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To improve the effect of intelligent teaching in music classrooms, this paper combines the advanced music waveform iterative reconstruction algorithm to analyze the integration and reconstruction of the music curriculum. Aiming at the problem that the projection matrix occupies a large space and takes a long time to calculate in iterative reconstruction, a fast and real-time incremental method for generating a music wave matrix is proposed. The improved method avoids the judgment and comparison calculations performed by the incremental method when calculating the length and number of each voxel that the ray passes through. The research results show that the music curriculum integration and reconstruction model based on the advanced music waveform iterative reconstruction algorithm can effectively improve the teaching effect of modern music classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetlands are widely distributed all over the world, and have many wildlife resources, which are the main pieces of the puzzle for natural resource conservation and sustainable development on earth and have important irreplaceability. In this paper, through questionnaire survey, field research, literature review, etc., importance weight analysis was conducted by using principal component analysis, and field survey and questionnaire were carried out to collect data on ecological environment function, environmental protection function, landscape beautification function, disaster prevention and mitigation function of urban wetlands. The problems in wetland parks of Nanjing were discussed, such as lack of awareness of landscape planning, deficient late management of wetland parks, weak ability of sustainable development, and unreasonable landscape layout and function. Finally, corresponding solutions were proposed, such as adhering to the planning and design of urban wetland parks with green as the base and health as the basis, persisting in the construction of a wetland system with high biodiversity and near-natural characteristics, adhering to the principle of sustainable development, adopting the construction idea of symbiosis and circulation of urban wetland parks, strengthening education and publicity work, and paying attention to the organic combination of system protection and coordinated construction. The research can build a new development direction for the model of urban wetland parks and green healthy cities, and provide theoretical support for urban sustainable construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driven by the concept of landscaping, this paper analyzed the impact of plant diversity on landscaping function, arrangement methods and community structure by taking plot sampling method as the experimental axis and 3 urban parks in Hefei as the blueprint. Six plots with the size of 20 m x 20 m were selected for investigation. There were 56 species of plants belonging to 50 genera and 42 families in the plots of Zhongshan Road City Park, 48 species of plants belonging to 44 genera and 40 families in the plots of Four Seasons Flower Sea City Park, and 69 species of plants belonging to 57 genera and 45 families in the plots of Xiaoyaojin Park. The survey results show that there are following problems in city parks: lack of plant effectiveness, too homogeneous plant community, disharmony between landscape and environment, poor plant maintenance and lack of attention to ecological maintenance. Based on this, the optimization measures are put forward: increasing evergreen plants to avoid no scenery in autumn, developing plants with excellent landscape effects and a variety of colorful plants, paying attention to the shaping of spatial structure and landscape pattern, regularly taking care of plants and their surrounding environment. It is expected to provide some reference for the construction and development of Hefei city parks, ensure the healthy and stable development of city parks, and provide ideas and methods for the improvement of plant landscaping in city parks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both Khinchin's law of large numbers (Khinchin's LLN) and Lindeberg's central limit theorem (Lindeberg's CLT) are fundamental results in probability theory. In this paper, we give the new proofs of these two theorems. A law of large numbers and a central limit theorem are proved for independent and non-identical distributed random variables. Indeed, these results include the Khinchin's LLN and Lindeberg's CLT. Our main tool is the viscosity solution theory of partial differential equation (PDE). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the dynamics of a high‐dimensional human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) model with treatment and standard incidence, which is perturbed by telegraph noise. The switching is formulated by a continuous time Markov chain. Firstly, we show the existence and uniqueness of the global positive solution. Then, conditions for extinction of the disease are established. Moreover, through constructing suitable Lyapunov functions, we derive sufficient conditions for the existence of positive recurrence of the solutions. Positive recurrence implies all the individuals can coexist and persist in the long term. Finally, numerical experiments are performed for supporting the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since November 2019, each country in the world has been affected by COVID-19, which has claimed more than four million lives. As an infectious disease, COVID-19 has a stronger transmission power and faster propagation speed. In fact, environmental noise is an inevitable important factor in the real world. This paper mainly gives a new random infectious disease system under infection rate environmental noise. We give the existence and uniqueness of the solution of the system and discuss the ergodic stationary distribution and the extinction conditions of the system. The probability density function of the stochastic system is studied. Some digital simulations are used to demonstrate the probability density function and the extinction of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the dynamical behavior of a stochastic two-compartment model of B -cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia, which is perturbed by white noise. Firstly, by constructing suitable Lyapunov functions, we establish sufficient conditions for the existence of a unique ergodic stationary distribution. Then, conditions for extinction of the disease are derived. Furthermore, numerical simulations are presented for supporting the theoretical results. Our results show that large noise intensity may contribute to extinction of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the dynamical behavior of a stochastic food chain chemostat model, in which the white noise is proportional to the variables. Firstly, we prove the existence and uniqueness of the global positive solution. Then by constructing suitable Lyapunov functions, we show the system has a unique ergodic stationary distribution. Furthermore, the extinction of microorganisms is discussed in two cases. In one case, both the prey and the predator species are extinct, and in the other case, the prey species is surviving and the predator species is extinct. Finally, numerical experiments are performed for supporting the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, in the framework of sublinear expectation initiated by Peng, we derive a strong law of large numbers (SLLN) for negatively dependent and non identical distributed random variables. This result includes and extends some existing results. Furthermore, we give two examples of our result for applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preterm birth is an important issue of public reproductive health worldwide. The effects of the toxic metals on the likelihood of spontaneous preterm birth (SPB) are still under discussion. Our study aimed to investigate the association between maternal exposure to the five typical toxic metals or metalloid (i.e. arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb)) and the SPB likelihood. The mothers delivering fetus with SPB (cases) and those with term healthy birth (controls) were chosen from a prospective birth cohort of 3201 women carried out in Shanxi Province, China. A total of 147 SPB cases and 381 controls were included in our nested case-control study. We collected maternal general information by questionnaire and collected their blood sample during recruitment. The serum concentrations of the five toxic metals were measured by inductively coupled-plasma mass spectrometry. We found that the demographic information between the cases and controls were well balanced. The participants in our study had relatively higher serum As concentration. For the other toxic metals (i.e. Cd, Cr, Hg, and Pb), their serum concentrations were overall in the middle range of those from general population. There were no significant associations of the serum concentrations of the five concerned toxic metals with the SPB likelihood. Our study results overall did not support that maternal exposure to As or Cd significantly contribute to the SPB risk in the current exposure level, as well as the other three toxic metals. We further proposed their upper concentration limits in maternal serum from the perspective of SPB likelihood during the early pregnant period, i.e. 18.2 ng/mL of As, 1.05 ng/mL of Cd, 0.96 ng/mL of Cr, 1.07 ng/mL of Hg, and 1.54 ng/mL of Pb. Unlabelled Image • Maternal exposure to the toxic metals may increase the spontaneous preterm birth risk. • We recruited 147 SPB cases and 381 controls in our nested case-control study. • No significant associations of the serum toxic metals with the SPB risk were found. • Their upper limits in maternal serum from the perspective of SPB risk were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider two chemostat models with random perturbation, in which single species depends on two perfectly substitutable resources for growth. For the autonomous system, we first prove that the solution of the system is positive and global. Then we establish sufficient conditions for the existence of an ergodic stationary distribution by constructing appropriate Lyapunov functions. For the non-autonomous system, by using Has'minskii theory on periodic Markov processes, we derive it admits a nontrivial positive periodic solution. Finally, numerical simulations are carried out to illustrate our main results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a stochastic multimolecular biochemical reaction model with lévy jumps is investigated. Firstly, we prove the existence and uniqueness of the global positive solution. Then we derive the conditions when the reaction will end and when the reaction will proceed. Moreover, the existence of positive recurrence to the solutions is studied by constructing suitable Lyapunov functions. Results show that the end and persistence of the reaction are closely related to the intensity of lévy noise. Finally, numerical simulations are carried out to illustrate the theoretical results. • A stochastic multimolecular biochemical reaction model with lévy jumps is studied. • We establish sufficient conditions for the end and persistence of the reaction. • The existence of positive recurrence to the solutions is investigated. • Numerical simulations are carried out to illustrate the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a stochastic chemostat model with single-species growth on two perfectly substitutable nutrients under telegraph noise is investigated. Firstly, we prove the solution of the system is positive and global. Then we establish sufficient conditions for the existence of ergodic stationary distribution of the model by constructing suitable Lyapunov functions with regime switching. Finally, numerical simulations are carried out to demonstrate our theoretical results. • A stochastic chemostat model with two nutrients under telegraph noise is considered. • We establish sufficient conditions for the existence of stationary distribution. • The existence of stationary distribution implies stochastic weak stability. • Numerical simulations are carried out to illustrate the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking lévy jumps into account, a Lotka–Volterra food chain chemostat model in random environment is proposed and investigated. We first prove the existence and uniqueness of the global positive solution. Then conditions for extinction of the microorganisms are derived in two cases. Furthermore, we establish sufficient conditions for persistence in the mean of the system. Theoretical analysis indicates that the dynamics of the considered model are determined by two threshold parameters R 0 s and R 1 s , and both white noise and lévy noise are disadvantageous to the system. Finally, numerical simulations are given to illustrate the results. • A stochastic Lotka–Volterra food chain chemostat model with both Brownian motion and lévy jumps is studied. • Conditions for extinction of the microorganisms are derived in two cases. • We establish sufficient conditions for persistence in the mean of the system. • Theoretical analysis indicates the dynamics of the model are determined by two threshold parameters. • Results show that both white noise and lévy noise are disadvantageous to the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a seafood-borne Gram-negative bacteria causing diarrheal diseases in humans world wide. ToxR is a membrane-associated transcriptional factor which plays an important role in acid stress tolerance and regulates the expression of virulence genes including type III secretion system 1 (T3SS1) and type VI secretion system 1 (T6SS1) in V. parahaemolyticus. However, possible mechanisms of ToxR mediating virulence gene expression have not been fully understood. In this study, we demonstrated that ToxR is essential for V. parahaemolyticus to tolerate acid stress by constructing a ToxR deletion mutant (Δ toxR) and its complemented strain (toxR +). Quantitative PCR showed that the expression of toxR was up regulated under acid stress condition. RNA-seq analysis showed that ompU encoding one of outer membrane proteins was dramatically down regulated in Δ toxR. Furthermore, the mutation of ompU also led to a significant reduction in tolerating acid stress indicating that ToxR mediated acid stress through regulating ompU expression. RNA-seq results further confirmed that acid stress condition could alter multiple signaling pathways either depending on ToxR (e.g., quorum sensing, fatty acid metabolism) or independent of ToxR (e.g., biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, microbial metabolism in diverse environment, biosynthesis of antibiotics, biosynthesis of amino acids and carbon metabolism pathways). We also for the first time demonstrated that ToxR positively regulated the expression of T6SS2 gene and the interbacteria killing activity. Our study provides comprehensive understanding of signaling pathways which are regulated by both acid stress and ToxR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paper, we focus on a food chain chemostat model with general response functions, perturbed by white noise. Under appropriate assumptions, we establish sufficient conditions for the existence of a unique ergodic stationary distribution by using stochastic Lyapunov analysis method. Our main effort is to construct the suitable Lyapunov function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let $X_{i}, i\geq1$ be a sequence of random variables with different distributions $F_{i}, i\geq1$ . The partial sums are denoted by $S_{n}=\sum_{i=1}^{n} X_{i}$ , $n\geq1$ . This paper mainly investigates the precise large deviations of $S_{n}, n\geq1$ , for the widely orthant dependent random variables $X_{i}, i\geq1$ . Under some mild conditions, the lower and upper bounds of the precise large deviations of the partial sums $S_{n}$ , $n\geq1$ , are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider a discrete-time risk model with insurance and financial risks. Within period i ≥ 1, the real-valued net insurance loss caused by claims is the insurance risk, denoted by Xi, and the positive stochastic discount factor over the same time period is the financial risk, denoted by Yi. Assume that {(X, Y), (Xi, Yi), i ≥ 1} form a sequence of independent identically distributed random vectors. In this paper, we investigate a discrete-time risk model allowing a dependence structure between the two risks. When (X, Y ) follows a bivariate Sarmanov distribution and the distribution of the insurance risk belongs to the class ℒ(γ) for some γ > 0, we derive the asymptotics for the finite-time ruin probability of this discrete-time risk model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate the fabrication of organic high Q active whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) resonators from π-conjugated polymer by a controlled emulsion-solvent-evaporation method, which can simultaneously provide optical gain and act as an effective resonant cavity. By measuring the shift of their lasing modes on exposure to organic vapor, we successfully monitored the slight concentration variation in the chemical gas. These microlaser sensors demonstrated high detection sensitivity and good signal repeatability under continuous chemical gas treatments. The results offer an effective strategy to design miniaturized optical sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterioferritin (Bfr) is a subfamily of ferritin protein family. Bfrs are composed of 24 identical subunits and self-assemble into 4‐3-2-fold symmetric cage-like structure with the incorporation of 12 heme groups into twelve 2-fold symmetric binding sites between subunits. Bfr protein cage has an outer diameter of ∼12 nm and interior cavity diameter of ∼8 nm with a total of 62 pores to connect the interior cavity with the bulk solution outside the protein nanocage. In vivo, the interior cavity of Bfr can store up to ∼2700 iron atoms in the ferrihydrite-like mineral. Recent years, more and more Bfr structures have been solved, which elucidated more details about the ferroxidase center, the catalytic mechanism, the possible channels used by iron ions to access the interior cavity, the electron transfer pathway involved in the iron redox cycle, and the molecular function of the heme group. The preliminary applications of both mammalian and bacterial ferritins in drug delivery, imaging diagnosis, and nanoparticle vaccine make Bfr exploration uniquely attractive for researchers from a broad range of research fields because Bfr has advantages over ferritins in controlling the self-assembly and redesigning the subunit. In this article, we outline the structure of Bfr, review the recent progress in the molecular mechanism of Bfr to store and release iron, and focus on the self-assembly and genetic modification of Bfr nanocage. Based on the comparison between Bfr and other ferritin family members, we further discuss the potential applications of Bfr. We expect that both fundamental and applied researches on Bfr will attract broad interest in protein nanocage design, nanomedicine, precise therapy, nanoparticle vaccine, bionanotechnology, bionanoelectronics, and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Motivated by risk measure, super-hedge pricing, and modeling uncertainty in finance, Shige Peng established the theory of sub-linear expectation. In this article, we derive two results of laws of large numbers in the framework of sub-linear expectations. One is the strong law of large numbers for the array of random variables, which satisfies non identical distributed and exponential negatively dependent under sub-linear expectation. The other is the weak law of large numbers for the array of random variables, which satisfies non identical distributed and Φ -negatively dependent under sub-linear expectation. These results include and extend some existing results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider a Lotka–Volterra food chain chemostat model that incorporates both distributed delay and stochastic perturbations. We obtain sufficient conditions for the existence of stationary distribution by constructing suitable Lyapunov functions. Stationary distribution indicates the two species in the chemostat can coexist in the long term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: With an aim to construct a sensing platform for the electrochemical detection of paeonol, we modified the glassy carbon electrode with acetylene black nanoparticle (AB). A sensitive oxidation peak of paeonol was observed with remarkably increased peak current on the modified electrode because the electrode has a big surface area due to three dimensional structure of AB nanoparticles. The optimization of detection conditions was performed, including pH value of the buffer, the amount of AB nanoparticles on the electrode surface, the accumulation potential and time of paeonol. Under the optimized conditions, the oxidation peak current of paeonol increased linearly with its concentration over the range from 5×10−7 to 1×10−4 M. The detection limit was calculated to be 1×10−7 M. The modified electrode was successfully applied to detect the content of paeonol in cortex moutan, a common traditional Chinese medicine. The method is new, sensitive, rapid and convenient for the detection of paeonol. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This article focuses on a stochastic viral model with distributed delay and CTL responsiveness. It is shown that the viral disease will be extinct if the stochastic reproductive ratio is less than one. However, when the stochastic reproductive ratio is more than one, the viral infection system consists of an ergodic stationary distribution. Furthermore, we obtain the existence and uniqueness of the global positive solution by constructing a suitable Lyapunov function. Finally, we illustrate our results by numerical simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concrete is significant for construction. A problem in application is the appearance of cracks that will damage its strength. An autogenous crack-healing mechanism based on bacteria receives increasing attention in recent years. The bacteria are able to form calcium carbonate (CaCO 3) precipitations in suitable conditions to protect and reinforce the concrete. However, a large number of spores are crushed in aged specimens, resulting in a loss of viability. A new kind of hydrogel crosslinked by alginate, chitosan and calcium ions was introduced in this study. It was observed that the addition of chitosan improved the swelling properties of calcium alginate. Opposite pH response to calcium alginate was observed when the chitosan content in the solution reached 1.0%. With an addition of 1.0% chitosan in hydrogel beads, 10.28% increase of compressive strength and 13.79% increase of flexural strength to the control were observed. The results reveal self-healing properties of concretes. A healing crack of 4 cm length and 1 mm width was observed when using cement PO325, with the addition of bacterial spores (2.54–3.07 × 105/cm3 concrete) encapsulated by hydrogel containing no chitosan. Image 1 • A new method to the bacterial encapsulation procedure used in concrete was proposed. • The opposite pH response to calcium alginate was observed when the addition of chitosan in the solution reached 1.0%. • 10.28% increase of compressive strength and 3.79% increase of flexual strength of cement were observed in this work. • A healing crack of 4 cm length and 1 mm width was observed in this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mannose-6-phosphate (M6P) is involved in many metabolic pathways in life, and it has important applications in the treatment of diseases. This study explored a cost-effective enzyme catalytic synthesis method of M6P, using polyphosphate-dependent mannose kinase from Arthrobacter species. This synthesis uses polyphosphate to replace expensive ATP, and it is greener and safer than chemical synthesis. This study investigated the effects of key factors such as metal ions, temperature, and substrate addition on this enzymatic reaction, and improved the conversion efficiency. We moreover take advantage of the response surface method to explore the best catalytic conditions synthetically. The conversion was 99.17% successful under the optimal reaction conditions. After a series of optimizations, we carried out a 200 mL scale-up experiment, which proved that the method has good prospects for industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The time-domain electromagnetic (TDEM) method is acknowledged for its simplicity in setup and non-intrusive detection capabilities, particularly within shallow subsurface detection methodologies. However, extant TDEM systems encounter constraints when detecting intricate topographies and hazardous zones. The rapid evolution in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology has engendered the inception of UAV-based time-domain electromagnetic systems, thereby augmenting detection efficiency while mitigating potential risks associated with human casualties. This study introduces the UAV-TDEM system designed explicitly for discerning shallow subsurface targets. The system comprises a UAV platform, a host system, and sensors that capture the electromagnetic response of the area while concurrently recording real-time positional data. This study also proposes a processing technique rooted in robust local mean decomposition (RLMD) and approximate entropy (ApEn) methodology to address noise within the original data. Initially, the RLMD decomposes the original data to extract residuals alongside multiple product functions (PFs). Subsequently, the residual is combined with various PFs to yield several cumulative sums, wherein the approximate entropy of these cumulative sums is computed, and the resulting output signals are filtered using a predetermined threshold. Ultimately, the YOLOv8 (You Only Look Once version 8) network is employed to extract anomalous regions. The proposed denoising method can process data within one second, and the trained YOLOv8 network achieves an accuracy rate of 99.0% in the test set. Empirical validation through multiple flight tests substantiates the efficiency of UAV-TDEM in detecting targets situated up to 1 m below the surface. Both simulated and measured data corroborate the proposed workflow's effectiveness in mitigating noise and identifying targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• For the first time, we identified the factors influencing EDRIC and evaluated the role of EDRIC in ES-NSCLC patients who were treated with SBRT with a relatively large number of clinical cases. • Our study population was not interfered with chemotherapy or immunotherapy, therefore, EDRIC can be better used to assess the effects of RT on the immune system. • In the present study, multivariate analysis found that EDRIC was the most important prognostic predictor associated with DMFS and CSS. • We found that EDRIC was affected by GTV and tumor location. GTV showed a positive correlation with EDRIC (r = 0.707, P = 0.000), and central tumors had significantly higher EDRIC compared with peripheral ones. • The effects of SBRT on the immune cells were confirmed by changes of peripheral blood lymphocyte count at different time points during radiation therapy, and a significant inverse correlation was observed between lymphocyte nadir and EDRIC (r = −0.691, P < 0.001). Although the effects of estimated dose of radiation to immune cells (EDRIC) in stage III NSCLC, LA-NSCLC, LS-SCLC and esophageal cancer on clinical outcomes have been studied, its impact in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (ES-NSCLC) is unknown. In this study, we evaluated the role of EDRIC and identified the factors influencing EDRIC in this population. We retrospectively analyzed 211 pathologically confirmed ES-NSCLC patients who were treated with SBRT between 2007 and 2020. EDRIC was calculated based on the model developed by Jin et al. and improved by Ladbury et al. Kaplan–Meier method and Cox proportional hazards regression were adopted to estimate CSS, PFS, LPFS, and DMFS. Pearson correlation was used to assess the correlation between variables. We further validated our findings in an independent cohort of 119 patients with ES-NSCLC. A total of 211 patients were included with median follow-up of 48 months in the training cohort. The median EDRIC was 2.178 Gy (range: 0.426–6.015). GTV showed a positive correlation with EDRIC (r = 0.707, P = 0.000). In multivariate analysis, higher EDRIC was significantly associated with worse CSS (HR = 1.468, P = 0.009) and DMFS (HR = 1.491, P = 0.016). Considering each EDRIC quartile, there was a significant difference in CSS between 1st and 4th and 1st and 3rd quartile (P = 0.000, P = 0.004, respectively); and DMFS between 1st and 4th,1st and 3rd, and 1st and 2nd quartile (P = 0.000, P = 0.000, P = 0.008, respectively). In the subgroup and validation cohort, EDRIC was also the important prognostic predictor of CSS and DMFS using multivariate analysis. EDRIC was an independent predictor of CSS and DMFS in ES-NSCLC, and it was affected by GTV and tumor location. Though EDRIC is a critical determinant of treatment outcomes, it is quantifiable and potentially modifiable. Additional researches exploring the feasibility of achieving lower EDRIC while maintaining adequate tumor coverage during radiotherapy are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new member of the IL-1 family, interleukin-33 (IL-33), participates in the progression of a variety of diseases through binding with its receptor ST2. Recently, much clinical evidence and experimental data have indicated that IL-33 is associated with various liver diseases. This review primarily addresses the relationship between IL-33 and several hepatic diseases. IL-33 can alleviate high-fat diet- (HFD-) induced hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance, and IL-33 acts as an alarmin, which quickly triggers the immune system to respond to virus invasion and toxic damage to the liver. However, when liver injury is chronic, IL-33 promotes Th2 reactions and hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activity, facilitating progression to liver fibrosis. The complicated functions of IL-33 should be considered before its clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By incorporating psychopathology and subjective well-being (SWB), the dual-factor model of mental health (DFM) can comprehensively measure psychological health. We examined the utility of the DFM among 1,293 Chinese adolescents (Grades 7–12). Furthermore, we examined the dynamics of mental health group membership via a two-wave longitudinal study of 531 students. SWB, psychopathology, affective self-regulatory efficacy, academic self-efficacy, and academic emotions were measured via self-report scales. Mental health group membership was determined according to combinations of high or low SWB and high or low psychopathology. The DFM was supported by our identification of its four constituent groups (i.e. complete mental health, vulnerable, troubled, and symptomatic but content). Significant group differences were found in affective self-regulatory efficacy, academic self-efficacy, and academic emotions, with clear contrasts observed between adolescents with complete mental health and their vulnerable peers, as well as between troubled adolescents and their symptomatic but content peers. Moreover, youth with complete mental health demonstrated the highest stability and troubled youth the lowest, whereas vulnerable youth had the highest rates of transitioning into both the complete mental health and troubled groups. Implications for practice are explored within the context of screening and intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C-type lectins (CTLs) function as pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) by recognizing invading microorganisms, thereby triggering downstream immune events against infected pathogens. In this study, a novel CTL containing a low-density lipoprotein receptor class A (LDLa) domain was obtained from Litopenaeus vannamei , designed as LvLDLalec. Stimulation by the bacterial pathogen Vibrio anguillarum (V. anguillarum) resulted in remarkable up-regulation of LvLDLalec, as well as release of LvLDLalec into hemolymph. The rLvLDLalec protein possessed broad-spectrum bacterial binding and agglutinating activities, as well as hemocyte attachment ability. Importantly, LvLDLalec facilitated the bacterial clearance in shrimp hemolymph and protected shrimp from bacterial infection. Further studies revealed that LvLDLalec promoted hemocytes phagocytosis against V. anguillarum and lysosomes were involved in the process. Meanwhile, LvLDLalec participated in humoral immunity through activating and inducing nuclear translocation of Dorsal to regulate phagocytosis-related genes and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) genes, thereby accelerated the removal of invading pathogens in vivo and improved the survival rate of L. vannamei. These results unveil that LvLDLalec serves as a PRR participate in cellular and humoral immunity exerting opsonin activity to play vital roles in the immune regulatory system of L. vannamei. • LvLDLalec is activated by V. anguillarum and promotes bacterial clearance. • LvLDLalec binds to the surface of hemocytes to promote phagocytosis and lysis of ingested V. anguillarum in phagosomes. • LvLDLalec regulates the expression of immune-related genes by promoting the nuclear translocation of Dorsal. • LvLDLalec protectes shrimp from infection from V. anguillarum to improve the survival rate of L. vannamei. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug discovery focused on target proteins has been a successful strategy, but many diseases and biological processes lack obvious targets to enable such approaches. Here, to overcome this challenge, we describe a deep learning–based efficacy prediction system (DLEPS) that identifies drug candidates using a change in the gene expression profile in the diseased state as input. DLEPS was trained using chemically induced changes in transcriptional profiles from the L1000 project. We found that the changes in transcriptional profiles for previously unexamined molecules were predicted with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.74. We examined three disorders and experimentally tested the top drug candidates in mouse disease models. Validation showed that perillen, chikusetsusaponin IV and trametinib confer disease-relevant impacts against obesity, hyperuricemia and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, respectively. DLEPS can generate insights into pathogenic mechanisms, and we demonstrate that the MEK–ERK signaling pathway is a target for developing agents against nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Our findings suggest that DLEPS is an effective tool for drug repurposing and discovery. Drug discovery based on transcriptional profiling does not require knowledge of protein targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new type of Dextran-polypyyrole nano-assemblies(Dex-PPy NAs) was synthetized. • This Dex-PPy NAs could be used as photothermal and photoacoustic imaging agent. • This Dex-PPy NAs shows great biocompatibility. Polypyrroles have shown great potential in photoacoustic imaging and photothermal therapy owing to its excellent photothermal conversion capabilities. However, the synthesis of polypyrrole-based nano-assemblies which have colloidal stability in biological buffers requires a number of steps, including the polymerization of pyrrole monomers, self-assembly of polypyrrole-based copolymers, and even an additional step to increase the biocompatibility of the nano-assemblies. Herein, a "polymerization/assembly" two-in-one synthesis is proposed for the first time to achieve the one-step synthesis of a new family of polypyrrole-based nano-assemblies, dextran-polypyrrole nano-assemblies (Dex-PPy NAs), under ambient conditions and in aqueous media. In addition, the approach employs tetravalent cerium ions as initiators which can initiate the polymerization of pyrrole monomers through the initiation of free radicals from dextran molecular chains. The resultant Dex-PPy NAs have a photothermal conversion efficiency reaching as high as 41 % and an excellent photostability. More importantly, the NAs with controllable nanoscale dimensions display no signs of cytotoxicity in both in vitro and in vivo studies owing to their biocompatible dextran "shell". An in vivo study further confirmed that the Dex-PPy NAs have excellent real-time photoacoustic imaging and photothermal therapy capabilities for malignant tumors. Therefore, this study represents an important step towards the scalable synthesis of polypyrrole-based nano-assemblies with photothermal/photoacoustic dual capabilities and enhanced biocompatibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tremella fuciformis Berk polysaccharides (TP) have significant cytokine‐stimulating activity and low oral bioavailability owing to their large molecular volume. Identifying and studying the smallest active structure of TP can potentially be beneficial for further utilization and research, therefore, TP was hydrolyzed and fractionated to obtain its (1→3)‐mannan backbone fragments. The fragments were further isolated by ion‐exchange resin, ultrafiltration, gel, and HPLC chromatography, and three oligosaccharide fractions, named TL4‐1, TL4‐2, TL4‐3, were obtained. According to the determination of their physicochemical properties, they were composed of Man, and after methylation analysis they were mainly characterized as (1→3)‐mannan oligosaccharides with a straight chain. TL4‐1 contained di‐, trisaccharides, TL4‐2 included tetra‐, penta‐saccharides, and TL4‐3 was made up of hex‐, hepta‐, octa‐saccharides, according to LC‐ESI/MS analysis. Cytokine stimulation experiments showed that the degree of polymerization (DP) should be more than six to maintain the activity of mannosan. Therefore, the smallest active unit of oligo‐mannose was determined. Practical applications: This paper reports the physical and chemical parameters, structure and biological potential of oligosaccharides from T. fuciformis Berk, a common edible fungus. Tremella has been used as an improving immunity drug in China with good effect. Oligosaccharides are more easily digested and utilized by human body, and maintain good activity. These results can increase people's interest in the product, and thus have a positive impact on the oligosaccharides of Tremella as health food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Histone acetyltransferases (HATs) are important enzymes that transfer acetyl groups onto histones and thereby regulate both gene expression and chromosomal structures. Previous work has shown that the activation of sirtuins, which are histone deacetylases, can extend lifespan. This suggests that inhibiting HATs may have a similar beneficial effect. In the present study, we utilized a range of HAT inhibitors or heterozygous Gcn5 and Ngg1 mutants to demonstrate marked yeast life extension. In human cell lines, HAT inhibitors and selective RNAi‐mediated Gcn5 or Ngg1 knockdown reduced the levels of aging markers and promoted proliferation in senescent cells. Furthermore, this observed lifespan extension was associated with the acetylation of histone H3 rather than that of H4. Specifically, it was dependent upon H3K9Ac and H3K18Ac modifications. We also found that the ability of caloric restriction to prolong lifespan is Gcn5‐, Ngg1‐, H3K9‐, and H3K18‐dependent. Transcriptome analysis revealed that these changes were similar to those associated with heat shock and were inversely correlated with the gene expression profiles of aged yeast and aged worms. Through a bioinformatic analysis, we also found that HAT inhibition activated subtelomeric genes in human cell lines. Together, our results suggest that inhibiting the HAT Gcn5 may be an effective means of increasing longevity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are members of humoral immunity and particpate in resisting microbial invasion. In this study, an AMP gene hepcidin was obtained from the oriental loach Misgurnus anguillicaudatus and named Ma-Hep. This Ma-Hep encodes a peptide of 90 amino acids, with a predicted active peptide segment (Ma-sHep) of 25 amino acids at C terminus. Stimulation by a bacterial pathogen Aeromonas hydrophila resulted in significant up-regulation of Ma-Hep transcripts in loach midgut, head kidney, and gill. Ma-Hep and Ma-sHep proteins were expressed in Pichia pastoris and their antibacterial activity was examined. Results showed that Ma-sHep possessed stronger antibacterial activity against various Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, compared to Ma-Hep. Scanning electron microscopy showed that Ma-sHep might kill bacteria by destroying bacterial cell membranes. Moreover, we found that Ma-sHep had an inhibitory effect on blood cell apoptosis induced by A. hydrophila and facilitated the bacterial phagocytosis and clearance in loach. Histopathological analysis indicated Ma-sHep could protect liver and gut of loach from bacterial infection. Ma-sHep has high thermal stability and PH stability, which is conducive to further feed addition. Feed supplemented with Ma-sHep expressing yeast improved the intestinal flora of loach by increasing the dominant bacteria and decreasing the harmful bacteria. Feed supplemented with Ma-sHep expressing yeast also regulated the expression of inflammatory related factors in various tissues of loach and reduced the mortality of loach upon bacterial infection. These findings show that the antibacterial peptide Ma-sHep is involved in the antibacterial defense of loach and can be used as a candidate for new antimicrobial agents in aquaculture. • The Hepcidin from Misgurnus anguillicaudatus was cloned and identified. • Ma-sHep possessed strong antibacterial activity against various bacteria. • Ma-sHep had an inhibitory effect on blood cell apoptosis induced by A. hydrophila. • Ma-sHep could protect loach tissues from bacterial infection. • Feed supplemented with Ma-sHep expressing yeast enhance immune capacity of loach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of ambient fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) exposure on blood pressure have been widely reported. However, there remains uncertainty regarding the underlying roles of particulate matter components. We aimed to investigate the association between ambient PM 2.5 exposure and blood pressure, as well as the potential effects of trace metal(loid)s, in a repeated-measurement study that enrolled women of childbearing age. Our study included 35 participants from Hebei Province, China, each of whom was visited for five times. During each visit, we conducted questionnaire surveys, measured blood pressure, and collected blood. The daily PM 2.5 exposure of participants was estimated according to their residential addresses using a spatiotemporal model that combined monitoring data with satellite measurements and chemical-transport model simulations. This model was used to calculate average PM 2.5 concentrations in 1, 3, 7, 15, 30, and 60 days prior to each visit. Serum concentrations of various trace metal(loid)s were measured. A linear mixed-effects model was used to investigate associations among study variables. Overall, the mean (standard deviation) 60 days PM 2.5 concentration over all five visits was 108.1(43.3) μg/m3. PM 2.5 concentration was positively associated with both systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Likewise, ambient PM 2.5 concentration was positively associated with serum concentrations of manganese and arsenic, and negatively associated with serum concentrations of nickel, tin, and chromium. Only the serum concentration of molybdenum was negatively associated with systolic blood pressure. We concluded that ambient PM 2.5 exposure may contribute to elevated blood pressure, potentially by interfering with internal intake of various metal(loid)s in the human body. Image 1 • We investigated the association between PM 2.5 exposure and blood pressure (BP). • A repeated measurement design was adopted for the 35 childbearing-age woman. • Their serum concentrations of various metal(loid)s were analyzed using ICP-MS. • Systolic and diastolic BPs were positively associated with PM 2.5 exposure. • PM 2.5 exposure may affect the serum metal(loid) levels of Mn, Ni, Sb, Cr and As. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although aging and senescence have been extensively studied in the past few decades, however, there is lack of clinical treatment available for anti‐aging. This study presents the effects of berberine (BBR) on the aging process resulting in a promising extension of lifespan in model organisms. BBR extended the replicative lifespan, improved the morphology, and boosted rejuvenation markers of replicative senescence in human fetal lung diploid fibroblasts (2BS and WI38). BBR also rescued senescent cells with late population doubling (PD). Furthermore, the senescence‐associated β‐galactosidase (SA‐β‐gal)‐positive cell rates of late PD cells grown in the BBR‐containing medium were ~72% lower than those of control cells, and its morphology resembled that of young cells. Mechanistically, BBR improved cell growth and proliferation by promoting entry of cell cycles from the G0 or G1 phase to S/G2‐M phase. Most importantly, BBR extended the lifespan of chemotherapy‐treated mice and naturally aged mice by ~52% and ~16.49%, respectively. The residual lifespan of the naturally aged mice was extended by 80%, from 85.5 days to 154 days. The oral administration of BBR in mice resulted in significantly improved health span, fur density, and behavioral activity. Therefore, BBR may be an ideal candidate for the development of an anti‐aging medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oligosaccharide Hep‐2 from cultured mycelium of Hericium erinaceus was obtained with a hollow‐fiber ultrafiltration cartridge and purified with a DEAE Sephadex A‐50 column followed by a Bio‐Gel P‐30 column. The properties, structure, and antioxidant activities of Hep‐2 were studied. Hep‐2 had the molecular weight of 1,080 Da and consists of Glc and Gal in a molar ratio of 1.0:0.4. Fragmentation analysis by GC‐MS suggests that the structure of Hep‐2 consists of three linear sugar residues. Furthermore, we used the LC‐MSn combined methylation method to determine the types of bonds between sugar residues. We found that the structure of Hep‐2 is based on 2–7 sugars. Among these, the trisaccharides and pentasaccharides consist of 1 → 6‐Gal, whereas the tetrasaccharides, hexasaccharides, and heptasaccharides consist of 1 → 4‐Glc and 1 → 6‐Gal. The activity tests indicated that Hep‐2 significantly reduced the damage caused by H2O2 in GES‐1 cells, and could induce expression of T‐SOD and GSH‐px, scavengers of oxygen free radicals, in a concentration–response manner. Hep‐2 also reduced cell apoptosis as assessed by changes in the ratio of Bcl‐2/Bax proteins by western blot. Both sets of results suggest that Hep‐2 might possess significant antioxidant activity. Practical applications: This paper reports the physical and the chemical parameters, structure and biological potential of oligosaccharides from Hericium erinaceus, a common edible fungus. Hericium erinaceus has been used as an anti‐atrophic gastritis drug in China with good effect. Oligosaccharides are more easily digested and utilized by human body, and have strong antioxidant activity. These results can increase people's interest in the product, and thus have a positive impact on the oligosaccharides of Hericium erinaceus as health food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Streptococcus suis is a zoonotic pathogen that causes great economic losses to the swine industry and severe threats to public health. A better understanding of its physiology would contribute to the control of its infections. Although copper is an essential micronutrient for life, it is toxic to cells when present in excessive amounts. Herein, we provide evidence that CopA is required for S. suis resistance to copper toxicity. Quantitative PCR analysis showed that copA expression was specifically induced by copper. Growth curve analyses and spot dilution assays showed that the ΔcopA mutant was defective in media supplemented with elevated concentrations of copper. Spot dilution assays also revealed that CopA protected S. suis against the copper-induced bactericidal effect. Using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy, we demonstrated that the role of CopA in copper resistance was mediated by copper efflux. Collectively, our data indicated that CopA protects S. suis against the copper-induced bactericidal effect via copper efflux. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]