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In view of the rapid spread of African swine fever in Mainland China from 2018 to 2019, we used spatiotemporal statistical analysis methods to study the spatiotemporal transmission features of African swine fever. The results reveal that the hot spots of African swine fever were concentrated in some cities in Northeast and Southwest China. Seven spatiotemporal clusters of African swine fever were identified, and the most likely spatiotemporal cluster was located in the Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture of QianNan in Guizhou Province, and the cluster date was from 19 June to 25 June 2019. The first secondary cluster covered five cities (Shenyang, Yingkou, Panjin, Anshan, and Liaoyang) in Liaoning Province from 1 August to 10 October 2018. In addition, from the global and local transmission direction and speed of African swine fever in Mainland China, the spatial transmission speed of ASF was found to be slow from August to October 2018, and fast from February to March 2019. Lastly, the global and local isolation and exposure of sites infected with ASF were calculated in Mainland China to reveal the infection risk of different susceptible sites and time periods.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease. This study aims to explore the intervention and treatment effects of aerobic exercise and different exercise modes on AD through meta-analysis.Using the set inclusion and exclusion criteria, retrieve the China national knowledge infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, China Science and Technology Journal Database, Cochrane Library, and PubMed were searched from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2021. Cochrane risk bias assessment tool was used to evaluate the quality of the included articles, and ReMan5.4.1 was used for forest plot analysis of mini-mental state exam (MMSE) score indicators included in the included articles.Twelve randomized controlled trials and 795 samples were included. Meta analysis of all articles: I2 = 91%, P ≤ .00001, (MD = 2.95, 95%CI [2.49, 3.40], P ≤ .00001). Meta analysis of 5 fit aerobics groups: I2 = 4%, P = .38, (MD = 1.53, 95%CI [0.72, 2.33], P = .0002); meta-analysis of three spinning groups: I2 = 3%, P = .36, (MD = 1.79, 95%CI [0.29, 3.29], P = .02).Aerobic exercise can effectively improve intellectual and cognitive impairment in AD patients, and for different forms of aerobic exercise, the therapeutic effect of spinning aerobic exercise is better than that of fit aerobics.

Computational thinking (CT) is one of the skills that are critical for problem-solving in a technology-driven society. Although the importance of CT as a goal in education is increasingly acknowledged, there is scant research on developing pre-service teachers’ CT competencies so that they can integrate CT in their lesson design. In this study, drawing from the experiential learning framework, we discuss the design of a module using a novel approach that is a hybridisation of plugged and unplugged CT approaches. The aim is to facilitate pre-service teachers in making connections between CT and their teaching contexts. Thirty-eight pre-service teachers attended the CT module for twelve weeks. The results indicated that the participants developed better CT competencies by integrating, justifying and reflecting CT in their lesson design. This study demonstrates the importance of providing a practical CT module to conduct unplugged activities for pre-service teachers, especially for those without prior computing knowledge, before introducing CT in the context of programming.

The EXO70 gene is a vital component of the exocytosis complex and participates in biological processes ranging from plant cell division to polar growth. There are many EXO70 genes in plants and their functions are extensive, but little is known about the EXO70 gene family in cotton. Here, we analyzed four cotton sequence databases, identified 165 EXO70 genes, and divided them into eight subgroups (EXO70A–EXO70H) based on their phylogenetic relationships. EXO70A had the most exons (≥11), whereas the other seven each had only one or two exons. Hence, EXO70A may have many important functions. The 84 EXO70 genes in Asian and upland cotton were expressed in the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fibers, and/or ovules. Full-length GhEXO70A1-A cDNA was homologously cloned from upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum, G. hirsutum). Subcellular analysis revealed that GhEXO70A1-A protein was localized to the plasma membrane. A yeast two-hybrid assay revealed that GhEXO70A1-A interacted with GhEXO84A, GhEXO84B, and GhEXO84C. GhEXO70A1-A silencing significantly altered over 4000 genes and changed several signaling pathways related to metabolism. Thus, the EXO70 gene plays critical roles in the physiological functions of cotton.

Background: To develop a radiomics nomogram that incorporates the radiomics features and ultrasound (US) conventional features and clinical findings to differentiate triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) from fibroadenoma.Methods: A total of 182 pathology-proven fibroadenomas and 178 pathology-proven TNBCs which underwent preoperative US examination were involved and randomly divided into training (n = 253) and validation cohorts (n = 107). The regions of interest (ROIs) of all lesions were delineated based on preoperative US examination subsequently radiomics features extracted. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator model and the maximum relevance minimum redundancy algorithm were established for the selection of tumor status-related features and construction of radiomics signature (Rad-score). Then, multivariate logistic regression analyses were utilized to develop a radiomics model by incorporating the radiomics signature and clinical findings. Finally, the usefulness of the combined nomogram was assessed by the receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC), calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA).Results: The radiomics signature, composing of twelve selected features, achieved good diagnostic performance. The nomogram incorporated with radiomics signature and clinical data showed favorable diagnostic efficacy in the training cohort (AUC 0.986, 95% CI, 0.975-0.997) and validation cohort (AUC 0.977, 95% CI, 0.953-1.000). The radiomics nomogram outperformed the Rad-score and clinical models alone (p < 0.05). The calibration curve and decision curve analysis demonstrated the better clinical utility of the combined radiomics nomogram.Conclusions: The radiomics signature is a potential predictive indicator for differentiating TNBC and fibroadenoma. The radiomics nomogram associated with Rad-score, US conventional features, and clinical data outperformed the Rad-score and clinical models alone.Advances in knowledge: Recent advances in radiomics-based US identified increasingly gaining ground in oncology to improve diagnosis, assessment of therapeutic response, and disease prediction. We revealed that the Rad-score is an independent predictive indicator for differentiating TNBC and fibroadenoma. The radiomics nomogram associated with Rad-score, US conventional features, and clinical data outperformed the Rad-score and clinical models alone.

Mosaic mutations in normal tissues can occur early in embryogenesis and be associated with hereditary cancer syndromes when affecting cancer susceptibility genes (CSG). Their contribution to apparently sporadic cancers is currently unknown. Analysis of paired tumor/blood sequencing data of 35,310 patients with cancer revealed 36 pathogenic mosaic variants affecting CSGs, most of which were not detected by prior clinical genetic testing. These CSG mosaic variants were consistently detected at varying variant allelic fractions in microdissected normal tissues (n = 48) from distinct embryonic lineages in all individuals tested, indicating their early embryonic origin, likely prior to gastrulation, and likely asymmetrical propagation. Tumor-specific biallelic inactivation of the CSG affected by a mosaic variant was observed in 91.7% (33/36) of cases, and tumors displayed the hallmark pathologic and/or genomic features of inactivation of the respective CSGs, establishing a causal link between CSG mosaic variants arising in early embryogenesis and the development of apparently sporadic cancers. Significance: Here, we demonstrate that mosaic variants in CSGs arising in early embryogenesis contribute to the oncogenesis of seemingly sporadic cancers. These variants can be systematically detected through the analysis of tumor/normal sequencing data, and their detection may affect therapeutic decisions as well as prophylactic measures for patients and their offspring. See related commentary by Liggett and Sankaran, p. 889. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 873

Background: Neutrophil percentage to albumin ratio (NPAR) was proved to be correlated with the prognosis of a variety of diseases. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of NPAR on the prognosis of coronary care unit (CCU) dpatients.Method: All data of this study was extracted from Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III (MIMIC-III, version1.4) database. All patients were divided into four groups according to NPAR quartiles. Primary outcome was in-hospital mortality and secondary outcomes were 30-day mortality, 365-day mortality, length of CCU stay, length of hospital stay, acute kidney injury, renal replacement therapy. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was performed to confirm the independent effect of NPAR. Subgroup analysis was used to determine the effect of NPAR on in-hospital mortality in different subgroups. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were applied to evaluate the ability of NPAR to predict in-hospital mortality. Kaplan–Meier curves were built to compare cumulative survival of different groups.Result: 2364 CCU patients were enrolled in this study. In-hospital mortality rate increased significantly as NPAR quartiles increased (P < 0.001). In multivariable logistic regression, NPAR was proved to be independently associated with in-hospital mortality (Quartile 4 vs Quartile 1: OR, 95% CI: 1.80, 1.19-2.72, P=0.005, P for trend = 0.001). Moderate ability of NPAR to predict in-hospital mortality was demonstrated through ROC curves, the AUC of NPAR was 0.653 (PConclusion: NPAR was an independent risk factor of in-hospital mortality in CCU patients and had a moderate ability to predict in-hospital mortality.

Transcending the binary categorization of racist and xenophobic texts, this research takes cues from social science theories to develop a four dimensional category for racism and xenophobia detection, namely stigmatization, offensiveness, blame, and exclusion. With the aid of deep learning techniques, this categorical detection enables insights into the nuances of emergent topics reflected in racist and xenophobic expression on Twitter. Moreover, a stage wise analysis is applied to capture the dynamic changes of the topics across the stages of early development of Covid-19 from a domestic epidemic to an international public health emergency, and later to a global pandemic. The main contributions of this research include, first the methodological advancement. By bridging the state-of-the-art computational methods with social science perspective, this research provides a meaningful approach for future research to gain insight into the underlying subtlety of racist and xenophobic discussion on digital platforms. Second, by enabling a more accurate comprehension and even prediction of public opinions and actions, this research paves the way for the enactment of effective intervention policies to combat racist crimes and social exclusion under Covid-19.

BackgroundTo investigate the disease burden of urinary tract infections (UTI), urolithiasis, and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019.MethodsData were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease 2019, including incident cases, deaths, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) and corresponding age-standardized rate (ASR) from 1990 to 2019. Estimated annual percentage changes (EAPC) were calculated to evaluate the trends of ASR. The associations between disease burden and social development degrees were analyzed by socio-demographic index (SDI).ResultsCompared with 1990, the incident cases of UTI, urolithiasis, and BPH increased by 60.40%, 48.57%, and 105.70% in 2019, respectively. The age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of UTI increased (EAPC = 0.08), while urolithiasis (EAPC = -0.83) and BPH (EAPC = -0.03) decreased from 1990 to 2019. In 2019, the age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) of UTI and urolithiasis was 3.13/100,000 and 0.17/100,000, respectively. BPH had the largest increase (110.56%) in DALYs in past three decades, followed by UTI (68.89%) and urolithiasis (16.95%). The burden of UTI mainly concentrated in South Asia and Tropical Latin America while the burden of urolithiasis and BPH was recorded in Asia and Eastern Europe. Moreover, the ASIR and SDI of urolithiasis in high SDI regions from 1990 to 2019 were negatively correlated, while the opposite trend was in low SDI regions. In 2019, the ASIR of UTI in female was 3.59 times that of male, while the ASIR of urolithiasis in male was 1.96 times higher than female. The incidence was highest in 30-34, 55-59, and 65-69 age group among UTI, urolithiasis, and BPH, respectively. ConclusionsOver the past three decades, the disease burden remains increased in UTI, while decreased in urolithiasis and BPH. The allocation of medical resources should be more based on the epidemiological characteristics and geographical distribution of diseases.

BACKGROUND Elective colorectal cancer (CRC) surgeries offer enhanced surgical outcomes but demand high self-efficacy in prehabilitation and competency in self-care and disease management postsurgery. Conventional strategies to meet perioperative needs have not been pragmatic, and there remains a pressing need for novel technologies that could improve health outcomes. OBJECTIVE The aim of this paper was to describe the development of a smartphone-based interactive CRC self-management enhancement psychosocial program (iCanManage) in order to improve health outcomes among patients who undergo elective CRC surgeries and their family caregivers. METHODS A multidisciplinary international team comprising physicians, specialist nurses, a psychologist, software engineers, academic researchers, cancer survivors, patient ambassadors, and ostomy care medical equipment suppliers was formed to facilitate the development of this patient-centric digital solution. The process occurred in several stages: (1) review of current practice through clinic visits and on-site observations; (2) review of literature and findings from preliminary studies; (3) content development grounded in an underpinning theory; (4) integration of support services; and (5) optimizing user experience through improving interface aesthetics and customization. In our study, 5 participants with CRC performed preliminary assessments on the quality of the developed solution using the 20-item user version of the Mobile App Rating Scale (uMARS), which had good psychometric properties. RESULTS Based on the collected uMARS data, the smartphone app was rated highly for functionality, aesthetics, information quality, and perceived impact, and moderately for engagement and subjective quality. Several limiting factors such as poor agility in the adoption of digital technology and low eHealth literacy were identified despite efforts to promote engagement and ensure ease of use of the mobile app. To overcome such barriers, additional app-training sessions, an instruction manual, and regular telephone calls will be incorporated into the iCanManage program during the trial period. CONCLUSIONS This form of multidisciplinary collaboration is advantageous as it can potentially streamline existing care paths and allow the delivery of more holistic care to the CRC population during the perioperative period. Should the program be found to be effective and sustainable, hospitals adopting this digital solution may achieve better resource allocation and reduce overall health care costs in the long run. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04159363; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04159363

Against the rise of polymedia as a global phenomenon, this study bridges the theory of polymedia with one strand of migration research that focuses on gender identity negotiation of marginalised mi...

Objective Assess whether treatment with probiotics improve gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Methods In this double-blind randomized placebo-controlled parallel-group phase II trial, SSc subjects with total score ≥ 0.1 on a validated SSc-specific gastrointestinal tract (GIT) questionnaire were randomized (1:1) to receive 60 days of high dose multi-strain probiotics (Vivomixx® 1800 billion units/day) or identical placebo, followed by an additional 60 days of probiotics in both groups. Between group differences in GIT score change were assessed after 60 days (primary outcome, time-point T1) and 120 days (secondary outcome, time-point, T2) by an intention-to-treat approach. Stool samples at three time-points were subjected to 16S next generation sequencing. Results Forty subjects were randomized to placebo-probiotics (n = 21) or probiotics-probiotics (n = 19). At T1, no significant improvement was observed between the two groups, reported as mean ± SE for total GIT score (placebo 0.14 ± 0.06 versus probiotics 0.13 ± 0.07; p = 0.85) or its subdomains. At T2, whilst there was no significant improvement in total GIT score (placebo-probiotics –0.05±0.06; probiotics-probiotics –0.18 ± 0.07; p = 0.14), there was significant improvement of GIT-reflux in the probiotic group (–0.22 ± 0.05 versus placebo-probiotics 0.05 ± 0.07; p = 0.004). Subjects on probiotics exhibited increasing stool microbiota alpha diversity compared to the placebo-probiotics group. Adverse events (AEs) were mild, with similar proportion of subjects with AEs and serious AEs in both groups. Conclusion Whilst there was no clear improvement in overall GI symptoms after 60 days, we observed significantly improved GI reflux after 120 days of probiotics. The trial confirmed safety of multi-strain probiotics in SSc patients. Trial registration. Clinicaltrials.gov; NCT01804959

Psiguadiols A-J (1-10), new meroterpenoids with rearranged skeletons, were isolated from the leaves of Psidium guajava. Compounds 1-3 represent the first examples of 6,8-diformyl-5,7-dihydroxy-4-phenylchromane-coupled sesquiterpenoids with an unprecedented C-8-spiro-fused 6/6/9/4 tetracyclic ring system. Compounds 4 and 5 represent two unusual scaffolds featuring 1β,6β- and 3α,5α-epoxy rings, respectively. The combination of spectroscopic data analyses, comparison of experimental and calculated ECD data, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction data of 1, 6, and 8 allowed for the assignment of the structures. A putative biosynthetic pathway for 1-10 is discussed. Compounds 1, 7, and 8 exhibited inhibitory activities against PTP1B with IC50 values of 4.7, 6.2, and 9.2 μM, respectively. In addition, molecular docking was performed to investigate the mechanism of action.

Wear is a common phenomenon which most mechanical components suffer from. Available studies are mainly focused on the wear performance after contact pairs operate for a period of time. The studies on evolution of surface topography and friction coefficient resulting from the wear process under mixed lubrication conditions are still limited. Further study of this issue may have a significant influence on wear reduction and lubricating performance improvement. In the present study, surface topography and friction coefficient evolution during sliding wear in a mixed lubricated rolling-sliding contact are investigated by the method based on the numerical approach developed by Zhu.et al. [1]. The numerical results are compared with experiment results to demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the present wear model. The evolutions of wear track, root mean square (RMS) roughness, and friction coefficient are observed systematically during wear process. The influences of load, slide-to-roll ratio and surface orientation on these characteristics are studied as well. The simulation results are in good agreement with experimental observations. The wear track is quite different from the one under dry contact, due to the effect of oil and the contact deformation. The friction coefficient drops rapidly at first and then it keeps stable with small fluctuations with respect to wear evolution. It indicates that load and slide-to-roll ratio have a remarkable impact on wear rate, though the effect of surface topography is limited. Further, the results show that the RMS roughness deceases slightly at first and then it increases gradually during the wear process.

This study investigates the inclusion of spatio-temporal correlation and interaction in a multivariate random-parameters Tobit model and their influence on fitting areal crash rates with di...

Structural and molecular myelination deficits represent early pathological features of Huntington disease (HD). Recent evidence from germ-free (GF) animals suggests a role for microbiota-gut-brain bidirectional communication in the regulation of myelination. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of microbiota on myelin plasticity and oligodendroglial population dynamics in the mixed-sex BACHD mouse model of HD. Ultrastructural analysis of myelin in the corpus callosum revealed alterations of myelin thickness in BACHD GF compared to specific-pathogen free (SPF) mice, whereas no differences were observed between wild-type (WT) groups. In contrast, myelin compaction was altered in all groups when compared to WT SPF animals. Levels of myelin-related proteins were generally reduced, and the number of mature oligodendrocytes was decreased in the prefrontal cortex under GF compared to SPF conditions, regardless of genotype. Minor differences in commensal bacteria at the family and genera levels were found in the gut microbiota of BACHD and WT animals housed in standard living conditions. Our findings indicate complex effects of a germ-free status on myelin-related characteristics, and highlight the adaptive properties of myelination as a result of environmental manipulation. Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) Nanyang Technological University Published version M.A.P. was supported by funds from theAgency for Science Technology and Research and the NationalUniversity of Singapore. S.P. was supported by funds from LKC Schoolof Medicine and SCELSE.

Surgical approach (SA) is the standard treatment for infected necrotizing pancreatitis (INP) and endoscopic transgastric approach (ETA) is a promising alternative treatment. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety of ETA versus SA in INP. Several databases were systematically searched for eligible studies that compared ETA with SA for INP. Predefined criteria were used for study selection. Three reviewers independently assessed the risk of bias. Primary outcomes included clinical resolution rate, short-term mortality, major complications, and hospital stay. Study-specific effect sizes and their 95% confidence interval (CI) were combined to calculate the pooled value using fixed-effects or random-effects model. Six studies were included with 295 patients. Major complication rate [odds ratio (OR), 0.13; 95% CI, 0.06-0.29], new-onset organ failure rate (OR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.12-0.54), postoperative pancreatic fistula rate (OR, 0.09; 95% CI, 0.03-0.28), and incisional hernia rate (OR, 0.10; 95% CI, 0.01-0.85) were lower in the ETA group. There was a shorter hospital stay (mean difference, -17.72; 95% CI, -21.30 to -14.13) in the ETA group. No differences were found in clinical resolution, short-term mortality, postoperative bleeding, perforation of visceral organ, and endocrine or exocrine insufficiency. Compared with SA, ETA showed comparable effectiveness and safety for the treatment of INP based on current evidence.

Objective To explore the treatment of difficult-to-wean patients with glycogen storage disease type Ⅱ (GSDⅡ) complicated with respiratory failure. Methods A total of 6 patients with GSDⅡ (3 children and 3 infants) who were admitted due to weak respiratory muscle and had difficulty in weaning off ventilator were treated in our hospital from October 2015 to September 2017. They received comprehensive treatment of antibiotics for ventilator-associated pneumonia, encouraging voluntary expectoration, respiratory muscle exercises, nutrition strengthening, psychological support, and enzyme replacement treatment (ERT) by using recombinant human acid α-glucosidase [rhGAA, 20 mg/(kg·time), once/biweekly]. These patients gradually transformed from invasive ventilator at biphasic positive airway pressure (BiPAP) mode and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) mode to non-invasive ventilator and high flow oxygen therapy. Results The respiratory function and limb muscle strength of all patients were improved after ERT and sequential weaning. With comprehensive treatment, 3 patients weaned off ventilator, one patient underwent endotracheal intubation, and 2 patients died. Conclusions With comprehensive treatment of preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia, respiratory muscle exercises, nutrition strengthening, and ERT using rhGAA, the respiratory function and limb muscle strength were improved in GSD Ⅱ patients. Programmed weaning procedure increases the treatment success rate of difficult-to-wean patients. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-6731.2019.06.004

“Heuristic approach” is a teachers’ professional development (TPD) method supported by principled practical knowledge (PPK) which focuses on principled practical guidance that develops teachers’ capacity in innovative learning designs. This study reports the key features of the design and implementation of a TPD programme aimed at facilitating teachers’ experiential learning in designing and implementing seamless inquiry science learning (SISL). The TPD is based on the notion of fast and frugal heuristics which are supported by PPK and lead to actual classroom action. Two teacher case studies were analysed to investigate the teachers’ learning trajectory underpinned by an experiential learning framework throughout the TPD programme. As learners of innovative pedagogy, the teachers explored the design and implementation of SISL with their students. The findings indicate that the TPD programme had a positive impact on three aspects of teachers’ experiential learning: (a) acquiring new pedagogy; (b) improving knowledge and skills in the seamless inquiry science lesson (SISL) design and implementation; (c) nurturing reflective practices in teachers concerning the designing and implementation of SISL lessons. The teachers’ professional reflection and growth through experiential learning processes demonstrate how heuristic-based TPD engaged them as creative and professional lesson designers, resulting in meaningful changes in classroom practices. Our data analysis concluded that the heuristic-based TPD should be designed in such a way that it is authentic, reflective, practice-based and focused on meaningful tasks for the teachers.

The wide application of composite nanofiltration membrane is greatly restricted by the “trade-off effect” between selectivity and permeability. In this work the trade-off effect was broken by an eco-friendly construction of loose chitosan (CS) coating layer on highly porous polyacrylonitrile (PAN) electrospun nanofibrous scaffold. The loose CS layer was accomplished by stabilizing CS with anionic dyes fouling to enhance the membrane permeability, because their electrostatic interaction was much weaker than CS membrane crosslinked by traditional chemical crosslinkers. To the best of our knowledge, few researches were reported on the dye-fouled CS nanofiltration membrane. The optimized membranes demonstrated excellent filtration performance for anionic dyes separation with superior permeate flux (˜139.1 L m−2 h−1 at 0.1 MPa) and high rejection (˜99.8%) to direct red 80 (DR80) solution of 100 mg/L, as well as cationic dyes separation (like alcian blue 8GX (AB8GX) with rejection of 99.7%). Besides, the CS-DR80/PAN membranes exhibited excellent long-term durability and antifouling nature due to low surface roughness and high surface hydrophilicity. The superior nanofiltration performance was chiefly attributed to the coordinated effect of two-tier structure: the hydrophilic loose negatively-charged barrier layer and the highly porous PAN nanofibrous scaffold. The loose barrier layer and electrospun PAN nanofibrous substrate can guarantee the high permeability, and the negatively charged membrane surface can assure the high rejection due to Donnan repulsion. This strategy not only abridges the complicated process, but also eliminates use of poisonous and expensive ingredients, which provides an eco-friendly and practical feasibility for textile wastewater treatment.

In order to explore the impact of reclamation on the expansion of Spartina alterniflora (a kind of invasive species)population, the annual and seasonal changes of Spartina alterniflora population distributed inside and outside the embankment was observed in the Yancheng coastal wetland, Jiangsu Province from May 2017 to July 2018 with the help of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)monitoring technology. Combined with field monitoring data, the effects of soil moisture content, soil salinity, growth elevation, and surface water level on the growth and population area of Spartina alterniflora were analyzed. The results showed that the reclamation significantly reduced the expansion rate of Spartina alterniflora, and the area inside the embankment increased by 21% during the observation period, while the area outside the embankment increased by more than 400%. The population expansion inside and outside the embankment of Spartina alterniflora had obvious seasonality, and the seasons of expansion were autumn and summer respectively. The soil moisture content and salinity in the reclamation area decreased by 25% and 50% respectively compared with the area outside the embankment. There was a significant positive correlation between the height of Spartina alterniflora and the elevation of the growing area (PSpartina alterniflora population was significantly positively correlated with surface water level (PSpartina alterniflora, and seawater changed the soil water and salt conditions in the reclamation area, and thus inhibited the expansion of Spartina alterniflora.

Background and Aim Perturbance in the composition of human gut microbiota has been associated with metabolic disorders such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, and insulin resistance. The objectives of this study are to examine the effects of ethnicity, central obesity, and recorded dietary components on potentially influencing the human gut microbiome. We hypothesize that these factors have an influence on the composition of the gut microbiome. Methods Subjects of Chinese (n = 14), Malay (n = 10), and Indian (n = 11) ancestry, with a median age of 39 years (range: 22–70 years old), provided stool samples for gut microbiome profiling using 16S rRNA sequencing and completed a dietary questionnaire. The serum samples were assayed for a panel of biomarkers (interleukin‐6, tumor necrosis factor alpha, adiponectin, cleaved cytokeratin 18, lipopolysaccharide‐binding protein, and limulus amebocyte lysate). Central obesity was defined by waist circumference cut‐off values for Asians. Results There were no significant differences in Shannon alpha diversity for ethnicity and central obesity and no associations between levels of inflammatory cytokines and obesity. The relative abundances of Anaerofilum (P = 0.02), Gemellaceae (P = 0.02), Streptococcaceae (P = 0.03), and Rikenellaceae (P = 0.04) were significantly lower in the obese group. From principle coordinate analysis, the effects of the intake of fiber and fat/saturated fat were in contrast with each other, with clustering of obese individuals leaning toward fiber. Conclusion The study demonstrated that there were differences in the gut microbiome in obese individuals. Certain bacterial taxa were present in lower abundance in the group with central obesity. Fiber and fat/saturated fat diets were not the key determinants of central obesity., The objectives of this study are to examine the effects of ethnicity, central obesity, and dietary components on the human gut microbiome. Asian subjects (n = 35) provided stool samples for gut microbiome profiling using 16S rRNA sequencing and completed a dietary questionnaire. The relative abundances of Anaerofilum (P = 0.02), Gemellaceae (P = 0.02), Streptococcaceae (P = 0.03), and Rikenellaceae (P = 0.04) were significantly lower in the obese group.

Objective Cardiac paragangliomas are rare neuroendocrine tumors. Early surgical treatment improves clinical symptoms and prolongs survival. We review our experience in 17 patients who underwent surgical resection for functional cardiac paraganglioma. Methods Seventeen patients underwent surgery for functional cardiac paraganglioma from 2004 to 2017 were identified. Clinical data and long-term outcomes were extracted and analyzed. Results All 17 patients with cardiac paraganglioma (11 males) with a median age of 35 years (range, 11 to 51 years) were hormonally functional and underwent operations. A 24-hour urine catecholamine assay documented elevation of norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine. Tumors were determined with octreotide scintiscan in all 17 patients and metaiodoben-zylguanidine scintigraphy in 10 of 15 patients. Tumor sites were right atrioventricular groove in 4 patients, between the main arteries in 10 patients, and interatrial groove in 4 patients. All patients underwent complete resection. Concomitant surgeries were: structural reconstruction in 16 patients (94%) and coronary artery bypass graft in 8 patients (47%). One patient had a history of incomplete resection of an intra-atrial tumor. One patient died postoperatively. Operative mortality is 5.8%. During follow-up (mean, 6.5 years; range, 1.5 to 14.2 years), 16 patients are alive in functional class I or II. Two patients developed tumor recurrence and 14 remained symptom-free with normal urinary catecholamines. Conclusions With a multidisciplinary treatment, early diagnosis, complete resection for the tumor along with complex reconstruction is achievable for most patients, and it offers promising long-term survival.

In the connected vehicle environment, real-time vehicle-state data can be obtained through vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, and the prediction accuracy of urban traffic conditions can significantly increase. This study uses the C++/Qt programming language and framework to build a simulation platform. A two-way six-lane intersection is set up on the simulation platform. In addition, two speed guidance algorithms based on optimizing the travel time of a single vehicle or multiple vehicles are proposed. The goal of optimization is to minimize the travel time, with common indicators such as average delay of vehicles, average number of stops, and average stop time chosen as indexes of traffic efficiency. When the traffic flow is not saturated, compared with the case of no speed guidance, single-vehicle speed guidance can improve the traffic efficiency by 20%, whereas multi-vehicle speed guidance can improve the traffic efficiency by 50%. When the traffic flow is saturated, the speed guidance algorithms show outstanding performance. The effect of speed guidance gradually enhances with increasing penetration rate, and the most obvious gains are obtained when the penetration rate increases from 10% to 40%. Thus, this study has shown that speed guidance in the connected vehicle environment can significantly improve the traffic efficiency of intersections, and the multi-vehicle speed guidance strategy is more effective than the single-vehicle speed guidance strategy.

OBJECTIVE: Mutational signatures provide insights into the biological processes shaping tumor genomes and may inform patient therapy. We sought to define the mutational signatures of i) endometrioid and serous endometrial carcinomas (ECs), stratified into the four molecular subtypes, ii) uterine carcinosarcomas, and iii) matched primary and metastatic ECs. METHODS: Whole-exome sequencing MC3 data from primary endometrioid and serous carcinomas (n=232) and uterine carcinosarcomas (n=57) from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and matched primary and metastatic ECs (n=61, 26 patients) were reanalyzed, subjected to mutational signature analysis using deconstructSigs, and correlated with clinicopathologic and genomic data. RESULTS: POLE (ultramutated) and MSI (hypermutated) molecular subtypes displayed dominant mutational signatures associated with POLE mutations (15/17 cases) and microsatellite instability (55/65 cases), respectively. Most endometrioid and serous carcinomas of copy-number low (endometrioid) and copy-number high (serous-like) molecular subtypes, and carcinosarcomas displayed a dominant aging-associated signature 1. Only 15% (9/60) of copy-number high (serous-like) ECs had a dominant signature 3 (homologous recombination DNA repair deficiency (HRD)-related), a prevalence significantly lower than that found in high-grade serous ovarian carcinomas (54%, p

Numerous studies have demonstrated that exposure to live poultry or live poultry markets is the significant risk factor for human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9). However, the specific live poultry markets that are major infection sources for A(H7N9) human cases have not been explored in detail. In this study, we extract data associated with poultry farms, live poultry markets and farmers' markets from Baidu Map using the JavaScript language and then construct the live poultry transport network. From this, we establish our A(H7N9) transmission model over the network based upon probabilistic discrete-time Markov chain. On the basis of the obtained network and model, we propose spatiotemporal backward detection and forward transmission algorithms to detect the most likely infection sources and to compute the first arrival times of the infection sources. Our simulations use these algorithms to identify the specific locations of the infection sources, the first arrival times of the infection sources and the most likely transmission map of the A(H7N9) virus along the live poultry transport network. The results reveal that, in addition to the hazards posed by the live poultry markets, backyard poultry also contributed to A(H7N9) human infections; this risk source was significant especially in the newly affected provinces, in the fifth wave of infection. In particular, by analyzing the temperature characteristics at a given location when the infection source arrived, we find that the risk of human infection with the influenza A(H7N9) virus was high under 9°C~19°C; moderate under 0°C~9°C or 19°C~25°C; and low for temperatures 25°C. Our results suggest that strengthening the supervision of the live poultry market system and immunizing poultry at both live poultry markets and the backyard poultry operations under the high risk temperature band of 9°C~19°C, will be able to significantly contribute to the control of avian influenza A(H7N9) in the future.

Brucellosis is one of the worlds major infectious and contagious bacterial disease. In order to study different types of brucellosis transmission models among sheep, we propose a deterministic model to investigate the transmission dynamics of brucellosis with the flock of sheep divided into basic ewes and other sheep. The global dynamical behavior of this model is given: including the basic repro-duction number, the existence and uniqueness of positive equilibrium, the global asymptotic stability of the equilibrium. We prove the uniqueness of positive endemic equilibrium through using proof by contradiction, and the global stability of endemic equilibrium by using Lyapunov function. Especially, we give the specific coefficients of global Lyapunov function, and show the calculation method of these specific coefficients. By running numerical simulations for the cases with the basic reproduction number to demonstrate the global stability of the equilibria and the unique endemic equilibrium, re-spectively. By some sensitivity analysis of the basic reproduction number on parameters, we find that vaccination rate of sheep and seropositive detection rate of recessive infected sheep are very important factor for brucellosis.

We describe the design and deployment of GREENBURST, a commensal Fast Radio Burst (FRB) search system at the Green Bank Telescope. GREENBURST uses the dedicated L-band receiver tap to search over the 960$-$1920 MHz frequency range for pulses with dispersion measures out to $10^4$ pc cm$^{-3}$. Due to its unique design, GREENBURST will obtain data even when the L-band receiver is not being used for scheduled observing. This makes it a sensitive single pixel detector capable of reaching deeper in the radio sky. While single pulses from Galactic pulsars and rotating radio transients will be detectable in our observations, and will form part of the database we archive, the primary goal is to detect and study FRBs. Based on recent determinations of the all-sky rate, we predict that the system will detect approximately one FRB for every 2$-$3 months of continuous operation. The high sensitivity of GREENBURST means that it will also be able to probe the slope of the FRB source function, which is currently uncertain in this observing band., 7 pages, 5 figures. Submitted to PASA

The Xishan coal mine area in Beijing, China has a long history of mining. Many landslide hazards, in addition to collapses and ground fractures, have occurred in this area. This study used multi-temporal satellite images to extract this region’s deformation information, identify landslides and analyze the deformation evolution process of these landslides. Taking the Anzigou ditch as an example, we investigate the “Quarry–Landslide–Mudslide” disaster chain model. We found that the landslide evolution process is closely related to the geological conditions, and usually goes through four stages: initial deformation, slope front swelling and collapsing, rear part connecting and rupturing, and landslide creeping. The surface deformation can be identified and tracked by high-resolution optical images and InSAR monitoring. Under the combined effects of rainfall and topographic conditions, medium and large landslides may occur and trigger a “Quarry–Landslide–Mudflow” disaster chain. The identification and analysis of these landslide hazards and the disaster chain help with geological disaster prevention, and provide reference for early identification and research of similar disasters.

Anomalous valley Hall effect (AVHE), which forwards a strategy for combining valleytronics and spintronics, has recently attracted much interest. Usually, this effect is associated with the anomalous velocity acquired by the carriers due to the Berry curvature of the Bloch bands. Here we propose a new strategy to generate AVHE in a graphene-based normal/strained/normal junction, where AVHE originates from the spin-valley tunneling asymmetry for the transmission through the junction. When the system is driven by a temperature bias, an anomalous valley Nernst effect is demonstrated, in which the transverse current is completely spin- and valley-polarized simultaneously. In particular, the thermally induced longitudinal charge current can become zero with the finite transverse one, causing the ratio between them to be infinite, which is usually small for the Hall effect. It is expected that our findings could provide potential applications in valleytronics and spintronics.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) surgeries are major, complex, and often associated with debilitating symptoms or significant deconditioning that may impair patients' quality of life. Little is known about how patients and family caregivers cope and their unmet needs during this daunting perioperative phase. This study aimed to explore the experiences and needs of CRC patients who undergo surgery and their family caregivers.An exploratory qualitative design was adopted. A total of 27 participants comprising fifteen outpatients who had undergone colorectal cancer surgery and twelve family caregivers were recruited through purposive sampling from a public tertiary hospital in Singapore between December 2019 and November 2020. Individual, audio-recorded, semi-structured interviews were conducted, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis.Four themes emerged: initial reactions to the diagnosis, impact of the illness and surgery, personal coping, and external support. The lack of apparent assessments on the psychological well-being of patients was found despite several participants exhibiting early signs of distress. Access to psychological support provided by healthcare professionals or peers was selective, and knowledge deficit was prevalent, especially in the preoperative stage.Psychological priming and strengthening are important for CRC patients' and their caregivers' adaptive coping throughout the treatment continuum. Technology-based, dyadic psychoeducation should be offered preoperatively to ease CRC patients' acceptance of their diagnosis and adjustment to life after surgery while at the same time reduce the burden of family carers.

Background Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Intestinal mucosal barrier injury is one of the important manifestations of sepsis. Interleukin-9 (IL-9) and IL-9-producing CD4(+) T cells were emerging pro-inflammatory mediators with development of intestinal injury. However, it is unclear whether IL-9 is related to the intestinal barrier injury of sepsis. Methods To investigate the roles of IL-9-producing CD4(+) T cells and IL-9 in the process of barrier injury in sepsis, serum IL-9-producing CD4(+) T cell percentages, IL-9, and D-lactate levels were measured in septic patients and controls. The markers of barrier function in serum and intestinal tissue were also collected in septic rats. Moreover, the barrier injury degree and survival rate of septic rats were also investigated after increasing or interfering with IL-9 expression. Results The serum IL-9-producing CD4(+) T cell percentages, IL-9, and D-lactate levels were significantly higher in septic patients or rats than those in controls. IL-9-producing CD4(+) T cells and IL-9 levels were positively correlated with D-lactate levels and had a high predictive value of 28-day mortality in septic patients. The non-survivors had significantly higher serum T cell percentages, IL-9, and D-lactate levels compared with survivors. In septic rats, IL-9 increased the expression levels of D-lactate, whereas that decreased the expression levels of zonula occludens 1. Moreover, the barrier injury was aggravated or alleviated by increasing or interfering with IL-9 expression, respectively. Survival rate analysis also showed that IL-9 decreased the 14-day survival rate of septic rats. Conclusion IL-9 is closely related to intestinal mucosal barrier injury and mortality in sepsis. IL-9 blockade has the potential to improve the barrier injury in sepsis. Trial registration The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT03791866, Date: December 2018).

Voriconazole is a second-generation azole widely used for the prevention and treatment of fungal infection in leukemia patients. We report a case of 9-year-old girl with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia who developed hallucinations and visual disturbance after using voriconazole twice. These symptoms began acutely after treatment with voriconazole and resolved rapidly when the voriconazole was stopped. No specific cause was identified, and thus the symptoms were considered to be the adverse drug reactions (ADRs) of voriconazole. Simultaneous development of hallucinations and visual disturbance caused by voriconazole in children rarely have been reported before and the causes of these ADRs are unknown. Several other cases of hallucinations and (or) visual disturbance caused by voriconazole among 15–81 years old patients have been reported in the literature, and are reviewed. Those patients reminded us of the importance of being aware of hallucinations and visual disturbance associated with voriconazole treatment. In addition, we speculate that the hallucinations and visual disturbance are not related to the dosage form of voriconazole. We emphasize that it is also important to monitor the concentration of voriconazole regularly to avoid potential toxicity.