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Background The research findings on the topological properties of functional connectomes (TP-FCs) in patients with schizophrenia (SZPs) exhibit inconsistencies and contradictions, which can be attributed to limitations such as small sample sizes and heterogeneous data processing techniques.Aims To address these limitations, we conducted a large-scale study. Uniform data processing flows were employed to investigate the aberrant TP-FCs and the associations between TP-FCs and symptoms or cognitions (A-TP-SCs) in SZPs.Methods The large-scale study included six datasets from four sites, involving 497 SZPs and 374 healthy controls (HCs). A uniform process for imaging data preprocessing and functional connectivity matrix configuration was used. ComBat was employed for data harmonisation, and various TPs were calculated. We explored between-group differences in brain functional integration (FI) and functional segregation (FS) measured with TP-FCs, and conducted partial correlation analyses, with adjustments for age, gender and educational level, to identify A-TP-SCs.Results Compared with random networks and HCs, SZPs maintained small-worldness and global FI capacity despite their compromised global FS capacity and resilience. A decline in nodal FI and FS capacity was observed in sensory areas, whereas an increase in nodal FI capacity was found in regions associated with cognition and information integration. In addition, associations between TP-FCs and positive symptoms, negative symptoms or cognitive functions including speed of processing, visual learning and the ability to inhibit cognitive interference were identified in SZPs.Conclusions The identified A-TP-SCs verified that reductions in FS and resilience indicated pathological impairments in schizophrenia. The A-TP-SCs or TP-FCs, which measured the same attributes of the functional connectomes, exhibited high internal consistency, robustly reinforcing these findings.

Aiming at the special ultra-high purity (UHP) requirements of AISI 316L stainless steel used in semiconductor equipment, a strategy of vacuum C deoxidization pretreatment plus Mg–Ca composite treatment was proposed in this work. The effects of this strategy on cleanness and inclusion modification were systematically investigated by experimental observations and thermodynamic calculations. The results demonstrated that this strategy significantly reduced the O and S contents to 0.0005 wt% and 0.0007 wt%, respectively. The main inclusions after vacuum C deoxidization were large-sized Al2O3·SiO2 and MnS. After Mg treatment, the oxide inclusions were gradually modified into MgO·Al2O3 and MgO, while the sulfide inclusion was still MnS. After additional Ca treatment, the inclusions were further modified into finer CaO, MgO, CaO·MgO, and CaS. Moreover, this strategy remarkably decreased the number and size of the inclusions. The best level was that all inclusions were smaller than 2 μm, and the proportion of inclusions smaller than 1 μm was as high as 75.47%. Meanwhile, the evolution mechanism of inclusions during different treatments was clarified in this work. Finally, the optimum process for preparing UHP AISI 316L stainless steel was proposed as vacuum C deoxidation plus 0.002 wt% Mg and 0.0016 wt% Ca composite treatment.

Precipitates always have a complex effect on the hot work hardening and recrystallization softening of materials. In this work, the dual effect of V-microalloying on hot deformation behavior and microstructure evolution of high nitrogen martensitic stainless steel (HNMSS) was investigated by hot compression experiments, modeling study and microstructure characterization. The results showed that V-microalloying enhanced the flow stresses and activation energy of 0.2V steel due to the fine grain strengthening effect and the blocking effect of dynamic precipitation on dislocation movement and grain boundary migration. On the other hand, the recrystallization model and deformed microstructure indicated the more intense dynamic recrystallization (DRX) softening effect in 0.2V steel, inducing the faster decrease of flow stress after the peak stress. V-microalloying promoted the dynamic precipitation of HNMSS during hot deformation, which reduced the size and increased the number of precipitates in 0.2V steel. The fine precipitates hindered dislocation movement, promoted dislocation accumulation and entanglement, formed a particle deformation zone (PDZ) with high dislocation density and large orientation gradient, and then induced the occurrence of particle-stimulated nucleation (PSN). In addition, the dislocation cells evolved from dislocation entanglement were also favorable nucleation sites for DRX.

Abstract Targeting tumor-infiltrating regulatory T cells (Tregs) is an efficient way to evoke an anti-tumor immune response. However, how Tregs maintain their fragility and stability remains largely unknown. IFITM3 and STAT1 are interferon-induced genes that play a positive role in the progression of tumors. Here, we showed that IFITM3-deficient Tregs blunted tumor growth by strengthening the tumor-killing response and displayed the Th1-like Treg phenotype with higher secretion of IFNγ. Mechanistically, depletion of IFITM3 enhances the translation and phosphorylation of STAT1. On the contrary, the decreased IFITM3 expression in STAT1-deficient Tregs indicates that STAT1 conversely regulates the expression of IFITM3 to form a feedback loop. Blocking the inflammatory cytokine IFNγ or directly depleting STAT1-IFITM3 axis phenocopies the restored suppressive function of tumor-infiltrating Tregs in the tumor model. Overall, our study demonstrates that the perturbation of tumor-infiltrating Tregs through the IFNγ-IFITM3-STAT1 feedback loop is essential for anti-tumor immunity and constitutes a targetable vulnerability of cancer immunotherapy.

Background Sleep disturbance is a common comorbidity of major depressive disorder (MDD). However, network homogeneity (NH) changes of the default mode network (DMN) in MDD with sleep disturbances are unclear.Aims The purpose of this study was to probe the abnormal NH in the DMN in MDD with sleep disturbances and to reveal the differences between MDD with or without sleep disturbances.Methods Twenty-four patients with MDD and sleep disturbances (Pa_s), 33 patients with MDD without sleep disturbances (Pa_ns) and 32 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited in this study. Resting-state functional imaging data were analysed using NH.Results Compared with Pa_ns and HCs, Pa_s showed decreased NH in the left superior medial prefrontal cortex and increased NH in the right precuneus. There was a negative correlation between NH in the left superior medial prefrontal cortex and sleep disturbances (r=−0.42, p=0.001) as well as a positive correlation between NH in the right precuneus and sleep disturbances (r=0.41, p=0.002) in patients with MDD.Conclusions MDD with sleep disturbances is associated with abnormal NH in the DMN, which could differentiate pa_s from pa_ns. The DMN may play a crucial role in the neurobiological mechanisms of MDD with sleep disturbances.

Abstract Background Anomalies in regional homogeneity (ReHo) have been documented in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and sleep disturbances (SDs). This investigation aimed to scrutinize changes in ReHo in MDD patients with comorbid SD, and to devise potential diagnostic biomarkers for detecting sleep-related conditions in patients with MDD. Methods Patients with MDD and healthy controls underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans. SD severity was quantified using the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. Subsequent to the acquisition of imaging data, ReHo analysis was performed, and a support vector machine (SVM) method was employed to assess the utility of ReHo in discriminating MDD patients with SD. Results Compared with MDD patients without SD, MDD patients with SD exhibited increased ReHo values in the right posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)/precuneus, right median cingulate cortex, left postcentral gyrus (postCG), and right inferior temporal gyrus (ITG). Furthermore, the ReHo values in the right PCC/precuneus and ITG displayed a positive correlation with clinical symptoms across all patients. SVM classification results showed that a combination of abnormal ReHo in the left postCG and right ITG achieved an overall accuracy of 84.21%, a sensitivity of 81.82%, and a specificity of 87.50% in identifying MDD patients with SD from those without SD. Conclusion We identified disrupted ReHo patterns in MDD patients with SD, and presented a prospective neuroimaging-based diagnostic biomarker for these patients.

Abstract Unavoidable nonmetallic inclusions generated in the steelmaking process are fatal defects that often cause serious corrosion failure of steel, leading to catastrophic accidents and huge economic losses. Over the past decades, extensive efforts have been made to address this difficult issue, but none of them have succeeded. Here, we propose a strategy of wrapping deleterious inclusions with corrosion-resistant niobium armour (Z phase). After systematic theoretical screening, we introduce minor Nb into duplex stainless steels (DSSs) to form inclusion@Z core-shell structures, thus isolating the inclusions from corrosive environments. Additionally, both the Z phase and its surrounding matrix possess excellent corrosion resistance. Thus, this strategy effectively prevents corrosion caused by inclusions, thereby doubly improving the corrosion resistance of DSSs. Our strategy overcomes the long-standing problem of “corrosion failure caused by inclusions”, and it is verified as a universal technique in a series of DSSs and industrial production.

The influence of B addition on dissolution behavior of (σ + γ)e eutectics of a 6Mo super austenitic stainless steel S31254 during the homogenization process was investigated by SEM-BSE observations combined with EDS. The results showed that the addition of 0.005 wt% B accelerated the dissolution of the σ phase controlled by Mo diffusion, during homogenization from 30 to 90 min at 1180 °C. TOF-SIMS results showed that B segregated along the σ/γ interface in the as-cast samples. TEM observations combined with EDS investigated the phase interfaces in two as-cast samples in detail to correlate σ phase dissolution. Compared with the B-free sample, the wide transition zone (∼60 nm) with a composition gradient was more clearly observed at the σ/γ interface in the B-containing sample. The transition zone with B had two features: local segregation of B element and precipitation of R phases at the σ/γ interface. R phases owned larger contents of Mo, which was not almost observed in the as-cast S31254. The results indicated that B segregation changed the phase interface, accelerating Mo diffusion at the σ/γ interface. In addition, the results of nanoindentation indicated a more uniform distribution of hardness at the σ/γ interface after homogenization of the B-containing sample, which can be beneficial to improve the deformation compatibility of S31254 during hot working.

In this study, a high nitrogen martensitic stainless bearing steel with ultra-high strength and excellent toughness combination treated by quenching-cryogenic cooling-partitioning-tempering (Q-C-P-T) process was obtained. The yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, uniform elongation and the impact energy of the sample after partitioning at 200 °C for 1 h followed by tempering at 400 °C for 1 h are up to 2034 MPa, 2217 MPa, 5.83% and 58.73 J respectively. The microstructure characterization shows that the interstitial atoms of C and N in martensite diffuse into adjacent austenite during the partitioning process, resulting in the high stability of austenite. Strain-induced martensitic transformation was suppressed in maximum, effectively avoiding the formation of hard martensite enriched in C/N and dimensional instability caused by volume expansion of martensitic transformation, which is crucial for bearing steels. And nano-scale precipitates in the martensite matrix effectively compensate for the strength loss of the martensite caused by lower solid solution of carbon and nitrogen, thus obtaining excellent comprehensive mechanical properties. This work paves a new way for the development of advanced bearing steels.

Since the occurrence of landslide disasters is random and complex, which often causes serious economic losses to people's lives and even threatens life safety, establishing landslide early warning criteria and models is an important means to reduce losses. In this paper, the effective rainfall-deformation rate-improved tangent angle is determined as the key criterion for the early warning of rainfall-type step landslide. Then, the slope single-variable point method is applied to determine the “damage inflection point” and “stability inflection point” on the landslide “step” deformation curve to extract detailed information of the deformation acceleration interval, so as to solve the effective The threshold value of rainfall-deformation rate-improved tangent angle integrated warning criterion. Finally, a 4-stage progressive integrated warning model was established by combining the macroscopic deformation characteristics of the landslide at each stage of development and the spatial and temporal evolution laws. The results show that the transport form of landslide No. 1 in Machi Village is traction type, and the cumulative displacement curve shows typical “step” deformation characteristics under the excitation of rainfall factors. The deformation of landslide No. 1 in Machi village is affected by the early rainfall, and the time interval threshold between the early rainfall and the current rainfall is 10 d, and the corresponding rainfall thresholds in the “early + current rainfall” mode are 24 mm and 32 mm respectively. The study can provide theoretical basis and technical guidance for early warning of this type of landslide hazard.

The influence mechanisms of Ce addition on the precipitation behaviour of σ phase and nitrides were systematically investigated. The results demonstrated that the addition of Ce significantly promoted the nucleation and slightly inhibited the growth of intergranular and intragranular σ phases. Meanwhile, Ce addition also accelerated the precipitations of π phase and Cr2N. Ce promoted the nucleation of intergranular σ phase mainly through: (i) leading to a linear increase in the driving force for σ phase and Cr activity; (ii) resulting in apparent grain refinement and providing more favorable nucleation sites. Besides increasing driving force and Cr activity, Ce addition also promoted the nucleation of intragranular σ phase by: (i) leading to lattice distortion, which not only caused local element concentration, but also reduced σ/γ interface energy, jointly increasing nucleation sites; (ii) providing other nucleation sites (Ce-bearing inclusions) for σ phase; (iii) enhancing Cr and Mo diffusion coefficients, which accelerated the supply of elements required for nucleation. Furthermore, Ce addition enhanced the driving force for Cr2N, Cr activity as well as Cr and N diffusions, and it also promoted the formation of more favorable nitride nucleation sites around σ phases. These combined actions accelerated the precipitations of π phase and Cr2N.

The influence of boron (B) and cerium (Ce) grain boundary (GB) co-segregation on the precipitates formation of S31254 during 950–1050 °C was studied through a new heat treatment process. The results show that B and Ce segregate at GBs by air cooling and diffusion at 300 °C. The segregation of B and Ce at GBs inhibits formation of σ phases. B can dissolve in precipitates, which leads to the serrated GBs. Ce can't dissolve in precipitates, which makes the distribution of the precipitates more discontinuous. There is still nano-scale precipitates with the addition of B and Ce after aging for 180 min at 1050 °C. B and Ce at GBs promote mechanical properties of S31254.

Abstract The relationships between biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) for microbial communities are poorly understood despite the important roles of microbes acting in natural ecosystems. Dilution-to-extinction (DTE), a method to manipulate microbial diversity, helps to fill the knowledge gap of microbial BEF relationships and has recently become more popular with the development of high-throughput sequencing techniques. However, the pattern of community assembly processes in DTE experiments is less explored and blocks our further understanding of BEF relationships in DTE studies. Here, a microcosm study and a meta-analysis of DTE studies were carried out to explore the dominant community assembly processes and their potential effect on exploring BEF relationships. While stochastic processes were dominant at low dilution levels due to the high number of rare species, the deterministic processes became stronger at a higher dilution level because the microbial copiotrophs were selected during the regrowth phase and rare species were lost. From the view of microbial functional performances, specialized functions, commonly carried by rare species, are more likely to be impaired in DTE experiments while the broad functions seem to be less impacted due to the good performance of copiotrophs. Our study indicated that shifts in the prokaryotic community and its assembly processes induced by dilutions result in more complex BEF relationships in DTE experiments. Specialized microbial functions could be better used for defining BEF. Our findings may be helpful for future studies to design, explore, and interpret microbial BEF relationships using DTE.

The influence of a combined process, involving air cooling and heat treatment at 300 ℃, on precipitation behavior and corrosion resistance of a S31254-Ce steel was explored through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and electrochemical analysis. After air cooling and heat treatment at 300 ℃, the S31254-Ce steel was conducive to the enrichment of Ce along the grain boundary and the content of Σ3 twins in aged samples increased. The composite heat treatment process is beneficial to inhibit the precipitation of precipitates in the aging process and improve the corrosion resistance of S31254-Ce steel.

ObjectiveSleep disturbances (SD) are commonly found in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). This study aims to explore the influence of SD symptoms on clinical characteristics in patients with MDD and to investigate the shared and distinct fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) patterns in these patients with or without SD symptoms.MethodsTwenty-four MDD patients with SD symptoms (Pa_s), 33 MDD patients without SD symptoms (Pa_ns) and 32 healthy controls (HCs) were included in this study. The fALFF and correlation analyses were applied to analyze the features of imaging and clinical data.ResultsPa_s showed more severe anxiety and depression than Pa_ns. Compared with Pa_ns, Pa_s exhibited increased fALFF value in the left precuneus. Patients shared abnormal fALFF in the frontal-occipital brain regions. There was a positive correlation between fALFF values of the left precuneus and sleep disturbance scores (r = 0.607, p = 0.0000056734) in all patients in addition to a negative correlation between fALFF values of the left MOG/cuneus and HAMD-17 total scores (r = −0.595, p = 0.002141) in Pa_s. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) results of the fALFF could be used to discriminate Pa_s from Pa_ns with a specificity of 72.73% and a sensitivity of 70.83%.ConclusionPa_s displayed more serious anxiety and depression symptoms. Patients shared abnormal fALFF in the frontal-occipital brain regions, which may be a common characteristic for MDD. And increased fALFF value in the left precuneus might be a specific neuroimaging feature of MDD patients with SD symptoms.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) represents a serious public health concern, negatively affecting individuals’ quality of life and making a substantial contribution to the global burden of disease. Anhedonia is a core symptom of MDD and is associated with poor treatment outcomes. Variability in anhedonia components within MDD has been observed, suggesting heterogeneity in psychopathology across subgroups. However, little is known about anhedonia subgroups in MDD and their underlying neural correlates across subgroups. To address this question, we employed a hierarchical cluster analysis based on Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale subscales in 60 first-episode, drug-naive MDD patients and 32 healthy controls. Then we conducted a connectome-wide association study and whole-brain voxel-wise functional analyses for identified subgroups. There were three main findings: (1) three subgroups with different anhedonia profiles were identified using a data mining approach; (2) several parts of the reward network (especially pallidum and dorsal striatum) were associated with anticipatory and consummatory pleasure; (3) different patterns of within- and between-network connectivity contributed to the disparities of anhedonia profiles across three MDD subgroups. Here, we show that anhedonia in MDD is not uniform and can be categorized into distinct subgroups, and our research contributes to the understanding of neural underpinnings, offering potential treatment directions. This work emphasizes the need for tailored approaches in the complex landscape of MDD. The identification of homogeneous, stable, and neurobiologically valid MDD subtypes could significantly enhance our comprehension and management of this multifaceted condition.

Panic disorder (PD) is a prevalent type of anxiety disorder. Previous studies have reported abnormal brain activity in the fear network of patients with PD. Nonetheless, it remains uncertain whether pharmacotherapy can effectively normalize these abnormalities. This longitudinal resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study aimed to investigate the spontaneous neural activity in patients with PD and its changes after pharmacotherapy, with a focus on determining whether it could predict treatment response. The study included 54 drug-naive patients with PD and 54 healthy controls (HCs). Spontaneous neural activity was measured using regional homogeneity (ReHo). Additionally, support vector regression (SVR) was employed to predict treatment response from ReHo. At baseline, PD patients had aberrant ReHo in the fear network compared to HCs. After 4 weeks of paroxetine treatment (20 mg/day), a significant increase in ReHo was observed in the left fusiform gyrus, which had shown reduced ReHo before treatment. The SVR analysis showed significantly positive correlations (p < 0.0001) between the predicted and actual reduction rates of the severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Here, we show patients with PD had abnormal spontaneous neural activities in the fear networks. Furthermore, these abnormal spontaneous neural activities can be partially normalized by pharmacotherapy and serve as candidate predictors of treatment response. Gaining insight into the trajectories of brain activity normalization following treatment holds the potential to provide vital insights for managing PD.

Long range internal stress (LRIS) based mechanism and non-LRIS explanation regarding Bauschinger effect are in debate. LRIS is originated from dislocation pile-up and/or cell generated by the pre-loading, therefore dislocation structure characterization of pre-strained sample is critical to clarify this academic dispute. Dislocation structures in surface and bulk regions of pure Ni deformed to a low strain level are characterized and compared in this work. Discrete dislocations are presented as expected in the bulk region of Ni, however, the main feature in its surface region is dislocation cell with average size of 1.2 μm. The result suggests that the promoted development of dislocation cellular pattern in near-surface region plays a critical role in the Bauschinger effect. It helps to clarify the mechanisms of Bauschinger effect and reconfirm the LRIS based mechanism.

Early brain functional changes induced by pharmacotherapy in patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) in relation to drugs per se or because of the impact of such drugs on the improvement of OCD remain unclear. Moreover, no neuroimaging biomarkers are available for diagnosis of OCD and prediction of early treatment response. We performed a longitudinal study involving 34 patients with OCD and 36 healthy controls (HCs). Patients with OCD received 5-week treatment with paroxetine (40 mg/d). Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), regional homogeneity (ReHo), support vector machine (SVM), and support vector regression (SVR) were applied to acquire and analyze the imaging data. Compared with HCs, patients with OCD had higher ReHo values in the right superior temporal gyrus and bilateral hippocampus/parahippocampus/fusiform gyrus/cerebellum at baseline. ReHo values in the left hippocampus and parahippocampus decreased significantly after treatment. The reduction rate (RR) of ReHo values was positively correlated with the RRs of the scores of Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and obsession. Abnormal ReHo values at baseline could serve as potential neuroimaging biomarkers for OCD diagnosis and prediction of early therapeutic response. This study highlighted the important role of the hippocampal–cortical system in the neuropsychological mechanism underlying OCD, pharmacological mechanism underlying OCD treatment, and the possibility of building models for diagnosis and prediction of early treatment response based on spontaneous activity in the hippocampal–cortical system.

ObjectiveGastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are prominent in major depressive disorder (MDD) and bring patients lots of complaints and troubles. We aimed to explore whether there were some distinctive brain image alterations in MDD with GI symptoms, which could be used to distinguish MDD with GI symptoms from those without GI symptoms and healthy controls (HCs).MethodsA total of 35 outpatients with GI symptoms, 17 outpatients without GI symptoms, and 28 HCs were recruited. All the participants were scanned by a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Imaging data were analyzed with the global functional connectivity (GFC) and support vector machine methods.ResultsMDD with GI symptoms showed decreased GFC in the left superior medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) compared with MDD without GI symptoms. Compared with HCs, MDD with GI symptoms showed decreased GFC in the bilateral middle temporal pole (MTP) and left posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus (PCC/Pcu), and increased GFC in the right insula and bilateral thalamus. SVM analysis showed that an accuracy was 78.85% in differentiating MDD with GI symptoms from MDD without GI symptoms by using the GFC of the left superior MPFC. A combination of GFC of the left PCC/Pcu and bilateral MTP exhibited the highest accuracy (87.30%) in differentiating patients with MDD with GI symptoms from HCs.ConclusionMDD with GI symptoms showed abnormal GFC in multiple networks, including the default mode network and cortico-limbic mood-regulating circuit. Using abnormal GFC might work well to discriminate MDD with GI symptoms from MDD without GI symptoms and HCs.

Intraguild predation (IGP) can have a significant impact on phytoplankton biomass, but its effects on their diversity and assemblage composition are not well understood. In this study, we constructed an IGP model based on the common three-trophic food chain of “fish (or shrimp)–large branchiopods (Daphnia)–phytoplankton”, and investigated the effects of IGP on phytoplankton assemblage composition and diversity in outdoor mesocosms using environmental DNA high-throughput sequencing. Our results indicated that the alpha diversities (number of amplicon sequence variants and Faith’s phylogenetic diversity) of phytoplankton and the relative abundance of Chlorophyceae increased with the addition of Pelteobagrus fulvidraco, while similar trends were found in alpha diversities but with a decrease in the relative abundance of Chlorophyceae in the Exopalaemon modestus treatment. When both predators were added to the community, the strength of collective cascading effects on phytoplankton alpha diversities and assemblage composition were weaker than the sum of the individual predator effects. Network analysis further showed that this IGP effect also decreased the strength of collective cascading effects in reducing the complexity and stability of the phytoplankton assemblages. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the impacts of IGP on lake biodiversity, and provide further knowledge relevant to lake management and conservation.

Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are one of the common somatic symptoms presented in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Higher frequency of GI symptoms and higher GI symptom burden were linked to greater depression severity and increased risk of suicide ideation. However, few studies have explored the underlying mechanisms of GI symptoms in MDD. Based on previous studies, the cerebellar-DMN circuits may play a potentially critical role in GI symptoms comorbid with depression. Fifty-two first-episode drug-naive patients with MDD (35 with GI symptoms and 17 without GI symptoms) and 28 matched healthy controls were recruited in the current study and underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scan. Cerebellar seed-based functional connectivity maps were established. Relative to depressed patients without GI symptoms, significantly increased cerebellar-anterior default mode network (DMN) connectivities were found in those with GI symptoms. Both increased and decreased functional connectivities were found between cerebellum and posterior DMN in patients with GI symptoms compared with those without GI symptoms and healthy controls. Moreover, the right Crus I - right superior temporal gyrus connectivity value was related to severity of GI symptoms and depression in all patients with MDD. The support vector machine analysis demonstrated a satisfactory classification accuracy (89%) of the disrupted cerebellar-DMN connectivities for correctly identifying MDD patients with GI symptoms. These results revealed the possible neural mechanisms for the involvement of cerebellar-DMN circuits in GI symptoms co-occurred with MDD.

BackgroundGastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are prominent in many patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, it remains unclear whether MDD patients with GI symptoms have brain imaging alterations in the default mode network (DMN) regions.MethodsA total of 35 MDD patients with GI symptoms, 17 MDD patients without GI symptoms, and 28 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. All participants underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans. Network homogeneity (NH) and support vector machine (SVM) methods were used to analyze the imaging data.ResultsGastrointestinal group showed higher 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression total scores and factor scores than the non-GI group. Compared with the non-GI group and HCs, the GI group showed decreased NH in the right middle temporal gyrus (MTG) and increased NH in the right precuneus (PCu). The SVM results showed that a combination of NH values of the right PCu and the right MTG exhibited the highest accuracy of 88.46% (46/52) to discriminate MDD patients with GI symptoms from those without GI symptoms.ConclusionMajor depressive disorder patients with GI symptoms have more severe depressive symptoms than those without GI symptoms. Distinctive NH patterns in the DMN exist in MDD patients with GI symptoms, which can be applied as a potential brain imaging marker to discriminate MDD patients with GI symptoms from those without GI symptoms.

Abstract Lamellar inorganic fillers have been used to improve the performance of polymer composites. In this paper, five kinds of lamellar inorganic fillers, including montmorillonite (MMT), mica, talc, glass flake (GF) and lamellar double hydroxide (LDH), were selected to modify epoxy emulsion cement mortar (EECM). The research evaluated the effects of the structure characteristics of lamellar fillers on the mechanical properties, water absorption and chloride ion permeability resistance of EECM, with comparison to granular ground calcium carbonate (GCC). Results indicated that lamellar fillers had no obvious superiority than GCC in the mechanical strength of EECM, even MMT caused the decline of the mechanical strength. However, lamellar fillers had improved the chloride ion permeability resistance of EECM compared with GCC, and they had the similar effect on reducing of water absorption except MMT. Although the low aspect ratio (AR) of the lamellar fillers benefited the increase of the strength and water resistance of EECM, the lamellar fillers with higher AR could improve the chloride ion permeability resistance of EECM more efficiently.

BackgroundMelancholic major depressive disorder (MDD) is a network-based brain disorder. However, whether or not network-based changes can be applied to differentiate melancholic (MEL) from non-melancholic (NMEL) MDD remains unclear.MethodsThirty-one MEL patients, 28 NMEL patients, and 32 matched healthy controls (HCs) were scanned using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Patients were assessed by the Chinese version of Snaith–Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS-C) and Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale (TEPS). Fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) and correlation analysis were used to analyze the data.ResultsCompared with HCs, the MEL group had significantly higher fALFF values in the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus and right supplementary motor area (SMA) and significantly lower fALFF values in the right inferior occipital gyrus (IOG), right middle temporal gyrus (MTG)/left IOG, and bilateral superior occipital gyrus (SOG)/MTG. On the other hand, the NMEL group showed significantly higher fALFF values in the bilateral SMA and significantly lower fALFF values in the bilateral posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus relative to HCs. Compared with the NMEL group, the MEL group showed significantly lower fALFF values in the left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). A correlation was found between the fALFF values of the right SMA and the SHAPS-C in the MEL group. In addition, correlations were observed between the fALFF values of the left ACC and the TEPS contextual consummatory and total scores in all patients.ConclusionOur study uncovered that MDD exhibited altered brain activity in extensive brain networks, including the default-mode network, frontal-striatal network, reward system, and frontal-limbic network. Decreased fALFF in the left ACC might be applied to differentiate the two subtypes of MDD.

ObjectiveDisrupted brain functional asymmetry has been reported in major depressive disorder (MDD). The comorbidity may be a crucial factor to this functional asymmetry. It is quite common that gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are comorbid with MDD, but limited evidence focuses on the effect of GI comorbidity on the neuropathology of MDD from a functional lateralization perspective.MethodsResting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was obtained in 28 healthy controls (HCs), 35 MDD patients with GI symptoms (GI-MDD patients), and 17 patients with MDD without GI symptoms (nGI-MDD patients). The parameter of asymmetry (PAS) was used to analyze the imaging data and evaluate the changes of functional asymmetry.ResultsThe GI-MDD patients showed increased PAS scores in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and superior medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and decreased PAS scores in the right postcentral gyrus in comparison with nGI-MDD patients. The PAS scores of the left IFG and left superior MPFC were correlated with the severity of GI problems and could be applied to distinguish GI-MDD patients from nGI-MDD patients with an accuracy, a sensitivity, and a specificity of 92.31, 100, and 76.47%, respectively. Furthermore, GI-MDD and nGI-MDD patients both displayed increased PAS scores in the PCC/precuneus.ConclusionsThis study revealed the influence of concomitant GI symptoms on functional asymmetry in MDD patients. Increased PAS scores of the left IFG and superior MPFC might represent an unbalanced regulation of brain over GI function and had the potential to be regarded as distinctive features related to functional GI symptoms in MDD.

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is an abundant mRNA modification and affects many biological processes. However, how m6A levels are regulated during physiological or pathological processes such as virus infections, and the in vivo function of m6A in the intestinal immune defense against virus infections are largely unknown. Here, we uncover a novel antiviral function of m6A modification during rotavirus (RV) infection in small bowel intestinal epithelial cells (IECs). We found that rotavirus infection induced global m6A modifications on mRNA transcripts by down-regulating the m6a eraser ALKBH5. Mice lacking the m6A writer enzymes METTL3 in IECs (Mettl3ΔIEC) were resistant to RV infection and showed increased expression of interferons (IFNs) and IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). Using RNA-sequencing and m6A RNA immuno-precipitation (RIP)-sequencing, we identified IRF7, a master regulator of IFN responses, as one of the primary m6A targets during virus infection. In the absence of METTL3, IECs showed increased Irf7 mRNA stability and enhanced type I and III IFN expression. Deficiency in IRF7 attenuated the elevated expression of IFNs and ISGs and restored susceptibility to RV infection in Mettl3ΔIEC mice. Moreover, the global m6A modification on mRNA transcripts declined with age in mice, with a significant drop from 2 weeks to 3 weeks post birth, which likely has broad implications for the development of intestinal immune system against enteric viruses early in life. Collectively, we demonstrated a novel host m6A-IRF7-IFN antiviral signaling cascade that restricts rotavirus infection in vivo.

Focusing on the serious volatilization of MoO3 in super austenitic stainless steel with a high Mo content, the influence of B on the formation of oxide film and the distribution of Cr and Mo was investigated at 900 °C and 1000 °C. Without the addition of B, Mo tends to diffuse to the surface, forming porous Cr/Mo-rich oxides, causing the volatilization of Mo. The addition of B can inhibit the diffusion of Mo to the surface, facilitate the diffusion of Cr to the surface and combines with O, providing conditions for the nucleation of Cr2O3. A large amount of Cr2O3 accumulated on the surface to form a dense passive film, which inhibited the diffusion of Mo to the surface, reduced the loss of Mo, and formed Mo/Cr-rich precipitates at grain boundaries that are close to the surface. However, it was difficult to form Mo-rich precipitates at the grain boundaries of a sample without B, which aggravated the volatilization of Mo from grain boundary to surface. Therefore, the addition of B can improve the oxidation resistance of 254SMO and inhibit the volatilization of Mo.

Objective: Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are fairly common somatic symptoms in depressed patients. The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of concomitant GI symptoms on the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) patterns in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and investigate the connection between aberrant fALFF and clinical characteristics.Methods: This study included 35 MDD patients with GI symptoms (GI-MDD patients), 17 MDD patients without GI symptoms (nGI-MDD patients), and 28 healthy controls (HCs). The fALFF method was used to analyze the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data. Correlation analysis and pattern classification were employed to investigate the relationship of the fALFF patterns with the clinical characteristics of patients.Results: GI-MDD patients exhibited higher scores in the HRSD-17 and suffered more severe insomnia, anxiety/somatization, and weight loss than nGI-MDD patients. GI-MDD patients showed higher fALFF in the right superior frontal gyrus (SFG)/middle frontal gyrus (MFG) and lower fALFF in the left superior medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) compared with nGI-MDD patients. A combination of the fALFF values of these two clusters could be applied to discriminate GI-MDD patients from nGI-MDD patients, with accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 86.54, 94.29, and 70.59%, respectively.Conclusion: GI-MDD patients showed more severe depressive symptoms. Increased fALFF in the right SFG/MFG and decreased fALFF in the left superior MPFC might be distinctive neurobiological features of MDD patients with GI symptoms.

S is a common corrosion medium for austenitic stainless steels. The severe intergranular fracture of austenitic stainless steels occurs in sulfur environments. In this paper, the permeation of S at different atomic positions for three symmetric tilt grain boundary types, i.e., Σ5(210), Σ5(310), and Σ9(114) have been computed using first-principles calculations. S has the strongest segregation tendency in the Σ5(210) grain boundary. A high content of S at the grain boundary indicates harm to the grain boundary. Sulfur segregation in the grain boundaries can weaken the strength of the metallic bond. When Mo and Cr are present at the Σ5(210) grain boundary, the sulfur-induced embrittlement is inhibited. With increased S concentration at the grain boundary, the coexistence of Mo and Cr can suppress the intergranular fracture of S on the grain boundary. The reason why high-Mo stainless steel has excellent sulfur-induced intergranular corrosion resistance is explained at the atomic level.

Summary: Background: Antipsychotic medications are the common treatment for schizophrenia. However, reliable biomarkers that can predict individual treatment response are still lacking. The present study aimed to examine whether baseline putamen activity can predict individual treatment response in schizophrenia. Methods: Two independent samples of patients with drug-naive, first-episode schizophrenia (32 patients in sample 1 and 44 in sample 2) and matched healthy controls underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at baseline. Patients were treated with olanzapine for 8 weeks; symptom severity was assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) at baseline and week 8. Fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (fALFF) and pattern classification techniques were used to analyze the data. Findings: Univariate analysis shows an elevated pre-treatment fALFF in the left ventromedial putamen in both patient samples compared to healthy controls (p's

Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are prominent in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Previous studies have reported brain structural and functional changes in both MDD and digestive system diseases but it remains unclear whether MDD patients with GI symptoms have brain imaging changes.Methods: We recruited 35 MDD patients with GI symptoms, 17 MDD patients without GI symptoms and 28 age-, gender-, and education-matched healthy controls. All participants were scanned by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Imaging data were analyzed with regional homogeneity (ReHo).Results: The GI group showed higher total HRSD-17 scores, anxiety/somatization, weight loss, and sleep disturbance scores compared to the non-GI group. We found increased ReHo in the right inferior parietal gyrus (IPL), bilateral supplementary motor area (SMA), bilateral cerebellum Crus II, left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and bilateral superior medial frontal cortex (SMFC) and decreased ReHo in the right posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), bilateral cuneus, and left middle occipital gyrus (MOG) in patients with GI symptoms relative to the HCs. The GI group showed higher ReHo values in the bilateral precuneus than the non-GI group.Conclusion: MDD patients with GI symptoms showed a greater severity of symptoms than MDD patients without GI symptoms, particularly in terms of anxiety/somatization, weight loss, and sleep disturbances. Increased activity in the default-mode network might be associated with GI symptoms in MDD patients.

Background: Melancholic depression has been viewed as one severe subtype of major depressive disorder (MDD). However, it is unclear whether melancholic depression has distinct changes in brain imaging. We aimed to explore specific or distinctive alterations in melancholic MDD and whether the alterations could be used to separate melancholic MDD from non-melancholic MDD or healthy controls.Materials and Methods: Thirty-one outpatients with melancholic MDD and thirty-three outpatients with non-melancholic MDD and thirty-two age- and gender-matched healthy controls were recruited. All participants were scanned by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Imaging data were analyzed with the regional homogeneity (ReHo) and support vector machine (SVM) methods.Results: Melancholic MDD patients exhibited lower ReHo in the right superior occipital gyrus/middle occipital gyrus than non-melancholic MDD patients and healthy controls. Merely for non-melancholic MDD patients, decreased ReHo in the right middle frontal gyrus was negatively correlated with the total HRSD-17 scores. SVM analysis results showed that a combination of abnormal ReHo in the right fusiform gyrus/cerebellum Crus I and the right superior occipital gyrus/middle occipital gyrus exhibited the highest accuracy of 83.05% (49/59), with a sensitivity of 90.32% (28/31), and a specificity of 75.00% (21/28) for discriminating patients with melancholic MDD from patients with non-melancholic MDD. And a combination of abnormal ReHo in the right fusiform gyrus/cerebellum VI and left postcentral gyrus/precentral gyrus exhibited the highest accuracy of 98.41% (62/63), with a sensitivity of 96.77% (30/31), and a specificity of 100.00%(32/32) for separating patients with melancholic MDD from healthy controls.Conclusion: Our findings showed the distinctive ReHo pattern in patients with melancholic MDD and found brain area that may be associated with the pathophysiology of non-melancholic MDD. Potential imaging markers for discriminating melancholic MDD from non-melancholic MDD or healthy controls were reported.

Elevation has a strong influence on microbial community composition, but its influence on microbial functional genes remains unclear in the aquatic ecosystem. In this study, the functional gene structure of microbes in two lakes at low elevation (ca. 530 m) and two lakes at high elevation (ca. 4,600 m) was examined using a comprehensive functional gene array GeoChip 5.0. Microbial functional composition, but not functional gene richness, was significantly different between the low- and high-elevation lakes. The greatest difference was that microbial communities from high-elevation lakes were enriched in functional genes of stress responses, including cold shock, oxygen limitation, osmotic stress, nitrogen limitation, phosphate limitation, glucose limitation, radiation stress, heat shock, protein stress, and sigma factor genes compared with microbial communities from the low-elevation lakes. Higher metabolic potentials were also observed in the degradation of aromatic compounds, chitin, cellulose, and hemicellulose at higher elevations. Only one phytate degradation gene and one nitrate reduction gene were enriched in the high-elevation lakes. Furthermore, the enhanced interactions and complexity among the co-occurring functional genes in microbial communities of lakes at high elevations were revealed in terms of network size, links, connectivity, and clustering coefficients, and there were more functional genes of stress responses mediating the module hub of this network. The findings of this study highlight the well-developed functional strategies utilized by aquatic microbial communities to withstand the harsh conditions at high elevations.

Background. Melancholic depression has been assumed as a severe type of major depressive disorder (MDD). We aimed to explore if there were some distinctive alterations in melancholic MDD and whether the alterations could be used to discriminate the melancholic MDD and nonmelancholic MDD. Methods. Thirty-one outpatients with melancholic MDD, thirty-three outpatients with nonmelancholic MDD, and thirty-two age- and gender-matched healthy controls were recruited. All participants were scanned by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Imaging data were analyzed with the network homogeneity (NH) and support vector machine (SVM) methods. Results. Both patient groups exhibited increased NH in the right PCC/precuneus and right angular gyrus and decreased NH in the right middle temporal gyrus compared with healthy controls. Compared with nonmelancholic patients and healthy controls, melancholic patients exhibited significantly increased NH in the bilateral superior medial frontal gyrus and decreased NH in the left inferior temporal gyrus. But merely for melancholic patients, the NH of the right middle temporal gyrus was negatively correlated with TEPS total and contextual anticipatory scores. SVM analysis showed that a combination of NH values in the left superior medial frontal gyrus and left inferior temporal gyrus could distinguish melancholic patients from nonmelancholic patients with accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 79.66% (47/59), 70.97% (22/31), and 89.29%(25/28), respectively. Conclusion. Our findings showed distinctive network homogeneity alterations in melancholic MDD which may be potential imaging markers to distinguish melancholic MDD and nonmelancholic MDD.

Background. Primary blepharospasm (BSP) is one of the most common focal dystonia and its pathophysiological mechanism remains unclear. An unbiased method was used in patients with BSP at rest to observe voxel-wise brain-wide functional connectivity (FC) changes. Method. A total of 48 subjects, including 24 untreated patients with BSP and 24 healthy controls, were recruited to undergo functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The method of global-brain FC (GFC) was adopted to analyze the resting-state fMRI data. We designed the support vector machine (SVM) method to determine whether GFC abnormalities could be utilized to distinguish the patients from the controls. Results. Relative to healthy controls, patients with BSP showed significantly decreased GFC in the bilateral superior medial prefrontal cortex/anterior cingulate cortex (MPFC/ACC) and increased GFC in the right postcentral gyrus/precentral gyrus/paracentral lobule, right superior frontal gyrus (SFG), and left paracentral lobule/supplement motor area (SMA), which were included in the default mode network (DMN) and sensorimotor network. SVM analysis showed that increased GFC values in the right postcentral gyrus/precentral gyrus/paracentral lobule could discriminate patients from controls with optimal accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity of 83.33%, 83.33%, and 83.33%, respectively. Conclusion. This study suggested that abnormal GFC in the brain areas associated with sensorimotor network and DMN might underlie the pathophysiology of BSP, which provided a new perspective to understand BSP. GFC in the right postcentral gyrus/precentral gyrus/paracentral lobule might be utilized as a latent biomarker to differentiate patients with BSP from controls.

Objectives: This work aims to explore the changes of functional connectivity (FC) within the hippocampus network in patients with moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and its correlation with neurocognitive dysfunction to explore the potential neurophysiological mechanism.Methods: A total of 32 treatment-naïve patients with moderate or severe OSA and 26 healthy controls (HCs), matched in age, gender, and education, underwent the evaluations of Epworth Sleep Scale, neurocognitive function, full-night polysomnography, and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. The FC map of the hippocampus to other brain areas was compared among 15 OSA patients and 15 HCs with little head motion. Finally, the correlation between hippocampus FC strength and respiratory sleep parameters and neurocognitive assessments was analyzed.Results: Compared with HCs, the right hippocampus showed a significantly decreased FC with the bilateral insular lobe, right thalamus, and right anterior cingulate gyrus (ACG) and an increased FC with the right superior and middle temporal gyrus, left posterior cingulate gyrus, and left angular gyrus in the patients with OSA. The left hippocampus presented a significantly decreased FC with the left anterior cerebellum in patients with OSA. In addition, the aberrant right hippocampal FC with the right ACG was significantly correlated with disease severity and disrupted sleep architecture in the OSA group. Furthermore, after adjusting the related confounding factors, the FC strength between the right hippocampus, right insular lobe, and right thalamus was positively associated with the scores of Stroop Color–Word Test (SCWT) or Hopkins Verbal Learning Test—Revised (HVLT-R), while the FC between the right hippocampus and the right middle temporal gyrus was negatively correlated with the scores of HVLT-R. The right hippocampus FC with right superior temporal gyrus, left angular gyrus, and ACG were all negatively related to the scores of the symbol coding test (r = −0.642, p = 0.045; r = −0.638, p = 0.047; r = −0.753, p = 0.012), respectively. The FC between the left hippocampal and the left anterior cerebellar lobe showed a positive relationship with the scores of HVLT-R (r = 0.757, p = 0.011) and CPT-3D (r = −0.801, p = 0.005).Conclusion: The hippocampus presented abnormal FC with the cerebral and cerebellar regions extensively in OSA, and the correlation between abnormal hippocampal network FC and neurocognitive dysfunction in OSA suggests a promising insight to explore the potential biomarker and pathophysiologic mechanism of neurocognitive dysfunction of OSA.

Applicability and limitations of using online non-destructive ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectrophotometer to monitor the dissolution of an Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloy in HCl-containing solution were studied. Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry results indicate that the spectrum absorbance at 252 nm is mainly attributed to Cu-containing complexes. Surprisingly, an hours-long ‘induction' period was observed from UV–vis results. This is not a real indicator of induction for Al dissolution as revealed by electrochemical impedance spectrum, actually it reflects the alloy's galvanic corrosion nature that Cu species are released after Al, Zn and Mg species.

This study focuses on the mechanical behavior and microstructure evolution of oxygen-free high conductivity copper in the presence of electropulse. The result shows the tensile strength and strain-to-failure decrease linearly with the increase of pulse frequency, and the fracture mode changes from ductile to brittle. With the increase of pulse frequency, the grain size increases, the reduction of cross section decreases firstly and then increases. The increase of temperature due to applying of electropulse is considered as the main reason for the retardation of mechanical property and the change of fracture mode. Copper sulfide is found on the fracture surface, which may be the root cause for the electricity-induced embrittlement. Recrystallization induced by the presence of electricity inhibits the embrittlement and improves the plasticity of material. For undeformed copper, direct electrically assisted forming processing will decrease its plasticity, by contrast, for heavily deformed the copper, electrically assisted forming can reduce the flow stress and improve the plasticity.

Background: The pathophysiology of patients with dry eye disease (DED) is associated with abnormal functional connectivity (FC). The present study aims to probe alterations of voxel-wise brain-wide FC in patient with DED at rest in an unbiased way.Method: A total of 20 patients with DED and 23 controls matched by age, sex, and years of education underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans. Global-brain FC (GFC) was adopted to analyze the images. Support vector machine (SVM) was utilized to differentiate the patients from the controls.Results: Compared with the controls, patients with DED exhibited decreased GFC in the right cerebellum lobule VIII/inferior semi-lunar lobule and left thalamus that belonged to the cerebello-thalamo-cortical network. The GFC values in the left thalamus were positively correlated to the illness duration (r = 0.589, p = 0.006) in the patients. Decreased GFC values in the left thalamus could be used to discriminate the patients from the controls with optimal accuracy, sensitivity and specificity (88.37, 85.00, and 91.30%).Conclusions: Our findings indicate that decreased GFC in the brain regions associated with cerebello-thalamo-cortical network may provide a new insight for understanding the pathological changes of FC in DED. GFC values in the left thalamus may be utilized as a potential biomarker to identify the patients from the controls.

Background: Lack of normal asymmetry in the brain has been reported in patients with schizophrenia. However, it remains unclear whether disrupted asymmetry originates from inter-hemispheric functional connectivity (FC) and/or intra-hemispheric FC in this patient population. Methods: Forty-four patients with drug-naive, first-episode schizophrenia, 42 unaffected siblings, and 44 healthy controls underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan. The parameter of asymmetry (PAS) and support vector machine (SVM) were used to analyze the data. Patients were treated with olanzapine for 8 weeks. Findings: Compared with healthy controls, patients showed lower PAS scores in the left middle temporal gyrus (MTG)/inferior temporal gyrus (ITG), left posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)/precuneus and left angular gyrus, and higher PAS scores in the left precentral gyrus/postcentral gyrus. Unaffected siblings also showed lower PAS scores in the left MTG/ITG and left PCC/precuneus relative to healthy controls. Further, SVM analysis showed that a combination of the PAS scores in these two clusters in patients at baseline was able to predict clinical response after 8 weeks of olanzapine treatment with 77.27% sensitivity, 72.73% specificity, and 75.00% accuracy. Interpretation: The present study suggests disrupted asymmetry of inter- and intra-hemispheric FC in drug-naive, first-episode schizophrenia; in addition, a reduced asymmetry of inter-hemispheric FC in the left MTG/ITG and left PCC/precuneus may serve as an endophenotype for schizophrenia, and may have clinical utility to predict response to olanzapine treatment. Fund: The National Key R&D Program of China and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Keywords: Schizophrenia, Asymmetry, Olanzapine, Functional connectivity, Endophenotype

Zooplankton is colonized by quite different microbes compared with free-living and particle-associated bacteria, serving as a non-negligible niche of bacteria in aquatic ecosystems. Yet detailed analysis of these bacterial groups is still less known, especially in freshwater lakes. To widen our knowledge of host-microbe interaction and bacterial ecosystem functions, we chose two specific populations of zooplankton, i.e., cladoceran Moina and copepod Calanoids, as hosts from five natural lakes, and illustrated detailed features of their associated bacteria. Through 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we found microbes colonized on Calanoids presented significantly higher α-diversity, stronger bacterial interaction and metabolic function potentials than for Moina. It was also notable that zooplankton-associated bacteria showed a high potential of fatty acid metabolism, which is beneficial for host’s development. Moreover, we found that zooplankton-associated microbes may exert profound effects on biogeochemical cycles in freshwater lakes, since several bacterial members able to participate in carbon and nitrogen cycles were found abundant. Overall, our study expands current understanding of the host-microbe interaction and underlying ecological dynamics in freshwater ecosystem.

Abstract A combined experimental and first-principle study on the oxidation mechanism of super austenitic stainless steel S32654 at 900 °C for a short time period (1, 3, and 5 h) in air is presented. The samples exhibit excellent oxidation resistance because of the initial and gradual formation of the denser Fe- and Cr-rich layer with increasing oxidation time. Meanwhile, the Mo-rich layer gradually forms because of the Mo diffusion, which results in the formation of the oxide layer with two distinct regions: an inner Fe- and Cr-rich layer and an outer Mo-rich layer. Density functional theory is applied to investigate the diffusion behaviour of Mo atom in the Fe-Cr-Ni/Cr2O3 interface and the effects of alloying elements (Fe, Ni, and Mn) on the Mo diffusion. The Mo originating from the alloy matrix tends to diffuse into the Cr2O3 part, thereby resulting in the formation of the continuous Mo-rich layer, which is consistent with the experimental behaviour. Moreover, the introduction of Ni to the Cr2O3 part can promote the Mo diffusion and the formation of the Mo-rich oxide layer, whereas Fe and Mn can hinder the Mo diffusion. The calculated results provide a microcosmic explanation of the experimental results.

Antipsychotic medications can have a significant effect on brain function after only several days of treatment. It is unclear whether such an acute effect can serve as an early predictor for treatment response in schizophrenia. Thirty-two patients with drug-naive, first-episode schizophrenia and 32 healthy controls underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Patients were treated with olanzapine and were scanned at baseline and 1 week of treatment. Healthy controls were scanned once at baseline. Symptom severity was assessed within the patient group using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) at three time points (baseline, 1 week of treatment, and 8 weeks of treatment). The fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (fALFF) and support vector regression (SVR) methods were used to analyze the data. Compared with the control group, the patient group showed increased levels of fALFF in the bilateral putamen at baseline. After 1week of olanzapine treatment, the patient group showed decreased levels of fALFF in the right putamen relative to those at baseline. The SVR analysis found a significantly positive relationship between the reduction in fALFF after 1 week of treatment and the improvement in positive symptoms after 8 weeks of treatment (r = 0.431, p = 0.014). The present study provides evidence that early reduction and normalization of fALFF in the right putamen may serve as a predictor for treatment response in patients with schizophrenia.

Spatial and seasonal dynamics of picophytoplankton were investigated by flow cytometry over a year in Lake Fuxian, a deep and oligotrophic mountain lake in southwest China. The contribution of picophytoplankton to the total Chl-a biomass and primary production were 50.1 and 66.1%, respectively. Picophytoplankton were mainly composed of phycoerythrin-rich picocyanobacteria (PE-cells) and photosynthetic picoeukaryotes (PPEs). PPEs were dominant in spring, reaching a maximum cell density of 3.0 × 104 cell mL–1, while PE-cells were prevalent in other seasons. PE-cell abundance was relatively similar throughout the year, except for a decrease in summer during the stratification period, when nutrient concentration was low. High-throughput sequencing results from the sorted samples revealed that Synechococcus was the major PE-cell type, while Chrysophyceae, Dinophyceae, Chlorophyceae, Eustigmatophyceae, and Prymnesiophyceae were equally important PPEs. In spring, PPEs were mainly composed of Chlorophyceae and Trebouxiophyceae, while in summer, their dominance was replaced by that of Chrysophyceae and Prymnesiophyceae. Eustigmatophyceae and Chlorophyceae became the major PPEs in autumn, and Dinophyceae became the most abundant in winter. Single cells of Microcystis were usually detected in summer in the south, suggesting the deterioration of the water quality in Lake Fuxian.

A comprehensive mathematical model of electroslag remelting with two series-connected electrodes (TSCE-ESR) was constructed based on sequential coupling method. The influence of droplet effect on electroslag remelting process (ESR) was considered in this model. Compared with one-electrode electroslag remelting (OE-ESR), the multi-physics field, droplet formation and dripping behavior, and molten metal pool structure of TSCE-ESR process were studied. The results show that during the process of TSCE-ESR, the proximity effect of the electrodes suppresses the skin effect, and Joule heat is concentrated in the area between the two electrodes of slag pool, making the temperature distribution of the slag pool more uniform. The heat used to melt the electrode in the process of TSCE-ESR accounts for about 34% of the total Joule heat, which is lower than the OE-ESR (17%). Therefore, it makes a higher melting rate and a smaller droplet size in the process of TSCE-ESR. Compared with OE-ESR, TSCE-ESR process can realize the unification of higher melting rate and shallow flat molten metal pool. Compared with the results without droplet effect, it is found that in the simulation results with droplet effect, the depth and the cylindrical section of molten metal pool increased, and the width of the mushy zone is significantly reduced, which is more consistent with the actual electroslag remelting process.

The formation and dripping behavior of droplets in the process of the electroslag remelting with two series-connected electrodes (TSCE-ESR) has an important influence on the optimization of power supply parameters and the purity of the electroslag ingot. In this article, through numerical simulation based on the VOF (volume of fluid) model, combined with the transparent experimental device for physical simulation, the mechanism of metal droplet formation and the effect of the filling rate on its droplet behavior were studied. The results showed that the proximity effect, instead of the skin effect, is a major factor influencing droplet formation in TSCE-ESR process. The proximity effect makes the region inside the two electrode tip melt first, and the molten steel converges at the electrode tips to form a droplet source. The process of droplet formation and dropping can be divided into three stages: formation of molten layer, droplet stretching and necking, and detachment. In the stage of droplet stretching and necking, the increase in the contact area between the droplet and the slag and the instantaneous increase of the current provide good thermodynamic and dynamic conditions for the removal of non-metallic inclusions. After the droplet drops into the slag pool, it promotes the flow of slag and improves the heat and mass transfer efficiency of the slag/metal interface. The relatively large filling rate can form smaller and dispersed droplets, which improves the refining effect. At the same time, the increase of the filling rate can improve the input power and the electrode remelting rate.

In the present study, the effect of cerium content in the range of 0~0.0676% on oxygen and sulfur content, as well as the quantity, size, distribution, and type of inclusions in C104Cr saw wire steel, were investigated using thermodynamic analysis, metallographic examination, SEM-EDS, and component analysis. The results showed that conducting a vacuum carbon pre-deoxidization process is helpful in preventing the formation of Ce2O3 inclusions in a smelting experiment, and cerium has a beneficial effect in terms of modifying inclusions. When the content of cerium in steel is 0.0136% or 0.0277%, the main inclusions in the steel are Ce2O2S and CeS, and when the content of cerium is 0.0389% or above, the inclusions in the steel are Ce2O2S, CeS, Ce–S–O–P(As), Ce–O–P, and Ce–P(As). The calculation of the segregation model showed that the precipitation of CeP and CeAs in steel takes place at the end of solidification. According to the element mapping distribution diagram of Ce–S–O–P(As) and the layered Ce–O–P inclusions found in steel with high cerium content, two possible mechanisms for the formation of Ce2O3 inclusions distributed in the outer layer of cerium composite inclusions are proposed. The first mechanism suggests that Ce2O3 inclusions are generated from the combination of [Ce] and [O] directly, and the second suggests that Ce2O3 is the product of an oxidization reaction after the formation of CeP.

The passivity and semiconducting behaviors of a high nitrogen-containing nickel-free stainless steel (HNSS) in 0.05 mol/L H2SO4 + 0.5 mol/L NaCl have been investigated. Results indicated that HNSS offered excellent pitting corrosion resistance in corrosive environments. Three corrosion potential values were observed in potentiodynamic polarization response, indicating the existence of an unstable system. The current transient and Mott-Schottky plots demonstrated that the stability of passive films decreased with the increase of applied potentials. The angle resolved X-ray photoelectron spectrometric results revealed that the primary constituents of passive films formed in 0.05 mol/L H2SO4 + 0.5 mol/L NaCl solution were composed of iron oxides, manganese oxides, Cr2O3, and Cr(OH)3. Meanwhile, it indicated that molybdenum oxides did not exist in the oxide layer, but chloride ions were present in the passive films.

Inclusion removal and modification of C96V saw wire steel using Na2O- and Rb2O- containing novel low-basicity LF (ladle furnace) Refining Slags have been researched. The results indicated that the addition of Na2O deteriorates inclusion removal; by contrast, the addition of Rb2O seems to significantly enhance inclusion removal. In detail, Rb2O can improve the cleanliness in the as-quenched C96V saw wire steel melts compared to preexisting synthetic LF refining slag compositions: (i) The average inclusion diameter experienced a remarkable decrease after reaction between the liquid steel and the synthetic LF refining slag; (ii) In addition, the number of inclusions also suffered from a dramatic decrease, with the reaction time increasing from 900 to 2700 s (15 to 45 min); (iii) Furthermore, both of the MnO-SiO2-Al2O3 and CaO-SiO2-Al2O3 inclusion system mainly concentrated in the low melting zone when the composition of Rb2O in synthetic refining slag was ≥5.0 wt%. This is mainly because Na2O significantly reduces the viscosity of refining slag, while Rb2O increases it. Then, there are two remarkable influences causing the increase of viscosity of refining slag with the addition of Rb2O: the inclusions can be sufficiently entrained within the slag once absorbed due to the significant increase in the viscosity; and the slag entrapment during refining process weakened dramatically.