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Abstract Rational design of bimetallic alloy is an effective way to improve the electrocatalytic activity and stability of Mo-based cathode for ampere-level hydrogen evolution. However, it is still critical to realise desirable syntheses due to the wide reduction potentials between different metal elements and uncontrollable nucleation processes. Herein, we propose a rapid Joule heating method to effectively load RuMo alloy onto MoOx matrix. As-prepared catalyst exhibits excellent stability (2000 h @ 1000 mA cm−2) and ultralow overpotential (9 mV, 18 mV and 15 mV in 1 M KOH, 1 M PBS, 0.5 M H2SO4 solution, respectively) at 10 mA cm−2. Based on first-principle simulations and operando measurements, the impressive electrocatalytic stability and activity are investigated. And the role of rapid Joule heating method is highlighted and discussed in details. This study showcases rapid Joule heating as a feasible strategy to construct highly efficient alloy-based electrocatalysts.

The complex tectonic stress in the Shunbei area of the central Tarim Basin results in varied patterns of multilayered fractures. When drilling into the Silurian fracture zone and the formation pressure is lower than the drilling fluid column pressure, leakage easily occurs. To ensure efficient drilling, it is crucial to conduct an analysis of Silurian fracture characteristics and stress field disturbances to guide well design. Through enhanced interpretation and spatial analysis of Silurian faults, a comprehensive analysis of fractures was conducted in conjunction with the fault growth index. The overall characteristics of fractures in the study area included steeply dipping strike-slip faults and overlying en echelon normal faults with layered deformation. The Silurian fracture patterns primarily consist of echelon negative flower-like normal fault combinations, reflecting activity from late Caledonian to early Hercynian. The principal stress direction of the Silurian is 54° NE based on dipole array acoustic logging data from well SHZ1. By integrating three-dimensional seismic data interpretation with geological modeling and iterative boundary element numerical simulations, the current spatial distribution of stress fields, including maximum, minimum, and intermediate principal stresses, was established. The results of the stress field simulation were compared with interpretations derived from actual logging data. Due to the influence of fault occurrence and spacing, the width of stress disturbance zones varies on the plane, and stress disturbances above and below the fault plates show an asymmetric distribution. Through spatial sculpting of Silurian fractures and analysis of stress disturbances, optimal well locations and trajectories were selected to avoid areas with high fracture intensity, large dip angles, concentrated stress zones, strong energy anomaly fractures, and developed crack zones. The comprehensive analysis of Silurian fractures and stress field disturbance ensures efficient drilling and mitigates risks of significant Silurian leakage during well optimization.

Abstract This study aims to observe the hemostatic and anti-inflammatory effects of intravenous administration of tranexamic acid (TXA) in dual segment posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF). The data of 53 patients with lumbar disease treated with double-segment PLIF were included in this study. The observation group was received a single-dose intravenous of TXA (1 g/100 mL) 15 min before skin incision after general anesthesia. The control group was not received TXA. The observation indicators included postoperative activated partial prothrombin time (APTT), thrombin time (PT), thrombin time (TT), fibrinogen (FIB), platelets (PLT), and postoperative deep vein thrombosis in the lower limbs, surgical time, intraoperative bleeding volume, postoperative drainage volume, transfusion rate, postoperative hospital stay, red blood cell (RBC), hemoglobin (HB), hematocrit (HCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) on the 1st, 4th, 7th, and last tested day after surgery. All patients successfully completed the operation, and there was no deep vein thrombosis after operation. There was no statistically significant difference in postoperative APTT, PT, TT, FIB, PLT, surgical time, and postoperative hospital stay between the two groups (p > 0.05). The intraoperative bleeding volume, postoperative drainage volume, and transfusion rate in the observation group were lower than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (p 0.05). Intravenous administration of TXA in dual segment PLIF does not affect coagulation function and can reduce bleeding volume, postoperative drainage volume, and transfusion rate. Moreover, it does not affect the postoperative inflammatory response.

Abstract Prolonged and over-excessive interaction with cyberspace poses a threat to people’s health and leads to the occurrence of Cyber-Syndrome, which covers not only physiological but also psychological disorders. This paper aims to create a tree-shaped gold-standard corpus that annotates the Cyber-Syndrome, clinical manifestations, and acupoints that can alleviate their symptoms or signs, designating this corpus as CS-A. In the CS-A corpus, this paper defines six entities and relations subject to annotation. There are 448 texts to annotate in total manually. After three rounds of updating the annotation guidelines, the inter-annotator agreement (IAA) improved significantly, resulting in a higher IAA score of 86.05%. The purpose of constructing CS-A corpus is to increase the popularity of Cyber-Syndrome and draw attention to its subtle impact on people’s health. Meanwhile, annotated corpus promotes the development of natural language processing technology. Some model experiments can be implemented based on this corpus, such as optimizing and improving models for discontinuous entity recognition, nested entity recognition, etc. The CS-A corpus has been uploaded to figshare.

BackgroundStroke is a devastating disease and ranks as the second leading cause of death and disability globally. Several studies have shown that preceding infection (PI) of upper respiratory tract are strongly associated with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). However, the clinical implications and underlying pathological mechanisms remain unclear.MethodsIn this study, 16S rRNA gene sequencing was employed to compare the structural characteristics of oropharyngeal and gut microbiota in AIS patients with or without PI and normal controls (NCs; 30 cases each), and systemic inflammatory markers were detected to explore the relationship between upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) and subsequent stroke severity and functional outcome and the potential mechanism.ResultsWe found that patients with AIS-PI exhibited elevated serum WBC, NE, CRP, and Hcy levels, as well as a higher 90-day mRS score. Oropharyngeal and gut microbiota analysis showed that AIS and AIS-PI patients exhibited increased microbial richness in sequence. Principal coordinate analysis of the microbiota demonstrated significant differences in microbiota composition among the three groups. In AIS-PI patients, Megamonas, Megasphaera, Ruminococcaceae UCG 004, Rothia, and Streptococcus were significantly enriched in the gut. Opportunistic pathogens, including Thermus, uncultured Veillonella sp., and Oribacterium sinu, were found to be significantly enriched in the oropharynx. The dysregulated microbiota were positively correlated with systemic inflammatory markers, stroke severity, and poor prognosis. In contrast, short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria Eisenbergiella, bacterium NLAE, Fusicatenibacter, Ruminococcaceae, and Faecalibacterium were enriched in NCs. Their abundances were negatively correlated with systemic inflammatory markers, stroke severity and poor prognosis.ConclusionOur findings suggest that PIs of the upper respiratory tract may contribute to poor short-term functional outcome in AIS patients by causing disturbance of the oropharyngeal and gut microbiota and promoting elevated systemic inflammation levels.

Abstract Introduction This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to provide an updated evidence base for clinical decision-making by comparing the efficacy and safety of aflibercept 2 mg and ranibizumab in treating retinal vein occlusion (RVO). Methods A systematic search was conducted using eight databases up to December 2021. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and real-world studies (RWSs) comparing aflibercept and ranibizumab in patients with RVO were evaluated. The primary outcomes assessed were efficacy, number of injections administered, and adverse events. Results Three RCTs (424 patients) and 11 RWSs (1415 patients) were included. For central RVO (CRVO), RCTs demonstrated a comparable efficacy, whereas RWSs showed that mean changes from baseline in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central retinal thickness (CRT) were significantly greater with aflibercept compared to ranibizumab; the number of injections of aflibercept was fewer than that of ranibizumab in RCTs, but similar in RWSs. For branch RVO (BRVO), no statistically significant difference in efficacy between the two drugs in RCTs/RWSs was observed, with fewer injections of aflibercept at 12 months in RWSs. The safety profiles of both drugs were similar for both CRVO and BRVO. Conclusions For CRVO, aflibercept had similar efficacy and safety profile but with fewer injections versus ranibizumab in RCTs; RWSs showed greater BCVA improvement and CRT reduction with aflibercept than ranibizumab. For BRVO, RCTs showed similar in efficacy, safety, and injection numbers for both drugs, while RWSs demonstrated that aflibercept required fewer injections at 12 months of follow-up. Overall, this study provides updated evidence for clinical decision-making in the treatment of RVO.

BackgroundVentilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) severely impacts stroke patients’ prognosis after endovascular treatment. Hence, this study created a nomogram to predict the occurrence of VAP after endovascular treatment.MethodsThe individuals with acute ischemic stroke and large vessel occlusion (AIS-LVO) who received mechanical ventilation and endovascular therapy between July 2020 and August 2023 were included in this retrospective study. The predictive model and nomogram were generated by performing feature selection optimization using the LASSO regression model and multifactor logistic regression analysis and assessed the evaluation, verification and clinical application.ResultsA total of 184 individuals (average age 61.85 ± 13.25 years, 73.37% male) were enrolled, and the rate of VAP occurrence was found to be 57.07%. Factors such as the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, duration of stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), dysphagia, Fazekas scale 2 and admission diastolic blood pressure were found to be associated with the occurrence of VAP in the nomogram that demonstrating a strong discriminatory power with AUC of 0.862 (95% CI, 0.810–0.914), and a favorable clinical net benefit.ConclusionThis nomogram, comprising GCS score, ICU duration, dysphagia, Fazekas scale 2 and admission diastolic blood pressure, can aid clinicians in predicting the identification of high-risk patients for VAP following endovascular treatment in large vessel occlusion stroke.

The radial distribution of material feeding onto a screen surface is an important factor affecting vibration screening performance, and it is also the main basis for the optimization of the operating parameters of a vibration screening system. In this paper, based on near-infrared properties, a real-time measurement method for the mass flow rate of grain vibration feeding was proposed. A laser emitter and a silicon photocell were used as the measuring components, and the corresponding signal processing circuit mainly composed of a T-type I/V convertor, a voltage follower, a low-pass filter, and a setting circuit in series was designed. Calibration test results showed that the relationship between grain mass flow rate and output voltage could be described using the Gaussian regression model, and the coefficient of determination was greater than 0.98. According to the working principle of the grain cleaning system of combine harvesters, the dynamic characteristics of grain vibration feeding were analyzed using discrete element method (DEM) simulations, and the monitoring range of the sensor was determined. Finally, grain mass flow rate measurement tests were carried out on a vibration feeding test rig. The results indicated that the grain mass measurement error could be controlled within 5.0% with the average grain mass flow rate in the range of 3.0–5.0 g/mm·s. The proposed measurement method has potential application value in the uniform feeding control systems of vibration feeders.

The hemolymph–testis barrier (HTB) is a reproduction barrier in Crustacea, guaranteeing the safe and smooth process of spermatogenesis, which is similar to the blood–testis barrier (BTB) in mammals. The MAPK signaling pathway plays an essential role in spermatogenesis and maintenance of the BTB. However, only a few studies have focused on the influence of MAPK on crustacean reproduction. In the present study, we knocked down and inhibited MAPK in Eriocheir sinensis. Increased defects in spermatogenesis were observed, concurrently with a damaged HTB. Further research revealed that es-MMP14 functions downstream of ERK and p38 MAPK and degrades junctional proteins (Pinin and ZO-1); es-CREB functions in the ERK cascade as a transcription factor of ZO-1. In addition, when es-MMP14 and es-CREB were deleted, the defects in HTB and spermatogenesis aligned with abnormalities in the MAPK. However, JNK impacts the integrity of the HTB by changing the distribution of intercellular junctions. In summary, the MAPK signaling pathway maintains HTB integrity and spermatogenesis through es-MMP14 and es-CREB, which provides insights into the evolution of gene function during barrier evolution.

Abstract The objective of this study was to provide recommendations regarding effectiveness, safety, optimal starting dose, optimal maintenance dose range, and target fasting plasma glucose of five basal insulins (glargine U‐300, degludec U‐100, glargine U‐100, detemir, and insulin protamine Hagedorn) in insulin‐naïve adult patients with type 2 diabetes in the Asia‐Pacific region. Based on evidence from a systematic review, we developed an Asia‐Pacific clinical practice guideline through comprehensive internal review and external review processes. We set up and used clinical thresholds of trivial, small, moderate, and large effects for different critical and important outcomes in the overall certainty of evidence assessment and balancing the magnitude of intervention effects when making recommendations, following GRADE methods (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation). The AGREE (Appraisal of Guidelines, Research and Evaluation) and RIGHT (Reporting Items for practice Guidelines in HealThcare) guideline reporting checklists were complied with. After the second‐round vote by the working group members, all the recommendations and qualifying statements reached over 75% agreement rates. Among 44 contacted external reviewers, we received 33 clinicians' and one patient's comments. The overall response rate was 77%. To solve the four research questions, we made two strong recommendations, six conditional recommendations, and two qualifying statements. Although the intended users of this guideline focused on clinicians in the Asia‐Pacific region, the eligible evidence was based on recent English publications. We believe that the recommendations and the clinical thresholds set up in the guideline can be references for clinicians who take care of patients with type 2 diabetes worldwide.

Abstract Aims To investigate the effectiveness, safety, optimal starting dose, optimal maintenance dose range, and target fasting plasma glucose of five basal insulins in insulin‐naïve patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were searched from January 2000 to February 2022. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed and the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) approach was adopted. The registration ID is CRD42022319078 in PROSPERO. Results Among 11 163 citations retrieved, 35 publications met the planned criteria. From meta‐analyses and network meta‐analyses, we found that when injecting basal insulin regimens at bedtime, the optimal choice in order of most to least effective might be glargine U‐300 or degludec U‐100, glargine U‐100 or detemir, followed by neutral protamine hagedorn (NPH). Injecting glargine U‐100 in the morning may be more effective (ie, more patients archiving glycated hemoglobin

Background. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) often facilitate cellular communication via exosomes. However, their specific roles in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are not well understood. Methods. We extracted data on exosome-related lncRNAs from exoRBase and collected transcriptional profiles and clinical details for HNSCC from the TCGA database. Data preprocessing and analyses incorporated Tumor Mutation Burden and Microsatellite Instability from Researcher’s Home and drug sensitivity information from Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer database. We developed a prognostic model using Cox regression and LASSO regression analysis, with subsequent multivariate analysis to identify significant prognostic indicators. We also constructed a nomogram to evaluate the model’s clinical relevance, performed Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), and analyzed the immune microenvironment and therapy sensitivity using CIBERSORT and TIDE algorithms. Supporting in vitro experiments and statistical analyses were conducted. Results. Our comprehensive investigation revealed 17 exosome-associated lncRNAs critical for patient survival in HNSCC. This enabled the development of a prognostic model that effectively stratifies patients into high-risk and low-risk categories. These lncRNAs correlate with patient demographics and clinical characteristics such as age, gender, and tumor stage. GSEA highlighted significant gene expression differences between the risk groups, particularly in pathways related to muscle formation, cellular transition, and immune response. The analysis of the immune microenvironment showed distinct immune cell infiltration patterns in high-risk patients, indicative of compromised immune defenses. In addition, we explored the expression of critical immune checkpoints and their impact on immunotherapy efficacy, demonstrating that risk scores may predict treatment responses. Notably, LINC01564 was overexpressed in HNSCC, associated with poorer prognosis, enhanced xenobiotic metabolism, and altered immune cell infiltration. Experimental validation confirmed LINC01564’s role in promoting tumor cell proliferation, invasion, and migration, highlighting its therapeutic potential. Conclusions. Our study highlights the importance of exosome-associated lncRNAs in HNSCC, identifying 17 critical lncRNAs as vital prognostic markers. The upregulation of LINC01564, associated with poor outcomes and increased tumor aggressiveness, underscores its potential as a therapeutic target.

Effective public transportation pricing strategies are critical to reducing traffic congestion and meeting consumer demand for sustainable urban development. In this study, we construct a dynamic game pricing model and a social learning network model for consumers of three modes of public transportation including metro, bus, and pa-transit. In the model, the metro, bus, and pa-transit operators maximize their profits through dynamic pricing optimization, and consumers maximize their utility by adjusting their travel habits through social learning in the social network. The reinforcement learning algorithm is applied to simulate the model, and the results show that: (1) as consumers' perceived sensitivity to different modes of travel increases, the market share and price of each mode of travel adjust accordingly. (2) When taking into account consumers' social learning behavior, the market share of metros remains high, while the market shares of buses and pa-transit are relatively low. (3) As consumers become more sensitive to their perception of each travel mode, operators invest more resources in improving service quality to gain market share, which in turn affects the price of each travel mode. Our results provide decision support for optimal pricing of urban public transportation.

The node–place model has been widely used to classify and evaluate transit stations, which sheds light on individuals’ travel behaviors and supports urban planning through effectively integrating land use and transportation development. This study adapts this model to investigate whether and how node, place, and mobility would be associated with the transmission risks and presences of the local COVID-19 cases in a city. Moreover, the unique metric drawn from detailed visit history of the infected, i.e., the COVID-19 footprints, is proposed and exploited. This study then empirically uses the adapted model to examine the station-level factors affecting the local COVID-19 footprints. The model accounts for traditional measures of the node and place as well as actual human mobility patterns associated with the node and place. It finds that stations with high node, place, and human mobility indices normally have more COVID-19 footprints in proximity. A multivariate regression is fitted to see whether and to what degree different indices and indicators can predict the COVID-19 footprints. The results indicate that many of the place, node, and human mobility indicators significantly impact the concentration of COVID-19 footprints. These are useful for policy-makers to predict and monitor hotspots for COVID-19 and other pandemics’ transmission.

Abstract Hematogenous metastasis is the main approach for colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRCLM). However, as the gatekeepers in the tumor vessels, the role of TPCs in hematogenous metastasis remains largely unknown, which may be attributed to the lack of specific biomarkers for TPC isolation. Here, microdissection combined with a pericyte medium‐based approach is developed to obtain TPCs from CRC patients. Proteomic analysis reveals that TRP channel‐associated factor 2 (TCAF2), a partner protein of the transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M member 8 (TRPM8), is overexpressed in TPCs from patients with CRCLM. TCAF2 in TPCs is correlated with liver metastasis, short overall survival, and disease‐free survival in CRC patients. Gain‐ and loss‐of‐function experiments validate that TCAF2 in TPCs promotes tumor cell motility, epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT), and CRCLM, which is attenuated in pericyte‐conditional Tcaf2‐knockout mice. Mechanistically, TCAF2 inhibits the expression and activity of TRPM8, leading to Wnt5a secretion in TPCs, which facilitates EMT via the activation of the STAT3 signaling pathway in tumor cells. Menthol, a TRPM8 agonist, significantly suppresses Wnt5a secretion in TPCs and CRCLM. This study reveals the previously unidentified pro‐metastatic effects of TPCs from the perspective of cold‐sensory receptors, providing a promising diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for CRCLM.

Abstract. Background:. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is an infectious disease with a prevalence rate of up to 50% worldwide. It can cause indigestion, gastritis, peptic ulcer, and gastric cancer. H. pylori eradication treatment can effectively control disease progression and reduce the risk of the above conditions. However, the escalating trend of antibiotic resistance presents a global challenge for H. pylori eradication. We aim to provide guidance on pharmacological treatment of H. pylori infection. Methods:. This clinical practice guideline is developed following the World Health Organization's recommended process, adopting Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation in assessing evidence quality, and utilizing Evidence to Decision framework to formulate clinical recommendations, minimizing bias and increasing transparency of the clinical practice guideline development process. We used the Reporting Items for practice Guidelines in HealThcare (RIGHT) statement and The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) as reporting and conduct guides to ensure the guideline's completeness and transparency. Results:. Though decreasing in developed countries, the prevalence of H. pylori remains high in developing countries, causing a major public health burden. This clinical practice guideline contains 12 recommendations concerning pharmacological treatment for H. pylori eradication. Among them, it is worth highlighting that bismuth preparations are inexpensive, safe, and effective, consequently making bismuth quadruple therapy a preferred choice for initial and rescue treatment. In empirical treatment, high-dose dual therapy is equally effective compared with bismuth quadruple therapy. Conclusions:. The 12 recommendations in this clinical practice guideline are formed with consideration for stakeholders’ values and preferences, resource use, feasibility, and acceptability. Recommendations are generalizable to resource limited settings with similar antibiotic resistance pattern as China, and lower middle-income countries facing comparable sociological and technical challenges. Registration:. Guidelines International Network (GIN) website, https://guidelines.ebmportal.com/node/69996.

Improved metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS), for example, quality/quantity mNGS (QmNGS), is being used in the diagnosis of pulmonary pathogens. There are differences between QmNGS and the usual mNGS (UmNGS), but reports that compare their detection performances are rare. In this prospective study of patients enrolled between December 2021 and March 2022, the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of thirty-six patients with suspected pulmonary infection was assessed using UmNGS and QmNGS. The sensitivity of QmNGS was similar to that of UmNGS. The specificity of QmNGS was higher than that of UmNGS; however, the difference was not statistically significant. The positive likelihood ratios (+LR) of QmNGS and UmNGS were 3.956 and 1.394, respectively, and the negative likelihood ratios (-LR) were 0.342 and 0.527, respectively. For the co-detection of pathogens, the depth and coverage of the QmNGS sequencing were lower than those of UmNGS, while for the detection of pathogens isolated from patients with pulmonary infection, the concordance rate was 77.2%. In the eleven patients with nonpulmonary infection, only viruses were detected using QmNGS, while UmNGS detected not only viruses but also bacteria and fungi. This study provides a basis for the selection of mNGS for the diagnosis of suspected pulmonary infection.

Dark mudstones and shales of the Carboniferous Jiusi Formation are widely developed in northern Guizhou and Yunnan provinces, SW China. However, the distribution, reservoir characterization, and exploration potential of organic-rich shales in this area are yet to be quantified, thus limiting the prospect of shale gas in this area. This study investigates the basic geological conditions of Jiusi shale gas, using core data, well-logs, and some other test data, obtaining the following results. The organic-rich shales are mainly composed of deltaic-to-shallow-shelf deposits, with thickness ranging from 0 to 450 m, and above 350 m around the subsidence center. The organic matter is mainly type Ⅱ kerogen with TOC content of mostly 1%–2%, indicating a moderate maturity. The argillaceous shale reservoirs are indicative of strong heterogeneity, high clay minerals content, low porosity, low permeability, high specific surface area, and relatively developed secondary porosity. The gas-log anomaly intervals obtained from the survey wells have a cumulative thickness that is apparently greater than 200 m, and a few shale intervals showing high desorbed and adsorbed gas contents. Due to complex structures in the study area, conditions responsible for shale gas occurrence and trapping are generally moderate. However, areas having wide and gentle folds with moderate depth of burial reveals relatively favorable conditions of hydrocarbon traps. In contrast with typical marine-continental transitional shales, the Jiusi shale have better geological conditions for shale gas preservation. The analysis of the geological framework and hydrocarbon potential of Carboniferous Jiusi Formation provide more insight for the exploration of Carboniferous shale gas in southern China.

Accurate indoor occupancy information extraction plays a crucial role in building energy conservation. Vision-based methods are popularly used for occupancy information extraction because of their high accuracy. However, previous vision-based methods either only provide 2D occupancy information or require expensive equipment. In this paper, we propose a cost-effective indoor occupancy information extraction system that estimates occupant positions and trajectories in 3D using a single RGB camera. The proposed system provides an inverse proportional model to estimate the distance between a human head and the camera according to pixel-heights of human heads, eliminating the dependence on expensive depth sensors. The 3D position coordinates of human heads are calculated based on the above model. The proposed system also associates the 3D position coordinates of human heads with human tracking results by assigning the 3D coordinates of human heads to the corresponding human IDs from a tracking module, obtaining the 3D trajectory of each person. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed system successfully calculates accurate 3D positions and trajectories of indoor occupants with only one surveillance camera. In conclusion, the proposed system is a low-cost and high-accuracy indoor occupancy information extraction system that has high potential in reducing building energy consumption.

Introduction: Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) has been increasingly used to detect infectious organisms and is rapidly moving from research to clinical laboratories. Presently, mNGS platforms mainly include those from Illumina and the Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI). Previous studies have reported that various sequencing platforms have similar sensitivity in detecting the reference panel that mimics clinical specimens. However, whether the Illumina and BGI platforms provide the same diagnostic performance using authentic clinical samples remains unclear.Methods: In this prospective study, we compared the performance of the Illumina and BGI platforms in detecting pulmonary pathogens. Forty-six patients with suspected pulmonary infection were enrolled in the final analysis. All patients received bronchoscopy, and the specimens collected were sent for mNGS on the two different sequencing platforms.Results: The diagnostic sensitivity of the Illumina and BGI platforms was notably higher than that of conventional examination (76.9% vs. 38.5%, p < 0.001; 82.1% vs. 38.5%, p < 0.001; respectively). The sensitivity and specificity for pulmonary infection diagnosis were not significantly different between the Illumina and BGI platforms. Furthermore, the pathogenic detection rate of the two platforms were not significantly different.Conclusion: The Illumina and BGI platforms exhibited similar diagnostic performance for pulmonary infectious diseases using clinical specimens, and both are superior to conventional examinations.

Abstract Background This study aims to investigate thrombospondin 2 (TSP2) expression levels in gastric cancer (GC) and determine the relationship between TSP2 and clinical characteristics and prognosis. Methods The online database Gene Expression Profile Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) was used to analyse TSP2 mRNA expression levels in GC. The Kaplan–Meier plotter prognostic analysis tool was used to evaluate the influence of TSP2 expression on clinical prognosis in GC patients. TSP2 expression levels were analysed in paraffin-embedded GC samples and adjacent normal tissues by immunohistochemistry. The relationship between the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of GC patients was assessed. Transwell experiments were used to evaluate the effect of TSP2 on HGC27 and AGS cell invasion and migration. The EdU experiment was used to detect the effect of transfection of TSP2 on cell proliferation, and the flow cytometry experiment was used to detect the effect of TSP2 on cell apoptosis and the cell growth cycle. Western blotting (Wb) technology was used to detect MMP, E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Vimentin, Snail, AKT, PI3K, and VEGF protein expression in HGC27 cells. Results Compared with normal tissues, TSP2 mRNA expression in GC was significantly upregulated and was closely related to the clinical stage of GC. High TSP2 expression significantly affected the OS, FP and PPS of patients with GC. Among these patients, TSP2 expression levels did not affect the prognosis of patients with GC in the N0 subgroup but significantly affected the prognosis of patients with GC in the N (1 + 2 + 3) subgroup. TSP2 protein expression levels were significantly higher in GC tissue compared with normal tissues (P

Over the years, scholars both at home and abroad have been committed to the research of geothermal fluid chemistry and genetic model, and geochemical and isotopic methods are usually the first choice for evaluation. In this paper, the characteristics of geothermal fluids and their genesis patterns in the Jingmen urban area are analyzed and studied by comprehensive utilization of techniques such as hydrochemistry, trace elements, and isotope analysis. The results show that the water chemical type of surface water and groundwater is Ca-HCO3 type, while the geothermal fluid belongs to the Ca-SO4 type. The recharge source of the geothermal fluid is the infiltration recharge of meteoric precipitation, and the recharge altitude is 395–435 m, and the geothermal fluid is modern water (less than 5–10 years old). The water-rock reaction has not reached equilibrium, and the dissolution is still in progress. The estimated mixing ratio of cold-water ranges from 30%–40%. The thermal reservoirs are mainly calcareous dolomite and dolomite of the Lower Triassic Jialingjiang Formation (T1j). The red sandstone and mudstone of the Upper Cretaceous Paomagang Formation (K2p) distributed in the area are good caprocks of the geothermal field. The geothermal energy in the urban area of Jingmen is a system of lateral “seepage.” Thermal water surges up along the Jingmen fracture and fracture zone, forming a relatively high-temperature center, and a part of its “seeps” laterally into the shallow pore aquifer or pore-fracture aquifer, which mixed with the cold water in it to form medium and low-temperature hot water around the center of the geothermal area.

Marine shale gas in the southern Sichuan Basin is the most successful area of shale gas exploration and development in China. In order to open up new shale gas fields and search for new shale gas reserves and production replacement blocks, it is necessary to continuously establish and complete the standards on shale gas reservoir evaluation and area selection under different structural settings. The early exploration practice shows that shale in the mountainous complex structural area along the southwestern margin of the Sichuan Basin varies greatly in the gas bearing property, so systematical analysis and study on the shale gas enrichment mechanisms in this area is of great significance to searching for new shale gas exploration areas. Based on drilling data of 5 wells in the mountainous complex structural area along the southwestern margin of the Sichuan Basin, the main factors controlling the shale gas bearing property and the shale gas enrichment model were discussed based on the systematical experiments and analysis of the outcrops, cores and cuttings of Longmaxi Formation shale from the aspects of organic geochemistry, physical property, gas content, hydrocarbon generation history and pore evolution history, so as to lay a solid geological basis for the birth of a new shale gas area. And the following research results were obtained. First, the shale of the first submember of first Member of Longmaxi Formation (S1l11) in the mountainous complex structural area along the southwestern margin of the Sichuan Basin has an average TOC of 3.02%–4.97% and Ro of 2.38%–3.37%, and the average total gas content in local enrichment zones is up to 4.62 m3/t, so it is classified as quality shale. Second, the detailed studies on hydrocarbon generation history indicate that the shale has the characteristics of “low thermal evolution rate and low maturity”. It is characterized by late hydrocarbon generation, low thermal evolution rate, low current maturity and short late diffusion time, which are favorable for shale gas enrichment. Third, the pore evolution history reveals that shale pore evolution can be divided into six stages, i.e., sharp pore reduction, pore reduction, organic pore formation, pore preservation, organic pore dissipation and karstification, and organic pore and TOC are the most direct control factors of shale gas content. Fourth, favorable shelf facies belt is conducive to the formation of large-scale reservoir space and effective pores, and diversities of preservation conditions under different structural styles and at different structural positions control different pore evolution stages. The shale gas in the mountainous complex structural area is characterized by horizontal zoning and differential enrichment. “Low thermal evolution rate and low maturity” and “slow structural uplifting” are beneficial to the long-term enrichment and preservation of shale gas. In conclusion, the mountainous complex structural area along the southwestern margin of the Sichuan Basin has a shale gas enrichment model of “sedimentation controlling source rocks, diagenesis controlling reservoirs and structure controlling preservation”. This research result provides idea and reference for searching for new shale gas areas and fields.

This work demonstrates a distinctive almost HF-free route of etching Ti3AlC2 MAX phase by metal displacement reaction at room temperature. The Ti3AlC2 particles are directly etched by CuCl2 solutions in different concentrations instead of HF. The etchant is reduced to nano CuCl particles, adhering to the surface of Ti3C2 layers to form the Ti3C2@CuCl composite which is evaluated as working electrodes for supercapacitors. Due to the synergistic effect between CuCl and Ti3C2 matrix, the appropriate amount of CuCl enhances the specific capacitance to 508.7 F·g−1 at 1A·g−1 in 6 M KOH electrolyte solution, which is much higher than pure Ti3C2 electrode. This work shows the possibility of synthesis of various Mxene-based frameworks by other metallic cations with lower metal activity.

The Qiangtang Mesozoic sedimentary basin is a new field of hydrocarbon exploration, in which the Buqu Formation dolostone reservoirs have attracted increasing attention in recent years. To determine the origin of these reservoirs, petrographic study, fluid inclusion thermometry dating, and C-O and Sr isotopic dating were performed. The results revealed the genesis and evolution of different types of dolomite matrix and cement, as follows: 1) The dolomite texture in the study area is closely related to its formation environment and process and can be categorized as primary fabric well-preserved dolomite (Rd1), primary fabric poorly-preserved dolomite, and dolomite filling. The primary fabric-poorly-preserved dolomite includes fine-grained euhedral dolomite (Rd2), fine-grained planar subhedral dolomite (Rd3), and medium-to coarse-grained anhedral dolomite (Rd4). The dolomite filling includes fine-grained planar subhedral cave-filling dolomite (Cd1) and medium-to coarse-grained anhedral, saddle dolomite (Cd2). 2) Rd1 has δ13C‰PDB of 3.42‰–4.23‰, δ18O‰PDB from −4.22‰ to −3.37‰, and 87Sr/86Sr of 0.707654–0.708176 and was formed in the contemporaneous or penecontemporaneous stage at low temperatures by mimic replacement related to seawater evaporation. Abundant supersaturated dolomitization fluids favored the preservation of its primary dolomite texture. 3) Rd2 has δ13C‰PDB of 3.18‰–4.11‰, δ18O‰PDB from −4.56‰ to −4.23‰, and 87Sr/86Sr (0.707525–0.708037), while Rd3 has δ13C‰PDB of 2.72‰–4.42‰, δ18O‰PDB from −6.57‰ to −5.56‰, and 87Sr/86Sr of 0.707432–0.707990. Both were formed at low temperatures in the shallow-burial stage, when the dolomitization fluid was mainly derived from seawater. Excessive dolomitization during the late shallow-burial stage caused the destruction of the dolomite crystals from euhedral to subhedral. 4) Rd4 has δ13C‰PDB of 3.24‰–4.14‰, δ18O‰PDB from −8.22‰ to −6.37‰, and 87Sr/86Sr of 0.707234–0.707884 and resulted from dolomitization or recrystallization at high temperatures in the medium-to deep-burial stage. The crystal curvature was caused by high environmental temperatures. 5) Cd1 has δ13C‰PDB of 3.02‰, δ18O‰PDB of −5.13‰, and 87Sr/86Sr of 0.708147 and was formed during cavern filling before the shallow-burial stage. Cd2 has δ13C‰PDB of −0.09‰−3.38‰, δ18O‰PDB from −10.41‰ to −8.56‰, and 87Sr/86Sr of 0.708180–0.708876 and was related to the collisional orogeny between the Lhasa termite and the Qiangtang Basin in the late Early Cretaceous. Fluids in the overlying and underlying clastic strata of the Buqu Formation were driven by the thermal hot spot during compressional tectonic setting. These fluids caused negative shifts in the oxygen isotope compositions of the earlier dolomite.

The loss rate is an important index to evaluate the harvesting performance of white radish. To reduce the loss rate, it is necessary to analyze the pulling dynamic characteristics of white radish and then optimize the structure and operating parameters of the harvesting device. In this paper, according to the growth characteristics of white radish in the field, the discrete element method (DEM) was used to simulate the pulling process. The pulling force was calculated using the Edinburgh elasto-plastic adhesion model (EEPA), and the effects of soil bed compactness, pulling speed and angle on the pulling force were analyzed. The tests on pulling mechanics were carried out in the laboratory to verify the accuracy of DEM simulation results. The results showed that in the soft soil bed with compactness less than 2.8 MPa, the pulling force of radish is generally smaller than the leaf breaking force, and it is feasible to pull the radish out directly. While in a soil bed with high compactness, it is necessary to install a loosening shovel to reduce the pulling force thus reducing the loss rate due to leaf breakage. The structure and operating parameters of the harvesting device were designed according to the pulling dynamic characteristics, and the white radish harvesting tests were carried out in different fields. Statistical results show that when the soil compaction was increased from 1.47 MPa to 2.21 MPa, the average loss rate increased from 0.68% to 1.75%, and the average damage rate increased from 2.41% to 2.70%. Similarly, when the forward speed was increased from 0.18 to 0.47 m/s, the average loss rate increased from 1.08% to 1.30%, and the average damage rate increased from 2.34% to 2.74%. Overall, the maximum loss rate and the maximum damage rate could be controlled below 2.0% and 3.0%, respectively. In the hard soil bed, the loss rate can be effectively reduced from 15% to 2.5% by installing a loosening shovel.

An airborne anemometer, which monitors wind on the basis of Meteorological Multi-rotor UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), is important for the prevention of catastrophe. However, its performance will be affected by the self-excited air turbulence generated by UAV rotors. In this paper, for the purpose of the correction of an error, we developed a method for the elimination of the influence of air turbulence on wind speed measurement. The corresponding correction model is obtained according to the CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulation of a six-rotor UAV which is carried out with the sliding grid method and the S-A turbulence model. Then, the model is applied to the developed prototype by adding the angle of attack compensation model of the airborne anemometer. It is shown by the actual application that the airborne anemometer can maintain the original measurement accuracy at different ascent speeds.

This study utilizes the Weather Research and Forecasting model with a higher resolution (36 km × 36 km) to dynamically downscale the Community Earth System Model results forced by the three representative concentration pathways (RCP) scenarios (RCP4.5, RCP6.0, and RCP8.5) over China. The goal was to compare meteorological fields during the present (2006–2015) and future (2046–2055) climatological periods. An appropriate air stagnation judgment index was selected to explore the effect of climate change on air quality-related meteorological conditions. The results show that the occurrence of wintertime air stagnation over China in the middle of this century (2046–2055) will reduce slightly, with the largest reduction projected under the RCP8.5 scenario (−4 times). However, long-lasting air stagnation events (ASE) are projected to increase in the future, and this increasing trend is more obvious under the RCP8.5 scenario. The projected increase in the long-lasting ASE in different regions of China ranges from 3 to 11 times. Among these, Central China has the largest increase, followed by East and Northeast China, while South China has the lowest increase in ASE. Our results indicate that more attention should be dedicated to extreme pollution events that may potentially be caused by long-lasting air stagnation events in the future.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) occurs in about 5 per 1,000 people and can lead to severe joint damage and disability. However, the knowledge of pathogenesis and treatment for RA remains limited. Here, we found that histone demethylase inhibitor GSK-J4 relieved collagen induced arthritis (CIA) symptom in experimental mice model, and the underlying mechanism is related to epigenetic transcriptional regulation in macrophages. The role of epigenetic regulation has been introduced in the process of macrophage polarization and the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases. As a repressive epigenetic marker, tri-methylation of lysine 27 on histone H3 (H3K27me3) was shown to be important for transcriptional gene expression regulation. Here, we comprehensively analyzed H3K27me3 binding promoter and corresponding genes function by RNA sequencing in two differentially polarized macrophage populations. The results revealed that H3K27me3 binds on the promoter regions of multiple critical cytokine genes and suppressed their transcription, such as IL6, specifically in M-CSF derived macrophages but not GM-CSF derived counterparts. Our results may provide a new approach for the treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders.

The behavior of potassium chloride (KCl) as a main mud shale inhibitor remains poorly defined in the interlayer of montmorillonite (Mt). In this paper, a new analysis method of transmission electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (TEM-EDS) was established. The distribution of K+ in the interlayer of Mt and the processes surrounding d-spacing shifts in Mt were investigated through X-ray diffraction and TEM-EDS. The experimental results revealed shoulder peaks in the diffraction patterns at KCl concentrations between 11% and 19%. The distribution of K+ varied in the inner and outer layers of Mt with different KCl concentrations. It could be concluded that the distribution of K+ and the changes in d-spacing of Na are determined by two factors: negative charge sites and concentration difference. When the KCl concentration was below 8%, both factors cause the outer layer of Mt to adsorb more K+ than the inner layer, with all layers exhibiting d-spacings within the 1.50 nm state. At an 8% KCl concentration, all negative charge sites were occupied by K+. As the KCl concentration rose above 8%, the outer layer of Mt adsorbed more K+ than the inner layer due to the concentration difference. With a further increase in the KCl concentration, the d-spacing shifted linearly to 1.30 nm from the outer to the inner layer of Mt. All layers of Mt exhibited a d-spacing of 1.30 nm at KCl concentrations of up to 23%. These results demonstrate the benefits and capabilities of the proposed method in investigating the intercalating mechanisms of Mt.

Abstract Background Sepsis-associated acute brain inflammation, if unresolved, may cause chronic neuroinflammation and resultant neurodegenerative diseases. However, little is known how the transition from acute to chronic neuroinflammation, which is critical for the following progressive neurodegeneration, occurs in sepsis. The goal of this study was to investigate potential immune factors regulating the transition process using a widely used endotoxemia LPS mouse model. This model shows distinct acute and chronic phases of neuroinflammation and recapitulates many cardinal features of Parkinson’s disease, thus, providing a unique opportunity for studying phase transition of neuroinflammation. Methods C57BL/6 J, NLRP3−/−, and IL-1R1−/− mice were employed. Mild and severe endotoxemia were produced by LPS ip injection at 1 or 5 mg/kg. Neuroinflammation in vitro and in vivo was assessed with proinflammatory cytokine expression by qPCR or ELISA and microglial activation by immunohistochemical analysis. Neurodegeneration was measured by manual and stereological counts of nigral dopaminergic neurons and immunohistochemical analysis of protein nitrosylation and α-synuclein phosphorylation. Results LPS-elicited initial increases in mouse brain mRNA levels of TNFα, IL-6, IL-1β, and MCP-1, and nigral microglial activation were not dose-related. By contrast, the delayed increase in brain mature IL-1β levels was dependent on LPS doses and protracted nigral microglial activation was only observed in high dose of LPS-treated mice. LPS-elicited increase in brain mature IL-1β but not IL-1α level was NLRP3-dependent. After high dose LPS treatment, deficiency of NLRP3 or IL-1R1 did not prevent the initiation of acute neuroinflammation but abolished chronic neuroinflammation. Genetic or pharmacological inhibition of the NLRP3-IL-1β axis repressed LPS-stimulated upregulation of chronic neuroinflammatory mediators including MHC-II, NOX2, and Mac1, and protected dopaminergic neurons. Ten months after LPS-elicited severe endotoxemia, nigral persisted microglial activation, elevated nitrosylated proteins and phosphorylated α-synuclein, and significant neuronal degeneration developed in wild-type mice but not in NLRP3−/− or IL-1R1−/− mice. Conclusions This study uncovers a novel role of the NLRP3-IL-1β signaling pathway in gauging the severity of sepsis-associated inflammation and determining whether acute neuroinflammation will resolve or transition to low grade chronic neuroinflammation. These findings also provide novel targets for developing therapy for severe systemic infection-related neurodegeneration.

The aim of this work is to present a method for accurately estimating heart and respiration rates under different actual conditions based on a mattress which was integrated with an optical fiber sensor. During the estimation, a ballistocardiogram (BCG) signal, which was obtained from the optical fiber sensor, was used for extracting the heart rate and the respiration rate. However, due to the detrimental effects of the differential detector, self-interference, and variation of installation status of the sensor, the ballistocardiogram (BCG) signal was difficult to detect. In order to resolve the potential concerns of individual differences and body interferences, adaptive regulations and statistical classifications spectrum analysis were used in this paper. Experiments were carried out to quantify heart and respiration rates of healthy volunteers under different breathing and posture conditions. From the experimental results, it could be concluded that (1) the heart rates of 40–150 beats per minute (bpm) and respiration rates of 10–20 breaths per minute (bpm) were measured for individual differences; (2) for the same individuals under four different posture contacts, the mean errors of heart rates were separately 1.60 ± 0.98 bpm, 1.94 ± 0.83 bpm, 1.24 ± 0.59 bpm, and 1.06 ± 0.62 bpm, in contrast, the mean errors of the polar beat device were 1.09 ± 0.96 bpm, 1.44 ± 0.99 bpm, and 1.78 ± 0.94 bpm. Furthermore, the experimental results were validated by conventional counterparts which used skin-contacting electrodes as their measurements. It was reported that the heart rate was 0.26 ± 2.80 bpm in 95% confidence intervals (± 1.96SD) in comparison with Philips sure-signs VM6 medical monitor, and the respiration rate was 0.41 ± 1.49 bpm in 95% confidence intervals (± 1.96SD) in comparison with ECG-derived respiratory (EDR) measurements for respiration rates. It was indicated that the developed system using adaptive regulations and statistical classifications spectrum analysis performed better and could easily be used under complex environments.

With the widespread use of antibacterial drugs and increasing number of immunocompromised patients, pulmonary fungal infections are becoming more common. However, the incidence of pulmonary fungal and bacterial co-infection is rarely reported. In this study, 119 patients definitively diagnosed with pulmonary fungal infections between July 2018 and March 2020 were assessed using metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) as well as traditional pathogen detection to gauge the incidence of fungal and bacterial co-infection and evaluate the associated risk factors. We found that of the 119 patients with fungal infections, 48 (40.3%) had pulmonary fungal and bacterial co-infection. We identified immunocompromised status and the presence of one or more pulmonary cavities as risk factors associated with fungal and bacterial co-infection. The most commonly isolated fungi species were Aspergillus, Pneumocystis, and Rhizopus. The most commonly isolated bacterial species were Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. Seventy-nine (66.4%) patients had received empirical antibiotic treatment before their pathogenic test results became available, and 41.7% (fungal infection group) and 38.7% (fungal and bacterial co-infection group) of the patients had their antibacterial drug dosage changed accordingly. This mNGS-based study showed that the incidence of fungal and bacterial co-infection is significant. Our research outcomes can, thus, guide the use of antibacterial drugs in the treatment of clinical fungal infections.

The screen surface particle distribution is an important factor affecting screening performance. A vibrating screen with an adjustable horizontal attitude angle was used, the non-uniform feeding and horizontal attitude angles were used as variables and the screening of rice particles was simulated by the discrete element method. The screen surface distribution and movement speed of the rice particles were analyzed based on the influence of the variables on screening performance. The results indicated that the material distribution became more unbalanced with the increase in non-uniform feeding, and the particles’ speed increased with the increase in attitude angle on the y-axis. The particles experienced accelerated dispersion, which improved the unbalanced distribution of the particles and screening performance. According to the loss rate, the horizontal attitude angle adjustment model was established and optimized under non-uniform feeding. The reliability of the model was verified by simulation. A bench test was carried out to verify the simulation. The optimization model can reduce the loss rate, improve the screening performance of non-uniform feeding, and provide a reference for the material screening of non-uniform feeding.

Immunotherapy of malignant tumor is a verified and crucial anti-tumor strategy to help patients with cancer for prolonging prognostic survival. It is a novel anticancer tactics that activates the immune system to discern and damage cancer cells, thereby prevent them from proliferating. However, immunotherapy still faces many challenges in view of clinical efficacy and safety issues. Various nanomaterials, especially gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), have been developed not only for anticancer treatment but also for delivering antitumor drugs or combining other treatment strategies. Recently, some studies have focused on AuNPs for enhancing cancer immunotherapy. In this review, we summarized how AuNPs applicated as immune agents, drug carriers or combinations with other immunotherapies for anticancer treatment. AuNPs can not only act as immune regulators but also deliver immune drugs for cancer. Therefore, AuNPs are candidates for enhancing the efficiency and safety of cancer immunotherapy.

Respiration monitoring is vital for human health assessment. Humidity sensing is a promising way to establish a relationship between human respiration and electrical signal. This paper presents a polyimide-based film bulk acoustic resonator (PI-FBAR) humidity sensor operating in resonant frequency and reflection coefficient S11 dual-parameter with high sensitivity and stability, and it is applied in real-time human respiration monitoring for the first time. Both these two parameters can be used to sense different breathing conditions, such as normal breathing and deep breathing, and breathing with different rates such as normal breathing, slow breathing, apnea, and fast breathing. Experimental results also indicate that the proposed humidity sensor has potential applications in predicting the fitness of individual and in the medical field for detecting body fluids loss and daily water intake warning. The respiratory rates measured by our proposed PI-FBAR humidity sensor operating in frequency mode and S11 mode have Pearson correlation of up to 0.975 and 0.982 with that measured by the clinical monitor, respectively. Bland–Altman method analysis results further revealed that both S11 and frequency response are in good agreement with clinical monitor. The proposed sensor combines the advantages of non-invasiveness, high sensitivity and high stability, and it has great potential in human health monitoring.

The classification of unmanned aerial vehicle hyperspectral images is of great significance in agricultural monitoring. This paper studied a fine classification method for crops based on feature transform combined with random forest (RF). Aiming at the problem of a large number of spectra and a large amount of calculation, three feature transform methods for dimensionality reduction, minimum noise fraction (MNF), independent component analysis (ICA), and principal component analysis (PCA), were studied. Then, RF was used to finely classify a variety of crops in hyperspectral images. The results showed: (1) The MNF–RF combination was the best ideal classification combination in this study. The best classification accuracies of the MNF–RF random sample set in the Longkou and Honghu areas were 97.18% and 80.43%, respectively; compared with the original image, the RF classification accuracy was improved by 6.43% and 8.81%, respectively. (2) For this study, the overall classification accuracy of RF in the two regions was positively correlated with the number of random sample points. (3) The image after feature transform was less affected by the number of sample points than the original image. The MNF transform curve of the overall RF classification accuracy in the two regions varied with the number of random sample points but was the smoothest and least affected by the number of sample points, followed by the PCA transform and ICA transform curves. The overall classification accuracies of MNF–RF in the Longkou and Honghu areas did not exceed 0.50% and 3.25%, respectively, with the fluctuation of the number of sample points. This research can provide reference for the fine classification of crops based on UAV-borne hyperspectral images.

Objective: Pulmonary function parameters play a pivotal role in the assessment of respiratory diseases. However, the accuracy of the existing methods for the prediction of pulmonary function parameters is low. This study proposes a combination algorithm to improve the accuracy of pulmonary function parameter prediction. Methods: We first established a system to collect volumetric capnography and then processed the data with a combination algorithm to predict pulmonary function parameters. The algorithm consists of three main parts: a medical feature regression structure consisting of support vector machines (SVM) and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) algorithms, a sequence feature regression structure consisting of one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1D-CNN), and an error correction structure using improved K-nearest neighbor (KNN) algorithm. Results: The root mean square error (RMSE) of the pulmonary function parameters predicted by the combination algorithm was less than 0.39L and the R2 was found to be greater than 0.85 through a ten-fold cross-validation experiment. Conclusion: Compared with the existing methods for predicting pulmonary function parameters, the present algorithm can achieve a higher accuracy rate. At the same time, this algorithm uses specific processing structures for different features, and the interpretability of the algorithm is ensured while mining the feature depth information.

The San Joaquin Valley (SJV) of California has one of the nation's most severe wintertime PM2.5 pollution problems. The DISCOVER-AQ (Deriving Information on Surface Conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality) field campaign took place in the SJV from January 16 to February 6, 2013. It captured two PM2.5 pollution episodes with peak 24-h concentrations approaching 70 μg/m3. Using meteorological fields generated from WRFv3.6, CMAQv5.0.2 was applied to simulate PM2.5 formation in the SJV from January 10 through February 10, 2013. Overall, the model was able to capture the observed accumulation of PM2.5 within the simulation period. The model was able to produce increased concentrations of ammonium nitrate and organic carbon, which are two major components of wintertime PM2.5 in the SJV. Comparison to measurements made by aircraft showed that there was general agreement between observed and modeled daytime vertical distributions of selected gas and particulate species, reflecting the adequacy of modeled daytime mixing layer heights. Excess ammonia predicted by the model implied that ammonium nitrate formation was limited by the availability of nitric acid, consistent with observations. Evaluation of the ammonium nitrate diurnal profile revealed that the observed morning increase of ammonium nitrate was also evident from the model. This paper demonstrates that the CMAQ model is able to simulate elevated wintertime PM2.5 formation observed in the SJV during the DISCOVER-AQ 2013 period, which featured both climatic (i.e., 2011–2014 California Drought) and emissions differences compared to a previous large air quality field campaign in the SJV during 1999–2000. Keywords: CMAQ, DISCOVER-AQ, PM2.5 modeling, San joaquin valley

Machine harvesting increases the foreign matter content of seed cotton. Excessive cleaning causes fiber damage and economic loss. Most trading companies in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China have indicated reluctance to use machine-harvested cotton. The first objective was to determine how the fiber quality was affected by the ginning and lint cleaning and how the fiber damage during levels of lint cleaning changed. The second objective was to determine the optimum number of lint cleaners for machine-harvested cotton based on fiber damage. Cotton samples were collected from 13 fields and processed in seven ginneries between 2013 and 2015. The results indicated that ginning and lint cleaning didn't have significant effect on fiber strength and significantly affected both fiber length and short fiber index. Fiber length was reduced by more than 1.00 mm from six of 13 fields after lint cleaning, then the damage rate on short fiber index from 11 of 13 fields was more than 20%. The third lint cleaning caused great fiber damage, reducing fiber length by 0.35 mm and increasing short fiber index by 0.65%. So, the lint should be cleaned by one lint cleaner in the Xinjiang, however, the stage of lint cleaning was sometimes omitted when the foreign matter content of lint was little.

Single-resonator-based (SRB) sensors have thrived in many sensing applications. However, they cannot meet the high-sensitivity requirement of future high-end markets such as ultra-small mass sensors and ultra-low accelerometers, and are vulnerable to environmental influences. It is fortunate that the integration of dual or multiple resonators into a sensor has become an effective way to solve such issues. Studies have shown that dual-resonator-based (DRB) and multiple-resonator-based (MRB) MEMS sensors have the ability to reject environmental influences, and their sensitivity is tens or hundreds of times that of SRB sensors. Hence, it is worth understanding the state-of-the-art technology behind DRB and MRB MEMS sensors to promote their application in future high-end markets.

Abstract Background Glioblastoma is the most common primary malignant brain tumor. Extraneural metastases are rarely reported in the literature. Case presentation We report a case of a 38-year-old patient who was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2015. Four months after surgery, local relapse was found and the patient received a second surgery. After another 4 months, we found a hard mass in the right posterior neck when she admitted to our department for fourth cycle of adjuvant chemotherapy. Immunohistochemical investigation supported the diagnosis of glioblastoma metastases to the neck after resection of the right neck mass. A few days later, spinal vertebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed multiple metastases in the thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and bilateral iliac bones. Conclusions Glioblastoma is the most common primary malignant brain tumor. Whole tumor resection and early radiotherapy and chemotherapy can delay recurrence and prolong survival. Extracranial metastases are extremely rare. We report this case with the aim of bringing attention to extracranial metastasis of brain glioma.

Anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-10 is pivotal for limiting excessive inflammation in the central nervous system. Reports show that lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced microglial IL-10 emerges in a delayed manner in vitro and in vivo, lagging behind proinflammatory cytokines to facilitate the resolution of neuroinflammation. We hypothesized that IL-10 releases quite quickly based on our pilot investigation. Here, we uncovered a bimodal expression of microglial IL-10 gene transcription induced by LPS in mouse primary mixed glial cultures. This pattern consisted of a short brief early-phase and a long-lived late-phase, enabling the production of IL-10 protein in a rapid manner. The removal and addition of IL-10 protein assays indicated that early-released IL-10 exerted potent modulatory effects on neuroinflammation at picomolar levels, and IL-10 released at the onset of neuroinflammation is tightly controlled. We further showed that the early-released, but not the late-released, IL-10 was crucial for mediating and potentiating the anti-inflammatory function of a β2-adrenergic receptor agonist salmeterol. This study in vitro highlights the essential role of early-released IL-10 in regulating the appropriate degree of neuroinflammation, overturning the previous notion that microglial IL-10 produces and functions in a delayed manner and providing new insights into anti-inflammatory mechanisms-mediated neuroimmune homeostasis.

Fault damage zone has an important influence on subsurface fluid flow and petrophysical properties. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the characteristics of fault damage zone for oil and gas development of ultra-deep carbonate formation. This study uses seismic data and the derived variance attribute to identify two types of damage zones and analyze the spatial geometric characteristics of the damage zones. The results show that the type 1 damage zone is wider than the type 2 damage zone. The width of damage zones distributed on both sides of the Shunbei 5 fault core shows obvious asymmetry, and the damage zone width and throw conforms to the typical power-law distribution on the log-log plot. We discuss the factors affecting the width of the damage zone and its formation process. Finally, we discuss the influence of the damage zones on oil and gas exploration. It seems that the seismic variance attribute is a useful technique for characterizing the ultra-deep strike-slip fault damage zones.

Abstract Background The prognosis of human astrocytoma is poor, and the molecular alterations underlying its pathogenesis still needed to be elucidated. Nucleolar and spindle associated protein 1 (NUSAP1) was observed in several types of cancers, but its role in astrocytoma remained unknown. Methods The expression of NUSAP1 in astrocytoma cell lines and tissues were measured with western blotting and Real-Time PCR. Two hundred and twenty-one astrocytoma tissue samples were analyzed by immunochemistry to demonstrate the correlation between the NUSAP1 expression and clinicopathological characteristics. 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl) 2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, colony formation, transwell matrix penetration assay, wound healing assay and anchorage-independent growth assay were used to investigate the biological effect of NUSAP1 in astrocytoma. An intracranial brain xenograft tumor model was used to confirm the oncogenic role of NUSAP1 in human astrocytoma. Luciferase reporter assay was used to investigate the effect of NUSAP1 on Hedgehog signaling pathway. Results NUSAP1 was markedly overexpressed in astrocytoma cell lines and tissues compared with normal astrocytes and brain tissues. NUSAP1 was found to be overexpressed in 152 of 221 (68.78%) astrocytoma tissues, and was significantly correlated to poor survival. Further, ectopic expression or knockdown of NUSAP1 significantly promoted or inhibited, respectively, the invasive ability of astrocytoma cells. Moreover, intracranial xenografts of astrocytoma cells engineered to express NUSAP1 were highly invasive compared with the parental cells. With regard to its molecular mechanism, upregulation of NUSAP1 in astrocytoma cells promoted the nuclear translocation of GLI family zinc finger 1 (GLI1) and upregulated the downstream genes of the Hedgehog pathway. Conclusion These findings indicate that NUSAP1 contributes to the progression of astrocytoma by enhancing tumor cell invasiveness via activation of the Hedgehog signaling pathway, and that NUSAP1 might be a potential prognostic biomarker as well as a target in astrocytoma.

Abstract Background The relationship between changes in proteinuria and myocardial infarction (MI) remains unclear in people with diabetes or pre-diabetes. We aimed to evaluate the predictive value and independent role of changes in proteinuria over a 2-year period in the incidence of MI in people with diabetes or pre-diabetes. Methods Based on the baseline and 2-year dipstick screening results from the Kailuan prospective cohort study, participants were divided into four categories: no proteinuria, remittent proteinuria, incident proteinuria, and persistent proteinuria. Four multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were built to adjust for the effects of different confounding covariates. Results Among the 17,625 participants in this study, there were a total of 238 incidents of MI during a median follow-up of 6.69 years. After adjusting for demography factors and laboratory indices, the association between persistent proteinuria and MI incidence was maintained (hazard ratio [HR] 2.50, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.48–4.22). Every decrease of proteinuria from 2006 to 2008 was observed to be responsible for a 21% decline of MI incidence (HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.68–0.90). The interaction between changes in proteinuria and diabetes was confirmed with no effect on MI (P = 0.3371). Conclusions Persistent proteinuria is an independent risk factor for MI incidence in the pre-diabetic and diabetic population. These findings may help clinicians to interpret proteinuria changes in the outpatient setting and provide possible preventive approaches for people with pre-diabetes or diabetes.

Abstract Owing to the rapid development of urbanisation and industrialisation, heavy metal pollution has become a widespread environmental problem. Maize planted on mercury (Hg)-polluted soil can absorb and accumulate Hg in its edible parts, posing a potential threat to human health. To understand the genetic mechanism of Hg accumulation in maize, we performed a genome-wide association study using a mixed linear model on an association population consisting of 230 maize inbred lines with abundant genetic variation. The order of relative Hg concentrations in different maize tissues was as follows: leaves > bracts > stems > axes > kernels. Combined two locations, a total of 37 significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with kernels, 12 with axes, 13 with stems, 27 with bracts and 23 with leaves were detected with p

Today, excessive psychological stress has become a universal threat to humans. That stress can heavily affect work and study when a person repeatedly is exposed to high stress. If that exposure is long enough, it can even cause cardiovascular disease and cancer. Therefore, both monitoring and managing of stress is imperative to reduce the bad outcomes from excessive psychological stress. Conventional monitoring methods firstly extract the characteristics of the RR interval of an electrocardiogram (ECG) from a time domain and a frequency domain, then use machine learning models, like SVM, random forest, and decision tree, to distinguish the level of that stress. The biggest limitation of using these methods is that at least one minute of ECG data and other signals are indispensable to ensure the high accuracy of the results. This will greatly affect the real-time application of the models. To satisfy real-time detection of stress with high accuracy, we proposed a framework based on deep learning technology. The proposed monitoring framework is based on convolutional neural networks (CNN) and bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM). To evaluate the performance of this network, we conducted the experiments applying conventional methods. The data for the 34 subjects were collected on the server platform created by the group at the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and our group. The accuracy of the proposed framework was up to 0.865 on three levels of stress using a 10 s ECG signal, a 0.228 improvement compared with conventional methods. Therefore, our proposed framework is more suitable for real-time applications

Grain separation losses is a key parameter to weigh the performance of combine harvesters, and also a dominant factor for automatically adjusting their major working parameters. The traditional separation losses monitoring method mainly rely on manual efforts, which require a high labor intensity. With recent advancements in sensor technology, electronics and computational processing power, this paper presents an indirect method for monitoring grain separation losses in tangential-axial combine harvesters in real-time. Firstly, we developed a mathematical monitoring model based on detailed comparative data analysis of different feeding quantities. Then, we developed a grain impact piezoelectric sensor utilizing a YT-5 piezoelectric ceramic as the sensing element, and a signal process circuit designed according to differences in voltage amplitude and rise time of collision signals. To improve the sensor performance, theoretical analysis was performed from a structural vibration point of view, and the optimal sensor structural has been selected. Grain collide experiments have shown that the sensor performance was greatly improved. Finally, we installed the sensor on a tangential-longitudinal axial combine harvester, and grain separation losses monitoring experiments were carried out in North China, which results have shown that the monitoring method was feasible, and the biggest measurement relative error was 4.63% when harvesting rice.