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Background: As hypothermic circulatory arrest (HCA) is being more frequently induced in patients undergoing aortic arch surgery, its safety at different degrees has become a crucial area of study. The aim of this study was to assess the surgical outcomes of mild hypothermic circulatory arrest (MI-HCA) during aortic arch surgery. Methods: Acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) patients who underwent total arch replacement (TAR) and frozen elephant trunk (FET) surgery between January 2014 and December 2023 were enrolled in this study. The patients were divided into two groups according to the minimum nasopharyngeal temperature: the moderate hypothermic circulatory arrest (MHCA) group (20–28 °C) and the MI-HCA group (> 28 °C). The inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was used to balance differences in the baseline characteristics. Perioperative variables were analysed via pairwise comparisons, multivariable logistic regression, and subgroup forest plots to assess the impact of MI-HCA on surgical outcomes. Results: A total of 447 patients were included in this study, and the mean minimum nasopharyngeal temperature was 24.80 (23.98, 27.30) °C in the MHCA group and 30.10 (29.80, 30.70) °C in the MI-HCA group. The incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) in the MI-HCA group was lower than that in the MHCA group (52% vs. 78%, p < 0.01). In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, MI-HCA was identified as an independent protective factor for AKI (OR = 0.354, 95% CI 0.177–0.689; p = 0.003). Additionally, compared with MHCA, MI-HCA was not associated with an increased incidence of stroke, spinal cord injury, or in-hospital mortality. After IPTW, the preoperative and intraoperative data of the patients were balanced, and the incidence of AKI in the MI-HCA group was still lower than that in the MHCA group (83.26% vs. 53.61%, p = 0.004). The subgroup forest plot also demonstrated that MI-HCA was a protective factor for postoperative AKI. Conclusions: The surgical outcomes of MI-HCA in ATAAD patients were satisfactory. Compared with MHCA, MI-HCA provided sufficient protection for distal organs, the brain, and the spinal cord, with a significantly lower incidence of AKI. These results indicate that MI-HCA could be a better approach for ATAAD surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The M-N4-C catalysts have attracted significant attention in electrocatalysis due to their atomic-level utilization efficiency, high electrocatalytic activity, stability, and the use of earth-abundant metals. However, the actual size of synthesized M-N4-C catalysts is not uniform, making it challenging to elucidate the true structure and understand the intrinsic activity origin of M-N4-C catalysts. To address this challenge, this study employs density functional theory (DFT) to comprehensively investigate the electrocatalytic ORR/OER/HER performance of M–N4 structures (nC@MN4, M = Fe, Co, Ni, Cu) embedded in carbon substrates with varying sizes (8.7 Å to 26.2 Å). Formation energy calculations reveal a "M"-shaped fluctuation in the stability of nC@MN4 configurations as molecular size changes. By analyzing the electronic and geometric structure parameters, such as metal center charge, spin population, fundamental gap, and average M–N bond length across different molecular sizes of nC@MN4, we observed significant size effects for nC@FeN4 and nC@CoN4 structures. For both *H and *OOH adsorption free energies, the magnitude of change with molecular size variation follows the order: nC@FeN4 < nC@CoN4 < nC@NiN4 < nC@CuN4. We also found that the ORR overpotential of FeN4 fluctuates between 0.53 V and 1.42 V with changes in molecular size, offering a new perspective to understand discrepancies between theoretical calculations and experimental results. Finally, we observed that the fundamental gap is a strong predictor of performance for nC@FeN4, and charge is a reliable predictor for nC@CoN4. However, structural parameters exhibit weaker predictive ability for nC@NiN4 and nC@CuN4. In summary, this work reveals the size effect in carbon-based single-atom catalysts, providing critical insights into the true activity origin of MN4 catalysts, and offering a deeper perspective for the development of high-performance MN4 catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the influence of gender stereotype information on cognitive judgments and impression evaluations of faces and voices. A 2 × 2 × 2 design was employed, with Perceptual Target (Face vs. Voice), Gender Stereotype Information (Consistent vs. Inconsistent) and Gender of Perceptual Targets (Male and Female) serving as within-subject factors. The results demonstrated that when gender stereotype information was consistent with the perceptual target's gender, response times for face gender judgments were shorter than for voice gender judgments. Nevertheless, the accuracy of gender judgments was higher for voices than faces. Furthermore, likability ratings for targets were significantly higher when gender stereotype information was consistent with the target than when it was inconsistent, for both face and voice judgments. These findings indicate that visual and auditory cues are processed differently in the context of gender judgments, thereby highlighting the distinct roles of facial and vocal information in gender perception. The current study contributes to understanding the complex interplay between gender stereotypes and multimodal social information processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flavor substances produced by the division of baijiu yeast during the winemaking process often determine the quality of white wine, and the difficulty of storing and transporting high-quality baijiu yeast is a bottleneck that restricts the development of China's baijiu industry. It is widely accepted that drying microorganisms such as baijiu yeast is the best way to improve its storage and transport performance. Spray drying, as one of the most widely used microbial drying processes, with a high efficiency and low cost, is the hot spot of current research in the field of microbial drying, but it has the inherent defect of a low drying survival rate. In order to address this inherent defect, the present study was carried out with a high-quality white wine yeast, Modified Sporidiobolus Johnsonii A (MSJA), as the target. Firstly, an orthogonal experiment, Steep Hill Climbing experiment, and response surface experiment were sequentially designed to optimize the type and amount of protective agent added in the spray-drying process of MSJA. Then, the effects of glutamyl transaminase (TGase) treatment on the drying process of MSJA were revealed with the help of advanced equipment, such as laser particle sizer, environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM), and Fourier-transform infrared scanner (FTIR). The results showed that the addition of "TGase-treated soybean isolate protein (SPI) + lactic protein (LP)" as an in vitro bacterial protectant and "14.15% trehalose + 7.10% maltose + 14.04% sucrose" TGase treatment can promote the cross-linking of protective proteins, reduce the distance between MSJA bacteria and protective proteins, and increase the glass transition temperature to enhance the protective effect of protective proteins, so as to improve the survival rate of MSJA during spray drying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is a major cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and kidney failure. Necroptosis is a novel type of programmed cell death that has been proved to be associated with the pathogenesis of infectious disease, cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders and so on. However, the role of necroptosis in IgAN remains unclear. Methods: In this study, we explored the role of necroptosis-related genes in the pathogenesis of IgAN using a comprehensive bioinformatics method. Microarray datasets GSE93798 and GSE115857 were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). "limma" package of R software was employed to identify necroptosis-related differentially expressed genes (NRDEGs) between IgAN and healthy controls. GO and KEGG functional enrichment analysis was performed by Clusterprofiler. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis identified hub NRDEGs. We further established a diagnostic model consisting of 7 diagnostic hub NRDEGs and validated the efficacy by an external dataset. The expression of hub genes was confirmed in sc-RNA dataset GSE171314. Immune infiltration, gene set enrichment analysis and transcription factor binding motifs enrichment analysis were conducted to further uncover their roles. Results: 1076 differentially expressed genes were identified between healthy individuals and IgAN patients from RNA-seq dataset GSE9379. Then we cross-linked them with necroptosis-related genes to obtain 9 NRDEGs. LASSO regression analysis screened out 7 hub genes (JUN, CD274, SERTAD1, NFKBIA, H19, UCHL1 and EZH2) of IgAN. We further conducted functional enrichment analysis and constructed the diagnostic model based on dataset GSE93798. GSE115857 was used as the independent validation cohort and indicated a great predictive efficacy. Immune infiltration, gene set enrichment analysis and transcription factor binding motifs enrichment analysis revealed their potential function. Finally, we screened out four drugs that were predicted to have therapeutic value of IgAN. Conclusions: In summary, we identified 7 hub necroptosis-associated genes, which can be used as potential genetic biomarkers for IgAN prediction and treatment. Four drugs were predicted as the potential therapeutic solutions. Collectively, we provided insights into the necroptosis-related mechanisms and treatment of IgAN at the transcriptome level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the pathogenesis of dental caries, Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) plays a central role. S. mutans can produce extracellular polysaccharides, which can help the bacteria form biofilms on the tooth surface, create a stable living environment, and hinder the removal of bacteria by natural defense substances in the oral cavity such as saliva. Meanwhile, the oral microbiota and dietary habits exert long-term influences on its development. This study, employing the BALB/c mouse model, explored the effects of L. paracasei L9 on dental caries. In the experiment, mice underwent the S. mutans inoculation and were subsequently treated with L. paracasei L9 or S. salivarius K12 for 28 consecutive days. The results showed that L. paracasei L9 significantly ameliorated early enamel caries, and both L. paracasei L9 and S. salivarius K12 cooperatively downregulated the expressions of critical cariogenic factors, effectively suppressing the initial adhesion of S. mutans and the formation of dental plaques. L. paracasei L9 reshaped the oral microbiota of caries-affected mice, selectively reducing pathogens abundances and augmenting abundances of probiotics such as Lactobacillaceae and Streptococcus salivarius. This study offers a strategic approach for the management of dental caries, highlighting the potential of these probiotics in the field of oral health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flowering time is critical for the regional adaptation, yield, and reproduction of crop plants. Tyrosine kinase-like (TKL) genes are protein kinases (PKs) that play important roles in various plant processes. However, the functions of only a few TKLs in controlling flowering time in plants have been characterized. As a genetic model system, Brachypodium distachyon has been widely used in the study of gramineous crop species. Here, we identified and characterized the function of the model plant Brachypodium (poaceae) tyrosine kinase-like kinase BdCTR1 in controlling flowering time. BdCTR1 mutation caused earlier flowering compared with wild-type (WT) plants. Transcriptomic analysis revealed 2261 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to the circadian rhythm, phytohormone signaling, and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways in Bdctr1 mutants compared with the wild type (WT). Quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (qRT–PCR) revealed that the expression levels of flowering-related genes, including FT, PPD1, CO, and FUL, and ET-related genes, including ETR, MKK, and ERF, were altered in Bdctr1 mutants compared with those in WT plants. Thus, our results show that BdCTR1 plays a role in controlling flowering time by regulating various signaling pathways and contribute to elucidating the molecular mechanisms of PKs in controlling plant flowering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context Both assisted reproductive technology (ART) and obesity are associated with adverse cardiometabolic alterations in offspring. However, the combined effects of paternal obesity and ART on offspring cardiometabolic health are still unclear. Objective To clarify cardiometabolic changes in offspring of obese fathers conceived using ART. This was a retrospective cohort study conducted between June 2014 and October 2019 at a center for reproductive medicine. A total of 2890 singleton visits aged 4-10 years were followed. Age-and sex-specific z-score of body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, insulin resistance, and lipid profile were examined. Results We observed a strong association between paternal BMI categories and offspring BMI, blood pressure, and insulin resistance. Compared with offspring of fathers with normal weight, multivariable-adjusted mean differences for BMI z-score were 0.53 (95% CI 0.37-0.68) for obese fathers, 0.17 (95% CI 0.05-0.30) for overweight fathers, and −0.55 (95% CI −0.95–0.15) for underweight fathers; corresponding values for systolic blood pressure z-score were 0.21(95% CI 0.07-0.35), 0.10 (95% CI −0.01-0.21), and −0.24 (95% CI −0.59-0.11), and corresponding values for homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance z-score were 0.31 (95% CI 0.16-0.46), 0.09 (95% CI −0.02-0.21), and −0.11 (95% CI −0.48-0.28), respectively. The mediation analyses suggested that 57.48% to 94.75% of the associations among paternal obesity and offspring cardiometabolic alterations might be mediated by offspring BMI. Conclusion Paternal obesity was associated with an unfavorable cardiometabolic profile in ART-conceived offspring. Mediation analyses indicated that offspring BMI was a possible mediator of the association between paternal obesity and the offspring impaired metabolic changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crystalline solids exhibiting inherently low lattice thermal conductivity (κ L) are of great importance in applications such as thermoelectrics and thermal barrier coatings. However, κ L cannot be arbitrarily low and is limited by the minimum thermal conductivity related to phonon dispersions. In this work, we report the liquid-like thermal transport in a well-ordered crystalline CsAg5Te3, which exhibits an extremely low κ L value of ∼0.18 Wm−1K−1. On the basis of first-principles calculations and inelastic neutron scattering measurements, we find that there are lots of low-lying optical phonon modes at ∼3.1 meV hosting the avoided-crossing behavior with acoustic phonons. These strongly localized modes are accompanied by weakly bound rattling Ag atoms with thermally induced large amplitudes of vibrations. Using the two-channel model, we demonstrate that coupling of the particle-like phonon modes and the heat-carrying wave-like phonons is essential for understanding the low κ L, which is heavily deviated from the 1/ T temperature dependence of the standard Peierls theory. In addition, our analysis indicates that the soft structural framework with liquid-like motions of the fluctuating Ag atoms is the underlying cause that leads to the suppression of the heat conduction in CsAg5Te3. These factors synergistically account for the ultralow κ L value. Our results demonstrate that the liquid-like heat transfer could indeed exist in a well-ordered crystal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let X1,…,Xn$$ {\mathbf{X}}_1,\dots, {\mathbf{X}}_n $$ be a sequence of independence random vectors from Np(μ,Σ)$$ {N}_p\left(\boldsymbol{\mu}, \boldsymbol{\varSigma} \right) $$ with population correlation matrix Rn$$ {\mathbf{R}}_n $$, and its sample correlation matrix is denoted as R^n=(r^ij)p×p$$ {\hat{\mathbf{R}}}_n={\left({\hat{r}}_{ij}\right)}_{p\times p} $$, where the matrix element r^ij$$ {\hat{r}}_{ij} $$ represents the Pearson correlation coefficient between the i$$ i $$ and j$$ j $$ columns of the data matrix (X1,…,Xn)′$$ {\left({\mathbf{X}}_1,\dots, {\mathbf{X}}_n\right)}^{\prime } $$. R^n$$ {\hat{\mathbf{R}}}_n $$ is an interesting part in multivariate analysis, and the likelihood ratio test (LRT) statistic used to test the complete independence of all components of X$$ \mathbf{X} $$ can be expressed as a function of R^n$$ {\hat{\mathbf{R}}}_n $$. On this basis, under the condition that the sample size n$$ n $$ and the dimension p$$ p $$ satisfy p/n→y∈(0,1]$$ p/n\to y\in \left(0,1\right] $$ as n→∞$$ n\to \infty $$, we derive the moderate deviation principle (MDP) of the LRT statistic for the hypothesis testing problem H0:Rn=Ip$$ {H}_0:{\mathbf{R}}_n={\mathbf{I}}_p $$ vs H1:Rn≠Ip$$ {H}_1:{\mathbf{R}}_n\ne {\mathbf{I}}_p $$. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we investigate the precise asymptotics for complete convergence and complete moment convergence for the spatial averages of the solution to the stochastic heat equation over a Euclidean ball as the radius of the ball diverges to infinity. Some general results on precise asymptotics are obtained, which can describe the relations among the boundary function, weighted function, convergence rate, and limit value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) represent a significant global marine ecological disaster. In the Yellow Sea, green and golden tides often occur simultaneously or sequentially, suggesting that interspecific competition involves not only spatial and resource competition but also allelopathy. This study investigated the allelopathic interactions between Ulva prolifera and Sargassum horneri using physiological and biochemical parameters, including relative growth rate (RGR), cell ultrastructure, chlorophyll fluorescence, enzyme activity, and metabolomics analysis. The results showed that S. horneri filtrate significantly inhibited U. prolifera growth, while U. prolifera filtrate had no significant effect on S. horneri. Both algal filtrates caused cellular damage and affected photosynthesis, enzyme activities, and metabolism. However, their allelopathic responses differed: U. prolifera may rely on internal compensatory mechanisms, while S. horneri may depend on defense strategies. These findings provide insights into the dynamics of green and golden tides and support the scientific control of HABs through allelopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melatonin (MT) serves an indispensable function in plant development and their response to abiotic stress. Although numerous drought‐tolerance genes have been ascertained in wheat, further investigation into the molecular pathways controlling drought stress tolerance remains necessary. In this investigation, it was observed that MT treatment markedly enhanced drought resistance in wheat by diminishing malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and augmenting the activity of antioxidant enzymes POD, APX, and CAT compared to untreated control plants. Transcriptomic analysis disclosed that melatonin treatment activated the tryptophan metabolism and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways. Furthermore, quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT‐PCR) outcomes validated that the expression trends of these differentially expressed genes aligned with the transcriptomic data. Metabolomic profiling identified alterations in the abundance of several metabolites, including tryptamine, MT, formylanthranilate, 3‐hydroxyanthranilate, 6‐hydroxymelatonin, naringenin chalcone, astragalin, pinbanksin, and caffeoyl quinic acid. Co‐expression analysis suggested that various transcription factors—encompassing AP2/ERF‐ERF, WRKY, bZIP, C2H2, bHLH, NAC, and MYB—participated in controlling the differentially expressed genes across multiple pathways. Ultimately, these findings highlight that exogenous MT application bolsters wheat's drought tolerance through the modulation of tryptophan metabolism and flavonoid biosynthesis. These insights provide novel perspectives on the molecular frameworks mediating MT's effect on drought resistance and pinpointing candidate genes for potential genetic enhancement programs in wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Andrographis paniculata is known for its diterpenoid medicinal compounds with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. However, it faces production and cultivation challenges due to low temperatures (LTs). Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (CYPs) are key enzymes in diterpenoid accumulation. Nevertheless, the functions and LT-related expression patterns of diterpenoid pathway CYPs in Andrographis paniculata remain poorly understood. In this study, 346 CYPs were discovered in Andrographis paniculata. Among them, 328 CYPs belonged to 42 known subfamilies. The remaining 17 CYPs might have represented novel subfamilies unique to this species. A total of 65 candidate CYPs associated with diterpenoid modification were identified. Of these, 50 were transmembrane proteins, and 57 were localized to chloroplasts. The CYP71 subfamily was the most abundant and had the highest motif diversity. Promoters of all candidate CYPs commonly contained elements responsive to gibberellins (GAs), methyl jasmonate (MeJA), and abiotic stresses. Notably, the XP_051152769 protein, corresponding to a CYP gene over 40,000 bp in length, featured an extraordinarily long intron (40,751 nts). Functional elements within this intron were related to LT, GAs, and dehydration pathways. Based on the promoter element arrangement and subfamily classification, 10 representative candidate CYPs were selected. Under LT stress, significant expression changes were observed in three representative CYPs: CYP71D, ent-kaurenoic acid oxidase (KAO), and ent-kaurene oxidase (KO). KAO and KO were significantly upregulated during early LT stress. KAO and KO interacted with each other and jointly interacted with GA20OX2-like. CYP71D acted as a negative response factor to LT stress. Among the 37 proteins interacting with CYP71D, 95% were CYPs. This study provides a critical preliminary foundation for investigating the functions of diterpenoid pathway CYPs in Andrographis paniculata, thereby facilitating the development of LT-tolerant cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use and cover change (LUCC) is directly linked to the sustainability of ecosystems and the long-term well-being of human society. The Helong Region in the Loess Plateau has become one of the areas most severely affected by soil and water erosion in China due to its unique geographical location and ecological environment. The long-term construction of terraces and orchards is one of the important measures for this region to combat soil erosion. Despite the important role that terraces and orchards play in this region, current studies on their extraction and understanding remain limited. For this reason, this study designed a land use classification system, including terraces and orchards, to reveal the patterns of LUCC and the effectiveness of ecological restoration projects in the area. Based on this system, this study utilized the Random Forest classification algorithm to create an annual land use and cover (LUC) dataset for the Helong Region that covers eight periods from 1986 to 2020, with a spatial resolution of 30 m. The validation results showed that the maps achieved an average overall accuracy of 87.54% and an average Kappa coefficient of 76.94%. This demonstrates the feasibility of the proposed design and land coverage mapping method in the study area. This study found that, from 1986 to 2020, there was a continuous increase in forest and grassland areas, a significant reduction in cropland and bare land areas, and a notable rise in impervious surface areas. We emphasized that the continuous growth of terraces and orchards was an important LUCC trend in the region. This growth was primarily attributed to the conversion of grasslands, croplands, and forests. This transformation not only reduced soil erosion but also enhanced economic efficiency. The products and insights provided in this study help us better understand the complexities of ecological recovery and land management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intrinsic hygroscopic nature of lignocellulosic materials allows water molecules to interact with cell wall polymers, and thus affects their performances. The presences of nano-porous structure and hydroxy groups create physiochemical environment facilitating water sorption in cell wall, which is highly humidity level dependent. This study examined the changes of available hydroxy groups and cell wall pore architectures of Fagus sylvatica (beech) and Pinus taeda L. (pine) under different relative humidity (RH) conditioned by saturated salt solutions. The physical environment, including pore volume and pore size distribution, was determined using differential scanning calorimetry thermoporosimetry (DSCT) and time–domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR). The application of attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) allowed for the examination of the influence of RH on the sorption sites. Additionally, heavy water was utilized to isotopically label the accessible hydroxy groups in the wood cell wall, enabling the assessment of the chemical environment using differential spectrum analysis. The results indicated that the lower RH levels had a greater effect on pore diameter but affected pore volume less. When the RH exceeded 60%, the impact of RH on pore volume became more pronounced, while pore diameter remained relatively constant. On the other hand, the number of available hydroxy groups gradually increased as RH rose till 60%. Therefore, a turning point of 60% RH was proposed for physicochemical environment of cell wall moisture in wood, below and above this point the instantaneous pores and hydroxy groups were primarily responded to the RH variations, respectively. Moreover, moisture accumulated in high RH is more likely to be constrained by the physical surroundings and has less strong interactions with the cell wall. Elucidating the coupling effect of water induced physiochemical environment changes enable the further understanding of the interplay of wood and water, and give insights in the design of advanced materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the large-scale penetration of distributed generation (DG), the volatility problems of active distribution networks (ADNs) have become more prominent, which can no longer be met by traditional regulation means and need to be regulated by introducing flexible resources. Soft open points (SOP) and energy storage systems (ESS) can regulate the tidal currents on spatial and temporal scales, respectively, to improve the flexibility of ADN. To this end, in-depth consideration of DG admission is given to establish flexibility assessment indicators from the power side of ADN. The conditional deep convolution generative adversarial network (C-DCGAN) is used to generate the output scenario of DG. On this basis, the SOP and ESS two-layer planning models, which take account of the potential for improvement in the flexibility of ADN, are constructed. Among them, the upper layer is the site selection and volume determination layer, which considers the economy of the system with the optimization objective of minimizing the annual integrated cost; the lower layer is the operation optimization layer, which considers the flexibility of the system and takes the highest average daily flexibility level as the optimization objective. The planning model is solved using genetic algorithm-particle swarm optimization (GA-PSO) and second-order cone programming (SOCP). The case analysis verifies the rationality and effectiveness of the planning model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to change lanes safely, efficiently, and comfortably is an important prerequisite for the application of Connected‐Automated Vehicles (CAVs). Based on the five‐order polynomial trajectory planning for CAVs, the 2D‐Action Asynchronous Lane Change (AALC) trajectory planning model is constructed by further considering the longitudinal and lateral driving action execution time parameters. This is done to improve the applicability of the lane change model and increase the CAV lane change success rate. The continuous collision space algorithm is constructed by determining the continuity condition of collision trajectory parameter solution space through the monotonicity of trajectory curve parameters and collision form classification. AALC trajectory safety judgment is realized through this algorithm. A cooperative lane change trajectory evaluation objective function is constructed, considering multivehicle comfort and efficiency. Finally, the AALC model is solved in the continuous collision space according to the optimal objective function, and the lane change is divided into free, cooperative, and refused according to the optimization. The results indicate that the AALC model achieves the transfer of collision space between lanes through asynchronous process of behavior execution time window, thereby reducing the possibility of vehicle collision. The AALC model reduces the degree of change of cooperative lane change parameters by asynchronous process of behavior, increasing the number of free lane change trajectories by about 17%, effectively reducing the occurrence of lane change refusal, improving the successful rate of lane change, and enhancing the overall evaluation of the lane change. The AALC model realizes the reallocation of collision space between different lanes through asynchronous process, making it more suitable for environments with large differences in vehicle gaps such as ramp merging. The collision‐based trajectory optimization algorithm can quickly obtain the corresponding safety space and optimal trajectory. The maximum calculation time for a single cooperative lane change is 0.073 s, thus enabling real‐time trajectory planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, the development of n-type organic thermoelectric materials lags far behind that of their p-type counterparts due to the low efficiency and poor stability of n-doping. Herein, we report a cation exchange strategy to improve the efficiency and stability of n-doping of π-conjugated polymers, and enhance their thermoelectric performance. By treating the tetrakis(dimethylamino)ethylene (TDAE) doped poly(benzimidazobenzophenanthroline) (BBL) film with ionic liquid 1-benzyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BzMIM-BF4), BzMIM+ cations spontaneously exchanged with TDAE·+ radical cations. This cation exchange facilitated the redox doping reaction between BBL and TDAE, and inhibited the dedoping reaction related with diffusion of TDAE species, thus significantly improving the efficacy and stability of n-doping. The conductivity was elevated by 58% to 12.3 S cm−1 and could be maintained at 120 °C for 2 days under a nitrogen atmosphere. The cation exchange also enhanced charge transport in the film, improving the Seebeck coefficient by 80% and the power factor by 3.6 fold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is common to see patients who need orthodontic treatment but with insufficient alveolar bone volume. However, safe and effective tooth movement requires sufficient alveolar bone width and height. The aim of this study is to compare the bone augmentation efficacy of Autologous Partially Demineralized Dentin Matrix (APDDM) and Deproteinized Bovine Bone Mineral (DBBM) in orthodontic patients with insufficient bone by using a randomized controlled clinical trial approach. Materials and methods: Twenty-seven orthodontic patients involving 40 posterior teeth alveolar sites (n = 40) with insufficient alveolar bone volume were randomly divided into a control group (n = 20) and an experimental group (n = 20). The patients in the experimental group were treated with APDDM, and those in the control group were treated with DBBM. After surgery, the adjacent teeth are moved toward the bone grafting sites according to the orthodontic treatment plan. Patients completed a postoperative response questionnaire by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score to indicate pain and swelling in the bone grafted area at the time of suture removal; and CBCT scans were conducted before surgery, 6 months and 2 years after surgery to assess changes in buccal and central alveolar heights, as well as widths at the alveolar ridge apex and 3 mm, 5 mm below the apex, respectively. The CBCT image sequences were imported into Mimics 21.0 software in DICOM format. The data of the patients in both groups were collected and analyzed by SPSS 25.0. Results: The VAS scores were significantly lower in the APDDM group than in the DBBM group (p < 0.05). Significant increases were observed in alveolar bone height and width at 6 months and 2 years postoperative (p < 0.05); At 2 years, the APDDM group exhibited a reduction in buccal crest height and in 3 mm, 5 mm width below alveolar ridge apex, relative to 6 months (p < 0.05), while the DBBM group showed a decrease only in the central height of the alveolar bone (p < 0.05). There was a significant bone augmentation increase found only 3 mm below the alveolar ridge apex in the APDDM group compared with the DBBM group among all 6 months group comparison (p < 0.05). At 2 years, the augmentation effects were similar across both groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Radiomics analysis indicates that APDDM serves as a viable bone augmentation material for orthodontic patients with insufficient alveolar bone volume, achieving comparable clinical efficacy to DBBM. Additionally, APDDM is associated with a milder postoperative response than DBBM. The registration number (TRN): ChiCTR2400084607. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Signal detection is crucial in multi-input multi-output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) systems, yet classical detection methods often struggle with nonlinear issues in wireless channels. To handle this challenge, we propose a novel signal detection method for MIMO-OFDM system based on the fractional Fourier transform (FrFT), leveraging the robust time series processing capabilities of long short-term memory (LSTM) networks. Our innovative approach, termed IM-LSTMNet, integrates LSTM with convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and incorporates a Squeeze and Excitation Network to emphasize critical information, enhancing neural network performance. The proposed IM-LSTMNet is applied to the FrFT-based MIMO-OFDM system to improve signal detection performance. We compare the detection results of IM-LSTMNet with zero forcing (ZF), minimum mean square error (MMSE), simple LSTM neural network, and CNN–LSTM network by evaluating the bit error rate. Experimental results demonstrate that IM-LSTMNet outperforms ZF, MMSE, LSTM, and other methods, significantly enhancing system signal detection performance. This work offers a promising advancement in MIMO-OFDM signal detection, presenting a deep learning-based solution that effectively improves the system signal detection performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flowering in plants is pivotal for initiating and advancing reproductive processes, impacting regional adaptation and crop yield. Despite numerous cloned and identified flowering time genes, research in cotton remains sparse. This study identified GhSWEET42 as a key determinant of the flowering time in cotton, demonstrating that its heterologous expression in Arabidopsis accelerated flowering under LD conditions compared to WT. Transgenic plants exhibited upregulated expression of the flowering inducers AtFT, AtSOC1, AtGI, and AtFKF1, alongside downregulated expression of the repressors AtTSF, AtFLC, and AtRGL2, correlating with the earlier flowering phenotype. GhSWEET42 showed a constitutive expression pattern, with elevated levels in the leaves, petals, and flower buds, and was notably higher in early-maturing cotton varieties. Subcellular localization assays confirmed GhSWEET42's presence on the cell membrane. Transcriptome analysis between WT and GhSWEET42-overexpressing Arabidopsis plants revealed 2393 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), spanning 221 biological processes, 93 molecular functions, and 37 cellular components according to Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis categorized the DEGs into metabolism and environmental information processing. These findings enhance the understanding of GhSWEET42's function and provide a foundation for elucidating the molecular mechanisms governing flowering time regulation in cotton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psoriasis is characterized by keratinocyte (KC) hyperproliferation and inflammatory cell infiltration, but the mechanisms remain unclear. In an imiquimod-induced mouse psoriasiform model, p38 activity is significantly elevated in KCs and p38α specific deletion in KCs ameliorates skin inflammation. p38α signaling promotes KC proliferation and psoriasis-related proinflammatory gene expression during psoriasis development. Mechanistically, p38α enhances KC proliferation and production of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines by activating STAT3. While p38α signaling in KCs does not affect the expression of IL-23 and IL-17, it substantially amplifies the IL-23/IL-17 pathogenic axis in psoriasis. The therapeutic effect of IL-17 neutralization is associated with decreased p38 and STAT3 activities in KCs and targeting the p38α-STAT3 axis in KCs ameliorates the severity of psoriasis. As IL-17 also highly activates p38 and STAT3 in KCs, our findings reveal a sustained signaling circuit important for psoriasis development, highlighting p38α-STAT3 axis as an important target for psoriasis treatment. p38α signaling promotes keratinocyte proliferation and psoriasis-related proinflammatory gene expression in psoriasis by activating STAT3, and further amplifies the IL-23/IL-17 pathogenic axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the effect of the interaction between protocatechuic acid (PCA) and gelatin on the functional properties and stability of gelatin-PCA complexes. Gelatin-PCA complexes were prepared by non-covalent and covalent binding. Afterward, the interaction between PCA and gelatin was analyzed using UV-Vis spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Meanwhile, an analysis was also performed on the antioxidant activity, antibacterial activity, and stability of the complexes. The findings showed a higher PCA binding rate for the covalent complexes than the non-covalent complexes. Additionally, the interaction between PCA and gelatin resulted in the fluorescence quenching of gelatin, with a higher level of fluorescence quenching observed for the covalent binding. Moreover, in addition to excellent DPPH and ABTS+ radical scavenging abilities. Compared with GPCA-2, the noncovalent complex GPCA-1 showed more significant (P<0.05) scavenging abilities against DPPH and ABTS+ free radicals, with clearance rates of 49.71%±2.9% and 38.39%±0.57%, respectively. Gelatin-PCA complexes also exhibited antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella. Moreover, the antibacterial effect of GPCA-1 was more significant (P<0.05), with inhibition zone diameters of 11.31±0.91, 12.57±0.93 and 8.83±0.35 mm for E. coli, L. monocytogenes and Salmonella, respectively. Despite reducing the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of PCA to some extent, the interaction between PCA and gelatin significantly (P<0.05) improved the photostability and thermal stability of PCA. Specifically, the retention rates of PCA in gelatin-PCA covalent complexes after 80 min of UV and heat treatment were 92.58%±0.62% and 90.30%±0.97%, respectively. In conclusion, these findings provide a theoretical basis for the development and utilization of functional gelatin-PCA complex products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a special type of through-flow device, bulb turbine pumps have been widely used in the Eastern Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project due to their compact structure, flexible installation process, easy maintenance, high efficiency, and strong adaptability. Therefore, structural improvements to enhance their safety and stability through fluid–structure interaction analysis have significant engineering value. This paper conducts static and transient fluid–structure interaction analyses of the bulb turbine pump structure. The results show that the rotor structure experiences the greatest deformation under low-flow conditions, with maximum deformation (2.13 mm) occurring at the leading edge of the impeller inlet and decreasing radially along a gradient distribution. The damping effect of water changes the mode shapes of the rotor structure, and although the vibration modes under wet conditions are similar to those in the air, the frequencies decrease to varying degrees. In transient analyses under different conditions, the total deformation of the rotor system is greater than in static analyses, showing significant regularity. Under low-flow conditions, the deformation of the pressure surface at the inlet and outlet of the blade tip is greater than that of the suction surface, with a maximum total deformation of 3.656 mm. The maximum total deformation under design flow is 3.337 mm; under high flow, it is 2.646 mm. The total deformation of the casing mainly occurs on both sides of the internal bulb body bottom support, with a maximum deformation of 2.0355 mm and an equivalent stress maximum of 44.848 MPa. The equivalent stress and total deformation distribution of the support structure are similar, located at the top support and trailing edge, with a maximum value of 22.94 MPa at the trailing edge. The research results provide technical references and theoretical foundations for the structural optimization of bulb turbine pumps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perforation of the maxillary sinus membrane is a common complication during maxillary sinus elevation. Intraoperative perforation of the maxillary sinus membrane may complicate the procedure and indirectly lead to implant failure. Timely repair of the perforated maxillary sinus membrane can effectively improve the implant survival rate. This case describes a method of repairing a maxillary sinus membrane perforation with a suture-attached collagen membrane and shows stable repair results at a 31-month follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intervertebral Disc Herniation (IVDH) is a common spinal disease in dogs, significantly impacting their health, mobility, and overall well-being. This study initiates an effort to automate the detection and localization of IVDH lesions in veterinary MRI scans, utilizing advanced artificial intelligence (AI) methods. A comprehensive canine IVDH dataset, comprising T2-weighted sagittal MRI images from 213 pet dogs of various breeds, ages, and sizes, was compiled and utilized to train and test the IVDH detection models. The experimental results showed that traditional two-stage detection models reliably outperformed one-stage models, including the recent You Only Look Once X (YOLOX) detector. In terms of methodology, this study introduced a novel spinal localization module, successfully integrated into different object detection models to enhance IVDH detection, achieving an average precision (AP) of up to 75.32%. Additionally, transfer learning was explored to adapt the IVDH detection model for a smaller feline dataset. Overall, this study provides insights into advancing AI for veterinary care, identifying challenges and exploring potential strategies for future development in veterinary radiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yttria‐stabilized zirconia (YSZ) powder is widely used in battery and thermal barrier coatings. This article reports a method of preparing YSZ powder using plasma in air atmosphere at room temperature in 0.34 M ZrO(NO3)2–0.06 M Y(NO3)3 solution. Diverse characterization techniques are utilized to examine the morphology and composition of synthesized powders. Electrolytic green powder consists mainly of hydroxide, which is annealed to form a well‐crystallized YSZ oxide powder with coexisting tetragonal and cubic phases. The green powder is composed of micrometer‐sized particles, with a particle size distribution (D50) of 51.90 μm. The molar ratio of Y to Zr is 2.84:1. The YSZ powder is finer (D50 is 5.80 μm) with irregular nanoparticles aggregating together, and the molar ratio of Y to Zr is 2.57:1. Hydroxyl radicals (OH·) and hydrogen radicals (H·) are found in the flame during discharge electrolysis, and the main formation reactions of the powders by this process are H2O + 2e− → H2↑ + 2OH−; Zr4+ + 4OH− + nH2O → Zr(OH)4·nH2O↓; and Y3+ + 3OH− + nH2O → Y(OH)3·nH2O↓. The conductivity of electrolyte sintered by YSZ powders increases with rising temperature, reaching 0.038S cm−1 at 1000 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let u(k)(t, x) be the solution to the parabolic Anderson model driven by a space-time white noise on the interval [0, k] with Neumann, Dirichlet, or periodic boundary conditions. In this paper, we investigate the almost sure central limit theorems for spatial averages of the form ∫ 0 k u k t , x dx as k tends to infinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The general strategy for n‐type organic thermoelectric is to blend n‐type conjugated polymer hosts with small molecule dopants. In this work, all‐polymer n‐type thermoelectric is reported by dissolving a novel n‐type conjugated polymer and a polymer dopant, poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI), in alcohol solution, followed by spin‐coating to give polymer host/polymer dopant blend film. To this end, an alcohol‐soluble n‐type conjugated polymer is developed by attaching polar and branched oligo (ethylene glycol) (OEG) side chains to a cyano‐substituted poly(thiophene‐alt‐co‐thiazole) main chain. The main chain results in the n‐type property and the OEG side chain leads to the solubility in hexafluorineisopropanol (HFIP). In the polymer host/polymer dopant blend film, the Coulombic interaction between the dopant counterions and the negatively charged polymer chains is reduced and the ordered stacking of the polymer host is preserved. As a result, the polymer host/polymer dopant blend exhibits the power factor of 36.9 µW m−1 K−1, which is one time higher than that of the control polymer host/small molecule dopant blend. Moreover, the polymer host/polymer dopant blend shows much better thermal stability than the control polymer host/small molecule dopant blend. This research demonstrates the high performance and excellent stability of all‐polymer n‐type thermoelectric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PLD1 has been implicated in cytoskeletal reorganization and vesicle trafficking in somatic cells; however, its function remains unclear in oocyte meiosis. Herein, we found PLD1 stably expresses in mouse oocytes meiosis, with direct interaction with spindle, RAB11A+ vesicles and macroautophagic/autophagic vacuoles. The genetic or chemical inhibition of PLD1 disturbed MTOC clustering, spindle assembly and its cortical migration, also decreased PtdIns(4,5)P2, phosphorylated CFL1 (p-CFL1 [Ser3]) and ACTR2, and their local distribution on MTOC, spindle and vesicles. Furthermore in PLD1-suppressed oocytes, vesicle size was significantly reduced while F-actin density was dramatically increased in the cytoplasm, the asymmetric distribution of autophagic vacuoles was broken and the whole autophagic process was substantially enhanced, as illustrated with characteristic changes in autophagosomes, autolysosome formation and levels of ATG5, BECN1, LC3-II, SQSTM1 and UB. Exogenous administration of PtdIns(4,5)P2 or overexpression of CFL1 hyperphosphorylation mutant (CFL1S3E) could significantly improve polar MTOC focusing and spindle structure in PLD1-depleted oocytes, whereas overexpression of ACTR2 could rescue not only MTOC clustering, and spindle assembly but also its asymmetric positioning. Interestingly, autophagy activation induced similar defects in spindle structure and positioning; instead, its inhibition alleviated the alterations in PLD1-depleted oocytes, and this was highly attributed to the restored levels of PtdIns(4,5)P2, ACTR2 and p-CFL1 (Ser3). Together, PLD1 promotes spindle assembly and migration in oocyte meiosis, by maintaining rational levels of ACTR2, PtdIns(4,5)P2 and p-CFL1 (Ser3) in a manner of modulating autophagy flux. This study for the first time introduces a unique perspective on autophagic activity and function in oocyte meiotic development. Abbreviations: ACTR2/ARP2: actin related protein 2; ACTR3/ARP3: actin related protein 3; ATG5: autophagy related 5; Baf-A1: bafilomycin A1; BFA: brefeldin A; GAPDH: glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase; GOLGA2/GM130: golgin A2; GV: germinal vesicle; GVBD: germinal vesicle breakdown; IVM: in vitro maturation; MAP1LC3/LC3: microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3; MI: metaphase of meiosis I; MII: metaphase of meiosis II; MO: morpholino; MTOC: microtubule-organizing center; MTOR: mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase; PB1: first polar body; PLA: proximity ligation assay; PLD1: phospholipase D1; PtdIns(4,5)P2/PIP2: phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate; RAB11A: RAB11A, member RAS oncogene family; RPS6KB1/S6K1: ribosomal protein S6 kinase B1; SQSTM1/p62: sequestosome 1; TEM: transmission electron microscopy; TUBA/α-tubulin: tubulin alpha; TUBG/γ-tubulin: tubulin gamma; UB: ubiquitin; WASL/N-WASP: WASP like actin nucleation promoting factor [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For organic photodetectors (OPDs), cathode interlayer (CIL) with low‐lying highest occupied molecular orbital (EHOMO) energy level is required to reduce dark current density (Jd). In this study, toward application as CIL in OPDs, an alcohol‐processable n‐type conjugated polymer (n‐PT8) based on imide/cyano‐substituted polythiophene backbone and branched oligo(ethylene glycol) side chain is developed. Owing to the electron‐accepting imide/cyano groups on the backbone, n‐PT8 exhibits deep‐lying EHOMO of −5.80 eV and a high conductivity of 5.12 × 10−6 S cm−1. OPD with n‐PT8 as CIL exhibits dark current density one order of magnitude lower than that with the state‐of‐the‐art CIL material because of the large energy barrier for reverse hole injection. Moreover, the device performance is insensitive to the n‐PT8 layer thickness, which is very desirable for the mass production of OPDs. The near‐infrared (NIR) OPDs based on n‐PT8 exhibit an ultra‐low dark current density of 1.76 × 10−9 A cm−2 and a specific detectivity of 2.88 × 1012 cm Hz1/2 W−1 at −1 V. To the best knowledge, this is the first report on n‐type polythiophene derivatives as CIL in organic opto‐electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abiotic stress significantly affects plant growth and has devastating effects on crop production. Drought stress is one of the main abiotic stressors. Actin is a major component of the cytoskeleton, and actin-depolymerizing factors (ADFs) are conserved actin-binding proteins in eukaryotes that play critical roles in plant responses to various stresses. In this study, we found that GmADF13, an ADF gene from the soybean Glycine max, showed drastic upregulation under drought stress. Subcellular localization experiments in tobacco epidermal cells and tobacco protoplasts showed that GmADF13 was localized in the nucleus and cytoplasm. We characterized its biological function in transgenic Arabidopsis and hairy root composite soybean plants. Arabidopsis plants transformed with GmADF13 displayed a more robust drought tolerance than wild-type plants, including having a higher seed germination rate, longer roots, and healthy leaves under drought conditions. Similarly, GmADF13-overexpressing (OE) soybean plants generated via the Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated transformation of the hairy roots showed an improved drought tolerance. Leaves from OE plants showed higher relative water, chlorophyll, and proline contents, had a higher antioxidant enzyme activity, and had decreased malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and superoxide anion levels compared to those of control plants. Furthermore, under drought stress, GmADF13 OE activated the transcription of several drought-stress-related genes, such as GmbZIP1, GmDREB1A, GmDREB2, GmWRKY13, and GmANK114. Thus, GmADF13 is a positive regulator of the drought stress response, and it may play an essential role in plant growth under drought stress conditions. These results provide new insights into the functional elucidation of soybean ADFs. They may be helpful for breeding new soybean cultivars with a strong drought tolerance and further understanding how ADFs help plants adapt to abiotic stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Link prediction is recognized as a crucial means to analyze dynamic social networks, revealing the principles of social relationship evolution. However, the complex topology and temporal evolution characteristics of dynamic social networks pose significant research challenges. This study introduces an innovative fusion framework that incorporates entropy, causality, and a GCN model, focusing specifically on link prediction in dynamic social networks. Firstly, the framework preprocesses the raw data, extracting and recording timestamp information between interactions. It then introduces the concept of "Temporal Information Entropy (TIE)", integrating it into the Node2Vec algorithm's random walk to generate initial feature vectors for nodes in the graph. A causality analysis model is subsequently applied for secondary processing of the generated feature vectors. Following this, an equal dataset is constructed by adjusting the ratio of positive and negative samples. Lastly, a dedicated GCN model is used for model training. Through extensive experimentation in multiple real social networks, the framework proposed in this study demonstrated a better performance than other methods in key evaluation indicators such as precision, recall, F1 score, and accuracy. This study provides a fresh perspective for understanding and predicting link dynamics in social networks and has significant practical value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional drying processes used to dry high-quality baijiu yeast-Sporidiobolus johnsonii A do not offer advantages such as high efficiency, high survival rate, and low energy consumption. Therefore, we investigated the damage inactivation mechanism of S. johnsonii A for the spray drying process. Subsequently, the combined drying process and equipment for spray + vacuum-microwave-vibration were designed. The results reveal selective permeability damage and collapse owing to gel and anti-hexagonal phase transitions of the cell membrane, resulting in S. johnsonii A inactivation and massive inactivation at 52 °C with a water content of 0.21 and at 71 °C with a water content of 0.07, respectively. The combined drying process developed in this study successfully dried S. johnsonii A with high efficiency (1.1 h) and excellent quality (85.4 ± 2 %). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have explored the neural bases of forgiveness, however, the neural associations of decisional and emotional forgiveness remain unclear. Regional homogeneity (ReHo) and functional connectivity (FC) measured by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) were used to investigate the neural associations of individual differences in decisional and emotional forgiveness among healthy volunteers (256 participants, 85 males). The results of the ReHo analysis showed that decisional forgiveness was positively correlated with the left inferior parietal lobule (IPL). Furthermore, emotional forgiveness was positively correlated with the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and left supramarginal gyrus (SMG). The results of the FC analysis showed that decisional forgiveness was positively associated with the FC strength between the left IPL and left middle frontal gyrus (MFG) and negatively correlated with the FC strength among the left IPL, right superior temporal gyrus (STG), and left SMG. Furthermore, there was a significant positive correlation between emotional forgiveness and FC strength between the left SMG and right IPL. These findings suggest an association between decisional and emotional forgiveness and spontaneous brain activity in brain regions related to empathy, emotion regulation, and cognitive control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Flowering time has an important effect on regional adaptation and yields for crops. The tyrosine kinase-like (TKL) gene family is widely existed and participates in many biological processes in plants. Furthermore, only few TKLs have been characterized functions in controlling flowering time in wheat. Results: Here, we report that TaCTR1, a tyrosine kinase-like (TKL) gene, regulates flowering time in wheat. Based on identification and evolutionary analysis of TKL_CTR1-DRK-2 subfamily in 15 plants, we proposed an evolutionary model for TaCTR1, suggesting that occurrence of some exon fusion events during evolution. The overexpression of TaCTR1 caused early flowering time in transgenic lines. Transcriptomics analysis enabled identification of mass differential expression genes including plant hormone (ET, ABA, IAA, BR) signaling, flavonoid biosynthesis, phenolamides and antioxidant, and flowering-related genes in TaCTR1 overexpression transgenic lines compared with WT plants. qRT–PCR results showed that the expression levels of ethylene (ET) signal-related genes (ETR, EIN, ERF) and flowering-related genes (FT, PPD1, CO, PRR, PHY) were altered in TaCTR1-overexpressing wheat compared with WT plants. Metabonomics analysis showed that flavonoid contents were altered. Conclusions: Thus, the results show that TaCTR1 plays a positive role in controlling flowering time by activating various signaling pathways and regulating flowering-related genes, and will provide new insights on the mechanisms of wheat flowering regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volatile active ingredients in biopolymer nanofibers are prone to burst and uncontrolled release. In this study, we used electrospinning and crosslinking to design a new sustained-release active packaging containing zein and eugenol (EU). Vapor-phase glutaraldehyde (GTA) was used as the crosslinker. Characterization of the crosslinked zein nanofibers was conducted via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), mechanical properties, water resistance, and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. It was observed that crosslinked zein nanofibers did not lose their fiber shape, but the diameter of the fibers increased. By increasing the crosslink time, the mechanical properties and water resistance of the crosslinked zein nanofibers were greatly improved. The FT-IR results demonstrated the formation of chemical bonds between free amino groups in zein molecules and aldehyde groups in GTA molecules. EU was added to the zein nanofibers, and the corresponding release behavior in PBS was investigated using the dialysis membrane method. With an increase in crosslink time, the release rate of EU from crosslinked zein nanofibers decreased. This study demonstrates the potential of crosslinking by GTA vapors on the controlled release of the zein encapsulation structure containing EU. Such sustainable-release nanofibers have promising potential for the design of fortified foods or as active and smart food packaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrochlorination (E-Cl) process has attracted much attention as it is a highly efficient method for treating organic compounds in hypersaline wastewater. In this study, the E-Cl process was utilized for the removal of antibiotics. The optimal experimental conditions were determined to be a NaCl concentration of 100 mM, a current density of 1.5 mA/cm2, a pH of 7.0, and a plate spacing of 1 cm, with a levofloxacin (LEV) degradation efficiency reaching as high as 99% using this setup. The effects of the presence of other ions and humic acid on the E-Cl process were investigated, and it was found that the degradation of LEV was not significantly affected by the presence of coexisting substances. In addition, free chlorine was identified as the primary active species for the degradation of LEV by means of a quenching experiment. It was demonstrated by 3D EEM and TOC that LEV was not completely mineralized and that intermediate products may be present. In order to reveal the degradation pathways of LEV, its degradation products were also analyzed via LC-MS, and some possible pathways of LEV degradation in this system were proposed. The successful degradation of LEV demonstrated that the E-Cl process is an efficient and promising technique for the treatment of organic pollutants in high-salinity wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SM4 block cipher is a Chinese national standard and an ISO international standard. Since white-box cryptography has many real-life applications nowadays, a few white-box implementations of SM4 has been proposed, among which a type of constructions is dominated, which uses a linear or affine diagonal block encoding to protect the original three 32-bit branches entering a round function and uses its inverse as the input encoding to the S-box layer. In this paper, we analyse the security of this type of constructions against Lepoint et al.'s collision-based attack method. Our experiment under a small fraction of (encodings, round key) combinations shows that the rank of the concerned linear system is much less than the number of the involved unknowns, meaning these white-box SM4 implementations should resist Lepoint et al.'s method, but we leave it as an open problem whether there are such encodings that the rank of the corresponding linear system is slightly less than the number of the involved unknowns, in which scenario Lepoint et al.'s method may be used to recover a round key for the case with linear encodings and to remove most white-box operations until mainly some Boolean masks for the case with affine encodings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study aimed to determine whether bone morphogenetic protein-4 (BMP-4), which increases in response to intimal hyperplasia, promotes phenotype transition in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Methods: Balloon injury was used to induce intimal hyperplasia in rats. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to detect the alteration of vascular structure. Serum levels of BMP-4 and lactate were detected by ELISA. Human aortic smooth muscle cells (HA-SMCs) were cultured. Protein and mRNA expression levels were detected through Western blot and real-time PCR. Cell migration was measured by transwell assay. Results: Our data showed that serum concentration of BMP-4 was upregulated after balloon injury. Treatment with BMP-4 inhibitor DMH1 (4-(6-(4-isopropoxyphenyl)pyrazolo(1,5-a)pyrimidin-3-yl)quinoline) suppressed the abnormal expression of BMP-4 and inhibited the intimal hyperplasia induced by balloon injury. Compared to BMP-4-negative medium, BMP-4-positive medium was associated with higher synthetic VSMC marker expression levels and lower in contractile gene markers in cultured HA-SMCs. Transfection of monocarboxylic acid transporters-4 (MCT-4) siRNA inhibited the excretion of lactate induced by BMP-4. Conclusion: Our analyses provided evidence that BMP-4 and its regulator Smad-4 are key regulators in MCT-4-mediated lactate excretion. This indicates that BMP-4 stimulates the phenotypic transition of VSMCs via SMAD-4/MCT-4 signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Image captioning (IC), bringing vision to language, has drawn extensive attention. A crucial aspect of IC is the accurate depiction of visual relations among image objects. Visual relations encompass two primary facets: content relations and structural relations. Content relations, which comprise geometric positions content (i.e., distances and sizes) and semantic interactions content (i.e., actions and possessives), unveil the mutual correlations between objects. In contrast, structural relations pertain to the topological connectivity of object regions. Existing Transformer-based methods typically resort to geometric positions to enhance the visual relations, yet only using the shallow geometric content is unable to precisely cover actional content correlations and structural connection relations. In this article, we adopt a comprehensive perspective to examine the correlations between objects, incorporating both content relations (i.e., geometric and semantic relations) and structural relations, with the aim of generating plausible captions. To achieve this, first, we construct a geometric graph from bounding box features and a semantic graph from the scene graph parser to model the content relations. Innovatively, we construct a topology graph that amalgamates the sparsity characteristics of the geometric and semantic graphs, enabling the representation of image structural relations. Second, we propose a novel unified approach to enrich image relation representations by integrating semantic, geometric, and structural relations into self-attention. Finally, in the language decoding stage, we further leverage the semantic relation as prior knowledge to generate accurate words. Extensive experiments on MS-COCO dataset demonstrate the effectiveness of our model, with improvements of CIDEr from 128.6% to 136.6%. Codes have been released at https://github.com/CrossmodalGroup/ER-SAN/tree/main/VG-Cap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imaging studies of subthreshold depression (StD) have reported structural and functional abnormalities in a variety of spatially diverse brain regions. However, there is no consensus among different studies. In the present study, we applied a multimodal meta‐analytic approach, the Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE), to test the hypothesis that StD exhibits spatially convergent structural and functional brain abnormalities compared to healthy controls. A total of 31 articles with 25 experiments were included, collectively representing 1001 subjects with StD. We found consistent differences between StD and healthy controls mainly in the left insula across studies with various neuroimaging methods. Further exploratory analyses found structural atrophy and decreased functional activities in the right pallidum and thalamus in StD, and abnormal spontaneous activity converged to the middle frontal gyrus. Coordinate‐based meta‐analysis found spatially convergent structural and functional impairments in StD. These findings provide novel insights for understanding the neural underpinnings of subthreshold depression and enlighten the potential targets for its early screening and therapeutic interventions in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The glass compound eye bead is the exquisite embodiment of the glassmaking technology of ancient craftsmen, and is an example of the cultural exchange between China and the West during the Warring States Period. This study takes two dots and mesh beads with seriously weathered surfaces excavated from Hejia village, Zhouling as the research object. Micromorphology, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), microscopic laser Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were respectively used to determine the chemical elements, valence states and compositions of the glass matrix and its weathering products. In this study, the valence state analysis of group-d elements is used to reveal the electron transition mode and explain the colour formation reason of blue-black glass matrix. In terms of weathering products, in addition to the identification of common cerusite [PbCO3] and barite [BaSO4], the study also found the blue weathering product alforsite [Ba5(PO4)3Cl] for the first time. The study also makes reasonable assumptions about the reasons for their appearance. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) used in this study has positive significance for the study of the formation mechanism of glass colour. The scientific and technological analysis data of these two glass beads provide basic data for the related research of the lead-barium glass system produced in China, and also provide a certain scientific basis for the related protection research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-quality baijiu yeast – modified Sporidiobolus johnsonii A (MSJA) suffers from the problem of weak vitality, thus failing to combine high efficiency and high survival rate drying. Therefore, in this study, we firstly designed a real-time sampling experiment of MSJA spray drying process, and based on this, we established a New CFD model (N-CFD model) that can accurately simulate the variation of the spray drying process of microorganisms such as MSJA. Then, a new spray drying air inlet mechanism of "high-temperature cyclone in the center L-type guide plate + medium-temperature laminar flow in the peripheral holes and slots" was invented. Finally, the parametric scanning simulation was carried out to optimize the flow angle θ of the L-type guide plate using the N-CFD model. The results show that, firstly, the N-CFD model can accurately simulate the temperature distribution (P1 = 0.05) and the motion of drying particles in the drying tower. Secondly, the optimized new air inlet mechanism with the L-type guide plate flow angle θ = 47° can even out the temperature and particle distribution in the drying tower, which meets the "two-stage theory of spray drying." Finally, under the premise of ensuring the drying efficiency, the survival rate of MSJA spray drying was increased from 42.6% to 82.24%, which achieved the objectives of low sticking wall, high efficiency and high survival rate of spray drying MSJA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Undaria pinnatifida can effectively deal with organotin pollution through its excellent accumulation and degradation capabilities found under laboratory conditions. However, nothing is known regarding its accumulation, degradation performance, and related impact factors in the wild farming area. In this study, we monitored triphenyltin chloride (TPTCL) contents and degradation products in different algal parts (blades, stipes, sporophylls, and holdfasts) of cultivated U. pinnatifida from December 2018 to May 2019. Our results showed that sporophytes had an accumulation and degradation capacity for TPTCL. The TPTCL contents and degradation products varied with the algal growth stages and algal parts. TPTCL accumulated in the blades at the growth stage and the blades, stipes, sporophylls, and holdfasts at the mature stage. The TPTCL content among algal parts was blades (74.92 ± 2.52 μg kg−1) > holdfasts (62.59 ± 1.42 μg kg−1) > sporophylls (47.24 ± 1.41 μg kg−1) > stipes (35.53 ± 0.55 μg kg−1). The primary degradation product DPTCL accumulated only in the blades at any stage, with a concentration of 69.30 ± 3.89 μg kg−1. The secondary degradation product MPTCL accumulated in the blades at the growth stage and in the blades, stipe, and sporophyll at the mature stage. The MPTCL content among algal parts was blades (52.80 ± 3.48 μg kg−1) > sporophylls (31.08 ± 1.53 μg kg−1) > stipes (20.44 ± 0.85 μg kg−1). The accumulation pattern of TPTCL and its degradation products seems closely related to nutrient allocation in U. pinnatifida. These results provide the basis for applying cultivated U. pinnatifida in the bioremediation of organotin pollution and the food safety evaluation of edible algae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing the tunneling magneto-Seebeck (TMS) ratio and uncovering its underlying mechanism are greatly demanded in spin caloritronics. The magnitude and sign of the TMS effect depend on the type of atom and the stacking order of atoms at the interfaces. Herein, we demonstrate that TMS ratios can be effectively manipulated by altering heterogonous or homogeneous interface through decoration on the CoFeSi (001) surface inserted on the MgO insulating layers. The maximum TMS ratio of pure Co2/O termination is 4565% at 800 K. Notably, the TMS ratio of the FeSi/O termination has two peak values, of which the maximum could reach up to −3290% at 650 K. By comparing two different atom arrangements at the interface, we reveal that the sign and symbol of the TMS ratio can be controlled by the temperature and different atomic configurations at the Co2FeSi/MgO interface. Furthermore, the spin-Seebeck coefficient up to ∼150 µV/K is also possible when we select suitable terminations and temperatures. These findings will provide useful insights into how to control the sign and symbol of the TMS ratio and accordingly stimulate the development field of magneto-thermoelectric power and spin caloritronic devices based on the magneto-Seebeck effect in Heusler-based metallic multilayers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]