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Over the past decade, testing and assessing spoken-language interpreting has garnered an increasing amount of attention from stakeholders in interpreter education, professional certification, and interpreting research. This is because in these fields assessment results provide a critical evidential basis for high-stakes decisions, such as the selection of prospective students, the certification of interpreters, and the confirmation/refutation of research hypotheses. However, few reviews exist providing a comprehensive mapping of relevant practice and research. The present article therefore aims to offer a state-of-the-art review, summarizing the existing literature and discovering potential lacunae. In particular, the article first provides an overview of interpreting ability/competence and relevant research, followed by main testing and assessment practice (e.g., assessment tasks, assessment criteria, scoring methods, specificities of scoring operationalization), with a focus on operational diversity and psychometric properties. Second, the review describes a limited yet steadily growing body of empirical research that examines rater-mediated interpreting assessment, and casts light on automatic assessment as an emerging research topic. Third, the review discusses epistemological, psychometric, and practical challenges facing interpreting testers. Finally, it identifies future directions that could address the challenges arising from fast-changing pedagogical, educational, and professional landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hovering technology, as one of the core technologies in on-orbit service (OOS) missions, enables the relative position between an active spacecraft and chief spacecraft to be maintained within a given range, and it has received widespread attention in recent years. In this study, for an elliptical reference orbit, we proposed a series of control strategies to maintain a teardrop hovering formation with a J 2 perturbation. First, we formulated a mathematical model of the teardrop hovering formation maintained by the impulse control and presented a rapid method based on a relative-position correction method. Based on the sensitivity matrix, a strategy for maintaining a hovering formation using constant-thrust control was obtained. Furthermore, based on the proposed fast iterative method, an improved strategy was developed to satisfy a magnitude constraint. Finally, we analyzed the influence of the reference orbital elements and formation parameters on the hovering formation using numerical simulations, which demonstrated the efficiency of the proposed method. This provides a reference for the preliminary design of hovering formations. • The constant-thrust strategies for maintaining teardrop formation are proposed. • The magnitude constraint of engine is considered in the constant-thrust strategy. • Compared with traditional way, the proposed constant-thrust strategies save fuel. • The influence of the parameters on total impulse for maintenance are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new ternary Cd(II) coordination polymers (CPs), [Cd2(L)(mip)2·2H2O]n (1) and {[Cd2(L)(hip)2]·3.5H2O}n (2) (L = 1,4-bis(thiabendazol-1-ylmethyl)benzene, H2mip = 5-methylisophthalic acid, H2hip = 5-hydroxyisophthalic acid), have been synthesized and characterized by physicochemical and spectroscopic methods. 1 possesses a 1D chained structure while 2 exhibits a 2D hcb layer. Both CPs can be further extended into 2D/3D supramolecular frameworks via π–π stacking interactions. Both 1 and 2 can serve as dual-responsive luminescent probes for the selective detection of benzaldehyde (BZH) and permanganate anions (MnO4−) in aqueous system. The limits of detection (LODs) of 1 for BZH and MnO4− are 0.13 µM and 0.21 µM, separately, whereas the LODs of 2 for BZH and MnO4− are 1.30 µM and 1.95 µM, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accuracy of peer ratings on students' performance has attracted much attention from higher education researchers. In this study, we attempted to explore the accuracy of peer ratings on the quality of spoken-language interpreting in the context of tertiary-level interpreter training. We sought to understand how different types of peer raters (experienced versus novice) would affect the accuracy of their ratings on three quality dimensions (fidelity, fluency and expression) of bi-directional interpretation (English-to-Chinese and Chinese-to-English). Our data analysis, based on a rater accuracy model, shows that: (a) overall, it was easier for the peer raters to score the English-to-Chinese interpretation accurately than the opposite direction and to assess fidelity accurately than fluency and expression; (b) the experienced peer raters scored the interpretations more accurately than their novice counterparts; and (c) the higher-quality interpretations were easier to be scored accurately than those of lower quality. However, the directionality of interpreting may moderate these relationships. These findings are expected to enrich and deepen our understanding of rater accuracy as a function of distal and proximal factors in the Brunswik's lens model, and to help us better organize peer assessment in the higher educational context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BaHf 0.8 Ln 0.2 O 3-δ doped with rare earth elements with different ionic radii (Ln = Yb, Y, Dy and Gd) as candidate materials for solid oxide fuel cells and H 2 separation membrane have been prepared. Their phase composition, sinterability, chemical stability and conductivity were studied systematically. The rare earth elements are successfully incorporated into the main phase crystal lattice of barium hafnate to generate a single perovskite phase. The relative density of all samples sintered at 1600 °C reaches above 90%, and Y-doped BaHfO 3 has the highest relative density (94.7%) and the biggest grain size (about 1 μm) among all samples. The conductivities of the samples firstly increase and then decrease with the increase of the doped ion radius. Among all samples the conductivity of BaHf 0.8 Y 0.2 O 3-δ is the highest and reaches 6.02 × 10−3 S cm−1 in wet air at 700 °C, which is attributed to the good sinterability and suitable crystal structure (tolerance factor and free volume). All samples also show excellent chemical stability in the test atmospheres, including saturated H 2 O steam, pure H 2 and CO 2 , 200 ppm H 2 S/Ar and boiling water. The Pt/BaHf 0.8 Y 0.2 O 3-δ electrolyte/Pt single cell was fabricated with a 530 μm-thick disk and its electrochemical properties were tested. The peak power density reaches 10.21 mW cm−2 at 700 °C, which is comparable to similar fuel cells reported. These results suggest that BaHf 0.8 Y 0.2 O 3-δ is a promising electrolyte candidate for proton-conducting fuel cells. BaHf 0.8 Ln 0.2 O 3-δ (Ln = Yb, Y, Dy and Gd) proton conductors were prepared. Among all samples BaHf 0.8 Y 0.2 O 3-δ sintered at 1600 °C displays the highest relative density, the largest grain size, the highest conductivity and protonic content. [Display omitted] • BaHf 0.8 Ln 0.2 O 3-δ (Ln = Yb, Y, Dy and Gd) proton conductors were prepared. The samples display excellent chemical stability. • Among all samples, BaHf 0.8 Y 0.2 O 3-δ shows the highest conductivity of 6.02 × 10−3 S cm−1 in wet air at 700 °C. • The Pt/BaHf 0.8 Y 0.2 O 3-δ /Pt single cell displays a peak power density of 10.21 mW cm−2 at 700 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stimulus-Specific Adaptation (SSA) to repetitive stimulation is a phenomenon that has been observed across many different species and in several brain sensory areas. It has been proposed as a computational mechanism, responsible for separating behaviorally relevant information from the continuous stream of sensory information. Although SSA can be induced and measured reliably in a wide variety of conditions, the network details and intracellular mechanisms giving rise to SSA still remain unclear. Recent computational studies proposed that SSA could be associated with a fast and synchronous neuronal firing phenomenon called Population Spikes (PS). Here, we test this hypothesis using a mean-field rate model and corroborate it using a neuromorphic hardware. As the neuromorphic circuits used in this study operate in real-time with biologically realistic time constants, they can reproduce the same dynamics observed in biological systems, together with the exploration of different connectivity schemes, with complete control of the system parameter settings. Besides, the hardware permits the iteration of multiple experiments over many trials, for extended amounts of time and without losing the networks and individual neural processes being studied. Following this "neuromorphic engineering" approach, we therefore study the PS hypothesis in a biophysically inspired recurrent networks of spiking neurons and evaluate the role of different linear and non-linear dynamic computational primitives such as spike-frequency adaptation or short-term depression (STD). We compare both the theoretical mean-field model of SSA and PS to previously obtained experimental results in the area of novelty detection and observe its behavior on its neuromorphic physical equivalent model. We show how the approach proposed can be extended to other computational neuroscience modelling efforts for understanding high-level phenomena in mechanistic models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the production of underground engineering, investigating the mechanical behaviors of rock materials after high temperature damage is of great importance for controlling the stability of the underground structure. In this paper, for revealing the deformation and energy evolution laws of rock materials after high temperature damage under cyclic loading, a series of uniaxial compressive and cyclic loading experiments were conducted on sandstone after various high temperature damages, i.e., 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, and 900°C, to study the effect of high temperature on primary wave velocity, microstructure, deformation, strength, energy, etc. It can be observed that the primary wave velocity and microstructure weakened seriously with the development of high temperature damage and the uniaxial compressive strength of samples increases toward the maximum value with a high temperature damage of 300°C and then decreases gradually. The energy proportion index was established to characterize the influence of high temperature damage and cyclic stress levels on energy evolution laws of samples. With an increase in temperature, compared with input energy, elastic strain energy proportion decreases and dissipated energy proportion rises up, which indicate that the property of samples transforms from elasticity to plasticity. Finally, the variation laws between the burst tendency of the sample and high temperature damage were well described by presenting the average elastic energy index, which provides references for studying failure characteristics of rock materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) methods have been introduced to assess cortical bone health at the radius and tibia through the assessment of cortical thickness (Ct.Th), cortical porosity and bulk wave velocities. Ultrasonic attenuation is another QUS parameter which is not currently used. We assessed the feasibility of in vivo measurement of ultrasonic attenuation in cortical bone with a broadband transducer with 3.5 MHz center frequency. Echoes from the periosteal and endosteal interfaces were fitted with Gaussian pulses using sparse signal processing. Then, the slope of the broadband ultrasonic attenuation (Ct.nBUA) in cortical bone and quality factor were calculated with a parametric approach based on the center-frequency shift. Five human subjects were measured at the one-third distal radius with pulse-echo ultrasound, and reference data was obtained with high-resolution x-ray peripheral computed tomography (Ct.Th and cortical volumetric bone mineral density (Ct.vBMD)). Ct.Th was used in the calculation of Ct.nBUA while is obtained solely from ultrasound data. The values of Ct.nBUA (6.7 ± 2.2 dB MHz−1.cm−1) and (8.6 ± 3.1%) were consistent with the literature data and were correlated to Ct.vBMD (, , RMSE = 0.56 dB.MHz−1.cm−1, and , , RMSE = 0.76%). This preliminary study suggests that the attenuation of an ultrasound signal propagating in cortical bone can be measured in vivo at the one-third distal radius and that it provides an information on bone quality as attenuation values were correlated to Ct.vBMD. It remains to ascertain that Ct.nBUA and measured here exactly reflect the true (intrinsic) ultrasonic attenuation in cortical bone. Measurement of attenuation may be considered useful for assessing bone health combined with the measurement of Ct.Th, porosity and bulk wave velocities in multimodal cortical bone QUS methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satellite formation plays an important role in space missions such as on-orbit services and distributed space facilities. In these missions, hovering in a bounded range is one of the core tasks, but hovering technologies for the chief satellite in an elliptical orbit have been rarely investigated. Given the boundary constraints of relative motion between the chief and deputy satellites, this paper proposes two models for the design and control of hovering formation near an elliptical reference orbit through impulse: (1) the revisiting hovering formation model, which forces the deputy satellite to revisit the same relative position and maintains the formation via impulses; (2) the sequential-impulse-control hovering formation model, which uses a sequence of impulses to ensure the deputy satellite flies within the given boundary. Unlike the revisiting hovering formation model, this model does not require a fixed revisiting point, so the satellite's trajectory is more flexible. The geometrical properties, formation maintenance strategy, and impulse-control solution for both models are investigated in detail. Finally, numerical simulations are conducted to verify the advantages of the proposed methods over other conventional methods, suggesting their wide applications in practical space missions. • Two impulsive-control models are proposed for bounded hovering formation in elliptical orbit. • The proposed methods support in-plane, out-of-plane, and three-dimension hovering formations. • The in-plane and out-of-plane controls are decoupled to decrease control complexity and difficulty. • Different factors on the fuel cost are analyzed to provide a reference for practical engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accurate segmentation of pelvic bones is an initial step to achieve accurate detection and localisation of pelvic bone metastases. This study presents a deep learning-based approach for automated segmentation of normal pelvic bony structures in multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) using a 3D convolutional neural network (CNN). Methods: This retrospective study included 264 pelvic mpMRI data obtained between 2018 and 2019. The manual annotations of pelvic bony structures (which included lumbar vertebra, sacrococcyx, ilium, acetabulum, femoral head, femoral neck, ischium, and pubis) on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) images were used to create reference standards. A 3D U-Net CNN was employed for automatic pelvic bone segmentation. Additionally, 60 mpMRI data from 2020 were included and used to evaluate the model externally. Results: The CNN achieved a high Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) average in both testing (0.80 [DWI images] and 0.85 [ADC images]) and external (0.79 [DWI images] and 0.84 [ADC images]) validation sets. Pelvic bone volumes measured with manual and CNN-predicted segmentations were highly correlated (R2 value of 0.84–0.97) and in close agreement (mean bias of 2.6–4.5 cm3). A SCORE system was designed to qualitatively evaluate the model for which both testing and external validation sets achieved high scores in terms of both qualitative evaluation and concordance between two readers (ICC = 0.904; 95% confidence interval: 0.871–0.929). Conclusions: A deep learning-based method can achieve automated pelvic bone segmentation on DWI and ADC images with suitable quantitative and qualitative performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study reported on in this article pertains to rater-mediated assessment of English-to-Chinese consecutive interpreting, particularly informational correspondence between an originally intended message and an actually rendered message, also known as "fidelity" in Interpreting Studies. Previous literature has documented two main methods to assess fidelity: comparing actual renditions with the source text or with an exemplar rendition carefully prepared by experts (i.e., an ideal target text). However, little is known about the potential effects of these methods on fidelity assessment. We therefore conducted the study to explore the way in which these methods would affect rater reliability, fidelity ratings and rater perception. Our analysis of quantitative data shows that the raters tended to be less reliable, less self-consistent, less lenient and less comfortable when using the source English text (i.e., Condition A) than when using the target Chinese text (i.e., Condition B: the exemplar rendition). These findings were backed up and explained by emerging themes derived from the qualitative questionnaire data. The fidelity estimates in the two conditions were also found to be strongly correlated. We discuss these findings and entertain the possibility of recruiting untrained monolinguals or bilinguals to assess fidelity of interpreting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives: This study examined the effect of virtual reality (VR)‐based documents (VRdocs) on knowledge and attitude towards chemotherapy administration in nursing students. Background: Chemotherapeutic drugs in cancer patients are a complicated and dangerous process. However, despite the high toxicity of the chemotherapeutic drugs, the compulsory or internship courses in nursing schools do not include training in operational chemotherapeutics and its associated safety measures. Design: A randomised controlled trial based on the CONSORT 2010 guidelines (registry number: NCT03707210). Method: A total of 77 students were randomised to an experimental (VRdocs, n = 38) or a control group (n = 39). Pre‐ and posttest data were collected. After the pretest, the control group received the education documents, whereas, the experimental group used VR software consisting of an application about chemotherapy administration. Finally, the effectiveness of the intervention was self‐evaluated using questionnaires after 7 days. Results: The posttest scores for knowledge (F = 6.412, p =.013) and attitude in the experimental group were significantly different from those in the control group (F = 8.469, p =.005). Compared with the control group, a significant number of students in the experimental group indicated their higher recommendation score for the VRdocs (p =.0001). Conclusion: Schools must provide a variety of handouts and teaching methods to educate nursing students about high‐risk nursing techniques. Methods using VR can address the shortcomings of the traditional documents, and the use of both methods simultaneously can produce better learning results. Relevance to clinical practice: Virtual reality based documents were provided to the participants to understand the preparation, implementation, and safety of chemotherapy. VRdocs allow students to re‐learn high‐risk care techniques without the influence of time and space and may prove useful for other nursing courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The differential diagnosis of abnormalities in the prostate is broad, covering common (acinar adenocarcinoma, benign prostatic hyperplasia, chronic prostatitis, hemorrhage, cysts, calcifications, atrophy and fibrosis) and less common conditions (tumors other than acinar adenocarcinoma, granulomatous prostatitis containing tuberculosis, abscesses and other conditions, and idiopathic disorders such as amyloidosis and exophytic benign prostatic hyperplasia). Recent advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the prostate gland and imaging guidelines, such as the Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System version 2.1 (PI-RADS v2.1), have dramatically improved the ability to distinguish common abnormalities, especially the ability to detect clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa). Overlap can exist in the clinical history and imaging features associated with various common/uncommon prostate abnormalities, and biopsy is often required but is invasive. Prostate abnormalities can be divided into two categories: category 1, diseases for which PI-RADS scores are suitable for use, and category 2, diseases for which PI-RADS scores are unsuitable for use. Radiologists must have an intimate knowledge of other diseases, especially uncommon conditions. Past relevant history, symptoms, age, serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, MRI manifestations, and the applicability of the PI-RADS assessment should be considered when diagnosing prostate abnormalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It remains a challenge to use a simple approach to fabricate a multi-shape memory material with high mechanical performances. Here, we report a triple crosslinking design to construct a multi-shape memory epoxy vitrimer (MSMEV), which exhibits high mechanical properties, multi-shape memory property and malleability. The triple crosslinking network is formed by reacting diglycidyl ether of bisphenol F (DGEBF) with 4-aminophenyl disulfide, γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTS) and poly(propylene glycol) bis(2-aminopropyl ether) (D2000). The triple crosslinking manifests triple functions: the disulfide bonds and the silyl ether linkages enable malleability of the epoxy network; the silyl ether linkages impart the network with high heterogeneity and broaden the glass transition region, leading to multi-shape memory property; a small amount of D2000 increases the modulus difference between the glassy and rubbery states, thereby improving the shape fixity ratio. Meanwhile, the high crosslinking density and rigid structure provide the MSMEV with high tensile strength and Young's modulus. Moreover, integrating carbon fibers and MSMEV results in shape memory composites. The superior mechanical properties of the composites and the recyclability of carbon fiber derived from the dissolvability of MSMEV make the composites hold great promise as structural materials in varied applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is agile attitude control design with the novel three-dimensional (3D) magnetically suspended wheel (MSW) that is the preferred type for agile maneuvering compared to conventional control moment gyro due to frictionless, low vibration and long lifetime. This system does not require a separate steering law for pyramid arrangement to derive tilt angles. It is also conducting an agile maneuver with high accuracy despite the high-frequency disturbances. Design/methodology/approach: In this paper, a disturbance observer-based attitude stabilization method is proposed for an agile satellite with a pyramid cluster of the novel 3D magnetically suspended wheel actuator. This strategy includes a disturbance observer and a linear quadratic regulator controller. The rotor shaft deflection of MSW is actively controlled to reduce vibration and producing gyro torque. The deflection angle of the pyramid cluster MSWs considered as control parameters. The closed-loop stability is proved by using the Lyapunov strategy. The efficiency and performance of the offered method verified by numerical simulation via MATLAB/SIMULINK software. Findings: According to simulation results, the disturbance observer-based control controller stabilized the system with high accuracy and optimal tilt angles without any extra steering law equation. Hence, the system speed is increased, and the system error is minimized without separate steering law. Practical implications: The magnetically suspended wheel is a new kind of inertia actuator for attitude control that has several benefits such as frictionless, high-speed rotor, clean environment and low vibration compared to the traditional wheel. It has complex nonlinear dynamics that cause have complicated controller design. The proposed strategy stabilizes the system and conducting an agile maneuver with high precision despite the high-frequency disturbances. It is applicable for some missions requiring high accuracies, like Earth observation and the solar observation mission that require a very accurate pointing control and a long lifetime. Originality/value: This paper is the initial paper to design a pyramid array for magnetically suspended wheels. Compared to other research, this method doesn't need a separate steering law of the MSWs cluster and presented optimal tilt angles with less computational. Also, it designs a disturbance observer-based controller for this system that proposed high accuracy and agile stabilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Until now, the influential factors associated with pleural adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity among children remain unclear. This retrospective study was therefore conducted aiming to investigate the factors associated with negative pleural ADA results in the diagnosis of childhood pleural tuberculosis (TB).Methods: Between January 2006 and December 2019, children patients with definite or possible pleural TB were recruited for potential analysis. Then, patients were stratified into two categories: negative pleural ADA results group (experimental group, ≤40 U/L) and positive pleural ADA results group (control group, > 40 U/L). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate risk factors for negative pleural ADA results.Results: A total of 84 patients with pleural TB were recruited and subsequently classified as experimental (n = 17) and control groups (n = 67). Multivariate analysis (Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test: χ2 = 1.881, df = 6, P = 0.930) revealed that variables, such as chest pain (age-adjusted OR = 0.0510, 95% CI: 0.004, 0.583), pleural total protein (≤45.3 g/L, age-adjusted OR = 27.7, 95% CI: 2.5, 307.7), pleural lactate dehydrogenase (LDH, ≤505 U/L, age-adjusted OR = 59.9, 95% CI: 4.2, 857.2) and blood urea nitrogen (≤3.2 mmol/L, age-adjusted OR = 32.0, 95% CI: 2.4, 426.9), were associated with negative pleural ADA results when diagnosing childhood pleural TB.Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that chest pain, pleural total protein, pleural LDH, and blood urea nitrogen were associated with a negative pleural ADA result for the diagnosis of pleural TB among children. When interpreting pleural ADA levels in children with these characteristics, a careful clinical assessment is required for the pleural TB diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the tax of carbon emission is popular and consumers are exhibiting low-carbon preference, the green manufactures have to spend more extra cost on investing carbon emission reduction (CER) technology to decrease the carbon emission. To encourage the manufacture's CER investment efforts, this paper explores the impact of carbon tax, CER cost, and consumers' low-carbon preference on low-carbon decision-making and designs a revenue-sharing contract (RS) by constructing Stackelberg models. Based on the theoretical and numerical analysis, this paper finds that the supply chain would benefit from the increment of consumer's environmental awareness but be depressed by the increase of the CER investment cost factor. Additionally, there exists a unique optimal carbon tax to make CER degree the maximum. Furthermore, RS can effectively promote manufacturers to reduce carbon emissions and also improve the supply chain efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is difficult to determine the safe operation window of drilling fluid density (SOWDFD) for deep igneous rock strata. Although the formation three-pressure (pore pressure, collapse pressure, and fracture pressure) prediction method with credibility improves the accuracy of formation three-pressure prediction, it still has a large error for deep igneous strata. To solve this problem, a modified method of the SOWDFD in deep igneous rock strata is proposed based on the leakage statistics of adjacent wells. This method is based on the establishment of the SOWDFD with credibility. Through statistical analysis of drilling fluid density of igneous rock leaky formation group in adjacent wells, the fracture leakage law of the formation is revealed and the upper limit of leak-off pressure containing probability information is obtained. Finally, the modified SOWDFD with credibility for deep igneous rock strata is formed. In this work, the proposed method was used to compute the SOWDFD with credibility of SHB well in Xinjiang, China. Results show that the modified density window is consistent with the field drilling conditions and can reflect the narrow density window in the Permian and lower igneous strata. Combined with the formation three-pressure prediction method with credibility and the actual leakage law of adjacent wells, it can effectively improve the prediction accuracy of the SOWDFD for deep igneous rock strata. The findings of the study can help in better understanding of the complex downhole geological environment in deep igneous rock strata and making reasonable drilling design scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a highly stable differential resonant accelerometer that is monolithically micro-machined from a piece of ultrapure, single z-cut crystal quartz. The overall structure of quartz accelerometer is centrally symmetrical, which comprises two double-ended tuning forks (DETFs), two link beams, two micro-leverages, a proof mass, and a quartz frame. Micro-leverages and DETFs are perpendicular to each other and are located around the chip, which maximizes the utilization of the sensor area and is conducive to the miniaturization of the sensor. The effectiveness of the structure was verified by theoretical analysis, simulation, and experiment. The structure with differential arrangement can eliminate common mode disturbances, such as temperature, to improve sensitivity to acceleration. Within the measurement range of ±100 g, the sensor’s sensitivity, which is measured by experiments, is 17.72 Hz/g, with a velocity random walk of 0.84 μg/√ Hz and bias instability of 3.05 μg, which is consistent with the theoretical analysis results. [2020-0309] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case highlights the importance of coordinating with cardiopediatricians or congenitalists in the evaluation and treatment of ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pleural effusion (PE) Xpert has limited use in the diagnosis of pleural tuberculosis (TB). However, the diagnostic incremental value of sputum Xpert for pleural TB diagnosis remains unclear. Between March 2018 and October 2019, patients with certain causes (such as TB, malignancy, and pneumonia) of PE were enrolled in our study. Sputum and PE were collected from all patients and sent for acid-fast bacilli smear (Auramine O staining), mycobacterial culture (Lowenstein-Jensen media), and Xpert. The differences in the sensitivities of these TB assays between different groups were examined with the chi-square test. One hundred and twenty-seven PE patients were enrolled in the study and then were divided into pleural TB (n = 104) and other causes of PE (excluding TB, referred as non-pleural TB; n = 23). Compared with PE Xpert (11.5%, 12/104), sputum Xpert has a higher sensitivity of 25.0% (26/104, p =.012 <.05). The combination of sputum and PE has a non-significant higher sensitivity of 31.7% (33/104) than Xpert on sputum (p >.05). Culture using both sputum and PE combined has a high sensitivity of 43.3% (45/104). Compared to PE Xpert, sputum Xpert showed an incremental diagnostic yield in the diagnosis of pleural TB and is expected to speed up the diagnosis of pleural TB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of myocardial biopsy using a new approach, the Liwen procedure.Background: Myocardial biopsy is essential when other methods could not differentiate other etiologies from hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM). Our previous work using intramyocardial radiofrequency ablation for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (Liwen procedure) may provide another approach to obtain the myocardial samples.Method: Seventeen patients with HOCM were enrolled for biopsies through percutaneously accessed intramyocardial septum and evaluated possible complications.Results: We obtained 31 specimens from 17 patients with a success rate of sample acquisition 100.0%. The number of myocardial samples taken per patient was 1.8 ± 0.8, and the average length of all samples was 16.7 ± 5.6 mm which could be used for pathological diagnosis. The complications included pericardial effusion with and without tamponade in one patient (5.9%), and no incidence of nonsustained and sustained ventricular tachycardia, conduction abnormity, perforation, stroke, and pneumothorax. The inhospital and 30-day mortality was 0%.Conclusion: This study has shown that myocardial biopsy of the Liwen procedure is relatively safe and technically feasible with adequate tissue sampling, which may help pathological diagnosis and further research of HOCM of diverse etiologies. This trial is registered with NCT04355260. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pain associated with colonoscopies is a major barrier to patients participating in colorectal cancer screenings. While sedation and analgesia are used to reduce pain during the procedure, they are associated with increased complications and costs. Thus, it is necessary to identity novel techniques to relieve pain in a safe and cost-effective way. Aims: To test whether watching real-time videos of colonoscopies while receiving detailed interpretations of the procedures reduces pain and anxiety and increases a patient's satisfaction. Methods: Patients were randomized into three groups including a group who watched real-time videos of their colonoscopies (Group A), a group who watched real-time videos of their colonoscopies while receiving detailed interpretations of the procedures from the endoscopists (Group B), and a group who did not receive either method (Group C). Results: Pain and anxiety scores were significantly (Group A vs. Group C, p < 0.001 ; Group B vs. Group C, p < 0.001 ) lower in Groups A and B compared to Group C. Additionally, significantly (Group A vs. Group C, p = 0.008 ; Group B vs. Group C, p < 0.001 ) increased satisfaction was observed in Groups A and B compared to Group C. There were no statistically significant differences observed in the pain and anxiety scores when comparing Groups A and B. However, the overall satisfaction score was significantly ( p = 0.02 ) higher in Group B compared to Group A. Conclusions: Real-time videos of colonoscopies as well as videos along with detailed interpretations of the procedures decrease pain and anxiety while improving satisfaction in patients undergoing colonoscopies without sedation. Videos combined with interpretations lead to a greater increase in patient satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the application of micro-leverage in the monolithically all-quartz resonant accelerometer is proposed. The magnification of the micro-leverage structure used for a large size double-ended tuning fork (DETF) was analyzed. The effect of DETF's dimension both on its own force–frequency sensitivity and micro-leverage's magnification was investigated. Through the study of the relationship between DETF's force–frequency sensitivity and micro-leverage's magnification, the effect of micro-leverage and the DETF system on the sensitivity of the accelerometer was obtained. The problem of big error in theoretical calculation of micro-leverage magnification was solved because the structural arrangement of the output beam was ignored in the derivation process. The correctness of the analysis was verified by theoretical calculation, simulation, and the experiment. The equivalent structures of tension (compression) stiffness and flexural stiffness of the micro-leverage output beam were obtained by analyzing and simplifying the composite structure of the link beam and DETF. By simplifying the mechanical model of micro-leverage, the amplification factor K of micro-leverage is deduced to be 23. Therefore, the theoretical sensitivity of the sensor is 15.6 Hz/g. The experimental results show that the sensitivity of the accelerometer with the micro-leverage is 16.1 Hz/g, which is close to the theoretical analysis results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have shown that as L2 writing develops from intermediate to advanced levels, addition is marked less often and the use of and decreases as the use of moreover, furthermore and other less frequent addition markers increases. This study goes further in that it examines first how addition is marked in different academic disciplines and genres, and secondly how addition markers and their collocates are used by Chinese students in comparison to L1 writers of English. For the first question, and in contrast to Peacock's (2010) analysis of research articles, addition markers are used more in this student writing in the sciences of Engineering, Food Sciences and Biology than in the social sciences of Business and Law, and more in the more scientific writing of lab report genres than the discursive writing of essays. Such variation reinforces the importance of genre and discipline differences in teaching second language writing. For the second question, a qualitative analysis reveals the important difference between stringing several points using addition markers and grouping points into one argument using a shell noun, or reinforcing one argument with collocates. These findings lead to specific suggestions for L2 academic writing teachers. • Compares use of addition markers by genre and discipline. • Examines use of addition markers by Chinese students in English. • Deploys closely matched corpus of successful student writing in English. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 2D MoTe 2 nanosheets were fabricated and characterized. • A sub-nanosecond IOPO pumped by a hybrid Q-switched laser has been realized. • Simulation results agreed with the experimental results well. In this paper, few-layered molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe 2) nanosheets are synthesized with a liquid-phase exfoliation method. Its appearance, the spectra and the saturated absorption characteristics are measured. By using MoTe 2 as saturable absorber (SA), a passively Q-switched YVO 4 /Nd:YVO 4 laser is realized. At an incident pump power of 6.64 W, a maximum output power of 1.14 W with a minimum pulse duration of 66.2 ns is obtained. To our knowledge, this is the shortest pulse width ever achieved from a passively Q-switched laser with a MoTe 2 -SA at 1.06 μm. Based on this, a sub-nanosecond KTiOPO 4 (KTP) based intracavity optical parametric oscillation (IOPO) pumped by a hybrid Q-switched laser with a MoTe 2 -SA and an acousto-optic modulator (AOM) is realized. At an incident pump power of 10.4 W and an AOM repetition rate of 10 kHz, a maximum output power of 195 mW with a minimum pulse duration of 835 ps for signal wave is obtained. To solve the IOPO rate equations, the ground-state and excited-state absorption cross sections of MoTe 2 are rationally calculated to be 1.32 × 10−18 cm2 and 9.15 × 10−19 cm2 according to the observed transmittance curve, respectively, and the excited-state lifetime is 376.2 µs. The numerical solution of the equations matches well with the experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined whether the discrimination accuracy of nonnative vowels could be predicted by how listeners assimilate nonnative phones into their L1. The results demonstrated that Japanese listeners discriminated between English /æ/ and /ʌ/ better than they did between /ɑ/ and /ʌ/, although they categorized all those stimuli as the Japanese /a/. Given that the acoustic distance between stimuli was controlled to be identical, this result was attributed not to the acoustic difference but to the category-goodness difference. The goodness-of-fit to the Japanese /a/ phoneme differed between the English /æ/ and /ʌ/ but not between the English /ɑ/ and /ʌ/, suggesting that it is more difficult to discriminate between vowels when the category-goodness difference between two nonnative stimuli is smaller. In addition, this study examined the relationship between perceptual assimilation and the focalization effect. Focalization affects directional asymmetry in a manner that renders detecting a sound change from a more-focal to a less-focal vowel more difficult than detecting a change in the opposite direction. The results demonstrated that this directional asymmetry is only observed when listeners assimilate two nonnative phones into a single L1 phonemic category, with no category-goodness difference between the two nonnative phones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) offers an energy-efficient alternative to conventional thermal distillation processes for organic solvent separations. However, the fabrication of polymeric OSN membranes with adequate chemical stability in strong polar aprotic solvents remains a remarkable challenge. In this work, chemically robust polyamide thin-film composite (TFC) OSN membranes were fabricated by utilizing an innovative chemical modification of polyimide (PI) nanofiber substrate via one-step crosslinking and thermal cyclodehydration of terephthalic hydrazide (TPDH). The crosslinking and cyclodehydration reaction mechanisms were thoroughly elucidated and the effects of TPDH loading and thermal treatment conditions on solvent resistance and pore structure of the resulting TPDH/PI nanofiber substrates as well as the formation of the polyamide selective layer were systematically studied. The resulting TFC membranes show excellent stability in polar aprotic solvents (i.e., DMF, DMAC, and NMP), and a high DMF permeance of 9.4 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 was achieved with a 99.8% rejection to Rose Bengal at 2.0 bar. The outstanding long-term performance stability revealed the robust structure of the developed TFC OSN membranes. This work demonstrates a facile strategy to address the chemical stability limitations of TFC OSN membranes through a multifaceted yet generalizable approach of chemical crosslinking and thermal cyclodehydration. We believe this strategy can be broadly applied to different substrates, enabling TFC membranes to address a wide variety of unmet OSN needs. (TFC membranes with chemically robust TPDH/PI nanofiber substrates for polar solvent filtration). [Display omitted] • Polyimide (PI) nanofiber substrate was chemically crosslinked by terephthalic dihydrazide (TPDH). • Thermal cyclodehydration further improves the chemical robustness of the crosslinked TPDH/PI nanofiber substrates. • The modified TPDH/PI nanofiber substrates show outstanding stability in polar aprotic solvents. • The resulting polyamide TFC membranes exhibit excellent performance in organic solvent filtration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Compelling evidence indicates that status epilepticus is a prevalent cause of rhabdomyolysis. However, cases of rhabdomyolysis induced by a single seizure accompanied by viral encephalitis are rarely reported. Herein, we present a case of adult Herpes Simplex Encephalitis complicated with rhabdomyolysis.Case Presentation: A 32-year-old male was patient presented with fever accompanied by episodes of convulsions, myalgia, and oliguria, which exacerbated the delirium. Routine blood examination showed impaired kidney function and elevated myoglobin (Mb) and creatine phosphokinase (CK) levels. MRI scanning revealed a damaged frontotemporal lobe and limbic system. In addition, herpes simplex virus (HSV) pathogen was identified in the cerebrospinal fluid thus indicating HSV infection. Therefore, a diagnosis of rhabdomyolysis triggered by HSV infection accompanied by epilepsy was made. Notably, the patient recovered well after early intervention and treatment.Conclusion: The case presented here calls for careful analysis of rhabdomyolysis cases with unknown causes, minor seizures, and without status epilepticus. This case also indicates that HSV virus infection might contribute to the rhabdomyolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asparagine synthetase (ASNS) and CTP synthase (CTPS) are two metabolic enzymes that catalyze the biosynthesis of asparagine and CTP, respectively. Both CTPS and ASNS have been identified to form cytoophidia in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Glutamine is a common substrate for both these enzymes, and they play an important role in glutamine homeostasis. Here, we find that the ASNS cytoophidia are shorter than the CTPS cytoophidia, and that disruption of ASNS shortens the length of CTPS cytoophidia. However, the deletion of CTPS has no effect on the formation and length of ASNS cytoophidia, or on the ASNS protein level. We also find that Asn1 overexpression induces the formation of a multi-dot structure in diauxic phase which suggests that the increased protein level may trigger cytoophidia formation. Collectively, our results reveal a connection between ASNS cytoophidia and CTPS cytoophidia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: With the application of 3D photography, our study aimed to quantify parameters of static nasolabial fold wrinkles and establish mathematic regression model between parameters of wrinkles and age, further to quantitatively evaluate the effect of rejuvenation treatment in terms of age. Methods: From October 2016 to May 2018, 433 Chinese female volunteers, aged 25‐60 years old, were enrolled in this study. Antera 3D camera was used to collect four parameters of static nasolabial fold wrinkles on the left and right sides of the volunteers, including overall size, average depth (mm), average width (mm), and maximum depth (mm). For those presented a linear relationship with age, univariate linear regression fitting was performed, followed by residual analysis, goodness of fit test, and significance test. Results: The results of univariate linear regression fitting showed there was a clear linear relationship between the maximum depth, average depth, overall size of nasolabial fold wrinkles and age, and the regression equations were established. The significance test of regression coefficients showed P values were less than.0001. Conclusions: With application of the regression model between parameters of nasolabial fold wrinkles and age, the effect of rejuvenation treatment can be quantitatively evaluated in terms of age, which has certain reference and promotion value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (ZIBs) have triggered a great deal of scientific research and become a promising alternative for large‐scale energy storage applications, owing to the unique merits of high volumetric energy density, abundance of zinc resources, eco‐friendliness, and safety. The pace of progress of ZIB development, however, is hindered by their poor reversibility and sluggish kinetics, derived from the dissolution of active materials in aqueous electrolytes and the strong electrostatic interactions between Zn2+ and the cathode lattice. Herein, a vanadium oxide (V2O5‐x)/polyaniline (PANI‐V) superlattice structure is demonstrated as a model of superlattice structural engineering to overcome these weaknesses. In this superlattice, the PANI layer not only plays the role of a spacer to expand the V2O5‐x interlayer spacing but also serves as a conductive capacity contributor. Moreover, the PANI layer servers as structural stabilizer to restrain the dissolution of V2O5‐x active materials in aqueous electrolytes. In addition, it introduces an interface effect to modulate the charge distribution of the V2O5‐x monolayer, promoting Zn‐ion diffusion into the structure. Correspondingly, weakening the electrostatic interactions and supressing the active materials dissolution synergistically boosts the electrochemical performance for Zn‐ion storage. This work paves the way for the development/improvement of cathodes for aqueous zinc‐ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endoglucanases provide an attractive avenue for the bioconversion of lignocellulosic materials into fermentable sugars to supply cellulosic feedstock for biofuels and other value-added chemicals. Thermostable endoglucanases with high catalytic activity are preferred in practical processes. To improve the thermostability and activity of the thermostable β-1,4-endoglucanase CTendo45 isolated from the thermophilic fungus Chaetomium thermophilum , structure-based rational design was performed by using site-directed mutagenesis. When inactivated mutation of the unique N-glycosylation sequon (N88-E89-T90) was implemented and the conserved Y173 residue was substituted with phenylalanine, a double mutant T90A/Y173F demonstrated enzymatic activity that dramatically increased 2.12- and 1.82-fold towards CMC-Na and β-D-glucan, respectively. Additionally, T90A/Y173F exhibited extraordinary heat endurance after 300 min of incubation at elevated temperatures. This study provides a valid approach to the improvement of enzyme redesign protocols and the properties of this endoglucanase mutant distinguish it as an excellent candidate enzyme for industrial biomass conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our previously study shown that Lysophosphatidylcholine Acyltransferase1 (LPCAT1) is overexpressed in castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) relative to primary prostate cancer (PCa), and androgen controls its expression via the Wnt signaling pathway. While highly expressed in CRPC, the role of LPCAT1 remains unclear. In vitro cell experiments referred to cell transfection, mutagenesis, proliferation, migration, invasion, cell cycle progression and apoptosis, Western blotting, Pulse-chase RNA labeling. BALB/c nude mice were used for in vivo experiments. We found that LPCAT1 overexpression enhanced the proliferation, migration, and invasion of CRPC cells both in vitro and in vivo. Silencing of LPCAT1 reduced the proliferation and the invasive capabilities of CRPC cells. Providing exogenous PAF to LPCAT1 knockdown cells increased their invasive capabilities; however platelet activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH) and the PAFR antagonist ABT-491 both reversed this phenotype; proliferation of CRPC cells was not affected in either model. LPCAT1 was found to mediate CRPC growth via nuclear re-localization and Histone H4 palmitoylation in an androgen-dependent fashion, increasing mRNA synthesis rates. We also found that LPCAT1 overexpression led to CRPC cell resistance to treatment with paclitaxel. LPCAT1 overexpression in CRPC cells drives tumor progression via increased mRNA synthesis and PAF production. Our results highlight LPCAT1 as a viable therapeutic target in the context of CRPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Delay in diagnosis and treatment worsens the disease and clinical outcomes, which further enhances the transmission of tuberculosis (TB) in the community. Therefore, this study aims to assess treatment delay and its associated factors among childhood pleural TB patients in China.Methods: Between January 2006 and December 2019, consecutive patients aged ≤15 years with definite or possible pleural TB were included for analysis. Treatment delay duration was defined as the time interval from the onset of symptoms to treatment initiation and was stratified into two categories: < 30 days, ≥30 days (median delay day is 30 days). The electronic medical records of children were reviewed to obtain demographic characteristics, clinical characteristics, laboratory examinations, and radiographic findings. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to explore the factors associated with treatment delay in patients.Results: A total of 154 children with pleural TB were included, with a mean age of 12.4 ± 3.3 years. The median treatment delay was 30 days (interquartile range, 10-60 days) and 51.3% (n = 79) of patients underwent a treatment delay. Multivariate analysis revealed that heart rate (≤92 beats/min, age-adjusted OR = 2.503, 95% CI: 1.215, 5.155) and coefficient of variation of red cell distribution width (RDW-CV, ≥12.9%, age-adjusted OR = 4.705, 95% CI: 2.048, 10.811) were significant risk factors for treatment delays in childhood pleural TB.Conclusion: Our findings suggested that a significant treatment delay occurs among children with pleural TB in China. Patients with a low heart rate or a high RDW-CV experienced delays in the initiation of anti-TB therapy. Therefore, well awareness of the associations between clinical characteristics and treatment delay may improve the management of children with pleural TB and enable us to develop preventive strategies to reduce the treatment delay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can affect tumorigenesis. Data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCAG) suggest that LINC02783 is highly expressed in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and is expected to be a potential biological target. We conducted this study to verify this. Patients and Methods: We conducted this study to verify the opinion that "LINC02783 is highly expressed in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and is expected to be a potential biological target". We employed quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to test LINC02783 expression in RCC tissues, CKK-8 assay and transwell assay to assess the viability and invasion of RCC cells, Western blot to quantify Sox-4 expression, dual-luciferase reporter (DLR) assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay to analyze the interaction between LINC02783 and miR-20b, in vivo experiments to test tumor formation. Results: We detected high LINC02783 expression in RCC patients. Patients with higher LINC02783 levels had a markedly poorer prognosis. In vitro and in vivo, the down-regulation of LINC02783 suppressed the viability and invasion of RCC cells. The DLR assay results revealed that LINC02783 enhanced Sox-4 expression by regulating miR-20b. LINC02783 can act as a sponge for miR-20b to inhibit Sox-4 expression. Conclusion: LINC02783 is highly expressed in RCC patients and indicates a poor prognosis. LINC02783 can affect the occurrence and progression of RCC through the miR-20b/Sox-4 axis, making it a promising target for the treatment of RCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A good-performance glucose sensor based on Co3O4 has been first synthesized by rationally designing a new cobalt–metal–organic framework precursor, having the structural formula of [Co(Cia)2(bmb)]n (Cia = 5-((4-carboxybenzyl)oxy)isophthalic acid, bmb = 1,4-bis(2-methylbenziidazol-1-ylmethyl)benzene). The Co-MOF precursor exhibits one-dimensional chains in molecular structures, which are further extended to form a 3D framework via hydrogen bonds. The Co-MOF crystals show a separated columnar shape and are further stacked into micro-flower clusters. Then, the micro-flower clusters of Co-MOF precursors are transformed into Co3O4 with a curved sheet morphology by treatment at 450 °C in air. The Co3O4-modified glassy carbon electrode (Co3O4/GCE) is applied as a glucose sensor, which works well both at a low glucose concentration range of 0.001–2 mM and high concentration range of 2–8 mM with sensitive sensitivities of 254.21 μA mM−1 cm−2 and 102.80 μA mM−1 cm−2, respectively. Moreover, Co3O4/GCE exhibits good anti-interference, reproducibility and stability. This study aims to not only provide an example to fabricate Co3O4 with diverse morphologies but also affords a strategy to explore more effective electrode materials as high-performance electrochemical sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lignocellulose is the most abundant and renewable biomass resource on the planet. Lignocellulose can be converted into biofuels and high-value compounds; however, its recalcitrance makes its breakdown a challenge. Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) offer tremendous promise for the degradation of recalcitrant polysaccharides. Chaetomium thermophilum, having many LPMO-coding genes, is a dominant thermophilic fungus in cellulose-rich and self-heating habitats. This study explores the genome, secretomes and transcript levels of specific genes of C. thermophilum. Results: The genome of C. thermophilum encoded a comprehensive set of cellulose- and xylan-degrading enzymes, especially 18 AA9 LPMOs that belonged to different subfamilies. Extracellular secretomes showed that arabinose and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) could specifically induce the secretion of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes), especially AA9 LPMOs, by C. thermophilum under different carbon sources. Temporal analyses of secretomes and transcripts revealed that arabinose induced the secretion of xylanases by C. thermophilum, which was obviously different from other common filamentous fungi. MCC could efficiently induce the specific secretion of LPMO2s, possibly because the insert in loop3 on the substrate-binding surface of LPMO2s strengthened its binding capacity to cellulose. LPMO2s, cellobio hydrolases (CBHs) and cellobiose dehydrogenases (CDHs) were cosecreted, forming an efficient cellulose degradation system of oxidases and hydrolases under thermophilic conditions. Conclusions: The specific expression of LPMO2s and cosecretion of hydrolases and oxidases by the thermophilic fungus C. thermophilum play an important role in cellulose degradation. This insight increases our understanding of the cellulose degradation under thermophilic conditions and may inspire the design of the optimal enzyme cocktails for more efficient exploration of biomass resources in industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced as undesirable by‐products of metabolism in various cellular compartments, especially in response to unfavorable environmental conditions, throughout the life cycle of plants. Stress‐induced ROS production disrupts normal cellular function and leads to oxidative damage. To cope with excessive ROS, plants are equipped with a sophisticated antioxidative defense system consisting of enzymatic and non‐enzymatic components that scavenge ROS or inhibit their harmful effects on biomolecules. Nonetheless, when maintained at relatively low levels, ROS act as signaling molecules that regulate plant growth, development, and adaptation to adverse conditions. Here, we provide an overview of current approaches for detecting ROS. We also discuss recent advances in understanding ROS signaling, ROS metabolism, and the roles of ROS in plant growth and responses to various abiotic stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Early morning off (EMO) is a common feature of Parkinson's disease (PD). This study aimed to characterize its clinical features and develop a convenient and pragmatic self-assessment instrument in a Chinese nationwide population. Methods: This study was conducted on 942 PD patients admitted to 55 clinic centers for movement disorders between June 2018 and May 2019 in China. Stepwise logistic regression analyses were performed to determine potential risk factors and the most predictive symptoms of EMO, as well as whether EMO was an independent risk factor of functional dependency in daily life. Based on this, a 7-question scale was derived for EMO screening. Diagnostic accuracy of this scale was assessed from the area under the receiver operative characteristic curve (AUROC) and its 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We further calculated sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) for the optimal cutoff point. Results: EMO occurred in 49.2% of PD patients across all disease stages. We identified 7 symptoms most predictive of EMO, including bradykinesia or rigidity, excessive sweating or salivation, difficulty in turning on or getting out of bed, muscle cramp, fatigue or sleepiness, frozen state or freezing gait, and tremor. The resulting 7-item scale was confirmed to be of good discrimination with a relatively large AUROC of 0.83, a relatively high sensitivity of 75.7%, specificity of 77.5%, PPV of 76.5%, and NPV of 76.7%. Nonideal nighttime sleep, long PD duration, advanced H&Y stages, posture instability gait difficulty-dominant or mixed subtypes, and high levodopa dose were independently associated with increased risk of EMO. EMO patients were at 87% higher (OR = 1.87, 95%CI: 1.07–3.32) risk of experiencing functional dependency in daily living compared with their counterparts. Conclusions: We demonstrated that EMO is a common feature for PD patients across all disease stages and put forward an EMO-specific screening card of sufficient accuracy and brevity. Meanwhile we have thrown some light upon potential determinants and negative health effects of EMO. Our findings may exert great impact on improving the awareness, recognition and management of EMO in PD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluency is an important, yet insufficiently understood, construct in interpreting studies. This article reports on an empirical study which explored the relationship between utterance fluency measures and raters' perceived fluency ratings of English/Chinese consecutive interpreting. It also examined whether such relationship was consistent across interpreting directions and rater types. The results partially supported the categorization of utterance fluency into breakdown, speed and repair fluency. It was also found that mean length of unfilled pauses, phonation time ratio, mean length of run and speech rate had fairly strong correlations with perceived fluency ratings in both interpreting directions and across rater types. Among a number of competing regression models that were built to predict raters' fluency ratings, a parsimonious model, using mean length of unfilled pauses and mean length of run as predictors, accounted for about 60% of the variance of fluency ratings in both directions and across rater types. These results are expected to help create, rewrite and modify rubrics and scalar descriptors of fluency scales in rater-mediated interpretation assessment and to inform automated scoring of fluency in interpreting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To date, the burden of childhood spinal TB in China has not been estimated, and current treatment is hindered by a lack of evidence. This study aimed to review our experience of childhood spinal TB.Methods: We reviewed the medical records of paediatric patients (≤15 years) admitted for spinal TB (confirmed or possible) at Shandong Provincial Chest Hospital from January 2006 to December 2019. Demographic, clinical, laboratory and radiological data were collected from medical records and analysed retrospectively.Results: Seventy-two patients were diagnosed with spinal TB. 45 were male (62.5%), and 27 female (37.5%), with a mean age of 8.42 ± 4.47 (SD) years. During this 14-year period, the overall prevalence of spinal TB among childhood TB was 4.5%. T-SPOT.TB, AFB smear, mycobacterial culture, TB RT-PCR and biopsies were positive in 29.6%, 14.3%, 23.3%, 43.8% and 88.5% of assayed patients, respectively. The overall surgical rate of the studied patients was 40.3%. The requirement of surgery in childhood spinal TB was associated with pulmonary TB (OR = 4.000, 95% CI: 1.197, 13.367).Conclusion: Spinal TB in children cannot be neglected. It remains a severe problem to public health, and more attention should be paid to initiating treatment early. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fly-around technology, as applied to maintain a chasing spacecraft flying periodically around the chief spacecraft, has received widespread attention in recent years. The conventional impulsive or continuous-thrust control approaches for maintaining non-natural formations put a high demand on the engine and limit the applicability of engineering. In this study, which is based on the relative orbital elements, we propose a series of analytic natural fly-around formations for the two-body case, which can revisit specific points or be maintained within a certain range. In addition to maintaining the fly-around formation when considering the J2 perturbation, we present a two-stage constant thrust control method solved with the linearized sensitive matrix. Furthermore, based on this method, we present several maintaining strategies that guarantee a periodic revisit to a specified relative position. We conduct numerical simulations to demonstrate the efficacy of these proposed methods. • A series of analytic natural fly-around formations are proposed. • The reference orbit is elliptical orbit, which can also be applied to circular orbit. • A two-stage constant thrust control method solved through the linearized sensitive matrix is presented. • Several maintaining strategies are presented to guarantees periodic revisit specified relative position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic variations of cytochrome P450 (CYP) influence the inter‐individual differences in drug response. Here, we collected 8682 variants of 57 CYP genes and cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (POR) from a large‐scale sequencing project in Chinese, Chinese Millionome Database (CMDB). In addition, 52 294 variants from the Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD) had been simultaneously identified and analysed. Rare variants with a variant allele frequency (VAF) < 0.01 comprised 41.4% (3594/8682) of identified variations in the CMDB, while 98.1% (51 320/52 294) in the gnomAD were rare. Out of 8682 variants in the CMDB, 66.9% (5808/8682) were in introns and only 4.3% (377/8682) were missense variants. In contrast, 36.2% (18 929/52 294) variants in the gnomAD were missense. The common alleles with a VAF over 0.1 were found in CYP1A2*1C, CYP1A2*1F, CYP2C19*2, CYP2D6*2, CYP2D6*10, CYP3A5*3 and CYP4F2*3, with a VAF of 0.161, 0.6, 0.27, 0.274, 0.678, 0.92 and 0.233, respectively. The growing number of genetic variations in CYP genes as more genomes are sequenced would increase the power to predict drug metabolism and response based on the genotype of the particular individual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) is an effective way to improve the spectrum efficiency of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems, where this advancement can be fully exploited by employing a proper user selection strategy in the multiuser MIMO system. However, for multiuser scenarios, information-theoretic throughput may not be properly used as the performance indicator since the constraints at the receiver (e.g., suboptimal detectors) are not taken into consideration. In this paper, we adopt the error probability (EP) as the performance metric, which is equivalent to the practical throughput efficiency and can take the critical constraints into consideration. We analyze the pair-wise error probability (PEP) performance of different detectors and propose two kinds of user selection methods to minimize the PEP. To facilitate the detection performance evaluation, we further investigate the multiuser diversity of the proposed selection methods and derive a tight lower PEP bound for the case with randomly selected users. From the analytical and numerical results, we demonstrate that the proposed multiuser selection methods can suppress the inter-user interference effectively and achieve better performance than that of the state-of-the-art method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of maternal exposure bisphenol A (BPA) on ovaries development of F1 female mice. The BPA exposure model of pregnant mice was prepared by intragastric administration of BPA at the doses of 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 40 mg kg−1 d−1 at gestation day (GD) 0.5–17.5. The ovarian index of the offspring mice was calculated at postnatal day (PND) 21 and PND 56. The results showed that BPA at 5 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg, 20 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg significantly increased the abortion rate of the pregnant mice, and each dose of BPA significantly reduced the survival rate of the pups (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). Besides, there was a non-monotonic dose-response relationship between serum hormone, ovarian receptor levels and BPA in F1 females at both PND 21 and 56. BPA increased the ovarian/uterine index in F1 females at both PND 21 and 56, increased the mRNA relative transcript levels of ovarian ERα, PgR and DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) in F1 females at PND 21, while decreased at PND 56 (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). BPA also increased the relative expression of caspase-7, caspase-9, bax, inhibited the relative expression of bcl-2 in F1 females at both PND 21 and 56, and increased the apoptosis rate in the ovaries in F1 mice at PND 56 (P < 0.01). The number of follicles in the ovary was increased in F1 females at PND 21, and the ovaries were significantly atrophied when sexual maturity (PND 56). Our results indicated that BPA could disturb the contents of DNMT and make reproductive injury to the offspring females. • BPA causes apoptosis and methylation in female ovaries. • BPA interferes with ovarian development. • BPA incurs ovarian dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Schizophrenia is a complex psychiatric disorder with unknown etiology. A number of recent studies have shown that the polymorphism of the neural precursor cell expressed developmentally down-regulated 4 (NEDD4) gene is associated with a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, and may also be associated with cognitive dysfunction in these diseases. Methods: A case-control study was carried out, the alleles and genotypes distributions of five loci (rs3088077, rs2303579, rs7162435, rs11550869, rs62043855) of the NEDD4 gene from 296 schizophrenia patients and 320 healthy controls were detected by using Taqman single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping technology. The clinical data of case and control group members were collected by self-made questionnaire and the psychotic symptoms of case group members were assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The Matrics Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) was used to test the cognitive function of case group members. Results: The alleles and genotypes frequency of two loci (rs3088077, rs2303579) between case and control group showed significant differences (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in MCCB scores of patients with different genotypes at rs3088077, rs11550869 and rs7162435 loci in case group. The study of rs2303579 locus showed that, patients' scores with CT genotype were significantly lower than those with CC and TT genotypes (P < 0.05) in the test of Wechsler Memory Scale-Third Edition (WMS-III): Spatial Span, the scores of patients with TT genotype were significantly higher than those with CT genotype (P < 0.05) in the test of Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R). The study of rs62043855 locus showed that patients with TG genotype had significantly lower scores than those with GG genotype (P < 0.05) in the test of Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB): Mazes. Conclusions: Our study showed that in schizophrenia patients of Chinese Han population, the polymorphisms of rs3088077 and rs2303579 loci were related to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, while the polymorphisms of rs2303579 and rs62043855 loci were associated with cognitive dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study was conducted to investigate the hepatoprotective effects of Salvia miltiorrhiza polysaccharides (SMP) against lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced liver injury. The mice were treated with SMP first and LPS later. Results showed that SMPs significantly reduced the activities of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), total bilirubin (TBIL), malondialdehyde (MDA) and contents of inflammation factors and mRNA expressions in LPS induced liver injury mice. However, SMP significantly increased the contents of glutathione (GSH), Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC). SMP also downregulated the expressions of p-p65, p-IκBα, inducible nitricoxide synthase (iNOS) and improved the expression of Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) and Heme Oxygenase-1 (HO-1). The study indicates SMP protects the liver via attenuating inflammatory reactions and antioxidant effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI MSI) is a powerful tool for the characterization and localization of analytes without the need for extraction, purification, separation or labeling of samples. However, in tissue sections the most abundant lipids, phosphatidylcholines (PCs), could suppress the signals of other classes of coexisting lipids. In this work, polydopamine (PDA)-capped AgNPs (AgNPs@PDA) were synthesized as a matrix of MALDI MSI to analyze lipids in both positive and negative ion modes. By adjusting the thickness of the PDA layer, the signal of silver cluster ions of AgNPs@PDA was effectively controlled, and the ability of AgNPs@PDA serving as a matrix was optimized. More interestingly, using AgNPs@PDA as a matrix, the sensitivity of PCs was dramatically decreased, and the PC signals were greatly suppressed, while for other lipids (including PE, HexCer, PS, PI, PIP, and ST), they were just the opposite. The reason, we believe, is related to the positively charged surface of AgNPs@PDA, and the polyhydroxy and amino groups of PDA. Benefitting from the suppression of the signals of PCs and the improvement of detection sensitivity of other lipids, 58 glycerophospholipids and 25 sphingolipids in brain tissue sections could be imaged in one run with AgNPs@PDA as a matrix by MALDI MSI, much better than when using traditional organic matrices 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid and 9-aminoacridine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the visibility optimization problem of satellite constellations, this paper presents an efficient hybrid optimization method taking multiple constraints into account. To reduce the time needed for the optimization, the satellite constellation is assumed to have a specific configuration. The optimization includes two steps. The first step searches for optima over a large scale, while the second step is designed to obtain the accurate optimal solution based on the result of the first-step optimization. Based on the analysis of the coverage performance function, a linear adaptive population method is proposed for the first step. When compared with the traditional optimization method, calculation time can be efficiently reduced while ensuring an accurate optimization. Several numerical simulations are conducted for validation. It proves to be a practical choice for engineering applications. • Different types of satellite load sensors and different coverage performance indices are considered. • Constraints of double- or more-level coverage are discussed. • The trend of the number of local maximum points of one-level coverage to the ground point are analyzed. • A novel hybrid two-step optimization method is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]