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Abstract Background Macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MRMP) strains are increasingly prevalent, leading to a rise in severe Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia incidence annually, which poses a significant threat to children’s health. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety of oral minocycline and doxycycline for the treatment of severe MRMP pneumonia in children. Methods This retrospective analysis included children treated for severe MRMP pneumonia at the Pediatric Department of Tongji Hospital, Shanghai, China, between September 2023 and January 2024 using minocycline and doxycycline. The patients were divided into four groups according to treatment: oral doxycycline alone (DOX group), oral minocycline alone (MIN group), oral doxycycline with intravenous glucocorticoids (DOXG group), and oral minocycline with intravenous glucocorticoids (MING group). Student’s t-test, Mann–Whitney U test, and χ 2 or Fisher’s exact tests were used for group comparisons. Results A total of 165 patients were included in this study: 84 received minocycline, and 81 received doxycycline. The DOX group had higher fever resolution rates within 24, 48, and 72 h compared to the MIN group (63.2% vs. 31.8%, 79.0% vs. 63.6%, and 100% vs. 90.9%, respectively; all p 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in time to imaging improvement, cough improvement, and disappearance of wet rales between groups, regardless of glucocorticoid combination. The longer the duration of fever prior to tetracycline therapy, the greater the likelihood of hypoxemia (p = 0.039) and a greater than two-fold elevation in the D-dimer level (p = 0.004).Univariate binary logistic regression model analysis revealed that CRP and erythrocyte sedimentation rate at disease onset were associated with defervescence within 24 h after treatment with tetracyclines alone (p = 0.020, p = 0.027), with erythrocyte sedimentation rate also influencing defervescence within 48 h (p = 0.022). Conclusion Doxycycline treatment resulted in a higher rate of defervescence than minocycline. Prompt treatment reduced the probability of pleural effusion, hypoxemia, pulmonary atelectasis, and D-dimer levels > 2 times the reference value.

Abstract Nanofiltration (NF) membranes are commonly supplied in spiral-wound modules, resulting in numerous drawbacks for practical applications (e.g., high operating pressure/pressure drop/costs). Vacuum-driven NF could be a promising and low-cost alternative by utilizing simple components and operating under an ultra-low vacuum pressure (

ObjectiveTo study the effect of maternal environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure during pregnancy on the neurodevelopment of one-year-old rural infants in Yunnan province. MethodsA total of 385 newborns born between 2018 and 2019 in rural Xuanwei, Yunnan province, were recruited into a cohort and followed until 1 year of age. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to determine urinary cotinine (UC) concentrations in samples collected from the mothers of the newborns in early, mid, and late pregnancy to assess maternal ETS exposure during pregnancy. The Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development – Third Edition (BSID-III) was used to assess infant neurodevelopment. Multiple linear regression and logistic regression models were constructed to analyze the effect of ETS exposure during pregnancy on infant neurodevelopment. ResultsThe mean UC levels (median [25th percentile, 75th percentile] ng/mL) of the 385 mothers in early, mid, and late pregnancy were 2.94 (0.66, 6.28), 2.86 (0.58, 5.85), and 2.50 (0.39, 5.78), respectively, and ETS exposure in early, mid, and late pregnancy was reported by 80.26%, 81.04%, and 80.00% of the mothers, respectively. For the infants at 1 year of age, the BSID-III dimensional development scores were 99.17 ± 17.57 for cognition, 93.46 ± 15.44 for language, 93.66 ± 15.83 for motor, 109.03 ± 22.36 for social-emotional, and 87.83 ± 15.67 for adaptive behavior, with 9.35%, 22.60%, 18.44%, 6.49%, and 29.35% of the infants assessed having scores indicating delayed five-dimensional development. The results of the multiple linear regression analysis showed that maternal ETS exposure in early pregnancy was negatively correlated with BSID-III motor score in 1-year-old infants (β = – 0.239, 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: – 0.454, – 0.025). The results of logistic regression analysis showed that maternal ETS exposure in early pregnancy may increase the risk of delayed language development in 1-year-old infants (odds ratio = 3.497, 95%CI: 1.186, 10.309). ConclusionMaternal ETS exposure during early pregnancy may affect infant neurodevelopment one year after birth, particularly motor and language development.

The Yellow River Valley holds a very important status on economic and social development as well as the ecological security of China. At the lower reaches of the Yellow River develops the Yellow River Delta where the widest, youngest and most perfect costal wetland ecosystem on the warm temperate zone of the world distributed. The Yellow River Delta boasts the unique geological landform which determines its ecological diversity, also with an important international significance for protection, so more meaningful studies and great protection should be implemented in this region. The paper based on the policies and regulations as well as the status quo of wetland area decreasing, put forward some issues on the study content, such as shoreline variation, erosion and deposition rate, geomorphology, as well as the restoration methods of decompression and diversion to expand the Yellow River Delta wetland, with the aim of providing effective reference to strengthen ecological protection and promoting high-quality development of the Yellow River Delta wetland and the Yellow River Valley as a whole.

Abstract Background Primary aldosteronism (P.A.) is the most common form of secondary hypertension, accounting for 5% of hypertensive patients and 17–23% of patients with resistant hypertension. Compared to primary hypertension, P.A. is more prone to cause severe organ damage and even early death. Adrenal venous sampling (AVS) is a practical confirmatory test for subtyping aldosterone-producing adenoma and bilateral adrenal hyperplasia, helping physicians to make an accurate decision between surgery or medication. According to guidelines, supine in bed before AVS is recommended for a desirable result of AVS. However, investigations about the most optimal preoperative supine time before AVS are lacking. Methods/design This is a multi-center prospective randomized controlled study. One hundred twenty patients diagnosed as P.A. and willing for AVS examination will be included. Participants will be randomly allocated to a 15-min supine time group or 2-h supine time group. The primary outcome is the degree of biochemical remission (serum potassium and orthostatic ARR). The secondary outcomes are degrees of clinical remission (blood pressure, type and dose of antihypertensive drugs), the technical success rate, and the adverse event of AVS (selective index ≥ 2 is considered successful surgery without corticotropin stimulation). Discussion P.A. is an intractable public health problem, and many techniques including AVS have been developed to identify this disease correctly. This study will help to understand whether the length of preoperative supine time would affect the diagnostic efficacy of AVS and thus help to formulate a more reasonable AVS procedure. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05658705. Registered on 10 September 2022.

Spiking neural P systems (SN P systems) abstract the structure and function of neurons and nervous systems. By adopting some biological observations or mathematical considerations in SN P systems, many variants have been proposed. In this work, through combining two interesting variants, SN P systems with multiple channels (SNP-MC systems) and SN P systems with autapses (SNP-AU systems), we propose SN P systems with multiple channels and autapses (SNP-MCA systems) and research their universality. SNP-MCA systems are proved to be universal in the generation of numbers. For computing functions, a universal SNP-MCA system with 25 neurons is constructed, which requires fewer neurons than the two variants.

Adding edible fungal polysaccharides to animal diets improves growth performance, meat quality, intestinal health, and immunity without adverse effects. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of Pleurotus citrinopileatus polysaccharide (PCP, including PCP250, PCP500, PCP750, and PCP1000 mg/kg) on the growth performance, meat quality, and microbial composition of Arbor Acre (AA) broilers (total 180) by metabolomics and high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that adding PCP enhanced chicken meat tenderness, redness (a*), and water retention and raised essential amino acids and flavor amino acids (such as umami and sweet amino acids) content. The metabolomics revealed that IMP, creatine, betaine, sarcosine, and taurine were related to improving meat quality in broilers by PCP addition. In addition, amino acid, purine, and lipid metabolism were the main metabolic pathways. Moreover, PCP could regulate muscle metabolism by increasing the relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae and Lactobacillus and the content of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Therefore, PCP may become a promising new dietary supplement in the future, which may improve the yield and quality of broiler chickens.

BackgroundPrevious studies have shown that active smoking during pregnancy can reduce the level of neonatal cord blood leptin, and thereby affect birth weight. However, few studies have studied the association of passive smoking during pregnancy with leptin in neonatal cord blood and birth weight.ObjectiveTo explore the effects of passive smoking in varied pregnancy stages and entire pregnancy on neonatal cord blood leptin level and birth weight in a certain rural area of Yunnan, and potential mediating role of cord blood leptin.MethodsBased on a prospective prenatal cohort study conducted in Xuanwei County, Yunnan Province, a total of 545 mother-infant pairs were included in this study from early pregnancy enrollment to delivery. The demographic information and reproductive history of the subjects were collected by questionnaire. The urine samples of pregnant women in the first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy were collected during regular prenatal examinations. Umbilical cord blood samples were collected from newborns at birth. The concentration of urine cotinine (UC) was measured by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). According to the results of UC level during pregnancy, the study subjects were divided into three groups: negative group (M). The level of leptin in cord blood was detected by ELISA. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the effect of passive smoking on umbilical cord blood leptin in newborns during pregnancy. Path analysis was used to explore the relationship among passive smoking during pregnancy, neonatal cord blood leptin, and birth weight.ResultsThe average exposure rate of passive smoking during pregnancy was 87.28%, and the exposure rate for entire pregnancy was 76.88%. The median concentration of leptin in neonatal cord blood was 4.17 μg·L−1. After adjusting for maternal age, ethnicity, educational level, pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), gestational weight gain, parity, annual household income, infant sex, and birth weight, we found that low level (b=−3.388, P=0.001) and high level (b=−2.738, P=0.006) of passive smoking in the first trimester of pregnancy had negative associations with leptin concentration of cord blood by multiple linear model. The path analysis results showed that passive smoking in the first trimester and pre-pregnancy BMI directly affected leptin levels, and the sizes of direct effects were −0.073 and −0.087 (both P

Abstract Background Trichomonas vaginalis is a widespread and important sexually transmitted pathogen. Adherence to the surface of the host cell is the precondition for the parasitism and pathogenicity of this parasite. Trichomonas vaginalis adhesion protein 33 (TvAP33) plays a key role in the process of adhesion, but how this protein mediates the adhesion and pathogenicity of T. vaginalis to host cells is unclear. Methods The expression of TvAP33 in trophozoites was knocked down by small interfering RNA. VK2/E6E7 cells and mice infected with T. vaginalis were used to evaluate the pathogenicity of T. vaginalis. We constructed a complementary DNA library of VK2/E6E7 cells and screened the protein molecules interacting with TvAP33 by the yeast two-hybrid system. The interaction between TvAP33 and BNIP3 (Bcl-2 interacting protein 3) was analyzed by co-immunoprecipitation and colocalization. Results Following knockdown of TvAP33 expression, the number of T. vaginalis trophozoites adhering to VK2/E6E7 cells decreased significantly, and the inhibition of VK2/E6E7 cell proliferation and VK2/E6E7 cell apoptosis and death induced by T. vaginalis were reduced. Animal challenge experiments showed that the pathogenicity of trophozoites decreased following passive immunization with TvAP33 antiserum or blocking of the TvAP33 protein. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed that TvAP33 could bind to VK2/E6E7 cells. Eighteen protein molecules interacting with TvAP33 were identified by the yeast two-hybrid system. The interaction between TvAP33 and BNIP3 was further confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation and colocalization. When the expression of both TvAP33 and BNIP3 in trophozoites was knocked down by small RNA interference, the number of T. vaginalis adhering to VK2/E6E7 cells and the inhibition of VK2/E6E7 cell proliferation were significantly lower compared to trophozoites with only knockdown of TvAP33 or only BNIP3. Therefore, the interaction of TvAP33 and BNIP3 in the pathogenesis of T. vaginalis infecting host cells is not unique and involves other molecules. Conclusions Our study showed that the interaction between TvAP33 and BNIP3 mediated the adhesion and pathogenicity of T. vaginalis to host cells, providing a basis for searching for drug targets for T. vaginalis as well as new ideas for the prevention and treatment of trichomoniasis. Graphical Abstract

There have been many M≥3.0 earthquakes in and around the Jiangling Depression in history, and the stress variation can directly affect the preparation of surrounding earthquakes. This paper innovatively uses the variation characteristics of Jingzhou well water level and GNSS data to analyze the stress variation in the Jiangling Depression. The results show that (1) the long-term decline trend of Jingzhou well water level has little correlation with rainfall and is mainly from deep source, which is different from the recharge source of the surrounding water system. The long-term decline trend of Jingzhou well water level is mainly affected by the tension state of the region. (2) The strain rate in the northern part of the study area is relatively high, and the tension state in the NNW direction is dominant. The slope of HBJM-HBJL stations baseline time series is positive, indicating that the NNW-SSE is in a tension state as a whole, which is consistent with the trend of Jingzhou well water level. (3) Jingzhou well water level and GNSS baseline time series have good synchronization, which directly reflects that the stress field in and around Jiangling Depression is in a state of tension in recent years. There have been many ≥ 3.0 earthquakes in and around the Jiangling depression in history. In the future, it is worth noting when the stress–strain state of the study area changes.

Abstract Background and aims The effect of body fat deposition on the kidney has received increasing attention. The Chinese visceral adiposity index (CVAI) is an important indicator of recent research. The purpose of this study was to explore the predictive value of CVAI and other organ obesity indicators in predicting CKD in Chinese residents. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study of 5355 subjects was performed. First, the study utilized locally estimated scatterplot smoothing to describe the dose–response relationship between the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and CVAI. The L1-penalized least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression algorithm was used for covariation screening, and the correlation between CVAI and eGFR was quantified using multiple logistic regression. At the same time, the diagnostic efficiency of CVAI and other obesity indicators was evaluated by ROC curve analysis. Results CVAI and eGFR were negatively correlated. Using group one as the control, an odds ratio (OR) was calculated to quantify CVAI quartiles (ORs of Q2, Q3, and Q4 were 2.21, 2.99, and 4.42, respectively; P for trend

As one of the three major cereal crops, the production of pulses is only lower than that of cereals. It is the second source of protein for human beings. Pulses have attracted more and more attention from customers and researchers at domestic and abroad, owing to its nutrient characteristics, such as large amount of protein, starch, and fibers, low content of lipid, and abundant vitamins and minerals. There are plentiful and multiple pulses resources in China, thus this paper summarizes the distribution, classification, nutrient characteristics, and functional activities of pulses at native and foreign. Besides, this paper briefly discusses the development and utilization of relevant products with a view to more systematic and scientific recognition and provide reference for further research directions.

Abstract Objectives In two previously published genome-wide association studies, a cluster of variants of sperm-associated antigen16 (SPAG16) were reported to be associated with the radiological progression rate of ACPA-positive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients from North American and Southern European ancestry. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether the reported RA-risk loci in SPAG16 are associated with the disease in the Chinese population and to further validate the functional role of the susceptible locus in RA tissues. Methods A total of 500 ACPA-positive RA patients and 1000 age-matched healthy subjects were recruited. Two SNPs of SPAG16, including rs7607479 (C/T) and rs6435818 (A/C), were genotyped, and the genotyping data were compared with chi-square test. Gene expression analysis was performed in synovial tissues obtained from 40 RA patients and 30 non-RA controls surgically treated for bone fracture. The tissue expression of SPAG16 and matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP-3) was compared between the two groups by the Student’s t test. The relationship between serum indexes and mRNA expression of SPAG16 and MMP-3 were evaluated by Spearman’s correlation analysis. Result For rs7607479, the frequency of genotype TT was significantly higher in RA patients than in the controls (49.0% vs. 40.4%, p = 0.002). The RA patients were found to have significantly lower frequency of allele C than the controls (30.9% vs. 36.8%, p = 0.001). As for rs6435818, there was no significant difference of genotype or allele frequency between the two groups. The mRNA expression of MMP-3 was 1.63-fold higher in the RA patients than in the controls (p

Abstract In this work, we extracted pectin from lemon peel and used pectin methyl‐esterase (PME) to obtain pectins with different degree of methyl esterification (DM). The effects of different de‐esterification treatments of lemon pectin (LP) on physicochemical properties, structural characteristics and its stable capability against protein precipitation in acidified milk drinks (AMDs) were systematically investigated. The results revealed that degree of methyl esterification (DM) decreased as the increasing of PME treatment time, whose DM values were 82.58%, 71.92%, 71.44%, 70.35%, 42.17%, and 32.54% for LP, LP‐E‐1, LP‐E‐2, LP‐E‐3, LP‐E‐4, and LP‐E‐5, respectively. There were no obvious differences in monosaccharide composition and molecular weight among the five fractions. The higher viscosities of LP‐E‐4 and LP‐E‐5 were probably attributed to the increase in zeta‐potential values and intrinsic viscosity, which would be explained by the removal of methoxy groups, resulting in stronger hydrogen bonds in solutions. Furthermore, LP‐E‐1, LP‐E‐2, and LP‐E‐3 had better AMDs stability against protein precipitation than LP, since they performed in better accelerated physical stability and storage stability, smaller particle size and lower Turbiscan stability index values. It suggested that PME de‐esterification on pectin could increase and concentrate its negative charges to wrap protein, while the remaining methoxy provides spatial resistance, both of which avoid protein precipitation.

The MEMS microphone is a representative device among the MEMS family, which has attracted substantial research interest, and those tailored for human voice have earned distinct success in commercialization. Although sustained development persists, challenges such as residual stress, environmental noise, and structural innovation are posed. To collect and summarize the recent advances in this subject, this paper presents a concise review concerning the transduction mechanism, diverse mechanical structure topologies, and effective methods of noise reduction for high-performance MEMS microphones with a dynamic range akin to the audible spectrum, aiming to provide a comprehensive and adequate analysis of this scope.

Abstract This paper describes a novel electrostatically actuated microgripper with freeform geometries designed by a genetic algorithm. This new semiautomated design methodology is capable of designing near-optimal MEMS devices that are robust to fabrication tolerances. The use of freeform geometries designed by a genetic algorithm significantly improves the performance of the microgripper. An experiment shows that the designed microgripper has a large displacement (91.5 μm) with a low actuation voltage (47.5 V), which agrees well with the theory. The microgripper has a large actuation displacement and can handle micro-objects with a size from 10 to 100 μm. A grasping experiment on human hair with a diameter of 77 μm was performed to prove the functionality of the gripper. The result confirmed the superior performance of the new design methodology enabling freeform geometries. This design method can also be extended to the design of many other MEMS devices.

The excessive and ectopic pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) are crucial to the pathogenesis of pulmonary arteriole (PA) remodeling in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). We previously found that microRNA (miR)-30a was significantly increased in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients and animals, as well as in cultured cardiomyocytes after hypoxia, suggesting that it might be strongly associated with hypoxia-related diseases. Here, we investigated the role of miR-30a in the PASMC remodeling of PAH. The expression of miR-30a was higher in the serum of PAH patients compared with healthy controls. miR-30a was mainly expressed in PAs and was increased in PASMCs after hypoxia, mediating the downregulation of p53 tumor suppressor protein (P53). Genetic knockout of miR-30a effectively decreased right ventricular (RV) systolic pressure (RVSP), PA, and RV remodeling in the Su5416/hypoxia-induced and monocrotaline (MCT)-induced PAH animals. Additionally, pharmacological inhibition of miR-30a via intratracheal liquid instillation (IT-L) delivery strategy showed high efficiency, which downregulated miR-30a to mitigate disease phenotype in the Su5416/hypoxia-induced PAH animals, and these beneficial effects could be partially reduced by simultaneous P53 inhibition. We demonstrate that inhibition of miR-30a could ameliorate experimental PAH through the miR-30a/P53 signaling pathway, and the IT-L delivery strategy shows good therapeutic outcomes, providing a novel and promising approach for the treatment of PAH.

Mylabris mongolica Dokhtouroff, 1887 is a traditional medicine material and an important predator in China. The mitochondrial genome of M. mongolica is presented for the first time in this study. The mitogenome is 15,034 bp in length and comprises 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, and partial control region. The nucleotide composition of M. mongolica was 36.7% of A, 18.1% of C, 11.1% of G, and 34.1% of T. The phylogenetic results divide all Meloidae species into two clades. The genus Mylabris was retrieved as a paraphyletic group, with Mylabris having a closer relationship with Hycleus than other genera within Meloidae. This study provides useful genetic data for future studies on the phylogeny and evolution of Meloidae species.

Anonymity is an inherent attribute of the Internet. Depending on pseudonyms, cyber citizens can role play and present themselves by reconstructing a different identity. In order to satisfy the needs of anonymous self-expression, anonymous social applications have become popular worldwide. In this paper, we conduct a survey regarding user intention (UI) of “Soul”, which is a popular anonymous social media application in China, especially for the youth. For this purpose, we design an adapted technology acceptance model (TAM) consisting of seven influencing factors, i.e., perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), perceived anonymity (PA), perceived privacy riskiness (PPR), subjective norms (SN), emotional attachments (EA) and perceived interactivity (PI). Both the measurement and structural models are tested via partial least squares structural equation model. The results show that PU, PEOU, PPR and PI have a significant relationship with UI. Therein, both SN and EA can impact PU, and meanwhile, the direct paths between PI → PEOU, PA → PPR also exist. Contrary to expectation, the effect of SN on UI is not directly significant. The proposed model is able to explain 64.1% of variance for UI among Soul users. The results suggest that the proposed constructs provide relatively good explanations for the continuous intention to use the Soul app.

Abstract Background In scoliosis corrective surgery, total blood loss is composed of visible blood loss, including intraoperative haemorrhage and drainage, and hidden blood loss in which blood extravasates into the tissues and accumulates in the surgical field. The purpose of this study was to investigate hidden blood loss (HBL) and its potential risk factors in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients undergoing posterior spinal fusion surgery and elucidate the influence of HBL on the necessity for postoperative blood transfusion. Methods We retrospectively studied adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients undergoing posterior spine fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis from January 2014 to December 2018 at our hospital. The patients’ demographics, blood loss-related parameters, surgeries and blood loss data were extracted. The association between patient characteristics and HBL was analyzed by Pearson or Spearman correlation analyses. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to determine independent risk factors associated with HBL. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the influence of HBL on the necessity for postoperative blood transfusion. Results A total of 765 patients, of whom 128 were male and 637 were female (age range 10–18 years), were included in this study. The mean volume of HBL was 693.5 ± 473.4 ml, accounting for 53.9 % of the total blood loss. The multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that preoperative Hct (p = 0.003) and allogeneic blood transfusion (p 850 ml (P

For the past several decades, both species biodiversity and productivity of desert steppe have been reduced due to excessive use and climate factors. To counteract this, Chinese government has supported large-scale grassland ecological restoration programs since the year 2000. The policy needs a standard for the evaluation of the effects of such restorative measures on the grasslands after decades. Grassland insect diversity plays an important role in the maintenance of plant species and functional diversity. To understand the relation of grazing management and insect diversity, we use a complete two factor design, two fencing periods (3 or 7 years) and three grazing intensities (0, 6, or 12 sheep per ha), to examine the response of the insect diversity to fencing and grazing in desert steppe. We found almost no significant differences in either plant or insect species diversity between the sites fenced for 3 and 7 years, as the pressure of grazing increased, insect diversity decreased to a greater extent at 7-year enclosure sites than at 3-year sites. We recommend the most suitable grazing intensity for the sustainability of biodiversity of the desert steppe in Inner Mongolia is light grazing (8 sheep/ha 0.5 yr−1), and the most suitable fencing period is three years, which suggest that policies that remove livestock from the desert grassland for long periods (7 + years) are not beneficial for maintaining insect diversity, and heavy grazing lead ecological environment weaker and insect diversity decreasing. Thus, periodic livestock grazing is important in the design of management actions to preserve biodiversity.

Non-Hermitian physics, an active topic in photonics, is also being increasingly extended to investigate the band topologies of condensed-matter systems. Here, the authors report a 2D non-Hermitian model exhibiting exceptional rings and topological boundary modes in the spectral degeneracy, they propose how to realise these features using topolectrical circuits.

Doege–Potter syndrome is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome characterized by non-islet cell tumor hypoglycemia secondary to a solitary fibrous tumor. Doege–Potter syndrome always presents with recurrent fasting hypoglycemia, which can occasionally be life-threatening. The best choice of treatment for Doege–Potter syndrome and solitary fibrous tumor is complete resection. However, when it is unfeasible, local-regional treatment can be used as a palliative therapy. Herein, we report a case of a 46-year-old man with Doege–Potter syndrome that occurred secondary to the liver and pancreatic metastatic solitary fibrous tumors. After he received six rounds of targeting-intratumoral-lactic-acidosis transcatheter-arterial-chemoembolization (TILA-TACE) treatment in our hospital, his hypoglycemia was clinically cured, and the liver metastatic tumor was well controlled. We suggest that TILA-TACE can be considered when curative resection is unfeasible for metastatic liver solitary fibrous tumors to help a patient obtain further surgery opportunities.

Abstract Purpose To investigate the potential factors associated with the prevalence of meniscal repair Methods Patients who received partial meniscectomy or meniscal repair in our institution from Jan 2015 to Dec 2019 were included in current study. The inclusion criteria were (1) meniscus tear treated using meniscectomy or repair, (2) with or without concomitant anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, (3) not multiligamentous injury. Demographic data, including sex, age, body mass index (BMI), injury-to-surgery interval and intra-articular factors such as the location of injury, medial or lateral, ACL rupture or not and the option of procedure (partial meniscectomy or repair) were documented from medical records. Univariate analysis consisted of chi-square. Multivariate logistic regression was then performed to adjust for confounding factors. Results 592 patients including 399 males and 193 females with a mean age of 28.7 years (range from 10 to 75 years) were included in current study. In the univariate analysis, male (p = 0.002), patients aged 40 years or younger (p < 0.001), increased weight (p = 0.010), Posterior meniscus torn (0.011), concurrent ACL ruputure (p < 0.001), lateral meniscus (p = 0.039) and early surgery (p < 0.001) were all associated with the prevalence of meniscal repair. However, After adjusting for confounding factors, we found that age (OR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.17 - 0.68, p = 0.002), ACL injury (OR, 3.76; 95% CI, 1.97 – 7.21, p < 0.001), side of menisci (OR, 3.29; 95% CI, 1.43 – 7.55, p = 0.005), site of tear (OR, 0.15; 95% CI, 0.07 – 0.32, p < 0.001), and duration of injury (OR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.28 – 0.82, p = 0.008) were associated with the prevalence of meniscus repair. Conclusions Meniscal tear in aged patients especially those with concomitant ACL injury is likely to be repaired. Additionally, in order to increase the prevalence of repair and slow down progression of OA, the surgical procedure should be performed within two weeks after meniscus tear especially when the tear is located at lateral meniscal posterior. Study design Case-control study; level of evidence, 3.

In this study, different drying methods, including hot air drying, sun drying, and freeze drying were employed to dry fresh broad beans. The nutritional composition, volatile organic components and bioactive substances of the dried broad beans were systematically compared. The results indicated significant differences (p < 0.05) in nutritional composition, such as protein and soluble sugar content. Among the 66 identified volatile organic compounds, freeze drying and hot air drying significantly promote the production of alcohols and aldehydes, while sun drying effectively preserves esters. In terms of bioactive substances, broad beans dried by freeze drying exhibit the highest total phenol content as well as the strongest antioxidant capacity and gallic acid, followed by sun drying. The chemometric analysis revealed that the bioactive compounds in broad beans dried by three different methods were primarily composed of flavonoids, organic acids, and amino acids with significant differentiation. Notably, freeze-dried and sun-dried broad beans exhibited a higher concentration of differential substances.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) extract (RE) is one of the most efficient natural antioxidants and can significantly inhibit oil oxidation during storage or heating. The present study determined the protective capacity and mechanism of RE on the thermal oxidative stability of different vegetable oils by adding RE (70% carnosic acid) to five types of vegetable oils (soybean oil, rapeseed oil, cottonseed oil, rice bran oil, and camellia oil) and measuring the physicochemical indices (fatty acid composition, tocopherol content, total phenolic content, and free radical scavenging capacity), induction period, and thermal oxidative kinetic parameters. The relationships between the antioxidant capacity and thermal stability parameters were determined. The results show that, compared with artificial antioxidants, RE significantly increased the free radical scavenging capacity, induction period, and activation energy (Ea) of thermal oxidation, decreasing the thermal oxidation reaction rate (k) of all vegetable oils, especially rice bran oil. A Spearman correlation analysis showed that the induction period (IP) and Ea showed a significant positive correlation, the combination of which effectively reflected the efficiency of antioxidants and explained the inhibition mechanism of RE towards oil thermal oxidation.

Abstract Purpose To investigate factors associated with the consumption of a large number of sutures during arthroscopic meniscus repair procedures. Methods All patients who received meniscal repair, with or without concomitant anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, in our hospital from January 2015 to December 2019 were included in the current study. Demographic data (sex, age, body mass index (BMI), and injury-to-surgery interval) and surgical data (the site of the tear, side of the meniscus, presence of an ACL rupture or not and the number of sutures) were retrospectively collected from our medical records. The number of sutures was divided into two groups (1–2 sutures versus > 2 sutures). The stitching process was implemented through an all-inside technique using a meniscal repair device (Fast-Fix; Smith & Nephew). According to the length and stability of the meniscal tear, one to seven sutures were used. Univariate analysis consisted of chi-square tests. Multivariate logistic regression was then performed to adjust for confounding factors. Results A total of 242 patients, including 168 males and 57 females, was finally included. In the univariate analysis, we found that those patients who underwent meniscus repair within one month after meniscus tear were more likely to need fewer sutures than those who underwent surgery more than one month after injury (70/110 versus 59/115, p=0.062). In total, 75/109 (68.8%) lateral meniscal tears were repaired with fewer sutures than medial (34/72, 47.2%) and bilateral meniscus injuries (20/44, 45.4%; p=0.003). In the multivariate analysis, we found that the duration of injury (OR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.16–3.64, p=0.013), presence of an ACL injury (OR, 3.76; 95% CI, 1.97–7.21, p

Abstract Uterine contraction (UC) is an essential clinical indicator in the progress of labour and delivery. Electrohysterogram (EHG) signals recorded on the abdomen of pregnant women reflect the uterine electrical activity. This study proposes a novel algorithm for automatic recognition of UCs with EHG signals to improve the accuracy of detecting UCs. EHG signals by electrodes, the tension of the abdominal wall by tocodynamometry (TOCO) and maternal perception were recorded simultaneously in 54 pregnant women. The zero-crossing rate (ZCR) of the EHG signal and its power were calculated to modulate the raw EHG signal and highlight the EHG bursts. Then the envelope was extracted from the modulated EHG for UC recognition. Besides, UC was also detected by the conventional TOCO signal. Taking maternal perception as a reference, the UCs recognized by EHG and TOCO were evaluated with the sensitivity, positive predictive value (PPV), and UC parameters. The results show that the sensitivity and PPV are 87.8% and 93.18% for EHG, and 84.04% and 90.89% for TOCO. EHG detected a larger number of UCs than TOCO, which is closer to maternal perception. The duration and frequency of UC obtained from EHG and TOCO were not significantly different (p > 0.05). In conclusion, the proposed UC recognition algorithm has high accuracy and simple calculation which could be used for real-time analysis of EHG signals and long-term monitoring of UCs.

BackgroundThe impact of hypoxia on ferroptosis is important in cancer proliferation, but no predictive model combining hypoxia and ferroptosis for adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) has been reported. The purpose of this study was to construct a predictive model based on hypoxia- and ferroptosis-related gene expression in ACC.MethodsWe assessed hypoxia- and ferroptosis-related gene expression using data from 79 patients with ACC in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Then, a predictive model was constructed to stratify patient survival using least absolute contraction and selection operation regression. Gene expression profiles of patients with ACC in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database were used to verify the predictive model.ResultsBased on hypoxia-related gene expression, 79 patients with ACC in the TCGA database were divided into three molecular subtypes (C1, C2, and C3) with different clinical outcomes. Patients with the C3 subtype had the shortest survival. Ferroptosis-related genes exhibited distinct expression patterns in the three subtypes. A predictive model combining hypoxia- and ferroptosis-related gene expression was constructed. A nomogram was constructed using age, sex, tumor stage, and the predictive gene model. Gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses revealed that the gene signature was mainly related to the cell cycle and organelle fission.ConclusionThis hypoxia-and ferroptosis-related gene signature displayed excellent predictive performance for ACC and could serve as an emerging source of novel therapeutic targets in ACC.

The purpose of this study is to explore why workplace deviance behavior among employees has increased during Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) from the perspective of insecure attachment style. Based on attachment theory, we propose and test the effect of insecure attachment style (attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance) on deviance behavior (organizational deviance behavior, interpersonal deviance behavior) via organization-based self-esteem using 422 data from Chinese employees. And we further examine the moderating role of leader–member exchange in reducing workplace deviance behavior. The findings show that attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance are both positively related to workplace deviance behavior. Attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance both indirectly predict organizational deviance behavior through organization-based self-esteem. Moreover, leader–member exchange can moderate the indirect effects of both attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance on organizational deviance behavior via organization-based self-esteem. This research highlights the fact that employees with insecure attachment style need more care from the organization during the COVID-19 pandemic and demonstrates that one of the key ways in which insecure attachment style increases organization-based self-esteem is by facilitating the development of high-quality leader–member exchange.

Pregnant women have been ubiquitously exposed to pyrethroid pesticides. Previous studies, mainly based on third trimester measurements of maternal urinary pyrethroid metabolites, have reported inconsistent findings in the effects of prenatal pyrethroid exposure on children's neurodevelopmental outcomes. The purpose of this study was to clarify if pyrethroid exposure during the entire three trimesters of pregnancy may be associated with deleterious effects on infant neurodevelopmental status, particularly at a high dosage of exposure. We measured maternal urinary concentrations of pyrethroid metabolites in all trimesters of pregnancy and assessed children’s neurodevelopment at one year of age using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (BSID-III). Multiple linear regression models were used to estimate the effects of metabolites (3-PBA, 4 F-3-PBA, cis-DBCA) in each trimester on BSID-III composite scores. Logistic regression analyses were applied to predict developmental delay vs non-delayed status (cut-off composite score of below 80 for developmental delay) based on the maternal levels of pyrethroid metabolites. In the first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy, the detection rates of pyrethroid metabolites were 94.7%, 90.7%, and 89.0%; the 50th percentiles of exposure level were 0.24 μg/g, 0.24 μg/g and 0.21 μg/g for 3-PBA, 0.14 μg/g, 0.17 μg/g and 0.15 μg/g for 4 F-3PBA, 0.21 μg/g, 0.25 μg/g and 0.19 μg/g for cis-DBCA respectively. In the second trimester, 3-PBA was inversely associated with Cognition and Language scores [β = −3.34 (95% CI = −6.11, −0.57) and β = −2.90 (95% CI = −5.20, −0.61), respectively], and significantly increased the risk of Cognition and Language developmental delay [OR= 1.64 (95% CI = 1.03, 2.62) and OR = 1.52 (95% CI = 1.06, 2.19), respectively]; cis-DBCA was inversely associated with Adaptive Behavior scores [β = −0.73 (95% CI = −1.27, −0.19)], and significantly increased the risk of Adaptive Behavior developmental delay [OR= 1.11 (95% CI = 1.02, 1.21)]. When the maternal levels of pyrethroid metabolites were stratified into the regression models according to the 90th percentile of exposure, in the first trimester, Cognition and Motor scores were inversely associated with higher cis-DBCA [β = −7.19 (95% CI = −12.97, −1.41) and β = −8.20 (95% CI = −13.35, −3.05), respectively], Language scores were inversely associated with higher 3-PBA [β = −6.01 (95% CI = −10.96, −1.06)]; in the second trimester, Cognition scores were inversely associated with higher cis-DBCA [β = −6.64 (95% CI = −12.51, −0.76)], Language scores were inversely associated with higher 3-PBA [β = −5.17 (95% CI = −10.07, −0.27)] and cis-DBCA [β = −5.40 (95% CI = −10.28, −0.52)]. We concluded that pyrethroid exposure in the first and second trimesters was associated with poorer infants neurodevelopmental outcomes at one year of age, and these effects were particularly pronounced at high levels of pyrethroid exposure.

Abstract Background Trichomoniasis resulting from Trichomonas vaginalis (T. vaginalis) has been considered as a commonly seen disease with the transmission way of sex. At present, the detection methods of T. vaginalis mainly include wet mount microscopy, culture, PCR, immunofluorescence and ELISA. However, all of these detection methods exist shortcomings. Methods In this study, a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay that targeted the species-specific sequence of adhesion protein 65 (AP65) gene had been conducted to detect T. vaginalis. The optimum reaction system and conditions were optimized in this rapid detection method. Results The results of sensitivity analysis showed that the LAMP assay targeting the AP65 gene was 1000 times more sensitive than the nested PCR targeting the actin gene commonly used for detection of T. vaginalis, and the detecting limitation of the former was 10 trichomonad. Moreover, the amplification of the target gene AP65 by LAMP assay exhibited high specificity and the product was exclusively from T. vaginalis. The detection technique of LAMP did not exhibit cross-reactivity with the common pathogens of Trichinella spiralis, Toxoplasma gondii, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus. Conclusions According to the present study, the LAMP assay with the target of AP65 gene, was suitable for the early diagnosis of T. vaginalis infections. Consequently, the LAMP assay was proposed by the current study as a point-of-care examination and an alternative molecular tool which exhibited the potential value in the treatment, control and prevention of trichomoniasis transmission and relevant complication.

Abstract Background Decreasing the length of hospital stay is an ideal course of action to appropriately allocate medical resources. The aim of this retrospective study was to identify perioperative factors that may decrease the length of hospital stay (LOS). Methods In this study, we collected the data on 1112 patients who underwent primary total knee arthroplasty surgery (TKAs) at our institution from Jan 1, 2011 to Nov 31, 2017. Based on the published literature, 16 potential factors (12 preoperative variables, 1 intraoperative variable, and 3 postoperative variables) were investigated. The patients requiring a hospital stay longer than the mean LOS (8 days) were defined as patients with a prolonged LOS. The factors with a P value less than 0.1 in the univariate analysis were further analysed in a multivariate model. An ordinal regression was used to determine independent risk factors for a prolonged LOS. Results The mean LOS was 8.3 days (±4.3), with a range of 2 to 30 days. Sixteen variables were analysed by univariate analysis, and 11 of them had p

We reviewed clinical research investigating the applications of adrenal vein sampling (AVS). AVS could be applied not only to primary aldosteronism (PA) but also to other endocrine diseases, such as adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) independent Cushing syndrome (AICS) and hyperandrogenemia (HA). However, the AVS protocol requires improvements to increase its success rate. Using the computed tomography image fusion, coaxial guidewire technique, and fast intraprocedural cortisol testing (CCF) technique could improve the success rate of catheterization in AVS for PA. ACTH loading could be considered in medical centers with a low selectivity of AVS for PA but is not essential in those with mature AVS technology. The continuous infusion method should be recommended for ACTH stimulation in AVS for PA to reduce adverse events. AVS has not been routinely recommended before management decisions in AICS, but several studies verified that AVS was useful in finding out the source of excess cortisol, especially for distinguishing unilateral from bilateral disease. However, it is necessary to reassess the results of AVS in AICS with the use of reference hormones to fully normalize cortisol levels. In addition, it is essential to determine the optimal model that combines AVS results and mass size to guide the selection of surgical plans, including identifying the dominant gland and presenting the option of staged adrenalectomy, to minimize the impact of bilateral resection. For HA, AVS combined with ovarian intravenous sampling to locate excess androgens could be considered when imaging results are equivocal.

Insects are important components of biodiversity and play significant roles in the steppe ecosystem. They are abundant, easy to sample, and sensitive to changing conditions, making them useful indicators of environmental changes. This study aims to describe patterns (α and β) of insect diversity across two steppe types (a typical steppe and a desert steppe) along the Eastern Eurasian Steppe Transect (EEST), as well as evaluate the effects of environmental variables in determining these patterns and the influence of plant diversity alterations on these effects. To this end, we collected 5244 individual insects and found an n-shaped diversity distribution along the latitudinal gradient and a significant difference in insect communities across the two steppe types. Further, the Mantel test and path analysis indicate that climate and grazing activities combine to influence insect diversity, and these effects are mediated through plant diversity, strongly supporting the role of bottom-up effects in situations of climatic and grazing pattern changes. Moreover, the contribution of plant diversity varied with steppe types and insect functional groups, with greater effects seen in the typical steppe and herbivorous insects. This indicated the importance of protecting species diversity in steppes through managing plant diversity and assessments of local environmental factors such as grazing intensity and temperature.

The article examines the role of theater architecture in music education. It is determined that the study of theatrical architecture is an important part of obtaining musical education, especially for those who plan to become a professional musician. As part of music education, students can study theater architecture and its impact on musical performances. It should also be noted that music education necessarily includes the development of the general culture of students, for this reason, the architectural features of theater buildings can contribute to the development of the general culture of students.

Abstract Background Insulin autoimmune syndrome (IAS) is a rare cause of hypoglycemia and is characterized by the presence of insulin autoantibodies. Patients with IAS usually complain of hypoglycemia without any previous insulin received. Glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants are used to treat IAS. Case presentation We report four patients with diabetes who were diagnosed with non-classical IAS and describe the treatment of these patients. Moreover, the differential diagnosis with hyperinsulinism is discussed. Conclusion High levels of insulin autoantibodies, as well as hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia, are found in patients with diabetes mellitus and prior exogenous insulin exposure. This situation that we classified as non-classical IAS should be attached importance to.

BackgroundDiabetes is a risk factor for colorectal neoplasms. The association between the level of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and the risk of colorectal adenomas (CRAs) in non-diabetic adults needs to be investigated.MethodsA cross-sectional study was performed on non-diabetic adults with normal HbA1c level who underwent colonoscopy between January 2010 and December 2016 during health check-ups in our hospital in China. The association between HbA1c level and CRAs was assessed by multiple logistic regression models stratified by age group (

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) has been reported to associate with gut microbiota alterations in murine models and thus “gut-retina-axis” has been proposed. However, the role of gut microbiome and the associated metabolism in DR patients still need to be elucidated. In this study, we collected fecal samples from 45 patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and 90 matched diabetic patients (1:2 according to age, sex, and duration of diabetes) without DR (NDR) and performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing and untargeted metabolomics. We observed significantly lower bacterial diversity in the PDR group than that in the NDR group. Differential gut bacterial composition was also found, with significant depletion of 22 families (e.g., Coriobacteriaceae, Veillonellaceae, and Streptococcaceae) and enrichment of two families (Burkholderiaceae and Burkholderiales_unclassified) in the PDR group as compared with the NDR group. There were significantly different fecal metabolic features, which were enriched in metabolic pathways such as arachidonic acid and microbial metabolism, between the two groups. Among 36 coabundance metabolite clusters, 11 were positively/negatively contributed to PDR using logistic regression analysis. Fifteen gut microbial families were significantly correlated with the 11 metabolite clusters. Furthermore, a fecal metabolite-based classifier was constructed to distinguish PDR patients from NDR patients accurately. In conclusion, PDR is associated with reduced diversity and altered composition of gut microbiota and specific microbe-metabolite interplay. Our findings help to better understand the disease pathogenesis and provide novel diagnostic and therapeutic targets for PDR.

Previously, our study has demonstrated that porcine pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PPMVECs) were susceptible to highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (HP-PRRSV) and produced a significant non-specific immune response to it. The significance of microvascular endothelial glycocalyx is increasingly attracting attention, and its rich carbohydrate components are not only important signaling molecules, but also remarkably influence the signaling of most proteins. Comprehending changes in the carbohydrate chains contributes to understanding cell functions. This study aimed to reveal the effects of HP-PRRSV infection on the surface carbohydrate chains of PPMVECs. PPMVECs were isolated and cultured in vitro and infected with HP-PRRSV HN and JXA1 strains. Scanning electron microscopy analysis indicated that at 48 h post-infection, some broken holes were in their cell membranes, and that the surface fibrous glycocalyx was obviously reduced or even disappeared. Lectin microarray analysis indicated that the fluorescence intensities of 8 and 7 lectin sites were significantly changed by the HP-PRRSV HN and JXA1 strains, respectively, among which there were 6 common lectin sites. The up-regulation of common lectins (RCA-I, LEL, and STL) and the down-regulation of common lectins (LCA, DSA, and PHA-E) were confirmed by lectin fluorescence staining and lectin flow cytometry, respectively. Together, the results show that the HP-PRRSV infection can induce the glycocalyx disruption of PPMVECs and their surface glycoprofiling changes, and that the poly-N-acetyllactosamine and complex N-glycan are the main up-regulated and down-regulated carbohydrate chains, respectively. Our findings may provide insights into revealing the pathogenesis of HP-PRRSV from the perspective of glycobiology.

Supported by artificial intelligence and 5G techniques in mobile information systems, the rich communication services (RCS) are emerging as new media outlets and conversational agents for both institutional and individual users in China, which inherit the advantages of the short messaging service (SMS) with larger coverage and higher reach rate. The benefits can be fulfilled through media interactions between business and smart phone users. As a competitor of over-the-top services and social media apps, the adoption of RCS will play a vital role for mobile users. It is important to conduct quantitative research and reveal the behavioral intention to use (BIU) among RCS users. In this paper, we collect 195 valid respondents from university via an offline experiment and then build a structural equation model consisting of task characteristics (TAC), technology characteristics (TEC), task-technology fit (TTF), performance expectancy (PE), perceived risk (PR), perceived trust (PT), perceived convenience (PC) and satisfaction (SA). We find that SA, PC and PE have direct impact on BIU. TTF has indirect path connecting to BIU via PE and SA. The impacts of PT and PR on BIU are not significant. Performance results show that our proposed model could explain 49.2% and 63.1% of variance for SA and BIU, respectively. Through revealing the influencing factors of BIU, we can point out the user perception of the brand-new interactive channel and then provide the guidance for the large-scale commercialization of 5G RCS.

Background: Previously, we invented a therapeutic vaccine targeting the endothelin-A receptor (termed ETRQβ-002). ETRQβ-002 successfully prevented the remodeling of pulmonary arterioles (PAs) and right ventricle (RV) without significant immune-mediated damage in experimental pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) mice models.Objective: Here, we aim to further evaluate the long-term effects of ETRQβ-002.Methods: PAH mice model was induced by a combination of subcutaneous injection with Sugen5416 and chronic hypoxic conditions (10% O2). PAH mice were immunized with ETRQβ-002 at different time points, and the experiment lasted for 21 weeks. Hemodynamic, histological, and biochemical analyses were conducted to evaluate the long-term effects of ETRQβ-002.Results: We demonstrated that the titer of the specific antibody against ETR-002 could be maintained chronically after periodic booster immunization in PAH mice. Long-term reduction of right ventricular systolic pressure and amelioration of PA remodeling by ETRQβ-002 were confirmed. Moreover, we found that ETRQβ-002 also exerted antiproliferation, anti-inflammation, and antifibrosis effects in PA remodeling. Besides, ETRQβ-002 durably limited pathological RV hypertrophy and fibrosis. Finally, no immune-mediated damage was observed in hepatic or renal function or by pathology in liver and kidney during the long-term administration of ETRQβ-002.Conclusion: Our findings indicate that ETRQβ-002 provides long-term therapeutic effects in Sugen/hypoxia-induced PAH animals and offers a promising clinical prospect for PAH treatment.

Biometric identity authentication technology is widely used in the field of information security. As a new biological method, electroencephalography (EEG) is gradually applied in biometric recognition, because scientists believe that practicability and portability are the development direction of EEG identity authentication. This work investigates the feasibility of using resting state EEG signals recorded by single-channel portable device for identity authentication. Single-channel EEG classification are effectively improved by using mixed-method in three feature domains (i.e., time, frequency, and time-frequency), feature selection (Rayleigh quotient) and classifier design (ensemble classifier). We invited 46 subjects to participate in the EEG identity authentication experiment. Experimental results show that the open-eyed resting state is an ideal authentication method, and the average classification accuracy of the authentication algorithm can reach 95.48% in 2 seconds, validating that the new method of processing single-channel EEG signals is especially useful in extrapolating EEG identity authentication to realistic field contexts.

Capacitive displacement transducers (CDTs) have been widely used in many physical sensors, attributing to high-resolution, simple electricity and easy manufacturing process. Gap-variation CDTs generally have higher displacement resolution due to small electrode gaps but suffer from the pull-in effect, the nonlinear effect and squeeze-film damping; whereas area-variation CDTs have intrinsically good linearity and much smaller slide-film damping. However, the parallel-plate-based area-variation CDTs have the electrode width much larger than the electrode gap with negligible fringe effect; therefore, the sensitivity is limited by periodic electrode numbers. In this paper, we introduce a novel fringe-effect dominated area-variation CDT with a much higher sensitivity within a certain electrode-deployable area. Both theoretical and numerical analysis are applied to investigate the working principle of the CDT design. The proposed fringe-effect-based CDT benefits from a much larger capacitance-to-displacement sensitivity than the traditional periodic array parallel-plate-based CDT, due to the more displacement-sensitive fringe field and more deployable electrode periods. A set of experiments are designed, and the proposed area-variation CDTs are evaluated. Experimental results suggested that the proposed CDT design, which had equal electrode width, separation and gap, could universally be applied to sensors with different featured dimensions either in macroscale or microscale. Angular misalignments with both out-of-plane tilts and in-plane rotations, which affect the output offset and sensitivity, should be minimized or alleviated. The proposed fringe-effect-based CDT are successfully applied to a single-axis in-plane sensing micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) accelerometer, showing a noise floor as low as 0.25 ng/Hz1/2@1 Hz. The corresponding displacement noise of the proposed CDT is 0.1 pm/Hz1/2.

Our previous study has demonstrated that porcine pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (MVECs) are susceptible to highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (HP-PRRSV). The innate immune response of MVECs infected with HP-PRRSV would play important roles in controlling virus proliferation, resisting cellular injury, and preventing the virus from spreading to other tissues and organs. Type I interferon is one of the most effective antiviral cytokines in the innate immune response, and interferon-induced proteins with tetratricopeptide repeats (IFITs) are members of interferon-stimulated genes induced by viruses and other pathogens, which are crucial in inhibiting virus proliferation and regulating the innate immune response. However, their effects on HP-PRRSV-induced innate immunity in porcine pulmonary MVECs remain unclear. Here, the roles of IFITs in porcine pulmonary MVECs infected with the HP-PRRSV HN strain were investigated, and the effects of astragalus polysaccharides (APS), a widely used traditional Chinese herbal ingredient with the immunopotentiating effect, on them were studied. The results showed that more autophagosomes were observed in HP-PRRSV-infected MVECs, and the expression of IFN-α, IFIT3, and IFIT5 decreased or increased at different time points after infection. When silencing the genes of IFIT3 or IFIT5, the HP-PRRSV replication in MVECs was significantly increased. The expression of IFIT3 and IFIT5 could be upregulated by APS, whose inhibitory effects on the HP-PRRSV replication significantly declined when the genes of IFIT3 or IFIT5 were silenced. The results suggest that IFIT3 and IFIT5 play an important role in inhibiting the HP-PRRSV replication in porcine pulmonary MVECs, and APS suppress the multiplication of HP-PRRSV by upregulating their expression.

By iheriting online natural properties, anonymous social media (ASM) applications have become popular and have attracted large amounts of mobile users (e.g., the youth) who can construct new identities for role-play and show themselves in anonymous ways. In order to investigate the influencing factors toward usage intention (UI) and platform swinging (PS) behavior among anonymous social applications, we choose one of the most active ASM App “Soul” as the example in China and then conducte a semi-structured interview with 23 valid Soul users using qualitative methods. The results show that the factors, i.e., perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived privacy riskiness, perceived anonymity, subjective norms, emotional attachments, and perceived interactivity, indeed affect UI among Soul users via online communication. Moreover, we find that PS behavior is ubiquitous among interviewees and mainly depends on diversified needs, which consist of nine dimensions including different position and function among apps, usage comparison, friend migration, etc. Nearly 80% of interviewees believe that there exists a relationship between UI and PS, which can be described as a inverted U-shaped curve, i.e., the higher or lower UI, the less probability of PS. For the individuals’ social media usage behavior, a closed loop “Attitude–Intention–Behavior” is summarized. By conducting qualitative research, we intend to provide some insights and deepen the understanding of UI among ASM users in daily life.

The realistic resistance zone of water and salt molecules to transport across a TFC-RO membrane is the topmost polyamide nanofilm. The existence of hollow voids in the fully aromatic polyamide (PA) film gives its surface ridge-and-valley morphologies, which confuses the comprehensions of the definition of the PA thickness. The hollow voids, however, neither participate in salt–water separation nor hinder water penetrating. In this paper, the influence of intrinsic thickness (single wall thickness) of the PA layer on water permeability was studied by adjusting the concentration of reacting monomers. It confirms that the true permeation resistance of water molecules originates from the intrinsic thickness portion of the membrane. The experimental results show that the water permeability constant decreases from 3.15 ± 0.02 to 2.74 ± 0.10 L·m−2·h−1·bar−1 when the intrinsic thickness of the membrane increases by 9 nm. The defects on the film surface generate when the higher concentration of MPD is matched with the relatively low concentration of TMC. In addition, the role of MPD and TMC in the micro-structure of the PA membrane was discussed, which may provide a new way for the preparation of high permeability and high selectivity composite reverse osmosis membranes.

Trichomoniasis is caused by Trichomonas vaginalis (T. vaginalis), which is a widespread and serious sexually transmitted pathogen in humans. The procedure of T. vaginalis adherence to the host cell is the precondition for T. vaginalis parasitism and pathogenicity. The AP33 adhesin of T. vaginalis (TvAP33) plays a key role in the process of adhesion. In this study, the specific primers for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were designed based on the sequence of TvAP33 (GenBank Accession No. U87098.1) to amplify the open reading frame (ORF), and the ORF was inserted into pET-32a (+) to produce recombinant TvAP33 (rTvAP33). The sequence analysis indicated that the TvAP33 gene encoded a protein of 309 amino acids with 32.53 kDa, and the protein was predicted to have a high antigen index. Western blotting assay showed rTvAP33 was successfully recognized by the sera of mice experimentally infected with T. vaginalis, while native TvAP33 in the somatic extract of T. vaginalis trophozoite was as well detected by sera from rats immunized with the rTvAP33. Immunofluorescence analysis using an antibody against rTvAP33 demonstrated that the protein was expressed and located on the surface of T. vaginalis trophozoites. The recombinant protein was emulsified in Freund’s adjuvant and used to immunize BALB/C mice three times at days 0, 14, and 28. The result of animal challenge experiments revealed the levels of IgG, IgG1, and IgG2a, and IL-4, IL-10, and IL17 among rTvAP33 vaccinated animals were integrally increased. Moreover, the rTvAP33 vaccinated animals were apparently prolonged survival time (26.45 ± 4.10) after challenge infection with this parasite. All these results indicated that TvAP33 could be used as vaccine candidate antigen to induce cell-mediated and humoral immunity.

Rebound hammer tests and postinstalled pull-out tests are commonly used for evaluating the compressive strength of ordinary concrete, and the strength of concrete is estimated by strength curves. However, using these strength curves to predict the compressive strength of carbon fiber-reinforced concrete (CFRC), polypropylene fiber-reinforced concrete (PFRC), and carbon-polypropylene hybrid fiber-reinforced concrete (HFRC) may lead to considerable uncertainties. Therefore, this study revises the strength curves derived from rebound hammer tests and postinstalled pull-out tests for ordinary concrete. 480 specimens of fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) of six strength grades are examined. Standard cube compressive strength tests are used as a reference, and the results of various regression models are compared. The linear model is determined as the most accurate model for postinstalled pull-out tests, whereas the power model is the most accurate for rebound hammer tests. The proposed strength curves have important applications for FRC engineering of the postinstalled pull-out tests and rebound hammer tests.

In this paper, we used an octadecylamine functionalized graphene oxide (ODA@GO) to induce the confined growth of a polyamide nanofilm in the organic and aqueous phase during interfacial polymerization (IP). The ODA@GO, fully dispersed in the organic phase, was applied as a physical barrier to confine the amine diffusion and therefore limiting the IP reaction close to the interface. The morphology and crosslinking degree of the PA nanofilm could be controlled by doping different amounts of ODA@GO (therefore adjusting the diffusion resistance). At standard seawater desalination conditions (32,000 ppm NaCl, ~55 bar), the flux of the resultant thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membrane reached 59.6 L m−2 h−1, which was approximately 17% more than the virgin TFC membrane. Meanwhile, the optimal salt rejection at seawater conditions (i.e., 32,000 ppm NaCl) achieved 99.6%. Concurrently, the boron rejection rate was also elevated by 13.3% compared with the TFC membrane without confined growth.