Search

Between 2013 and 2021, there were three reported salmonellosis outbreaks in North America linked to the consumption of cashew cheese analogs that were prepared from soaked and fermented cashews. The behavior of Salmonella was evaluated during fermentation of cashews to better understand the risks associated with plant-based fermentations. Single or seven-strain rifampin-resistant Salmonella-inoculated cashews (1–2 log CFU/g) were soaked 1:1 (w/v) in sterile ultrapure water at 4 °C for 24 ± 1 h, drained, and then blended with additional water. Salmonella-inoculated or uninoculated cashews with or without added commercial Lactococcus lactis starter culture (LAB), and with LAB and NaCl (0.8% and 1.6% w/w), citric acid (0.4% w/w), or a combination of NaCl and citric acid, were held at 24 ± 1 °C for up to 72 h. The pH, aerobic plate counts (M17 agar), and Salmonella populations (CHROMagar Salmonella with 50 µg/mL of rifampin) were measured at 0, 24, 48, and 72 h in replicate experiments. When LAB was present, aerobic plate counts increased from ∼8 log CFU/g to ∼9 log CFU/g after 24 h. The pH decreased from an initial pH ∼6 to pH 4.5–5.0 at 24 h in the presence of LAB or at 48 h in the absence of LAB. The presence of LAB significantly (P

After finishing waxes are applied, citrus fruits are typically dried at 32–60°C for 2–3 min before final packing. The survival of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, and Enterococcus faecium NRRL B-2354 was evaluated under laboratory conditions on lemons after applying one of four finishing waxes (F4, F6, F8, and F15) followed by an ambient hold or heated (50 or 60°C) drying step. The reduction of inoculated microorganisms during drying was significantly influenced by wax type and temperature, with greater reductions at higher temperatures. Greater reductions after waxing and drying at 60°C were observed with L. monocytogenes (2.84–4.44 log) than with Salmonella (1.65–3.67 log), and with Salmonella than with E. faecium (0.99–2.93 log). The survival of Salmonella inoculated at 5.8–5.9 log/fruit on lemons and oranges after applying wax F6 and drying at 60°C was evaluated during storage at 4 and 22°C. The reductions of Salmonella after waxing and drying were 1.7 log; additional reductions during storage at 4 or 22°C were 1.40–1.43 or 0.18–0.29 log, respectively, on waxed lemons, and 0.56–1.02 or 0.54–0.57 log, respectively, on waxed oranges. Under pilot-scale packinghouse conditions with wax F4, mean and minimum reductions of E. faecium ranged from 2.15 to 2.89 and 1.64 to 2.12 log, respectively. However, E. faecium was recovered by whole-fruit enrichment (limit of detection: 0.60 log CFU/lemon) but not by plating (LOD: 1.3 log CFU/lemon) from uninoculated lemons run with or after the inoculated lemons. The findings should provide useful information to establish and implement packinghouse food safety plans.

Abstract Metastasis is a formidable challenge in the prognosis of melanoma. Accurately predicting the metastatic potential of non-metastatic melanoma (NMM) and determining effective postoperative adjuvant treatments for inhibiting metastasis remain uncertain. In this study, we conducted comprehensive analyses of melanoma metastases using bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing data, enabling the construction of a metastasis score (MET score) through diverse machine-learning algorithms. The reliability and robustness of the MET score were validated using various in vitro assays and in vivo models. Our findings revealed a distinct molecular landscape in metastatic melanoma characterized by the enrichment of metastasis-related pathways, intricate cell–cell communication, and heightened infiltration of pro-angiogenic tumor-associated macrophages compared to NMM. Importantly, patients in the high MET score group exhibited poorer prognoses and an immunosuppressive microenvironment, featuring increased infiltration of regulatory T cells and decreased infiltration of CD8+ T cells, compared to the low MET score patient group. Expression of PD-1 was markedly higher in patients with low MET scores. Anti-PD-1 (aPD-1) therapy profoundly affected antitumor immunity activation and metastasis inhibition in these patients. In summary, our study demonstrates the effectiveness of the MET score in predicting melanoma metastatic potential. For patients with low MET scores, aPD-1 therapy may be a potential treatment strategy to inhibit metastasis. Patients with high MET scores may benefit from combination therapies.

The expansion of the digital economy is crucial for halting climate change, as carbon emissions from urban energy use contribute significantly to global warming. This study uses the Difference-in-Differences Model and the Spatial Durbin Model determine whether the digital economy may support the development of reducing carbon emissions and its geographic spillover effects in Chinese cities on the east coast. In addition, it looks more closely at the effects of lowering carbon emissions in space by separating them into direct, indirect, and spatial impact parts. The findings show that (1) from 2012 to 2021, the digital economy favored carbon emission reductions in China’s eastern coastline cities, as supported by the robustness test. (2) The link between digital economy growth and carbon emissions is highly variable, with smart city development and urban agglomeration expansion both cutting city carbon emissions considerably. Successful digital economy strategies can lower CO2 emissions from nearby cities. (3) Eastern coastal cities have a considerable spatial spillover impact, and the digital economy mitigates local energy consumption and carbon emissions while simultaneously enhancing environmental quality in nearby urban areas. This analysis proposes that the peak carbon and carbon neutrality targets can be met by increasing the digital economy and enhancing regional environmental governance cooperation.

With the increase in the demand for large-capacity optical communication capacity, multi-core optical fiber (MCF) communication technology has developed, and both the types of MCFs and related devices have become increasingly mature. The application of MCFs in the field of sensing has also received more and more attention, among which MCF fiber Bragg grating (FBG) devices have received more and more attention and have been widely used in various fields. In this paper, the main writing methods of MCF FBGs and their sensing applications are reviewed. The future development of the MCF FBG is also prospected.

Biological soil amendments of animal origin (BSAAO), such as animal waste or animal-waste-based composts, may contain foodborne pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes. Due to the ubiquitous nature of Listeria, it is essential to understand the behavior of L. monocytogenes in BSAAO in order to develop preharvest prevention strategies to reduce pathogen contamination. As biological control agents, competitive exclusion (CE) microorganisms have been widely utilized in agriculture to control plant- or foodborne pathogens. Due to the diverse microbial community, animal wastes and composts are the potential sources for isolating CE strains for pathogen control. To explore the potential of using CE to control L. monocytogenes in BSAAO, we thoroughly reviewed the studies on the fate of L. monocytogenes in the agriculture field, and in the isolation and identification of CE from different matrices, and the applications of CE as a biological control method. Future studies using a next-generation sequencing approach to identify and characterize CE strains in complex microbial communities can provide a comprehensive picture of the microbial interactions between invading pathogens and the indigenous microbiota in BSAAO. This comprehensive review will provide insight into the development of effective biological control measures for preventing L. monocytogenes contamination in the agricultural field and enhancing food safety.

Local ablation technologies, such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA), microwave ablation (MWA) and cryoablation, have become a standard treatment option for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) less than 5 cm in size, particularly in individuals who are not candidates for hepatectomy. Except for equivalent prognosis and efficiency, RFA has various advantages over surgical excision, including a lower rate of complications, a cheaper cost, more normal tissue preservation, and a shorter hospital stay. However, the rate of tumor recurrence and/or distant metastasis after RFA therapy is still high. RFA has been widely employed in multiple cancers, large cancer, and lesion identified at “high-risk” sites in recent years, with the advancement of ablation types and operating techniques, particularly the combined use of many technologies. The real value of RFA technology has been more fully reflected. We will examine the status, progress, and problems of RFA in the treatment of HCC in this review.

Rationale: Chronic liver fibrosis is a common and irreversible disease in clinical practice, and Pirfenidone (PFD) has been shown to effectively inhibit the progression of liver fibrosis in multiple studies. However, some critically ill patients cannot take oral medications, and high dose and frequency of administration can cause higher physical burden to the critically ill. Therefore, we are committed to finding a material that can provide an efficient mode of drug delivery to address chronic disease. Methods: We have developed a hydrogel microneedle patch (MNP) based on GelMA material to provide sustained release of PFD for reducing dosing frequency, alleviating the physical burden, and enhancing therapeutic efficacy. In vitro experiments were conducted to verify the effectiveness of the microneedle patch, and a chronic liver fibrosis model was established in C57 mouse for further validation. Results: Gel-PFD MNP demonstrated good biocompatibility in vitro and in vivo studies. Cy7 fluorescence showed complete degradation of the MNP after 1 week in vivo. In vitro, Gel-PFD MNP inhibited fibroblast migration and proliferation. In mice treated with Gel-PFD, markers of fibrosis, inflammation and apoptosis in tissue or serum RNA and protein expression were relatively low, and liver enzymes and behavioral levels were also relatively normal. Conclusions: Gel-PFD has good biocompatibility and sustained-release abilities, which can significantly reduce the frequency of administration and has better anti-fibrosis ability than oral PFD. It has extremely positive implications for improving chronic liver injury in patients who are unable to eat or severely ill.

Abstract Objective The preferred agent of glucocorticoids in the treatment of patients with severe COVID-19 is still controversial. This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of methylprednisolone and dexamethasone in the treatment of patients with severe COVID-19. Methods By searching the electronic literature database including PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Web of Science, the clinical studies comparing methylprednisolone and dexamethasone in the treatment of severe COVID-19 were selected according to the inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria. Relevant data were extracted and literature quality was assessed. The primary outcome was short-term mortality. The secondary outcomes were the rates of ICU admission and mechanical ventilation, PaO2/FiO2 ratio, plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), ferritin, and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, hospital stay, and the incidence of severe adverse events. Statistical pooling applied the fixed or random effects model and reported as risk ratio (RR) or mean difference (MD) with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.1.0. Results Twelve clinical studies were eligible, including three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and nine non-RCTs. A total of 2506 patients with COVID-19 were analyzed, of which 1242 (49.6%) received methylprednisolone and 1264 (50.4%) received dexamethasone treatment. In general, the heterogeneity across studies was significant, and the equivalent doses of methylprednisolone were higher than that of dexamethasone. Our meta-analysis showed that methylprednisolone treatment in severe COVID-19 patients was related to significantly reduced plasma ferritin and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio compared with dexamethasone, and that no significant difference in other clinical outcomes between the two groups was found. However, subgroup analyses of RCTs demonstrated that methylprednisolone treatment was associated with reduced short-term mortality, and decreased CRP level compared with dexamethasone. Moreover, subgroup analyses observed that severe COVID-19 patients treated with a moderate dose (2 mg/kg/day) of methylprednisolone were related to a better prognosis than those treated with dexamethasone. Conclusions This study showed that compared with dexamethasone, methylprednisolone could reduce the systemic inflammatory response in severe COVID-19, and its effect was equivalent to that of dexamethasone on other clinical outcomes. It should be noted that the equivalent dose of methylprednisolone used was higher. Based on the evidence of subgroup analyses of RCTs, methylprednisolone, preferably at a moderate dose, has an advantage over dexamethasone in the treatment of patients with severe COVID-19.

Abstract A vector bending fiber sensor based on core-by-core inscribed fiber Bragg gratings in a twin-core fiber has been proposed and experimentally demonstrated. An in-fiber integrated vector bending sensor is realized by using the thermal diffusion technique to fabricate the coupler. The characteristics of the coupler fabricated by thermal diffusion are simulated and experimented. By inscribing fiber Bragg gratings with different reflection wavelengths in the two cores of a symmetrical twin-core fiber, the curvature sensitivity can be enhanced by tracking the wavelength difference between the fiber Bragg gratings of the two cores. The measured bending sensitivity of the fiber Bragg grating ranges from −161.6 pm/m−1 to +165.5 pm/m−1. The differential sensitivity of the two cores is twice that of a conventional single grating, and the temperature-induced crosstalk is also reduced. The bending sensor proposed in this paper has the advantages of high integration, enhancing the sensitivity and two-dimensional orientation recognizability, and reducing temperature crosstalk, which can be a promising candidate for structural health monitoring or wearable artificial electronics applications.

The development of a new generation of solid particle solar receivers (SPSRs) with high solar absorptivity (0.28–2.5 μm) and high infrared emissivity (1–22 μm) is crucial and has attracted much attention for the attainment of the goals of “peak carbon” and “carbon neutrality”. To achieve the modulation of infrared emission and solar absorptivity, two types of medium- and high-entropy rare-earth hexaboride (ME/HEREB6) ceramics, (La0.25Sm0.25Ce0.25Eu0.25)B6 (MEREB6) and (La0.2Sm0.2Ce0.2Eu0.2Ba0.2)B6 (HEREB6), with severe lattice distortions were synthesized using a high-temperature solid-phase method. Compared to single-phase lanthanum hexaboride (LaB6), HEREB6 ceramics show an increase in solar absorptivity from 54.06% to 87.75% in the range of 0.28–2.5 μm and an increase in infrared emissivity from 76.19% to 89.96% in the 1–22 μm wavelength range. On the one hand, decreasing the free electron concentration and the plasma frequency reduces the reflection and ultimately increases the solar absorptivity. On the other hand, the lattice distortion induces changes in the B–B bond length, leading to significant changes in the Raman scattering spectrum, which affects the damping constant and ultimately increases the infrared emissivity. In conclusion, the multicomponent design can effectively improve the solar energy absorption and heat transfer capacity of ME/HEREB6, thus providing a new avenue for the development of solid particles.

In this article, we propose and demonstrate a probe-type multi-core fiber (MCF) sensor for the multi-parameter measurement of seawater. The sensor comprises an MCF and two capillary optical fibers (COFs) with distinct inner diameters, in which a 45° symmetric core reflection (SCR) structure and a step-like inner diameter capillary (SIDC) structure filled with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) are fabricated at the fiber end. The sensor is equipped with three channels for different measurements. The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) channel (CHSPR) based on the side-polished MCF is utilized for salinity measurement. The fiber end air cavity, forming the Fabry–Pérot interference (FPI) channel (CHFPI), is utilized for pressure and temperature measurement. Additionally, the fiber Bragg grating (FBG) channel (CHFBG), which is inscribed in the central core, serves as temperature compensation for the measurement results. By combining three sensing principles with space division multiplexing (SDM) technology, the sensor overcomes the common challenges faced by multi-parameter sensors, such as channel crosstalk and signal demodulation difficulties. The experimental results indicate that the sensor has sensitivities of 0.36 nm/‰, −10.62 nm/MPa, and −0.19 nm/°C for salinity, pressure, and temperature, respectively. As a highly integrated and easily demodulated probe-type optical fiber sensor, it can serve as a valuable reference for the development of multi-parameter fiber optic sensors.

Abstract Background The optimal dose of glucocorticoids for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is uncertain. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different doses of methylprednisolone on sepsis-induced acute lung injury (ALI) rats and a cohort of moderate and severe ARDS patients. Methods ALI rats, challenged with lipopolysaccharide, were randomly received intraperitoneal injection of normal saline (model group) and different doses of methylprednisolone (0.5, 2, 8 mg/kg, named as low-, moderate- and high-dose group, respectively) for 5 days. The body weight changes of rats, inflammatory factors in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), lung wet/dry ratio, histopathological score, and the mRNA expressions of glucocorticoid receptor α (GRα), GRβ and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) were measured. Forty moderate and severe ARDS patients were treated with standard of care or plus different doses of methylprednisolone (40, 80, 120 mg/day, named as low-, moderate- and high-dose group, respectively) for 5 days. Clinical outcomes were PaO2/FiO2 ratio and C-reactive protein (CRP) level at day 5, intubation rate, hospital stay, 28-day mortality, and adverse events rate. Results In animal experiment, different doses of methylprednisolone could increase the body weight of rats, and reduce inflammatory factors in BALF and the degree of lung injury compared with model group. The efficacy of methylprednisolone at moderate-dose was better than that at low-dose, but was equivalent to that at high-dose, which was consistent with the differential changes in the mRNA expression of GRα, GRβ and NF-κB. In clinical study, the moderate-dose group was associated with higher PaO2/FiO2 ratio and lower CRP level. No significant difference in other clinical outcomes among groups was detected. Conclusions This study showed that the efficacy of methylprednisolone in ARDS treatment was not always dose-dependent due to the differential regulation of related receptors. The moderate-dose of methylprednisolone may be the potential optimal dose for ARDS treatment, which needs to be further verified by larger clinical trials.

Abstract With increasing life expectancy and active aging, it becomes crucial to investigate methods which could compensate for generally detected cognitive aging processes. A promising candidate is adaptive cognitive training, during which task difficulty is adjusted to the participants’ performance level to enhance the training and potential transfer effects. Measuring intrinsic brain activity is suitable for detecting possible distributed training-effects since resting-state dynamics are linked to the brain’s functional flexibility and the effectiveness of different cognitive processes. Therefore, we investigated if adaptive task-switching training could modulate resting-state neural dynamics in younger (18–25 years) and older (60–75 years) adults (79 people altogether). We examined spectral power density on resting-state EEG data for measuring oscillatory activity, and multiscale entropy for detecting intrinsic neural complexity. Decreased coarse timescale entropy and lower frequency band power as well as increased fine timescale entropy and higher frequency band power revealed a shift from more global to local information processing with aging before training. However, cognitive training modulated these age-group differences, as coarse timescale entropy and lower frequency band power increased from pre- to post-training in the old-training group. Overall, our results suggest that cognitive training can modulate neural dynamics even when measured outside of the trained task.

Abstract Background The specific use of methylprednisolone in severe community-acquired pneumonia (SCAP) has not yet formed a consensus. It is not clear whether the clinical efficacy of methylprednisolone in SCAP is dose-dependent, and how to balance the best efficacy with the least complications. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of different doses of methylprednisolone in the adjuvant treatment for patients with SCAP. Methods/design This is a prospective, randomized, double-blind, parallel group, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of different doses of methylprednisolone in the adjuvant treatment for patients with SCAP. Patients with diagnosed SCAP are randomized to the following four groups at a 1:1:1:1 ratio: group 1 (control group)—standard ICU patient care+100ml of normal saline once a day for 5 days; group 2—standard ICU patient care+40mg of methylprednisolone (dissolved in normal saline with a final volume of 100ml) once a day for 5 days; group 3—standard ICU patient care+80mg of methylprednisolone (dissolved in normal saline with a final volume of 100ml) once a day for 5 days; and group 4—standard ICU patient care+120mg of methylprednisolone (dissolved in normal saline with a final volume of 100ml) once a day for 5 days. The primary outcome is PaO2/FiO2 ratio at day 5 following randomization. The secondary outcomes are 28-day mortality, ventilator-free days at 28 days, mechanical ventilation duration at 28 days, endotracheal intubation rate, time for temperature recovery, duration of vasopressors use, serum CRP and interleukin-6 level at day 5 following randomization, hospital stay, frequency of nosocomial infections, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, and hyperglycemia. Discussion The results of our study may find the optimal dose of glucocorticoid in the adjuvant treatment of SCAP and provide evidence-based proof for clinicians to treat patients with SCAP. Since coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) also belongs to community-acquired pneumonia, perhaps the results of our study will help to determine the appropriate dose of methylprednisolone in COVID-19 treatment. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2100045056 . Registered on 4 April 2021.

Introduction: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has endangered global health, the world economy, and societal values. Despite intensive measures taken around the world, morbidity and mortality remain high as many countries face new waves of infection and the spread of new variants. Worryingly, more and more variants are now being identified, such as 501Y.V1 (B.1.1.7) in the UK, 501Y.V2 (B.1.351) in South Africa, 501Y.V3 in Manaus, Brazil, and B.1.617/B.1.618 in India, which could lead to a severe epidemic rebound. Moreover, some variants have a stronger immune escape ability. To control the new SARS-CoV-2 variant, we may need to develop and redesign new vaccines repeatedly. So it is important to investigate how our immune system combats and responds to SARS-CoV-2 infection to develop safe and effective medical interventions. Objectives: In this study, we performed a longitudinal and proteome-wide analysis of antibodies in the COVID-19 patients to revealed some immune processes of COVID-19 patients against SARS-CoV-2 and found some dominant epitopes of a potential vaccine. Methods: Microarray assay, Antibody depletion assays, Neutralization assay. Results: We profiled a B-cell linear epitope landscape of SARS-CoV-2 and identified the epitopes specifically recognized by either IgM, IgG, or IgA. We found that epitopes more frequently recognized by IgM are enriched in non-structural proteins. We further identified epitopes with different immune responses in severe and mild patients. Moreover, we identified 12 dominant epitopes eliciting antibodies in most COVID-19 patients and identified five key amino acids of epitopes. Furthermore, we found epitope S-82 and S-15 are perfect immunogenic peptides and should be considered in vaccine design. Conclusion: This data provide useful information and rich resources for improving our understanding of viral infection and developing a novel vaccine/neutralizing antibodies for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2.

Abstract Background COVID-19 pandemic continues, clarifying signatures in clinical characters and antibody responses between severe and non-severe COVID-19 cases would benefit the prognosis and treatment. Methods In this study, 119 serum samples from 37 severe or non-severe COVID-19 patients from the First People's Hospital of Yueyang were collected between January 25 and February 18 2020. The clinical features, antibody responses targeting SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (S) and its different domains, SARS-CoV-2-specific Ig isotypes, IgG subclasses, ACE2 competitive antibodies, binding titers with FcγIIa and FcγIIb receptors, and 14 cytokines were comprehensively investigated. The differences between severe and non-severe groups were analyzed using Mann–Whitney U test or Fisher’s exact test. Results Severe group including 9 patients represented lower lymphocyte count, higher neutrophil count, higher level of LDH, total bile acid (TBA) (P

Compared to single ticket purchase behavior, the impact of ticket cancellation behavior on revenue is full of complexity. Due to the cancelled tickets will be resold with uncertain demand, ticket cancellation behaviors and ticket purchase behaviors are intertwined and influenced, composed of a dynamic and complex system in the presale period. How to charge for ticket cancellation behavior in the name of refund service fee to reduce losses as much as possible is an urgent problem for high-speed railway enterprises. However, there has been little research on this issue. Therefore, a pricing optimization approach for refund service fee based on negative binomial distribution was proposed in this article. Firstly, we proved that the probability of passengers arriving based on the accumulated ticket sales obeyed the negative binomial distribution, which was used to fit the uncertainty demand of passengers. Then, we categorized the passengers to build an optimization model with the objective of maximizing compensation for losses caused by ticket cancellation. A case study was implemented to show that the proportion of refund service fee to ticket price is generally higher than 50%. The refund service fee remains monotonously nondecreasing as the departure date approaches. It also indicated that the current charging standard for refund service fees was too low to offset the losses. In addition, passenger preferences and passenger flow have significant impacts on the dynamic pricing strategy for refund service fees.

Accurate predictions of wheat yields are essential to farmers’production plans and to the international trade in wheat. However, only poor approximations of the productivity of wheat crops in China can be obtained using traditional linear regression models based on vegetation indices and observations of the yield. In this study, Sentinel-2 (multispectral data) and ZY-1 02D (hyperspectral data) were used together with 15709 gridded yield data (with a resolution of 5 m × 5 m) to predict the winter wheat yield. These estimates were based on four mainstream data-driven approaches: Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), Random Forest (RF), Gradient Boosting Decision Tree (GBDT), and Support Vector Regression (SVR). The method that gave the best estimate of the winter wheat yield was determined, and the accuracy of the estimates based on multispectral and hyperspectral data were compared. The results showed that the LSTM model, for which the RMSE of the estimates was 0.201 t/ha, performed better than the RF (RMSE = 0.260 t/ha), GBDT (RMSE = 0.306 t/ha), and SVR (RMSE = 0.489 t/ha) methods. The estimates based on the ZY-1 02D hyperspectral data were more accurate than those based on the 30-m Sentinel-2 data: RMSE = 0.237 t/ha for the ZY-1 02D data, which is about a 5% improvement on the RSME of 0.307 t/ha for the 30-m Sentinel-2 data. However, the 10-m Sentinel-2 data performed even better, giving an RMSE of 0.219 t/ha. In addition, it was found that the greenness vegetation index SR (simple ratio index) outperformed the traditional vegetation indices. The results highlight the potential of the shortwave infrared bands to replace the visible and near-infrared bands for predicting crop yields Our study demonstrates the advantages of the deep learning method LSTM over machine learning methods in terms of its ability to make accurate estimates of the winter wheat yield.

Multiple types of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have been used worldwide, but summarizing their immunologic efficacy post-vaccination remains challenging. The BCR and TCR sequencing based on single-cell sorting makes it possible to evaluate the vaccine-induced immune responses of B or T cells. In this study, we compared the repertoire diversities of B cells and T cells between a whole-virus inactivated vaccine and an S1 protein subunit vaccine in rhesus macaques. We found that the inactivated vaccine could induce a large antigen-specific-BCR repertoire with longer VH CDR3 (21 aa), while the CD3+ TCR α chains of the two vaccine groups showed a similar TCRV/J usage frequency. Detailed analysis of the TCR and BCR repertoires might be of interest for further understanding of the mechanisms of vaccine-induced immune responses.

Abstract A comprehensive analysis of the humoral immune response to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is essential in understanding COVID-19 pathogenesis and developing antibody-based diagnostics and therapy. In this work, we performed a longitudinal analysis of antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 proteins in 104 serum samples from 49 critical COVID-19 patients using a peptide-based SARS-CoV-2 proteome microarray. Our data show that the binding epitopes of IgM and IgG antibodies differ across SARS-CoV-2 proteins and even within the same protein. Moreover, most IgM and IgG epitopes are located within nonstructural proteins (nsps), which are critical in inactivating the host’s innate immune response and enabling SARS-CoV-2 replication, transcription, and polyprotein processing. IgM antibodies are associated with a good prognosis and target nsp3 and nsp5 proteases, whereas IgG antibodies are associated with high mortality and target structural proteins (Nucleocapsid, Spike, ORF3a). The epitopes targeted by antibodies in patients with a high mortality rate were further validated using an independent serum cohort (n = 56) and using global correlation mapping analysis with the clinical variables that are associated with COVID-19 severity. Our data provide fundamental insight into humoral immunity during SARS-CoV-2 infection. SARS-CoV-2 immunogenic epitopes identified in this work could also help direct antibody-based COVID-19 treatment and triage patients.

There are differences in resource endowments, environmental regulations, and production functional areas among different regions in China, which makes dairy farming have certain heterogeneity and imbalance in pollution control, which is mainly reflected in the differences in the environmental efficiency of dairy farming among regions. By analyzing the convergence trend of the dairy farming environment in different regions and scales, it is helpful to predict the potential of improving environmental efficiency, and promote the high-quality development of dairy farming. Based on the dairy farming data of 27 provinces (cities and districts) in China from 2004 to 2019, the SBM model of unexpected output was used to measure the environmental efficiency of dairy farming on different scales. It was found that there were certain differences in the environmental efficiency of dairy farming in China. The overall environmental efficiency of dairy farming showed a “U" evolution trend, including small-scale, medium-scale, and large-scale. The average values of their environmental efficiency were 0.6859, 0.6930, and 0.6855 respectively, and the environmental efficiency of medium-scale dairy farming was the best. The convergence analysis of environmental efficiency showed that there was a conflict between the traditional σ convergence and β convergence results. However, the club convergence showed that the environmental efficiency of small-scale dairy farming converged in general, which could be further divided into two club convergence. The environmental efficiency of medium-scale and large-scale dairy farming did not converge in general but did converge in four different clubs, respectively. Taking the highest environmental efficiency value in the “club” as the reference, the potential to improve the environmental efficiency of dairy farming in different sizes was calculated. The prediction results showed that the gap between the actual value and the potential value was narrowing. It is expected that the potential to improve the environmental efficiency of dairy farming in China will remain above 10% in the next 10–20 years. Based on the above studies, this paper put forward some policy suggestions, such as changing the development direction of dairy farming, changing scale expansion to structural upgrading, implementing differentiated environmental efficiency improvement strategies, narrowing the efficiency gap between regions, paying attention to the input-output structure of factors, and improving the efficiency of breeding environment from the perspective of “eating” and " emission ".

ABSTRACT Listeria monocytogenes is a leading foodborne pathogen that can contaminate fresh produce in farm environment, resulting in deadly outbreaks. Composts contain a diversity of microorganisms, and some of them may be compost-adapted competitive exclusion microorganisms against L. monocytogenes. To understand interactions between compost microflora and the pathogen, both dairy- and poultry-wastes based composts (n = 12) were inoculated with L. monocytogenes, and then analyzed by next-generation sequencing approaches along with culturing methods. DNA extraction and enumeration of L. monocytogenes were performed at 0 and 72 h post-incubation at room temperature. The major bacterial phyla were identified as Firmicutes (23%), Proteobacteria (23%), Actinobacteria (19%), Chloroflexi (13%), Bacteroidetes (12%), Gemmatimonadetes (2%), and Acidobacteria (2%). The top three indicator genera enriched in different compost types were identified by LEfSe with LDA score > 2. The interactions between L. monocytogenes and indigenous microflora were limited as no significant changes in the dominant microbial members in compost ecosystem, but some discriminatory species such as Bacillus, Geobacillus, and Brevibacterium were identified by Random Forest analysis. Besides, changes in metabolic pathways and the increased abundance of bacteriocins category in the compost samples containing L. monocytogenes after 72 h postinoculation were revealed by metatranscriptomic sequencing. Taken together, the compost-related factors such as compost types, composting stages, and the collection farms are major drivers that affect compost microbial compositions, and the analysis of compost metagenome implied that interactions between L. monocytogenes and compost microflora may include competition for nutrients and the presence of antimicrobials. IMPORTANCE Listeria monocytogenes has been recognized as the etiological agent causing foodborne disease outbreaks, with fresh produce as vulnerable for contamination at even preharvest stage. Owing to the richness in microbial community, compost may mediate suppression of pathogens. In this study, the impact of compost-related factors and L. monocytogenes intrusion on dynamic changes in compost microbiome was investigated by next generation sequencing techniques. The compost-related factors such as compost types, composting stages, and the collection farms are major drivers that affect compost microbiome. The interactions between L. monocytogenes and compost microflora may include the competition for nutrients and the presence of antimicrobials produced by native compost microorganisms as potential competitive exclusion microorganisms. Findings from this study are important for the composting industry to understand the composition and functionality of microbial community in their products and help developing organic fertilizers fortified with anti-L. monocytogenes competitive exclusion microorganisms.

Abstract Tet dioxygenases are responsible for the active DNA demethylation. The functions of Tet proteins in muscle regeneration have not been well characterized. Here we find that Tet2, but not Tet1 and Tet3, is specifically required for muscle regeneration in vivo. Loss of Tet2 leads to severe muscle regeneration defects. Further analysis indicates that Tet2 regulates myoblast differentiation and fusion. Tet2 activates transcription of the key differentiation modulator Myogenin (MyoG) by actively demethylating its enhancer region. Re-expressing of MyoG in Tet2 KO myoblasts rescues the differentiation and fusion defects. Further mechanistic analysis reveals that Tet2 enhances MyoD binding by demethylating the flanking CpG sites of E boxes to facilitate the recruitment of active histone modifications and increase chromatin accessibility and activate its transcription. These findings shed new lights on DNA methylation and pioneer transcription factor activity regulation.

Conducting suitability assessment for sugarcane cultivation is of great significance for optimizing the sugarcane cultivation structure and industrial layout. In this paper, based on the requirements of sugarcane growth and development on climate, terrain, and other environmental conditions, as well as the influence of natural disasters, a total of 11 specific indicators in terms of climate factor, terrain factor, and disaster factor were selected to construct a sugarcane cultivation suitability assessment system based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Then, using Guangxi Province, China, as an example, a suitability assessment for sugarcane cultivation was conducted using multi-source data on climate, terrain, and hazards over the past 30 years. The results showed that among 11 indicators, including annual average temperature, elevation had the largest contribution rate, followed by precipitation during the period of ≥20 °C, slope, and the autumn drought frequency. From the spatial distribution, 37% of the provincial regions were suitable for sugarcane cultivation, mainly distributed in Chongzuo City, Nanning City, Qinzhou City, and Beihai City. In total, 44% of the provincial regions were moderately suitable for sugarcane cultivation, mainly distributed in Hezhou City, Laibin City, and Liuzhou City. Additionally, only 19% of the provincial regions were unsuitable for sugarcane cultivation, mainly distributed in Baise City, Hechi City, and Guilin City, with the terrain factor being the main influencing factor of sugarcane suitability assessment. In order to make reasonable use of land resources and increase sugarcane yield, it is suggested that sugarcane cultivation areas should be adjusted to the central and southern regions such as Chongzuo City, Nanning City, Beihai City, and Qinzhou City, and other industries should be developed in the northern regions which are not suitable for sugarcane cultivation.

The implementation of digital technology has become paramount to facilitating green and low-carbon development in dairy farms amidst the advent of digital agriculture and low-carbon agriculture. This study examined the impact of digital technology implementation on the carbon emission efficiency of Chinese dairy farms via an assessment of micro-survey data, incorporating an Undesirable Outputs-SBM model, a Tobit model, the propensity score matching technique, a quantile regression model, and an instrumental variable approach. This study examined the potential moderating influence of environmental regulations on digital technology applications and the carbon emission efficiency of dairy farms. The findings of the research indicate that the implementation of digital technology had a considerable beneficial consequence on the carbon emission proficiency of dairy farms. The statistical significance level of the mean treatment effect was 0.1161, with the most profound influence of precision feeding digital technology on the carbon emission efficiency in dairy farms. The application of digital technology has a more pronounced effect on dairy farms with lower levels of carbon emission efficiency compared to those with medium and high levels of carbon emission efficiency. The application of digital technology toward the carbon emission efficiency of dairy farms is positively moderated by environmental regulations. Finally, this paper puts forward some specific policy recommendations to achieve the strategic goal of low carbon and efficient development in dairy farms through the application of digital technology, which enriches the existing research on carbon emission reduction in dairy farms from theoretical and practical aspects.

Based on the data of existing warehouse supermarkets in Liaoning Province, China, spatial autocorrelation analysis, kernel density analysis, composite correlation coefficient analysis and other methods have been adopted to analyze their spatial-temporal evolution pattern to reflect the general law of the development of China’s existing warehouse supermarkets and fill the gap in this research field. The results show that the spatial distribution of warehouse supermarkets in Liaoning Province is extremely uneven, and areas with high nuclear density are distributed along the “Shenyang-Dalian” line belonging to the aggregation distribution. The Lorentz curve shows a downward trend with a large degree of spatial imbalance, that is, the regional concentration of warehouse supermarkets is high. Through global and local autocorrelation analysis, the regions with similar development levels of warehouse supermarkets in Liaoning Province tend to gather together, and the spatial distribution has a strong correlation. The distribution of warehousing supermarkets in Liaoning Province is affected by traffic location conditions, economic conditions, population quantity and population density, the number of urban functional areas, policy conditions and the role of the government, especially by economic conditions.

The input of exogenous organic materials is an effective way to improve soil organic matter (SOM) content in cropland. The exploration of the impact of new organic materials such as woody peat on black soil fertility can provide an important reference for preventing the degradation of black soil in Northeast China. In this study, the effects of adding woody peat to SOM and the soil-integrated fertility of black cropland were studied by seven treatments (no organic matter addition, CK; crop straw returning, SR; decomposed straw addition, DS; organic manure addition, OM; 6 t/ha woody peat addition, LWP; 10.5 t/ha natural humus material addition, MWP; and 15 t/ha natural humus material addition, HWP). The results show that natural humus material additions (LWP, MWP, and HWP treatments) could significantly increase SOM (increased by 4.79~9.41 g/kg), labile SOM (increased by 2.49~4.52 g/kg), and recalcitrant SOM (increased by 2.13~6.39 g/kg) components, respectively. For comparison, traditional organic material inputs (SR, DS, and OM treatments) had no significant effect on SOM but induced an increase in the labile SOM component in the following year. This study also found that natural humus material additions could improve soil-integrated fertility in a year term, especially in promoting SOM accumulation. However, organic manure amendment showed both the advantage of increasing soil fertility slightly and the disadvantage of increasing soil salt sharply. In conclusion, compared with traditional exogenous organic materials, the natural humus material amendment technique can rapidly increase the total SOM quantity and its different stability components and has a great effect in improving the integrated fertility of black soil. Thus, it is of significance to further study the potential of natural humus material amendment in the fertility of black soil in future.

Abstract Background The cardiotoxicity of isoniazid on zebrafish embryos and its underlying mechanism is unclear. Methods Here, we exposed zebrafish embryos at 4 h post-fertilization to different levels of isoniazid and recorded the morphology and number of malformed and dead embryos under the microscope. Results The high concentration of isoniazid group showed more malformed and dead embryos than the low concentration of isoniazid group and control group. The morphology of the heart and its alteration were visualized using transgenic zebrafish (cmlc2: GFP) and confirmed by in situ hybridization. The negative effects of isoniazid on the developing heart were characterized by lower heart rate and more heart looping disorders. Mechanistically, PCR showed decreased expression of heart-specific transcription factors when exposed to isoniazid. Oxidative stress was induced by isoniazid in cardiomyocytes, mediated by decreased activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase, which were rescued by scavengers of reactive oxygen species. Conclusion In conclusion, this study demonstrated that isoniazid led to heart looping disturbance by the downregulation of cardiac-specific transcription factors and induction of cardiomyocyte apoptosis.

Background Thermal ablation (TA), as an alternative to surgery, has shown some benefits in the treatment of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) patients, especially for those who are at high risk for surgery or refuse surgery. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficiency, safety, and economy of TA, compared with those of routine surgery (RS), for the treatment of PTMC. Methods PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, and VIP databases were retrieved from inception to 10 January 2020 to identify relevant original studies on comparison of TA and RS for treatment of PTMC. The recurrence rate, recurrence-free survival (RFS), complication rate, operation time, postoperative length of stay, and cost during the perioperative period were extracted as main indices. The pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) or odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated and analyzed. Chi-square test and I2 statistic were applied to determine the heterogeneity among studies. The sensitivity analysis was applied to explore the origin of heterogeneity, and the publication bias was evaluated by Egger’s test. Results Seven retrospective studies with a total of 867 patients met the eligibility criteria and were included in the final meta-analysis. Our study demonstrated that TA showed significant reduction in complication with a pooled OR 0.24 (95% CI 0.13 to 0.43), postoperative length of stay with a pooled SMD −3.14 (95% CI −4.77 to −1.51) and cost during the perioperative period with a pooled SMD of −1.69 (95% CI −3.18 to −0.20). It also demonstrated that both TA and RS had similar pooled proportion of recurrence of OR 0.93 (95% CI 0.38 to 2.30) and recurrence-free survive (RFS). The sensitivity analysis showed that each included study had no significant effect on the results and the results were stable and reliable. The Egger’s test demonstrated publication bias was acceptable. Conclusions TA may not be oncologically inferior to RS, and it is a relatively safe and economical alternative for the treatment of PTMC.

Identification of epitopes targeted following virus infection or vaccination can guide vaccine design and development of therapeutic interventions targeting functional sites, but can be laborious. Herein, we employed peptide microarrays to map linear peptide epitopes (LPEs) recognized following SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination. LPEs detected by nonhuman primate (NHP) and patient IgMs after SARS-CoV-2 infection extensively overlapped, localized to functionally important virus regions, and aligned with reported neutralizing antibody binding sites. Similar LPE overlap occurred after infection and vaccination, with LPE clusters specific to each stimulus, where strong and conserved LPEs mapping to sites known or likely to inhibit spike protein function. Vaccine-specific LPEs tended to map to sites known or likely to be affected by structural changes induced by the proline substitutions in the mRNA vaccine’s S protein. Mapping LPEs to regions of known functional importance in this manner may accelerate vaccine evaluation and discovery of targets for site-specific therapeutic interventions.

The spread of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants leads to a heavy burden on healthcare and the global economy, highlighting the need for developing vaccines that induce broad immunity against coronavirus. Here, we explored the immunogenicity of monovalent or bivalent spike (S) trimer subunit vaccines derived from SARS-CoV-2 B.1.351 (S1-2P) or/and B.1. 618 (S2-2P) in Balb/c mice. Both S1-2P and S2-2P elicited anti-spike antibody responses, and alum adjuvant induced higher levels of antibodies than Addavax adjuvant. The dose responses of the vaccines on immunogenicity were evaluated in vivo. A low dose of 5 μg monovalent recombinant protein or 2.5 μg bivalent vaccine triggered high-titer antibodies that showed cross-activity to Beta, Delta, and Gamma RBD in mice. The third immunization dose could boost (1.1 to 40.6 times) high levels of cross-binding antibodies and elicit high titers of neutralizing antibodies (64 to 1024) prototype, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants. Furthermore, the vaccines were able to provoke a Th1-biased cellular immune response. Significantly, at the same antigen dose, S1-2P immune sera induced stronger broadly neutralizing antibodies against prototype, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants compared to that induced by S2-2P. At the same time, the low dose of bivalent vaccine containing S2-2P and S1-2P (2.5 μg for each antigen) significantly improved the cross-neutralizing antibody responses. In conclusion, our results showed that monovalent S1-2P subunit vaccine or bivalent vaccine (S1-2P and S2-2P) induced potent humoral and cellular responses against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants and provided valuable information for the development of recombinant protein-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines that protect against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Improving soil organic carbon (SOC) has been considered as a “win-win way” for ensuring high crop productivity and mitigating chemical N input. Improving SOC can achieve higher wheat yield and simultaneously improve nitrogen (N) productivity (defined as kg grain produced per kg total N input from both indigenous and applied N). Two treatments were tested for improving SOC level. The manure treatment involved applying manure for 6 successive years, and the EM treatment involved adding peat and vermiculite once, both combined with optimized in-season N management. The performance of these two systems were compared with a traditional farming system (Control, where only straw was returned each season). N fertilizer input under all three treatments was optimized by in-season N management and was increased by 90.1% and 48.1% under EM and Manure treatments, respectively, as compared with Control. The average wheat yield for the EM and Manure treatments was 9.1 and 9.2 Mg ha–1, respectively, across all three years, which was 18.8% and 19.7% higher, respectively, than that of the Control treatment (7.7 Mg ha–1). The average chemical N application rates for the EM and Manure treatments were 139 and 146 kg ha–1, which were 24.9% and 21.1% lower than those of the Control treatment, respectively. The N productivity was 15.1% and 14.9% which was higher under Manure and EM treatments than that of the Control treatment. The high yield and N productivity were attributed to improved aboveground dry matter and N uptake by wheat, with optimal soil N supply of the root zone. The higher stem number and weight seen in individual plants with increasing SOC resulted in larger spikes and grains at harvest. Our results determined that increasing SOC combined with optimal N management achieve low chemical N input and higher grain yield by increasing productive stems and grains per spike for improving wheat individual growth.

In this study, we determined the lithospheric electrical structure beneath the Handan-Xingtai district and its adjacent regions using magnetotelluric sounding data. To the west of the Handan-Xingtai district, the crust and upper mantle beneath the Taihang Mountains are mainly characterized by high resistivity (>1000 Ωm, which we interpreted to be the relic cratonic lithosphere. In contrast, the lithosphere beneath the North China Plain to the east shows high-conductivity features (

Intra-individual transient temporal fluctuations in brain signal, as measured by fMRI blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) variability, is increasingly considered an important signal rather than measurement noise. Evidence from computational and cognitive neuroscience suggests that signal variability is a good proxy-measure of brain functional integrity and information processing capacity. Here, we sought to explore across-participant and longitudinal relationships between BOLD variability, age, and white matter structure in early childhood. We measured standard deviation of BOLD signal, total white matter volume, global fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) during passive movie viewing in a sample of healthy children (aged 2–8 years; N = 83). We investigated how age and white matter development related to changes in BOLD variability both across- and within-participants. Our across-participant analyses using behavioural partial least squares (bPLS) revealed that the influence of age and white matter maturation on BOLD variability was highly interrelated. BOLD variability increased in widespread frontal, temporal and parietal regions, and decreased in the hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus with age and white matter development. Our longitudinal analyses using linear mixed effects modelling revealed significant associations between BOLD variability, age and white matter microstructure. Analyses using artificial neural networks demonstrated that BOLD variability and white matter micro and macro-structure at earlier ages were strong predictors of BOLD variability at later ages. By characterizing the across-participant and longitudinal features of the association between BOLD variability and white matter micro- and macrostructure in early childhood, our results provide a novel perspective to understand structure-function relationships in the developing brain.

Phosphorous (P) fixation in saline soils is a concern worldwide. To investigate optimization strategies for P fertilizer application that improve P use efficiency (PUE) and crop yield in saline soil, in terms of P sources and rates, we conducted a two year field experiment in the coastal saline area of China to investigate the effects of P rates and sources, including superphosphate (SSP), monoammonium phosphate (MAP) and ammonium polyphosphate (APP) on yield, aboveground P uptake, agronomy efficiency (AEP), and soil available P of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Wheat yield, under the three P sources, increased with P rates and reached a plateau under 20 kg P ha−1 SSP,18 kg P ha−1 MAP, and 17 kg P ha−1 MAP, respectively. The application of SSP increased the wheat yield by 9–11% compared to MAP and APP. The aboveground P uptake of winter wheat under SSP was 14% and 13% higher than MAP and APP, respectively, under the optimal P application rate. The AEP under SSP was higher than the other two P sources under the same P rate. SSP increased the soil Ca2+ concentration by 20–42%, but decreased the Na+ concentration by 14–18% at the P rate of 26 kg P ha−1 in all soil layers, including 0–20, 20–40, 40–60 cm, compared to CK (0 kg P ha−1). The soil Olsen-P concentration under APP was higher than the other P sources. This study suggests that optimizing P sources and rates can improve wheat yield, PUE, and soil quality in the coastal saline soil.

With China’s carbon peak and target proposed and the power system as an important source of carbon emissions, its carbon reduction issues are of great concern. However, the mismatch between power demand, resources, and generation facilities in different regions of China creates enormous carbon reduction pressures, especially in the region covered by China’s Northeast Power Grid (NE Grid). Therefore, in this study, a two-stage power optimization model considering Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) was established to optimize the national power generation and transmission in China from 2020 to 2060 first and then to optimize the regional road map of energy structure adjustment for China’s NE grid and its CO2 storage strategy. The first stage optimization results show that the national power interaction in China can make full use of the energy resource advantages of the NE grid, especially Jilin and Mengdong, delivering clean electricity to the North China grid as it reaches its “dual carbon” goal. Additionally, the second-stage optimization results show that the NE grid can make good use of CCUS for its thermal power transition. Annual CO2 storage will peak at 204 Mt in 2050 as thermal power withdraws in the NE grid region, which provides a reference for other regions to realize carbon neutrality of their power system by using CCUS.

ObjectiveTo compare the safety and effectiveness between helmet and face mask noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV) in patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF).MethodsEnglish databases included PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Web of Science. Chinese databases involved Wanfang Data, China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database and Chinese Biological Medicine Database. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing helmet and face mask NIMV for patients with ARF were searched. Meta-analysis was performed using Review manager 5.1.0.ResultsTwelve trials with a total of 569 patients were eligible. Our meta-analysis showed that, comparing with face mask, helmet could significantly decrease the incidences of intolerance [risk ratio (RR) 0.19; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.09-0.39], facial skin ulcer (RR 0.19; 95% CI 0.08-0.43) and aerophagia (RR 0.15; 95% CI 0.06-0.37), reduce respiratory rate [mean difference (MD) -3.10; 95% CI -4.85 to -1.34], intubation rate (RR 0.39; 95% CI 0.26-0.59) and hospital mortality (RR 0.62; 95% CI 0.39-0.99) in patients with ARF, and improve oxygenation index in patients with hypoxemic ARF (MD 55.23; 95% CI 31.37-79.09). However, subgroupanalysis for hypercapnic ARF revealed that PaCO2 was significantly reduced in face mask group compared with helmet group (MD 5.34; 95% CI 3.41-7.27).ConclusionNIMV with helmet can improve the patient's tolerance, reduce adverse events, increase oxygenation effect, and decrease intubation rate and hospital mortality comparing to face mask. However, the low number of patients from included studies may preclude strong conclusions. Large RCTs are still needed to provide more robust evidence.

Active crop sensor-based precision nitrogen (N) management can significantly improve N use efficiency but generally does not increase crop yield. The objective of this research was to develop and evaluate an active canopy sensor-based precision rice management system in terms of grain yield and quality, N use efficiency, and lodging resistance as compared with farmer practice, regional optimum rice management system recommended by the extension service, and a chlorophyll meter-based precision rice management system. Two field experiments were conducted from 2011 to 2013 at Jiansanjiang Experiment Station of China Agricultural University in Heilongjiang, China, involving four rice management systems and two varieties (Kongyu 131 and Longjing 21). The results indicated that the canopy sensor-based precision rice management system significantly increased rice grain yield (by 9.4–13.5%) over the farmer practice while improving N use efficiency, grain quality, and lodging resistance. Compared with the already optimized regional optimum rice management system, in the cool weather year of 2011, the developed system decreased the N rate applied in Kongyu 131 by 12% and improved N use efficiency without inducing yield loss. In the warm weather year of 2013, the canopy sensor-based management system recommended an 8% higher N rate to be applied in Longjing 21 than the regional optimum rice management, which improved rice panicle number per unit area and eventually led to increased grain yield by over 10% and improved N use efficiency. More studies are needed to further test the developed active canopy sensor-based precision rice management system under more diverse on-farm conditions and further improve it using unmanned aerial vehicle or satellite remote sensing technologies for large-scale applications.

Objectives To identify key genes associated with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) by integrating a microarray profile and a single-cell RNA-seq dataset. Methods The microarray profile of GSE7084 and the single-cell RNA-seq dataset were obtained from the Gene Express Omnibus database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were chosen using the R package and annotated by Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomics analysis. The hub genes were identified based on their degrees of interaction in the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Expression of hub genes was determined using single-cell RNA-seq analysis. Results In total, 507 upregulated and 842 downregulated DEGs were identified and associated with AAA. The upregulated DEGs were enriched into 9 biological processes and 10 biological pathways, which were closely involved in the pathogenesis and progression of AAA. Based on the PPI network, we focused on six hub genes, four of which were novel target genes compared with the known aneurysm gene database. Using single-cell RNA-seq analysis, we explored the four genes expressed in vascular cells of AAA: CANX , CD44 , DAXX , and STAT1 . Conclusions We identified key genes that may provide insight into the mechanism of AAA pathogenesis and progression and that have potential to be therapeutic targets.

Abstract The corona virus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) is a highly contagious disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2). More than 18 million people were infected with a total of 0.7 million deaths in ∼188 countries. Controlling the spread of SARS‐CoV‐2 is therefore inherently dependent on identifying and isolating infected individuals, especially since COVID‐19 can result in little to no symptoms. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of the different primary technologies used to test for COVID‐19 infection, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each technology, and highlight the studies that have employed them. We also describe technologies that have the potential to accelerate SARS‐CoV‐2 detection in the future, including digital PCR, CRISPR, and microarray. Finally, remaining challenges in COVID‐19 diagnostic testing are discussed, including (a) the lack of universal standards for diagnostic testing; (b) the identification of appropriate sample collection site(s); (c) the difficulty in performing large population screening; and (d) the limited understanding of SARS‐COV‐2 viral invasion, replication, and transmission.

Objective: B-cell-activating factor (BAFF) has been determined to be involved in HIV-1 infection and is correlated with disease progression, while its homologous molecule, a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL), is less frequently reported, and its role remains unclear. We aimed to characterize the APRIL levels in subjects with different HIV-1 infection statuses and determine the relationships with disease progression and immune activation.Methods: The plasma levels of APRIL were compared among 17 long-term non-progressors (LTNPs), 17 typical progressors (TPs), 10 ART-treated patients, and 10 healthy donors (HDs). Seventeen LTNPs and a subset of TPs (n = 6) who initiated ART were assessed longitudinally. The correlations between the APRIL levels and markers of disease progression, B-cell count and specific antibody response, and markers of immune activation and functional cells were analyzed.Results: The circulating APRIL levels were significantly elevated in the LTNPs relative to the TPs, ART-treated patients, and HDs. The longitudinal investigation revealed that the APRIL levels were decreased during follow-up in the LTNPs. ART did not significantly influence the APRIL levels. The levels of plasma APRIL were negatively correlated with the plasma HIV-1 viral load and cellular HIV-1 DNA levels and positively correlated with the CD4+ T-cell count and CD4/CD8 ratio. An inverse correlation was observed between the APRIL and BAFF levels. Furthermore, the APRIL levels were negatively correlated with the frequency of activated CD8+ T cells and levels of interferon gamma-induced protein 10 (IP-10) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). Finally, positive correlations were observed among the APRIL levels, the frequency of CD8+CD28+ T cells, and natural killer (NK) cell count.Conclusion: The APRIL levels were elevated in the LTNPs and negatively correlated with disease progression and immune activation, suggesting likely protective activity in HIV-1 infection.

Background: Previous work suggests that major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with disturbances in global connectivity among brain regions, as well as local connectivity within regions. However, the relative importance of these global versus local changes for successful antidepressant treatment is unknown. We used multiscale entropy (MSE), a measure of brain signal variability, to examine how the propensity for local (fine scale MSE) versus global (coarse scale MSE) neural processing measured prior to antidepressant treatment is related to subsequent treatment response. Methods: We collected resting-state EEG activity during eyes-open and closed conditions from unmedicated individuals with MDD prior to antidepressant pharmacotherapy (N=36) as well as from non-depressed controls (N=36). Treatment response was assessed after 12weeks of treatment using the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), at which time participants with MDD were characterized as either responders (≥50% MADRS decrease) or non-responders. MSE was calculated from baseline EEG, and compared between controls, future treatment responders and non-responders. Putative interactions with the well-documented age effect on signal variability (increased reliance on local neural communication with increasing age, indexed by greater finer-scale variability) were assessed. Results: Only in responders, we found that reduced MSE at fine temporal scales (especially fronto-centrally) and increased MSE diffusely at coarser temporal scales was related to the magnitude of the antidepressant response. In controls and MDD non-responders, but not MDD responders, there was an increase in MSE with age at fine temporal scales and a decrease in MSE with age at coarse temporal scales. Conclusion: Our results suggest that an increased propensity toward global processing, indexed by greater MSE at coarser timescales, at baseline appears to facilitate eventual antidepressant treatment response. Keywords: Depression, Treatment, Response, Multi-scale entropy (MSE), Electroencephalography (EEG), Signal variability, Spectral power density (SPD)

In China, deep tillage (DT; to >20 cm soil depth) has increased crop yields by improving soil properties, while no-tillage (NT) has been recommended to reduce the labor and machinery costs. Local farmers are willing to adopted rotary tillage (RT; harrowing to 10–15 cm depth) for easy management. However, the effects of these tillage management methods on agronomic productivity, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration, and economic return have not been quantified systematically, and their effectiveness remains in question. Here, we present a meta-analysis of the effects of these methods using 665 paired measurements from 144 peer-reviewed studies. The results indicated that DT significantly increased crop yields by 7.5% relative to RT, and even greater increases were observed in regions with low temperatures and with a wheat cropping system. In contrast, NT resulted in a yield reduction of 3.7% relative to RT, however, controlling for the appropriate temperature and long extension duration (>15 yr) could reduce yield losses and even increase the yield. Both DT and NT significantly enhanced SOC sequestration relative to RT. Adoption of DT would lead to both higher total GHG emissions (N2O and CH4) and increased energy costs, while NT reduced GHG emissions. DT management exhibited a positive net profit for all cropping systems; NT decreased the net profit for rice and wheat but increased the profit for maize. Our study highlighted the agronomic, environmental, and economic benefits and trade-offs for the different tillage methods and should enable investors and policymakers to ensure the best tillage management decisions are made depending on the location-specific conditions.