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Abstract Objective To develop and validate a machine learning model for predicting mortality-associated prognostic factors in order to reduce in-hospital mortality rates among HIV/AIDS patients with Cryptococcus infection in Guangxi, China. Methods This retrospective prognostic study included HIV/AIDS patients with cryptococcosis in the Fourth People’s Hospital of Nanning from October 2011 to June 2019. Clinical features were extracted and used to train ten machine learning models, including Logistic Regression, KNN, DT, RF, Adaboost, Xgboost, LightGBM, Catboost, SVM, and NBM, to predict the outcome of HIV patients with cryptococcosis infection. The sensitivity, specificity, AUC, and F1 value were applied to assess model performance in both the testing and training sets. The optimal model was selected and interpreted. Results A total of 396 patients were included in the study. The average in-hospital mortality of HIV/AIDS patients with cryptococcosis was 12.9% from 2012 to 2019. After feature screening, 20 clinical features were selected for model construction, accounting for 93.8%, including ART, Electrolyte disorder, Anemia, and 17 laboratory tests. The RF model (AUC 0.9787, Sensitivity 0.9535, Specificity 0.8889, F1 0.7455) and the SVM model (AUC 0.9286, Sensitivity 0.7907, Specificity 0.9786, F1 0.8293) had excellent performance. The SHAP analysis showed that the primary risk factors for prognosis prediction were identified as BUN/CREA, Electrolyte disorder, NEUT%, Urea, and IBIL. Conclusions RF and SVM machine learning models have shown promising predictive abilities for the prognosis of hospitalized HIV/AIDS patients with cryptococcosis, which can aid clinical assessment and treatment decisions for patient prognosis.

Heat pulse (HP) method has been widely applied for measuring thermal properties, heat fluxes, and soil–water evaporation for near-surface soil layers. In topsoil layers, the presence of roots violates the underlying assumption of HP method that the soil under test is homogeneous. In this study, numerical and laboratory experiments were conducted to test the influence of root fragments on soil thermal property measurement with HP sensors. Soybean root fragments, with a water content of about 0.74 m3 m−3 and diameters ranging from 0.5 to 4 mm, were carefully repacked into soil samples that were used for HP measurements. Results showed that the effects of roots on soil thermal property measurements depended on root size, root location and directions relative to the heater probe, and the thermal property differences between soil sample and root. Roots showed negligible influence on heat pulse data when the root fragments were positioned outside the HP measurement region (more than probe space away from heater probe), or root diameters (d) were less than 1 mm, or in oven-dried soil samples. On relatively wet soils (i.e., with water content of 0.05–0.25 m3 m−3), when root fragments were located in between the heater and sensing probes (parallel to the probe planes), (1) the heat capacity (C) and thermal conductivity (λ) differences between root-free soil and root-soil mixture increased proportionally with d increased from 1 mm to 4 mm; (2) the differences in absolute values of C and λ between the root-free soil and soil-root mixture were highly dependent on soil water content. The errors in soil C and λ estimates were larger when the root fragment was parallel with than perpendicular to or inclined 45 degrees to the probe plane, and the error overall decreased with a smaller ρb and sand fraction. When the root fragments were positioned within the HP measurement region, or d were larger than 1 mm, or in relatively wet soil samples, it is important to consider root effect when interpreting HP signals.

Abstract In this paper, a titanium dioxide/covalent organic framework (TiO2/COF) composite was prepared and its photocatalytic removal of dye was investigated. Using tetrabutyl titanate as a titanium source, TiO2 nanomaterial was prepared by sol‐gel method. In the presence of TiO2, TiO2/COF core‐shell composite was prepared by solvothermal synthesis using melamine and 1,4‐phthalaldehyde as ligands. The prepared materials are characterized by SEM, TEM, XPS, XRD, TG, FTIR, BET, EPR, PL, and UV‐Vis‐DRS techniques. Using malachite green as a model of dye wastewater, the photocatalytic degradation performance of TiO2/COF composites was investigated under the irradiation of ultraviolet light. The results show that the modification of COF significantly improves the photocatalytic efficiency of TiO2, the degradation rate increases from 69.77 % to 93.64 %, and the reaction rate constant of the first‐order kinetic equation is increased from 0.0078 min−1 to 0.0192 min−1. Based on the free radical capture experiment, the photocatalytic degradation mechanism of TiO2/COF was discussed, and the feasibility of its photocatalytic degradation of malachite green was theoretically clarified. Accordingly, a simple and practical method for photocatalytic degradation of malachite green was constructed, which has potential application value in the degradation of dye wastewater.

Abstract The first local mpox outbreak in Guangdong Province, China occurred in June 2023. However, epidemiological data have failed to quickly identify the source and transmission of the outbreak. Here, phylogeny and molecular evolution of 10 monkeypox virus (MPXV) genome sequences from the Guangdong outbreak were characterized, revealing local silent transmissions that may have occurred in Guangdong whose mpox outbreaks suggested a molecular epidemiological correlation with Portugal and several regions of China during the same period. The lineage IIb C.1, which includes all 10 MPXV from Guangdong, shows consistent temporal continuity in both phylogenetic characteristics and unique molecular evolutionary mutation spectrum, reflected in the continuous increase of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and shared mutations over time. Compared with the Japan MPXV, the Guangdong MPXV showed higher genomic nucleotide differences and separated 14 shared mutations from the B.1 lineage, comprising 6 non-synonymous mutations in genes linked to host regulation, virus infection, and virus life cycle. The unique mutation spectrum with temporal continuity in IIb C.1, related to apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing catalytic polypeptide-like 3, promotes rapid viral evolution and diversification. The findings contribute to understanding the ongoing mpox outbreak in China and offer insights for developing joint prevention and control strategies.

Abstract Background Subthreshold depression is a highly prevalent mood disorder in young adults. Mind–body exercises, such as Tai Chi, have been adopted as interventions for clinical depressive symptoms. However, the possible effect and underlying mechanism of Tai Chi on subthreshold depression of young individuals remain unclear. This randomized controlled study aimed to evaluate the effects of Tai Chi training and tested the combined stress and reward circuitry model for subthreshold depression. Results A total of 103 participants completed this trial, with 49 in the 12-week 24-style Tai Chi group and 54 participants in control group. Our results showed significantly lower scores on depressive symptoms (P = 0.002) and anxiety symptoms (P = 0.009) and higher scores on quality of life (P = 0.002) after Tai Chi training. There were significant reductions in salivary cortisol levels (P = 0.007) and putamen gray matter volume (P

Aerosol transmission is an important disease transmission route and has been especially pertinent to hospital and biosafety laboratories during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The thermal resistance of airborne SARS-CoV-2 is lower than that of Bacillus subtilis spores, which are often used to test the effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogen disinfection methods. Herein, we propose a new method to test the disinfection ability of a flowing air disinfector (a digital electromagnetic induction air heater) using B. subtilis spores. The study provides an alternative air disinfection test method. The new test system combined an aerosol generator and a respiratory filter designed in-house and could effectively recover spores on the filter membrane at the air outlet after passing through the flowing air disinfector. The total number of bacterial spores used in the test was within the range of 5 × 105–5 × 106 colony-forming units (CFUs) specified in the technical standard for disinfection. The calculation was based on the calculation method in Air Disinfection Effect Appraisal Test in Technical Standard for Disinfection (2002 Edition). At an air speed of 3.5 m/s, we used a digital electromagnetic induction air heater to disinfect flowing air containing 4.100 × 106 CFUs of B. subtilis spores and determined that the minimum disinfection temperature was 350 °C for a killing rate of 99.99%. At 400 °C, additional experiments using higher spore concentrations (4.700 × 106 ± 1.871 × 105 CFU) and a higher airspeed (4 m/s) showed that the killing rate remained>99.99%. B. subtilis spores, as a biological indicator for testing the efficiency of dry-heat sterilization, were killed by the high temperatures used in this system. The proposed method used to test the flowing air disinfector is simple, stable, and effective. This study provides a reference for the development of test systems that can assess the disinfection ability of flowing air disinfectors.

Abstract Background Drug resistance of pathogens and immunosuppression are the main causes of clinical stagnation of osteomyelitis. The ideal treatment strategy for osteomyelitis is to achieve both efficient antibacterial and bone healing through spatiotemporal modulation of immune microenvironment. Methods In this study, a bilayer hydrogel based on genetically engineered polypeptide AC10A and AC10ARGD was prepared by self-assembly. Ag2S QDs@DSPE-mPEG2000-Ce6/Aptamer (AD-Ce6/Apt) was loaded in the top layer AC10A hydrogel (AA) for antibacterial, and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were loaded in the lower layer AC10ARGD hydrogel (MAR) for bone healing. The AD-Ce6/Apt can be released from the AA hydrogel to target S. aureus before bacterial biofilm formation and achieved significant bactericidal effect under irradiation with a 660 nm laser. Moreover, AD-Ce6/Apt can induce M1 type polarization of macrophages to activate the immune system and eliminate residual bacteria. Subsequently, BMSCs released from the MAR hydrogel can differentiate into osteoblasts and promote the formation of an anti-inflammatory microenvironment by regulating the M2 type polarization of macrophages. The bilayer AA-MAR hydrogel possessed good biocompatibility. Results The in vitro and in vivo results showed that the AA-MAR hydrogel not only realized efficient photodynamic therapy of S. aureus infection, but also promoted the transformation of immune microenvironment to fulfill the different needs of each stage, which ultimately improved bone regeneration and mechanical properties post-surgery. Conclusion This work presents an approach for spatiotemporal modulation of immune microenvironment in the treatment of osteomyelitis. Graphical Abstract

Hypolimnion oxygen depletion (HOD) in lakes and reservoirs can degrade water quality and prevent recovery from eutrophication owing to the release of reduced metals and nutrients from sediments. However, oxygen consumption processes in the hypolimnia of reservoirs resulting from deep-water anoxia are not well understood. Here, we present the results from a mesotrophic reservoir, which had previously suffered from acid mine drainage, to demonstrate the process of hypolimnetic hypoxia. Sampling was conducted monthly from April 2021 to March 2022, and the sediment oxygen demand (SOD) and flux of reduced substances, including CH4, S2-, NH4+, and Mn2+ from the sediment core samples were analyzed intensively. Based on long-term monitoring data, we found that HOD in the reservoir began in early April and ended in early November. This led to a hypolimnetic hypoxic state in the lacustrine zone of the reservoir for eight months. The areal hypolimnetic oxidation demand (AHOD) and SOD were 0.21–1.29 gO2 m−2 d-1 and 0.06–0.84 gO2 m−2 d-1, respectively. This resulted in 30.45%–65.07% HOD due to oxygen depletion at the sediment–water interface. The highest fraction of SOD to AHOD occurred in the lacustrine zone samples of the reservoir. The flux of reduced substances in the sediment revealed that CH4 oxidation at the sediment–water interface dominated oxygen depletion in the lacustrine zone of the reservoir; additionally, S2- oxidation played an important secondary role in exacerbating hypolimnetic oxygen depletion in the mesotrophic reservoir. Sediments were a source of reduced substances. Organic matter content and SO42- and NO3- concentrations in the pore water were the most critical drivers of spatial variation in CH4 and S2- fluxes from the sediments. Temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration and saturation, and oxidation–reduction potential controlled temporal variations in CH4 and S2- concentrations in the overlying water. Compared with previous reports on the flux of reduced substances from sediments in lakes and reservoirs, HOD in the studies reservoir was not only affected by nutrient conditions but was also related to the sulfur cycle. Our findings indicate a spatial various of HOD mechanism in the reservoir and emphasized the importance of the sulfate reduction process in the reservoir formerly affected by acid mine drainage.

Winterberry (Ilex verticillata (L.) A. Gray) is a recently introduced ornamental tree species in China that has not been closely investigated for its drought resistance. In this study, we used two-year-old cuttings from I. verticillata (L.) A. Gray and two representative varieties derived from it, I. verticillata ‘Oosterwijk’ and I. verticillata ‘Jim Dandy’, as materials to investigate how this plant responds to drought stress and whether exogenous spermidine (SPD) can alleviate the negative effects caused by drought stress. The results showed that as the degree of drought stress increased, the leaves of winterberry seedlings became chlorotic, and their edges became dry. Similarly, the relative water content, specific leaf weight, chlorophyll content, leaf nitrogen content, net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate were significantly reduced, whereas the content of malondialdehyde continuously increased with the degree of drought stress. The activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase increased under moderate drought stress and then decreased under severe drought stress. The levels of soluble sugar and abscisic acid continued to increase, while those of auxin and gibberellic acid decreased. When compared with individual drought stress, an increase in the amount of external SPD clearly alleviated the effect of drought stress on winterberry seedlings. The combined phenotypes and physiological indices of the winterberry leaves under drought stress conditions revealed that the drought resistance of the native species was significantly higher than its two varieties. This finding serves as an important theoretical foundation for the popularization and application of I. verticillata (L.) A. Gray and the two varieties.

IntroductionEffective classification of lung cancers plays a vital role in lung tumor diagnosis and subsequent treatments. However, classification of benign and malignant lung nodules remains inaccurate.MethodsThis study proposes a novel multimodal attention-based 3D convolutional neural network (CNN) which combines computed tomography (CT) imaging features and clinical information to classify benign and malignant nodules.ResultsAn average diagnostic sensitivity of 96.2% for malignant nodules and an average accuracy of 81.6% for classification of benign and malignant nodules were achieved in our algorithm, exceeding results achieved from traditional ResNet network (sensitivity of 89% and accuracy of 80%) and VGG network (sensitivity of 78% and accuracy of 73.1%).DiscussionThe proposed deep learning (DL) model could effectively distinguish benign and malignant nodules with higher precision.

Auxin is essential for regulating plant growth and development as well as the response of plants to abiotic stresses. AUX/LAX proteins are auxin influx transporters belonging to the amino acid permease family of proton-driven transporters, and are involved in the transport of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). However, how AUX/LAX genes respond to abiotic stresses in Chinese hickory is less studied. For the first time identification, structural characteristics as well as gene expression analysis of the AUX/LAX gene family in Chinese hickory were conducted by using techniques of gene cloning and real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR. Eight CcAUX/LAXs were identified in Chinese hickory, all of which had the conserved structural characteristics of AUX/LAXs. CcAUX/LAXs were most closely related to their homologous proteins in Populus trichocarpa , which was in consistence with their common taxonomic character of woody trees. CcAUX/LAXs exhibited different expression profiles in different tissues, indicating their varying roles during growth and development. A number of light-, hormone-, and abiotic stress responsive cis-acting regulatory elements were detected on the promoters of CcAUX/LAX genes. CcAUX/LAX genes responded differently to drought and salt stress treatments to varying degrees. Furthermore, CcAUX/LAX genes exhibited complex expression changes during Chinese hickory grafting. These findings not only provide a valuable resource for further functional validation of CcAUX/LAXs, but also contribute to a better understanding of their potential regulatory functions during grafting and abiotic stress treatments in Chinese hickory.

Abstract Background Nanomaterials of biomedicine and tissue engineering have been proposed for the treatment of periodontitis in recent years. This study aimed to investigate the effects of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) combined with human β-defensin 3 (hBD3) on the repair of the alveolar bones of experimental periodontitis in rats. Methods A model of experimental periodontitis was established by ligation of the maxillary second molars with silk thread in rats, which were treated with or without AuNPs combined with hBD3. Micro‐computerized tomography (micro-CT) scanning, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and histological and immunohistochemical staining, including alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteoprotegerin (OPG), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), and receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL), were used to analyze the samples. Results Micro-CT demonstrated that the alveolar bone resorption was significantly reduced after the treatment with AuNPs combined with hBD3. Levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were decreased markedly compared with the ligation group. H&E and Masson staining showed that AuNPs combined with hBD3 group had less inflammatory cell infiltration, collagen fibrosis and fracture, but higher calcification in the new bone tissue. Moreover, the administration of AuNPs combined with hBD3 increased the expression levels of ALP and OPG (related to bone formation) while decreasing the expression levels of TRAP and RANKL (related to bone resorption) expression. Conclusions AuNPs combined with hBD3 had a protective effect on the progression of experimental periodontitis in rats and played a certain role in suppressing osteoclastogenesis and alleviating the inflammatory destruction of periodontitis along with the promotion of bone repair.

4,8-dihydroxy-l-tetralone (4,8-DHT) is an allelochemical isolated from the outer bark of Carya cathayensis that acts as a plant growth inhibitor. In order to explore the mechanism of 4,8-DHT inhibiting weed activity, we treated three species of Digitaria sanguinalis, Arabidopsis thaliana, and Poa annua with different concentrations of 4,8-DHT and performed phenotype observation and transcriptome sequencing. The results showed that with an increase in 4,8-DHT concentration, the degree of plant damage gradually deepened. Under the same concentration of 4,8-DHT, the damage degree of leaves and roots of Digitaria sanguinalis was the greatest, followed by Arabidopsis thaliana, while Poa annua had the least damage, and the leaves turned slightly yellow. Transcriptome data showed that 24536, 9913, and 1662 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in Digitaria sanguinalis, Arabidopsis thaliana, and Poa annua, respectively. These DEGs were significantly enriched in photosynthesis, carbon fixation, glutathione metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and oxidative phosphorylation pathways. In addition, DEGs were also enriched in plant hormone signal transduction and the MAPK signal pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana. Further analysis showed that after 4,8-DHT treatment, the transcript levels of photosynthesis PSI- and PSII-related genes, LHCA/B-related genes, Rubisco, and PEPC were significantly decreased in Digitaria sanguinalis and Arabidopsis thaliana. At the same time, the transcription levels of genes related to glutathione metabolism and the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway in Digitaria sanguinalis were also significantly decreased. However, the expression of these genes was upregulated in Arabidopsis thaliana and Poa annua. These indicated that 4,8-DHT affected the growth of the three plants through different physiological pathways, and then played a role in inhibiting plant growth. Simultaneously, the extent to which plants were affected depended on the tested plants and the content of 4,8-DHT. The identification of weed genes that respond to 4,8-DHT has helped us to further understand the inhibition of plant growth by allelochemicals and has provided a scientific basis for the development of allelochemicals as herbicides.

Abstract Background It has been suggested that patent foramen ovale (PFO) contributes to the majority of cryptogenic stroke cases in young people, however, the direct link is still undetermined. Here we analyzed the correlation between PFO and brain ischemia lesions in a cohort of cases that were long-term residents in the plateau to provide solid evidence to support the causal relation between PFO and brain ischemia lesion or cryptogenic stroke. Methods Long-term residents with young age from Qinghai Plateau were recruited and separated by PFO positivity. Brain MRI was used to image 100 PFO positive cases and 100 healthy controls. The diameter of PFO was measured by echocardiography. The location, number and anterior/posterior circulation of ischemia lesions were also evaluated. The correlation between PFO (including positivity and diameter) and brain ischemia lesion (including positivity and other characteristics) was analyzed by chi-square test. Further, the chi-square test for the trend test was used to analyze the linear correlation between these groups. Results We found a strong correlation between the positivity of PFO and brain ischemia lesion, with 71% of PFO cases showing the presence of brain ischemia lesions, and only 19% for healthy controls (p

Abstract Aims/Introduction Periodontal disease, a chronic inflammation induced by bacteria, is closely linked with diabetes mellitus. Many complications associated with diabetes are related to epigenetic changes. However, the exact epigenetic changes whereby diabetes affects periodontal disease remain largely unknown. Thus, we sought to investigate the role of diabetes‐dependent epigenetic changes of gingival tissue in the susceptibility to periodontal disease. Materials and Methods We studied the effect of streptozotocin‐induced diabetes in minipigs on gingival morphological and epigenetic tissue changes. Accordingly, we randomly divided six minipigs into two groups: streptozotocin‐induced diabetes group, n = 3; and non‐diabetes healthy control group, n = 3. After 85 days, all animals were killed, and gingival tissue was collected for histology, deoxyribonucleic acid methylation analysis and immunohistochemistry. Results A diabetes mellitus model was successfully created, as evidenced by significantly increased blood glucose levels, reduction of pancreatic insulin‐producing β‐cells and histopathological changes in the kidneys. The gingival tissues in the diabetes group presented acanthosis of both gingival squamous epithelium and sulcular/junctional epithelium, and a significant reduction in the number and length of rete pegs. Deoxyribonucleic acid methylation analysis showed a total of 1,163 affected genes, of which 599 and 564 were significantly hypermethylated and hypomethylated, respectively. Immunohistochemistry staining showed that the hypomethylated genes – tumor necrosis factor‐α and interleukin‐6 – were positively expressed under the junctional epithelium area in the diabetes group. Conclusions Diabetes mellitus induces morphological and epigenetic changes in periodontal tissue, which might contribute to the increased susceptibility of periodontal diseases in patients with diabetes.

Abstract Background High level of perceived stress may result in negative effects both psychologically and physically on individuals and may predispose onset of mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder. However, there is no suitable intervention for it. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) studies have shown its therapeutic efficacy in treatment resistant patients with stress-related disorders. Here we describe an exploratory study protocol to investigate the effect of the intervention for the individuals with high level of stress. Method This is a single blinded, randomized sham-controlled trial, targeting at young healthy adults aging from 18 to 24 years old. Forty eligible volunteers will be recruited and randomly divided into active and sham rTMS group. All subjects will take a set of neuropsychological and biological assessments and MRI scanning before and right after the intervention. During the interventional period, 12-session stimulations will be performed in 4 weeks with three sessions per week. The primary outcome will detect the difference of Chinese 14-item perceived stress scales between active and sham rTMS groups after intervention. Secondary outcomes will examine the differences of other affective measurements, level of cortisol, and MRI-derived neural functional measures between the two groups after intervention. Discussion This trial aims to examine the effect of the 12-session rTMS intervention on individuals with high level of perceived stress. Positive or negative findings from any of the outcome measures would further our understanding of the efficacy of the stimulation and its neural impact. If effective, it would provide an evidence for a new treatment for high perceived stress. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ( ChiCTR1900027662 ). Registered on 23 November 2019. And all items of the WHO Trial Registry Data set can be found within the protocol.

Ilex verticillata is not only an excellent ornamental tree species for courtyards, but it is also a popular bonsai tree. ‘Oosterwijk’ and ‘Red sprite’ are two varieties of Ilex verticillata. The former has a long stem with few branches, while the latter has a short stem. In order to explain the stem growth differences between the two cultivars ‘Oosterwijk’ and ‘Red sprite’, determination of the microstructure, transcriptome sequence and IAA content was carried out. The results showed that the xylem thickness, vessel area and vessel number of ‘Oosterwijk’ were larger than in ‘Red sprite’. In addition, our analysis revealed that the differentially expressed genes which were enriched in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis; phenylalanine metabolism and phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis in the black and tan modules of the two varieties. We found that AST, HCT and bHLH 94 may be key genes in the formation of shoot difference. Moreover, we found that the IAA content and auxin-related DEGs GH3.6, GH3, ATRP5, IAA27, SAUR36-like, GH3.6-like and AIP 10A5-like may play important roles in the formation of shoot differences. In summary, these results indicated that stem growth variations of ‘Oosterwijk’ and ‘Red sprite’ were associated with DEGs related to phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, phenylalanine metabolism and phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis, as well as auxin content and DEGs related to the auxin signaling pathway.

Abstract Background Depression is seriously affecting the physical and mental health of young people worldwide. Subthreshold depression, as an early stage of depression, is essential for early prevention and treatment of depression. Tai Chi, as a traditional Chinese mind-body therapy, may become an alternative intervention. However, the neurophysiological mechanism of Tai Chi for young people with subthreshold depression remains unclear, restricting its further promotion and application. Therefore, rigorous randomized clinical trials are needed to further observe the intervention effect of Tai Chi on young adults with subthreshold depression and explore the neurophysiological mechanism. Method/design This report describes a two-arm, randomized, parallel controlled trial with allocation concealment and assessor blinding. A total of 64 eligible participants are randomly allocated to the Tai Chi group and the waiting list group in a 1:1 ratio. Participants in the Tai Chi group receive 12 weeks of Tai Chi training, with a total of 36 times and each for 60 min. Specifically, the participants in the waiting list group are requested to maintain their routine lifestyle. In this study, the primary outcome measure is the mean change in scores on the PHQ-9 and HAMD-17 between baseline and 12 weeks; the secondary outcomes are the mean change in the scores on CES-D, CPSS, GAD-7, and PSQI. Besides, the saliva cortisol levels and fMRI are monitored to explore the mechanism of action of Tai Chi on subthreshold depression. Discussion The protocol uses a randomized controlled trial to examine the effectiveness of Tai Chi for young adults with subthreshold depression and explore neurophysiological mechanisms. If the test results are positive, it can be verified that Tai Chi can promote the physical and mental health of young adults with subthreshold depression. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR1900028289 . Registered on 17 December 2019

AbstractObjectives Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly swept across the world. This study aimed to explore the relationship between the chest CT findings and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients.Methods Patients with COVID-19 confirmed by next-generation sequencing or RT-PCR who had undergone more than 4 serial chest CT procedures were retrospectively enrolled.Results This study included 361 patients – 192 men and 169 women. On initial chest CT, more lesions were identified as multiple bilateral lungs lesions and localised in the peripheral lung. The predominant patterns of abnormality were ground-glass opacities (GGO) (28.5%), consolidation (13.0%), nodule (23.0%), fibrous stripes (5.3%) and mixed (30.2%). Severe cases were more common in patients with a mixed pattern (21.1%) and less common in patients with nodules (2.4%). During follow-up CT, the mediumtotal severity score (TSS) in patients with nodules and fibrous strips was significantly lower than that in patients with mixed patterns in all three stages (p

The thermo-time domain reflectometry (thermo-TDR) technique is valuable for monitoring in situ soil water content (θ), thermal properties, bulk density (ρ), porosity (), and air-filled porosity () in the vadose zone. However, the previous thermo-TDR sensor has several weaknesses, including limited precision of TDR waveforms due to the short probe length, small measurement volume, and thermal property estimation errors resulting from finite probe properties not accounted for by the heat pulse method. We have developed a new thermo-TDR sensor design for monitoring θ, thermal properties, ρ, , and . The new sensor has a robust heater probe (outer diameter of 2.38 mm and length of 70 mm) and a 10-mm spacing between the heater and sensing probes, which provides a sensing volume three times larger than that of the previous sensor. The identical cylindrical perfect conductors and the tangent line–second-order bounded mean oscillation theories were applied to analyze the raw data. Laboratory tests showed that θ values determined with the new sensor had a RMSE of 0.014 m m compared with 0.016 to 0.026 m m with the previous sensor. Soil thermal property estimates with the new sensor agreed well with modeled values. Soil ρ, , and derived from θ and thermal properties were consistent with those derived from gravimetric measurements. Thus, the new thermo-TDR sensor provides more accurate θ, thermal properties, ρ, , and values than the previous sensor.

Introduction: Effective classification of lung cancers plays a vital role in lung tumor diagnosis and subsequent treatments. However, classification of benign and malignant lung nodules remains inaccurate. Methods: This study proposes a novel multimodal attention-based 3D convolutional neural network (CNN) which combines computed tomography (CT) imaging features and clinical information to classify benign and malignant nodules. Results: An average diagnostic sensitivity of 96.2% for malignant nodules and an average accuracy of 81.6% for classification of benign and malignant nodules were achieved in our algorithm, exceeding results achieved from traditional ResNet network (sensitivity of 89% and accuracy of 80%) and VGG network (sensitivity of 78% and accuracy of 73.1%). Discussion: The proposed deep learning (DL) model could effectively distinguish benign and malignant nodules with higher precision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the information measured by a single sensor cannot reflect the real situation of mechanical devices completely, a multi-sensor data fusion based on evidence theory is introduced. Evidence theory has the advantage of dealing with uncertain information. However, it produces unreasonable conclusions when the evidence conflicts. An improved fusion method is proposed to solve this problem. Basic probability assignment of evidence is corrected according to evidence and sensor weights, and an optimal fusion algorithm is selected by comparing an introduced threshold and a conflict factor. The effectiveness and practicability of the algorithm are tested by simulating the monitoring and diagnosis of rolling bearings. The result shows that the method has better robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]