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The slow–fast Leslie–Gower model with piecewise-smooth Holling type-I functional response and weak Allee effect is studied in this paper. It is shown that the model undergoes singular Hopf bifurcation and nonsmooth Hopf bifurcation as the parameters vary. The theoretical analysis implies that the predator's food quality and Allee effect play an important role and lead to richer dynamical phenomena such as the globally stable equilibria, canard explosion phenomenon, a hyperbolically stable relaxation oscillation cycle enclosing almost two canard cycles with different stabilities and so on. Moreover, the predator and prey will coexist as multiple steady states or periodic oscillations for different positive initial populations and positive parameter values. Finally, we present some numerical simulations to illustrate the theoretical analysis such as the existence of one, two or three limit cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Periodically poled thin‐film lithium niobate (PPTFLN) waveguides enable efficient quadratic nonlinear processes due to the strong light confinement and the utilization of the largest nonlinear coefficient d33 of lithium niobate. Here, an efficient third harmonic (TH) generation is reported with a normalized conversion efficiency of 6481% W−2 cm−4 in a sampled‐grating PPTFLN waveguide under the pump of a continuous laser, which is improved by 4 orders of magnitude compared with reported results. Such an efficient TH generation is realized by cascaded second‐harmonic (SH) generation and sum‐frequency (SF) generation supported by a sampled‐grating domain structure with two Fourier coefficients of 0.44 and 0.37, respectively. Phase matching conditions for the SH and cascaded SF processes are simultaneously achieved by finely tuning the geometric dispersion, domain structure, and operating temperature of the PPTFLN waveguides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Men are more prone to develop and die from liver fibrosis than women. In this study, we aim to investigate how sex-determining region Y gene (SRY) in hepatocytes promotes liver fibrosis. Hepatocyte-specific Sry knock-in (KI), Sry knockout (KO), and Sry KI with platelet-derived growth factor receptor α (Pdgfrα) KO mice were generated. Liver fibrosis was induced in mice by bile duct ligation for 2 weeks or carbon tetrachloride treatment for 6 weeks. In addition, primary hepatocytes, hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), and immortalized cell lines were used for in vitro studies and mechanistic investigation. Compared to females, the severity of toxin- or cholestasis-induced liver fibrosis is similarly increased in castrated and uncastrated male mice. Among all Y chromosome-encoded genes, SRY was the most significantly upregulated and consistently increased gene in fibrotic/cirrhotic livers in male patients and in mouse models. Sry KI mice developed exacerbated liver fibrosis, whereas Sry KO mice had alleviated liver fibrosis, compared to age- and sex-matched control mice after bile duct ligation or administration of carbon tetrachloride. Mechanistically, both our in vivo and in vitro studies illustrated that SRY in hepatocytes can transcriptionally regulate Pdgfrα expression, and promote HMGB1 (high mobility group box 1) release and subsequent HSC activation. Pdgfrα KO or treatment with the SRY inhibitor DAX1 in Sry KI mice abolished SRY-induced HMGB1 secretion and liver fibrosis. SRY is a strong pro-fibrotic factor and accounts for the sex disparity observed in liver fibrosis, suggesting its critical role as a potentially sex-specific therapeutic target for prevention and treatment of the disease. We identified that a male-specific gene, sex-determining region Y gene (SRY), is a strong pro-fibrotic gene that accounts for the sex disparity observed in liver fibrosis. As such, SRY might be an appropriate target for surveillance and treatment of liver fibrosis in a sex-specific manner. Additionally, SRY might be a key player in the sexual dimorphism observed in hepatic pathophysiology more generally. [Display omitted] • SRY as a male specific gene was upregulated in hepatocytes in liver fibrosis. • SRY overexpression in hepatocytes exacerbated, whereas SRY knockout alleviated liver fibrosis. • Inhibition of SRY, or its downstream target PDGFRα suppressed liver fibrosis. • SRY is a pro-fibrotic gene, and accounts for the sex disparity of liver fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: LACS (long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase) genes are widespread in organisms and have multiple functions in plants, especially in lipid metabolism. However, the origin and evolutionary dynamics of the LACS gene family remain largely unknown. Results: Here, we identified 1785 LACS genes in the genomes of 166 diverse plant species and identified the clades (I, II, III, IV, V, VI) of six clades for the LACS gene family of green plants through phylogenetic analysis. Based on the evolutionary history of plant lineages, we found differences in the origins of different clades, with Clade IV originating from chlorophytes and representing the origin of LACS genes in green plants. The structural characteristics of different clades indicate that clade IV is relatively independent, while the relationships between clades (I, II, III) and clades (V, VI) are closer. Dispersed duplication (DSD) and transposed duplication (TRD) are the main forces driving the evolution of plant LACS genes. Network clustering analysis further grouped all LACS genes into six main clusters, with genes within each cluster showing significant co-linearity. Ka/Ks results suggest that LACS family genes underwent purifying selection during evolution. We analyzed the phylogenetic relationships and characteristics of six clades of the LACS gene family to explain the origin, evolutionary history, and phylogenetic relationships of different clades and proposed a hypothetical evolutionary model for the LACS family of genes in plants. Conclusions: Our research provides genome-wide insights into the evolutionary history of the LACS gene family in green plants. These insights lay an important foundation for comprehensive functional characterization in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical recycling of polymers to monomers presents a promising solution to the escalating crisis associated with plastic waste. Despite considerable progress made in this field, the primary efforts have been focused on redesigning new monomers to produce readily recyclable polymers. In contrast, limited research into the potential of seemingly "non‐polymerizable" monomers has been conducted. Herein, we propose a paradigm that leverages a "chaperone"‐assisted strategy to establish closed‐loop circularity for a "non‐polymerizable" α, β‐conjugated lactone, 5,6‐dihydro‐2H‐pyran‐2‐one (DPO). The resulting PDPO, a structural analogue of poly(δ‐valerolactone) (PVL), exhibits enhanced thermal properties with a melting point (Tm) of 114 °C and a decomposition temperature (Td,5%) of 305 °C. Notably, owing to the structural similarity between DPO and δ‐VL, the copolymerization generates semi‐crystalline P(DPO‐co‐VL)s irrespective of the DPO incorporation ratio. Intriguingly, the inherent C=C bonds in P(DPO‐co‐VL)s enable their convenient post‐functionalization via Michael‐addition reaction. Lastly, PDPO was demonstrated to be chemically recyclable via ring‐closing metathesis (RCM), representing a significant step towards the pursuit of enabling the closed‐loop circularity of "non‐polymerizable" lactones without altering the ultimate polymer structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a severe and fatal disease. Although mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based therapy has shown remarkable efficacy in treating ARDS in animal experiments, clinical outcomes have been unsatisfactory, which may be attributed to the influence of the lung microenvironment during MSC administration. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from endothelial cells (EC-EVs) are important components of the lung microenvironment and play a crucial role in ARDS. However, the effect of EC-EVs on MSC therapy is still unclear. In this study, we established lipopolysaccharide (LPS) - induced acute lung injury model to evaluate the impact of EC-EVs on the reparative effects of bone marrow-derived MSC (BM-MSC) transplantation on lung injury and to unravel the underlying mechanisms. Methods: EVs were isolated from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of mice with LPS - induced acute lung injury and patients with ARDS using ultracentrifugation. and the changes of EC-EVs were analysed using nanoflow cytometry analysis. In vitro assays were performed to establish the impact of EC-EVs on MSC functions, including cell viability and migration, while in vivo studies were performed to validate the therapeutic effect of EC-EVs on MSCs. RNA-Seq analysis, small interfering RNA (siRNA), and a recombinant lentivirus were used to investigate the underlying mechanisms. Results: Compared with that in non-ARDS patients, the quantity of EC-EVs in the lung microenvironment was significantly greater in patients with ARDS. EVs derived from lipopolysaccharide-stimulated endothelial cells (LPS-EVs) significantly decreased the viability and migration of BM-MSCs. Furthermore, engrafting BM-MSCs pretreated with LPS-EVs promoted the release of inflammatory cytokines and increased pulmonary microvascular permeability, aggravating lung injury. Mechanistically, LPS-EVs reduced the expression level of isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 (IDH2), which catalyses the formation of α-ketoglutarate (α-KG), an intermediate product of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, in BM-MSCs. α-KG is a cofactor for ten-eleven translocation (TET) enzymes, which catalyse DNA hydroxymethylation in BM-MSCs. Conclusions: This study revealed that EC-EVs in the lung microenvironment during ARDS can affect the therapeutic efficacy of BM-MSCs through the IDH2/TET pathway, providing potential strategies for improving the therapeutic efficacy of MSC-based therapy in the clinic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical recycling of polymers to monomers presents a promising solution to the escalating crisis associated with plastic waste. Despite considerable progress made in this field, the primary efforts have been focused on redesigning new monomers to produce readily recyclable polymers. In contrast, limited research into the potential of seemingly "non‐polymerizable" monomers has been conducted. Herein, we propose a paradigm that leverages a "chaperone"‐assisted strategy to establish closed‐loop circularity for a "non‐polymerizable" α, β‐conjugated lactone, 5,6‐dihydro‐2H‐pyran‐2‐one (DPO). The resulting PDPO, a structural analogue of poly(δ‐valerolactone) (PVL), exhibits enhanced thermal properties with a melting point (Tm) of 114 °C and a decomposition temperature (Td,5%) of 305 °C. Notably, owing to the structural similarity between DPO and δ‐VL, the copolymerization generates semi‐crystalline P(DPO‐co‐VL)s irrespective of the DPO incorporation ratio. Intriguingly, the inherent C=C bonds in P(DPO‐co‐VL)s enable their convenient post‐functionalization via Michael‐addition reaction. Lastly, PDPO was demonstrated to be chemically recyclable via ring‐closing metathesis (RCM), representing a significant step towards the pursuit of enabling the closed‐loop circularity of "non‐polymerizable" lactones without altering the ultimate polymer structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child externalising problems, such as acting out and hostility, have been found to be significant stressors for parents, leading to increased distress levels. This cross‐sectional study examined the mediating role of parents' use of mobile phones to soothe or engage children in the association between child externalising problems and distress in parents. Altogether 937 parents of children aged 5–12 reported their child's externalising problems, child's mobile phone use, and their distress through an online survey. The findings indicated that parents of children with high externalising problems are more likely to use mobile phones to soothe their children and keep them engaged in daily activities, which, in turn, is associated with higher distress in parents. Child externalising problems and distress in parents remained significantly and positively associated even after accounting for the mediating effect. The results highlight the child‐driven effect on distress in parents through parenting behaviours, indicating the importance of providing alternative parenting strategies to cope with child externalising behaviours, in order to promote parental emotional well‐being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: aiming at the limitations of pre-input parameters in the complex network overlapping community discovery algorithm based on tag propagation in real networks and the problems of tag redundancy, method: a node degree increment-based proximal policy optimization method for community discovery in online social networks is proposed (named NDI-PPO). Process: by applying the cohesion idea and introducing the concept of modularity increment, a social network great community is constructed from the bottom up according to the criteria of community division. For the problem that the number of iterative steps is sensitive to the strategy gradient algorithm, we adopt an improved PPO to improve the efficiency of feature extraction. In label updating, the maximum clique is used as the core unit to update the labels and weights of the maximum maximum clique adjacent nodes from the center to the periphery using intimacy, and the weights of the non-maximum maximum clique adjacent nodes are updated by means of the maximum weight. In the post-processing stage, the adaptive threshold method is used to remove the noise in the node label, which effectively overcomes the limitation of the number of pre-input overlapping communities in the real network. Result: The simulation results show that the proposed community discovery algorithm NDI-PPO is superior to other advanced algorithms, the time complexity is greatly reduced, and it is suitable for community discovery in large social networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental problems caused by micro-pressure waves (MPWs) are increasingly prominent with increase in train speed. Considering different models of trains, which may have differences in nose lengths (Ln), and certain extreme terrains where it is unsuitable to construct the buffer hood outside the tunnel, this study numerically investigated the adaptive relationship between Ln and variable-section tunnel parameters [i.e., the length (L1) and area (S1) of the entrance expansion section] for minimizing the MPW. The results show that, as Ln rises from 5 to 13 m, the formation of the MPW peak is continuously delayed, and the peak value of the MPW decreases; while the optimal L1 remains at 20 m for different Ln. Additionally, the optimal S1 scarcely changes with the increase in Ln as well, between 151 and 156 m2, and its ratio to the section area of the main tunnel (70 m2) is approximately 2.2. The optimal parameters of the entrance expansion section play a universal role for trains with different Ln, which can alleviate the MPW amplitude with a value of 58% or higher. The findings can provide significant support for designing tunnels and tunnel hoods, focusing on alleviating acoustic noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With global surge in reservoir construction over the past decades, river systems worldwide have been profoundly fragmented. Consequently, flow manipulation by reservoirs has altered the natural hydrological processes, resulting in extensive modifications of fluvial-marine ecosystems. Mitigating the adverse ecological consequences of reservoirs has become a global concern and has garnered increasing attention. The Yellow River, as one of the most extensively manipulated river systems globally, has experienced substantial changes in the amount and timing of water discharge due to the presence of numerous reservoirs scattered throughout its catchment area. These alterations have caused physicochemical changes in the estuary and subsequent modifications to the estuarine ecosystem. In recent years, the Yellow River Conservancy Committee initiated the release of water through the Xiaolangdi Dam during the major spawning period of fisheries, specifically in the spring, with the aim of improving the estuarine ecological environment. From 2011 to 2020, a total of 84.05 km3 of water was discharged from the Xiaolangdi Reservoir during spring seasons, of which 40% (33.16 km3) constituted water impounded within the reservoir during preceding months. Correspondingly, the spring water discharge from the Yellow River to the sea increased significantly from 1.50 km3/yr to 3.46 km3/yr in the past decade, leading to a decrease in estuarine salinity by 1.6 PSU. The estuarine fishery resources, such as fish eggs in the Yellow River estuary, have demonstrated evident improvement. The reservoir regulation in the Yellow River, which has successfully enhanced spring water discharge and subsequently restored estuarine fishery resources, presents an effective attempt for mitigating the adverse ecological effects associated with reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chrysoeriol is an active ingredient derived from the Chinese medicinal herb (CMH) "Lonicerae japonicae flos" in the dried flower bud or bloomed flower of Lonicera japonica Thunberg. Dermatoses are the most common diseases in humans, including eczema, acne, psoriasis, moles, and fungal infections, which are temporary or permanent and may be painless or painful. Topical corticosteroids are widely used in Western medicine, but there are some side effects when it is continuously and regularly utilized in a large dosage. Chrysoeriol is a natural active ingredient, nontoxic, and without any adverse reactions in the treatment of dermatological conditions. Methods: Nine electronic databases were searched, including WanFang Data, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, Springer Link, SciFinder, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), without regard to language constraints. The pharmacological activities of chrysoeriol from Lonicerae japonicae flos to fight against skin diseases were explained and evaluated through the literature review of either in vitro or in vivo studies. Results: Chrysoeriol decreased the mRNA levels of proinflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α. These were transcriptionally regulated by NF-κB and STAT3 to combat skin inflammation. It also showed promising actions in treating many skin ailments including wound healing, depigmentation, photoprotection, and antiaging. Conclusion: The cutaneous route is the best delivery approach to chrysoeriol across the skin barrier. However, toxicity, dosage, and safety assessments of chrysoeriol in a formulation or nanochrysoeriol on the human epidermis for application in skin diseases must be further investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature is one of the important environmental factors affecting plant growth, yield and quality. Moreover, appropriately low temperature is also beneficial for tuber coloration. The red potato variety Jianchuanhong, whose tuber color is susceptible to temperature, and the purple potato variety Huaxinyangyu, whose tuber color is stable, were used as experimental materials and subjected to 20 °C (control check), 15 °C and 10 °C treatments during the whole growth period. The effects of temperature treatment on the phenotype, the expression levels of structural genes related to anthocyanins and the correlations of each indicator were analyzed. The results showed that treatment at 10 °C significantly inhibited the potato plant height, and the chlorophyll content and photosynthetic parameters in the leaves were reduced, and the enzyme activities of SOD and POD were significantly increased, all indicating that the leaves were damaged. Treatment at 10 °C also affected the tuberization of Huaxinyangyu and reduced the tuberization and coloring of Jianchuanhong, while treatment at 15 °C significantly increased the stem diameter, root-to-shoot ratio, yield and content of secondary metabolites, especially anthocyanins. Similarly, the expression of structural genes were enhanced in two pigmented potatoes under low-temperature treatment conditions. In short, proper low temperature can not only increase yield but also enhance secondary metabolites production. Previous studies have not focused on the effects of appropriate low-temperature treatment during the whole growth period of potato on the changes in metabolites during tuber growth and development, these results can provide a theoretical basis and technical guidance for the selection of pigmented potatoes with better nutritional quality planting environment and the formulation of cultivation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesophase pitch is usually prepared by radical polymerization or catalytic polymerization from coal tar, petroleum, and aromatic compounds, and the catalytic synthesis of mesophase pitch from pure aromatic compounds is more controllable in the preparation of high-quality mesophase pitch. However, the corrosive and highly toxic nature of the catalyst has limited the further development of this method. In this study, mesophase pitch was synthetized using ethylene tar and naphthalene as raw materials and boron trifluoride diethyl etherate as a catalyst. The effect of the catalytic reaction on the structure and properties of the mesophase pitch was investigated. The results show that naphthalene plays an important role in the mesophase content and reaction pressure (from above 6 MPa to 2.35 MPa). Mesophase pitch with fine-flow texture can be prepared by introducing more methylene groups, naphthenic structures, and aliphatic hydrocarbons during synthesis. Carbon fibers prepared from mesophase pitch show a split structure, and the thermal conductivity is 730 W/(m·K). This work provides theoretical support for lower toxicity and causticity and for reaction-controlled technology for the synthesis of high-purity mesophase pitch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the preparation of complex three-dimensional (3D) microstructures with large depth, the 3D-laminated microelectrode reverse-polarity multi-material powder-mixed electrical discharge machining (PMEDM) technology can avoid problems encountered in thermal diffusion bonding 3D-laminated microelectrode conventional micro-EDM such as large electrode wear and obvious seam discharge ridges on the machined surface. However, there is no relevant report on the wear law and mechanism of the triple junction intersection where the electrode is prone to concentrated discharge in reverse-polarity PMEDM with graphite (Gr) and Cu powders of 3D-laminated microelectrode. Based on this technology, the paper systematically analyzed the main elements' composition both its formation mechanism of the deposition layer for the interlayers self-welding regions of the 3D-laminated microelectrode and the end-faces of the two-dimensional (2D) foils. The impact of Gr and Cu powder concentrations, voltage pulse width Ton and voltage pulse interval Toff, and processing voltage on the wear of the triple junction intersection at the end of the 3D-laminated microelectrode were focused studied. Results suggested that the appropriate processing efficiency formed by the matching parameters and the multi-quality protective film deposited on the 3D-laminated electrode working surface could effectively reduce the wear curvature at the electrode triple junction intersection to R42 μm, indicating the potential of this approach in precision manufacturing of 3D microstructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical, imaging, and outcome characteristics of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) caused by structural vascular lesions. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from a prospective observational cohort study of patients with spontaneous ICH admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University between May 2016 and April 2021. Good outcome was defined as modified Rankin Scale score of 0–3 at 3 months. The clinical and imaging characteristics were compared between primary ICH and ICH caused by structural vascular lesions. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to test the associations of etiology with clinical outcome. Results: All patients enrolled in this study were Asian. Compared with patients with primary ICH, those with structural vascular lesions were younger (48 vs. 62 years, P < 0.001), had a lower incidence of hypertension (26.4% vs. 81.7%, P < 0.001) and diabetes (7.4% vs. 16.2%, P = 0.003), and had mostly lobar hemorrhages (49.1% vs. 22.8%). ICH from structural vascular lesions had smaller baseline hematoma volume (8.4 ml vs. 13.8 ml, P = 0.010), had lower mortality rate at 30 days and 3 months (5.8% vs. 12.0%, P = 0.020; 6.7% vs. 14.8%, P = 0.007), and are associated with better functional outcome at 3 months (88% vs.70.3%, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Compared with primary ICH, ICH due to vascular lesions has smaller hematoma volume and less severe neurological deficit at presentation and better functional outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structured catalysts are widely used in catalytic oxidation of gaseous pollutants, hot catalysis is usually needed to assist the reaction in the catalytic process. Herein, a Ce‐modified manganese oxide octahedral molecular sieves (Ce‐OMS‐2) structured catalyst supported on foam nickel was prepared through impregnation process. A systematically quantitative testing on the toluene catalytic oxidation effectiveness of this structured catalyst was conducted through catalyst evaluation device, combining a series of characterization methods, such as XRD and SEM, the structure‐activity relationship was established. Assisted with electric internal heating and ozone oxidation environments, this structured catalyst exhibits excellent catalytic oxidation performance for oxidative decomposition of toluene even under high humidity conditions. The results showed that the ozone‐coupled structured nickel foam catalyst increased the decomposition efficiency of toluene from 25 % (without catalyst and heating) to 55 % (with catalyst and without heating) and the electric internal heating can significantly improve the reactivity and moisture resistance of the structured nickel‐foam catalyst, at 90 % RH and 40000 h−1, 50000 ppb O3 and 40 mg/m3 toluene was maintained 100 % catalytic efficiency. The high‐efficiency non‐precious metal‐based electrothermal catalyst prepared herein is expected to have certain enlightenment for the purification of VOCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the centres of galaxies, stars that orbit supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHBs) can undergo tidal disruptions due to the Lidov–Kozai mechanism. Nevertheless, most previous researches have predominantly focused on full tidal disruption events (FTDEs). In this study, we employ N -body simulations to investigate partial tidal disruption events (PTDEs) induced by intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) in SMBH–IMBH binaries, taking into account consideration the IMBH's mass, semimajor axis, and eccentricity of the outer orbit. Our findings indicate that, in comparison to FTDEs, the majority of tidal disruption events are actually PTDEs. Furthermore, we find that a significant number of stars experiencing partial disruption ultimately get captured by the IMBH, potentially leading to repeating flares. By comparing the period of the periodic eruptions observed in ASASSN-14ko, we find that PTDEs in a specific SMBH–IMBH binary system can align with the observed period if the SMBH has a mass of |$10^7\rm {\ M_\odot }$|⁠ , the IMBH has a mass smaller than approximately |$10^5\rm {\ M_\odot }$|⁠ , the eccentricity of the SMBH–IMBH binary exceeds approximately 0.5, and the semimajor axis of the SMBH–IMBH binary is larger than approximately 0.001 pc. Moreover, our model effectively accounts for the observed period derivative for ASASSN-14ko (⁠|$\dot{P}=-0.0026\pm 0.0006$|⁠), and our results also imply that some quasi-periodic eruptions may be attributed to PTDEs occurring around SMBH–IMBH binaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The non-invasive biomarkers for predicting immunotherapy response are urgently needed to prevent both premature cessation of treatment and ineffective extension. This study aimed to construct a non-invasive model for predicting immunotherapy response, based on the integration of deep learning and habitat radiomics in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: Independent patient cohorts from three medical centers were enrolled for training (n = 164) and test (n = 82). Habitat imaging radiomics features were derived from sub-regions clustered from individual's tumor by K-means method. The deep learning features were extracted based on 3D ResNet algorithm. Pearson correlation coefficient, T test and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression were used to select features. Support vector machine was applied to implement deep learning and habitat radiomics, respectively. Then, a combination model was developed integrating both sources of data. Results: The combination model obtained a strong well-performance, achieving area under receiver operating characteristics curve of 0.865 (95% CI 0.772–0.931). The model significantly discerned high and low-risk patients, and exhibited a significant benefit in the clinical use. Conclusion: The integration of deep-leaning and habitat radiomics contributed to predicting response to immunotherapy in patients with NSCLC. The developed integration model may be used as potential tool for individual immunotherapy management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Construction of inorganic/organic heterostructures has been proven to be a very promising strategy to design highly efficient photocatalysts for solar driven hydrogen evolution from water. Herein, we report the preparation of a direct Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst by in situ growth of cadmium sulfide on a triazine-based covalent organic framework (COF). The triazine based-COF was synthesized by condensation reaction of precursors 1,3,5-tris-(4-formyl-phenyl) triazine (TFPT) and 2,5-bis-(3-hydroxypropoxy) terephthalohydrazide (DHTH), termed as TFPT-DHTH-COF. Widely distributed nitrogen atoms throughout TFPT-DHTH-COF skeletons serve as anchoring sites for strong interfacial interactions with CdS. The CdS/TFPT-DHTH-COF composite showed a hydrogen evolution rate of 15.75 mmol h−1 g−1, which is about 75 times higher than that of TFPT-DHTH-COF (0.21 mmol h−1 g−1) and 3.4 times higher than that of CdS (4.57 mmol h−1 g−1). With the properly staggered band alignment and strong interfacial interaction between TFPT-DHTH-COF and CdS, a Z-scheme charge transfer pathway is achieved. The mechanism has been systematically analyzed by steady state and time-resolved photoluminescence measurements as well as in situ irradiated X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is an important sugar and biofuel crop in the world. It is frequently subjected to drought stress, thus causing considerable economic losses. Transgenic technology is an effective breeding approach to improve sugarcane tolerance to drought using drought-inducible promoter(s) to activate drought-resistance gene(s). In this study, six different promoters were cloned from sugarcane bacilliform virus (SCBV) genotypes exhibiting high genetic diversity. In β-glucuronidase (GUS) assays, expression of one of these promoters (PSCBV-YZ2060) is similar to the one driven by the CaMV 35S promoter and >90% higher compared to the other cloned promoters and Ubi1. Three SCBV promoters (PSCBV-YZ2060, PSCBV-TX, and PSCBV-CHN2) function as drought-induced promoters in transgenic Arabidopsis plants. In Arabidopsis, GUS activity driven by promoter PSCBV-YZ2060 is also upregulated by abscisic acid (ABA) and is 2.2–5.5-fold higher when compared to the same activity of two plant native promoters (PScRD29A from sugarcane and PAtRD29A from Arabidopsis). Mutation analysis revealed that a putative promoter region 1 (PPR1) and two ABA response elements (ABREs) are required in promoter PSCBV-YZ2060 to confer drought stress response and ABA induction. Yeast one-hybrid and electrophoretic mobility shift assays uncovered that transcription factors ScbZIP72 from sugarcane and AREB1 from Arabidopsis bind with two ABREs of promoter PSCBV-YZ2060. After ABA treatment or drought stress, the expression levels of endogenous ScbZIP72 and heterologous GUS are significantly increased in PSCBV-YZ2060:GUS transgenic sugarcane plants. Consequently, promoter PSCBV-YZ2060 is a possible alternative promoter for genetic engineering of drought-resistant transgenic crops such as sugarcane. The promoter PSCBV-YZ2060 cloned from the sugarcane bacilliform virus is shown to be induced by drought in sugarcane and Arabidopsis plants and is a potential alternative promoter for genetic engineering of drought-resistant transgenic crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MYB transcription factors play an extremely important regulatory role in plant responses to stress and anthocyanin synthesis. Cloning of potato StMYB-related genes can provide a theoretical basis for the genetic improvement of pigmented potatoes. In this study, two MYB transcription factors, StMYB113 and StMYB308, possibly related to anthocyanin synthesis, were screened under low-temperature conditions based on the low-temperature-responsive potato StMYB genes family analysis obtained by transcriptome sequencing. By analyzed the protein properties and promoters of StMYB113 and StMYB308 and their relative expression levels at different low-temperature treatment periods, it is speculated that StMYB113 and StMYB308 can be expressed in response to low temperature and can promote anthocyanin synthesis. The overexpression vectors of StMYB113 and StMYB308 were constructed for transient transformation tobacco. Color changes were observed, and the expression levels of the structural genes of tobacco anthocyanin synthesis were determined. The results showed that StMYB113 lacking the complete MYB domain could not promote the accumulation of tobacco anthocyanins, while StMYB308 could significantly promote the accumulation involved in tobacco anthocyanins. This study provides a theoretical reference for further study of the mechanism of StMYB113 and StMYB308 transcription factors in potato anthocyanin synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tri-layer sandwiched composite nonwoven membrane, composed of two electrospun PVA/Melamine layers and one ZIF-67@cellulose acetate composite nonwoven layer, for high power lithium-ion batteries. [Display omitted] • High-power and high-safety lithium-ion batteries composite membrane was developed. • ZIF-67 filler deposited on cellulose acetate fibers (Z 67 @CA) by in situ growth method. • Sandwich structure developed with electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol)/melamine nonwoven membranes (Esp-PVAM). • The Esp-PVAM/15%Z 67 @CA/Esp-PVAM membrane exhibited good capacity retention of 90.34% (1C) for 100 cycles. • The Esp-PVAM/15%Z 67 @CA/Esp-PVAM membrane has a good dendrite suppression and thermo-resistant properties. Due to the poor thermal stability of conventional separators, lithium-ion batteries require a suitable separator to maintain system safety for long-term cycling performance. It must have high porosity, superior electrolyte uptake ability, and good ion-conducting properties even at high temperatures. In this work, we demonstrate a novel composite membrane based on sandwiching of zeolitic imidazole frameworks-67 decorated cellulose acetate nanofibers (ZIF-67@CA) with electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol)/melamine (denoted as PVAM) nonwoven membranes. The as-prepared sandwich-type membranes are called PVAM/x%ZIF-67@CA/PVAM. The middle layer of composite membranes is primarily filled with different weight percentages of ZIF-67 nanoparticles (x = 5, 15, and 25 wt%), which both reduces the non-uniform porous structure of CA and increases its thermal stability. Therefore, our sandwich-type PVAM/x%ZIF-67@CA/PVAM membrane exhibits a higher thermal shrinkage effect at 200 °C than the commercial polyethylene (PE) separator. Due to its high electrolyte uptake (646.8%) and porosity (85.2%), PVAM/15%ZIF-67@CA/PVAM membrane achieved high ionic conductivity of 1.46 × 10-3 S cm−1 at 70 °C, as compared to the commercial PE separator (ca. 6.01 × 10-4 S cm−1 at 70 °C). Besides, the cell with PVAM/15%ZIF-67@CA/PVAM membrane shows an excellent discharge capacity of about 167.5 mAh g−1after 100 cycles at a 1C rate with a capacity retention of 90.3%. The ZIF-67 fillers in our sandwich-type composite membrane strongly attract anions (PF 6 -) through Lewis' acid-base interaction, allowing uniform Li+ ion transport and suppressing Li dendrites. As a result, we found that the PVAM/15%ZIF-67@CA/PVAM composite nonwoven membrane is applicable to high-power, high-safety lithium-ion battery systems that can be used in electric vehicles (EVs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thin‐film lithium niobate (TFLN) enables extremely high‐efficiency second‐order nonlinear optical effects due to large nonlinear coefficient d33 and strong optical field confinement. Here, a pulley‐waveguide‐coupled microring resonator with an intrinsic quality factor above 9.4 × 105 on the reverse‐polarized double‐layer X‐cut TFLN is designed and fabricated. In such a TFLN resonator without fine domain structures, second harmonic generation with a normalized conversion efficiency of 440,000% W−1 with weak pump power, approaching that in periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) microring resonators, and an absolute conversion efficiency of 30% is realized with a sub‐milliwatt continuous pump. This work reduces the dependence of high‐efficiency nonlinear frequency conversion on PPLN microcavities that are difficult to prepare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hsisosuchus, with three known species, was the most common genus of crocodyliforms in the Sichuan Basin during the Jurassic. However, the overall shape of the ventral trunk shield of osteoderms has not been clarified due to the lack of complete specimens. A new specimen of Hsisosuchus recently recovered from the Upper Jurassic of Yunnan has the nearly complete ventral trunk shield preserved. This specimen provides an example for the first time for us to understand the shape and the way of the arrangement of the osteoderms in the ventral trunk shield in the genus. Compared with the articulated part of the ventral trunk shield preserved in two of the three species of the genus, the osteoderms of the ventral trunk shield of the new specimen are different in both shape and way of arrangement, indicating that the pattern of the ventral trunk shield is not constant within Hsisosuchus. With no skull and much of the postcranial skeleton poorly preserved as well as no corresponding element that can be used to compare with all the three species, the new specimen was considered as an indeterminate species of Hsisosuchus, awaiting more materials to clarify the problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of a binary treatment, matching is a well-established approach in causal inference. However, in the context of a continuous treatment or exposure, matching is still underdeveloped. We propose an innovative matching approach to estimate an average causal exposure-response function under the setting of continuous exposures that relies on the generalized propensity score (GPS). Our approach maintains the following attractive features of matching: (a) clear separation between the design and the analysis; (b) robustness to model misspecification or to the presence of extreme values of the estimated GPS; (c) straightforward assessments of covariate balance. We first introduce an assumption of identifiability, called local weak unconfoundedness. Under this assumption and mild smoothness conditions, we provide theoretical guarantees that our proposed matching estimator attains point-wise consistency and asymptotic normality. In simulations, our proposed matching approach outperforms existing methods under settings with model misspecification or in the presence of extreme values of the estimated GPS. We apply our proposed method to estimate the average causal exposure-response function between long-term PM 2.5 exposure and all-cause mortality among 68.5 million Medicare enrollees, 2000–2016. We found strong evidence of a harmful effect of long-term PM 2.5 exposure on mortality. Code for the proposed matching approach is provided in the CausalGPS R package, which is available on CRAN and provides a computationally efficient implementation. for this article are available online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aberrant keratinocytes differentiation has been demonstrated to be associated with a number of skin diseases. The roles of lncRNAs in keratinocytes differentiation remain to be largely unknown. Here we aim to investigate the role of lnc-DC in regulating epidermal keratinocytes differentiation. Expression of lnc-DC in the skin was queried in AnnoLnc and verified by FISH. The lncRNA expression profiles during keratinocytes differentiation were reanalyzed and verified by qPCR and FISH. Gene knock-down and over-expression were used to explore the role of lnc-DC in keratinocytes differentiation. The downstream target of lnc-DC was screened by whole transcriptome sequencing. CUT&RUN assay and siRNAs transfection was used to reveal the regulatory effect of GRHL3 on lnc-DC. The mechanism of lnc-DC regulating ZNF750 was revealed by RIP assay and RNA stability assay. Lnc-DC was biasedly expressed in skin and up-regulated during epidermal keratinocytes differentiation. Knockdown lnc-DC repressed epidermal keratinocytes differentiation while over-express lnc-DC showed the opposite effect. GRHL3, a well-known transcription factor regulating keratinocytes differentiation, could bind to the promoter of lnc-DC and regulate its expression. By whole transcriptome sequencing, we identified that ZNF750 was a downstream target of lnc-DC during keratinocytes differentiation. Mechanistically, lnc-DC interacted with RNA binding protein IGF2BP2 to stabilize ZNF750 mRNA and up- regulated its downstream targets TINCR and KLF4. Our study revealed the novel role of GRHL3/lnc-DC/ZNF750 axis in regulating epidermal keratinocytes differentiation, which may provide new therapeutic targets of aberrant keratinocytes differentiation related skin diseases. • Long non-coding RNA lnc-DC is a positive regulator of keratinocytes differentiation. • Transcription factor GRHL3 regulates the expression of lnc-DC during keratinocytes differentiation. • ZNF750 is a target gene of lnc-DC in regulating keratinocytes differentiation. • Lnc-DC regulates the expression of ZNF750 by binding to the RBP IGF2BP2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two novel sesquiterpenes and one new monoterpene, together with eight reported compounds were isolated from dichloromethane–soluble extract of the aerial part of Artemisia tournefortiana Reichb. Their relative and absolute structures were elucidated based on the analysis of 1D and 2D NMR spectra, HRESIMS, and calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD). Two sesquiterpenes (1 and 2) showed no inhibition effect in anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activity tests. Three new terpenes (1–3) were tested for antibacterial activity, compounds 2 and 3 showed moderate antibacterial activities with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) between 264 and 556 μg/ml. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the relationship between the healthy eating index (HEI) and the prevalence of stroke within a diverse United States population. Employing a cross-sectional design, we utilized data sourced from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Dietary information was collected from participants and HEI scores were computed. NHANES employed stratified multistage probability sampling, with subsequent weighted analysis following NHANES analytical guidelines. Thorough comparisons were made regarding the baseline characteristics of individuals with and without stroke. Weighted multivariable logistic regression analysis and restricted cubic spline (RCS) methods were employed to ascertain the association between stroke risk and HEI, with LASSO regression utilized to identify dietary factors most closely linked to stroke risk. Additionally, we constructed a nomogram model incorporating key dietary factors and assessed its discriminatory capability using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Our study encompassed 43,978 participants, representing an estimated 201 million U.S. residents. Participants with a history of stroke exhibited lower HEI scores than their non-stroke counterparts. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated a robust association between lower HEI scores and stroke, even after adjusting for confounding variables. RCS analysis indicated a nonlinear negative correlation between HEI and stroke risk. Furthermore, detailed subgroup analysis revealed a significant gender-based disparity in the impact of dietary quality on stroke risk, with females potentially benefiting more from dietary quality improvements. Sensitivity analysis using unweighted logistic regression yielded results consistent with our primary analysis. The nomogram model, based on key dietary factors identified through LASSO regression, demonstrated favorable discriminatory power, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 79.3% (95% CI 78.4–81.2%). Our findings suggest that higher HEI scores are inversely related to the risk of stroke, with potential greater benefits for women through dietary quality enhancement. These results underscore the importance of improving dietary quality for enhanced stroke prevention and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to assess the global, regional, and national burden of liver cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases between 1990 and 2019, considering five etiologies (hepatitis B, hepatitis C, alcohol use, NAFLD and other causes), age, gender, and sociodemographic index (SDI). Methods: Data on liver cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases mortality, incidence, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were collected from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors (GBD) Study 2019. Results: In 2019, liver cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases accounted for 1,472,011 (95% UI 1,374,608-1,578,731) deaths worldwide, compared to 1,012,975 (948,941-1,073,877) deaths in 1990. Despite an increase in absolute deaths, the age-standardized death rate declined from 24.43 (22.93–25.73) per 100,000 population in 1990 to 18.00 (19.31–16.80) per 100,000 population in 2019. Eastern sub-Saharan Africa exhibited the highest age-standardized death rate (44.15 [38.47–51.91] per 100,000 population), while Australasia had the lowest rate (5.48 [5.05–5.93] deaths per 100,000 population in 2019). The age-standardized incidence rate of liver cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases attributed to hepatitis B virus has declined since 1990, but incidence rates for other etiologies have increased. Age-standardized death and DALYs rates progressively decreased with higher SDI across different GBD regions and countries. Mortality due to liver cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases increased with age in 2019, and the death rate among males was estimated 1.51 times higher than that among females globally. Conclusion: Liver cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases continues to pose a significant global public health challenge. Effective disease control, prevention, and treatment strategies should account for variations in risk factors, age, gender, and regional disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposed a quantum state tomography approach based on the extreme learning machine (ELM), which is available in the reconstruction of quantum states via a lightweight neural network. The key step of the proposed tomography approach is to employ the ELM to approximate the complex mapping between the measurement values sequence and the real density matrix. After obtaining the output of the ELM-based estimator, a matrix transformation technique is used to make the network outputs satisfy quantum state constraints. Compared with deep learning-based tomography approaches, our proposed ELM-based approach enables both high-fidelity and high-efficiency quantum state tomography with only one training process under the condition of very few numbers of training samples, network layers and hidden layer nodes. In addition, the proposed tomography approach is robust to noisy measurement values, since the ELM-based estimator is quite lightweight. Simulations on the tomography of eigenstates, superposition states and mixed states are presented to verify our theoretical findings. Also, the superiority of the ELM-based tomography approach is demonstrated in comparison with that based on the radial basis function network, convolutional neural network and maximum likelihood estimation approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high-quality development of the livestock and poultry breeding industry is a key aspect of ensuring seed source security and breaking the monopoly of animal and poultry germplasm, improving the quality of livestock and poultry products, and promoting the green transformation of the livestock and poultry breeding industry. This is crucial for advancing Chinese-style modernization. In the perspective of Chinese-style modernization, the high-quality development of the livestock and poultry breeding industry has achieved certain results, mainly manifested in the rich genetic resources of livestock and poultry, a significant increase in the supply capacity of livestock and poultry germplasm, and the upgrading of key core technologies in livestock and poultry breeding. The article proposes comprehensive development of livestock and poultry genetic resources to promote the characteristic development of the livestock and poultry industry, accelerates the deep integration of industry, academia, and research, to improve the modern standardized livestock and poultry breeding system, strengthens technological innovation and application in livestock and poultry breeding to develop strategies to enhance the development of key core technologies in livestock and poultry breeding. The article provides a reference for promoting the high-quality development of livestock and poultry breeding industry and advancing Chinese-style modernization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The density of CD169+ macrophages has been reported to positively correlate with the number of CD8+ T cells, although this remains controversial. To better understand this topic, we conducted a meta-analysis. We searched the PubMed, Medline, and Web of Science databases for studies that were published before May 2022 and performed a meta-analysis of the incidence of low and high CD169 expression in groups based on CD8 expression using the random-effects model. A total of 10 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The incidence of high CD169 expression in lymph nodes was significantly lower than that of low CD169 expression in the low CD8 expression group (odds ratio (OR): 0.76, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.6, 0.96); however, the incidence of high CD169 expression in lymph nodes was higher than that of low CD169 expression in the high CD8 expression group (OR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.08, 2.07). We also found that the expression of CD169 in tumors was lower than that in nontumor tissues (standardized mean difference: −5.29, 95% CI: −7.47, −3.11). The overall survival and hazard ratio of patients with high and low CD169 expression was 0.45 (95% CI: 0.37, 0.55). This analysis showed that high CD169 expression was associated with a high CD8 expression, and low CD169 expression was associated with low CD8 expression. The risk of death was 55% lower for patients with high CD169 expression, and high CD169 expression may be associated with favorable survival outcomes in cancer patients. However, the number and heterogeneity of the studies should be taken into consideration when evaluating the analysis. High-quality randomized controlled trials on the association between CD169 and CD8 expression are needed to verify these effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Super bacterial infection caused by metallo‐β‐lactamases (MβLs) has posed a serious public health threat, while developing inhibitors of MβLs is an ideal strategy to combat drug‐resistance. Here, seventeen sulfonylureas were synthesized and confirmed. Biological assay shown that these molecules effectively inhibited MβL ImiS, with an IC50 value in the range of 29.5–188.2 μM, and the best inhibitor competitively and irreversibly inhibited ImiS with a Ki value of 15.2 μM. Structure‐activity relationship analysis revealed that the chlorine‐substituted phenyl significantly raised inhibitory activity of sulfonylureas on ImiS. Antibacterial and chessboard dilution assays shown that the most sulfonylureas tested enhanced antimicrobial effect of meropenem (MER) on E. coli‐ImiS, and the two inhibitors with best effect resulted in an 8‐fold reduction in MIC of MER. Mice tests shown that the best inhibitor synergizing MER virtually diminished the load of E. coli‐ImiS in spleen and liver. Docking study revealed that the sulfonylurea reacts with ImiS mainly through the sulfonyl group, in which one of oxygen atoms coordinates to Zn(II), and forms two hydrogen bonds with Lys224 (2.1 Å) and His263 (3.1 Å). This work revealed the sulfonylureas are promising candidates for the development of ImiS inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We evaluated the value of copy number variation sequencing (CNV-seq) and quantitative fluorescence (QF)-PCR for analyzing chromosomal abnormalities (CA) in spontaneous abortion specimens. Methods: A total of 650 products of conception (POCs) were collected from spontaneous abortion between April 2018 and May 2020. CNV-seq and QF-PCR were performed to determine the characteristics and frequencies of copy number variants (CNVs) with clinical significance. The clinical features of the patients were recorded. Results: Clinically significant chromosomal abnormalities were identified in 355 (54.6%) POCs, of which 217 (33.4%) were autosomal trisomies, 42(6.5%) were chromosomal monosomies and 40 (6.2%) were pathogenic CNVs (pCNVs). Chromosomal trisomy occurs mainly on chromosomes 15, 16, 18, 21and 22. Monosomy X was not associated with the maternal or gestational age. The frequency of chromosomal abnormalities in miscarriages from women with a normal live birth history was 55.3%; it was 54.4% from women without a normal live birth history (P > 0.05). There were no significant differences among women without, with 1, and with ≥ 2 previous miscarriages regarding the rate of chromosomal abnormalities (P > 0.05); CNVs were less frequently detected in women with advanced maternal age than in women aged ≤ 29 and 30–34 years (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Chromosomal abnormalities are the most common cause of pregnancy loss, and maternal and gestational ages are strongly associated with fetal autosomal trisomy aberrations. Embryo chromosomal examination is recommended regardless of the gestational age, modes of conception or previous abortion status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The methodological development of this article is motivated by the need to address the following scientific question: does the issuance of heat alerts prevent adverse health effects? Our goal is to address this question within a causal inference framework in the context of time series data. A key challenge is that causal inference methods require the overlap assumption to hold: each unit (i.e. a day) must have a positive probability of receiving the treatment (i.e. issuing a heat alert on that day). In our motivating example, the overlap assumption is often violated: the probability of issuing a heat alert on a cooler day is near zero. To overcome this challenge, we propose a stochastic intervention for time series data which is implemented via an incremental time-varying propensity score (ItvPS). The ItvPS intervention is executed by multiplying the probability of issuing a heat alert on day |$t$| —conditional on past information up to day |$t$| —by an odds ratio |$\delta_t$|⁠. First, we introduce a new class of causal estimands, which relies on the ItvPS intervention. We provide theoretical results to show that these causal estimands can be identified and estimated under a weaker version of the overlap assumption. Second, we propose nonparametric estimators based on the ItvPS and derive an upper bound for the variances of these estimators. Third, we extend this framework to multisite time series using a spatial meta-analysis approach. Fourth, we show that the proposed estimators perform well in terms of bias and root mean squared error via simulations. Finally, we apply our proposed approach to estimate the causal effects of increasing the probability of issuing heat alerts on each warm-season day in reducing deaths and hospitalizations among Medicare enrollees in 2837 US counties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Amblyopia is a neurological deficit in binocular vision that affects 3% of the population and is the result of disruptions in early visual development. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we used a visual perceptual learning system for the short-term treatment of children with ametropic amblyopia and evaluated the clinical efficacy of this system in terms of visual plasticity. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the clinical data of 114 children (228 eyes) with refractive amblyopia, who were aged 6.51 ± 1.51 years. Prior to the treatment, we evaluated all children with amblyopia using the visual information processing test. We determined the type of amblyopic defect according to the type of amblyopia, corrected visual acuity, and advanced visual function test results. Based on the type of defect, each child with amblyopia was given short-term visual perception training for 10 days. Finally, we compared the results of visual acuity and visual information processing tests before and after the treatment. RESULTS: The best-corrected visual acuity of patients was better after 10 days of visual training than that before training (P < 0.05). The perceptual eye position after training improved with statistically significant differences in horizontal and vertical perceptual eye position (both P < 0.05) compared to that before training. The number of amblyopic children without suppression in both eyes was 81 cases (71.1%) after training which was higher than that (65 cases, or 57.0%) before training, with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05). Binocular fine stereopsis and dynamic stereopsis improved after training with a statistically significant difference (both P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: In this study, it was found that patients with amblyopia showed visual plasticity. Moreover, continuous visual perceptual learning improved the best-corrected visual acuity and recovered stereopsis in children with refractive amblyopia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the United States, lactation milk yields are not measured directly but are calculated from the test-day milk yields. Still, test-day milk yields are estimated from partial yields obtained from single milkings. Various methods have been proposed to estimate test-day milk yields, primarily to deal with unequal milking intervals dating back to the 1970s and 1980s. The Wiggans model is a de facto method for estimating test-day milk yields in the United States, which was initially proposed for cows milked 3 times daily, assuming a linear relationship between a proportional test-day milk yield and milking interval. However, the linearity assumption did not hold precisely in Holstein cows milked twice daily because of prolonged and uneven milking intervals. The present study reviewed and evaluated the nonlinear models that extended the Wiggans model for estimating daily or test-day milk yields. These nonlinear models, except step functions, demonstrated smaller errors and greater accuracies for estimated test-day milk yields compared with the conventional methods. The nonlinear models offered additional benefits. For example, the locally weighted regression model (e.g., locally estimated scatterplot smoothing) could utilize data information in scalable neighborhoods and weigh observations according to their distance in milking interval time. General additive models provide a flexible, unified framework to model nonlinear predictor variables additively. Another drawback of the conventional methods is a loss of accuracy caused by discretizing milking interval time into large bins while deriving multiplicative correction factors for estimating test-day milk yields. To overcome this problem, we proposed a general approach that allows milk yield correction factors to be derived for every possible milking interval time, resulting in more accurately estimated test-day milk yields. This approach can be applied to any model, including nonparametric models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem: Whether the abnormal development of uterine natural killer (uNK) cells contributes to women with recurrent implantation failure (RIF) remains unclear. Method of study: We characterized the development of uNK cells and peripheral blood NK cells (pbNK) in the mid‐luteal phase in women with RIF (n = 31) and controls (n = 14) by flow cytometry. Endometrial IL‐15 mRNA expression was studied by quantitative reverse transcription‐PCR. The GSE58144 dataset was used to validate the correlation results. Results: We found decreased proportions of stage 4 CD56+CD16‐CD94+ uNK cells (median: 9.56% vs. 17.78%, P.014) and increased proportions of stage 6 CD56+CD16+CD57+ uNK cells (median: 1.54% vs. 0.74%, P =.020) in the mid‐luteal endometrium of women with RIF compared to fertile women. We also found that there was no quantitative correlation between uNK cells and the corresponding pbNK cell subpopulations (P >.05). In addition, IL‐15 mRNA levels in the mid‐luteal endometrium were positively correlated with the proportion of CD56+ uNK cells (r =.392, P =.008), especially with stage 4 uNK cell populations (r =.408, P =.005). Conclusions: We showed that the proportion of stage 4 uNK cells decreased in the RIF group compared to controls, and the decrease in stage 4 uNK cells correlated positively with low IL‐15 mRNA expression. We suggest that the reduced stage 4 uNK cells in women with RIF are associated with IL‐15 deficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of ocean thermal energy conversion is an effective method to extend underwater vehicles' running times and operating ranges, and the solid–liquid phase transition of the phase change material (PCM) in the heat exchanger is a key process for underwater vehicles to collect ocean thermal energy. This study proposes a heat exchanger structure for a small-size thermal energy power generation device and establishes the heat transfer model for the heat exchanger. Simulations were conducted considering convective heat transfer, and the obtained results demonstrated the feasibility of the designed structure. A prototype of the heat exchanger was developed, and physical experiments were conducted to validate the performance of the prototype. The results show that the melting process of the heat exchanger can be completed within 6 to 12 h, the solidification process can be completed within 3 to 7 h, and the heat transfer time decreases with the increase in temperature difference, verifying the compatibility with the underwater vehicles' working patterns. Moreover, the heat exchanger could theoretically extend their lifetime. The results can provide a reference for the structural design and optimization of the heat exchanger for small ocean thermal energy power generation devices in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design and synthesis of high-spin Mn(II)-based single-molecule magnets (SMMs) have not been well developed to a great extent, as compared with a large number of SMMs based on the other first row transition metal complexes. In light of our success in designing Fe(II), Co(II) and Fe(III)-based SMMs with a high coordination number of 8, it is of great interest to design Mn(II) analogues with such a strategy. In this contribution, four Mn(II) compounds, [MnII(Ln)2](ClO4)2 (1–4) were obtained from reactions of neutral tetradentate ligands, L1–L4, with hydrated MnII(ClO4)2 (L1 = 2,9-bis(carbomethoxy)-1,10-phenanthroline, L2 = 2,9-bis(carbomethoxy)-2,2′-dipyridine, L3 = N2,N9-dibutyl-1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-dicarboxamide, L4 = 6,6′-bis(2-(tert-butyl)-2H-tetrazol-5-yl)-2,2′-bipyridine). Their crystal structures have been determined by X-ray crystallography and it clearly shows that the Mn(II) centers in these compounds have an oversaturated coordination number of 8. Their magnetic properties have been investigated in detail; to our surprise, all of these Mn(II) compounds show interesting slow magnetic relaxation behaviors under an applied direct current field, although they have very small negative D values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless networks have become increasingly important in the human resources industry, with cloud data centres playing a critical role in commercial information infrastructure and human resource procedures. Effective human resource management is essential for modern enterprises, so proper human resource planning is crucial for smooth and rapid growth. To achieve this, enterprises must predict the supply and demand of future human resources based on development needs and external environmental factors and formulate a human resource plan that meets their development needs. However, the success or failure of human resource planning depends on accurately forecasting human resource demand. The wireless human resource cloud data centres provide numerous advantages over traditional data centres, including flexibility, efficiency, scalability, security, and data analysis capabilities. Forecasting human resource demand through these centres remains difficult because traditional forecasting techniques can be less effective, leading to inaccurate forecasts. To address this issue, this study proposes a model that combines fuzzy categorization theory with sophisticated forecasting methods to forecast human resource demand. To enhance forecasting reliability and accuracy by efficiently utilizing the data resources of wireless human resource cloud data centres and taking into account a wide range of influencing factors. Industries that use wireless HR cloud data centres are more likely to stay ahead of the competition. It uses fuzzy classification theory and applies fuzzy classification methods to later-stage forecasting to overcome the limitations of traditional forecasting methods, which sample changes may disrupt. The study also uses the Markov chain method, which is suitable for predicting system objects with large random fluctuations. The effectiveness and feasibility of the model are demonstrated by analyzing and verifying the research object's data. This study provides a reliable and effective forecasting method for human resource demand using wireless cloud data centres, which can assist organizations in making data-driven decisions and enhancing their competitive advantage in the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glomalin, a glycoprotein secreted by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMFs), exhibits multiple beneficial functions in regard to plant growth. However, the roles and regulatory mechanisms of exogenous easily extractable glomalin-related soil protein (EE-GRSP) in water and their effects on the quality of tea plants (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Ktze.) remain unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of a quarter-strength exogenous EE-GRSP solution (1/4 EE-GRSP), half-strength exogenous EE-GRSP solution (1/2 EE-GRSP), three-quarter-strength exogenous EE-GRSP solution (3/4 EE-GRSP), and full-strength exogenous EE-GRSP solution (full EE-GRSP) on plant growth, the root system architecture, leaf water status, and the tea quality of tea seedlings, along with examining the changes in the relative expression of water channel proteins (AQPs) in tea plants. The results indicated that exogenous EE-GRSP of different strengths had different effects on both the growth performance (height, leaf numbers, and biomass) and root architecture parameters of tea seedlings, and the best positive effects on plant growth and the root architecture appeared under the three-quarter-strength exogenous EE-GRSP treatment. Similarly, the exogenous EE-GRSP application also differently affected tea quality indicators, in which only the quarter- and half-strength exogenous EE-GRSP solutions significantly increased most of the indicators, including carbohydrates, tea polyphenols, total amino acids, catechins, and flavonoids. Moreover, the half- and three-quarter-strength exogenous EE-GRSP treatments significantly increased the leaf relative water content (LRWC), but all of the exogenous EE-GRSP treatments significantly decreased the leaf water potential (LWP). Furthermore, the expression of AQP genes in the root system of tea plants was related to the strength of the exogenous EE-GRSP treatments, and different genes were significantly up-regulated or down-regulated under the treatment of exogenous EE-GRSP at different strengths. Moreover, the correlation analysis showed that most of the relative expression of AQPs was significantly and positively correlated with tea plant growth, the root architecture, and the leaf relative water content, but negatively correlated with tea quality indicators; however, the expression of CsNIPs and CsSIPs was markedly and negatively correlated with plant growth performance. Therefore, we speculated that the application of exogenous EE-GRSP could facilitate plant growth and improve the quality indirectly by regulating the expression of root AQPs, thus ameliorating the water uptake and nutrient accumulation in tea plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The anatomical basis of pituitary adenomas (PAs) with oculomotor cistern (OC) extension as a growth corridor is overlooked in the literature. In this paper, the authors use the technique of epoxy sheet plastination to study the membranous structure of the OC and validate the results by retrospective analysis of patients with OC extension. Methods: Eighteen specimens were used to study the membranous anatomy surrounding the OC using the epoxy sheet plastination technique. Thirty-four patients with OC extension were retrospectively reviewed. Results: The OC consisted of two thin membranous layers. The inner layer was extended by the arachnoid layer from the posterior fossa, and the lateral layer consisted of the dura mater sinking from the roof of the cavernous sinus. The oculomotor nerve is more likely to displace with a superolateral trajectory due to the weakness of the posterior dura and the relatively large space in the medial and posterior trajectories, which is consistent with the intraoperative observations. Among the anatomical factors that affect the PA by OC extension, we found that the relative position of the internal carotid artery (ICA) and posterior clinoid process may lead to the narrowing of the OC. Of 34 cases, 28 patients achieved total resection. Among 24 preoperative patients with oculomotor nerve palsy, 16 cases were relieved to varying degrees postoperatively. There was no ICA injury or severe intracranial infection found in any of the patients. Conclusions: Extension into the OC is influenced by two anatomical factors: a weak point in the dura in the posterior OC and a potential space beyond this region of the dura. Meticulous knowledge of the membranous anatomy in endoscopic endonasal surgery is required to safely and effectively resect PA with OC extension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Research indicates that Black cancer patients have higher rates of COVID-19 hospitalization than their White counterparts. However, the extent to which chronic diseases contribute to racial disparities remains uncertain. We aimed to quantify the effect of chronic diseases on racial disparity in COVID-19–associated hospitalization among cancer patients. Methods We linked Louisiana Tumor Registry's data with statewide COVID-19 data and hospital in-patient discharge data to identify patients diagnosed with cancer in 2015-2019 who tested positive for COVID-19 in 2020 and those with COVID-19–associated hospitalization. Multivariable logistic regression and mediation methods based on linear structural equations were employed to assess the effects of the number of chronic diseases (0, 1-2, ≥3) and individual chronic diseases. Results Of 6381 cancer patients who tested positive for COVID-19, 31.6% were non-Hispanic Black cancer patients. Compared with non-Hispanic White cancer patients, non-Hispanic Black cancer patients had a higher prevalence of chronic diseases (79.5% vs 66.0%) and higher COVID-19–associated hospitalization (27.2% vs 17.2%). The odds of COVID-19–associated hospitalization were 80% higher for non-Hispanic Black cancer patients than non-Hispanic White cancer patients (odds ratio = 1.80, 95% confidence interval = 1.59 to 2.04). After adjusting for age, sex, insurance, poverty, obesity, and cancer type, number of chronic diseases explained 37.8% of the racial disparity in COVID-19–associated hospitalization, and hypertension, diabetes, and chronic renal disease were the top 3 chronic diseases explaining 9.6%, 8.9%, and 7.3% of the racial disparity, respectively. Conclusion Chronic diseases played a substantial role in the racial disparity in COVID-19–associated hospitalization among cancer patients, especially hypertension, diabetes, and renal disease. Understanding and addressing the root causes are crucial for targeted interventions, policies, and health-care strategies to reduce racial disparity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The teaching–learning-based optimization (TLBO) algorithm, which has gained popularity among scholars for addressing practical issues, suffers from several drawbacks including slow convergence speed, susceptibility to local optima, and suboptimal performance. To overcome these limitations, this paper presents a novel algorithm called the teaching–learning optimization algorithm, based on the cadre–mass relationship with the tutor mechanism (TLOCTO). Building upon the original teaching foundation, this algorithm incorporates the characteristics of class cadre settings and extracurricular learning institutions. It proposes a new learner strategy, cadre–mass relationship strategy, and tutor mechanism. The experimental results on 23 test functions and CEC-2020 benchmark functions demonstrate that the enhanced algorithm exhibits strong competitiveness in terms of convergence speed, solution accuracy, and robustness. Additionally, the superiority of the proposed algorithm over other popular optimizers is confirmed through the Wilcoxon signed rank-sum test. Furthermore, the algorithm's practical applicability is demonstrated by successfully applying it to three complex engineering design problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White dwarfs (WDs) in active galactic nucleus (AGN) discs might migrate to the inner radii of the discs and form restricted three-body systems with two WDs moving around the central supermassive black hole (SMBH) in close orbits. These systems could be dynamically unstable, which can lead to very close encounters or direct collisions. In this work, we use N -body simulations to study the evolution of such systems with different initial orbital separation p , relative orbital inclination Δ i , and SMBH mass M. It is found that close encounters of WDs occur mainly at |$1.1R_{\rm H} \lesssim p \lesssim 2\sqrt{3}R_{\rm H}$|⁠ , where R H is the mutual Hill radius. For p < 1.1 R H, the majority of WDs move in horseshoe or tadpole orbits, and only few of them with small initial orbital phase difference undergo close encounters. For p = 3.0 R H, WD–WD collisions occur in most of the samples within a time 105 P 1, and considerable collisions occur within a time t < 62 P 1 for small orbital radii, where P 1 is the orbital period. The peak of the closest separation distribution increases and the WD–WD collision fraction decreases with an increase in relative inclination. The closest separation distribution is similar in cases with different SMBH mass, but the WD–WD collision fraction decreases as the mass of SMBHs increases. According to our estimation, the event rate of cosmic WD–WD collisions in AGN discs is about 300 Gpc−3 yr−1, roughly 1 per cent of that of observed Type Ia supernovae. The corresponding electromagnetic emission signals can be observed through large surveys of AGNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanical properties of the cell membrane play an important role in electroporation. This paper studied the influence of the mechanical properties of the cell membrane on the transition energy of electroporation through both modeling and experiments. An electromechanical coupling model of a single pore on the cell membrane was established in COMSOL, and the effect of elastic strain energy on the formation of pores was analyzed. Additionally, to compare the transition energy barrier of pores for different elastic properties of the cell membrane, electroporation experiments were carried out at different temperatures. The simulation showed that the elastic strain energy of the cell membrane increased the transition energy barrier of the pores. The experiments also showed that the transition energy barrier was larger when the elasticity of the cell membrane is intact, which was in good agreement quantitatively with the simulation results. We demonstrated that the mechanical properties of the cell membrane hinder the pore formation, which may be due to the increase of the transition energy barrier. We analyzed the possible mechanism of the effect of cell membrane mechanical properties on electroporation and found the contribution of cell membrane mechanical properties to electroporation during the delivery of exogenous substances, which can provide guidance for improving therapies in electrochemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Colon cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers of the digestive tract. There is mounting evidence that genes associated with oxidative stress might affect the tumour immune microenvironment during tumour growth, maintenance, and treatment response. However, how oxidative stress-related genes affect prognostic importance, tumour microenvironment features, and treatment outcomes in colon cancer patients has not been fully elucidated. Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset was used to construct a signature model and nomogram using step and Cox regression approaches to investigate how gene expression affected immunological responses to colon cancer, including the degree of immune infiltration, MSI, and drug sensitivity. Results and conclusions: The nomogram and the signature model had strong prognostic potential for colon cancer, with gene expression highly correlated with multiple immune cells. The first signature model and nomogram including oxidative stress-related genes were constructed for use in clinical decision-making. In addition, SRD5A1, GSR, TXN, TRAF2 and TRAP1 were identified as potential biomarkers for colon cancer diagnosis and indicators for immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dendritic cells (DCs) are most potent antigen-processing cells and play key roles in host defense against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection. In this study, hub genes in DCs during MTB infection were first investigated using bioinformatics approaches and further validated in Monocyte-derived DCs. Methods: Microarray datasets were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Principal component analysis (PCA) and immune infiltration analysis were performed to select suitable samples for further analysis. Differential analysis and functional enrichment analysis were conducted on DC samples, comparing live MTB-infected and non-infected (NI) groups. The CytoHubba plugin in Cytoscape was used to identify hub genes from the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The expression of the hub genes was validated using two datasets and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) in human monocyte-derived DCs. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to validate interferon (IFN) secretion. Transcription factors (TFs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) that interact with the hub genes were predicted using prediction databases. The diagnostic value of the hub genes was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and area under the curve (AUC) values. Results: A total of 1835 common DEGs among three comparison groups (18 h, 48 h, 72 h after MTB infection) were identified. Six DEGs (IFIT1, IFIT2, IFIT3, ISG15, MX1, and RSAD2) were determined as hub genes. Functions enrichment analysis revealed that all hub genes all related to IFN response. RT-qPCR showed that the expression levels of six hub genes were significantly increased after DC stimulated by live MTB. According to the results of ELISA, the secretion of IFN-γ, but not IFN-α/β, was upregulated in MTB-stimulated DCs. AUC values of six hub genes ranged from 84 to 94% and AUC values of 5 joint indicators of two hub genes were higher than the two hub genes alone. Conclusion: The study identified 6 hub genes associated with IFN response pathway. These genes may serve as potential diagnostic biomarkers in tuberculosis (TB). The findings provide insights into the molecular mechanisms involved in the host immune response to MTB infection and highlight the diagnostic potential of these hub genes in TB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]