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Bacterial cellulose (BC) is an exopolysaccharide with unique properties that has been applied in various fields. However, the dense and intertwined nature of BC fibers limits its use in certain applications, including 3D printing scaffolds for bone regeneration. In this work, a controllable BC-based bio-ink for 3D printing was successfully prepared by modifying the neat BC through maleic acid (MA) treatment, aiming to promote bone tissue regeneration. To achieve homogeneous BC dispersions while preserving its crystalline and chemical properties, BC was modified by MA solution (60 %, w/V) with solid-liquid ratio from 1꞉5 to 1꞉50 (w/V) to obtain MA-BC dispersions. The analysis results from microstructure, chemical group, crystallinity, and wettability indicated that the BC/MA solution with ratio of 1꞉30 demonstrated the best pre-treatment performance to obtain MA-BC. Subsequently, by combining MA-BC with gelatin, we successfully formulated MA-BC-GEL gels with favorable rheological properties and compression modulus, which can be used as promising bio-inks for 3D bioprinting applications. In vitro tests demonstrated 1꞉30 MA-BC possessed excellent biocompatibility, a significant ability to express the alkaline phosphatase gene and osteogenic-related genes, and facilitated the formation of mineralized nodules. The utilization of this novel bio-ink in scaffold preparation for bone regeneration highlights the promising application of modified BC in bone tissue engineering field.

Static life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies fail to consider the temporal profiles of system inputs and outputs (including emission timing), such that they underestimate the benefits of temporarily stored biogenic carbon in bioproducts, such as cotton. This research focuses on greenhouse gas emission timing and applies dynamic emission accounting to the life cycle of cotton woven pants. The significance of temporary biogenic carbon storage and emission timing is illustrated by converting the 2017 Cotton Incorporated static LCA to a dynamic model using the Dynamic Carbon Footprinter (baseline scenario). A reduction in cumulative radiative forcing for dynamic relative to static modeling of 22%, 5%, and 2% are observed at 10-years, 30-years, and 100-years, respectively. Alternative scenarios analyzed include converting cotton woven pants at end of life to bioenergy, to compost, or to building insulation, an alternative cotton production scenario using regenerative agricultural practices, and two pants extended lifetime scenarios. The regenerative agricultural practice scenario provides reductions in cumulative impacts compared to the baseline scenario of 96%, 69%, and 105% after 10, 30, and 100-years, respectively. A 3x extension in the lifetime of pants provides a benefit in reduced cumulative impacts of 31%, 40%, and 41%, after 10, 30, and 100-years, respectively. This case study with cotton demonstrates that dynamic LCA is a useful tool for assessing the benefits of biobased products, and it allows for more nuanced analysis of reductions in climate impacts in both the short- and long-term time horizons.

Thick electrodes represent an effective approach for augmenting energy density of batteries. However, their increased thickness invariably leads to longer electron and ion transport distance, limiting the utilization of active material and hindering practical application. Herein, an electron‐conducting‐enhanced and ion‐conducting‐enhanced strategy is presented for fabricating ultrahigh loading electrodes via constructing an interlaced 3D network. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) serve as extended electron pathways. Different from the polyvinylidene fluoride binder which needs to be dissolved into molecules for preparing electrode, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), however, exists as a separate phase inside the electrode, thus can become the extended pathways for electrolyte elongating due to its strong affinity to organic electrolyte. Note that based on the synergistic effect between CNT and PTFE, the latter can exhibit a form of long‐distance extension fibers rather than agglomeration. Finally, a LiFePO4 electrode with a record‐high loading of 141 mg cm−2 is successfully prepared. This electrode exhibits outstanding area capacity (20.7 mAh cm−2 at 0.2 C) and cycling stability with impressive energy density of 224 Wh kg−1 and 517 Wh L−1 in a full cell (graphite anode). The findings present a novel strategy for achieving high energy density in lithium‐ion batteries using existing material systems.

Life cycle assessment (LCA) has been a mainstream tool to evaluate the environmental impacts of products, services, and systems. Current LCAs inherently rely on the static basis and commonly fail to include temporal considerations. To better assist in the decision-making for sustainable development, dynamic LCA has been initiated to answer more complex and interdisciplinary questions. As in its initial phase, dynamic LCA faces many modeling challenges that at the same time are meaningful research opportunities. In modeling dynamic LCA, there are several key aspects that need more attention for contribution and close collaboration across the first three phases of the LCA framework.

In 2016, the People’s Bank of China (PBC) together with multiple departments issued the Guidance on Building a Green Financial System (the Guidance ), which marked a great breakthrough in China’s green finance policy. Aiming to clarify the actual impact and underlying mechanisms of green finance policy on Chinese listed companies’ ESG disclosure quality, this study employs the difference-in-differences (DID) model and examines the impact of the Guidance on ESG disclosure practices of A-share listed companies on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE) during the period 2006 to 2022. This study reveals a positive correlation between the Guidance and listed companies’ ESG disclosure. Upon further examination, it becomes evident that the Guidance has a more noticeable positive impact on the quality of ESG disclosure among listed companies that operate in industries with high levels of pollution, state-owned enterprises, and regions that exhibit greater levels of economic development. This paper provides essential insights to policymakers, facilitating a deeper understanding and more thorough assessment of the economic implications of green finance policies. Additionally, it acts as a strategic resource for listed companies, guiding the enhancement of corporate ESG disclosures and the implementation of ESG strategies influenced by green finance policies.

Aiming at the problem that the current batch authentication and key agreement protocol were relied on semi-trusted road side unit (RSU) and were not suitable for key update in large-scale Internet of vehicles (IoV), a ring-based efficient batch authentication and group key agreement protocol with anonymity in IoV was proposed.The anonymity was ensured by the pseudonym mechanism.The authentication key pairs were constructed by the chaotic map, and the batch authentication for many vehicles was quickly completed by a small number of bilinear maps.The joining and leaving of vehicles in large-scale IoV scenario were fully considered, a ring session group was efficiently constructed by using the semi-group property of chaotic maps, and a group key establishment and update mechanism suitable for large-scale vehicles was designed.In addition, a pseudonym update mechanism and an anonymous tracing mechanism were designed to ensure a more secure session process.At the same time, the BAN logic model was used to prove the semantic security of the protocol.The security analysis and simulation results show that the proposed protocol has multiple security attributes and certain efficiency advantages.

Background: The Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) score is a powerful tool used to predict in-hospital mortality after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and does not include a glycometabolism-related index. We investigated whether the addition of the stress hyperglycemia ratio (SHR) provides incremental prognostic value in addition to the GRACE score. Methods: A retrospective cohort of 613 AMI patients was enrolled in the present analyses. The patients were stratified according to the primary endpoint (in-hospital mortality) and the tertiles of the SHR. Results: During hospitalization, 40 patients reached the primary endpoint, which was more frequently observed in patients with a higher SHR. The SHR, but not admission blood glucose (ABG), adjusted for the GRACE score independently predicted in-hospital mortality [odds ratio 2.5861; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.3910–4.8080; P = 0.0027]. The adjustment of the GRACE score by the SHR improved the predictive ability for in-hospital death (an increase in the C-statistic value from 0.787 to 0.814; net reclassification improvement, 0.6717, 95% CI 0.3665–0.977, P

Combining hydrogen production derived from mixed plastic waste with carbon capture and storage technologies is technically and economically feasible at current market conditions, according to a techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment.

Abstract Background Woody biomass has been considered as a promising feedstock for biofuel production via thermochemical conversion technologies such as fast pyrolysis. Extensive Life Cycle Assessment studies have been completed to evaluate the carbon intensity of woody biomass-derived biofuels via fast pyrolysis. However, most studies assumed that woody biomass such as forest residues is a carbon–neutral feedstock like annual crops, despite a distinctive timeframe it takes to grow woody biomass. Besides, few studies have investigated the impacts of forest dynamics and the temporal effects of carbon on the overall carbon intensity of woody-derived biofuels. This study addressed such gaps by developing a life-cycle carbon analysis framework integrating dynamic modeling for forest and biorefinery systems with a time-based discounted Global Warming Potential (GWP) method developed in this work. The framework analyzed dynamic carbon and energy flows of a supply chain for biofuel production from pine residues via fast pyrolysis. Results The mean carbon intensity of biofuel given by Monte Carlo simulation across three pine growth cases ranges from 40.8–41.2 g CO2e MJ−1 (static method) to 51.0–65.2 g CO2e MJ−1 (using the time-based discounted GWP method) when combusting biochar for energy recovery. If biochar is utilized as soil amendment, the carbon intensity reduces to 19.0–19.7 g CO2e MJ−1 (static method) and 29.6–43.4 g CO2e MJ−1 in the time-based method. Forest growth and yields (controlled by forest management strategies) show more significant impacts on biofuel carbon intensity when the temporal effect of carbon is taken into consideration. Variation in forest operations and management (e.g., energy consumption of thinning and harvesting), on the other hand, has little impact on the biofuel carbon intensity. Conclusions The carbon temporal effect, particularly the time lag of carbon sequestration during pine growth, has direct impacts on the carbon intensity of biofuels produced from pine residues from a stand-level pine growth and management point of view. The carbon implications are also significantly impacted by the assumptions of biochar end-of-life cases and forest management strategies.

Abstract This study performs techno‐economic analysis and Monte Carlo simulations (MCS) to explore the effects that variations in biomass feedstock quality have on the economic feasibility of fast pyrolysis biorefineries using decentralized preprocessing sites (i.e., depots that produce pellets). Two biomass resources in the Southeastern United States, that is, pine residues and switchgrass, were examined as feedstocks. A scenario analysis was conducted for an array of different combinations, including different pellet ash control levels, feedstock blending ratios, different biorefinery capacities, and different biorefinery on‐stream capacities, followed by a comparison with the traditional centralized system. MCS results show that, with depot preprocessing, variations in the feedstock moisture and feedstock ash content can be significantly reduced compared with a traditional centralized system. For a biorefinery operating at 100% of its designed capacity, the minimum fuel selling price (MFSP) of the decentralized system is $3.97–$4.39 per gallon gasoline equivalent (GGE) based on the mean value across all scenarios, whereas the mean MFSP for the traditional centralized system was $3.79–$4.12/GGE. To understand the potential benefits of highly flowable pellets in decreasing biorefinery downtime due to feedstock handling and plugging problems, this study also compares the MFSP of the decentralized system at 90% of its designed capacity with a traditional system at 80%. The analysis illustrates that using low ash pellets mixed with switchgrass and pine residues generates a more competitive MFSP. Specifically, for a biorefinery designed for 2,000 oven dry metric ton per day, running a blended pellet made from 75% switchgrass and 25% pine residues with 2% ash level, and operating at 90% of designed capacity could make an MFSP between $4.49 and $4.71/GGE. In contrast, a traditional centralized biorefinery operating at 80% of designed capacity marks an MFSP between $4.72 and $5.28.

Abstract Background The purpose of this case report was to report a case of Cryptococcus laurentii infection in the left knee of a previously healthy 29 year old male patient. Case presentation After an initial misdiagnosis and 7 months of failed treatment, the patient received nearly a month of treatment with voriconazole (200 mg IV q12 h) and knee irrigation with amphotericin B until the infection was controlled. The treatment continued with fluconazole for nearly 7 months and approximately 5 weeks of antibiotic treatment for a skin bacterial coinfection. In the end, the patient’s symptoms disappeared completely, the left knee recovered well, and there was no recurrence of infection. Conclusion The key points of successful treatment in this case were the thorough debridement, the adequate course of knee irrigation with antifungal drugs and more than 6 months of oral antifungal drugs that were able to eradicate the infection.

Abstract At present, the method of formation pressure is mainly divided into pressure prediction before drilling, pressure monitoring while drilling, and post-drilling pressure detection. The drilling monitoring method and the post-drilling pressure detection method cannot predict the pressure value of the formation in front of the drill bit. The pre-drilling prediction method is used to predict pressure by seismic data, but the accuracy of the result is not high. How to infer the pressure information of complex and unknown drilling strata based on very limited known formation pressure information is the key technical problem to be solved in this paper. In order to solve this problem, a method based on grey theory is proposed to predict the formation pressure in front of the drill. The prediction results of formation pore pressure based on the method in this paper are compared with the monitoring results of formation pore pressure while drilling: the maximum error is 3.408%, and the average relative error is 3.038%, which indicates that the model has high accuracy. It can meet the requirements of field drilling construction. Through the research of this paper, it can provide more accurate pore pressure information of the formation to be drilled under the bit. Based on the pressure prediction results of the formation to be drilled, dynamic engineering risk assessment can be carried out, so as to assist the drilling operators to make quick and accurate decisions and prevent drilling risk caused by inaccurate understanding of pressure information.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has inadequate treatment approaches and a poor prognosis. It is urgent to develop new treatment approaches for TNBC. The combination of photothermal therapy (PTT) and chemotherapy is a very effective potential therapy for TNBC. However, asynchronous accumulation, unclear efficacy, and toxic side effects hinder the further promotion of this method. Therefore, we designed and constructed a new type of nanocarriers, the cascade release near-infrared imaging (NIFI) & thermal-chemo combination nanoparticles (CNC NPs), that can release drugs through the cascade of ultrasound triggering and pH responding to achieve the synchronous tumor accumulation, monitoring and synergistic treatment of two functional molecules. The key material of CNC NPs is the polydopamine (PDA), which, through self-assembling, forms a rigid shell that contains doxorubicin (DOX) and NIF fluorescent dye IR780 on the surface of the perfluorohexane (PFH) microbubbles. The results show that CNC NPs have a hollow core-shell structure with an average particle size of 97.3 ± 27.2 nm and have exceptional colloidal stability and photothermal conversion efficiency. The NPs can effectively perform cascade drug release through ultrasound triggering and pH responding. CNC NPs have good in vivo biological safety and excellent fluorescence imaging, drug delivery, and therapeutic abilities in the TNBC models. These results provide an experimental basis for the development of new clinical treatment methods for TNBC.

Objectives: Ongoing acquisition of antimicrobial resistance genes has made Morganella morganii a new clinical treatment challenge. Understanding the molecular epidemiology of M. morganii will contribute to clinical treatment and prevention.Methods: We undertook a 6-year clinical molecular epidemiological investigation of M. morganii from three tertiary hospitals in China since 2014. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using a VITEK-2 system. All isolates were screened for β-lactam and plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance genes by PCR. Isolates carrying carbapenem-resistant genes were subjected to whole-genome sequencing (WGS). The variation and evolution of these mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were then systematically analyzed.Results: Among all M. morganii isolates (n = 335), forty (11.9%) were recognized as multidrug resistant strains. qnrD1, aac(6′)-Ib-cr, blaTEM–104, and blaCTX–M–162 were the top four most prevalent resistance genes. Notably, phylogenomic and population structure analysis suggested clade 1 (rhierBAPS SC3 and SC5) associated with multiple resistance genes seemed to be widely spread. WGS showed a blaOXA–181-carrying IncX3 plasmid and a Proteus genomic island 2 variant carrying blaCTX–M–3, aac(6′)-Ib-cr coexisted in the same multidrug resistant strain zy_m28. Additionally, a blaIMP–1-carrying IncP-1β type plasmid was found in the strain nx_m63.Conclusion: This study indicates a clade of M. morganii is prone to acquire resistance genes, and multidrug resistant M. morganii are increasing by harboring a variety of MGEs including two newly discovered ones in the species. We should be vigilant that M. morganii may bring more extensive and challenging antimicrobial resistance issue.

Abstract Background Tourniquet is the most widely used and effective first-aid equipment for controlling hemorrhage of injured limb in battlefield. However, time-out application of tourniquets leads to ischemic-necrosis of skeletal muscles and ischemia-reperfusion injury. Regional hypothermia (RH) on wounded limb can relieve the injury on local tissue and distant organs. We aimed to investigate the protective effects of RH on rabbits’ limbs injured by a steel-ball combined with hemorrhagic-shock, and then employed tourniquet over-time, tried to identify the optimal treatment RH. Methods Thirty rabbits were randomly divided into 5 groups. All rabbits were anesthetized, intubated femoral artery and vein in right-hind limbs. Sham operation group (Sham): only femoral arteriovenous cannula in right-hind limb. None RH group (NRH): rabbits were intubated as Sham group, then the soft tissues of rabbits’ left-hinds were injured by a steel-ball shooting, and were exsanguinated until shock, then bundled with rubber tourniquets for 4 h. Three RH subgroups: rabbits were injured as mentioned above, the injured limbs were bundled with rubber tourniquets and treated with different temperature (5 ± 1 °C, 10 ± 1 °C, and 20 ± 1 °C, respectively) for 4 h. The injury severity of lung and regional muscle was assessed by histologic examination. Activity of adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) and content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in muscle, inflammatory cytokines, myoglobin, creatine kinase-MM (CK-MM), Heme, Heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), lactic acid (Lac), and lectrolyte ion in serum were detected. Results Following with RH treatment, the injury of lung and local muscle tissue was alleviated evidencing by mitigation of histopathological changes, significant decrease of water-content and MDA content, and increase of ATPase activity. Lower level of Lac, Potassium (K+), inflammatory cytokines, Heme, CK-MM, myoglobin content, and higher level of Calcium (Ca2+), HO-1 content were shown in RH treatment. 10 °C was the most effective RH to increase ATPase activity, and decrease MDA, myoglobin, CK-MM content. Conclusion Transient RH (4 h) had a “long-term mitigation effects” (continued for 6 h) on time-out application of tourniquet with the fluid resuscitation and core temperature maintenance, and the most effective temperature for reducing the side effects on tourniquet time-out application was 10 °C.

Abstract: —J. Blunden and T. Boyer In 2023, La Niña conditions that generally prevailed in the eastern Pacific Ocean from mid-2020 into early 2023 gave way to a strong El Niño by October. Atmospheric concentrations of Earth’s major greenhouse gases—carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide—all increased to record-high levels. The annual global average carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere rose to 419.3±0.1 ppm, which is 50% greater than the pre-industrial level. The growth from 2022 to 2023 was 2.8 ppm, the fourth highest in the record since the 1960s. The combined short-term effects of El Niño and the long-term effects of increasing levels of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere contributed to new records for many essential climate variables reported here. The annual global temperature across land and oceans was the highest in records dating as far back as 1850, with the last seven months (June–December) having each been record warm. Over land, the globally averaged temperature was also record high. Dozens of countries reported record or near-record warmth for the year, including China and continental Europe as a whole (warmest on record), India and Russia (second warmest), and Canada (third warmest). Intense and widespread heatwaves were reported around the world. In Vietnam, an all-time national maximum temperature record of 44.2°C was observed at Tuong Duong on 7 May, surpassing the previous record of 43.4°C at Huong Khe on 20 April 2019. In Brazil, the air temperature reached 44.8°C in Araçuaí in Minas Gerais on 20 November, potentially a new national record and 12.8°C above normal. The effect of rising temperatures was apparent in the cryosphere, where snow cover extent by June 2023 was the smallest in the 56-year record for North America and seventh smallest for the Northern Hemisphere overall. Heatwaves contributed to the greatest average mass balance loss for Alpine glaciers around the world since the start of the record in 1970. Due to rapid volume loss beginning in 2021, St. Anna Glacier in Switzerland and Ice Worm Glacier in the United States disappeared completely. In August, as a direct result of glacial thinning over the past 20 years, a glacial lake on a tributary of the Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska burst through its ice dam and caused unprecedented flooding on Mendenhall River near Juneau. Across the Arctic, the annual surface air temperature was the fourth highest in the 124-year record, and summer (July–September) was record warm. Smaller-than-normal snow cover extent in May and June contributed to the third-highest average peak tundra greenness in the 24-year record. In September, Arctic minimum sea ice extent was the fifth smallest in the 45-year satellite record. The 17 lowest September extents have all occurred in the last 17 years. In Antarctica, temperatures for much of the year were up to 6°C above average over the Weddell Sea and along coastal Dronning Maud Land. The Antarctic Peninsula also experienced well-above-average temperatures during the 2022/23 melt season, which contributed to its fourth consecutive summer of above-average surface melt. On 21 February, Antarctic sea ice extent and sea ice area both reached all-time lows, surpassing records set just a year earlier. Over the course of the year, new daily record-low sea ice extents were set on 278 days. In some instances, these daily records were set by a large margin, for example, the extent on 6 July was 1.8 million km2 lower than the previous record low for that day. Across the global oceans, the annual sea surface temperature was the highest in the 170-year record, far surpassing the previous record of 2016 by 0.13°C. Daily and monthly records were set from March onward, including an historic-high daily global mean sea surface temperature of 18.99°C recorded on 22 August. Approximately 94% of the ocean surface experienced at least one marine heatwave in 2023, while 27% experienced at least one cold spell. Globally averaged ocean heat content from the surface to 2000-m depth was record high in 2023, increasing at a rate equivalent to ∼0.7 Watts per square meter of energy applied over Earth’s surface. Global mean sea level was also record high for the 12th consecutive year, reaching 101.4 mm above the 1993 average when satellite measurements began, an increase of 8.1±1.5 mm over 2022 and the third highest year-over-year increase in the record. A total of 82 named tropical storms were observed during the Northern and Southern Hemispheres’ storm seasons, below the 1991–2020 average of 87. Hurricane Otis became the strongest landfalling hurricane on record for the west coast of Mexico at 140 kt (72 m s−1), causing at least 52 fatalities and $12–16 billion U.S. dollars in damage. Freddy became the world’s longest-lived tropical cyclones on record, developing into a tropical cyclone on 6 February and finally dissipating on 12 March. Freddy crossed the full width of the Indian Ocean and made one landfall in Madagascar and two in Mozambique. In the Mediterranean Sea—outside of traditional tropical cyclone basins—heavy rains and flooding from Storm Daniel killed more than 4300 people and left more than 8000 missing in Libya. The record-warm temperatures in 2023 created conditions that helped intensify the hydrological cycle. Measurements of total-column water vapor in the atmosphere were the highest on record, while the fraction of cloud area in the sky was the lowest since records began in 1980. The annual global mean precipitation total over land surfaces for 2023 was among the lowest since 1979, but global one-day maximum totals were close to average, indicating an increase in rainfall intensity. In July, record-high areas of land across the globe (7.9%) experienced extreme drought, breaking the previous record of 6.2% in July 2022. Overall, 29.7% of land experienced moderate or worse categories of drought during the year, also a record. Mexico reported its driest (and hottest) year since the start of its record in 1950. In alignment with hot and prolonged dry conditions, Canada experienced its worst national wildfire season on record. Approximately 15 million hectares burned across the country, which was more than double the previous record from 1989. Smoke from the fires were transported far into the United States and even to western European countries. August to October 2023 was the driest three-month period in Australia in the 104-year record. Millions of hectares of bushfires burned for weeks in the Northern Territory. In South America, extreme drought developed in the latter half of the year through the Amazon basin. By the end of October, the Rio Negro at Manaus, a major tributary of the Amazon River, fell to its lowest water level since records began in 1902. The transition from La Niña to El Niño helped bring relief to the prolonged drought conditions in equatorial eastern Africa. However, El Niño along with positive Indian Ocean dipole conditions also contributed to excessive rainfall that resulted in devastating floods over southeastern Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya during October to December that displaced around 1.5 million people. On 5 September, the town of Zagora, Greece, broke a national record for highest daily rainfall (754 mm in 21 hours, after which the station ceased reporting) due to Storm Daniel; this one-day accumulation was close to Zagora’s normal annual total.

Background: Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) has been widely used to investigate structural alterations in amnesia mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). However, inconsistent results have hindered our understanding of the exact neuropathology related to aMCI.Objectives: Our aim was to systematically review the literature reporting VBM on aMCI to elucidate consistent gray matter alterations, their functional characterization, and corresponding co-activation patterns.Methods: The PubMed, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases were searched for VBM studies on aMCI published from inception up to June 2020. Peak coordinates were extracted from clusters that showed significant gray matter differences between aMCI patients and healthy controls (HC). Meta-analysis was performed using seed-based d mapping with the permutation of subject images (SDM-PSI), a newly improved meta-analytic method. Functional characterization and task-based co-activation patterns using the BrainMap database were performed on significant clusters to explore their functional roles. Finally, VBM was performed based on the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) dataset to further support the findings.Results: A total of 31 studies with 681 aMCI patients and 837 HC were included in this systematic review. The aMCI group showed significant gray matter atrophy in the left amygdala and right hippocampus, which was consistent with results from the ADNI dataset. Functional characterization revealed that these regions were mainly associated with emotion, cognition, and perception. Further, meta-regression analysis demonstrated that gray matter atrophy in the left inferior frontal gyrus and the left angular gyrus was significantly associated with cognitive impairment in the aMCI group.Conclusions: The findings of gray matter atrophy in the left amygdala and right hippocampus are highly consistent and robust, and not only offer a better understanding of the underlying neuropathology but also provide accurate potential biomarkers for aMCI.

Facial muscle activities are essential for the appearance and communication of human beings. Therefore, exploring the activation patterns of facial muscles can help understand facial neuromuscular disorders such as Bell’s palsy. Given the irregular shape of the facial muscles as well as their different locations, it should be difficult to detect the activities of whole facial muscles with a few electrodes. In this study, a high-density surface electromyogram (HD sEMG) system with 90 electrodes was used to record EMG signals of facial muscles in both healthy and Bell’s palsy subjects when they did different facial movements. The electrodes were arranged in rectangular arrays covering the forehead and cheek regions of the face. The muscle activation patterns were shown on maps, which were constructed from the Root Mean Square (RMS) values of all the 90-channel EMG recordings. The experimental results showed that the activation patterns of facial muscles were distinct during doing different facial movements and the activated muscle regions could be clearly observed. Moreover, two features of the activation patterns, 2D correlation coefficient (corr2) and Centre of Gravity (CG) were extracted to quantify the spatial symmetry and the location of activated muscle regions respectively. Furthermore, the deviation of activated muscle regions on the paralyzed side of a face compared to the healthy side was quantified by calculating the distance between two sides of CGs. The results revealed that corr2 of the activated facial muscle region (classified into forehead region and cheek region) in Bell’s palsy subjects was significantly (p < 0.05) lower than that in healthy subjects, while CG distance of activated facial region in Bell’s palsy subjects was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than that in healthy subjects. The correlation between corr2 of these regions and Bell’s palsy [assessed by the Facial Nerve Grading Scale (FNGS) 2.0] was also significant (p < 0.05) in Bell’s palsy subjects. The spatial information on activated muscle regions may be useful in the diagnosis and treatment of Bell’s palsy in the future.

Background: The use of antiplatelet agents in ischemic moyamoya disease (MMD) is controversial. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of antiplatelet therapy compared with conservative treatment and surgical revascularization in ischemic MMD patients.Methods: Ischemic MMD patients were retrospectively enrolled from eight clinical sites from January 2013 to December 2018. Follow-up was performed through clinical visits and/or telephone interviews from first discharge to December 2019. The primary outcome was the episodes of further ischemic attacks, and the secondary outcome was the individual functional status. Risk factors for future stroke were identified by the LASSO-Cox regression model. Propensity score matching was applied to assemble a cohort of patients with similar baseline characteristics using the TriMatch package.Results: Among 217 eligible patients, 159 patients were included in the analyses after a 1:1:1 propensity score matching. At a mean follow-up of 33 months, 12 patients (7.5%) developed further incident cerebral ischemic events (surgical:antiplatelet:conservative = 1:3:8; p = 0.030), 26 patients (16.4%) developed a poor functional status (surgical:antiplatelet:conservative = 7:12:7; p = 0.317), and 3 patients (1.8%) died of cerebral hemorrhage (surgical:antiplatelet:conservative = 1:2:0; p = 0.361). The survival curve showed that the risk of further cerebral ischemic attacks was lowest with surgical revascularization, while antiplatelet therapy was statistically significant for preventing recurrent risks compared with conservative treatment (χ2 = 8.987; p = 0.011). No significant difference was found in the functional status and bleeding events. The LASSO-Cox regression model revealed that a family history of MMD (HR = 6.93; 95% CI: 1.28–37.52; p = 0.025), a past history of stroke or transient ischemic attack (HR = 4.35; 95% CI: 1.09–17.33; p = 0.037), and treatment (HR = 0.05; 95% CI: 0.01–0.32; p = 0.001) were significantly related to the risk of recurrent strokes.Conclusions: Antiplatelet agents were effective and safe in preventing further cerebral ischemic attacks in adult patients with ischemic MMD. They may be a replacement therapy for patients with surgical contraindications and for patients prior to revascularization.

Streptococcus agalactiae colonization in pregnant women can cause postpartum intrauterine infections and life-threatening neonatal infections. To formulate strategies for the prevention and treatment of S. agalactiae infections, we performed a comprehensive analysis of antibiotic resistance and a molecular-based epidemiological investigation of S. agalactiae in this study. Seventy-two S. agalactiae strains, collected from pregnant women, were subjected to antibiotic susceptibility tests; then, the screened erythromycin and clindamycin nonsusceptible isolates were used for macrolides and clindamycin resistance genes detection, respectively. Detection of resistance genes, serotyping, and determination of virulence genes were performed by polymerase chain reaction. The clonal relationships among the colonized strains were evaluated by multilocus sequence typing. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) mass peak analysis was performed to discriminate the specific sequence types (STs). In our study, 69.4% and 47.2% of the strains were nonsusceptible to erythromycin and clindamycin, respectively; the multidrug resistance rate was 66.7%. All erythromycin nonsusceptible strains harbored resistance genes, whereas only 52.9% of the clindamycin nonsusceptible strains possessed the linB gene. Erythromycin resistance was mainly mediated by the ermB or mefA/E genes. Four serotypes were identified, and the most common serotype was serotype III (52.8%), followed by Ib (22.2%), Ia (18.0%), and II (4.2%). All the strains were divided into 18 STs that were assigned to nine clonal complexes. Most of the major STs were distributed into specific serotypes, including ST19/serotype III, ST17/serotype III, ST485/serotype Ia, ST862/serotype III, and ST651/serotype III. Analysis of virulence genes yielded seven clusters, of which bca-cfb-scpB-lmb (61.6%) was the predominant virulence gene cluster. Among all ST strains distributed in this region, only the ST17 strains had a mass peak at 7620 Da. The outcomes of this study are beneficial for the epidemiological comparison of colonized S. agalactiae in different regions and may be helpful for developing the strategies for the prevention of S. agalactiae infection in Guangzhou. Furthermore, our results show that MALDI-TOF MS can be used for the rapid identification of the ST17 strains.

Enterobacter cloacae has recently emerged as one of the most common carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. The emergence and spread of metallo-β-lactamase-producing E. cloacae have posed an immediate threat globally. Here, we investigated the molecular characteristics of 84 carbapenem-resistant Enterobacter cloacae (CREL) collected from three tertiary hospitals in China between 2012 and 2016. Species identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing were performed using a VITEK-2 system. Carbapenems, polymyxins B, and tigecycline were tested by broth microdilution method. The carbapenem in activation method (CIM) and cefoxitin three-dimensional test were used to detect carbapenemase and AmpC β-lactamase, respectively. Isolates were screened for β-lactam resistance genes by PCR, and expression of ompC and ompF was determined by qRT-PCR. Genetic relatedness was performed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST), while selected isolates were subjected to whole-genome sequencing. Among the 84 CREL isolates, 50 (59.5%) were detected as carbapenemase producers. NDM-1 was the dominant carbapenemase (80.0%), followed by IMP-26 (8.0%) and IMP-4 (6.0%). Notably, we identified the first NDM-1 and IMP-1 co-producing E. cloacae, carrying plasmids of several incompatibility (Inc) groups, including IncHI2, IncHI2A, and IncN. Most isolates showed decreased expression of ompC and/or ompF, and contained a broad distribution of ESBLs and AmpC β-lactamases. These findings suggested that different molecular mechanisms, including carbapenemase, ESBL and/or AmpC plus loss of porins, have contributed to carbapenem resistance. The blaNDM−1-harboring plasmids contained highly conserved gene environment around blaNDM−1 (blaNDM−1-bleMBL-trpF-dsbD-cutA1-groES-groEL), which could be associated with the potential dissemination of blaNDM−1. IMP-type MBL was located within a variety of integrons and usually contained various gene cassettes encoding multidrug resistance. These isolates produced 54 different pulsotypes, and were classified into 42 STs by MLST. Nineteen blaNDM−1-positive E. cloacae isolates obtained from Ningxia had the same pulsotype (PFGE type 1), belonging to ST78 within clonal complex 74 (CC74). The plasmid-based replicon typing indicated that IncX3 plasmids mediated the dissemination of blaNDM−1 among these homologous strains. This is the first report on the outbreak of NDM-1-producing E. cloacae ST78 with contribution of IncX3 plasmids in Northwestern China. There's an immediate need to intensify surveillance attentively to prevent and control the further spread of NDM-1 in China.

Life cycle assessment (LCA) has been used to understand the carbon and energy implications of manufacturing and using cross-laminated timber (CLT), an emerging and sustainable alternative to concrete and steel. However, previous LCAs of CLT are static analyses without considering the complex interactions between the CLT manufacturing and forest systems, which are dynamic and largely affected by the variations in forest management, CLT manufacturing, and end-of-life options. This study fills this gap by developing a dynamic life-cycle modeling framework for a cradle-to-grave CLT manufacturing system across 100 years in the Southeastern United States. The framework integrates process-based simulations of CLT manufacturing and forest growth as well as Monte Carlo simulation to address uncertainty. On a 1-ha forest land basis, the net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions range from −954 to −1445 metric tonne CO _2 eq. for a high forest productivity scenario compared to −609 to −919 metric tonne CO _2 eq. for a low forest productivity scenario. All scenarios showed significant GHG emissions from forest residues decay, demonstrating the strong needs to consider forest management and their dynamic impacts in LCAs of CLT or other durable wood products (DWP). The results show that using mill residues for energy recovery has lower fossil-based GHG (59%–61% reduction) than selling residues for producing DWP, but increases the net GHG emissions due to the instantaneous release of biogenic carbon in residues. In addition, the results were converted to a 1 m ^3 basis with a cradle-to-gate system boundary to be compared with literature. The results, 113–375 kg CO _2 eq. m ^−3 across all scenarios for fossil-based GHG emissions, were consistent with previous studies. Those findings highlight the needs of system-level management to maximize the potential benefits of CLT. This work is an attributional LCA, but the presented results lay a foundation for future consequential LCAs for specific CLT buildings or commercial forest management systems.

Lithium-metal batteries (LMBs) with a Ni-rich high-voltage cathode enable the delivery of a high energy density. However, a persistent challenge lies in the instability of the electrode–electrolyte interface leading to shortened cycling lifespans and heightened safety concerns. Herein, based on a non-flammable solvent, we designed a weakly solvating non-flammable electrolyte system, with high ionic conductivity, in which a safe high-voltage lithium battery has been achieved. By regulating the solvating structure of the electrolyte, a stable and robust electrode–electrolyte interface at both the lithium metal anode and high-voltage cathode can be built. In the designed electrolyte, the decomposition of anions and fluorinated ethylene carbonate (FEC) as film-formers is simultaneously facilitated at the electrode surface by employing a weakly coordinated co-solvent. The anion and FEC co-derived chemical interface enriched with lithium fluoride enables a high lithium deposition–stripping Coulombic efficiency of 99.06% and stable cycling of a 4.7 V LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 cathode. The composed LMBs achieve an energy density of 692 W h kg−1 at the electrode level (based on the total mass of cathode and anode materials). The strategy reported in this work points out a promising way to develop safe and high energy density LMBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropical tropospheric ozone (TTO) is important for the global radiation budget because the longwave radiative effect of tropospheric ozone is higher in the tropics than midlatitudes. In recent decades the TTO burden has increased, partly due to the ongoing shift of ozone precursor emissions from midlatitude regions toward the Equator. In this study, we assess the distribution and trends of TTO using ozone profiles measured by high-quality in situ instruments from the IAGOS (In-Service Aircraft for a Global Observing System) commercial aircraft, the SHADOZ (Southern Hemisphere ADditional OZonesondes) network, and the ATom (Atmospheric Tomographic Mission) aircraft campaign, as well as six satellite records reporting tropical tropospheric column ozone (TTCO): TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI), Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), OMI/Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), Ozone Mapping Profiler Suite (OMPS)/Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (MERRA-2), Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS), and Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI)/Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment 2 (GOME2). With greater availability of ozone profiles across the tropics we can now demonstrate that tropical India is among the most polluted regions (e.g., western Africa, tropical South Atlantic, Southeast Asia, Malaysia and Indonesia), with present-day 95th percentile ozone values reaching 80 nmol mol -1 in the lower free troposphere, comparable to midlatitude regions such as northeastern China and Korea. In situ observations show that TTO increased between 1994 and 2019, with the largest mid- and upper-tropospheric increases above India, Southeast Asia, and Malaysia and Indonesia (from 3.4 ± 0.8 to 6.8 ± 1.8 nmol mol -1 decade -1), reaching 11 ± 2.4 and 8 ± 0.8 nmol mol -1 decade -1 close to the surface (India and Malaysia–Indonesia, respectively). The longest continuous satellite records only span 2004–2019 but also show increasing ozone across the tropics when their full sampling is considered, with maximum trends over Southeast Asia of 2.31 ± 1.34 nmol mol -1 decade -1 (OMI) and 1.69 ± 0.89 nmol mol -1 decade -1 (OMI/MLS). In general, the sparsely sampled aircraft and ozonesonde records do not detect the 2004–2019 ozone increase, which could be due to the genuine trends on this timescale being masked by the additional uncertainty resulting from sparse sampling. The fact that the sign of the trends detected with satellite records changes above three IAGOS regions, when their sampling frequency is limited to that of the in situ observations, demonstrates the limitations of sparse in situ sampling strategies. This study exposes the need to maintain and develop high-frequency continuous observations (in situ and remote sensing) above the tropical Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, western Africa, and South Asia in order to estimate accurate and precise ozone trends for these regions. In contrast, Southeast Asia and Malaysia–Indonesia are regions with such strong increases in ozone that the current in situ sampling frequency is adequate to detect the trends on a relatively short 15-year timescale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]