Search

Abstract Background Children’s physical and emotional health are affected by acute cough. Cough severity and influence on quality of life can be measured with specialized questionnaires. This study aimed to present the Chinese version of the 16-item Parent-proxy Children’s Acute Cough-specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAC-QoL16) and examine its validity and reliability. Methods Using independent translations and counter translations, the Chinese version of the PAC-QoL16 was translated, and its suitability was evaluated among the families of five coughing children. Children with acute cough who were hospitalized at the Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University from October 2022 to June 2023 were included, and the caregivers were invited to complete the questionnaire and two cough-related measures (visual analogue score (VAS) and verbal category descriptive (VCD) score) on the day of admission and on the 5th day of treatment. Additionally, the questionnaire’s internal consistency and concurrent validity were evaluated. Results A total of 148 complete and valid questionnaires were collected. Eighty-one males and 67 females composed the 148 children, whose average age was 4.6 years and ranged from 2 to 12 years. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the three domains and the whole score ranged from 0.824 to 0.978. The VAS and VCD scores showed a strong correlation with the overall and domain scores of the PAC-QoL16. After therapy, there were significant decreases in the cough VAS and VCD scores, while the overall and domain scores of the PAC-QoL16 improved (P

Abstract Natural world heritage sites face increasing risk under rapid climate change, especially considering the impacts of climate extremes. However, there is not yet enough understanding of the future extreme climate challenges at global natural world heritage sites. Here we identify the exposure of 250 natural heritage sites to extreme climate events under 4 different future scenarios. We found that by 2100 under the highest emission scenario, 248 out of 250 sites were exposed to extreme climate events. Forest natural world heritage sites may face increasing pressure to complex extreme phenomena under emission rise. In tropical regions, where high temperatures may magnify the vulnerability of biodiversity, we identify 14 natural world heritage sites to be prioritised that are poor in biodiversity and expected to face high temperatures. Hence, there is an urgent need for enhanced climate change adaptation at heritage sites to minimise loss of irreplaceable values.

Abstract Exploring the relationship between discrimination perceptions and subjective well-being among college students with disabilities and the chain-mediated effects of psychological resilience and positive coping styles. Questionnaires were administered to 528 college students with disabilities using the Discrimination Perceptions Scale, Index of Well-Being Scale, Psychological Resilience Scale, and Simple Coping Styles Scale. SPSS 24.0 and Amos 26.0 were used to analyze chained mediation effects and construct structural equation modeling tests. ①Discrimination perception was significantly negatively correlated with subjective well-being (r = -0.294, p < 0.01), psychological resilience(r = -0.427, p < 0.01) and all 3 of its dimensions, and positive coping styles (r = -0.328, p

Abstract Background Myofibroblasts constitute a significant component of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and play a pivotal role in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Integrin α5 (ITGA5) is a crucial regulator in myofibroblasts of malignant tumors. Therefore, the potential of ITGA5 as a novel target for the therapeutic strategy of HCC should be investigated. Methods Digital scanning and analysis of the HCC tissue microarray were performed to locate the distribution of ITGA5 and conduct the prognosis analysis. CRISPR Cas9-mediated ITGA5 knockout was performed to establish the ITGA5-KO myofibroblast cell line. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from LX2 were extracted for the treatment of HCC cells. Subsequently, the sphere-forming ability and the stemness markers expression of the treated HCC cells were examined. An orthotopic HCC mouse model with fibrotic injury was constructed to test the outcomes of ITGA5-targeting therapy and its efficacy in the programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) treatment. Co-immunoprecipitation/mass spectrometry and transcriptome data were integrated to delve into the mechanism. Results The tissue microarray results revealed that ITGA5 was highly enriched in the stromal myofibroblasts of HCC tissues and contributed to enhanced tumor progression and poor prognosis. Notably, ITGA5 transmission via extracellular vesicles (EVs) from myofibroblasts to HCC cells induced the acquisition of cancer stem cell-like properties. Mechanistically, ITGA5 directly bind to YES1, facilitating the activation of YES1 and its downstream pathways, thereby enhancing the stemness of HCC cells. Furthermore, the blockade of ITGA5 impeded tumor progression driven by ITGA5+ myofibroblasts and enhanced the efficacy of treatment with PD-L1 in a mouse model of HCC. Conclusions Our findings elucidated a novel mechanism by which the EV-mediated transfer of ITGA5 from myofibroblasts to tumor cells augmented HCC stemness. ITGA5-targeting therapy helped prevent the progression of HCC and improved the efficacy of PD-L1 treatment. Graphical Abstract

Abstract Using body heat for instance, thermoelectric generators have promising applications for driving wearable electronics continuously but remain a challenge in terms of recoverable flexibility, as known highly-performing thermoelectrics are usually inorganics showing rigidity. It is conceptualized in this work a large elastic strain ensuring both a largely-curved recoverable bending and a full recoverability in thermoelectric performance after enormous bendings. This leads the current work to focus on a microstructure engineering approach for strengthening the elasticity of Ag2Se, in which dense dislocations and refined grain induced by a multi-pass hot-rolling technique enable a significant enhancement in elasticity. The resultant hot-rolled elastic thin thermoelectric generators realize a record bendability, for at least 1,000,000 times at a tiny bending radius of 3 mm with an extraordinary power density. Such a bendability is applicable to the most curved surfaces of a human body, suggesting a promising strategy for powerful wearable thermoelectrics of all inorganics.

Contradiction between ultrafast nucleation and deposition rates of lithium (Li) crystals at high rate and heterogeneity of Li+ flux resulting from concentration polarization has compromised the performance of Li metal anodes especially at high areal capacity and current density. Here, multifunctional protective layer consisting of MoO3 nanobelt films (MoO3-NF) is introduced on the surface of Li by a simple rolling method. The strong binding energy between Li and MoO3 guides the homogeneous nucleation and deposition of Li, while the nanobelt networks provide effective ion channels for uniform distribution of the Li+ flux. Because of the novel multifunctional protective layer, the MoO3-NF@Li anodes demonstrate a remarkable stability for 800 h with ultralow overpotential of 159 mV at extreme harsh conditions of 60 mA·h/cm2 and 60 mA/cm2. MoO3-NF@Li||LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 full-cells can run 100 cycles with a superior capacity retention of 84.2% under practical test conditions, demonstrating great potential for high output and energy-density metal batteries.

Abstract Background The study of codon usage bias is important for understanding gene expression, evolution and gene design, providing critical insights into the molecular processes that govern the function and regulation of genes. Codon Usage Bias (CUB) indices are valuable metrics for understanding codon usage patterns across different organisms without extensive experiments. Considering that there is no one-fits-all index for all species, a comprehensive platform supporting the calculation and analysis of multiple CUB indices for codon optimization is greatly needed. Results Here, we release GenRCA, an updated version of our previous Rare Codon Analysis Tool, as a free and user-friendly website for all-inclusive evaluation of codon usage preferences of coding sequences. In this study, we manually reviewed and implemented up to 31 codon preference indices, with 65 expression host organisms covered and batch processing of multiple gene sequences supported, aiming to improve the user experience and provide more comprehensive and efficient analysis. Conclusions Our website fills a gap in the availability of comprehensive tools for species-specific CUB calculations, enabling researchers to thoroughly assess the protein expression level based on a comprehensive list of 31 indices and further guide the codon optimization.

Ice pigging is an emerging technique for pipe cleaning in drinking water distribution systems. However, substantial confusion and controversy exist on the potential impacts of ice pigging on bulk water quality. This study monitored the microstructural features and composition of sediments and microbial community structures in bulk water in eight multimaterial Chinese networks. Chloride concentration analysis demonstrated that separate cleaning of pipes with different materials in complex networks could mitigate the risk of losing ice pigs and degrading water quality. The microstructural and trace element characterization results showed that ice pigs would scarcely disturb the inner surfaces of long-used pipes. The bacterial richness and diversity of bulk water decreased significantly after ice pigging. Furthermore, correlations were established between pipe service age, temperature, and chloride and total iron concentrations, and the 15 most abundant taxa in bulk water, which could be used to guide practical ice pigging operations.

Abstract Third-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), exemplified by osimertinib, have demonstrated promising clinical efficacy in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Our previous work has identified ASK120067 as a novel third-generation EGFR TKI with remarkable antitumor effects that has undergone New Drug Application (NDA) submission in China. Despite substantial progress, acquired resistance to EGFR-TKIs remains a significant challenge, impeding the long-term effectiveness of therapeutic approaches. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive investigation utilizing high-throughput proteomics analysis on established TKI-resistant tumor models, and found a notable upregulation of branched-chain amino acid transaminase 1 (BCAT1) expression in both osimertinib- and ASK120067-resistant tumors compared with the parental TKI-sensitive NSCLC tumors. Genetic depletion or pharmacological inhibition of BCAT1 impaired the growth of resistant cells and partially re-sensitized tumor cells to EGFR TKIs. Mechanistically, upregulated BCAT1 in resistant cells reprogrammed branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) metabolism and promoted alpha ketoglutarate (α-KG)-dependent demethylation of lysine 27 on histone H3 (H3K27) and subsequent transcriptional derepression of glycolysis-related genes, thereby enhancing glycolysis and promoting tumor progression. Moreover, we identified WQQ-345 as a novel BCAT1 inhibitor exhibiting antitumor activity both in vitro and in vivo against TKI-resistant lung cancer with high BCAT1 expression. In summary, our study highlighted the crucial role of BCAT1 in mediating resistance to third-generation EGFR-TKIs through epigenetic activation of glycolysis in NSCLC, thereby supporting BCAT1 as a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of TKI-resistant NSCLC.

BackgroundPrevious studies primarily focused on the effects of ALT and virology, but there is a lack of research on the correlations of HBcrAg and pgRNA, two novel virologic markers, with immunological parameters in pregnant women with CHB undergoing prophylactic antiviral intervention.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study involving 28 HBeAg-positive pregnant women with CHB undergoing prophylactic antiviral intervention. Clinical data, virological markers (HBV DNA, HBsAg, HBeAg, HBcrAg and pgRNA) and 28 cytokines were detected at three time points: 24-28 weeks gestation (before prophylactic antiviral intervention), near birth and within 3 months postpartum.ResultsPgRNA was moderately (correlation coefficient between 0.4 and 0.6) positively correlated with Th1-type cytokines (IFN-γ, IL12p70, IL2, and TNF-α), Th17-type cytokines (IL21), Th2-type cytokines (IL10, IL4, and IL5), and cytokines regulating cell proliferation and differentiation (CTLA4, IL15, IL23, and TGF-β1) and moderately negatively correlated with EGF (correlation coefficient = -0.4), while ALT, HBV-DNA, HBsAg and HBcrAg were insignificantly correlated with cytokines at 24-28 weeks of gestation. Most cytokines tended to be elevated, with statistically significant increases observed only for the chemokines IP10 and MCP-1 during pregnancy. Most cytokines were significantly increased in postpartum women with virologic rebound after treatment discontinuation postpartum, but no significant change in the Th1/Th2 ratio. Changes in virologic markers were significantly correlated with cytokines. Immune activation was more pronounced in postpartum women who developed ALT flare compared to who did not, with Th1-type cytokines (especially IL12p40) and chemokines being main differential cytokines.ConclusionPgRNA was more closely correlated with cytokine profiles, and postpartum ALT flare may be the result of the interaction between Th1-type cytokines and chemokines.

Accurate state-of-charge (SOC) estimation is crucial for optimal battery management. This paper proposes a novel method, the Improved Sparrow Search Algorithm-Backpropagation (ISSA-BP) neural network, to address the issue of low estimation accuracy encountered with a single BP neural network. ISSA is used to optimize the initial weights and thresholds of the BP neural network, effectively overcoming its tendency to get stuck in local minima. Compared to the single BP neural network, ISSA-BP demonstrates significantly improved accuracy under two conditions (DST and BJDST), with reductions in root mean square error by 64.0% and 50.9% and mean absolute error by 69.8% and 51.1%, respectively. These results highlight the superior robustness and accuracy of the ISSA-BP algorithm for SOC estimation in lithium batteries.

Dynamic tracking analysis of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) biotransformation in vivo is crucial, as certain modifications could inactivate the protein and reduce drug efficacy. However, a particular challenge (i.e. immune recognition deficiencies) in biotransformation studies may arise when modifications occur at the paratope recognized by the antigen. To address this limitation, a multi-epitope affinity technology utilizing the metal organic framework (MOF)@Au@peptide@aptamer composite material was proposed and developed by simultaneously immobilizing complementarity determining region (CDR) mimotope peptide (HH24) and non-CDR mimotope aptamer (CH1S-6T) onto the surface of MOF@Au nanocomposite. Comparative studies demonstrated that MOF@Au@peptide@aptamer exhibited significantly enhanced enrichment capabilities for trastuzumab variants in comparison to mono-epitope affinity technology. Moreover, the higher deamidation ratio for LC-Asn-30 and isomerization ratio for HC-Asn-55 can only be monitored by the novel bioanalytical platform based on MOF@Au@peptide@aptamer and liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight-mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS). Therefore, multi-epitope affinity technology could effectively overcome the biases of traditional affinity materials for key sites modification analysis of mAb. Particularly, the novel bioanalytical platform can be successfully used for the tracking analysis of trastuzumab modifications in different biological fluids. Compared to the spiked phosphate buffer (PB) model, faster modification trends were monitored in the spiked serum and patients' sera due to the catalytic effect of plasma proteins and relevant proteases. Differences in peptide modification levels of trastuzumab in patients' sera were also monitored. In summary, the novel bioanalytical platform based on the multi-epitope affinity technology holds great potentials for in vivo biotransformation analysis of mAb, contributing to improved understanding and paving the way for future research and clinical applications.

The ongoing evolution and immune escape of SARS-CoV-2, alongside the potential threat of SARS-CoV-1 and other sarbecoviruses, underscore the urgent need for effective strategies against their infection and transmission. This study highlights the discovery of nanobodies from immunized alpacas, which demonstrate exceptionally broad and potent neutralizing capabilities against the recently emerged and more divergent SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants including JD.1.1, JN.1, KP.3, KP.3.1.1, as well as SARS-CoV-1 and coronaviruses from bats and pangolins utilizing receptor ACE2. Among these, Tnb04-1 emerges as the most broad and potent, binding to a conserved hydrophobic pocket in the spike's receptor-binding domain, distinct from the ACE2 binding site. This interaction disrupts the formation of a proteinase K-resistant core, crucial for viral-cell fusion. Notably, intranasal administration of Tnb04-1 in Syrian hamsters effectively prevented respiratory infection and transmission of the authentic Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant. Thus, Thb04-1 holds promise in combating respiratory acquisition and transmission of diverse sarbecoviruses.

Summary: Background: The spread of emerging SARS-CoV-2 immune escape sublineages, especially JN.1 and KP.2, has resulted in new waves of COVID-19 globally. The evolving memory B cell responses elicited by the parental Omicron variants to subvariants with substantial antigenic drift remain incompletely investigated. Methods: Using the single B cell antibody cloning technology, we isolated single memory B cells, delineated the B cell receptor repertoire and conducted the pseudovirus-based assay for recovered neutralizing antibodies (NAb) screening. We analyzed the cryo-EM structures of top broadly NAbs (bnAbs) and evaluated their in vivo efficacy (golden Syrian hamster model). Findings: By investigating the evolution of human B cell immunity, we discovered a new panel of bnAbs arising from vaccinees after Omicron BA.2/BA.5 breakthrough infections. Two lead bnAbs neutralized major Omicron subvariants including JN.1 and KP.2 with IC50 values less than 10 ng/mL, representing ultrapotent receptor binding domain (RBD)-specific class I bnAbs. They belonged to the IGHV3-53/3-66 clonotypes instead of evolving from the pre-existing vaccine-induced IGHV1-58/IGKV3-20 bnAb ZCB11. Despite sequence diversity, they targeted previously unrecognized, highly conserved conformational epitopes in the receptor binding motif (RBM) for ultrapotent ACE2 blockade. The lead bnAb ZCP3B4 not only protected the lungs of hamsters intranasally challenged with BA.5.2, BQ.1.1 and XBB.1.5 but also prevented their contact transmission. Interpretation: Our findings demonstrated that class I bnAbs have evolved an ultrapotent mode of action protecting against highly transmissible and broad Omicron escape variants, and their epitopes are potential targets for novel bnAbs and vaccine development. Funding: A full list of funding bodies that contributed to this study can be found in the Acknowledgements section.

Motivated by the promising benefits of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) in improving fuel efficiency, mitigating congestion, and enhancing safety, numerous theoretical models have been proposed to plan CAV multiple-step trajectories (time–specific speed/location trajectories) to accomplish various operations. However, limited efforts have been made to develop proper trajectory control techniques to regulate vehicle movements to follow multiple-step trajectories and test the performance of theoretical trajectory planning models with field experiments. Without an effective control method, the benefits of theoretical models for CAV trajectory planning can be difficult to harvest. This study proposes an online learning-based model predictive vehicle trajectory control structure to follow time–specific speed and location profiles. Unlike single-step controllers that are dominantly used in the literature, a multiple-step model predictive controller is adopted to control the vehicle’s longitudinal movements for higher accuracy. The model predictive controller output (speed) cannot be interpreted by vehicles. A reinforcement learning agent is used to convert the speed value to the vehicle’s direct control variable (i.e., throttle/brake). The reinforcement learning agent captures real-time changes in the operating environment. This is valuable in saving parameter calibration resources and improving trajectory control accuracy. A line tracking controller keeps vehicles on track. The proposed control structure is tested using reduced-scale robot cars. The adaptivity of the proposed control structure is demonstrated by changing the vehicle load. Then, experiments on two fundamental CAV platoon operations (i.e., platooning and split) show the effectiveness of the proposed trajectory control structure in regulating robot movements to follow time–specific reference trajectories.

The combat domain of modern warfare is becoming increasingly multidimensional. It is important to evaluate the resilience of the air-ground cooperative network for defending against attack threats and recovery performance. First, a resilience analysis model was proposed to effectively analyze and evaluate the resilience of the air-ground cooperative network. Then, considering the available resources, three dynamic reconfiguration strategies were given from the global perspective to help the air-ground cooperative network quickly recover performance and enhance combat capabilities. Finally, a typical 50-node network was taken as an example to prove the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed model. The proposed method can provide scientific guidance for improving the air-ground cooperative network combat capabilities.

Abstract Background Isolated microspore culture is a useful biotechnological technique applied in modern plant breeding programs as it can produce doubled haploid (DH) plants and accelerate the development of new varieties. Furthermore, as a single-cell culture technique, the isolated microspore culture provides an excellent platform for studying microspore embryogenesis. However, the reports on isolated microspore culture are rather limited in rice due to the low callus induction rate, poor regeneration capability, and high genotypic dependency. The present study developed an effective isolated microspore culture protocol for high-frequency androgenesis in four japonica rice genotypes. Several factors affecting the isolated microspore culture were studied to evaluate their effects on callus induction and plantlet regeneration. Results Low-temperature pre-treatment at 4 ℃ for 10–15 days could effectively promote microspore embryogenesis in japonica rice. A simple and efficient method was proposed for identifying the microspore developmental stage. The anthers in yellow-green florets located on the second type of primary branch on the rice panicle were found to be the optimal stage for isolated microspore culture. The most effective induction media for callus induction were IM2 and IM3, depending on the genotype. The optimal concentration of 2, 4-D in the medium for callus induction was 1 mg/L. Callus induction was negatively affected by a high concentration of KT over 1.5 mg/L. The differentiation medium suitable for japonica rice microspore callus comprised 1/2 MS, 2 mg/L 6-BA, 0.5 mg/L NAA, 30 g/L sucrose, and 6 g/L agar. The regeneration frequency of the four genotypes ranged from 61–211 green plantlets per 100 mg calli, with Chongxiangjing showing the highest regeneration frequency. Conclusions This study presented an efficient protocol for improved callus induction and green plantlet regeneration in japonica rice via isolated microspore culture, which could provide valuable support for rice breeding and genetic research.

Abstract Film and movie genres play a pivotal role in captivating relevant audiences across interactive multimedia platforms. With a focus on entertainment, streaming providers are increasingly prioritizing the automatic generation of movie genres within cloud-based media services. In service management, the integration of a hybrid convolutional network proves to be instrumental in effectively distinguishing between a diverse array of video genres. This classification process not only facilitates more refined recommendations and content filtering but also enables targeted advertising. Furthermore, given the frequent amalgamation of components from various genres in cinema, there arises a need for social media networks to incorporate real-time video classification mechanisms for accurate genre identification. In this study, we propose a novel architecture leveraging deep learning techniques for the detection and classification of genres in video films. Our approach entails the utilization of a bidirectional long- and short-term memory (BiLSTM) network, augmented with video descriptors extracted from EfficientNet-B7, an ImageNet pre-trained convolutional neural network (CNN) model. By employing BiLSTM, the network acquires robust video representations and proficiently categorizes movies into multiple genres. Evaluation on the LMTD dataset demonstrates the substantial improvement in the performance of the movie genre classifier system achieved by our proposed architecture. Notably, our approach achieves both computational efficiency and precision, outperforming even the most sophisticated models. Experimental results reveal that EfficientNet-BiLSTM achieves a precision rate of 93.5%. Furthermore, our proposed architecture attains state-of-the-art performance, as evidenced by its F1 score of 0.9012.

Abstract Background To compare the clinical characteristics and prognoses of patients with isolated regional lymph node recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (irrNPC) who underwent surgery or re-irradiation treatment. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 124 irrNPC patients who underwent initial radiotherapy between January 2010 and December 2020. The staging of regional lymph node recurrence was as follows: 75.8% for rN1, 14.5% for rN2, and 9.7% for rN3. Fifty-five patients underwent regional lymph node surgery (Surgery group), and sixty-nine patients received salvage radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy (Re-irradiation group). The survival rate was compared using Kaplan‒Meier analysis and evaluated by the log-rank test. Cox proportional hazard models were used to analyze prognostic factors. Results The median follow-up time was 70 months, the 5-year overall survival (OS) was 74%, and the median survival time was 60.8 months. There were no significant differences in 5-year OS (75.6% vs. 72.4%, P = 0.973), regional recurrence-free survival (RRFS, 62.7% vs. 71.1%, P = 0.330) or distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS, 4.2% vs.78.7%, P = 0.677) between the Surgery group and Re-irradiation group. Multivariate analysis revealed age at recurrence, radiologic extra-nodal extension (rENE) status, and recurrent lymph node (rN) classification as independent prognostic factors for OS. The rENE status was an independent prognostic factor for DMFS. Subgroup analysis of the Surgery group revealed that the rN3 classification was an adverse prognostic factor for OS. Age at recurrence ≥ 50 years, GTV-N dose, and induction chemotherapy were found to be independent prognostic factors for OS, RRFS, and DMFS, respectively, in the Re-irradiation group. Conclusions For NPC patients with isolated regional lymph node recurrence after initial radiotherapy, those who underwent surgery had survival prognosis similar to those who underwent re-radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy. A prospective study is needed to validate these findings.

Background and aims: There is no evidence on the longitudinal and causal associations between multiple pesticides and the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the Chinese rural population, and whether physical activity (PA) modified these associations remains unclear. Here, we aimed to investigate the longitudinal and causal associations between pesticides mixture and T2DM, and determine whether PA modified these associations. Methods: A total of 925 subjects with normal glucose and 925 subjects with impaired fasting glucose (IFG) were enrolled in this case-cohort study. A total of 51 targeted pesticides were quantified at baseline. Logistic regression, quantile g-computation, and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) were used to assess the individual and combined effects of pesticides on IFG and T2DM. Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was employed to obtain the causal association between pesticides and T2DM. Results: After 3-year follow-up, one-unit increment in ln-isofenphos, ln-malathion, and ln-deltamethrin were associated with an increase conversion of IFG to T2DM (FDR-P

Summary: Photocatalysis has shown great potential in organic reactions, while controlling the selectivity is a long-standing goal and challenge due to the involvement of various radical intermediates. In this study, we have realized selectivity control in the photocatalytic conversion of alcohols via engineering the surface static electric field of the CdS semiconductor. By leveraging the Au–CdS interaction to adjust lattice strain, which influences the intensity of the surface static electric field, we altered the pathways of alcohol conversion. The increased intensity of the surface static electric field changed the activation pathways of the C–H/O–H bond, leading to the selective formation of targeted C/O-based radical intermediates and altering the selectivity from aldehydes to dimers. A wide range of alcohols, such as aromatic alcohol and thiophenol alcohol, were selectively converted into aldehyde or dimer. This work provides an effective strategy for selectively controlling reaction pathways by generating a surface electric field.

Abstract To tackle misdiagnosis in lung cancer screening with low‐dose computed tomography (LDCT), we aimed to compile a genome atlas for differentiating benign, preinvasive, and invasive lung nodules and characterize their molecular pathogenesis. We collected 432 lung nodule tissue samples from Chinese patients, spanning benign, atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH), adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS), minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA), and invasive adenocarcinoma (IA). We performed comprehensive sequencing, examining somatic variants, gene expressions, and methylation levels. Our findings uncovered EGFR and TP53 mutations as key drivers in ‐ early lung cancer development, with EGFR mutation frequency increasing with disease progression. Both EGFR mutations and EGF/EGFR hypo‐methylation activated the EGFR pathway, fueling cancer growth. Transcriptome analysis identified four lung nodule subtypes (G1‐4) with distinct molecular features and immune cell infiltrations: EGFR‐driven G1, EGFR/TP53 co‐mutation G2, inflamed G3, stem‐like G4. Estrogen/androgen response was associated with the EGFR pathway, proposing a new therapy combining tyrosine kinase inhibitors with antiestrogens. Preinvasive nodules exhibited stem cell pathway enrichment, potentially hindering invasion. Epigenetic regulation of various genes was essential for lung cancer initiation and development. This study provides insights into the molecular mechanism of neoplastic progression and identifies potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for lung cancer.

Not available.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the chemopreventive effect of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) against COVID-19 and to analyze infection risk factors, symptoms, and recovery in outpatients with UDCA exposure.Methods: The study enrolled outpatients prescribed UDCA from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, China, between 01 July 2022, and 31 December 2022. Data on demographics, comorbidities, and drug combinations were collected using electronic medical records. COVID-19 infection, symptoms, severity, prognosis, vaccinations, and UDCA administration were surveyed by telephone interviews. UDCA non-users served as controls and were matched in a 1:2 ratio with UDCA users using propensity score matching with the nearest neighbor algorithm. Infection rates, symptomatology, severity, and prognosis were compared between matched and control cohorts, and risk factors and infection and recovery symptoms were analyzed in UDCA-exposed outpatients.Results: UDCA-exposed outpatients (n = 778, 74.8%) and matched UDCA users (n = 95, 74.2%) showed significantly lower SARS-CoV-2 infection rates than control patients (n = 59, 92.2%) (p < 0.05). The matched UDCA group exhibited substantially lower fever, cough, sore throat, and fatigue rates than controls (p < 0.05). Participants with UDCA exposure generally experienced mild symptoms, while those without UDCA had moderate symptoms. The matched UDCA group also had significantly shorter durations of fever and cough (p < 0.05). Risk factors such as age over 60, less than 1 month of UDCA administration, diabetes mellitus, and coronary artery disease significantly increased SARS-CoV-2 infection rates (p < 0.05), while smoking led to a decrease (p < 0.05). Hypertension was associated with a prolonged COVID-19 recovery (p < 0.05), while smoking, vaccination, and fatty liver disease were associated with shorter recovery periods (p < 0.05). The main symptoms in the full UDCA cohort were fever, cough, and sore throat, with fatigue, cough, and hyposthenia being the most persistent.Conclusion: UDCA demonstrated chemopreventive effect against SARS-CoV-2 in outpatients by significantly reducing infection incidence and mitigating COVID-19 symptoms, severity, and recovery duration. Old age, short UDCA course, and comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus and CAD increased infection rates, while hypertension prolonged recovery. Smoking, vaccination, and fatty liver disease reduced infection rates and shortened recovery. UDCA had minimal impact on symptom types. Larger and longer-term clinical studies are needed further to assess UDCA’s effectiveness in COVID-19 prevention or treatment.

This study investigated the effects of ordinary limestone powder (OLP) and two ultrafine limestone powders (ULPs) on the early and late age hydration characteristics of cement pastes with low water-to-binder (w/b) ratios of 0.21. The compressive strengths and autogenous shrinkage rates were also examined. Calorimetry and setting data showed that finer limestone powder (LP) significantly shortened the induction period and setting time of the paste and accelerated the early hydration reaction. The kinetic model showed that the rates of nucleation and crystal growth (NG), phase boundary reaction (I), and diffusion (D) increased, and the duration of process I decreased with increasing LP fineness. This indicated that the increased rate from the early hydration reaction was closely related to accelerated nucleation of smaller LP particles. Thermogravimetric-differential thermal analyses (TG-DTA) revealed that the finer LPs generated more hydration products and improved hydration degree in the later stages. Moreover, under favorable conditions for nucleation and increased effective w/b ratios, the hydration products of the LP pastes were formed rapidly, exceeding those of the pure paste at late stages. A finer LP increased the compressive strength and autogenous shrinkage, but due to the reduction in clinker, the compressive strength and autogenous shrinkage were lower than those of the pure paste. Mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) showed that the cumulative volume of the pores greater than 50 nm decreased when the LP was finer, thus increasing the compressive strength and autogenous shrinkage. The incorporation of 25 vol% ULP (dv,50 = 2.653 μm) decreased the CO2 emissions per unit 28-day compressive strength by 17.34% compared to those of the pure paste. This study improves our understanding of the hydration behavior and properties of ULPs in cement-based materials with low w/b ratios and improves the use of LPs in HPC and UHPC.

Highlights The innovation of this work mainly lies in the auto-regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) balance effective by combination of ROS antibacterial and ROS scavenging anti-inflammatory functions with a core–shell nanoplatform (CeO2@ZIF-8/Au), which can not only achieve high antibacterial efficiency, but also promote wound healing, and provide a new idea for the nano-catalytic system in the field of wound healing of bacterial infection.

Abstract Laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD) is a condition characterized by the regurgitation of stomach and duodenal contents into the laryngopharynx, with variable and non-specific symptoms. Therefore, developing an accurate symptom scale for different regions is essential. Notably, the symptoms of “dryness and burning sensation in the laryngopharynx or mouth” are prevalent among the Chinese population but are often omitted from conventional symptom assessment scales, such as the Reflux Symptom Index (RSI) and Reflux Symptom Score-12 (RSS-12) scales. To address this gap, our study incorporated the symptoms into the RSI and RSS-12 scales, developing the RSI-10/RSS-13 scales. Afterward, we assessed the role of the new scale’s reliability (Cronbach’s α and test–retest reliability), construct validity (confirmatory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis), and diagnostic efficiency. Our study encompassed 479 participants (average = 39.5 ± 13.4 years, 242 female) and 91 (average = 34.01 ± 13.50 years, 44 female) completed 24 h MII-pH monitoring. The Cronbach’s α values of 0.80 and 0.82 for the RSI-10 and RSS-13 scales, respectively. RSI-10 and RSS-13 exhibited strong test–retest reliability (ICCs = 0.82–0.96) and diagnostic efficacy (AUC = 0.84–0.85). Furthermore, the factor analysis identified the RSS-13 and its three sub-scales (ear-nose-throat, digestive tract, respiratory tract) exhibited good to excellent structural validity (χ2/df = 1.95, P

Receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase OsBSK1-2 was reported to play an important role in regulation of response to rice blast, but the signaling pathway remained unknown. In this study, we identified OsMAPKKK18 and previously uncharacterized MAPKKKs OsMAPKKK16 and OsMAPKKK19 that interact with OsBSK1-2. Expression of all three MAPKKKs was induced by Magnaporthe oryzae infection, and all three induced cell death when transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. Knockout of OsMAPKKK16 and OsMAPKKK18 compromised blast resistance and overexpression of OsMAPKKK19 increased blast resistance, indicating that all three MAPKKKs are involved in regulation of rice blast response. Furthermore, both OsMAPKKK16 and OsMAPKKK19 interacted with and phosphorylated OsMKK4 and OsMKK5, and chitin-induced MAPK activation was suppressed in osmapkkk16 and osbsk1-2 mutants. OsMAPKKK18 was earlier reported to interact with and phosphorylate OsMKK4 and affect chitin-induced MAPK activation, suggesting that OsBSK1-2 is involved in regulation of immunity through multiple MAPK signaling pathways. Unlike BSK1 in Arabidopsis, OsBSK1-2 was not involved in response to avirulent M. oryzae strains. Taken together, our results revealed important roles of OsMAPKKK16/18/19 and a OsBSK1-2-OsMAPKKK16/18/19-OsMKK4/5 module in regulating response to rice blast.

Background: The large number of mildly disabled elderly people in China has resulted in the occupation of a large amount of public social resources. They have also imposed a serious social burden on the society. This study predicts that changes in the level coefficients of physical functioning, motor participation, and external environment are associated with quality of life (QoL) among the elderly with mild disabilities in nursing homes. Methods: A simulation model was created using the system dynamics method. Meanwhile, a 50-day simulation was used to predict the subsequent changes in the level of QoL of the elderly. This study was completed in the nursing homes of Chengdu, China, using random sampling and 85 elderly subjects participated to obtain the primary data. The data were analyzed using the Vensim software. Results: The results showed that the level of physical functioning (pain value of 0.241, autonomy of 0.163, and chronic disease of 0.192), the level of motor participation (education value of 0.186, and rehabilitation partner of 0.21), and the level of external environment (medical care value of 0.26, and rehabilitation environment value of 0.184) lead to subsequent changes in the level of QoL of mildly disabled elderly in nursing homes in 30 days. Conclusion: Considering the results of this simulation study, changes in the level of physical functioning, exercise participation, and external environment could forecast the QoL of mildly disabled elderly in the nursing homes of Chania, China. It is necessary to make the required changes in the nursing homes to promote the QoL of these groups.

To enhance the accuracy and efficiency of the deflection response measurement of concrete bridges with a non-contact scheme and address the ill-conditioned nature of the inverse problem in influence line (IL) identification, this study introduces a computer-vision-aided deflection IL identification method that integrates edge detection and time-domain forward inference (TDFI). The methodology proposed in this research leverages computer vision technology with edge detection to surpass traditional contact-based measurement methods, greatly enhancing the operational efficiency and applicability of IL identification and, in particular, addressing the challenge of accurately measuring small deflections in concrete bridges. To mitigate the limitations of the Lucas–Kanade (LK) optical flow method, such as unclear feature points within the camera’s field of view and occasional point loss in certain video frames, an edge detection technique is employed to identify maximum values in the first-order derivatives of the image, creating virtual tracking points at the bridge edges through image processing. By precisely defining the bridge boundaries, only the essential structural attributes are preserved to enhance the reliability of minimal deflection deformations under vehicular loads. To tackle the ill-posed nature of the inverse problem, a TDFI model is introduced to identify IL, recursively capturing the static bridge response generated by the bridge under the influence of successive axles of a multi-axle vehicle. The IL is then computed by dividing the response by the weight of the preceding axle. Furthermore, an axle weight ratio reduction coefficient is proposed to mitigate noise amplification issues, ensuring that the weight of the preceding axle surpasses that of any other axle. To validate the accuracy and robustness of the proposed method, it is applied to numerical examples of a simply supported concrete beam, indoor experiments on a similar beam, and field tests on a three-span continuous concrete beam bridge.

Cold temperature storage (lower than 10 °C) has been used as a management strategy to extend marketability and reduce potato storage losses. However, cold temperatures may result in dark-colored chips through a process known as cold-induced sweetening (CIS). ‘Dakota Crisp’ and ‘Dakota Diamond’ are two North Dakota State University potato breeding program cultivar releases selected for cold-chipping ability with high tuber yield potential. Two-year storage trials were conducted to examine sugar development and tuber processing quality of four cultivars grown at three nitrogen rates under irrigated and non-irrigated field conditions. The two-way interaction between storage period and storage temperature was significant for sucrose content, glucose content, visual chip color, and Agtron values, indicating a difference in sugar development for each storage temperature profile. Among the four cultivars evaluated under both irrigated and non-irrigated production conditions, ‘Dakota Pearl’ accumulated significantly less sucrose and glucose compared to other cultivars under the same storage conditions. ‘Dakota Crisp’ produced acceptable chip color from 8.9 °C after long term storage, while ‘Dakota Diamond’ produced acceptable chip color from 8.9 °C for up to 6 months of storage. These results emphasize the importance of developing cultivar-specific management profiles including storage and the informational need for producers and processors in determining the best practices for individual cultivars.

In recent years, Chinese college graduates have faced a challenging employment situation, calling for an analysis of the social stratification function of higher education. This paper used linear regression to analyze factors influencing the occupational status attainment of college graduates. The social stratification function of higher education was found to be significant. Educational factors were essential for occupational status attainment. Nevertheless, new graduates' occupational status could also be affected by individual and family factors. On the whole, college graduates achieved stratum promotion. Men had higher occupational status and longer mobility distance than women, and rural graduates had higher occupational status and longer mobility distance than urban graduates.

ObjectiveGestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the most common complications of pregnancy, which is increasing annually. GDM can cause serious harm to both the mother and the offspring. However, the clinical indicators that predict pregnancy outcomes with GDM remain limited.MethodsThis study included 3,229 pregnancies. Inflammatory markers were defective in the mother’s peripheral blood. Also, the Chi-square test, logistic regression analyses and Spearman rank correlation coefficient were performed to evaluate inflammatory markers with pregnancy outcomes. The association between inflammatory markers and pregnancy outcomes was analyzed. The optimal cut-off values of inflammatory markers were calculated.ResultsFinally, 3,229 women were included. 1852 (57.36%) participants suffered good pregnancy outcomes. This study revealed that the maternal age, the baseline BMI (kg/m2), the times of parity, and the level of lymphocyte, SII and SIRI significantly increased in poor pregnancy outcomes groups. Additionally, inflammatory markers, such as white blood cells (WBC), neutrophils, monocytes, platelet counts, lymphocytes, systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) were related to pregnancy outcomes. Furthermore, the results revealed that the SII level had the highest odd rates (OR) [OR = 6.957; 95% CI (5.715–8.468)], followed by SIRI level [OR = 2.948; 95% CI (2.382–3.649)], the WBC counts [OR = 1.930; 95% CI (0.901–2.960)], the lymphocyte counts [OR = 1.668; 95% CI (1.412–1.970)], and baseline BMI [OR = 1.050; 95% (1.021–1.080)].ConclusionThis study presented that the baseline SII and SIRI levels can be valuable biochemical markers to predict the pregnancy outcome with GDM with non-invasive procedures. They can help identify high-risk pregnant women with GDM early, provide a personalized intervention in time, and enhance perinatal surveillance.

Tea bud detection is the first step in the precise picking of famous teas. Accurate and fast tea bud detection is crucial for achieving intelligent tea bud picking. However, existing detection methods still exhibit limitations in both detection accuracy and speed due to the intricate background of tea buds and their small size. This study uses YOLOv5 as the initial network and utilizes attention mechanism to obtain more detailed information about tea buds, reducing false detections and missed detections caused by different sizes of tea buds; The addition of Spatial Pyramid Pooling Fast (SPPF) in front of the head to better utilize the attention module’s ability to fuse information; Introducing the lightweight convolutional method Group Shuffle Convolution (GSConv) to ensure model efficiency without compromising accuracy; The Mean-Positional-Distance Intersection over Union (MPDIoU) can effectively accelerate model convergence and reduce the training time of the model. The experimental results demonstrate that our proposed method achieves precision (P), recall rate (R) and mean average precision (mAP) of 93.38%, 89.68%, and 95.73%, respectively. Compared with the baseline network, our proposed model’s P, R, and mAP have been improved by 3.26%, 11.43%, and 7.68%, respectively. Meanwhile, comparative analyses with other deep learning methods using the same dataset underscore the efficacy of our approach in terms of P, R, mAP, and model size. This method can accurately detect the tea bud area and provide theoretical research and technical support for subsequent tea picking.

The precise fault localization holds significant importance in reducing power outage duration and frequency in power systems. The widespread application of synchrophasor measurement technology (PMU) has laid the foundation for achieving accurate fault localization in distribution networks. However, fault localization methods based on PMU often suffer from a significant decrease in accuracy due to topological reconstruction and inaccurate parameters. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a fault location method for distribution networks based on Multi-head Graph Attention Networks (GATs). The proposed method begins by modeling the distribution network as a graph, where nodes represent network components and edges represent the connections between these components. GATs have been employed to learn the underlying relationships between topological structure and electrical characteristics of the distribution network. The results demonstrate that our approach outperforms traditional fault location methods in terms of accuracy and speed. The proposed method achieves high precision which reducing the time required for fault location and enabling faster response times for network maintenance personnel.

Abstract Lane width is crucial for traffic safety management. Previous studies have shown that inappropriate width will lead to an increase in accident probability and unsafe driving behaviors. However, there have been limited studies on determination method of special lane width for different models, especially for passenger cars. To tackle this problem, the lateral driving behavior characteristics of the expressway need to be clarified. This work aims to obtain the appropriate lane width according to the vehicles' width and lateral position characteristics. In this study, the lane lateral residual width (the distance between the vehicle body's contour and the lane marking on the same side) and the lateral safety margin are extracted as characterization indices of vehicle lateral characteristics from natural driving trajectory data of expressways. The effect of vehicle type, driving speed, and lane position on the expressway's trajectory behavior is investigated. The results show that the utilization rate of lane width is higher in the outer lane compared to the inner lane. As driving speed increases, vehicles in the inner and middle lanes exhibit shy away effect, moving away from obstacles. Substantial variations exist in the lateral width of lanes among different vehicle types. When driving in the same lane, passenger cars' lane lateral residual width that is 0.4–0.5 m wider than that of heavy vehicles. The recommended lane width for the safe operation of trucks on expressways is 3.75 m. After a comprehensive analysis of vehicle width, trajectory oscillation, and lateral safety margin, this study proposes a minimum lane width of 3.25 m and a recommended general width of 3.5 m for a passenger car‐only expressway. This study holds great significance in enhancing road safety and provides a valuable theoretical foundation for the design of lane width in a passenger car‐only expressway.

BackgroundMalnutrition, despite being a common complication, is often neglected in patients with hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF). The objective of this study was to develop a simplified nutritional prognostic score to accurately predict mortality in HBV-ACLF patients.MethodsIn this multicenter retrospective study, clinical data from 530 HBV-ACLF patients were used to create a new prognostic score, which was then validated in two external cohorts (n = 229 and 248).ResultsFour independent factors were significantly associated with 28-day mortality in HBV-ACLF patients, forming a novel prognostic score (ALTA score = 0.187 × age—0.849 × lymphocyte count—2.033 × total cholesterol—0.148 × albumin—0.971). Notably, the AUROC of ALTA score for 28/90-day mortality (0.950/0.967) were significantly higher than those of three other ACLF prognostic scores (COSSH-ACLF II, 0.864/0.734; MELD, 0.525/0.488; MELD-Na, 0.546/0.517; all P < 0.001), and three known nutritional scores (CONUT, 0.739/0.861; OPNI, 0.279/0.157; NRS-2002, 0.322/0.286; all P < 0.001). The prediction error rates of ALTA score for 28-day mortality were significantly lower than COSSH-ACLF II (7.3%), MELD (14.4%), MELD-Na (12.7%), CONUT (9.0%), OPNI (30.6%), and NRS2002 (34.1%) scores. Further classifying ALTA score into two strata, the hazard ratios of mortality at 28/90 days were notably increased in the high-risk groups compared to the low-risk group (15.959 and 5.740). These results were then validated in two external cohorts.ConclusionALTA, as a simplified nutritional prognostic score for HBV-ACLF, demonstrates superiority over the COSSH-ACLF II and other scores in predicting short-term mortality among HBV-ACLF patients. Therefore, it may be used to guide clinical management, particularly in primary care settings.