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Introduction: Few minimally invasive options for sampling the small intestinal (SI) luminal fluid exist to study the SI microbiota in health and disease. To address the lack of tools and methods to study GI regions that are difficult to access, Nimble Science developed a fully autonomous and passive sampling method, the Small Intestine MicroBiome Aspiration (SIMBA™) capsule, for convenient, high-quality, and reliable sampling to study the diet-microbiota interactions in the SI. Methods: The sealing efficacy and microbial DNA preservation capacity of the SIMBA capsules was first validated through in vitro simulation assays. Then, a clinical study was conducted with 20 healthy participants to validate the in vivo use of SIMBA capsules to reliably capture samples for SI microbiome analysis before and after an intervention (NCT04489329). Briefly, participants ingested the capsules at baseline and 7 days later, with a probiotic capsule containing a blend of L. rhamnosus R0011 and B. longum R0175. Following baseline SIMBA capsule ingestion, multiple low-dosage x-ray scans were performed to track the sampling location. Fecal samples corresponding with the baseline and intervention capsule were analyzed for comparison. Results: The SIMBA capsules' performance in vitro demonstrated the potential for contamination-free sampling with preservation of the microbial communities. Within the clinical study, the capsules performed safely and reliably for collection of SI content. X-ray tracking confirmed that 97.2% of the capsules completed sample collection in the SI regions before reaching the colon. Importantly, our data showed that the capsules sampled in the right area of the intestines and that baseline SIMBA microbiome profile is significantly different from fecal microbiome profile. SIMBA successfully detected a concurrent probiotic intervention in the small intestine, which was not detectable using stool samples. Discussions: The high accuracy of sampling location and sealing efficacy of the SIMBA capsules makes them potentially useful research tools in clinical trials for studying diet-microbiota interactions in health and disease, and perhaps eventually for the clinical diagnosis of GI tract conditions affecting the SI such as SIBO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the breakthroughs made by physicists in high-dimensional mathematics, it has become possible to represent and solve a number of classical mathematical physics problems using the split quaternion algebra. In this paper, we study the least squares approximation of a class of Schrödinger equations in split quaternionic mechanics and propose two algebraic algorithms to the generalized right eigen-problem for an i-Hermitian split quaternion matrix pencil by using two isomorphic mappings. Numerical examples show the effectiveness of the proposed theories and algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to compare the diagnostic efficacy of DWI (Diffusion Weighted Imaging) and DCE-MRI (Dynamic Contrast Enhancement-Magnetic Resonance Imaging) in the depth of myometrial invasion, cervical invasion and FIGO (Federation International of Gynecology and Obstetrics) staging in patients with endometrial cancer. 128 patients were selected for preoperative diagnosis with DWI and DCE-MRI techniques. The diagnostic efficacy of the two diagnostic methods on the depth of myometrial invasion, cervical invasion and FIGO staging was compared. Receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted for the two diagnostic methods to further compare the differences between the two diagnostic methods. The accuracy, sensitivity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of DWI were conspicuously higher than that of DCE-MRI in the diagnosis of depth of myometrial invasion and cervical invasion (p < 0.05). ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve) analysis demonstrated that the diagnostic effect of DWI was better than that of DCE-MRI in the diagnosis of depth of myometrial invasion and cervical invasion, and the difference in the area under the curve between the two diagnostic methods was statistically significant (p < 0.05). In terms of FIGO staging diagnosis, the accuracy of DWI was 86.72%, which was higher than 65.63% of DCE-MRI (χ² = 15.689, p < 0.001). For patients with endometrial cancer, preoperative depth of myometrial invasion, cervical invasion and FIGO staging have critical guiding significance for clinical diagnosis and treatment. Compared with DCE-MRI, DWI has better diagnostic efficacy for depth of myometrial invasion, cervical invasion and FIGO staging, which is worthy of clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diagnosis-related groups (DRG) based hospital payment systems are gradually becoming the main mechanism for reimbursement of acute inpatient care. We reviewed the existing literature to ascertain the global use of DRG-based hospital payment systems, compared the similarities and differences of original DRG versions in ten countries, and used ischemic stroke as an example to ascertain the design and implementation strategies for various DRG systems. The current challenges with and direction for the development of DRG-based hospital payment systems are also analyzed. We found that the DRG systems vary greatly in countries in terms of their purpose, grouping, coding, and payment mechanisms although based on the same classification concept and that they have tended to develop differently in countries with different income classifications. In high-income countries, DRG-based hospital payment systems have gradually begun to weaken as a mainstream payment method, while in middle-income countries DRG-based hospital payment systems have attracted increasing attention and increased use. The example of ischemic stroke provides suggestions for mutual promotion of DRG-based hospital payment systems and disease management. How to determine the level of DRG payment incentives and improve system flexibility, balance payment goals and disease management goals, and integrate development with other payment methods are areas for future research on DRGbased hospital payment systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foxp3+CD4+ regulatory T (Treg) cells found within tissues regulate local immunity, inflammation, and homeostasis. Tregs in epididymal visceral adipose tissue (eVAT) are critical regulators of local and systemic inflammation and metabolism. During aging and under obesogenic conditions, eVAT Tregs undergo transcriptional and phenotypic changes and are important for containing inflammation and normalizing metabolic indices. We have employed single-cell RNA sequencing, single-cell Tra and Trb sequencing, adoptive transfers, photoconvertible mice, cellular interaction analyses, and in vitro cultures to dissect the evolving heterogeneity of eVAT Tregs with aging and obesity. Distinct Treg subtypes with distinguishable gene expression profiles and functional roles were enriched at differing ages and with differing diets. Like those in lean mice, eVAT Tregs in obese mice were not primarily recruited from the circulation but instead underwent local expansion and had a distinct and diversified T cell receptor repertoire. The different eVAT-Treg subtypes were specialized in different functions; for example, the subtypes enriched in lean, but not obese, mice suppressed adipogenesis. The existence of functionally divergent eVAT-Treg subtypes in response to obesogenic conditions presents possibilities for precision therapeutics in the context of obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the role and possible mechanism of integrin alpha 5 in the rat model of bone metastasis of breast cancer. A lentiviral vector interfering with silencing the expression of integrin alpha 5 nucleotide sequence was constructed and transfected into breast cancer BT474 cell line as silent group, blank vector group and control group. The ability of cell growth was detected by cell counting kit-8 method, the ability of cell metastasis was measured by cell scratching method, the invasive ability of cells was determined by Transwell, the cell adhesion was measured by cell adhesion test, the expression of non-muscle myosin heavy chain II and p-S1943 protein was measured by Western blot, and the success rate of tumor bearing, the number and proportion of bone metastases were observed in rats with different carrier cells injected into the left ventricle. The cell survival rate, the number of cells reaching the basement membrane, the number of adherent cells, cell proliferation ability, and the expression of non-muscle myosin heavy chain II and p-S1943 in the silent group (group C) was reduced than that in the blank vector group (group B) and the control group (group A). The success rate of tumor-bearing and bone metastases was 100 % and 75.00 % in the rats injected with blank vector cells, but 71.432 % and 45.45 % in the rats injected with silenced integrin alpha 5 cells, respectively. Silent integrin alpha 5 can effectively inhibit the growth, metastasis and adhesion of breast cancer cells, and inhibit bone metastasis of breast cancer. The mechanism may be achieved by inhibiting the expression of non-muscle myosin heavy chain II and p-S1943 proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The next-generation blockchain ecosystem is expected to integrate both homogeneous and heterogeneous distributed ledgers. These systems require operations across multiple blockchains to enrich advanced functionalities for future applications. However, the development of blockchain interoperability involves much more complexity regarding the variety of underlying architectures. Guaranteeing the properties of ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) across diverse blockchain systems remains challenging. To clear the fog, this article accordingly provides a comprehensive review of the current progress of blockchain interoperability. We explore the general principles and procedures for interoperable blockchain systems to highlight their design commons. Then, we survey practical instances and compare state-of-the-art systems to present their unique features between distinct solutions. Finally, we discuss critical challenges and point out potential research directions. We believe our work can provide an intuitive guideline for newcomers and also promote rapid development in terms of blockchain interoperability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the prediction for the future air quality trends, the demand for low-cost sensor-based air quality gird monitoring is growing gradually. In this study, a low-cost multi-parameter air quality monitoring system (LCS) based on different machine learning algorithm is proposed. The LCS can measure particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and gas pollutants (SO2, NO2, CO and O3) simultaneously. The multi-dimensional multi-response prediction model is developed based on the original signals of the sensors, ambient temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH), and the measurements of the reference instrumentations. The performance of the different algorithms (RF, MLR, KNN, BP, GA-BP) with the parameters such as determination coefficient R2 and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) are compared and discussed. Using these methods, the R2 of the algorithms (RF, MLR, KNN, BP, GA-BP) for the PM is in the range 0.68 - 0.99; the mean RMSE values of PM2.5 and PM10 are within 3.96 - 16.16 μgm-3 and 7.37 - 28.90 μgm-3, respectively. The R2 of the algorithms (RF, MLR, KNN, BP, GA-BP) for the gas pollutants (O3, CO and NO2) is within 0.70 -- 0.99; the mean RMSE values for these pollutants are 4.06 - 16.07 μgm-3, 0.04 - 0.15 mgm-3, 3.25 - 13.90 μgm-3, respectively. The R2 of the algorithms (RF, KNN, BP, GA-BP, except for MLR) for SO2 is within 0.27 - 0.97, and the mean RMSE value is in the range 1.05 - 3.22 μgm-3. These measurements are consistent with the national environmental protection standard requirement of China, and the LCS based on the machine learning algorithms can be used to predict the concentrations of PM and gas pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Total organic carbon (TOC) content is one of the most important parameters for characterizing the quality of source rocks and assessing the hydrocarbon-generating potential of shales. The Lucaogou Formation shale reservoirs in the Jimusaer Sag, Junggar Basin, NW China, is characterized by extremely complex lithology and a wide variety of mineral compositions with source rocks mainly consisting of carbonaceous mudstone and dolomitic mudstone. The logging responses of organic matter in the shale reservoirs is quite different from those in conventional reservoirs. Analyses show that the traditional ΔlogR method is not suitable for evaluating the TOC content in the study area. Analysis of the sensitivity characteristics of TOC content to well logs reveals that the TOC content has good correlation with the separation degree of porosity logs. After a dimension reduction processing by the principal component analysis technology, the principal components are determined through correlation analysis of porosity logs. The results show that the TOC values obtained by the new method are in good agreement with that measured by core analysis. The average absolute error of the new method is only 0.555, much less when compared with 1.222 of using traditional ΔlogR method. The proposed method can be used to produce more accurate TOC estimates, thus providing a reliable basis for source rock mapping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Chinese national strategic context of "Internet Plus", innovation of internet technologies and business models play crucial roles in driving economic growth. The research shows that gross domestic product (GDP), logistics infrastructure and internet penetration of the target countries rank the top 3 of factors that influence export scale via cross-border e-commerce, while the distance to China and tariff constitute negative roles. It is on this assumption that logistics information database of crossborder e-commerce export and foreign infrastructure construction is proposed to expedite trade between China and countries along the Belt and Road. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuronal synchronization at gamma frequency (30-100 Hz: γ) is impaired in early-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and AD models. Oligomeric Aβ1-42 caused a concentration-dependent reduction of γ-oscillation strength and regularity while increasing its frequency. The mTOR1 inhibitor rapamycin prevented the Aβ1-42-induced suppression of γ-oscillations, whereas the mTOR activator leucine mimicked the Aβ1-42-induced suppression. Activation of the downstream kinase S6K1, but not inhibition of eIF4E, was required for the Aβ1-42-induced suppression. The involvement of the mTOR/S6K1 signaling in the Aβ1-42-induced suppression was confirmed in Aβ-overexpressing APP/PS1 mice, where inhibiting mTOR or S6K1 restored degraded γ-oscillations. To assess the network changes that may underlie the mTOR/S6K1 mediated γ-oscillation impairment in AD, we tested the effect of Aβ1-42 on IPSCs and EPSCs recorded in pyramidal neurons. Aβ1-42 reduced EPSC amplitude and frequency and IPSC frequency, which could be prevented by inhibiting mTOR or S6K1. These experiments indicate that in early AD, oligomer Aβ1-42 impairs γ-oscillations by reducing inhibitory interneuron activity by activating the mTOR/S6K1 signaling pathway, which may contribute to early cognitive decline and provides new therapeutic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with sharp solutions to majorization and Fekete-Szegő problems for several relatively new normalized subfamilies of starlike functions. Regarding starlike functions which are subordinated to Sine and Cosine functions, a number of new results are established. The results provide improvements to some recent results. As applications, some interesting deductions are also listed. The findings of this study are thoroughly supported by examples wherever necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When converting C5 hydrocarbons to light olefins by catalytic pyrolysis, the generation of low valueadded methane will affect the atomic utilization efficiency of C5 hydrocarbons. To improve the atomic utilization efficiency, different generation pathways of light olefins and methane in the catalytic pyrolysis of C5 hydrocarbons were analyzed, and the effects of reaction conditions and zeolite types were investigated. Results showed that light olefins were mainly formed by breaking the C2-C3 bond in the middle position, while methane was formed by breaking the C1-C2 bond at the end. Meanwhile, it was discovered that the hydrogen transfer reaction could be reduced by about 90% by selecting MTT zeolite with 1D topology and FER zeolite with 2D topology under high weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) and high temperature operations, thus leading to the improvement of the light olefins selectivity for the catalytic pyrolysis of n-pentane and 1-pentene to 55.12% and 74.60%, respectively. Moreover, the fraction ratio of terminal C1-C2 bond cleavage was reduced, which would reduce the selectivity of methane to 6.63% and 1.83%. Therefore, zeolite with low hydrogen transfer activity and catalytic pyrolysis process with high WHSV will be conducive to maximize light olefins and to decrease methane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defects bring significant security risks to pipelines, which are essential carriers in oil and gas transportation. However, when alternating current magnetic flux leakage (AC-MFL) testing is applied to pipeline defect detection, the morphological reversal of the detection signal under specific parameters has adverse effects on defect identification and quantification. This paper identifies and explains the phenomenon of detection signal morphological reversal in AC-MFL testing, which is defined as magnetic inversion (MI). Based on the AC-MFL testing mechanism, the causes of MI are analysed. The influence of the excitation current frequency, excitation current intensity and defect depth on MI is numerically analysed using the finite element method. The excitation current frequency and the defect depth are important factors causing MI, but the excitation current density is not. MI only occurs when deep defects are detected under low-frequency excitation. The boundary conditions of AC-MFL testing are further clarified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An active suspension system ensures the controllability of a vehicle in the vertical direction, which greatly enhances the control redundancy and safety of an intelligent driven vehicle. However, many calibrated model parameters are not conducive to the application of optimal control. To reduce the control cost of active suspension, a model-free H8 output feedback control method is studied in this research. First, the optimal governing equation of the active suspension is transformed into a zero-sum game problem of two players, and an off-policy reinforcement learning algorithm is established to solve the game algebraic Riccati equation. This method could overcome the disadvantage of constant interactions between Q-learning and the environment. Secondly, with the consideration that some state variables are difficult to measure, a data-driven H8 output feedback controller is designed using road sensing information and historical measurement data, and the Bellman equation of the system is solved using the least squares method to obtain the optimal control solution of the active suspension. The simulation and rapid prototype experimental results show that the proposed method could produce the optimal control strategy of the system without model parameters, overcome the strong dependence and sensitivity of traditional design methods to model parameters and improve the robust control effect of the active suspension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To produce low olefin gasoline with high octane number by Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) wax fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process, operating conditions optimization were carried out in the pilot-scale riser and turbulent fluidized bed (TFB) FCC unit. The experimental results in the riser indicated that under the condition of low reaction temperature and regenerated catalyst temperature, large catalyst-to-oil weight ratio (C/O) and long reaction time, the gasoline olefin content could be reduced to 20.28 wt%, but there is large octane number loss owing to a great loss in high octane number olefin. Therefore, a novel FCC process using the TFB reactor was proposed to strengthen the aromatization reaction. The reaction performance of TFB reactor were investigated. The result demonstrated that the TFB reactor has more significant effect in reducing olefins and improving aromatics. At the expense of certain gasoline yield, the gasoline olefin content reduced to 23.70 wt%, aromatics content could increase to 26.79 wt% and the RON was up to 91.0. The comparison of reactor structure and fluidization demonstrated that the TFB reactor has higher catalyst bed density. The reaction heat and coke combustion heat was calculated indicating the feasibility of its industrial application of the TFB process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop reproductive development is vulnerable to heat stress, and the genetic modulation of thermotolerance during the reproductive phase, especially the early stage, remains poorly understood. We isolated a Poaceae-specific FAR-RED ELONGATED HYPOCOTYLS3 (FHY3)/FAR-RED IMPAIRED RESPONSE1 (FAR1)family transcription factor, Thermo-sensitive Spikelet Defects 1 (TSD1), derived from transposase in rice (Oryza sativa) TSD1 was highly expressed in spikelets, induced by heat, and specifically enhanced the thermotolerance of spikelet morphogenesis. Disrupting TSD1 did not affect vegetative growth but markedly retarded spikelet initiation and development, as well as caused varying degrees of spikelet degeneration, depending on the temperature. Most tsd1 spikelets were normal at low temperature but gradually degenerated as temperature increased, and all disappeared at high temperature, leading to naked branches. TSD1 directly promoted the transcription of YABBY1 and YABBY3 and could physically interact with YABBY1 and three TOB proteins, YABBY5, YABBY4, and YABBY3. These YABBY proteins can form either homodimers or heterodimers and play an important role in spikelet morphogenesis, similar to TSD1. Notably, the knockout mutant yab5-ko and double mutant tsd1 yab5-ko resembled tsd1 in spikelet appearance and response to temperature, indicating that these genes likely participate in spikelet development through the cooperative TSD1-YABBY module. These findings reveal a distinctive function of FHY3/FAR1 family genes and a unique TSD1-YABBY complex to acclimate spikelet development to high temperature in rice, providing insight into the regulating pathway of enhancing thermotolerance in plant reproductive development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a novel hybrid metaheuristic model was developed to forecast the undrained soil shear (USS) property from cone penetration test (CPT) data (data from bore log sample from 70 different sites in Louisiana). This algorithm produced with the integration of grey wolf optimization (GWO) and multilayer perceptron neural network (MLP), named GWO - MLP, where different numbers of hidden layers were tested (1 to 4). The duty of optimization algorithm was to determine the optimal number of neurons in each hidden layer. To this objective, the system comprised five inputs entitled sleeve friction, cone tip persistence, liquid limit, plastic limitation, too much weight, and USS as outcome. The developed models for forecasting the USS of soil show the proposed best models have R2 at 0.9134 and 0.9236 in the training and predicting stage. Although the total ranking score of GWO-MLP2 and GWO-MLP4 is equal, the OBJ value shows that GWO-MLP4 has better performance than GWO-MLP2. In this case, considering the time of model running and a greater number of hidden layers suggests that GWO-MLP2 could be most appropriate. Therefore, the GWO-MLP3 model outperforms other GWO-MLP networks in the training and testing phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote field eddy current (RFEC) methods are widely applied for detecting pipeline defects. However, current RFEC methods cannot distinguish inner diameter (ID) defects from outer diameter (OD) defects. In addition, existing RFEC probes are usually driven by an extremely low-frequency signal, which reduces the detection efficiency. To address these issues, a novel external RFEC probe is designed to improve the detection performance. First, the probe structure is designed using a simulation tool. Second, the excitation and structural parameters are optimally selected. Finally, the relationships between the signal features and the defect dimensions are analysed. The results show that the probe can realise the RFEC effect without shield cages, the exciting frequency is significantly improved and the phase angle can be used to classify ID and OD defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective(s): To explore the ability and underlying molecular mechanisms involved in the protective effects of Baicalin (BA) against L-Glutamate-induced mouse hippocampal neuron cell line HT-22. Materials and Methods: The cell injury model of HT-22 cells was induced by L-glutamate, and cell viability and damage were detected by CCK-8 and LDH assays. Generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was measured by DCFH-DA in situ fluorescence method. The SOD activity and MDA concentration in the supernatants were determined by WST-8 and colorimetric method, respectively. Furthermore, Western blot and real-time qPCR analysis were utilized to detect the expression levels of the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway and NLRP3 inflammasome proteins and genes. Results: L-Glutamate exposure induced cell injuries in HT-22 cells, and the concentration of 5 mM L-Glutamate was chosen to be the modeling condition. Co-treatment with BA significantly promoted cell viability and reduced LDH release in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, BA attenuated the L-Glutamate-induced injuries by decreasing the ROS production and MDA concentration, while increasing the SOD activity. Moreover, we also found that BA treatment up-regulated the gene and protein expression of Nrf2 and HO-1, and then inhibited the expression of NLRP3. Conclusion: Our study found that BA could relieve oxidative stress damage of HT-22 cells induced by L-Glutamate, and the mechanism might be related to the activation of Nrf2/HO-1 and inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The poor outcome of advanced ovarian cancer under conventional therapy necessitates new strategies to improve therapeutic efficacy. β-glucosidase (encoded by GBA) is a lysosomal enzyme and is involved in sphingolipids metabolism. Recent studies revealed that β-glucosidase plays a role in cancer development and chemoresistance. In this work, we systematically evaluated the expression and role of GBA in ovarian cancer. Our work demonstrates that inhibition of β-glucosidase has therapeutic potential for ovarian cancer. Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis database, western blot and immunohistochemistry analyses of patient samples demonstrated that GBA mRNA and protein expression levels were significantly increased in ovarian cancer compared to normal tissues. Functional studies using gainof-function and loss-of-function approaches demonstrated that GBA overexpression did not affect growth and migration but alleviated cisplatin’s efficacy in ovarian cancer cells. In addition, GBA depletion resulted in growth inhibition, apoptosis induction, and enhancement of cisplatin’s efficacy. Of note, we found that GBA inhibition specifically decreased receptor tyrosine kinase AXL level, leading to the suppression of AXL-mediated signaling pathways. Our data suggest that GBA represents a promising target to inhibit AXL signaling and overcome cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate crop detection is the prerequisite for the operation of intelligent agricultural machinery. Image recognition usually lacks accurate orientation information, and Lidar point clouds are not easy to distinguish different objects. Fortunately, the fusion of images and Lidar points can complement each other. This research aimed to detect maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings by fusing Lidar data with images. By applying coordinate transformation and time stamps, the images and Lidar points were realized homogeneous in spatial as well as temporal dimensions. Deep learning was used to develop a maize seedling recognition model, then the model recognized maize seedlings by labeling them with bounding boxes. Meanwhile, Lidar points were mapped to the bounding boxes. Only one-third of points that fell into the right middle of bounding boxes were selected for clustering operation, the calculated center of the cluster provided spatial information for target maize seedlings. This study modified the classical single shot multi-box detector (SSD) by merely linking the last feature map to the final output layer, owing to the higher feature maps having the unique advantages of detecting relatively larger objects. In images, maize seedlings were just the largest objects owing to be shot on purpose. This modification enabled the recognition model to finish recognizing an image by only consuming around 60 ms, which saved about 10 ms/image compared with the classical SSD model. The experiment was conducted in a maize field, and the maize was during the elongation stage. Experimental results demonstrated that the standard deviations for maximum distance error and maximum angle error were 1.4 cm and 1.1°, respectively, which can be tolerated under current technical requirements. Since agricultural fields are subject to staple crop-orientated and changeable ambient environment, the fusion of images and Lidar points can derive more precision information, and make agricultural machinery smarter. This study can act as an upstream technology for other researches on intelligent agricultural machinery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain enriched voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC) Nav1.2 and Nav1.6 are critical for electrical signaling in the CNS. Previous studies have extensively characterized cell-type-specific expression and electrophysiological properties of these two VGSCs and how their differences contribute to fine-tuning of neuronal excitability. However, because of a lack of reliable labeling and imaging methods, the subcellular localization and dynamics of these homologous Nav1.2 and Nav1.6 channels remain understudied. To overcome this challenge, we combined genome editing, super-resolution, and live-cell single-molecule imaging to probe subcellular composition, relative abundances, and trafficking dynamics of Nav1.2 and Nav1.6 in cultured mouse and rat neurons and in male and female mouse brain. We discovered a previously uncharacterized trafficking pathway that targets Nav1.2 to the distal axon of unmyelinated neurons. This pathway uses distinct signals residing in the intracellular loop 1 between transmembrane domain I and II to suppress the retention of Nav1.2 in the axon initial segment and facilitate its membrane loading at the distal axon. As mouse pyramidal neurons undergo myelination, Nav1.2 is gradually excluded from the distal axon as Nav1.6 becomes the dominant VGSC in the axon initial segment and nodes of Ranvier. In addition, we revealed exquisite developmental regulation of Nav1.2 and Nav1.6 localizations in the axon initial segment and dendrites, clarifying the molecular identity of sodium channels in these subcellular compartments. Together, these results unveiled compartment-specific localizations and trafficking mechanisms for VGSCs, which could be regulated separately to modulate membrane excitability in the brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a letter to the editor regarding a recent publication on the correlation between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) and the establishment of machine-learning-based predictive models. The authors of the letter express their support for the study's findings but raise concerns about certain details. They suggest considering the effects of drugs on hematological parameters, including cortisol and catecholamines, and the impact of confounding factors such as COVID-19 infection and other diseases. Additionally, they highlight the debate surrounding the normal threshold value of NLR. The authors conclude that further clarification is needed before fully interpreting the study's findings. [Extracted from the article]

The article presents a study which explores how fungal-fungal cocultivation leads to widespread secondary metabolite alteration requiring the partial loss-of-function VeA1 protein. It mentions that microbial communication has attracted notable attention as an indicator of microbial interactions that lead to marked alterations of secondary metabolites (SMs) in varied environments.

In this article, the hydrodynamics of and nonlinear interaction between the large offshore fish farm "ShenLan 1" and regular waves are investigated using the open-source computational fluid dynamics (CFD) toolbox REEF3D. The framework consists of a rigid body dynamics solver for the frame structure coupled to a fluid solver including the shielding effects of the nets. The solver and grid independence are validated using a 2D numerical wave tank, a free decay test, and a study of the wave loads on a rigid net panel. Then, the effects of regular wave parameters, the thickness of the vertical outer columns of the structure, and the variations of the aspect ratios on the loads, responses, and maximum mooring tension forces are studied. It is concluded that the response motion is sensitive to the wave period rather than the wave height due to the longer duration of unidirectional wave loads acting on the frame. The frequent events of partial submersions and wave overtopping in rather steep waves are confirmed through the capturing of the free surface. The net system accounts for about 30% of the total drag but does not influence the structural response to a larger extend. The effect of the aspect ratio on the hydrodynamics is more distinct than that of the frame thickness. As a result of the study, the first step toward a systemic evaluation of the importance of different structural parts of an offshore fish cage for the expected responses is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the design and implementation of an expandable neural recording ASIC for multiple-channel neural recording applications. The ASIC consists of 36 modular digital pixels (MDPs) and a global digital controller (GDC) circuit. Each MDP has an analog frontend (AFE) circuit, a 12-bit successive approximation register ADC (SAR ADC), and a local digital controller (LDC) circuit. It achieves 5.9-µV input referred noise (IRN), 10.8-effective number of bits (ENOB), 37.8-µW power consumption, and 0.095 mm2 area per channel. The ASIC is implemented in commercial SMIC 0.18-µm CMOS process and validated by in-vivo experiment on a lab mouse with a 36-channel silicon-based neural probe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the propagation of a light pulse reflection from the layer system with a graphene layer. We show a tunable transition between positive and negative group delays of optical pulse reflection in such a layered system controlled by the properties of the graphene layer and reveal two mechanisms to control the propagation properties of the light pulse reflected from such systems. It is demonstrated that the reflected group delays are tunable from positive to negative values in both mechanisms of resonances and the excitations of surface plasmon resonances, which are also adjusted by tuning the Fermi energy and temperature of the graphene layer. Our results are helpful to control the pulse propagations and are useful for design of graphene-based optical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present new ideas for computing rovibrational energy levels of molecules composed of two components and apply them to H2O-Cl-. When both components are themselves molecules, Euler angles that specify their orientation with respect to an axis system attached to the inter-monomer vector are used as vibrational coordinates. For H2O-Cl-, there is only one set of Euler angles. Using Euler angles as intermolecular vibrational coordinates is advantageous because in many cases coupling between them and coordinates that describe the shape of the monomers is unimportant. The monomers are not assumed to be rigid. In the most efficient calculation, vibrational wavefunctions of the monomers are used as contracted basis functions. Energy levels are calculated using the Lanczos algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation tillage with maize stalk retention is an effective method to replenish soil nutrients. Nutrient availability plays a major role in the control of soil respiration (SR). However, it is not known how different degrees of maize stalk retention control SR and its temperature sensitivity (Q10). To investigate the effect of maize stalk retention amount on SR and Q10, four maize (Zea mays L.) stalk retention treatments, including (i) control treatment (CT) without maize stalk retention, (ii) standing maize stalk retention (SCR), (iii) partial maize stalk retention with 'three-year cycle' (TYR) and (iv) chopped maize stalk retention (CCR) was set up. In order to investigate the differences in soil nutrient, soil organic carbon (SOC) quality and soil microbial biomass among four treatments, soil analysis with 6 replicates was conducted. The experimental results showed that SR rates were 1.07, 0.88, 0.59 and 0.37 g/kg of dry soil, and the average Q10 was 1.535, 1.585, 1.62 and 1.725 for CT, SCR, TYR and CCR, respectively. Increasing maize stalk retention led to the reduction of soil microbial abundance and labile carbon compositions. Pearson correlation analysis showed that soil microbial abundance had a positive correlation with SR, while labile carbon fraction had a negative correlation with Q10. In short, increasing the amount of maize stalk retention decreases SR while increasing Q10 in northeast China. This research could provide a reference value for balancing carbon sequestration and carbon decomposition in farming practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydrodynamics and flow around net meshes has recently drawn more and more attention because it is closely related to the expected forces on aquaculture. In terms of modeling the hydrodynamic forces on nets, Morison or screen force models are ordinarily. However, they mainly rely on empirical, experimental, or cylindrical hydrodynamic coefficients, neglecting the flow interactions between adjacent net twines. In this study, the open-source hydrodynamic toolbox REEF3D is adopted to analyze the flow around net meshes and investigate the hydrodynamic drag on the structure. The simulation accuracy is in good agreement with flume experiments and previous research. The results demonstrate that 2 × 2 or 3 × 3 mesh cases are more reliable for studying the flow around net meshes including the flow interactions around adjacent twines. It is further shown that controlling the solidity of the net through changing net bar diameters has different effects on the flow around meshes than controlling it by the twine length. This article presents a first step in the aim to derive a new empirical formula for the drag coefficients depending on the solidity and fluid properties, which is more appropriate for the physics involved in offshore conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significant difference in length scales between the flow around a moving fish net and the flow around each twine of the net prevents the resolution of the complete structure within a discrete fluid domain. In this article, this issue is overcome by calculating the net and fluid dynamics separately and incorporate their interaction implicitly. The forces on the net are approximated using a screen force model, and the motion of the net is computed with a lumped mass method. Here, a linear system of equations is derived from the dynamic equilibria and kinematic relations. The net model is coupled to the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver reef3d, which solves the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations using high-order finite differences in space and time. Several numerical calculations are provided, and the comparison of loads and velocity reduction with available measurements indicates the good performance of the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging phenomena of ubiquitous multisource data offer promising avenues for making breakthroughs in financial risk prediction. While most existing methods for financial risk prediction are based on a single information source, which may not adequately capture various complex factors that jointly influence financial risks, we propose a hybrid-strategy-based self-adaptive method to effectively leverage heterogeneous soft information drawn from a variety of sources. The method uses a proposed new feature sparsity learning method to adaptively integrate multisource heterogeneous soft features with hard features and a proposed improved evidential reasoning rule to adaptively aggregate base classifier predictions, thereby alleviating both the declarative bias and the procedural bias of the learning process. Evaluation in two cases at the individual level (concerning borrowers at a P2P lending platform) and the company level (concerning listed companies in the Chinese stock market) showed that, compared with relying solely on hard features, effectively incorporating multisource heterogeneous soft features using our proposed method enabled earlier prediction of financial risks with desirable performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV) is the etiologic agent of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) and causes fatal disease in cats of almost all ages. Currently, there are no clinically approved drugs or effective vaccines for FIP. Furthermore, the pathogenesis of FIP is still not fully understood. There is an urgent need for an effective infection model of feline infectious peritonitis induced by FIPV. Here, we constructed a field type I FIPV full-length cDNA clone, pBAC-QS, corresponding to the isolated FIPV QS. By replacing the FIPV QS spike gene with the commercially available type II FIPV 79-1146 (79-1146_CA) spike gene, we established and rescued a recombinant virus, designated rQS-79. Moreover, we constructed 79-1146_CA infectious full-length cDNA pBAC-79-1146_CA, corresponding to recombinant feline coronavirus (FCoV) 79-1146_CA (r79-1146_CA). In animal experiments with 1- to 2-year-old adult cats orally infected with the recombinant virus, rQS-79 induced typical FIP signs and 100% mortality. In contrast to cats infected with rQS-79, cats infected with 79-1146_CA did not show obvious signs. Furthermore, by rechallenging rQS-79 in surviving cats previously infected with 79-1146_CA, we found that there was no protection against rQS-79 with different titers of neutralizing antibodies. However, high titers of neutralizing antibodies may help prolong the cat survival time. Overall, we report the first reverse genetics of virulent recombinant FCoV (causing 100% mortality in adult cats) and attenuated FCoV (causing no mortality in adult cats), which will be powerful tools to study pathogenesis, antiviral drugs, and vaccines for FCoV. IMPORTANCE Tissue- or cell culture-adapted feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV) usually loses pathogenicity. To develop a highly virulent FIPV, we constructed a field isolate type I FIPV full-length clone with the spike gene replaced by the 79-1146 spike gene, corresponding to a virus named rQS-79, which induces high mortality in adult cats. rQS- 79 represents the first described reverse genetics system for highly pathogenic FCoV. By further constructing the cell culture-adapted FCoV 79-1146_CA, we obtained infectious clones of virulent and attenuated FCoV. By in vitro and in vivo experiments, we established a model that can serve to study the pathogenic mechanisms of FIPV. Importantly, the wild-type FIPV replicase skeleton of serotype I will greatly facilitate the screening of antiviral drugs, both in vivo and in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report J > 0 CH5+ levels computed by fixing stretch coordinates. They are computed by using a simple product basis, exploiting symmetry, and carefully parallelizing the calculation. The J > 0 CH5+ levels are compared with those obtained from other theoretical methods and with experimental ground state combination differences of Asvany et al. [Science, 347, 1346 (2015)]. If the assignment of Asvany et al. is correct, there are important differences between the levels we compute and those observed. We propose a different assignment of the experimental levels that reduces the maximum error from 34 to 2 cm-1. The new assignment can only be correct if states of both parities exist in the experiment. Although, ro-vibrational levels of CH5+ cannot be associated with individual vibrational states, they do occur in blocks separated by gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Screening is one of the most important concepts in the study of charged systems. Near a dielectric interface, the ion distribution in a salt solution can be highly nonuniform. Here, we develop a theory that self-consistently treats the inhomogeneous screening effects. At higher concentrations when the bulk Debye screening length is comparable to the Bjerrum length, the double layer structure and interfacial properties are significantly affected by the inhomogeneous screening. In particular, the depletion zone is considerably wider than that predicted by the bulk screening approximation or the WKB approximation. The characteristic length of the depletion layer in this regime scales with the Bjerrum length, resulting in a linear increase of the negative adsorption of ions with concentration, in agreement with experiments. For asymmetric salts, inhomogeneous screening leads to enhanced charge separation and surface potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using field-theoretic techniques, we develop a molecularly based dipolar self-consistent-field theory (DSCFT) for charge solvation in pure solvents under equilibrium and nonequilibrium conditions and apply it to the reorganization energy of electron transfer reactions. The DSCFT uses a set of molecular parameters, such as the solvent molecule's permanent dipole moment and polarizability, thus avoiding approximations that are inherent in treating the solvent as a linear dielectric medium. A simple, analytical expression for the free energy is obtained in terms of the equilibrium and nonequilibrium electrostatic potential profiles and electric susceptibilities, which are obtained by solving a set of self-consistent equations. With no adjustable parameters, the DSCFT predicts activation energies and reorganization energies in good agreement with previous experiments and calculations for the electron transfer between metallic ions. Because the DSCFT is able to describe the properties of the solvent in the immediate vicinity of the charges, it is unnecessary to distinguish between the inner-sphere and outer-sphere solvent molecules in the calculation of the reorganization energy as in previous work. Furthermore, examining the nonequilibrium free energy surfaces of electron transfer, we find that the nonequilibrium free energy is well approximated by a double parabola for self-exchange reactions, but the curvature of the nonequilibrium free energy surface depends on the charges of the electron-transferring species, contrary to the prediction by the linear dielectric theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence and mortality of ST-elevated myocardial infarction are increasing year by year, causing a huge economic burden to patients' families due to its severe clinical symptoms, high mortality, and poor prognosis. Percutaneous coronary intervention is the best treatment strategy for reducing myocardial infarction area, prolonging survival, and improving prognosis. To further improve the clinical effect of percutaneous coronary intervention in the treatment of ST-elevated myocardial infarction, this study explored the application value of nicorandil in the procedure. Oral nicorandil tablets were found to improve the cardiac function and myocardial microcirculation of patients with ST-elevated myocardial infarction, enhance their nutritional status, and reduce the risk of malnutrition. In the 6-month prognostic follow-up, nicorandil tablets provided more effective prognostic myocardial protection for patients. Therefore, we recommend the use of nicorandil tablets for adjuvant therapy during primary percutaneous coronary intervention in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An integrable of the generalized Calogero–Bogoyavlenskii–Schiff–Bogoyavlensky–Konopelchenko (CBS–BK) equation is studied, by employing Hirota's bilinear method the bilinear form is obtained, and the multiple-soliton solutions are constructed. The modified of improved bilinear method has been utilized to investigate multiple solutions. In addition, some graphs including 3D, contour, density, and y -curves plots of the addressed equation with specific coefficients are shown. Finally, under certain conditions, the asymptotic behavior of the linearization solution is analyzed to prove that the modulation instability is stable for some points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report vibration-rotation-tunneling levels of the van der Waals clusters N2-H2O and N2-D2O computed from an ab initio potential energy surface. The only dynamical approximation is that the monomers are rigid. We use a symmetry adapted Lanczos algorithm and an uncoupled product basis set. The pattern of the cluster's levels is complicated by splittings caused by H-H exchange tunneling (larger splitting) and N-N exchange tunneling (smaller splitting). An interesting result that emerges from our calculation is that whereas in N2-H2O, the symmetric H-H tunnelling state is below the anti-symmetric H-H tunnelling state for both K = 0 and K = 1, the order is reversed in N2-D2O for K = 1. The only experimental splitting measurements are the D-D exchange tunneling splittings reported by Zhu et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 139, 214309 (2013)] for N2-D2O in the v2 = 1 region of D2O. Due to the inverted order of the split levels, they measure the sum of the K = 0 and K = 1 tunneling splittings, which is in excellent agreement with our calculated result. Other splittings we predict, in particular those of N2-H2O, may guide future experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely accepted that the Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) theory provides a valid description for charged surfaces in the so-called weak coupling limit. Here, we show that the image charge repulsion creates a depletion boundary layer that cannot be captured by a regular perturbation approach. The correct weak-coupling theory must include the self-energy of the ion due to the image charge interaction. The image force qualitatively alters the double layer structure and properties, and gives rise to many non-PB effects, such as nonmonotonic dependence of the surface energy on concentration and charge inversion. In the presence of dielectric discontinuity, there is no limiting condition for which the PB theory is valid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrostatic interactions near surfaces and interfaces are ubiquitous in many fields of science. Continuum electrostatics predicts that ions will be attracted to conducting electrodes but repelled by surfaces with lower dielectric constant than the solvent. However, several recent studies found that certain "chaotropic" ions have similar adsorption behavior at air/water and graphene/water interfaces. Here we systematically study the effect of polarization of the surface, the solvent, and solutes on the adsorption of ions onto the electrode surfaces using molecular dynamics simulation. An efficient method is developed to treat an electrolyte system between two parallel conducting surfaces by exploiting the mirror-expanded symmetry of the exact image-charge solution. With neutral surfaces, the image interactions induced by the solvent dipoles and ions largely cancel each other, resulting in no significant net differences in the ion adsorption profile regardless of the surface polarity. Under an external electric field, the adsorption of ions is strongly affected by the surface polarization, such that the charge separation across the electrolyte and the capacitance of the cell is greatly enhanced with a conducting surface over a low-dielectric-constant surface. While the extent of ion adsorption is highly dependent on the electrolyte model (the polarizability of solvent and solutes, as well as the van derWaals radii), we find the effect of surface polarization on ion adsorption is consistent throughout different electrolyte models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]