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Abstract Background Sanniang Bay (SNB) and Dafeng River (DFR), located in the northern Beibu Gulf, is well-known as one of the eight habitats for humpback dolphins in China. This region is representative of typical estuarine and bay ecosystems and produce complex hydrodynamic seawater conditions. Moreover, anthropogenic pressure, such as eutrophication and large-scale infrastructure projects, have caused ongoing habitat deterioration and loss. It is urgent to know the phytoplankton community and their relationships with environmental factors in this region. Results In this study, we assessed the diversity and assembly mechanisms of phytoplankton communities, as well as their relationship with the physicochemical characteristics of seawater in SNB and DFR region using 18 S rDNA metabarcoding analysis. The results showed that seasonal changes markedly impacted the alpha diversity of the phytoplankton community. From March to July, with the average temperature increasing from 25.2℃ to 28.1℃,the Shannon or Species Richness were negatively correlated with temperature. During hot season (in Sep, average temperature 32.1℃), phytoplankton diversity was negatively correlated with nutrients (NH4 +, NO3 −, PO4 3−, TN). Additionally, during the rainy season, the Bray-Curtis similarity of the phytoplankton community was significantly lower than during the dry season. In March, the distance among the sampling sites was most strongly and positively correlated with the Bray-Curtis dissimilarity. Stochastic processes, specifically dispersal limitation and ecological drift, are the primary drivers of community assembly, while deterministic assembly processes (mainly heterogeneous selection) contribute a relatively minor portion (

Abstract China has experienced successive waves of dengue epidemics over the past decade. Nationwide data on 95,339 dengue cases, 89 surveillance sites for mosquito density and population mobility between 337 cities during 2013-20 were extracted. Weekly dengue time series including time trends and harmonic terms were fitted using seasonal regression models, and the amplitude and peak timing of the annual and semiannual cycles were estimated. A data-driven model-inference approach was used to simulate the epidemic at city-scale and estimate time-evolving epidemiological parameters. We found that the geographical distribution of dengue cases was expanding, and the main imported areas as well as external sources of imported cases changed. Dengue cases were predominantly concentrated in southern China and it exhibited an annual peak of activity, typically peaking in September. The annual amplitude of dengue epidemic varied with latitude (F = 19.62, P = 0.0001), mainly characterizing by large in southern cities and small in northern cities. The effective reproduction number R eff across cities is commonly greater than 1 in several specific months from July to November, further confirming the seasonal fluctuations and spatial heterogeneity of dengue epidemics. The results of this national study help to better informing interventions for future dengue epidemics in China.

The study aims to investigate the stability of high fill slopes and their impact on oil and gas pipelines at the foot of the slopes in a key construction project located in Anning City, Yunnan Province. The project formed a high fill slope with a length of nearly 1.6km and a maximum height of about 42 m in early 2023. Due to site planning constraints, four oil and gas pipelines were buried parallel at the foot of the high-fill slope, with the closest pipeline being only 7 m away from the foot of the slope, posing a serious threat to the safety of the oil and gas pipelines. FLAC3D software was employed to analyze the influence of the fill slope on the pipelines at the foot of the slope, and to explore the stability of the slope with the installation of five rows of CFG piles at the toe. The results show that the potential failure surface exists only within the artificial fill, above the oil and gas pipelines. The basic stability factor of the fill slope is 1.305, indicating basic stability under extreme rainfall conditions. Under natural conditions, the pipeline meets the stability requirements, but may lead to deformation and rupture under heavy rainfall conditions. With the addition of five rows of CFG piles at the slope toe, pipeline deformation and ellipticity meet the specification requirements under heavy rainfall conditions, and the safety and stability coefficient of the slope increases by 4.2%, yet fails to meet the specification safety reserve requirements. Further preventive measures are recommended to ensure the safety reserve of the fill slope.

Abstract Gas saturation is a critical parameter for the selection and development of coalbed methane, as well as a key indicator reflecting the challenges in coalbed methane development and productivity evaluation of coalbed methane wells. As one of the significant factors influencing gas saturation, gas content plays a vital role in comprehensively investigating coal pore properties to fully comprehend the process and conditions of methane adsorption and desorption. In this study, 3# and 15# coals from Qinshui Basin, China was selected as research subjects. The experimental evaluation encompassed an examination of composition, pore characteristics, permeability characteristics of coal, rock mechanical parameters while discussing the impact of temperature and pressure on coal's adsorption and desorption capacity. The mineral characteristics analysis revealed that vitrinite is the main component with varying percentages and reflectance values in both 3# and 15# coal seams. The gas content and methane concentration in the 15# coal seam are higher than those in the 3# coal seam. The relationship between gas content within a coal seam and burial depth depends on achieving a balance between positive pressure effects caused by overburden stress exertion on gases trapped within pores under high pressures during burial history versus negative temperature effects due to cooling during geological processes over time. Predictions were made regarding deep-coal gas content which holds significant implications for accurately understanding variations in desorption behavior along with optimizing fracturing engineering.

ABSTRACT Aim This cross‐sectional study aims to identify the characteristic changes of prefrontal and motor areas during a tai chi chuan task in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and major depressive disorder (MDD) using wearable functional near‐infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Methods Three parallel groups (T2DM with DD group, T2DM group, and healthy group) were recruited from December 10, 2022, to May 31, 2023. Participants in three groups conducted a motor task of tai chi chuan designed by Eprime 3.0, and fNIRS was used to monitor the brain activation, functional connectivity (FC), and lateralization of prefrontal and motor areas. Correlation analyses were performed to examine the relationship between depressive symptoms and the function of prefrontal and motor areas. Results Ninety elder adults (aged ≥ 60), including 30 patients with T2DM and MDD, 30 patients with T2DM, and 30 healthy subjects, were enrolled. In contrast with the patients with T2DM and healthy subjects, the patients with T2DM and MDD had decreased activation and abnormal lateralization in prefrontal and motor areas and decreased FC among supplementary motor area, motor area, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Furthermore, the oxyhemoglobin (HbO2) concentration value of DLPFC in patients with T2DM and MDD was negatively associated with scores of Hamilton Depression Scale‐24 (HAMD‐24). Conclusions Patients with T2DM and MDD had characteristic functional changes in prefrontal and motor areas. DLPFC may be a potential target of diagnosis and intervention for patients with T2DM and MDD.

Objectives To appraise the quality of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) and expert consensus statements on rehabilitation for patients with COVID-19, summarise recommendations of rehabilitation assessments and interventions and evaluate the heterogeneity of the recommendations.Design Systematic review.Data sources PubMed and Embase databases and five online guideline repositories: The National Guideline Clearinghouse, Guidelines International Network, Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and WHO were searched from their inception to August 2024. In addition, we reviewed reference lists of eligible citations and searched the grey literature on the relevant websites.Eligibility criteria for selecting studies We included CPGs and expert consensus statements which provided information about rehabilitation of patients with COVID-19. To be eligible, the CPGs and expert consensus statements were issued in English by a nationally or internationally recognised government authority, medical/academic society or organisation. If there were multiple versions of the guidelines, we included the latest one. The translations, interpretations and abstracts of guidelines were excluded.Data extraction and synthesis All recommendations on rehabilitation assessments and interventions for COVID-19 were extracted and summarised. Two reviewers independently evaluated the methodological quality with the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II instrument, and two other reviewers assessed the reporting quality using the Reporting Items for Practice Guidelines in Healthcare (RIGHT) statement of included CPGs and expert consensus statements. We used the Measurement Scale of Rate of Agreement to evaluate the heterogeneity of the recommendations in different CPGs and expert consensus statements.Results A total of 31 CPGs and expert consensus statements were included. 14 guidelines provided recommendations for rehabilitation assessments. At the early, development, critical and recovery stages of COVID-19, the most frequently recommended were exercise therapy (25.8%, 35.5%, 25.8% and 58.1%, respectively). According to AGREE II, 17 included guidelines were assessed as low methodological quality (35%–56%), 10 guidelines were rated as moderate quality (46%– 62%) and four had high quality (69%–79%). Among 31 eligible guidelines, the reporting rate of 22 items in the RIGHT checklist ranged from 10% to 100%. The included guidelines were consistent with the reference guidelines (80%–100%). Only one guideline existed minor (60%–80%) disagreements in respiratory muscle training relative to the reference guideline.Conclusions Rehabilitation assessments and interventions should be implemented consistently throughout the entire process of COVID-19. The recommendations should be tailored to each stage of COVID-19. The methodological and reporting qualities of several guidelines remain suboptimal. Therefore, developers should adhere strictly to the AGREE II standard and RIGHT checklist to formulate and publish CPGs and expert consensus statements with high quality.PROSPERO registration number CRD42020190761.

Abstract Nucleotide second messengers are highly versatile signaling molecules that regulate a variety of key biological processes in bacteria. The best‐studied examples are cyclic AMP (cAMP) and bis‐(3′–5′)‐cyclic dimeric guanosine monophosphate (c‐di‐GMP), which both act as global regulators. Global regulatory frameworks of c‐di‐GMP and cAMP in bacteria show several parallels but also significant variances. In this review, we illustrate the global regulatory models of the two nucleotide second messengers, compare the different regulatory frameworks between c‐di‐GMP and cAMP, and discuss the mechanisms and physiological significance of cross‐regulation between c‐di‐GMP and cAMP. c‐di‐GMP responds to numerous signals dependent on a great number of metabolic enzymes, and it regulates various signal transduction pathways through its huge number of effectors with varying activities. In contrast, due to the limited quantity, the cAMP metabolic enzymes and its major effector are regulated at different levels by diverse signals. cAMP performs its global regulatory function primarily by controlling the transcription of a large number of genes via cAMP receptor protein (CRP) in most bacteria. This review can help us understand how bacteria use the two typical nucleotide second messengers to effectively coordinate and integrate various physiological processes, providing theoretical guidelines for future research.

In pursuit of cultivating automated models for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to aid in diagnostics, an escalating demand for extensive, multisite, and heterogeneous brain imaging datasets has emerged. This potentially introduces biased outcomes when directly applied for subsequent analysis. Researchers have endeavored to address this issue by pursuing the harmonization of MRIs. However, most existing image-based harmonization methods for MRI are tailored for 2D slices, which may introduce inter-slice variations when they are combined into a 3D volume. In this study, we aim to resolve inconsistencies between slices by introducing a pseudo-warping field. This field is created randomly and utilized to transform a slice into an artificially warped subsequent slice. The objective of this pseudo-warping field is to ensure that generators can consistently harmonize adjacent slices to another domain, without being affected by the varying content present in different slices. Furthermore, we construct unsupervised spatial and recycle loss to enhance the spatial accuracy and slice-wise consistency across the 3D images. The results demonstrate that our model effectively mitigates inter-slice variations and successfully preserves the anatomical details of the images during the harmonization process. Compared to generative harmonization models that employ 3D operators, our model exhibits greater computational efficiency and flexibility.

BackgroundHemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) continues to pose a significant public health threat to the population in China. Previous epidemiological evidence indicates that HFRS is climate sensitive and influenced by meteorological factors. However, past studies either focused on too-narrow geographical regions or investigated time periods that were too early. There is an urgent need for a comprehensive analysis to interpret the epidemiological patterns of meteorological factors affecting the incidence of HFRS across diverse climate zones. ObjectiveIn this study, we aimed to describe the overall epidemic characteristics of HFRS and explore the linkage between monthly HFRS cases and meteorological factors at different climate levels in China. MethodsThe reported HFRS cases and meteorological data were collected from 151 cities in China during the period from 2015 to 2021. We conducted a 3-stage analysis, adopting a distributed lag nonlinear model and a generalized additive model to estimate the interactions and marginal effects of meteorological factors on HFRS. ResultsThis study included a total of 63,180 cases of HFRS; the epidemic trends showed seasonal fluctuations, with patterns varying across different climate zones. Temperature had the greatest impact on the incidence of HFRS, with the maximum hysteresis effects being at 1 month (–19 ºC; relative risk [RR] 1.64, 95% CI 1.24-2.15) in the midtemperate zone, 0 months (28 ºC; RR 3.15, 95% CI 2.13-4.65) in the warm-temperate zone, and 0 months (4 ºC; RR 1.72, 95% CI 1.31-2.25) in the subtropical zone. Interactions were discovered between the average temperature, relative humidity, and precipitation in different temperature zones. Moreover, the influence of precipitation and relative humidity on the incidence of HFRS had different characteristics under different temperature layers. The hysteresis effect of meteorological factors did not end after an epidemic season, but gradually weakened in the following 1 or 2 seasons. ConclusionsWeather variability, especially low temperature, plays an important role in epidemics of HFRS in China. A long hysteresis effect indicates the necessity of continuous intervention following an HFRS epidemic. This finding can help public health departments guide the prevention and control of HFRS and develop strategies to cope with the impacts of climate change in specific regions.

BackgroundNecrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a severe neonatal intestinal disease, often occurring in preterm infants following the administration of hyperosmolar formula. It is one of the leading causes of neonatal mortality in the NICU, and currently, there are no clear standards for surgical intervention, which typically depends on the joint discretion of surgeons and neonatologists. In recent years, deep learning has been extensively applied in areas such as image segmentation, fracture and pneumonia classification, drug development, and pathological diagnosis.ObjectiveInvestigating deep learning applications using bedside x-rays to help optimizing surgical decision-making in neonatal NEC.MethodsThrough a retrospective analysis of anteroposterior bedside chest and abdominal x-rays from 263 infants diagnosed with NEC between January 2015 and April 2023, including a surgery group (94 cases) and a non-surgery group (169 cases), the infants were divided into a training set and a validation set in a 7:3 ratio. Models were built based on Resnet18, Densenet121, and SimpleViT to predict whether NEC patients required surgical intervention. Finally, the model's performance was tested using an additional 40 cases, including both surgical and non-surgical NEC cases, as a test group. To enhance the interpretability of the models, the study employed 2D-Grad-CAM technology to describe the models’ focus on significant areas within the x-ray images.ResultsResnet18 demonstrated outstanding performance in binary diagnostic capability, achieving an accuracy of 0.919 with its precise lesion imaging and interpretability particularly highlighted. Its precision, specificity, sensitivity, and F1 score were significantly high, proving its advantages in optimizing surgical decision-making for neonatal NEC.ConclusionThe Resnet18 deep learning model, constructed using bedside chest and abdominal imaging, effectively assists clinical physicians in determining whether infants with NEC require surgical intervention.

Study region: The Baiyangdian Lake, Xiong’an New Area of Hebei Province, China. Study focus: The construction of water transfer projects provides feasible measures for lake space and ecology restoration, with a critical issue in this practice being how to efficiently utilize multiple sources of water replenishments to improve the water quality of the water-receiving lakes. This study developed a hydrodynamic and water quality model for the Baiyangdian Lake, which receives water from upstream reservoirs within its basin and from two water transfer projects in other basins. Simulation scenarios with varied proportions of this lake receiving water from these sources were set up in the model, and the optimal water replenishment scheme for the best improvement in water quality was determined. New hydrological insights for the region: The multi-source water replenishment can effectively enhance the environment of the water-receiving lakes, and water transported from other basins has a more positive effect than that released from the local basin; additionally, water quality was found to be more improved during non-flood seasons compared to flood seasons. Under the preferred water replenishment scheme, the average concentrations of ammonia, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus in the core areas all decreased by more than 10%. However, the water replenishment may induce divergence in water quality indicators and aquatic system evolutions in the water-receiving lakes, making the lake environment fragmented. This study proposes to further exploit the water quality improvement benefits of multi-source water replenishments while mitigating its potential risks by enhancing hydrological connectivity in the water-receiving areas and integrating water quality monitoring and mathematical modeling.

Abstract Background Malaria-associated acute lung injury (MA-ALI) is a well-recognized clinical complication of severe, complicated malaria that is partly driven by sequestrations of infected red blood cells (iRBCs) on lung postcapillary induced impaired blood flow. In earlier studies the mechanosensitive Piezo1 channel emerged as a regulator of mechanical stimuli, but the function and underlying mechanism of Piezo1 impacting MA-ALI severity via sensing the impaired pulmonary blood flow are still not fully elucidated. Thus, the present study aimed to explore the role of Piezo1 in the severity of murine MA-ALI. Methods Here, we utilized a widely accepted murine model of MA-ALI using C57BL/6 mice with Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection and then added a Piezo1 inhibitor (GsMTx4) to the model. The iRBC-stimulated Raw264.7 macrophages in vitro were also targeted with GsMTx4 to further explore the potential mechanism. Results Our data showed an elevation in the expression of Piezo1 and number of Piezo1+-CD68+ macrophages in lung tissues of the experimental MA-ALI mice. Compared to the infected control mice, the blockage of Piezo1 with GsMTx4 dramatically improved the survival rate but decreased body weight loss, peripheral blood parasitemia/lung parasite burden, experimental cerebral malaria incidence, total protein concentrations in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, lung wet/dry weight ratio, vascular leakage, pathological damage, apoptosis and number of CD68+ and CD86+ macrophages in lung tissues. This was accompanied by a dramatic increase in the number of CD206+ macrophages (M2-like subtype), upregulation of anti-inflammatory cytokines (e.g. IL-4 and IL-10) and downregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g. TNF-α and IL-1β). In addition, GsMTx4 treatment remarkably decreased pulmonary intracellular iron accumulation, protein level of 4-HNE (an activator of ferroptosis) and the number of CD68+-Piezo1+ and CD68+-4-HNE+ macrophages but significantly increased protein levels of GPX4 (an inhibitor of ferroptosis) in experimental MA-ALI mice. Similarly, in vitro study showed that the administration of GsMTx4 led to a remarkable elevation in the mRNA levels of CD206, IL-4, IL-10 and GPX-4 but to a substantial decline in CD86, TNF-α, IL-1β and 4-HNE in the iRBC-stimulated Raw264.7 cells. Conclusions Our findings indicated that blockage of Piezo1 with GsMTx4 alleviated the severity of experimental MA-ALI in mice partly by triggering pulmonary macrophage M2 polarization and subsequent anti-inflammatory responses but inhibited apoptosis and ferroptosis in lung tissue. Our data suggested that targeting Piezo1 in macrophages could be a promising therapeutic strategy for treating MA-ALI. Graphical Abstract

Abstract Background Although studies have indicated that extreme temperature is strongly associated with respiratory diseases, there is a dearth of studies focused on children, especially in China. We aimed to explore the association between extreme temperature and children’s outpatient visits for respiratory diseases and seasonal modification effects in Harbin, China. Methods A distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) was used to explore the effect of extreme temperature on daily outpatient visits for respiratory diseases among children, as well as lag effects and seasonal modification effects. Results Extremely low temperatures were defined as the 1st percentile and 2.5th percentile of temperature. Extremely high temperatures were defined as the 97.5th percentile and 99th percentile of temperature. At extremely high temperatures, both 26 °C (97.5th) and 27 °C (99th) showed adverse effects at lag 0–6 days, with relative risks (RRs) of 1.34 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.21–1.48] and 1.38 (95% CI: 1.24–1.53), respectively. However, at extremely low temperatures, both − 26 °C (1st) and − 23 °C (2.5th) showed protective effects on children’s outpatient visits for respiratory diseases at lag 0–10 days, with RRs of 0.86 (95% CI: 0.76–0.97) and 0.85 (95% CI: 0.75–0.95), respectively. We also found seasonal modification effects, with the association being stronger in the warm season than in the cold season at extremely high temperatures. Conclusions Our study indicated that extremely hot temperatures increase the risk of children’s outpatient visits for respiratory diseases. Efforts to reduce the exposure of children to extremely high temperatures could potentially alleviate the burden of pediatric respiratory diseases, especially during the warm season.

Background: The objective of the study was to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of semaglutide in overweight or obese adults with or without type 2 diabetes. Materials and Methods: The study, registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023450979), was designed as a systematic review and meta-analysis. Using a combination of subject matter and free words, a comprehensive search of Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane Library databases was performed to identify randomized controlled trials of semaglutide in overweight or obese adults with or without Type 2 diabetes mellitus from January 1, 2020, to July 14, 2023. The primary outcomes were the changes in body weight and adverse drug reaction (ADR). Random or fixed effects models were used in meta-analysis, pooling data as relative risks (RRs) or mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Cochrane Collaboration’s Risk of Bias tool was used to assess quality. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3. Results: A total of 2490 publications were retrieved. Fifteen publications were finally included, totaling 6984 overweight or obese adult patients. Meta-analysis showed that compared with the control group, the semaglutide group was reduced more significantly in body weight (MD = −7.49, 95% CI [−9.92, −5.07], P < 0.001), body mass index (MD = −3.35, 95% CI [−4.79, −1.92], P < 0.001), waist circumference (MD = −7.26, 95% CI [−9.94, −4.58], P < 0.001), as well as glycosylated hemoglobin (RR = −0.66, 95% CI [−1.07, −0.25], P = 0.002), fasting blood glucose values (RR = −4.81, 95% CI [−7.03, −2.60], P < 0.001), and systolic blood pressure (RR = −3.37, 95% CI [−5.32, −1.42], P < 0.001), and the proportion of patients who lost > 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% of their overall body weight, respectively (RR = 3.19, 95% CI [1.89, 5.36], P < 0.001), (RR = 4.74, 95% CI [2.78, 8.11], P < 0.001), (RR = 6.17, 95% CI [3.88, 9.82], P < 0.001), and (RR = 9.14, 95% CI [6.05, 13.80], P < 0.001) were also superior to the control group. Regarding safety, the incidence of total ADR in the semaglutide group was close to the placebo group. Still, gastrointestinal adverse effects such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea were higher than those in the control group. Conclusion: Semaglutide can effectively lose weight in overweight or obese adults with or without diabetes, potentially providing cardiovascular benefits; however, gastrointestinal adverse should be closely monitored.

Hyperglycemia is correlated with worse in-hospital outcomes in acute infectious diseases such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS). This study assessed the relationship between fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels and in-hospital mortality, disease type, and secondary infections among individuals with SFTS without preexisting diabetes. The clinical data and laboratory results upon admission of 560 patients with SFTS without preexisting diabetes meeting the inclusion criteria at Wuhan Union Hospital were collected. FPG levels in surviving patients with SFTS subjects were significantly lower than those in patients with SFTS who had died (P

Pigs can be an important model for preclinical biological research, including neurological diseases such as Alcohol Use Disorder. Such research often involves longitudinal assessment of changes in motor coordination as the disease or disorder progresses. Current motor coordination tests in pigs are derived from behavioral assessments in rodents and lack critical aspects of face and construct validity. While such tests may permit for the comparison of experimental results to rodents, a lack of validation studies of such tests in the pig itself may preclude the drawing of meaningful conclusions. To address this knowledge gap, an apparatus modeled after a horizontally placed ladder and where the height of the rungs could be adjusted was developed. The protocol that was employed within the apparatus mimicked the walk and turn test of the human standardized field sobriety test. Here, five Sinclair miniature pigs were trained to cross the horizontally placed ladder, starting at a rung height of six inches and decreasing to three inches in one-inch increments. It was demonstrated that pigs can reliably learn to cross the ladder, with few errors, under baseline/unimpaired conditions. These animals were then involved in a voluntary consumption of ethanol study where animals were longitudinally evaluated for motor coordination changes at baseline, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10% ethanol concentrations subsequently to consuming ethanol. Consistent with our predictions, relative to baseline performance, motor incoordination increased as voluntary consumption of escalating concentrations of ethanol increased. Together these data highlight that the horizontal ladder test (HLT) test protocol is a novel, optimized and reliable test for evaluating motor coordination as well as changes in motor coordination in pigs.

Abstract The deep ocean, Earth’s untouched expanse, presents immense challenges for exploration due to its extreme pressure, temperature, and darkness. Unlike traditional marine robots that require specialized metallic vessels for protection, deep-sea species thrive without such cumbersome pressure-resistant designs. Their pressure-adaptive forms, unique propulsion methods, and advanced senses have inspired innovation in designing lightweight, compact soft machines. This perspective addresses challenges, recent strides, and design strategies for bioinspired deep-sea soft robots. Drawing from abyssal life, it explores the actuation, sensing, power, and pressure resilience of multifunctional deep-sea soft robots, offering game-changing solutions for profound exploration and operation in harsh conditions.

This study aims to clarify the mechanical properties and deformation characteristics of the newly-developed DZ27CrNiMo (DZ2) axle steel for the China standard electric multiple units under dynamic loadings along the diameter direction of the axle at room temperature. The DZ2 axle steel has a heterogeneous band structure consisting of equiaxed grain and lath morphology tempered martensite. When being impacted at the strain rate range from 500 s−1 to 2440 s−1, its yield strength, compressive strength, and plastic strain increase. The flow stress upturn after yielding mainly depended on the strain rate effect rather than the work hardening due to the suppressed dislocation cross-slip. Meanwhile, the steady plasticity was consistent with the presence of uniformly distributed dislocations and microbands within the heterogeneous laminates. Although the nanoscale adiabatic shear bands (ASBs) and micro-cracks were found to initiate at the high strain rate of 2440 s−1, their propagation could be inhibited by the hard-tempered sorbate laths. As a consequence, an excellent resistance for impact-induced fracture was realized in DZ2 axle steel. Taking the thermal activation damage evolution into account, a modified Zerilli-Armstrong (ZA) constitutive model was proposed to describe the dynamic mechanical behavior of DZ2 axle steel. The modeling results were consistent with the experimental data, indicating a high prediction accuracy and good application availability in the operation and maintenance of DZ2 axle.

A dual-band (K-/Ka-band) antenna array is presented. An ultra-wideband antenna element in the shape of a double-ridged waveguide is used as a radiation slot, and a novel dual-periodic ridge gap waveguide (RGW) with an interdigital-pin bed of nails (serving as a filter) is used to realize dual-band operation. By periodically arranging the pins of two different heights in two dimensions, the proposed RGW with interdigital-pin bed of nails is able to realize and flexibly adjust two passbands. The widely used GW-based back cavity boosts the realized gain and simplifies the feed network design. A 4 × 4 prototype array was designed, fabricated, and measured. The results show that the array has two operating bands at 24.5–26.4 GHz and 30.3–31.5 GHz, and the realized gain can reach 19.2 dBi and 20.4 dBi, respectively. Meanwhile, there is a very significant gain attenuation at stopband.

Lead nitrate (LN) is frequently employed as an activator in the flotation of cassiterite using hydroxamic acids as the collectors. This study investigated the effect of LN on the hydrophobic aggregation of cassiterite when benzohydroxamic acid (BHA), hexyl hydroxamate (HHA), and octyl hydroxamate (OHA) were used as the collectors through micro-flotation, focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM) and a particle video microscope (PVM), zeta potential, and the extended DLVO theory. Micro-flotation tests confirmed that LN activated the flotation of cassiterite using the hydroxamic acids as collectors. Focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM) and a particle video microscope (PVM) were used to capture in situ data on the changes in size distribution and morphology of cassiterite aggregates during stirring. The FBRM and PVM image results indicated that the addition of LN could promote the formation of hydrophobic aggregates of fine cassiterite, when BHA or HHA was used as the collector, and reduce the dosage of OHA needed to induce the formation of hydrophobic aggregates of cassiterite. The extended DLVO theory interaction energies indicated that the presence of LN could decrease the electrostatic interaction energies (Vedl) and increase the hydrophobic interaction energies (Vhy) between cassiterite particles, resulting in the disappearance of the high energy barriers that existed between the particles in the absence of LN. Thus, cassiterite particles could aggregate in the presence of LN when BHA, HHA, or a low concentration of OHA was used as the collector.

BackgroundCognitive impairment is prevalent in Chinese patients with hypertension; however, current evidence on prevalence and risk factors is required to be synthesized.ObjectivesThis systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of cognitive impairment in Chinese patients with hypertension.MethodsTwo reviewers independently searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, CBM, the Wanfang database, and the VIP database from their inception to 7 June 2023. The gray literature and the reference lists of the included studies were also retrieved manually. Moreover, we also independently performed the eligibility screening, data extraction, and data synthesis. The primary outcome was the prevalence of cognitive impairment in Chinese patients with hypertension, and the secondary outcomes were the risk factors for cognitive impairment in patients with hypertension. R (version 4.0.3) was used for data synthesis.ResultsIn total, 82 studies involving 53,623 patients with hypertension were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of cognitive impairment in patients with hypertension was 37.6% (95% CI: 33.2–42.2%). A total of 12 risk factors, including advanced age (r = −0.34, 95% CI: −0.45, −0.21), female sex (OR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.01–1.32), BMI > 24 Kg/m2 (OR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.04–3.00), lower educational level (OR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.10–3.67), single status (OR = 1.63, 95% CI: 1.32–2.02), complications with diabetes (OR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.14–1.80), coronary heart disease (OR = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.12–1.97), higher stage of hypertension [stage 3 vs. stage 1, OR = 3.08, 95% CI: 1.82–5.22; stage 2 vs. stage 1, OR = 1.83, 95% CI: 1.29–2.60], no regular physical activity (OR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.21–0.77), higher levels of systolic blood pressure (r = −0.25, 95% CI: −0.42, −0.08), Hcy (r = −0.39, 95% CI: −0.63, −0.09), and IL-6 (r = −0.26, 95% CI: −0.48, −0.02) were detected.ConclusionCognitive impairment is prevalent in Chinese patients with hypertension, and the increased prevalence was associated with several demographic characteristics, complicated disease, no regular physical activity, worse hypertension status (higher stages and SBP), and high levels of biomarkers. Therefore, more attention should be paid to the early identification and treatment of patients with hypertension who are at high risk for cognitive impairment in clinical practice. In addition, relevant risk factors should be controlled to reduce the incidence of cognitive impairment.Systematic review registrationhttp://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO, identifier [CRD42023410437].

Robotic metamaterials represent an innovative approach to creating synthetic structures that combine desired material characteristics with embodied intelligence, blurring the boundaries between materials and machinery. Inspired by the functional qualities of biological skin, integrating tactile intelligence into these materials has gained significant interest for research and practical applications. This study introduces a Soft Robotic Metamaterial (SRM) design featuring omnidirectional adaptability and superior tactile sensing, combining vision-based motion tracking and machine learning. The study compares two sensory integration methods to a state-of-the-art motion tracking system and force/torque sensor baseline: an internal-vision design with high frame rates and an external-vision design offering cost-effectiveness. The results demonstrate the internal-vision SRM design achieving an impressive tactile accuracy of 98.96%, enabling soft and adaptive tactile interactions, especially beneficial for dexterous robotic grasping. The external-vision design offers similar performance at a reduced cost and can be adapted for portability, enhancing material science education and robotic learning. This research significantly advances tactile sensing using vision-based motion tracking in soft robotic metamaterials, and the open-source availability on GitHub fosters collaboration and further exploration of this innovative technology (https://github.com/bionicdl-sustech/SoftRoboticTongs).

Transglutaminases (TGases) have been widely used in food, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and other industries because of their ability to catalyze deamidation, acyl transfer, and crosslinking reactions between Ƴ-carboxamide groups of peptides or protein-bound glutamine and the Ɛ-amino group of lysine. In this study, we demonstrated an efficient systematic engineering strategy to enhance the synthesis of TGase in a recombinant Streptomyces mobaraensis smL2020 strain in a 1000-L fermentor. Briefly, the enzymatic properties of the TGase TGL2020 from S. mobaraensis smL2020 and TGase TGLD from S. mobaraensis smLD were compared to obtain the TGase TGLD with perfected characteristics for heterologous expression in a recombinant S. mobaraensis smL2020ΔTG without the gene tgL 2020. Through multiple engineering strategies, including promoter engineering, optimizing the signal peptides and recombination sites, and increasing copies of the expression cassettes, the final TGLD activity in the recombinant S. mobaraensis smL2020ΔTG: (PL2020-spL2020-protgLD-tgLD)2 (tgL2020 and BT1) reached 56.43 U/mL and 63.18 U/mL in shake flask and 1000-L fermentor, respectively, which was the highest reported to date. With the improvement of expression level, the application scope of TGLD in the food industry will continue to expand. Moreover, the genetic stability of the recombinant strain maintained at more than 20 generations. These findings proved the feasibility of multiple systematic engineering strategies in synthetic biology and provided an emerging solution to improve biosynthesis of industrial enzymes.

This paper introduces a bilevel programming model for optimizing transit network departure frequency. In the upper-level model, user satisfaction is reflected by considering congestion effects in the cost function. The lower-level assignment model simulates passenger travel behavior more realistically by incorporating congestion effects. This problem is solved by a heuristic gradient descent algorithm, where an approximation of the gradient is obtained at each iteration by using sensitivity analysis for transit equilibrium problems. The effectiveness of the proposed model and algorithm is demonstrated through two test examples, one of which involves a real-world scenario comprising over 130 transit lines. Numerical results conclusively indicate that the incorporation of congestion effects in the proposed model leads to improved transit system performance and enhanced user satisfaction.

During the fruit wine production, phenolic acid decarboxylase (PAD) converts free hydroxycinnamic acid into 4-vinyl derivatives that can then react spontaneously with anthocyanins, generating more stable pyranoanthocyanins that are responsible for the color stability of fruit wine. Nevertheless, the low PAD activity in yeast under the winemaking conditions has largely limited the generation of 4-vinyl derivatives. To bridge this gap, we expressed PAD from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens in Pichia pastoris and surface-displayed it on Saccharomyces cerevisiae. As a result, S. cerevisiae surface-displayed PAD (SDPAD) exhibited an enhanced thermal stability and tolerance to acidic conditions. Fermentation experiments showed that SDPAD can significantly increase the content of vinylphenolic pyranoanthocyanins and thus maintain the color stability of blueberry wine. Our study demonstrated the feasibility of surface display technology for color stability enhancement during the production of blueberry wine, providing a new and effective solution to increase the content of vinylphenolic pyranoanthocyanins in the fruit-based wines.

Examining the spatiotemporal changes of territorial space is crucial for addressing the conflict between economic-social development and the natural environment and achieving optimal territorial space utilization. However, there is a research gap regarding the spatial characteristics and optimization in the mountain–flatland area. To address this gap, this paper focuses on the urban agglomeration in Central Yunnan (UACY) as a representative mountain-flatland area. A mountain–flatland classification model was established. Based on the evaluation of production– living– ecological functions, the economic models were introduced to measure the balance degree, and further researched the spatiotemporal evolution and coupling coordination characteristics by spatial analysis from 2010 to 2020. The findings indicate the following: (1) The study area exhibited distinct mountain-flatland differentiation, with ''western mountainous counties (MCs)/semi-mountainous and semi-flatland counties (SMSFCs), central flatland counties (FCs), and eastern SMSFCs''. production function (PF) primarily formed a cluster in the central-northeastern areas of FCs and of SMSFCs, living function (LF) was highly clustered in the central areas of FCs, remained stable, and ecological function (EF) was significantly clustered in the northwestern regions of MCs and of SMSFCs, significantly enhanced in the northeast. (2) The imbalance degree followed the order LF > PF > EF, showing a decreasing trend primarily driven by intra-group imbalances within FCs, SMSFCs, and MCs. The coordinate areas were mainly concentrated in central FCs, and the dysfunctional areas was largely located in MCs and SMSFCs, the degree was improved, especially in northwestern and southeastern MCs and SMSFCs. (3) The study area fell into 18 functional areas, optimized into 13 areas, with recommendations for differentiated development control paths to achieve an optimization of PLEFs. These results provide theoretical references for promoting sustainable utilization of territorial resources and facilitating high-quality regional development in UACY and other parts of the country.

Robots play a critical role as the physical agent of human operators in exploring the ocean. However, it remains challenging to grasp objects reliably while fully submerging under a highly pressurized aquatic environment with little visible light, mainly due to the fluidic interference on the tactile mechanics between the finger and object surfaces. This study investigates the transferability of grasping knowledge from on‐land to underwater via a vision‐based soft robotic finger that learns 6D forces and torques (FT) using a supervised variational autoencoder (SVAE). A high‐framerate camera captures the whole‐body deformations while a soft robotic finger interacts with physical objects on‐land and underwater. Results show that the trained SVAE model learns a series of latent representations of the soft mechanics transferable from land to water, presenting a superior adaptation to the changing environments against commercial FT sensors. Soft, delicate, and reactive grasping enabled by tactile intelligence enhances the gripper's underwater interaction with improved reliability and robustness at a much‐reduced cost, paving the path for learning‐based intelligent grasping to support fundamental scientific discoveries in environmental and ocean research.

Purpose Action Real-Time Strategy Games (ART SGs) is a prominent component of lifestyles and offers an ecological venue to investigate brain functions. Anxiety is an adaptive emotion and may exert its wide influence on brain functions. However, little is known about the potential interaction effects of trait anxiety and ART SG exper ence on brain functions. Materials and methods In this study, EEG and behavioral data of 215 League of Legends (LOL) video game players were collected. And then, two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted on relative power indices, and relations between power indices and game performance scores were calculated using Spearman's correlation. Results Results showed that (a) gamma (resting and game play states) and beta (game play state) powers of high-level ART SG players were greater than those of low-level players in the high-Trait Anxiety Inventory (TAI) score group (p

In order to reveal the differential deformation characteristics of the Wangfu Fault Depression in Songliao Basin and study the regularity of the deformation mechanism of boundary normal faults, this paper, based on the structural analysis and fault differential analysis, discusses the controlling factors and genetic mechanism of differential deformation of boundary normal faults in combination with the advantages of tectonophysical simulation in "continuous forward modeling" and "control variables". The results show that: (1) According to the intensity of fault activity, four regional tectonic evolution stages can be divided. The boundary normal faults in the west of Wangfu Fault Depression is the most active, but the dip angle of the faults gradually increases from north to south, showing a "convex" shape locally. (2) Combining tectonophysical simulation with actual geological background, it is showed that the shape of boundary normal fault was controlled by three main factors, including lateral lithologic change, syntectonic sedimentation and pre-existing uplift of basement. If boundary normal faults are developed in strata with different lithology at the same time, or accompanied by strong syntectonic sedimentation, the dip angle will change. In addition, the extension of the fault near the hard basement bulge will change its trend and continue to spread around the bulge top, resulting in the local appearance of "uplift".

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) geofoam is a light and deformable geosynthetic that can reduce the pressure on the pipe by surrounding soil. The protective effect of geofoam bocks protection on the buried pipe under stratum settlement was investigated. The effect of settlement displacement, diameter-thickness ratio, internal pressure, surrounding soil, and EPS thickness on the axial strain and ovalisation of pipe were analyzed. The results show that the axial strain and ovalisation of pipe protected with EPS are smaller than that in soil. With the increase of the pipe diameter-thickness ratio, the axial strain and ovalisation of pipe with or without protection increase. With the increase of internal pressure, the buckling mode of pipe buried in soil changes from collapse to wrinkle gradually, but the ovalisation changes of pipe protected with EPS is small. When the surrounding soil is rock, buckling occurred in the without protection is more obvious. The safety of the pipeline is better with thicker EPS.

Abstract Background Global connectivity and environmental change pose continuous threats to dengue invasions from worldwide to China. However, the intrinsic relationship on introduction and outbreak risks of dengue driven by the landscape features are still unknown. This study aimed to map the patterns on source-sink relation of dengue cases and assess the driving forces for dengue invasions in China. Methods We identified the local and imported cases (2006–2020) and assembled the datasets on environmental conditions. The vector auto-regression model was applied to detect the cross-relations of source-sink patterns. We selected the major environmental drivers via the Boruta algorithm to assess the driving forces in dengue outbreak dynamics by applying generalized additive models. We reconstructed the internal connections among imported cases, local cases, and external environmental drivers using the structural equation modeling. Results From 2006 to 2020, 81,652 local dengue cases and 12,701 imported dengue cases in China were reported. The hotspots of dengue introductions and outbreaks were in southeast and southwest China, originating from South and Southeast Asia. Oversea-imported dengue cases, as the Granger-cause, were the initial driver of the dengue dynamic; the suitable local bio-socioecological environment is the fundamental factor for dengue epidemics. The Bio8 [odds ratio (OR) = 2.11, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.67–2.68], Bio9 (OR = 291.62, 95% CI: 125.63–676.89), Bio15 (OR = 4.15, 95% CI: 3.30–5.24), normalized difference vegetation index in March (OR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.06–1.51) and July (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.00–1.07), and the imported cases are the major drivers of dengue local transmissions (OR = 4.79, 95% CI: 4.34–5.28). The intermediary effect of an index on population and economic development to local cases via the path of imported cases was detected in the dengue dynamic system. Conclusions Dengue outbreaks in China are triggered by introductions of imported cases and boosted by landscape features and connectivity. Our research will contribute to developing nature-based solutions for dengue surveillance, mitigation, and control from a socio-ecological perspective based on invasion ecology theories to control and prevent future dengue invasion and localization. Graphical Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the alkaloid secondary metabolites of Aspergillus amstelodami BSX001, a fungus isolated from Anhua dark tea, and to improve the extraction yield of the active ingredients by optimizing the extraction process. The structural characterization of the compounds was investigated using mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The antioxidant activity of echinulin-related alkaloids was evaluated by determining the total reducing power and DPPH radical scavenging capacity. The extraction process of the compound with optimum activity was optimized by a single-factor test and response surface methodology (RSM) combined with Box–Behnken design (BBD). The optimized result was validated. Finally, a new alkaloid 8-hydroxyechinulin (1), and four known alkaloids, variecolorin G (2), echinulin (3), neoechinulin A (4), and eurocristatine (5), were isolated. Echinulin-related compounds 1, 3, and 4 possessed certain antioxidant activities, with IC50 values of 0.587 mg/mL, 1.628 mg/mL, and 0.219 mg/mL, respectively, against DPPH radicals. Their total reducing power at a concentration of 0.5 mg/mL was 0.29 mmol/L, 0.17 mmol/L, and 4.25 mmol/L. The extraction process of neoechinulin A was optimized with the optimum extraction parameters of 72.76% methanol volume fraction, 25 mL/g solid–liquid ratio, and 50.8 °C soaking temperature. Under these conditions, the extraction yield of neoechinulin A was up to 1.500 mg/g.

Abstract Background Cytoplasmic activation/proliferation-associated protein-1 (Caprin-1) is implicated in cancer cell proliferation and tumorigenesis; however, its role in the development of esophageal carcinoma (ESCA) has not been examined. Methods Biological methods and data analysis were used to investigate the expression of Caprin-1 in ESCA tissue and cell lines. We comprehensively analyzed the mRNA expression and prognostic values, signalling pathways of CAPRIN1 in ESCA using public databases online. Biological functions of CAPRIN1 were performed by clorimetric growth assay, EdU staining, colony formation, flow cytometry, apoptosis analysis, Western blot, lactate detection assay, extracellular acidification rates. The underlying mechanism was determined via flow cytometric analysis, Western blot and rescue experiments. In addition, xenograft tumor model was constructed to verify the phenotypes upon CAPRIN1 silencing. Results Caprin-1 expression was significantly elevated in both ESCA tumor tissues and cell lines compared with that in normal adjacent tissues and fibroblasts. Increased CAPRIN1 mRNA expression was significantly associated with clinical prognosis and diagnostic accuracy. The GO enrichment and KEGG pathway analysis CAPRIN1 might be related to immune-related terms, protein binding processes, and metabolic pathways. A significant positive correlation was observed between high Caprin-1 protein levels and lymph node metastasis (P = 0.031), ki-67 (P = 0.023), and 18F- FDG PET/CT parameters (SUVmax (P = 0.002) and SUV mean (P = 0.005)) in 55 ESCA patients. At cut-off values of SUVmax 17.71 and SUVmean 10.14, 18F- FDG PET/CT imaging predicted Caprin-1 expression in ESCA samples with 70.8% sensitivity and 77.4% specificity. In vitro and in vivo assays showed that Caprin-1 knockdown affected ESCA tumor growth. Silencing Caprin-1 inhibited ESCA cell proliferation and glycolysis, and decreased the expression of methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) and Wilms’ tumor 1-associating protein (WTAP). However, this effect could be partially reversed by the restoration of METTL3 and WTAP expression. Conclusions Our data suggest that Caprin-1 could serve as a prognostic biomarker and has an oncogenic role in ESCA.

The identification of marine alkenones and anomalously high carbonate carbon isotopic values in sediments suggest the Qaidam Basin in the northern Tibetan Plateau was uplifted from sea level to its present altitude since the Mid-Miocene.

Study region: Baiyangdian Lake, the largest freshwater lake on the North China Plain, is located in Xiong'an New Area of Hebei Province. Study focus: Physical, chemical, and biological reactions are active at the sediment-water interface and have a complex impact on the interfacial transport process. Based on the theory of the effective diffusion coefficient, combined with the analysis of sediment, in-situ observations, and a hydrodynamic model, we built a multi-approach framework to accurately estimate the interfacial mass flux and its temporal and spatial variations. New hydrological insights for the region: The results showed that the NH4+-N release flux across the interface varies between 6.12 and 62.30 mg m−2 d−1. The transport processes in the Nanliuzhuang and Mapeng regions were dominated by the dispersive regime, whereas those in the remaining regions were dominated by the molecular regime. Under extreme weather conditions, such as typhoons, the mass flux is more than five times that under windless conditions. At this time, the framework to estimate the interfacial mass flux based on the effective diffusivity coefficient (FEIMF-EDC) can better reflect the sudden increase in mass flux caused by short-term strong hydrodynamic disturbances. This framework has a good application effect in shallow lakes with obvious spatiotemporal heterogeneity of sediment and hydrodynamics and can provide a basis for accurately formulating plans for water environment monitoring and management.

Depression, a mood disorder characterized by persistent feelings of sadness and aversion to activity that can interfere with daily life, is a condition of great concern. Prebiotics, which are non-digestible substances selectively utilized by host microorganisms for health benefits, have gained attention for their potential to improve overall wellness and alleviate various disorders including depression. This study aims to review clinical trials utilizing carbohydrate-type prebiotics such as inulin-type fructans, galactooligosaccharides (GOS), human milk oligosaccharides, resistant starch, prebiotic phytochemicals including epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), chlorogenic acids, resveratrol, and prebiotic lipids (n-3 polysaturated fatty acids) to determine their effects on depression. Our findings suggest that GOS at a daily dosage of 5 g and eicosapentaenoic acid at or less than 1 g can effectively mitigate depressive symptoms. While EGCG exhibits potential antidepressant properties, a higher dosage of 3 g/d may be necessary to elicit significant effects. The plausible mechanisms underlying the impact of prebiotics on depression include the synthesis of neurotransmitters, production of short-chain fatty acids, and regulation of inflammation.

IntroductionHyperuricemia is widespread in humans and birds which is a necessary physiological factor leading to gout. Studies have shown an inextricable relationship between gut microbiota and hyperuricemia. This study explored the association between intestinal flora and hyperuricemia in Goslings.Methods and resultsThe hyperuricemia model was established in gosling by a high protein diet (HPD). 16S rDNA sequencing showed that the cecal microbiota differed significantly between the HPD and control groups (fed with the normal protein). The abundance of Firmicutes was higher in the HPD group, while the Bacteroidetes were lower than in controls. To investigate the role of intestinal flora in hyperuricemia, the cecum microbiotas from the HPD group and the control group were transplanted to the newly born goslings by gavage. The serum uric acid levels of the goslings that transplanted the cecal microbiota of the HPD group were significantly higher than the goslings that transplanted the cecal microbiota of the controls. Furthermore, the transplantation of cecal microbiota also affects the production and excretion of uric acid in goslings. Then we identify the gut bacterium Bacteroides xylanisolvens as an effective anti-hyperuricemia in the Goslings. B. xylanisolvens reduces serum uric acid concentrations in hyperuricemia in the Goslings' model, and it can up-regulation ABCG2 mRNA expression in the kidney and down-regulation XDH mRNA expression in the liver.DiscussionThe intestinal flora acts as a novel target for the therapeutic approach to hyperuricemia and gout, suggest Bacteroides xylanisolvens is a possible route to therapy for hyperuricemia and gout in goslings.

Background: Protein-1 (PD-1) and programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) therapy have become an important treatment approach for patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but primary or secondary resistance remains a challenge for some patients. PD-1/PD-L1 combined with anti-angiogenic drugs (AAs) in NSCLC patients have potential synergistic effects, and the survival benefit may vary based on a treatment order. To investigate the efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 combined with AAs as the treatment for patients with advanced NSCLC. Materials and Methods: We comprehensively searched EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, VIP, and Wanfang databases from January 2017 to September 2022. The Cochrane risk bias tool evaluated the quality of included randomized clinical trials. Newcastle-Ottawa-Scale score was used to evaluate the quality of retrospective studies. Publication bias was evaluated by funnel plot, Begg’s test, and Egger’s test. Results: Seventeen articles were finally selected, involving 5182 patients. Meta-analysis results showed that PD1/PD-L1 combined with AAs therapy significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.61, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.50–0.75, P < 0.00001), overall survival (OS) (HR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.71–0.88, P < 0.00001), and objective response rate (ORR) (risk ratio = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.81–0.96, P = 0.004), with the statistically significant difference. The sensitivity analysis demonstrated the robustness of the PFS, ORR, and OS. Conclusion: The combination of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors with AAs in treating advanced patients has exhibited notable therapeutic advantages when contrasted with monotherapy. Specifically, the administration of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in conjunction with AAs, or sequential treatment involving PD-1/PD-L1 followed by AAs, has shown enhanced therapeutic efficacy in this patient population.

The physical foundation and environmental assurance provided by the regional habitat are crucial for the survival and sustainable development of organisms. Land use change, as a significant manifestation of human activity, is a crucial factor in habitat quality. An SD-PLUS coupled model was developed to simulate land use change in the Baiyangdian(BYD) Basin using data on land use, socio-economic factors, and the climatic environment from 2000 to 2020. The InVEST model was employed to assess the habitat quality of the basin from 2000 to 2050. The findings indicated the following: Between 2020 and 2050, the predominant land use changes across the three scenarios involve the conversion of farmland to construction land and grassland to woodland. The magnitude of these changes steadily declines over time. The magnitude of change in land use for all kinds was greater under SSP5 compared to SSP1 and SSP2. The movement of habitat quality grades primarily occurred from higher grades to lower grades. In 2050, the habitat quality is projected to improve compared to 2020 under three different scenarios. The highest improvement is expected in SSP5 with a 0.60% increase, followed by SSP2 with a 0.42% increase and SSP1 with the smallest increase of 0.23%.

The J-TEXT capability is enhanced compared to two years ago with several upgrades of its diagnostics and the increase of electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) power to 1 MW. With the application of electron cyclotron wave (ECW), the ECW assisted plasma startup is achieved; the tearing mode is suppressed; the toroidal injection of 300 kW ECW drives around 24 kA current; fast electrons are generated with toroidal injected ECW and the runaway current conversion efficiency increases with ECRH power. The mode coupling between 2/1 and 3/1 modes are extensively studied. The coupled 2/1 and 3/1 modes usually lead to major disruption. Their coupling can be either suppressed or avoided by external resonant magnetic perturbation fields and hence avoids the major disruption. It is also found that the 2/1 threshold of external field is significantly reduced by a pre-excited 3/1 mode, which can be either a locked island or an external kink mode. The disruption control is studied by developing prediction methods capable of cross tokamak application and by new mitigation methods, such as the biased electrode or electromagnetic pellet injector. The high-density operation and related disruptions are studied from various aspects. Approaching the density limit, the collapse of the edge shear layer is observed and such collapse can be prevented by applying edge biasing, leading to an increased density limit. The density limit is also observed to increase, if the plasma is operated in the poloidal divertor configuration or the plasma purity is increased by increasing the pre-filled gas pressure or ECRH power during the start-up phase.

As a high-performance engineering plastic, polyarylene ether nitrile (PEN) is widely used in many fields. The presence of cyano groups of PEN ensures its good adhesion to other substrates, but the inherent low crystallinity of PEN limits its application. In this work, the poly(aryl ether ketone) segment was introduced into PEN via copolymerization using both 2,6-Dichlorobenzonitrile and 4,4′-Difluorobenzophenone as the starting reagents to prepare poly (ether nitrile ketone) (BP-PENK). The effect of composition and thermal treatment on the crystallization behavior and properties of poly (ether nitrile ketone) were systematically studied. It was found that when the content of DFBP is 30%, the copolymer BP-PENK30 had the best mechanical properties, with a tensile strength of 109.9 MPa and an elongation at a break value of 45.2%. After thermal treatment at 280 °C for 3 h, BP-PENK30 had the highest crystallinity with a melting point of 306.71 °C, a melting enthalpy of 5.02 J/g, and crystallinity of 11.83%. Moreover, with the increase in crystallinity, the dielectric constant and energy density increased after thermal treatment. Therefore, the introduction of poly(aryl ether ketone) chain segments and thermal treatment can effectively improve the crystallization and the comprehensive properties of PEN.

Graph convolutional networks (GCN) have emerged as a powerful alternative tool for analyzing hyperspectral images (HSIs). Despite their impressive performance, current works strive to make GCN more sophisticated through either elaborate architecture or fancy training tricks, making them prohibitive for HSI data in practice. In this paper, we present a Graph Convolutional RVFL Network (GCRVFL), a simple but efficient GCN for hyperspectral image classification. Specifically, we generalize the classic RVFL network into the graph domain by using graph convolution operations. This not only enables RVFL to handle graph-structured data, but also avoids iterative parameter adjustment by employing an efficient closed-form solution. Unlike previous works that perform HSI classification under a transductive framework, we regard HSI classification as a graph-level classification task, which makes GCRVFL scalable to large-scale HSI data. Extensive experiments on three benchmark data sets demonstrate that the proposed GCRVFL is able to achieve competitive results with fewer trainable parameters and adjustable hyperparameters and higher computational efficiency. In particular, we show that our approach is comparable to many existing approaches, including deep CNN models (e.g., ResNet and DenseNet) and popular GCN models (e.g., SGC and APPNP).

Coastal reclamation has negative impacts on the marine eco-environment and leads to the loss of marine ecosystem services, and it is very important to evaluate the value of marine ecosystem services for the intensive and economical utilization of marine resources and the sustainable development. Based on the characteristics of ecosystem services of Zhifu Bay (ZFB) of Yantai in Shandong Province, a functional value method was adopted, and four ecosystem service indicators were selected, including provisioning service, regulating service, supporting service and cultural service to establish an evaluation model. The evaluation model of the coastal ecosystem services was optimized, and the value loss of marine ecosystem services caused by coastal reclamation in the ZFB was evaluated. The results showed that the total loss of marine ecosystem service value caused by the coastal reclamation of the ZFB for 40 years was 2.95×107 yuan/a, with unit area 3.72×104 yuan/ (hm2·a), of which the annual loss of provisioning service was the largest, accounting for 56.95% of the total loss, followed by the cultural service, the supporting service and the regulating service, accounting for 27.28%, 8.10% and 7.67%, respectively. The rich fishery resources and developed tourism in the ZFB were the main factors that caused the high value loss of provisioning service and cultural service. The evaluation of marine ecosystem services in the present study would provide the scientific basis for ecological compensation of reclamation in the ZFB, and contribute to improving the utilization efficiency of marine space resource. It would also provide scientific support for the rational development and utilization of marine natural resources.

Abstract The aim of this study is to explore the association between the aspartate amino transferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ratio and all-cause mortality (ACM) in stable coronary artery disease (CAD) patients treated by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The study is a secondary analysis of a retrospective cohort study involving 203 stable CAD patients. Patients were divided into two groups, based on the optimal AST/ALT ratio threshold calculated by the ROC curve (low group: AST/ALT ratio

Melanin, an important virulence factor of pathogenic fungi, has been shown to suppress host immune responses in multiple ways. Autophagy is a vital cellular mechanism underlying the host's innate immunity against microbial infections. However, the potential influence of melanin on autophagy has not been explored. We investigated the effect of melanin on autophagy in macrophages, which play a key role in controlling Sporothrix spp. infection, as well as the mechanism of melanin interaction with Toll-like receptor (TLR)-induced pathways. Sporothrix globosa conidia (wild-type and melanin-deficient mutant strains) or yeast cells were co-cultured with THP-1 macrophages to demonstrate that, although S. globosa infection led to the activation of autophagy-related proteins and increased autophagic flux, S. globosa melanin suppressed macrophage autophagy. Incubation with S. globosa conidia also increased the expression levels of reactive oxygen species and multiple proinflammatory cytokines (interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β and interferon-γ) in macrophages. These effects were attenuated as melanin presented. Furthermore, while S. globosa conidia significantly increased the expression of both TLR2 and TLR4 in macrophages, the knockdown of TLR2, but not TLR4, with small interfering RNA suppressed autophagy. Overall, this study revealed the novel immune defense ability of S. globosa melanin to inhibit macrophage functionality by resisting macrophage autophagy through the regulation of TLR2 expression.

BackgroundDue to motor function insufficiency, patients with post-stroke motor dysfunction (PSMD) have limitations in performing an activity, feel restricted during social participation, and feel impaired in their quality of life. Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) is a neurorehabilitation technique, but its effectiveness on PSMD after stroke still remains controversial.ObjectiveThis meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis (TSA) aimed to comprehensively evaluate the effect and safety of CIMT for PSMD.MethodsFour electronic databases were searched from their inception to 1 January 2023 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effectiveness of CIMT for PSMD. Two reviewers independently extracted the data and assessed the risk of bias and reporting quality. The primary outcome was a motor activity log for the amount of use (MAL-AOU) and the quality of movement (MAL-QOM). RevMan 5.4, Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 25.0, and STATA 13.0 software were used for statistical analysis. The certainty of the evidence was appraised using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system. We also performed the TSA to assess the reliability of the evidence.ResultsA total of 44 eligible RCTs were included. Our results showed that CIMT combined with conventional rehabilitation (CR) was superior to CR in improving MAL-AOU and MAL-QOM scores. The results of TSA indicated that the above evidence was reliable. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that CIMT (≥6 h per day or duration ≤ 20 days) combined with CR was more effective than CR. Meanwhile, both CIMT and modified CIMT (mCIMT) combined with CR were more efficient than CR at all stages of stroke. No severe CIMT-related adverse events occurred.ConclusionCIMT may be an optional and safe rehabilitation therapy to improve PSMD. However, due to limited studies, the optimal protocol of CIMT for PSMD was undetermined, and more RCTs are required for further exploration.Clinical trial registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=143490, identifier: CRD42019143490.

Abstract Background Recently, the quality of clinical trials conducted in China has made considerable progress. However, clinical trials conducted in China still fall below the global average standard. The aim of this systematic review was to assess studies that investigated the quality of clinical trials conducted in China, summarize the issues, and provide suggestions for conducting high-quality clinical trials in China. Methods We comprehensively searched studies that investigated the quality of clinical trials conducted in China in the following databases from inception to December 1, 2021: National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, WanFang Data, China Biology Medicine, PubMed, and Embase. We then analyzed the issues in clinical trial registration, ethics review, implementation, and reporting. SPSS 25.0 software was used for data analysis. The data synthesis was conducted using summary statistics and a narrative format. Results A total of 90 studies were analyzed, there were 50 studies with 0–5 citation counts (55.56%), 18 studies with 5–10 citation counts (20%), 9 studies with 10–15 citation counts (10%), and 13 studies with more than 15 citation counts (14.44%). Eight (8.89%) studies were conducted by a supervision department, 38 (42.22%) by organizations with GCP qualification, and 44 (48.89%) by third parties. Additionally, there were some problems in the ethical review process of clinical trials, clinical trial registration process, clinical trial implementation process, and clinical trial reporting process. Conclusions The current study shows that the quality problems of clinical trials in China still exist. The reported problems are related to the process of clinical trials, including ethical review, registration, implementation, reporting. Due to the limited quantity and quality of included studies, the conclusions of this study need to be verified by high-quality studies. Review registration Not registerated in PROSPERO.

Anoxia is a common phenomenon at the bottom of large reservoirs during thermal stratification. In an anoxic environment, an increasing amount of reducing substances and nutrients are released and settle at the hypolimnion of the reservoir, leading to water quality deterioration and eutrophication. This work presents a case study on Daheiting Reservoir, a part of the Water Diversion Project from the Luanhe River to Tianjin city. With the monitored data of the water temperature and dissolved oxygen content in the reservoir, and based on the mechanism of redox reactions, the water quality response to the hypolimnetic anoxia in Daheiting Reservoir was systematically analyzed. It was found that the release of total phosphorus from the sediments in Daheiting Reservoir was a joint effect of the biological and chemical processes, and the redox reaction in the anoxic zone boosted release of phosphorus. Anoxia in the reservoir caused the ammonia nitrogen released from sediments in the reservoir to accumulate at the hypolimnion, which increased the concentration of ammonia nitrogen in the water. Anoxia in the reservoir led to an increase in the concentration of iron and manganese, which accounts for the major driving factor of release of iron and manganese. HIGHLIGHTS This paper describes in detail the formation and development process of the hypoxic zone of the reservoir, and clarifies the temporal and spatial changes of the hypoxic zone of the reservoir.; This paper illustrates the accelerated release process of polluted sediments under hypoxic conditions, proves the relationship between hypoxia and deterioration of water quality.;

Understanding the fluid pattern is of special significance for estimating the hydraulic conductivity of fractured rock masses. The nonlinearity of fluid flow in discrete fracture networks (DFNs) originates from inertial effects and is enhanced by complex geometric topologies, which produces additional viscous friction and is subject to inertia effects, consequently transitioning the fluid to the nonlinear flow regime. Therefore, it is important to obtain the critical conditions for the transition of a fluid from laminar to turbulent flow. To investigate the role of fracture aperture and fracture intersection on the onset of the transition of a fluid to nonlinear flow in fractured rocks, the fluid dynamic computation was performed by solving Navier–Stokes (N–S) equations in DFN models. The results show that the flow flux initially linearly correlates with the hydraulic gradient (J) and the permeability of DFNs initially remains constant. As the hydraulic gradient increases, the flow flux presents a strong nonlinear relationship with the hydraulic gradient, and the permeability decreases dramatically. In particular, significant inertial effects appear earlier with a large fracture aperture or a dense fracture intersection. A critical hydraulic gradient (Jc) is proposed to judge the onset of nonlinear flow. The mathematical expression of Jc and Forchheimer coefficients A and B involving the fracture aperture and fracture intersection density is established through a multiple regression algorithm. Finally, the reliability of the predictive model was verified by comparing the results of the prediction and fluid dynamic computation of a series of DFN models with well-known geometric distributions. The consistency of the fitted equations and a correlation coefficient greater than 0.9 between them indicate that the predictive model proposed in this study is reliable.