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Abstract Accurate prediction of drug-target interactions (DTIs) is crucial for advancing drug discovery and repurposing. Computational methods have significantly improved the efficiency of experimental predictions for drug-target interactions in Western medicine. However, accurately predicting the complex relationships between Chinese medicine ingredients and targets remains a formidable challenge due to the vast number and high heterogeneity of these ingredients. In this study, we introduce the CWI-DTI method, which achieves high-accuracy prediction of DTIs using a large dataset of interactive relationships of drug ingredients or candidate targets. Moreover, we present a novel dataset to evaluate the prediction accuracy of both Chinese and Western medicine. Through meticulous collection and preprocessing of data on ingredients and targets, we employ an innovative autoencoder framework to fuse multiple drug (target) topological similarity matrices. Additionally, we employ denoising blocks, sparse blocks, and stacked blocks to extract crucial features from the similarity matrix, reducing noise and enhancing accuracy across diverse datasets. Our results indicate that the CWI-DTI model shows improved performance compared to several existing state-of-the-art methods on the datasets tested in both Western and Chinese medicine databases. The findings of this study hold immense promise for advancing DTI prediction in Chinese and Western medicine, thus fostering more efficient drug discovery and repurposing endeavors. Our model is available at https://github.com/WANG-BIN-LAB/CWIDTI .

This study aimed to investigate the impact of spicy stimuli on the respiratory status of rats inhaling aerosols of spicy substances. The intensity of spicy stimuli was characterized by examining changes in multiple respiratory function indicators. Changes in various respiratory function indicators of rats inhaling different concentrations of two representative spicy substances, capsaicin and nicotine, were monitored in real time using an unrestrained whole-body plethysmograph system fitted with a nebulized drug delivery device. The results demonstrated that sensory stimulation of capsaicin and nicotine elicited similar respiratory patterns, which were manifested by an enhancement of respiratory rhythm at low concentrations and a suppression of respiration at high concentrations. Low-intensity spicy stimulation elevated respiratory rate, reduced relaxation time, and increased mid-expiratory flow rate, while high-intensity spicy stimulation had reverse effects. Additionally, heightened spicy stimulus intensity resulted in a sustained increase in the airway narrowing index. Concentration effect curves corroborated an evident correlation between spicy stimulation intensity and respiratory function indicators. The sensory stimulation intensity of various spicy substances could be objectively characterized by monitoring changes in the airway narrowing index. This study has established a novel method for objectively assessing the sensory stimulation intensity of spicy substances, providing a novel mean and reference for further exploring the brain region effects underlying the perception of spicy flavor in experimental animals.

A video lecture instructor exhibiting positive emotion has been shown to induce similar emotions in students, improving the students' motivation and increasing their attention, thus improving their learning performance. However, little systematic research exists on which specific design features with regards to the instructor can induce such emotions. The current study aimed to test whether congruent body gestures boost the effects of an instructor's facial expressions (happy vs. bored) on learning from video lectures in terms of students' emotions, motivation, attention, cognitive load, and learning performance. There were four conditions: (1) a happy face without body gestures; (2) a happy face accompanied with happy body gestures; (3) a bored face without body gestures; and (4) a bored face accompanied with bored body gestures. One-way repeated ANOVAs showed that congruent body gestures strengthened the emotional effects, and strengthened the attentional split effects of the happy face; when the instructor did not produce body gestures, her happy face facilitated students' learning performance compared to the bored face. Our findings suggest that instructors should be encouraged to exhibit a happy face without body gestures when giving video lectures to increase students' learning.

The present study aims to evaluate the effects of the antibacterial peptide Microcin J25 (ABP MccJ25) on growth performance, intestinal barrier function, antioxidant capacity and ileal microbiota in pigeon squabs. The 80 pairs of American Silver King pigeon parents and 240 healthy day 1 squabs were randomly divided into four groups, including 4 parent pairs and 12 pigeon squabs per group with 5 replicates. Parent pigeons were fed a basal diet (CON) or the addition of 100, 200, 300 mg/kg of ABP MccJ25 (ABP100, ABP200, and ABP300, respectively) for 4 weeks. Results showed that the group ABP200 remarkably reduced the feed conversion ratio and increased average daily gain in pigeon squabs from 7 to 21 d (p

Abstract The deposition of abnormal tau protein is characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and a class of neurodegenerative diseases called tauopathies. Physiologically, tau maintains an intrinsically disordered structure and plays diverse roles in neurons. Pathologically, tau undergoes abnormal post-translational modifications and forms oligomers or fibrous aggregates in tauopathies. In this review, we briefly introduce several tauopathies and discuss the mechanisms mediating tau aggregation and propagation. We also describe the toxicity of tau pathology. Finally, we explore the early diagnostic biomarkers and treatments targeting tau. Although some encouraging results have been achieved in animal experiments and preclinical studies, there is still no cure for tauopathies. More in-depth basic and clinical research on the pathogenesis of tauopathies is necessary.

Objective The objective of this study was to identify candidate genes that play important roles in skeletal muscle development in ducks. Methods In this study, we investigated the transcriptional sequencing of embryonic pectoral muscles from two specialized lines: Liancheng white ducks (female) and Cherry valley ducks (male) hybrid Line A (LCA) and Line C (LCC) ducks. In addition, prediction of target genes for the differentially expressed mRNAs was conducted and the enriched gene ontology (GO) terms and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes signaling pathways were further analyzed. Finally, a protein-to-protein interaction network was analyzed by using the target genes to gain insights into their potential functional association. Results A total of 1,428 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with 762 being up-regulated genes and 666 being down-regulated genes in pectoral muscle of LCA and LCC ducks identified by RNA-seq (p

Abstract Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) present diverse building blocks for high‐performance materials across industries, yet their crystallization mechanisms remain incompletely understood due to gaps in nucleation and growth knowledge. In this study, MOF structural evolution is probed using in situ liquid phase transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and cryo‐TEM, unveiling a blend of classical and nonclassical pathways involving liquid–liquid phase separation, particle attachment–coalescence, and surface layer deposition. Additionally, ultrafast high‐temperature sintering (UHS) is employed to dope ultrasmall Cobalt nanoparticles (Co NPs) uniformly within nitrogen‐doped hard carbon nanocages confirmed by 3D electron tomography. Lithium–sulfur battery tests demonstrate the nanocage‐Co NP structure's exceptional capacity and cycling stability, attributed to Co NP catalytic effects due to its small size, uniform dispersion, and nanocage confinement. The findings propose a holistic framework for MOF crystallization understanding and Co NP tunability through ultrafast sintering, promising advancements in materials science and informing future MOF synthesis strategies and applications.

A few observational neuroimaging investigations have reported subcortical structural changes in the individuals who recovered from the coronavirus disease‐2019 (COVID‐19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but the causal relationships between COVID-19 and longitudinal changes of subcortical structures remain unclear. We performed two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to estimate putative causal relationships between three COVID-19 phenotypes (susceptibility, hospitalization, and severity) and longitudinal volumetric changes of seven subcortical structures derived from MRI. Our findings demonstrated that genetic liability to SARS-CoV-2 infection had a great long-term impact on the volumetric reduction of subcortical structures, especially caudate. Our investigation may contribute in part to the understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying COVID-19-related neurological and neuropsychiatric sequelae.

Summary: Physical activity reduces cancer-associated mortality through multiple mechanisms, including tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) reprogramming. However, whether and how physiological interventions promote anti-tumor immunity remain elusive. Here, we report that clinically relevant voluntary exercise promotes muscle-derived extracellular vesicle (EV)-associated miR-29a-3p for tumor extracellular matrix (ECM) inhibition in patients and mouse models, thereby permitting immune cell infiltration and immunotherapy. Mechanistically, an unbiased screening identifies EV-associated miR-29a-3p in response to leisure-time physical activity or voluntary exercise. MiR-29a-3p-containing EVs accumulate in tumors and downregulate collagen composition by targeting COL1A1. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments and cytometry by time of flight (CyTOF) demonstrate that myocyte-secreted miR-29a-3p promotes anti-tumor immunity. Combining immunotherapy with voluntary exercise or miR-29a-3p further enhances anti-tumor efficacy. Clinically, miR-29a-3p correlates with reduced ECM, increased T cell infiltration, and response to immunotherapy. Our work reveals the predictive value of miR-29a-3p for immunotherapy, provides mechanistic insights into exercise-induced anti-cancer immunity, and highlights the potential of voluntary exercise in sensitizing immunotherapy.

Abstract Previous observational investigations suggest that structural and diffusion imaging-derived phenotypes (IDPs) are associated with major neurodegenerative diseases; however, whether these associations are causal remains largely uncertain. Herein we conducted bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization analyses to infer the causal relationships between structural and diffusion IDPs and major neurodegenerative diseases using common genetic variants-single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) as instrumental variables. Summary statistics of genome-wide association study (GWAS) for structural and diffusion IDPs were obtained from 33,224 individuals in the UK Biobank cohort. Summary statistics of GWAS for seven major neurodegenerative diseases were obtained from the largest GWAS for each disease to date. The forward MR analyses identified significant or suggestively statistical causal effects of genetically predicted three structural IDPs on Alzheimer’s disease (AD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and multiple sclerosis. For example, the reduction in the surface area of the left superior temporal gyrus was associated with a higher risk of AD. The reverse MR analyses identified significantly or suggestively statistical causal effects of genetically predicted AD, Lewy body dementia (LBD), and FTD on nine structural and diffusion IDPs. For example, LBD was associated with increased mean diffusivity in the right superior longitudinal fasciculus and AD was associated with decreased gray matter volume in the right ventral striatum. Our findings might contribute to shedding light on the prediction and therapeutic intervention for the major neurodegenerative diseases at the neuroimaging level.

Clubroot caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae is a devastating disease of Cruciferous crops. Developing cultivars with clubroot resistance (CR) is the most effective control measure. For the two major Brassica vegetable species B. rapa and B. oleracea, several commercial cultivars with unclear CR pedigrees have been intensively used as CR donors in breeding. However, the continuous occurrence of CR-breaking makes the CR pedigree underlying these cultivars one of the breeders' most urgent concerns. The complex intraspecific diversity of these two major Brassica vegetables has also limited the applicability of CR markers in different breeding programs. Here we first traced the pedigree underlying two kinds of CR that have been widely applied in breeding by linkage and introgression analyses based on public resequencing data. In B. rapa, a major locus CRzi8 underlying the CR of the commercial CR donor ‘DegaoCR117’ was identified. CRzi8 was further shown to have been introgressed from turnip (B. rapa ssp. rapifera) and that it carried a potential functional allele of Crr1a. The turnip introgression carried CRbc, sharing the same coding sequence with the CRb that was also identified from chromosome C07 of B. oleracea CR cultivars with different morphotypes. Within natural populations, variation analysis of linkage intervals of CRzi8, PbBa8.1, CRb, and CRbc yielded easily resolved InDel markers (> 20 bp) for these fundamental CR genes. The specificity of these markers was tested in diverse cultivars panels, and each exhibited high reliability in breeding. Our research demonstrates the value of the practice of applying resequencing big data to solve urgent concerns in breeding programs.

Abstract Combination of tumor immunotherapy with photothermal therapy (PTT) is a feasible tactic to overcome the drawback of immunotherapy such as poor immune response. Via triggering the immunogenic cells death (ICD), PTT can stimulate the activity of immune cells, but meanwhile, the level of adenosine is elevated via the CD73-induced decomposition of ATP which is overexpressed accompanying with the PTT process, resulting in negative feedback to impair the immune stimulation. Herein, we developed a novel biomimetic photothermal nanodrug to specifically block CD73 for inhibition of adenosine production and more efficient priming of the suppressive immune microenvironments. The nanodrug, named as AptEM@CBA, is constructed by encapsulation of photothermal agent black phosphorus quantum dots (BPQDs) and selective CD73 inhibitor α, β-Methyleneadenosine 5′-diphosphate (AMPCP) in chitosan nanogels, which are further covered with aptamer AS1411 modified erythrocyte membrane (EM) for biomimetic camouflage. With AS1411 induced active targeting and EM induced long blood circulation time, the enrichment of the nanodrug tumor sites is promoted. The photothermal treatment promotes the maturation of dendritic cells. Meanwhile, the release of AMPCP suppress the adenosine generation via CD73 blockade, alleviating the impairment of adenosine to dendritic cells and suppressing regulatory T cells, synergically stimulate the activity of T cells. The combination of CD73 blockade with PTT, not only suppresses the growth of primary implanted tumors, but also boosts strong antitumor immunity to inhibit the growth of distal tumors, providing good potential for tumor photoimmunotherapy.

Abstract Background Obesity and hypertension are major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases that affect millions of people worldwide. Both conditions are associated with chronic low-grade inflammation, which is mediated by adipokines such as adiponectin. Adiponectin is the most abundant adipokine that has a beneficial impact on metabolic and vascular biology, while high serum concentrations are associated with some syndromes. This “adiponectin paradox” still needs to be clarified in obesity-associated hypertension. The aim of this study was to investigate how adiponectin affects blood pressure, inflammation, and metabolic function in obesity hypertension using a Chinese adult case-control study. Methods A case-control study that had finished recruiting 153 subjects divided as four characteristic groups. Adiponectin serum levels were tested by ELISA in these subjects among these four characteristic Chinese adult physical examination groups. Waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SB), diastolic blood pressure (DB), and other clinical laboratory data were collected. Analyzation of correlations between the research index and differences between groups was done by SPSS. Results Serum adiponectin levels in the| normal healthy group (NH group) were significantly higher than those in the newly diagnosed untreated just-obesity group (JO group), and negatively correlated with the visceral adiposity index. With multiple linear egression analysis, it was found that, for serum adiponectin, gender, serum albumin (ALB), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) were the significant independent correlates, and for SB, age and HDLC were the significant independent correlates, and for DB, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was the significant independent correlate. The other variables did not reach significance in the model. Conclusions Our study reveals that adiponectin’s role in obesity-hypertension is multifaceted and is influenced by the systemic metabolic homeostasis signaling axis. In obesity-related hypertension, compensatory effects, adiponectin resistance, and reduced adiponectin clearance from impaired kidneys and liver all contribute to the “adiponectin paradox”.

Abstract As a common musculoskeletal disorder, frozen shoulder is characterized by thickened joint capsule and limited range of motion, affecting 2–5% of the general population and more than 20% of patients with diabetes mellitus. Pathologically, joint capsule fibrosis resulting from fibroblast activation is the key event. The activated fibroblasts are proliferative and contractive, producing excessive collagen. Albeit high prevalence, effective anti-fibrosis modalities, especially fibroblast-targeting therapies, are still lacking. In this study, microRNA-122 was first identified from sequencing data as a potential therapeutic agent to antagonize fibroblast activation. Then, Agomir-122, an analog of microRNA-122, was loaded into poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (Agomir-122@NP), a carrier with excellent biocompatibility for the agent delivery. Moreover, relying on the homologous targeting effect, we coated Agomir-122@NP with the cell membrane derived from activated fibroblasts (Agomir-122@MNP), with an attempt to inhibit the proliferation, contraction, and collagen production of abnormally activated fibroblasts. After confirming the targeting effect of Agomir-122@MNP on activated fibroblasts in vitro, we proved that Agomir-122@MNP effectively curtailed fibroblasts activation, ameliorated joint capsule fibrosis, and restored range of motion in mouse models both prophylactically and therapeutically. Overall, an effective targeted delivery method was developed with promising translational value against frozen shoulder. Graphical Abstract

High temperature stress is one of the major environmental factors that affect the growth and development of plants. Although WRKY transcription factors play a critical role in stress responses, there are few studies on the regulation of heat stress by WRKY transcription factors, especially in tomato. Here, we identified a group I WRKY transcription factor, SlWRKY3, involved in thermotolerance in tomato. First, SlWRKY3 was induced and upregulated under heat stress. Accordingly, overexpression of SlWRKY3 led to an increase, whereas knock-out of SlWRKY3 resulted in decreased tolerance to heat stress. Overexpression of SlWRKY3 accumulated less reactive oxygen species (ROS), whereas knock-out of SlWRKY3 accumulated more ROS under heat stress. This indicated that SlWRKY3 positively regulates heat stress in tomato. In addition, SlWRKY3 activated the expression of a range of abiotic stress-responsive genes involved in ROS scavenging, such as a SlGRXS1 gene cluster. Further analysis showed that SlWRKY3 can bind to the promoters of the SlGRXS1 gene cluster and activate their expression. Collectively, these results imply that SlWRKY3 is a positive regulator of thermotolerance through direct binding to the promoters of the SlGRXS1 gene cluster and activating their expression and ROS scavenging.

Trichosanthes kirilowii (T. kirilowii) is a valuable plant used for both medicinal and edible purposes. It belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family. However, its phylogenetic position and relatives have been difficult to accurately determine due to the lack of mitochondrial genomic information. This limitation has been an obstacle to the potential applications of T. kirilowii in various fields. To address this issue, Illumina and Nanopore HiFi sequencing were used to assemble the mitogenome of T. kirilowii into two circular molecules with sizes of 245,700 bp and 107,049 bp, forming a unique multi-branched structure. The mitogenome contains 61 genes, including 38 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 20 tRNAs, and three rRNAs. Within the 38 PCGs of the T. kirilowii mitochondrial genome, 518 potential RNA editing sites were identified. The study also revealed the presence of 15 homologous fragments that span both the chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes. The phylogenetic analysis strongly supports that T. kirilowii belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family and is closely related to Luffa. Collinearity analysis of five Cucurbitaceae mitogenomes shows a high degree of structural variability. Interestingly, four genes, namely atp1, ccmFC, ccmFN, and matR, played significant roles in the evolution of T. kirilowii through selection pressure analysis. The comparative analysis of the T. kirilowii mitogenome not only sheds light on its functional and structural features but also provides essential information for genetic studies of the genus of Cucurbitaceae.

ABSTRACT: To investigate the effect of genetic selection on meat quality in ducks, twenty of each fast growth ducks (LCA) and slow growth ducks (LCC) selected from F6 generation of Cherry Valley ducks (♂) x Liancheng white ducks (♀) were analyzed for carcass characteristics, meat quality (physicochemical and textural characteristics), amino acid and fatty acid profiles at 7 wk. Results showed that live body weight, slaughter weight, eviscerated yield and abdominal fat percentage of LCA were significantly higher than those in LCC ducks (P < 0.01). Moreover, the average area and diameter of myofiber were larger in LCA than LCC ducks (P < 0.01). The breast and thigh muscles of LCA exhibited significantly lower water holding capacity and thermal loss compared with LCC ducks (P < 0.01). In addition, the content of nonessential amino acids (Glu, Asp, and Arg) in breast muscles and Asp, Ser, Thr, and Met in thigh muscles was higher in LCC than LCA ducks (P < 0.05). The proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in breast muscles of LCC was higher than LCA ducks (P < 0.05). However, the content of saturated fatty acids (SFA) in breast and thigh muscles of LCA was higher compared with LCC ducks (P < 0.05). The proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) in thigh muscles was significantly higher in LCC compared with LCA ducks (P < 0.01). Finally, multiple traits were evaluated by applying principal component analysis (PCA) and the results indicated that PUFA and SFA in breast muscles of LCA played important roles in meat quality, followed by Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) and MUFA. However, water holding capacity (WHC) had a dominant effect in meat quality of thigh muscles in both LCA and LCC ducks.

This study aimed to uncover the trend of mental health in China over the years and the influence of related social factors. This study employed a cross-temporal meta-analysis (CTMA). The study analyzed 182 studies from 1993 to 2017. A total of 83,603 participants were included in 182 studies. Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) Scale. From 1993 to 2001 and from 2004 to 2017, the scores for each dimension for mental health of older adults were relatively stable, and the absolute value of the effect size was between 0.02 and 0.62. From 2001 to 2003 and from 2003 to 2004, the scores of each dimension of older adults changed greatly. From 2001 to 2003, the total mean score of SCL-90 and the scores of different dimensions in older adults showed a rapidly decreasing trend, with the d ranging from −0.40 to −0.93. From 2003 to 2004, the scores of all dimensions in SCL-90 showed a trend of sharp increase, and the d of each dimension was 0.40 to 0.89. The mental health status of the older adults is declining as a whole and has a large fluctuation from 2001 to 2004 various social development indicators, including Gross Domestic Product (GDP), per capita, divorce rate, unemployment rate, and Engel’s coefficient, demonstrated a significant correlation with mental health status

Abstract Fiber‐reinforced hydrogel composites are widely employed in many engineering applications, such as drug release, and flexible electronics, with more flexible mechanical properties than pure hydrogel materials. Comparing to the hydrogel strengthened by continuous fiber, the meta‐fiber reinforced hydrogel provides stronger individualized design ability of deformation patterns and tunable stiffness, especially for the elaborate applications in joint, cartilage, and organ. In this paper, a novel structure design strategy based on deep learning algorithm is proposed for hydrogel reinforced by meta‐fiber to achieve targeted mechanical properties, such as stress and displacement fields. A solid mechanic model for meta‐fiber reinforced hydrogel is first developed to construct the dataset of fiber distribution and the corresponding mechanical properties of the composite. Generative adversarial network (GAN) is then trained to characterize the relationship between stress or displacement field, and meta‐fiber distribution. The well‐trained GAN is implemented to design meta‐fiber reinforced hydrogel composite structure under specific operation conditions. The results show that the deep learning method may efficiently predict the structure of the hydrogel composite with satisfied confidence, and has great potential for applications in drug delivery and flexible electronics.

Abstract Inquiry-based science teaching has emerged as a prominent trend in science education. Nevertheless, it remains uncertain how teachers' self-efficacy in regard to the teaching of science as inquiry (TSI) affects students' science learning, especially considering the scarcity of research on its impact on students' Science Process Skills (SPSs). To investigate the impact of teachers' TSI on students' SPSs, this study conducted a questionnaire survey involving 539 eighth-grade students and 75 teachers from 7 junior high schools. Our Multilevel Model analysis results revealed a positive correlation between students' creative tendencies and SPSs. The results of the Cross-Level Moderation Models indicated that TSI moderated the relationship between students' creative tendencies and their SPSs, with this relationship strengthening as TSI increased. These study findings carry significant implications for both inquiry-based science education and teacher education.

【Objective】A joint evaluation on Ricinus communis cross combinations was conducted to provide a theoretical reference for screening high-yield varieties suitable for mechanical harvest.【Method】The yield trait, adaptability for mechanical harvest and photosynthetic performance of 30 R. communis cross combinations were jointly evaluated by grey relational analysis, principal component analysis and cluster analysis.【Result】In the grey relational analysis, 6 combinations including N19 (0.768), N7 (0.751), N11 (0.727), N10 (0.717), N6 (0.713) and N13 (0.712) with weighted correlation degree between various combinations and the ideal varieties were screened out. Among which, the former 4 combinaitons had higher weighted correlation degrees than that in Zibi 5 (0.714), and the weighted correlation degrees of the latter 2 were close to that in Zibi 5. Principal analysis results showed that, 10 traits were classified into 3 principal components, namely, plant type factor, yield determining factor and photosynthetic and branching angle factor, with a cumulative contribution rate of 67.07%. Among the 30 combinations, the comprehensive scores of 21 combinations were higher than that of Zibi 5 (-0.699), and only 4 combinations, N18 (2.370), N4 (1.848), N19 (1.742) and N11 (1.019) had comprehensive scores larger than 1, of which N19 was the most prominent with a much higher score than that in other 3 combinations. Cluster analysis revealed that, the 30 combinations could be classified into 4 groups at Euclidean distance value equal to 22. Among them, Group IV members (including N19, N11 and N30) with the best overall performance was most similar to the ideal varieties based on the average performance in each cluster, however, the branching angle (59.10°) was large and still expected to be improved.【Conclusion】Based on the above 3 evaluation results, the comprehensive evaluation avoids the acceptance of redundant germplasm and the loss of elite germplasm. The N19 and N11 with high yield, good plant type and high photosynthetic rate were selected as the optimal Ricinus communis cross combinations, and their comprehensive performances were better than that of Zibi 5, providing a direction for further improvement of varieties.out of varieties.

Abstract The selective oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane (ODHE) is attracting increasing attention as a method for ethylene production. Typically, thermocatalysts operating at high temperatures are needed for C–H activation in ethane. In this study, we describe a low temperature (

Abstract Background Lateral wall fractures represent crucial risk factors for postoperative internal fixation failure in intertrochanteric femoral fractures. However, no consensus exists on the type of lateral wall fracture requiring interventional management. This study aimed to investigate the effect of residual lateral wall volume on the postoperative stability of intertrochanteric femur fractures with associated lateral wall fractures, providing valuable reference for the clinical management of the lateral wall. Methods Eleven bone defect models of intertrochanteric femur fractures with varying residual lateral wall volumes were constructed using finite element analysis. These models were fixed with proximal femoral nail antirotation (PFNA). Simulations of von Mises stress and displacement distribution of the PFNA and femur during normal walking were conducted. Statistical analysis was performed to assess the correlation between volume and the maximum von Mises stresses and displacements of the PFNA and femur. Results In all 11 models, the maximum von Mises stress and displacement of the helical blade, intramedullary nail, and femur occurred at the same locations. As residual lateral wall volume increased, the maximum von Mises stress and displacement of the helical blade, intramedullary nail, and maximum femoral displacement gradually decreased. However, the overall trend of the maximum femoral von Mises stress gradually decreased. At 70% retention of the residual lateral wall volume, there was a more pronounced change in the value of the maximum stress change of the helical blade and the intramedullary nail. Statistical analysis, including the Shapiro–Wilk test and Pearson correlation analysis, demonstrated a significant negative correlation between volume and the maximum von Mises stress and displacement of the helical blade, intramedullary nail, and femur. Linear regression analysis further confirmed this significant negative correlation. Conclusion Finite element analysis of the residual lateral wall revealed a significant correlation between volume and the postoperative stability of intertrochanteric femur fractures. A volume of 70% may serve as the threshold for stabilizing the residual lateral wall. Volume emerges as a novel index for evaluating the strength of the residual lateral walls.

Phospholipase C (PLC) is an essential enzyme involved in lipid signaling pathways crucial for regulating plant growth and responding to environmental stress. In sorghum, 11 PLC genes have been identified, comprising 6 PI-PLCs and 5 NPCs. Through phylogenetic and interspecies collinearity analyses, structural similarities between SbPLCs and ZmPLCs proteins have been observed, with a particularly strong collinearity between SbPLCs and OsPLCs. Promoter function analysis has shown that SbPLCs are significantly enriched under abiotic stress and hormonal stimuli, like ABA, jasmonic acid, drought, high temperature, and salt. Gene co-expression networks, constructed using a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), highlight distinct expression patterns of SbPLC1, SbPLC3a, and SbPLC4 in response to abiotic stress, providing further insights into the expression patterns and interactions of SbPLCs under various environmental stimuli. qRT-PCR results reveal variations in expression levels among most SbPLCs members under different stress conditions (drought, NaCl, NaHCO3), hormone treatments (ABA), and developmental stages, indicating both specific and overlapping expression patterns. This comprehensive analysis offers valuable insights into the roles of SbPLCs in sorghum, shedding light on their specific expression patterns, regulatory elements, and protein interactions across different environmental stimuli and developmental stages.

Terahertz spectroscopy systems, which integrate terahertz sources and detectors, have important applications in many fields such as materials science and security checking. Based on highly sensitive frequency up-conversion detection, large dynamic range spectral measurements in a terahertz region are reported. Our system realized the detection sensitivity at a 10 aJ level with a 2-(3-(4-hydroxystyryl)-5,5-dime-thylcyclohex-2-enylidene) malononitrile (OH1) crystal and a dynamic range up to seven orders. Based on this system, we verified the validity of the spectral measurement with tests which were conducted on monohydrate glucose, anhydrous glucose and mixed tablet samples with a thickness of 0.8 mm in 1~3 THz, respectively. Also, a mini coppery elbow tube with an inner diameter of 1 mm was used for the transmission of a terahertz wave to simulate some strip biological tissue samples. By allowing terahertz to transmit through this tube filled with 0.5 g glucose powder, we successfully obtained the absorption spectrum with a minimum transmittance at the absorption peak in the order of 10−4.

Summary: Constructing platinum-like materials with excellent catalytic activity and low cost has great significance for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) during electrolysis of water. Herein, palladium nanoparticles (NPs) deposition on the surface of Co NPs using nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) as substrate, denoted as N-ZIFC/CoPd-30, are manufactured and served as HER electrocatalysts. Characterization results and density functional theory calculations validate that Pd-Co heterojunctions with NC acting as “electron donators” promote the Pd species transiting to the electron-rich state based on an efficient electron transfer mechanism, namely the N-C polar bonds induced strong metal-support interaction effect. The electron-rich Pd sites are beneficial to HER. Satisfactorily, N-ZIFC/CoPd-30 have only low overpotentials of 16, 162, and 13 mV@-10 mA cm−2 with the small Tafel slopes of 98 mV/decade, 126 mV/decade, and 72 mV/decade in pH of 13, 7, and 0, respectively. The success in fabricating N-ZIFC/CoPd opens a promising path to constructing other platinum-like electrocatalysts with high HER activity.

Sepia pharaonis, commonly known as the pharaoh cuttlefish, is a valued cephalopod in aquaculture. However, its sensitivity to salinity fluctuations has constrained its cultivation, especially in regions with varying salinity and during rainy seasons. To address this, our study implemented a graded salinity reduction approach, enabling S. pharaonis to acclimate to an environment with a salinity of 20. Despite a reduction in growth parameters such as mantle length and body weight in the Low-Salinity Acclimation group (LSA), the survival rates were largely consistent with the control group. After the acclimation process, the LSA group demonstrated a strikingly high survival rate of nearly 100% in salinity ranges from 18 to 24, a span previously thought to be deadly for non-acclimated S. pharaonis. Our evaluations indicate that the serum osmotic pressure and ion concentration of S. pharaonis decline with decreasing seawater salinity. During this process, there were significant alterations in the Na+/K+-ATPase activity and the content of free amino acids, suggesting their crucial role in low-salt osmoregulation. Overall, this study not only highlights the potential of the graded salinity reduction method to enhance the adaptability of S. pharaonis to fluctuating salinities, but also underscores the potential of graded salinity reduction as an innovative approach to enhance the resilience of aquaculture species.

The Middle Permian Qixia Formation in the Shuangyushi area, northwestern Sichuan Basin, develops shoal-facies dolomite reservoirs. To pinpoint promising reservoirs in the Qixia Formation, deep thin shoal-facies dolomite reservoirs were predicted using the techniques of pre-stack Kirchhoff-Q compensation for absorption, inverse Q filtering, low-to high-frequency compensation, forward modeling, and facies-controlled seismic meme inversion. The results are obtained in six aspects. First, the dolomite reservoirs mainly exist in the middle and lower parts of the second member of Qixia Formation (Qi2 Member), which coincide with the zones shoal cores are developed. Second, the forward modeling shows that the trough energy at the top and bottom of shoal core increases with increasing shoal-core thickness, and weak peak reflections are associated in the middle of shoal core. Third, five types of seismic waveform are identified through waveform analysis of seismic facies. Type-I and Type-II waveforms correspond to promising facies (shoal core microfacies). Fourth, vertically, two packages of thin dolomite reservoirs turn up in the sedimentary cycle of intraplatform shoal in the Qi2 Member, and the lower package is superior to the upper package in dolomite thickness, scale and lateral connectivity. Fifth, in plane, significantly controlled by sedimentary facies, dolomite reservoirs laterally distribute with consistent thickness in shoal cores at topographical highs and extend toward the break. Sixth, the promising prospects are the zones with thick dolomite reservoirs and superimposition of horst–graben structural traps.

Background: Sarcopenia is characterized by decreased muscle mass and strength, posing threat to quality of life. Air pollutants are increasingly recognized as risk factors for diseases, while the relationship between the two remains to be elucidated. This study investigated whether exposure to ambient air pollution contributes to the development of sarcopenia. Methods: We employed the data from the UK Biobank with 303,031 eligible participants. Concentrations of PM2·5, NO2, and NOx were estimated. Cox proportional hazard regression models were applied to investigate the associations between pollutants and sarcopenia. Results: 30,766 probable sarcopenia cases was identified during the follow-up. We observed that exposure to PM2.5 (HR, 1.232; 95% CI, 1.053–1.440), NO2 (HR, 1.055; 95% CI, 1.032–1.078) and NOx (HR, 1.016; 95% CI, 1.007–1.026) were all significantly associated with increased risk for probable sarcopenia for each 10 μg/m3 increase in pollutant concentration. In comparison with individuals in the lowest quartiles of exposure, those in the upper quartiles had significantly increased risk of probable sarcopenia. Sarcopenia-related factors, e.g., reduced lean muscle mass, diminished walking pace, and elevated muscle fat infiltration ratio, also exhibited positive associations with exposure to ambient air pollution. On the contrary, high level physical activity significantly mitigated the influence of air pollutants on the development of probable sarcopenia. Conclusions: Air pollution exposure elevated the risk of developing sarcopenia and related manifestations in a dose-dependent manner, while physical activity maintained protective under this circumstance. Efforts should be made to control air pollution and emphasize the importance of physical activity for skeletal muscle health under this circumstance.

Brain network analysis provides essential insights into the diagnosis of brain disease. Integrating multiple neuroimaging modalities has been demonstrated to be more effective than using a single modality for brain network analysis. However, a majority of existing brain network analysis methods based on multiple modalities often overlook both complementary information and unique characteristics from various modalities. To tackle this issue, we propose the Beta-Informativeness-Diffusion Multilayer Graph Embedding (BID-MGE) method. The proposed method seamlessly integrates structural connectivity (SC) and functional connectivity (FC) to learn more comprehensive information for diagnosing neuropsychiatric disorders. Specifically, a novel beta distribution mapping function (beta mapping) is utilized to increase vital information and weaken insignificant connections. The refined information helps the diffusion process concentrate on crucial brain regions to capture more discriminative features. To maximize the preservation of the unique characteristics of each modality, we design an optimal scale multilayer brain network, the inter-layer connections of which depend on node informativeness. Then, a multilayer informativeness diffusion is proposed to capture complementary information and unique characteristics from various modalities and generate node representations by incorporating the features of each node with those of their connected nodes. Finally, the node representations are reconfigured using principal component analysis (PCA), and cosine distances are calculated with reference to multiple templates for statistical analysis and classification. We implement the proposed method for brain network analysis of neuropsychiatric disorders. The results indicate that our method effectively identifies crucial brain regions associated with diseases, providing valuable insights into the pathology of the disease, and surpasses other advanced methods in classification performance.

A subset of patients experiences persistent fatigue symptoms after COVID-19, and patients may develop long COVID, which is characterized by lasting systemic symptoms. No treatments for this condition have been validated and are urgently warranted. In this pilot study, we assessed whether treatment with low-dose naltrexone (LDN, 4.5 mg/day) and supplementation with NAD + through iontophoresis patches could improve fatigue symptoms and quality of life in 36 patients with persistent moderate/severe fatigue after COVID-19. We detected a significant increase from baseline in SF-36 survey scores after 12 weeks of treatment (mean total SF-36 score 36.5 [SD: 15.6] vs. 52.1 [24.8]; p

Background The incidence of cervical and upper thoracic esophageal cancer is relatively low, with difficulties and controversies of mode in treatment, lack of convenient and accurate prognostic biomarkers, and poor overall prognosis. Objective To investigate the long-term prognosis of patients with cervical and upper thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma under concurrent chemotherapy and radio-therapy (CCRT) . Methods Patients with cervical and thoracic upper esophageal cancer who received CCRT in the Department of Radiotherapy of the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2013 to December 2017 were selected as the research subjects. General data, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score, tumor site, tumor length, TNM stage, radiotherapy dose, irradiation mode, chemotherapy regimen, toxic and side effects were collected by electronic medical record system, and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (dNLR) was calculated. The patients were divided into the dNLR

Abstract Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) is a transmembrane protein that is predominantly expressed by microglia in the brain. The proteolytic shedding of TREM2 results in the release of soluble TREM2 (sTREM2), which is increased in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It remains unknown whether sTREM2 regulates the pathogenesis of AD. Here we identified transgelin-2 (TG2) expressed on neurons as the receptor for sTREM2. The microglia-derived sTREM2 binds to TG2, induces RhoA phosphorylation at S188, and deactivates the RhoA-ROCK-GSK3β pathway, ameliorating tau phosphorylation. The sTREM2 (77-89) fragment, which is the minimal active sequence of sTREM2 to activate TG2, mimics the inhibitory effect of sTREM2 on tau phosphorylation. Overexpression of sTREM2 or administration of the active peptide rescues tau pathology and behavioral defects in the tau P301S transgenic mice. Together, these findings demonstrate that the sTREM2-TG2 interaction mediates the cross-talk between microglia and neurons. sTREM2 and its active peptide may be a potential therapeutic intervention for tauopathies including AD.

Probabilistic damage tolerance is a critical method to understand and communicate risk and safety. This paper reviews recent research on the probabilistic damage tolerance design for life-limited parts. The vision of the probabilistic damage tolerance assessment is provided. Five core parts of the probabilistic damage tolerance method are introduced separately, including the anomaly distribution, stress processing and zone definition, fatigue and fracture calculation method, probability of failure (POF) calculation method, and the combination with residual stress induced by the manufacturing process. The above currently-available risk assessment methods provide practical tools for failure risk predictions and are applied by the airworthiness regulations. However, new problems are exposed with the development of the aero-engines. The time-consuming anomaly distribution derivation process restricts the development of the anomaly distribution, especially for the developing aviation industries with little empirical data. Additionally, the strong transient characteristic is prominent because of the significant temperature differences during the take-off and climbing periods. The complex loads then challenge the fatigue and fracture calculation model. Besides, high computational efficiency is required because various variables are considered to calculate the POF. Therefore, new technologies for the probabilistic damage tolerance assessment are provided, including the efficient anomaly distribution acquisition method based on small samples, the zone definition method considering transient process, and stress intensity factor (SIF) solutions under arbitrary stress distributions combined with the machine learning method. Then, an efficient numerical integration method for calculating failure risk based on the probability density evolution theory is proposed. Meanwhile, the influence of the manufacturing process on residual stress and the failure risk of the rotors is explored. The development of the probabilistic damage tolerance method can meet the requirement of the published airworthiness regulation Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) 33.70 and guide the modification or amendment of new regulations to ensure the safety of the high-energy rotors.

Abstract Congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) are disorders resulting from defects in the development of the kidneys and their outflow tract. Copy number variations (CNVs) have been identified as important genetic variations leading to CAKUT, whereas most CAKUT-associated CNVs cannot be attributed to a specific pathogenic gene. Here we construct coexpression networks involving long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) within these CNVs (CNV-lncRNAs) using human kidney developmental transcriptomic data. The results show that CNV-lncRNAs encompassed in recurrent CAKUT associated CNVs have highly correlated expression with CAKUT genes in the developing kidneys. The regulatory effects of two hub CNV-lncRNAs (HSALNG0134318 in 22q11.2 and HSALNG0115943 in 17q12) in the module most significantly enriched in known CAKUT genes (CAKUT_sig1, P = 1.150 × 10−6) are validated experimentally. Our results indicate that the reduction of CNV-lncRNAs can downregulate CAKUT genes as predicted by our computational analyses. Furthermore, knockdown of HSALNG0134318 would downregulate HSALNG0115943 and affect kidney development related pathways. The results also indicate that the CAKUT_sig1 module has function significance involving multi-organ development. Overall, our findings suggest that CNV-lncRNAs play roles in regulating CAKUT genes, and the etiologies of CAKUT-associated CNVs should take account of effects on the noncoding genome.

Usually, radon detector must be calibrated every year, commonly used solid radon source calibration method and radon chamber calibration method. The former has the problems of radon source device aging, complex operation and radioactive substances vulnerable to transport control. The latter has problems such as calibration time principal and inability to achieve on-site calibration. Based on the above facts, this paper proposes an experimental method for the calibration of radon measuring instrument using uranium waste rock, which is used to realize the field calibration of seismic radon measuring instrument. The results show that the radon concentration control method has high accuracy and stability, and the relative error between the output gas radon concentration and the preset target is 1%. The comparison between the calibration experiment of uranium mine waste rock and the calibration experiment of standard radon chamber shows that the calibration values of the calibration coefficient of the two are in good agreement, the relative error is only 1.14%, and the normalized error En is only 0.135 6, which is within the expected range. It can provide theoretical support for the subsequent development of portable radon detector calibration device.

Abstract Background Data on the impact of age at onset of overweight/obesity on the risk of hypertension are limited. We aimed to investigate the above-mentioned association in Chinese population. Methods 6700 adults who participated in at least three survey waves and were free of overweight/obesity and hypertension on first survey were included using China Health and Nutrition Survey. The age of participants at the onset of overweight/obesity (body mass index ≥ 24 kg/m2) and subsequent hypertension occurrence (blood pressure ≥ 140/90 mmHg or use of antihypertensive medication) were identified. We used the covariate-adjusted Poisson model with robust standard error to calculate the relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) to examine the relationship between the age at onset of overweight/obesity and hypertension. Results There were 2,284 new-onset overweight/obesity cases and 2,268 incident cases of hypertension during an average 13.8-year follow-up period. Compared with the population without overweight/obesity, the RR (95% CI) of hypertension was 1.45 (1.28–1.65), 1.35 (1.21–1.52) and 1.16 (1.06–1.28) for overweight/obesity onset in participants aged

Given the growing incidence rates of suicide among college students and the potential lifelong consequences of suicide, it is imperative to better understand the factors that reduce the rates at which college students in a clinical sample engage in suicide. This study examines the relationship between social exclusion and suicide intention, the mediating effect of depression, and the moderating effect of meaning in life. Two hundred and ninety-nine Chinese college students, aged from 18 to 22 years (56.86% female, M age = 20.14, SD = 1.27) completed questionnaires assessing their social exclusion, suicide intention, depression, and meaning in life. The result revealed that social exclusion was positively associated with suicide intention, and depression mediated this relationship. In addition, this mediating effect of depression was moderated by meaning in life. That is, the mediation effect was stronger for students with a higher level of meaning in life. These findings provide educational suggestions for preventing and intervening in suicide intention among college students.

The satellite galaxy Crater II of the Milky Way is extremely cold and exceptionally diffuse. These unusual properties are challenging to understand in the standard model of cold dark matter. We use controlled N -body simulations to investigate the formation of Crater II in self-interacting dark matter (SIDM), where dark matter particles can scatter and thermalize. Taking the orbit motivated by the measurements from Gaia Early Data Release 3, we show a strong self-interacting cross section per particle mass of 60 cm ^2 g ^−1 is favored for Crater II. The simulated SIDM halo, with a 1 kpc core, leads to both a low stellar velocity dispersion and a large half-light radius for Crater II. These characteristics remain robust regardless of the initial stellar distribution.

An investigation was performed to evaluate the effect of vanadium (V) addition on the microstructure and the tensile behavior of Fe–27Mn–8Al-1.0C austenite lightweight steel after annealing and subsequently aging. The grain size of austenite in V-added steels was effectively refined and many nano-sized VC particles were observed in the austenite grains, compared to V-free steels, under annealed conditions. Subsequent aging promotes the precipitation of κ-carbide from the austenite matrix, and the dual-nanoprecipitation consisting of nano-sized VC and κ-carbide particles further improves the strength of the steel. Because of this, the current steels have good ductility (up to 41% total elongation) even when aged and high yield and ultimate tensile strengths of up to 1009 MPa and 1243 MPa, respectively. By examining the dislocation structure of the specimens during deformation, it was also possible to determine how precipitates affected the rate of strain hardening. As a result, the strain hardening rate of the V-added steel after aging is effectively improved at the initial deformation by the precipitation of VC particles, which compensates for the decrease in strain hardening rate due to shearable κ-carbide. This study provides a strategy to obtain an excellent combination of strength and ductility in lightweight steel by V microalloying and simple thermomechanical treatment.

Abstract Background The occurrence of a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is a significant complication of diabetes that often precedes the need for amputation. Autologous platelet-rich plasma (Au-PRP), a substance abundant in various growth factors and cytokines, is increasingly being recognized as a promising method for promoting ulcer healing due to its potential similarities to the physiological wound healing process. Methods The databases Medline, EMBASE, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library were systematically accessed on January 26, 2023, without any consideration for the date of publication. The selection and assessment of research studies were conducted autonomously, based on predetermined criteria and methodological standards. Two researchers gathered data and evaluated the potential for bias separately. We utilize the Stata 17.0 software to conduct data analysis and generate relevant visual representations. Results The results of the meta-analysis indicate that autologous PRP has a significant positive effect on the healing rate (RR = 1.42, 95% CI 1.30–1.56, P 0.05) when compared to conventional therapy. Conclusions Au-PRP therapy has been shown to facilitate the process of wound healing and represents a viable and secure therapeutic alternative for individuals with DFU.