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Abstract The course of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) variates in the early stage of Parkinson’s disease. We aimed to delineate the association between the evolution pattern of probable RBD (pRBD) and the progression of Parkinson’s disease (PD). 281 de novo PD patients from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative database were included. Patients were followed up for a mean of 6.8 years and were classified into different groups according to the evolution patterns of pRBD. Disease progression was compared among groups using survival analysis, where the endpoint was defined as progression to Hoehn-Yahr stage 3 or higher for motor progression and progression to mild cognitive impairment for cognitive decline. At the 4th year of follow-up, four types of pRBD evolution patterns were identified: (1) non-RBD-stable (55.5%): patients persistently free of pRBD; (2) late-RBD (12.1%): patients developed pRBD during follow-up; (3) RBD-stable (24.9%): patients showed persistent pRBD, and (4) RBD-reversion (7.5%): patients showed pRBD at baseline which disappeared during follow-up. The RBD-reversion type showed the fastest motor progression while the RBD-stable type showed the fastest cognitive decline. At baseline, the RBD-reversion type showed the most severe gray matter atrophy in the middle frontal gyrus, while the RBD-stable type showed gray matter atrophy mainly in the para-hippocampal gyrus. Four types of early pRBD evolution patterns featured different brain lesions and predicted different courses of motor and cognitive decline in PD.

The heteroepitaxial growth of crystalline 2D materials is usually based on single-crystal substrates. Here, the authors demonstrate that single-crystal graphene and hexagonal boron nitride films can be successfully grown on wafer-scale copper foils with tailored twin boundaries.

Endothelial dysfunction is a primary pathophysiological change in sepsis. Macrophages are known to interact with vascular endothelial cells during the development of sepsis. Recently, drug delivery based on engineered macrophages was reported as an alternative approach for the management of diseases. Interleukin‐10 (IL10) is a well‐known anti‐inflammatory cytokine, which reduces inflammation and inhibits dysfunction of endothelial cells caused by sepsis. It is currently poorly understood whether genetically modified macrophages with overexpression of IL10 are able to restore endothelial integrity and function at the cellular level. In this study, we used lentiviral vectors to construct RAW264.7 macrophages engineered to overexpress IL10 (IL10‐eM) and investigated the effects of the IL10‐eM supernatant on LPS‐induced endothelial dysfunction using a noncontact coculture system. We found that cotreatment with IL10‐eM supernatant significantly attenuates the effects of LPS‐induced dysfunction of endothelial cells, including endothelial inflammatory response, endothelial permeability, and apoptosis. In addition, we discovered that LPS‐induced downregulation of VE‐cadherin and high production of reactive oxygen species were significantly attenuated upon IL10‐eM exposure. Furthermore, upregulation of IL6, TNFα, and Bax was decreased after treatment of cells with IL10‐eM supernatant. These results demonstrated that supernatant from engineered macrophages genetically modified with IL10 can effectively protect endothelial cells against LPS‐induced dysfunction in vitro, suggesting that exosomes from such engineered macrophages may have therapeutic effects against sepsis.

Armodafinil inclusion complex (AIC) hydrogel was prepared and evaluated for its therapeutic effect on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). After computer simulation and physicochemical property investigation, the AIC was formed by lyophilization of armodafinil with ethanol as solvent and hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) aqueous solution, in which the molar ratio of armodafinil and HP-β-CD was 1–1. The AIC encapsulation efficiency (EE) was (90.98 ± 3.72)% and loading efficiency (LE) was (13.95 ± 0.47)% and it increased the solubility of armodafinil in aqueous solution to 21 times. AIC hydrogel was prepared by adding AIC to methylcellulose (MC) hydrogels (3.33% w/v), and its higher drug release amount and slower release rate were testified by the in-vitro release assay and the rheological test. The mucosa irritation of AIC hydrogel was also evaluated. Healthy group, Model group, Sertraline group with 30 mg/kg sertraline gavage, AIC Hydrogel group with 20 mg/kg AIC hydrogel intranasal administration and AIC Aqueous Solution group with 20 mg/kg AIC aqueous solution gavage were set up for the treatment of mice with PTSD generated from foot shock method. Based on freezing response test in fear-conditioning box and open field test, compared with other groups, PTSD mice in AIC Hydrogel group showed significant improvement in behavioral parameters after 11 days of continuous drug administration and 5 days of drug withdrawal. After sacrifice, the plasma CORT level of PTSD mice in AIC Hydrogel group was elevated compared to Model group. Besides, the western blot (WB) of hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and amygdala dopamine transporter (DAT) immunohistochemistry sections indicated that AIC hydrogel had a protective effect on the brain tissue of PTSD mice. The brain targeting of intranasal administration was evaluated by fluorescence imaging characteristics of Cy7 hydrogel in the nasal route of drug administration, pharmacokinetics and in-vivo distribution of armodafinil. In short, AIC hydrogel is a promising formulation for the treatment of PTSD based on its high brain delivery and anti-PTSD effect.

Despite the common challenge of investigating non-metallic inclusions within ultra-high-strength-steel (UHSS) at sub-micrometer scale via conventional methods, probing nitride inclusions at elevated temperatures is vital for guiding steel’ performance. Herein, an in-situ spectro-microscopic determination using advanced Synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) coupled with photoelectron emission microscopy (PEEM) is employed to explore the local structure and electronic properties of selective h-boron nitride (h-BN) containing inclusions (A1 and A2) embedded within steel matrix. While the variation in the relative intensity of π∗/σ∗ excitonic peaks at spatially different locations refers to the polarization and or thickness effects. Several minute features observed in the 192–195 eV energy range show oxygen (O) substituted nitrogen (N) defects (ON,2N,3N), which are more dominant in A2 inclusion. The observed dominance further explains the relatively high intense π∗ peak in A2 due to increased localization. Weak shoulder on the left side of π∗ peak in both room and high-temperature XAS spectra is ascribed to the interaction between h-BN and the local environment, such as Ca-based inclusion or steel matrix. Defects are commonly found in h-BN, and precise identification of the same is vital as they affect the overall physical, chemical, and mechanical properties. Moreover, significant changes in high-temperature B K-edge XAS spectra, such as relative intensity of π∗/σ∗ excitonic peaks at the same location and reduced intensity of defects, suggest the adjusting nature of BN inclusion, complicating their precise prediction and control towards clean steel production.

The filamentation temperature-sensitive H (FtsH) gene family is critical in regulating plant chloroplast development and photosynthesis. It plays a vital role in plant growth, development, and stress response. Although FtsH genes have been identified in a wide range of plants, there is no detailed study of the FtsH gene family in soybean (Glycine max). Here, we identified 34 GmFtsH genes, which could be categorized into eight groups, and GmFtsH genes in the same group had similar structures and conserved protein motifs. We also performed intraspecific and interspecific collinearity analysis and found that the GmFtsH family has large-scale gene duplication and is more closely related to Arabidopsis thaliana. Cis-acting elements analysis in the promoter region of the GmFtsH genes revealed that most genes contain developmental and stress response elements. Expression patterns based on transcriptome data and real-time reverse transcription quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) showed that most of the GmFtsH genes were expressed at the highest levels in leaves. Then, GO enrichment analysis indicated that GmFtsH genes might function as a protein hydrolase. In addition, the GmFtsH13 protein was confirmed to be localized in chloroplasts by a transient expression experiment in tobacco. Taken together, the results of this study lay the foundation for the functional determination of GmFtsH genes and help researchers further understand the regulatory network in soybean leaf development.

As industrial modernization surges forward, the heat treatment industry strives for lower pollution, reduced oxidation and defects, minimized waste, and automatization. This paper reviews the mechanisms, processes, equipment, and simulations of the vacuum gas quenching technology, presenting a comprehensive account of the structure and working principle of a typical vacuum gas quenching furnace. Firstly, the mechanism of the heat transfer process, flow process, and flow–heat transfer–phase transition coupling were summarized. Then, the influences of process parameters on the mechanical properties and distortion of vacuum gas quenched workpieces, as well as the process optimization methods, were discussed. Finally, the advantages of vacuum gas quenching in energy saving, low pollution, and high efficiency were introduced, with the future development directions figured out.

In this study, the impact of sn-2 palmitic triacyclglycerols (TAGs) in combination with their ratio of two major TAGs (1-oleoyl-2-palmitoyl-3-linoleoylglycerol (OPL) to 1,3-dioleoyl-2-palmitoylglycerol (OPO)) in human milk fat substitute (HMFS) on bile acid (BA) metabolism and intestinal microbiota composition was investigated in newly-weaned Sprague–Dawley rats after four weeks of high-fat feeding. Compared to those of control group rats, HMFS-fed rats had significantly increased contents of six hepatic primary BAs (CDCA, αMCA, βMCA, TCDCA, TαMCA and TβMCA), four ileal primary BAs (UDCA, TCA, TCDCA and TUDCA) and three secondary BAs (DCA, LCA and ωMCA), especially for the HMFS with the highest sn-2 palmitic acid TAGs of 57.9% and OPL to OPO ratio of 1.4. Meanwhile, the inhibition of ileal FXR-FGF15 and activation of TGR5-GLP-1 signaling pathways in HMFS-fed rats were accompanied by the increased levels of enzymes involved in BA synthesis (CYP7A1, CYP27A1 and CYP7B1) in the liver and two key thermogenic proteins (PGC1α and UCP1) in perirenal adipose tissue, respectively. Moreover, increasing sn-2 palmitic TAGs and OPL to OPO ratio in HMFS also altered the microbiota composition both on the phylum and genus level in rats, predominantly microbes associated with bile-salt hydrolase activity, short-chain fatty acid production and reduced obesity risk, which suggested a beneficial effect on host microbial ecosystem. These observations provided important nutritional evidence for developing new HMFS products for infants.

Clouds are a critical factor in regulating the climate system, and estimating cloudy-sky Surface Downward Longwave Radiation (SDLR) from satellite data is significant for global climate change research. The models based on cloud water path (CWP) are less affected by cloud parameter uncertainties and have superior accuracy in SDLR satellite estimation when compared to those empirical and parameterized models relying mainly on cloud fraction or cloud-base temperature. However, existing CWP-based models tend to overestimate the low SDLR values and underestimate the larger SDLR. This study found that this phenomenon was caused by the fact that the models do not account for the varying relationships between cloud radiative effects and key parameters under different Liquid Water Path (LWP) and Precipitable Water Vapor (PWV) ranges. Based upon this observation, this study utilized Fengyun-4A (FY-4A) cloud parameters and ERA5 data as data sources to develop a new CWP-based model where the model coefficients depend on the cloud phase and cloud water path range. The accuracy of the new model’s estimated SDLR is 20.8 W/m2 for cloudy pixels, with accuracies of 19.4 W/m2 and 23.5 W/m2 for overcast and partly cloudy conditions, respectively. In contrast, the accuracy of the old CWP-based model was 22.4, 21.2, and 24.8 W/m2, respectively. The underestimation and overestimation present in the old CWP-based model are effectively corrected by the new model. The new model exhibited higher accuracy under various station locations, cloud cover scenarios, and cloud phase conditions compared to the old one. Comparatively, the new model showcased its most remarkable improvements in situations involving overcast conditions, water clouds with low PWV and low LWP values, ice clouds with large PWV, and conditions with PWV ≥ 5 cm. Over a temporal scale, the new model effectively captured the seasonal variations in SDLR.

Conical emission is a typical nonlinear phenomenon that occurs during the filamentation of femtosecond laser pulses in transparent media. In this work, the conical emission induced by two kinds of typical vortex beams (i.e., Laguerre–Gaussian (LG) and Bessel–Gaussian (BG) beams) in water is experimentally studied. By recording the light spots of different spectra components from the supercontinuum induced by the vortex beams, the characteristics of the conical emission induced by femtosecond vortex beams are studied. It is found that the spots of the supercontinuum induced by the two kinds of vortex beams differ greatly from each other. The spots of the supercontinuum induced by the BG beams are a set of concentric rings like a rainbow with a white center, while the white light spots in the case of the LG beams are circular white disks, which are different from the commonly observed white light spots. By measuring the maximum divergence angle, it is observed that the divergence angle increases with a decrease in the wavelength, while it is merely affected by the topological charge, which is explained by the formation mechanism of conical emission in terms of self-phase modulation. Based on the observed results, we discuss the transfer of optical angular momentum during the supercontinuum induced by the filamentation of femtosecond vortex beams. This work may help to better understand the transfer of optical angular momentum in non-optical parametric processes as well as the interaction of high-intensity pulses with matter.

Spatial patterns of leaf carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry play a pivotal role in the comprehension of terrestrial ecosystem dynamics, nutrient cycling, in responses to contemporary global climate change, and the evolutionary trajectories of leaf morphology and function. These patterns are not only solely shaped by plant and community composition, but also are profoundly influenced by environmental factors. Therefore, there is a compelling need for an in-depth investigation into individual species to discern the intricate impacts of soil and climate on leaf stoichiometry. In this study, we assessed the C, N, and P concentrations of mature leaves from 20 Phyllostachys propinqua populations in the urban forest across northern China covering a substantial latitudinal gradient. Our findings revealed that the average leaf concentrations of C, N, and P in P. propinqua were recorded at 0.46 g g−1, 23.19 mg g−1, and 1.40 mg g−1, respectively. Notably, we observed that leaf C and P concentrations, as well as the C:N ratios, exhibited significant increases with rising latitude. Conversely, leaf N concentrations and N:P ratios exhibited a marked decline with increasing latitude. These patterns were primarily driven by climate factors such as mean annual temperature (MAT) and lowest temperature (LT). In contrast, we found that only leaf C concentrations were correlated with soil N levels. These results underscored the differential spatial distribution of leaf C, N, and P stoichiometry in urban forest across northern China, predominantly instigated by climatic factors, particularly in regions characterized by lower temperatures. Our findings further suggest that P. propinqua enhances its adaptability to low-temperature environments by elevating leaf C and P concentrations.

Residences in poor regions always depend on rain-fed agriculture, so they urgently need suitable tools to make accurate meteorological predictions. Unfortunately, meteorological observations in these regions are usually sparse and irregularly distributed. Conventional LSTM networks only handle temporal sequences and cannot utilize the links of meteorological variables among stations. GCN-LSTM networks only capture local spatial structures through the simple structures of fixed adjacency matrices, and the CNN-LSTM can only mine gridded meteorological observations for further predictions. In this study, we propose an optimization hybrid of multiple-lag LSTM networks for meteorological predictions. Our model can make full use of observed data at partner stations under different time-lag windows and strong links among the local observations of meteorological variables to produce future predictions. Numerical experiments on the meteorological predictions of Bangladesh demonstrate that our networks are superior to the classic LSTM and its variants GCN-LSTM and CNN-LSTM, as well as the SVM and DT.

To assess the diversity of bacterial taxa in Antarctic soils and obtain novel microbial resources, 15 samples from 3 sampling sites (DIS5, GWS7, FPS10) of South Shetland Islands and 2 sampling sites (APS18, CIS17) of Antarctic Peninsula were collected. High-throughput sequencing (HTS) of 16S rRNA genes within these samples was conducted on an Illumina Miseq platform. A total of 140,303 16S rRNA gene reads comprising 802 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were obtained. After taxonomic classification, 25 phyla, 196 genera, and a high proportion of unidentified taxa were detected, among which seven phyla and 99 genera were firstly detected in Antarctica. The bacterial communities were dominated by Actinomycetota (40.40%), Pseudomonadota (17.14%), Bacteroidota (10.55%) and Chloroflexota (10.26%). Based on the HTS analyses, cultivation-dependent techniques were optimized to identify the cultivable members. A total of 30 different genera including 91 strains were obtained, the majority of which has previously been reported from Antarctica. However, for the genera Microterricola, Dyadobacter, Filibacter, Duganella, Ensifer, Antarcticirhabdus and Microvirga, this is the first report in Antarctica. In addition, seven strains represented novel taxa, two of which were psychropoilic and could be valuable resources for further research of cold-adaptability and their ecological significance in Antarctica.

This paper aims to develop a novel method for the dynamic equivalence of a renewable power plant, ultimately contributing to power system modeling and enhancing the integration of renewable energy sources. In order to address the challenge posed by clusters of renewable generation units during the equivalence process, the paper introduces the degree of similarity to assess similarity features under data. After leveraging the degree of similarity in conjunction with data-driven techniques, the proposed method efficiently entails dividing numerous units in a large-scale plant into distinct clusters. Additionally, the paper adopts practical algorithms to determine the parameters for each aggregated cluster and streamline the intricate collector network within the renewable power plant. The equivalent model of a renewable power plant is thereby conclusively derived. Comprehensive case studies are conducted within a practical offshore wind plant setting. These case studies are accompanied by simulations, highlighting the advantages and effectiveness of the proposed method, offering an accurate representation of the renewable power plant under diverse operating conditions.

Superhydrophobic coatings are limited by complex preparation processes and poor mechanical durability in practical applications. In this study, a mechanically robust superhydrophobic composite coating was applied to an aluminum surface that underwent processing with a nanosecond laser (referred to as a superhydrophobic aluminum surface). It exhibits a high water contact angle (WCA) of 158.81°, a low sliding angle (SA) of less than 5°, and excellent self-cleaning ability. The wear test shows its durability, and the corrosion test shows its excellent corrosion resistance. This study provides a framework for the preparation of robust superhydrophobic surfaces that may have potential applications in many fields.

Background: In this study, we analyzed intestinal flora in an experimental mouse model of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and investigated whether oral supplementation with probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG could slow the decline in renal function and inflammatory status of mice with CKD. Methods: We surgically induced chronic kidney disease in C57BL/6J male mice aged 8–9 weeks. We used dual-stage 5/6 nephrectomy for this, while the mock group underwent a mock procedure. The experimental (CKD mice) and mock group were administered a daily dose of 10 × 109 colony forming unit (CFU) of probiotic L. rhamnosus GG or 2 g of maltodextrin as a placebo by oral gavage, respectively, for 5 weeks. At the end of the experiment, the fecal samples of the mice were collected and prepared for intestinal microbial diversity analysis. We examined the serum chemistry and renal histology of the mice. Results: Important serum and blood biomarkers were associated with the development of CKD, including increased serum concentrations of creatine, cystatin C, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and a protein—interleukin-6 (denoted as IL-6), whereas decreased serum albumin concentration was also observed in the mice with CKD. The intestinal flora of the mice with CKD significantly declined in terms of diversity, richness, and homogeneity. The consumption of L. rhamnosus GG probiotic via oral gavage significantly decreased the serum concentration level present in creatinine and blood urea nitrogen. However, it increased albumin in the group with CKD. After probiotic treatment, serum IL-6 levels dropped considerably, and the kidney histopathology score in mice with CKD who were given L. rhamnosus GG improved. Moreover, supplementation with the probiotic significantly improved floral richness and lineage diversity in the mice with CKD.Conclusions: In this study, we found that probiotics significantly attenuated renal failure development, reduced serum levels of proinflammatory cytokine IL-6, and increased the abundance and lineage diversity of intestinal flora in mice with chronic kidney disease.

Soil salinization is detrimental to crop growth, agricultural yields, and environmental protection. Echinochloa frumentacea (Roxb.) Link is a pioneer species for the alteration of saline–alkali lands. In this paper, we examined the effects of intercropping between E. frumentacea and leguminous forages on saline land improvement in the saline–alkali soil of the Hetao-Ningxia Plain, China. We found that intercropping increased the diversity and richness of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) community in the rhizosphere soil of E. frumentacea. Glomus was the dominant genus in the saline–alkali soil of the Hetao-Ningxia Plain, where Glomeraceae, VTX00067, VTX000193, and VTX000165 were the dominant species. Intercropping improved the activities of soil urease, sucrase, alkaline phosphatase, and catalase. The hay yields of E. frumentacea were correlated positively with soil enzyme activities, Chao1 index, and ACE index, and negatively with total water-soluble salt content. Together, intercropping between E. frumentacea and leguminous forages enhances AMF diversity and soil enzyme activities, which provides an agricultural practice for improving sustainability of the agro-ecosystem in saline–alkali areas.

Most scholars believe that transgression events can contribute positively to organic matter enrichment and shale gas sweet spot development, while whether or not regression events are conducive to shale gas sweet spot development remains to be further discussed. Variations in organic carbon content (TOC), and major and trace elements at the Rhuddanian–Aeronian stage in the Luzhou area, the southern margin of Sichuan Basin, were analyzed in this paper. We discuss differences in paleoenvironment organic matter enrichment and shale sweet spot development during transgression and regression. A transgressive system tract (TST) occurred during the early Rhuddanian stage, while early highstand system tracts (Ehst-1 and Ehst-2) occurred during the late Rhuddanian stage and Aeronian stage, and a late highstand system tract (LHST) developed during the late Aeronian stage. A rise in sea level during the TST in the upper Yangtze resulted in an anoxic environment, where a continuous upwelling current brought about a large number of nutrients in the seawater, significantly increasing paleoproductivity. Strong tectonic subsidence, weak chemical weathering, and a rising sea level together led to a low terrigenous debris supply in the catchment area. Therefore, paleoproductivity and redox conditions were the primary controlling factors of organic matter enrichment at the TST stage, with a clastic supply of secondary importance. With the advance of the Guangxi orogeny, the organic matter enrichment at the EHST-1, EHST-2, and LHST stages was mainly controlled by redox conditions and debris supply. A comparison of the key physical parameters and geochemical indicators of shale reservoirs from these four system tracts suggests that two shale sweet spot types (type I and II) were developed during the Rhuddanian–Aeronian stage, occurring in the TST and EHST-2 stages. High TOC and high microcrystalline quartz content are key to developing type I sweet spots, while enhanced anoxic conditions in the bottom water caused by ephemeral, small-scale sea level rises are the main determinant of class II sweet spots in the later EHST stage.

In higher plants, cuticular wax deposited on the surface of epidermal cells plays an important role in protecting the plant from biotic and abiotic stresses; however, the molecular mechanism of cuticular wax production is not completely understood. In this study, we identified a glossy green mutant (98-1030gl) from the glaucous cabbage inbred line 98-1030. Scanning electron microscopy indicated that the amount of leaf cuticular wax significantly decreased in 98-1030gl. Genetic analysis showed that the glossy green trait was controlled by a single recessive gene. Bulked segregant analysis coupled with whole genome sequencing revealed that the candidate gene for the glossy green trait was located at 13,860,000–25,070,000 bp (11.21 Mb) on Chromosome 5. Based on the resequencing data of two parents and the F2 population, insertion-deletion markers were developed and used to reduce the candidate mapping region. The candidate gene (Bol026949) was then mapped in a 50.97 kb interval. Bol026949 belongs to the Agenet/Tudor domain protein family, whose members are predicted to be involved in chromatin remodeling and RNA transcription. Sequence analysis showed that a single nucleotide polymorphism mutation (C → G) in the second exon of Bol026949 could result in the premature termination of its protein translation in 98-1030gl. Phylogenetic analysis showed that Bol026949 is relatively conserved in cruciferous plants. Transcriptome profiling indicated that Bol026949 might participate in cuticular wax production by regulating the transcript levels of genes involved in the post-translational cellular process and phytohormone signaling. Our findings provide an important clue for dissecting the regulatory mechanisms of cuticular wax production in cruciferous crops.

AIM: To investigate the feasibility of teaching minimally invasive vitreoretinal surgery with a robot-assisted surgical system and a three-dimensional (3D) visualization system. METHODS: Enucleated porcine eyes were established as an animal model for removing foreign bodies. Forty medical students were recruited to remove foreign bodies to compare the traditional microscope and the 3D system. One junior resident performed the surgical task with manual and robot-assisted operations on 20 porcine eyes for each group. One senior surgeon evaluated the retinal invasion by a graded injury degree. The learning curve for minimally invasive vitreoretinal surgery was described. RESULTS: Compared with the robot-assisted group, the injury degree was higher in the manual group. For the first ten surgeries, the manual and robot-assisted groups had injuries of 2.60±1.35 (4 to 0) and 1.80±1.62 (4 to 0), respectively. For the last ten surgeries, the injury degrees were 1.90±1.20 (3 to 0) and 0.80±0.42 (1 to 0). Considering the manual and robot-assisted groups together, 95%, 75% and 60% of the students considered surgical manipulation with the 3D visualization system to be more comfortable, easier and clearer, respectively. CONCLUSION: The robot-assisted surgical system and 3D visualization system may have value in teaching minimally invasive vitreoretinal surgery.

Abstract Background Giant hiatal hernia is defined as those with more than 30% of the stomach herniating into the chest cavity. The transabdominal laparoscopic approach is the well-established repair form for giant hiatal hernia. To our best knowledge, reports on post-operative gastric outlet obstruction of giant hiatal hernia repair have been scanty up till now. Case presentation A 45-year-old female patient was referred to the Emergency Department of our hospital with a chief complaint of acute right epigastric pain for 2 days. Physical examination revealed mild tenderness in the right epigastrium, without rebound tenderness or guarding. The abdominal computed tomography scan revealed a large low-density gastric artifact in the lower mediastinum—giant hiatal hernia. The barium swallow esophagogram and gastroscopy also confirmed the presence of a giant hiatal hernia. A transabdominal laparoscopic operation for reduction of the hernia contents and repair of the hiatal defect was performed. Her right epigastric pain alleviated obviously on the first postoperative day. On post-operative day five, however, she was presented with nausea and vomiting independent of meals. The nasogastric tube was inserted and kept in the stomach for 7 days. After removing the nasogastric tube, severe nausea and vomiting of the patient occurred again. Barium swallow revealed gastroptosis and enfoldment in the duodenal bulb, which indicated the presence of gastric outlet obstruction. Gastrojejunostomy was performed for her to relieve the gastric outlet obstruction. The patient was discharged on the tenth day after the second operation without any discomfort. During the regular follow-up period, she felt well and was satisfied with her status. Conclusions Facing the giant hiatal hernia repair, the reduction of the hernia contents and repair of the hiatal defect being well operated on are insufficient, and we must watch out the anatomical variation, like the deviation of partial intra-abdominal organs from their normal positions, as well as paying attention to the protection of abdominal vagal nerve during the operation. Post-operative gastric outlet obstruction of giant hiatal hernia repair is rare, while gastrojejunostomy can successfully relieve the gastric outlet obstruction.

Abstract Background The role of physical exercise in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been widely studied. Microglia play an important role in AD. Triggering receptor expressed in myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) is expressed on microglia and is known to mediate microglial metabolic activity and brain glucose metabolism. However, the relationship between brain glucose metabolism and microglial metabolic activity during running exercise in APP/PS1 mice remains unclear. Methods Ten-month-old male APP/PS1 mice and wild-type mice were randomly divided into sedentary groups or running groups (AD_Sed, WT_Sed, AD_Run and WT_Run, n = 20/group). Running mice had free access to a running wheel for 3 months. Behavioral tests, [18]F-FDG-PET and hippocampal RNA-Seq were performed. The expression levels of microglial glucose transporter (GLUT5), TREM2, soluble TREM2 (sTREM2), TYRO protein tyrosine kinase binding protein (TYROBP), secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1), and phosphorylated spleen tyrosine kinase (p-SYK) were estimated by western blot or ELISA. Immunohistochemistry, stereological methods and immunofluorescence were used to investigate the morphology, proliferation and activity of microglia. Results Long-term voluntary running significantly improved cognitive function in APP/PS1 mice. Although there were few differentially expressed genes (DEGs), gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) showed enriched glycometabolic pathways in APP/PS1 running mice. Running exercise increased FDG uptake in the hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice, as well as the protein expression of GLUT5, TREM2, SPP1 and p-SYK. The level of sTREM2 decreased in the plasma of APP/PS1 running mice. The number of microglia, the length and endpoints of microglial processes, and the ratio of GLUT5+/IBA1+ microglia were increased in the dentate gyrus (DG) of APP/PS1 running mice. Running exercise did not alter the number of 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU)+/IBA1+ microglia but reduced the immunoactivity of CD68 in the hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice. Conclusions Running exercise inhibited TREM2 shedding and maintained TREM2 protein levels, which were accompanied by the promotion of brain glucose metabolism, microglial glucose metabolism and morphological plasticity in the hippocampus of AD mice. Microglia might be a structural target responsible for the benefits of running exercise in AD. Promoting microglial glucose metabolism and morphological plasticity modulated by TREM2 might be a novel strategy for AD treatment.

Abstract Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a group of heterogeneous hematologic malignancies with a risk of transformation to acute myeloid leukemia. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of the specific roles of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in MDS would create novel ways to identify diagnostic and therapeutic targets. The lncRNA BC200 is upregulated and acts as an oncogene in various cancers; however, its expression, clinical significance, and roles in MDS remain unclear. Here, we found that BC200 was highly expressed in MDS patients compared with normal individuals. Knockdown of BC200 inhibited MDS cell proliferation, colony formation, and cell cycle progression in vitro and suppressed the growth and invasiveness of MDS cells in vivo. Mechanistic investigations revealed that BC200 functioned as a miRNA sponge to positively regulate the expression of MYB through sponging miR-150-5p and subsequently promoted malignant proliferation of MDS cells. Conversely, we found that BC200 was a direct transcriptional target of MYB, and knockdown of MYB abolished the oncogenic effect of BC200/miR-150-5p. Taken together, our results revealed that the BC200/miR-150-5p/MYB positive feedback loop promoted the proliferation of MDS cells and is expected to be a potential biomarker and therapeutic target in MDS.

Abstract Background Acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) is the main factor that leads to the deterioration of the disease. Currently, the diagnosis of AECOPD mainly relies on clinical manifestations, good predictors or biomarkers are lacking. We aim to reveal specific biomarkers and potential pathogenesis of AECOPD and provide a research basis for the diagnosis and treatment. Methods Four patients with AECOPD, four patients with stable COPD, and five control subjects were enrolled for RNA sequencing and KEGG analysis. The mRNA level of target genes was verified by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) with an expanded sample size (30 patients with AECOPD, 27 patients with stable COPD, and 35 control subjects). ELISA and immunofluorescence were used to identify the target proteins. Furthermore, the expression and function of WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway were assessed in animal models of COPD. Results RNA sequencing showed that 54 genes were up-regulated and 111 genes were down-regulated in the AECOPD. Differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in WNT signaling pathway, et al. QPCR revealed that multi-genes of the WNT/β-catenin signaling were significantly down-regulated in AECOPD (P

Abstract The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly transmissible disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that poses a major threat to global public health. Although COVID-19 primarily affects the respiratory system, causing severe pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome in severe cases, it can also result in multiple extrapulmonary complications. The pathogenesis of extrapulmonary damage in patients with COVID-19 is probably multifactorial, involving both the direct effects of SARS-CoV-2 and the indirect mechanisms associated with the host inflammatory response. Recognition of features and pathogenesis of extrapulmonary complications has clinical implications for identifying disease progression and designing therapeutic strategies. This review provides an overview of the extrapulmonary complications of COVID-19 from immunological and pathophysiologic perspectives and focuses on the pathogenesis and potential therapeutic targets for the management of COVID-19.

Abstract Background Newborn screening (NBS) has been implemented for neonatal inborn disorders using various technology platforms, but false-positive and false-negative results are still common. In addition, target diseases of NBS are limited by suitable biomarkers. Here we sought to assess the feasibility of further improving the screening using next-generation sequencing technology. Methods We designed a newborn genetic sequencing (NBGS) panel based on multiplex PCR and next generation sequencing to analyze 134 genes of 74 inborn disorders, that were validated in 287 samples with previously known mutations. A retrospective cohort of 4986 newborns was analyzed and compared with the biochemical results to evaluate the performance of this panel. Results The accuracy of the panel was 99.65% with all samples, and 154 mutations from 287 samples were 100% detected. In 4986 newborns, a total of 113 newborns were detected with biallelic or hemizygous mutations, of which 36 newborns were positive for the same disorder by both NBGS and conventional NBS (C-NBS) and 77 individuals were NBGS positive/C-NBS negative. Importantly, 4 of the 77 newborns were diagnosed currently including 1 newborn with methylmalonic acidemia, 1 newborn with primary systemic carnitine deficiency and 2 newborns with Wilson’s disease. A total of 1326 newborns were found to be carriers with an overall carrier rate of 26.6%. Conclusion Analysis based on next generation sequencing could effectively identify neonates affected with more congenital disorders. Combined with C-NBS, this approach may improve the early and accurate identification of neonates with inborn disorders. Our study lays the foundation for prospective studies and for implementing NGS-based analysis in NBS.

Accurate and efficient semantic segmentation of buildings in high spatial resolution (HSR) remote sensing images is the basis for applications such as fine urban management, high-precision mapping, land resource utilization investigation, and human settlement suitability evaluation. The current building extraction methods based on deep learning can obtain high-level abstract features of images. However, due to the limitation of convolution kernel size and the vanishing gradient, the extraction of some buildings is inaccurate, and some small-volume buildings are missing as the network deepens. In this regard, we design a horizontally connected residual blocks-based multiscale attention network to achieve high-quality extraction of buildings in HSR remote sensing image. In this network, we subdivide each residual block by channel grouping and feature horizontal connection to consider the difference and saliency of feature information between channels, and then combine the output features with multiscale attention module to consider the contextual semantic relationship of different regions and integrate multilevel local and global information of buildings. A stepwise up-sampling mechanism is designed in the decoding process to finally achieve precise semantic segmentation of buildings. We conduct experiments on two public datasets and compare the proposed method with state-of-the-art semantic segmentation methods. The experiments show that our method could achieve better building extraction results in HSR remote sensing image, which proves the effectiveness of our proposed method.

In edge-emitting high power laser diodes, the longitudinal spatial hole burning (LSHB) effect induced by the inhomogeneous photon and carrier distributions and the non-linear process, two-photon absorption (TPA), are demonstrated to the key causes of power saturation at the high injection level even in the absence of thermal roll-over. Laser diodes based on extreme, double/triple asymmetric (EDAS/ETAS) epitaxial structures show great potentials in high-power and high-efficiency applications owing to the reduced series resistance, low optical loss, and suppressed power saturation. In this paper, a novel semi-analytical calculation method is proposed to systematically analyze the impact of LSHB and TPA effects on the output characteristics of EDAS/ETAS-based broad area lasers (BALs). By leveraging the feature that it is flexible to adjust the confinement factor of ETAS epitaxial structure without compromising the internal loss and resistance level, the laser parameters are first optimized to minimize power saturation of ETAS-based BALs under pulsed and Continuous Wave (CW) operation.

Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) with antibacterial properties were synthesized by using a one-step method. The reagents used were environmentally friendly, and no subsequent purification treatment was required. This method conformed to the concept of green chemistry, and the synthesized silver nanoparticles had biosafety and antibacterial properties. The structure of Ag NPs was investigated and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The particle size of Ag NPs was approximately 14.01 nm, and the particle size distribution was relatively uniform. The antibacterial properties of Ag NPs were studied by conducting an inhibition circle experiment and investigating the growth curve. Lignin-capped Ag NPs (L-Ag NPs) were synthesized and characterized as inorganic antibacterial agents with good antibacterial activity and no biological toxicity.

Abstract Naked carp (Gymnocypris przewalskii), endemic to the saline-alkaline Lake Qinghai, have the capacity to tolerate combinations of high salinity and alkalinity, but migrate to spawn in freshwater rivers each year. In this study, we measured the drinking rate over a 24 h period for naked carp exposed to saline-alkaline lake waters with salinities of 15 (L15) and 17 (L17). We also assessed the daily feed intakes of naked carp exposed to L15 and fresh water (FW). Additionally, we studied the daily expression of acid–base regulation and osmoregulation related genes and proteins in the intestine of naked carp exposed to saline-alkaline lake waters. Our results revealed that the drinking rate at night was significantly higher than in daytime when exposed to either L15 or L17, while feed intakes in daytime were significantly higher than at night. The relative expression of Na+/K+-ATPase α (NKA-α), solute carrier family members 26A6 (SLC26A6) and 4A4 (SLC4A4) in the intestine of naked carp exposed to L17 at night was higher than in daytime. Specifically, NKA-α mRNA expression at 4:00 was 7.22-fold and 5.63-fold higher than that at 10:00 and 16:00, respectively, and the expression at 22:00 was 11.29-fold and 8.80-fold higher than that at 10:00 and 16:00, respectively. Similarly, SLC26A6 mRNA expression was greatest at 22:00, exceeding that observed at 4:00, 10:00 and 16:00 by 3.59, 4.44 and 11.14-fold, respectively. Finally, the expression of NKA-α and SLC26A6 protein at the single cell level was also higher at night than during the day, which was 1.65-fold and 1.37-fold higher at 22:00 respectively compared to 16:00. Overall, the present findings revealed that naked carp drinks at night and feeds during the day, demonstrating that intestinal ion regulation exhibits a daily rhythm when exposed to high saline and alkaline lake water.

The dynamic boundary concept enables more flexible and efficient operation of microgrids with distributed energy resources (DER) that are intermittent in nature. As the integration of renewables continues to accelerate, an adaptive power management module that enables dynamic boundary operations in microgrids with an increasing number of source locations is essential for the fast and low-cost deployment of microgrid controllers. The power management module introduced in this paper is capable of handling the increased complexity in topological variations and transitions stemming from dynamic boundaries and multiple source locations. This includes real-time operation of multiple islands with dynamic boundaries, initiation of topological transitions (merging and separation of islands), and automatic source coordination for power sharing and frequency regulation. All functions in the power management module are designed to be automatically adaptable to arbitrary microgrids with non-meshed topologies so that the deployment of the controller at new microgrid sites can be expedited with a reduced cost. The module has been implemented on NI’s CompactRIO system as an essential part of an MG controller and tested on a converter-based hardware testbed (HTB). Testing results validated the effectiveness of the algorithms under various operating conditions.

Nuclear receptor subfamily 4 group A1 (NR4A1) is an orphan nuclear receptor, which is expressed in the majority of cells. NR4A1 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells is low during the preclinical stage of multiple sclerosis. Knockout of the Nr4a1 gene in mice can aggravate the symptoms of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), which is an animal model of multiple sclerosis. In this study, we intragastrically administered the NR4A1 agonist cytosporone B (Csn-B) to mice after inducing EAE. After treatment with Csn-B, the clinical symptoms in the EAE mice were substantially attenuated compared with that in PBS-treated control mice. The percentages of CD4+ T cells and F4/80+ cells in the central nervous system were decreased. In addition, interferon-γ and interleukin-17 production by proinflammatory Th1/Th17 cells in the central nervous system and interferon-γ levels in splenocytes were decreased after Csn-B treatment. These findings suggest that the NR4A1 agonist Csn-B can alleviate nerve injury after EAE induction, and, therefore, may be useful as a potential treatment for multiple sclerosis.

BackgroundOlder adults are particularly at risk from infectious diseases, including serve complications, hospitalization, and death. ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the drivers of vaccine hesitancy among older adults based on the “3Cs” (confidence, complacency, and convenience) framework, where socioeconomic status and vaccination history played the role of moderators. MethodsA cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted in Jiangsu Province, China, between June 1 and July 20, 2021. Older adults (aged ≥60 years) were recruited using a stratified sampling method. Vaccine hesitancy was influenced by the 3Cs in the model. Socioeconomic status and vaccination history processed through the item parceling method were used to moderate associations between the 3Cs and hesitancy. Hierarchical regression analyses and structural equation modeling were used to test the validity of the new framework. We performed 5000 trials of bootstrapping to calculate the 95% CI of the pathway’s coefficients. ResultsA total of 1341 older adults participated. The mean age was 71.3 (SD 5.4) years, and 44.7% (599/1341) of participants were men. Confidence (b=0.967; 95% CI 0.759-1.201; P=.002), convenience (b=0.458; 95% CI 0.333-0.590; P=.002), and less complacency (b=0.301; 95% CI 0.187-0.408; P=.002) were positively associated with less vaccine hesitancy. Socioeconomic status weakened the positive effect of low complacency (b=–0.065; P=.03) on low vaccine hesitancy. COVID-19 vaccination history negatively moderated the positive association between confidence (b=–0.071; P=.02) and lower vaccine hesitancy. ConclusionsOur study identified that confidence was the more influential dimension in reducing vaccine hesitancy among older adults. COVID-19 vaccination history, as well as confidence, had a positive association with less vaccine hesitancy and could weaken the role of confidence in vaccine hesitancy. Socioeconomic status had a substitution relationship with less complacency, which suggested a competitive positive association between them on less vaccine hesitancy.

Abstract Flexible artificial synapses, a conjunctive product of brain‐inspired neuromorphic computing and wearable electronics, arouse enormous interest in highly connected and energy‐efficient neural networks. The organic–inorganic hybrid materials hold great potential in flexible devices due to versatile properties. Here, an organic–inorganic hybrid synaptic device consisting of 2 nm Al2O3 and 22 nm Al‐based hydroquinone (Al‐HQ) sandwiched between Pt and poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) electrodes is prepared on highly flexible cellophane by molecular/atomic layer deposition (MLD/ALD). The vertically integrated Pt/Al2O3/Al‐HQ/PEDOT:PSS device exhibits reliable resistive switching with an ON/OFF ratio greater than 103. Several important bio‐synaptic functions, such as long‐term potentiation, long‐term depression, paired‐pulse facilitation, and spike‐time‐dependent plasticity, are realized in this device with the extremely low energy consumption of ≈25.2 fJ per reset operation, which is ascribed to the unique electron trapping/detrapping and tunneling mechanism. Remarkably, the excellent flexibility and robustness of this hybrid synaptic device is confirmed under the minimum curvature radius of ≈0.7 mm after 104 bending cycles. A pattern recognition computation based on these hybrid synapse devices shows a 90.2% learning accuracy. This research paves a way for the MLD/ALD‐derived organic–inorganic‐hybrid‐based artificial synapse applications in flexible energy‐efficient neuron network systems toward system‐on‐plastics.

Abstract The weak dielectric screening in 2D semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides give rise to strongly bound quasiparticles, which provides a platform to investigate the diverse excitonic phenomena and correlated physics. However, how to effectively control these quasiparticles is still a challenge for their applications in optoelectronic and valleytronic devices. Herein, by means of fabricating monolayer WSe2 and transition metal oxide (TMO) heterostructures, polaronic trion, that is a trion dressed with soft rotational optical (RO) phonons, is realized due to the strong interfacial coupling. This Fröhlich bound state of trion dramatically increases the trion binding energy (BE) from room temperature to 65 meV at 80 K in WSe2/LaAlO3 (LAO). However, the increase of the trion BE for WSe2/SrTiO3 (STO) occurs below the phase transition temperature. This work expands the possibilities of the TMDs/TMOs heterostructures and promotes the development of 2D van der Waals materials for quasiparticle‐based devices.

IntroductionIn marine ecosystems, microbial communities are important drivers of material circulation and energy flow. The complex interactions between phytoplankton and bacterial communities constitute one of the most crucial ecological relationships in the marine environment. Inorganic nitrogen can affect the type of relationship between algae and bacteria. However, the quantitative relationship between the bacterial communities, inorganic nitrogen, and phytoplankton remains unclear.MethodsUnder laboratory conditions, we altered the forms (nitrate and ammonium) and amounts of nitrogen sources to study the dynamics of bacterial biomass, diversity, and community structure in the phycosphere of the marine model species Phaeodactylum tricornutum. The bacterial community structure during P. tricornutum growth was analyzed using Illumina HiSeq sequencing of 16S rDNA amplicons.ResultsThe results indicated that inorganic nitrogen concentration was the main factor promoting P. tricornutum biomass growth. The change in the algal biomass would significantly increase the phycosphere bacterial biomass. The bacterial biomass in the algal-bacteria co-culture system was 1.5 ~ 5 times that of the conditional control groups without microalgae under the same culture conditions. The variation of P. tricornutum biomass also affected the bacterial communities in the phycosphere. When P. tricornutum was in the exponential phase (96 ~ 192 h), the bacterial community structure differed between the high- and low-concentration groups. The difference in the bacterial communities over time in the high-concentration groups was more prominent than in the low-concentration groups. Under high-concentration groups (HA and HN), the relative abundance of Marivita and Marinobacter, engaged in the transformation of aquatic inorganic nitrogen, gradually decreased with time. However, the relative abundance of Oceanicaulis, closely related to algal growth, gradually increased with time.DiscussionThe above phenomena might be related to the change in P. tricornutum biomass. Our results explain when and how the phycosphere bacterial communities responded to algal biomass variations. The study provides a foundation for the quantitative relationship among nutrients, microalgae, and bacteria in this system.

Main pointOur retrospective analysis of a large number of cases found in patients with primary colorectal cancer (CRC) carrying positive HBsAg inhibited the occurrence of synchronous liver metastases (SLM). However, liver cirrhosis caused by non-HBV factors promoted the occurrence of SLM.ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate the effect of HBV on the occurrence of synchronous liver metastases (SLM) of colorectal cancer (CRC).MethodsUnivariate and multivariate analyses were used to analyze the influence of clinical parameters on the occurrence of SLM.ResultsA total of 6, 020 patients with primary CRC were included in our study, of which 449 patients carrying HBsAg(+) accounted for 7.46%. 44 cases of SLM occurred in the HBsAg(+) group, accounting for 9.80%, which was much lower than 13.6% (758/5571) in the HBsAg(-) group (X=5.214, P=0.022). Among CRC patients with HBsAg(-), the incidence of SLM was 24.9% and 14.9% in the group with high APRI and FIB-4 levels, respectively, which were significantly higher than that in the compared groups (12.3% and 12.5%, all P

Objective: This study’s purpose was to investigate the effects of different intensities of physical activity on cardiovascular metabolism in obese children and adolescents based on an isochronous replacement model.Methods: A total of 196 obese children and adolescents (mean age, 13.44 ± 1.71 years) who met the inclusion criteria and attended a summer camp from July 2019 to August 2021 were recruited for this study, and all subjects wore a GT3X + triaxial motion accelerometer uniformly around the waist to record physical activity levels. We collected the subjects’ height, weight, and cardiovascular risk factors such as waist circumference, hip circumference, fasting lipids, blood pressure, fasting insulin, and fasting glucose before and after 4 weeks of camp and constructed cardiometabolic risk score (CMR-z). We analyzed the effects of different intensities of physical activity on cardiovascular metabolism in obese children using isotemporal substitution model (ISM).Results: After 4 weeks, cardiovascular risk factors such as body weight, waist circumference, triglyceride, and total cholesterol were reduced in adolescents with obesity (p

ObjectiveTo explore the use of 99mTc-rituximab tracer injection for internal mammary sentinel lymph node (IM-SLN) detection in patients with primary breast cancer.MethodsThis prospective observational study enrolled female patients with primary breast cancer between September 2017 and June 2022 at Fujian Provincial Hospital. The participants were divided into the peritumoral group (two subcutaneous injection points on the surface of the tumor), two-site group (injections into the glands at 6 and 12 o’clock around the areola area), and four-site group (injections into the gland at 3, 6, 9, and 12 o’clock around the areola area). The outcomes were the detection rates of the IM-SLNs and axillary sentinel lymph nodes (A-SLNs).ResultsFinally, 133 patients were enrolled, including 53 in the peritumoral group, 60 in the two-site group, and 20 in the four-site group. The detection rate of the IM-SLNs in the peritumoral group (9.4% [5/53]) was significantly lower than in the two-site (61.7% [37/60], P

BackgroundThis study aims to analyze the research hotspots, evolution, and developing trends in pediatric bronchiectasis over the past 20 years using bibliometric analysis and visualization tools to identify potential new research directions.MethodsPublications related to bronchiectasis in children were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database from 2003 to 2022. Knowledge maps were performed through VOSviewer1.6.18 and CiteSpace6.1 R2.ResultsA total of 2,133 publications were searched, while only 1,351 original articles written in English between 2003 and 2022 were incorporated. After removing duplicates, we finally included 1,350 articles published by 6,593 authors from 1,865 institutions in 80 countries/regions in 384 different academic journals with an average citation frequency of 24.91 times. The number of publications shows an extremely obvious binomial growth trend. The majority of publications originated from the United States, Australia, and England. The institutes in Australia, especially Charles Darwin University, published the most articles associated with pediatric bronchiectasis. In addition, Pediatric Pulmonology was the most published journal. In terms of authors, Chang AB was the most productive author, while Gangell CL had the highest average citation frequency. The five keywords that have appeared most frequently during the last two decades were “children,” “cystic fibrosis,” “bronchiectasis,” “ct,” and “pulmonary-function.” According to keyword analysis, early diagnosis and intervention and optimal long-term pediatric-specific management were the most concerned topics for researchers.ConclusionThis bibliometric analysis indicates that bronchiectasis in children has drawn increasing attention in the last two decades as its recognition continues to rise, providing scholars in the field with significant information on current topical issues and research frontiers.

The utilization of liquid nitrogen as a sustainable and water-free fracturing medium exhibits immense promise in engineering applications. In this investigation, Brazilian split tests and acoustic emission tests were conducted to explore the impact of liquid nitrogen cooling on the internal structure and mechanical properties of rock specimens. To examine the influence of liquid nitrogen cooling on the tensile strength of rocks, displacement-load curves were obtained from samples subjected to varying cycles of high-temperature liquid nitrogen cooling using Brazilian split tests. Acoustic emission experiments were conducted to investigate the characteristics of granite samples exposed to various cycles of high-temperature liquid nitrogen cooling. Based on these findings, the impact of liquid nitrogen cooling on the internal structure of rock masses was analyzed. The findings of this study demonstrate that high-temperature liquid nitrogen thermal treatment significantly modifies the microscopic structure and mechanical properties of rocks, with potential implications for overall stability and reliability. Notably, an observable decline in tensile strength was observed as the number of cycles of high-temperature liquid nitrogen treatment increased. These findings underscore the substantial impact of liquid nitrogen cooling on the behavior of rocks. High-temperature liquid nitrogen treatment effectively promotes the generation of microcracks within rocks, thereby increasing their permeability. During the experiment, granite specimens primarily exhibited shear-type fractures when subjected to high-temperature freeze-thaw cycles induced by liquid nitrogen.

African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Hispanic (or Latinx), Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander groups are underrepresented in the biomedical workforce, which is one of the barriers to addressing cancer disparities among minority populations. The creation of a more inclusive biomedical workforce dedicated to reducing the burden of cancer health disparities requires structured, mentored research and cancer-related research exposure during the earlier stages of training. The Summer Cancer Research Institute (SCRI) is a multicomponent 8-week intensive summer program funded under the Partnership between a Minority Serving Institute and a National Institutes of Health-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. In this survey study, we found that students who participated in the SCRI Program reported greater knowledge and interest in pursuing careers in cancer-related fields than their counterparts who did not participate in SCRI. Successes, challenges, and solutions in providing training in cancer and cancer health disparities research to improve diversity in the biomedical fields were also discussed.

Due to the depletion of shallow resources and the reduction of the space for human life and development, in recent years, human beings began to gradually expand to the deep underground. The increase of development depth will bring a series of safety problems, so it is particularly important to study and deal with rockburst. In this paper, based on laboratory tests, relevant literature, and research at home and abroad, the TAWD-2000 electrohydraulic servo rock mechanics testing machine and PIC-2 acoustic emission (AE) testing system are used. Uniaxial compression tests and AE monitoring tests were carried out on granite samples to analyze the property and AE characteristic parameters of granite under the action of liquid nitrogen (LN2) and to further study the fracture mode of granite. The following conclusions can be obtained: the LN2 cooling has a deterioration influence on the strength of rock, and the elastic modulus and peak stress of granite show a downward trend with the increasing number of cycles. With the cycle times of LN2 actions increasing, the AE ring count of granite and the frequency and amplitude of energy in each stage have an upward trend. When the rock reaches the failure stage, the energy at the catastrophe point increases, and the ring count also increases sharply. The RA-AF diagram of AE parameters can characterize two failure modes of rock, tensile failure and shear failure. In the process of fracture of granite samples, shear cracks dominate, leading to shear failure or compression failure of granite. Based on the method of elastic energy, the tendency index of rockburst of granite samples under different working conditions is calculated. The tendency of rockburst decreases with the decrease of elastic modulus. Under the repeated action of LN2, the tendency of rockburst of granite samples presents a downward trend, and the action of LN2 reduces the probability of rockburst to a certain extent.

The Huangchigou Water Distribution Hub is the core water distribution structure in the Hanjiang-to-Weihe Valley Water Diversion Project. It plays a decisive role in ensuring the safety of downstream water transport, allocating water reasonably and reducing the waste of abandoned water. The study on its unsteady-flow hydraulic characteristics is of key significance in the formulation for the opening and closing rules of the hub gates. The shape of the instantaneous water surface profile is an important factor for the hydraulic characteristics of the unsteady flow in the hub. The effect of the traditional instantaneous water level measurement method is not ideal. A single-camera and fixed-scale compensation method is proposed for an instantaneous water level observation. The proposed method meets the requirement of measurement accuracy and reduces the observation cost of the model test. The unsteady-flow test of the hydraulic model in the Southern Main Tunnel of the Huangchigou Water Distribution Hub was carried out under two operating conditions when the model flow is 0.0246 m3/s. Precise data such as wave front propagation velocity and hydraulic oscillation recovery time of unsteady flows in the Southern Main Tunnel was obtained. It has an important reference value for the research and design of water transfer dispatching and gate-opening and gate-closing rules for the Huangchigou Water Distribution Hub.

Abstract Camptothecin (CPT) is a potent chemotherapeutic agent for various cancers, but the broader application of CPT is still hindered by its poor bioavailability and systemic toxicity. Here, a prodrug that releases CPT in response to glutathione (GSH), which is commonly overexpressed by cancer cells is reported. Through assembling with PEGylated lipids, the prodrug is incorporated within as‐assembled nanoparticles, affording CPT with a prolonged half‐life in blood circulation, enhanced tumor targetingability, and improved therapeutic efficacy. Furthermore, such prodrug nanoparticles can also promote dendritic cell maturation and tumor infiltration of CD8+ T cells, providing a novel strategy to improve the therapeutic efficacy of CPT.

Background: Under the guidance of carbon peak and carbon neutral targets, China’s economic development is facing unprecedented challenges. It is of great strategic significance and value to study the integrated development of regional low-carbon economy. The harmonious development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei) has become a national strategy, and its importance is prominent.Objective: To promote the regional economic integration of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei is the top priority of promoting the development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei integration at present, and is the key to achieving the coordinated development and mutual benefit of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei.Methods: In this context, this paper studies the fuzzy control evaluation algorithm of regional economy based on SDM model. Realized the prediction of the expansion of the low-carbon economy in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, and put forward the development strategy of the economic integration of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei. The ranking of regional competitiveness of fuzzy control evaluation method is in line with the reality of today’s economic expansion. The application of fuzzy rules improves the speed, accuracy and objectivity of evaluation.Results: The final experiment shows that the accuracy of the algorithm is very high, reaching 95.14%. In addition, the algorithm has higher efficiency and better performance. The fuzzy control evaluation algorithm of regional economy can better predict the economic growth of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei.Conclusion: Propose the development strategy of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei low-carbon economic integration to further promote the development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei integration and promote the adjustment and optimization of China’s economic structure.

ABSTRACTLignosulfonate /silver nanoparticles (L–AgNPs) were synthesized by a one-pot method. The structure of the prepared L–AgNPs was characterized by ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The prepared L–AgNPs were spherical with a size of approximately 16–22 nm, whereas the structure of lignosulfonate did not change during the synthesis. The synthetic method is green, simple and fast. As a heavy metal, establishing a green and rapid detection method for mercury ion is very important. L–AgNPs exhibited high selectivity for mercury (II), a detection range of 0–68 µM, and a minimum detection limit of 7 nM. The detection method developed in this work was used for the determination of mercury (II) in actual water samples, and the results agreed well with those obtained by a colorimetric method. This study provides a new idea for the practice of green chemistry and a novel method for the detection of mercury (II).