Search

Background: Congenital scoliosis is often associated with costal deformities, of which a bilateral bifid intrathoracic rib is very rare. The aim of this study was to retrospectively summarize the clinical manifestations, imaging characteristics, treatment strategies, and postoperative outcomes of five patients with bilateral bifid intrathoracic rib. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the imaging findings and medical records of five pediatric patients (two girls, three boys) with bilateral bifid intrathoracic rib who were surgically treated for congenital kyphoscoliosis (mean age = 8 years). The clinical manifestations, imaging characteristics, treatment strategies, and postoperative outcome were summarized. Results: Four of five patients showed abnormalities from birth. All five patients presented with kyphoscoliosis and a fused vertebral body or lamina. The bilateral bifid intrathoracic rib was located at T2–3 in three patients, T7 in one patient, and T10 in one patient. Various congenital spinal deformities and multiple system malformations were present in all five patients. Three patients had preoperative neurological deficits. For corrective surgery, one patient received a traditional growing rod implantation, one patient underwent resection of a bony septum, and three patients underwent spinal osteotomy. One patient suffered complete paralysis of the lower limbs after surgery. Conclusion: Bilateral bifid intrathoracic rib is a rare anomaly that typically occurs in patients with serious kyphoscoliosis. Bilateral bifid intrathoracic rib patients show similar clinical and radiological characteristics and are likely to exhibit neurological deficits before or following corrective surgery. Spinal surgeons should be aware of the high risk of permanent neurological complications related to surgery in these patients. Level of evidence: level IV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser-induced graphene (LIG) is a versatile form of graphene materials synthesized through direct laser writing (DLW) onto a carbon-rich precursor. Lignin is a promising natural precursor for LIG. However, the lack of understanding of the relationship between lignin chemistry and LIG properties limits the effective utilization of lignin. Herein, we aimed to understand the structural evolution of lignin into few-layer graphene during direct laser writing via the combined experimental investigation and reactive force field molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Strong correlations were found between structural features of lignin and LIG characteristics, especially the sheet resistance (electrical conductivity) and defects in graphene domains. Specifically, higher molecular weight lignin demonstrated a superior propensity for generating the graphitic structure in the turbostratic matrix of LIG. This phenomenon led to better graphene quality in terms of morphological continuity, conductivity, and graphene domains. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of fractionated lignin was identified to have the strongest linear correlation with both sheet resistance and defect density in LIG. Additionally, the MD simulations shed light on the role of closely positioned carbon atoms in the initial substrate, highlighting their facilitative effect on the formation of large graphene domains. The proposed LIG formation pathway offers a new avenue for lignin biorefinery, facilitating efficient production of graphene materials from renewable resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge graph (KG) is introduced as side information into recommender systems, which can alleviate the sparsity and cold start problems in collaborative filtering. Existing studies mainly focus on modeling users' historical behavior data and KG-based propagation. However, they have the limitation of ignoring noise information during recommendation. We consider that noise exists in two parts (i.e. KG and user-item interaction data). In this paper, we propose Knowledge-aware Dual-Channel Graph Neural Networks (KDGNN) to improve the recommendation performance by reducing the noise in the recommendation process. Specifically, (1) for the noise in KG, we design a personalized gating mechanism, namely dual-channel balancing mechanism, to block the propagation of redundant information in KG. (2) For the noise in user-item interaction data, we integrate personalized and knowledge-aware signals to capture user preferences fully and use personalized knowledge-aware attention to denoise user-item interaction data. Compared with existing KG-based methods, we aim to propose a knowledge-aware recommendation method from a new perspective of denoising. We perform performance analysis on three real-world datasets, and experiment results demonstrate that KDGNN achieves strongly competitive performance compared with several compelling state-of-the-art baselines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulsed power generators utilizing magnetic switch technology within the 100 ns scale have become widespread for surface treatment, high power microwave generation, and food processing, in which the dynamic characteristics of the magnetic switch perform an important function. The saturation process, electric field between layers, and energy loss are closely associated with the applied time scale of the magnetic core, which affects the dynamic characteristics of the switch. However, compared with the study within the microsecond scale, the dynamic characteristics of magnetic switches within the 100 ns scale have not been studied in depth. In this paper, the dynamic characteristics of a coaxial magnetic switch modulating pulse forming networks (PFNs) are studied via both field-loop co-simulation and scaled experimental test. It is found that increasing PFN section number (Ns) leads to an acceleration in the saturation process of the core, which helps understand the switch performance of the magnetic core more clearly. With respect to a specific magnetic switch based on a ferromagnetic core, it is quantitatively analyzed that increasing Ns from 1 to 10 leads to a 16.1% reduction in core saturation time (tsat), a 13.4% increase in eddy loss (EET), and a 5.7% rise in maximum interlamination field strength (Emax) under the 100 ns scale; however, tsat is reduced by 19.3%, EET increases by 5.2%, and Emax rises by 2.3% under the microsecond scale. The results could provide a design reference for magnetic switches in pulsed power generators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La–Cr coating was applied to SUS 430 steel using magnetron sputtering for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) interconnects. The coated steel was then thermally exposed to air at 800 °C for 5 weeks. The results showed the formation of a LaCrO 3 layer on top of a Cr 2 O 3 sub-layer on the coated steel. The LaCrO 3 layer not only inhibited the growth of the Cr 2 O 3 layer but also effectively retained out-migrating Cr species. After 5 weeks of exposure, the La–Cr coated steel achieved a surface scale area specific resistance (ASR) of 33.912 mΩ cm2. The thermally developed LaCrO 3 from the sputtered La–Cr coating shows promise for SOFC interconnects application. • A La–Cr coating was applied to SUS 430 stainless steel using DC magnetron sputtering. • LaCr coated steel was subjected to thermal exposure in air at 800 °C to form a LaCrO 3 coating. • LaCr coated SUS 430 was exposed at 800 °C for 5 weeks. • LaCrO 3 layer has significantly suppressed the growth of Cr 2 O 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gut microbiota is a complex community of microorganisms inhabiting the intestinal tract, which plays a vital role in human health. It is intricately involved in the metabolism, and it also affects diverse physiological processes. The gut–lung axis is a bidirectional pathway between the gastrointestinal tract and the lungs. Recent research has shown that the gut microbiome plays a crucial role in immune response regulation in the lungs and the development of lung diseases. In this review, we present the interrelated factors concerning gut microbiota and the associated metabolites in pulmonary hypertension (PH), a lethal disease characterized by elevated pulmonary vascular pressure and resistance. Our research team explored the role of gut‐microbiota‐derived metabolites in cardiovascular diseases and established the correlation between metabolites such as putrescine, succinate, trimethylamine N‐oxide (TMAO), and N, N, N‐trimethyl‐5‐aminovaleric acid with the diseases. Furthermore, we found that specific metabolites, such as TMAO and betaine, have significant clinical value in PH, suggesting their potential as biomarkers in disease management. In detailing the interplay between the gut microbiota, their metabolites, and PH, we underscored the potential therapeutic approaches modulating this microbiota. Ultimately, we endeavor to alleviate the substantial socioeconomic burden associated with this disease. This review presents a unique exploratory analysis of the link between gut microbiota and PH, intending to propel further investigations in the gut–lung axis. Highlights: The significant development in gut microbiota has brought an unprecedented paradigm for pulmonary hypertension (PH) management in recent years, which has delighted researchers and clinicians in precise disease control.The gut–lung axis is the bidirectional interaction between the gut and lung, which occurs through circulation, the nervous system, and other physiological processes, ultimately affecting the health of both the gut and the lung.We provided a comprehensive landscape of gut microbiota and its associated metabolites in PH, emphasizing the interplay between microorganisms and hosts in modulating PH.With the rapid development of technologies, including metagenomic and metabolomics on gut microbiota, the association of microorganisms and the human body will be untangled eventually, which will bring the dawn for disease cure followed by prognosis improvement among patients with PH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current motion interaction model has the problems of insufficient motion fidelity and lack of self-adaptation to complex environments. To address this problem, this study proposed to construct a human motion control model based on the muscle force model and stage particle swarm, and based on this, this study utilized the deep deterministic gradient strategy algorithm to construct a motion interaction control model based on the muscle force model and the deep reinforcement strategy. Empirical analysis of the human motion control model proposed in this study revealed that the joint trajectory correlation and muscle activity correlation of the model were higher than those of other comparative models, and its joint trajectory correlation was up to 0.90, and its muscle activity correlation was up to 0.84. In addition, this study validated the effectiveness of the motion interaction control model using the depth reinforcement strategy and found that in the mixed-obstacle environment, the model's desired results were obtained by training 1.1 × 103 times, and the walking distance was 423 m, which was better than other models. In summary, the proposed motor interaction control model using the muscle force model and deep reinforcement strategy has higher motion fidelity and can realize autonomous decision making and adaptive control in the face of complex environments. It can provide a theoretical reference for improving the effect of motion control and realizing intelligent motion interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study evaluated the performance of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)–based fusion radiomics models (MMFRs) to predict telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter mutation status and progression-free survival (PFS) in glioblastoma patients. Methods: We retrospectively analysed 208 glioblastoma patients from two hospitals. Quantitative imaging features were extracted from each patient's T1-weighted, T1-weighted contrast-enhanced, and T2-weighted preoperative images. Using a coarse-to-fine feature selection strategy, four radiomics signature models were constructed based on the three MRI sequences and their combination for TERT promoter mutation status and PFS; model performance was subsequently evaluated. Subgroup analyses were performed by the radiomics signature of TERT promoter mutation status and PFS to distinguish patients who could benefit from prolonged temozolomide chemotherapy cycles. Results: TERT promoter mutation status was best predicted by MMFR, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.816 and 0.812 for the training and internal validation sets, respectively. The external test set also achieved stable and optimal prediction results (AUC, 0.823). MMFR better predicted patient PFS compared with the single-sequence radiomics signature in the test set (C-index, 0.643 vs 0.561 vs 0.620 vs 0.628). Subgroup analyses showed that more than six cycles of postoperative temozolomide chemotherapy were associated with improved PFS for patients in class 2 (high TERT promoter mutation and high survival rates; HR, 0.222; 95% CI, 0.054 − 0.923; p = 0.025). Conclusion: MMFR is an effective method to predict TERT promoter mutations and PFS in patients with glioblastoma. Moreover, subgroup analysis could differentiate patients who may benefit from prolonged TMZ chemotherapy cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we formulate high-type intelligent control as a multi-objective problem and apply evolutionary algorithms to search for optimal solutions. Specifically, we consider the metrics of the system in both the frequency domain and the time domain. Integrated time and absolute error is used as a performance metric in the time domain, while bandwidth is used as a measure in the frequency domain. Simultaneously, the amplitude margin and phase margin are used as constraints to ensure the stability of the high-type control system. Then, we adopt evolutionary algorithms to solve the formulated multi-objective problem. Unlike most of the existing approaches, we formulate intelligent high type control as a multi-objective optimization problem based on our knowledge about the control system. Furthermore, evolutionary algorithms are adopted to search for optimal solutions to real-world controlling systems. Extensive experiments are conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of our proposed approach. Compared to the Z-N method and the extending symmetrical optimum criterion, our proposed method achieves an improvement in bandwidth of more than 126.6%, while reducing the overshoot by more than 56.8% and the settling time by more than 48.4% for all controlled objects used in the experiments. At the same time, the tracking errors of the ramp and parabolic signals are significantly reduced, which means this method effectively improves the system performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) have gained great interest as a promising renewable nanomaterial toward value-added applications. This work investigated solution chemistry and particle–particle interaction force in the LNP formation aiming at a facile technique to balance amphiphilic properties of lignin for size-controlled synthesis. By facilely tuning solution chemistry, lignin with different amphiphilic properties can form the nanoparticles with 57–262 nm and dispersity index (Đ) less than 0.2 at an initial lignin concentration of 10–80 g L−1. A numerical estimation of particle size was established with Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek's (DLVO) theory and population balance equation (PBE) to evaluate the interaction energy of particles as the function of solution chemistry and lignin properties. In the developed DLVO–PBE model, lignin properties such as molecular weights and content of functional groups are closely related to the repulsive energy calculation in the particle collision and further determine the assembly patterns. The model can be applied to lignin with varied properties with high prediction accuracy, especially in the DLVO forces-driven aggregation. It also suggests that solvated lignin chains can involve the uneven electrostatic force field and non-DLVO forces leading to a broad/multi-modal size distribution. Overall, the combination of experimental and theoretical investigations provides new insights into assembly mechanisms of lignin molecules involved in the formation of nano-/submicron particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular solubility is among the key properties that determine the clinical performance of a drug candidate because poor molecular solubility often indicates inadequate bioavailability. Using the CombiSolv-Exp database, we test several models (Gaussian process regression, decision trees, k-nearest neighbors) for hydration free energies by integrating Δ -learning and a universal quantum-chemistry continuum solvation model, SMD. The optimal model is Gaussian process regression with MAE of 0.63 kcal/mol. The reported models improve the accuracy of SMD, but have negligible additional computational cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of efforts to mass higher education, China introduced state-sponsored student loans around the turn of the century, a progressive social policy reflecting the country’s move toward increased marketization and decentralization in delivering educational services. The loan scheme, open to low-income students, is a voluntary policy transfer that draws on lessons from abroad. Unexpectedly, it stalled soon after implementation. Subsequent local experimentation brought it back on track. This article uses the Dolowitz and Marsh policy transfer framework to identify and explain the unsuccessful transfer. It also uses Heilmann’s model to examine the local experimentation that brought about institutional change nationwide. The article argues that policy transfer, in conjunction with policy experimentation, provides practical frameworks for capturing the subtleties of China’s hierarchical governance and the different complications experienced throughout the policy process. The article thus contributes to the integration of policy transfer and experimentation as a broader toolbox for policy analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basal crevasses are macroscopic structural discontinuities at the base of ice sheets and glaciers that arise by fracture. Motivated by observations and by the mechanics of elastic fracture, we hypothesise that spatial variations in basal stress (in the presence of basal water pressure) can promote and localise basal crevassing. We quantify this process in the theoretical context of linear elastic fracture mechanics. We develop a model evaluating the effect of shear-stress variation on the growth of basal crevasses. Our results indicate that sticky patches promote the propagation of basal crevasses, increase their length of propagation into the ice and, under some conditions, give them curved trajectories that incline upstream. A detailed exploration of the parameter space is conducted to gain a better understanding of the conditions under which sticky-patch-induced basal crevassing is expected beneath ice sheets and glaciers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quasi‐2D Ruddlesden–Popper layered perovskites with single‐phase multiferroicity have attracted much attention in recent magnetoelectric memory applications. We have systematically investigated the optical and magnetic properties of Ru‐doped hybrid improper perovskite Ca3Mn2O7 both experimentally and using first‐principles calculations. The Ca3RuxMn2−xO7 (x = 0, 0.02, 0.06, 0.10) powders were successfully synthesized using the sol–gel method. Ru doping enhanced the ferromagnetism of Ca3Mn2O7. The quasi‐2D antiferromagnetic (AFM) fluctuation effect was observed in Ca3Mn2O7 and in certain doped samples. We also found that the optical bandgaps of the doped samples were reduced after doping, agreeing with the results of the first‐principles calculations. Infrared absorption spectra indicated the distortion of the Mn–O bonds was possibly due to the Jahn–Teller effect. To analyze the electronic structures and to understand the detailed atomic contributions of magnetic moments, the Crystal Orbital Hamilton Population (COHP) and Integrated COHP of the (Mn,Ru)O6 octahedra were also calculated. The Ru‐doped materials with the coexistence of ferromagnetic and AFM orderings are expected to be excellent candidates for magnetoelectric devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: 44Sc/47Sc is an attractive theranostic pair for targeted in vivo positron emission tomographic (PET) imaging and beta-particle treatment of cancer. The 44Ti/44Sc generator allows daily onsite production of this diagnostic isotope, which may provide an attractive alternative for PET facilities that lack in-house irradiation capabilities. Early animal and patient studies have demonstrated the utility of 44Sc. In our current study, we built and evaluated a novel clinical-scale 44Ti/44Sc generator, explored the pharmacokinetic profiles of 44ScCl3, [44Sc]-citrate and [44Sc]-NODAGA (1,4,7-triazacyclononane,1-glutaric acid-4,7-acetic acid) in naïve mice, and estimated the radiation burden of 44ScCl3 in humans. Methods: 44Ti/44Sc (101.2 MBq) in 6 M HCl solution was utilized to assemble a modular ZR resin containing generator. After assembly, 44Sc was eluted with 0.05 M HCl for further PET imaging and biodistribution studies in female Swiss Webster mice. Based on the biodistribution data, absorbed doses of 44/47ScCl3 in human adults were calculated for 18 organs and tissues using the IDAC-Dose software. Results: 44Ti in 6 M HCl was loaded onto the organic resin generator with a yield of 99.97%. After loading and initial stabilization, 44ScCl3 was eluted with 0.05 M HCl in typical yields of 82.9 ± 5.3% (N = 16), which was normalized to the estimated generator capacity. Estimated generator capacity was computed based on elution time interval and the total amount of 44Ti loaded on the generator. Run in forward and reverse directions, the 44Sc/44Ti ratio from a primary column was significantly improved from 1038 ± 440 to 3557 ± 680 (Bq/Bq) when a secondary, replaceable, ZR resin cartridge was employed at the flow outlet. In vivo imaging and ex vivo distribution studies of the reversible modular generator for 44ScCl3, [44Sc]-citrate and [44Sc]-NODAGA show that free 44Sc remained in the circulation significantly longer than the chelated 44Sc. The dose estimation of 44ScCl3 reveals that the radiation burden is 0.146 mSv/MBq for a 70 kg adult male and 0.179 mSv/MBq for a 57 kg adult female. Liver, spleen and heart wall will receive the highest absorbed dose: 0.524, 0.502, and 0.303 mGy/MBq, respectively, for the adult male. Conclusions: A clinical-scale 44Ti/44Sc generator system with a modular design was developed to supply 44ScCl3 in 0.05 M HCl, which is suitable for further radiolabeling and in vivo use. Our data demonstrated that free 44ScCl3 remained in the circulation for extended periods, which resulted in approximately 10 times greater radiation burden than stably chelated 44Sc. Stable 44Sc/47Sc-complexation will be more favorable for in vivo use and for clinical utility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-stroke fatigue (PSF) is a common complication of stroke that has a negative impact on prognosis and recovery. We aimed to investigate the relationship between PSF and demographics, mood disorders, sleep disorders, and other clinical characteristics of patients with stroke. In this exploratory cross-sectional study, we collected data on sociodemographic characteristics, biological indicators, and imaging features and evaluated patients using neuropsychological scales. Patients were assessed using the Fatigue Severity Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Scale, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Magnetic resonance imaging scans were primarily used to evaluate infarctions and white matter lesions. The correlation between the PSF of patients with stroke and clinical indicators was obtained by logistic regression analysis and power analysis. We observed an independent association between fatigue severity and female sex (odds ratio [OR], 2.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14–3.94), depressive state (OR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.01–1.73), and sleep disorders (OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.01–1.98). High levels of blood glucose, serum uric acid, and homocysteine and low levels of serum triiodothyronine were strongly associated with poor functional outcomes in patients with stroke. Further studies are needed to elucidate how specific structural lesions and anxiety symptoms are related to early PSF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To verify the feasibility of extracting the excess cold energy of the frozen wall and clarify the variation mechanism of the frozen wall temperature field during the cold energy extraction process, this study carried out the field extraction experiment of the excess cold energy of the frozen wall in the central air shaft of Linhuan Coal Mine. The results showed that the maximum temperature difference of salt liquid before and after cold extraction was 19.9°C. The extraction effect of the frozen wall cold energy was very significant. Through numerical simulation, this study reproduced the whole process of cold energy extraction of the frozen wall, and find that on the 30th day of cold energy extraction, the average temperature increase of the frozen wall under the scheme of main row hole plus auxiliary hole cold energy extraction is 2.2 times that of only main row hole cold energy extraction. The main surface temperature of the frozen wall shows a "wavy" distribution, and the lowest point is in the central area of the frozen wall. The main surface temperature rises with the increase of cold energy extraction time. And on the 30th day of cold energy extraction, the temperature in the east, south, west, and north of the frozen wall increased by 5.8°C, 12.5°C, 8.5°C, 11.1°C, respectively. Meanwhile, it is found that the higher the salt temperature, the higher the thermal conductivity of the frozen wall, and the faster the average temperature increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attempts have been made to incorporate remote sensing techniques and in situ observations for enhanced water quality assessments. Estimations of nonoptical indicators sensitive to water environment changes, however, have not been fully studied, mainly due to complex nonlinear relationships between the observed values and surface reflectance. In this study, we applied a novel deep learning approach driven by a range of spectral properties to retrieve 6-year changes in water quality variables, i.e., Chl-a, BOD, TN, CODMn, NH3-N, and TP, on a monthly basis between 2013 and 2018 at Dongping Lake, an impounded lake located in the Yellow River in China. Band arithmetic was used to compute 26 predictors from Landsat 8 OLI imagery for model inputs. The results showed generally strong agreement between in situ and ConvLSTM-derived lake variables, generating R2 of 0.92, 0.88, 0.84, 0.80, 0.83, and 0.77 for TN, NH3-N, CODMn, Chl-a, TP, and BOD, which suggest good performance of the developed model. We then used statistical analysis to identify the spatial and temporal heterogeneity. The framework established in this study has applications in effective water quality monitoring and serves as an alarming tool for water-environment management in the complex inland lake waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with the traditional active electromagnetic bearing, the additional hydrostatic supporting concept is imported to form magnetic–liquid double suspension bearing (MLDSB) without affecting the support performance. Therefore, the bearing carrying capacity and stiffness are greatly increased and the operational stability and reliability of MLDSB are also improved. The controlling strategy and the regulating mode have the major impact on the safe and stable operation of MLDSB, which directly determines the performance quality. MLDSB adopts the magnetic–liquid coupling supporting mode with electromagnetic suspension as the main and hydrostatic supporting as the supplement, which greatly increases the complexity and difficulty of MLDSB. Therefore, the proportional control strategy and the magneto-hydraulic coupled nonlinear controller of MLDSB are explored in this paper. First, the regulation mechanism of the single degree of freedom (DOF) supporting system is revealed, and the proportional–integral–differential controller of the electromagnetic and hydrostatic closed-loop is designed. Then, the fuzzy control idea is introduced into the single DOF supporting system to design a magnetic–liquid variable proportional fuzzy controller, and the difference between the proportional/variable proportional control modes is compared. Finally, the rotor displacement following characteristics and anti-interference characteristics in the proportional/variable proportional control mode are compared on a magnetic–liquid double suspension test bench. The results show that compared with the proportional control method, the variable proportional control method combines the advantages of fast regulation speed of the electromagnetic system and the stable and reliable advantages of the hydrostatic system. In the same step signal, the rotor can achieve unbiased following under two control modes of proportional/variable proportion, and the adjustment time of the variable proportional control mode is shorter. In two control modes, the rotor can be restored to the original equilibrium position. The maximum offset under the variable proportional control mode is smaller, and with the continuous increase of the displacement, the performance of the variable proportional control method is more obvious. The stability control of MLDSB is provided on the theoretical basis in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Case: A 13-year-old girl presenting with scoliosis accompanied by type I neurofibromatosis (NF1) underwent deformity correction surgery. On the second postoperative day, she had sudden-onset acute cerebral infarctions and was diagnosed with moyamoya syndrome. After neurological conservative treatment, at the sixth month after surgery, her symptoms and signs were significantly improved and the daily life was not affected by herself. Conclusion: NF1 scoliosis with moyamoya syndrome is an uncommon inherited disorder. Intracranial vasculopathy is hardly detected from routine preoperative examinations. The specific intracranial vascular examination should be performed for patients with NF1 scoliosis, especially those who have a positive history of cerebral ischemic or hemorrhagic symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury(HIRI) remains to be an unsolved risk factor that contributes to organ failure after liver surgery. Our clinical retrospective study showed that lower donor liver CX3-C chemokine receptor-1(CX3CR1) mRNA expression level were correlated with upregulated pro-resolved macrophage receptor MERTK, as well as promoted restoration efficiency of allograft injury in liver transplant. To further characterize roles of CX3CR1 in regulating resolution of HIRI, we employed murine liver partial warm ischemia-reperfusion model by Wt & Cx3cr1 −/− mice and the reperfusion time was prolonged from 6 h to 4–7 days. Kupffer cells(KCs) were depleted by clodronate liposome(CL) in advance to focus on infiltrating macrophages, and repopulation kinetics were determined by FACS, IF and RNA-Seq. CX3CR1 antagonist AZD8797 was injected i.p. to interrogate potential pharmacological therapeutic strategies. In vitro primary bone marrow macrophages(BMMs) culture by LXR agonist DMHCA, as well as molecular and functional studies, were undertaken to dissect roles of CX3CR1 in modulating macrophages cytobiological development and resolutive functions. We observed that deficiency or pharmacological inhibition of CX3CR1 facilitated HIRI resolution via promoted macrophages migration in CCR1/CCR5 manner, as well as enhanced MerTK-mediated efferocytosis. Our study demonstrated the critical roles of CX3CR1 in progression of HIRI and identified it as a potential therapeutic target in clinical liver transplantation. [Display omitted] • Low donor CX3CR1 expression is correlated with accelerated recovery after LT. • CX3CR1 deficiency promotes recovery of HIRI in CL-pretreated mice. • CX3CR1 deficiency enhances infiltrating macrophages efferocytosis by hepatic specific reprogramming. • Enhanced macrophages reprogramming and migration favours liver homeostasis. • Inhibition of CX3CR1 by AZD8797 promotes HIRI resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing interest and clinical translation of alpha particle (α) therapies brings with it new challenges to assess target cell engagement and to monitor therapeutic effect. Noninvasive imaging has great potential to guide α-treatment and to harness the potential of these agents in the complex environment of disseminated disease. Poly(ADP) ribose polymerase 1 (PARP-1) is among the most abundantly expressed DNA repair enzymes with key roles in multiple repair pathways—such as those induced by irradiation. Here, we used a third-generation PARP1-specific radiotracer, [18F]-PARPZ, to delineate castrate resistant prostate cancer xenografts. Following treatment with the clinically applied [225Ac]-PSMA-617, positron emission tomography was performed and correlative autoradiography and histology acquired. [18F]-PARPZ was able to distinguish treated from control (saline) xenografts by increased uptake. Kinetic analysis of tracer accumulation also suggests that the localization of the agent to sites of increased PARP-1 expression is a consequence of DNA damage response. Together, these data support expanded investigation of [18F]-PARPZ to facilitate clinical translation in the ⍺-therapy space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient, accurate molecular characterization of genetically modified (GM) organisms is challenging, especially for those transgenic events transferred with genes/elements of recipient species. Herein, we decipher the comprehensive molecular characterization of one novel GM rice event G281 which was transferred with native promoters and an RNA interference (RNAi) expression cassette using paired-end whole genome sequencing (PE-WGS) and modified TranSeq approach. Our results show that transgenes integrate at rice chromosome 3 locus 16,439,674 included a 36 bp deletion of rice genomic DNA, and the whole integration contains two copies of the complete transfer DNA (T-DNA) in a head-to-head arrangement. No unintended insertion or backbone sequence of the transformed plasmid is observed at the whole genome level. Molecular characterization of the G281 event will assist risk assessment and application for a commercial license. In addition, we speculate that our approach could be further used for identifying the transgene integration of cisgenesis/intragenesis crops since both ends of T-DNA in G281 rice were from native gene or elements which is similar with that of cisgenesis/intrasgenesis. Our results from the in silico mimicking cisgenesis event confirm that the mimic rice Gt1 gene insertion and its flanking sequences are successfully identified, demonstrating the applicability of PE-WGS for molecular characterization of cisgenesis/intragenesis crops. Coupling paired-end whole-genome sequencing with droplet digital PCR enabled precise identification of a transgene insertion in the genetically modified rice event G281 on chromosome 3 and the potential for exploring the native gene integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative aging disorder that manifests as motor and non-motor symptoms, and its etiopathogenesis is influenced by non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). Signal pathway and gene sequence studies have proposed that alteration of ncRNAs is relevant to the occurrence and development of PD. Furthermore, many studies on brain tissues and body fluids from patients with PD indicate that variations in ncRNAs and their target genes could trigger or exacerbate neurodegenerative pathogenesis and serve as potential non-invasive biomarkers of PD. Numerous ncRNAs have been considered regulators of apoptosis, α-syn misfolding and aggregation, mitochondrial dysfunction, autophagy, and neuroinflammation in PD etiology, and evidence is mounting for the determination of the role of competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) mechanisms in disease development. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge regarding the regulation and function of ncRNAs as well as ceRNA networks in PD pathogenesis, focusing on microRNAs, long ncRNAs, and circular RNAs to increase the understanding of the disease and propose potential target identification and treatment in the early stages of PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the forecasted fast increasing cellular traffic and the already highly congested licensed spectrum, it is critical to exploit and utilize the unlicensed spectrum resources for the fifth-generation (5G) and beyond networks. A challenging problem is the coexistence of 5G and other networks with fair, reliable, and efficient sharing of the unlicensed spectrum. In this paper, we propose a blockchain-enhanced distributed spectrum sharing scheme for coexisting multiple operators and multiple WiFi APs. We design a novel lightweight and efficient consensus mechanism, named Proof of Strategy (PoG). In this consensus mechanism, the problem of spectrum sharing is used as a consensus puzzle, and the part of the unlicensed spectrum is used as the ‘fee’ of miners. With such a design, the computing overhead of the consensus process is expected to be reduced significantly. We develop a non-cooperative game to analyze the behavior of the miners and obtain a symmetric Bayesian Nash equilibrium under the uniform distribution of mining cost estimation. It can be found mathematically and experimentally that the strategy of the winner tends to maximize the system revenue by sharing the unlicensed spectrum resource. Furthermore, to reduce the impact of heavy interactions on system throughput, the operation of WiFi APs in the proposed scheme can be adaptively switched between ‘contention mode’ and ‘blockchain mode’ according to the network traffic load. The dynamic behavior is constructed as an evolutionary game, and the existence and uniqueness of equilibrium points are proved by theoretical analysis. Simulations demonstrated the fairness and effectiveness of the proposed blockchain-based scheme and the mode switching method for distributed spectrum sharing by heterogeneous wireless networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the increasingly complex and changeable marine environment makes the signals received by the underwater sensing equipment not only contain the weak signals radiated by underwater targets but also accompanied by marine solid background noise, which leads to the degradation and distortion of underwater acoustic signals and the decline of underwater communication quality. Under the severe influence of ocean noise, the underwater acoustic sensing and acquisition system will have the problems of high SNR ratio threshold, minimal sensing bandwidth, and unable to sense the signal with unknown frequency effectively. The Lévy noise model has been selected to describe the marine noise environment and explain its scientificity in this paper. A parameter estimation method for Lévy noise is proposed. Under the condition of characteristic index α = 1.5 and noise intensity D = 0.1 of the Lévy noise model, the estimated mean values of parameters are 1.5026 and 1.1664. The estimated variances are 0.0034 and 0.0046, which proves the effectiveness and applicability of the estimation method. Then, an improved dual-coupled Duffing oscillator sensing system is proposed to sense the weak signals with unknown frequency under Lévy noise. Under the background of Lévy with characteristic index α = 1.5 , deflection parameter β = 0 and noise intensity D = 0.1 , the sensing error rate of our system with unknown frequency is 0.054 % , the lowest sensing signal amplitude is A = 0.010 , the lowest sensing SNR ratio is − 23.9254 dB, and the frequency of multi-frequency weak signals to be measured can be obtained. The estimation error of frequency sensing is 0.33 % . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Molecular characterization of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) yields basic information on exogenous DNA integration, including integration sites, entire inserted sequences and structures, flanking sequences and copy number, providing key data for biosafety assessment. However, there are few effective methods for deciphering transgene integration, especially for large DNA fragment integration with complex rearrangement, inversion and tandem repeats. Herein, we developed a universal Large Integrated DNA Fragments Enrichment strategy combined with PacBio Sequencing (LIFE‐Seq) for deciphering transgene integration in GMOs. Universal tilling DNA probes targeting transgenic elements and exogenous genes facilitate specific enrichment of large inserted DNA fragments associated with transgenes from plant genomes, followed by PacBio sequencing. LIFE‐Seq were evaluated using six GM events and four crop species. Target DNA fragments averaging ~6275 bp were enriched and sequenced, generating ~26 352 high fidelity reads for each sample. Transgene integration structures were determined with high repeatability and sensitivity. Compared with next‐generation whole‐genome sequencing, LIFE‐Seq achieved better data integrity and accuracy, greater universality and lower cost, especially for transgenic crops with complex inserted DNA structures. LIFE‐Seq could be applied in molecular characterization of transgenic crops and animals, and complex DNA structure analysis in genetics research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the validity of the Roussouly classification system for assessing distal junctional problems (DJP) after long instrumented spinal fusion in degenerative scoliosis. Methods: Sixty-four patients with degenerative scoliosis and long-segment fixation receiving treatment at our hospital between December 2012 and December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were classified preoperatively and postoperatively (Roussouly classification) and divided into DJP and control groups. We observed whether patients restored to their preoperative Roussouly classification (based on pelvic incidence [PI]) postoperatively. Results: The incidences of DJP were 11.11% and 50% in patients who did and did not match their sagittal Roussouly classification immediately postoperatively, respectively. The adjusted Chi-square test that showed whether the sagittal profile matched the Roussouly classification immediately after surgery was statistically significant (P = 0.012). PIs were 55.83 ± 4.94 and 47.21 ± 10.81 in the DJP and non-DJP groups, respectively (t' = 4.367, P < 0.001). Distal junctional kyphosis angles were 6.33 ± 4.19° and 11.56 ± 5.02° in the DJP and non-DJP groups, respectively (t = − 2.595, P = 0.015). Preoperative PI–lumbar lordosis values were 29.14 ± 13.82 and 16.67 ± 11.39 in the DJP and non-DJP groups, respectively (t = − 2.626, P = 0.013). The logistic regression model showed that patients whose Roussouly classification did not match the postoperative PI value were more likely to have DJP (odds ratio [OR] = 4.01, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.51–31.61) and preoperative distal junctional kyphotic changes. Conclusion: If the postoperative sagittal profile can be restored to match the patient's own PI value, use of the Roussouly classification can greatly reduce the possibility of postoperative DJP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy consumption has dramatically increased in buildings over the past decade. A synthetic urban building energy consumption dataset can be used to estimate energy demand and anthropogenic carbon emission, which overcomes the constraints of real-world datasets, including difficulties in the collection of energy uses from different sources, expense, and time. In this study, a 24-h building energy consumption dataset was designed and established in a hot and humid subtropical region, based on ENVI-met, Energyplus™ and Access software. The dataset considers 72 conditions from three aspects including six built-up local climate zones, seven building categories (five public and two residential buildings), and four widely-used air conditioning systems. A total of 17,400 building energy consumption data were collected. We analyzed the hourly variations of building energy consumption under different conditions, and the factors influencing the building energy consumption. Finally, based on the dataset, taking Tianhe District in Guangzhou as an example, we further explored the hourly spatio-temporal distribution patterns of building energy consumption and daily total building energy consumption distribution using ArcGIS software. This study provides a method for establishing an urban building energy consumption dataset from a local-scale view, which shows a new light on developing the National Building Energy Consumption Database response to global low-carbon action. [Display omitted] • Propose a bottom-up building energy consumption (BEC) accounting method • Establish a LCZ-based BEC dataset based on a series of coupling factors • Present spatio-temporal visualization maps of local-scale BEC • A LCZ-based BEC dataset contributes to design "smart energy network" • The established BEC dataset can be applied to guide smart urban planning [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil liquefaction can be induced by natural events that entail complicated loading directions and magnitudes. To investigate the liquefaction behaviour of granular material under complex loading conditions, a series of strain-controlled cyclic simple shear tests are conducted on the uniform-sized glass beads. These tests include uni-directional and multi-directional loading paths. An energy-based method is used to assist the understanding of the cyclic behaviour of the specimens. After the first liquefaction happens, the specimens are re-consolidated and subjected to monotonic undrained shearing to investigate their post-liquefaction behaviour. The test results indicate that the specimens subjected to multi-directional cyclic shearing are more prone to liquefy than those under uni-directional loading. Furthermore, the cyclic shear strain amplitude and cyclic loading path have significant influences on the soil liquefaction resistance, re-consolidation volumetric strain and post-liquefaction shear strength. Nevertheless, the total energy that is dissipated for liquefying a specimen is only dependent on its relative density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Australian wildfires in 2019–2020 have brought suffering to the Australian people. It is essential to use models to help the Victorian government monitor and predict the occurrence and development of fires to the greatest extent possible under the principles of safety and economy to facilitate rapid response. Through the idea of K -means algorithm and greedy algorithm, we, respectively, analyzed cities and rural areas at different altitudes and combined the altitude with the obtained clusters; the analysis from the established model shows that, for cities, cluster areas with smaller clusters with an altitude of less than 1600 meters and areas with smaller clusters with an altitude of greater than or equal to 1800 meters are covered by an EOC; for areas with larger clusters less than or equal to 600 meters above the sea level and areas with larger clusters greater than or equal to 1000 meters above the sea level, we use two EOCs for coverage; for rural areas, all areas with smaller clusters are covered by one EOC, while for areas with larger clusters where the altitude is less than or equal to 1000 meters and the altitude is greater than or equal to 1600 meters, we use two EOCs for coverage; also, obtained through greedy algorithm analysis, one EOC corresponds to 14 SSA UAVs and 8 repeater UAVs, and two EOCs correspond to 12 repeater UAVs and 26 SSA UAVs. We have a reason to believe that, through our mathematical model and the leaps in drone technology, it will have a long-term and profound impact on Australia's wildfire control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid progress has been made to identify and study the causative agent leading to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) but many questions including who is most susceptible and what determines severity remain unanswered. Angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a key factor in the infection process of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2). In this study, molecularly specific positron emission tomography imaging agents for targeting ACE2 are first developed, and these novel agents are evaluated in vitro, in preclinical model systems, and in a first‐in‐human translational ACE2 imaging of healthy volunteers and a SARS‐CoV‐2 recovered patient (NCT04422457). ACE2 expression levels in different organs in live subjects are quantitatively delineated and observable differences are measured in the patient recovered from COVID‐19. Surprising sites of uptake in the breast, reproductive system and very low uptake in pulmonary tissues are reported. This novel method can add a unique tool to facilitate SARS‐CoV‐2 related research and improve understanding of this enigmatic disease. Molecular imaging provides quantitative annotation of ACE2, the SARS‐CoV‐2 entry receptor, to noninvasively monitor organs impacted by the COVID‐19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid progress has been made to identify and study the causative agent leading to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) but many questions including who is most susceptible and what determines severity remain unanswered. Angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a key factor in the infection process of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2). In this study, molecularly specific positron emission tomography imaging agents for targeting ACE2 are first developed, and these novel agents are evaluated in vitro, in preclinical model systems, and in a first‐in‐human translational ACE2 imaging of healthy volunteers and a SARS‐CoV‐2 recovered patient (NCT04422457). ACE2 expression levels in different organs in live subjects are quantitatively delineated and observable differences are measured in the patient recovered from COVID‐19. Surprising sites of uptake in the breast, reproductive system and very low uptake in pulmonary tissues are reported. This novel method can add a unique tool to facilitate SARS‐CoV‐2 related research and improve understanding of this enigmatic disease. Molecular imaging provides quantitative annotation of ACE2, the SARS‐CoV‐2 entry receptor, to noninvasively monitor organs impacted by the COVID‐19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remaining useful life (RUL) prediction is critical for health management of industrial equipment. It has been widely noted that degradation modeling is a core step for RUL prediction where the Brownian motion (BM)-based models attract much attention. However, the existing BM-based degradation models still have some impractical assumptions, where the increments of a BM are independent and stationary. To extend the application of the degradation models, a bifractional Brownian motion (biFBM)-based degradation model is developed in this article. The biFBM is a process with dependent and nonstationary increments, which includes the BM and fractional Brownian motion (FBM) as special cases. For the proposed degradation model, the estimation of parameters and degradation states as well as the prediction of RUL is further considered. To address the non-Markovian degradation processes, an improved particle filter is designed for degradation state estimation and RUL prediction. The proposed degradation model and RUL prediction method are validated by case studies of turbine engines and a blast furnace wall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To investigate the influence of different risk factors on central lymph node metastasis (CLNM) in the cervical region in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Methods: This retrospective study included 2586 PTC patients. Potential risk factors were identified by univariate analysis, and the relationships between these factors and CLNM were ascertained by multivariable analysis. A scoring system was constructed, and the optimal cut-off value was determined. Results: On univariate analysis, sex, age, tumor diameter, multifocality, capsule invasion, vascular invasion, total number of lymph nodes in the central region, and serum thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) concentration were identified as potential risk factors for CLNM in the cervical region, whereas nerve invasion, thyroid-stimulating hormone concentration, and thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) concentration were not. Multivariable analysis indicated that male sex, young age, large tumor diameter, multifocality, vascular invasion, a large number of central lymph nodes, and a low TPOAb concentration were significant risk factors. From these factors, a preoperative CLNM risk assessment scale was constructed for predicting CLNM in the cervical region for PTC patients. Conclusion: Male sex, young age, large tumor diameter, multifocality, vascular invasion, a large number of central lymph nodes, and a low TPOAb concentration were positively correlated with CLNM in the cervical region in PTC patients. The preoperative CLNM risk assessment scale based on these risk factors is expected to offer accurate preoperative assessment of central lymph node status in PTC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transitioning to higher education opens various possibilities. This qualitative inquiry adds depth to college choice processes by looking into the lives of low-income Chinese students. Semi-structured interview data obtained from 41 college borrowers representing diverse tiers of higher education was described and interpreted using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings, grounded in a conceptual framework that integrates economic and sociological constructs, indicate that student borrowers perceive college as a life-changing tool. Aligned ambitions, encompassing personal effort, parental commitment, and pursuing family honor, pave the way to college. Nonetheless, financial and sociocultural barriers stand in the way of progress. They go down alternative educational trajectories as opposed to the highest possible option. These include enrollment in inappropriate programs at unsuitable institutions caused by budget constraints and limited college knowledge. Thus, inequality reproduces through college admissions, undermining policy efforts to expand education access and equity. Low-income students need more than student loans to fulfill their full academic potential. Sustained, targeted outreach is required to expand access to and choice in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current advances of molecular-targeting therapies for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have improved the overall survival significantly, whereas the results still remain unsatisfied. Recently, much attention has been focused on organelles, such as the mitochondria, to reveal novel strategies to control the cancers. The mitochondria are vital organelles which supply energy and maintain metabolism in most of the eukaryotic cells. They not only execute critical bioenergetic and biosynthetic functions but also regulate ROS homeostasis and apoptosis. Existing in a dynamic equilibrium state, mitochondria constantly undergo the fission and fusion processes in normal situation. Increasing evidences have showed that mitochondrial fission is highly related to the diseases and cancers. Distinctive works have proved the significant effects of mitochondrial fission on HCC behaviors and the crosstalks with other molecular pathways. Here, we provide an overview of the mitochondrial fission and the link with HCC, emphasizing on the underlying molecular pathways and several novel materials that modulate HCC behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new class of π-conjugated conductive metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) were developed as efficient electrocatalysts for both the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Particularly when used as the bifunctional catalysts of an air-cathode, the conductive MOFs can help the all-solid-state Zn–air batteries to achieve a high performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: CXCR4 is one of several "chemokine" receptors expressed on malignant tumors (including GBM and PCNSL) and hematopoietic stem cells. Although 68Ga-pentixafor and 68Ga-NOTA-NFB have been shown to effectively image CXCR4 expression in myeloma and other systemic malignancies, imaging CXCR4 expression in brain tumors has been more limited due to the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and a considerable fraction of CXCR4 staining is intracellular. Methods: We synthesized 6 iodinated and brominated cyclam derivatives with high affinity (low nM range) for CXCR4, since structure-based estimates of lipophilicity suggested rapid transfer across the BBB and tumor cell membranes. Results: We tested 3 iodinated and 3 brominated cyclam derivatives in several CXCR4(+) and CXCR4(−) cell lines, with and without cold ligand blocking. To validate these novel radiolabeled cyclam derivatives for diagnostic CXCR4 imaging efficacy in brain tumors, we established appropriated murine models of intracranial GBM and PCNSL. Based on initial studies, 131I-HZ262 and 76Br-HZ270-1 were shown to be the most avidly accumulated radioligands. 76Br-HZ270-1 was selected for further study in the U87-CXCR4 and PCNSL #15 intracranial tumor models, because of its high uptake (9.5 ± 1.3 %ID/g, SD) and low non-specific uptake (1.6 ± 0.7 %ID/g, SD) in the s.c. U87-CXCR4 tumor models. However, imaging CXCR4 expression in intracranial U87-CXCR4 and PCNSL #15 tumors with 76Br-HZ270-1 was unsuccessful, following either i.v. or spinal-CSF injection. Conclusions: Imaging CXCR4 expression with halogenated cyclam derivatives was successful in s.c. located tumors, but not in CNS located tumors. This was largely due to the following: (i) the hydrophilicity of the radiolabeled analogues—as reflected in the "measured" radiotracer distribution (LogD) in octanol/PBS—which stands in contrast to the structure-based estimate of LogP, which was the rationale for initiating the study and (ii) the presence of a modest BTB in intracranial U87-CXCR4 gliomas and an intact BBB/BTB in the intracranial PCNSL animal model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retention after treatment and effective anchorage control are two essential factors in orthodontics. Our study aimed to explore the effects of fucoidan on orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) and the involvement of macrophages. We established a murine OTM model to test the effect of fucoidan administration. We found that mice injected with fucoidan had a deceleration in OTM and a higher bone mineral density. Moreover, fucoidan increased the proportion of F4/80+CD206+ macrophages and promoted the messenger RNA expression of Arg‐1, CD206, and IL‐10 at both in vivo and in vitro levels. In addition, macrophages showed lower expression of TNF‐α, IL‐1β, and IL‐6 and a decrease in F4/80+CD11c+ cells. Mechanistically, the level of phosphorylated STAT3 was elevated in unpolarized and restorative macrophages after treatment with fucoidan. Taken together, our findings suggest that fucoidan treatment inhibits OTM and enhances the stability of teeth after movement by promoting restorative macrophages through the STAT3 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most neuropsychiatric disease risk variants are in noncoding sequences and lack functional interpretation. Because regulatory sequences often reside in open chromatin, we reasoned that neuropsychiatric disease risk variants may affect chromatin accessibility during neurodevelopment. Using human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)–derived neurons that model developing brains, we identified thousands of genetic variants exhibiting allele-specific open chromatin (ASoC). These neuronal ASoCs were partially driven by altered transcription factor binding, overrepresented in brain gene enhancers and expression quantitative trait loci, and frequently associated with distal genes through chromatin contacts. ASoCs were enriched for genetic variants associated with brain disorders, enabling identification of functional schizophrenia risk variants and their cis-target genes. This study highlights ASoC as a functional mechanism of noncoding neuropsychiatric risk variants, providing a powerful framework for identifying disease causal variants and genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the problem brought from enormous policy documents and complex management in the social security domain, the article uses ontology as the way of representing and storing knowledge. The article first constructs the framework of ontology through manual work so that it can ensure the relative accuracy of the ontology structure. Then it achieves the automatic ontology expansion based on the inclusion relationship of property sets or operational object sets. The article uses a semi-automatic method that extracts hierarchical concepts and non-hierarchical concepts from domain thesaurus by using the method combining statistics with rules to construct the ontology. Besides constructing the ontology, the article proposes the concepts of concept phrase vector model and high frequency characteristics phrase vector model. The experiment result indicates that ontology semi-automatic construction process can help experts to construct the social security ontology effectively oriented on massive policy documents and is a considerable reference for the construction of ontology in other domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The reported rate of surgical site infection (SSI) in breast surgery is often higher than expected. Using antibiotic prophylaxis to reduce SSI is debatable because of the risk of developing bacteria resistance and the cost burden. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of antibiotic prophylaxis in breast surgery and the factors predisposing patients to SSI. Methods: A retrospective-prospective (ambispective) study was conducted in the Department of Breast Surgery, Qilu Hospital, P.R. China. The retrospective antibiotic-using group was composed of patients found to have breast cancer between January 2008 and October 2010. The prospective non-antibiotic-using group was composed of patients identified between November 2010 and November 2013. Pre-operative, peri-operative, and post-operative clinical data were analyzed. Results: The SSI rate of the non-prophylaxis and prophylaxis groups was 1.1% (11/1,022) and 1.2% (12/1,034), respectively. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was related to SSI in the non-prophylaxis group (p = 0.026). Staphylococcus aureus was the predominant microorganism responsible for SSI, without obvious resistance to a widely used first-generation cephalosporin. Conclusions: Peri-operative antibiotic prophylaxis is of no significant value in preventing SSI in breast cancer surgery. Our results indicated that neoadjuvant chemotherapy might be a risk factor doe SSI, but further research is needed because of the sample size disparity between infected and uninfected groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies among women throughout the world and is the major cause of most cancer-related deaths. Several explanations account for the high rate of mortality of breast cancer, and metastasis to vital organs is identified as the principal cause. Over the past few years, intensive efforts have demonstrated that breast cancer exhibits metastatic heterogeneity with distinct metastatic precedence to various organs, giving rise to differences in prognoses and responses to therapy in breast cancer patients. Bone, lung, liver, and brain are generally accepted as the primary target sites of breast cancer metastasis. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of metastatic heterogeneity of breast cancer remains to be further elucidated. Recently, the advent of novel genomic and pathologic approaches as well as technological breakthroughs in imaging analysis and animal modelling have yielded an unprecedented change in our understanding of the heterogeneity of breast cancer metastasis and provided novel insight for establishing more effective therapeutics. This review summarizes recent molecular mechanisms and emerging concepts on the metastatic heterogeneity of breast cancer and discusses the potential of identifying specific molecules against tumor cells or tumor microenvironments to thwart the development of metastatic disease and improve the prognosis of breast cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For some practical industrial systems or components, such as blast furnaces and Li-ion batteries, there are two important factors to model the degradation processes. One is the long-range dependence, which can reflect the non-Markovian nature of the degradation processes. The other factor is the existence of multiple modes, because the operating conditions and external environments inevitably change during the whole lifetime of these systems. In this paper, we first propose a fractional Brownian motion (FBM) based degradation model with long-range dependence and multiple modes, and then consider the prediction of remaining useful life. To identify the multiple modes in the degradation process, we propose a two-step method, including change-points detection and linear segments clustering. In each degradation mode, the degradation rate is assumed to be normally distributed. The means and variances of these distributions can be obtained by the maximum likelihood estimation. To describe the switching between different modes, the continuous-time Markov chain is applied, and its transition rate matrix can be estimated by the historical switching time. An approximation of the first passage time with a predefined threshold can be obtained by a weak convergence theorem and a time-space transformation. A numerical simulation and a practical case of a blast furnace wall are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the value of intra- and peritumoral deep learning (DL) features based on multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for identifying telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter mutation in glioblastoma (GBM). Methods: In this study, we included 229 patients with GBM who underwent preoperative MRI in two hospitals between November 2016 and September 2022. We used four 2D Convolutional Neural Networks (GoogLeNet, DenseNet121, VGG16, and MobileNetV3-Large) to extract intra- and peritumoral DL features. The Mann–Whitney U test, Pearson correlation analysis, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, and logistic regression analysis were used for feature selection and construction of DL radiomics (DLR) signatures in different regions. These multi-parametric and multi-region signatures were combined to identify TERT promoter mutation. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the effects of the signatures. Results: The signatures based on the DL features from the peritumoral regions with expansion distances of 2 mm, 8 mm, and 10 mm using the GoogLeNet architecture correlated with the optimal AUC values (test set:.823,.753, and.768) in the T2-weighted, T1-weighted contrast-enhanced, and T1-weighted images. Using the stacking fusion method, DLR with multi-parameter and multi-region fusion achieved the best discrimination with AUC values of.948 and.902 in the training and test sets, respectively. Conclusions: The radiomics model based on the fusion of multi-parameter MRI intra- and peritumoral DLR signatures may help to identify TERT promoter mutation in patients with GBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetoelectric multiferroic materials with ferroelectric and magnetic orders have great attributed attention in the field of magnetoelectric memories and magnetic resonance devices. Here, we systematically investigated the optical and multiferroic properties of Fe-doped hybrid improper ferroelectricity Ca 3 Ti 2 O 7 prepared by sol-gel method. The distortion of TiO 6 octahedron changes with the content of oxygen vacancy introduced by Fe doping, thus realizing the adjustment of remnant ferroelectric polarization of the samples. The slight blue shift of the Raman band at 667 cm−1 reflected the introduces of oxygen vacancies by Fe doping. The optical bandgaps of the doped samples were reduced after doping, agreeing with the results of the first-principles calculations. With the introduction of Fe3+, the magnetism increases gradually. The first-principles calculation shows that magnetism origins from the Fe-3 d and their surrounding O-2 p orbitals. The Fe-doping Ca 3 Ti 2 O 7 materials realizing the introduction of magnetic properties while regulating its ferroelectric properties are expected to be applied in magnetoelectric memories, optoelectronic devices spintronics and magnetic response devices. [Display omitted] • The Fe-doped Ca 3 Ti 2 O 7 prepared with sol-gel possesses shows low coercivity field and large ferroelectric polarization. • The magnetism increases due to the introduces of Fe3+ in the doped samples, which is attributed to the spin splitting of Fe-3 d and their surrounding O atoms analyzed though first-principles calculations. • The slight blue shift of the Raman band upon Fe doping is attributed to the introduce oxygen vacancies, which also leads to a decrease of the bandgaps. • The O atom has the tendency to get more charge in Fe–O octahedral compared with that in Ti–O octahedral, leading to an enhanced electronegativity in doped Ca 3 Ti 2 O 7. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]