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High-entropy alloys (HEAs) have attracted widespread attention from scholars as a new type of material employed in extreme environments. However, as a main kind of HEAs, many face-centered cubic single-phase HEAs are restricted in industrial applications due to their lower yield strength and high cost when containing expensive elements such as Co. In this study, dispersion strengthening by heat treatment was introduced in low-cost Co-free Fe40Mn20Cr20Ni20 HEA to improve its strength, and its high-temperature tensile behavior and constitutive model were studied to explore its potential application at high temperatures. It is found that when subjected to quasi-static room-temperature stretching, the heat-treated sample exhibits a yield strength of 534 MPa and a tensile plasticity of 26.8%. In addition, the tensile behavior of samples after heat treatment was investigated at high temperature (573–873 K) and low strain rate (10−3–10−1 s−1). The results suggest that the yield strength decreases with increasing temperature and decreasing strain rate. Moreover, at 873 K and 10−3 s−1, the electron backscatter diffraction system and x-ray diffraction results of the deformed sample indicate that the softening curve is driven from the recovery of materials. Finally, the flow stress was predicted using the Arrhenius equation and Artificial Neural Network model (ANN), and the two models were assessed using the average absolute relative error and coefficient of correlation (R). The results showed that the ANN had higher accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Racial and ethnic disparities in mortality persist among US cancer survivors, with social determinants of health (SDoH) may have a significant impact on these disparities. Methods: A population-based cohort study of a nationally representative sample of adult cancer survivors, who participated in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2018 was included. Sociodemographic characteristics and SDoH were self-reported using standardized questionnaires in each survey cycle. The SDoH was examined by race and estimated for associations with primary outcomes, which included all-cause and cancer-specific mortality. Multiple mediation analysis was performed to assess the contribution of each unfavorable SDoH to racial disparities to all-cause and cancer-specific mortality. Results: Among 5163 cancer survivors (2724 [57.7%] females and 3580 [69.3%] non-Hispanic White individuals), only 881 (24.9%) did not report an unfavorable SDoH. During the follow-up period of up to 249 months (median 81 months), 1964 deaths were recorded (cancer, 624; cardiovascular, 529; other causes, 811). Disparities in all-cause and cancer-specific mortality were observed between non-Hispanic Black and White cancer survivors. Unemployment, lower economic status, education less than high school, government or no private insurance, renting a home or other arrangements, and social isolation were significantly and independently associated with worse overall survival. Unemployment, lower economic status, and social isolation were significantly associated with cancer-specific mortality. Compared to patients without an unfavorable SDoH, the risk of all-cause mortality was gradually increased in those with a cumulative number of unfavorable SDoHs (1 unfavorable SDoH: hazard ratio [HR] = 1.54, 95% CI 1.25–1.89; 2 unfavorable SDoHs: HR = 1.81, 95% CI 1.46–2.24; 3 unfavorable SDoHs: HR = 2.42, 95% CI 1.97–2.97; 4 unfavorable SDoHs: HR = 3.22, 95% CI 2.48–4.19; 5 unfavorable SDoHs: HR = 3.99, 95% CI 2.99–5.33; 6 unfavorable SDoHs: HR = 6.34 95% CI 4.51–8.90). A similar trend existed for cancer-specific mortality. Conclusions: In this cohort study of a nationally representative sample of US cancer survivors, a greater number of unfavorable SDoH was associated with increased risks of mortality from all causes and cancer. Unfavorable SDoH levels were critical risk factors for all-cause and cancer-specific mortality, as well as the underlying cause of racial all-cause mortality disparities among US cancer survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple and reliable external calibration strategy of LA-ICP-MS for fresh plant soft tissues was developed. The prepared plant suspension was frozen by the designed cryogenic ablation cell and used as external standard for quantitative elemental imaging analysis of fresh plant tissues. The controllable water content of the prepared external standards provides a similar matrix with fresh soft tissues, and a homogeneous elemental distribution could be ensured due to the fine grinding particle sizes. More interestingly, the presence of water increased the signal intensity produced by the suspension by a factor of 1.6 (Pb) to 66.6 (La) compared to that of the pressed cake. The excellent dispersing property and advantage of long-term use were achieved owing to the employment of 0.1% PAANa as suspending agent. A series of plant reference materials were analyzed, and the relative errors of most elements were less than 10 %, indicating that there is a reliable accuracy of the proposed method. The limits of detection (LODs) ranged from 0.1 ng·g−1 (La) to 1279 ng·g−1 (S). This method was used for elemental imaging analysis in rice leaves under arsenic stress, and the results were consistent with previous studies, which mean that the proposed method could provide technical support for researchers in the fields of agriculture and environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wide range of pressure detection and the exceptional linearity are essential performance parameters for flexible pressure sensors, enabling them to adapt to diverse scenarios and acquire information accurately. However, currently available "ultra‐wide range" piezoresistive sensors lack an optimal solution that effectively balances sensing properties, device thickness, and process cost. This study proposes a distinctive approach by introducing a Janus conductive structure assembled with dual resistive sensitive layers. The design allows for a pressure‐induced staged transformation of the current transport path, effectively mitigating variations and saturation in sensor resistance over a wide pressure range. The resulting piezoresistive sensor demonstrates an unprecedented detection range of 0–3800 kPa, showcasing remarkable sensitivity of 4.11 kPa−1 and outstanding linearity of 99.9% within the range of 0–1000 kPa. Additionally, the sensor boasts a thickness of only ≈200 µm, made possible through the utilization of a cellulose nanofibers material matrix. These performance achievements stand at the forefront when compared to existing reports. This research explores the potential applications of these sensors and extended arrays in the domains of human health and motion monitoring. It investigates their utility in gait analysis for assisted posture correction, as well as in the assessment and rehabilitation of gait instability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breastfeeding is widely recognized for its potential to reduce childhood obesity. However, research investigating these benefits in children breastfed for a short duration (up to 6 months) remains limited despite this being a common practice globally. Methods: This study focused on a population breastfed for 6 months or less to determine the potential benefits of short-term breastfeeding for preventing childhood obesity. Data were collected from five survey cycles of an US-based population study (the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)), spanning 2009–2020. A sample of 3,211 children aged 2–6 years was selected, including 1,373 never breastfed and 1,838 ever breastfed. Logistic regression analysis examined the direct association between short-term breastfeeding and childhood obesity. Subsequent subgroup analyses were conducted. Additionally, stratified logistic regression explored the relationship between childhood obesity and the introduction of other early nutrition in both ever-breastfed and never-breastfed children. Results: Overall, breastfeeding for 6 months or less did not directly prevent childhood obesity. However, among participants with older mothers (aged 35 or above), short-term breastfeeding was associated with a lower risk of childhood obesity compared to never being breastfed (OR 0.31, 95% CI: 0.17, 0.59). Similarly, children aged 3–4 years who were breastfed for > 3 ~ 6 months exhibited a lower obesity risk (OR 0.56, 95% CI: 0.35, 0.89). In ever-breastfed children, delayed infant formula introduction was linked to a lower risk of obesity (P-trend < 0.05: introduction at age ≤ 1 vs. >1 ~ 3 vs. >3 months). Conversely, for non-breastfed children, introducing milk (other than breast milk or formula) later (≥ 12 versus < 12 months) and introducing alternatives to whole cow's milk were associated with lower obesity risks (OR 0.54, 95% CI: 0.37, 0.78; OR 0.21, 95% CI: 0.08, 0.60, respectively). Notably, these trends were not observed in ever-breastfed children. Conclusions: Short-term breastfeeding may offer some benefits in preventing childhood obesity for specific populations. Additionally, it could potentially mitigate risks associated with the introduction of formula and cow's milk at inappropriate times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The differences in outcomes after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) between the sexes have not been concretely determined. This study aimed to evaluate the differences in epidemiology, outcomes, and risk factors between male and female patients with aSAH. Methods: We performed a multicenter, retrospective study of patients with aSAH from 2017 to 2020. We investigated the epidemiological differences between the two sexes. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to compare short-term outcomes between the sexes. Binary logarithmic regression was performed to investigate the odds ratio (OR) for dependent survival in patients of different sexes. Results: A total of 5,407 consecutive patients with aSAH were included in this study, and the female-to-male ratio was 1.8:1. The peak incidence of aSAH occurred in the 6th and 7th decades in males and females, respectively. There were more female patients with internal carotid artery or posterior communicating artery aneurysms (53.2%), and there were more male patients with anterior cerebral artery or anterior communicating artery aneurysms (43.2%). The incidence of multiple aneurysms was greater in female patients (21.5% vs. 14.2%, P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in outcomes before and after PSM at discharge. The dependent survival risk was related only to the clinical condition on admission in women. In addition, age > 50 years (OR 1.88, 95% confidence interval 1.17–3.02; P = 0.01) and hypertension (OR 1.81, 95% confidence interval 1.25–2.61; P = 0.002) were also risk factors for male patients. Conclusions: There were more female patients with aneurysms than male patients in this study. Most aneurysm locations were different between the two groups. There was no significant difference in discharge outcomes before and after PSM. The risk factors for dependent survival were different between female and male patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An editorial focuses on advancing seismic data reconstruction methods through the integration of anti-aliasing techniques with vector Projection onto Convex Sets (POCS) methods. It introduces an enhanced approach to reconstruct multicomponent seismic data, addressing the limitations of existing methods that often reconstruct each component independently and lack anti-aliasing mechanisms.

With the rapid advancement of information technologies, automated writing evaluation technologies have developed so fast that they can be applied to writing assessments. However, scanty studies have pooled the effects of automated writing evaluation on writing performance. Through a PRISMA protocol-based meta-analysis, this study concludes that automated writing evaluation technologies can significantly reduce anxiety such as writing anxiety and computer anxiety compared with those without the assistance of automated writing evaluation. Automated writing evaluation can also significantly improve writing motivation and second language (L2) writing skills. Educators and designers should highlight how to combine automated writing evaluation with human rating methods and maximize the improvements in L2 writing skills. In the future, artificial intelligence may be integrated into automated writing evaluation to develop advanced automated writing evaluation to address higher-level issues in writing practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study aimed to identify and verify G protein-related methylated genes in AIT patients, while also investigate those genes in AIT patients exposed to iodine in different water iodine areas. Different areas were classified by median water iodine (MWI) concentrations: Iodine-Fortified Areas (IFA, MWI<10µg/L), Iodine-Adequate Areas (IAA, 40≤MWI≤100 µg/L), and Iodine-Excessive Areas (IEA, MWI>100 µg/L). We studied 176 AIT cases and 176 controls, with 89, 40, and 47 pairs in IFA, IAA, and IEA, respectively. Using the Illumina Human Methylation 850k BeadChip, we identified candidate methylated genes. MethylTargetTM and QRT-PCR validated DNA methylation and mRNA expression. Results showed hypomethylation and high expression of RAB8A and RAP1A in all 176 AIT cases. RAB8A's CpG sites were mainly hypomethylated in IFA and IEA, while RAP1A's sites were primarily hypomethylated in IEA. This study underscores how water iodine exposure may influence RAB8A and RAP1A methylation in AIT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, cobalt sulfide has become a potential electrode material due to its considerable theoretical capacitance and high conductivity. However, its agglomerate susceptibility and structural instability during the charging/discharging process have impeded its widespread application. Herein, we synthesize Co9S8/MXene nanohybrids using a straightforward one-step solvothermal method, employing MXene nanosheets as a conducting substrate. The strong interfacial interaction of both phases is exploited to efficiently alleviate the above problems. Furthermore, a metal-doped strategy has been adopted to modulate the composition and the structure of the nanocomposites, which could expose more redox active sites and considerably improve the redox kinetics. The obtained Al–Co9S8/MXene material has a remarkable electrical conductivity and excellent charge/discharge performance, with the specific capacitance up to 1657.33 F g−1 at 2 A g−1 and a superior rate capability of 75% retention even at 12 A g−1. This strategy not only provides an efficient method for synthetic anode electrode materials but also offers ideas for the development of materials more suitable for industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, cucurbituril‐regulated supramolecular multi‐dimensional organic framework constructed is reported by tetraphenylvinyl grafted bromophenylpyridine salt derivatives (TPE‐BrN) and cucurbit[n]uril (n = 6, 7, 8) via non‐covalent cross‐linked, giving supramolecular macrocycle‐confined fluorescence‐phosphorescence dual emission at 560 and 510 nm in solid state. Different from the formation of TPE‐BrN⊂CB[6] complexes and TPE‐BrN⊂CB[7] nanoparticle, TPE‐BrN⊂CB[8] manifested high‐efficient 2D network assembly. TPE‐BrN⊂CB[8] assembly can effectively activate triplet‐state to singlet‐state Förster resonance energy transfer (TS‐FRET) with long‐lived near‐infrared emission at 675 nm via doping organic dye Nile red (NiR) and the energy transfer efficiency reached up to 99%. Although CB[7] can also induce the typical phosphorescence emission at 510 nm, there is no TS‐FRET occurring after doping NiR into TPE‐BrN⊂CB[7] assembly due to the formation of different assembly modes. The multicolor long‐lived emission has been demonstrated very well based on the TS‐FRET process activated by CB[8] macrocyclic confined 2D organic framework, which can be successfully applied to fingerprint imaging and the construction of logic gate systems. It provides a novel method for supramolecular macrocycle confined phosphorescence regulation and the development of luminescent materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium metal is the most promising high‐energy‐density anode. However, it is incompatible with high‐voltage cathodes in ether solvents due to their narrow electrochemical window. Herein, fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) co‐solvent is introduced to regulate the Li+ solvation structures in ether solvents, including cyclic ether (1,3‐dioxolane [DOL]) and linear glymes with different chain lengths (1,2‐dimethoxyethane [DME], diglyme [G2] and triglyme [G3]). The apparently different effects of ether solvents on solvation ability and interaction strength with FEC are revealed. FEC plays a diverse role and function in 1 m lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI)‐ether/FEC electrolyte, thus relevant batteries perform distinct performances due to various ionic dynamics and solid‐electrolyte interphase. The Li+‐solvation structures are explored by Raman and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies. Specifically, part of FEC molecules are inserted into the first solvation shell in 1 m LiTFSI‐DOL/FEC because of the weak solvation ability of DOL and strong interaction of DOL‐FEC, leading to few coordinated TFSI− and sluggish interfacial kinetics. In sharp contrast, FEC as a weak coordinated solvent almost exclusively occupies the second solvation sheath in 1 m LiTFSI‐glyme/FEC, favoring TFSI− coordination and rapid de‐solvation dynamics. Ultimately, the LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2/Li battery in G2/FEC presents the most excellent performance, derived from abundant free‐FEC and rapid ionic kinetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2017, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been available for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or unresectable HCC, but their adoption into national medical insurance programs is still limited. Cost-effectiveness evidence can help to inform treatment decisions. This systematic review aimed to provide a critical summary of economic evaluations of ICIs as a treatment for advanced HCC and identify key drivers (PROSPERO 2023: CRD42023417391). The databases used included Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central. Economic evaluations of ICIs for the treatment of advanced HCC were included. Studies were screened by two people. Of the 898 records identified, 17 articles were included. The current evidence showed that ICIs, including atezolizumab plus bevacizumab, sintilimab plus bevacizumab/bevacizumab biosimilar, nivolumab, camrelizumab plus rivoceranib, pembrolizumab plus lenvatinib, tislelizumab, durvalumab, and cabozantinib plus atezolizumab, are probably not cost-effective in comparison with tyrosine kinase inhibitors or other ICIs. The most influential parameters were price of anticancer drugs, hazard ratios for progression-free survival and overall survival, and utility for health statest. Our review demonstrated that ICIs were not a cost-effective intervention in advanced HCC. Although ICIs can significantly enhance the survival of patients with advanced HCC, decision-makers should consider the findings of economic evaluations and affordability before adoption of new therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Comorbid anxiodepressive‐like symptoms (CADS) in chronic pain are closely related to the overactivation of the lateral habenula (LHb). Hyperpolarization‐activated cyclic nucleotide‐gated (HCN) channels have been implicated to play a key role in regulating neuronal excitability. However, the role of HCN channels in the LHb during CADS has not yet been characterized. This study aimed to investigate the effect of HCN channels in the LHb on CADS during chronic pain. Methods: After chronic neuropathic pain induction by spared nerve injury (SNI), mice underwent a sucrose preference test, forced swimming test, tail suspension test, open‐field test, and elevated plus maze test to evaluate their anxiodepressive‐like behaviors. Electrophysiological recordings, immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, pharmacological experiments, and virus knockdown strategies were used to investigate the underlying mechanisms. Results: Evident anxiodepressive‐like behaviors were observed 6w after the SNI surgery, accompanied by increased neuronal excitability, enhanced HCN channel function, and increased expression of HCN2 isoforms in the LHb. Either pharmacological inhibition or virus knockdown of HCN2 channels significantly reduced LHb neuronal excitability and ameliorated both pain and depressive‐like behaviors. Conclusion: Our results indicated that the LHb neurons were hyperactive under CADS in chronic pain, and this hyperactivation possibly resulted from the enhanced function of HCN channels and up‐regulation of HCN2 isoforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) can lead to a decline in left atrial appendage (LAA) function, potentially increasing the likelihood of LAA thrombus (LAAT) and spontaneous echo contrast (SEC). Measuring LAA flow velocity through transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is currently the primary method for evaluating LAA function. This study aims to explore the potential correlation between anterior mitral annular plane systolic excursion (aMAPSE) and LAA stasis in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Methods: A total of 465 patients with NVAF were enrolled between October 2018 and November 2021. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and TEE were performed before scheduled electrical cardioversion. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance confounders between the groups with and without LAAT/dense SEC. Results: Patients in the LAAT/dense SEC group showed increased left atrial (LA) diameter, LAA area, alongside reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), LAA velocity, conjunction thickening ratio, aMAPSE, and LAA fraction area change (FAC) compared to those in the non-LAAT/dense SEC group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified aMAPSE and LAA FAC as independent predictors for LAAT/dense SEC. Specifically, an aMAPSE of <6.76 mm and an LAA FAC of <29.65% predicted LAAT/dense SEC with high diagnostic accuracy, demonstrated by an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.81 (sensitivity 0.81, specificity 0.80) for aMAPSE, and an AUC of 0.80 (sensitivity 0.70, specificity 0.84) for LAA FAC. Conclusions: Both aMAPSE and LAA FAC independently correlated with and accurately predict LAAT/dense SEC. Incorporating aMAPSE into routine TEE evaluations for LAA function alongside LAA flow velocity is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fast and accurate infrared (IR) sea–sky line region (SSLR) detection can improve the early warning capability of the small targets that appear in the remote sea–sky junction. However, the traditional algorithms struggle to achieve high precision, while the learning-based ones have low detection speed. To overcome these problems, a novel learning-based algorithm is proposed; rather than detecting the sea–sky line first, the proposed algorithm directly provides SSLR, which mainly consists of three parts: Firstly, an IR sea–sky line region detection module (ISRDM) is proposed, which combines strip pooling and the connection mode of a cross-stage partial network to extract the features of the SSLR target, with an unbalanced aspect ratio, more specifically, thus improving the detection accuracy. Secondly, a lightweight backbone is presented to reduce the parameters of the model and, therefore, improve the inference speed. Finally, a Detection Head Based on the spatial-aware attention module (SAMHead) is designed to enhance the perception ability of the SSLR and further reduce the inference time. Extensive experiments conducted on three datasets with more than 26,000 frames show that the proposed algorithm achieved approximately 80% average precision (AP), outperforms the state-of-the-art algorithms in accuracy, and can realize real-time detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The CRC‐VTE trial conducted in China revealed a significant occurrence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients following colorectal cancer (CRC) surgery, raising concerns about implementing thromboprophylaxis measures. The present study aimed to identify and analyze inappropriate aspects of current thromboprophylaxis practices. Methods: This study performed an analysis of the CRC‐VTE trial, a prospective multicenter study that enrolled 1836 patients who underwent CRC surgery. The primary objective was to identify independent risk factors for VTE after CRC surgery using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Furthermore, among the cases in which VTE occurred, the appropriateness of thromboprophylaxis was assessed based on several factors, including pharmacologic prophylaxis, time to initiate prophylaxis, drug selection, drug dosage, and duration of pharmacologic prophylaxis. Based on the analysis of the current state of thromboprophylaxis and relevant clinical guidelines, a modified Delphi method was used to develop a clinical pathway for VTE prophylaxis after CRC surgery. Results: In this analysis of 1836 patients, 205 (11.2%) were diagnosed with VTE during follow‐up. The multifactorial analysis identified several independent risk factors for VTE, including age (≥70 years), female sex, varicose veins in the lower extremities, intraoperative blood transfusion, and the duration of immobilization exceeding 24 h. None of the patients diagnosed with VTE in the CRC trial received adequate thromboprophylaxis. The main reasons for this inappropriate practice were the omission of thromboprophylaxis, delayed initiation, and insufficient duration of thromboprophylaxis. We developed a specialized clinical pathway for thromboprophylaxis after CRC surgery to address these issues. Conclusions: This study offers a comprehensive nationwide evaluation of existing thromboprophylaxis practices in patients after CRC surgery in China. A specialized clinical pathway was developed to address the identified gaps and improve the quality of care. This clinical pathway incorporates explicit, tailored, detailed recommendations for thromboprophylaxis after CRC surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When the distributions of treatment effect modifiers differ between a randomized trial and an external target population, the sample average treatment effect in the trial may be substantially different from the target population average treatment, and accurate estimation of the latter requires adjusting for the differential distribution of effect modifiers. Despite the increasingly rich literature on transportability, little attention has been devoted to methods for transporting trial results to estimate counterfactual survival functions in target populations, when the primary outcome is time to event and subject to right censoring. In this article, we study inverse probability weighting and doubly robust estimators to estimate counterfactual survival functions and the target average survival treatment effect in the target population, and provide their respective approximate variance estimators. We focus on a common scenario where the target population information is observed only through a complex survey, and elucidate how the survey weights can be incorporated into each estimator we considered. Simulation studies are conducted to examine the finite‐sample performances of the proposed estimators in terms of bias, efficiency and coverage, under both correct and incorrect model specifications. Finally, we apply the proposed method to assess transportability of the results in the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes—Blood Pressure (ACCORD‐BP) trial to all adults with Diabetes in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cluster-randomized trials (CRTs) often allocate intact clusters of participants to treatment or control conditions and are increasingly used to evaluate healthcare delivery interventions. While previous studies have developed sample size methods for testing confirmatory hypotheses of treatment effect heterogeneity in CRTs (i.e., targeting the difference between subgroup-specific treatment effects), sample size methods for testing the subgroup-specific treatment effects themselves have not received adequate attention—despite a rising interest in health equity considerations in CRTs. In this article, we develop formal methods for sample size and power analyses for testing subgroup-specific treatment effects in parallel-arm CRTs with a continuous outcome and a binary subgroup variable. We point out that the variances of the subgroup-specific treatment effect estimators and their covariance are given by weighted averages of the variance of the overall average treatment effect estimator and the variance of the heterogeneous treatment effect estimator. This analytical insight facilitates an explicit characterization of the requirements for both the omnibus test and the intersection–union test to achieve the desired level of power. Generalizations to allow for subgroup-specific variance structures are also discussed. We report on a simulation study to validate the proposed sample size methods and demonstrate that the empirical power corresponds well with the predicted power for both tests. The design and setting of the Umea Dementia and Exercise (UMDEX) CRT in older adults are used to illustrate our sample size methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In this study, we investigated the relationship between the risk of postoperative progressive disease (PD) in breast cancer and depression and sleep disorders in order to develop and validate a suitable risk prevention model. Methods: A total of 750 postoperative patients with breast cancer were selected from the First People's Hospital of LianYunGang, and the indices of two groups (an event group and a non-event group) were compared to develop and validate a risk prediction model. The relationship between depression, sleep disorders, and PD events was investigated using the follow-up data of the 750 patients. Results: SAS, SDS, and AIS scores differed in the group of patients who experienced postoperative disease progression versus those who did not; the differences were statistically significant and the ability to differentiate prognosis was high. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (AUC) were: 0.8049 (0.7685–0.8613), 0.768 (0.727–0.809), and 0.7661 (0.724-–0.808), with cut-off values of 43.5, 48.5, and 4.5, respectively. Significant variables were screened by single-factor analysis and multi-factor analysis to create model 1, by lasso regression and cross-lasso regression analysis to create model 2, by random forest calculation method to create model 3, by stepwise regression method (backward method) to create model 4, and by including all variables for Cox regression to include significant variables to create model 5. The AUC of model 2 was 0.883 (0.848–0.918) and 0.937 (0.893–0.981) in the training set and validation set, respectively. The clinical efficacy of the model was evaluated using decision curve analysis and clinical impact curve, and then the model 2 variables were transformed into scores, which were validated in two datasets, the training and validation sets, with AUCs of 0.884 (0.848–0.919) and 0.885 (0.818–0.951), respectively. Conclusion: We established and verified a model including SAS, SDS and AIS to predict the prognosis of breast cancer patients, and simplified it by scoring, making it convenient for clinical use, providing a theoretical basis for precise intervention in these patients. However, further research is needed to verify the generalization ability of our model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to assess alterations in retinal vascular density in cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) patients using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and investigate their association with MRI and cognitive features. Methods: Twenty-five patients with CADASIL and forty healthy controls were evaluated by Cirrus HD-OCT 5000 with AngioPlex OCTA to determine changes in macular retinal vasculature. Retinal vasculature parameters between two groups were compared. The MRI lesion burden and neuropsychological scales were also examined in patients. The association between OCTA parameters and MRI/cognitive features was evaluated using partial Spearman rank correlation. Results: The vessel density and perfusion density of whole image in macular region (vessel density: t = − 2.834, p = 0.005; perfusion density: t = − 2.691, p = 0.007) were significantly decreased in patients with CADASIL. Moreover, vessel density of whole image in macular region was negatively associated with Fazekas scores (ρ = − 0.457; p = 0.025) and the number of lacunar infractions (ρ = − 0.425, p = 0.038) after adjustment for age. Decreased macular vessel density and perfusion density of whole image were also associated with MoCA scores (vessel density: ρ = 0.542, p = 0.006; perfusion density: ρ = 0.478, p = 0.018) and other domain-specific neuropsychological tests (p < 0.05) after adjustment for age. Conclusion: Decreased retinal vascular density was associated with increased MRI lesion burden and cognitive impairment in patients with CADASIL. Our findings suggest that the degree of retinal vascular involvement, as demonstrated by OCTA, may be consistent with the severity of MRI lesions and the degree of cognitive impairment in patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a study published in Cell Proliferation that investigates the changes in mRNA isoforms during zygotic genome activation (ZGA) in mice. ZGA is the first transcriptional event after fertilization and involves the degradation of maternal mRNA and the transcription of new mRNAs from the zygotic genome. The study compares the transcriptomes of embryos with different parental genomes and stages of development to identify differential alternative splicing and alternative promoter usage events. The findings suggest that there are specific patterns of mRNA isoforms generated from the paternal and maternal genomes during ZGA, providing insights into how sperm and oocyte genomes regulate mammalian development. The study also examines the differences in mRNA isoforms before and after ZGA in mice and humans, identifying changes that can have functional implications beyond differences in mRNA abundance. The study provides insights into the regulatory mechanisms involved in early embryonic development and suggests that isoform changes can serve as markers for ZGA events, although further validation is needed to understand the specific functions of each isoform. The study was supported by various funding sources and the authors declare no conflicts of interest. [Extracted from the article]

Asphalt concrete is a typical heterogeneous composite material at the mesoscale. Under the action of external load, its internal dispersion cracks interact with each other, thereby changing the crack propagation behavior, especially in low-temperature environments. In this context, this study developed a meso-structure model of asphalt concrete with randomly distributed dispersion cracks based on the Taylor medium model and the discrete element method. A virtual semicircular bending test was performed to obtain macro and micro parameter data, including stress–strain curves, data regarding the crack propagation process, and the crack-area stress field, to analyze the propagation characteristics of dispersion cracks with various crack density parameter values, f , in asphalt concrete. The results indicated that (1) the predictions based on the Taylor medium model exhibit a good correlation with the numerical simulation results, demonstrating the reliability of the simulation. Moreover, the interference between dispersion cracks hinders crack propagation, significantly enhancing the low-temperature crack resistance of asphalt concrete. This interference effect is most pronounced when f is set to 0.6. (2) Crack interference between dispersion cracks primarily occurs during the crack incubation stage, extending the incubation time of internal cracks in asphalt concrete and improving early crack resistance. (3) When f is less than or equal to 0.6, the predominant failure mode of asphalt concrete is tensile stress failure. However, when f exceeds 0.6, the fracture mode of asphalt concrete shifts from tensile fracture to shear fracture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microglia are important players in surveillance and repair of the brain. Implanting an electrode into the cortex activates microglia, produces an inflammatory cascade, triggers the foreign body response, and opens the blood-brain barrier. These changes can impede intracortical brain-computer interfaces performance. Using two-photon imaging of implanted microelectrodes, we test the hypothesis that low-intensity pulsed ultrasound stimulation can reduce microglia-mediated neuroinflammation following the implantation of microelectrodes. In the first week of treatment, we found that low-intensity pulsed ultrasound stimulation increased microglia migration speed by 128%, enhanced microglia expansion area by 109%, and a reduction in microglial activation by 17%, indicating improved tissue healing and surveillance. Microglial coverage of the microelectrode was reduced by 50% and astrocytic scarring by 36% resulting in an increase in recording performance at chronic time. The data indicate that low-intensity pulsed ultrasound stimulation helps reduce the foreign body response around chronic intracortical microelectrodes. Implanting an electrode into the cortex activates microglia, triggers the foreign body response, and impedes intracortical brain-computer interface. Here, the authors apply low-intensity pulsed ultrasound stimulation (LIPUS) after probe insertion to reduce microglia-mediated neuroinflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prior research has highlighted the involvement of a transcriptional complex comprising C-terminal binding protein 2 (CtBP2), histone acetyltransferase p300, and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) in the transactivation of proinflammatory cytokine genes, contributing to inflammation in mice with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Nonetheless, it remains uncertain whether the therapeutic targeting of the CtBP2-p300-NF-κB complex holds potential for ARDS suppression. Methods: An ARDS mouse model was established using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure. RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) was performed on ARDS mice and LPS-treated cells with CtBP2, p300, and p65 knockdown. Small molecules inhibiting the CtBP2-p300 interaction were identified through AlphaScreen. Gene and protein expression levels were quantified using RT-qPCR and immunoblots. Tissue damage was assessed via histological staining. Key findings: We elucidated the specific role of the CtBP2-p300-NF-κB complex in proinflammatory gene regulation. RNA-seq analysis in LPS-challenged ARDS mice and LPS-treated CtBP2-knockdown (CtBP2KD), p300KD, and p65KD cells revealed its significant impact on proinflammatory genes with minimal effects on other NF-κB targets. Commercial inhibitors for CtBP2, p300, or NF-κB exhibited moderate cytotoxicity in vitro and in vivo, affecting both proinflammatory genes and other targets. We identified a potent inhibitor, PNSC928, for the CtBP2-p300 interaction using AlphaScreen. PNSC928 treatment hindered the assembly of the CtBP2-p300-NF-κB complex, substantially downregulating proinflammatory cytokine gene expression without observable cytotoxicity in normal cells. In vivo administration of PNSC928 significantly reduced CtBP2-driven proinflammatory gene expression in ARDS mice, alleviating inflammation and lung injury, ultimately improving ARDS prognosis. Conclusion: Our results position PNSC928 as a promising therapeutic candidate to specifically target the CtBP2-p300 interaction and mitigate inflammation in ARDS management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we designed the A356-B2O3-KBF4 reaction system to synthesize (AlB2 + Al2O3)/A356 biphasic particles-reinforced aluminum matrix composite with varying weight percentages (2%, 4%, 6%, and 8%). The synthesis was achieved through mechanical mixing and mixed salt reaction. We studied the friction and wear performance of the composite at room temperature using XRD, PC, SEM, EDS, laser confocal microscopy, and microhardness analysis. Our results indicate that the AlB2 and Al2O3 duplex-enhanced particles were effectively synthesized, with predominantly short rod morphology and local clustering observed for the AlB2 particles. The AlB2 particles were mostly in the micron-scale range, while the Al2O3 particles were mostly in the nanoscale range, both exhibiting agglomeration phenomena. Both enhanced particles showed an agglomeration phenomenon and could grow together with the interface binding very closely. At 6 wt.% mass fraction of biphasic particles, the composite exhibited the best refinement effect on-Al grains, as well as the greatest friction reduction effect and wear resistance for both the (AlB2 + Al2O3)/A356 composite and the A356 matrix alloy. The wear mechanism was primarily abrasive wear, while the A356 matrix alloy's wear mechanism was adhesive wear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen energy storage plays an important role in improving the operation efficiency and reliability of power systems with high wind energy penetration. Hydrogen to power (HtP) system is the key link of hydrogen applications. However, the single HtP equipment is limited in power output range and efficiency. Hybrid HtP system is an important scheme to realize the performance complementary. A wider power output range can enrich the application scenarios of hydrogen energy storage and provide flexible and reliable energy scheduling in larger and more complex energy systems. In this study, first, a power system including traditional units, wind power generation and hybrid HtP system is established. Second, a bi‐layer hybrid HtP system optimal configuration model considering planning and operation is constructed. Then, a bi‐layer optimal configuration method based on the improved PSO algorithm is proposed. Finally, the optimization model and its solution method are applied to IEEE RTS‐96. The discussions based on the optimization results show that the hybrid HtP system has significant contributions in optimizing the output cost of traditional units, improving the utilization of wind energy, and reducing load shedding losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corrosion of electrocatalysts during electrochemical operations, such as low potential - high potential cyclic swapping, can cause significant performance degradation. However, the electrochemical corrosion dynamics, including structural changes, especially site and composition specific ones, and their correlation with electrochemical processes are hidden due to the insufficient spatial-temporal resolution characterization methods. Using electrochemical liquid cell transmission electron microscopy, we visualize the electrochemical corrosion of Pd@Pt core-shell octahedral nanoparticles towards a Pt nanoframe. The potential-dependent surface reconstruction during multiple continuous in-situ cyclic voltammetry with clear redox peaks is captured, revealing an etching and deposition process of Pd that results in internal Pd atoms being relocated to external surface, followed by subsequent preferential corrosion of Pt (111) terraces rather than the edges or corners, simultaneously capturing the structure evolution also allows to attribute the site-specific Pt and Pd atomic dynamics to individual oxidation and reduction events. This work provides profound insights into the surface reconstruction of nanoparticles during complex electrochemical processes. Understanding electrochemical corrosion mechanism is essential for developing the fundaments of electrochemistry in catalysis. Here, the authors study the electrochemical corrosion of Pd-Pt core-shell catalysts by connecting structure evolution with the in-situ electrochemical cyclic voltammetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Forest musk deer (FMD, Moschus Berezovskii) is a critically endangered species world-widely, the death of which can be caused by pulmonary disease in the farm. Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) was a huge threat to the health and survival of captive FMD. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) have been involved in the regulation of immune genes and disease development. However, the regulatory profiles of mRNAs and miRNAs involved in immune regulation of FMD are unclear. Methods: In this study, mRNA-seq and miRNA-seq in blood were performed to constructed coexpression regulatory networks between PF and healthy groups of FMD. The hub immune- and apoptosis-related genes in the PF blood of FMD were explored through Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis. Further, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of immune-associated and apoptosis-associated key signaling pathways were constructed based on mRNA-miRNA in the PF blood of the FMD. Immune hub DEGs and immune hub DEmiRNAs were selected for experimental verification using RT-qPCR. Results: A total of 2744 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 356 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) were identified in the PF blood group compared to the healthy blood group. Among them, 42 DEmiRNAs were negatively correlated with 20 immune DEGs from a total of 57 correlations. The DEGs were significantly associated with pathways related to CD molecules, immune disease, immune system, cytokine receptors, T cell receptor signaling pathway, Th1 and Th2 cell differentiation, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, intestinal immune network for IgA production, and NODlike receptor signaling pathway. There were 240 immune-related DEGs, in which 186 immune-related DEGs were up-regulated and 54 immune-related DEGs were down-regulated. In the protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis of immune-related signaling pathway, TYK2, TLR2, TLR4, IL18, CSF1, CXCL13, LCK, ITGB2, PIK3CB, HCK, CD40, CD86, CCL3, CCR7, IL2RA, TLR3, and IL4R were identified as the hub immune genes. The mRNA-miRNA coregulation analysis showed that let-7d, miR-324-3p, miR-760, miR-185, miR-149, miR-149-5p, and miR-1842-5p are key miRNAs that target DEGs involved in immune disease, immune system and immunoregulation. Conclusion: The development and occurrence of PF were significantly influenced by the immune-related and apoptosis-related genes present in PF blood. mRNAs and miRNAs associated with the development and occurrence of PF in the FMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By reducing the ratio of dark lines to the extreme, and improving the transmittance at the dark line with chiral liquid crystal, we have successfully developed novel chiral VA Mode, which is the world's first. The transmittance of 4K can be increased by 14%, and 8K can be increased by more. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing awareness of the importance of financial management skills. However, few studies have systematically examined this topic in China's current higher education (HE) system. In this study, we examine whether enrolling in a finance-related program, either as a degree program or as an elective, improves students' financial literacy and habits. We conducted a mixed-method study with a sample of 1334 students from seven universities in central China. Multivariate regression, matching methods, and the inverse–probability–weighting methods were used for quantitative analysis. The results indicate that college students are generally dissatisfied with their financial situation. Enrolling in finance-related majors has little effect on improving students' financial habits, despite a substantial improvement in their financial literacy. In the current HE system, there is a significant lack of personal finance management training. Therefore, curriculum design and field practices regarding students' personal finance management skills should be introduced to enhance their financial habits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary and secondary hole defects in the process of coal mining will have an important impact on the stability of coal, therefore, the study of the mechanical and related characteristics of coal containing hole defects is of great significance for safe production and engineering practice. In this paper, the RMT-150 rock mechanics system is used to carry out uniaxial compression damage tests on coal with different hole sizes, and the whole process is recorded by simultaneous infrared radiation monitoring, based on which the influence of hole size on the change of physical properties and infrared radiation temperature response is analyzed. The results found that: the hole defect has a deteriorating effect on the strength of the coal, and the hole size is negatively correlated with the uniaxial compressive strength and elastic modulus. When the coal doesn't contain a hole or the hole size is small, the load damage is mainly shear, and as the hole size increases, the tensile damage characteristics gradually become significant. Hole defects cause the initial differential maximum infrared radiation temperature and the initial differential lowest infrared radiation temperature of coal surface thermal images to diverge in a " < " trend, while the initial differential average infrared radiation temperature monotonicity is obvious. The slope of linear change in the middle section of the coefficient of variation of infrared radiation temperature gradually increases with the increase of the hole, while the change of entropy value is generally higher than that of intact coal. The infrared temperature field of the coal containing hole is approximately Bi-gaussian distribution, and the instantaneous trend of the fitted distribution curve shifts to the right and overall to the right as the test progresses, and the curve shifts from a lean and tall form to a short and fat form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to effectively protect and verify the copyright information of multimedia digital works, this paper proposes a zero-watermarking algorithm based on carrier image feature point descriptors. The constructed feature matrix of this algorithm consists of two parts: the feature descriptor vector calculated from scale-invariant feature reconstruction transform (SIFRT) and the multi-radius local binary pattern (MrLBP) descriptor vector. The algorithm performs a standardization, feature decomposition, and redundancy reduction on the traditional keypoint descriptor matrix, combines it with the texture feature matrix, and achieves the dimensional matching of copyright information. The advantage of this algorithm lies in its non-modification of the original data. Compared to computing global features, the local features computed from a subset of key points reduce the amount of attack interference introduced during copyright verification, thereby reducing the number of erroneous pixel values that are introduced. The algorithm introduces a timestamp mechanism when uploading the generated zero-watermarking image to a third-party copyright center, preventing subsequent tampering. Experimental data analysis demonstrates that the algorithm exhibits good discriminability, security, and robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The surge in omicron variants has caused nationwide breakthrough infections in mainland China since the December 2022. In this study, we report the neutralization profiles of serum samples from the patients with breast cancer and the patients with liver cancer who had contracted subvariant breakthrough infections. Methods: In this real‐world study, we enrolled 143 COVID‐19‐vaccinated (81 and 62 patients with breast and liver cancers) and 105 unvaccinated patients with cancer (58 and 47 patients with breast and liver cancers) after omicron infection. Anti‐spike receptor binding domain (RBD) IgGs and 50% pseudovirus neutralization titer (pVNT50) for the preceding (wild type), circulating omicron (BA.4‐BA.5, and BF.7), and new subvariants (XBB.1.5) were comprehensively analyzed. Results: Patients with liver cancer receiving booster doses had higher levels of anti‐spike RBD IgG against circulating omicron (BA.4‐BA.5, and BF.7) and a novel subvariant (XBB.1.5) compared to patients with breast cancer after breakthrough infection. Additionally, all vaccinated patients produced higher neutralizing antibody titers against circulating omicron (BA.4‐BA.5, and BF.7) compared to unvaccinated patients. However, the unvaccinated patients produced higher neutralizing antibody against XBB.1.5 than vaccinated patients after Omicron infection, with this trend being more pronounced in breast cancer than in liver cancer patients. Moreover, we found that there was no correlation between anti‐spike RBD IgG against wildtype virus and the neutralizing antibody titer, but a positive correlation between anti‐spike RBD IgG and the neutralizing antibody against XBB.1.5 was found in unvaccinated patients. Conclusion: Our study found that there may be differences in vaccine response and protective effect against COVID‐19 infection in patients with liver and breast cancer. Therefore, we recommend that COVID‐19 vaccine strategies should be optimized based on vaccine components and immunology profiles of different patients with cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of large-scale wind power access to the power system, it is urgent to explore new probabilistic supply–demand analysis methods. This paper proposes a wind power stochastic and extreme scenario generation method considering wind power–temperature correlations and carries out probabilistic supply–demand balance analysis based on it. Firstly, the influence of temperature on wind power output is analyzed via Pearson coefficient to obtain the correlation between wind power and temperature. Secondly, based on the historical wind power curve, a large number of wind power output scenarios are randomly generated while fully preserving its characteristics, and probabilistic supply–demand analysis is carried out. Thirdly, for the extreme case of continuous multi-day extreme heat without wind, extreme scenarios are selected from the generated scenarios for supply–demand balance analysis. Finally, a practical example in a province in central-eastern China is used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results indicate that the scenario generation method can effectively capture the historical wind power characteristics and can be better applied to the diversified supply and demand balance analysis to obtain more accurate analysis results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient biocatalytic cascade reactions play a crucial role in guiding intricate, specific and selective intracellular transformation processes. However, the catalytic activity of the enzyme cascade reaction in bulk solution was greatly impacted by the spatial morphology and inter‐enzyme distance. The programmability and addressability nature of framework nucleic acid (FNA) allows to be used as scaffold for immobilization and to direct the spatial arrangement of enzyme cascade molecules. Here, we used tetrahedral DNA framework (TDF) as nanorulers to assemble two enzymes for constructing a double‐enzyme complex, which significantly enhance the catalytic efficiency of sarcosine oxidase (SOx)/horseradish peroxidase (HRP) cascade system. We synthesized four types of TDF nanorulers capable of programming the lateral distance between enzymes from 5.67 nm to 12.33 nm. Enzymes were chemical modified by ssDNA while preserving most catalytic activity. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to verify the formation of double‐enzyme complex. Four types of double‐enzyme complexes with different enzyme distance were constructed, in which TDF26(SOx+HRP) exhibited the highest relative enzyme cascade catalytic activity, ~3.11‐fold of free‐state enzyme. Importantly, all the double‐enzyme complexes demonstrate a substantial improvement in enzyme cascade catalytic activity compared to free enzymes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AI-aided clinical diagnosis is desired in medical care. Existing deep learning models lack explainability and mainly focus on image analysis. The recently developed Dynamic Uncertain Causality Graph (DUCG) approach is causality-driven, explainable, and invariant across different application scenarios, without problems of data collection, labeling, fitting, privacy, bias, generalization, high cost and high energy consumption. Through close collaboration between clinical experts and DUCG technicians, 46 DUCG models covering 54 chief complaints were constructed. Over 1,000 diseases can be diagnosed without triage. Before being applied in real-world, the 46 DUCG models were retrospectively verified by third-party hospitals. The verified diagnostic precisions were no less than 95%, in which the diagnostic precision for every disease including uncommon ones was no less than 80%. After verifications, the 46 DUCG models were applied in the real-world in China. Over one million real diagnosis cases have been performed, with only 17 incorrect diagnoses identified. Due to DUCG’s transparency, the mistakes causing the incorrect diagnoses were found and corrected. The diagnostic abilities of the clinicians who applied DUCG frequently were improved significantly. Following the introduction to the earlier presented DUCG methodology, the recommendation algorithm for potential medical checks is presented and the key idea of DUCG is extracted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recurrent events are common in clinical studies and are often subject to terminal events. In pragmatic trials, participants are often nested in clinics and can be susceptible or structurally unsusceptible to the recurrent events. We develop a Bayesian shared random effects model to accommodate this complex data structure. To achieve robustness, we consider the Dirichlet processes to model the residual of the accelerated failure time model for the survival process as well as the cluster-specific shared frailty distribution, along with an efficient sampling algorithm for posterior inference. Our method is applied to a recent cluster randomized trial on fall injury prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fisheries and bottom seawater data were collected in July in 2022 and 2023 from 15 sampling stations in the Huanghe River estuary and adjacent seas in China. The patterns of functional alpha and beta diversity of fish communities in this area and their relationships with environmental factors were studied using trait-based analysis. Five functional classifications, which included 16 functional traits, four functional alpha diversity indices (functional richness, functional evenness, functional divergence, and community-weighted mean), three functional beta diversity indices (functional beta diversity and its turnover and nestedness components), and 14 bottom environmental factors were considered. The dominant traits of fish communities were the following: benthivorous feeding habits, small and front-facing mouths, high trophic level, demersal, anguilliform, low growth coefficient, medium resilience, low vulnerability, and adapted to warm temperate conditions. The dominant migration traits and types of fish eggs varied by year, and fish abundance was the main factor affecting the dominant traits of the communities. The results of multiple regression on distance matrices and variance partitioning analysis indicated that ammonia nitrogen content, total phosphorus content, and pH were the main environmental factors that affected fish functional diversity. The N/P ratio had a bottom-up control effect on fish functional diversity. Our findings also revealed that high pH gradients and distant geographical distances can inhibit trait turnover in fish communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yellow River Estuary and its adjacent waters serve as crucial spawning, foraging, and nursery areas for marine organisms, possessing abundant biological resources. Monitoring fish communities provides a baseline for implementing the sustainable utilization of marine resources. In this study, data were collected from 15 spring surface and bottom sites and 17 summer surface sites using eDNA and trawl surveys. The results showed that 37, 40, and 35 fish species were detected using eDNA in the spring (surface and bottom) and summer (surface), respectively, with 38 fish species caught during summer trawling. The dominant species mainly belonged to Engraulidae of Clupeiformes in the spring and Gobiidae of Perciformes in the summer, characterized by smaller-sized, short-lived, and pelagic fish species. The summer surface communities exhibited higher diversity than the spring surface and bottom communities. NMDS analysis revealed a degree of seasonal differences in fish communities and that there may be a lack of vertical stratification in the spring communities. The pH and DO were identified as the key environmental factors affecting the fish community. Additionally, the combination of eDNA and trawl surveys was regarded as a superior survey method. Our study provides valuable information for understanding seasonal fish communities in the Yellow River Estuary and its adjacent waters, contributing to fishery resource management and conservation in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge tracing aims to track students’ knowledge status over time to predict students’ future performance accurately. In a real environment, teachers expect knowledge tracing models to provide the interpretable result of knowledge status. Markov chain-based knowledge tracing (MCKT) models, such as Bayesian Knowledge Tracing, can track knowledge concept mastery probability over time. However, as the number of tracked knowledge concepts increases, the time complexity of MCKT predicting student performance increases exponentially (also called explaining away problem). When the number of tracked knowledge concepts is large, we cannot utilize MCKT to track knowledge concept mastery probability over time. In addition, the existing MCKT models only consider the relationship between students’ knowledge status and problems when modeling students’ responses but ignore the relationship between knowledge concepts in the same problem. To address these challenges, we propose an inTerpretable pRobAbilistiC gEnerative moDel (TRACED), which can track students’ numerous knowledge concepts mastery probabilities over time. To solve explain away problem, we design long and short-term memory (LSTM)-based networks to approximate the posterior distribution, predict students’ future performance, and propose a heuristic algorithm to train LSTMs and probabilistic graphical model jointly. To better model students’ exercise responses, we proposed a logarithmic linear model with three interactive strategies, which models students’ exercise responses by considering the relationship among students’ knowledge status, knowledge concept, and problems. We conduct experiments with four real-world datasets in three knowledge-driven tasks. The experimental results show that TRACED outperforms existing knowledge tracing methods in predicting students’ future performance and can learn the relationship among students, knowledge concepts, and problems from students’ exercise sequences. We also conduct several case studies. The case studies show that TRACED exhibits excellent interpretability and thus has the potential for personalized automatic feedback in the real-world educational environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]