Search

Abstract Background Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have emerged as a novel and effective treatment strategy, yet their effectiveness is limited to a subset of patients. The gut microbiota, recognized as a promising anticancer adjuvant, is being increasingly suggested to augment the efficacy of ICIs. Despite this, the causal link between the gut microbiota and the success of immunotherapy is not well understood. This gap in knowledge has driven us to identify beneficial microbiota and explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. Methods Through 16S rDNA sequencing, we identified distinct gut microbiota in patients undergoing treatment with ICIs. Following this, we assessed the impact of probiotics on anti-PD-1 therapy in bladder cancer using mouse models, employing a multi-omics strategy. Subsequently, we uncovered the mechanisms through which Blautia-produced metabolites enhance antitumor immunity, utilizing untargeted metabolomics and a range of molecular biology techniques. Results In our research, the LEfSe analysis revealed a significant enrichment of the Blautia genus in the gut microbiota of patients who responded to immunotherapy. We discovered that the external addition of Blautia coccoides hampers tumor growth in a bladder cancer mouse model by enhancing the infiltration of CD8+ T cells within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Further investigations through untargeted metabolomics and molecular biology experiments showed that oral administration of Blautia coccoides elevated trigonelline levels. This, in turn, suppresses the β-catenin expression both in vitro and in vivo, thereby augmenting the cancer-killing activity of CD8+ T cells. Conclusions This research provided valuable insights into enhancing the efficacy of PD-1 inhibitors in clinical settings. It was suggested that applying Blautia coccoides and its metabolic product, trigonelline, could serve as a synergistic treatment method with PD-1 inhibitors in clinical applications. Graphical Abstract

Abstract Tibetan Buddhist monasteries constitute significant cultural heritages of ethnic minorities, evolving into the Principal-Subordinate Monastery System (PSMS) with profound historical and cultural significance. This system exhibits an integrated hierarchical structure in terms of religious dominance, political administration, and cultural diffusion. Existing research primarily focuses on internal humanistic factors such as governance patterns, while there is not any research focused on its patterns and manifestations in spatial distribution. This study aims to elucidate the spatial distribution characteristics of the PSMS in Hehuang region, including the Tibetan Buddhist monasteries from all sects in the Hehuang region since the Song Dynasty It establishes a hierarchical PSMS database based on the affiliation relationships, aimed at storing spatial and property information related to PSMS. The database standardizes the naming and coding of monasteries, and classifies them through hierarchical relationships to ensure data consistency and usability. Finally, the classified and coded monastery data were analyzed by GIS tools to form the PSMS spatial distribution characterisation framework. Results reveal that (1) Monasteries demonstrate notable spatial clustering patterns from both holistic and sectarian perspectives, with density being influenced by the principal monastery’s position. (2) Almost every PSMS exhibits a spatial pattern centered around the principal monastery, with subordinate monasteries clustering within a defined range correlated with the administrative region of the principal monastery. (3) PSMS scale variations are controlled by principal monasteries, exhibiting positive correlations in hierarchical structure, control quantity, and distribution range. (4) The spatial orientation of PSMS correlates with river distribution, while the relationships among mountain ranges require further investigation. These findings provide initial insights into the spatial distribution characteristics of PSMS, confirming the spatial influence of the principal monastery. Besides, this study established an innovative spatial research framework for heritage clusters with multiple types and hierarchies. Thus, this study offers new insights into the spatial distribution of Tibetan Buddhist monastery heritage and presents a framework for further examining the spatial distribution of the Tibetan Buddhist monastery heritage in other regions, as well as other heritage clusters where connected and clustered through religious and cultural ties.

Abstract The impact of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) traits on suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) remains inadequately explored. Hence, the present study aims to delve deeper into these intricate issues, contributing to a better understanding of these complex challenges among Chinese youth. The data of 90,882 participants was collected from 63 Chinese universities and colleges in Jilin, China. We aim to explore the risks of STBs on ASD, ADHD, and co-occurrence of ASD + ADHD by using the Autism Spectrum Quotient-10 items (AQ-10) and Adult ADHD Self Report Scale (ASRS). Propensity score matching (PSM) was implemented to balance demographical variables across the four groups. Binary logistic regression was then conducted to further analyze and compare suicide risk across the four groups, also accounting for sex differences. Suicide risks were significantly higher in the ADHD (OR = 1.24, p

Abstract Most current Data Center Interconnects (DCI) use intensity modulation direct detection (IMDD) configurations due to their low complexity and cost. However, significant scaling challenges allow coherent solutions to become contenders in these short reach applications. We present an O-band coherent optical fiber transmission system based on Quantum Dot—Mode Locked Lasers (QD-MLLs) using two independent free-running comb lasers, one each for the carrier and the Local Oscillator (LO). Using a comb-to-comb configuration, we demonstrate a 10 km single mode fiber, O-band, coherent, heterodyne, 12.1 Tbps system operating at 0.47 Tbps/λ using 26 λs. We used fewer comb lines (26 λs), faster symbol rate (56 GBaud) and higher constellation cardinality (32 QAM) relative to the highest capacity C-band systems reported to date. Through design, analysis, and experimentation, we quantify the optimum comb line spacing for this use case. We compare potential configurations for increasing data center interconnect capacities whilst reducing power consumption, complexity, and cost.

Abstract Objective Bladder cancer(BCa) was a disease that seriously affects patients’ quality of life and prognosis. To address this issue, many researches suggested that the gut microbiota modulated tumor response to treatment; however, this had not been well-characterized in bladder cancer. In this study, our objective was to determine whether the diversity and composition of the gut microbiota or the density of specific bacterial genera influence the prognosis of patients with bladder cancer. Methods We collected fecal samples from a total of 50 bladder cancer patients and 22 matched non-cancer individuals for 16S rDNA sequencing to investigate the distribution of Parabacteroides in these two groups. Further we conducted follow-up with cancer patients to access the impact of different genera of microorganisms on patients survival. We conducted a Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) and mono-colonization experiment with Parabacteroides distasonis to explore its potential enhancement of the efficacy of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in MB49 tumor-bearing mice. Immunohistochemistry, transcriptomics and molecular experiment analyses were employed to uncover the underlying mechanisms. Results The 16S rDNA showed that abundance of the genus Parabacteroides was elevated in the non-cancer control group compared to bladder cancer group. The results of tumor growth curves showed that a combination therapy of P. distasonis and ICIs treatment significantly delayed tumor growth and increased the intratumoral densities of both CD4+T and CD8+T cells. The results of transcriptome analysis demonstrated that the pathways associated with antitumoral immune response were remarkably upregulated in the P. distasonis gavage group. Conclusion P. distasonis delivery combined with α-PD-1 mAb could be a new strategy to enhance the effect of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. This effect might be achieved by activating immune and antitumor related pathways.

ObjectivesIn order to meet the practical requirements for simulating ship motion in adverse sea conditions on land, the development of a high-speed heavy-load and large-travel lifting platform is necessary.MethodsAiming at the characteristics of moving platforms such as heavy-load high-speed and variable parameters, the dynamic simulation analysis of a high-speed lifting platform with a weight-balanced structure and four-steel-cable synchronous servo drive is carried out on the basis of Adams simulation software. Based on the principle of the similarity of control characteristics, a 1∶14 reduced ratio high-speed lifting platform is developed. ResultsThrough the response characteristic testing of the platform, its advantages such as strong synchronization and highly accurate control system are verified. The moving platform can accurately simulate the heave motion of ships in adverse sea conditions.ConclusionsThe high-speed lifting platform with a weight balance and four-steel-cable synchronous servo drive designed herein will fill in the blank for the large-scale heave motion simulation of ships and provide references for the R&D of similar motion simulators.

Abstract The correlation between liver disease and the progression of ulcerative colitis (UC) has remained elusive. In this study, it demonstrates that liver injury is intricately linked to the heightened severity of UC in patients, and causes more profound intestinal damage during DSS‐induced colitis in mice. Metabolomics analysis of plasma from liver cirrhosis patients shows liver injury compromising nicotinamide supply for NAD+ biosynthesis in the intestine. Subsequent investigation identifies intestinal group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are responsible for liver injury‐exacerbated colitis. Reconstitution of ILC2s or the restoration of NAD+ metabolism proves effective in relieving liver injury‐aggravated experimental colitis. Mechanistically, the NAD+ salvage pathway regulates gut ILC2s in a cell‐intrinsic manner by supporting the generation of succinate, which fuels the electron transport chain to sustaining ILC2s function. This research deepens the understanding of cellular and molecular mechanisms in liver disease‐UC interplay, identifying a metabolic target for innovative treatments in liver injury‐complicated colitis.

IntroductionOptimizing the dynamics of daylily (Hemerocallis citrina Baroni) growth under various planting patterns is critical for enhancing production efficiency. This study presents a comprehensive model to simulate daylily growth and optimize planting patterns to maximize bud yield while minimizing land resource utilization.MethodsThe model incorporates source-sink relationship specific to daylilies into physiological process modeling, considering environmental factors such as micro-light and temperature climate, and CO2 concentration. Spatial factors, including planting pattern, row spacing, plant spacing, and plant density were examined for their impact on light interception, photosynthesis, and resource efficiency. Employing partial least square path modeling (PLS-PM), we analyzed the interrelations and causal relationships between planting configurations and physiological traits of daylily canopy leaves and buds. Through in situ simulations of 36 planting scenarios, we identified an optimal configuration (Scenario ID5) with a density of 83,000 plants·ha−1, row spacing of 0.8 m, and equidistant planting with a plant spacing of 0.15 m.Results and discussionOur research findings indicate that increased Wide+Narrow row spacing can enhance yield to a certain extent. Although planting patterns influence daylily yield, their overall impact is relatively minor, and there is no clear pattern regarding the impact of plant spacing on individual plant yield. This modeling approach provides valuable insights into daylily plant growth dynamics and planting patterns optimization, offering practical guidance for both farmers and policymakers to enhance daylily productivity while minimizing land use.

Objective This study was based on the network pharmacology to explore the mechanisms whereby Tribulus terrestris affects vitiligo. Methods The screening criteria for oral bioavailability (OB) and drug-likeness (DL) were set as OB≥30% and DL≥0.18, respectively. The databases of Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology and analysis platforms of OMIM, Swiss Target Prediction and GeneCards were used to screen out target genes of main active ingredients of Tribulus terrestris and construct an "active ingredients-target" network using Cytoscape 3.9.1 software. Then the target genes of the main active ingredients of Tribulus terrestris and the target genes of vitiligo were intersected to construct a "disease-pathway-target-component-drug" network. In addition, the intersection targets were respectively imported into the STRING platform to construct Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) Networks, and into the DAVID database for GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses. The structure of small molecules of key drug components and vitiligo-related protein structure were searched on PubChem and PBD. After setting up receptors and ligands, the molecular docking of these two was performed. Results Through screening, we identified 12 active ingredients, including kaempferol, terrestramide, isorhamnetin, sitosterol, which possibly affect 71 targets. PPI network analysis showed ten major targets, including AKT1, TNF, ESR1, PPARG, HPGDS, CASP3, and PTGS2. These targets were involved in many biological processes, such as apoptosis, peptide serine phosphorylation, and cell response to reactive oxygen species, through various signaling pathways, including apoptosis, tumor necrosis factor and reactive oxygen species signaling. Molecular docking results showed that the main active components such as kaverol and isorhamnetin were stably bound to the core targets, such as AKT1, TNF and ESR1, the core components regulating key targets. Conclusion Tribulus terrestris may improve vitiligo through regulating inflammation, apoptosis, immune function and oxidative stress.

Abstract Accurate building extraction is crucial for urban understanding, but it often requires a substantial number of building samples. While some building datasets are available for model training, there remains a lack of high-quality building datasets covering urban and rural areas in China. To fill this gap, this study creates a high-resolution GaoFen-7 (GF-7) Building dataset utilizing the Chinese GF-7 imagery from six Chinese cities. The dataset comprises 5,175 pairs of 512 × 512 image tiles, covering 573.17 km2. It contains 170,015 buildings, with 84.8% of the buildings in urban areas and 15.2% in rural areas. The usability of the GF-7 Building dataset has been proved with seven convolutional neural networks, all achieving an overall accuracy (OA) exceeding 93%. Experiments have shown that the GF-7 building dataset can be used for building extraction in urban and rural scenarios. The proposed dataset boasts high quality and high diversity. It supplements existing building datasets and will contribute to promoting new algorithms for building extraction, as well as facilitating intelligent building interpretation in China.

ObjectivesLaser scanning technology used in the intelligent installation of ship shafting has such advantages as non-contact, high-speed scanning and high-precision imaging. The laser point cloud data includes the size, position and direction information of space objects. Point cloud segmentation can greatly reduce the calculation scale of the data and improve the measurement efficiency of the relative pose of the butt flange. MethodsIn this paper, deep learning theory is used to study point cloud segmentation and obtain a point cloud dataset of flange parts. The PointNet model is used for training. Optimization strategies are formulated in three aspects, namely dropout regularization, learning rate attenuation and point cloud data enhancement, then tested on a ship shafting intelligent installation platform. ResultsThe convergence results of the model tend to be stable, with the accuracy of the training set reaching 0.88 and that of the verification set reaching 0.65. The flange point cloud segmentation experiment shows clear contour edges. ConclusionThe results of this study show that the proposed method has good convergence and generalization performance, and can improve the efficiency of ship shafting intelligent installation.

This study investigated the absorption characteristics of

Surface fractures have a great impact on ice shelf stability in Antarctica and can be considered precursors of ice shelf calving. However, our understanding of the spatial distribution and temporal evolution of surface fractures on the Antarctic ice shelf is limited. In this study, a ResUNet model was implemented on the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)-based Mosaic of Antarctica (MOA) to identify the spatial distribution of Antarctic ice shelf surface fractures in 2004, 2009, and 2014. The accuracy of identification had an F1 value of 0.771. Our model identified 44744.59$\; \pm \;$2619.61 km² of surface fractures in 2004, 43737.15$\; \pm \;$2644.60 km² in 2009, and 42978.67 $\pm \;$2639.33 km² in 2014. The reduction is primarily attributed to the variation in surface fractures within 20 km of the ice front, paratactically in the Amundsen and Wilkes sectors. Ice shelves in the Amundsen sector typically have a widespread distribution of surface fractures, with particularly high concentrations found in the Thwaites Ice Shelf, Crosson Ice Shelf and Getz Ice Shelf. The Brunt Ice Shelf also exhibits numerous surface fractures. This study provides comprehensive and detailed information about surface fractures on Antarctic ice shelves, carrying implications for evaluating ice shelf vulnerability.

IntroductionAcute primary angle closure (APAC) is an emergency ophthalmic presentation and a major cause of irreversible blindness in China. However, only a few studies have focused on the characteristics of optic disc hemorrhage (ODH) during an APAC attack, including its shape, depth, location, scope, and duration after intraocular pressure (IOP) control, along with changes in the optic nerve. This study aimed to analyze the characteristics of ODH and optic nerve changes in patients during their first APAC episode.MethodsThis retrospective study involved 32 eyes from 32 patients with APAC who received sequential treatment and analyzed the following parameters: the highest IOP and its duration, ODH, retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT), and mean deviation (MD). We compared parameters obtained from the affected eye (ODH group) and contralateral unaffected eye (control group), as well as intragroup comparisons.ResultsThe mean IOP in the ODH group was 64.28 ± 10.36 mmHg, with a duration of 4.44 ± 2.35 days. Flame and splinter shapes accounted for 84.38% of the ODH. The mean ODH duration was 4.81 ± 3.25 weeks. ODH during APAC was isolated to one sector in 59.38% of cases, mostly occurring in the temporal superior and temporal inferior (each accounting for 21.88% of the cases). There was a positive correlation between the extent of hemorrhage and the highest IOP duration (p

Abstract EZH2 is the catalytic subunit of the histone methyltransferase Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2), and its somatic activating mutations drive lymphoma, particularly the germinal center B‐cell type. Although PRC2 inhibitors, such as tazemetostat, have demonstrated anti‐lymphoma activity in patients, the clinical efficacy is not limited to EZH2‐mutant lymphoma. In this study, Activin A Receptor Type 1 (ACVR1), a type I Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) receptor, is identified as critical for the anti‐lymphoma efficacy of PRC2 inhibitors through a whole‐genome CRISPR screen. BMP6, BMP7, and ACVR1 are repressed by PRC2‐mediated H3K27me3, and PRC2 inhibition upregulates their expression and signaling in cell and patient‐derived xenograft models. Through BMP‐ACVR1 signaling, PRC2 inhibitors robustly induced cell cycle arrest and B cell lineage differentiation in vivo. Remarkably, blocking ACVR1 signaling using an inhibitor or genetic depletion significantly compromised the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of PRC2 inhibitors. Furthermore, high levels of BMP6 and BMP7, along with ACVR1, are associated with longer survival in lymphoma patients, underscoring the clinical relevance of this study. Altogether, BMP‐ACVR1 exhibits anti‐lymphoma function and represents a critical PRC2‐repressed pathway contributing to the efficacy of PRC2 inhibitors.

Seismic intensity measures (IMs) can directly affect the seismic risk assessment and the response characteristics of underground structures, especially when considering the key variable of burial depth. This means that the optimal seismic IMs must be selected to match the underground structure under different buried depth conditions. In the field of seismic engineering design, peak ground acceleration (PGA) is widely recognized as the optimal IM, especially in the seismic design code for aboveground structures. However, for the seismic evaluation of underground structures, the applicability and effectiveness still face certain doubts and discussions. In addition, the adverse effects of earthquakes on tunnels in soft soil are particularly prominent. This study aims to determine the optimal IMs applicable to different burial depths for horseshoe-shaped tunnels in soft soil using a nonlinear dynamic time history analysis method, and based on this, establish the seismic fragility curves that can accurately predict the probability of tunnel damage. The nonlinear finite element analysis model for the soil–tunnel interaction system was established. The effects of different burial depths on damage to horseshoe-shaped tunnels in soft soil were systematically studied. By adopting the incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) method and assessing the correlation, efficiency, practicality, and proficiency of the potential IMs, the optimal IMs were determined. The analysis indicates that PGA emerges as the optimal IM for shallow tunnels, whereas peak ground velocity (PGV) stands as the optimal IM for medium-depth tunnels. Furthermore, for deep tunnels, velocity spectral intensity (VSI) emerges as the optimal IM. Finally, the seismic fragility curves for horseshoe-shaped tunnels in soft soil were built. The proposed fragility curves can provide a quantitative tool for evaluating seismic disaster risk, and are of great significance for improving the overall seismic resistance and disaster resilience of society.

Single-image dehazing is a pivotal challenge in computer vision that seeks to remove haze from images and restore clean background details. Recognizing the limitations of traditional physical model-based methods and the inefficiencies of current attention-based solutions, we propose a new dehazing network combining an innovative Haze-Aware Attention Module (HAAM) with a Multiscale Frequency Enhancement Module (MFEM). The HAAM is inspired by the atmospheric scattering model, thus skillfully integrating physical principles into high-dimensional features for targeted dehazing. It picks up on latent features during the image restoration process, which gives a significant boost to the metrics, while the MFEM efficiently enhances high-frequency details, thus sidestepping wavelet or Fourier transform complexities. It employs multiscale fields to extract and emphasize key frequency components with minimal parameter overhead. Integrated into a simple U-Net framework, our Haze-Aware Attention Network (HAA-Net) for single-image dehazing significantly outperforms existing attention-based and transformer models in efficiency and effectiveness. Tested across various public datasets, the HAA-Net sets new performance benchmarks. Our work not only advances the field of image dehazing but also offers insights into the design of attention mechanisms for broader applications in computer vision.

The development of ship technology and information technology has been driving the continuous improvement of ship intelligence, with safety being an inevitable requirement in the shipping industry. A machine vision-based ship collision warning method is proposed for high monitoring system cost and limited information acquisition in safety design of autonomous ship navigation. The method combines machine learning with image algorithms. Firstly, the backbone of YOLOv7 detector is replaced by EfficientFormerV2 network to achieve model lightweight while ensuring detection accuracy. Public datasets SeaShips, Flow and self-made ship pictures are combined, and the network is trained on this dataset. StrongSORT is used for target tracking. Secondly, a data fusion algorithm is introduced to determine the target point at the bow-bottom of the ship based on the time-varying attitude of the camera and the time-series features of the bounding boxes. Ship navigation trajectory estimation is performed using image algorithms. Finally, a collision evaluation model is established to calculate the collision risk index. Experimental results demonstrate that the improved YOLOv7 network maintains similar mAP.5 and Recall compared to the original model, while reducing the parameters by 31.2 % and GFLOPs by 58.4 %. The accuracy of target ship trajectory estimation is high, with MAE values below 1.5 % and RMSE values below 2 % in experiments. In ship collision warning experiments, the proposed method accurately identifies navigating vessels, estimates the trajectories, and provides timely warnings for imminent collision accidents. Compared to traditional ship collision warning methods, this paper offers a more intelligent and lightweight solution.

In recent years, the computer vision domain has witnessed a surge of interest in interactive object segmentation, an area of study that seeks to expedite the annotation process for pixel-wise segmentation tasks through user guidance. Despite this growing focus, existing methods mainly focus on a single type of pre-annotation and neglect the quality of boundary prediction, which significantly influences subsequent manual adjustments to segmentation boundaries. To address these limitations, we introduce a novel end-to-end network to facilitate more precise building segmentation using diverse types of user guidance. In our proposed method, a centroid map is generated to provide foreground prior information crucial to the subsequent segmentation procedure, and the boundary correction module automatically refines the segmentation mask from existing segmentation networks. Extensive experiments on two popular building extraction datasets demonstrate that our method outperforms all existing approaches given various user guidance (bounding boxes, inside-outside points, or extreme points), achieving the IoU scores of over 95% on SpaceNet-Vegas dataset and over 93% on Inria-building dataset. The remarkable performance of our method further demonstrates its immense potential to alleviate the labor-intensive annotation process associated with remote sensing datasets. The code of our proposed method is available at https://github.com/StephenDHYang/UGBS-pytorch.

Cylinder shell (CS) structures are widely applied in marine industry applications with the characteristics of high loading ability and high energy absorption performance. In this study, the triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) lattices were filled into double cylinder shell structures to construct the cylinder shell (TPMS-CS) structures. The mechanical and energy absorption performances of these structures were investigated by simulation analysis. First, the finite element (FE) model of TPMS-CS structures was verified by experiments. Then, the crashworthiness characteristics of three different kinds of TPMS-CS, namely, primitive, diamond, and gyroid, under axial loading were studied using FE simulation. The results indicate that the diamond-based TPMS-CS structures exhibit a higher energy absorption efficiency compared to their counterparts. Next, parametric studies were carried out to investigate the influence of the design parameters (the relative density of the TPMS, and the inner and outer shell thickness) on the crashworthiness of TPMS-CS structures. Finally, to obtain the optimum design for the TPMS-CS, an optimization framework was proposed by combining the three surrogate models (KGR, PRS, RBF) and multi-objective particle swarm optimization. The optimum design of the D-TPMS-CS structures was obtained based on the proposed optimization framework. The TPMS-CS structures proposed in this study can also be applied in other engineering applications as energy absorbers.

Abstract Objectives The early detection and identification of stroke are essential to the prognosis of patients with suspected stroke symptoms out-of-hospital. We aimed to develop a risk prediction model based on the FAST score to identify the different types of strokes early for emergency medical services (EMS). Methods This retrospective observational study enrolled 394 stroke patients at a single center from January 2020 to December 2021. Demographic data, clinical characteristics, and stroke risk factors with patients were collected from the EMS record database. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the independent risk predictors. The nomogram was developed based on the independent predictors, in which the discriminative value and calibration of the nomogram were verified by the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve and calibration plots. Results A total of 31.90% (88/276) of patients were diagnosed with hemorrhagic stroke in the training set, while 36.40% (43/118) in the validation set. The nomogram was developed based on the multivariate analysis, including age, systolic blood pressure, hypertension, vomiting, arm weakness, and slurred speech. The area under the curve (AUC) of the ROC with nomogram was 0.796 (95% CI: 0.740–0.852, P

Mechanical parking lots and spaces are known as the “energy saver” of urban space because of their small footprint, high efficiency, and environmental protection. However, the location and number of mechanical parking lots and space planning have become an important part of effectively exerting the function of mechanical parking lots. In order to explore the planning problem of mechanical parking lots, this study used the gradient boosting decision tree–Shapley additive explanations (GBDT-SHAPs) to measure the non-linear impact of the urban built environment on the mechanical parking spaces ratio and extract the optimal threshold of key variables. The results show that land use mix and distance to Bell Tower (CBD) are two key variables affecting mechanical parking space planning, and both have a non-linear relationship with the built environment. The threshold values are 0.83 and 7 km. The results will provide urban and transport planners with strategies for planning mechanical parking lots and spaces.

Summary: Chromatin remodeling plays an important role in regulating gene transcription, in which chromatin remodeling complex is a crucial aspect. Brg1/Brm-associated factor 60c (BAF60c) subunit forms a bridge between chromatin remodeling complexes and transcription factors in mammals; hence, it has received extensive attention. However, the roles of BAF60c in fish remain largely unexplored. In this study, we identified BAF60c-interacting proteins by using HIS-pull-down and LC-MS/MS analysis in fish. Subsequently, the RNA-seq analysis was performed to identify the overall effects of BAF60c. Then, the function of BAF60c was verified through BAF60c knockdown and overexpression experiments. We demonstrated for the first time that BAF60c interacts with glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) and regulates lipid metabolism, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and inflammation. Knockdown of BAF60c reduces fatty acid biosynthesis, ER stress, and inflammation. In conclusion, the results enriched BAF60c-interacting protein network and explored the function of BAF60c in lipid metabolism and inflammation in fish.

3D human pose estimation is a hot topic in the field of computer vision. It provides data support for tasks such as pose recognition, human tracking and action recognition. Therefore, it is widely applied in the fields of advanced human-computer interaction, intelligent monitoring and so on. Estimating 3D human pose from a single 2D image is an ill-posed problem and is likely to cause low prediction accuracy, due to the problems of self-occlusion and depth ambiguity. This paper developed two types of human kinematics to improve the estimation accuracy. First, taking the 2D human body skeleton sequence obtained by the 2D human body pose detector as input, a temporal convolutional network is proposed to develop the movement periodicity in temporal domain. Second, geometrical prior knowledge is introduced into the model to constrain the estimated pose to fit the general kinematics knowledge. The experiments are tested on Human3.6M and MPII (Max Planck Institut Informatik) Human Pose (MPI-INF-3DHP) datasets, and the proposed model shows better generalization ability compared with the baseline and the state-of-the-art models.

Abstract Background Both disseminated intravascular coagulation and thrombotic microangiopathy are complications of sepsis as Salmonella septicemia, respectively. They are related and have similar clinical characteristics as thrombopenia and organ dysfunctions. They rarely co-occur in some specific cases, which requires a clear distinction. Case presentation A 22-year-old woman had just undergone intracranial surgery and suffered from Salmonella derby septicemia with multiorgan involvement in the hospital. Laboratory workup demonstrated coagulation disorder, hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and acute kidney injury, leading to the co-occurrence of disseminated intravascular coagulation and secondary thrombotic microangiopathy. She received antibiotics, plasma exchange therapy, dialysis, mechanical ventilation, fluids, and vasopressors and gained full recovery without complications. Conclusion Disseminated intravascular coagulation and secondary thrombotic microangiopathy can co-occur in Salmonella derby septicemia. They should be treated cautiously in diagnosis and differential diagnosis. Thrombotic microangiopathy should not be missed just because of the diagnosis of disseminated intravascular coagulation. Proper and timely identification of thrombotic microangiopathy with a diagnostic algorithm is essential for appropriate treatment and better outcomes.

Lateral organ boundary Domain (LBD) proteins are plant-specific transcription factors that play a key role in plant lateral organ development and stress tolerance. However, LBD gene has not been identified in the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Here, a total of 47 common bean LBD genes (PvLBDs) were identified. Members of the same subfamily had similar genetic structures. Synteny analysis indicated that LBDs in the common bean genome have greater collinearity with soybean (Glycine max L.) than with Arabidopsis and rice (Oryza sativa L.). Additionally, 9 pair of segmental duplication genes were identified by collinearity analysis. Phytozome data analysis showed significant differences in PvLBD gene expression abundance between different developmental stages of the same tissue. The qRT-PCR results showed that NaCl, CdCl2, and HgCl2 stresses up-regulated 19% and down-regulated 81% of the PvLBD genes. This study provides a basis for further analysis of the function of the PvLBD gene family.

Sugar Will Eventually be Exported Transporters (SWEET) proteins function as sugar transporters that play key roles in plant growth, development, and biotic and abiotic stress responses. However, little is known about the SWEET gene family in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). In this study, 24 putative PvSWEET genes were identified. They can be categorized into four subgroups based on a phylogenetic analysis, exon–intron structure, cis-regulatory elements, and MEME motifs. A collinearity analysis showed that three pairs of segmental duplicated events were identified. The Phytozome database showed that 16 PvSWEET genes were highly expressed in reproductive organs. PvSWEET5 was expressed the most highly in all the tissues tested, while PvSWEET8/9/10/13 were undetectable in the datasets. The results of qRT-PCR analysis showed that PvSWEET24 was significantly up-regulated following treatment with NaCl, CdCl2, and HgCl2, whereas the PvSWEET5 and PvSWEET20 genes displayed a specific negative response to CdCl2 stress. Collectively, this study provides comprehensive information for the role of SWEET gene family in common bean and lays a solid foundation to elucidate the biological function of the PvSWEET gene family, as well as provide insights into the correlation between the PvSWEET genes and responses to metal stresses.

Sentinel-2 imagery has garnered significant attention in many earth system studies due to free access and high revisit frequency. Since its spatial resolution is insufficient for many applications, e.g., fine-grained land cover mapping, some studies employ fusion technique that combines high-resolution RGB images with Sentinel-2 multispectral images to improve the resolution of the latter. However, there are two issues in the existing image fusion methods. First, these methods usually assume that the time intervals between images are short (within several days), which is a strong assumption for large-scale high-resolution images and many real-world applications. Second, the spectral discrepancy between multispectral and RGB images could induce spectral aberrations in Sentinel-2 imagery upon fusion. To alleviate these issues, we propose an adaptive image fusion approach named S2IFNet, adaptively fusing images with long-time intervals (from months to years) and spectral inconsistency, thereby increasing the multispectral band resolution of Sentinel-2 imagery. Building on top of the feature extraction and fusion modules, we propose a spectral feature compensation module and a change-aware feature reconstruction module. The former alleviates the possible degradation of spectral attributes in Sentinel-2 imagery resulting from feature fusion. The latter integrates semantic and texture information to avoid adding fake textures caused by land cover changes over time. The experiments demonstrate that S2IFNet surpasses existing image fusion and reference-based super-resolution methods on synthetic and real datasets, yielding fusion results that are clearer and more reliable.

Accurate forecasting of ship motion is of great significance for ensuring maritime operational safety and working efficiency. A data-driven ship motion forecast method is proposed in this paper, aiming at the problems of low generalization of a single forecast model and insufficient forecast accuracy under unknown conditions. First, the fluid dynamics simulations of the ship are carried out under multiple node conditions based on overset mesh technology, and the obtained motion data is used for training the Bidirectional Long Short-term Memory network models. One or more pre-trained forecast models would be selected based on the correlation of condition nodes when forecasting ship motion under non-node conditions. The Golden Jackal Optimization Algorithm is used to compute the regression coefficient of each node model in real time, and finally, the dynamic model average is calculated. The results show that the method proposed in this study can accurately forecast the pitch and heave of the KCS ship in 5 s, 10 s, and 15 s of forecast duration. The accuracy of the multi-order forecast model improves more in longer forecast duration tasks compared with the first-order model. When forecasting ship motion under non-node conditions, the method shows stronger model generalization capabilities.

Understanding the spatial heterogeneity of light and photosynthesis distribution within a canopy is crucial for optimizing plant growth and yield, especially in the context of greenhouse structures. In previous studies, we developed a 3D functional-structural plant model (FSPM) of the Chinese solar greenhouse (CSG) and tomato plants, in which the greenhouse was reconstructed as a 3D mockup and implemented in the virtual scene. This model, which accounts for various environmental factors, allows for precise calculations of radiation, temperature, and photosynthesis at the organ level. This study focuses on elucidating optimal canopy configurations for mechanized planting in greenhouses, building upon the commonly used north–south (N–S) orientation by exploring the east–west (E–W) orientation. Investigating sixteen scenarios with varying furrow distance (1 m, 1.2 m, 1.4 m, 1.6 m) and row spacing (0.3 m, 0.4 m, 0.5 m, 0.6 m), corresponding to 16 treatments of plant spacing, four planting patterns (homogeneous row, double row, staggered row, incremental row) and two orientations were investigated. The results show that in Shenyang city, an E–W orientation with the path width = 0.5 (furrow distance + row distance) = 0.8 m (homogeneous row), and a plant distance of 0.32 m, is the optimal solution for mechanized planting at a density of 39,000 plants/ha. Our findings reveal a nuanced understanding of how altering planting configurations impacts the light environment and photosynthesis rate within solar greenhouses. Looking forward, these insights not only contribute to the field of CSG mechanized planting, but also provide a basis for enhanced CSG planting management. Future research could further explore the broader implications of these optimized configurations in diverse geographic and climatic conditions.

Objectives This study aimed to screen the potential risk factors for academic burnout among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic, develop and validate a predictive tool based on the risk factors for predicting academic burnout.Design This article presents a cross-sectional study.Setting This study surveyed two high schools in Anhui Province, China.Participants A total of 1472 adolescents were enrolled in this study.Outcome measures The questionnaires included demographic characteristic variables, living and learning states and adolescents’ academic burnout scale. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to screen the risk factors for academic burnout and develop a predictive model. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to assess the accuracy and discrimination of the nomogram.Results In this study, 21.70% of adolescents reported academic burnout. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that single-child family (OR=1.742, 95% CI: 1.243 to 2.441, p=0.001), domestic violence (OR=1.694, 95% CI: 1.159 to 2.476, p=0.007), online entertainment (>8 hours/day, OR=3.058, 95% CI: 1.634 to 5.720, p

Cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase (CKX) irreversibly degrades cytokinin, regulates growth and development, and helps plants to respond to environmental stress. Although the CKX gene has been well characterized in various plants, its role in soybean remains elusive. Therefore, in this study, the evolutionary relationship, chromosomal location, gene structure, motifs, cis-regulatory elements, collinearity, and gene expression patterns of GmCKXs were analyzed using RNA-seq, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and bioinformatics. We identified 18 GmCKX genes from the soybean genome and grouped them into five clades, each comprising members with similar gene structures and motifs. Cis-acting elements involved in hormones, resistance, and physiological metabolism were detected in the promoter regions of GmCKXs. Synteny analysis indicated that segmental duplication events contributed to the expansion of the soybean CKX family. The expression profiling of the GmCKXs genes using qRT-PCR showed tissue-specific expression patterns. The RNA-seq analysis also indicated that GmCKXs play an important role in response to salt and drought stresses at the seedling stage. The responses of the genes to salt, drought, synthetic cytokinin 6-benzyl aminopurine (6-BA), and the auxin indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) at the germination stage were further evaluated by qRT-PCR. Specifically, the GmCKX14 gene was downregulated in the roots and the radicles at the germination stage. The hormones 6-BA and IAA repressed the expression levels of GmCKX1, GmCKX6, and GmCKX9 genes but upregulated the expression levels of GmCKX10 and GmCKX18 genes. The three abiotic stresses also decreased the zeatin content in soybean radicle but enhanced the activity of the CKX enzymes. Conversely, the 6-BA and IAA treatments enhanced the CKX enzymes’ activity but reduced the zeatin content in the radicles. This study, therefore, provides a reference for the functional analysis of GmCKXs in soybean in response to abiotic stresses.

In this study, we compared the fruit quality and color of ‘Kiyomi’ (WT) and its mutant (MT) grafted on Ziyang xiangcheng (Cj) (WT/Cj, MT/Cj), and the MT grafted on Trifoliate orange (Pt) (MT/Pt). The differences in sugar, organic acid, flavonoids, phenols, and volatile substances of the three materials were also analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC–MS). The results showed significant differences in the appearance of WT/Cj, MT/Cj, and MT/Pt. MT/Pt, compared to WT/Cj, MT/Cj, had lower sugar, acid, phenol and flavonoid contents in the pulp. However, MT/Pt pulp was higher in vitamin C (VC), and the peel had significantly higher total phenol and flavonoid contents. In terms of pulp, WT/Cj had the greatest diversity of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). 4-methyl-1-pentanol was significantly higher in MT/Cj pulp, while MT/Pt pulp had a unique octanoic acid, methyl ester. VOCs were more diverse in the peels of the three materials. β-Myrcene and valencen were significantly higher in MT/Cj peels. In contrast, 16 unique VOCs were detected in MT/Pt, and D-limonene content was significantly higher than in WT/Cj and MT/Cj. The results suggest Trifoliate orange is a suitable rootstock for MT.

Significant amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus in sediments will be released into the overlying water during the flood season in the water level fluctuation zone (WLFZ) of reservoirs that undergo periodic drying and flooding. This will result in water quality deterioration of the reservoir. In order to clarify the distribution characteristics and release behavior of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from sediments in the WLFZ of a reservoir, this study analyzed the sediment distribution characteristics and potential exchange flux sediment–water interface(SWI) through field investigations and sediment core incubation experiments. And the main factors affecting the release of N and P through the incubation experiments in sediments of the WLFZ in the reservoir were determined. Our findings indicated that the sediment in the WLFZ serves as the primary source of NH4+-N and acts as a sink for NO2-N in the overlying water of sediment. The concentration of NH4+-N in the interstitial water of sediments is the key factor that affects the water quality of Biliuhe Reservoir. Total nitrogen content of surface sediments in the WLFZ of Biliuhe Reservoir ranges from 1052.52 ± 49.39 to 3520.54 ± 30.31 mg/kg. High concentrations of N pollution are the primary increased risk of eutrophication in Biliuhe Reservoir during summer. The sediment N and P release flux of BLH1 located in the main stream is 1.67 ± 1.06 and 12.32 ± 2.42 mg·(m2·d)−1, respectively, which is smaller than that of BLH2 (3.27 ± 2.15 and 15.19 ± 2.36 mg·(m2·d)−1, respectively), BLH3 (4.24 ± 1.74 and 17.02 ± 2.47 mg·(m2·d)−1, respectively) and BLH4 (7.78 ± 2.03 and 20.56 ± 2.38 mg·(m2·d)−1, respectively) located in the tributary. It indicates that the water conveyance project located in BLH1 has an impact on nutrient scouring of sediments in the WLFZ at this site. The main water environment factor affecting the release of N and P in the sediment of the WLFZ is dissolved oxygen (DO). And the Pearson correlation coefficients between TN and TP with DO were −0.838 and −0.777, respectively (p < 0.05). At the same time, the diffusion of nutrients in the sediments can be effectively inhibited by maintaining a certain DO concentration in the overlying water.

We demonstrate a polarization-insensitive 2 × 2 thermo-optic switch on a 220-nm silicon-on-insulator platform. This device is based on a balanced Mach-Zehnder interferometer with arms consisting of square-cross-section waveguides. In simulations, the Mach-Zehnder switch (MZS) exhibits extinction ratios (ERs) > 9.5 dB for the transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) polarized modes from 1500 nm to 1600 nm. Experimental results verify the broadband operation of the MZS: switching the two polarizations with ERs > 10 dB over an 85-nm wavelength range. Across the C-band (1530 $\sim$ 1565 nm), the fabricated MZS has insertion losses of 0.2 $\sim$ 4.3 dB and ERs > 16 dB (14 dB) at the cross (bar) port for both the TE and TM polarizations. The polarization-dependent losses are around 2 dB within a 100-nm wavelength range, showing the low polarization diversity of the MZS. The proposed MZS is a promising building block for implementing on-chip polarization-division-multiplexed optical interconnects.

AimsThis study adopted the Glutamate Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (GluCEST) imaging technique to quantitatively analyze cranial glutamate and discussed the effectiveness of GluCEST values in identifying the pathogenesis of encephalopathy after CO poisoning.MethodsThe routine MRI and functional MRI scans of two cohorts of subjects (CO group, n = 29; Control group, n = 21) were performed. Between-group comparisons were conducted for GluCEST% in regions of interest (ROI), including the basal ganglia, the thalamus, the frontal lobe, the occipital lobe, the genu of corpus callosum, the cingulate gyrus, and the cuneus. Moreover, an age-stratified subgroup analysis was devised, and a correlational analysis was performed for GluCEST% in each ROI, including the time in coma, Simple Mini-Mental State Examination Scale (MMSE) score, Hamilton Anxiety Scale score, and blood COHb%.ResultsAs compared to the healthy control, the CO group led to significantly increasing GluCEST% in the basal ganglia, the occipital lobe, the genu of the corpus callosum, the cingulate gyrus, and the cuneus (p < 0.05). In the subgroup analysis for age, adult patients had higher GluCEST% in the basal ganglia, the thalamus, the occipital lobe, the cingulate gyrus, and the cuneus compared to healthy adults (p < 0.05). In addition, the correlational analysis of CO-poisoned patients revealed a statistical association between the GluCEST% and the MMSE in the thalamus and the genu of the corpus callosum.ConclusionThe GluCEST technique is superior to routine MRI in that it can identify the cerebral biochemical changes sooner after acute CO poisoning, which is significant for our understanding of the role of neurotransmitters in the pathological basis of this disease. Brain injury caused by CO poisoning may be different in adults and children.

Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) is one of the most common diseases of the male urological system while the etiology and treatment of CP/CPPS remain a thorny issue. Cumulative research suggested a potentially important role of glial cells in CP/CPPS. This narrative review retrospected literature and grasped the research process about glial cells and CP/CPPS. Three types of glial cells showed a crucial connection with general pain and psychosocial symptoms. Microglia might also be involved in lower urinary tract symptoms. Only microglia and astrocytes have been studied in the animal model of CP/CPPS. Activated microglia and reactive astrocytes were found to be involved in both pain and psychosocial symptoms of CP/CPPS. The possible mechanism might be to mediate the production of some inflammatory mediators and their interaction with neurons. Glial cells provide a new insight to understand the cause of complex symptoms of CP/CPPS and might become a novel target to develop new treatment options. However, the activation and action mechanism of glial cells in CP/CPPS needs to be further explored.

Background. Ovarian cancer is a fatal gynecological malignancy. The resistance to chemotherapy in ovarian cancer treatment has been a thorny issue. This study is aimed at probing the molecular mechanism of cisplatin (DDP) resistance in ovarian cancer. Methods. Bioinformatics analysis was conducted to examine the role of Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) in ovarian cancer. The NLRP3 level in DDP-resistant ovarian cancer tumors and cell lines (SKOV3/DDP and A2780/DDP) was evaluated by applying immunohistochemical staining, western blot, and qRT-PCR. Cell transfection was conducted to regulate the NLRP3 level. Cell abilities to proliferate, migrate, invade, and apoptosis were measured employing colony formation, CCK-8, wound healing, transwell, and TUNEL assays, respectively. Cell cycle analysis was completed via flow cytometry. Corresponding protein expression was measured by western blot. Results. NLRP3 was overexpressed in ovarian cancer, correlated with poor survival, and upregulated in DDP-resistant ovarian cancer tumors and cells. NLRP3 silencing exerted antiproliferative, antimigrative, anti-invasive, and proapoptotic effects in A2780/DDP and SKOV3/DDP cells. Additionally, NLRP3 silencing inactivated NLRPL3 inflammasome and blocked epithelial-mesenchymal transition via enhancing E-cadherin and lowering vimentin, N-cadherin, and fibronectin. Conclusion. NLRP3 was overexpressed in DDP-resistant ovarian cancer. NLRP3 knockdown hindered the malignant process of DDP-resistant ovarian cancer cells, providing a potential target for DPP-based ovarian cancer chemotherapy.

P53 protein is the product of P53 gene, which is a well acknowledged tumor suppressor gene. The function of P53 and the relevant mechanisms of anti-neoplasm have raised the interest of researchers since many years ago. It is demonstrated that P53 is a basic cell cycle regulator and a strong inhibitor for versatile cancers in humans. However, most research focuses on other organs and systems instead of the central nervous system (CNS). In fact, in recent years, more and more studies have been suggesting that P53 plays a significant role in multiple CNS tumors and other diseases and disorders such as cerebral stroke and neurodegenerative diseases. In this work, we mainly reviewed the P53’s relationship with CNS tumors, cerebral stroke and neurodegenerative diseases, together with the relevant mechanisms, aiming to summarize the research achievements and providing new insight to the future study on diseases in CNS.

The loess hilly and gully region is an ecologically fragile area with poor ecological restoration and service capacity. Enhancing regional spatial resilience is conducive to upgrading carrying capacity and service capability of local ecosystems. Focusing on the Sanshuihe River Basin, this study intends to explore watershed ecosystem based on complex network theory and constructs a research framework of “space simulation - resilience assessment - spatial optimization”. The results show that the Basin forms a network structure based on lakes, wetlands, scenic spots and parks, with 36 ecological nodes and 60 ecological corridors in total. In the future, there will be 16 additional ecological nodes and 38 ecological corridors in the Basin, thus further stabilizing its ecosystem and enhancing connectivity and recreational attributes. Besides, the independence, collaboration, connectivity, interdependence, stability and functionality of ecological nodes grow by 14.9%, 10.4%, 10.0%, 51.4%, 5.77% and 33.20%, respectively. In the end, the study defines the boundary for water conservation, recreational area and forest conservation area in the watershed, divides functional ecological corridors into four types, classifies the importance of the development (protection) of ecological sources, and comes up with corresponding schemes for spatial optimization. The research findings can not only offer guidance for the assessment and optimization of spatial resilience of small watershed, but also lay a basis for regional ecological restoration, resource exploitation and ecological network planning.

IntroductionOnline healthcare platform (OHP) is a new form of medical treatment that solves the problems of an unbalanced distribution of medical resources in China. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, OHP has greatly reduced the medical pressure of the hospital and the risk of cross-infection.MethodsBased on self-determination theory (SDT) (Ryan and Deci, 2000), privacy calculus theory (PCT) (Culnan, 1999) and perceived value theory (PVT) (Choi, 2004), this study uses evolutionary game theory to analyze behavioral strategies and their dynamic evolution in the promotion of OHP. Moreover, we conduct numerical simulations with the help of program compilation.ResultsThe results demonstrate that (1) both the qualification inspection of doctors and the investment in information protection influence doctors’ participation in and patients’ usage of OHP; (2) both the initial probabilities of doctor participation and patient usage influence the multi-game results; (3) the trend of doctors joining OHP is affected by registration cost, time cost, and reputation loss; and (4) the trend of patients using online healthcare is mainly decided by the cost.ConclusionThis study takes the Spring Rain Doctor as an example to verify the game results. To further popularize online medical treatment among patients, the platform should attach importance to the inspection of doctors and the protection of privacy information and strengthen its publicity in remote places.

The extent to which the South-to-North Water Transfer Project has influenced the trend in water storage deficit in the North China Plain since its official opening in late 2014 has not been systematically assessed. We evaluated the changes in terrestrial water storage (TWS) in the North China Plain based on the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and GRACE Follow-on (GRACE-FO) long-term gravity satellite observations from 2002 to 2022, using spherical harmonic (SH) solutions from the Center for Space Research (CSR), GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and Mass Concentration (Mascon) solutions from CSR, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), JPL, and compared with the South-to-North Water Transfer water supply (13.91 Gt/a). The CSR-SH solution that best matched the water supply was selected, and it was found that the rate of change in TWS in the North China Plain from 2002 to 2015 was (−8.48 ± 1.87) Gt/a, and the rate of change from 2015 to 2019 increased significantly to (5.44 ± 4.87) Gt/a, indicating that the TWS in the plain changed from deficit to gain. The South-to-North Water Transfer Project has played a positive role in significantly improving the water stress situation in North China. Simultaneously, by comparing the inversions of six time-varying gravity field models (CSR-SH, GFZ-SH, JPL-SH, CSR-Mascon, GSFC-Mascon, and JPL-Mascon) with the South-to-North Water Transfer water supply and measured groundwater well data, and by calculating the uncertainty using the ‘three-cornered hat method’ (TCH), a comprehensive comparison is made to conclude that the CSR-SH model is most effective with a minimum difference of 0.01 Gt/a from the annual water supply, a minimum difference of 0.04 Gt/a from the measured well data, and a small uncertainty of 3.04 cm. This study reveals the important impact of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project on TWS in the North China Plain, which is of reference value for water resource management decisions in China.

BackgroundPost-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) after lacunar infarction was worth attention in recent years. An easy-to-use score model to predict the risk of PSCI was rare. This study aimed to explore the association between serum amyloid A (SAA) and cognitive impairment, and it also developed a nomogram for predicting the risk of PSCI in lacunar infarction patients.MethodsA total of 313 patients with lacunar infarction were enrolled in this retrospective study between January 2021 and December 2021. They were divided into a training set and a validation set at 70%:30% randomly. The Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was performed to identify cognitive impairment 3 months after discharge. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine the independent risk factors for PSCI in the training set. A nomogram was developed based on the five variables, and the calibration curve and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were drawn to assess the predictive ability of the nomogram between the training set and the validation set. The decision curve analysis (DCA) was also conducted in both sets.ResultsIn total, 52/313 (16.61%) participants were identified with PSCI. The SAA levels in patients with PSCI were significantly higher than non-PSCI patients in the training set (P < 0.001). After multivariate analysis, age, diabetes mellitus, white blood count, cystatin C, and SAA were independent risk predictors of PSCI. The nomogram demonstrated a good discrimination performance between the training set (AUC = 0.860) and the validation set (AUC = 0.811). The DCA showed that the nomogram had a well clinical utility in the two sets.ConclusionThe increased SAA is associated with PSCI in lacunar infarction patients, and the nomogram developed with SAA can increase prognostic information for the early detection of PSCI.

The sloping silty sediments in estuarine deltas are frequently affected by extreme storms, and they are prone to liquefaction instability. The unstable liquefied sediments of the slopes can subsequently form a sediment gravity flow (SGF), which can seriously endanger offshore engineering facilities. To better understand the characteristics and mechanism of wave-induced liquefied sediment gravity flow (WILSGF), a flume experiment was conducted to reproduce the formation, movement, and deposition processes of the WILSGF and analyze their controlling factors using natural silty sediment samples collected from the Yellow River Delta in China. The results show that the mass of the WILSGF comes from the sediment in the liquefied layer, and the movement of the WILSGF in these experiments was significantly affected by the wave orbital velocity and the relative outflow position. At the initial stage of the formation of the WILSGF, the phase and amplitude of the WILSGF were the same as those of waves, and the maximum velocity of the WILSGF reached 2.39 cm/s. The velocity of the WILSGF decreased continuously with the downward evolution of the liquefaction interface. When the liquefaction depth reached its maximum value, there was no WILSGF. We also found that the median particle size of the WILSGF was greater than that of the original seabed due to wave-induced seabed coarsening and the intrusion of ambient water. This study has guiding significance for in-depth understanding and prediction of the geological hazards caused by WILSGF.

Aviation kerosene will go through numerous storage and transportation links from production to use. As the fuel of jet aircrafts, the aviation kerosene will follow the high requirements on the quality index specified in national standards. All aviation kerosene production and transportation entities attach great importance to the inspection of oil quality changes. In this paper, typical storage and transportation process of aviation kerosene from production to use was introduced, quality and safety accidents of aviation kerosene occurred in China and abroad in recent years were presented, and quality problems including foreign pollutants, mixed oil transported in sequence, quality attenuation of oil products, etc. that may occur in aviation kerosene storage and transportation were reviewed. The quality and safety assurance measures in aviation kerosene storage and transportation were additionally summarized, so as to provide reference for engineers and researchers committed to assuring the aviation kerosene quality and reducing the cost of aviation kerosene transportation.

Gossypium hirsutum and G. barbadense mitochondrial genomes were analyzed to understand the factors shaping codon usage. While most analyses of codon usage suggest minimal to no bias, nucleotide composition, specifically GC content, was significantly correlated with codon usage. In general, both mitochondrial genomes favor codons that end in A or U, with a secondary preference for pyrimidine rich codons. These observations are similar to previous reports of codon usage in cotton nuclear genomes, possibly suggestive of a general bias spanning genomic compartment. Although evidence for codon usage bias is weak for most genes, we identified six genes (i.e. atp8, atp9, sdh3, sdh4, mttB and rpl2) with significant nonrandom codon usage. In general, we find multiple factors that influence cotton mitochondrial genome codon usage, which may include selection in a subset of genes.

Abstract Background Leaf color is a major agronomic trait, which has a strong influence on crop yields. Isolating leaf color mutants can represent valuable materials for research in chlorophyll (Chl) biosynthesis and metabolism regulation. Results In this study, we identified a stably inherited yellow leaf mutant derived from ‘Huaguan’ pakchoi variety via isolated microspore culture and designated as pylm. This mutant displayed yellow leaves after germination. Its etiolated phenotype was nonlethal and stable during the whole growth period. Its growth was weak and its hypocotyls were markedly elongated. Genetic analysis revealed that two recessive nuclear genes, named py1 and py2, are responsible for the etiolation phenotype. Bulked segregant RNA sequencing (BSR-Seq) showed that py1 and py2 were mapped on chromosomes A09 and A07, respectively. The genes were single Mendelian factors in F3:4 populations based on a 3:1 phenotypic segregation ratio. The py1 was localized to a 258.3-kb interval on a 34-gene genome. The differentially expressed gene BraA09004189 was detected in the py1 mapping region and regulated heme catabolism. One single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of BraA09004189 occurred in pylm. A candidate gene-specific SNP marker in 1520 F3:4 yellow-colored individuals co-segregated with py1. For py2, 1860 recessive homozygous F3:4 individuals were investigated and localized py2 to a 4.4-kb interval. Of the five genes in this region, BraA07001774 was predicted as a candidate for py2. It encoded an embryo defective 1187 and a phosphotransferase related to chlorophyll deficiency and hypocotyl elongation. One SNP of BraA07001774 occurred in pylm. It caused a single amino acid mutation from Asp to Asn. According to quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), BraA07001774 was downregulated in pylm. Conclusions Our study identified a Chl deficiency mutant pylm in pakchoi. Two recessive nuclear genes named py1 and py2 had a significant effect on etiolation. Candidate genes regulating etiolation were identified as BraA09004189 and BraA07001774, respectively. These findings will elucidate chlorophyll metabolism and the molecular mechanisms of the gene interactions controlling pakchoi etiolation.

Background. Calcium administration in septic patients with hypocalcemia is a controversial issue. The present study preliminarily investigated the effects of calcium supplementation on the length of hospitalization and mortality in septic ICU patients with different severities of hypocalcemia and disease. Method. A total of 5761 eligible septic patients, including 2689 who received calcium supplementation and 3072 who did not receive calcium supplementation, were extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III (MIMIC-III) database. The cofounding covariates between the calcium supplement and nonsupplement groups were balanced using the propensity score matching model. We compared the length of stay (LOS) in the ICU and hospital with 28-day and hospital mortality and stratified the analysis according to the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score and ionized calcium (iCa) at the first ICU admission in the matched groups. Results. The results showed that iCa at the first ICU admission was associated with mortality in sepsis patients (HR: 0.421; 95% CI: 0.211∼0.837), but the lowest mortality rate was observed in patients with mild hypocalcemia. A total of 993 paired patients were included in the analysis after propensity score matching. Regardless of the SOFA score or presence of iCa, the LOS in the ICU was higher in the calcium supplement group than in the nonsupplement group. The survival analysis was stratified by the SOFA score and showed that calcium supplementation reduced mortality when the patient’s SOFA score was ≥8 (p=0.002), and it worsened the outcome when the patient’s SOFA score was ≤4 (p=0.010). It had no significant effect on patients with SOFA scores ranging from 5 to 7 (p=0.911). Conclusion. Our results showed that mild hypocalcemia may be protective in septic patients, and calcium supplementation may have positive and negative effects on mortality depending on disease severity. The SOFA score may be a valuable clinical index for decisions regarding calcium administration.