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The adoption of Western planning ideas has significantly shaped China’s Central Business Districts (CBDs) and spurred economic growth. This article goes beyond existing research by exploring the “provincialization” of Western planning concepts, resulting in unique CBD landscapes in Chinese cities. Through a study of the Guangzhou CBD, it reveals how introduced ideas and local agents mutually adjust and respond to each other’s needs during the provincialization process. Under the “Reforms and Opening-up” policy, Chinese authorities drew from Hong Kong’s experiences to introduce the CBD concept, adapting it to underdeveloped land in Guangzhou and blending it with American downtown design. To meet urban space demands, industrial growth, and land economy needs, urban authorities reorganized local resources to create a discourse of the “central axis” to integrate the CBD concept into the urban layout. Consequently, both introduced ideas and local agents are intertwined to address challenges posed by each other, resulting in Guangzhou’s CBD framing a hybrid urban landscape.

Abstract Sulforaphane (SFN) is an organosulfur compound categorized as an isothiocyanate (ITC), primarily extracted from cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cabbage. The molecular formula of sulforaphane (SFN) is C6H11NOS2. SFN is generated by the hydrolysis of glucoraphanin (GRP) through the enzyme myrosinase, showing notable properties including anti‐diabetic, anti‐inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti‐angiogenic, and anticancer attributes. Ongoing clinical trials are investigating its potential in diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes‐related complications, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and liver diseases. Several animal carcinogenesis models and cell culture models have shown it to be a very effective chemopreventive agent, and the protective effects of SFN in ophthalmic diseases have been linked to multiple mechanisms. In murine models of diabetic retinopathy and age‐related macular degeneration, SFN delays retinal photoreceptor cell degeneration through the Nrf2 antioxidative pathway, NF‐κB pathway, AMPK pathway, and Txnip/mTOR pathway. In rabbit models of keratoconus and cataract, SFN has been shown to protect corneal and lens epithelial cells from oxidative stress injury by activating the Keap1‐Nrf2‐ARE pathway and the Nrf‐2/HO‐1 antioxidant pathway. Oral delivery or intraperitoneal injection at varying concentrations are the primary strategies for SFN intake in current preclinical studies. Challenges remain in the application of SFN in eye disorders due to its weak solubility in water and limited bioavailability because of the presence of blood–ocular barrier systems. This review comprehensively outlines recent research on SFN, elucidates its mechanisms of action, and discusses potential therapeutic benefits for eye disorders such as age‐related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy (DR), cataracts, and other ophthalmic diseases, while also indicating directions for future clinical research to achieve efficient SFN treatment for ophthalmic diseases.

Abstract Background The administration of performance assessments during the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic posed many challenges, especially for examinations employed as part of certification and licensure. The National Assessment Collaboration (NAC) Examination, an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), was modified during the pandemic. The purpose of this study was to gather evidence to support the reliability and validity of the modified NAC Examination. Methods The modified NAC Examination was delivered to 2,433 candidates in 2020 and 2021. Cronbach’s alpha, decision consistency, and accuracy values were calculated. Validity evidence includes comparisons of scores and sub-scores for demographic groups: gender (male vs. female), type of International Medical Graduate (IMG) (Canadians Studying Abroad (CSA) vs. non-CSA), postgraduate training (PGT) (no PGT vs. PGT), and language of examination (English vs. French). Criterion relationships were summarized using correlations within and between the NAC Examination and the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) Part I scores. Results Reliability estimates were consistent with other OSCEs similar in length and previous NAC Examination administrations. Both total score and sub-score differences for gender were statistically significant. Total score differences by type of IMG and PGT were not statistically significant, but sub-score differences were statistically significant. Administration language was not statistically significant for either the total scores or sub-scores. Correlations were all statistically significant with some relationships being small or moderate (0.20 to 0.40) or large (> 0.40). Conclusions The NAC Examination yields reliable total scores and pass/fail decisions. Expected differences in total scores and sub-scores for defined groups were consistent with previous literature, and internal relationships amongst NAC Examination sub-scores and their external relationships with the MCCQE Part I supported both discriminant and criterion-related validity arguments. Modifications to OSCEs to address health restrictions can be implemented without compromising the overall quality of the assessment. This study outlines some of the validity and reliability analyses for OSCEs that required modifications due to COVID.

Context information is significant for semantic extraction and recovery of messages in semantic communication. However, context information is not fully utilized in the existing semantic communication systems since relationships between sentences are often ignored. In this paper, we propose an Extended Context-based Semantic Communication (ECSC) system for text transmission, in which context information within and between sentences is explored for semantic representation and recovery. At the encoder, self-attention and segment-level relative attention are used to extract context information within and between sentences, respectively. In addition, a gate mechanism is adopted at the encoder to incorporate the context information from different ranges. At the decoder, Transformer-XL is introduced to obtain more semantic information from the historical communication processes for semantic recovery. Simulation results show the effectiveness of our proposed model in improving the semantic accuracy between transmitted and recovered messages under various channel conditions.

Increasing research has focused on semantic communication, the goal of which is to convey accurately the meaning instead of transmitting symbols from the sender to the receiver. In this paper, we design a novel encoding and decoding semantic communication framework, which adopts the semantic information and the contextual correlations between items to optimize the performance of a communication system over various channels. On the sender side, the average semantic loss caused by the wrong detection is defined, and a semantic source encoding strategy is developed to minimize the average semantic loss. To further improve communication reliability, a decoding strategy that utilizes the semantic and the context information to recover messages is proposed in the receiver. Extensive simulation results validate the superior performance of our strategies over state-of-the-art semantic coding and decoding policies on different communication channels.

With Polygonatum cyrtonema tender buds as subjects, Polygonatum cyrtonema tender bud tea was prepared using the technology for processing flat green tea after fixation by microwave, pan frying and steaming, respectively. The effects of different fixation methods on the quality of Polygonatum cyrtonema tender bud tea was then explored through physicochemical composition, color and gloss of tea broth, volatile aroma component analysis and organoleptic evaluation. The results showed that the Polygonatum cyrtonema tender bud tea prepared by microwave fixation not only presented good organoleptic properties, but also had the highest contents of water extract, soluble sugar, tea polyphenols and total flavonoids, 48.04%, 14.49%, 1.32% and 1.66%, respectively. A total of 84 volatile olfactory compounds were detected in Polygonatum cyrtonema tender bud tea prepared by the three different fixation methods, mainly consisting of aldehydes (12 types), ketones (11 types), olefins (10 types), alcohols (8 types) and esters (8 types). There were 10, 12 and 7 key aroma components in Polygonatum cyrtonema tender bud tea with microwave, pan frying and steaming fixation, respectively. Among them, ethyl butyrate was a unique key aroma component to microwave fixation, while heptanal, pentanal, hexanal and 1-pentanol were the key aroma components unique to pan frying fixation. Overall, there are differences in the quality of Polygonatum cyrtonema tender bud tea prepared by different fixation methods, among which microwave fixation is more suitable for the preparation of Polygonatum cyrtonema tender bud tea.

IntroductionThe Ecological Systems Model of Creativity Development (ESMCD) proposes that parental involvement positively impacts student creativity. However, prior empirical studies present mixed results, including positive, negative, and no correlations between these variables.MethodsTo synthesize these inconsistent primary studies, the current study conducted a systematic meta-analysis synthesizing 30 primary studies involving 37 independent samples with 70 effect sizes and a total N = 20,906 participants.ResultsThe results demonstrated: (1) an overall significant small, positive correlation (r = 0.101) between parental involvement and student creativity; (2) significant small, positive correlations between specific involvement types (autonomy support r = 0.144; behavioral control r = 0.133; content support r = 0.131) and creativity, alongside a significant small, negative correlation between psychological control and creativity (r = −0.117); (3) no statistically significant moderating effects of student grade level, parental gender, region, or publication type.DiscussionThis systematic meta-analytic review consolidates empirical evidence indicating that parental involvement positively predicts students’ creativity, while highlighting the detrimental impact of psychological control on creative outcomes. Further research elucidating the mechanisms underlying these relations is critical for informing parenting approaches and education policies seeking to foster creativity development among students.

Summary: Cancer cachexia is a prevalent and often fatal wasting condition that cannot be fully reversed with nutritional interventions. Muscle atrophy is a central component of the syndrome, but the mechanisms whereby cancer leads to skeletal muscle atrophy are not well understood. We performed single-nucleus multi-omics on skeletal muscles from a mouse model of cancer cachexia and profiled the molecular changes in cachexic muscle. Our results revealed the activation of a denervation-dependent gene program that upregulates the transcription factor myogenin. Further studies showed that a myogenin-myostatin pathway promotes muscle atrophy in response to cancer cachexia. Short hairpin RNA inhibition of myogenin or inhibition of myostatin through overexpression of its endogenous inhibitor follistatin prevented cancer cachexia-induced muscle atrophy in mice. Our findings uncover a molecular basis of muscle atrophy associated with cancer cachexia and highlight potential therapeutic targets for this disorder.

Objective: Dementia is an important disease burden among the elderly, and its occurrence may be profoundly affected by environmental factors. Evidence of the relationship between air pollution and dementia is emerging, but the extent to which this can be offset by lifestyle factors remains ambiguous. Methods: This study comprised 155,828 elder adults aged 60 years and above in the UK Biobank who were dementia-free at baseline. Cox proportional hazard models were conducted to examine the associations of annual average levels of air pollutants in 2010, including nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitrogen oxides (NOX), particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10, and PMcoarse) and lifestyle factors recorded at baseline [physical activity (PA), sleep patterns, or smoking status] with incident risk of dementia, and their interactions on both multiplicative and additive scales. Results: During a 12-year period of follow-up, 4,389 incidents of all-cause dementia were identified. For each standard deviation increase in ambient NO2, NOX or PM2.5, all-cause dementia risk increases by 1.07-fold [hazard ratio (HR) and 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 1.07 (1.04, 1.10)], 1.05-fold (95 % CI: 1.02, 1.08) and 1.07-fold (95 % CI: 1.04, 1.10), whereas low levels of PA, poor sleep patterns, and smoking are associated with an elevated risk of dementia [HR (95 % CI) = 1.17 (1.09, 1.26), 1.13 (1.00, 1.27), and 1.14 (1.07, 1.21), respectively]. Furthermore, these air pollutants show joint effects with low PA, poor sleep patterns, and smoking on the onset of dementia. The moderate to high levels of PA could significantly or marginally significantly modify the associations between NO2, NOX or PM2.5 (P-int = 0.067, 0.036, and 0.067, respectively) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but no significant modification effects are found for sleep patterns or smoking status. Conclusion: The increased exposures of NO2, NOX, or PM2.5 are associated with elevated risk of dementia among elderly UK Biobank population. These air pollutants take joint effects with low PA, poor sleep patterns, and smoking on the development of dementia. In addition, moderate to high levels of PA could attenuate the incident risk of AD caused by air pollution. Further prospective researches among other cohort populations are warranted to validate these findings.

BackgroundMandibular tumor surgery necessitates precise osteotomies based on tumor boundaries; however, conventional osteotomies often lack accuracy in predicting osteotomy positions and planes, potentially leading to excessive resection of normal bone tissues or residual tumors, thus compromising postoperative quality of life and clinical outcomes. Robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) augmented with artificial intelligence (AI) offers precise localization capabilities, aiding surgeons in achieving accurate osteotomy positioning. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of a robotic magnetic navigation system for positioning and osteotomy in an intraoral surgical trial of a mandibular tumor model.MethodsPatient computed tomography (CT) imaging data of mandibular chin and body tumors were utilized to create 3D printed models, serving as study subjects for mandibular tumor resection. Ten pairs of models were printed for the experimental and control groups. The experimental group (EG) underwent osteotomy using a robot-assisted surgical navigation system, performing osteotomy under robotic navigation following alignment based on preoperative design. The control group (CG) underwent traditional surgery, estimating osteotomy position empirically according to preoperative design. Postoperative CT scans were conducted on both models, and actual postoperative results were compared to preoperative design. Osteotomy accuracy was evaluated by positional and angular errors between preoperatively designed and actual osteotomy planes.ResultsFor ten randomly selected spots on the left and right sides, respectively, the EG group had mean distance errors of 0.338 mm and 0.941 mm. These values were obtained from the EG group. In the EG group, on the left side, the mean angular errors were 14.741 degrees, while on the right side, they were 13.021 degrees. For the 10 randomly selected spots on the left and right sides, respectively, the CG had mean distance errors of 1.776 mm and 2.320 mm. This is in contrast to the results obtained by the EG. It was determined that the left side had a mean angle error of 16.841 degrees, while the right side had an error of 18.416 degrees in the CG group. The above results indicated significantly lower point errors of bilateral osteotomy planes in the experimental group compared to the control group.ConclusionThis study demonstrates the feasibility of electromagnetic navigation robot-assisted intraoral osteotomy for mandibular tumors and suggests that this approach can enhance the precision of clinical surgery.

Abstract Background Light is a critical factor in plant growth and development, particularly in controlled environments. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have become a reliable alternative to conventional high pressure sodium (HSP) lamps because they are more efficient and versatile in light sources. In contrast to well-known specialized LED light spectra for vegetables, the appropriate LED lights for crops such as cotton remain unknown. Results In this growth chamber study, we selected and compared four LED lights with varying percentages (26.44%–68.68%) of red light (R, 600–700 nm), combined with other lights, for their effects on growth, leaf anatomy, and photosynthesis of cotton seedlings, using HSP lamp as a control. The total photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) was (215 ± 2) μmol·m−2·s−1 for all LEDs and HSP lamp. The results showed significant differences in all tested parameters among lights, and the percentage of far red (FR, 701–780 nm) within the range of 3.03%–11.86% was positively correlated with plant growth (characterized by leaf number and area, plant height, stem diameter, and total biomass), palisade layer thickness, photosynthesis rate (P n), and stomatal conductance (G s). The ratio of R/FR (4.445–11.497) negatively influenced the growth of cotton seedlings, and blue light (B) suppressed stem elongation but increased palisade cell length, chlorophyll content, and P n. Conclusion The LED 2 was superior to other LED lights and HSP lamp. It had the highest ratio of FR within the total PPFD (11.86%) and the lowest ratio of R/FR (4.445). LED 2 may therefore be used to replace HPS lamp under controlled environments for the study of cotton at the seedling stage.

In recent years, the steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEP) based brain control method has been employed to help people with disabilities because of its advantages of high information transmission rate and low training time. However, the existing SSVEP brain control methods cannot adapt to dynamic or unstructured environments. Moreover, the recognition accuracy from the conventional decoding algorithm still needs to improve. To address the above problems, this study proposed a steady-state hybrid visual evoked potentials (SSHVEP) paradigm using the grasping targets in their environment to improve the connection between the subjects’ and their dynamic environments. Moreover, a novel EEG decoding method, using the multivariate variational mode decomposition (MVMD) algorithm for adaptive sub-band division and convolutional neural network (CNN) for target recognition, was applied to improve the decoding accuracy of the SSHVEPs. 18 subjects participated in the offline and online experiments. The offline accuracy across 18 subjects by the 9-target SSHVEP paradigm was up to $95.41~\pm ~2.70$ %, which is a 5.80% improvement compared to the conventional algorithm. To further validate the performance of the proposed method, the brain-controlled grasping robot system using the SSHVEP paradigm was built. The average accuracy reached $93.21~\pm ~10.18$ % for the online experiment. All the experimental results demonstrated the effectiveness of the brain-computer interaction method based on the SSHVEP paradigm and the MVMD combined CNN algorithm studied in this paper.

Abstract The aggregation of the remaining battery capacity of electric vehicles (EVs) can be used as distributed energy storage to participate in the microgrid optimisation through vehicle‐to‐grid (V2G) technology. However, the reliability of this service to be delivered is affected by the uncertainty of EVs’ behaviour. The un‐reliable service will bring risks in the operation of microgrid when EVs’ V2G electricity is regarded as an important flexibility resource. This paper, first proposes an analytical method to quantify the reliability of EV aggregation's (EVA's) V2G electricity based on the analysis of historical charging data and compound Poisson process. Based on this model, electric vehicles aggregators can evaluate the V2G bid quantity for any time slot on day t+1 according to the reliability requirements. Secondly, an optimal operation model of microgrid with consideration of V2G's reliability is considered. Finally, a test system with photovoltaics (PVs) and EVA on top of the original IEEE 33‐node system is used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed model. The results show that with the proposed reliability evaluation method of V2G electricity, the optimal operation of the microgrid can be reached with appropriate evaluation of the capability of the EVA.

Intertidal macroalgae are important research subjects in stress biology. Basic region-leucine zipper transcription factors (bZIPs) play an important regulatory role in the expression of target genes under abiotic stress. We herein identified a bZIP2 gene PhbZIP2 to regulate abiotic stress tolerance in Pyropia haitanensis, a representative intertidal macroalgal species. Cloning and sequencing of the cDNA characterized a BRLZ structure and an α coiled-coil structure between amino acids and Expression of PhbZIP2 was detected to upregulate under both high temperature and salt stresses. A DAP-seq analysis revealed the PhbZIP2-binding motifs of (T/C)TCCA(C/G) and A (A/G)AAA (G/A), which differed from the conserved motifs in plants. Overexpression of PhbZIP2 was indicative of a high temperature and salt stress tolerances in transgenic Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. It was suggested that PhbZIP2 was probably involved in regulating expression of the photosynthetic-related genes and the response to the abiotic stresses in P. haitanensis, which provide new insights for elucidating efficient adaptation strategies of intertidal macroalgae.

Abstract Zinc (Zn)–dysprosium (Dy) binary alloys are promising biodegradable bone fracture fixation implants owing to their attractive biodegradability and mechanical properties. However, their clinical application is a challenge for bone fracture healing, due to the lack of Zn–Dy alloys with tailored proper bio‐mechanical and osteointegration properties for bone regeneration. A Zn‐5Dy alloy with high strength and ductility and a degradation rate aligned with the bone remodeling cycle is developed. Here, mechanical stability is further confirmed, proving that Zn‐5Dy alloy can resist aging in the degradation process, thus meeting the mechanical requirements of fracture fixation. In vitro cellular experiments reveal that the Zn‐5Dy alloy enhances osteogenesis and angiogenesis by elevating SIRT4‐mediated mitochondrial function. In vivo Micro‐CT, SEM‐EDS, and immunohistochemistry analyses further indicate good biosafety, suitable biodegradation rate, and great osteointegration of Zn‐5Dy alloy during bone healing, which also depends on the upregulation of SIRT4‐mediated mitochondrial events. Overall, the study is the first to report a Zn‐5Dy alloy that exerts remarkable osteointegration properties and has a strong potential to promote bone healing. Furthermore, the results highlight the importance of mitochondrial modulation and shall guide the future development of mitochondria‐targeting materials in enhancing bone fracture healing.

Abstract Prodrug photolysis enables spatiotemporal control of drug release at the desired lesions. For photoactivated therapy, near-infrared (NIR) light is preferable due to its deep tissue penetration and low phototoxicity. However, most of the photocleavable groups cannot be directly activated by NIR light. Here, we report a upconversion-like process via only one step of energy transfer for NIR light-triggered prodrug photolysis. We utilize a photosensitizer (PS) that can be activated via singlet-triplet (S-T) absorption and achieve photolysis of boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY)-based prodrugs via triplet-triplet energy transfer. Using the strategy, NIR light can achieve green light-responsive photolysis with a single-photon process. A wide range of drugs and bioactive molecules are designed and demonstrated to be released under low-irradiance NIR light (100 mW/cm2, 5 min) with high yields (up to 87%). Moreover, a micellar nanosystem encapsulating both PS and prodrug is developed to demonstrate the practicality of our strategy in normoxia aqueous environment for cancer therapy. This study may advance the development of photocleavable prodrugs and photoresponsive drug delivery systems for photo-activated therapy.

Abstract Background Early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is important in order to improve patient prognosis and survival rate. Methylation sequencing combined with neural networks to identify cell-free DNA (cfDNA) carrying aberrant methylation offers an appealing and non-invasive approach for HCC detection. However, some limitations exist in traditional methylation detection technologies and models, which may impede their performance in the read-level detection of HCC. Methods We developed a low DNA damage and high-fidelity methylation detection method called No End-repair Enzymatic Methyl-seq (NEEM-seq). We further developed a read-level neural detection model called DeepTrace that can better identify HCC-derived sequencing reads through a pre-trained and fine-tuned neural network. After pre-training on 11 million reads from NEEM-seq, DeepTrace was fine-tuned using 1.2 million HCC-derived reads from tumor tissue DNA after noise reduction, and 2.7 million non-tumor reads from non-tumor cfDNA. We validated the model using data from 130 individuals with cfDNA whole-genome NEEM-seq at around 1.6X depth. Results NEEM-seq overcomes the drawbacks of traditional enzymatic methylation sequencing methods by avoiding the introduction of unmethylation errors in cfDNA. DeepTrace outperformed other models in identifying HCC-derived reads and detecting HCC individuals. Based on the whole-genome NEEM-seq data of cfDNA, our model showed high accuracy of 96.2%, sensitivity of 93.6%, and specificity of 98.5% in the validation cohort consisting of 62 HCC patients, 48 liver disease patients, and 20 healthy individuals. In the early stage of HCC (BCLC 0/A and TNM I), the sensitivity of DeepTrace was 89.6 and 89.5% respectively, outperforming Alpha Fetoprotein (AFP) which showed much lower sensitivity in both BCLC 0/A (50.5%) and TNM I (44.7%). Conclusions By combining high-fidelity methylation data from NEEM-seq with the DeepTrace model, our method has great potential for HCC early detection with high sensitivity and specificity, making it potentially suitable for clinical applications. DeepTrace: https://github.com/Bamrock/DeepTrace

The World Health Organization (WHO) articulated a vision in 1986, hoping that countries around the world would actively promote the construction and development of healthy cities. In the context of China, a paradigm shift in urban development has been triggered by the deep implementation of the Healthy China Strategy and the gradual completion of the comprehensive national spatial planning. This shift emphasizes a micro-level focus, advocating a human-centered approach to urban space exploration. In this paper, the Dingwangtai Area of Changsha City is selected as a case study. A street space health evaluation index system called “5D+” is constructed from six dimensions, namely, human perception, degree of mixing, density, distance to transit, destination accessibility, and devise. This research adopts the community as the fundamental unit of analysis, employing the Entropy-weighting TOPSIS method for the computation of indicators. The results of this study show that the Dingwangtai Area exhibits relative deficiencies in the dimensions of density, devise, and destination accessibility. Specifically, at the community level, the Ma Wang Street Community and the Fanhou Street Community have scored particularly low. In response, this paper proposes targeted measures and detailed recommendations aimed at optimizing the design of the street, enhancing the human experience, enriching functional attributes, and refining the street network. The ultimate goal is to propose a Healthy Streets Evaluation Index System based on the concept of a healthy city and to explore its relationship with healthy streets so as to provide valuable insights for the development of healthy city streets.

Abstract The Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau (QTP) is highly susceptible to destructive rainstorm hazards and related natural disasters. However, the lack of sub‐daily precipitation observations in this region has hindered our understanding of rainstorm‐related hazards and their societal impacts. To address this data gap, a new approach is devised to estimate sub‐daily precipitation in QTP using daily precipitation data and geographical information. The approach involves establishing a statistical relationship between daily and sub‐daily precipitation based on data from 102 observation sites. This process results in a set of functions with six associated parameters. These parameters are then modeled using local geographical and climatic information through a machine learning algorithm called support vector regression. The results indicated that the temporal scaling characteristics of sub‐daily precipitation can be accurately described using a logarithmic function. The uncertainty of the estimates is quantified using the coefficient of variance and coefficient of skewness, which are estimated using a logarithmic and linear curve, respectively. Additionally, the six parameters are found to be closely linked to geographical conditions, enabling the creation of a 1‐km parameters data set. This data set can be utilized to quantitatively describe the probabilistic distribution and extract key information about maximum precipitation duration (from 1 to 12 hr). Overall, the findings suggest that the generated parameters data set holds significant potential for various applications, including risk analysis, forecasting, and early warning for rainstorm‐related natural disasters in QTP. The innovative method developed in this study proves to be an effective approach for estimating sub‐daily precipitation and assessing its uncertainty in ungauged regions.

Summary: Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), a sideways curvature of the spine, is sexually dimorphic, with increased incidence in females. A genome-wide association study identified a female-specific AIS susceptibility locus near the PAX1 gene. Here, we use mouse enhancer assays, three mouse enhancer knockouts, and subsequent phenotypic analyses to characterize this region. Using mouse enhancer assays, we characterize a sequence, PEC7, which overlaps the AIS-associated variant, and find it to be active in the tail tip and intervertebral disc. Removal of PEC7 or Xe1, a known sclerotome enhancer nearby, or deletion of both sequences lead to a kinky tail phenotype only in the Xe1 and combined (Xe1+PEC7) knockouts, with only the latter showing a female sex dimorphic phenotype. Extensive phenotypic characterization of these mouse lines implicates several differentially expressed genes and estrogen signaling in the sex dimorphic bias. In summary, our work functionally characterizes an AIS-associated locus and dissects the mechanism for its sexual dimorphism.

BackgroundOvarian cancer (OC) has the highest mortality rate among gynecological malignancies. Current treatment options are limited and ineffective, prompting the discovery of reliable biomarkers. Exosome lncRNAs, carrying genetic information, are promising new markers. Previous studies only focused on exosome-related genes and employed the Lasso algorithm to construct prediction models, which are not robust.Methods420 OC patients from the TCGA datasets were divided into training and validation datasets. The GSE102037 dataset was used for external validation. LncRNAs associated with exosome-related genes were selected using Pearson analysis. Univariate COX regression analysis was used to filter prognosis-related lncRNAs. The overlapping lncRNAs were identified as candidate lncRNAs for machine learning. Based on 10 machine learning algorithms and 117 algorithm combinations, the optimal predictor combinations were selected according to the C index. The exosome-related LncRNA Signature (ERLS) model was constructed using multivariate COX regression. Based on the median risk score of the training datasets, the patients were divided into high- and low-risk groups. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, the time-dependent ROC, immune cell infiltration, immunotherapy response, and immune checkpoints were analyzed.Results64 lncRNAs were subjected to a machine-learning process. Based on the stepCox (forward) combined Ridge algorithm, 20 lncRNA were selected to construct the ERLS model. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the high-risk group had a lower survival rate. The area under the curve (AUC) in predicting OS at 1, 3, and 5 years were 0.758, 0.816, and 0.827 in the entire TCGA cohort. xCell and ssGSEA analysis showed that the low-risk group had higher immune cell infiltration, which may contribute to the activation of cytolytic activity, inflammation promotion, and T-cell co-stimulation pathways. The low-risk group had higher expression levels of PDL1, CTLA4, and higher TMB. The ERLS model can predict response to anti-PD1 and anti-CTLA4 therapy. Patients with low expression of PDL1 or high expression of CTLA4 and low ERLS exhibited significantly better survival prospects, whereas patients with high ERLS and low levels of PDL1 or CTLA4 exhibited the poorest outcomes.ConclusionOur study constructed an ERLS model that can predict prognostic risk and immunotherapy response, optimizing clinical management for OC patients.

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a common and progressive spinal deformity in children that exhibits striking sexual dimorphism, with girls at more than fivefold greater risk of severe disease compared to boys. Despite its medical impact, the molecular mechanisms that drive AIS are largely unknown. We previously defined a female-specific AIS genetic risk locus in an enhancer near the PAX1 gene. Here, we sought to define the roles of PAX1 and newly identified AIS-associated genes in the developmental mechanism of AIS. In a genetic study of 10,519 individuals with AIS and 93,238 unaffected controls, significant association was identified with a variant in COL11A1 encoding collagen (α1) XI (rs3753841; NM_080629.2_c.4004C>T; p.(Pro1335Leu); p=7.07E–11, OR = 1.118). Using CRISPR mutagenesis we generated Pax1 knockout mice (Pax1-/-). In postnatal spines we found that PAX1 and collagen (α1) XI protein both localize within the intervertebral disc-vertebral junction region encompassing the growth plate, with less collagen (α1) XI detected in Pax1-/- spines compared to wild-type. By genetic targeting we found that wild-type Col11a1 expression in costal chondrocytes suppresses expression of Pax1 and of Mmp3, encoding the matrix metalloproteinase 3 enzyme implicated in matrix remodeling. However, the latter suppression was abrogated in the presence of the AIS-associated COL11A1P1335L mutant. Further, we found that either knockdown of the estrogen receptor gene Esr2 or tamoxifen treatment significantly altered Col11a1 and Mmp3 expression in chondrocytes. We propose a new molecular model of AIS pathogenesis wherein genetic variation and estrogen signaling increase disease susceptibility by altering a PAX1-COL11a1-MMP3 signaling axis in spinal chondrocytes.

Algal toxins produced by microalgae, such as domoic acid (DA)11 (DA) domoic acid, have toxic effects on humans. However, toxicity tests using mice only yield lethal doses of algal toxins without providing insights into the mechanism of action on cells. In this study, a fast segmentation of microfluidic flow cytometry cell images based on the bidirectional background subtraction (BBS)22 (BBS) bidirectional background subtraction method was developed to get the visual evidence of apoptosis in both bright-field and fluorescence images. This approach enables mapping of changes in cell morphology and activity under algal toxins, allowing for fast (within 60 s) and automated biological detection. By combining microfluidics with flow cytometry, the intricate cellular-level reaction process can be observed in micro samples of 293 T cells and mouse spleen cells, offering potential for future in vitro experiments.

Abstract Background Domains of unknown function (DUF) proteins are a number of uncharacterized and highly conserved protein families in eukaryotes. In plants, some DUFs have been predicted to play important roles in development and response to abiotic stress. Among them, DUF568-containing protein family is plant-specific and has not been described previously. A basic analysis and expression profiling was performed, and the co-expression and interaction networks were constructed to explore the functions of DUF568 family in rice. Results The phylogenetic tree showed that the 8, 9 and 11 DUF568 family members from rice, Arabidopsis and maize were divided into three groups. The evolutionary relationship between DUF568 members in rice and maize was close, while the genes in Arabidopsis were more distantly related. The cis-elements prediction showed that over 82% of the elements upstream of OsDUF568 genes were responsive to light and phytohormones. Gene expression profile prediction and RT-qPCR experiments revealed that OsDUF568 genes were highly expressed in leaves, stems and roots of rice seedling. The expression of some OsDUF568 genes varied in response to plant hormones (abscisic acid, 6-benzylaminopurine) and abiotic stress (drought and chilling). Further analysis of the co-expression and protein–protein interaction networks using gene ontology showed that OsDUF568 − related genes were enriched in cellular transports, metabolism and processes. Conclusions In summary, our findings suggest that the OsDUF568 family may be a vital gene family for the development of rice roots, leaves and stems. In addition, the OsDUF568 family may participate in abscisic acid and cytokinin signaling pathways, and may be related to abiotic stress resistance in these vegetative tissues of rice.

Abstract Skeletal muscle fibers express distinct gene programs during development and maturation, but the underlying gene regulatory networks that confer stage-specific myofiber properties remain unknown. To decipher these distinctive gene programs and how they respond to neural activity, we generated a combined multi-omic single-nucleus RNA-seq and ATAC-seq atlas of mouse skeletal muscle development at multiple stages of embryonic, fetal, and postnatal life. We found that Myogenin, Klf5, and Tead4 form a transcriptional complex that synergistically activates the expression of muscle genes in developing myofibers. During myofiber maturation, the transcription factor Maf acts as a transcriptional switch to activate the mature fast muscle gene program. In skeletal muscles of mutant mice lacking voltage-gated L-type Ca2+ channels (Cav1.1), Maf expression and myofiber maturation are impaired. These findings provide a transcriptional atlas of muscle development and reveal genetic links between myofiber formation, maturation, and contraction.

This article examines the nature of urbanism in British concessions in China from the mid-nineteenth century to the present by investigating the evolution of Tianjin’s Victoria Park, the centre of the largest British concession in China. While existing works often subsume the urban development of concessions under the hegemony of British arrivals, this research explores how residents of the British concession and locals in Tianjin interacted to frame their urbanism, contributing to our understanding of the urban formation of the British concession in China and beyond. It reveals that initially Victoria Park was primarily a place of entertainment, and then, through interaction between the local Chinese and British residents, evolved firstly into the very symbol of British pride in the concession; then into a neglected pocket of parkland – representing the dark side of British settlers; and finally, into an important part of the precious heritage of the city.

Aging contributes significantly to cognitive decline. Aerobic exercise (AE) has been shown to induce substantial neuroplasticity changes, enhancing cognitive and brain health. Likewise, recent research underscores the cognitive benefits of foreign language learning (FLL), indicating improvements in brain structure and function across age groups. However, the lack of a comprehensive paradigm integrating language learning with exercise limits research on combined effects in older adults. In order to address this gap, we devised a novel approach using a virtual world tourism scenario for auditory-based language learning combined with aerobic cycling. Our study examines the impact of simultaneous AE and FLL integration on cognitive and language learning outcomes compared to FLL alone. A total of 20 older adults were randomly assigned to AE + FLL and FLL-only groups. The results revealed significantly improved Spanish language learning outcomes in both combined and language learning-only groups. Additionally, significant cognitive function improvement was observed in the FLL group following short-term language learning.

Loop closure detection is an important component of the Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) algorithm, which is utilized in environmental sensing. It helps to reduce drift errors during long-term operation, improving the accuracy and robustness of localization. Such improvements are sorely needed, as conventional visual-based loop detection algorithms are greatly affected by significant changes in viewpoint and lighting conditions. In this paper, we present a semantic spatial structure-based loop detection algorithm. In place of feature points, robust semantic features are used to cope with the variation in the viewpoint. In consideration of the semantic features, which are region-based, we provide a corresponding matching algorithm. Constraints on semantic information and spatial structure are used to determine the existence of loop-back. A multi-stage pipeline framework is proposed to systematically leverage semantic information at different levels, enabling efficient filtering of potential loop closure candidates. To validate the effectiveness of our algorithm, we conducted experiments using the uHumans2 dataset. Our results demonstrate that, even when there are significant changes in viewpoint, the algorithm exhibits superior robustness compared to that of traditional loop detection methods.

Neoporphyra haitanensis is a traditional coastal aquaculture species in China; it is rich in essential amino acids, minerals, and vitamins. It is not only beneficial economically, but also adjusts the ecosystem. However, fine varieties of N. haitanensis are lacking even with the enlargement and extension of the N. haitanensis growing area. Since humans began breeding N. haitanensis, most produced strains have been domesticated from wild N. haitanensis collected from rocks. The germplasm collection and usage is considered the bottleneck issue that often causes N. haitanensis quality degradation. Therefore, it is important to breed new varieties. Selective breeding, cross-breeding, and mutation breeding are among the most common methods used to breed new N. haitanensis varieties. Mutation breeding is a quick, simple, and convenient genetic tools. For several decades, natural means to induce genetic diversity have been exploited to breed new varieties, as the naturally occurring mutations are insufficient. One of the most important genetic breakthroughs was the invention of artificial methods to induce mutations. Physical mutagenesis is a safer and more efficient procedure than chemical mutagenesis. To obtain artificial mutants, N. haitanensis (NSD35) gametophytes were treated with different γ-ray irradiation intensities (700 Gy, 900 Gy, 1100 Gy, 1300 Gy, and 1500 Gy). After culture recovery, the results showed that gametophytic cell death increased with the irradiation escalation, with more than 90% cell viability after low radiation dose treatment (700 Gy and 900 Gy). With doses more than 1100 Gy, the cell viability decreased, in which the NSD35 cellular space became larger and a few middle cells died, although no obvious change was observed in tip cells. After induction, the cell morphology changed with higher radiation doses (1300 Gy and 1500 Gy). Some cells exhibited microscopic features, such as enlarged size and alternation from irregular cell shape to circular for some cells. Notably, the cell death rate decreased systematically from the blade base to its tip and from that to its center. Microscopic examination revealed that the number of mutant cells increased and then decreased with the radiation dose rise. The pigmented mutant cells frequency was higher in low radiation doses, further increasing with the rise in irradiation from 700 Gy to 1300 Gy. Nonetheless, the pigmented mutant cells frequency decreased with the highest dose of 1500 Gy. The best mutagenic effect was observed in gametophytes treated with 1300 Gy as they had the largest number of pigmented mutant cells. Cells cultured in vitro were obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis and individual regeneration. Preliminary screening of 67 mutants was performed to construct the mutant library, and 45 pigmented mutant strains, 51 morphological mutants, and 11 other mutants were obtained. Most of the mutants showed two or more mutations of phenotypic character. Twenty-one F1 generation cell lines were screened, and 14 traits (length, width, fresh weight, daily length growth rate, daily width growth rate, daily weight growth rate, length-breadth ratio, base thickness, center thickness, tip thickness, color, base section form, leaf form, saw tooth size, twist, and maturity) were analyzed by correlation analysis and system analysis. The coefficients of variation results showed significant phenotypic differences between F1 and control cells. The F1 coefficients of variation ranged from 8.74% to 59.49%, revealing a moderate variability. Correlation analysis also showed that most of the traits had significant correlations. There was no significant correlation between the length and width or fresh weight, while a significant positive correlation was observed between the width and leaf fresh weight (P < 0.01). Significant positive correlations were also found between quantitative traits, while there was no correlation between qualitative and quantitative traits. These allow indirect selection to improve breeding efficiency. Cluster analysis showed that at the Euclidean distance of 20, all 21 individuals analyzed were clustered into four groups. Overall, the phenotypic traits of different groups were significantly different. Mutants are critical materials for studying the genetic regulation of mechanisms involved in the control of economically important N. haitanensis traits. Pigmented mutants are a dominant-marker trait used for breeding that have high value for theoretical research and practical applications. Our study identified many pigmented mutants that can be used to study relevant biological mechanisms. Nevertheless, the variation coefficients of four quantitative characters (length, width, fresh weight, and thickness) of the F1 N. haitanensis generation were less than those of the control group and were biased towards negative variation. For example, more thin leaf mutants were obtained after the gamma rays´ treatment. It is interesting as a thin N. haitanensis is more suitable for automatic processing, and its primary products can be reprocessed with higher added value. In conclusion, after being treated with γ-ray, the N. haitanensis blades were guided to variation enabling the selection and cultivation of new strains, from which strains with improved traits strains were selected. This study provides interesting materials for accelerating the N. haitanensis breeding research and the selection of excellent varieties.

Nano-particles possess desirable attributes such as small particle size, excellent injectivity, and migration performance, making them highly compatible and adaptable for addressing the water flooding requirements of the low-permeability oil reservoir. When selecting an oil displacement agent for enhancing water flooding and improving oil recovery, factors such as injectivity and migration need to be carefully considered. In this study, through a comprehensive analysis of the mechanism and technical characteristics of nano-particle oil displacement agents, the plugging and profile control mechanisms recognized by the mainstream of nano-particles are elucidated. By examining various elements including outcrop fractures, natural micro-fractures, artificial support fractures, and dynamic monitoring data, a reevaluation of the dominant channel scale governing water drive in low permeability reservoirs is conducted, thereby defining the target entities for profile control and flooding operations. Drawing upon Darcy’s percolation law and leveraging enhanced oil recovery techniques based on the classical Kozeny equation, a profile control and flooding mechanism is proposed that focuses on increasing the specific surface area of polymer particles while simultaneously reducing reservoir permeability. This innovative approach establishes a novel matching method between nano-polymer particles and the diverse media found within the reservoir. Lastly, the application of nanoparticle flooding technology in Changqing Oilfield is presented, highlighting its practical implementation and benefits.

The terrestrial water storage anomaly (TWSA) is an important parameter for assessing the land water budget, and it interacts well with terrestrial ecosystems via complex hydrological processes. Recently, the decline in central Asian terrestrial water storage (TWS) has threatened the health of local ecosystems. Therefore, it is of great significance to adopt an efficient approach to explore and identify the nonlinear relationship between two important indicators, i.e., the TWSA and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in the arid central Asian endorheic basins. In this study, we analysed the long-term trends of the TWSA and NDVI, and identified the lag month (1 month) as the optimal moving window of the nonlinear Granger causality test embedded in random forest to detect the nonlinear NDVI change response of NDVI changes in vegetation to the TWSA from 2003 to 2015. There are decreasing trends in TWSAs over approximately 81.7% of the study area and the NDVI generally decreased resulting in approximately 36% vegetation browning in the study area. The nonlinear Granger unidirectional causes of the TWSA were responsible for 97.9% of the NDVI variation in the study area considering the optimal response time for moving windows. The causes of vegetation browning in the central Asian Aral Sea basin and vegetation greening in the basins of Northwest China could be mostly explained by the changes in TWS. Our findings contribute to understanding the nonlinear causal linkages between vegetation and the TWSA in endorheic basins, and these findings provide insights for obtaining terrestrial water consumption patterns and water resource management under the joint influence of climate change and human activities.

Morphology, composition, and uniformity of highly entropic nanoalloys are critical to their properties and applications. Here, the authors develop a DNA origami-based metallization reaction concept for the precise synthesis of multimetallic nanopatterns.

Lattice shrinkage is a dominating factor for the strain-induced change of the electronic properties in vdW layered materials. Here, the authors discover a piezoresistivity in pressurized β′-In2Se3, which originates from the intralayer atomic motions.

As the core area of human activities and economic development in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region, the hilly oasis zone of Xinjiang directly affects the regional sustainable development and stability of the ecosystem. Understanding the effects of different geomorphic types on vegetation distribution is crucial for maintaining vegetation growth and development, especially the improvement in the terrestrial ecological environment in arid areas under the background of climate change. However, there are few studies on the effect of spatial differences in detailed geomorphic types on vegetation distribution patterns. Therefore, this paper divides the Xinjiang hilly oasis zone into six geomorphologic level zones and innovatively investigates the influence of detailed geomorphologic types on the spatial distribution of vegetation and vegetation cover. Further, the area proportion of detailed landform types corresponding to different vegetation coverage in each geomorphic area was quantitatively calculated. Finally, the Geodetector method was used to detect the drivers of interactions between vegetation and the environment. The findings are shown as follows: (1) In the same climate zone, the spatial differentiation of landforms has a great influence on the vegetation distribution, manifesting as the significantly different vegetation distribution in different landform types. Grassland is the main vegetation type in the erosion and denudation of Nakayama; cultivated vegetation and meadows have a larger coverage in the alluvial flood plain and alluvial plain; and the distribution of vegetation in the Tianshan economic zone is characterized by obvious vertical zoning with the geomorphology. (2) The landform type and morphological types are the strongest driving factors for vegetation coverage with q values of 0.433 and 0.295, respectively, which effectually fill the gap caused by only using two terrain indicators, slope and elevation, to study the relationship between landforms and vegetation. (3) In addition, the improved nonlinear interaction resulting from the double factor of landform type and slope is 0.486, which has a stronger control on vegetation coverage than the single factor of landform type. These findings are conducive to enhancing the supply services of vegetation to the ecosystem in arid areas as well as providing important scientific guidance for the construction of ecological civilization and sustainable development in Xinjiang.

The stiffness of a long-span cable-stayed bridge under construction may be much lower than that observed in service, making it more susceptible to wind effects, especially for a bridge designed using high piers crossing a deep canyon. To study the buffeting characteristics of such cable-stayed bridges under construction, a long-span cable-stayed bridge (the main span is 575 m) is taken as the engineering background. In this study, the buffeting responses and vibration countermeasures at three different construction states were systematically studied using time-domain analysis. It was found that the buffeting response enlarges with an increase in the wind attack angle. The RMS values of the vertical buffeting of the bridge deck end are relatively greater at the maximum double cantilever construction state and maximum single cantilever state. At maximum double cantilever construction state, the traditional wind-resistant cable connecting the bridge deck end to the bridge pile cap significantly reduces the vertical buffeting response, while the suppression effect on lateral and torsional buffeting is limited. When the bridge deck nears completion, wind-resistant cables installed at both cantilever ending in the ‘soft connection’ method would effectively suppress the vertical, lateral, and torsional buffeting. The suppression effect of cross-arranged wind-resistant cables is superior to that of the parallel arrangement. It is recommended that a reasonable wind-resistant cable layout scheme according to different construction conditions is selected.

Nuclear power plays a crucial role in achieving the target of carbon neutrality to build a sustainable society. However, it is not “carbon-free” when considering its entire life cycle. Therefore, accurate accounting and monitoring of its generated carbon emissions are required to avoid miscalculations of nuclear energy as a clean energy source. In this study, the life-cycle carbon emissions of nuclear power plants (NPPs) with different reactor types are reviewed. In addition to the characteristic differences among different reactors, disparities in the review results originate from the varying emissions at the respective stages of the nuclear fuel cycle, technology choices at each stage and accounting methods and boundaries. The carbon emissions resulting from NPP construction and operation are underestimated due to the limited data and methods, which creates uncertainty in the evaluation of NPP carbon emissions. An integrated framework for carbon emissions accounting considering the construction and operation of NPPs (CACO-NPP) is proposed. This integrated framework aims to improve the accounting accuracy for carbon emissions originating from NPPs. An emerging Generation III NPP with the latest technology, HPR1000 (an advanced pressurized water reactor), was adopted as a case study. The results show that the total emissions resulting from vegetation loss, equipment manufacturing and labor input during construction and operation are 1232.91 Gg CO2 with a carbon intensity of 1.31 g CO2/kWh, indicating the notable mitigation capability of Generation III NPPs. By combining the maturity of HPR1000 technology with successive design improvements, the carbon emissions of such reactor types could be further reduced. This development is very important for realizing China’s carbon neutrality target.

Mutations in genes encoding nuclear envelope proteins lead to diseases known as nuclear envelopathies, characterized by skeletal muscle and heart abnormalities, such as Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD). The tissue-specific role of the nuclear envelope in the etiology of these diseases has not been extensively explored. We previously showed that global deletion of the muscle-specific nuclear envelope protein NET39 in mice leads to neonatal lethality due to skeletal muscle dysfunction. To study the potential role of the Net39 gene in adulthood, we generated a muscle-specific conditional knockout (cKO) of Net39 in mice. cKO mice recapitulated key skeletal muscle features of EDMD, including muscle wasting, impaired muscle contractility, abnormal myonuclear morphology, and DNA damage. The loss of Net39 rendered myoblasts hypersensitive to mechanical stretch, resulting in stretch-induced DNA damage. Net39 was downregulated in a mouse model of congenital myopathy, and restoration of Net39 expression through AAV gene delivery extended life span and ameliorated muscle abnormalities. These findings establish NET39 as a direct contributor to the pathogenesis of EDMD that acts by protecting against mechanical stress and DNA damage.

Optoelectronic synapses integrating sensing–memory–processing functions have great advantages in neuromorphic computing for visual information processing and complex learning, recognition, and memory in an energy‐efficient manner. Herein, a light‐induced bidirectional response is demonstrated in the proposed WSe2/MoS2 junction field‐effect transistor (JFET) with an extra Ge back gate. The WSe2/MoS2 JFET exhibits high responsivity and detectivity owing to effective modulation by the top junction and back dielectric gates. The unique bidirectional photoresponse and interfacial state storage properties of the device result in significant synaptic excitatory effects under visible light stimulation and remarkable synaptic inhibitory effects under infrared illumination. Optical storage with visible light and optical erasure with infrared light can be achieved in the device based on its synaptic behavior. The conductance changes under different types of illumination can be used to mimic the weight update in a neural network for image recognition. A high accuracy exceeding 98% was achieved in handwritten digit recognition. This visible and infrared dual‐band phototransistor, which integrates image perception, memory, and recognition functionalities, provides a promising solution for self‐driving, surveillance, computer vision, and biomedical imaging applications.

The receptor-interacting protein (RIPK1) promotes cell death and contributes to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis pathogenesis. Here the authors report that a SUMO-specific protease, SENP1, deSUMOylates RIPK1 and inhibits cell death in a mouse model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Abstract Background Carotid plaque and triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index are associated with insulin resistance. However, a highly debated question is whether there is an association between the TyG index and carotid plaque incidence. Thus we performed an in-depth longitudinal study to investigate the relationship between carotid plaque occurrence and the TyG index among Chinese individuals. Methods Two thousand and three hundred seventy subjects (1381 males and 989 females) were enrolled and followed up for three years. The subjects were stratified into four groups based on the quartile of the TyG index at baseline. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were conducted to examine the role of TyG played in the carotid plaque. The strength of association was expressed as hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results After three years of follow-up, 444 subjects were detected with newly formed carotid plaque. The overall 3-year cumulative carotid plaque incidence was 18.7%, and the risk of carotid plaque increased with elevated TyG index (p

Abstract Background Potassium (K) deficiency has become a common field production problem following the widespread adoption of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) transgenic cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) worldwide. The purpose of this study was to clarify whether the introduction of Bt gene directly reduces the K-use efficiency of cotton to induce K deficiency. Results The cotton variety, Jihe 321 (wild type, WT) and its two Bt (Cry1Ac)-transgenic overexpression lines (OE-29317, OE-29312) were studied in field with low soil-test K+ (47.8 mg·kg−1). In the field with low soil-test K+, only OE-29317 had less biomass and K+ accumulation than the WT at some growth stages. Both Bt lines produced similar or even greater seed cotton yield than WT in the field. When the Bt gene (~ 70%) in OE-29317 and OE-29312 plants was silenced by virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), the VIGS-Bt plants did not produce more biomass than VIGS-green fluorescent protein (control) plants. Conclusions The introduction of Bt gene did not necessarily hinder the K use efficiency of the cotton lines under this study.

Megakaryocytes (MKs) are the unique non-pathological cells that undergo polyploidization in mammals. The polyploid formation is critical for understanding the MK biology, and transcriptional regulation is involved in the differentiation and maturation of MKs. However, little is known about the functions of transcriptional elongation factors in the MK polyploidization. In this study, we investigated the role of transcription elongation factor EloA in the polyploidy formation during the MK differentiation. We found that EloA was highly expressed in the erythroleukemia cell lines HEL and K562. Knockdown of EloA in HEL cell line was shown to impair the phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) induced polyploidization process, which was used extensively to model megakaryocytic differentiation. Selective over-expression of EloA mutants with Pol II elongation activity partially restored the polyploidization. RNA-sequencing revealed that knockdown of EloA decelerated the transcription of genes enriched in the ERK1/2 cascade pathway. The phosphorylation activity of ERK1/2 decreased upon the EloA inhibition, and the polyploidization process of HEL was hindered when ERK1/2 phosphorylation was inhibited by PD0325901 or SCH772984. This study evidenced a positive role of EloA in HEL polyploidization upon PMA stimulation through enhanced ERK1/2 activity.

BackgroundUnderstanding older people’s health-seeking behavior (HSB) is crucial for uncovering their health needs and priorities and developing appropriate policies to address them and avert their disease progression. Technologies play an active role in our daily lives and have been incorporated into health activities to support the older population and facilitate their HSB. However, previous studies of HSB have mainly focused on behaviors during illness, and there are limited studies on how technologies have been used in older people’s health-seeking activities. ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate HSB and the associated technology use among the older population, ultimately proposing implications for practice to address their unmet health needs. MethodsThis paper presents partial data from a large qualitative study, which has been approved by the institutional review board and used a phenomenological approach. Semistructured interviews were conducted between April 2022 and July 2022, either via Zoom (Zoom Video Communications Inc) or face-to-face sessions. Inclusion criteria were being aged ≥50 years, long-term residence in Singapore, and being able to speak English or Mandarin. The interviews were manually transcribed verbatim, and thematic analysis was performed, with the individual as the unit of analysis to understand the patterns of behaviors. ResultsIn total, 15 interviews were conducted to reach thematic saturation. We identified 5 main consequences of HSB, which were aligned with the original HSB model. Regarding technology use in health seeking, 4 themes were extracted: the most widely used digital technologies are the mobile health apps and wearable devices with the associated wellness programs launched by the government and local companies, and they have the potential to enhance health communication, promote health maintenance, and increase access to health services; information communication technologies and social media, though not primarily designed for health purposes, play a substantial role in easing the process of seeking health information and managing symptoms. Although the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in some alterations to older adults’ well-being, it has catalyzed the adoption of telehealth as a complement to access health care services, and older adults have different considerations when selecting technologies to facilitate their health seeking and fulfill their health needs. Moreover, 4 archetypes were proposed based on our findings and the insights gained from our participants’ observations in their social networks. These findings led to several implications for practice regarding health communication and promotion, health education, technology design and improvement, telemonitoring service implementation, and solutions to address the needs of each proposed archetype. ConclusionsUnlike the commonly held belief that older adults resist technologies and lack technological proficiency, our findings showed that technologies could play a promising role in facilitating older adults’ health seeking. Our findings have implications for the design and implementation of health services and policies.

Background: The role of cystathionine γ-lyase (CTH) in the prognosis and immune invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains poorly understood. Methods: In this study, the clinical data of patients with HCC were analyzed, and the expression level of CTH was compared between HCC and normal tissues using the R package and various databases. Results: We found that CTH expression was significantly decreased in HCC compared with normal tissues, and its expression was associated with various clinicopathological factors, including tumor stage, gender, tumor status, residual tumor, histologic stage, race, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), albumin, drinking, and smoking. Our results suggest that CTH might be a protective factor for the survival of patients with HCC. Further functional analysis revealed that high CTH expression was enriched in the Reactome signaling by interleukins and the Reactome neutrophil degranulation. Moreover, CTH expression was closely correlated with a variety of immune cells, including a negative correlation with the CD56 (bright) NK cells and follicular helper T cell (TFH), while a positive correlation with Th17 cells and central memory T cell (Tcm). High expression of CTH in immune cells predicted a better prognosis of HCC. Our findings further indicated Pyridoxal phosphate, l-cysteine, Carboxymethylthio-3-(3-chlorophenyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazol, 2-[(3-Hydroxy-2-Methyl-5-Phosphonooxymethyl-Pyridin-4-Ylmethyl)-Imino]-5-phosphono-pent-3-enoic acid and L-2-amino-3-butynoic acid as potential target candidate medications for HCC treatment based on CTH. Conclusion: Our study suggests that CTH can serve as a biomarker to predict the prognosis and immune infiltration of HCC.