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The current study pursued a scale development process to understand spirituality among Chinese college students. From definition to item development, Chinese college students' view and experiences were used as the bases. The validation process involved 1,207 college students from five different provinces, autonomous regions, and direct-controlled municipalities in China. Item factor analysis and structural equation modelling were performed. The study resulted in a Xin-Yang scale (Xin-Yang [characters omitted] is deemed as a conceptually similar concept to spirituality in Western cultures and is familiar to the Chinese college students), consisting of three factors: characteristics, mental guidance, and relationship to others. Satisfactorily, psychometric qualities were established. Furthermore, for Chinese college students, Xin-Yang [characters omitted] is shown to be significantly and positively correlated with life satisfaction, self-esteem, and self-efficacy, and negatively with psychological symptoms. In addition, Xin-Yang [characters omitted] is significantly and positively correlated with a Western spirituality measure. Limitations and implications were discussed.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Houttuynia cordata on inflammation and pathological injury in mice with ulcerative colitis (UC) induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). Seventy-two male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into blank, model, positive control, Houttuynia cordata juice low-dose, medium-dose and high-dose groups. All groups except the blank one were induced for UC by using 3% DSS solution. Four days later, the animals were intragastrically administered with physical saline, mesalazine or Houttuynia cordata juice (HCJ) for 10 consecutive days. Disease activity index (DAI) was calculated and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the colon tissues of mice, and serum lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and D-lactic acid (D-La) levels were measured. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was used to evaluate histopathological changes in the colon. The results showed that compared with the model group, hematochezia in the low-, medium- and high-dose HCJ groups was improved, and the mental status was better. The body mass, colon length and thymus index of mice in the medium- and high-dose HCJ groups were significantly increased (P < 0.01), DAI, spleen index and the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IFN-γ were significantly decreased (P < 0.01), the levels of IL-4 and IL-10 were significantly increased (P < 0.01), the content of MDA and the activity of MPO were significantly decreased (P < 0.01), the activity of SOD was significantly increased (P < 0.01), serum D-La and LPS levels were significantly decreased (P < 0.01), colon tissue injury was significantly reduced, and pathological score was significantly decreased (P < 0.01). In conclusion, Houttuynia cordata juice can improve the inflammatory response of mice with DSS-induced UC, reduce the intestinal permeability, regulate the level of oxidative stress and alleviate intestinal injury.

Background: The aim of this study is to investigate the radiological features of primary pulmonary invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma (IMA) in a relatively large population to help improve its further understanding and its accuracy of initial diagnosis. Methods: This retrospective study included consecutive patients with pathologically confirmed primary pulmonary IMA from January 2019 to December 2021. According to tumor morphology, IMAs were divided into regular nodule/mass, irregular, and large consolidative types. According to tumor density, IMAs were divided into solid, halo, part‐solid, pure ground‐glass, and cystic types. ANOVA, chi‐square, or Fisher exact tests were used to analyze the differences in radiological and clinicopathological characteristics of IMA according to morphological and density subtypes. Results: We analyzed 312 patients. Pulmonary IMA tended to occur in the elderly, with a slightly higher number of women than men. IMA showed a predominance in the lower lobe and adjacent to pleura. IMA of regular nodule/mass, irregular, and large consolidative types accounted for 80.8% (252/312), 13.8% (43/312), and 5.4% (17/312), respectively. Solid, halo, part‐solid, pure ground‐glass, and cystic IMAs accounted for 55.8% (174/312), 28.2% (88/312), 11.2% (35/312), 1.3% (4/312), and 3.5% (11/312), respectively. The lobulated (76.9%), spiculated (63.5%), and air bronchogram (56.7%) signs were common in IMA. Dead branch sign (88.2%), angiogram sign (88.2%), and satellite nodules/skipping lesions (47.1%) were common in large‐consolidative‐type IMA. Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene mutations were common (56.1%), whereas epidermal growth factor receptor mutations were relatively rare (2.3%). Conclusions: Pulmonary IMA of regular nodule/mass type and solid type were the most common at the initial diagnosis. Detailed radiological features can aid in the differential diagnosis of IMA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expansin is a cell wall relaxant protein that is common in plants and directly or indirectly participates in the whole process of plant root growth, development and morphogenesis. A well-developed root system helps plants to better absorb water and nutrients from the soil while effectively assisting them in resisting osmotic stress, such as salt stress. In this study, we observed and quantified the morphology of the roots of Arabidopsis overexpressing the TaEXPAs gene obtained by the research group in the early stage of development. We combined the bioinformatics analysis results relating to EXPA genes in five plants and identified TaEXPA7-B, a member of the EXPA family closely related to root development in winter wheat. Subcellular localization analysis of the TaEXPA7-B protein showed that it is located in the plant cell wall. In this study, the TaEXPA7-B gene was overexpressed in rice. The results showed that plant height, root length and the number of lateral roots of rice overexpressing the TaEXPA7-B gene were significantly higher than those of the wild type, and the expression of the TaEXPA7-B gene significantly promoted the growth of lateral root primordium and cortical cells. The plants were treated with 250 mM NaCl solution to simulate salt stress. The results showed that the accumulation of osmotic regulators, cell wall-related substances and the antioxidant enzyme activities of the overexpressed plants were higher than those of the wild type, and they had better salt tolerance. This paper discusses the effects of winter wheat expansins in plant root development and salt stress tolerance and provides a theoretical basis and relevant reference for screening high-quality expansin regulating root development and salt stress resistance in winter wheat and its application in crop molecular breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The misalignment of segments in installation is a common issue in the construction of TBM tunnels. This raises a question of whether misalignment affects the operation safety of a hydraulic TBM tunnel. Using a water transfer engineering project as an example, this paper built a three-dimensional finite element model composited with segment, grout layer and surrounding rock for the numerical analysis of the behavior of single-directionally misaligned segments. The crown or invert segment was separately misaligned towards to the center of segment ring in a value of 5 mm, 10 mm, 20 mm, 30 mm or 40 mm. The strength grade of the segment concrete was C50. A weaker surrounding rock composed of V-class rock was considered for the tunnel. The results indicate that the misalignment of the crown or invert segment, respectively, creates the tensile stress in the inner surface of the corresponding segment, the tensile stress will be over the limit of C50 concrete when the misalignment is over 30 mm, indicating a risk of concrete cracking. The contact surfaces of the segment ring basically remain in compression, and the locating pins between the segment rings exhibit an evident increase in tensile stress at misaligned positions. The key points that can be obtained from this study are that a special supervision is needed to ensure the accuracy of segment installation, and strengthening measures are needed for existing misaligned segments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a type of cell-wall-relaxing protein that is widely present in plants, expansins have been shown to actively participate in the regulation of plant growth and responses to environmental stress. Wild soybeans have long existed in the wild environment and possess abundant resistance gene resources, which hold significant value for the improvement of cultivated soybean germplasm. In our previous study, we found that the wild soybean expansin gene GsEXLB14 is specifically transcribed in roots, and its transcription level significantly increases under salt and drought stress. To further identify the function of GsEXLB14, in this study, we cloned the CDS sequence of this gene. The transcription pattern of GsEXLB14 in the roots of wild soybean under salt and drought stress was analyzed by qRT-PCR. Using an Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated genetic transformation, we obtained soybean hairy roots overexpressing GsEXLB14. Under 150 mM NaCl- and 100 mM mannitol-simulated drought stress, the relative growth values of the number, length, and weight of transgenic soybean hairy roots were significantly higher than those of the control group. We obtained the transcriptomes of transgenic and wild-type soybean hairy roots under normal growth conditions and under salt and drought stress through RNA sequencing. A transcriptomic analysis showed that the transcription of genes encoding expansins (EXPB family), peroxidase, H+-transporting ATPase, and other genes was significantly upregulated in transgenic hairy roots under salt stress. Under drought stress, the transcription of expansin (EXPB/LB family) genes increased in transgenic hairy roots. In addition, the transcription of genes encoding peroxidases, calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases, and dehydration-responsive proteins increased significantly. The results of qRT-PCR also confirmed that the transcription pattern of the above genes was consistent with the transcriptome. The differences in the transcript levels of the above genes may be the potential reason for the strong tolerance of soybean hairy roots overexpressing the GsEXLB14 gene under salt and drought stress. In conclusion, the expansin GsEXLB14 can be used as a valuable candidate gene for the molecular breeding of soybeans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low temperature is one of the main abiotic stresses that affects plant growth, causing serious damage or even death to plants. The differential expression of the TaEXPA19 gene in the above and underground parts of winter wheat and the implications for cold resistance remain unclear. In this study, the TaEXPA19 gene was cloned and analysed for expression in winter wheat, and transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana was constructed to investigate the effect of the TaEXPA19 gene in response to low‐temperature stress on plant growth. The TaEXPA19‐A and TaEXPA19‐D genes have different response patterns in the above and underground parts of transgenic A. thaliana. When plants were subjected to low‐temperature stress, the leaves were quickly upregulated and the roots were downregulated, and then upregulated to respond to low‐temperature stress to promote the growth of leaf length and leaf width petiole length. The results indicated that TaEXPA19 genes could improve low‐temperature tolerance in plants. The results of this study laid a foundation for the study of the cold resistance of winter wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To study the effects of bacterial invasion and artificial saliva immersion on the bond strength and nanoleakage between healthy dentin and glass ceramics-bonded specimens using three types of resin cements and provide a reference for the selection of clinical bonding materials. Methods One hundred eight dentin blocks were selected to prepare bonded specimens with Variolink N, Multilink N, RelyX Unicem and glass ceramics blocks. The adhesive specimens of each type of resin cements were divided into three groups according to the aging method: bacterial invasiveness group (the specimens were cultured under anaerobic conditions for 14 days after inoculation with Streptococcus mutans), artificial saliva immersion group (the specimens were immersed in artificial saliva for 6 months), and control group (the immediate test group). Each group comprised 12 specimens: 6 were selected to test the bonding strength, and 6 were observed by scanning field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Results The bond strength of Variolink N in the immediate test group was significantly higher than that of Multilink N and RelyX Unicem, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). However, no significant difference was found in the bacterial invasiveness group and artificial saliva immersion group (P > 0.05). In the bacterial invasion group, the difference in the nanoleakage of the three adhesives was statistically significant (P < 0.05), with a trend of Variolink N > Multilink N > RelyX Unicem, and pairwise comparison was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The nanoleakage of the three resin adhesives showed an increasing trend in the bacterial invasion group and artificial saliva group compared with that of the immediate test group. Conclusion Both artificial saliva soaking and bacterial invasion can reduce the sealing property of the adhesive interface of 3 types of resin cements to different degrees. The presence of Streptococcus mutans in the oral cavity may reduce the sealing performance of the resin dentine adhesive interface.

In small target detection under strong sea clutter or impact signal detection under machinery fault diagnosis, a weak sinusoidal signal with random amplitude is often contaminated by heavier chaotic noise, and the target information is difficult to detect. Traditional solutions, such as neural networks or stochastic resonance, can not effectively extract heteroscedasticity of data, which leads to weak signals not being detected. To overcome these limitations and improve the detection efficiency, an empirical likelihood ratio statistical method for detecting weak sinusoidal signals with random amplitude under strong chaotic interference is proposed. First, based on the reconstruction in the phase space of the 1-D observed time series signal with embedding dimension and time delay, the presented method obtains a multivariate special temporal series as an input. Subsequently, the chaotic single index (CSI) statistical model is established for single-step prediction, and it can be estimated by the nonparametric locally linear algorithm for minimizing the mean squares error. Finally, the empirical likelihood ratio statistical method is applied to detect weak sinusoidal signals with random amplitude. Simulated data and real data experiment results show that the proposed CSI model can better capture the weak target signal and detect effectively weak target signal under the chaotic interference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]