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An abnormal level of dopamine (DA), a kind of neurotransmitter, correlates with a series of diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, Willis-Ekbom disease, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and schizophrenia. Hence, it is imperative to achieve a precise, rapid detection method in clinical medicine. In this study, we synthesized nanocomposite carbon aerogels (CAs) doped with iron and iron carbide, based on algae residue-derived biomass materials, using Fe(NO3)3 as the iron source. The modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for DA detection, denoted as CAs-Fe/GCE, was prepared through surface modification with this composite material. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction characterization confirmed the successful doping of iron into the as-prepared CAs. Additionally, the electrochemical behavior of DA on the modified electrode surface was investigated and the results demonstrate that the addition of the CAs-Fe promoted the electron transfer rate, thereby enhancing their sensing performance. The fabricated electrochemical DA biosensor exhibits an accurate detection of DA in the concentration within the range of 0.01~200 µM, with a detection limit of 0.0033 µM. Furthermore, the proposed biosensor is validated in real samples, showing its high applicability for the detection of DA in beverages.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) possesses the potential of providing good curative effects with no side effects for the effective management of slow transit constipation (STC), an intestinal disease characterized by colonic dyskinesia. Mulberry leaves (Morus alba L.) and black sesame (Sesamum indicum L.), referred to as SH, are processed and conditioned as per standardized protocols. SH has applications as food and medicine. Accordingly, we investigated the therapeutic potential of SH in alleviating STC. The analysis of SH composition identified a total of 504 compounds. The intervention with SH significantly improved intestinal motility, reduced the time for the first black stool, increased antioxidant activity, and enhanced water content, thereby effectively alleviating colon damage caused by STC. Transcriptome analysis revealed the SH in the treatment of STC related to SOD1, MUC2, and AQP1. The analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated notable differences in the abundance of 10 bacteria between the SH and model. Metabolomic analysis further revealed that SH supplementation increased the levels of nine metabolites associated with STC. Integrative analysis revealed that SH modulated amino acid metabolism, balanced intestinal flora, and targeted key genes (i.e., SOD1, MUC2, AQP1) to exert its effects. SH also inhibited the AQP1 expression and promoted SOD1 and MUC2 expression.

Abstract The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is predicted to weaken under global warming. Whether it is caused by heat flux or freshwater flux is under debate. Here we separate these two processes in changing the AMOC under global warming. The simulated AMOC is weakened during the first 600 years and then gradually recovered to its initial state, with heat flux and freshwater feedback dominating at different timescales. Global warming immediately puts freshwater into the Southern Ocean, which triggers the initial AMOC weakening via altering surface temperature. Concurrently, the extensive heat into the ocean surface increases the temperature over the subpolar North Atlantic, reducing the deep convection and thus the AMOC in the subsequent 50–150 years. Meanwhile, the Arctic sea ice melt leads to the AMOC shutdown. Subsequently, the salinity accumulation in the subtropical North Atlantic propagating northward to restart the North Atlantic deep convection is responsible for the AMOC recovery.

This research presents a nudge-based approach to promoting honest behavior. Specifically, we introduce the moral barrier hypothesis, which posits that moral violations can be inhibited by the introduction of spatial boundaries, including ones that do not physically impede the act of transgressing. We found that, as compared to a no barrier condition, children cheated significantly less often when a barrier was strategically placed to divide the space where children were seated from a place that was associated with cheating. This effect was seen both when the barrier took a physical form and when it was purely symbolic. However, the mere presence of a barrier did not reduce cheating: if it failed to separate children from a space that was associated with cheating, children cheated as much as when there was no barrier at all. Taken together, these findings support the moral barrier hypothesis and show that even seemingly unremarkable features of children's environments can nudge them to act honestly.

Abstract Objectives Identifying prognostic factors helps optimize the treatment regimen and promote favorable outcomes. We conducted a prospective cohort study on patients with pulmonary tuberculosis to construct a clinical indicator-based model and estimate its performance. Methods We performed a two-stage study by recruiting 346 pulmonary tuberculosis patients diagnosed between 2016 and 2018 in Dafeng city as the training cohort and 132 patients diagnosed between 2018 and 2019 in Nanjing city as the external validation population. We generated a risk score based on blood and biochemistry examination indicators by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression models were used to assess the risk score, and the strength of association was expressed as the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). We plotted the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and calculated the area under the curve (AUC). Internal validation was conducted by 10-fold cross-validation. Results Ten significant indicators (PLT, PCV, LYMPH, MONO%, NEUT, NEUT%, TBTL, ALT, UA, and Cys-C) were selected to generate the risk score. Clinical indicator-based score (HR: 10.018, 95% CI: 4.904–20.468, P

Background: To explore the difference and diagnostic value evaluation of serum tumor markers in different clinical stages of elderly non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Methods: Select 100 elderly NSCLC patients admitted to our hospital from June 2018 to June 2021, collect the general data, pathology data and imaging data of the patients, and the patients were divided into I-IV clinical stages according to the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) 8th edition lung cancer TNM staging standard. Detect the subjects' peripheral serum tumor markers, serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cytokeratin fragment 21-1 (CYFRA21-1), squamous cell carcinoma-associated antigen (SCCA), carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) and sugar Class antigen 199 (CA199). Compare the differences of serum CEA, CYFRA21-1, SCCA, CA125, CA199 levels in different clinical stages of elderly NSCLC patients, and the diagnostic value of the above indicators for elderly NSCLC patients was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) and area under the curve (AUC). Results: The smoking history, differentiation degree, lymph node metastasis and tumor diameter of elderly NSCLC patients with different clinical stages are significantly different; with the increase of NSCLC disease progression, the levels of serum CEA, CYFRA21-1, SCCA, CA125, and CA199 continue to increase, in serum. There is a significant correlation between the markers; serum CEA, CYFRA21-1, SCCA, CA125, CA199 have diagnostic value for the clinical staging of elderly NSCLC patients. Conclusion: The elevation of serum CEA, CYFRA21-1, SCCA, CA125 and CA199 in elderly NSCLC patients is positively correlated with the degree of tumor malignancy. The detection of the above indicators is of great value for the early diagnosis and disease monitoring of elderly NSCLC.

ObjectiveTo analyze operational effectiveness and mechanism of management system for severe mental disorder (SMD) prevention and control in China for providing references to subsequent policy formulation. MethodsThrough searching official websites, we retrieved policy documents relevant to management on SMDs issued by governmental departments and professional institutions as of December 31, 2018 in 31 provincial-level administrative divisions (PLADs) across mainland China and analyzed the completeness and operation mechanism of the management scheme from four perspectives: management and monitoring, planning and evaluation, financing and compensation, and coordination and motivation based on evaluation standards for effectiveness of a public health system. The indicator data on management of SMD from 2014 through 2018 were also collected from National Severe Mental Disorder Information System and research literatures. The relationships between management implementation and effectiveness were analyzed using fixed effects model. ResultsFor 31 PLADs in 2018, the average appropriate degree of SMD management scheme was 43.87%, with an increment of 22.08% to that in 2014 and a gap of 48.39% to the appropriate standard (85%). The dimensional appropriate degree of the SMD management scheme was the highest (64.96%) for financing and compensation mechanism but the lowest (23.69%) for coordination and motivation mechanism. For the dimension of management and monitoring in 2018 at national level, the completeness degree of content and form was relatively high (89.29%) but the degree of clarity for responsibility assignment was relatively low (24.91%), and the degree of management procedure feasibility was only 6.48%; for the dimension of planning and evaluation, the coverage of long-term planning was as high as 96.24%. The results of fixed effect model analysis showed that after adjusting for gross domestic product, significant increase of 1.00 % for completeness of regional SMD scheme, 1.54% for average standardized management rate, and 0.28% for average regular medication of SMD patients were observed (all P < 0.05). ConclusionThe management mechanism of severe mental disorders has been steadily improved in China from 2014 to 2018; for the management scheme, the coverage of management standards and medium and long-term planning were relatively high, but the coordination and motivation mechanism and t responsibility assignment need to be improved.

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) cannot be completely cured, mainly due to the existence of a latent HIV-1 reservoir. However, our current understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the establishment and maintenance of HIV-1 latent reservoir is not comprehensive. Here, using a genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 activation library screening, we identified E3 ubiquitin ligase F-box protein 34 (FBXO34) and the substrate of FBXO34, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein U (hnRNP U) was identified by affinity purification mass spectrometry, as new host factors related to HIV-1 latent maintenance. Overexpression of FBXO34 or knockout of hnRNP U can activate latent HIV-1 in multiple latent cell lines. FBXO34 mainly promotes hnRNP U ubiquitination, which leads to hnRNP U degradation and abolishment of the interaction between hnRNP U and HIV-1 mRNA. In a latently infected cell line, hnRNP U interacts with the ReV region of HIV-1 mRNA through amino acids 1-339 to hinder HIV-1 translation, thereby, promoting HIV-1 latency. Importantly, we confirmed the role of the FBXO34/hnRNP U axis in the primary CD4+ T lymphocyte model, and detected differences in hnRNP U expression levels in samples from patients treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART) and healthy people, which further suggests that the FBXO34/hnRNP U axis is a new pathway involved in HIV-1 latency. These results provide mechanistic insights into the critical role of ubiquitination and hnRNP U in HIV-1 latency. This novel FBXO34/hnRNP U axis in HIV transcription may be directly targeted to control HIV reservoirs in patients in the future.

Abstract Background Dyslipidemia contributes to an increased risk of carotid atherosclerosis. However, the association between the ratio of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and carotid plaque formation has not been well documented. This study aims to assess the role of LDL-C/HDL-C in the risk of carotid plaque formation in a Chinese population. Methods We followed 2,191 participants who attended the annual routine health examination. Cox proportional hazards regression, restricted cubic spline (RCS), and subgroup analysis were applied to evaluate the association between the LDL-C/HDL-C ratio and carotid plaques. The hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to estimate the strength of the association. Results Among 2,191 participants, 388 had incident carotid plaques detected, with a median follow-up time of 1.05 years. Compared with subjects younger than 45 years, those aged 45 to 59 years (HR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.55–2.58) and over 60 years (HR: 3.36, 95% CI: 2.47–4.58) had an increased risk of carotid plaque formation. Males (HR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.01–1.56), diabetes (HR: 1.46, 95% CI: 1.06–2.01) and a high LDL-C/HDL-C ratio (HR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.07–1.38) were significantly linked with the occurrence of carotid plaques. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, we observed that a high LDL-C/HDL-C ratio promoted carotid plaque events (HR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.12–1.50). The RCS analysis revealed a significant nonlinear association. The association was stronger among females (P-interaction

Abstract Background The mining of new allelic variation and the induction of new genetic variability are the basis for improving breeding efficiency. Results In this study, in total, 3872 heavy ion-irradiated M2 generation rice seeds and individual leaves were collected. The grain length was between 8 and 10.22 mm. The grain width was between 1.54 and 2.87 mm. The results showed that there was extensive variation in granulotype. The allelic variation in GS3 and GW5 was detected in 484 mixed samples (8:1) using targeted sequencing technology, and 12 mixed samples containing potential mutations and 15 SNPs were obtained; combined with Sanger sequencing and phenotype data, 13 key mutants and their corresponding SNPs were obtained; protein structural and functional analysis of key mutants screened out 6 allelic variants leading to altered grain shape, as well as the corresponding mutants, including long-grain mutants GS3-2 and GS3-7, short-grain mutants GS3-3 and GS3-5, wide-grain mutant GW5-1 and narrow-grain mutant GW5-4; whole genome sequencing identified new grain length gene allelic variants GS3-G1, GS3-G2 and GS3-G3. Conclusion Based on the above studies, we found 6 granulotype mutants and 9 granulotype-related allelic variants, which provided new functional gene loci and a material basis for molecular breeding and genotype mutation and phenotype analysis. We propose a method for targeted identification of allelic variation in rice grain type genes by combining targeted sequencing of mixed samples and whole genome sequencing. The method has the characteristics of low detection cost, short detection period, and flexible detection of traits and genes.

In this work, we investigate an alternative channel for the formation of fast-spinning black hole–neutron star (BHNS) binaries, in which super-Eddington accretion is expected to occur in accreting BHs during the stable mass transfer phase within BH-stripped helium (BH–He-rich) star binary systems. We evolve intensive MESA grids of close-orbit BH–He-rich star systems to systematically explore the projected aligned spins of BHs in BHNS binaries, as well as the impact of different accretion limits on the tidal disruption probability and electromagnetic (EM) signature of BHNS mergers. Most of the BHs in BHNS mergers cannot be effectively spun up through accretion if the accretion rate is limited to $\lesssim 10\,{\dot{M}}_{\mathrm{Edd}}$ , where ${\dot{M}}_{\mathrm{Edd}}$ is the standard Eddington accretion limit. In order to reach high spins (e.g., χ _BH ≳ 0.5), the BHs are required to be born less massive (e.g., ≲3.0 M _⊙ ) in binary systems with initial periods of ≲0.2–0.3 days and accrete material at $\sim 100\,{\dot{M}}_{\mathrm{Edd}}$ . However, even under this high accretion limit, ≳6 M _⊙ BHs are typically challenging to significantly spin up and generate detectable associated EM signals. Our population simulations suggest that different accretion limits have a slight impact on the ratio of tidal disruption events. However, as the accretion limit increases, the EM counterparts from the cosmological BHNS population can become bright overall.

In order to obtain highly accurate infrared spectra, the optical path scanning control system in a portable Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) must be able to realize highly stable reciprocal scanning. To address the positional localization and speed fluctuation problems of optical path scanning control systems, an adaptive feedforward–nonlinear PI cascade composite control algorithm (AF-NLPI) is proposed. A physical model of an optical path scanning control system is established. Moreover, an adaptive feedforward compensator using a dynamic forgetting factor is proposed, and it was combined with a nonlinear PI cascade controller to form a composite controller. The control parameters were tuned using the atomic orbital search algorithm. Further, the simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the AF-NLPI can effectively improve the control accuracy and anti-interference ability of an optical path scanning control system in a portable FTS with high feasibility and practicality. By setting the scanning stroke of the system to 8 mm and scanning at 10 mm/s, the stability of the optical scanning speed reached 99.47% when controlled by the controller proposed in this paper, thus fulfilling the motion requirements for optical path scanning control systems.