity and predicts aSAH outcomes. Methods: We included 178 patients with aSAH. Data included demographics; clinical severity of aSAH (World Federation of Neurological Societies (WFNS) grade and Hunt–Hess grade); levels of D-dimer, albumin, and c-reactive protein (CRP); leukocyte counts on admission; and three-month outcomes. The outcomes were dichotomized into good and poor. The predictive ability of DAR for outcomes was determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: Serum DAR showed a positive correlation with disease severity. Univariate analysis revealed that DAR, WFNS grade, Hunt–Hess grade, delayed cerebral infarction (DCI), age, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and CRP/albumin ratio (CAR) were associated with unfavorable outcomes. Multivariate regression analysis further revealed that elevated DAR predicted poor outcomes after adjusting for WFNS grade, Hunt–Hess grade, DCI, age, NLR, and CRP/albumin ratio. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that DAR predicted outcomes at a level comparable with NLR and CAR and had superior predictivity than D-dimer alone. Conclusion: DAR is a promising objective tool for aSAH outcome prediction. A high content DAR was associated with disease severity and unfavorable short-term outcomes.

Melatonin (MT) can improve the effect of cryopreservation on oocytes by suppressing oxidative stress and maintaining the permeability of the oolemma. In this study, MT was firstly applied to human oocytes’ cryopreservation to explore the effect of prolonged cryopreservation on developmental competence and its role. Collected in vitro-matured human oocytes were cryopreserved in MT-containing or MT-free medium for 0 and 6 months; after warming, viable oocytes were assessed for developmental viability, intracellular protein expression, mitochondrial function, and oxidation-antioxidant system. Meanwhile, fresh oocytes were set as the control. The results showed that with the extension of cryopreservation time, the developmental competence of oocytes gradually declined, accompanied by the down-regulation of most mitochondrial function-related proteins, the reduction in ATP and GSH production, the increase in ROS accumulation, and the aggravation of the imbalance of ROS/GSH in oocytes. However, the participation of MT seemed to effectively mitigate these negative effects. Therefore, we speculate that melatonin may maintain normal ATP production and ROS/GSH balance in cryopreserved oocytes by protecting mitochondrial function and inhibiting oxidative damage, thereby effectively maintaining the developmental competence of human oocytes in prolonged cryopreservation.

Landslides are one of the extremely high-incidence and serious-loss geological disasters in the world, and the early monitoring and warning of landslides are of great importance. The Cheyiping landslide, located in western Yunnan Province, China, added many cracks and dislocations to the surface of the slope due to the severe seasonal rainfall and rise of the water level, which seriously threaten the safety of residents and roads located on the body and foot of the slope. To investigate the movement of the landslide, this paper used Sentinel-1A SAR data processed by time-series interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) technology to monitor the long-time surface deformation. The landslide boundary was defined, then the spatial distribution of landslide surface deformation from 5 January 2018 to 27 December 2021 was obtained. According to the monthly rainfall data and the temporal deformation results, the movement of the landslide was highly correlated with seasonal rainfall, and the Cheyiping landslide underwent seasonal sectional accelerated deformation. Moreover, the water level change of the Lancang River caused by the water storage of the hydropower station and seasonal rainfall accelerates the deformation of the landslide. This case study contributes to the interpretation of the slow deformation mechanism of the Cheyiping landslide and early hazard warning.

This work reveals the interaction mechanism between He bubble and grain boundary (GB) in bicrystal copper under shear loading via molecular dynamics simulations. The influences of He/vacancy ratio RHe/V, temperature T0, and bubble diameter D0 on the interaction mechanism are clarified. Specifically, two interaction modes, i.e., the GB traverses or is pinned on He bubble, are observed by changing the initial RHe/V, T0, and D0. As RHe/V increases, the influence of He bubble on GB migration shows a decrease–increase trend. Different He bubble evolutions are demonstrated by comparing their shapes, pressure, and volume. In the cases of low RHe/V, the medium temperatures (10–300 K) are found to accelerate the GB migration, but higher temperatures (600–900 K) will lead to the change in interaction mode and deteriorate the interaction process. Furthermore, a more noticeable bubble-drag effect on GB migration is observed in the samples with larger He bubble.

BackgroundWearable devices have been widely used in clinical studies to study daily activity patterns, but the analysis remains a major obstacle for researchers. ObjectiveThis study proposes a novel method to characterize sleep-activity rhythms using actigraphy and further use it to describe early childhood daily rhythm formation and examine its association with physical development. MethodsWe developed a machine learning–based Penalized Multiband Learning (PML) algorithm to sequentially infer dominant periodicities based on the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithm and further characterize daily rhythms. We implemented and applied the algorithm to Actiwatch data collected from a cohort of 262 healthy infants at ages 6, 12, 18, and 24 months, with 159, 101, 111, and 141 participants at each time point, respectively. Autocorrelation analysis and Fisher test in harmonic analysis with Bonferroni correction were applied for comparison with the PML. The association between activity rhythm features and early childhood motor development, assessed using the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-Second Edition (PDMS-2), was studied through linear regression analysis. ResultsThe PML results showed that 1-day periodicity was most dominant at 6 and 12 months, whereas one-day, one-third–day, and half-day periodicities were most dominant at 18 and 24 months. These periodicities were all significant in the Fisher test, with one-fourth–day periodicity also significant at 12 months. Autocorrelation effectively detected 1-day periodicity but not the other periodicities. At 6 months, PDMS-2 was associated with the assessment seasons. At 12 months, PDMS-2 was associated with the assessment seasons and FFT signals at one-third–day periodicity (P

Genome-wide association studies have identified >100 genetic risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis. However, the reported genetic variants could only explain less than 40% heritability of rheumatoid arthritis. The majority of the heritability is still missing and needs to be identified with more studies with different approaches and populations. In order to identify novel function SNPs to explain missing heritability and reveal novel mechanism pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis, 4 HLA SNPs (HLA-DRB1, HLA-DRB9, HLA-DQB1, and TNFAIP3) and 225 common SNPs located in miRNA, which might influence the miRNA target binding or pre-miRNA stability, were genotyped in 1,607 rheumatoid arthritis and 1,580 matched normal individuals. We identified 2 novel SNPs as significantly associated with rheumatoid arthritis including rs1414273 (miR-548ac, OR = 0.84, p = 8.26 × 10−4) and rs2620381 (miR-627, OR = 0.77, p = 2.55 × 10−3). We also identified that rs5997893 (miR-3928) showed significant epistasis effect with rs4947332 (HLA-DRB1, OR = 4.23, p = 0.04) and rs2967897 (miR-5695) with rs7752903 (TNFAIP3, OR = 4.43, p = 0.03). In addition, we found that individuals who carried 8 risk alleles showed 15.38 (95%CI: 4.69–50.49, p < 1.0 × 10−6) times more risk of being affected by RA. Finally, we demonstrated that the targets of the significant miRNAs showed enrichment in immune related genes (p = 2.0 × 10−5) and FDA approved drug target genes (p = 0.014). Overall, 6 novel miRNA SNPs including rs1414273 (miR-548ac, p = 8.26 × 10−4), rs2620381 (miR-627, p = 2.55 × 10−3), rs4285314 (miR-3135b, p = 1.10 × 10−13), rs28477407 (miR-4308, p = 3.44 × 10−5), rs5997893 (miR-3928, p = 5.9 × 10−3) and rs45596840 (miR-4482, p = 6.6 × 10−3) were confirmed to be significantly associated with RA in a Chinese population. Our study suggests that miRNAs might be interesting targets to accelerate understanding of the pathogenesis and drug development for rheumatoid arthritis.

Abstract Bispecific antibodies (bsAb) that target two independent epitopes or antigens have been extensively explored in translational and clinical studies since they were first developed in the 1960s. Many bsAbs are being tested in clinical trials for treating a variety of diseases, mostly cancer. Here, we provide an overview of various types of bsAbs in clinical studies and discuss their targets, safety profiles, and efficacy. We also highlight the current challenges, potential solutions, and future directions of bsAb development for cancer treatment.

Frequency stability of the power system is impacted by the increasing penetration of wind power because the wind power is intermittent. Meanwhile, sometimes the demand side loads increase quickly to require more power than total power produced. So balancing the active power in the power system to maintain the frequency is the main challenge of the high penetration of wind power to the smart grid. This paper proposes coordination rotor speed control (RSC), pitch angle control (PAC) and inertial control (IC) to control wind turbines, together with demand side response (DSR) participating in frequency regulation to balance active power in the power system. Firstly, the model of a single area load frequency control (LFC) system is obtained, which includes variable-speed wind turbines (VSWT) and DSR containing aggregated air conditioners and plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs). Then the RSC, PAC and IC, which controls wind turbines participating in frequency regulation in the power system, are introduced, respectively. Finally, the coordination of these three methods for wind turbines in different wind speeds is proposed. Case studies are carried out for the single area LFC system with a wind farm and DSR supported grid frequency. Coordination RSC and PAC combined IC are used to control wind turbines with DSR to balance active power in the power system. The proposed method used in the power system with high penetration of wind power and fluctuation of demand load is tested, respectively. Coordinated RSC or PAC with DSR can increase penetration of wind power and reduce peak load.

Brain network analysis has been proved to be one of the most effective methods in brain disease diagnosis. In order to construct discriminative brain networks and improve the performance of disease diagnosis, many machine learning–based methods have been proposed. Recent studies show that combining functional and structural brain networks is more effective than using only single modality data. However, in the most of existing multi-modal brain network analysis methods, it is a common strategy that constructs functional and structural network separately, which is difficult to embed complementary information of different modalities of brain network. To address this issue, we propose a unified brain network construction algorithm, which jointly learns both functional and structural data and effectively face the connectivity and node features for improving classification. First, we conduct space alignment and brain network construction under a unified framework, and then build the correlation model among all brain regions with functional data by low-rank representation so that the global brain region correlation can be captured. Simultaneously, the local manifold with structural data is embedded into this model to preserve the local structural information. Second, the PageRank algorithm is adaptively used to evaluate the significance of different brain regions, in which the interaction of multiple brain regions is considered. Finally, a multi-kernel strategy is utilized to solve the data heterogeneity problem and merge the connectivity as well as node information for classification. We apply the proposed method to the diagnosis of epilepsy, and the experimental results show that our method can achieve a promising performance.

Recent methodological advances in MRI have enabled substantial growth in neuroimaging studies of non-human primates (NHPs), while open data-sharing through the PRIME-DE initiative has increased the availability of NHP MRI data and the need for robust multi-subject multi-center analyses. Streamlined acquisition and analysis protocols would accelerate and improve these efforts. However, consensus on minimal standards for data acquisition protocols and analysis pipelines for NHP imaging remains to be established, particularly for multi-center studies. Here, we draw parallels between NHP and human neuroimaging and provide minimal guidelines for harmonizing and standardizing data acquisition. We advocate robust translation of widely used open-access toolkits that are well established for analyzing human data. We also encourage the use of validated, automated pre-processing tools for analyzing NHP data sets. These guidelines aim to refine methodological and analytical strategies for small and large-scale NHP neuroimaging data. This will improve reproducibility of results, and accelerate the convergence between NHP and human neuroimaging strategies which will ultimately benefit fundamental and translational brain science.

Functional localizers are invaluable as they can help define regions of interest, provide cross-study comparisons, and most importantly, allow for the aggregation and meta-analyses of data across studies and laboratories. To achieve these goals within the non-human primate (NHP) imaging community, there is a pressing need for the use of standardized and validated localizers that can be readily implemented across different groups. The goal of this paper is to provide an overview of the value of localizer protocols to imaging research and we describe a number of commonly used or novel localizers within NHPs, and keys to implement them across studies. As has been shown with the aggregation of resting-state imaging data in the original PRIME-DE submissions, we believe that the field is ready to apply the same initiative for task-based functional localizers in NHP imaging. By coming together to collect large datasets across research group, implementing the same functional localizers, and sharing the localizers and data via PRIME-DE, it is now possible to fully test their robustness, selectivity and specificity. To do this, we reviewed a number of common localizers and we created a repository of well-established localizer that are easily accessible and implemented through the PRIME-RE platform.

Modulation instability (MI) is the main limitation factor of the maximum optical power in long-haul phase-sensitive optical time domain reflectometry (Φ-OTDR), and induces signal fading and serious phase noise. In this paper, a method of coherent seed injection is proposed to suppress the MI-induced phase noise in long-haul Φ-OTDR. The spontaneous MI is suppressed by stimulating induced MI in an optical fiber. The visibility of the signal in Φ-OTDR is enhanced and the phase noise is suppressed significantly. This paper offers an effective method to increase the maximum input power with the MI-induced phase noise suppressed in the long-haul Φ-OTDR system. As a result, the maximum input power and sensing distance can be potentially increased, which is greatly beneficial to the enhancement of the performance of long-haul Φ-OTDR.

In this paper, a novel embedded helix dielectric rod antenna is presented for high gain radiation with circular polarization (CP) and low side lobe levels for IoT Applications. Different from the conventional dielectric rod antennas, this proposed antenna is an integrated structure that combines the advantages of the helix and dielectric rod antennas. The presented antenna mainly consists of three parts: a tapered helix as primary feeding for CP, a dielectric rod with printed loops embedded for higher directivity, and a dielectric rod end for improving the gain further. After studying and analyzing the working principles of each part, an optimum design operating at 8–9.7 GHz is carried out as an example. A prototype is also fabricated and tested. The measured results show that the prototype can provide 18.41 dB maximum gain within the length of 7.7 λ. The side lobe level is below −20 dB, and the axial ratio is better than 1.14 dB in the whole frequency band. Compared with the traditional helix antenna and dielectric rod antenna with the same electric length, the presented antenna has a higher gain with a lower side lobe level and with good polarization purity.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of liquid embolization agents for treating various hemorrhagic peripheral intracranial aneurysms. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 38 patients who suffered from hemorrhagic peripheral intracranial aneurysms and were treated with liquid embolization agents. We used the modified Rankin scale for follow-up at 6 months postoperatively, and digital subtraction angiography follow-up was performed 6 months postoperatively. Results: Of the 38 patients (ten of simple peripheral intracranial aneurysms, six of Moyamoya disease (MMD), and 22 of arteriovenous malformation (AVM)), posterior circulation accounted for the most significant proportion (57.9%), followed by anterior circulation (21.1%) and intranidal aneurysms (21.1%). Intraoperative hemorrhage occurred in four cases, postoperative cerebral infarction occurred in four cases, two patients encountered microcatheter retention, and intraoperative thrombosis took place in the basilar artery of a patient with an arteriovenous malformation. A postoperative hemorrhage occurred in only one patient. At 6-month follow-up, 84.2% of patients had good prognosis outcomes, and 13.5% had poor outcomes. Conclusion: Liquid embolization agents are effective for hemorrhagic peripheral intracranial aneurysms; however, safety depends on the subtypes. For peripheral hemorrhagic aneurysms in MMD, the vessel architecture must be carefully evaluated before embolization.

Rapid urbanization has produced a huge amount of construction waste. The operations and consequences of construction and demolition can lead to windblown dust problems, profoundly affecting the living environment of residents. Fortunately, dust-proof nets have been used in construction sites to reduce and prevent pollution by fine particles such as dust, so it is important to monitor and evaluate their efficacy. In this study, Earth observation techniques were used for the extraction and monitoring of solid waste and dust-proof nets. In order to fully perceive the validity and necessity of dust-proof nets for urban air health, we conducted a case study in Zhengzhou, China. We explored the potential of multispectral remote sensing available for monitoring urban construction waste and proposed a multi-layer classification method to identify construction waste and dust-proof nets based on Landsat-8 OLI and Sentinel-2 MSI data, with an average identification accuracy and Kappa coefficient of 96.27% and 0.93 for construction waste in the study area from 2015 to 2020, respectively. In addition, our study revealed the driving factors and impact of temporal variations in regional construction waste areas and dust-proof nets coverage. The results indicate the classification can track municipal solid waste management and changes in air pollutant concentrations and is useful for achieving SDG 11.6 (reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management). This study has the potential to monitor construction waste and dust-proof nets, paving the way for better urban environmental governance and surveillance actions in the future, especially involving big data.

Background: The rapid progression from fetal first-degree atrioventricular block (AVB) to third-degree AVB had been reported. However, how to define fetal first-degree AVB with proper technique and the necessity of the treatment in utero for fetal autoimmune-associated first-degree AVB are still controversial.Purpose: To explore the diagnosis and the effect of treatment for fetal first-degree AVB.Cases Presentation: Four pregnant women with positive autoantibodies anti-SSA/Ro were admitted into our hospital with complaints of rapid prolonged atrioventricular (AV) intervals of their fetuses. Fetal AV intervals were re-measured by tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) from the onset of atrial contraction to ventricular systole (Aa-Sa), which were 170 ms (case 1-twin A), 160 ms (case 1-twin B), 163 ms (case 2) and 172 ms (case 3) and 170 ms (case 4), respectively. The histories of medication usage or infection during gestation were denied. Amniotic fluid genetic screenings and virological tests were negative in all cases. No structural cardiac disorders were found and the cardiovascular profile scores were 10 for each fetus. Oral dexamethasone (initial dose of 4.5 mg daily) and hydroxychloroquine (200 mg bid) plus weekly follow-up surveillance were suggested. The dosage of dexamethasone was adjusted according to the changes of the AV intervals and fetal development of biparietal diameters (BPD) and femur lengths (FL). All fetal AV intervals were controlled well. Maternal and fetal adverse effects were noted as diabetes in 1 mother and growth retardation in all fetuses. All fetuses were delivered via cesarean section at 35+4, 37, 38, and 37+1 gestational weeks, with 10 scores of Apgar score. Postnatally, positive anti-SSA/Ro was found in all neonates. However, there were no clinical or laboratory evidence of neonatal lupus syndrome. No abnormal signs were found on postnatal electrocardiogram and echocardiography for all neonates. With a follow-up of 8–53 months, there was no progression of disease and all infants demonstrated normal physical, mental, and motor development.Conclusion: Prenatal treatment for fetal autoimmune-associated first-degree AVB could be an alternative. Strict surveillance and timely adjustment of the treatment according to the conditions of the mother and the fetus are indicated. Further studies are necessary to prove our concept.

Objectives To survey anxiety and depression symptoms to COVID-19 outbreak in the public, medical staff and patients during the initial phase of the pandemic.Design Cross-sectional online survey administered through WeChat Mini Program using Chinese versions of Zung Self-rating Depression Scale and Zung Self-rating Anxiety Scale.Setting Guangzhou, China.Participants 47 378 public, 1512 medical staff and 125 patients with COVID-19.Results Higher rates of depression (47.8%) and anxiety symptoms (48.7%) were shown by patients who were screened positive compared with those of the public (35.6%, 25.7%) or medical staff (15.4%, 13.3%). The professional identity of a nurse, conditions of ‘with an infected family member’ and ‘working at the frontline’ were risk factors to depression or anxiety symptoms for the medical staff. Younger age, lower educational level, female and not having adequate masks were the risk factors for the public.Conclusion The COVID-19 outbreak increased people’s depression or anxiety emotion responses, which varied extensively among the patients, public and medical staff.

Abstract Background Myogenic Differentiation 1 (MyoD) is a crucial master switch in regulating muscle-specific gene transcription. Forced expression of myoD is equipped to induce several cell lineages into myoblast, which then differentiate and fuse into myotube. Pig is one of the most significant livestock supplying meat, and has been classified into lean, fat and miniature pig breeds. However, the mechanisms underlying muscle mass variation among different pig breeds have remained unclear. Considering the important effect of MyoD on muscle development, it remains to be investigated whether the difference in muscle mass is caused by its single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which are the major differences among pig breeds at DNA level. Results In this study, we identified the locations of porcine myoD regulatory regions including proximal regulatory region (PRR), distal regulatory region (DRR), and core enhancer (CE) region. There are 8 SNPs in the regulatory regions and 6 SNPs in gene body region, which were identified from lean, fat and miniature pig populations. However, these SNPs have no effects on its temporal expression and transcriptional activity which might lead to the distinction in postnatal muscle mass. In addition, overexpression of myoD clones across from amphibious to mammals including xenopus tropicalis, chicken, mouse and pig whose gene identities vary from 68 to 84%, could promote myogenesis in NIH3T3 fibroblasts cells. Conclusions These results proved that myoD nucleotide variations from different pig populations have no effect on muscle mass, suggesting that the function of myoD is highly conserved not only among different pig breeds, but also across different species. Thus, it would be futile to discover SNPs affecting muscle mass in pig populations with normal muscle development.

Abstract Background Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers have a high efficacy in treating Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), yet up to 40% of AS patients show poor or even no response to this treatment. In this paper, we aim to build an approach to predict the response prior to clinical treatment. Methods AS patients during the active progression were included and treated with TNF blocker for 3 months. Patients who do not fulfill ASASAS40 were considered as poor responders. The Immunoglobulin G galactosylation (IgG-Gal) ratio representing the quantity of IgG galactosylation was calculated and candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in patients treated with etanercept was obtained. Machine-learning models and cross-validation were conducted to predict responsiveness. Results Both IgG-Gal ratio at each time point and differential IgG-Gal ratios between week 0 and weeks 2, 4, 8, 12 showed significant difference between responders and poor-responders. Area under curve (AUC) of the IgG-Gal ratio prediction model was 0.8 after cross-validation, significantly higher than current clinical indexes (C-reactive protein (CRP) = 0.65, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) = 0.59). The SNP MYOM2-rs2294066 was found to be significantly associated with responsiveness of etanercept treatment. A three-stage approach consisting of baseline IgG-Gal ratio, differential IgG-Gal ratio in 2 weeks, and rs2294066 genotype demonstrated the ability to precisely predict the response of anti-TNF therapy (100% for poor-responders, 98% for responders). Conclusions Combination of different omics can more precisely to predict the response of TNF blocker and it is potential to be applied clinically in the future.

Here, the authors control concentration quenching in a stoichiometric Er3+ compound using a core−shell nanostructured host and an integrated optical waveguide circuit excitation platform. The efficient telecom to ultraviolet upconversion allows for exploration of photonic applications involving upconversion nanomaterials.

Proactive content caching at the wireless network edge, such as users and small base stations (SBSs), is an effective way to deal with high mobile traffic. In this paper, based on the user mobility and social relationships, we investigate the optimal caching strategy in device-to-device (D2D) communications underlying heterogeneous networks, where several SBSs are within the coverage of a macrobase station (MBS). Except for SBSs, important users (IUs) hired by an operator also cache files. First, assuming that user preference, i.e., the probability distribution of different file requests of users, are unknown, we cluster users and predict each user preference based on their history file requests by fitting to the Zipf distribution. Second, we derive the closed-form expression of the average system cost by jointly considering the mobility of users and the social relationship between them. With the purpose of minimizing the average system cost, we optimize the SBSs and IU caching strategies. The optimization problem is NP-complete. To solve the problem, we demonstrate that this problem belongs to the minimization of a supermodular function over a partition matroid, and thus, we provide a locally greedy caching algorithm with an approximation ratio of 2 to obtain the sub-optimal solution in polynomial time. Finally, since the operator can reduce the system cost by hiring more IUs, requiring higher payments, we reach a tradeoff by determining the number of IUs. The simulation results show that the proposed caching strategy outperforms the traditional caching strategy, and the suboptimal solution obtained by proposing the greedy algorithm is close to the optimal solution.

This paper proposes a 3D wireless charging cylinder with improved compensation topology to generate a stable rotating magnetic field for charging multiple loads around it. The induced voltage of each receiver is kept constant against load variations when the distance between the transmitter and the receiver is fixed. The 3D charging cylinder has a simple configuration with two perpendicular LCL-compensated transmitter coils driven by separate power inverters sharing a common dc source. The system is fully analyzed with the maximum load limit determined, and design guidance is provided. Both theoretical and experimental results demonstrate that the transmitter currents remain constant against load variations when the total load is within the maximum load limit, and the transfer efficiency is increased with the increase of the total reflected impedance. Compared to the conventional series-series (SS) compensated WPT system, the proposed 3D configuration can maintain the transmitter currents to be constant within the maximum load limit so that multiple loads can be added without affecting each other. It has found that the transmitter currents of the proposed configuration are kept constant at their initial values when four loads with the resistance of 0.5Ω each are randomly placed at 21 cm from the center of the charging cylinder. By contrast, the transmitter currents of the SS compensated WPT system are obviously changed together with the load voltages.

Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) technique, which is known to raise the performance of frequency spectrum constrained wireless communication networks, has obtained wide attention. In this paper, a NOMA-based resource allocation problem in the decode-and-forward relaying downlink network is considered. We aim to maximize the average user transmission rate, subject to the total system power constraint and users' quality of service requirement. A joint user-channel assignment and power allocation problem is formulated, which leads to an NP-hard problem requiring an exhaustive search. To tackle this problem, we adopt a decouple optimization method to separate the joint resource problem into two subproblems, a user-channel assignment problem, and a power allocation problem. After solving the two subproblems, a joint alternating optimization algorithm is proposed with low complexity. The simulation results show that the proposed joint optimal scheme can efficiently improve system performance in the limited channels of multiple users relaying networks.

In this paper, we develop a spatiotemporal mathematical model for analyzing the performance of prioritized data transmissions in the device-to-device (D2D) underlaying cellular network. A dynamic interference model of a D2D user is constructed by exploiting thinned Poisson point process to model the D2D user location with data stored in the buffer. A dynamic priority queuing model is adapted to analyze the performance of multiple types of traffic, in which the priority jump strategy is proposed to provide increased transmission opportunity for low-priority user packets. Then, we employ a two-dimensional Geo/G/1 Markov chain to describe a queue model with priority jump and evaluate it using quasi-birth-and-death process approach. An iterative solution is used to compute the steady-state probability distribution and the expressions of performance metrics are obtained. The simulation results show the validity of the theoretical analysis. Moreover, by comparing the dropping probability of the priority queuing model with and without the jump strategy, the rationality of the introduced model is confirmed.

Dynamic spectrum access (DSA) emerging as an effective way of improving the utilization of the scarce spectrum has attracted great attention in the communication field. A key challenge in DSA is to perform an efficient spectrum sensing and sharing mechanism. In this paper, aiming at achieving a maximal spectrum utilization, we propose a privacy-aware crowdsourced spectrum sensing and multi-user sharing mechanism for DSA. Particularly, in the sensing stage, the advanced mobile crowd sensing is adapted to economically provide sufficient candidate sensing helpers for a sensing requestor. Considering the individual rationality and energy consumption, an incentive mechanism based on both monetary and social motivation is designed to motivate the finial participations of the sensing helpers. Moreover, with the increasing attention to individual privacy, a social network and location-based k-anonymity grouping algorithm are proposed to prevent each helper's privacy being attacked by the malicious requestor or mobile users. Then, for a sensing requestor, aiming at achieving a target detection performance with minimal payment, a truthful reverse auction-based winning group selection algorithm is designed. Furthermore, in the transmitting stage, a realistic scenario is considered where multiple transmitters may discover the same idle spectrum based on sensing helpers' detections and will transmit data simultaneously. Thus, we model this problem as a potential-game-based multi-user transmission mechanism where all the transmitters act as game players and will jointly adjust their transmission powers to maximize the global throughput. Accordingly, we also take advantage of an improved differential evolution algorithm for obtaining a better equilibrium solution in a decentralized way. Both the theoretical analysis and the simulation results prove the rationality and superiority of our proposed algorithms.

Shear-induced grain boundary migration at the atomic level is still not well understood. Here the authors combine in situ shear testing experiments and molecular dynamic simulations to reveal the atomistic mechanism of disconnection-mediated GB migration in different gold nanostructures.

High Mountain Asia (HMA), with its high altitude, widely distributed snow and frozen soil, influences the climate of the northern hemisphere and even the world through thermal balance and the water vapor cycle and is also an indicator of global climate change. The influence of HMA snow cover on its surrounding areas has always been a research hotspot. Taking the Yangtze River Basin (YRB) of China as an example, this paper analyzes the relationship between winter snow depth in HMA and drought and flood in spring and summer in the YRB in the recent 40 years by using Singular Value Decomposition (SVD). The results show that the influence of snow cover on drought and flood in spring is inversely different between eastern and western parts of HMA, while the effect in summer is consistent. When the snow depth is larger (smaller) in the east and smaller (larger) in the west in winter, the YRB is drier (wetter) in spring. When the overall snow depth in HMA is larger (smaller) in winter, the northern part of the middle and lower reaches of the YRB is drier (wetter) in summer. The results provide support for understanding the impact of HMA snow cover on the surrounding climate and some important indicators for drought and flood prediction in the YRB.

Levitated micro-resonators in vacuums have attracted widespread attention due to their application potential in precision force sensing, acceleration sensing, mass measurement and gravitational wave sensing. The optically levitated microsphere in a counter-propagating dual-beam optical trap has been of particular interest because of its large measurement range and flexible manipulation. In this system, laser intensity fluctuation directly influences the trap stability and measurement sensitivity, which makes it a crucial factor in improving trapping performance. In this paper, a time-varying optical force (TVOF) model is established to characterize the influence of laser intensity fluctuation in a dual-beam optical trap. The model describes the relationship between the laser intensity fluctuation, optical force and the dynamic motion of the micro-sized sphere. In addition, an external laser intensity control method is proposed, which achieved a 16.9 dB laser power stability control at the relaxation oscillation frequency. The long-term laser intensity fluctuation was suppressed from 3% to 0.4% in a one-hour period. Experiments showed that the particle’s position detection sensitivity and the stability of the relaxation oscillation could be improved by laser intensity fluctuation suppression.

The Enhanced Flight Vision System (EFVS) plays a significant role in the Next-Generation low visibility aircraft landing technology, where the involvement of optical sensing systems increases the visual dimension for pilots. This paper focuses on deploying infrared and visible image fusion systems in civil flight, particularly generating integrated results to contend with registration deviation and adverse weather conditions. The existing enhancement methods push ahead with metrics-driven integration, while the dynamic distortion and the continuous visual scene are overlooked in the landing stage. Hence, the proposed visual enhancement scheme is divided into homography estimation and image fusion based on deep learning. A lightweight framework integrating hardware calibration and homography estimation is designed for image calibration before fusion and reduces the offset between image pairs. The transformer structure adopting the self-attention mechanism in distinguishing composite properties is incorporated into a concise autoencoder to construct the fusion strategy, and the improved weight allocation strategy enhances the feature combination. These things considered, a flight verification platform accessing the performances of different algorithms is built to capture image pairs in the landing stage. Experimental results confirm the equilibrium of the proposed scheme in perception-inspired and feature-based metrics compared to other approaches.

A cross-sectional study for poliovirus seroprevalence in Guangdong was carried out in 2014, just before a change in polio vaccine commenced in 2015. The aim of the study was to test whether polio immunity level was high enough to satisfy the polio vaccine switch. A total of 6339 people were tested for poliovirus neutralization antibodies (NA). Overall NA seropositivity for PV1, PV2 and PV3 were 95.2%, 94.9% and 88.7%, and the respective geometric mean titer (GMT) were 82.9, 55.8, and 26.3, respectively. There were statistically significant differences in the positive rates and GMT of the 3 serotypes and PV3 had relatively lower positive rates and GMT. The highest seropositivity and GMT were observed in the 1–9 year-old age group. The positive rates of NA and GMT for PV1, PV2 and PV3 in the western region of Guangdong were lower than those of other three regions. The results of this study showed that the population of Guangdong province had a high polio immunity level, a stable base for a polio vaccine switch.

IntroductionTransarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is inefficient at converting unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC) to resectable. Treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) is an emerging strategy for uHCC. Combined therapy of TACE with ICIs is considered to improve the therapeutic effect.Case presentationA 45-year-old man was diagnosed with a bulky HCC under cirrhotic background without distant metastasis. Curative resection was infeasible, and TACE plus tislelizumab (an ICI targeting PD-1) was applied. The treatment course, starting from TACE and followed by tislelizumab one week later, was repeated every four weeks. After three courses, the tumor showed striking shrink in volume with complete radiological response, which permitted salvage resection. Notably, pathological examination found complete necrosis of the tumor with massive infiltration of lymphocytes in the tumor-nontumor interface and extensive granulomatous inflammation in the surrounding nontumor liver, indicating activated immune response synergistically caused by TACE with tislelizumab. The patient is now living well without tumor recurrence for 6 months after surgery.ConclusionTACE in combination with tislelizumab may represent a potent strategy for uHCC. Data from randomized clinical trials are needed to assess its safety and effect in the setting of preoperative downstaging therapy.

Lanthanide ions are appealing for luminescence applications due to their sharp and tunable emission lines spanning the whole spectral range. However, the parity‐forbidden nature of the electronic transition in lanthanide ions typically results in ineffective excitation processes, which is a major obstacle to practical applications of lanthanide‐based luminescent materials. Herein, a general method to sensitize lanthanide luminescence within a semiconductor host of CaZnOS is developed. Efficient energy transfer from the host to a series of lanthanide ions with the assistance of Cu+ or Mn2+ codopants is demonstrated, which introduces intermediate energy states to mediate the energy transfer processes. Accordingly, a wide spectrum of emission is achieved by a single band excitation in the near‐ultraviolet region. Due to the efficient host sensitization, a phosphor‐converted light‐emitting diode (LED) is constructed by integrating the lanthanide‐doped CaZnOS with an ultraviolet LED chip, which is used for near‐infrared studies of biological tissues.

Background: Since December 2019, COVID-19 has spread to almost every corner of the world. In theory, tocilizumab and favipiravir are considered to be reliable drugs for the treatment of COVID-19 with elevated IL-6. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of tocilizumab combined with favipiravir in patients with COVID-19. Methods: This was a multicenter trial in adults with COVID-19. Patients were randomly assigned (3:1:1) to a 14-day combination of favipiravir combined with tocilizumab (combination group), favipiravir, and tocilizumab. The primary outcome was the cumulative lung lesion remission rate (lung CT examination indicated absorption of lung inflammation). Results: Between Feb 2 and March 15, 2020, 26 patients were recruited; 14 were randomly assigned to the combination group, 7 were assigned to the favipiravir group and 5 were assigned to the tocilizumab group. The cumulative lung lesion remission rate at day 14 was significantly higher in combination group as compared with favipiravir group (P = 0.019, HR 2.66 95 % CI [1.08–6.53]). And there was also a significant difference between tocilizumab and favipivavir (P = 0.034, HR 3.16, 95 % CI 0.62–16.10). In addition, there was no significant difference between the combination group and the tocilizumab group (P = 0.575, HR 1.28 95 %CI 0.39–4.23). Furthermore, combined therapy can also significantly relieve clinical symptoms and help blood routine to return to normal. No serious adverse events were reported. Conclusion: Tocilizumab combined with or without favipiravir can effectively improve the pulmonary inflammation of COVID-19 patients and inhibit the deterioration of the disease.

Chitosan has several shortcomings that limit its practical application for the adsorption of heavy metals: mechanical instability, a challenging separation and recovery process, and low equilibrium capacity. This study describes the synthesis of a magnetic xanthate-modified polyvinyl alcohol and chitosan composite (XMPC) for the efficient removal and recovery of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions. The XMPC was synthesized from polyvinyl alcohol, chitosan, and magnetic Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles. The XMPC was characterized, and its adsorption performance in removing heavy metal ions was studied under different experimental conditions. The adsorption kinetics fit a pseudo-second-order kinetic model well. This showed that the adsorption of heavy metal ions by the XMPC is a chemical adsorption and is affected by intra-particle diffusion. The equilibrium adsorption isotherm was well described by the Langmuir and Freundlich equations. The XMPC reached adsorption equilibrium at 303 K after approximately 120 min, and the removal rate of Cd(II) ions was 307 mg/g. The composite material can be reused many times and is easily magnetically separated from the solution. This makes the XMPC a promising candidate for widespread application in sewage treatment systems for the removal of heavy metals.

Summary: Asperuloside (ASP) is an iridoid glycoside that is extracted from Eucommia leaves. Eucommia is used in traditional Chinese medicine and has a long history of benefits on health and longevity. Here, we investigated the impact of ASP on obesity-related metabolic disorders and show that ASP reduces body weight gain, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance effectively in mice fed with a high-fat diet (HFD). Intestinal dysbiosis is closely linked with metabolic disorders. Our data indicate that ASP achieves these benefits on metabolic homeostasis by reversing HFD-induced gut dysbiosis and by changing gut-derived secondary metabolites and metabolic signaling. Our results indicate that ASP may be used to regulate gut microbiota for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Background: The potential effects of excess weight status in childhood on later adult cardiometabolic risk factors have been undetermined in a Chinese population. Additionally, the potential mitigation of these effects if adult weight status returns to normalcy has been unresolved. Accordingly, we aimed to assess the association of childhood excess weight status and its long-term change with adult cardiometabolic risk factors.Methods: A cohort study from the China Health and Nutrition Survey 1991–2009 consisted of 541 participants who were measured in childhood (≥6 and