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IntroductionGenitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) describes the symptoms and signs resulting from the effect of estrogen deficiency on the female genitourinary tract, including genital, urinary, and sexual symptoms. However, besides estrogen deficiency, little is known about the etiology of GSM. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of vaginal microbiota dysbiosis on the occurrence and development of GSM in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.MethodsIn total, 96 women were enrolled in this cross-sectional study and clinical data were collected. GSM symptoms were divided into three types: genital, urological, and sexual symptoms. Full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing using the third-generation PacBio sequencing technology was performed to analyze the vaginal microbiome using vaginal swabs of non-GSM and GSM women with different types of GSM symptoms. Live Lactobacillus Capsule for Vaginal Use (LLCVU) treatment was used to verify the effects of Lactobacillus on GSM symptoms.ResultsWe found that 83.58% (56/67) of women experienced GSM symptoms in the perimenopausal and postmenopausal stages. Among these women with GSM, 23.21% (13/56), 23.21% (13/56), and 53.57% (30/56) had one type, two types, and three types of GSM symptoms, respectively. The richness and diversity of vaginal microbiota gradually increased from reproductive to postmenopausal women. There were significant differences in vaginal microbial community among non-GSM women and GSM women with different types of symptoms. Lactobacillus was found to be negatively associated with the onset, severity, and type of GSM while some bacteria, such as Escherichia-shigella, Anaerococcus, Finegoldia, Enterococcus, Peptoniphilus_harei, and Streptococcus, were found to be positively associated with these aspects of GSM, and these bacteria were especially associated with the types of genital and sexual symptoms in GSM women. LLCVU significantly relieved genital symptoms and improved the sexual life of GSM women in shortterm observation.ConclusionsThe onset, severity, and type of GSM symptoms may be associated with changes in vaginal microbiota in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. Vaginal microbiota dysbiosis probably contributes to the occurrence and development of GSMsymptoms, especially vaginal and sexual symptoms. Lactobacillus used in the vagina may be a possible option for non-hormonal treatment of GSM women with genital and sexual symptoms.Clinical Trial Registrationhttps://www.chictr.org.cn/indexEN.html, identifier ChiCTR2100044237.

Nowadays, great attention has been attached to the social and psychological development of adolescents. Emotional intelligence is a pivotal skill in managing emotions and interpersonal relationships. This paper aims to investigate whether emotional intelligence mediates between social anxiety and communication skills. The participants were 168 female and 91 male, middle school students. This study was quantitative and correlational in nature, using online survey method. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, regression, and mediation analyses were conducted for data analysis. The results show a significant positive relation between emotional intelligence and communication skills, a significant negative relation between social anxiety and emotional intelligence, as well as between social anxiety and communication skills, and a full mediating effect of emotional intelligence on the relationship between social anxiety and communication skills. This study implies that improving students’ emotional intelligence may help overcome their social anxiety, enhance their communication skills, and establish good relationships.

Time series is a typical data type in numerous domains; however, labeling large amounts of time series data can be costly and time-consuming. Learning effective representation from unlabeled time series data is a challenging task. Contrastive learning stands out as a promising method to acquire representations of unlabeled time series data. Therefore, we propose a self-supervised time-series representation learning framework via Time-Frequency Fusion Contrasting (TF-FC) to learn time-series representation from unlabeled data. Specifically, TF-FC combines time-domain augmentation with frequency-domain augmentation to generate the diverse samples. For time-domain augmentation, the raw time series data pass through the time-domain augmentation bank (such as jitter, scaling, permutation, and masking) and get time-domain augmentation data. For frequency-domain augmentation, first, the raw time series undergoes conversion into frequency domain data following Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analysis. Then, the frequency data passes through the frequency-domain augmentation bank (such as low pass filter, remove frequency, add frequency, and phase shift) and gets frequency-domain augmentation data. The fusion method of time-domain augmentation data and frequency-domain augmentation data is kernel PCA, which is useful for extracting nonlinear features in high-dimensional spaces. By capturing both the time and frequency domains of the time series, the proposed approach is able to extract more informative features from the data, enhancing the model's capacity to distinguish between different time series. To verify the effectiveness of the TF-FC method, we conducted experiments on four time series domain datasets (i.e., SleepEEG, HAR, Gesture, and Epilepsy). Experimental results show that TF-FC significantly improves in recognition accuracy compared with other SOTA methods.

Synthetic aperture radar tomography (TomoSAR) can acquire high resolution in height direction by forming a large synthetic aperture along the tomographic direction. Compressed sensing (CS) is widely utilized in TomoSAR imaging to reduce the costs of data sensing. Nevertheless, traditional CS-based algorithms are limited to computational complexity and the nontrivial parameters' tuning. To address such problems, an efficient unfolded deep shrinkage-thresholding network is proposed for TomoSAR imaging in this article. The proposed method adopts convolutional neural network module to learn a generalized nonlinear sparse transformation operator, showing great benefits in exploring the optimal prior. Besides, the hyperparameters of the optimization framework are learned by end-to-end learning mechanism instead of manual-defined, which obviously improves the efficiency of imaging process. Inspired by residual network, the residual learning is introduced to reconstruction blocks of the proposed imaging network, improving the robustness of the network. In addition, the training dataset is constructed from point cloud data based on TomoSAR imaging principles, enhancing the network's ability to extract structural information. Finally, extensive simulation and measured experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed method, obtaining high-quality imaging results while maintaining high computational efficiency.

Abstract Introduction In recent years, intracardiac electrocardiogram (IC-ECG) technology has been widely used for epicutaneo-cava catheter (ECC) placement and has shown many potential advantages. However, evidence about the quantitative changes, effectiveness, and safety of IC-ECG for lower extremity ECC is sparse. This study aimed to explore the quantitative changes in IC-ECG for lower extremity ECC and determine its effectiveness and safety. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 303 premature infants who underwent successful IC-ECG-guided lower extremity ECC placement between January 2019 and December 2021. All patients underwent chest X-ray postoperatively to verify the position of the catheter tip. The amplitudes of the surface electrocardiogram and IC-ECG QRS waves and the difference between the two amplitudes were measured. The effectiveness (matching rate between IC-ECG and chest X-ray) and safety (incidence of catheter-related complications) of IC-ECG for lower extremity ECC were evaluated. Results The matching rate between IC-ECG and chest X-ray was 95.0%. When the catheter tip was optimally positioned, the QRS amplitude of the IC-ECG was 0.85 ± 0.56 mv higher than that of the surface electrocardiogram. The overall incidence of catheter-related complications was 10.6%. The actual ECC insertion length was associated with a noticeably increased risk of catheter-related complications. Conclusions This study suggests that IC-ECG is an effective and safe method by observing the dynamic changes in both QRS complexes and P wave to locate the tip of lower extremity ECC in preterm infants. Our findings would facilitate the application of IC-ECG for ECC localization.

Rock bursts are among the most severe and unpredictable hazards encountered in deep rock engineering, posing substantial threats to both construction safety and project progress. This study provides a comprehensive investigation into how moisture infiltration influences the propensity for rock bursts, aiming to establish new theoretical foundations and practical methods for their prevention. Through the analysis of meticulous laboratory mechanical experiments and sophisticated numerical simulations, we analyzed the variations in the physical and mechanical properties of rocks under different moisture conditions, with a particular focus on strength, brittleness, and energy release characteristics. The findings reveal that moisture infiltration significantly diminishes rock strength and reduces the likelihood of brittle fractures, thereby effectively mitigating the risk of rock bursts. Additionally, further research indicates that in high-moisture environments, the marked reduction in rock burst tendency is attributed to increased rock toughness and the suppression of crack propagation. This study advocates for the implementation of moisture control measures as a pre-treatment strategy for deep rock masses. This innovative approach presents a viable and effective solution to enhance engineering safety and improve construction efficiency, offering a practical method for managing rock burst risks in challenging environments.

Stable potassium metal batteries (PMBs) are promising candidates for electrical energy storage due to their ability to reversibly store electrical energy at a low cost. However, dendritic growth and large volume changes hinder their practical application. Here, referring to the morphology and structure of a virus, a bionic virus-like-carbon microsphere (BVC) was designed as the anode host for a PMB. A BVC with a three-dimensional structure can not only control the electric field, which can suppress dendrite formation, but can also provide a larger space to accommodate the volume change during the cycle progress. The designed potassium (K) metal anode exhibits excellent cycle life and stability (during 1800 h of repeated plating/stripping of K at a current density of 0.1 mA cm−2, K-BVC can realize a very stable K metal anode with low voltage hysteresis). Stable cyclability and improved rate capability can be realized in a full cell using Prussian blue over 400 cycles. This research provides a new idea for the development of stable K metal anodes and may pave the way for the practical application of next-generation metal batteries.

The salt swelling destruction in arid sulfate saline soil areas represents a severe problem in road, railway, and foundation engineering. It is imperative to explore a potential solution to solve the salt swelling for the sulfate saline soil. However, vaporous water has a large effect on the forms of sodium sulfate present in the soil, which has not been taken into account by existing models. This work proposes an improved heat-water-vapour-salt based salt swelling model by considering the vaporous water effect. Experiments on unsaturated saline soils were conducted to validate the accuracy of the model. Besides, the effects of temperature, water content, relative humidity, and solute concentration on salt swelling were reasonably analyzed. The results show that the salt swelling rate increases to 64% when the relative humidity reaches 60–90%; once the relative humidity exceeds 90%, the swelling rate will decline to 0%. Moreover, the salt swelling rate follows an upward convex curve along the relative humidity and decreases with increasing liquid water content. When the liquid water content is above 10%, the salt swelling rate is stable at around 0.3. Overall, the improved model is more accurate in predicting salt swelling than the existing model, which shows exceptional promise in providing useful insight into understanding the mechanism of salt swelling and the prevention of salt swelling in saline soils.

Combinatorial optimization has wide and high-value applications in many fields of science and industry, but solving general combinatorial optimization problems is non-deterministic polynomial time (NP) hard. Many such problems can be mapped onto the ground-state-search problems of the Ising model. Here, an iterative quantum algorithm based on quantum gradient descent to solve combinatorial optimization problems is introduced, where the initial state of a quantum register evolves over several iterations to a good approximation of the Ising-Hamiltonian ground state. We verified the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in solving the MaxCut problem for different types of undirected graphs by numerical simulations, and analyzed the robustness of the algorithm to errors by simulating random error and Gaussian error. We compared the performance of the algorithm with the quantum approximate optimization algorithm, and the results indicate that the proposed algorithm has comparable convergence performance. We also verified the feasibility of the algorithm by conducting experiments on a real quantum computer through the quantum cloud platform. Our work provides a potential method for solving combinatorial optimization problems on future quantum devices without the use of complex classical optimization loops.

ObjectiveTo investigate the impact of optimized thrombus aspiration on myocardial perfusion, prognosis, and safety in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention(primary PCI).MethodsA total of 129 patients with STEMI were randomly allocated into control group (Subgroup A and B) and experimental group(Subgroup C and D). Control group received percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA),thrombus aspiration and primary PCI. Experimental group received optimized thrombus aspiration and primary PCI. The number of thrombus aspiration was less than 4 times in Subgroup A and C. The number of thrombus aspiration was performed more than 4 times in Subgroups B and D. The classification of thrombi extracted, the TIMI flow grade, the incidence of no-reflow and slow flow, cTFC, TPI and CK-MB at 12 h and 24 h after stenting, ST segment resolution of ECG after stenting, NT-proBNP, LVEFat 24 h, 30 days and 180 days after stenting were compared between groups. The incidence of intraoperative and postoperative bleeding complications, stroke events and major cardiovascular events (MACE) were recorded and compared between groups.ResultsThe classification of thrombi extracted in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group. The TIMI flow grade of the experimental group was better than the control group after thrombus aspiration. After stenting, the advantage still existed, but the difference was not statistically significant. On cTFC, the experimental group was lower than the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant; After stenting the experimental group was significantly lower than the control group. The CK-MB at 12 h and 24 h of the experimental group was lower than the control group. After thrombus aspiration the incidence of no-reflow in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group; after stenting the incidence of no-reflow in the experimental group was still lower than the control group, but no statistically difference. After thrombus aspiration and stenting the incidence of slow flow in the experimental group were lower than that in the control group. After stenting, NT-proBNP at 24 h was lower in the experimental group than that in the control group, However, there was no statistical difference; after stenting, The NT-proBNP in the experimental group was lower than that in the control group at 30 days and 180 days. After stenting, LVEF of the experimental group was significantly higher than the control group at 24 h and 30 days; superiority remained after 180 days but no statistical difference. There was no statistical difference between two groups for intraoperative and postoperative bleeding complications, stroke events, and MACE events. In Subgroup analysis,there was no significant difference in the classification of thrombi extracted, TIMI flow grade, cTFC, CK-MB,NT-proBNP and LVEF between group C and D, but group A was better than group B. Analysis of variance showed that the optimal number of suction was 4–5 times.ConclusionsOptimized thrombus aspiration can significantly improve myocardial perfusion and short-term and medium-term prognosis of STEMI patients after PCI, and reduce the incidence of slow flow and no-reflow. The optimal suction times were 4–5 times. Traditional aspiration method with more aspiration times is harmful to cardiac prognosis. Thrombus aspiration does not increase the incidence of stroke events and is safe.Clinical Trial Registration: identifier, ChiCTR2300073410.

Abstract Purpose The study was aimed at evaluating the bioequivalence and safety of oseltamivir phosphate for suspension, provided by Shenzhen Beimei Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. and manufactured by Hetero Labs Limited, and the reference product TAMIFLU® in healthy Chinese subjects. Methods A single-dose, randomized, two-phase, self-crossed model was adopted. Among 80 healthy subjects, 40 subjects in the fasting group and 40 subjects in the fed group. Subjects in the fasting group were randomized into two sequences according to the proportion of 1:1, each given 75 mg/12.5 mL of Oseltamivir Phosphate for Suspension or TAMIFLU®, and cross-administered after 7 days. Postprandial group is the same as fasting group. Results The Tmax of TAMIFLU® and Oseltamivir Phosphate for Suspension in the fasting group were 1.50 h and 1.25 h, which in the fed group were both 1.25 h. Geometrically adjusted mean ratios of the PK parameters of Oseltamivir Phosphate for Suspension along with TAMIFLU® under fasting and postprandial conditions were in the range of 80.00–125.00% at the 90% confidence interval (CI). The 90% CI of Cmax, AUC0-t, AUC0-∞ for fasting group and postprandial group were (92.39,106.50), (94.26,100.67), (94.32,100.89) and (93.61,105.83),(95.64,100.19),(96.06,102.66). Among the subjects on medication, a total of 18 subjects reported 27 adverse events, all of which were treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), six of these TEAEs were rated as grade 2 in severity and the rest were as grade 1. The number of TEAEs in the test product and the reference product were 14,13 respectively. Conclusion Two Oseltamivir phosphate for suspensions are safe and bioequivalent.

The acclimation of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) was performed to improve its adaptation in sulfate-rich systems with high sodium sulfate as a solution for disposing of soil salinization. The effects of pH, temperature, and carbon–sulfur ratio (CSR) on the activity and reduction efficiency (RE) of SRB were analyzed, and the influence of grouting times (GTs) on RE was studied. The impact of different sulfate-rich systems (i.e., sulfate-rich solution and soil) with different salinity on the RE of SRB was investigated. Results show that the optimum temperature and pH for the best activity and RE of SRB were 30°C and 7.0, respectively. The multiple acclimations for SRB significantly improved the activity and RE of SRB at high CSR. The RE of SRB decreased with increasing salinity since high salinity could inhibit SRB activity. The maximum RE of SRB-200 in sulfate-rich soils with 2% salinity is 40%, which may be due to the significant salinity tolerance degree of SRB-200, which is higher than SRB-150 and SRB-175. In addition, the RE of SRB in sodium sulfate solution was higher than that in sulfate-rich soil due to the soil having a complex skeletal structure. The RE of SRB significantly increased after low GTs (5). The optimal GTs obtained by SRB-150, SRB-175 and SRB-200 were 4, 4 and 5, respectively, corresponding to the final cumulative REs of 37.2%, 45.2% and 55.2%, respectively. The SEM results shows the formation of sulfides verified the reliability of SRB reduction in sulfate-rich systems. All results provide an important reference for the effective utilization of SRB in sulfate-rich systems.

BackgroundHumanistic care pertains to the abilities, attitudes, and behaviors central to patient-centered care, contributing to patients' sense of safety and wellbeing. This study aimed to assess the satisfaction of patients with humanistic nursing care in Chinese secondary and tertiary public hospitals.MethodsA national cross-sectional survey was conducted across 30 provinces and 83 hospitals in China. Patient satisfaction with humanistic care was assessed using the Methodist Health Care System Nurse Caring Instrument (NCI), which encompasses 20 items across 12 dimensions. Each item was rated on a 7-point Likert scale, yielding a total score of 140. Multiple linear regression analysis was employed to identify factors associated with patients' satisfaction.ResultsModerate satisfaction (mean score 91.26 ± 13.14) with humanistic nursing care was observed among the 17,593 participants. Factors significantly associated with patient satisfaction included age, hospital type, presence of children, educational attainment, place of residence, family monthly income, and medical insurance type.ConclusionThe study findings highlight the importance of tailored interventions, evidence-based practice guidelines, and patient-centered care in improving patients' satisfaction with humanistic nursing care. Continuous emphasis on nursing education and professional development is crucial for enhancing humanistic care and patient satisfaction.

Background To investigate the physical and psychological effects of five-element music therapy combined with Baduanjin qigong treatment on inpatients with mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan. Methods A mixed-methods study was used. In the quantitative study, a randomized controlled trial was performed on 40 study participants divided into a control group ( n = 20) and an intervention group ( n = 20). The Self-rating Anxiety Scale, Self-rating Depression Scale and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were compared. For qualitative analysis, it adopted purposive sampling method, 13 patients of different ages from 18 to 60 years old and different exercise behavior were selected as the participants from the intervention group. A semi-structured interview method was used to collect data, and the content analysis method was used for data analysis. An interview outline was developed to assess the psychological condition and personal functional-exercise behavior of patients. Results In the quantitative study, the anxiety self-scores and depression self-scores of patients in intervention group were significantly lower compared with control group after treatment ( p < .05). The sleep quality of intervention group was significantly improved compared with control group ( p < .001). Participants in the qualitative study responded to questions posed through semi-structured interviews. The effect of intervention was good, which has been supported and recognized by patients. Conclusion The treatment of five-element music therapy combined with Baduanjin qigong on patients with mild COVID-19 alleviated anxiety and depression, and improved sleep quality, which was beneficial to the patients’ physical and psychological recovery.

Emotional labor is considered an important part of the role in the nursing field. Previous studies have found inconsistencies between emotional labor and job satisfaction of nurses, this is due to the relationship between them being affected by other factors. However, the current nurse-patient relationship is tense and leads to an unsafe and unstable working environment for nurses. It has yet to be confirmed whether the nurse-patient relationship can be used as a mediating variable to further explain the association that exists between emotional labor and job satisfaction. Therefore, this study tested the mediating effect of the nurse-patient relationship between emotional labor and job satisfaction among Chinese nurses. A total of 496 nurses were included in the study. Data collection was from December 2021 to March 2022 using the convenience sampling method. SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 23.0 software were used to perform structural equation modeling and analyze the relationship between variables. The results showed surface acting negatively affected nurse-patient relationships and job satisfaction, contrary to deep acting and naturally felt emotions. The parallel mediation of nurse-patient trust and patient-centered nursing in the relationship between emotional labor and job satisfaction was found to be statistically significant. Our study highlighted the important mediation of nurse-patient trust and the importance of the positive effects of emotional labor. Future studies can use these findings as a reference to develop interventions.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a type of nanomaterial that have excellent electrical properties such as high carrier mobility, high saturation velocity, and small inherent capacitance, showing great promise in radio frequency (RF) applications. Decades of development have been made mainly on cut-off frequency and amplification; however, frequency conversion for RF transceivers, such as CNT-based mixers, has been rarely reported. In this work, based on randomly oriented carbon nanotube films, we focused on exploring the frequency conversion capability of CNT-based RF mixers. CNT-based RF transistors were designed and fabricated with a gate length of 50 nm and gate width of 100 μm to obtain nearly 30 mA of total current and 34 mS of transconductance. The Champion RF transistor has demonstrated cut-off frequencies of 78 GHz and 60 GHz for fT and fmax, respectively. CNT-based mixers achieve high conversion gain from −11.4 dB to −17.5 dB at 10 to 15 GHz in the X and Ku bands. Additionally, linearity is achieved with an input third intercept (IIP3) of 18 dBm. It is worth noting that the results from this work have no matching technology or tuning instrument assistance, which lay the foundations for the application of Ku band transceivers integrated with CNT amplifiers.

Crystallization of sodium sulfate into mirabilite in sulfate saline soil harms the soil potential and intensifies the reparative expenses for subgrade. However, the effects of pore relative humidity (PRH) on the salt swelling behavior have not been thoroughly explored. The multiple-humidity cycles experiments, in this paper, were performed to investigate salt swelling behavior in sulfate saline soil. The effects of different salinity, temperatures, and PRH values on salt swelling displacement (SSD) and salt swelling rate (SSR) of sulfate saline soil were analyzed. The X-ray Diffraction (XRD) technique was employed to investigate the mineral composition of post-experiment soil samples. All test results show that the SSD and SSR of soil samples increase with the increase of PRH and salinity and decreases as the increasing temperature. The enhancement of salt swelling in the presence of PRH was 80-90-80%. Besides, XRD results denote that the existence of mirabilite in the test soil samples verified for the salt swelling to be closely related to PRH in terms of microstructure. All the results further improve the mechanism of salt swelling in sulfate saline soil in the presence of PRH, which is of great significance to analysis and remediation of salt swelling behavior.

In this study, we conducted research on the preparation of aerogels using cellulose and starch as the primary materials, with the addition of N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a cross-linking agent. The chemical, morphological and textural characteristics of the aerogels were found to be influenced by the proportions of cellulose, starch, and cross-linking agent that were utilized. An increase in the proportion of cellulose led to stronger adsorption forces within the aerogel structure. The aerogel showed a fine mesh internal structure, but the pores gradually increased with the further increase in cellulose. Notably, when the mass fractions of starch and cellulose were 5 wt% and 1 wt% respectively, the aerogels exhibited the smallest pore size and largest porosity. With an increase in the crosslinking agent, the internal structure of the aerogel first became dense and then loose, and the best internal structure was displayed at the addition of 3 wt%. Through texture analysis and the swelling test, the impact of the proportion of cellulose and MBA on the aerogel structure was significant. Dye adsorption experiments indicated that MBA affected the water absorption and expansion characteristics of the aerogel by improving the pore structure. Lastly, in tests involving the loading of vitamin E, the aerogels exhibited a higher capacity for incorporating vitamin E compared to native starch.

Quantum dot nanobeads (QBs) were used as signal source to develop competitive lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) for the detection of chloramphenicol (CAP). The quantitative detection of CAP was achieved by calculating the total color difference (∆E) values of the test line (T line) using the images of test strips. QB-based LFIA (QBs-LFIA) allowed the effective dynamic linear detection of CAP in the range of 0.1–1.5 ng/mL. The limit of detection (LOD) was 3.0 ng/mL, which was 50 and 667 times lower than those achieved for two different brands of colloidal gold kits. The recoveries of CAP during real-sample detection were 82.82–104.91% at spiked levels of 0.1, 0.7, and 1.5 ng/mL. These results indicate that the developed QBs-LFIA facilitates the sensitive detection of CAP.

Weather forecasting requires a comprehensive analysis of various types of meteorology data, and with the wide application of deep learning in various fields, deep learning has proved to have powerful feature extraction capabilities. In this paper, from the viewpoint of an image semantic segmentation problem, a deep learning framework based on semantic segmentation is proposed to nowcast Cloud-to-Ground and Intra-Cloud lightning simultaneously within an hour. First, a dataset with spatiotemporal features is constructed using radar echo reflectivity data and lightning observation data. More specifically, each sample in the dataset consists of the past half hour of observations. Then, a Light3DUnet is presented based on 3D U-Net. The three-dimensional structured network can extract spatiotemporal features, and the encoder–decoder structure and the skip connection can handle small targets and recover more details. Due to the sparsity of lightning observations, a weighted cross-loss function was used to evaluate network performance. Finally, Light3DUnet was trained using the dataset to predict Cloud-to-Ground and Intra-Cloud lightning in the next hour. We evaluated the prediction performance of the network using a real-world dataset from middle China. The results show that Light3DUnet has a good ability to nowcast IC and CG lightning. Meanwhile, due to the spatial position coupling of IC and CG on a two-dimensional plane, predictions from summing the probabilistic prediction matrices will be augmented to obtain accurate prediction results for total flashes.

Abstract Background Chemotherapy can induce premature ovarian insufficiency (POI). POI causes multiple sequelae and is currently incurable. As shown in our previous studies, systemically transplanted human amnion-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hAD-MSCs) home to ovaries with chemotherapy-induced POI and subsequently reduce ovarian injury and improve ovarian function in rats with POI. However, the cellular mechanisms that direct the migration and homing of hAD-MSCs to ovaries with chemotherapy-induced POI are incompletely understood. This study investigated the role of the SDF-1/CXCR4 axis in the migration and homing of systemically transplanted hAD-MSCs to ovaries with chemotherapy-induced POI and its relevant downstream signalling pathways. Methods CXCR4 expression in hAD-MSCs was assessed using Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. hAD-MSC migration was tested using Transwell migration assays. SDF-1 levels were detected using ELISA. Seventy-two female SD rats were randomly divided into the control, POI, hAD-MSCs and hAD-MSCs + AMD3100 groups. Cyclophosphamide was used to establish rat POI models. For inhibitor treatment, hAD-MSCs were pretreated with AMD3100 before transplantation. PKH26-labeled hAD-MSCs were injected into the tail vein of POI rats 24 h after chemotherapy. After hAD-MSC transplantation, the homing of hAD-MSCs to ovaries and ovarian function and pathological changes were examined. We further investigated the molecular mechanisms by detecting the PI3K/Akt and ERK1/2 signalling pathways. Results hAD-MSCs expressed CXCR4. SDF-1 induced hAD-MSC migration in vitro. SDF-1 levels in ovaries and serum were significantly increased in rats with chemotherapy-induced POI, and ovaries with POI induced the homing of hAD-MSCs expressing CXCR4. Blocking the SDF-1/CXCR4 axis with AMD3100 significantly reduced the number of hAD-MSCs homing to ovaries with POI and further reduced their efficacy in POI treatment. The binding of SDF-1 to CXCR4 activated the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway, and LY294002 significantly inhibited hAD-MSC migration induced by SDF-1 in vitro. Moreover, inhibition of the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway significantly reduced the number of systemically transplanted hAD-MSCs homing to chemotherapy-induced ovaries in rats with POI. Conclusions SDF-1/CXCR4 axis partially mediates the migration and homing of systemically transplanted hAD-MSCs to the ovaries of rats with chemotherapy-induced POI, and the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway might be involved in the migration and homing of hAD-MSCs mediated by the SDF-1/CXCR4 axis.

Abstract. Background:. Massive bleeding is the main concern for the management of placenta percreta (PP). Intra-abdominal aortic balloon occlusion (IABO) is one method for pelvic devascularization, but the efficacy of IABO is uncertain. This study aims to investigate the outcomes of IABO in PP patients. Methods:. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of PP cases from six tertiary centers in China between January 2011 and December 2015. PP cases with/without the use of IABO were analyzed. Propensity score matching analysis was performed to reduce the effect of selection bias. Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) and the rate of hysterectomy, as well as neonatal outcomes, were analyzed. Results:. One hundred and thirty-two matched pairs of patients were included in the final analysis. Compared with the control group, maternal outcomes, including PPH (68.9% vs. 87.9%, χ2 = 13.984, P

Mn-based oxides are promising cathode materials for potassium-ion batteries due to their high theoretical capacity and abundant raw materials. However, the anisotropic properties of their conventional polycrystalline structures lead to insufficient rate capability and cycle life. Here, a single-crystal Mn-based layered oxide, P3′-type K0.35Mn0.8Fe0.1Cu0.1O2 (KMFCO), is designed and synthesized through a bimetallic co-induction effect and used as a cathode for potassium-ion battery. Benefiting from a unique single-crystal structure that is devoid of grain boundaries, it achieves a higher K+ transport rate and a reduced volume change during the K+ intercalation/deintercalation process. Accordingly, the single-crystal P3′-type KMFCO delivers superior rate capability (52.9 ​mAh ​g−1 at 1000 ​mA ​g−1) and excellent cycling stability (91.1% capacity retention after 500 cycles at 500 ​mA ​g−1). A full cell assembled with the P3′-type KMFCO cathode and a graphite anode also exhibits a high reversible capacity (81.2 ​mAh ​g−1 at 100 ​mA ​g−1) and excellent cycling performance (97% capacity retention after 300 cycles). The strategy of developing single-crystal materials may offer a new pathway for maintaining structural stability and improving the rate capability of layered manganese oxide cathodes and beyond.

Although it is important to accurately detect deception, limited research in this area has been undertaken involving Asian people. We aim to address this gap by undertaking research regarding the identification of deception in Asians in realistic environments. In this study, we develop a Chinese Werewolf Deception Database (C2W2D), which consists of 168 video clips (84 deception videos and 84 honest videos). A total of 1,738,760 frames of facial data are recorded. Fifty-eight healthy undergraduates (24 men and 34 women) and 26 drug addicts (26 men) participated in a werewolf game. The development of C2W2D is accomplished based on a “werewolf” deception game paradigm in which the participants spontaneously tell the truth or a lie. Two synced high-speed cameras are used to capture the game process. To explore the differences between lying and truth-telling in the database, descriptive statistics (e.g., duration and quantity) and hypothesis tests are conducted using action units (AUs) of facial expressions (e.g., t-test). The C2W2D contributes to a relatively sizable number of deceptive and honest samples with high ecological validity. These samples can be used to study the individual differences and the underlying mechanisms of lies and truth-telling between drug addicts and healthy people.

The study aimed to investigate the effect of three kinds of natural antioxidants (NAs), such as curcumin, tea polyphenols (TP), and lycopene, on sweet potato starch's structure and physicochemical properties of starch noodles. We found that the broken rates, iodine blue values, hardness, and chewiness of natural antioxidant starch noodles (NASN) were increased with the addition of the NAs. Additionally, the elasticity decreased with the addition of curcumin and lycopene, but it increased with the addition of TP. The cross-section structure of NASN obtained by scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed more holes appeared when adding NAs, and the additional amount had a pronounced effect on the microstructure of starch noodles (SN) regardless of the kind of NA added. The X-ray diffraction detection showed that some crystal forms were significantly damaged, and the addition of NAs affected the crystallization process of starch and produced a small proportion of new crystals in the NASNs. The protective effects of SN on NAs and their antioxidant capacities under dry and room temperature storage (DRTS) and wet and frozen storage (WFS) conditions were optimal as compared to those of flour noodles (FN). The results showed that adding NAs could improve the sensory quality and antioxidant function of starch noodles. In turn, the dense structure of starch noodles can also have a significant protective effect on antioxidants and their antioxidant activities, which is especially obvious under WFS conditions.

Quantum information networks can transmit quantum states and perform quantum operations between different quantum network nodes, which are essential for various applications of quantum information technology in the future. In this paper, a potentially practical scheme for implementing nonlocal quantum controlled-not (CNOT) gate operations on quantum-dot-confined electron spins between two quantum network nodes is presented. The scheme can realize parallel teleportation of two nonlocal quantum CNOT gates simultaneously by employing hyperentangled photon pairs to establish quantum channel, which can effectively improve the channel capacity and operational speed. The core of the scheme are two kinds of photon-spin hybrid quantum CNOT gate working in a failure-heralded and fidelity-robust fashion. With the heralded mechanism, the nonlocal CNOT gates can be implementated with unity fidelities in principle, even if the particularly ideal conditions commonly used in other schemes are not satisfied strictly. Our analysis and calculations indicate that the scheme can be demonstrated efficiently (with efficiency exceeding 99%) with current or near-future technologies. Moreover, the utilized photon-spin hybrid quantum gates can be regarded as universal modules for many other quantum information processing (QIP) tasks. Therefore, the scheme is potential for constructing elementary quantum networks, and realizing nolocal QIP with high channel capacities, high fidelities, and high efficiencies.

Plain language summary Reproductive health (RH) services are recognized worldwide as a cost-effective strategy to promote RH. However, little is known about RH services in rural areas, especially in low- and middle-income countries. China is the most populous country in the world, and 40.4% of its population is rural. Due to the implementation of China’s universal two-child policy, women between 20 and 39 years old are likely to experience more RH problems related to childbirth. Our study investigated the utilization of and factors associated with RH services in rural China. The top three services used among the 978 participants were antenatal examinations (90.2%), postpartum visits (73.0%) and free folic acid supplements (71.6%). Age, monthly household income, employment, spousal education level, and artificial abortion history were associated with RH service utilization. The participants most desired services pertained to the prevention of cervical/breast cancer, and the most preferred methods used to obtain information related to RH services was the internet. In conclusion, the utilization of RH services requires improvement, and future efforts should target high-risk populations of women by providing them with RH-related information and cultivating positive attitudes towards RH services.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of fermented wheat bran dietary fiber (FWBDF) on the rheological properties of the dough and the quality of noodles and to compare it with the effect of the unfermented WBDF (UWBDF). WBDF was fermented with Auricularia polytricha. The results showed that adding UWBDF/FWBDF increased the storage modulus G' and loss modulus G” of the dough, converted α-helices and β-turns into β-sheets and random coils, respectively, inhibited water flow, increased cooking loss, and decreased the maximum resistance in the noodles. The formed gluten network had a more random and rigid structure, resulting in the deterioration of the quality of noodles. Furthermore, the number of α-helices and the peak proportions of weakly bound water A22 increased but the number of β-sheets and cooking loss decreased in the FWBDF group compared with the UWBDF group. FWBDF (≤4%) improved the hardness of noodles, while UWBDF decreased it. These changes indicated that fermentation could reduce the destructive effects of WBDF on the quality of noodles, providing a new perspective on balancing dietary fiber-rich and high-quality foods.

Tunnels may suffer severe damage when passing through an active fault in high-intensity earthquake zones. The present study aims to investigate the performance of an isolation layer composed of a rubber-sand mixture, an emerging trend in low-cost seismic mitigation studies. Based on the Ngong tunnel in the Nairobi-Malaba Railroad in Kenya, Africa, the effect of the rubber-sand isolation layer on the acceleration and strain of the tunnel lining was investigated through a shaking table test under small normal fault creep-slip and subsequent seismic shaking. The influences of the length of the isolation layer and the rubber content in the mixture were analyzed by numerical simulation. The results indicate that the isolation layer slightly reduces the acceleration response of the tunnel lining within the fault and obviously reduces the permanent strain of the invert and crown within the fault under small normal fault creep-slip and subsequent seismic excitation. The mitigation effect of the isolation layer is related to the length of the isolation layer and the rubber content in the mixture. In the case of this study, the length of the isolation layer is triple the fault width (influence range of the fault) and the appropriate enhancement of the rubber content of the isolation layer offers favorable conditions for mitigation effect, respectively.

Based on an improvement project of soft soil ground in Zhuhai City on the Pearl River Delta, a comparative study on vacuum preloading and surcharge preloading was performed. The ground and stratified settlements, excess pore water pressure, and the degrees of consolidation of soft soil are analyzed, along with the horizontal displacement and soil strength. The results show that surcharge preloading results in smaller secondary consolidation settlements than vacuum preloading. Primary consolidation settlement quickly increases with increasing excess pore water pressure of less than −40 kPa in vacuum preloading, while also increasing between 20 kPa and 25 kPa in surcharge preloading. The sharp increase in the strata permeability coefficient will induce the increase in strata consolidation degree and has little effect on the ground consolidation degree. The surcharge preloading can be given priority to reduce the settlement foundation in the service stage.

The appearance of cracks is one of the reasons that affect the performance of asphalt pavement, and traditional repair methods have the potential problem of causing adverse effects on the environment. In this paper, an environmentally friendly method for asphalt concrete crack repair was investigated using microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) for asphalt concrete cracks of different widths (0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, and 3 mm), and the effectiveness of repair was evaluated using nondestructive and destructive experiments. A varied ultrasonic pulse velocity was used to evaluate the healing process, and it was found that the samples with an initial crack width of 0.5 mm showed the most significant increase in wave velocity of 18.06% after repair. The results also showed that the uniaxial compressive strength and indirect tensile strength of the MICP-repaired samples recovered up to 47.02% and 34.68%. Static creep test results showed that MICP-repaired samples with smaller width cracks had greater resistance to permanent deformation. The results of uniaxial compressive strength tests on larger width (3 mm) cracks repaired by MICP combined with fibers showed that the strength of the samples was significantly increased by the addition of fibers. In addition, the SEM/EDS results showed that the MICP products were spherical calcite particles with a particle size distribution from 0 to 10 μm. This study shows that MICP has some potential for repairing cracks in asphalt concrete of different widths within the range investigated.

Tunnels built in geologically active areas are prone to severe damage due to fault dislocation and subsequent earthquakes. Using the Ngong tunnel in the East African Rift Valley as an example, the dynamic response of a fault-crossing tunnel and the corresponding sensitivity are numerically simulated by considering four factors, i.e., tunnel joint stiffness, isolation layer elastic modulus, strike-slip fault creep-slip and earthquakes. The results show that a valley-shaped propagation of peak displacement at the tunnel invert occurs in the longitudinal axis direction under an earthquake alone. Then, it transforms into an S-shaped under strike-slip fault creep-slip and subsequent seismic shaking. The tunnel invert in the fault zone is susceptible to tensile and shear failures under strike-slip fault creep-slip movements of less than 15 cm and subsequent seismic shaking. Furthermore, the peak tensile and shear stress responses of the tunnel invert in the fault zone are more sensitive to fault creep-slip than earthquakes. They are also more sensitive to the isolation layer elastic modulus compared to the joint stiffness of a segmental tunnel with two segments. The stress responses can be effectively reduced when the isolation layer elastic modulus logarithmic ratio equals −4. Therefore, the isolation layer is more suitable to mitigate the potential failure under small strike-slip fault creep-slip and subsequent seismic shaking than segmental tunnels with two segments. The results of this study can provide some reference for the disaster mitigation of fault-crossing tunnels in terms of dynamic damage in active fault zones.

Rock masses are inherently heterogeneous, with numerous fractures that significantly affect their mechanical properties, fracture characteristics, and acoustic emission features due to the interactions between fractures or between fractures and the rock mass. Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) technology, as an emerging non-destructive biological grouting reinforcement method, can repair fractured rock masses and alter their internal conditions. To investigate the mechanical properties, failure process evolution, and MICP repair effects of sandstone before and after repair, uniaxial compression tests were conducted on prefabricated, fractured (0.7–2.0 mm width) filled and unfilled rock samples, with acoustic emission monitoring throughout the process. Acoustic emission signal characteristics of the rock samples under stress were comparatively analyzed, determining the rock failure process and the microscopic failure types at compression-density stages, elastic stages, and destruction stages. The results show that the properties of the filled specimens improved, the failure process was mitigated, and the final failure stage was dominated by tension signals, accounting for over 60% of the total. The filling effect was better than 1.5–2.0 mm when the fracture width was 0.7–1.0 mm. The study deeply reveals the evolutionary process of compressive failure of the two types of rocks under different fracture widths, and by correlating the acoustic emission parameters with the stress–strain process, it provides a theoretical basis for repairing rock fractures using microbial engineering technology and offers experimental evidence and possible directions for the improvement and optimization of MICP technology.

IntroductionMenstrual discomfort affects women's quality of life, which is an important public health issue. Evidence confirming the link between passive smoking and menstrual discomfort is limited. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the aforementioned topic on the basis of a cross-sectional study of 2,571 non-smoking Chinese nurses.MethodsDemographic information and passive smoking were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. Menstrual discomfort was characterized as dysmenorrhea, illness or weakness, bed rest, and restlessness during menstruation, which was assessed using a modified version of the Cornell Medical Index-Health Questionnaire. Multivariate-adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using the logistic regression model.ResultsA total of 1:195 nurses (46.48%) were exposed to passive smoking. Compared with non-passive smoking nurses, passive smoking nurses were more likely to have menstrual discomfort symptoms (72.38 vs. 64.39%), especially symptoms of dysmenorrhea (49.54 vs. 42.08%), illnesses or weakness (48.28 vs. 42.08%), and restlessness during menstruation (53.05 vs. 46.22%). Exposure to passive smoking was significantly associated with menstrual discomfort (OR = 1.41, 95%CI: 1.19–1.67), especially symptoms of dysmenorrhea (OR = 1.32, 95%CI: 1.13–1.56), illness or weakness (OR = 1.24, 95%CI: 1.06–1.46), and restlessness (OR = 1.26, 95%CI: 1.08–1.48) during menstruation. The subgroup analyses, stratified by age, children, and marital status, agreed with the main findings.ConclusionsExposure to passive smoking was related to symptoms of dysmenorrhea and menstrual discomfort.

Background and AimThe identification of ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) is a key element interfering with therapeutic response, but it is often difficult for less experienced endoscopists to identify UC and CD. Therefore, we aimed to develop and validate a deep learning diagnostic system trained on a large number of colonoscopy images to distinguish UC and CD.MethodsThis multicenter, diagnostic study was performed in 5 hospitals in China. Normal individuals and active patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) were enrolled. A dataset of 1,772 participants with 49,154 colonoscopy images was obtained between January 2018 and November 2020. We developed a deep learning model based on a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) in the examination. To generalize the applicability of the deep learning model in clinical practice, we compared the deep model with 10 endoscopists and applied it in 3 hospitals across China.ResultsThe identification accuracy obtained by the deep model was superior to that of experienced endoscopists per patient (deep model vs. trainee endoscopist, 99.1% vs. 78.0%; deep model vs. competent endoscopist, 99.1% vs. 92.2%, P < 0.001) and per lesion (deep model vs. trainee endoscopist, 90.4% vs. 59.7%; deep model vs. competent endoscopist 90.4% vs. 69.9%, P < 0.001). In addition, the mean reading time was reduced by the deep model (deep model vs. endoscopists, 6.20 s vs. 2,425.00 s, P < 0.001).ConclusionWe developed a deep model to assist with the clinical diagnosis of IBD. This provides a diagnostic device for medical education and clinicians to improve the efficiency of diagnosis and treatment.

Abstract Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignant tumor with unsatisfactory overall prognosis. CircRNAs could be promising prognostic biomarkers in cancers, and play important role in the process of tumorigenesis and progression. Here, we explored the role of hsa_circ_0004831 in blood extracellular vesicles and its prognostic value in CRC. Methods The circRNA and mRNA expression level matrix in extracellular vesicles of CRC and normal samples were obtained from the exoRBase database. The corresponding miRNA expression level matrix in extracellular vesicles was downloaded from the BBCancer database. Differentially expressed circRNAs, miRNAs and mRNAs were identified using the limma package of R software at the cut-off criteria of fold change (FC) > 2 and adj. p 0.3 and p

Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common tumor characterized by high morbidity and mortality rates. The importance of circRNA in cancer diagnosis has been established. The study aimed to identify differentially-expressed circRNAs (DECs) in human blood exosomes from patients with HCC and to investigate their diagnostic value. Methods The circRNA expression profiles of HCC and normal human blood samples were downloaded and processed from the exoRBase database. At the cutoff criteria of a fold change (FC) > 2.0 and P

A simple and feasible scheme for the generation and manipulation of phonon lasering is proposed and investigated based on a generic three-mode cavity magnomechanical system, in which a magnon mode couples simultaneously with a microwave cavity mode and a phonon mode. In sharp contrast to all previous phonon lasering schemes with only a single drive, the input pump field for the system in the proposed scheme is split into two microwave driving fields to drive the microwave cavity mode and the magnon mode, respectively. The impact of changing relative phase and relative amplitude ratio of the two microwave drives on mechanical gain, stimulated emitted phonon number, threshold power, and phonon emission line shape are theoretically and numerically investigated. The results indicate that the phonon laser action can be effectively controlled simply by adjusting the relative phase and relative amplitude ratio, so additional and tunable degrees of freedom are introduced to control the phonon laser. Considering the experimental feasibility of the generic cavity magnomechanical system and the two-drive approach, the present scheme provides a potentially practical route for the development of tunable phonon lasering devices with low-threshold, high-gain, and narrow-linewidth properties based on the platform of cavity magnomechanics.

The heavy reliance of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has caused rising concerns on the sustainability of lithium and transition metal and the ethic issue around mining practice. Developing alternative energy storage technologies beyond lithium has become a prominent slice of global energy research portfolio. The alternative technologies play a vital role in shaping the future landscape of energy storage, from electrified mobility to the efficient utilization of renewable energies and further to large-scale stationary energy storage. Potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) are a promising alternative given its chemical and economic benefits, making a strong competitor to LIBs and sodium-ion batteries for different applications. However, many are unknown regarding potassium storage processes in materials and how it differs from lithium and sodium and understanding of solid–liquid interfacial chemistry is massively insufficient in PIBs. Therefore, there remain outstanding issues to advance the commercial prospects of the PIB technology. This Roadmap highlights the up-to-date scientific and technological advances and the insights into solving challenging issues to accelerate the development of PIBs. We hope this Roadmap aids the wider PIB research community and provides a cross-referencing to other beyond lithium energy storage technologies in the fast-pacing research landscape.

Services of soil environment system and safety production of pavements and railways are seriously affected and threatened by salt swelling behavior of sulfate saline soil. To improve the salt swelling, a microbial method using sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) was presented, based on the metabolism-reduction mechanism of SRB. First, the SRB was domesticated in an increasing sodium sulfate environment up to adapt the salinity of saturated sulfate saline soil. Then the salt swelling contrast tests of sulfate saline soil with and without SRB during the cooling process were conducted. Effects of temperature and salinity on salt swelling displacement, salt swelling reduction value, and salt swelling reduction rate of sulfate saline soil with and without SRB were investigated. The test results of X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Deoxyribonucleic Acid-Polymerase Chain Reaction (DNA-PCR) were used to verify and explain the reduction and reduce-swelling mechanism (RRSM) of SRB on sulfate saline soil. Test results as follows: (1) SRB strain-A resistant to a high concentration sulfate was obtained through multiple domestications, and had a significant reduction and reduce-swelling effect (RRSE) on sulfate saline soil. (2) Salt swelling displacement of sulfate saline soil with and without SRB increases with increasing salinity and decreasing temperature, but the maximum salt swelling displacement of sulfate saline soil containing SRB was less than that without SRB. (3) SRB has a significant inhibitory effect on salt swelling of sulfate saline soil. The maximum reduction rate of salt swelling was 32.96% (2% salinity) and the minimum one was 11.54% (5% salinity). (4) Low temperature and high salt concentration environment inhibited SRB activity and hindered the SSRE of SRB. The reduction rate of salt swelling by SRB decreased continuously with the increase of salinity and presented an exponential function change trend. (5) Results of the DNA-PCR and XRD have effectively verified the occurrence of the RRSE of SRB. This research proves that the microbial method using SRB to improve the salt swelling is feasible and is of great significance for sulfate saline soil treatment. Keywords: Sulfate saline soil, Sulfate-reducing bacteria, Salt swelling displacement, Reduction and reduce-swelling effect, Microbial treatment

This study aimed to investigate the association between passive smoking and physical and psychological health in Chinese nurses. Participants of this cross-sectional study comprised 2,484 non-smoking nurses. Passive smoking and demographic information were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. Physical, psychological, and overall health status of nurses were measured using the Cornell Medical Index (CMI) health questionnaire. Multivariate-adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for nurses' health were estimated by exposure to passive smoking using unconditional logistic regression models. A total of 1,219 nurses (49.07%) were exposed to passive smoking. Of these, 609 (24.52%), 160 (6.44%), and 587 (23.63%) nurses had poorer physical, mental, and overall health, respectively. After adjusting for other confounding factors, compared with the non-passive smoking group, passive smoking was associated with poor physical (OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.25–1.83), mental (OR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.07–2.07), and overall (OR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.30–1.93) health of nurses, respectively. We also carried out subgroup analyses stratified by age, department, and professional title, which showed that most findings supported the main results. This study demonstrated that exposure to passive smoking was a risk factor for overall decreased physical and mental health status among Chinese nurses.

A multicolor immunochromatographic assay platform based on quantum dot nanobeads (QBs) for the rapid and simultaneous detection of nitrofuran metabolites in different aquatic products is documented. These metabolites include 3-amino-2-oxazolidinone (AOZ), 1-aminohydantoin (AHD), semicarbazide (SEM), and 3-amino-5-morpholino-methyl-1,3-oxazolidinone (AMOZ). QBs with emission colors of red, yellow, green, and orange were employed and functionalized with the corresponding antibodies to each analyte to develop a multicolor channel. The visual detection limits (cutoff values) of our method for AOZ, AHD, SEM, and AMOZ reached up to 50 ng/mL, which were 2, 20, 20, and 20 times lower than those of traditional colloidal gold test strips, respectively. The test strip is capable of detection within 10 min in real samples while still achieving good stability and specificity. These results demonstrate that the developed multicolor immunochromatographic assay platform is a promising technique for multiplex, highly sensitive, and on-site detection of nitrofuran metabolites.

N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) is one of the most prominent modification regulating RNA processing and metabolism. Increasing studies have illuminated the vital role of m6A methylation in carcinogenesis. However, little is known about the interaction between m6A-related genes and survival of ovarian cancer (OC) patients. The purpose of this study was to obtain more reliable m6A-related genes that could be used as prognostic markers of OC using bioinformatics analysis performed on the RNA-seq data of OC. Gene expression datasets of all m6A-related genes as well as corresponding clinical data were obtained from the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases. We detected differential expressed m6A-related candidate genes as well as their relationship and interaction. m6A RNA methylation regulator ALKBH5 and 35 m6A-related genes are dysregulated in OC. A gene set that could be used as a potential independent prognostic risk feature was further screened including NEBL, PDGFRA, WDR91, and ZBTB4. The results of mRNA expression analysis by PCR were consistent with those of bioinformatics analysis. We applied consensus clustering analysis on the expression of the four prognostic genes and obtained four OC subgroups TM1-TM4. There were significant differences in age, stage and grade among the subgroups, and the overall survival (OS) as well as Disease-free survival (DFS) of TM2 group were shorter than those of the other three groups. Further GO and KEGG enrichment analysis indicated that these differential genes were closely related to biological processes and key signaling pathways involved in OC. In summary, our study has indicated that m6A-related genes are key factors in the progression of OC and have potential effects on the prognostic stratification of OC and the development of treatment strategies.

Abstract Background In personalized medicine, companion diagnostic tests provide additional information to help select a treatment option likely to be optimal for a patient. Although such tests include several techniques for detecting low levels of mutant genes in wild-type backgrounds with fairly high sensitivity, most tests are not specific, and may exhibit high false positive rates. In this study, we describe a new primer structure, named ‘stuntmer’, to selectively suppress amplification of wild-type templates, and promote amplification of mutant templates. Results A single stuntmer for a defined region of DNA can detect several kinds of mutations, including point mutations, deletions, and insertions. Stuntmer PCRs are also highly sensitive, being able to amplify mutant sequences that may make up as little as 0.1% of the DNA sample. Conclusion In conclusion, our technique, stuntmer PCR, can provide a simple, low-cost, highly sensitive, highly accurate, and highly specific platform for developing companion diagnostic tests.

Abstract Background Clarithromycin-resistance is becoming a global health concern in the treatment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). The mutant prevention concentration (MPC) represent the propensities of antimicrobial agents to select resistant mutants. The concentration range between the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the MPC is defined as mutant selection window (MSW). In this study, we aimed to determine the cause of increasing clarithromycin resistance by investigating the MSW for clinical isolates of H. pylori. Results A retrospective subgroup, which included 68 clarithromycin-sensitive H. pylori strains, was selected from a double-blind trial. The MICs and MPCs were determined using agar plate assays. Genotypic tests were performed using Sanger sequencing. All isolates were wild-type, and 33.82% (23/68) had a 0.016 mg/L MIC, 45.59% (31/68) had a 0.031 mg/L MIC, 16.18% (11/68) had a 0.062 ≤ MIC ≤ 0.125 mg/L, and 4.41% (3/68) had a 0.25 mg/L MIC. The MPC50/90 (mg/L) of the isolates were: 0.062/0.125, 0.125/0.5, 0.25/0.25 and 1/2, respectively. The MPCs showed a moderate correlation with the MICs (r s = 0.65, P

Tiller angle is an important trait that determines plant architecture and yield in cereal crops. Tiller angle is partially controlled during gravistimulation by the dynamic re-allocation of LAZY1 (LA1) protein between the nucleus and plasma membrane, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we identified and characterized a new allele of LA1 based on analysis of a rice (Oryza sativa L.) spreading-tiller mutant la1G74V, which harbors a non-synonymous mutation in the predicted transmembrane (TM) domain-encoding region of this gene. The mutation causes complete loss of shoot gravitropism, leading to prostrate growth of plants. Our results showed that LA1 localizes not only to the nucleus and plasma membrane but also to the endoplasmic reticulum. Removal of the TM domain in LA1 showed spreading-tiller phenotype of plants similar to la1G74V but did not affect the plasma membrane localization; thus, making it distinct from its ortholog ZmLA1 in Zea mays. Therefore, we propose that the TM domain is indispensable for the biological function of LA1, but this domain does not determine the localization of the protein to the plasma membrane. Our study provides new insights into the LA1-mediated regulation of shoot gravitropism.

Traffic tunnels are important engineering structures in transportation, and their stability is critical to traffic safety. In particular, when these tunnels are in an earthquake-prone area, the rupture process under seismic excitation needs to be studied in depth for safer tunnel design. In this paper, based on a construction project on the Nairobi-Malaba railway in East Africa, a laboratory shaking table test with 24 working cases of seismic excitation on a mountain tunnel is designed, and the acoustic emission (AE) technique is employed to investigate the tunnel rupture process. The results show that the high frequency components between 20 and 30 kHz of AE signals are the tunnel rupturing signals under the seismic excitation under such conditions. The tunnel vault and the arch foot are prone to rupture during the seismic excitation, and the initial rupture in the arch foot and vault of the tunnel occur under the horizontal and vertical Kobe wave seismic excitation, respectively, with a maximum acceleration of 0.4 g. After the rupture initiation, the tunnel arch foot continues to rupture in the subsequent working cases regardless of whether the excitation direction is horizontal or vertical, while the tunnel vault does not rupture continuously with the implementation of the subsequent excitations. Moreover, the Kobe seismic wave has a higher degree of damage potential to underground structures than the El seismic wave.

ObjectiveRelated evidences of metabolically unhealthy profile of adults with normal weight are not well characterized in the Chinese population. This is because they cannot be effectively identified by regular measurements (such as body mass index [BMI]). To overcome this gap in literature, this study aimed at investigating the association between body composition and metabolically unhealthy profile in Chinese adults with normal weight.MethodsA total of 5427 individuals with normal-weight were recruited from 15820 people living in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in Northwest China. Normal-weight was defined as a BMI of 18.5-23.9 kg/m2. Metabolically unhealthy profile was assessed by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III). Metabolically unhealthy normal-weight (MUHNW) profile was defined in individuals who had normal weight and at least two cardiometabolic risk factors. Generalized linear model was used to investigate the association between body composition measured by bioelectrical impedance and metabolically unhealthy profile in adults with normal-weight.ResultsThe percentage of metabolically unhealthy profile was 35.86% in adults with normal weight. Different MUHNW distributions were found between males and females depending on age. The percentage of the MUHNW profile significantly increased in women after the age of 55, contrary to men. The association between body composition and MUHNW was affected by age and sex. The increased adiposity indices (fat mass index [FMI], visceral fat level [VFL], waist circumference [WCF]), and reduced skeletal muscle mass ratio [SMR] showed significant differences between MUHNW and metabolically healthy with normal weight (MHNW) (p < 0.05).ConclusionThe distribution of MUHNW differed between ages and sexes. FMI, VFL, WCF and SMR could be responsible for the MUHNW adults, providing a new insight into the potential metabolic risks for the adults with normal weight in China. This directs us in the management of the MUHNW for their early prevention.

Oil pollution in soil-groundwater systems is difficult to remove, and a large amount of residual oil is trapped in the low permeable layer of the heterogeneous aquifer. Aromatic hydrocarbons in oil have high toxicity and low solubility in water, which are harmful to the ecological environment. Chemotactic degrading bacteria can perceive the concentration gradient of non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) pollutants in the groundwater environment, and enrich and proliferate around the pollutants, thus achieving a more efficient and thorough remediation effect. However, the existing theoretical models are relatively simple. The physical fields of oil–water two-phase flow and oil-phase solute convection and diffusion in water are not coupled, which further restricts the accuracy of studies on bacterial chemotaxis to NAPL. In this study, geometric models based on the actual microfluidic experimental study were constructed. Based on the phase field model, diffusion convection equation and chemotaxis velocity equation, the effects of heterogeneity of porous media, wall wettability and groundwater flow rate on the residual oil and the concentration distribution of chemotaxis bacteria were studied. Under all of the simulation conditions, the residual oil in the high permeable area was significantly lower than that in the low permeable area, and the wall hydrophilicity enhanced the water flooding effect. Chemotactic bacteria could react to the concentration gradient of pollutants dissolved into water in the oil phase, and enrich near the oil–water interface with high concentration of NAPL, and the density of chemotactic bacteria at the oil–water interface can be up to 1.8–2 times higher than that in the water phase at flow rates from 1.13 to 6.78 m/d.