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Abstract Background Hmong–Mien (HM) speakers are linguistically related and live primarily in China, but little is known about their ancestral origins or the evolutionary mechanism shaping their genomic diversity. In particular, the lack of whole-genome sequencing data on the Yao population has prevented a full investigation of the origins and evolutionary history of HM speakers. As such, their origins are debatable. Results Here, we made a deep sequencing effort of 80 Yao genomes, and our analysis together with 28 East Asian populations and 968 ancient Asian genomes suggested that there is a strong genetic basis for the formation of the HM language family. We estimated that the most recent common ancestor dates to 5800 years ago, while the genetic divergence between the HM and Tai–Kadai speakers was estimated to be 8200 years ago. We proposed that HM speakers originated from the Yangtze River Basin and spread with agricultural civilization. We identified highly differentiated variants between HM and Han Chinese, in particular, a deafness-related missense variant (rs72474224) in the GJB2 gene is in a higher frequency in HM speakers than in others. Conclusions Our results indicated complex gene flow and medically relevant variants involved in the HM speakers’ evolution history.

Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) is a significant bovine pathogen associated with various diseases, including bovine bronchopneumonia and mastitis resulting in substantial economic losses within the livestock industry. However, the development of effective control measures for M. bovis is hindered by a limited understanding of its virulence factors and pathogenesis. Nucleomodulins are newly identified secreted proteins of bacteria that internalize the host nuclei to regulate host cell gene expression and serve as critical virulence factors. Although recent reports have initiated exploration of mycoplasma nucleomodulins, the efficiency of conventional techniques for identification is very limited. Therefore, this study aimed to establish high-throughput methods to identify novel nucleomodulins of M. bovis. Using a direct biotinylation (DB) approach, a total of 289 proteins were identified including 66 high abundant proteins. In parallel, the use of proximity-based biotinylation (PBB), identified 28 proteins. Finally, seven nucleomodulins were verified to be nuclear by transfecting the bovine macrophage cell line BoMac with the plasmids encoding EGFP-fused proteins and observed with Opera Phenix, including the known nucleomodulin MbovP475 and six novel nucleomodulins. The novel nucleomodulins were four ribosomal proteins (MbovP599, MbovP678, MbovP710, and MbovP712), one transposase (MbovP790), and one conserved hypothetical protein (MbovP513). Among them, one unique nucleomodulin MbovP475 was identified with DB, two unique nucleomodulins (MbovP513 and MbovP710) with PBB, and four nucleomodulins by both. Overall, these findings established a foundation for further research on M. bovis nucleomodulin-host interactions for identification of new virulence factors.

Abstract Reconstructing the spatial evolution of languages can deepen our understanding of the demic diffusion and cultural spread. However, the phylogeographic approach that is frequently used to infer language dispersal patterns has limitations, primarily because the phylogenetic tree cannot fully explain the language evolution induced by the horizontal contact among languages, such as borrowing and areal diffusion. Here, we introduce the language velocity field estimation, which does not rely on the phylogenetic tree, to infer language dispersal trajectories and centre. Its effectiveness and robustness are verified through both simulated and empirical validations. Using language velocity field estimation, we infer the dispersal patterns of four agricultural language families and groups, encompassing approximately 700 language samples. Our results show that the dispersal trajectories of these languages are primarily compatible with population movement routes inferred from ancient DNA and archaeological materials, and their dispersal centres are geographically proximate to ancient homelands of agricultural or Neolithic cultures. Our findings highlight that the agricultural languages dispersed alongside the demic diffusions and cultural spreads during the past 10,000 years. We expect that language velocity field estimation could aid the spatial analysis of language evolution and further branch out into the studies of demographic and cultural dynamics.

The increasing challenges of urbanization and climate change have driven the need for innovative stormwater management solutions. Rain gardens, as a nature-based solution (NBS), have emerged as a critical component in urban water management, particularly in enhancing hydrological regulation, water quality, and ecosystem services. This bibliometric review examines the application of rain gardens in urban environments, focusing on their roles in stormwater management, pollutant removal, and ecological enhancement. Data from 728 academic papers published between 2000 and 2023 were analyzed using the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection, employing bibliometric tools such as the “Bibliometrix” R package and CiteSpace. The analysis highlights the increasing global interest in rain gardens, particularly since 2015, with China and the United States leading research efforts. Key findings reveal that rain gardens significantly reduce runoff, improve water quality, and contribute to urban biodiversity. In addition, their integration into public spaces offers landscape esthetics and social benefits, enhancing the quality of life in urban areas. However, challenges remain in optimizing their design for diverse climates and long-term performance. The study underscores the need for further research on plant–soil interactions, pollutant removal mechanisms, and the broader ecological and social contributions of rain gardens. This review provides insights into the evolution of rain garden research and identifies future directions for advancing sustainable urban stormwater management.

Social media not only changes the traditional communication environment but also brings new changes to agenda-setting. The main body of agenda-setting has shifted from the traditional media to the politicians, political parties and grassroots people. With the increasing use of social bots in public opinion manipulation and political election interference, whether they can participate in or influence agenda-setting has become an urgent concern. So far, there has been less literature focusing on engagement in agenda-setting for social bots. This paper studies the social media discussion content of the South Korean presidential election, determines the participation of social bots, and explores the connection between media agenda, bot agenda, and public agenda from the perspective of agenda setting. This study finds that while the main agendas of media, social bots, and the public are not the same, their agendas are relevant. In addition, the media agenda is not timely ahead of the bot agenda and the public agenda, and the time order only appears between the social bots and the public.

Summary: The phenotype-first approach (PFA) and data-driven approach (DDA) have both greatly facilitated anthropological studies and the mapping of trait-associated genes. However, the pros and cons of the two approaches are poorly understood. Here, we systematically evaluated the two approaches and analyzed 14,838 facial traits in 2,379 Han Chinese individuals. Interestingly, the PFA explained more facial variation than the DDA in the top 100 and 1,000 except in the top 10 phenotypes. Accordingly, the ratio of heterogeneous traits extracted from the PFA was much greater, while more homogenous traits were found using the DDA for different sex, age, and BMI groups. Notably, our results demonstrated that the sex factor accounted for 30% of phenotypic variation in all traits extracted. Furthermore, we linked DDA phenotypes to PFA phenotypes with explicit biological explanations. These findings provide new insights into the analysis of multidimensional phenotypes and expand the understanding of phenotyping approaches.

Abstract Core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) is commonly used to classify bacterial strains into different types, for taxonomical and epidemiological applications. However, cgMLST schemes require central databases for the nomenclature of new alleles and sequence types, which must be synchronized worldwide and involve increasingly intensive calculation and storage demands. Here, we describe a distributed cgMLST (dcgMLST) scheme that does not require a central database of allelic sequences and apply it to study evolutionary patterns of epidemic and endemic strains of the genus Neisseria. We classify 69,994 worldwide Neisseria strains into multi-level clusters that assign species, lineages, and local disease outbreaks. We divide Neisseria meningitidis into 168 endemic lineages and three epidemic lineages responsible for at least 9 epidemics in the past century. According to our analyses, the epidemic and endemic lineages experienced very different population dynamics in the past 100 years. Epidemic lineages repetitively emerged from endemic lineages, disseminated worldwide, and apparently disappeared rapidly afterward. We propose a stepwise model for the evolutionary trajectory of epidemic lineages in Neisseria, and expect that the development of similar dcgMLST schemes will facilitate epidemiological studies of other bacterial pathogens.

Abstract Studying language evolution brings a crucial perspective to bear on questions of human prehistory. As the most linguistically diverse region on earth, East and Southeast Asia have witnessed extensive sociocultural and ethnic contacts among different language communities. Especially, the Kra-Dai language family exhibits tremendous socio-cultural importance in these regions. Due to limited historical accounts, however, there are several controversies on their linguistic relatedness, ambiguities regarding the divergence time, and uncertainties on the dispersal patterns. To address these issues, here we apply Bayesian phylogenetic methods to analyze the largest lexical dataset containing 646 cognate sets compiled for 100 Kra-Dai languages. Our dated phylogenetic tree showed their initial divergence occurring approximately 4000 years BP. Phylogeographic results supported the early Kra-Dai language dispersal from the Guangxi-Guangdong area of South China towards Mainland Southeast Asia. Coupled with genetic, archaeological, paleoecologic, and paleoclimatic data, we demonstrated that the Kra-Dai language diversification could have coincided with their demic diffusion and agricultural spread shaped by the global climate change in the late Holocene. The interdisciplinary alignments shed light on reconstructing the prehistory of Kra-Dai languages and provide an indispensable piece of the puzzle for further studying prehistoric human activities in East and Southeast Asia.

Improving street jogging environments can promote urban health and sustainability, especially within urban built-up areas. Public attention to the environment during jogging has not been sufficiently studied, and the recommended route data from the fitness app offers an opportunity for multiscale spatial exploration. Initially, by analyzing the recommendation reason text, the study identified 22 environmental factors and proposed the Environmental Factor Public Attention Intensity (EFPAI) for quantification, with subsequent comparisons to expert opinions. Further, by analyzing five types of data from the recommended routes, the relationships between EFPAI and jogging frequency, route shape, spatial distribution, and seasonal variations were uncovered. The study revealed: (1) discrepancies between expert opinions and public attention, with experts more likely to overlook factors such as slope, visual quality, width, and acoustic quality; (2) the public tends to notice factors like pedestrians, green spaces, waterfront spaces, landscapes, culture, sports facilities, and accessibility on routes with high jogging frequency; (3) EFPAI for traffic infrastructure, waterfront spaces, landscapes, residential areas, and campuses is associated with route shape; (4) EFPAI of certain environmental factors is influenced by urban geographical spatial factors, and substantial differences exist between different cities. Specific recommendations were provided from three different scales—site scale, street block scale, and urban scale—to guide the resolution of issues in planning and decision-making processes for urban renewal.

As an integral part of rural built heritage, the aesthetic and recreational values of Historical Irrigation Canals (HICs) have increasingly garnered attention in recent years, providing new perspectives for heritage conservation and sustainable rural development. However, there is a scarcity of research conducted from the micro-perspective of public preferences for HICs in rural areas. The existing literature primarily focuses on how the landscape characteristics of natural and urban rivers affect public preferences, with a lack of attention to built heritage characteristics and rural settings, which are uniquely inherent to HICs in rural areas. This study aims to explore public preferences for HICs in rural areas from the perspectives of landscape characteristics and social backgrounds. The Li Canal-Gaoyou Irrigation District, one of the World Heritage Irrigation Structures, was selected as the case study. Selected HIC photos were utilized for measuring landscape characteristics and conducting survey questionnaires. Relationships among HIC landscape characteristics, social backgrounds, and aesthetic and recreational preferences were revealed through one-way ANOVA, Spearman’s correlation, and stepwise regression analyses. Key findings include the following: (1) the public can derive aesthetic and recreational value from HICs; (2) canals with large water bodies, artificial banks, and artificial vegetation are considered more aesthetically pleasing; (3) larger canals, extensive water bodies, and artificial banks are deemed more suitable for recreation; (4) factors such as age, education level, income, rural living experience and knowledge of HICs influence public preferences; (5) costs influence public aesthetic and recreational preferences, with people more willing to pay for roads and hardened banks. Finally, several recommendations for the protection and management of HICs have been summarized, offering guidance for rural managers and planners.

In this study, a multi-stage planning framework was constructed by using SWMM simulation modeling and NSGA-II and applied to optimize the layout of integrated grey–green infrastructure (IGGI) under land use change and climate change scenarios. The land use change scenarios were determined based on the master plan of the study area, with imperviousness of 50.7% and 62.0% for stage 1 and stage 2, respectively. Rainfall trends for stage 1 and stage 2 were determined using Earth-E3 from the CMIP6 model. The rainfall in stage 2 increased by 14.9% from stage 1. Based on these two change scenarios, the spatial configuration of IGGI layouts with different degrees of centralization of the layout (DCL) under the two phases was optimized, with the lowest life cycle cost (LCC) as the optimization objective. The results showed that the layout with DCL = 0 had better performance in terms of LCC. The LCC of the layout with DCL = 0 was only 66.9% of that of the layout with DCL = 90.9%. In terms of Tech-R, stage 2 had better performance than stage 1. Furthermore, the average technological resilience (Tech-R) index of stage 2 was 0.8–3.4% higher than that of stage 1. Based on the LCC and Tech-R indices of all of the layouts, TOPSIS was used to compare the performance of the layouts under the two stages, and it was determined that the layout with DCL = 0 had the best economic and performance benefits. The results of this study will be useful in exploring the spatial configuration of urban drainage systems under land use change and climate change for sustainable stormwater management.

Soybean agglutinin (SBA) is a primary antinutritional factor in soybeans that can inhibit the growth of humans and mammals, disrupt the intestinal environment, and cause pathological changes. Therefore, detecting and monitoring SBA in foods is essential for safeguarding human health. In this paper, M13 phage-displayed nanobodies against SBA were isolated from a naive nanobody library. An M13 phage-displayed nanobody-based competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (P-cELISA) was then established for SBA analysis using biotinylated anti-M13 phage antibody (biotin-anti-M13) and streptavidin poly-HRP conjugate (SA-poly-HRP). The biotin-anti-M13@SA-poly-HRP probe can easily amplify the detection signal without the chemical modifications of phage-displayed nanobodies. The established P-cELISA presented a linear detection range of 0.56–250.23 ng/mL and a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.20 ng/mL, which was 12.6-fold more sensitive than the traditional phage-ELISA. Moreover, the developed method showed good specificity for SBA and acceptable recoveries (78.21–121.11%) in spiked wheat flour, albumen powder, and whole milk powder. This study proposes that P-cELISA based on biotin-anti-M13@SA-poly-HRP may provide a convenient and effective strategy for the sensitive detection of SBA.

Commented Article: LIU, Yijun. Literature in the New Era: a study of Glück's poetic quality and its affinity with the characteristics of Chinese culture. Trans/Form/Ação: Unesp Journal of Philosophy, v. 47, n. 2 “Feminine perspectives in philosophical thought”, e0240058, 2024. Available at: https://revistas.marilia.unesp.br/index.php/transformacao/article/view/14631.

Background: Patients diagnosed with early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are at a higher risk of experiencing complications and facing increased mortality rates. Hence, it is crucial to develop personalized clinical strategies for this particular subgroup upon their admission. The objective of this study is to determine the key prognostic factors in early HCC patients who received liver resection combined with DM and develop a practical personalized model for precise prediction of overall survival in these individuals.Method: A total of 1496 patients diagnosed hepatitis B virus (HBV) - related liver cancer from Beijing You’an Hospital were retrospectively enrolled, spanning from 1 January 2014, to 31 December 2019, and ultimately, 622 eligible patients of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with diabetes were included in this present investigation. A multivariate COX regression analysis was conducted to identify prognostic factors that are independent of each other and develop a nomogram. The performance of the nomogram was evaluated using various statistical measures such as the C-index, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA) in both the training and validation groups. Survival rates were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method.Results: The study included a total of 622 early HCC patients who underwent liver resection combined with DM. Random Forrest model and Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that drinking, tumor number, monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio, white blood cell count and international normalized ratio at admission were identified as independent prognostic factors for early HCC patients who underwent liver resection combined with DM. The nomogram demonstrated good predictive performance in the training and validation cohorts based on the C-index values of 0 .756 and 0 .739 respectively, as well as the area under the curve values for 3-, 5-, and 8-year overall survival (0.797, 0.807, 0.840, and 0.725, 0.791, 0.855). Calibration curves and decision curve analysis indicated high accuracy and net clinical benefit rates. Furthermore, the nomogram successfully stratified enrolled patients into low-risk and high-risk groups based on their risk of overall survival. The difference in overall survival between these two groups was statistically significant in both the training and validation cohorts (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0064).Conclusion: Our results indicate that the admission characteristics demonstrate a highly effective ability to predict the overall survival of early HCC patients who have undergone liver resection in combination with DM. The developed model has the potential to support healthcare professionals in making more informed initial clinical judgments for this particular subgroup of patients.

Abstract Background Alcohol related liver disease (ARLD) is one of the major chronic liver diseases worldwide. This review aimed to describe the global prevalence, incidence, and outcomes of ARLD. Methods Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were searched from inception to May 31, 2022. The language was restricted to English or Chinese. According to the criteria, articles describing the basic characteristics of the population were selected. Two reviewers extracted the data independently. Results A total of 372 studies were identified: 353 were used for prevalence analysis, 7 were used for incidence analysis, and 114 were used to for outcome analysis. The prevalence of ARLD worldwide was 4.8%. The prevalence in males was 2.9%, which was higher than female (0.5%). Among the ethnic groups, the percentage was highest in Caucasians (68.9%). Alcoholic liver cirrhosis comprised the highest proportion in the disease spectrum of ARLD at 32.9%. The prevalence of ascites in ARLD population was highest (25.1%). The ARLD population who drinking for > 20 years accounted for 54.8%, and the average daily alcohol intake was 146.6 g/d. About 59.5% of ARLD patients were current or former smokers, and 18.7% were complicated with hepatitis virus infection. The incidence was 0.208/1000 person-years. The overall mortality was 23.9%, and the liver-related mortality was 21.6%. Conclusion The global prevalence of ARLD was 4.8% and was affected by sex, region, drinking years, and other factors. Therefore, removing the factors causing a high disease prevalence is an urgent requisite. Trial registration PROSPERO Nr: CRD42021286192

LEDBAT++ is a novel less-than-best-effort congestion control algorithm. However, it still shows aggressiveness when competing with CUBIC in shallow buffer networks or with BBRv2 in low latency networks. In order to maintain its low-priority performance over diversified network environments, we propose PeaceKeeper, which combines reinforcement learning algorithm to dynamically adjust the target based on the network state. Extensive simulations show that, compared to LEDBAT++, the throughput of the primary flow competing with PeaceKeeper improved by 30.76% to 173.63%. Additionally, compared to heuristics adjusting the target, PeaceKeeper increases the link bandwidth utilization by 50.91%.

Abstract Background A growing number of investigations have suggested a close link between cancer stem cells (CSCs), epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and the tumor microenvironment (TME). However, the relationships between these physiological processes in bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA) remain unclear. Methods We first explored biomarkers of tumor stemness (TS) by single-cell sequencing analysis. Then, subtypes of bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA) were identified using clustering analysis based on TS biomarkers. The TS score was constructed using principal component analysis to quantify tumor stemness in BLCA. Then, meta-analysis was performed to measure the hazard ratio of the TS score in BLCA cohorts. Moreover, we evaluated the clinical value of the TS score for predicting the response to tumor immunotherapy using immunotherapy cohorts. Finally, we built an EMT cell model by treating T24 cells with TGF-β and validated the relationship between the TS score and the EMT process in tumors by real-time quantitative PCR, cell invasion assays, and RNA-seq. In total, 3846 BLCA cells, 6 cell lines, 1627 BLCA samples, and 9858 samples from 32 other types of tumors were included in our study. Results Three TS clusters and two TS-related gene clusters were identified with differential EMT activity status, CSC features, and TME characteristics in BLCA. Then, a TS scoring system was established with 61 TS-related genes to quantify the TS. The prognostic value of the TS score was then confirmed in multiple independent cohorts. A high TS score was associated with high EMT activity, CSC characteristics, high stromal cell content, high TP53 mutation rate, poor prognosis, and high tumor immunotherapy tolerance. The cell line experiment and RNA-seq further validated that our TS score can reflect the EMT and CSC characterization of tumor cells. Conclusion Overall, this research provides a better understanding of tumor invasion and metastasis mechanisms through an analysis of TS patterns with different EMT processes and CSC characteristics. The TS score provides an index for EMT and CSC research and helps clinicians develop treatment plans and predict outcomes for patients.

Palm vein recognition plays a crucial role in identity verification, requiring highly discriminative features. However, for touchless palm vein datasets, selecting a suitable and fixed Region of Interest (ROI) is challenging due to variations in capture scales and anisotropy. Moreover, manually annotating ROIs for each palm vein image is a time-consuming and labor-intensive task. To address these challenges, the method based on competitive mechanism is currently a popular approach for palm vein recognition. However, traditional competitive mechanisms only focus on selecting winners from different channels without considering the spatial information of features. In this paper, we reformulate the traditional competition mechanism and propose a Coordinate Encoding Competitive Neural Network (CECNet). Our method takes into account the spatial competition relationship between features, which means we pay attention to features of different directions and scales. We also perform spatial encoding on the competitive features to extract a more comprehensive set of competitive features. To extract the textures, the CECNet employs three parallel Adaptive Gabor Filter Encoders (AGFEs) to learn features of different directions and scales, effectively capturing the variations present in palm vein images. To enhance feature discrimination, the Soft Large Margin Centralized Cosine Loss (SLMCCL) function is utilized, taking into account with inter-class separation and introducing centralized cosine similarity to achieve better intra-class similarity. By optimizing this loss function, the network learns to prioritize and rank features based on their importance. Experimental results on public palm vein datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

In this paper, the effects of two severe plastic deformation (SPD) methods, ECAP and FSP, on the microstructure evolution and tensile strength of an Al–6Mg–0.4Mn–0.25Sc–0.1Zr (wt.%) alloy are comparatively studied. The microstructure was characterized by SEM, EBSD, T-EBSD, TEM and HRTEM, and the tensile strength of the material was tested by uniaxial tensile testing machine. The results show that ECAP has a stronger grain refining effect than FSP. ECAP can refine the average grain size of Al–Mg-Sc alloys to about 1 μm, while the grain size of the FSP samples is mostly 2–3 μm. In addition, the effects of the two SPD methods on the second phase particles in the Al–Mg–Sc alloy are also different, but both methods will change the distribution and morphology of Al3(Sc, Zr) particles, which is due to the different deformation mechanisms of ECAP and FSP. The yield strength of the ECAP sample is higher than that of the FSP sample, but the elongation after fracture is slightly less than that of the FSP sample.

Introduction: The effect of the conventional treatment methods of glioblastoma (GBM) is poor and the prognosis of patients is poor. The expression of MCL-1 in GBM is significantly increased, which shows a high application value in targeted therapy. In this study, we predicted the prognosis of glioblastoma patients, and therefore constructed MCL-1 related prognostic signature (MPS) and the development of MCL-1 small molecule inhibitors.Methods: In this study, RNA-seq and clinical data of 168 GBM samples were obtained from the TCGA website, and immunological analysis, differential gene expression analysis and functional enrichment analysis were performed. Subsequently, MCL-1-associated prognostic signature (MPS) was constructed and validated by LASSO Cox analysis, and a nomogram was constructed to predict the prognosis of patients. Finally, the 17931 small molecules downloaded from the ZINC15 database were screened by LibDock, ADME, TOPKAT and CDOCKER modules and molecular dynamics simulation in Discovery Studio2019 software, and two safer and more effective small molecule inhibitors were finally selected.Results: Immunological analysis showed immunosuppression in the MCL1_H group, and treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors had a positive effect. Differential expression gene analysis identified 449 differentially expressed genes. Build and validate MPS using LASSO Cox analysis. Use the TSHR HIST3H2A, ARGE OSMR, ARHGEF25 build risk score, proved that low risk group of patients prognosis is better. Univariate and multivariate analysis proved that risk could be used as an independent predictor of patient prognosis. Construct a nomogram to predict the survival probability of patients at 1,2,3 years. Using a series of computer-aided techniques, two more reasonable lead compounds ZINC000013374322 and ZINC000001090002 were virtually selected. These compounds have potential inhibitory effects on MCL-1 and provide a basis for the design and further development of MCL-1 specific small molecule inhibitors.Discussion: This study analyzed the effect of MCL-1 on the prognosis of glioblastoma patients from the perspective of immunology, constructed a new prognostic model to evaluate the survival rate of patients, and further screened 2 MCL-1 small molecule inhibitors, which provides new ideas for the treatment and prognosis of glioblastoma.

Metal oxide semiconductor hetero- and homojunctions are commonly constructed to improve the performance of hydrogen sensors at room temperature. In this study, a simple two-step hydrothermal method was employed to prepare TiO2 films with homojunctions of rutile and anatase phases (denoted as TiO2-R/A). Then, the microstructure of anatase-phase TiO2 was altered by controlling the amount of hydrochloric acid to realize a more favorable porous structure for charge transport and a larger surface area for contact with H2. The sensor used a Pt interdigital electrode. At an optimal HCl dosage (25 mL), anatase-phase TiO2 uniformly covered rutile-phase TiO2 nanorods, resulting in a greater response to H2 at 2500 ppm compared with that of a rutile TiO2 nanorod sensor by a factor of 1153. The response time was 21 s, mainly because the homojunction formed by the TiO2 rutile and anatase phases increased the synergistic effect of the charge transfer and potential barrier between the two phases, resulting in the formation of more superoxide (O2−) free radicals on the surface. Furthermore, the porous structure increased the surface area for H2 adsorption. The TiO2-R/A-based sensor exhibited high selectivity, long-term stability, and a fast response. This study provides new insights into the design of commercially competitive hydrogen sensors.

Al–Mg–Sc alloy ingots were compressed 80% at different strain rates (1/s, 0.01/s and 0.0001/s) and different temperatures (300 °C and 450 °C). The microstructure was characterized by SEM, EBSD, XRD and TEM. The EBSD results show that the samples with a deformation rate of 0.01/s have the largest number of tiny equiaxed grains at the grain boundaries, but the equiaxed grains in the 0.0001/s sample are less and larger. This indicates that the number of new equiaxed grains does not always increase with decreasing strain rate. Furthermore, the TEM results confirmed that the recrystallization mechanism with a strain rate of 0.0001/s is similar to in situ recrystallization. The XRD results show that with the increase of temperature and the decrease of strain rate, there are fewer dislocations in the samples after thermal deformation. The particle stimulated recrystallization is also different in the 0.01/s sample and the 0.0001/s sample. Furthermore, at a strain rate of 0.0001/s, a large number of fine Al3(Sc,Zr) particles appear, which is due to the dynamic precipitation during slow thermal deformation.

The effect of annealing temperature on microstructure and mechanical property of rolling and equal channel angular pressing Al–Mg–Sc–Zr alloy were studied. The ECAP passes were set as 2, 4 and 6, and the rolling deformation was set as 75%. Then, the samples were annealed at different temperature (from 100 °C to 550 °C). Results show that with the increase of the ECAP strain, the grain size becomes finer and finer, and the microstructure becomes more and more uniform. According to the XRD result, the average dislocation densities are 8.02 × 1014/m2, 1.67 × 1015/m2, 2.12 × 1015/m2 and 2.21 × 1015/m2 for CR, 2P, 4P and 6P sample. The Vickers hardness also increases with the ECAP strain. The yield strengths of CR, 2P, 4P, and 6P samples are 384 MPa, 420 MPa, 449 MPa and 462 MPa, respectively. Different samples have different degrees of hardness reduction after annealing. When the annealing temperature is over 400 °C, the hardnesses of samples are upside down. The strength of 6P samples are the lowest among all samples, while the those of CR samples are the highest. This is because the extreme high dislocation density leads to drastic recrystallization, making the grains grow up and many Al3(Sc, Zr) particles become large and incoherent, undermining the pinning effect.

Amidst the growing urgency to mitigate the impacts of anthropogenic climate change, urban flooding stands out as a critical concern, necessitating effective stormwater management strategies. This research presents a bibliometric analysis of the literature on urban stormwater management optimization from 2004 to 2023, with the aim of understanding how the field has responded to these escalating challenges. Aiming to map the evolution and current state of the field, this study employed a methodical approach, using CiteSpace to analyze publication trends, authorship patterns, and geographical distributions, as well as keyword and citation dynamics. The findings reveal a marked increase in research activity after 2014, with significant contributions observed between 2019 and 2022. Key research themes identified include low-impact development, green infrastructure, and stormwater management, with a notable shift towards hybrid grey–green infrastructure solutions that combine traditional and ecological elements. The prevalence of terms such as ‘best management practices’ and ‘Green Roofs’ in recent publications indicates a growing emphasis on practical, case-study-based research, particularly in green infrastructure technologies like bioretention cells. These insights underscore the field’s movement towards pragmatic, multi-objective optimization frameworks with tangible applications, guiding future research directions in this increasingly complex domain.

BackgroundHigh-grade glioma (HGG) is a malignant brain tumor that is common and aggressive in children and adults. In the current medical paradigm, surgery and radiotherapy are the standard treatments for HGG patients. Despite this, the overall prognosis is still very bleak. Studies have shown that platelet-derived growth factor receptor α (PDGFRA) is an essential target to treat tumors and inhibiting the activity of PDGFRA can improve the prognosis of HGG. Thus, PDGFRA inhibitors are critical to developing drugs and cancer treatment.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to screen lead compounds and candidate drugs with potential inhibitors against platelet-derived growth factor receptor α (PDGFRA) from the drug library (ZINC database) in order to improve the prognosis of patients with high-grade glioma (HGG).Materials and methodsIn our study, we selected Imatinib as the reference drug. A series of computer-aided technologies, such as Discovery Studio 2019 and Schrodinger, were used to screen and assess potential inhibitors of PDGFRA. The first step was to calculate the LibDock scores and then analyze the pharmacological and toxicological properties. Following this, we docked the small molecules selected in the previous steps with PDGFRA to study their docking mechanism and affinity. In addition, molecular dynamics simulation was used to determine whether the ligand-PDGFRA complex was stable in nature.ResultsTwo novel natural compounds 1 and 2 (ZINC000008829785 and ZINC000013377891) from the ZINC database were found binding to PDGFRA with more favorable interaction energy. Also, they were predicted with less Ames mutagenicity, rodent carcinogenicity, non-developmental toxic potential, and tolerant with cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6). The dynamic simulation analysis demonstrated that ZINC000008829785-PDGFRA and ZINC000013377891-PDGFRA dimer complex had more favorable potential energy compared with Imatinib, and they can exist in natural environments stably.ConclusionZINC000008829785 and ZINC000013377891 might provide a solid foundation for drugs that inhibit PDGFRA in HGG. In addition to being safe drug candidates, these compounds had important implications for improving drugs targeting PDGFRA.

The role-based access control model (RBAC) is an access control approach oriented to enterprise security policy, which plays a leading role in the field of access control due to its good applicability and flexibility. However, as the scale of access subjects and access objects expands, it becomes more difficult to develop a role engineering system that meets security requirements. Particle size calculation can reduce or improve the particle size of the problem and improve efficiency on the premise of obtaining satisfactory solutions. In this study, the granularity calculation method was introduced into the role formulation process of RBAC, which can effectively reduce the complexity of the problem and improve the efficiency of the RBAC role engineer. At the same time, the concept lattice reduction method was used to reduce the role concept lattice and reduce the workload of the system security administrator.

Psb28 is a soluble protein in the photosystem II (PSII) complex, but its role in the drought stress response of wheat remains unclear. Here, we functionally characterized the TaPsb28 gene, which positively regulates drought tolerance in wheat. When the full-length 546-bp TaPsb28 cDNA was transferred into Arabidopsis thaliana, it was located in the guard cell chloroplast around the stroma. Overexpression of TaPsb28 conferred drought tolerance, as exhibited by the increases in the survival rate. Transgenic plants maintained lower MDA content and higher chlorophyll content by inducing chlorophyll synthase (ChlG) gene transcription. The content of abscisic acid (ABA) and zeatin increased significantly in wild-type (WT) plants under drought stress, and the transcriptional expression levels of RD22, dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR) and anthocyanin reductase (ANR) genes were induced, thus enhancing the contents of endogenous cyanidin, delphinidin, and proanthocyanidins. However, in transgenic plants, although anthocyanins were further aggregated, the ABA increase was inhibited, zeatin was restored to the control level under drought stress, and stomatal closure was promoted. These findings indicate ABA and zeatin have opposite synergistic effects in the process of drought tolerance caused by TaPsb28 because only after the effect of zeatin is alleviated can ABA better play its role in promoting anthocyanin accumulation and stomatal closure, thus enhancing the drought tolerance of transgenic plants. The results suggest that overexpression of TaPsb28 exerts a positive role in the drought response by influencing the functional metabolism of endogenous hormones. The understanding acquired through the research laid a foundation for further in-depth investigation of the function of TaPsb28 in drought resistance in wheat, especially its relationship with anthocyanidin accumulation.

The term ferroptosis coined in 2012 causes acute kidney injury (AKI). However, its pathway mechanism in AKI is poorly understood. In this study, we conducted an RNA-sequence analysis of kidneys in AKI and normal mice to explore the pathway mechanism of ferroptosis. Consequently, differentially expressed genes highlighted Acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family (ACSL4), a known promotor for ferroptosis. Besides, RT-PCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemical analyses confirmed its upregulation. HIF-1α was downregulated in I/R-AKI mice, and in vitro studies confirmed a negative regulation of HIF-1α on ACSL4. To explore the role of ACSL4 in AKI, we constructed ACSL4 knockout in kidney tubules of mice-as Cdh16Cre-ACSL4F/F mice. Results revealed that ACSL4 knockout significantly reduced ferroptosis and inhibited the functional and pathological injury of AKI mice. Meanwhile, the kidneys of Cdh16Cre-ACSL4F/F mice demonstrated a significantly decreased inflammation and macrophage infiltration. Further, additional explorations were explored to decipher a more thorough understanding of ferroptotic immunogenicity. As a result, neutrophils were not directly recruited by ferroptotic cells, but by ferroptotic cell-induced macrophages. Further, ACSL4 inhibitor rosiglitazone significantly inhibited AKI. Collectively, these data provide novel insights into the AKI pathogenesis, and defined ACSL4 as an effective target in AKI.

The mycorrhizal traits of plants have been widely reported based on different scales or plant functional groups. To better utilize mycorrhizae to improve the cultivation yield and active ingredient accumulation of medicinal plants, a database of medicinal plant mycorrhizal characteristics is needed. A database on mycorrhizal traits including mycorrhizal type or status of Chinese medicinal plant species was assembled. In this study, the mycorrhizal type or status of a total of 3,230 medicinal plants was presented. Among them, the mycorrhizal traits of 1,321 species were ascertained. These medicinal plants had three mycorrhizal statuses, both single mycorrhiza (SM) and multi-mycorrhiza (MM) contained four mycorrhizal types. The majority of medicinal plants were obligatorily symbiotic with mycorrhizal fungi with 926 (70.10%) species. The most widespread mycorrhizal type is AM, which is associated with 842 medicinal plant species (90.93% of mycorrhiza has an obligatorily symbiotic relationship with Chinese medicinal plants). Another broadly studied mycorrhizal type is ECM, which is associated with 15 medicinal plant species. This study is the first exclusive database on mycorrhizal traits of medicinal plants, which provides both mycorrhizal type and status. This database provides valuable resources for identifying the mycorrhizal information of medicinal plants and enriching the theory of mycorrhizal traits, which will greatly benefit the production or management of medicinal plants.

Objective To find out the suspicious food, pathogenic factors and risk factors of a foodborne disease outbreak in a factory, and to discuss the problems exposed in the investigation of the incident, so as to provide reference for the prevention, control and investigation of similar incidents in the future. Methods A case was defined as the onset of abdominal pain or diarrhea (≥3 times/24 hours) or vomiting in a person who worked in M factory from March 3 to March 4 in 2019. Case interviews and retrospective research was carried out using descriptive and analytical epidemics pathological method. Stool specimens of the cases, leftover food and related environmental samples were gathered for pathogen isolation and toxin gene detection using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results 106 cases were identified with a attack rate of 73.6% (106/144). The symptoms were diarrhea (78.3%, 83/106), abdominal cramps (78.3%, 83/106), abdominal gas pains (9.4%, 10/106), and no fever. The epidemic curve showed a point source exposure pattern. The median incubation time was 10 hours (range: 2-22 h). Illness were associated with three food items of the lunch on March 3 in 2019 by univariate analysis and Logistic regression analysis: braised fish pieces [relative risk (RR)=1.55, 95% confidence interval (95%CI): 1.29-1.85], pork stir-fried with garlic sprouts (RR=1.26, 95%CI: 1.01-1.57) and duck blood stir-fried with pickles (RR=1.47, 95%CI: 1.16-1.87). Alpha toxin and enterotoxin CPE genes were positive and beta toxin genes was negative in the Clostridium perfringens strain isolated in anal swabs of three patients, three environmental samples and two leftover food samples. There were possible bacterial contamination and reproduction in the processing and preparation of enterprise D, which delivered food. Conclusion This incident was caused by the food poisoning of Clostridium perfringens caused by the consumption of a meal provided by a catering company. After the meal was delivered, it should be cooled quickly and stored at low temperature. If it cannot be eaten immediately, it should be heated sufficiently before eating.

Speech sounds are an essential vehicle of information exchange and meaning expression in approximately 7,000 spoken languages in the world. What functional constraints and evolutionary mechanisms lie behind linguistic diversity of sound systems is under ongoing debate; in particular, it remains conflicting whether there exists any universal relationship between these constraints despite of diverse sounds systems cross-linguistically. Here, we conducted cross-linguistic typological and phylogenetic analyses to address the characteristics of constraints on linguistic diversity of vowel systems. First, the typological analysis revealed a power-law based dependence between the global structural dispersion and the local focalization of vowel systems and validated that such dependence was independent of geographic region, language family, and linguistic affiliation. Second, the phylogenetic analysis further illustrated that the observed dependence resulted from correlated evolutions of these two structural properties, which proceeded in an adaptive process. These results provide empirical evidence that self-organization mechanisms helped shape vowel systems and common functional constraints took effect on the evolution of vowel systems in the world’s languages.

The ecology, seed germination, seedling establishment, and reintroduction of Monochasma savatieri Franch. ex Maxim, a traditional Chinese hemiparasitic medicinal herb, were studied by focusing on the distribution, climate, soil type, flowering and seed production, co-occurring vegetation, and pollinators. The distribution range of M. savatieri lies between 25°03'-29°12' N to 113°39'-120°27' E, based on our sampling. M. savatieri requires vernalization to induce flowering. Seed germination was enhanced by gibberellic acid at an optimum concentration of 500 µM. Other plant growth regulators, including indole-3-acetic acid and 6-benzyladenine, did not enhance seed germination. Low temperature (5 °C) storage was favorable to keep seed viability, which was negatively influenced by increasingly long storage periods. We also examined seedling development and transplantation to the field. Seedlings were interplanted with a moss Hypnum plumaeforme, until they developed true leaves. Developed plants were then transplanted into the wild alongside a host, Gardenia jasminoides, and 23% of the transplanted plants survived after 8 months.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common syndrome that features a complex etiology and set of mechanisms. Here we summarized the molecular pathogenesis of OSA, especially the prospective mechanism of upper? airway dilator fatigue and the current breakthroughs. Additionally, we also introduced the molecular mechanism of OSA in terms of related studies on the main signaling pathways and epigenetics alterations, such as microRNA, long non-coding RNA, and DNA methylation. We also reviewed small molecular compounds, which are potential targets for gene regulations in the future, that are involved in the regulation of OSA. This review will be beneficial to point the way for OSA research within the next decade.

Mycorrhizal strategies include mycorrhizal statuses and mycorrhizal types, which are important reflections of the functional characteristics of ecosystems. The stoichiometry of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in plant organs is an important part of ecosystem functions, which has an important impact on the nutrient cycle of the ecosystem. The concentration of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus played a crucial role in ecosystem functioning and dynamics. The purpose of this study is to provide theoretical basis and data support for improving the properties of global terrestrial ecosystems by exploring the impact of mycorrhizal strategies on the stoichiometry of C, N, and P in different shrub organs. In this study, stoichiometric patterns of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in different shrub organs under different mycorrhizal status or types were analyzed at 725 samples across Northern China. Results showed that in different mycorrhizal status, the highest carbon concentration in shrub organs appeared in the facultatively mycorrhizal (FM) mycorrhizal status, and the highest nitrogen concentration appeared in the Non-mycorrhizal (NM) mycorrhizal status. Under different mycorrhizal types, the nitrogen concentration in the shrub organs under the arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) mycorrhizal type was the highest, and the phosphorus concentration under the ecto-mycorrhiza (ECM) mycorrhizal type was the highest. In the OM or FM mycorrhizal status, the concentrations of C, N, and P in the stems and leaves increase with the increase of the concentrations of C, N, and P in the roots. In the NM mycorrhizal status, the N concentration in the stems and leaves increases with the increase of the N concentration in the roots. Under AM, AM+ECM, and ECM mycorrhizal type, the concentrations of C, N, and P are closely related in roots, stems and leaves. The content of plant nutrients in different organs is closely related. It turned out that mycorrhizal statuses or types are able to alter the allocation of C, N, and P in different organs, and the relationships of C, N, and P among different organs are able to present different trend with the varying of mycorrhizal statuses or types.

This research explored how perceived homophily and reverence of consumers bridge the gap between endorser characteristics and consumer-celebrity para-social interaction (PSI). Online surveys were utilized to collect data from consumers. The results based on structural equation modeling showed that the perceived attractiveness and expertise of a celebrity were separately antecedent to the perceived homophily and reverence of consumers for the celebrity. This in turn allowed consumers to build PSI with the celebrity and led to a positive attitude toward the celebrity-endorsed brand. No differences were found between non-fans and fans of the selected celebrity regarding the confirmed path from celebrity characteristics to consumer brand attitude via PSI and its influencing factors. This work highlighted the significance of consumer-celebrity relations for endorsement effectiveness through proving consumer-celebrity PSI and its drivers as indispensable steps in the endorsement process.

Nitrogen (N) deposition is known to significantly affect plant growth. Mycorrhizas play an important role in plant productivity, and plants of different mycorrhizal types respond differently to global change, which will inevitably affect plant response to N deposition. However, little is known about the differences of different mycorrhizas in biomass allocation of host plants in response to N addition. Here, a meta-analysis of data from N addition experiments was carried out to analyze the response of biomass in arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) and ectomycorrhiza (ECM) plants to N addition. The results showed that biomass of leaf, stem, fine root (FR), and litter between AM and ECM plants responded differently to N addition (p < 0.05). Among them, biomass of leaf and stem in ECM plants (leaf: 46.89%; stem: 45.59%) was more sensitive (positively) to N addition than AM plants (leaf: 27.84%; stem: 10.30%) (p < 0.05). N addition suppressed biomass of FR in AM plants (−11.22%) but promoted that in ECM plants (13.77%). The effects on biomass also varied with different functional groups between AM and ECM plants. However, the N responses were influenced by other resources. When other treatments were added, biomass was less varied in AM plants compared to ECM plants. In addition, the N response of WB (whole biomass) and root biomass were positively correlated with annual temperature in ECM plants, but that in AM plants did not. The effects on shoot biomass in AM and ECM plants to N addition both decreased with annual temperature. The N response of root biomass increased with annual precipitation. It can be seen that different mycorrhizal types regulate the response of different plant organ biomass to N addition, which is significant for predicting ecosystem responses and feedback to environmental change.

Leaf nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are the most important functional traits in plants which affect biogeochemical cycles. As the most widely observed plant–fungus mutualistic symbiosis, mycorrhiza plays a vital role in regulating plant growth. There are different types of mycorrhiza with various ecological functions in nature. Drought, as a frequent environmental stress, has been paid more and more attention due to its influence on plant growth. Numerous studies have confirmed that drought affects the concentration of N and P in plants, but few studies involve different mycorrhizal types of plants. In this study, the differences of N and P between arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (ECM) plants under different drought patterns, drought duration and cultivation conditions were explored based on a dataset by a meta-analysis. Drought stress (DS) showed negative effects on AM plant N (−7.15%) and AM plant P (−13.87%), and a positive effect on AM plant N:P ratio (+8.01%). Drought significantly increased N and the N:P ratio of ECM plants by 1.58% and 3.58%, respectively, and decreased P of ECM plants by −2.00%. Short-term drought (

In recent years, with rapid urbanization, the underlying urban surface has changed dramatically. Various urban eco-environmental problems have emerged globally, among which the urban heat island effect has become one of the most obvious urban eco-environmental problems. In this study, Nanjing, China, was chosen as the study area. Based on Landsat 8 remote sensing image data collected in Nanjing from 2014 to 2018, land surface temperatures were retrieved, the spatiotemporal variation track and characteristics of the thermal environment pattern were systematically depicted, and the driving factors of these variations were revealed. The results show that over the past five years, the spatial pattern of the heat field in Nanjing changed from a scattered distribution in the periphery of the city to a centralized distribution in the centre of the city, and the heat island intensity increased annually. Changes in administrative divisions, changes in the layout of the transportation trunk lines, transfer of industrial centres, and ecological construction projects are important driving factors for the evolution of the land surface thermal environment patterns of these regions. These research results will provide scientific and technological support for similar cities with typical heat island effects elsewhere in the world to formulate urban development plan, and to improve the urban ecological environment.

In order to improve the road performance of drainage SBS modified asphalt mixture, basalt fiber was added to prepare drainage styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) modified asphalt mixture. The viscosity-toughness, toughness, and 60°C dynamic viscosity of SBS modified asphalt were tested. The modification effect was evaluated from the perspective of high and low temperature rheological properties by dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) and bending beam rheometer (BBR) tests. The high temperature stability, water stability, low temperature crack resistance, and drainage of basalt fiber SBS drainage asphalt mixture were evaluated and compared with nonfiber SBS drainage asphalt mixture and TPS drainage asphalt mixture. The morphology characteristics of asphalt mixture and the distribution of basalt fiber in the mixture were analyzed from a micro perspective. The results showed the following: the overall performance of basalt fiber is better than that of lignin fiber. SBS modifier content in 7% can meet the requirements of drainage asphalt pavement on asphalt binder. The optimum asphalt content of SBS modified asphalt mixture with basalt fiber content of 0, 0.15, 0.25, and 0.35% is 4.9, 5.05, 5.15, and 5.2%. The fiber is irregularly distributed in the mixture to form a three-dimensional network structure, which has a series skeleton function. It plays a tensile role in the initial cracking of asphalt mixture and prevents further expansion of cracks.

Abstract Background High-altitude headache (HAH) is the most common sickness occurred in healthy people after rapid ascending to high altitude, and its risk factors were still not well understood. To investigate physiological, hematological and biochemical risk factors associated with high-altitude headache (HAH) after acute exposure to 3700 m, we conducted a two-stage, perspective observational study. In 72 h, total 318 young Han Chinese males ascended from sea level (altitude of 50 m) to altitude of 3700 m by train. Demographic data, physiological, hematological and biochemical parameters of all participants were collected within one week prior to the departure, and within 24 h after arrival. Results The incidence of HAH was 74.84%. For parameters measured at sea level, participants with HAH exhibited significantly higher age and lower BUN (p

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified abundant genetic susceptibility loci, GWAS of small sample size are far less from meeting the previous expectations due to low statistical power and false positive results. Effective statistical methods are required to further improve the analyses of massive GWAS data. Here we presented a new statistic (Robust Reference Powered Association Test1) to use large public database (gnomad) as reference to reduce concern of potential population stratification. To evaluate the performance of this statistic for various situations, we simulated multiple sets of sample size and frequencies to compute statistical power. Furthermore, we applied our method to several real datasets (psoriasis genome-wide association datasets and schizophrenia genome-wide association dataset) to evaluate the performance. Careful analyses indicated that our newly developed statistic outperformed several previously developed GWAS applications. Importantly, this statistic is more robust than naive merging method in the presence of small control-reference differentiation, therefore likely to detect more association signals.

Accurate segmentation of entity categories is the critical step for 3D scene understanding. This paper presents a fast deep neural network model with Dense Conditional Random Field (DCRF) as a post-processing method, which can perform accurate semantic segmentation for 3D point cloud scene. On this basis, a compact but flexible framework is introduced for performing segmentation to the semantics of point clouds concurrently, contribute to more precise segmentation. Moreover, based on semantics labels, a novel DCRF model is elaborated to refine the result of segmentation. Besides, without any sacrifice to accuracy, we apply optimization to the original data of the point cloud, allowing the network to handle fewer data. In the experiment, our proposed method is conducted comprehensively through four evaluation indicators, proving the superiority of our method.

(1) Introduction: New and innovative approaches to dental education have continued to improve with time. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic forced dental education to change as social distancing implementations were enforced. Virtual reality was used as a resource before the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has become more essential due to social restrictions. Virtual reality can allow students to be fully immersed in a clinical environment without leaving their homes. (2) Methods: The development of virtual reality (VR) for implant surgery was described. Selected students filled out a survey before and after using the program. Then, a focus group discussion for the students was held to analyze the program further. (3) Results: Seven dental students enrolled in the Advanced Predoctoral Implant Program (APIP) participated in the study. Qualitative analysis of this study suggests that virtual reality can be used as a supplemental resource to enhance student learning of specific topics. Additionally, the students had positive outlooks for using virtual reality as a resource in dental education and were hopeful to use it in the future for particular topics and subjects. (4) Discussion: The advantages and disadvantages of VR application in education were described. This application allows the students to be immersed fully with virtual dental operatory. The application provides the student with an enhanced learning experience in implant dentistry. Students displayed supportive attitudes towards the applicability of VR in dental education but considered this application as an adjunctive tool for learning. (5) Conclusion: The application of this technology in dental education is promising. The use of virtual reality in teaching and learning implant dentistry offers positive enhancement, especially during these challenging times.

Based on the data of Chinese A-share listed companies during the period from 2007 to 2016, this paper examined the impact of the performance compensation commitments in backdoor listing on corporate earnings management. The empirical results show that performance commitments have increased backdoor listed companies’ earnings management level; the promised performance growth rate is positively correlated with earnings management level; share compensation has a stronger impact on earnings management than cash compensation. In addition, compared with state-owned enterprises, the association between performance compensation commitments and earnings management is more pronounced in non-state-owned firms.

Lexicostatistics has been applied in linguistics to inform phylogenetic relations among languages. There are two important yet not well-studied parameters in this approach: the conventional size of vocabulary list to collect potentially true cognates and the minimum matching instances required to confirm a recurrent sound correspondence. Here, we derive two statistical principles from stochastic theorems to quantify these parameters. These principles validate the practice of using the Swadesh 100- and 200-word lists to indicate degree of relatedness between languages, and enable a frequency-based, dynamic threshold to detect recurrent sound correspondences. Using statistical tests, we further evaluate the generality of the Swadesh 100-word list compared to the Swadesh 200-word list and other 100-word lists sampled randomly from the Swadesh 200-word list. All these provide mathematical support for applying lexicostatistics in historical and comparative linguistics.

The complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of Japanese Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus niphonius) was cloned and sequenced. The total length of the mitochondrial genome is 16,646 bp with an accession number KY228987. Thirty-seven genes are identified in total, including 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes and a putative D-loop region. Among these genes, 9 are encoded on the light strand, while others are encoded on the heavy strand. The overall base composition of mitogenome is 28.39% for A, 16.14% for G, 26.52% for T, 28.96% for C, respectively, with a slight higher A + T content (54.91%). The phylogeny analysis based on 18 COI amino acid sequences suggested that S. niphonius and the other two species from Scomberomorus (Scombridae) formed a cluster apart from the one comprising other genus from Scombridae. The complete mitogenome may shed light on the future study of genetic mechanism of Scomberomorus niphonius.