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Shiyun Lv,1,* Lijun Sun,1,* Tongzeng Li,1,* Ruojing Bai,1 Man Dai,2,3 Ran Wang,1 Yuanyi Zhai,1 Wei Hua,1 Aixin Li,1 Ruolei Xin,2 Lili Dai1 1Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Institute for STD/AIDS Prevention and Treatment, Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 3School of Public Health, Chinese Medical University, Shenyang, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Lili Dai, Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 10 83911069, Email lilydaier@ccmu.edu.cn Ruolei Xin, Institute for STD/AIDS Prevention and Treatment, Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing, 100013, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 10 64407364, Email xinruolei@sina.comObjective: To analyze the antiretroviral resistance in people living with HIV (PLWH) who developed low-level viremia (LLV) during antiretroviral therapy (ART) via sequencing of their HIV-1 proviral DNA and RNA and comparisons of their proviral DNA genotyping data with their past and synchronous RNA genotyping data.Patients and Methods: PLWH with LLV while receiving ART for 6 months or longer from January 2020 to September 2021 were included. HIV-1 proviral DNA and RNA were extracted from white-blood cells and concentrated plasma by ultracentrifugation, respectively, and HIV-1 pol gene fragments were amplified and sequenced. The concordance in the detection of resistance-associated mutations (RAMs) were examined between proviral DNA vs past RNA genotyping and proviral DNA vs synchronous RNA genotyping.Results: Of the 150 PLWH with LLV, 117 proviral DNA pol sequences detected in 105 PLWH were successfully amplified and RAMs were present in 27.6% and the rate of RAMs conferring low-level or greater resistance to antiretrovirals examined was 17.1%. Fifty-six and 57 PLWH had results of past and synchronous RNA genotyping, respectively, for comparisons with those of proviral DNA genotyping; and the concordance rates were 76.8% and 75.4%, respectively. However, proviral DNA genotyping lost than gained partial information on antiretroviral resistance compared with past or synchronous RNA genotyping.Conclusion: We found that the concordance between proviral DNA and past and synchronous RNA genotyping was moderate. Proviral DNA genotyping lost than gained more information on antiretroviral resistance compared with past or synchronous RNA genotyping. To optimize ART in PLWH with LLV, antiretroviral resistance profile should be interpreted in combination with proviral DNA and RNA genotyping and a comprehensive review of previous treatment history.Keywords: genotypic resistance testing, resistance-associated mutation, nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor, non-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor, protease inhibitor

Yu Yu,* Ligang Ding,* Yu Deng,* Hao Huang, Sijing Cheng, Chi Cai, Min Gu, Xuhua Chen, Xiaohui Ning, Hongxia Niu, Wei Hua Cardiac Arrhythmia Center, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100037, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Wei Hua, Cardiac Arrhythmia Center, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100037, People’s Republic of China, Email drhuaweifw@sina.comBackground: The joint association of atrial fibrillation (AF) and statin therapy with adverse outcomes in heart failure (HF) patients with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has not been fully investigated so far. The purpose of this study was to explore the independent and joint association of AF and statin therapy with adverse outcomes.Methods: Study patients were divided into four groups according to AF status and statin use: Non-AF/Statin, Non-AF/Non-Statin, AF/Statin, and AF/Non-Statin. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate the independent and joint association of AF and statin therapy with poor prognosis.Results: Among 685 CRT patients, there were 180 deaths (26.5%) and 198 HF hospitalization (29.6%) during the 14 years of follow-up. AF was associated with a 46% increased risk of all-cause mortality (HR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.03– 2.07) and a 59% increased risk of HF hospitalization (HR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.16– 2.20) than those without AF. However, statin therapy failed to improve the prognosis. In the joint analysis, compared with the Non-AF/Statin group, the AF/Non-Statin group suffered a higher risk of all-cause mortality (HR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.04– 2.93) and HF hospitalization (HR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.08– 2.86). Furthermore, adding AF to the traditional risk factor model significantly improved the predictive value for death (C-statistic from 0.654 to 0.691) and HF (C-statistic from 0.613 to 0.675).Conclusion: AF was associated with poor prognosis, and statin use failed to improve the prognosis. Further analysis showed that statin therapy is ineffective in improving prognosis and fails to attenuate the adverse effects of AF.Graphical Abstract: Keywords: atrial fibrillation, cardiac resynchronization therapy, joint association, prognosis, statin therapy

Xiucai Zhang,1 Chao Fang,1 Junfeng Zhang,1 Wang Hua,2 Rong He,1 Mingming Zhou1 1Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Children’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Infectious Diseases, The Children’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Mingming Zhou, Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Children’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, No. 3333 Binsheng Road, Hangzhou, 310052, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-571-86670467, Email 6510053@zju.edu.cnBackground: The emergence of carbapenem and colistin co-resistant Escherichia coli poses a huge challenge to infection control. The purpose of this study was to clarify the mechanism of the carbapenems and colistin co-resistance in E. coli strains.Methods: Antimicrobial susceptibility test was carried out by agar dilution methods and colistin resistance was confirmed by broth microdilution methods. Whole genome sequencing was carried out, and resistance genes, sequence types and virulence genes of carbapenems and colistin co-resistance E. coli isolates were analyzed.Results: The results showed that among the 176 carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae strains, 5 multidrug resistant E. coli strains exhibiting coresistance to carbapenem and colistin. The main mechanism of 5 E. coli strains in this study was generating carbapenem. Four E. coli strains were mcr-positive, while one mcr-negative strain had a new MgrB mutation. The blaNDM-5, blaCTX-M-65, blaOXA-10, blaTEM-1 and mcr-1.1 genes were simultaneously detected in E. coli 20IR1127 strain belonging to ST156 lineage. Other antimicrobial resistance genes encoding aminoglycosides-, sulfonamide-, chloramphenicol-, tetracyclines- and macrolides resistance were also detected.Conclusion: The main mechanisms of carbapenem and colistin resistance were encoded by blaNDM and mcr1.1, meanwhile mgrB mutations also contribute to colistin resistance. To our knowledge, this study is the first to report of E. coli ST156 strain in which the blaNDM-5, blaCTX-M-65, blaOXA-10, blaTEM-1 and mcr1.1 genes coexist. In addition, there is also an E. coli ST457 strain, which carries blaTEM-1, blaNDM-9, blaCTX-M-199 and is positive for mcr1.1 gene.Keywords: Escherichia coli, carbapenem, colistin, co-resistance, WGS

Li-xing Hu, Min Tang, Wei Hua, Xiao-qing Ren, Yu-he Jia, Jian-min Chu, Jing-tao Zhang, Xiao-ning Liu Center of Arrhythmia, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100037, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Xiao-ning Liu, Center of Arrhythmia, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, No. 167 North Lishi Road, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100037, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 10 8839 6965, Email ning_christina@126.comObjectives: This study aimed to assess the depression and anxiety status and their association with sleep disturbance among one single center Chinese inpatients with arrhythmia and help cardiologists better identify patients who need psychological care.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 495 inpatients with arrhythmia treated in Fuwai Hospital from October to December 2019. The psychological status and sleep quality were assessed using the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the potential risk factors for anxiety and depression.Results: The mean age of the participants was 52.8 ± 14.4 years, and 58.0% were male. Approximately 18.3% were in an anxious state, and 33.5% were in a depressive state. In multivariate logistic regression, age from 50 to 59 (p = 0.03), unemployment (p = 0.026) and sleep disturbance (p < 0.001) were the risk factors for anxiety status. Cardiac implanted electronic devices (CIEDs) (p = 0.004) and sleep disturbance (p < 0.001) were the risk factors for depression status. A total of 150 patients (30.3%) were categorized as having poor sleep quality (PSQI > 7). The adjusted odds ratio (OR) of having poor sleep quality was 4.30-fold higher in patients with both anxiety and depression (OR: 4.30; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.52– 7.35); 2.67-fold higher in patients with depression (OR: 2.67; 95% CI: 1.78– 4.00); and 3.94-fold higher in patients with anxiety (OR: 3.94; 95% CI: 2.41– 6.44).Conclusions: Psychological intervention is critical for Chinese inpatients with arrhythmia, especially for patients aged 50– 59, unemployed, or those using CIEDs. Poor sleep quality could be an important risk factor linked to psychological disturbances.Keywords: anxiety, depression, arrhythmia, sleep disturbance

Huiyun Zhang,1 Wenya Hua,1 Siran Lin,1 Yu Zhang,1 Xinchang Chen,1 Shiyong Wang,1 Jiazhen Chen,1 Wenhong Zhang1– 3 1Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 3Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/MOH), Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Jiazhen Chen, Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Rm 524, Building No. 5, No. 12 Middle Wulumuqi Road, Shanghai, 200040, People’s Republic of China, Email jiazhen_chen@163.comObjective: Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) can cause pulmonary and extrapulmonary diseases. Tedizolid (TZD) is a new oxazolidinone with in vitro activity against NTM such as Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), Mycobacterium fortuitum, and Mycobacterium abscessus complex. The aim of this study was to evaluate the TZD susceptibility profiles of clinical isolates of NTM.Methods: The microdilution method was used to identify the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of TZD and linezolid (LZD) for 133 clinical NTM isolates. Broth microdilution chequerboard assays were used to investigate the synergistic effects of TZD and three antibiotics on two reference isolates and eleven clinical isolates of NTM.Results: The TZD MIC50 and MIC90 for M. abscessus complex were 2 and 4 μg/mL, 16 and > 32 μg/mL for MAC, respectively. TZD exhibited lower MICs than that of LZD for most NTM, which were positively correlated. Due to the high MIC values of TZD against MAC, it is necessary to conduct drug sensitivity tests before TZD administration. TZD-clarithromycin combination had synergistic response on M. abscessus complex in 3 of the 8 isolates, which lasted only 3– 5 days. TZD-cefoxitin had synergistic effect against all five M. fortuitum isolates.Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that TZD had greater in vitro potency than LZD, and synergy studies suggested that TZD may be an important component of multi-drug treatment regimen.Keywords: tedizolid, susceptibility testing, nontuberculous mycobacteria, linezolid, oxazolidinone

Ke Song,1 Yiran Hu,1,2 Wei Chen,1 Wei Hua,2 Zening Jin1 1Department of Cardiology and Macrovascular Disease, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100070, People’s Republic of China; 2Arrhythmia Center, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Zening Jin, Department of Cardiology and Macrovascular Disease, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 119 South Fourth Ring West Road, Beijing, 100070, People’s Republic of China, Email zening_jin@126.com Wei Hua, Arrhythmia Center, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, North Lishi Road No.167, Beijing, 100073, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 010-59975832, Email drhuaweifw@sina.comBackground: Not all patients with heart failure derive consistent benefit from prophylactic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). We aimed to evaluate the role of MADIT-ICD benefit score in risk-stratifying in Asian patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 35%.Methods: In this two-center, retrospective study, a total of 136 patients with LVEF ≤ 35% who received an ICD for primary prevention were enrolled. The endpoints were defined as the ventricular tachycardia ≥ 200bpm (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF) and non-arrhythmic death. Based on the MADIT-ICD benefit score system, all patients were categorized into three groups: highest benefit group (n = 41), intermediate benefit group (n = 80), and lowest benefit group (n = 15).Results: Forty patients experienced VT/VF and seven died of non-arrhythmic causes during a median follow-up of 44.8 ± 28.9 months. Kaplan–Meier curves showed that patients in highest benefit group had a worse VT/VF occurrence compared to those in other groups. In the highest benefit group, the predicted risk of VT/VF was 17-fold higher than the risk of non-arrhythmic mortality (41.5% vs 2.4%, P < 0.001). In the intermediate benefit group, the predicted risk of VT/VF was 4.2-fold higher than the risk of non-arrhythmic mortality (26.3% vs 6.3%, P = 0.001). In the lowest benefit group, however, the difference in the corresponding predicted risks was attenuated without statistically significant (13.3% vs 5.1%, P = 0.56).Conclusion: We demonstrate that MADIT-ICD benefit score can be used for the assessment of ICD primary prevention benefits in Asian patients with LVEF ≤ 35%.Keywords: implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, primary prevention, risk score, risk stratification, heart failure with reduced ejection fraction

This paper reported antibiotic resistance and PFGE genetic typing of Streptococcus thermophilus stains isolated from different yogurt brands in Chinese market. In total, 42 strains isolated from 43 yogurt samples were identified as S. thermophilus stains by 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The investigation of antibiotic-resistance profiles revealed that those isolates were resistant to erythromycin (69.05 %), clindamycin (73.81 %), chloramphenicol (61.90 %) and fosfomycin (19.05 %), and were susceptible to other 13 kinds of antibiotics. The genetic typing of S. thermophilus stains was examined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of chromosomal DNA digested with SmaI. The enzyme restriction profiles showed the 42 S. thermophilus isolates were divided into 14 PFGE types, and further analysis showed the PFGE profile did not completely match with antibiotic resistance profile. The antibiotic resistance and PFGE pattern database generated in this study suggest that the safety evaluation of S. thermophilus should be paid more attention and will provide basic for information of food safe assessment of yogurt.

Chenyao Xie,1,* Jing Zhao,1,* Wenxi Hua,2,* Pei Tan,1,* Yudi Chen,1,* Jingwen Rui,2 Xiaohan Sun,1 Jiaying Fan,1 Xiangyu Wei,1 Xiaojing Xu,1 Xiaoqin Yang11School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, People’s Republic of China; 2Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workObjective: As an important DNA repair gene, the xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group C (XPC) gene and its functional genetic variants’ relationship with chemotherapy response has been extensively studied. To quantitatively elucidate the genetic impact of the XPC rs2228000 and rs2228001 polymorphisms on the response to platinum-based chemotherapy, the present meta-analysis was conducted.Materials and methods: A systematic literature search was performed in seven cyber databases until February 20, 2019, for all relevant studies that assessed the relationship between XPC polymorphisms and the response to platinum-based chemotherapy. Odds ratios (ORs) with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were measured to assess the strength of the association. R programs were developed to perform the statistical analyses, including calculations of pooled estimates, publication bias and sensitivity analyses, and heterogeneity interpretations.Results: A total of 1,615 patients from 10 studies for the rs2228001 polymorphism were winnowed for further statistical analysis. For the rs2228000 polymorphism, 858 samples from six datasets were included. However, this meta-analysis indicated no significant effect of these two XPC polymorphisms on the response to platinum-based chemotherapy. When stratified according to sample size, country or cancer type, no statistical significance for association was identified in all subgroups. Further sensitivity analysis and publication bias assessment ensured the reliability of the meta-analysis.Conclusions: The pooled estimates suggest that neither the rs2228000 polymorphism nor the rs2228001 polymorphism contributes to the genetic predisposition for an altered response to platinum-based chemotherapy. Considering the limitations of our present meta-analysis, more studies with large-scale cohorts and rigorous methods are needed to validate our results.Keywords: XPC, polymorphism, meta-analysis, platinum-based chemotherapy

Wei Bai,1 Changgui Kou,1 Weiying Yu,1 Yuanyuan Li,1 Wanqing Hua,1 Lei Yu,2 Jianfeng Wang3 1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, Jilin Province, China; 2Department of Radiotherapy, Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130041, Jilin Province, China; 3Department of Radiotherapy, China-Japan Union Hospital, Changchun 130033, Jilin Province, China Background: Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) are two of the main treatment techniques for cervical cancer. Whether either technique significantly reduces irradiated volumes of organs at risk (OARs) remains controversial. The aim of this study was to explore which of these treatment paradigms is the superior technique in cervical treatment, taking clinical outcomes and treatment efficiency from published findings into consideration.Materials and methods: PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were utilized. The average percent irradiated volumes of OAR were extracted from all included studies. Dual arc results were extracted due to their superiority to single arc methods in terms of plan quality. Standard mean deviations and 95% CIs were calculated for delivery time, monitor units, and average percent irradiated volumes of OAR. Assessment of publication bias and sensitivity analyses were performed. All statistical analyses were conducted using R 3.5.0 software.Results: Eight studies were included in this meta-analysis. For irradiated volumes of OARs, irradiated volume of rectum receiving 40 Gy (rectum V40) was significantly decreased in VMAT compared with IMRT. However, no significant differences were observed between IMRT and VMAT plans in bladder V40 or small bowel V40/V30. In addition, delivery times and monitor units were significantly lower in the VMAT plan than in the IMRT plan.Conclusion: Compared with IMRT, VMAT is significantly more protective for the rectum, suggesting that it may be an optional therapy technique for patients with cervical cancer. Keywords: VMAT, IMRT, cervical cancer, meta-analysis

The reaction characteristics and mechanism of coke with different coke reactivity indices (CRIs) in the high-temperature zone of a blast furnace should be fully understood to correctly evaluate the coke quality and optimize ironmaking. In this work, low-CRI coke (coke A) and high-CRI coke (coke B) were charged into a thermogravimetric analyzer to separately study their microstructural changes, gasification characteristics, and reaction mechanism under simulated cohesive zone conditions in a blast furnace. The results show that both coke A and coke B underwent pyrolysis, polycondensation, and graphitization during the heat treatment. The pyrolysis, polycondensation, gasification speed, and dissolution speed rates of coke B were higher than those of coke A. Direct and indirect reduction between sinter and coke occurred in the cohesive zone and had different stages. The consumption rate of coke B was faster than that of coke A during the coke-sinter reduction. The carbon molecules of coke A must absorb more energy to break away from the skeleton than those of coke B.

The effects of two different carbon sources on changes of catalase (CAT) yield, the values of antioxidant indexes and intermediate metabolites from Serratia marcescens SYBC08 were investigated at different time points (4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 h). The highest CAT yield (20008 U‧mL-1) in presence of citric acid was approximately 1.46-fold higher than that in presence of glucose (13680 U‧mL-1). The maximum superoxide dismutase activity (21.53 U‧mL-1) was achieved in presence of citric acid, significantly higher than that in presence of glucose (15.20 U·mg-1protein). Intracellular alkyl hydroperoxide reductase activity in presence of citric acid or glucose was sharply increased during culture period and reached the maximum value at 24 h. Additionally, the NADH oxidase activities, total antioxidant capacities, intracellular and extracellular ascorbic acid contents, intracellular H2O2 level, malondialdehyde contents and intracellular contents of pyruvate, succinic acid and citric acid in presence of citric acid or glucose were also evaluated.

Xiaoping Li,1–3,* Chi Cai,3,* Rong Luo,4 Rongjian Jiang,1 Jie Zeng,1 Yijia Tang,1 Yang Chen,1 Michael Fu,5 Tao He,1 Wei Hua31Department of Cardiology, Hospital of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, 2School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 3Department of Clinical Electrophysiology, Fuwai Hospital and Cardiovascular Institute, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 4Key Laboratory of Thermoregulation and Inflammation of Sichuan Higher Education Institutes, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Medicine, Sahlgrenska University Hospital/Östra Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden*These authors contributed equally to this workObjective: Recent studies have shown that sex and age are associated with outcomes in patients with cardiomyopathy. The purpose of this study was to determine the all-cause mortality of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) by age and sex.Methods and results: The patients were divided into non-elderly (age

The rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae, infects many economically important cereal crops, particularly rice. It has emerged as an important model organism for studying the growth, development, and pathogenesis of filamentous fungi. RabGTPases are important molecular switches in regulation of intracellular membrane trafficking in all eukaryotes. MoRab5A and MoRab5B are Rab5 homologs in M. oryzae, but their functions in the fungal development and pathogenicity are unknown. In this study, we have employed a genetic approach and demonstrated that both MoRab5A and MoRab5B are crucial for vegetative growth and development, conidiogenesis, melanin synthesis, vacuole fusion, endocytosis, sexual reproduction, and plant pathogenesis in M. oryzae. Moreover, both MoRab5A and MoRab5B show similar localization in hyphae and conidia. To further investigate possible functional redundancy between MoRab5A and MoRab5B, we overexpressed MoRAB5A and MoRAB5B, respectively, in MoRab5B:RNAi and MoRab5A:RNAi strains, but neither could rescue each other’s defects caused by the RNAi. Taken together, we conclude that both MoRab5A and MoRab5B are necessary for the development and pathogenesis of the rice blast fungus, while they may function independently.

It has been shown that the same canonical cortical circuit model with mutual inhibition and a fatigue process can explain perceptual rivalry and other neurophysiological responses to a range of static stimuli. However, it has been proposed that this model cannot explain responses to dynamic inputs such as found in intermittent rivalry and rivalry memory, where maintenance of a percept when the stimulus is absent is required. This challenges the universality of the basic canonical cortical circuit. Here, we show that by including an overlooked realistic small nonspecific background neural activity, the same basic model can reproduce intermittent rivalry and rivalry memory without compromising static rivalry and other cortical phenomena. The background activity induces a mutual-inhibition mechanism for short-term memory, which is robust to noise and where fine-tuning of recurrent excitation or inclusion of sub-threshold currents or synaptic facilitation is unnecessary. We prove existence conditions for the mechanism and show that it can explain experimental results from the quartet apparent motion illusion, which is a prototypical intermittent rivalry stimulus.

Abstract. To make predictions about the effect of rising global surface temperatures, we rely on mathematical soil biogeochemical models (SBMs). However, it is not clear which models have better predictive accuracy, and a rigorous quantitative approach for comparing and validating the predictions has yet to be established. In this study, we present a Bayesian approach to SBM comparison that can be incorporated into a statistical model selection framework. We compared the fits of a linear and non-linear SBM to soil respiration CO2 flux data compiled in a recent meta-analysis of soil warming field experiments. Fit quality was quantified using two Bayesian goodness-of-fit metrics, the Widely Applicable information criterion (WAIC) and Leave-one-out cross-validation (LOO). We found that the linear model generally out-performed the non-linear model at fitting the meta-analysis data set. Both WAIC and LOO computed a higher overfitting penalty for the non-linear model than the linear model, conditional on the data set. Fits for both models generally improved when they were initialized with lower and more realistic steady state soil organic carbon densities. Testing whether linear models offer definitively superior predictive performance over non-linear models on a global scale will require comparisons with additional site-specific data sets of suitable size and dimensionality. Such comparisons can build upon the approach defined in this study to make more rigorous statistical determinations about model accuracy while leveraging emerging data sets, such as those from long-term ecological research experiments.

To make predictions about the carbon cycling consequences of rising global surface temperatures, Earth system scientists rely on mathematical soil biogeochemical models (SBMs). However, it is not clear which models have better predictive accuracy, and a rigorous quantitative approach for comparing and validating the predictions has yet to be established. In this study, we present a Bayesian approach to SBM comparison that can be incorporated into a statistical model selection framework. We compared the fits of linear and nonlinear SBMs to soil respiration data compiled in a recent meta-analysis of soil warming field experiments. Fit quality was quantified using Bayesian goodness-of-fit metrics, including the widely applicable information criterion (WAIC) and leave-one-out cross validation (LOO). We found that the linear model generally outperformed the nonlinear model at fitting the meta-analysis data set. Both WAIC and LOO computed higher overfitting risk and effective numbers of parameters for the nonlinear model compared to the linear model, conditional on the data set. Goodness of fit for both models generally improved when they were initialized with lower and more realistic steady-state soil organic carbon densities. Still, testing whether linear models offer definitively superior predictive performance over nonlinear models on a global scale will require comparisons with additional site-specific data sets of suitable size and dimensionality. Such comparisons can build upon the approach defined in this study to make more rigorous statistical determinations about model accuracy while leveraging emerging data sets, such as those from long-term ecological research experiments.

New x-ray free electron laser (XFEL) and high harmonic generation (HHG) light sources are capable of generating short and intense pulses that make x-ray nonlinear spectroscopy possible. Multidimensional spectroscopic techniques, which have long been used in the nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared, and optical regimes to probe the electronic structure and nuclear dynamics of molecules by sequences of short pulses with variable delays, can thus be extended to the attosecond x-ray regime. This opens up the possibility of probing core-electronic structure and couplings, the real-time tracking of impulsively created valence-electronic wavepackets and electronic coherences, and monitoring ultrafast processes such as nonadiabatic electron-nuclear dynamics near conical-intersection crossings. We survey various possible types of multidimensional x-ray spectroscopy techniques and demonstrate the novel information they can provide about molecules.

This study presents a novel approach to simulating and monitoring the dynamic performance of high-speed bearings, a critical component in automated industrial production for system efficiency and safety. The newly developed theoretical framework allows for detailed analysis of dynamic responses in these bearings, especially under high-speed conditions. The Short-Time Fourier Transform (STFT) is used to capture time-frequency domain characteristics, while real-time condition monitoring is achieved through a deep learning-based Convolutional Neural Network, enhanced by a multi-head attention mechanism. This method enables managing large datasets, real-time surveillance, and accurate prediction of bearing conditions. Ultimately, this approach provides an innovative perspective for fault diagnosis and performance assessment of high-speed bearings in complex production environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the fish biotic integrity index (IBI) was applied to evaluate the health status of Liao River mainstem in China. A total of 3565 fish individuals were collected from seven sampling sites in May (spring) and September (autumn) of 2020 and 2021. 24 candidate indicators selected for building the Fish Integrity Index (F-IBI) of the mainstream Liao River. The F-IBI values of each index were calculated using the 1, 3 and 5 assignment method, and the river health criteria were divided into four quartiles based on the 75% quantile of the F-IBI values below the sampling points to determine the evaluation criteria of the F-IBI system of the main stream of the Liao River, which were divided into five grades, namely healthy, subhealthy, fair, poor and very poor. The results show that the health of the main stream of the Liao River is mostly at average or below average level, and the evaluation results of station1, station5 and station7 were all at poor or below health level for two consecutive years; among them, station2 and station3 have higher overall scores in each season, and most of the points are above sub-healthy level, which is similar to the results of previous periods. The results indicate that F-IBI is feasible for evaluating the health of the Liao River and can be used as a basis for assessing the ecological health of the main stream of the Liao River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with succinic acid on growth performance, flesh quality, glucose, and lipid metabolism of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fed a high-carbohydrate diet (HCD), five iso-nitrogenous and iso-lipidic diets were prepared as follows: HCD (control group) consisting of 55% corn starch and HCD supplemented with 0.5%, 1.0%, 2.0%, and 4.0% succinic acid, respectively. Tilapia with an initial body weight of 204.90 ± 1.23 g randomly assigned to 15 tanks with 3 replicates per group and 10 fish per tank fed for 8 weeks. Increasing dietary succinic acid supplementation resulted in significant second-order polynomial relationship in the weight gain rate (WGR), specific growth rate (SGR), feed conversion ratio (FCR), protein efficiency rate (PER), viscerosomatic index, condition factor, and contents of muscular crude lipid and glycogen (P

Abstract Background The global prevalence of overweight and obesity in children under the age of five has emerged as a significant issue in recent years. Physical activity and fitness among children and adolescents have declined globally in the past few decades. Studies have indicated a link between levels of physical activity and cognitive performance in preschool children. Methods This quasi-experimental study investigated the effects of three different types of physical education programmes on the physical fitness and emotional competence of 239 preschoolers(mean age = 5.49 ± 0.60 years, 54.4% boys)in Haikou, China. The preschoolers were grouped based on which programme they were assigned to: the “Hello Sunshine” ball skills programme (HS group), ordinary physical education (OPE group), and free play (FP group). The “Hello Sunshine” ball skills programme used both a structured curriculum design and autonomous activity selection during outdoor time., which were conducive to children’s physical fitness.The National Physical Fitness Measurement Standards Manual and the shortened version of the Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation Scale (SCBE-30) were used to assess physical fitness and emotional competence, respectively. These assessments were conducted both before and after the ten-week intervention period. The analysis utilised a mixed-effects model for physical fitness and a mixed-model ANOVA for the SCBE data. Results The HS group and OPE group demonstrated significantly improvement in the standing long jump, 10-m shuttle run and balance beam walking than the FP group; meanwhile, only anxious-withdrawal levels showed a significant grouping effect and group-by-time interaction effect. After the intervention, both the HS group and the FP group showed significantly lower scores for anxiety compared to the OPE group, with no significant difference observed between the HS and FP groups. Conclusions The results suggested that structured ball skills programmes may promote physical fitness and reduce anxiety. The integration of effective physical exercise programmes into preschool curricula holds the potential for promoting holistic development.