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Background: While the effectiveness of tutoring‐style videos has been reported in previous studies conducted in laboratories, how these types of videos facilitate students' learning experiences and achievement has not been much explored in prior studies, which prevents discussion on how to design such tutoring‐style videos. Objectives: In this study, we addressed the limitations reported in studies conducted in authentic classes and attempted to explore students' learning patterns and experiences with tutoring‐style videos involving interactions between the instructor and agents. In addition, we attempted to reveal what instructional strategies can be used in tutoring‐style videos to enhance students' engagement and achievement. Methods: The study took place in an undergraduate introductory biology class offered at a university located in the Midwest of the United States. The same instructor taught two sections of this course which lasted for 15 weeks during a Spring semester. The two sections were randomly assigned to an experimental group in which participants watched tutoring‐style videos and a control group with participants watching traditional videos. The experiment was administered in a module lasting two and a half weeks focused on microbiology. Surveys and tests were conducted to determine whether the tutoring‐style videos had a positive impact on student engagement and achievement. In addition, a video content analysis was carried out to elicit insights on how to design effective tutoring‐style videos. Results: For students' emotional engagement and perceived usefulness, no significant difference was found between the two groups, even though the descriptive statistics indicated slightly higher scores from the experimental group than the control group on both subscales. In terms of achievement, the participants reported significantly more learned concepts from watching rich‐interactions in the tutoring‐style videos than the participants in the control group; and they also reported a significantly smaller number of learned concepts from watching one‐interactions in the videos than the control group participants. We also found that instruction in the tutoring‐style videos used effective strategies for facilitating students' participation and cognitive processing. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that tutoring‐style videos can be effective learning materials by allowing students to engage in interactions between instructors and agents in the videos. The more instructional strategies used to facilitate the interactions between the instructor and the agents, the higher engagement can be expected from viewers. Our study would inform the design and development of effective tutoring‐style videos. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: One‐on‐one tutoring is the gold standard in teaching.Tutoring‐style videos are found to be effective in teaching as well. What this paper adds: Tutoring‐style videos that film rich interactions lead to better learning.Tutoring‐style videos that film limited interactions are ineffective.Students who see agents in tutoring‐style videos as helpful perform better. Implications for practice and/or policy: Tutoring‐style videos should film rich interactions of tutoring sessions.Strategies should be used in videos to facilitate perceived agents' usefulness.Tutoring sessions filmed in videos should encourage a participatory atmosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inadequate β‐cell mass and insulin secretion are essential for the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D). TNF‐α‐induced protein 8‐like 1 (Tipe1) plays a crucial role in multiple diseases, however, a specific role in T2D pathogenesis remains largely unexplored. Herein, Tipe1 as a key regulator in T2D, contributing to the maintenance of β cell homeostasis is identified. The results show that the β‐cell‐specific knockout of Tipe1 (termed Ins2‐Tipe1BKO) aggravated diabetic phenotypes in db/db mice or in mice with high‐fat diet‐induced diabetes. Notably, Tipe1 improves β cell mass and function, a process that depends on Gαs, the α subunit of the G‐stimulating protein. Mechanistically, Tipe1 inhibited the K48‐linked ubiquitination degradation of Gαs by recruiting the deubiquitinase USP5. Consequently, Gαs or cAMP agonists almost completely restored the dysfunction of β cells observed in Ins2‐Tipe1BKO mice. The findings characterize Tipe1 as a regulator of β cell function through the Gαs/cAMP pathway, suggesting that Tipe1 may emerge as a novel target for T2D intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To keep pace with the expanding data capacity in modern communications and increasing on‐chip integration density, it is highly desirable to have electro‐optic modulators featured with compact footprint, large modulation bandwidth, low energy consumption, and full complementary metal‐oxide‐semiconductor (CMOS) compatibility. Here, this work experimentally demonstrates a high‐speed electro‐optic modulator in the telecommunication wavelength range made of a 1D chain resonator of Mie‐resonant silicon nanoparticles. The modulator exploits the plasma dispersion effect and works in the carrier depletion configuration. The resulting large modulation bandwidth over 40 GHz and low energy consumption of 23 fJ bit−1 are attributed to its ultra‐compact footprint of 10 µm2. The open eye diagrams are measured up to 40 Gbits s−1. The modulators are fabricated at wafer level by a silicon photonic foundry using CMOS‐compatible process. This modulator shows promise for achieving higher integration density and larger modulation bandwidth. It can be added to the existing on‐chip device building blocks library and used for a wide range of applications, including data communication, quantum photonics, and non‐reciprocal optics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As videos have become one of the most common content delivery formats for online learning, tutorial-style videos have shown positive influences on student learning. Tutorial-style videos feature a tutoring session between an instructor and a student and can be used for online or flipped classroom teaching. However, past studies have been predominantly conducted in laboratory settings, and to our knowledge, only two studies were carried out in real classes and resulted in contradictory outcomes. There have been calls for replicating lab-based cognitive science studies in real classes given the immense difference between the two settings. Past studies reported some research design limitations that may have critically impacted the generalizability of the results. In this study, we addressed the limitations and implemented tutorial-style videos in a real biology online class. We found that students did learn better from watching tutorial-style videos than traditional didactic videos and the significant differences were more prominent with higher-level test questions than lower-level questions. In addition, students with medium prior knowledge learned the most from watching the tutorial-style videos than higher-achievers and lower-achievers. This result may be attributable to the shared similar mental model between the students in the videos and the students who watched the videos. Implications of implementing tutorial-style videos in everyday teaching are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Respiratory diseases, marked by structural changes in the airways and lung tissues, can lead to reduced respiratory function and, in severe cases, respiratory failure. The side effects of current treatments, such as hormone therapy, drugs, and radiotherapy, highlight the need for new therapeutic strategies. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers a promising alternative, leveraging its ability to target multiple pathways and mechanisms. Active compounds from Chinese herbs and other natural sources exhibit anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitumor, and immunomodulatory effects, making them valuable in preventing and treating respiratory conditions. Ferroptosis, a unique form of programmed cell death (PCD) distinct from apoptosis, necrosis, and others, has emerged as a key area of interest. However, comprehensive reviews on how natural products influence ferroptosis in respiratory diseases are lacking. This review will explore the therapeutic potential and mechanisms of natural products from TCM in modulating ferroptosis for respiratory diseases like acute lung injury (ALI), asthma, pulmonary fibrosis (PF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung ischemia–reperfusion injury (LIRI), pulmonary hypertension (PH), and lung cancer, aiming to provide new insights for research and clinical application in TCM for respiratory health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming may increase potential evapotranspiration (ETp), reducing the water resources in Yangzi River Delta. Therefore, it is important to investigate the trend of ETp there under the background of climate change. To this purpose, the systematic biases in temperature outputs of 24 global climate models (GCMs) under 3 shared socioeconomic pathways—representative concentration pathways (SSPs) emission scenarios (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, and SSP5-8.5)—are first corrected by using 8 bias correction methods. Then, the trend of ETp in Yangtze River Delta is projected by using 4 ETp calculation formulas (Blaney–Criddle, Hargreaves–Samani, Makkink, and Priestley–Taylor). The uncertainty of the projections is estimated and decomposed by using multi-way analysis of variance frameworks. The influence of uncertainty on the projected change signal is quantified by using the signal-to-noise ratio. The results show that all emission scenarios indicate robust increments of ETp. Specifically, relative to 1971~2000, ETp will increase by 0.14~0.17 mm d−1 (5.7~6.8%) during 2021~2050 and by 0.21~0.41 mm d−1 (8.5~16.7%) during 2061~2090, respectively. During 2021~2050, the uncertainty of ETp projections is dominantly contributed by the main effects of GCM (63%) and the ETp calculation formula (24%). During 2061~2090, it is mainly contributed by the main effect of GCM (36%), followed by the main effects of the emission scenario (34%) and the ETp calculation formula (18%). The ETp projections are generally reliable and robust during the two projection periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Kabuki syndrome 1 (KS1; OMIM:147920), which is characterized by distinctive dysmorphic facial features (such as arched eyebrows, long palpebral fissures with eversion of the lower lid, and large protuberant ears), intellectual disability, short stature, and dermatoglyphic and skeletal abnormalities, is brought on by pathogenic variants in KMT2D (OMIM:602113). In this work, three individuals with novel pathogenic KMT2D gene variants had their longitudinal audiological manifestations and ear structural characteristics outlined. Methods: The longitudinal audiological data from neonatal hearing screening and a battery of several hearing tests were evaluated. The battery of hearing tests included tympanometry, distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE), click‐evoked air‐conduction auditory brain‐stem response (AC‐ABR), click‐evoked bone‐conduction auditory brain‐stem response (BC‐ABR), narrow band CE‐chirp auditory steady‐state response (NB CE‐chirp ASSR), and pure‐tone audiometry (PTA). Phenotype identification and whole exome sequencing (WES) were performed on recruited individuals. Results: All three patients (two females and on male; last evaluations at 14 months, 11 months, and 5.7 years, respectively) failed the newborn hearing screening, and the audiological follow‐up data revealed mild to profound fluctuating hearing loss, which was directly influenced by the incidence and severity of otitis media with effusion (OME). When OME occurred, the AC‐ABR thresholds increased from 30–75 dBnHL to 45–90 dBnHL. The threshold for the BC‐ABR and BC‐PTA was between 25 and 50 dBnHL, indicating mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). The high‐resolution computed tomography (HRCT) pictures indicated that all three patients had middle and inner ear abnormalities. Middle ear anomalies showed as diminished mastoid gasification and ossicle dysplasia. Cochlear dysplasia, a dilated vestibule, fusion of the vestibule with the horizontal semicircular canals, and a short and thick horizontal semicircular canal were visible on images of the inner ear. This study recruited three individuals with three novel pathogenic variants (c.5104C>T, c.10205delA, and c.12840delC) of KMT2D who were identified at ages 27 days, 2 months, and 5.5 years. Conclusions: Hearing characteristics of three individuals with three novel pathogenic variants of KMT2D range from mild to profound fluctuating hearing loss with mild to moderate SNHL. HRCT scans showed that all three individuals had anatomical middle and inner ear abnormalities. KS 1 patients must get clinical therapy for OME, frequent auditory monitoring, and prompt intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper concerns a class of monotone eigenvalue problems with eigenvector nonlinearities (mNEPv). The mNEPv is encountered in applications such as the computation of joint numerical radius of matrices, best rank-one approximation of third-order partial-symmetric tensors, and distance to singularity for dissipative Hamiltonian differential-algebraic equations. We first present a variational characterization of the mNEPv. Based on the variational characterization, we provide a geometric interpretation of the self-consistent field (SCF) iterations for solving the mNEPv, prove the global convergence of the SCF, and devise an accelerated SCF. Numerical examples demonstrate theoretical properties and computational efficiency of the SCF and its acceleration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a series of experimental studies to compare the influences of different moisture and temperature histories on the resilient modulus (MR) of a compacted clay. Parallel specimens that were compacted at the optimum moisture content (wopt) were equilibrated to six different moisture contents (w) and subjected to different numbers of freeze–thaw cycles (NFT = 0, 1, 3, 10) before determining the MR and the unconfined compressive strength (UCS). Specimens were brought to each testing condition (i.e. the combination of w and NFT) through two or three different interlaced wetting-drying and freeze–thaw processes. Such a procedure imposed different moisture and temperature histories on the specimens. Experimental results demonstrated that different moisture and temperature histories only result in noticeable differences in the MR for specimens tested at the dry side of the wopt and NFT = 1. The differences become negligible at all w levels after freeze–thaw effects have stabilised at NFT = 10. Different Moisture and temperature histories do not differentiate the relationships of the MR and UCS to the w and NFT. Meanwhile, the relationships of the MR to the UCS are unique and linear regardless of the different moisture and temperature histories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a series of experimental studies to compare the influences of different moisture and temperature histories on the resilient modulus (MR) of a compacted clay. Parallel specimens that were compacted at the optimum moisture content (wopt) were equilibrated to six different moisture contents (w) and subjected to different numbers of freeze–thaw cycles (NFT = 0, 1, 3, 10) before determining the MR and the unconfined compressive strength (UCS). Specimens were brought to each testing condition (i.e. the combination of w and NFT) through two or three different interlaced wetting-drying and freeze–thaw processes. Such a procedure imposed different moisture and temperature histories on the specimens. Experimental results demonstrated that different moisture and temperature histories only result in noticeable differences in the MR for specimens tested at the dry side of the wopt and NFT = 1. The differences become negligible at all w levels after freeze–thaw effects have stabilised at NFT = 10. Different Moisture and temperature histories do not differentiate the relationships of the MR and UCS to the w and NFT. Meanwhile, the relationships of the MR to the UCS are unique and linear regardless of the different moisture and temperature histories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface crack detection and sizing is essential for the manufacturing and maintenance of engines, run parts, and other metal elements of aircrafts. Among various non-destructive detection methods, the fully non-contact and non-intrusive technique based on laser-stimulated lock-in thermography (LLT) has recently attracted a lot of attention from the aerospace industry. We propose and demonstrate a system of reconfigurable LLT for three-dimensional surface crack detection in metal alloys. For large area inspection, the multi-spot LLT can speed up the inspection time by a factor of the number of spots. The minimum resolved size of micro-holes is ~50 µm in diameter limited by the magnification of the camera lens. We also study the crack length ranging from 0.8 to 3.4 mm by varying the modulation frequency of LLT. An empirical parameter related to the thermal diffusion length is found to show the linear dependence with the crack length. With the proper calibration, this parameter can be used to predict the sizing of the surface fatigue cracks. Reconfigurable LLT allows us to quickly locate the crack position and accurately measure its dimensions. This method is also applicable to the non-destructive detection of surface or sub-surface defect in other materials used in various industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity is generally associated with low‐grade inflammation. Adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) orchestrate metabolic inflammation. The classical (M1‐like) or alternative (M2‐like) activation of ATMs is functionally coupled with the metabolic status of fat tissues. It has been found that T‐cell immunoglobulin‐ and mucin‐domain‐containing molecule‐4 (Tim‐4) inhibits inflammation by regulating macrophages. However, the exact role of Tim‐4 in macrophage polarization and obesity remains unknown. Here, we identified Tim‐4 as a critical switch governing macrophage M1/M2 polarization and energy homeostasis. Tim‐4 deletion led to spontaneous obesity in elder mice and promoted obesity severity of db/db mice. Obesity microenvironment enhanced the expression of Tim‐4 in white adipose tissue and ATMs. In vitro, we detected an increase in M1‐like cells and decrease in M2‐like cells in both peritoneal macrophages and bone marrow‐derived macrophages from Tim‐4 knockout mice. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that Tim‐4 promoted M2‐like macrophages polarization via suppressing nuclear factor kappa B (NF‐κB) signaling pathway. In addition, we found that Tim‐4 promoted TLR4 internalization, which might contribute to regulation of NF‐κB signaling. Collectively, these results indicated that Tim‐4 maintained adipose tissue homeostasis by regulating macrophage polarization via NF‐κB pathway, which would provide a new target for obesity intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Residues from banana and coconut timber production offer potential advantages if used as solid fuel. This study investigated the gasification behavior of co‐pelletized, hydrothermally treated banana leaves (HBL) and coconut sawdust (HCS) at varied blend ratios. Pellet quality tests revealed that the individual and co‐pelletized HBL:HCS samples have excellent mechanical integrity. Their high compressive strengths, high mass densities, and low spring back effects likewise indicate their ability to form strong interparticle adhesion without the aid of external binders or modification of particle sizes. Although HCS showed slow char gasification conversion, co‐pelletization with HBL proved to enhance its reactivity. This improvement was due to HBL's significantly higher alkali index compared with HCS. Since increasing the HBL ratio increased the alkali index of the co‐pelletized samples, the pellet with the highest HBL ratio (HBL:HCS 3:1) showed the greatest reactivity enhancement. Gasification of the blended HBL and HCS pellets also produced a synergistic effect, which was most evident when the HBL ratio was lowest (HBL:HCS 1:3). The significant difference in the particle size of HBL and HCS, aggravated by increasing the HBL ratio, formed large interspaces that weakened the degree of synergy. Overall, findings revealed that mixed HBL and HCS can produce high‐quality pellets with enhanced gasification reactivity and synergistic effect. Novelty Statement: Gasification of binderless co‐pelletized hydrochars was proposed.Co‐pelletization showed high compressive strengths, high mass densities, and low spring back effects.Co‐pelletization of hydrochars enhanced gasification reactivity and synergistic effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The effect of HTC on hydrochar properties and Fe migration behavior were studied. • The yield of HHC (60.70%∼69.62%) was much lower than that of WHC (66.77%∼80.91%) • The content of total Fe and Fe3+ of hydrochar decreased with increasing temperature. • Fe could more easily entered the internal pores of the hydrochar. • Fe 3 O 4 peak appeared in HHC and the intensity was enhanced with higher temperature. Iron (Fe) migration mechanisms and hydrochar properties in dyeing sludge hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) are important topics in wastewater treatment. HTC treatment of sludge produces wastewater containing Fe so it is necessary to study the migration behavior of Fe during HTC treatment. This study investigated the basic properties and Fe migration behavior of hydrochar during HTC treatment supplemented with nitric acid (HNO 3). The results showed that the carbonization degree and yield of hydrochar treated with the HNO 3 solution (HHC) were much lower than those of hydrochar treated with ultrapure water (WHC). The variation of total Fe (TF) concentration indicated that the decomposition of organic material and dissolution of minerals in the aqueous release of Fe during the liquid phase, led to much lower TF concentrations compared to the original dyeing sludge. Fe release was further enhanced with the addition of HNO 3 and increase of temperature, rendering a much lower TF concentration of the HHC compared to the WHC. The variations of Fe3+ and Fe2+ concentrations indicated that the HTC-treated hydrochar contained more Fe2+, caused by Fe3+ reduction with hydroxyl methyl-furfural and glucose in the liquid and subsequent Fe2+/Fe3+ transferral to the solid hydrochar phase. X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the main Fe content in WHC was FeO(OH), while HHC contained mainly Fe(SO 4)(OH)•2H 2 O and Fe 3 O 4. XPS and XRF showed that Fe could more easily enter the internal pores of the hydrochar instead of being deposited on the surface. This study provided more insights on Fe migration behavior during HTC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although many mathematical models have been developed for predicting the density, viscosity, and thermal conductivity of CO2, their accuracy and applicability have not been sufficiently established in the gas/liquid and supercritical regions and, in particular, in the region around the critical point. To understand their performances, the models are compared and analyzed, including (i) the cubic equations of state, multi‐parameter equations, and the Helmholtz free energy‐based model for density, (ii) residual theory‐ and regression‐based models for viscosity and thermal conductivity, and (iii) artificial intelligence‐based models (neural networks/machine learning) for these properties. A technical assessment is then performed. The results may provide a positive reference for determining the thermophysical properties of CO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Diabetic osteoporosis (DOP) is a progressive osteoblast dysfunction induced by high glucose, which has negative impacts on bone homeostasis. Qizhi Kebitong formula (QKF) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula for treating DOP. However, its role in the protection of DOP has not been clarified yet. Here, we aimed to explore the potential mechanisms of QKF on DOP development via in vivo experiment. Methods. Network pharmacology was used to detect the key targets and signaling pathways of QKF on DOP. The effects of QKF on DOP were examined by the phenotypic characteristics, micro-CT, and hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining. The predicted targets and pathways were validated by a streptozocin- (STZ-) induced mouse model. Subsequently, the levels of the selected genes and proteins were analyzed using qRT-PCR and Western blot. Finally, AutoDock and PyMOL were used for molecular docking. Results. In this study, 90 active compounds and 2970 related disease targets have been found through network pharmacology. And QKF could improve the microstructures of femur bone mass, reduce inflammatory cell infiltration, and downregulate the levels of TNF-α, IKBKB, IL-6, and IL-1β. Moreover, the underlying effect of PI3K/Akt/NF-κB pathways was also recommended in the treatment. Conclusion. Altogether, our findings suggested that QKF could markedly alleviate osteoblast dysfunction by modulating the key targets and PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Fe-loaded hydrochar catalyst was prepared from ferric sludge with one-pot method. • Hydrothermal one-pot method promoted dispersion of active sites on catalyst. • Fe mainly existed in the form of Fe0, Fe 2 O 3 , and Fe 3 O 4 in the catalyst. • Catalyst prepared by one-pot method exhibit superior catalytic efficiency (>70 %) • Amorphous carbon generated from CH 3 was the main source of carbon deposition. Effective treatment of ferric sludge in an eco-friendly method is key to the feasibility of Fenton technology in pollution treatment, contributing to the realization of the "dual-carbon" strategic objectives. In this study, Fe-loaded pyrolyzed-hydrochar catalysts were prepared using simple one-pot hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) method with ferric sludge as the precursor, which greatly reduced the energy and time consumption on the preparation of the sludge derived catalyst. At 800 °C with a reaction time of 20 min, all catalysts showed high toluene removal performance (>60 %) and produced H 2 -rich syngas (H 2 > 90 %). In particular, the catalyst prepared by HNO 3 -assisted HTC (HNC) presented the highest toluene removal efficiency and H 2 yield, 77.52 ± 3.36 % and 11.12 ± 0.66 mol%, respectively. Additionally, the sources of carbon deposits and the interaction between the active site and carbon deposits were analyzed in detail by DFT to reveal the catalytic activity and deactivation mechanism of catalyst. The results showed that the adsorption energy of C generated from methyl on different Fe phases was lowest (the adsorption energy of C was −8.79 eV for Fe, −5.28 eV for Fe 2 O 3 , and −4.70 eV for Fe 3 O 4), suggesting that the adsorption of C on catalyst was the main reason for the formation of carbon deposits. The lowest adsorption energy of the metallic Fe phase for C indicated that Fe0 was coated by carbon deposits during toluene catalytic cracking, which hampered catalytic activity. These results are of great significance for optimizing the preparation of Fe-loaded carbonaceous catalysts and the regulation of Fe active phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a comprehensive numerical modeling approach to analyze and evaluate the performance of a throat biomass updraft fixed bed gasification reactor through computational fluid dynamic simulations. The numerical model uses detailed kinetics to capture the complex thermochemical processes within the gasifier. The influence of key parameters such as reactor design on the gasification efficiency and producer gas composition are systematically investigated. Also, performance metrics, including cold gas efficiency, hydrogen-carbon monoxide ratio, and producer gas heating value, are employed to quantitatively quantify the effectiveness of the throat updraft fixed bed gasification reactor to assess the reactors performance under varying configurations. The hydrogen and carbon monoxide concentrations increased by 6.5 % and 5.2 % by changing the throat diameter ratio from 0.14 to 0.33, respectively. Increased gasification efficiency is also observed, from 65.5 % to 77.84 %, within the same ratio range increase. Similarly, a 2.6 % increase is observed in the lower heating valve between the models with throat-to-diameter ratio of 0.14 and 0.33. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the gasification process in throat reactors, offering insights into optimization opportunities for enhanced producer gas quality and overall efficiency. • Gasification of biomass in an updraft gasifier using CFD modeling. • Throat updraft gasifiers have the high tendency of stable gasification temperature. • Gasification temperature improved as the throat ratio is increase. • High throat ratios increase the carbon conversion and cold gas efficiency. • Lower heating value increases as the throat ratio increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current human health risk assessments of soil arsenic (As) contamination rarely consider bioaccessibility (IVBA), which may overestimate the health risks of soil As. The IVBA of As (As-IVBA) may differ among various soil types. This investigation of As-IVBA focused As from geological origin in a typical subtropical soil, lateritic red soil, and its risk control values. The study used the SBRC gastric phase in vitro digestion method and As speciation sequential extraction based upon phosphorus speciation extraction method. Two construction land sites (CH and HD sites) in the Pearl River Delta region were surveyed. The results revealed a high content of residual As (including scorodite, mansfieldite, orpiment, realgar, and aluminum arsenite) in the lateritic red soils at both sites (CH: 84.9%, HD: 91.7%). The content of adsorbed aluminum arsenate (CH: 3.24%, HD: 0.228%), adsorbed ferrum arsenate (CH: 8.55%, HD: 5.01%), and calcium arsenate (CH: 7.33%, HD: 3.01%) were found to be low. The bioaccessible As content was significantly positively correlated with the As content in adsorbed aluminum arsenate, adsorbed ferrum arsenate, and calcium arsenate. A small portion of these sequential extractable As speciation could be absorbed by the human body (CH: 14.9%, HD: 3.16%), posing a certain health risk. Adsorbed aluminum arsenate had the highest IVBA, followed by calcium arsenate, and adsorbed ferrum arsenate had the lowest IVBA. The aforementioned speciation characteristics of As from geological origin in lateritic red soil contributed to its lower IVBA compared to other soils. The oxidation state of As did not significantly affect As-IVBA. Based on As-IVBA, the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of soil As in the CH and HD sites decreased greatly in human health risk assessment. The results suggest that As-IVBA in lateritic red soil should be considered when assessing human health risks on construction land. [Display omitted] • In lateritic red soil, As from geological origin has low bioaccessibility. • SBET can mainly extract the adsorbed arsenate on Al, Fe and Ca arsenate. • The bioaccessibility of soil As is not related to its oxidation state. • The occurrence of As in Lateritic red soil is dominated by low solubility minerals. • Soil remediation target values can be significantly promoted based on As-IVBA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on China's monthly data from January 2006 to June 2018, this paper uses the symmetric regressive distributed lag model (ARDL) and nonlinear asymmetric regressive distributed lag model (NARDL) to examine the impact of the real interest rate, products' shortage costs and products' selling prices on China's overall inventory investment, and focuses on the asymmetric impact of the three factors on inventory investment. The empirical results show that the real interest rate has a negative impact on inventory investment, and its inhibition effect is stronger than the pulling effect. The products' shortage costs have the positive effect on inventory investment, and the effect of increasing shortage costs are greater than that of decreasing the shortage costs. The products' selling prices are also positively correlated with inventory investment, but the decline of the products' selling prices has the greater impact than the increase of the products' selling prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Cerium vanadate nanorods (CVNRs) with outstanding superoxide dismutase-like activity were designed and constructed. • CVNRs were used as an efficient reactive oxygen species scavenger for treating myocardial ischemia–reperfusion injury (IRI) in hyperhomocysteinemic rat. • CVNRs could effectively protect the microvascular, reduce the myocardial infarction and improve the heart function after IRI. • CVNRs exhibited excellent biocompatibility and biosafety. The combination of homocysteine (Hcy) and copper ion (Cu2+) induces cardiac microvascular ischemia–reperfusion injury (IRI) by causing oxidative stress in the reperfusion treatment of ischemic cardiopathy. Therefore, antioxidant elimination of reactive oxygen species (ROS) shows great potential in the treatment of IRI. Herein, cerium vanadate nanorods (CVNRs) were designed and developed as an efficient ROS scavenger for the treatment of myocardial IRI in hyperhomocysteinemic rat (HHcyR) model. Thanks to its outstanding superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity, the CVNRs showed a significant antioxidant effect in human cardiac microvascular endothelial cells treated with Hcy and Cu2+ under hypoxia/reperfusion condition and greatly preserved the morphology and function of mitochondria. Further intravenous administration of CVNRs significantly maintained the integrity and perfusion of microvasculature, minimized the microcirculation malfunction, and finally reduced the myocardial infarction and maintained the heart function after IRI. Moreover, the administration of CVNRs in HHcyR exhibited negligible organ toxicity and inflammation response, indicating their excellent biocompatibility and biosafety. Collectively, the SOD-mimicking CVNRs can serve as a promising antioxidant nanozyme to treat cardiac microvascular IRI complicated with hyperhomocysteinemia, providing a new prospect for the development of antioxidant nanozyme in IRI treatment even with other risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we reported a new dynamic light scattering (DLS) immunosensing technology for the rapid and sensitive detection of glycoprotein N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). In this design, the boronate affinity recognition based on the interaction of boronic acid ligands and cis-diols was introduced to amplify the nanoparticle aggregation to enable highly sensitive DLS transduction, thereby lowering the limit of detection (LOD) of the methodology. After covalently coupling with antibodies, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were employed as the nanoprobes to selectively capture trace amount of NT-proBNP from complex samples and facilitate DLS signal transduction. Meanwhile, silica nanoparticles modified with phenylboronic acid (SiO2@PBA) were designed as the crosslinking agent to bridge the aggregation of MNPs in the presence of target NT-proBNP. Owing to the multivalent and fast affinity recognition between NT-proBNP containing cis-diols and SiO2@PBA, the developed DLS immunosensor exhibited charming advantages over traditional immunoassays, including ultrahigh sensitivity with an LOD of 7.4 fg mL−1, fast response time (< 20 min), and small sample consumption (1 μL). The DLS immunosensor was further characterized with good selectivity, accuracy, precision, reproducibility, and practicability. Collectively, this work demonstrated the promising application of the designed boronate affinity amplified-DLS immunosensor for field or point-of-care testing of cis-diol-containing molecules. Highlight: We developed a new DLS immunosensing technology for the rapid and sensitive detection of glycoprotein NT-proBNP. The boronate affinity recognition amplified nanoparticle aggregation was designed to enable highly sensitive DLS transduction. The fabricated DLS immunosensor exhibited ultrahigh sensitivity with an LOD of 7.4 fg mL−1, fast response time (< 20 min), and small sample consumption (1 μL). This boronate affinity amplified-DLS immunosensor has broad prospects for field or point-of-care testing of cis-diol-containing molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. To compare the efficacy of low-carbohydrate diets (LCDs) with low-fat diets (LFDs) in body weight and glycemic control for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients, and their cardiovascular and renal safety. Methods. We searched PubMed, Ovid, Embase databases, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and ClinicalTrials.gov from inception to April, 2021. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) which lasted more than 3 months were included. The primary outcomes are the mean change from baseline in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and body weight loss. Secondary outcomes included mean difference in lipid parameters, blood pressures, and serum creatinine. Results. Totally, 12 RCTs met inclusion criteria representing 761 patients. Compared with LFDs, treatment with LCDs achieved significant reduced HbA1c by 0.35% (95% CI: −0.45, −0.24; P < 0.00001). LCDs appeared to be more beneficial in decreasing body weight than LFDs (WMD = −2.99 kg; 95% CI: −4.36, −1.63; P < 0.0001), especially in the subgroup that used VLCDs (WMD = −9.49 kg; 95% CI: −12.88, −6.09, P < 0.00001). For cardiovascular risk factors, the LCD interventions significantly reduced TG concentration (WMD: −0.20 mmol/l; 95% CI: −0.31, −0.10; P = 0.0001) and increased HDL-C concentration (WMD: 0.09 mmol/l; 95% CI: 0.05,0.13; P < 0.00001). Subgroup analyses demonstrated that the difference in HbA1c, TG, and HDL-C between two dietary restrictions respectively lasted up to 1.5 and 2 years, whereas the beneficial effects of body weight loss diminished over time and disappeared after 2 years. LCDs were not associated with decreased level of TC or LDL-C, neither SBP nor DBP in comparison with LFDs. Moreover, no significant difference in serum creatinine could be found among such two diet interventions. Conclusions. LCDs are superior to LFDs for T2DM patients in improving HbA1c and reducing body weight, with a rewarding effect of some cardiovascular risk factors in a longer-term diabetes management. However, available data are insufficient to evaluate the association between diet interventions and renal safety. Future larger longer-term follow-up clinical trials are needed to provide more evidence about the sustainable effects and safety of LCDs compared with LFDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pedestrian detection has a pivotal role in the field of computer vision. Recently, deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been demonstrated to achieve appealing performance in object detection compared to hand-crafted methods, with single shot multiBox detector (SSD) being one of state-of-the-art methods in terms of both speed and accuracy. In this paper, we propose a novel framework which is able to perform pedestrian detection by not only considering local features but also by incorporating global information into features to make them more discriminative for this task. Specifically, we first integrate feature pyramid network into the SSD detection framework. Next, a Squeeze-and-Excitation network is proposed to encode global information. Hence, the features become more focused on pedestrians, in particular those of small scale and with occlusion. We further introduce a network in network fusion module, which enhances the features by incorporating local details. In this way our framework is able to suppress background information and highlights pedestrian elements. Experimental results show that the proposed framework can achieve comparable detection results to state-of-the-art methods and run an average of 17 frames per second (fps) on NVidia TITAN X GPU with image size of 600 × 600 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two-component Cry48Aa/Cry49Aa toxin produced by Lysinibacillus sphaericus shows specifically toxic to Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito larvae. Cry49Aa C-terminal domain is responsible for specific binding to the larval gut cell membrane, while its N-terminal domain is required for interaction with Cry48Aa. To investigate functional role of cysteine in Cry49Aa, four cysteine residues at positions 70, 91, 183, and 258 were substituted by alanine. All mutants showed similar crystalline morphology and comparable yield to that of the wild type except that the yield of the C91A mutant was low. Four cysteine residues did not involve in disulfide bond formation within or between Cry49Aa molecules. Cys91, Cys183, and Cys258 are essential for larvicidal activity against C. quinquefasciatus larvae, while Cys70 is not. Substitution at C91, C183, and C258 caused weaker Cry48Aa- Cry49Aa interaction, while mutations at C183 and C258 reduced the binding capacities to the larval gut cell membrane. Thus, Cysteine residues at position 91, 183, and 258 in Cry49Aa are required for full toxicity of Cry48Aa/Cry49Aa toxin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the end of the Cold War, establishing partnerships has been part and parcel of the grand strategy of great powers. The partners that great powers seek fall under the two categories of security partners and political-economic partners. Statistics show a significant variation in the proportions of great powers' security partners. The authors argue that such variation is mainly determined by two factors, namely, great powers' strategic threats, and their ways of maintaining national security [self-help or security-dependent (on the United States)]. Specifically, both the security-dependent great powers that are under China's strategic threat and the self-help great powers that are under the US's strategic threat have a higher proportion of security partners than the security-dependent great powers that are not under China's strategic threat and the self-help great powers that are under China's strategic threat. These findings will help to refine the current theories of great power politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effects of an integrated approach that combines segmentation and self-explanation designs on learner achievement for meaningful video-based learning. This was a pretest-posttest research design with a sample size of 121 participants randomly assigned to one of four different types of video instructions (continuous, segmentation, self-explanation, or the combination of segmentation and self-explanation). Participants engaged in video instruction that used either a continuous video or segmented video clips and incorporated either self-explanation prompts or no self-explanation prompts. The results showed that participants in the combination and segmentation conditions outperformed those in the continuous condition in evaluation ability, and participants in the combination condition outperformed those in the continuous condition in the overall performance after controlling for prior knowledge. The current study indicates that the combined design can effectively facilitate student learning by engaging them in meaningful video-based learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If the previous frost susceptibility criterion based only on the percentage passing the 0.075 sieve greater than 10% is still adopted, substantial discrepancies in the assessment of frost susceptibility of sands with various fines will arise. With reference to previous relevant studies ([3]; [4]), the frost susceptibility of coarse-grained soils including sand is closely associated with fines content. Coarse-grained soils with fines rich in clay mineralogy such as montmorillonite and kaolinite have a more significant frost susceptibility than those without clay mineralogy. [Extracted from the article]

Improving the precision of current tests of the equivalence principle with a rotating torsion pendulum requires a more complete analysis of systematic effects. Here, we discuss in detail one of the important systematic effects, the influence from the tilt error motion of the rotation axis of a rotary stage, namely, wandering of the instantaneous rotation axis around its average direction. Its influence on the rotating torsion pendulum is modeled phenomenologically, and the parameters in the model are calibrated. It is shown that the influence can contribute a correction of η ≈ 5 × 10−13 to the equivalence-principle violating parameter for a rotary stage whose tilt error motion of interest is about 31 nrad in magnitude. We also show that such an influence can be reduced to the level of η ≈ 1 × 10−14 by means of active compensation of the tilt error motion using a set of piezoelectric actuators placed under the stage stator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• GLS is strongly associated with the pathogenesis of various neurological disorders. • GLS is a novel regulator of inflammation, besides a classic excitotoxicity inducer. • GLS activates microglia and macrophages presumably by disturbing cellular metabolism. • GLS enhances inflammatory microenvironment formation via promoting exosome release. Neuroinflammation is the inflammatory responses that are involved in the pathogenesis of most neurological disorders. Glutaminase (GLS) is the enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of glutamine to produce glutamate. Besides its well-known role in cellular metabolism and excitatory neurotransmission, GLS has recently been increasingly noticed to be up-regulated in activated microglia under pathological conditions. Furthermore, GLS overexpression induces microglial activation, extracellular vesicle secretion, and neuroinflammatory microenvironment formation, which, are compromised by GLS inhibitors in vitro and in vivo. These results indicate that GLS has more complicated implications in brain disease etiology than what are previously known. In this review, we introduce GLS isoforms, expression patterns in the body and the brain, and expression/activities regulation. Next, we discuss the metabolic and neurotransmission functions of GLS. Afterwards, we summarize recent findings of GLS-mediated microglial activation and pro-inflammatory extracellular vesicle secretion, which, in turns, induces neuroinflammation. Lastly, we provide a comprehensive discussion for the involvement of microglial GLS in the pathogenesis of various neurological disorders, indicating microglial GLS as a promising target to treat these diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • PdNi alloys with surface segregation of Pd@hydrophilic NOC are designed for HER. • Some structures tuned by Pd compositions are key to high HER current density. • A moderate Pd composition is favorable to achieving the optimal structures and HER activity. • Low overpotentials of 240 and 242 mV can drive 1000 and 1590 mA cm−2, respectively. A series of catalysts, which consist of PdNi alloy cores and N, O co-doped carbon (NOC) shells, are developed by pyrolysis of metal–organic framework (PdNi) for hydrogen production with high current densities. The bulk or surface Pd compositions (Pd/(Pd + Ni) molar ratios) of PdNi alloys can be well controlled by the fed ones. Meanwhile, some structural features that are favorable to HER activity, especially to achieving high HER current densities under low overpotentials, are further adjusted by the Pd compositions, including d-band center (ε d) of PdNi alloy affected by surface segregation of Pd, hydrophilicity of NOC shell, and charge transfer and mass diffusion efficiency of an entire catalyst. When the bulk Pd/(Pd + Ni) molar ratio is ∼ 0.21, Pd 0.21 Ni 0.79 @NOC has a moderate ε d , the highest hydrophilicity, the highest charge transfer and mass diffusion efficiency, and finally the highest electric double-layer capacitance (or electrochemical active surface area). Accordingly, it affords the optimal apparent or specific activity for hydrogen production with high current densities under low overpotentials in 0.5 M H 2 SO 4 , including a low apparent η 1000 of ∼ 240 mV or specific η 2500(BET) of ∼ 240.9 mV, and a high current density of ∼ 1590 mA cm−2 at only ∼ 242 mV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrophysiological tests are often used to evaluate hearing loss in infants and young children with conductive hearing loss, no matter to quantify or characterize. However, there are advantages and disadvantages associated with the various electrophysiological tests that are currently available. Therefore, there is no gold standard test. This study aimed to compare the value of narrow-band (NB) CE-Chirp-induced auditory steady-state response (ASSR) and auditory brainstem response (ABR) for assessing hearing thresholds in children with conductive hearing loss. We hope to identify an effective electrophysiological testing method to evaluate conductive hearing loss and provide a reference for clinical hearing assessment of infants with conductive hearing loss. and Methods: We selected 27 children (41 ears) aged 3–6 years with otitis media with effusion (OME). Within 1 day, they underwent behavioral audiometry and NB CE-Chirp-induced ASSR and ABR tests in sequence. Pearson's correlation analysis was performed to compare behavioral audiometry thresholds and ASSR and ABR response thresholds at 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz. The behavioral audiometry thresholds of all children were strongly correlated with the response thresholds of the two electrophysiological tests, with correlation coefficients of 0.659, 0.605, 0.723, and 0.857 for ASSR, and 0.587, 0.684, 0.753, and 0.802 for ABR. The proportion of children with a difference of ≤10 dB between ASSR and behavioral audiometry thresholds or between ABR and behavioral audiometry thresholds was not high, especially in the low frequencies. ABR results were superior to ASSR results in terms of predicting actual hearing levels. At 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz, the average differences between the behavioral hearing thresholds and ASSR thresholds in the 41 ears were 5.6, 5.7, 2, and 5.6 dB, respectively. The average differences between behavioral hearing thresholds and ABR thresholds was −5.6, −1.4, −6.8, and 3.2 dB, respectively. The hearing loss configuration of the ASSR exhibited a peaked pattern, similar to behavioral audiometry, whereas the ABR exhibited an ascending pattern. The time to perform the single-ear ASSR test was 5.9 min, whereas the ABR test took 17.0 min. ASSR and ABR induced by the NB CE-Chirp correlated well with behavioral audiometry in children with conductive hearing loss. The NB CE-Chirp ASSR has advantages in terms of testing time and hearing configuration evaluation, whereas ABR has better reliability than ASSR. However, the stability of ASSR and ABR induced by the NB CE-Chirp is poor, and the thresholds obtained cannot replace behavioral audiometry in evaluating the true hearing of children with conductive hearing loss. However, ASSR and ABR can be used as auxiliary tests for cross-validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Z-Olefins are challenging synthetic targets owing to their relative thermodynamic instability. Transition metal–catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution reactions are well known for installing stereocenters adjacent to branched or E-linear olefins. However, analogous reactions for the synthesis of optically active Z-olefin products are rare. Here we report iridium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution reactions that retain Z-olefin geometries while establishing an adjacent quaternary stereocenter. The formation of transient anti-p-allyl-iridium intermediates and their capture by external nucleophiles before isomerization to the thermodynamically more stable syn-p-allyl-iridium counterparts have been observed. These results provide a promising method for preparing chiral Z-olefinic compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies a semi-online hierarchical scheduling problem on three identical machines. In the problem, there is only one machine with hierarchy 1 and two machines with hierarchy 2, and the goal is to minimize the makespan. When the total size of low-hierarchy is known, an online algorithm with the competitive ratio of 5/3 and the lower bound of 3/2 is given. When the total size of high-hierarchy is known, an online algorithm with the competitive ratio of 9/5 and the lower bound of 3/2 is given. When the total size of each hierarchy is known, an online algorithm with the competitive ratio of 3/2 and the lower bound of 4/3 is given. When the total size of jobs is known, a best possible online algorithm with the competitive ratio of 3/2 is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is of great significance to develop efficient platforms for the detection of hypertoxic Hg2+. Colorimetric probes have received much attention for the detection of Hg2+ in the last decades. In this work, a colorimetric probe composed of MnO2 nanosheets and monothioglycerol (MTG) was rationally designed for Hg2+ detection, which was facially prepared via one‐step reaction at room temperature. The formation of Hg−S bond between Hg2+ and MTG inhibited the decomposition ability of MTG toward MnO2 nanosheets, thus resulting in a color change from colorless to brown. On this basis, the probe quantified Hg2+ in the concentration range from 2 to 60 μM with a low detection limit of 0.75 μM. The probe was applied to the detection of Hg2+ in tap water successfully, and was further fabricated into test strips for the convenience of use. Thereby, a simple and sensitive colorimetric probe for Hg2+ is developed in this work, which holds future promise for monitoring Hg2+ in the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An acid‐free N‐nitrosation/nitration of the N−H bonds in secondary amines with Fe(NO3)3 ⋅ 9H2O as the nitroso/nitro source through an electrocatalyzed radical coupling reaction was developed. Cyclic aliphatic amines and N‐heteroaromatic compounds were N‐nitrosated and N‐nitrated, respectively, under mild conditions. Control and competition experiments, as well as kinetic studies, demonstrate that N‐nitrosation and N‐nitration involve two different radical reaction pathways involving N+ and N. radicals. Moreover, the electrocatalysis method enables the preferential activation of the N−H bond over the electrode and thus provides high selectivity for specific N atoms. Finally, this strategy exhibits a broad scope and provides a green and straightforward approach to generate useful N‐nitroso/nitro compounds in good yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the optimization problem in which a continuous convex function is to be minimized over the joint numerical range of two Hermitian matrices. When those matrices are of large size, solving such problems by convex optimization can be computationally expensive. The goal of this paper is to present a novel nonlinear eigenvector method to accelerate the computation. We will show that the global minimizer of the optimization problem corresponds to a solution of a nonlinear eigenvalue problem with eigenvector nonlinearity (NEPv). The special structure of this NEPv allows for an efficient sequential subspace search algorithm, which is a nonlinear analogue to the NEPv of the commonly applied locally optimal conjugate gradient descent methods for Hermitian linear eigenvalue problems. Our new algorithm can be proven globally convergent to an eigenvector of the NEPv. Implementation details such as block iteration and preconditioning will be discussed. Numerical examples, with applications in computing the coercivity constant of boundary integral operators and solving multicast beamforming problems, show the effectiveness of our approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. To conduct the first meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) with sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT-2is) for obese type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients uncontrolled on metformin. Methods. We searched Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Ovid, and Web of Science from inception to May 14, 2020, without language restrictions for eligible RCTs. The primary outcome is the mean change from baseline in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c). Results. Totally, 3 RCTs enrolled 2066 patients were identified. Compared with SGLT-2is, treatment with GLP-1RAs achieved significant reduced HbA1c by 0.40% (95% CI: −0.54, −0.25; p < 0.00001), fasting blood glucose (FBG) by 0.17 mmol/L (95% CI: −0.31, −0.04; p = 0.01), and postprandial blood glucose (PBG) by 0.32 mmol/L (95% CI: −0.49, −0.14; p = 0.0003) for obese T2D patients uncontrolled on metformin. The significant benefit of weight loss was seen in semaglutide (MD: −0.75; 95% CI: −1.18, −0.31; p < 0.0007). No significant difference was detected between GLP-1RAs and SGLT-2is in overall adverse events (RR: 1.03; 95% CI: 0.98, 1.09; p = 0.76), but gastrointestinal events showed higher occurrence in GLP-1RAs groups compared with SGLT-2is (RR: 1.62; 95% CI: 1.37, 1.93; p < 0.00001). Subgroup analyses revealed that follow-up time did not statistically influence glycemic control. Conclusion. GLP-1RAs are superior to SGLT-2is for obese T2D patients uncontrolled on metformin in glycemic control without an increase in adverse events except for a higher occurrence in gastrointestinal events. Future large longer-term follow-up clinical trials are needed to provide more evidence about the sustainable effects and safety of GLP-1RAs compared with SGLT-2is. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iterative model-based algorithms are known to enable more accurate and quantitative optoacoustic (photoacoustic) tomographic reconstructions than standard back-projection methods. However, three-dimensional (3D) model-based inversion is often hampered by high computational complexity and memory overhead. Parallel implementations on a graphics processing unit (GPU) have been shown to efficiently reduce the memory requirements by on-the-fly calculation of the actions of the optoacoustic model matrix, but the high complexity still makes these approaches impractical for large 3D optoacoustic datasets. Herein, we show that the computational complexity of 3D model-based iterative inversion can be significantly reduced by splitting the model matrix into two parts: one maximally sparse matrix containing only one entry per voxel-transducer pair and a second matrix corresponding to cyclic convolution. We further suggest reconstructing the images by multiplying the transpose of the model matrix calculated in this manner with the acquired signals, which is equivalent to using a very large regularization parameter in the iterative inversion method. The performance of these two approaches is compared to that of standard back-projection and a recently introduced GPU-based model-based method using datasets from in vivo experiments. The reconstruction time was accelerated by approximately an order of magnitude with the new iterative method, while multiplication with the transpose of the matrix is shown to be as fast as standard back-projection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice straw leachate (RSL) was employed as cheap‐effective biomass‐based additive for anthracite/petroleum coke (JM/PC) gasification. The influence of RSL on high‐temperature (1,000–1,300°C) char gasification reactivity and kinetics was analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis. The results demonstrate that for PC char, catalytic effect of RSL on its gasification reactivity existed within the whole temperature range and was initially weakened and then enhanced as gasification temperature increased (turning‐point temperature, 1,200°C). For JM char, as gasification temperature increased, the influencing form of RSL on its gasification reactivity was initially presented as the weakened catalytic effect and turned into the reduced inhibition effect within 1,200–1,300°C. These phenomena were mainly attributed to the concentration and activity variations of alkali/alkaline earth metal species derived from RSL during JM/PC char gasification at different temperatures. Kinetics analysis based on conventional models indicates that random pore model (RPM) was more suitable to describe char gasification. Moreover, RSL additive could reduce the activation energy of JM char and PC char gasification by 12.71 and 43.39 kJ·mol−1, respectively, which implied that RSL help to improve char gasification kinetics and exhibited more positive effect on PC char. Kinetics analysis based on free‐model method verified the reliability and accuracy of RPM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Interleukin (IL)-34 is a new pro-inflammatory cytokine. Previous studies showed that IL-34 plays a key role in inflammation and osteoporosis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, whether IL-34 participates in angiogenesis in RA remains unknown. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) play critical roles in the angiogenesis of RA. Methods: 22 patients with RA, 18 patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and 8 healthy subjects were enrolled in this study. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated and purified from peripheral blood by density gradient centrifugation. PBMCs were stimulated using anti-CD3/CD28 antibody and different concentrations of recombinant human (rh) IL-34 (0, 10, 20, 50, 100 ng/mL). Cell-free supernatants were collected after 72 h incubation, and VEGF and HIF-1α levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: IL-34 promotes the secretion of VEGF and HIF-1α by PBMCs in RA patients in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast, IL-34 has no effect on VEGF and HIF-1α secretion by PBMCs in AS and healthy controls. Conclusion: IL-34 may indirectly contribute to angiogenesis by promoting the production of VEGF and HIF-1α and participate in the pathogenesis of RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploratory study examined the motivational effects of an instructional method that involved students in the rubric development on animation instruction. Drawing upon Keller's ARCS motivation model, this study compared student motivation regarding attention (A), relevance (R), confidence (C), and satisfaction (S) towards animation instruction before and after their involvement in the rubric development. This study recruited seventeen undergraduates participating in a technology integration course and administered motivation surveys before and after implementing the instructional method. The survey results revealed that student motivation was significantly increased in terms of relevance. Motivated students developed a self-developed rubric by drawing upon their experience and perspectives of creating animated research presentation videos. Another motivational effect was identified in students' improved performance in creating animated videos to present research. (125). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Porphyromonas gingivalis is the main pathogen of periodontal disease affecting over half of the worldwide adult population. Recent studies have shown that P. gingivalis is related to the development of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a global major chronic liver disease, especially in developed countries. However, how P. gingivalis contributes to the pathogenesis of NAFLD has not been fully clarified. We aimed to conduct a preliminary exploration of the underlying mechanism of P. gingivalis infection in the development of NAFLD. Methods: Human hepatocellular cells HepG2 were incubated with/without oleic acid (OA) and tested for lipid accumulation upon stimulation by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) derived from P. gingivalis or Escherichia coli. Intracellular lipid droplet formation was analyzed and quantified by Oil Red O staining. The involvement of signaling pathway molecules and pro‐inflammatory cytokines related to NF‐κB and MAPKs were examined with Western blot and quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR) analyses and further evaluated with inhibitor treatment and RNA interference. Results: HepG2 cells accumulated more intracellular lipids when stimulated with P. gingivalis LPS, as compared to cells treated with E. coli LPS or control. Further pathway analysis demonstrated that after stimulation with P. gingivalis LPS, cells displayed significantly upregulated MyD88 expression, increased phosphorylation of p65 and JNK, and more release of pro‐inflammatory cytokines, such as IL‐1, IL‐8, and TNF‐α. In addition, suppression of phosphorylation of p65 and JNK by inhibitors and RNA interference resulted in a reduction in lipid accumulation upon P. gingivalis LPS treatment. Conclusions: These results suggest that P. gingivalis‐derived LPS may contribute to intracellular lipid accumulation and inflammatory reaction of HepG2 cells via the activation of NF‐κB and JNK signaling pathways. This study offers a possible explanation to the functional involvement of P. gingivalis infection in the pathological progression of NAFLD. These findings may help design new treatment strategies in NAFLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A mass balance-based multi-step model was used to study the reaction kinetics of direct chemical looping process. • The mass balance formulated steps required fewer parameters and thus demanded less computational resource. • The activation energy changes were diversified by adding oxygen carrier. • Oxygen carrier altered the yields and distributions of intermediates and products. The investigation into reaction kinetics provides fundamental insights for reactor design in biomass thermochemical conversion. This work studied the kinetics of biomass chemical looping process based on a multi-step model. Cellulose, xylan, and lignin were employed as biomass representatives. The individual step in the multi-step scheme was formulated with a mass-balance equation form, requiring fewer parameters and thus less computational cost. In addition, the decomposition characteristics of different biomass samples in the presence of oxygen carrier (Fe 2 O 3) were analyzed, and the effects of Fe 2 O 3 on the kinetic parameters of reaction steps were investigated. The results revealed that volatiles pyrolyzed from cellulose and xylan were almost not involved with Fe 2 O 3 reduction at high temperatures (∼1000 K) while playing a major role in terms of lignin (∼1050 K). Moreover, adding OC did not always positively affect the activation energy; in particular, it decreased the activation energy of xylan yet elevated the activation energies of cellulose (at low-temperature zone) and lignin to some extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Binary catalyst composed of alkali metal and alkaline earth metal was widely used to overcome the shortcoming of single-metal catalyst. However, the synergistic mechanism between components remains unclear. In present work, sodium and calcium were loaded into the coal char individually or together. TGA gasification was used to investigate catalytic effect. In order to evaluate catalytic mechanism, Raman spectra of gasification residue, Raman spectra of quenched slag and phase composition at thermodynamic equilibrium were obtained. Loading of sodium or calcium significantly increased gasification rate of coal char and catalytic effect of sodium was better than calcium. Above 900 °C, catalytic effect of sodium-calcium binary catalyst was better than that of single catalyst, and gasification residue of binary catalyst loaded char had more calcium silicate and less sodium silicate than gasification residue of single-metal catalyst loaded char. It was speculated that calcium reacted first with silica in coal to inhibit sodium inactivation. Raman spectra of quenched slag and theoretical calculation showed that silica preferentially reacted with calcium oxide to form calcium silicate in calcium oxide-sodium carbonate-silica system, which proved above speculation. Furthermore, the significant catalytic activity of binary catalysts inhibited the graphitization evolution of carbon structure during char gasification, which is conducive to the improvement of gasification rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing evidence has suggested high‐fat diet (HFD) is an independent risk factor for myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R) injury. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) recently attracted much attraction in the study of MI/R injury. However, the functional questions of specific lncRNAs in HFD‐induced MI/R injury have not been well elucidated. Uc.48+ is a lncRNA from a transcribed ultraconserved region (T‐UCR) of human, mouse, and rat genomes. Here, we explored the aggravating role of uc.48+and identified purinergic P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) as a downstream regulator of uc.48+ in HFD‐induced MI/R vulnerability. We demonstrated uc.48+ expression was upregulated, accompanied by the corresponding upregulation of P2X7R in HFD I/R myocardium and HFD‐induced MI/R vulnerability. Overexpression of uc.48+enhanced, whereas silencing of uc.48 + decreased the expression of P2X7R, cardiomyocyte apoptosis, and MI/R injury. The functional relevance of uc.48+ regulated P2X7R expression and the subsequent NF‐κB signaling to promote cardiomyocyte apoptosis was supported by inhibition of P2X7R with its specific antagonist (A438079) as well as the inhibitor of NF‐κB signaling (pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate, PDTC) in H9c2 hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) cells transfected with pcDNA3.0‐uc.48 + plasmid, and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) suggested uc.48+ could interact with transcription factor Sp1. Importantly, Sp1 inhibitor (mithramycin, MIT) was found to suppress uc.48+ ‐induced P2X7R expression and the NF‐κB signaling and cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Our findings provide a potential novel mechanism through which uc.48+ boosts cardiomyocyte apoptosis and MI/R vulnerability to HFD. Thus, uc.48+ is a novel regulator of HFD‐induced MI/R injury; targeting uc.48+ may be a novel therapeutic approach of MI/R vulnerability to HFD. High‐fat diet (HFD) is an independent risk factor for myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R) injury. Uc.48+ is a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) from a transcribed ultraconserved region (T‐UCR) of human, mouse, and rat genomes. Here, we explored the aggravating role of uc.48+ and identified purinergic P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) as a downstream regulator of uc.48+ in HFD‐induced MI/R vulnerability. Targeting uc.48+ may be a novel therapeutic approach of MI/R vulnerability to HFD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Volatiles of pinewood torrefied at 250 °C (PW250) was reduced by only 4% (wt). • Devolatilization and heat transfer performances of PW250 were enhanced. • PW250 contained more cellulose and higher crystallinity degree. • Pyrolysis of pinewood (PW) followed D3 model while PW250 mainly followed D1 model. Abstract Torrefaction is a promising pretreatment technology for biomass thermochemical conversion. In this study, pinewood (PW) and PW250 (torrefied at 250 °C) were prepared for pyrolysis. Torrefaction was carried out in a fixed bed reactor and the pyrolysis was studied by thermogravimetric analyzer using six different heating rates. The results showed that the content of hemicellulose in biomass decreased while cellulose and lignin increased after torrefaction. Moreover, the C-O peaks of torrefied biomass was strengthened in FTIR spectrum and the crystallinity degree was enhanced according to XRD analysis. The performance of devolatilization and heat transfer were improved for PW250 while the volatiles only decreased by only 4%. Activation energy was calculated by three iso-conversion methods. It was found that the PW followed D3 diffusion model, while the PW250 followed D1 diffusion model and tended to higher order reaction model at high conversions. In addition, the thermodynamic parameters were compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An intermolecular asymmetric cascade dearomatization reaction of indole derivatives with propargyl carbonate was developed. The challenges associated with both the chemoselectivity between the carbon and nitrogen nucleophile and the enantioselective control during the formation of an all‐carbon quaternary stereogenic center were well addressed by a Pd catalytic system derived from the Feringa ligand. A series of enantioenriched multiply substituted fused indolenines were provided in good yields (71–86 %) with excellent enantioselectivity (91–96 % ee) and chemoselectivity (3/4>19:1 in most cases). An intermolecular asymmetric cascade dearomatization reaction of indole derivatives with propargyl carbonate was developed. The challenges of both the chemoselectivity between the carbon and nitrogen nucleophiles and the enantioselective control during the formation of an all‐carbon quaternary stereogenic center were well addressed by a Pd catalytic system derived from the Feringa ligand. A series of enantioenriched multiply substituted fused indolenines were provided in good yields with excellent enantioselectivity and chemoselectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shengxuening (SXN) tablet is extracted from the excrement of the silkworm and has effects on hematopoiesis. The main components of SXN are chlorophyll derivatives and sodium iron chlorophyllin (SIC). The present study aims to investigate the efficiency and safety of SXN on iron deficiency anemia. This phase IV, multicenter, open-label, randomized clinical trial was conducted in 31 hospitals in China from June 2001 to April 2002. Adults and children were randomly divided into low-dose (L-SXN), medium-dose (M-SXN), and high-dose (H-SXN) groups, respectively. The course of treatment was 1 month. Peripheral hemogram levels and iron status were examined before and after treatment. Adults in all three dose groups demonstrated a significant increase in hemoglobin (HGB) concentration. Children who received SXN treatment in medium and high doses also demonstrated increased HGB concentration. Reticulocyte counts increased at the end of treatment in the M-SXN and H-SXN adult groups and in the M-SXN child group. For both children and adults, SXN in the three dose groups was found to significantly elevate red blood cell level, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration. The total effective rate in the SXN-treated group reached 84.8%. The incidence of adverse events was 4.07%. The most common side effects were nausea (2.83%), diarrhea (0.74%), and rash (0.25%). SXN was proved to be efficient and safe for adults and children with iron deficiency anemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]