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Objective To investigate the clinical features of drug eruptions and the most common causative drugs in inpatients in order to provide a reference for the diagnosis and the treatment of drug eruptions. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of inpatients with drug eruptions at the First Affiliated Hospital of Shihezi University from April 2019 to December 2023. Results A total of 89 inpatients with drug eruptions, accounting for 2.90% of the total inpatients at the dermatology department during the same period, included 63 cases (70.79%) of mild drug eruptions (mainly the exanthematous eruptions) and 26 cases (29.21%) of severe drug eruptions (mainly SJS). The most common condition using allergenic drugs was infectious diseases (44 cases, 49.44%), while the majority of drug eruptions (63 cases, 70.79%) were caused by single drug. The top 3 allergenic drugs were antibiotics (33.33%), traditional Chinese medicine (26.98%) and antiepileptics (14.29%). The latency time of mild drug eruptions was shorter than that of severe drug eruptions (4.56±6.14 days vs. 9.35±11.33 days, t=2.03, P=0.025). High fever at the early stage was observed in 19.05% of patients with mild drug eruptions and 46.15% of patients with severe drug eruptions. The mean times of hospital stay were comparable between patients with mild drug eruptions and severe drug eruptions (9.02±3.58 days). Systemic glucocorticoids were given to 46(51.69%) patients, including 4 cases of severe drug eruptions, two of each treated together with immunoglobulin and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α antagonist, respectively. No deaths were found during the follow-up. Conclusions Exanthematous eruption is the most common type of drug eruptions, while the common allergenic drugs are antibiotics, traditional Chinese medicines and antiepileptics. Large portion of patients with drug eruptions, especially severe cases, experience high fever at the early stage. However, hospitalization time does not differ between patients with severe and mild drug eruptions. Early administration of sufficient glucocorticoids alone or in combination with other therapies can shorten the hospitalization time for severe drug eruptions.

The grain characteristic and orientation were analyzed using the electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) for AZ31 hot-rolled alloys. The corrosion initiation of the bimodal microstructure is revealed for the hot-rolled AZ31 alloys obtained by the quasi-in-situ EBSD, showing the preferential corrosion in the fine grain region. Meanwhile, the non-basal crystal plane grain is easier to corrode than the basal crystal plane grain. The adsorption energies of H2O molecule on the crystal planes of magnesium matrix were calculated by the density functional theory method, and a new insight into the corrosion anisotropy of crystal planes was proposed from the surface adsorption energy.

Abstract Background Currently, treatment regimens for visceral leishmaniasis (VL) are limited because of the presence of numerous adverse effects. Nicotinamide, a readily available and cost-effective vitamin, has been widely acknowledged for its safety profile. Several studies have demonstrated the anti-leishmanial effects of nicotinamide in vitro. However, the potential role of nicotinamide in Leishmania infection in vivo remains elusive. Methods In this study, we assessed the efficacy of nicotinamide as a therapeutic intervention for VL caused by Leishmania infantum in an experimental mouse model and investigated its underlying molecular mechanisms. The potential molecular mechanism was explored through cytokine analysis, examination of spleen lymphocyte subsets, liver RNA-seq analysis, and pathway validation. Results Compared to the infection group, the group treated with nicotinamide demonstrated significant amelioration of hepatosplenomegaly and recovery from liver pathological damage. The NAM group exhibited parasite reduction rates of 79.7% in the liver and 86.7% in the spleen, respectively. Nicotinamide treatment significantly reduced the activation of excessive immune response in infected mice, thereby mitigating hepatosplenomegaly and injury. Furthermore, nicotinamide treatment enhanced fatty acid β-oxidation by upregulating key enzymes to maintain lipid homeostasis. Conclusions Our findings provide initial evidence supporting the safety and therapeutic efficacy of nicotinamide in the treatment of Leishmania infection in BALB/c mice, suggesting its potential as a viable drug for VL. Graphical Abstract

With the rapid development of vehicle intelligence and the Internet of Vehicles industry, passengers’ demand for travel experiences continues to increase. To provide more comfortable and convenient intelligent transportation services, it is necessary to effectively arrange routes that meet demand. However, the actual traffic environment is complex and changeable, and traditional path planning methods are no longer adaptable. To cope with the complex and changeable traffic environment, a new bus operation model called “flexible bus” is proposed. The flexible bus system is a bus model that responds to demand. Passengers can reserve shuttle buses according to their needs, and buses depart after a certain number of passengers is reached. Flexible bus vehicles are scheduled and planned in real time based on passenger needs and driving routes to improve operational efficiency and passengers’ boarding experiences. To achieve the goal of reducing bus operating costs and improving passengers’ boarding experience, a heuristic path planning algorithm called BusNav is proposed. BusNav includes two procedures: path extraction and trip allocation, which can efficiently dispatch buses to meet different operating costs and passengers’ boarding experience needs. Compared with traditional path planning methods, experimental results show that the BusNav algorithm performs well in terms of reduce operating costs and improve passengers’ boarding experience.

This work explores water-to-air optical wireless communication (W2A-OWC) transmission schemes and realizes a prototype of real-time W2A-OWC system based on field programmable gate array. This prototype comprises underwater nodes, aerial nodes, and transmitter-receiver hardware circuits. The real-time system employs multiple-input multiple-output technique and the low density parity check (LDPC) code of 5G-new radio for dynamic W2A-OWC. Additionally, the impact of background radiation is mitigated through spatial optical filtering. To validate the practical feasibility of the system, experiments are conducted in both indoor water tank and outdoor deep pool under strong background radiation. The frame error rate of the real-time system is tested under different LDPC code rates and transmitter-receiver configurations. The experimental results verify the feasibility of the realized W2A-OWC system.

The advantages inherent to autonomous vehicle platoons render them a pivotal component in the evolution of intelligent transportation systems. Given the minimal spacing between vehicles in such a platoon, ensuring collision-free travel necessitates a more rapid estimation of the road friction coefficient. Capitalizing on the vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication prevalent amongst platoon members, this paper introduces a platoon joint extended Kalman filter (EKF) estimator to expedite the trailing vehicles’ estimation of the road friction coefficient. A decision logic module is also designed within the EKF estimator of the following vehicles to process signals transmitted from the leading vehicle, achieving the objectives of signal assessment and reception. In the simulation scenarios presented in this study, the results of the platoon joint EKF estimation for the road friction coefficient, when compared to the results of an individual vehicle EKF estimation, show an improvement in estimation speed by 50% for butt roads and between 25%-80% for split roads. This attests to the efficacy of the proposed method, offering a reference for autonomous vehicle platoons to swiftly estimate road conditions and adjust inter-vehicle distances, thereby enhancing the safety of the platoon when road information changes.

Background & Aims: A high human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection rate accompanied by an increased level of bile duct damage is observed in the perinatal period. The possible mechanism was investigated. Methods: A total of 1,120 HCMV-positive and 9,297 HCMV-negative children were recruited, and depending on age, their liver biochemistry profile was compared. Fetal and infant biliary epithelial cells (F-BECs and I-BECs, respectively) were infected with HCMV, and the differences in cells were revealed by proteomic analysis. Protein–protein interactions were examined by coimmunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry analyses. A murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection model was established to assess treatment effects. Results: Perinatal HCMV infection significantly increased the level of bile duct damage. Neonatal BALB/c mice inoculated with MCMV showed obvious inflammation in the portal area with an abnormal bile duct structure. Proteomics analysis showed higher CD14 expression in F-BECs than in I-BECs. CD14 siRNA administration hindered HCMV infection, and CD14-knockout mice showed lower MCMV-induced bile duct damage. HCMV infection upregulated CD55 and poly ADP-ribose polymerase-1 (PARP-1) expression in F-BECs. Coimmunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry analyses revealed formation of the CD14–CD55 complex. siRNA-mediated inhibition of CD55 expression reduced sCD14-promoted HCMV replication in F-BECs. In MCMV-infected mice, anti-mouse CD14 antibody and PARP-1 inhibitor treatment diminished cell death, ameliorated bile duct damage, and reduced mortality. Conclusions: CD14 facilitates perinatal HCMV infection in BECs via CD55, and PARP-1-mediated cell death was detected in perinatal cytomegalovirus-infected BECs. These results provide new insight into the treatment of perinatal HCMV infection with bile duct damage. Impact and implications: Perinatal human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is associated with bile duct damage, but the underlying mechanism is still unknown. We discovered that CD14 expression is increased in biliary epithelial cells during perinatal HCMV infection and facilitates viral entry through CD55. We also detected PARP-1-mediated cell death in perinatal HCMV-infected biliary epithelial cells. We showed that blocking CD14 or inhibiting PARP-1 reduced bile duct damage and mortality in a mouse model of murine cytomegalovirus infection. Our findings provide a new insight into therapeutic strategies for perinatal HCMV infection.

With the rapid development of science and technology, the integration and complexity of aerospace vehicles, weaponry, and large-scale chemical equipment are becoming higher and higher. PHM plays an important role in realizing reductions in equipment loss due to failures in many fields. In order to systematically sort through the research history of PHM and deeply analyze the development status of AR and DT technologies in the field of PHM, to clarify the current technical challenges and future development directions and to provide valuable references and insights for researchers, engineers, and decision-makers in the related fields, this paper summarizes the development of PHM in the engineering field. This paper summarizes the development of PHM in the field of engineering, from the initial PHM used in aerospace to the current PHM systems supported by various advanced technologies; analyzes the advantages and shortcomings of the digital twin and augmented reality technologies used for PHM; and organizes and summarizes the future directions and future research focuses of PHM research based on the existing technologies (mainly digital twins and augmented reality). After systematic research and study, we found that the integration of augmented reality and digital twin technologies will provide superb simulation capabilities and immersive operation and bring new challenges and opportunities. Therefore, it is also imperative to address the challenges and limitations that hinder the seamless integration of the new technologies.

BackgroundThere is no consensus on the effect of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) inhibitors on lipid profiles in patients with psoriasis. This study aimed to investigate the effects of TNF-alpha inhibitors on lipid profiles (triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, or high-density lipoprotein) in patients with psoriasis. MethodsWe searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases for articles published before October 17, 2023. Four TNF-alpha inhibitors (infliximab, etanercept, adalimumab, and certolizumab) were included in our study. (PROSPERO ID: CRD42023469703).ResultsA total of twenty trials were included. Overall results revealed that TNF-alpha inhibitors elevated high-density lipoprotein levels in patients with psoriasis (WMD = 2.31; 95% CI: 0.96, 3.67; P = 0.001), which was supported by the results of sensitivity analyses excluding the effect of lipid-lowering drugs. Subgroup analyses indicated that high-density lipoprotein levels were significantly increased in the less than or equal to 3 months group (WMD = 2.88; 95% CI: 1.37, 4.4; P < 0.001), the etanercept group (WMD = 3.4; 95% CI = 1.71, 5.09, P < 0.001), and the psoriasis group (WMD = 2.52; 95% CI = 0.57, 4.48, P = 0.011). Triglyceride levels were significantly increased in the 3 to 6-month group (WMD = 4.98; 95% CI = 1.97, 7.99, P = 0.001) and significantly decreased in the 6-month and older group (WMD = -19.84; 95% CI = -23.97, -15.7, P < 0.001). Additionally, Triglyceride levels were significantly increased in the psoriasis group (WMD = 5.22; 95% CI = 2.23, 8.21, P = 0.001). ConclusionOur results revealed that TNF-alpha inhibitors might temporarily increase high-density lipoprotein levels in patients with psoriasis. However, changes in triglycerides were not consistent among the different durations of treatment, with significant increases after 3 to 6 months of treatment. Future prospective trials with long-term follow-up contribute to confirming and extending our findings.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42023469703.

Summary: Background: Leritrelvir is a novel α-ketoamide based peptidomimetic inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 main protease. A preclinical study has demonstrated leritrelvir poses similar antiviral activities towards different SARS-CoV-2 variants compared with nirmatrelvir. A phase 2 clinical trial has shown a comparable antiviral efficacy and safety between leritrelvir with and without ritonavir co-administration. This trial aims to test efficacy and safety of leritrelvir monotherapy in adults with mild-to-moderate COVID-19. Methods: This was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre phase 3 trial at 29 clinical sites in China. Enrolled patients were from 18 to 75 years old, diagnosed with mild or moderate COVID-19 and not requiring hospitalization. Patients had a positive SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid test (NAT) and at least one of the COVID-19 symptoms within 48 h before randomization, and the interval between the first positive SARS-CoV-2 NAT and randomization was ≤120 h (5 days). Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive a 5-day course of either oral leritrelvir 400 mg TID or placebo. The primary efficacy endpoint was the time from the first dose to sustained clinical recovery of all 11 symptoms (stuffy or runny nose, sore throat, shortness of breath or dyspnea, cough, muscle or body aches, headache, chills, fever ≥37 °C, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea). The safety endpoint was the incidence of adverse events (AE). Primary and safety analyses were performed in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05620160. Findings: Between Nov 12 and Dec 30, 2022 when the zero COVID policy was abolished nationwide, a total of 1359 patients underwent randomization, 680 were assigned to leritrelvir group and 679 to placebo group. The median time to sustained clinical recovery in leritrelvir group was significantly shorter (251.02 h [IQR 188.95–428.68 h]) than that of Placebo (271.33 h [IQR 219.00–529.63 h], P = 0.0022, hazard ratio [HR] 1.20, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07–1.35). Further analysis of subgroups for the median time to sustained clinical recovery revealed that (1) subgroup with positive viral nucleic acid tested ≤72 h had a 33.9 h difference in leritrelvir group than that of placebo; (2) the subgroup with baseline viral load >8 log 10 Copies/mL in leritrelvir group had 51.3 h difference than that of placebo. Leritrelvir reduced viral load by 0.82 log10 on day 4 compared to placebo. No participants in either group progressed to severe COVID-19 by day 29. Adverse events were reported in two groups: leritrelvir 315 (46.46%) compared with placebo 292 (43.52%). Treatment-relevant AEs were similar 218 (32.15%) in the leritrelvir group and 186 (27.72%) in placebo. Two cases of COVID-19 pneumonia were reported in placebo group, and one case in leritrelvir group, none of them were considered by the investigators to be leritrelvir related. The most frequently reported AEs (occurring in ≥5% of participants in at least one group) were laboratory finding: hypertriglyceridemia (leritrelvir 79 [11.7%] vs. placebo 70 [10.4%]) and hyperlipidemia (60 [8.8%] vs. 52 [7.7%]); all of them were nonserious. Interpretation: Leritrelvir monotherapy has good efficacy for mild-to-moderate COVID-19 and without serious safety concerns. Funding: This study was funded by the National Multidisciplinary Innovation Team Project of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Science and Technology Foundation, Guangzhou Science and Technology Planning Project and R&D Program of Guangzhou Laboratory.

The prerequisite for intelligent vehicles to achieve autonomous driving and active safety functions is acquiring accurate vehicle state parameters. Traditional Kalman filters often underperform in non-Gaussian noise environments due to their reliance on Gaussian assumptions. This paper presents the IMM-MCCKF filter, which integrates the interacting multiple model theory (IMM) and the maximum correntropy cubature Kalman filter method (MCCKF), for estimating the state parameters of intelligent vehicles. The IMM-MCCKF successfully suppresses non-Gaussian noise by optimizing a nonlinear cost function using the maximum correntropy criteria, allowing it to capture and analyze signal data outliers accurately. The filter designs various state and measurement noise submodels to adapt to the environment dynamically, thus reducing the impact of unknown noise statistical properties. Accurately measuring the velocity of a vehicle and the angle at which its center of mass drifts sideways is of utmost importance for its ability to maneuver, maintain stability, and ensure safety. These parameters are critical for implementing advanced control systems in intelligent vehicles. The study begins by constructing a nonlinear Dugoff tire model and a three-degrees-of-freedom (3DOF) vehicle model. Subsequently, utilizing low-cost vehicle sensor signals, joint simulations are conducted on the CarSim-Simulink platform to estimate vehicle state parameters. The results demonstrate that in terms of estimation accuracy and robustness in non-Gaussian noise scenarios, the proposed IMM-MCCKF filter consistently outperforms the MCCKF and CKF algorithms.

Background & Aims: Our previous study indicated that CD177+ neutrophil activation has a vital role in the pathogenesis of biliary atresia (BA), which is partially ameliorated by N-acetylcysteine (NAC) treatment. Here, we evaluated the clinical efficacy of NAC treatment and profiled liver-resident immune cells via single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis to provide a comprehensive immune landscape of NAC-derived immune regulation. Methods: A pilot clinical study was conducted to evaluate the potential effects of intravenous NAC treatment on infants with BA, and a 3-month follow-up was carried out to assess treatment efficacy. scRNA-seq analysis of liver CD45+ immune cells in the control (n = 4), BA (n = 6), and BA + NAC (n = 6) groups was performed and the effects on innate cells, including neutrophil and monocyte–macrophage subsets, and lymphoid cells were evaluated. Results: Intravenous NAC treatment demonstrated beneficial efficacy for infants with BA by improving bilirubin metabolism and bile acid flow. Two hepatic neutrophil subsets of innate cells were identified by scRNA-seq analysis. NAC treatment suppressed oxidative phosphorylation and reactive oxygen species production in immature neutrophils, which were transcriptionally and functionally similar to CD177+ neutrophils. We also observed the suppression of hepatic monocyte-mediated inflammation, decreased levels of oxidative phosphorylation, and M1 polarisation in Kupffer-like macrophages by NAC. In lymphoid cells, enhancement of humoral immune responses and attenuation of cellular immune responses were observed after NAC treatment. Moreover, cell–cell interaction analysis showed that innate/adaptive proinflammatory responses were downregulated by NAC. Conclusions: Our clinical and scRNA-seq data demonstrated that intravenous NAC treatment partially reversed liver immune dysfunction, alleviated the proinflammatory responses in BA by targeting innate cells, and exhibited beneficial clinical efficacy. Impact and implications: BA is a serious liver disease that affects newborns and has no effective drug treatment. In this study, scRNA-seq showed that NAC treatment can partially reverse the immune dysfunction of neutrophil extracellular trap-releasing CD177+ neutrophils and Kupffer cells, and lower the inflammatory responses of other innate immune cells in BA. In consequence, intravenous NAC treatment improved the clinical outcomes of patients with BA in term of bilirubin metabolism.

Abstract Tillering and yield are linked in rice, with significant efforts being invested to understand the genetic basis of this phenomenon. However, in addition to genetic factors, tillering is also influenced by the environment. Exploiting experiments in which seedlings were first grown in elevated CO2 (eCO2) before transfer and further growth under ambient CO2 (aCO2) levels, we found that even moderate exposure times to eCO2 were sufficient to induce tillering in seedlings, which was maintained in plants grown to maturity plants in controlled environment chambers. We then explored whether brief exposure to eCO2 (eCO2 priming) could be implemented to regulate tiller number and yield in the field. We designed a cost-effective growth system, using yeast to increase the CO2 level for the first 24 days of growth, and grew these seedlings to maturity in semi-field conditions in Malaysia. The increased growth caused by eCO2 priming translated into larger mature plants with increased tillering, panicle number, and improved grain filling and 1000 grain weight. In order to make the process more appealing to conventional rice farmers, we then developed a system in which fungal mycelium was used to generate the eCO2 via respiration of sugars derived by growing the fungus on lignocellulosic waste. Not only does this provide a sustainable source of CO2, it also has the added financial benefit to farmers of generating economically valuable oyster mushrooms as an end-product of mycelium growth. Our experiments show that the system is capable of generating sufficient CO2 to induce increased tillering in rice seedlings, leading eventually to 18% more tillers and panicles in mature paddy-grown crop. We discuss the potential of eCO2 priming as a rapidly implementable, broadly applicable and sustainable system to increase tillering, and thus yield potential in rice.

Background Epidemiologic evidence of the effect of dietary selenium intake on stroke risk remains controversial. This study aimed to examine the cross-sectional correlation between dietary selenium intake and the risk of stroke in adults.Materials and methods We retrospectively analysed 39,438 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003–2018, aged 20–85 years. Participants were divided into quartiles depending on daily dietary selenium intake: quartile 1 (0–77 μg), quartile 2 (77–108 μg), quartile 3 (108–148 μg), and quartile 4 (148–400 μg). The dose-response relationship was assessed using the restricted cubic spline function.Results The adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of stroke were 0.70 (0.55, 0.88) for participants in quartile 2, 0.71 (0.53, 0.93) for quartile 3, and 0.61 (0.43, 0.85) for quartile 4 compared with that in quartile 1. p-Value for trend through quartiles was .007. A non-linear negative correlation between dietary selenium intake and stroke was observed in the threshold effect analysis and restricted cubic spline function (p-value for non-linearity < .001). An initial decrease in odds of stroke lower than 105 μg/day selenium intake (0.61 [0.44, 0.85], p = .004) was followed by a platform beyond 105 μg/day (0.97 [0.81, 1.16], p = .723). In the subgroup analysis, adjusted ORs (95% CIs) of stroke were 0.51 (0.36, 0.70) for female participants, 0.63 (0.40, 0.99) for participants with age

The effects of habitat filtering on community assembly have been extensively researched, and topography has been identified as a critical factor influencing the spatial distribution of trees. In this study, a 25-ha plot was established in karst evergreen–deciduous broadleaf forests in southwestern China. Eight topographical factors were used to divide plots into four habitat types, i.e., hilltop, steep slope, gentle slope, and depression, using a multivariate regression tree. A total of 85 evergreen and deciduous tree species were recorded in these four habitats and classified into three life stages, the differentiation of which was assessed using torus-translation tests. A total of 65 species significantly positively associated with at least one habitat and 79 species significantly negatively associated with at least one habitat were identified. Most species, whether evergreen or deciduous, exhibited a positive correlation with steep slopes, whereas relatively few species were adapted to depressions. Moreover, the percentage of evergreen species positively associated with hilltops and steep slopes was higher than that of deciduous species. Both evergreen and deciduous species showed an increasing percentage of positive correlation with hilltops from the sapling stage to the mature stage. However, more evergreen species grew on steep slopes in the sapling stage, whereas deciduous species grew in the mature stage. Canonical correspondence was used to analyze the relationship between species and the eight topographical factors. Regardless of life form or life stage, results showed that species distribution was significantly affected by topography. Furthermore, the distribution of evergreen species on sapling-stage trees was found to be more influenced by topography, whereas deciduous species were more influenced by topography in the mature stage. Finally, elevation was identified as the most crucial topographical factor affecting species distribution.

IntroductionLeaf functional traits constitute a crucial component of plant functionality, providing insights into plants’ adaptability to the environment and their regulatory capacity in complex habitats. The response of leaf traits to environmental factors at the community level has garnered significant attention. Nevertheless, an examination of the environmental factors determining the spatial distribution of leaf traits in the karst region of southwest China remains absent.MethodsIn this study, we established a 25 ha plot within a karst forest and collected leaf samples from 144 woody species. We measured 14 leaf traits, including leaf area (LA), leaf thicknes (LT), specific leaf area (SLA), leaf length to width ratio (LW), leaf tissue density (LTD), leaf carbon concentration (LC), leaf nitrogen concentration (LN), and leaf phosphorus concentration (LP), leaf potassium concentration (LK), leaf calcium concentration (LCa), leaf magnesium Concentration (LMg), leaf carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N), leaf carbon to phosphorus ratio (C/P), and leaf nitrogen to phosphorus ratio (N/P), to investigate the spatial distribution of community-level leaf traits and the response of the leaf trait community-weighted mean (CWM) to topographic, soil, and spatial factors.ResultsResults showed that the CWM of leaf traits display different spatial patterns, first, the highest CWM values for LT, LTD, C/N, and C/P at hilltops, second, the highest CWM values for LA, SLA, LW, LC, LN, LP, and LK at depressions, and third, the highest CWM values for LCa, LMg, and N/P at slopes. The correlation analysis showed that topographic factors were more correlated with leaf trait CWM than soil factors, with elevation and slope being the strongest correlations. RDA analysis showed that topographic factors explained higher percentage of leaf trait CWM than soil factors, with the highest percentage of 19.96% being explained by elevation among topographic factors. Variance Partitioning Analysis showed that the spatial distribution of leaf traits is predominantly influenced by the combined effects of topography and spatial factors (37%-47% explained), followed by purely spatial factors (24%-36% explained).DiscussionThe results could improve our understanding of community functional traits and their influencing factors in the karst region, which will contribute to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that shape plant communities.

For electrical machines with complex structures, the design space of parameters can be large with high dimensions during optimization. Considering the calculation cost and time consumption, it is hard to optimize all the design parameters at the same time. Therefore, in that situation, sensitivity analysis of these design parameters is usually used to sort out crucial parameters. In this paper, the sensitivity analysis-based Taguchi method is applied to optimize the axial-flux permanent magnet (AFPM) machine with yokeless and segmented armature (YASA) topology for an in-wheel traction system. According to the key parameters and their sensitivity analysis, the optimal machine scheme to meet the performance requirements can be formed. In this case study, the machine performance is improved significantly after optimization. Lastly, the experimental results verify the accuracy of the model used in this study.

Despite its excellent performance in path tracking control, the model predictive control (MPC) is limited by computational complexity in practical applications. The neural network control (NNC) is another attractive solution by learning the historical driving data to approximate optimal control law, but a concern is that the NNC lacks security guarantees when encountering new scenarios that it has never been trained on. Inspired by the prediction process of MPC, the deviation sequence neural network control (DS-NNC) separates the vehicle dynamic model from the approximation process and rebuilds the input of the neural network (NN). Taking full use of the deviation sequence architecture and the real-time vehicle dynamic model, the DS-NNC is expected to enhance the adaptability and the training efficiency of NN. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed controller is verified through simulations in Matlab/Simulink. The simulation results indicate that the proposed path tracking NN controller possesses adaptability and learning capabilities, enabling it to generate optimal control variables within a shorter computation time and handle variations in vehicle models and driving scenarios.

In this study, we reconstruct three-century of sea ice cover history in the Chukchi Sea from the downcore profile of total organic carbon (TOC) and biomarker proxies, namely the Ice Proxy with 25 carbon atoms (IP _25 ), the di- and tri-unsaturated highly branched isoprenoid (HBI II and HBI III) and two phytosterols (brassicasterol and dinosterol) in three sediment cores from the northern, eastern and southern Chukchi Sea reflecting different sea ice conditions. Our data indicate higher IP _25 values in the eastern site and lowest ones in the northern Chukchi Sea site that are consistent with the modern sea ice distribution. They also underline the predominance of sympagic over pelagic production except at the southern site where pelagic production depicts a sharp increased over the last decades. We present a new approach improving the linear relationship between P _III IP _25 (P _B IP _25 ) and satellite-derived spring (summer) sea ice concentrations (SIC) to advance sea ice reconstructions across the Arctic Ocean. This method results in better assessment of PIP _25 derived SIC and reconstruction of past seasonal sea ice conditions. They indicate marginal sea ice conditions at the three sites until 1950s–1960s followed by a reduction of seasonal sea ice as captured by P _B IP _25 index.

The steer-by-wire system severs the mechanical link between the steering wheel and the steering gear. This configuration enhances the angular transmission characteristics. Entering the nonlinear region of the tires could result in a reduction in the vehicle’s steering gain. In order to improve the comfort of vehicle steering operation, we have developed a variable transmission ratio controller for the steer-by-wire (SBW) system. This controller utilizes information on the vehicle speed and steering wheel angle to generate a variable transmission ratio coefficient, thereby adjusting the steering ratio. We introduce a multi-objective comprehensive evaluation index that takes into account vehicle lateral deviation, driver steering burden, vehicle stability, and safety. To harmonize the transmission ratio weights of constant steering gain, we employ the coefficient of variation method. Ultimately, a fuzzy neural network is employed to craft a nonlinear controller. We conducted steady-state circular motion tests, double lane-change tests, and step input tests to validate the performance of the variable transmission ratio control. The results suggest that, in comparison to conventional fixed transmission ratio systems, the variable transmission ratio control within the steer-by-wire system significantly alleviates the driver’s operational burden while enhancing the vehicle’s handling stability and safety.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of nasal irrigation on the duration of symptoms and nucleic acid conversion in adults infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19.MethodsThis quasi-experimental study enrolled patients diagnosed with asymptomatic, mild, or moderate Omicron infection at the Shandong Public Health Clinical Center between April 1, 2022 and May 1, 2022. Patients were divided into two groups to receive Lianhua Qingwen granules and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescriptions (conventional group) and 3% hypertonic saline nasal irrigation based on conventional treatment (nasal irrigation groups), respectively. Primary outcomes were symptom disappearance time and nucleic acid negative conversion time. Secondary outcomes were peripheral blood white blood cell (WBC), lymphocyte (LYM) count, neutrophil (NEU) count, C-reactive protein (CRP) level, and chest CT examination findings.ResultsEighty patients were included (40 patients/group). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that, after adjustment for comorbidities, smoking history, LYM count, and Ct values of N gene, the patients in the nasal irrigation group were more likely to get lower nucleic acid negative conversion time (β = −11.052, 95% CI: −8.277–13.827, P < 0.001) compared with the conventional group. The symptom disappearance time showed no significant improvement (P > 0.05). Subgroup analysis for treatment-naïve patients in the nasal irrigation group showed similar nucleic acid negative conversion time improvement (P = 0.038).ConclusionEarly nasal irrigation shortens the nucleic acid negative conversion time in adults infected with the Omicron variant but without improvements in symptom disappearance time.

In this study, we use numerical methods to study the acoustic streaming effect of the acoustic black hole (ABH). Firstly, we build an ABH model to study the acoustic streaming effect. By deriving the waves equations and solving the Navier–Stokes equations, we obtain the flow field, sound field, and temperature field under the acoustic excitation. Secondly, the simulation result reveals the mechanism of acoustic streaming effects on the sound transmission characteristics of cavity ABH. The numerical results show that the abrupt decrease in the sound pressure is caused by the great changes in the velocity gradient caused by the catastrophe of cross section. The energy of the sound waves can also be dissipated by the thermal viscous layer at low frequencies. Finally, based on the acoustic streaming effects of the acoustic medium in the ABH, we propose feasible methods to enhance the sound insulation. Increasing the cross section of the cavity in ABH can get a better sound insulation effect at high frequencies, and decreasing the cross section can improve Sound Transmission Loss (STL). Through optimization, STL can reach more than 25 dB at low frequencies.

This paper suggests a hierarchical coordination control strategy to enhance the stability of distributed drive electric bus. First, an observer based on sliding mode observer (SMO) and adaptive neural fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) was designed to estimate the vehicle state parameters. Then the upper layer of the strategy primarily focuses on coordinating active front steering (AFS) and direct yaw moment control (DYC). The phase plane method is utilized in this layer to provide an assessment basis for the switching control safety of AFS and DYC. The lower layer of the strategy designs an integral terminal sliding mode controller (ITSMC) and a non-singular fast terminal sliding mode controller (NFTSMC) to obtain the optimal additional front wheel steering angle to improve handling performance. A fuzzy sliding mode controller (FSMC) is also proposed to obtain additional yaw moment to ameliorate yaw stability. Finally, the strategy proposed in this paper is subjected to simulation testing and compared with the performance of AFS and DYC systems. The proposed strategy is also evaluated for tracking errors in sideslip angle and yaw rate under two conditions. The results demonstrate that the proposed strategy can effectively adapt to various extreme environments and improve the maneuvering and yaw stability of the bus.

Abstract This study was designed to investigate the regulatory effect of hyaluronic acid (HA)—coating silk fibroin (SF) nanofibers during epithelialization of urinary tract for urethral regeneration. The obtained electrospun biomimetic tubular HA‐SF nanofiber scaffold is composed of a dense inner layer and a porous outer layer in order to mimic adhesion and cavernous layers of the native tissue, respectively. A thin layer of HA‐gel coating was fixed in the inner wall to provide SF nanofibers with a dense and smooth surface nano‐topography and higher hydrophilicity. Compared with pure SF nanofibers, HA‐SF nanofibers significantly promoted the adhesion, growth, and proliferation of primary urothelial cells, and up‐regulate the expression of uroplakin‐3 (terminal differentiation keratin protein in urothelium). Using the New Zealand male rabbit urethral injury model, the scaffold composed of tubular HA‐SF nanofibers could recruit lumen and myoepithelial cells from the adjacent area of the host, rapidly reconstructing the urothelial barrier in the wound area in order to keep the urinary tract unobstructed, thereby promoting luminal epithelialization, smooth muscle bundle structural remodeling, and capillary formation. Overall, the synergistic effects of nano‐topography and biophysical cues in a biomimetic scaffold design for effective endogenous regeneration.

Abstract In Arabidopsis, phytochrome (phy) A, phyB, and cryptochrome 1 (cry1) are representative far‐red, red, and blue light photoreceptors, respectively. Members of the SUPPRESSOR OF PHYA‐105 (SPA) protein family (SPA1–SPA4) form E3 ubiquitin ligase complexes with CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC1 (COP1), which mediates the degradation of photomorphogenesis‐promoting factors to desensitize light signaling. SPA2 has been reported to promote seedling etiolation in the dark. However, the unique roles of SPA2 and its three functional domains in suppressing photomorphogenesis under different light conditions are largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that overexpression of the full‐length or the central coiled‐coil and C‐terminal WD‐repeat domains of SPA2 cause hyper‐etiolation phenotypes under several light conditions. The SPA2 central coiled‐coil and C‐terminal WD‐repeat domains are necessary and sufficient for repressing seedling de‐etiolation, cotyledon unfolding, and promoting hypocotyl negative gravitropism under several light conditions. Furthermore, phyA, phyB, cry1, and COP1 repress protein accumulation or nuclear translocation of SPA2 through direct interactions with its kinase‐like and coiled‐coil domains located in the N‐terminus in response to far‐red, red, and blue light treatments, respectively. Taken together, our results demonstrate that SPA2 functions under multiple light conditions; moreover, light‐activated photoreceptors rapidly suppress SPA2 activity via direct interactions in response to different light treatments.

Objective To construct and compare the methods for correlation analysis of different elements in rice, including barium, vanadium, cadmium, lithium, aluminum, manganese, lead, thallium, antimony, copper, selenium, ehromium, mercury and arsenic. Methods Analyze the correlation among the fourteen elements in rice by two methods: Pearson correlation coefficient and partial correlation coefficient, and compare the two methods. Results Both of the methods can find the correlations among various pollutants from the data and have their own characteristics on computational complexity, information abundancy and other aspects: Pearson correlation coefficient method has less computation, but also provides less information; Partial correlation coefficient provides more information but needs more samples and computing resources. The Pearson correlation coefficient method showed the positive correlation elements including barium-vanadium, barium-lead, vanadium-lithium, aluminum-antimony and copper-thallium. There was no significant correlation between the remaining elements. The partial correlation coefficient method showed strong positive correlation including vanadiumbarium, lead-barium, total mercury-barium and antimony-aluminum. There was no significant correlation between the remaining elements. Conclusion Under the current data and software, hardware conditions, the correlation analysis of the partial correlation coefficient is recommended.

SARS-CoV-2 can be shed in the stool of patients in the recovery phase. Children show a longer shedding time than adults. We analyzed the possible causes of this finding and recommend that a negative stool sample be included in a patient's discharge criteria.

Objective To quickly and automatically evaluate the risk of hazardous chemical substances in food quickly and automatically. Methods Based on the Spring MVC framework, a quantitative assessment model of food chemicals was integrated and a visualization of the assessment result was provided. Results A set of food safety risk assessment software chemical hazard based on multi-source data fusion electronic. Conclusion The e-evaluation system described in this article had enabled the process and automation of a quantitative assessment model for the risk of food chemicals. It had also enabled the quantitative assessment model for food chemicals to be widely used in the business, thereby improving the efficiency of assessment.

Objective To achieve a high degree of process-oriented and automated decision-making on food safety risk assessment and data fusion among various business units. Methods Establish a temporal model library covering method such as dietary exposure assessment, hazard factor assessment, and spatio-temporal clustering detection, which can automatically connect to the basic data of each link of food traceability to obtain corresponding data, and calculate the risk assessment result through the selected risk assessment model construct a risk assessment matrix. Based on extract-transform-load (ETL) technology and data analysis algorithm implemented by R language, the basic data warehouse, risk assessment model base and risk decision support system were integrated. Results The establishment of a food safety risk assessment decision-making system would effectively resolve the problems of time-consuming and labor-intensive traditional data assessment and data cleaning difficulties. Based on the electronization of the original risk assessment process, the model input, calculation, and output would be integrated, and multi-year historical monitoring would be integrated to quickly customize the risk assessment research scenarios for harmful factors in common food categories. Conclusion This platform help improve the work efficiency of relevant business personnel, and promote data exchange and collaborative sharing between business units.

ABSTRACTThis study aims to analyze the different clinical characteristics between children and their families infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Clinical data from nine children and their 14 families were collected, including general status, clinical, laboratory test, and imaging characteristics. All the children were detected positive result after their families onset. Three children had fever (22.2%) or cough (11.2%) symptoms and six (66.7%) children had no symptom. Among the 14 adult patients, the major symptoms included fever (57.1%), cough (35.7%), chest tightness/pain (21.4%), fatigue (21.4%) and sore throat (7.1%). Nearly 70% of the patients had normal (71.4%) or decreased (28.6%) white blood cell counts, and 50% (7/14) had lymphocytopenia. There were 10 adults (71.4%) showed abnormal imaging. The main manifestations were pulmonary consolidation (70%), nodular shadow (50%), and ground glass opacity (50%). Five discharged children were admitted again because their stool showed positive result in SARS-CoV-2 PCR. COVID-19 in children is mainly caused by family transmission, and their symptoms are mild and prognosis is better than adult. However, their PCR result in stool showed longer time than their families. Because of the mild or asymptomatic clinical process, it is difficult to recognize early for pediatrician and public health staff.

This study designed an intelligent medical rehabilitation training system based on motion coordination, which is mainly aimed at patients with balance functions and motion coordination disorders. The system consists of training beds, pedal components, manual control devices, main control computers and corresponding training software. Biofeedback control through the brain is combining physical and psychological treatment of patients, artificial intelligence judgment and adjustment, analysis and evaluation of biofeedback. The rehabilitation device adopts the structure mode of the upper and lower computers. The lower computers take DSP as the core and cooperate to complete the functions of weak EMG signal detection and feedback, stimulation signal output and data transmission. The weak electrical signals remaining in the limbs of stroke patients are processed by the host to form a closed-loop biological feedback electrical stimulation system. According to the intermittent distraction joint method and aerobic training method, an intelligent medical rehabilitation device is designed, including a rehabilitation device for training the rotation function of the wrist and a rehabilitation device for training the flexion and extension function of the wrist. In order to meet the rehabilitation needs of the spasm and recovery periods, both wrist rehabilitation devices have three rehabilitation modes, namely passive rehabilitation mode, assisted rehabilitation mode and damping rehabilitation mode. The intelligent medical rehabilitation training instrument system can realize the combination of patient adjustment force and hand control training to achieve the matching of lower limb, lower limb movements and visual information, so as to promote the patient's balance function and coordinate rehabilitation training. The system sets visual and auditory feedback, and increases the interest of training by adjusting the training speed and training difficulty, which has important clinical application value.

Abstract Highly branched isoprenoids (HBIs) in marine sediments have emerged as promising semi‐quantitative proxies to reconstruct seasonal sea ice in polar oceans. In this work, we examine the distribution of sympagic HBIs (IP25 and HBI‐II), pelagic phytoplankton biomarkers (brassicasterol, dinosterol and HBI‐III) as well as terrestrial sterols (campesterol and β‐sitosterol) in the surface sediments of the East Siberian Sea (ESS) to test their reliability as sea‐ice proxies under continental run‐off influence. Our data suggest that dinosterol performs better than brassicasterol to assess sea ice across the ESS shelf, yet the correlation between PDIP25 and spring sea ice is relatively weak but improves when removing sites with salinity

Due to the high center of gravity of distributed drive electric buses, it is crucial to enhance their stability and sliding mode control (SMC) is an effective method to enhance vehicle yaw stability. However, the traditional SMC needs to know the upper limits of the interference term in advance and select a better switching gain to obtain a better control effect, which is impossible for vehicle control. To solve the existing problems, an improved adaptive nonsingular fast terminal sliding mode (ANFTSM) control is presented to enhance the stability of distributed drive electric bus. An uncertainty term is introduced as a switching term in the sliding mode variable and the switching gain in the controller is obtained by parameter adaptation without knowing any uncertainty information. In addition, to enhance the stability of the vehicle in real-time, an adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) for the weighting factor in the sliding surface is adjusted. A co-simulation of Matlab/Simulink–TruckSim is performed to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm under two typical conditions. The results indicate that the proposed control can follow the ideal value better which improves handling stability and chattering is weaker. Furthermore, the proposed control requires fewer control actions, and also reduces the motor torque variation.

Excessive fertilization is often applied to produce rice. To reduce nitrogen loss and improve nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), we studied the effects of application depth (surface application, 5 and 10 cm) and shape of nitrogen fertilizers (row application and deep application of large granular fertilizer) on rice growth, soil N distribution and ammonia volatilization. The results showed that grain yield, shoot biomass and total dry biomass of the treatment with N in large granular fertilizer applied at 10 cm depth were significantly higher than those of all other treatments. Moreover, compared with the surface application, the N recovery efficiency and the N agronomic efficiency of deep application treatments were enhanced by 18.1–52.3% and 35.6–95.6%, respectively. Deep application significantly increased NH4+-N concentration at their fertilization points. During the growth season, N in large granular fertilizer treatments (mixed with clay to form an unusually large pellet of 1.0–1.5 cm in diameter) distributed closer to the roots, while N in other treatments, including row application treatments, was more widely distributed. Compared with the surface application, deep application significantly reduced NH3 volatilization and NH4+-N concentration in surface water by 58.7–64.8% and 26.0–72.5%, respectively. Furthermore, the NH3 volatilization from large granular treatment was 7.6–11.0% lower than that in the row application. In conclusion, applying N in large granular fertilizer at 10 cm depth reduces ammonia volatilization, and improves rice growth and grain yield, indicating improved NUE and lowered environmental risks.

In December 2019, the outbreak of novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infection was reported in Wuhan, China. The disease has spread rapidly throughout China and the rest of the world. It not only occurred in adults but also in some children. So, in this report, we aimed to clarify the epidemiological, clinical, laboratory, and radiological characteristics; treatment; and outcomes of children infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 in Jinan, China, and found that children with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infection are non-specific and are milder than adults. Asymptomatic infections were common. Chest computed tomographic scanning is helpful for diagnosis. While myocardial creatine kinase–myocardial band was prone to increase in these cases. The prognosis of most cases was better.

Paleo-climate proxy records documenting sea-ice extent are important sources of information to assess the time of emergence and magnitude of on-going changes in the Arctic Ocean and better predict future climate and environmental evolution in that region. In this study, a suite of geochemical tracers including total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), carbon/nitrogen ratio (C/N), stable isotope composition of organic carbon and nitrogen ( δ ^13 C, δ ^15 N), and phytoplankton biomarkers (highly branched isoprenoids (HBIs) and sterols) were measured in a marine sediment core to document the sea-ice variability in the Chukchi Sea since the beginning of the Industrial Era. The downcore profile of the sea-ice proxy HBIs suggests a transition from extensive sea ice in the late 19th century to Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) in AD 1930–1990s and then moderate sea-ice cover since 1990s. Rising of all HBI abundances between AD 1865–1875 indicate a transient retreat of summer ice edge off the shelf followed by a return to near-perennial sea ice till 1920–1930 as revealed by the absence of HBIs and brassicasterol. Sea ice retreat occurred again in AD 1920–1930 and followed by colder decades in 1940s–1960s before a sustained decline since the 1990s. The downcore profile of C/N, δ ^13 C of organic matter and sterols indicates a gradual increase of terrigenous inputs accelerating during the most recent decades likely due to enhanced fluvial run-off and sediment transport by sediment-laden sea ice. Concomitantly, increasing δ ^15 N values suggest limited nutrient utilization due to enhanced stratification of the surface ocean caused by increased freshening. The role of the Arctic oscillation (AO), the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) are discussed to explore potential drivers of the observed sea-ice changes.

Biliary atresia (BA) is the most common cause of endstage liver disease in infants with poor prognosis and high mortality. The etiology of BA is still unknown, but the genetic factors have been considered as an important player in BA. We investigated the association of two cis-regulated variants in CD14 (rs2569190) and NOTCH2 (rs835576) with BA susceptibility, using the largest case-control cohort, totaling 506 BA patients and 1,473 healthy controls in a Southern Chinese population. Significant epistatic interaction between the two variants in our samples was observed (p = 8.1E−03; OR = 2.78; 95% CI: 1.32–5.88). The expression of CD14 and NOTCH2 in the BA group was consistently lower than that in the control (CC) group (0.31 ± 0.02 versus 1.00 ± 0.14; p < 0.001), which might be related to the genetic susceptibility of the genes awaiting further validation. Keywords: CD14, Notch2, biliary atresia, epistasis

Background: Portal-vein stent combined with one iodine-125 (125I) seed strand has become a new treatment for portal vein tumor thrombosis. However, dosimetric aspects of this irradiation stent have not been reported. Therefore, we aimed to undertake dosimetric analyses comparing portal-vein stents combined with different numbers of 125I seed strands. Methods: A water cylinder was created by a treatment-planning system to simulate a portal-vein stent. The stent was combined with one, two, or three 125I seed strands (Groups I, II, and III, respectively). At different prescribed doses (PDs), 125I seeds of identical activities were loaded on Groups I–III. Conformation number (CN), external volume index, and homogeneity index were calculated. Linear regression analyses were used to evaluate the obtained data. Results: For identical 125I seed activity, when the 125I seed strand increased from one chain to two, D90 (dose delivered to 90% of the target volume) increased by ≥184%; when it increased from two chains to three, D90 increased by ≥63%. When the PD was 105 Gy and 125I seed strands increased from one chain to two, V100 (percentage of the target volume receiving ≥90% of the PD) increased by 158–249%; when it increased from two chains to three, V100 increased by 7–175%. CN was correlated positively with 125I seed activity (B = 0.479, P < 0.001) and number of 125I seed strands (B = 0.201, P < 0.001) and was independent of PD (B = −0.002, P = 0.078). Conclusions: A portal-vein stent combined with a single 125I seed strand could not meet dosimetry requirements. For a stent combined with two 125I seed strands, when the PD was 105 Gy and seed activity was 0.7 mCi, the dose distribution could satisfy dosimetry requirements. For a stent combined with three 125I seed strands, if the PD was 105, 125, or 145 Gy, the recommended seed activities were 0.5, 0.5, and 0.6 mCi, respectively.

In karst ecosystems, plants absorbing smaller amounts of nutrients, owing to shallow soil, show limited growth. In addition, fine roots (diameter < 2 mm) contribute to the regulation of nutrient cycles in terrestrial ecosystems. However, the spatial and temporal variations of fine root biomass in different vegetation types of the karst region remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the seasonal and vertical variation in biomass, necromass, and total mass of fine roots using sequential soil coring under different stages of vegetation restoration (grassland, shrubland, secondary forest, and primary forest) in Southwest China. The results showed that the fine root biomass and necromass ranged from 136.99 to 216.18 g m−2 and 47.34 to 86.94 g m−2, respectively. The total mass of fine roots and their production ranged from 187.00 to 303.11 g m−2 and 55.74 to 100.84 g m−2 year−1, respectively. They showed a single peak across the vegetation restoration gradient. The fine root biomass and total fine root mass also showed a single peak with seasonal change. In autumn, the fine root biomass was high, whereas the necromass was low. Most of the fine roots were concentrated in the surface soil layer (0–10 cm), which accounted more than 57% root biomass, and decreased with increasing soil depth. In addition, fine root production showed a similar vertical pattern of variation with biomass. Overall, our results suggested that fine roots show clear seasonal and vertical changes with vegetation succession. Moreover, there was a higher seasonal fluctuation and a greater vertical decreasing trend in late-successional stages than in the early-successional stages. The conversion of degraded land to forest could improve the productivity of underground ecosystems and vegetation restoration projects in the fragile karst region should, therefore, continue.

The phytochrome gene family, which is in Arabidopsis thaliana, consists of phytochromes A-E (phyA to phyE), regulates plant responses to ambient light environments. PhyA and phyB have been characterized in detail, but studies on phyC to phyE have reported discrepant functions. In this study, we show that phyD regulates the Arabidopsis gravitropic response by inhibiting negative gravitropism of hypocotyls under red light condition. PhyD had only a limited effect on the gravitropic response of roots in red light condition. PhyD also enhanced phyB-regulated gravitropic responses in hypocotyls. Moreover, the regulation of hypocotyl gravitropic responses by phyD was dependent upon the red light fluence rate.

Density prediction is of great significance for molecular design of energetic materials, since detonation velocity linearly with density and detonation pressure increases with the density squared. However, the accuracy and generalization of former reported prediction models need further improvement, because most of them are derived from small data sets and few molecular descriptors. As shown in this paper, for molecules presenting brick-like shape or containing more hydrogen-bond donors the predicted densities have large negative deviations from experimental values. Thus, a molecular morphology descriptor η and a hydrogen-bond descriptor Hb are introduced as correction items to build 3 new QSPR models. Besides, 3694 nitro compounds are adopted as data set by this work. The accuracies are obviously improved, and the generalizations are verified by an independent test set. At the level of B3PW91/6-31G(d,p), the effective ratios (ERs) of the 3 Equations, for Δρ < 5%, are 92.7%, 91.8%, and 93.3%; for Δρ < 2%, the values are 53.5%, 51.3%, and 54.7%. At the level of B3LYP/6-31G**, for Δρ < 5%, the values are 92.3%, 91.4% and 92.9%; for Δρ < 2%, the values are 53.7%, 51.4% and 53.2%.

Genetic factors are important in the pathogenesis of Tourette syndrome (TS). Notably, Dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) gene has been suggested as a possible candidate gene for this disorder. Several studies have demonstrated that DRD2/ANKK1 TaqIA polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of developing TS. However, past results remain conflicting. We addressed this controversy by performing a meta-analysis of the relationship between DRD2/ANKK1 TaqIA polymorphism and TS.Literature was searched in multiple databases including PUBMED, COCHRANE and WEB OF SCIENCE up to July 2014. The number of the genotypes for DRD2/ANKK1 TaqIA in the TS and control subjects was extracted and statistical analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.0.16 and Stata 12.0 software. Summary odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were utilized to calculate the risk of TS with DRD2/ANKK1 TaqIA. Stratified analysis based on ethnicity was also conducted.523 patients with TS, 564 controls and 87 probands plus 152 relatives from five published studies were finally involved in this meta-analysis. Combined analysis revealed that the overall ORs for the DRD2/ANKK1 TaqIA A1 allele were 1.69 (95%CIs = 1.42-2.00) in the fixed-effect model and 1.66 (95%CIs = 1.33-2.08) in the random-effects model. Stratification by ethnicity indicated the TaqIA A1 allele was significantly associated with TS in Caucasians (fixed-effect model: OR=1.75, 95%CI = 1.43-2.16; random-effect model: OR=1.69, 95%CI = 1.25-2.28) and in Asians (OR=1.54, 95%CI = 1.12-2.10). Meta-analysis of the A1A1 vs. A2A2 (homozygous model), A1A2 vs. A2A2 (heterozygous model) and A1A1+A1A2 vs. A2A2 (dominant model) of this polymorphism revealed a significant association with TS in overall populations and Caucasians.This meta-analysis suggested that the DRD2/ANKK1 TaqIA polymorphism might contribute to TS susceptibility, especially in Caucasian population. However, further investigation with a larger number of worldwide studies should be conducted to verify the association.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate outcomes and cost-effectiveness of targeted therapy sequencing for metastatic and recurrent cervical cancer. METHOD: Models were simulated based on phase II and III trials on bevacizumab (bev) from GOG-240, cemiplimab (cemi) from GOG 3016, pembrolizumab (pembro) from KEYNOTE-826, and tisotumab vedotin (tiso) from GOG 3023. Costs were based on IBM Micromedex RED BOOK™ and company listed costs. RESULTS: For [chemo + bev → chemo], total cost was $125,918.04, with median overall survival (mOS) of 21.8 months, and cost-effectiveness ratio (CER) of $119,835.79. For [chemo + bev → cemi], total cost was $187,562.99 with mOS of 28.5 months and CER of $162,039.16. For [chemo + bev + pembro → chemo], total cost was $319,963.78 with mOS 32.9 months and CER of $249,930.10. For [chemo + bev + pembro → tiso], total cost was $455,204.45, with mOS 36.5 months and CER of $320,072.99. CONCLUSION: The combination of immunotherapies and biologics have significantly increased overall survival, but with associated higher costs, primarily related to drug costs.

Easily screening markers for early detection of chronic heart failure (CHF) are lacking. We identified twenty differently expressed proteins including orosomucoid 1(ORM1) in urine between patients with CHF and normal controls by proteomic methods. Bioinformatics analyses suggested ORM1 could be used for further analysis. After verification by western blotting, the urinary levels of ORM1 were quantified with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) by correcting for creatinine expression. The ORM1-Cr was significantly elevated in CHF patients than normal controls (6498.83 ± 4300.21 versus 2102.26 ± 1069.24 ng/mg). Furthermore, a Spearman analysis indicated that the urinary ORM1 levels had a high positive correlation with the classification of CHF, and the multivariate analysis suggested that the urinary ORM1 content was associated with the plasma amino-terminal pro- brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) (OR: 2.106, 95% CI: 1.213-3.524, P = 0.002) and the New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification (OR: 3.019, 95% CI: 1.329-4.721, P

OBJECTIVE: Elevated myocardial energy expenditure (MEE) is related with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, and has also been documented as an independent predictor of cardiovascular mortality. However, the serum small-molecule metabolite profiles and pathophysiological mechanisms of elevated MEE in heart failure (HF) are still lacking. Herein, we used 1H-NMR-based metabolomics analysis to screen for potential biomarkers of MEE in HF. METHODS: A total of 61 subjects were enrolled, including 46 patients with heart failure and 15 age-matched controls. Venous serum samples were collected from subjects after an 8-hour fast. An INOVA 600 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer with Carr-Purcell-Melboom-Gill (CPMG) pulse sequence was employed for the metabolomics analysis and MEE was calculated using colored Doppler echocardiography. Metabolomics data were processed using orthogonal signal correction and regression analysis was performed using the partial least squares method. RESULTS: The mean MEE levels of HF patients and controls were 139.61±58.18 cal/min and 61.09±23.54 cal/min, respectively. Serum metabolomics varied with MEE changed, and 3-hydroxybutyrate, acetone and succinate were significantly elevated with the increasing MEE. Importantly, these three metabolites were independent of administration of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, β-receptor blockers, diuretics and statins (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that in patients with heart failure, MEE elevation was associated with significant changes in serum metabolomics profiles, especially the concentration of 3-hydroxybutyrate, acetone and succinate. These compounds could be used as potential serum biomarkers to study myocardial energy mechanism in HF patients.