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Abstract Understanding how organisms have adapted to persist in unpredictable environments is a fundamental goal in biology. Bet hedging, an evolutionary adaptation observed from microbes to humans, facilitates reproduction and population persistence in randomly fluctuating environments. Despite its prevalence, empirical evidence in microalgae, crucial primary producers and carbon sinks, is lacking. Here, we report a bet-hedging strategy in the unicellular microalga Haematococcus pluvialis. We show that isogenic populations reversibly diversify into heterophenotypic mobile and non-mobile cells independently of environmental conditions, likely driven by stochastic gene expression. Mobile cells grow faster but are stress-sensitive, while non-mobile cells prioritise stress resistance over growth. This is due to shifts from growth-promoting activities (cell division, photosynthesis) to resilience-promoting processes (thickened cell wall, cell enlargement, aggregation, accumulation of antioxidant and energy-storing compounds). Our results provide empirical evidence for bet hedging in a microalga, indicating the potential for adaptation to current and future environmental conditions and consequently conservation of ecosystem functions.

Abstract Background Glypican‐3 (GPC3) is highly expressed in testicular yolk sac tumor (TYST). GPC3 has been evaluated as a cancer vaccine for some types of tumors, but little is known on the effects of GPC3 peptide‐based therapy on TYST. Here, we evaluated the antitumor effect of GPC3144‐152 on TYST and its potential mechanisms. Methods GPC3144‐152‐specific CD8+ T cells were induced by vaccine immunization and examined by ELISPOT. The CD8+ T cells were purified for testing their cytotoxicity in vitro against TYST cells by CCK‐8 and TUNEL assays and in vivo against tumor growth. The influence of GPC3144‐152 loading and/or cGAS silencing on the tumor growth, apoptosis and cGAS/STING signaling was tested by immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, and Western blot. Results Vaccination with GPC3144‐152 induced tumor‐specific CD8+ T cells that secreted high levels of IFN‐γ and granzyme B, and had potent cytotoxicity against TYST in a dose‐dependent manner. Adoptive transfer of CD8+ T cells and treatment with GPC3144‐152 significantly inhibited the growth of TYST tumors, but less effective for cGAS‐silenced TYST tumors in vivo. Treatment with GPC3144‐152 enhanced the infiltration of CD8+ T cells into the tumor environment and their cytotoxicity against TYST tumors in vivo by up‐regulating granzyme B and IFN‐β expression, but down‐regulating GPC3 expression in the tumors. Co‐culture of CD8+ T cells with TYST in the presence of exogenous GPC3144‐152 enhanced peptide‐specific CD8+ T‐cell cytotoxicity in vitro, accompanied by enhancing cGAS, γH2AX, TBK1, and IRF3 phosphorylation in TYST cells, but less effective in cGAS‐silenced TYST cells. Conclusions These data indicated that GPC3 peptide‐specific CD8+ T cells had potent antitumor activity against TYST tumor, particularly for combined treatment with the peptide, which was partially dependent on the intratumoral cGAS/STNG signaling. GPC3 peptide vaccine may be valuable for the combination treatment of TYST.

Background Monitoring the risk of intussusception after the introduction of rotavirus vaccines is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Although the validity of intussusception monitoring using electronic health records (EHRs) has been confirmed previously, no similar studies have been conducted in China. We aimed to verify the diagnosis and determine an algorithm with the best performance for identification of intussusception using Chinese EHR databases. Research design and methods Using the Regional Health Information Platform in Ningbo, patients aged 0–72 months from 2015 to 2021 with any related visits for intussusception were included. The algorithms were based on diagnostic codes or keywords in different clinical scenarios, and their performance was evaluated with positive predictive value (PPV) and sensitivity in line with the Brighton guidelines. Results Brighton level 1 intussusception was confirmed in 2958 patients with 3246 episodes. Fine-tuned algorithms combining the appearance of the relevant ICD-10 codes or the Chinese keyword ‘Chang Tao’ in any diagnostic reports with the results of enema treatments or related surgeries showed the highest sensitivity, while the highest PPV was obtained by further criteria based on typical radiographic appearances. Conclusion Intussusception could be identified and validated internally using EHRs in Ningbo.

BackgroundThe ingestion of jujube pits by children is a rare cause of perianal infection.This article aimed to report two cases of perianal infection in children resulting from the ingestion of jujube pits.MethodsWe reviewed the clinical records of perianal infection caused by jujube pits at our hospital. Details of the patients’ presentation, imaging studies, complications and treatment were recorded.ResultsBoth pediatric patients presented with perianal swelling and pain. The caregivers of both patients denied a history of jujube consumption. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) indicated the presence of jujube pits, which were subsequently removed during surgery. Postoperatively, both patients recovered well, and follow-up showed no recurrence or the formation of anal fistulas.ConclusionThe ingestion of jujube pits leading to perianal infection is rare and inconspicuous. Early diagnosis and treatment are beneficial in preventing the occurrence of serious complications.

BackgroundThis study aims to compare the outcomes of active surveillance (AS) in low-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients with different tumor sizes and lymph node metastasis status, in order to establish appropriate management strategies. By analyzing these results, this study provides valuable insights for the effective management of such patients, addressing the issues and challenges associated with AS in practical clinical practice.MethodsThe study utilized the SEER database supported by the National Cancer Institute of the United States, extracting data of PTC diagnosed between 2000 and 2015. Statistical analyses were conducted using inverse probability weighting (IPTW) and propensity score matching (PSM), including Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox regression models, to evaluate the impact of different tumor sizes and lymph node metastasis status on thyroid cancer-specific survival (TCSS).ResultsA total of 57,000 PTC patients were included, with most covariates having standardized mean differences below 10% after IPTW and PSM adjustments. The TCSS of PTC with a diameter smaller than 13mm is significantly better than that of tumors with a diameter larger than 13mm, regardless of the presence of lymph node metastasis. Among PTC cases with a diameter smaller than 13mm, the TCSS of patients is similar, regardless of the presence of lymph node metastasis. However, in PTC cases with a diameter larger than 13mm, the presence of lateral neck lymph node metastasis (N1b stage) significantly impacts the TCSS, although the absolute impact on TCSS rate is minimal.ConclusionThe treatment strategy of AS is safe for patients with T1a stage papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). However, for patients with T1b stage, if the tumor diameter exceeds 13mm or there is lymph node metastasis in the lateral neck region, the TCSS will be significantly affected. Nevertheless, the absolute impact on survival is relatively small.

The measurement of hemoglobin is a vital index for diagnosing and monitoring diseases in clinical practice. At present, solutions need to be found for the soreness, high risk of infection, and inconvenient operation associated with invasive detection methods. This paper proposes a method for non-invasively detecting hemoglobin levels based on multi-wavelength photoplethysmography (PPG) signals. AFE4490 and TMUX1109 were used to implement the low-cost collection of an eight-LED transmissive PPG signal. We used seven regular LEDs and one broadband LED (Osram SFH4737) as light sources. Additionally, a finger clip integrating multiple sensors was designed and manufactured via 3D printing to simultaneously monitor the LED–sensor distance and the pressure from the tester’s finger during PPG signal acquisition. We used a method to extract features from PPG signals using a sliding-window’s variance and an evaluation metric for PPG signals based on the AdaCost classification. Data were gathered from 56 participants from the Nephrology department, including 16 anemic patients. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted on the collected data to remove any data with a weak correlation. The advantage of using a broadband LED as a light source was also demonstrated. Several non-invasive hemoglobin regression models were created by applying AdaBoost, BPNN, and Random Forest models. The study’s results indicate that the AdaBoost model produced the best performance, with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 2.67 g/L and a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.91 The study results show that the device we designed and manufactured can achieve effective non-invasive hemoglobin detection and represents a new methodological approach to obtaining measurements that can be applied in a clinical setting.

Elucidating the interactions between algal and microbial communities is essential for understanding the dynamic mechanisms regulating algal blooms in the marine environment. Shifts in bacterial communities when a single species dominates algal blooms have been extensively investigated. However, bacterioplankton community dynamics during bloom succession when one algal species shift to another is still poorly understood. In this study, we used metagenomic analysis to investigate the bacterial community composition and function during algal bloom succession from Skeletonema sp. to Phaeocystis sp. The results revealed that bacterial community structure and function shifted with bloom succession. The dominant group in the Skeletonema bloom was Alphaproteobacteria, while Bacteroidia and Gammaproteobacteria dominated the Phaeocystis bloom. The most noticeable feature during the successions was the change from Rhodobacteraceae to Flavobacteriaceae in the bacterial communities. The Shannon diversity indices were significantly higher in the transitional phase of the two blooms. Metabolic reconstruction of the metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) showed that dominant bacteria exhibited some environmental adaptability in both blooms, capable of metabolizing the main organic compounds, and possibly providing inorganic sulfur to the host algae. Moreover, we identified specific metabolic capabilities of cofactor biosynthesis (e.g., B vitamins) in MAGs in the two algal blooms. In the Skeletonema bloom, Rhodobacteraceae family members might participate in synthesizing vitamin B1 and B12 to the host, whereas in the Phaeocystis bloom, Flavobacteriaceae was the potential contributor for synthesizing vitamin B7 to the host. In addition, signal communication (quorum sensing and indole-3-acetic acid molecules) might have also participated in the bacterial response to bloom succession. Bloom-associated microorganisms showed a noticeable response in composition and function to algal succession. The changes in bacterial community structure and function might be an internal driving factor for the bloom succession.

Introduction: Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune disorder targeting the peripheral nervous system. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), a simple indicator of immune function, is potentially related to its incidence and severity; however, this should be confirmed. We aimed to evaluate the role of NLR in the diagnosis, severity, and prognosis of GBS. Methods: Data of GBS patients and controls visiting our hospital from January 2010 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed (Clinical trial registration: ChiCTR2100053540). Risk factors were determined through logistic regression. Smoothing curves, receiver-operating characteristic curves, and forest plots were drawn. Results: We included 136 GBS patients and 211 controls. NLR, as a continuous variable, was associated with GBS risk (OR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.68–3.21; p

Abstract Marital status proved to be an independent prognostic factor for survival in patients with breast cancer. We therefore strove to explore the impact of dynamic changes in marital status on the prognosis of breast cancer patients. We selected patients meeting the eligibility criteria from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer database. We then used multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model to analyze the effect of dynamic changes in marital status on the prognosis of overall survival (OS) and breast cancer-specific special survival (BCSS). Compared with the patients in the Single–Single group and the divorced/separated/widowed–divorced/separated/widowed (DSW–DSW) group, patients in the Married–Married group were significantly associated with better BCSS (HR 1.13, 95% CI: 1.03–1.19, P

PurposeThe encrypted money market has attracted the attention of investors all over the world. Among the encrypted currency, bitcoin is undoubtedly the most popular. Because blockchain technology is the crucial support of bitcoin, exploring the relationship between bitcoin and the blockchain index is necessary.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses the Granger causality test to explore the correlation between bitcoin and the blockchain index. Furthermore, their volatility is analyzed by a GARCH-class model.FindingsThe results show that no significant correlation exists between bitcoin and the blockchain index; external shocks aggravate the volatility of bitcoin and the blockchain index, and the volatility has a certain degree of sustainability; and blockchain index has obvious leverage, namely, its decline has a stronger impact.Originality/valueThe volatility of bitcoin and the blockchain index is crucial for investors.

Blockchain-based product traceability systems are receiving increasing attention from both industry and academia. Existing systems make full use of the traceability and non-modification characteristics of blockchain technology and realize the openness and transparency of product traceability information in the entire supply chain. However, existing systems do not consider government regulation, cannot protect enterprise sensitive private data effectively, and have performance bottlenecks. To address these problems, this paper proposes a product traceability scheme based on the permissioned blockchain within a double-layer framework. We introduce the double-layer framework and describe its advantages in detail. We also describe the smart contracts (chain code) in the double-layer framework. Finally, we test the performance of the proposed scheme through simulation experiments. The simulation results demonstrate the performance of nodes in the main layer, which is very important for consumers to obtain product traceability information, is optimized.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common persistent arrhythmia and is likely to cause strokes and damage to heart function in patients. Electrocardiogram (ECG) is the gold standard for detecting AF. However, ECGs have short boards with short monitoring cycles and problems with gathering. It is also difficult to detect a burst AF through ECG. In contrast, photoplethysmography (PPG) is easy to perform and suitable for long-term monitoring. In this study, we propose a method that combines time-frequency analysis with deep learning and identifies AF based on PPG. The advantage of the method is that there is no need for the noise filtering and feature extraction of PPG, and it has a high generalization capability. The data for the experiment came from three publicly accessible databases. The first part of the experimental method uses data augmentation to convert the 10 s PPG segment into a time-frequency chromatograph by means of time-frequency analysis. The second part inputs the chromatograph into a hybrid framework that combines a convolutional neural network (CNN) and long short-term memory (LSTM) for AF/nonAF classification. The experimental results show that the method has a high classification accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and F1 score, which are equal to 98.21%, 98.00%, 98.07% and 98.13%, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) is 0.9959. The model we propose not only aids doctors in diagnosing AF but also provides a method for identifying AF through portable wearable devices.

Advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs) are continuously produced and accumulated in the bodies of diabetic patients. To effectively predict disease trends in diabetic patients, a corneal fluorescence detection device was designed based on the autofluorescence properties of AGEs, and corneal fluorescence measurements were performed on 83 volunteers. Multiple linear regression (MLR), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), support vector regression (SVR), and back-propagation neural network (BPNN) were used to predict the human AGE content. Physiological parameters which may affect corneal AGE content were collected for a correlation analysis to select the features that had a strong correlation with the corneal concentration of AGEs to participate in modeling. By comparing the predictive effects of the four models in the two cases of a single-input feature and a multi-input feature, it was found that the model with the single-input feature had a better predictive effect. In this case, corneal AGE content was predicted by a single-input SVR model, with the average error rate (AER), mean square error (MSE), and determination coefficient R-squared (R2) of the SVR model calculated as 2.43%, 0.026, and 0.932, respectively. These results proved the potential of our method and device for noninvasive detection of the concentration of AGEs in the cornea.

In current credit evaluation methods, the credit condition of the network supplier and the credit degree of each index cannot be described well, and the credit evaluation data only source of the transaction platform have much limitation. This research proposes the method of calculating the importance and the value of the credit evaluation indexes, and proposes to put credit evaluation into big data environment. This research uses the transaction process of B2C as the case, and constructs multiple attribute weighted Petri net credit index subnet (CWPSN) for realizing the credit evaluation of the network supplier, and for presenting the correlations among the evaluation results of the credit evaluation indexes, and for presenting the importance of the indexes and the credit degree of each index, and describes the cost optimization process with credit cost optimization investment process Petri net (CCOIPPN). By the case to verify the credit evaluation method based on Petri net and the cost optimization method based on Petri net. The researches have provided methods for clearly and concretely describing the process of credit evaluation and cost optimization of network supplier, and have guidance significance for similar other researches.

The characteristics of blockchain as decentralization, transparency, business activity undeniable proof mechanism etc. have achieved extensive attention from the academic circles and industrial circles. In view of the current deficiency of poor data sharing in G2B system, data authenticity, data security, and transaction subject identity’s confidentiality cannot be effectively guaranteed, and the lack of authentication for government management departments (organization institutions) providing service or implementing management to enterprise businesses, this paper proposed to construct G2B system based on blockchain. Based on maintaining the architecture of traditional G2B system and the serviced or managed characteristics of enterprise businesses, was constructed respective G2B system based on blockchain for each section of enterprise business process. Each G2B system was based on blockchain correlated by the virtual links of enterprises and serviced or managed data for enterprises’ business, and constituted blockchain interconnection network. The protocol was designed and the characteristics of G2B system analyzed based on blockchain. Application mode for G2B system was designed based on blockchain. A case based on blockchain was designed, including business operation principle, consensus mechanism, and supervision to government (organization).

In view of the influence of information's “incompleteness” and “asymmetry” to supply chain operation efficiency, we make big production enterprise as the object and apply blockchain to its supply chain endogenous risk management, to research the specific operation mechanism and application value. In the operation process of big production enterprise supply chain, because of the information's asymmetry, the fraud problem will produce among the business subjects; blockchain is a decentralized distributed accounting and data storage technology, and with blockchain technology, we can resolve the business subjects' fraud problem and can provide more accurate decision information basis for each business section, and realize group decision. This paper has described the system structure and intelligent contract operation mechanism under consensus authentication of blockchain applying in big production enterprise supply chain and analyzed by the case. In view of the limitation of classical blockchain technology applying in big production enterprise supply chain, we constructed the corresponding blockchain data storage mechanism and data access mechanism. Analyzed the economic value of this paper researching from the aspects of response speed, supply accuracy, cooperation integrity, business interaction economic cost, supply quality, and supply price. This paper research will provide ideas and model structure for developing supply chain area's blockchain system and will promote the application research development of blockchain in specific area.

Crowd psychology is a critical factor when considering information diffusion, which has been modeled as composed influence. The composed influence is represented as a hyperedge in a graph model. A hyperedge e = (He, v) contains the head node set He and tail node v. Then a social network is modeled as a hypergraph. e can only propagate this influence when all nodes in He become active first. In this paper, the Composed Influence Maximization (CIM) also aims to select k initially-influenced seed users in such a social network. The objective is to maximize the expected number of eventually-influenced users. We present an approximating method for this objective function by formulating a series of submodular functions and these functions are convergent. Then, we develop a lower bound and an upper bound problems whose objective functions are submodular. We design a greedy strategy based on the lower bound maximization for solving CIM. We formulate a sandwich approximation framework, which preserves the theoretical analysis result. Finally, we evaluate our algorithm on real world data sets. The results show the effectiveness and the efficiency of the proposed algorithm.

Aiming at the current problems of security threats and privacy leak risks in the operation process of related data of intelligent logistics system, and the operation of system lacking of supervision and traceability, this paper proposes to use blockchain technology to resolve these problems. A scheme on applying blockchain in intelligent logistics system is proposed, including operation principle, consensus authentication mechanism, and data storage and access mechanism. By introducing and analyzing the related big data of intelligent logistics system, improving the scientific, rationality, and intelligence of the decision. The basic characteristic of blockchain is traceability. By constructing algorithm models, proposing the realization principles of consensus authentication mechanism. For different events, different “multi-authentication centers”, intelligent contracts, and blockchain systems are constructed, improving the efficiency and supervision of the operation of intelligent logistics system. By constructing the correlations between the fundamental data that corresponding to different blockchain, and the correlations between the fundamental data that corresponding to the same blockchain, making the related data easier to collect and analyze. By constructing the storage and access mechanism, ensuring the security and confidentiality of the operation data of intelligent logistics system. This paper has provided thought for the application research of intelligent logistics system based on blockchain, and has positive reference value and guiding significance to the development of blockchain application research.

Herein, an algicidal strain, Stenotrophomonas rhizophila GA1, was isolated from a marine dinoflagellate and its genome was sequenced using next-generation sequencing technology. The genome size of S. rhizophila GA1 was determined to be 5.92 Mb with a G+C content of 62.39%, comprising eight scaffolds of 67 contigs. A total of 4579 functional proteins were assigned according to COG categories. In silico genome annotation protocols identified multiple putative LuxI-like genes located in the upstream position at contig 4. The thin-layer chromatography analysis showed that three kinds of acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) signals could be produced by S. rhizophila GA1. This work describes an algicidal bacterium capable of generating AHL molecules for its ecological adaptation. The annotated genome sequence of this strain may represent a valuable tool for studying algae-bacterium interactions and developing microbial methods to control harmful algae. The genome scaffolds generated are available in the National Center Biotechnology Information (NCBI) BioProject with accession number PRJNA485554.

Objective: Increasing evidence emphasizes the clinical implications of RNA binding proteins (RBPs) in cancers. This study aimed to develop a RBP signature for predicting prognosis in glioma.Methods: Two glioma datasets as training (n = 693) and validation (n = 325) sets were retrieved from the CGGA database. In the training set, univariate Cox regression analysis was conducted to screen prognosis-related RBPs based on differentially expressed RBPs between WHO grade II and IV. A ten-RBP signature was then established. The predictive efficacy was evaluated by ROCs. The applicability was verified in the validation set. The pathways involving the risk scores were analyzed by ssGSEA. scRNA-seq was utilized for evaluating their expression in different glioma cell types. Moreover, their expression was externally validated between glioma and control samples.Results: Based on 39 prognosis-related RBPs, a ten RBP signature was constructed. High risk score distinctly indicated a poorer prognosis than low risk score. AUCs were separately 0.838 and 0.822 in the training and validation sets, suggesting its well performance for prognosis prediction. Following adjustment of other clinicopathological characteristics, the signature was an independent risk factor. Various cancer-related pathways were significantly activated in samples with high risk score. The scRNA-seq identified that risk RBPs were mainly expressed in glioma malignant cells. Their high expression was also found in glioma than control samples.Conclusion: This study developed a novel RBP signature for robustly predicting prognosis of glioma following multi-data set verification. These RBPs may affect the progression of glioma.

With the continuous progress of the construction industry, the requirements for concrete in the bridge engineering are getting higher and higher. This research mainly discusses the detection of D-shaped concrete-filled steel tube structure in bridge engineering. In this study, the D-shaped concrete-filled steel tube member was used as the research object, and the load-displacement curve of the D-shaped concrete-filled steel tube compression-bending member was analyzed by the fiber model program. In the determination of the bonding state of the concrete-filled steel tube interface, in order to avoid the impact of mechanical and manual vibrating and the difference in concrete pouring methods on the test, the study uses C60 self-compacting microexpansion concrete. While pouring the specimens, three sets of cube specimens with a side length of 100 mm are reserved to determine the mechanical properties of the concrete simultaneously. In the temperature shock measurement of the concrete-filled steel tube specimen, the concrete-filled steel tube specimen was placed in a resistance heater during the simulated heating stage and heated to 20°C, 40°C, 60°C, and 80°C at room temperature. When measuring the mechanical properties of the specimen under the axial load, the specimen is heated from room temperature to the temperature of the entire section to reach 20°C, 40°C, 60°C, and 80°C. After preloading, the load of each level is 10t for continuous operation. Load and record the strain of the steel pipe and concrete under each load. If only the radial effect of the steel tube on concrete is considered, the temperature of 11°C, 20°C, and 80°C is the best ambient temperature. The results show that the D-shaped steel tube concrete interface state can provide a certain theoretical and experimental reference for the optimization of the steel tube concrete interface, ensuring the long-term working performance of the steel tube concrete under the harsh environment.

Sleep apnea (SA) is a common sleep disorder which could impair the human physiological system. Therefore, early diagnosis of SA is of great interest. The traditional method of diagnosing SA is an overnight polysomnography (PSG) evaluation. When PSG has limited availability, automatic SA screening with a fewer number of signals should be considered. The primary purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate a SA detection model based on electrocardiogram (ECG) and blood oxygen saturation (SpO2). We adopted a multimodal approach to fuse ECG and SpO2 signals at the feature level. Then, feature selection was conducted using the recursive feature elimination with cross-validation (RFECV) algorithm and random forest (RF) classifier used to discriminate between apnea and normal events. Experiments were conducted on the Apnea-ECG database. The introduced algorithm obtained an accuracy of 97.5%, a sensitivity of 95.9%, a specificity of 98.4% and an AUC of 0.992 in per-segment classification, and outperformed previous works. The results showed that ECG and SpO2 are complementary in detecting SA, and that the combination of ECG and SpO2 enhances the ability to diagnose SA. Therefore, the proposed method has the potential to be an alternative to conventional detection methods.

Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent form of cell death characterized by the accumulation of intracellular lipid reactive oxygen species (ROS). Ferroptosis is significantly different from other types of cell death including apoptosis, autophagy, and necrosis, both in morphology and biochemical characteristics. The mechanisms that are associated with ferroptosis include iron metabolism, lipid oxidation, and other pathophysiological changes. Ferroptosis inducers or inhibitors can influence its occurrence through different pathways. Ferroptosis was initially discovered in tumors, though recent studies have confirmed that it is also closely related to a variety of neurological diseases including neurodegenerative disease [Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), etc.] and stroke. This article reviews the definition and characteristics of ferroptosis, the potential mechanisms associated with its development, inducers/inhibitors, and its role in non-neoplastic neurological diseases. We hope to provide a theoretical basis and novel treatment strategies for the treatment of central nervous system diseases by targeting ferroptosis.

Hepatoblastoma (HB) is the most common and aggressive malignant hepatic neoplasm in childhood and the therapeutic outcomes remain undesirable due to its recurrence and metastasis. Recently, long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) zinc finger antisense 1 (ZFAS1) has been reported to be an oncogenic gene in multiple cancers. However, the expression status and specific role of ZFAS1 involved in cancer progression of human HB remain unknown. This study aimed to identify the role of ZFAS1/miR-193a-3p/RALY axis in the development of HB. Here we showed that the expression of ZFAS1 was significantly upregulated in both HB tissues and cell lines. High ZFAS1 expression was significantly associated with aggressive tumor phenotypes and poorer overall survival in HB. In vitro and in vivo function assays indicated that silencing of ZFAS1 significantly suppressed HB cell proliferation and invasion. Furthermore, miR-193a-3p was identified to be the target of ZFAS1. Subsequently, RALY was confirmed to be regulated by miR-193a-3p/ZFAS1 axis. Mechanistically, our results indicated that the ZFAS1 participated to the progression of HB via regulating the HGF/c-Met signaling. Collectively, these data demonstrated that ZFAS1 acted as an oncogene to promote initiation and progression of HB by regulating miR-193a-3p/RALY (RALY Heterogeneous Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein) axis via HGF/c-Met Pathway, which provides an efficient marker and new therapeutic target for HB.

Strong designated verifier signature (generally abbreviated to SDVS) allows signers to obtain absolute control over who can verify the signature, while only the designated verifier other than anyone else can verify the validity of a SDVS without being able to transfer the conviction. Certificateless PKC has unique advantages comparing with certificate-based cryptosystems and identity-based PKC, without suffering from key escrow. Motivated by these attractive features, we propose a novel efficient CL-SDVS scheme without bilinear pairings or map-to-point hash operations. The proposed scheme achieves all the required security properties including EUF-CMA, non-transferability, strongness and non-delegatability. We also estimate the computational and communication efficiency. The comparison shows that our scheme outperforms all the previous CL-(S)DVS schemes. Furthermore, the crucial security properties of the CL-SDVS scheme are formally proved based on the intractability of SCDH and ECDL assumptions in random oracle model.

CPS (Cyber Physical Systems) have got wide application and research, and information security risk evaluation became the key for CPS greatly developing. In view of the physical structure and business characteristics of CPS, this paper constructs an information security risk evaluation system for CPS. In the process of risk evaluation, colligating the analysis results from experts and the analysis results of external data sources’ related big data for information security risk evaluation of CPS, by experts confirming the index system and indexes’ weight values for CPS information security risk evaluation, further through using evaluation model to realize the quantitative calculation to CPS information security risks. This paper proposes using blockchain technology to construct the data’s authenticity and reliability guarantee system for CPS and CPS related external systems, and constructing blockchain’s layered model structure based on CPS. In the part of case analysis, comparing and analysing the evaluation system based on blockchain and big data and the evaluation system based on traditional mode, to confirm the research value of this paper.

Blood glucose (BG) concentration monitoring is essential for controlling complications arising from diabetes, as well as digital management of the disease. At present, finger-prick glucometers are widely used to measure BG concentrations. In consideration of the challenges of invasive BG concentration measurements involving pain, risk of infection, expense, and inconvenience, we propose a noninvasive BG concentration detection method based on the conservation of energy metabolism. In this study, a multisensor integrated detection probe was designed and manufactured by 3D-printing technology to be worn on the wrist. Two machine-learning algorithms were also applied to establish the regression model for predicting BG concentrations. The results showed that the back-propagation neural network model produced better performance than the multivariate polynomial regression model, with a mean absolute relative difference and correlation coefficient of 5.453% and 0.936, respectively. Here, about 98.413% of the predicted values were within zone A of the Clarke error grid. The above results proved the potential of our method and device for noninvasive glucose concentration detection from the human wrist.

BackgroundMother-to-child transmission (MTCT) is one of the main transmission routes of HIV, and the probability of MTCT can be dramatically reduced with comprehensive interventions. In southwest and western regions in China, the level of development in rural areas is relatively backwards and retains some original features, which also increases the difficulty of controlling infectious diseases. The Liangshan Prefecture started the prevention of MTCT programme in 2009. However, the implementation of the programme is not ideal, and the coverage of HIV testing is still low. Many Yi (local major ethnicity) women did not take antenatal care (ANC) and just gave birth to their babies at home for a variety of reasons.MethodsWomen with pregnancy history in the last 5 years were recruited from two townships based on cluster sampling. Face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect data. Descriptive analysis was performed to describe demographic characteristics, history of pregnancy and ANC uptake, knowledge of and attitudes towards ANC. Multivariable analysis was used to identify factors associated with uptake of ANC.ResultsAmong 538 women who completed the questionnaires, 77.9% knew that ANC was necessary during and after pregnancy. However, only 24.2% actually accessed ANC. Almost all women (94.6%) expressed their willingness to receive ANC for pregnancy but barriers towards actual uptake of ANC existed including shyness, lack of independence and unavoidable cost. Multivariate analysis showed that no experience of living outside of Zhaojue for more than 6 months, higher number of births, not knowing the necessity of ANC during pregnancy and not knowing the government’s promotion policies for ANC were associated with lack of ANC uptake.ConclusionAlthough ethnic minority women in rural Liangshan expressed strong intention to use ANC, actual uptake of ANC was low. Knowledge of ANC and HIV prevention for MTCT should be improved among this population, and efforts should be made to help them overcome barriers to accessing ANC.

According to previous studies, many neuroanatomical alterations have been detected in patients with tinnitus. However, the results of these studies have been inconsistent. The objective of this study was to explore the cortical/subcortical morphological neuroimaging biomarkers that may characterize idiopathic tinnitus using machine learning methods. Forty-six patients with idiopathic tinnitus and fifty-six healthy subjects were included in this study. For each subject, the gray matter volume of 61 brain regions was extracted as an original feature pool. From this feature pool, a hybrid feature selection algorithm combining the F-score and sequential forward floating selection (SFFS) methods was performed to select features. Then, the selected features were used to train a support vector machine (SVM) model. The area under the curve (AUC) and accuracy were used to assess the performance of the classification model. As a result, a combination of 13 cortical/subcortical brain regions was found to have the highest classification accuracy for effectively differentiating patients with tinnitus from healthy subjects. These brain regions include the bilateral hypothalamus, right insula, bilateral superior temporal gyrus, left rostral middle frontal gyrus, bilateral inferior temporal gyrus, right inferior parietal lobule, right transverse temporal gyrus, right middle temporal gyrus, right cingulate gyrus, and left superior frontal gyrus. The accuracy in the training and test datasets was 80.49% and 80.00%, respectively, and the AUC was 0.8586. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to elucidate brain morphological changes in patients with tinnitus by applying an SVM classifier. This study provides validated cortical/subcortical morphological neuroimaging biomarkers to differentiate patients with tinnitus from healthy subjects and contributes to the understanding of neuroanatomical alterations in patients with tinnitus.

Quorum sensing inhibitors (QSIs) have been proven to be an innovative approach to interfering with biofilm formation, since this process is regulated by QS signals. However, most studies have focused on single-species biofilm formation, whereas studies of the effects of signal interference on the development of multispecies biofilm, especially in the natural environment, are still lacking. Here we develop and evaluate the anti-biofilm capability of a new QSI (rhodamine isothiocyanate analogue, RIA) in natural seawater. During the experiment, biofilm characteristics, microbial communities/functions and network interactions were monitored at 36, 80, and 180 h, respectively. The results showed that the biomass and 3D structure of the biofilm were significantly different in the presence of the QSI. The expression of genes involved in extracellular polysaccharide synthesis was also downregulated in the QSI-treated group. Dramatic differences in microbial composition, β-diversity and functions between the RIA-treated group and the control group were also observed, especially in the early stage of biofilm development. Furthermore, co-occurrence model analysis showed that RIA reduced the complexity of the microbial network. This study demonstrates that rhodamine isothiocyanate analogue is an efficient QS inhibitor and has potential applications in controlling biofouling caused by multispecies biofilm, especially in the early stage of biofouling formation.

Estuaries and coastal environments are often regarded as a critical resource for the bioremediation of organic pollutants such as azo dyes due to their high abundance and diversity of extremophiles. Bioremediation through the activities of azoreductase, laccase, and other associated enzymes plays a critical role in the removal of azo dyes in built and natural environments. However, little is known about the biodegradation genes and azo dye degradation genes residing in sediments from coastal and estuarine environments. In this study, high-throughput sequencing (16S rRNA) of sediment DNA was used to explore the distribution of azo-dye degrading bacteria and their functional genes in estuaries and coastal environments. Unlike laccase genes, azoreductase (azoR), and naphthalene degrading genes were ubiquitous in the coastal and estuarine environments. The relative abundances of most functional genes were higher in the summer compared to winter at locations proximal to the mouths of the Hanjiang River and its distributaries. These results suggested inland river discharges influenced the occurrence and abundance of azo dye degrading genes in the nearshore environments. Furthermore, the azoR genes had a significant negative relationship with total organic carbon, Hg, and Cr (p < 0.05). This study provides critical insights into the biodegradation potential of indigenous microbial communities in nearshore environments and the influence of environmental factors on microbial structure, composition, and function which is essential for the development of technologies for bioremediation in azo dye contaminated sites.

Phytoplankton and bacterioplankton play significant roles in estuarine systems. It is important to demonstrate the spatial variability of bacterial and microalgal communities and understand the co-acclimation of these organisms to different environmental factors. In this study, MiSeq sequencing and morphological identification were applied to analyze the variations in bacterial and microalgal communities in the Pearl River Estuary, respectively. Molecular ecological network analysis was used to investigate the potential interactions between microalgae and bacteria and illustrate the responses of these interactions to environmental gradients. The results revealed that microalgal/bacterial communities in freshwater samples were distinct from those in mesohaline water samples. Microalgae affiliated to the genus Skeletonema dominated the mesohaline water phytoplankton communities, while Melosira was the more abundant genus in freshwater communities. Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, and Acidimicrobiia dominated bacterial communities in freshwater samples, while Gammaproteobacteria, Bacilli, and Synechococcophycideae were more abundant in mesohaline water samples. Tightly correlations were observed between phytoplankton and bacterioplankton. These interactions were regarded to be key factors in shaping the community structures. Further, the KEGG database and PICRUSt were used to predict the functions of bacterioplankton in the process of nitrogen cycling. The results indicated that denitrification could play an important role in nitrogen loss and might alleviate the eutrophication in the Pearl River Estuary. Collectively, the results in this study revealed that substantial changes in phytoplankton and bacterioplankton communities were correlated with the gradients of environmental parameters in the Pearl River Estuary. The results also demonstrated that the interactions between phytoplankton and bacterioplankton were important for these organisms to acclimate to changing environments.

We study the structural instability mechanism and effect of a multi-echelon support in very-deep roadways. We conduct a scale model test for analysing the structural failure mechanism and the effect of multi-echelon support of roadways under high horizontal stress. Mechanical bearing structures are classified according to their secondary stress distribution and the strength degradation of the surrounding rock after roadway excavation. A new method is proposed by partitioning the mechanical bearing structure of the surrounding rock into weak, key and main coupling bearing stratums. In the surrounding rock, the main bearing stratum is the plastic reshaping and flowing area. The weak bearing stratum is the peeling layer or the caving part. And the key bearing stratum is the shearing and yielding area. The structural fracture mechanism of roadways is considered in analysing the bearing structure instability of the surrounding rock, and multi-echelon support that considers the structural characteristics of roadway bearings is proposed. Results of the experimental study indicate that horizontal pressure seriously influences the stability of the surrounding rock, as indicated by extension of the weak bearing area and the transfer of the main and key bearing zones. The falling roof, rib spalling, and floor heave indicate the decline of the bearing capacity of surrounding rock, thereby causing roadway structural instability. Multi-echelon support is proposed according to the mechanical bearing structure of the surrounding rock without support. The redesigned support can reduce the scope of the weak bearing area and limit the transfer of the main and key bearing areas. Consequently, kilometre-deep roadway disasters, such as wedge roof caving, floor heave, and rib spalling, can be avoided to a certain degree, and plastic flow in the surrounding rock is relieved. The adverse effect of horizontal stress on the vault, spandrel and arch foot decreases. The stability of the soft rock surrounding the roadways is maintained.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192470.].

This study was carried out to determine the effect of replacement of forage fiber sources from alfalfa and Leymus chinensis with nonforage fiber sources (NFFS) from dried distillers grains with solubles and corn germ meal on calves growth, rumen development and blood parameters. 48 female and 12 male calves ((110.55±15.36) kg of body weight and 12 wk of age) were assigned randomly to four dietary treatments (15 calves/treatment) in a completely randomized design. Experimental diets were: 0% NFFS (control), 9% NFFS (group 1), 18% NFFS (group 2), 27% NFFS (group 3), and contained equivalent neutral detergent fiber and total digestible nutrients, respectively. The dry matter intake was similar among diets, averaging 3.33 kg d−1, and no differences were detected for body weight, withers height, body length and heart girth. In addition, the development of rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum also were similar among diets. Dry matter, crude protein, and neutral detergent fiber digestibilities increased with the increasing levels of NFFS in the experimental diets, but had no significant effect. Blood urea nitrogen, total protein and glubulin were not affected by the dietary treatment, but group 3 resulted in the highest (P