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Toxin-antitoxin (TA) modules are important mediators of persister cell formation in response to environmental stresses. However, the mechanisms through which persistence is controlled remain poorly understood. Weissella cibaria, a novel probiotic, can enter a persistent state upon exposure to tetracycline stress. This study found that the Bro-Xre TA modules of W. cibaria function as typical tetracycline regulators. The Bro-Xre TA modules were activated when exposed to tetracycline stress, and the released toxin Bro acted on various cellular metabolic processes, including energy, amino acid, and nucleotide metabolism. Among them, the genes related to intracellular energy pathways, such as PTS, EMP, HMP, TCA, and oxidative phosphorylation, were downregulated, leading to reduced ATP synthesis and proton motive force. This metabolic disruption resulted in cells adopting a persistent phenotype, characterized by an increase in cell length in W. cibaria. Additionally, the frequency of persister cells increased under tetracycline stress. These results provide a novel perspective for understanding the mechanism by which TA modules induce persistence in probiotics, allowing them to evade antibiotic stress through metabolic disruption.

Abstract Background Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is an emerging technique for the clinical diagnosis of infectious disease that has rarely been used for the diagnosis of ascites infection in patients with cirrhosis. This study compared mNGS detection with conventional culture methods for the on etiological diagnosis of cirrhotic ascites and evaluated the clinical effect of mNGS. Methods A total of 109 patients with ascites due to cirrhosis were included in the study. We compared mNGS with conventional culture detection by analyzing the diagnostic results, pathogen species and clinical effects. The influence of mNGS on the diagnosis and management of ascites infection in patients with cirrhosis was also evaluated. Results Ascites cases were classified into three types: spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) (16/109, 14.7%), bacterascites (21/109, 19.3%) and sterile ascites (72/109, 66.1%). In addition, 109 patients were assigned to the ascites mNGS-positive group (80/109, 73.4%) or ascites mNGS-negative group (29/109, 26.6%). The percentage of positive mNGS results was significantly greater than that of traditional methods (73.4% vs. 28.4%, P 0.05). Based on the ascites PMN counts combined with the mNGS assay, 72 patients (66.1%) were diagnosed with ascitic fluid infection (AFI) (including SBP and bacterascites), whereas based on the ascites PMN counts combined with the culture assay, 37 patients (33.9%) were diagnosed with AFI (P

Abstract Plain pottery excavated from the Tang Dynasty tomb of Liu Jing was taken as the research object. The color, chemical composition, microstructure, and phase were tested to investigate the influencing factors of color for plain pottery fragments. The results indicated that the contents of Fe2O3 and TiO2 in all fragments varied little, and the influence of humic acids in clay as well as the firing atmosphere on the appearance color of plain pottery was excluded. Therefore, the main factor affecting color saturation (C*) was identified as the firing temperature (T). More importantly, the correlation between C* and firing temperature was established by replicas fired at different temperatures. Before the appearance of the glass phase, iron-containing minerals played a major role in coloring, and after that, iron ions in the glass phase and iron crystallization rose the important function of coloring. Consequently, with the increase of firing temperature, C* value increased firstly and then decreased. The inflection point of the fitted C* − T curve corresponded to the glass phase formation temperature. By comparing the estimated firing temperatures obtained by the fitted C* − T correlation curve with the known firing temperature of replicas, it was demonstrated that the color measurement is an ideal method for deducing the firing temperatures of ancient plain pottery.

The accurate and efficient detection of printed circuit board (PCB) surface defects is crucial to the electronic information manufacturing industry. However, current approaches to PCB defect detection face challenges, including large model sizes and difficulties in balancing detection accuracy with speed. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a novel PCB surface defect detection algorithm, named DVCW-YOLO. First, all standard convolutions in the backbone and neck networks of YOLOv8n are replaced with lightweight DWConv convolutions. In addition, a self-designed C2fCBAM module is introduced to the backbone network for extracting features. Next, within the neck structure, the C2f module is substituted with the more lightweight VOVGSCSP module, thereby reducing model redundancy, simplifying model complexity, and enhancing detection speed. By enhancing prominent features and suppressing less important ones, this modification allows the model to better focus on key regions, thereby improving feature representation capabilities. Finally, the WIoU loss function is implemented to replace the traditional CIoU function in YOLOv8n. This adjustment addresses issues related to low generalization and poor detection performance for small objects or complex backgrounds, while also mitigating the impact of low-quality or extreme samples on model accuracy. Experimental results demonstrate that the DVCW-YOLO model achieves a mean average precision (mAP) of 99.3% and a detection speed of 43.3 frames per second (FPS), which represent improvements of 4% and 4.08%, respectively, over the YOLOv8n model. These results confirm that the proposed model meets the real-time PCB defect detection requirements of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Sulfur utilization in high-mass-loading positive electrodes is crucial for developing practical all-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries. Here, authors propose a low-density inorganic solid-state electrolyte to improve the sulfur utilization in lab-scale Li-In||S all-solid-state cells.

Abstract Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been associated with type 2 diabetes, but its relationship with pre-diabetes is still unknown. This study aims to determine whether pre-diabetes is associated with NAFLD, followed by establishing a NAFLD predictive nomogram for lean Chinese pre-diabetics with normal blood lipids. Methods Datasets from 3 previous studies, 1 (2774 pre-diabetics with normal blood lipids for training, 925 for validation), 2 (546 for longitudinal internal validation, post-5-year follow-up), and 3 (501 from another institution for external validation), were used. Kaplan-Meier determined cumulative NAFLD hazard, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression analysis uncovered its risk factors. Multivariate logistic regression analysis constructed the nomogram, followed by validation with receiver operating characteristic curve, calibration plot, and decision curve analyses. Results NAFLD incidence increased with diabetes progression, and pre-diabetics had higher cumulative risk versus non-diabetics, even for lean individuals with normal blood lipids. Six risk factors were identified: body mass index, total cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase:aspartate aminotransferase, triglyceride:high density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting blood glucose and γ-glutamyl-transferase. The nomogram yielded areas under the curve of 0.808, 0.785, 0.796 and 0.832, for respectively, training, validation, longitudinal internal validation, and external validation, which, along with calibration curve values of p = 0.794, 0.875, 0.854 and 0.810 for those 4 datasets and decision curve analyses, validated its clinical utility. Conclusions Lean pre-diabetic Chinese with normal blood lipids have higher NAFLD risk versus non-diabetics. The nomogram is able to predict NAFLD among such individuals, with high discrimination, enabling its use for early detection and intervention.

The deployment of Li–S batteries in the commercial sector faces obstacles due to their low electrical conductivity, slow redox reactions, quick fading of capacity, and reduced coulombic efficiency. These issues stem from the “shuttle effect” associated with lithium polysulfides (LiPSs). In this work, a haystack-like CeO2 derived from a cerium-based metal-organic framework (Ce-MOF) is obtained for the modification of a polypropylene separator. The carbon framework and CeO2 coexist in this haystack-like structure and contribute to a synergistic effect on the restriction of LiPSs shuttling. The carbon network enhances electron transfer in the conversion of LiPSs, improving the rate performance of the battery. Moreover, CeO2 enhances the redox kinetics of LiPSs, effectively reducing the “shuttle effect” in Li–S batteries. The Li–S battery with the optimized CeO2 modified separator shows an initial discharge capacity of 870.7 mAh/g at 2 C, maintaining excellent capacity over 500 cycles. This research offers insights into designing functional separators to mitigate the “shuttle effect” in Li–S batteries.

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic value of serum oligosaccharide chain (G-test), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and aspartic aminotransferase to alanine aminotransferase ratios (AAR), both alone and in combination, for predicting hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) onset. Methods Between Januarys 2020–2022, 152 subjects admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University was enrolled in this study, of which 77 had HCC, 18 chronic hepatitis (CH), 37 liver cirrhosis (LC) and 20 were healthy. Data for patient characteristics were collected, and differences between groups were analyzed by either Mann-Whitney U or χ2 tests. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine the diagnostic value of AFP, G-test, and AAR for HCC. Results G-test, AFP, and AAR were all found to have close correlations with HCC among the different patient groups, with G-test being the most predictive for HCC among healthy and CL patients, as represented by respective areas under the curve (AUC) of 0.953 and 0.792 (P

Introduction: In-class engagement enhances learning and can be measured using observational tools. As the COVID-19 pandemic shifted teaching online, we modified a tool to measure the engagement of instructors and students, comparing in-person with online teaching and different class types. Methods: Video recordings of in-person and online teachings of six identical topics each were evaluated using our ‘In-class Engagement Measure’ (IEM). There were three topics each of case-based learning (CBL) and lecture-based instruction (LLC). Student IEM scores were: (1) no response, (2) answers when directly questioned, (3) answers spontaneously, (4) questions spontaneously, (5) initiates group discussions. Instructor IEM scores were: (1) addressing passive listeners, (2) asking ≥1 students, (3) initiates discussions, (4) monitors small group discussion, (5) monitoring whole class discussions. Results: Twelve video recorded sessions were analysed. For instructors, there were no significant differences in percentage time of no engagement or IEM scores when comparing in-person with online teaching. For students, there was a significantly higher percentage time of no engagement for the online teaching of two topics. For class type, there was overall less percentage time of no engagement and higher IEM scores for CBL than LLC. Conclusion: Our modified IEM tool demonstrated that instructors’ engagement remained similar, but students’ engagement reduced with online teaching. Additionally, more in-class engagement was observed in CBL. “Presenteeism”, where learners were online but disengaged was common. More effort is needed to engage students during online teaching.

Abstract LncRNAs represent a class of RNA transcripts of more than 200 nucleotides (nt) in length without discernible protein-coding potential. The expression levels of lncRNAs are significantly affected by stress or developmental cues. Recent studies have shown that lncRNAs participate in fruit development and ripening processes in tomato and strawberry; however, in other fleshy fruits, the association between lncRNAs and fruit ripening remains largely elusive. Here, we constructed 9 ssRNA-Seq libraries from three different peach (Prunus persica) fruit developmental stages comprising the first and second exponential stages and the fruit-ripening stage. In total, 1500 confident lncRNAs from 887 loci were obtained according to the bioinformatics analysis. The lncRNAs identified in peach fruits showed distinct characteristics compared with protein-coding mRNAs, including lower expression levels, lower complexity of alternative splicing, shorter isoforms and smaller numbers of exons. Expression analysis identified 575 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) classified into 6 clusters, among which members of Clusters 1, 2, 4 and 5 were putatively associated with fruit development and ripening processes. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed that the DELs indeed had stage-specific expression patterns in peach fruits. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that DELs might be associated with fruit-ripening-related physiological and metabolic changes, such as flavonoid biosynthesis, fruit texture softening, chlorophyll breakdown and aroma compound accumulation. Finally, the similarity analysis of lncRNAs within different plant species indicated the low sequence conservation of lncRNAs. Our study reports a large number of fruit-expressed lncRNAs and identifies fruit development phase-specific expressed lncRNA members, which highlights their potential functions in fruit development and ripening processes and lays the foundations for future functional research.

Objective: We aimed to provide an up-to-date synthesis of the effectiveness of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) use to self-monitor symptoms compared to conventional follow-up care in patients with rheumatic diseases. We also compared the effect of providing feedback via PROMs to a control group in which PROMs feedback was not provided. Methods: This review was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Articles published before October 2023 were retrieved from PubMed[Formula: see text], Cochrane Library[Formula: see text], Embase[Formula: see text], and PsycINFO[Formula: see text](Ovid). Studies were included if (1) they compared PROMs use compared against not using PROMs, (2) used PROMs as an intervention with feedback provided to healthcare professionals/patients to compare against PROMs use but no feedback was provided. Methodological quality and level of evidence were evaluated according to the Risk of Bias tool and the Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies of Interventions tool. Results: A total of 15, 571 articles were screened, 5 articles met the inclusion criteria, and 3 additional articles were identified from handsearching. Most studies reported positive results on symptom control, health-related quality of life, patient perception, shared decision making, and a reduction in clinic visits. No studies reported on survival/mortality. In general, we found conflicting evidence regarding whether feedback from physicians improved patient satisfaction in clinical care. Conclusion: We identified 8 articles through a systematic review and synthesised evidence on their effectiveness. There is a lack of studies comparing PROMs use to conventional care in rheumatic diseases. Future studies should explore the implications of using PROMs in clinical care.

Abstract Background Recent studies have demonstrated the presence of associations between metabolic syndrome and the onset of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Metabolic syndrome, in turn, has been found to be linked to high serum uric acid to HDL-cholesterol ratios (UHR). However, the relationship between UHR values and the occurrence of NAFLD in non-obese individuals remains unknown. The present study aimed to examine the possible correlation between UHR values and NAFLD onset among a non-obese Chinese population without dyslipidemia, as well as comparing the predictive value of UHR versus other NAFLD onset predictors. Methods A total of 9837 non-obese patients, with normal blood lipid levels, were included in a 5-year retrospective cohort study, and the onset of NAFLD in these patients was diagnosed by liver ultrasound. Results Out of the 9837 patients, 855 were diagnosed with NAFLD during the 5-year follow-up period, for an overall total prevalence of 8.7% at the end of the study period. Across quintiles 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of UHR (respectively, ratios of ≤ 120.88, 120.89–154.01, 154.02–189.91, 189.92–240.46, and ≥ 240.47), the prevalence of NAFLD among the patients increased from 2.4%, 5%, 7.9%, 10.3%, and 17.8%, respectively. After adjustments for age, gender, liver and kidney functional markers, as well as metabolic indicators, multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis demonstrated that the hazard ratio (HR) was the highest in quintile 5, at 1.76 (1.12–2.75), and the lowest in quintile 1. The area under the curve (AUC) for UHR (0.690) was higher than that for serum uric acid (UA, 0.666) and HDL-C (0.636), suggesting the predictive ability of UHR for NAFLD onset was better than either alone. This finding was further supported by the presence of an independent association between UHR and NAFLD, even within the normal range of UA and HDL-C; the HR (95% confidence interval, CI) for NAFLD was 1.002 (1.000–1.004). Compared with other significant predictors, AUC for UHR (0.67) was similar to that of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C, 0.68), non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (NHDL-C)/HDL-C (0.68) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT)/aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ratios (0.7), and was higher than that of LDL-C (0.63), remnant cholesterol (RC,0.59), and albumin (ALB)/alkaline phosphatase (ALP) ratio (0.61). The sensitivity of UHR (71%) was the highest among all indicators. In the subgroup with ALT 40U/L, UHR was able to predict the occurrence of NAFLD (AUC = 0.61, p = 0.007), which was not the case for RC (P = 0.441), ALB/ALP (P = 0.419), and ALT/AST (P = 0.159). Conclusions UHR serve as an inexpensive and reliable predictor of NAFLD onset in non-obese Chinese people with normal blood lipid levels, allowing for identification of individuals at high risk for NAFLD.

Pain is commonly comorbid with anxiety; however, the neural and molecular mechanisms underlying the comorbid anxiety symptoms in pain (CASP) have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we explored the role of acid-sensing ion channel 1a (ASIC1a), located in GABAergic neurons from the central nucleus of the amygdala (GABACeA), in the regulation of CASP in an acute pain mouse model. We found that the mice displayed significant mechanical pain sensitization and anxiety-like behaviors one day post injection of complete Freud’s adjuvant (CFA1D). Electrophysiological recordings from acute brain slices showed that the activity of GABACeA neurons increased in the CFA1D mice compared with that in the saline mice. In addition, chemogenetic inhibition of GABACeA neurons relieved mechanical pain sensitization and anxiety-like behaviors in the CFA1D mice. Interestingly, through pharmacological inhibition and genetic knockdown of ASIC1a in the central nucleus amygdala, we found that downregulation of ASIC1a relieved the hypersensitization of mechanical stimuli and alleviated anxiety-related behaviors, accompanied with reversing the hyperactivity of GABACeA neurons in the CFA 1D mice. In conclusion, our results provide novel insights that ASIC1a in GABACeA neurons regulates anxiety-like behaviors in a mouse model of acute pain.

Abstract Background High-density genetic mapping is a valuable tool for mapping loci that control specific traits for perennial fruit trees. Peach is an economically important fruit tree and a model Rosaceae species for genomic and genetic research. In peach, even though many molecular markers, genetic maps and QTL mappings have been reported, further research on the improvement of marker numbers, map densities, QTL accuracy and candidate gene identification is still warranted. Results A high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based peach linkage map was constructed using specific locus amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq). This genetic map consisted of 7998 SLAF markers, spanning 1098.79 cM with an average distance of 0.17 cM between adjacent markers. A total of 40 QTLs and 885 annotated candidate genes were detected for 10 fruit-related traits, including fruit weight (FW), fruit diameter (FD), percentage of red skin colour (PSC), eating quality (EQ), fruit flavour (FV), red in flesh (RF), red around pit (RP), adherence to pit (AP), fruit development period (FDP) and fruit fibre content (FFC). Eighteen QTLs for soluble solid content (SSC) were identified along LGs 1, 4, 5, and 6 in 2015 and 2016, and 540 genes were annotated in QTL intervals. Thirty-two QTLs for fruit acidity content (FA) were detected on LG1, and 2, 4, 5, 6, and 1232 candidate genes were identified. The expression profiles of 2 candidate genes for SSC and 4 for FA were analysed in parents and their offspring. Conclusions We constructed a high-density genetic map in peach based on SLAF-seq, which may contribute to the identification of important agronomic trait loci. Ninety QTLs for 12 fruit-related traits were identified, most of which overlapped with previous reports, and some new QTLs were obtained. A large number of candidate genes for fruit-related traits were screened and identified. These results may improve our understanding of the genetic control of fruit quality traits and provide useful information in marker-assisted selection for fruit quality in peach breeding programmes.

Abstract. Alternative antimicrobial therapies are urgently needed for a variety of multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens. Faropenem is an orally available β-lactam in the class of carbapenem antibiotics. Thus far, little information is available on faropenem susceptibility of multidrug-resistant clinical isolates from China. Therefore, in the current study 141 contemporary clinical isolates, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA: n = 18), coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS: n = 16), Enterococcus faecalis (n = 14), Enterococcus faecium (n = 7), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 25), Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 21), Escherichia coli (n = 20), and Acinetobacter baumannii (n = 20), were collected between March 2018 and March 2019 and tested for susceptibility to faropenem and other antimicrobials using the broth microdilution method. All E. faecium, P. aeruginosa, and A. baumannii isolates were fully resistant to faropenem. However, most of the MRSA, CNS, E. faecalis, K. pneumonia, and E. coli isolates appeared to be susceptible to faropenem, with minimal inhibitory concentration90 values of 4 mg/L, 2 mg/L, 2 mg/L, 4 mg/L, and 2 mg/L, respectively. Therefore, faropenem could be considered as alternative therapy for future treatment of multidrug-resistant MRSA, CNS, E. faecalis, K. pneumonia, and E. coli infections in China.

Pellicle formation is the most typical characteristic of deteriorating fermented vegetable products. Perilla frutescens essential oil (PEO) is widely used as a useful natural preservative. However, few studies have addressed the antifungal activity and mechanism of PEO in pellicle formation microorganisms, and it is still unclear whether it can inhibit pellicle formation and affect its volatile compounds in Sichuan pickles. The current study showed that PEO can inhibit pellicle formation during fermentation of Sichuan pickles as it had significant antifungal activity against the pellicle formation microorganisms Candida tropicalis SH1 and Pichia kluyveri SH2. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of PEO against C. tropicalis SH1 and P. kluyveri SH2 was determined to be 0.4 μL/mL, and the minimum fungicidal concentrations (MFCs) were 1.6 μL/mL and 0.8 μL/mL, respectively. The antifungal mechanism was activated as a result of damage to the cell membrane, an increase in the cell permeability, a decrease in the mitochondrial membrane potential, and the inhibition of ATPase activity. Meanwhile, the addition of PEO to Sichuan pickles can enrich the profiles of volatile compounds during fermentation, including limonene, myrcene, 1,8-cineole, linalool, perilla ketone, heptanal, hexanal, α-thujone and β-terpineol and thus improve the overall sensory acceptability. These results indicated that PEO has the potential to be used as a novel food preservative to control pellicle formation in fermented vegetables.

Alternative splicing (AS) is an important way to generate notable regulatory and proteomic complexity in eukaryotes. However, accurate full-length splicing isoform discovery by second-generation sequencing (SGS) technologies is beset with the precise assembly of multiple isoforms from the same gene loci. In recent years, third-generation sequencing (TGS) technologies have been adopted to gain insight into different aspects of transcriptome complexity, such as complete sequences of mRNA, alternative splicing, fusion transcript, and alternative polyadenylation (APA). Here, we combined PacBio Iso-Seq and Illumina RNA-Seq technologies to decipher the full-length transcriptome of peach. In total, 40,477 nonredundant high-quality consensus transcript sequences were obtained from equally pooled libraries from 10 samples of 6 organs, including leaf, shoot, flower, fruit peel, fruit mesocarp, and fruit stone, of which 18,274 isoforms were novel isoforms of known genes and 546 isoforms were novel gene transcripts. We also discovered 148 fusion transcripts, 15,434 AS events, 508 potential lncRNAs, and 4368 genes with APA events. Of these AS events, the most abundant (62.48%) AS type was intron retention (IR). Moreover, the expression levels of different isoforms identified in this study were quantitatively evaluated, and highly tissue- or development stage-specific expression patterns were observed. The novel transcript isoforms and new characteristics of the peach transcriptome revealed by this study will facilitate the annotation of the peach genome and lay the foundations for functional research in the future.

The plant calcineurin B-like protein–CBL interacting protein kinase (CBL–CIPK) signaling pathway is a Ca2+-related signaling pathway that responds strongly to both biological and abiotic environmental stimuli. This study identified eight CBL and eighteen CIPK genes from peach for the first time. Their basic properties and gene structure were analyzed, and the CBL and CIPK members from Arabidopsis and apple were combined to study their evolutionary relationships. Using RT-qPCR and RNA-seq data, we detected the expression patterns of PprCBLs and PprCIPKs in different tissues and fruit development stages of peach. Among them, the expression levels of PprCBL1 and PprCIPK18 were stable in various tissues and stages. The expression patterns of other members showed specificity between cultivars and developmental stages. By treating shoots with drought and salt stress simulated using PEG6000 and NaCl, it was found that PprCIPK3, PprCIPK6, PprCIPK15 and PprCIPK16 were strongly responsive to salt stress, and PprCIPK3, PprCIPK4, PprCIPK10, PprCIPK14, PprCIPK15, PprCIPK16 and PprCIPK18 were sensitive to drought stress. Three genes, PprCIPK3, PprCIPK15 and PprCIPK16, were sensitive to both salt and drought stress. We cloned four PprCBL and several PprCIPK genes and detected their interaction by yeast two-hybrid assay (Y2H). The results of Y2H show not only the evolutionary conservation of the interaction network of CBL–CIPK but also the specificity among different species. In conclusion, CBL and CIPK genes are important in peach and play an important role in the response to various abiotic stresses.

Water quality monitoring using Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) is essential in aquaculture water quality management. In the field of water quality monitoring, dissolved oxygen (DO) is a key parameter, and its prediction can provide decision support for aquaculture production, thereby reducing farming risk. However, it is difficult to build a precise prediction model, and existing methods of DO prediction neglect the importance of analyzing DO content. To address this problem, this study proposes a hybrid DO prediction model, named KIG-ELM, which is composed of K-means, improved genetic algorithm (IGA), and extreme learning machine (ELM). This model is based on edge computing architecture, in which data acquisition, processing and dissolved oxygen prediction are distributed in sensing nodes, routing nodes and server respectively. Sensing technique and clustering operation are applied in the process of data acquisition and processing. Meanwhile, an optimized extreme learning machine is implemented for DO prediction. We evaluate the efficiency and accuracy of proposed prediction approach in a practical aquaculture on massive water quality data. Experimental results show that the hybrid model achieves significant prediction results and can meet the needs of practical production and management.

Introduction: True non-traumatic radial artery aneurysms (RAAs) are extremely rare, and few cases have been described. The majority of RAAs are post-traumatic or iatrogenic pseudo-aneurysms following arterial cannulation. However, RAAs due to other causes have also been described. Here a rare case of true idiopathic distal RAA, which was managed by surgical resection and repair with interposition vein graft, is described. Report: A 62 year old female with a known medical history of hypertension and hyperlipidaemia presented with left wrist swelling of one year duration, associated with a pulsatile lump that was increasing in size. Duplex ultrasound and computed tomography angiography revealed a distal RAA. She underwent open surgical resection and repair with interposition vein graft using the distal left cephalic vein. Histopathology of the specimen revealed an aneurysm with atherosclerosis. She recovered well post-operatively with no complications. Discussion: True idiopathic RAAs are rare. Surgical treatment is almost always recommended in view of the risk of complications. A case of true idiopathic distal RAA is presented here, which was managed successfully by surgical resection and repair with interposition vein graft.

Abstract Background Few empirical studies support a bio-psycho-social conceptualization of frailty. In addition to physical frailty (PF), we explored mental (MF) and social (SF) frailty and studied the associations between multidimensional frailty and various adverse health outcomes. Methods Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were conducted using data from a population-based cohort (SLAS-1) of 2387 community-dwelling Singaporean Chinese older adults. Outcomes examined were functional and severe disability, nursing home referral and mortality. PF was defined by shrinking, weakness, slowness, exhaustion and physical inactivity, 1–2 = pre-frail, 3–5 = frail; MF was defined by ≥1 of cognitive impairment, low mood and poor self-reported health; SF was defined by ≥2 of living alone, no education, no confidant, infrequent social contact or help, infrequent social activities, financial difficulty and living in low-end public housing. Results The prevalence of any frailty dimension was 63.0%, dominated by PF (26.2%) and multidimensional frailty (24.2%); 7.0% had all three frailty dimensions. With a few exceptions, frailty dimensions share similar associations with many socio-demographic, lifestyle, health and behavioral factors. Each frailty dimension varied in showing independent associations with functional (Odds Ratios [ORs] = 1.3–1.8) and severe disability prevalence at baseline (ORs = 2.2–7.3), incident functional disability (ORs = 1.1–1.5), nursing home referral (ORs = 1.5–3.4) and mortality (Hazard Ratios = 1.3–1.5) after adjusting for age, gender, medical comorbidity and the two other frailty dimensions. The addition of MF and SF to PF incrementally increased risk estimates by more than 2 folds. Conclusions This study highlights the relevance and utility of PF, MF and SF individually and together. Multidimensional frailty can better inform policies and promote the use of targeted multi-domain interventions tailored to older adults’ frailty statuses.

Objective To analyze the clinical and laboratory features and determine the predictors of acute liver failure (ALF) among inpatients with anti-tuberculosis (TB) drug-induced liver injury (DILI). Method Patients diagnosed with anti-TB DILI from 2010 to 2016 at The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University were retrospectively included in this study. Demographic and clinical data were collected by reviewing electronic medical records. Results Among 155 inpatients with anti-TB DILI, 55 (35.48%) developed ALF, with an overall mortality of 9.68%. The median time to DILI onset was significantly longer in the ALF compared with the non-ALF group (51 versus 24 days). Eighty-three patients (53.55%) developed DILI (53.55%) within the first month of anti-TB treatment, and 60% of ALF cases occurred within 2 months. Multivariable models for ALF incorporating aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin, platelets, white blood cell count, and pre-existing hepatitis yielded a concordance (C-statistic) of 98.93%. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that approximately half of all cases of DILI occur within the first month, while 60% of ALF cases occur within 2 months. Elevated total bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase, white blood cell count, pre-existing hepatitis, and low platelet count are independent risk factors for the development of anti-TB drug-induced ALF.

Background: MicroRNA-223 (miR-223) has been shown to be a potential diagnostic and prognostic marker for several cancers. In addition, miR-223 has been reported to suppress osteosarcoma cell proliferation in vitro. However, the clinical value of miR-223 is still unknown. Methods: We detected the expression of miR-223 expression in the serum of osteosarcoma patients and in osteosarcoma cancer cells using RT-PCR. We compared the serum expression of miR-223 with the clinicopathological characteristics and survival of osteosarcoma patients. Finally, we explored the role of miR-223 on the invasion of osteosarcoma cancer cells using cell migration and invasion assays. Results: We observed that the expression of miR-223 was significantly decreased in the serum of osteosarcoma patients and osteosarcoma cancer cells compared to healthy controls (P

In this study, a novel magnetorheological (MR) polishing device under a compound magnetic field is designed to achieve microlevel polishing of the titanium tubes. The polishing process is realized by combining the rotation motion of the tube and the reciprocating linear motion of the polishing head. Two types of excitation equipment for generating an appropriate compound magnetic field are outlined. A series of experiments are conducted to systematically investigate the effect of compound magnetic field strength, rotation speed, and type and concentration of abrasive particles on the polishing performance delivered by the designed device. The experiments were carried out through controlling variables. Before and after the experiment, the surface roughness in the polished area of the workpiece is measured, and the influence of the independent variable on the polishing effect is judged by a changing rule of surface roughness so as to obtain a better parameter about compound magnetic field strength, concentration of abrasive particles, etc. It is shown from experimental results that diamond abrasive particles are appropriate for fine finishing the internal surface of the titanium-alloy tube. It is also identified that the polishing performance is excellent at high magnetic field strength, fast rotation speed, and high abrasive-particle concentration.

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are susceptible to faults in sensor data. Outlier detection is crucial for ensuring the quality of data analysis in WSNs. This paper proposes a novel improved support vector data description method (ID-SVDD) to effectively detect outliers of sensor data. ID-SVDD utilizes the density distribution of data to compensate SVDD. The Parzen-window algorithm is applied to calculate the relative density for each data point in a data set. Meanwhile, we use Mahalanobis distance (MD) to improve the Gaussian function in Parzen-window density estimation. Through combining new relative density weight with SVDD, this approach can efficiently map the data points from sparse space to high-density space. In order to assess the outlier detection performance, the ID-SVDD algorithm was implemented on several datasets. The experimental results demonstrated that ID-SVDD achieved high performance, and could be applied in real water quality monitoring.

The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), via its two distinct multiprotein complexes, mTORC1 and mTORC2, plays a central role in the regulation of cellular growth, metabolism and migration. A dysregulation of the mTOR pathway has in turn been implicated in several pathological conditions including insulin resistance and cancer. Overactivation of mTORC1 and disruption of mTORC2 function have been reported to induce insulin resistance. On the other hand, aberrant mTORC1 and mTORC2 signaling via either genetic alterations or increased expression of proteins regulating mTOR and its downstream targets have contributed to cancer development. These underlined the attractiveness of mTOR as a therapeutic target to overcome both insulin resistance and cancer. This review summarises the evidence supporting the notion of intermittent, low dose rapamycin for treating insulin resistance. It further highlights recent data on the continuous use of high dose rapamycin analogs and related second generation mTOR inhibitors for cancer eradication, for overcoming chemoresistance and for tumour stem cell suppression. Within these contexts, the potential challenges associated with the use of mTOR inhibitors are also discussed.

In the last decade, the tremendous improvement in the sensitivity and also affordability of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has revolutionized its application in pharmaceutical analysis, resulting in widespread employment of LC-MS/MS in determining pharmaceutical compounds, including anticancer drugs in pharmaceutical research and also industries. Currently, LC-MS/MS has been widely used to quantify small molecule oncology drugs in various biological matrices to support preclinical and clinical pharmacokinetic studies in R&D of oncology drugs. This mini-review article will describe the state-of-the-art LC-MS/MS and its application in rapid quantification of small molecule anticancer drugs. In addition, efforts have also been made in this review to address several key aspects in the development of rapid LC-MS/MS methods, including sample preparation, chromatographic separation, and matrix effect evaluation.

For monitoring the aquaculture parameters in pond with wireless sensor networks (WSN), high accuracy of fault detection and high precision of error correction are essential. However, collecting accurate data from WSN to server or cloud is a bottleneck because of the data faults of WSN, especially in aquaculture applications, limits their further development. When the data fault occurs, data fusion mechanism can help to obtain corrected data to replace abnormal one. In this paper, we propose a data fusion method using a novel function that is Dynamic Time Warping time series strategy improved support degree (DTWS-ISD) for enhancing data quality, which employs a Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) time series segmentation strategy to the improved support degree (ISD) function. We use the DTW distance to replace Euclidean distance, which can explore the continuity and fuzziness of data streams, and the time series segmentation strategy is adopted to reduce the computation dimension of DTW algorithm. Unlike Gauss support function, ISD function obtains mutual support degree of sensors without the exponent calculation. Several experiments were finished to evaluate the accuracy and efficiency of DTWS-ISD with different performance metrics. The experimental results demonstrated that DTWS-ISD achieved better fusion precision than three existing functions in a real-world WSN water quality monitoring application.

The areas where dengue virus (DENV) is endemic have expanded rapidly, driven in part by the global spread of Aedes species, which act as disease vectors. DENV replicates in the mosquito midgut and is disseminated to the mosquito's salivary glands for amplification. Thus, blocking virus infection or replication in the tissues of the mosquito may be a viable strategy for reducing the incidence of DENV transmission to humans. Here we used the mariner Mos1 transposase to create an Aedes aegypti line that expresses virus-specific miRNA hairpins capable of blocking DENV replication. These microRNA are driven by the blood-meal-inducible carboxypeptidase A promoter or by the polyubiquitin promoter. The transgenic mosquitoes exhibited significantly lower infection rates and viral titers for most DENV serotypes 7 days after receiving an infectious blood meal. The treatment was also effective at day 14 post infection after a second blood meal had been administered. In viral transmission assay, we found there was significantly reduced transmission in these lines. These transgenic mosquitoes were effective in silencing most of the DENV genome; such an approach may be employed to control a dengue fever epidemic.

Waterborne novolac epoxy based thermal resistant and fire‐retardant thermal insulation coatings were developed in this work. Novolac (phenolic) epoxy emulsion (PEE) was prepared by the phase inversion method based on formulation optimization by orthogonal array testing. The prepared emulsions have similar particle size, viscosity, and stability to commercial bisphenol a glycidyl ether epoxy emulsion (PZ). DSC results showed that the varnish film based on PEE had a higher glass transition temperature and initial thermal decomposition temperature compared with PZ cured by the same curing agent. Waterborne thermal insulation coating with PEE and PZ as binders and hollow glass microspheres (HGMs) as thermal insulation fillers were studied. The results indicated that the thermal conductivity of the coating decreased with an increase in HGMs content. Specifically, the thermal conductivity of the PEE coating containing 20 wt% HGMs is as low as 0.093 W/(m·K). It reduces the exterior temperature of the hot tank from approximately 200 °C to approximately 106 °C. Furthermore, the HGMs/PEE waterborne thermal insulation coating exhibits good thermal stability and flame retardance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Singapore's adult vaccination coverage is suboptimal, and this can be attributed to a lack of vaccination recommendations and misconceptions. Studies have explored pharmacists' vaccination knowledge, attitudes, and practice behaviour overseas but limited information about pharmacists in Singapore is available. This study aims to investigate pharmacists' vaccination knowledge, attitudes towards providing vaccination services, and their educational needs. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on pharmacists in various practice settings using an anonymous online survey. Results: Pharmacists' vaccination knowledge (median: 2; IQR: 1–3), confidence in providing vaccination services (median: 6; IQR: 5–8), and frequency of providing vaccination services (median: 2; IQR: 1–3) were only average. However, 74.3% of pharmacists agreed that they play an important role as vaccine advocates. Apparent differences in knowledge level (p = 0.008), confidence level (p = 0.001), attitude (p < 0.001), and the frequency of educating patients (p = 0.001) and recommending vaccinations (p < 0.001) were observed among pharmacists from different practice settings. The main barriers identified were discomfort with giving injections (38.5%) and a lack of skills or knowledge (28.3%) at the point of survey. Conclusions: Pharmacists see the importance of their role as vaccine advocates. However, their vaccination knowledge, confidence in providing vaccination services, and practice behaviours are only average due to inadequate training. Continuous professional education is required to increase pharmacists' readiness to provide vaccination services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mosquito-borne arboviruses are responsible for recent dengue, chikungunya, and Zika pandemics. The yellow-fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, plays an important role in the transmission of all three viruses. We developed a miRNA-based approach that results in a dual resistance phenotype in mosquitoes to dengue serotype 3 (DENV-3) and chikungunya (CHIKV) viruses. The target viruses are from two distinct arboviral families and the antiviral mechanism is designed to function through the endogenous miRNA pathway in infected mosquitoes. Challenge experiments showed reductions in viral transmission efficiency of transgenic mosquitoes. Several components of mosquito fitness were examined, and transgenic mosquitoes with the PUb promoter showed minor fitness costs at all developing stages. Further development of these strains with gene editing tools could make them candidates for releases in population replacement strategies for sustainable control of multiple arbovirus diseases.