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Background: Cognitive impairment presents in both adolescent-onset(ado-OP) and adult-onset psychosis(adu-OP). Age and neurodevelopmental factors likely contribute to cognitive differences. This study aimed to characterize cognitive functions in ado-OP compared to adu-OP in a clinical population with drug-naive first-episode psychosis(FEP). Methods: A total of 788 drug-naive patients with FEP and 774 sex- and age-matched healthy controls(HCs) were included. Participants were divided into four groups by whether they were under or over 21 years of age: adolescent-onset FEP(ado-FEP, n = 380), adult-onset FEP(adu-FEP, n = 408), adolescent HC(ado-HC, n = 334), and adult HC(adu-HC, n = 440). Comprehensive cognitive assessments were performed using the MATRICS Cognitive Consensus Battery(MCCB), covers six cognitive domains: speed of processing, attention/vigilance, working memory, verbal learning, visual learning, reasoning, and problem-solving. Data analyses were conducted using correlation analyses and binary logistic regression. Results: The patterns of cognitive domain differences between ado-FEP and adu-FEP were found to be similar to those between ado-HC and adu-HC, whereas cognitive impairments appeared to be more pronounced in patients with adu-OP than ado-OP. The mazes subtest had the maximum effect size(ES) in the FEP(ES = 0.37) and HC(ES = 0.30) groups when comparing the adolescent and adult groups. Cognitive subtests were mostly significantly correlated with negative symptoms, especially for adolescents with FEP, in which all the subtests were significantly correlated with negative symptoms in the ado-FEP group. Better performance in the domains of spatial cognition and problem-solving abilities was more likely in the ado-FEP group than in the adu-FEP group. Conclusions: These findings suggest cognitive differences between adolescents and adults but similar patterns of affected domains in HCs and patients with FEP. Therefore, the development of targeted cognitive interventions tailored to the specific needs of different age groups appears warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the causes, consequences, and solutions of English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers' technophobia. To this end, a semi-structured interview was held with 48 Chinese EFL teachers working in different institutes. The results of MAXQDA indicated that technophobia is a multi-face and multi-source phenomenon, which can affect different areas of second language (L2) education. The most frequent causes of technophobia were teachers' "low technological knowledge and skills", "unfamiliarity with technology", and "lack of professional training". It was also found that EFL teachers' technophobia could engender "technology avoidance", "innovative teaching prevention", "inconvenient and outdated teaching", and "emotional distress and burden" on EFL teachers. Furthermore, it was revealed that this aversive emotion could be addressed by "attending professional development courses", "having a positive mentality", and "making psychological preparations". The discussion of the findings and their implications for EFL teachers and educators are presented at the end of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fault zone architecture may provide reliable information about the deformations in both on‐fault and off‐fault media. The outer damage zones of faults may extend for kilometers and exhibit structural anisotropy, which potentially causes electrical anisotropy in rocks. Thus, electrically anisotropic structures may indicate the dimensions and extent of fault damage zones. We investigated the electrical anisotropic structure of the sinistral Altyn Tagh fault (ATF), NW China, using magnetotelluric data collected in and around the Subei Basin. Our three‐dimensional resistivity model reveals widespread anisotropic anomalies at depths <∼5 km. The directions of the minimum horizontal resistivity values of the anomalies inside the Qilian Shan southeast of the ATF are dominantly subparallel to the fault traces at the surface. At deeper levels (∼15–19 km and ∼33–43 km), the anisotropic anomalies are mainly concentrated near the northern strand of the ATF (NATF) and the North Yemahe fault (NYMF) in the northeastern Subei area. The mid‐lower crust (∼33–43 km) inside the Qilian Shan is characterized by isotropy or weak anisotropy with low resistivities (∼10 Ωm), which deviate significantly from the values along the NATF. Our results indicate the presence of a ∼30 km wide off‐fault damage zone along the NATF and NYMF in the shallow crust that thins downward to the lower crust. We propose that the distribution of anisotropic anomalies is influenced primarily by neighboring faults. An independent deformation model could be appropriate for evaluating the relationships between the ATF and thrust faults within the Qilian Shan. Plain Language Summary: Damage zones of faults include the volumes of subsidiary structures that may occur in preferred orientations and induce electrical anisotropy. An electrically anisotropic structure, indicating direction‐dependent conductivity (the reciprocal of resistivity), may provide a new means to delineate the architecture of a fault, especially its damage zones. The sinistral Altyn Tagh fault (ATF) defines the northern boundary of the Tibetan Plateau. The architecture of the ATF has seldom been discussed from a three‐dimensional (3‐D) perspective. We obtained the 3‐D crustal electrical anisotropic structure in the area through which the ATF passes and found that widespread electrical anisotropic anomalies exist in the upper crust. As depth increases, the anisotropic anomalies become more concentrated below the northern strand of the ATF (NATF) and a parallel fault ∼15 km south of it. These features may imply the existence of a damage zone between the NATF and its parallel fault that is ∼30 km wide at a depth of ∼5 km and thins to ∼10 km in the lower crust. Our study suggests that the ATF and the thrust faults within the Qilian Shan may be more compatible with an independent deformation pattern. Key Points: Dense magnetotelluric data are inverted to examine the architecture of the Altyn Tagh fault in the Subei areaThe electrical anisotropic anomalies in the Subei area are likely controlled by faultsAnisotropic anomalies in the crust are interpreted to reflect off‐fault damage zones [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mild cognitive deficits (MCD) emerge before the first episode of psychosis (FEP) and persist in the clinical high-risk (CHR) stage. This study aims to refine risk prediction by developing MCD models optimized for specific early psychosis stages and target populations. Methods: A comprehensive neuropsychological battery assessed 1059 individuals with FEP, 794 CHR, and 774 matched healthy controls (HCs). CHR subjects, followed up for 2 years, were categorized into converters (CHR-C) and non-converters (CHR-NC). The MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery standardized neurocognitive tests were employed. Results: Both the CHR and FEP groups exhibited significantly poorer performance compared to the HC group across all neurocognitive tests (all p < 0.001). The CHR-C group demonstrated poorer performance compared to the CHR-NC group on three sub-tests: visuospatial memory (p < 0.001), mazes (p = 0.005), and symbol coding (p = 0.023) tests. Upon adjusting for sex and age, the performance of the MCD model was excellent in differentiating FEP from HC, as evidenced by an Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUC) of 0.895 (p < 0.001). However, when applied in the CHR group for predicting CHR-C (AUC = 0.581, p = 0.008), the performance was not satisfactory. To optimize the efficiency of psychotic risk assessment, three distinct MCD models were developed to distinguish FEP from HC, predict CHR-C from CHR-NC, and identify CHR from HC, achieving accuracies of 89.3%, 65.6%, and 80.2%, respectively. Conclusions: The MCD exhibits variations in domains, patterns, and weights across different stages of early psychosis and diverse target populations. Emphasizing precise risk assessment, our findings highlight the importance of tailored MCD models for different stages and risk levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Although many studies have explored the link between inflammatory markers and psychosis, there is a paucity of research investigating the temporal progression in individuals at clinical high‐risk (CHR) who eventually develop full psychosis. To address this gap, we investigated the correlation between serum cytokine levels and Timeframe for Conversion to Psychosis (TCP) in individuals with CHR. Methods: We enrolled 53 individuals with CHR who completed a 5‐year follow‐up with a confirmed conversion to psychosis. Granulocyte macrophage‐colony stimulating factor (GM‐CSF), interleukin (IL)‐1β, 2, 6, 8, 10, tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels were measured at baseline and 1‐year. Correlation and quantile regression analyses were performed. Results: The median TCP duration was 14 months. A significantly shorter TCP was associated with higher levels of TNF‐α (P = 0.022) and VEGF (P = 0.016). A negative correlation was observed between TCP and TNF‐α level (P = 0.006) and VEGF level (P = 0.04). Quantile regression indicated negative associations between TCP and GM‐CSF levels below the 0.5 quantile, IL‐10 levels below the 0.3 quantile, IL‐2 levels below the 0.25 quantile, IL‐6 levels between the 0.65 and 0.75 quantiles, TNF‐α levels below the 0.8 quantile, and VEGF levels below the 0.7 quantile. A mixed linear effects model identified significant time effects for IL‐10 and IL‐2, and significant group effects for changes in IL‐2 and TNF‐α. Conclusions: Our findings underscore that a more pronounced baseline inflammatory state is associated with faster progression of psychosis in individuals with CHR. This highlights the importance of considering individual inflammatory profiles during early intervention and of tailoring preventive measures for risk profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

T lymphoblastic leukemia /lymphoma (T-ALL/LBL) is a rare and highly aggressive neoplasm of lymphoblasts. We evaluated 195 T-ALL/LBL adolescent and adult patients who received ALL-type chemotherapy alone (chemo,n = 72) or in combination with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(auto-HSCT,n = 23) or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(allo-HSCT,n = 100) from January 2006 to September 2020 in three Chinese medical centers. 167 (85.6%) patients achieved overall response (ORR) with 138 complete response (CR) patients (70.8%) and 29 partial response (PR) patients (14.8%). Until October 1, 2023, no difference was found in 5-year overall survival (5-OS) and 5-year progression free survival(5-PFS) between allo-HSCT and auto-HSCT (5-OS 57.9% vs. 36.7%, P = 0.139, 5-year PFS 49.4% vs. 28.6%, P = 0.078) for patients who achieved CR, for patients who achieved PR, allo-HSCT recipients had higher 5-OS compared with chemo alone recipients (5-OS 23.8% vs. 0, P = 0.042). For patients undergoing allo-HSCT, minimal residual disease (MRD) negative population showed better 5-OS survival compared with MRD positive patients (67.8% vs. 19.6%, p = 0.000). There were no significant differences between early T-cell precursor (ETP), NON-ETP patients with or without expression of one or more myeloid-associated or stem cell-associated (M/S+) markers (NON-ETP with M/S+, NON-ETP without M/S+) groups in allo-HSCT population for 5-OS. (62.9% vs. 54.5% vs.48.4%, P > 0.05). Notch mutations were more common in patients with non-relapsed/refractory disease than relapsed/refractory disease (χ² =4.293, P = 0.038). In conclusion, Allo-HSCT could be an effective consolidation therapy not just for patients with CR, but also for those who achieved PR. The prognosis is significantly improved by obtaining MRD negative prior to allogeneic transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The effects of antipsychotic (AP) medications on cognitive functions in individuals at clinical high-risk (CHR) of psychosis are poorly understood. This study compared the effects of AP treatment on cognitive improvement in CHR adolescents and adults. Methods: A total of 327 CHR participants, with an age range of 13 to 45 years, who underwent baseline neuropsychological assessments and a 1-year clinical follow-up were included. Participants with CHR were categorized into four groups based on their age: adolescents (aged < 18) and adults (aged ≥ 18), as well as their antipsychotic medication status (AP+ or AP−). Therefore, the four groups were defined as Adolescent-AP−, Adolescent-AP+, Adult-AP−, and Adult-AP+. Results: During the follow-up, 231 CHR patients received AP treatment, 94 converted to psychosis, and 161 completed the 1-year follow-up. The Adolescent-AP+ group had more positive symptoms, lower general functions, and cognitive impairments than the Adolescent-AP− group at baseline, but no significant differences were observed among adults. The Adolescent-AP+ group showed a significant increase in the risk of conversion to psychosis (p < 0.001) compared to the Adolescent-AP− group. The Adult-AP+ group showed a decreasing trend in the risk of conversion (p = 0.088) compared to the Adult-AP− group. The Adolescent-AP− group had greater improvement in general functions (p < 0.001), neuropsychological assessment battery mazes (p = 0.025), and brief visuospatial memory test-revised (p = 0.020), as well as a greater decrease in positive symptoms (p < 0.001) at follow-up compared to the Adolescent-AP+ group. No significant differences were observed among adults. Conclusions: Early use of AP was not associated with a positive effect on cognitive function in CHR adolescents. Instead, the absence of AP treatment was associated with better cognitive recovery, suggesting that AP exposure might not be the preferred choice for cognitive recovery in CHR adolescents, but may be more reasonable for use in adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Despite numerous studies investigating personality disorder (PD) and childhood maltreatment (CM) characteristics in individuals with schizophrenia (SZ), there remains a scarcity of research focusing on sex differences in PD and CM within large samples of SZ patients. Methods: A total of 592 participants (257 males, 335 females) were consecutively sampled from patients diagnosed with SZ at the psychiatric and psycho-counseling clinics at Shanghai Mental Health Center. PDs were assessed using a self-reported personality diagnostic questionnaire and a structured clinical interview, while CMs were evaluated using the Chinese version of the Child Trauma Questionnaire Short Form. Results: Male patients exhibited a prominent self-reported trait of antisocial PD (t=1.972, p=0.049), while female patients demonstrated a notable emphasis on histrionic PD traits (t=− 2.057, p=0.040). Structured interviews for PD diagnoses further indicated a higher comorbidity of schizotypal (χ2=4.805, p=0.028) and schizoid (χ2=6.957, p=0.008) PDs among male patients compared to female patients. Additionally, male patients reported a higher degree (t=2.957, p=0.003) and proportion (χ2=5.277, p=0.022) of experiences of physical abuse in their self-reported CM. Logistic regression analyses highlight distinct factors: higher antisocial PD traits and physical abuse are associated with male patients, while histrionic PD traits and emotional abuse are associated with female patients. Discussion: These findings underscore the importance of recognizing and addressing sex-specific manifestations of personality pathology and the nuanced impact of CM in the clinical management of individuals with SZ. The study advocates for tailored interventions that consider the distinct needs associated with sex differences in both personality traits and CM experiences among SZ patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We performed a retrospective analysis to investigate the clinical predictors of bacteremia outcome involving Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) after initial empirical antimicrobial therapy among hematological malignancy cases. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted between April 2018 and April 2023. All bloodstream infections (BSIs) caused by E. coli and K. pneumoniae in hospitalized hematological malignancy (HM) patients were identified. Data on patient demographics, clinical characteristics, empirical antimicrobial treatment, outcomes and the antimicrobial susceptibility were collected from medical records. Multivariate analyses were utilized to assess the risk factors for all-cause mortality within 28 days and carbapenem resistance. Optimal cutoffs for continuous predictive variables were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: Among 61 individuals diagnosed with bacteremia, 39 cases were caused by E. coli bacteremia, while the remaining 22 were identified as K. pneumoniae bacteremia. Out of these, there were 10 cases of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) and 12 cases resulted in all-cause mortality within 28 days. Analysis indicated that Pitt score was an independent risk factor for mortality and a cut-off of 2.5 was a reliable predictor with 83.3% sensitivity and 85.7% specificity, respectively. Impaired mental status and elevated body temperature exceeding 38.6°C as well as a procalcitonin (PCT) level over 8.24 ng/mL on the third day (d3) after antimicrobial treatment were identified as independent risk factors for predicting carbapenem resistance. Conclusion: We found that Pitt score with a cut-off of 2.5 was a reliable predictor for mortality within 28 days in HM bacteremia cases. Impaired mental status and elevated temperature exceeding 38.6°C as well as a procalcitonin (PCT) level over 8.24 ng/mL on d3 after antimicrobial treatment were identified as predictive risk factors to carbapenem resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Response inhibition deficits in schizophrenia (SZ) are accompanied by reduced neural activities using event‐related potential (ERP) measurements. However, it remains unclear whether the reduction in inhibition‐related ERPs in SZ is contingent upon prepotent motor tendencies. This study aimed to examine the relationship between ERP markers of prepotent motor activity (lateralised readiness potential, LRP) and response inhibition (P3) by collecting behavioural and EEG data from healthy control (HC) subjects and SZ patients during a modified Go/No‐Go task. A trial‐averaged analysis revealed that SZ patients made more commission errors in No‐Go trials compared with HC subjects, although there was no significant difference in the inhibition‐related P3 effect (i.e. larger P3 amplitudes in No‐Go compared with Go trials) between the two groups. Subsequently, No‐Go trials were sorted and median‐split into bins of stronger and weaker motor tendencies. Both HC and SZ participants made more commission errors when faced with stronger motor tendencies. The LRP‐sorted P3 data indicated that HC subjects exhibited larger P3 effects in response to stronger motor tendencies, whereas this trial‐by‐trial association between P3 and motor tendencies was absent in SZ patients. Furthermore, SZ patients displayed diminished P3 effects in No‐Go trials with stronger motor tendencies but not in trials with weaker motor tendencies, relative to HC subjects. Taken together, these findings suggest that SZ patients are unable to dynamically adjust inhibition‐related neural activities in response to changing inhibitory control demands and emphasise the importance of considering prepotent motor activity when investigating the neural mechanisms underlying response inhibition deficits in SZ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assessment of initial support roughness is of utmost importance in ensuring waterproofing and structural safety in tunnel projects. However, existing measurement methods and evaluation systems fall short of meeting the requirements of efficiency, accuracy, and coverage for roughness measurement and acceptance procedures. This paper introduces an automated measurement method for the initial support roughness utilizing terrestrial laser scanning. This approach significantly enhances the efficiency, accuracy, and automation level of measuring roughness for initial support. In addition, the paper proposes evaluation indicators, such as average deviation, root mean square deviation, and three-dimensional chord ratio, to assess the overall and local roughness of initial support. By extending the assessment of roughness from two-dimensional to three-dimensional, this study improves the accuracy, comprehensiveness, and richness of roughness evaluation. Experimental validation confirms the accuracy and applicability of the proposed method. Furthermore, this paper thoroughly examines the effect of different step length values within the detection area on the accuracy and discriminability of the evaluation indicators when assessing the overall roughness of the initial support. Chromatograms are used to visually present and locate roughness in different areas, greatly aiding in the assessment and treatment of surface diseases in initial support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we consider the convergence from the semi-dissipative 2D Boussinesq equations to the 2D Navier–Stokes equations in some sense. When the temperature variable θ tends to 0, we prove that the component uθ of the solution of the semi-dissipative 2D Boussinesq equations is converging to the solution u of the 2D Navier–Stokes equations in the space H and uθ is asymptotically converging to u in the space H2(Ω) with the initial data (u0, θ0) ∈ H × L2(Ω). Moreover, we obtain the continuity of the local attractor A r of the semi-dissipative 2D Boussinesq equations with respect to A × { 0 } in the space H2(Ω) × L2(Ω) at r = 0, here A × { 0 } is a natural embedding of the global attractor A of the 2D Navier–Stokes equations into the space H × L2(Ω). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an ultrathin and dual-band bidirectional metasurface absorber (MSA) based on ring-disk (RD) resonators structure. The simulation results indicate that the proposed MSA can achieve a high absorbance of 95.1% and 93.6% at 6.64 GHz and 13.36 GHz, respectively, for both forward (+ z) and backward (− z) incidences, which is effectively validated by the experiment. The retrieved equivalent electromagnetic (EM) parameters and simulated surface current distributions demonstrate that the dual-band high absorption is mainly attributed to the fundamental dipolar resonance excited by the ring-shape (RP) and disk-shape (DS) resonators, respectively. Moreover, the designed bidirectional MSA can achieve wide-angle absorption for both transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) modes. Furthermore, the absorption performance of the bidirectional MSA can be tuned by varying the geometrical parameters of the unit-cell structure. The proposed dual-band bidirectional MSA has promising application prospects in detection, sensing, and imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Hypothesis Visual fixation is a dynamic process, with the spontaneous occurrence of microsaccades and macrosaccades. These fixational saccades are sensitive to the structural and functional alterations of the cortical-subcortical-cerebellar circuit. Given that dysfunctional cortical-subcortical-cerebellar circuit contributes to cognitive and behavioral impairments in schizophrenia, we hypothesized that patients with schizophrenia would exhibit abnormal fixational saccades and these abnormalities would be associated with the clinical manifestations. Study Design Saccades were recorded from 140 drug-naïve patients with first-episode schizophrenia and 160 age-matched healthy controls during ten separate trials of 6-second steady fixations. Positive and negative symptoms were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Cognition was assessed using the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). Study Results Patients with schizophrenia exhibited fixational saccades more vertically than controls, which was reflected in more vertical saccades with angles around 90° and a greater vertical shift of horizontal saccades with angles around 0° in patients. The fixational saccades, especially horizontal saccades, showed longer durations, faster peak velocities, and larger amplitudes in patients. Furthermore, the greater vertical shift of horizontal saccades was associated with higher PANSS total and positive symptom scores in patients, and the longer duration of horizontal saccades was associated with lower MCCB neurocognitive composite, attention/vigilance, and speed of processing scores. Finally, based solely on these fixational eye movements, a K-nearest neighbors model classified patients with an accuracy of 85%. Conclusions: Our results reveal spatial and temporal abnormalities of fixational saccades and suggest fixational saccades as a promising biomarker for cognitive and positive symptoms and for diagnosis of schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Revealing trade-off and synergistic relationships among ecosystem services plays a key role in ensuring a stable ecosystem for long-term development. It is the crucial precondition for realizing watershed protection and high-quality development. The variations in land use during 1990–2020 are investigated by taking the typical areas for returning farmland to forests as an example. The spatiotemporal distributions of six key ecosystem services, namely carbon storage, water yield, net primary productivity (NPP), soil conservation, habitat quality, and forest recreation are quantified by the InVEST model and statistical data. We also uncover the spatial difference in the ecosystem in Loess Plateau, located in northern Shaanxi, with hot spot analysis and probe the trade-off and synergistic correlations among the investigated ecosystem services. The results show that: (1) the farmland decreased dramatically. On the contrary, the forests and orchards increased significantly. (2) During the same period, carbon storage and habitat quality increased, and water yield, NPP, soil conservation, and forest recreation initially declined, but subsequently rose to higher values than that in 1990. All these services in the southeastern part of the research area surpass those found in the northwest. (3) The ecosystem services relationships in northern Shaanxi are mainly characterized by synergistic correlations, which became stronger from 1990 to 2020. The trade-off effects mainly occur among the water yield and other ecosystem services and are distributed in the west and north of the investigated area. Based on these findings, this work provides scientific principles for improving the ecological environment and enhancing the resource sustainability of the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electroencephalography (EEG) signals can be used as a neuroimaging indicator to analyze brain-related diseases and mental states, such as schizophrenia, which is a common and serious mental disorder. However, the main limiting factor of using EEG data to support clinical schizophrenia diagnosis lies in the inadequacy of both objective characteristics and effective data analysis techniques. Random matrix theory (RMT) and its linear eigenvalue statistics (LES) can provide an effective mathematical modeling method for exploring the statistical properties of non-stationary nonlinear systems, such as EEG signals. To obtain an accurate classification and diagnosis of schizophrenia, this paper proposes a LES-based deep learning network scheme in which a series of random matrixes, consisting of EEG data sliding window sampling and their eigenvalues, are employed as features for deep learning. Due to the fact that the performance of the LES-based scheme is sensitive to the LES's test function, the proposed LES-based deep learning network is embedded with two ways of combining LES's test functions with learning techniques: the first is to have the LES's test function assigned, while, using the second way, the optimal LES's test function should be solved in a functional optimization problem. In this paper, various test functions and different optimal learning methods were coupled in experiments. Our results revealed a binary classification accuracy of nearly 90% in distinguishing between healthy controls (HC) and patients experiencing the first episode of schizophrenia (FES). Additionally, we achieved a ternary classification accuracy of approximately 70% by including clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR). The LES-embedded approach yielded notably higher classification accuracy compared to conventional machine learning methods and standard convolutional neural networks. As the performance of schizophrenia classification is strongly influenced by test functions, a functional optimization problem was proposed to identify an optimized test function, and an approximated parameter optimization problem was introduced to limit the search area of suitable basis functions. Furthermore, the parameterization test function optimization problem and the deep learning network were coupled to be synchronously optimized during the training process. The proposal approach achieved higher classification accuracy rates of 96.87% between HC and FES, with an additional 89.06% accuracy when CHR was included. The experimental studies demonstrated that the proposed LES-based method was significantly effective for schizophrenic EEG data classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in treating mood disorders (MDs) is hypothesized to be mediated by the induction of neurotrophic factors (denoted "angioneurins") that trigger neuronal plasticity. This study aimed to assess the effects of ECT on serum angioneurin levels in patients with MD. Methods: A total of 110 patients with MDs including 30 with unipolar depression, 25 with bipolar depression (BD), 55 with bipolar mania (BM), and 50 healthy controls were included in the study. Patients were subdivided into two groups: those who received ECT + medication (12 ECT sessions) and those who received only medication (no‐ECT). Depressive and manic symptom assessments and measurements of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), fibroblast growth factor‐2, nerve growth factor (NGF), and insulin‐like growth factor‐1 levels in blood samples were performed at baseline and week 8. Results: Patients in the ECT group, specifically those with BD and BM, had significantly increased levels of VEGF compared to their baseline VEGF levels (p = 0.002). No significant changes in angioneurin levels were observed in the no‐ECT group. Serum NGF levels were significantly associated with a reduction in depressive symptoms. Angioneurin levels were not associated with manic symptom reduction. Conclusions: This study hints that ECT may increase VEGF levels with angiogenic mechanisms that amplify NGF signaling to promote neurogenesis. It may also contribute to changes in brain function and emotional regulation. However, further animal experiments and clinical validation are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the phenomenon of attenuated niacin response (ANR) has been widely replicated in some patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP), its relevance to the negative symptoms (NS) of psychosis remains unclear. Total of 240 patients with drug-naïve FEP and 101 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited, and 209 were followed up for 1 year. Psychotic symptoms were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and niacin-induced responses were measured using laser Doppler flowmetry. We calculated the log-transform EC50 [concentration of methyl nicotinate required to elicit a half-maximal blood flow (MBF) response] and MBF values. Core-NS was generated by factor analysis of the PANSS-NS subscale and cluster analysis to produce subtypes. Significant differences were found in the log10 (EC50) values between the FEP and HC groups (p < 0.001), supporting the ANR in patients with FEP. A higher NS severity was found in the ANR subgroup than that in other patients. Factor analysis determined that a two-dimensional model included core NS and rigidity of thinking. The log10 (EC50) value was significantly associated with only the core NS. Cluster analysis revealed three subtypes—36.7% (cluster-1, n = 88), 16.7% (cluster-2, n = 40), and 46.7% (cluster-3, n = 112). Cluster-2 characterized by extensive NS appeared to have a more remarkable ANR and less symptomatic improvement than those with other clusters during follow-up. No significant changes were found in the niacin response trajectories between the baseline and follow-up. Our findings indicate a significant correlation between ANR and core NS in patients with FEP. ANR may be a potential biomarker for certain subtypes with NS-dominated characteristics and poor symptomatic remission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oculomotor behavior has been shown to be correlated with mental disorders in clinics, making it promising for disease diagnosis. Here we developed a thorough oculomotor test toolkit, involving saccade, smooth pursuit, and fixation, allowing the examination of multiple oculomotor parameters in monkey models induced by psychoactive drugs. Eye movements were recorded after daily injections of phencyclidine (PCP) (3.0 mg/kg), ketamine (0.8 mg/kg) or controlled saline in two macaque monkeys. Both drugs led to robust reduction in accuracy and increment in reaction time during high cognitive-demanding tasks. Saccades, smooth pursuit, and fixation stability were also significantly impaired. During fixation, the involuntary microsaccades exhibited increased amplitudes and were biased toward the lower visual field. Pupillary response was reduced during cognitive tasks. Both drugs also increased sensitivity to auditory cues as reflected in auditory evoked potentials (AEPs). Thus, our animal model induced by psychoactive drugs produced largely similar abnormalities to that in patients with schizophrenia. Importantly, a classifier based on dimension reduction and machine learning could reliably identify altered states induced by different drugs (PCP, ketamine and saline, accuracy = 93%). The high performance of the classifier was reserved even when data from one monkey were used for training and testing the other subject (averaged classification accuracy = 90%). Thus, despite heterogeneity in baseline oculomotor behavior between the two monkeys, our model allows data transferability across individuals, which could be beneficial for future evaluation of pharmaceutical or physical therapy validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) technology has the advantages of wide range, high efficiency, and low cost in spatial information collection, so it is widely used in infrastructure monitoring and measurement. During TLS application, the registration and positioning of the point cloud have a direct impact on the quality of the data and the validity of the results. The linear distribution of the tunnel structure and the lack of significant features present challenges in the registration and positioning of 3D point clouds in railway tunnels. The commonly used registration methods are difficult to achieve high registration accuracy and are prone to propagation errors, which reduce the accuracy and effectiveness of results. To achieve accurate registration and positioning of multistation clouds in railway tunnels, we propose a coordinate-based global registration method. To determine the coordinates of scan points in the reference coordinate system and the direction of the reference coordinate system, a few fixed control points are used during the data collection stage. Consequently, each station cloud can be precisely positioned and automatically registered in the reference coordinate system without accumulating or propagating errors. In addition, the coordinate-based registration method eliminates the introduction of errors due to artificial target setting and feature point extraction, as well as the problem of accurately positioning the entire point cloud in the reference coordinate system, thereby enhancing the accuracy, efficiency, and automation levels of cloud registration. The experiment demonstrates that the coordinate-based global registration method is robust and applicable in complex scenes, and it is suitable for the accurate positioning and registration of multistation clouds in linear and curved railway tunnels. The coordinate-based registration method reduces the amount of error in the global registration link by 65% when compared to the point-based registration method, and the point cloud accuracy has reached fine registration, ensuring that fine-grained inverse modeling of the tunnel structure can be performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an ultra-broadband three-dimensional metamaterial microwave absorber (MMA) is proposed based on a composite structure of a split-ring loaded with resistors and magnetic material. The proposed composite MMA (CMMA) exhibits significantly enhanced bandwidth and absorption performance compared to single magnetic absorbing materials. The physics mechanism of the absorption is analyzed by the distributions of electric field, magnetic field, and power flow and loss density. The features of ultra-broadband and wide-angle absorption were systematically characterized by the angular absorption spectrum for both transverse electric and transverse magnetic waves. A parametric study was also performed to achieve ultra-broadband properties of the proposed CMMA. A tested prototype of the proposed CMMA with 18 × 18 unit cells was fabricated and measured. The final experimental results show that the designed CMMA with total thickness of 7.4 mm exhibits absorptance of over 90% from 3.7 GHz to 18 GHz with a relative bandwidth of about 131.8%, which is in good agreement with simulation results. The proposed CMMA has potential applications in stealth, shielding, and energy harvesting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schizophrenia (SZ) and intellectual disability (ID) are both included in the continuum of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). DNA methylation is known to be important in the occurrence of NDDs. The family study is conducive to eliminate the effects of relative epigenetic backgrounds, and to screen for differentially methylated positions (DMPs) and regions (DMRs) that are truly associated with NDDs. Four monozygotic twin families were recruited, and both twin individuals suffered from NDDs (either SZ, ID, or SZ plus ID). Genome-wide methylation analysis was performed in all samples and each family. DMPs and DMRs between NDD patients and unaffected individuals were identified. Functional and pathway enrichment analyses were performed on the annotated genes. Two significant DMPs annotated to CYP2E1 were found in all samples. In Family One, 1476 DMPs mapped to 880 genes, and 162 DMRs overlapping with 153 unique genes were recognised. Our results suggested that the altered methylation levels of FYN, STAT3, RAC1, and NR4A2 were associated with the development of SZ and ID. Neurodevelopment and the immune system may participate in the occurrence of SZ and ID. Our findings suggested that DNA methylation participated in the development of NDDs by affecting neurodevelopment and the immune system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conventional design approaches for achieving perfect absorption of electromagnetic (EM) waves using metasurface absorbers (MSAs) are limited to absorbing waves in one direction while reflecting waves in the other. In this study, a novel ultrathin narrowband MSA with bidirectional perfect absorption properties has been proposed, based on a tri-layer metal square-circular-square patch (SCSP) structure. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed MSA exhibits a remarkable absorbance of 98.1%, which is consistent with the experimental and theoretical calculations. The equivalent constitutive parameters that were retrieved, as well as the simulated surface current and the power loss density distributions, reveal that the perfect absorption of the designed MSA originates from the fundamental dipolar resonance. Furthermore, the proposed MSA demonstrates stable wide-angle absorption properties for both transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) waves under various oblique incidence angles. The absorption characteristics of the MSA can be fine-tuned by adjusting the structural parameters. Additionally, the proposed MSA boasts excellent ultrathin thickness, bidirectional, polarization-insensitive, and wide-angle properties, making it highly suitable for a range of potential applications such as imaging, detection, and sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Hypothesis Cognitive deficits in visuospatial learning (VSL) are highly associated with an increased risk of developing psychosis among populations with clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis. Early interventions targeting VSL enhancement are warranted in CHR but remain rudimentary. We investigated whether personalized transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the left parieto-hippocampal network could improve VSL performance in CHR patients and if it could reduce the risk of psychosis conversion within 1 year. Study Design Sixty-five CHR patients were randomized to receive active or sham TMS treatments using an accelerated TMS protocol, consisting of 10 sessions of 20 Hz TMS treatments within 2 days. TMS target was defined by individual parieto-hippocampal functional connectivity and precisely localized by individual structural magnetic resonance imaging. VSL performance was measured using Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised included in measurement and treatment research to improve cognition in schizophrenia consensus cognitive battery (MCCB). Fifty-eight CHR patients completed the TMS treatments and MCCB assessments and were included in the data analysis. Study Results We observed significant VSL improvements in the active TMS subgroup (Cohen's d = 0.71, P <.001) but not in the sham TMS subgroup (Cohen's d = 0.07, P =.70). In addition, active TMS improved the precision of VSL performance. At a 1-year follow-up, CHR patients who received active TMS showed a lower psychosis conversion rate than those who received sham TMS (6.7% vs 28.0%, χ 2 = 4.45, P =.03). Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that personalized TMS in the left parieto-hippocampal network may be a promising preventive intervention that improves VSL in CHR patients and reduces the risk of psychosis conversion at follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Numerous studies have established the roles of inflammation and angioneurins in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia (SCZ). This study aimed to compare the serum levels of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in patients at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis or SCZ at baseline and one year after treatment. Methods: A total of 289 CHR participants from the Shanghai At Risk for Psychosis Extended Program (SHARP) were tracked for a year. They were divided into two and four subtypes based on symptom severity according to the Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndromes (SIPS) and received standard medical care. At baseline and one-year follow-up, TNF-α and VEGF were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and pathological features were assessed using the Global Assessment of Function (GAF) score. Results: Baseline TNF-α levels did not differ significantly, while VEGF levels were lower in patients with more severe symptoms. VEGF showed a negative correlation with negative features, both overall (r = − 0.212, p = 0.010) and in the subgroup with higher positive scores (r = − 0.370, p = 0.005). TNF-α was positively correlated with negative symptoms in the subgroup with higher negative scores (r = 0.352, p = 0.002). A three-way multivariate analysis of variance demonstrated that participants in Subtype 1 of positive or negative symptoms performed better than those in Subtype 2, with significant main effects and interactions of group and both cytokines. Discussion: TNF-α and VEGF levels are higher and lower, respectively, in CHR patients with more severe clinical symptoms, particularly negative symptoms, which point to a worsening inflammatory and vascular status in the brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Schizophrenia is a severely debilitating psychiatric disorder with high heritability and polygenic architecture. A higher polygenic risk score for schizophrenia (SzPRS) has been associated with smaller gray matter volume, lower activation, and decreased functional connectivity (FC). However, the effect of polygenic inheritance on the brain white matter microstructure has only been sparsely reported. Methods: Eighty-four patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FES) patients and ninety-three healthy controls (HC) with genetics, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data were included in our study. We investigated impaired white matter integrity as measured by fractional anisotropy (FA) in the FES group, further examined the effect of SzPRS on white matter FA and FC in the regions connected by SzPRS-related white matter tracts. Results: Decreased FA was observed in FES in many commonly identified regions. Among these regions, we observed that in the FES group, but not the HC group, SzPRS was negatively associated with the mean FA in the genu and body of corpus callosum, right anterior corona radiata, and right superior corona radiata. Higher SzPRS was also associated with lower FCs between the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG)–left inferior temporal gyrus (ITG), right IFG–left ITG, right IFG–left middle frontal gyrus (MFG), and right IFG–right MFG in the FES group. Conclusion: Higher polygenic risks are linked with disrupted white matter integrity and FC in patients with schizophrenia. These correlations are strongly driven by the interhemispheric callosal fibers and the connections between frontotemporal regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eye movement abnormalities have been established as an "endophenotype" of schizophrenia. However, less is known about the possibility of these abnormalities as biomarkers for psychosis conversion among clinical high risk (CHR) populations. In the present study, 108 CHR individuals and 70 healthy controls (HC) underwent clinical assessments and eye-tracking tests, comprising fixation stability and free-viewing tasks. According to three-year follow-up outcomes, CHR participants were further stratified into CHR-converter (CHR-C; n = 21) and CHR-nonconverter (CHR-NC; n = 87) subgroups. Prediction models were constructed using Cox regression and logistic regression. The CHR-C group showed more saccades of the fixation stability test (no distractor) and a reduced saccade amplitude of the free-viewing test than HC. Moreover, the CHR-NC group exhibited excessive saccades and an increased saccade amplitude of the fixation stability test (no distractor; with distractor) compared with HC. Furthermore, two indices could effectively discriminate CHR-C from CHR-NC with an area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.80, including the saccade number of the fixation stability test (no distractor) and the saccade amplitude of the free-viewing test. Combined with negative symptom scores of the Scale of Prodromal Symptoms, the area was 0.81. These findings support that eye movement alterations might emerge before the onset of clinically overt psychosis and could assist in predicting psychosis transition among CHR populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Immune alterations are associated with the progression of psychosis. However, there are few studies designed to longitudinally measure inflammatory biomarkers during psychotic episodes. We aimed to assess changes in biomarkers from the prodromal phase to psychotic episodes in individuals with clinical high risk (CHR) of psychosis and compare converters and non-converters to psychosis as well as healthy controls (HCs). Methods: We enrolled 394 individuals with CHR and 100 HCs. A total of 263 individuals with CHR completed the 1-year follow-up, and 47 had converted to psychosis. Interleukin (IL)-1β, 2, 6, 8, 10, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and vascular endothelial growth factor levels were measured at baseline and 1 year after completion of the clinical assessment. Results: The baseline serum levels of IL-10, IL-2, and IL-6 were significantly lower in the conversion group than in the non-conversion group (IL-10, p = 0.010; IL-2, p = 0.023; IL-6, p = 0.012) and HC (IL-6: p = 0.034). Self-controlled comparisons showed that IL-2 changed significantly (p = 0.028), and IL-6 levels tended toward significance (p = 0.088) in the conversion group. In the non-conversion group, serum levels of TNF-α (p = 0.017) and VEGF (p = 0.037) changed significantly. Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed a significant time effect related to TNF-α (F = 4.502, p = 0.037, effect size (η2) = 0.051), a group effect related to IL-1β (F = 4.590, p = 0.036, η2 = 0.062), and IL-2 (F = 7.521, p = 0.011, η2 = 0.212), but no time × group effect. Discussion: Alterations in the serum levels of inflammatory cytokines were found to precede the first episode of psychosis in the CHR population, particularly for those who later converted to psychosis. Longitudinal analysis supports the varied roles of cytokines in individuals with CHR with later psychotic conversion or non-conversion outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Image coding technology has become an indispensable technology in the field of modern information. With the vigorous development of the big data era, information security has received more attention. Image steganography is an important method of image encoding and hiding, and how to protect information security with this technology is worth studying. Using a basis of mathematical modeling, this paper makes innovations not only in improving the theoretical system of kernel function but also in constructing a random matrix to establish an information-hiding scheme. By using the random matrix as the reference matrix for secret-information steganography, due to the characteristics of the random matrix, the secret information set to be retrieved is very small, reducing the modification range of the steganography image and improving the steganography image quality and efficiency. This scheme can maintain the steganography image quality with a PSNR of 49.95 dB and steganography of 1.5 bits per pixel and can ensure that the steganography efficiency is improved by reducing the steganography set. In order to adapt to different steganography requirements and improve the steganography ability of the steganography schemes, this paper also proposes an adaptive large-capacity information-hiding scheme based on the random matrix. In this scheme, a method of expanding the random matrix is proposed, which can generate a corresponding random matrix according to different steganography capacity requirements to achieve the corresponding secret-information steganography. Two schemes are demonstrated through simulation experiments as well as an analysis of the steganography efficiency, steganography image quality, and steganography capacity and security. The experimental results show that the latter two schemes are better than the first two in terms of steganography capacity and steganography image quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Disengagement from treatment is common in first episode schizophrenia (FES) and is associated with poor outcomes. Our aim was to determine whether hippocampal subfield volumes predict disengagement during maintenance treatment of FES. Methods FES patients were recruited from sites in Boston, New York, Shanghai, and Changsha. After stabilization on antipsychotic medication, participants were randomized to add-on citalopram or placebo and followed for 12 months. Demographic, clinical and cognitive factors at baseline were compared between completers and disengagers in addition to volumes of hippocampal subfields. Results Baseline data were available for 95 randomized participants. Disengagers (n = 38, 40%) differed from completers (n = 57, 60%) by race (more likely Black; less likely Asian) and in more alcohol use, parkinsonism, negative symptoms and more impairment in visual learning and working memory. Bilateral dentate gyrus (DG), CA1, CA2/3 and whole hippocampal volumes were significantly smaller in disengagers compared to completers. When all the eight volumes were entered into the model simultaneously, only left DG volume significantly predicted disengagement status and remained significant after adjusting for age, sex, race, intracranial volume, antipsychotic dose, duration of untreated psychosis, citalopram status, alcohol status, and smoking status (P <.01). Left DG volume predicted disengagement with 57% sensitivity and 83% specificity. Conclusions Smaller left DG was significantly associated with disengagement status over 12 months of maintenance treatment in patients with FES participating in a randomized clinical trial. If replicated, these findings may provide a biomarker to identify patients at risk for disengagement and a potential target for interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis exhibit a compromised mismatch negativity (MMN) response, which indicates dysfunction of pre‐attentive deviance processing. Event‐related potential and time‐frequency (TF) information, in combination with clinical and cognitive profiles, may provide insight into the pathophysiology and psychopathology of the CHR stage and predict the prognosis of CHR individuals. A total of 92 individuals with CHR were recruited and followed up regularly for up to 3 years. Individuals with CHR were classified into three clinical subtypes demonstrated previously, specifically 28 from Cluster 1 (characterized by extensive negative symptoms and cognitive deficits), 31 from Cluster 2 (characterized by thought and behavioral disorganization, with moderate cognitive impairment), and 33 from Cluster 3 (characterized by the mildest symptoms and cognitive deficits). Auditory MMN to frequency and duration deviants was assessed. The event‐related spectral perturbation (ERSP) and inter‐trial coherence (ITC) were acquired using TF analysis. Predictive indices for remission were identified using logistic regression analyses. As expected, reduced frequency MMN (fMMN) and duration MMN (dMMN) responses were noted in Cluster 1 relative to the other two clusters. In the TF analysis, Cluster 1 showed decreased theta and alpha ITC in response to deviant stimuli. The regression analyses revealed that dMMN latency and alpha ERSP to duration deviants, theta ITC to frequency deviants and alpha ERSP to frequency deviants, and fMMN latency were significant MMN predictors of remission for the three clusters. MMN variables outperformed behavioral variables in predicting remission of Clusters 1 and 2. Our findings indicate relatively disrupted automatic auditory processing in a certain CHR subtype and a close affinity between these electrophysiological indexes and clinical profiles within different clusters. Furthermore, MMN indexes may serve as predictors of subsequent remission from the CHR state. These findings suggest that the auditory MMN response is a potential neurophysiological marker for distinct clinical subtypes of CHR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Psychotic experiences differ with age. It is currently unknown whether there were specific patterns and associations between the presentation of psychotic experiences and age. This study aimed to explore age‐related differences (15–45 years) in self‐reported psychotic experiences in a large‐scale clinical population. Methods: A total of 2542 consecutive new patients aged 15–45 years were recruited on their first visit to the Shanghai Mental Health Center and screened with the PRIME Screen–Revised (PS‐R). According to the clinical diagnostic information of patients from their outpatient medical records compiled by their clinicians, four diagnostic categories were applied: 1) psychotic disorder; 2) mood disorder; 3) anxiety disorder and 4) others. Results: The PS‐R scores of self‐reported psychotic experiences declined with age, except for two age ranges: ≤18 years for overall sample (≤18 vs. 19–34 years: t = 5.531, df = 2202, p <.001) and 37–40 years for female sample (37–40 vs. >40 years: t = 1.985, df = 138, p =.049), which showed upward trends, contrary to those of others. There were no significant differences in self‐reported psychotic experiences between age groups in patients with psychotic disorders, while significant age differences were found in all nonpsychotic patients. Conclusion: These findings support the view that frequent PS‐R screening demonstrated that psychotic experiences decline with age in the clinical population. Early detection of psychosis should focus on not only adolescents but also women aged >36 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Impaired sensitivity of the skin flush response to niacin is found in approximately 30% of patients with schizophrenia. Although the niacin response abnormality (NRA) may serve as a useful endophenotype for schizophrenia, few studies have directly replicated NRA in patients with first‐episode psychosis (FEP). Methods: In total, 204 patients with FEP, 16 with psychotic mood disorder (PMD), and 68 healthy controls (HC) were included. The log10(EC50) values represent the concentration of methyl nicotinate required to elicit a half‐maximal blood flow (MBF) response, and the MBF value was calculated. The NRA was defined as having log10(EC50) molar value above the 90% and an MBF value below the 60% of those in the HC group. Results: In total, 13.7% of the FEP, 12.5% of the PMD, and 7.4% of the HC group met the definition of NRA. Significant differences were found in the log10(EC50) values between the FEP and HC groups (p =.014) and in the MBF between the FEP and PMD groups (p =.011). Patients with FEP and NRA had more severe negative symptoms than those with a normal niacin response. Discussion: These data represent the NRA in patients with FEP, defining a small subgroup of patients with early‐phase psychosis possessing a clinically significant phospholipid‐signaling defect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prestressed concrete sleepers are an important track component that is widely used in railway ballast track. Prestressed concrete sleepers have high strength, strong stability, and good durability; thus, their operation and use in railways are beneficial. However, in different countries and regions, certain damage to sleepers typically appears. Existing research on concrete sleepers focuses primarily on the structural design method, the application of new materials, theoretical analysis, and bearing strength test research, while ignoring sleeper damage. There are a few sleeper damage studies, but they look at only one type of damage; thus, there is no comprehensive study of prestressed concrete sleeper damage. The damage forms of prestressed concrete sleeper damage are thus summarized in this study, and the theory of the causes of prestressed concrete sleepers is analyzed based on the limit state method for the first time. The findings indicate that sleeper structure design is the primary cause of its operation and use status, and that special measures should be considered based on sleeper use conditions. In addition to meeting design requirements, materials, curing systems, product inspection, and other factors must be considered during manufacturing to improve the sleepers' long-term performance. Keeping the track in good condition, including but not limited to the state of fasteners, ballast bed, and track geometry is also an important aspect of preventing sleeper damage. The outcomes of this study provide better insights into the influences of damage to railway prestressed concrete sleepers and can be used to improve track maintenance and inspection criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antipsychotics are widely used for treating patients with psychosis, and target threshold psychotic symptoms. Individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis are characterized by subthreshold psychotic symptoms. It is currently unclear who might benefit from antipsychotic treatment. Our objective was to apply a risk calculator (RC) to identify people that would benefit from antipsychotics. Methods: Drawing on 400 CHR individuals recruited between 2011 and 2016, 208 individuals who received antipsychotic treatment were included. Clinical and cognitive variables were entered into an individualized RC for psychosis; personal risk was estimated and 4 risk components (negative symptoms-RC-NS, general function-RC-GF, cognitive performance-RC-CP, and positive symptoms-RC-PS) were constructed. The sample was further stratified according to the risk level. Higher risk was defined based on the estimated risk score (20% or higher). Results: In total, 208 CHR individuals received daily antipsychotic treatment of an olanzapine-equivalent dose of 8.7 mg with a mean administration duration of 58.4 weeks. Of these, 39 (18.8%) developed psychosis within 2 years. A new index of factors ratio (FR), which was derived from the ratio of RC-PS plus RC-GF to RC-NS plus RC-CP, was generated. In the higher-risk group, as FR increased, the conversion rate decreased. A small group (15%) of CHR individuals at higher-risk and an FR >1 benefitted from the antipsychotic treatment. Conclusions: Through applying a personal risk assessment, the administration of antipsychotics should be limited to CHR individuals with predominantly positive symptoms and related function decline. A strict antipsychotic prescription strategy should be introduced to reduce inappropriate use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied brain changes during an N-back task before and after 10 sessions of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and its relation to cognitive changes. This was a double-blind, sham-controlled, randomized study of tDCS in 27 patients with schizophrenia. They performed an N-back task in a 3 T scanner before and after receiving the 10 tDCS sessions. Cognitive performance outside the fMRI session was assessed using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery and other tests at baseline and several time points after 10 sessions of tDCS. During the N-back task performed during fMRI scans, comparing the 0-back vs. the 2-back task, the active tDCS group demonstrated a significantly increased activation in the right fusiform, left middle frontal, left inferior frontal gyrus (opercular part) and right inferior frontal gyrus (triangular part) and reduced activation in the left posterior cingulum gyrus with most of these results primarily due to increases in activation during the 0-back rather than 2-back task. There were also significant positive or negative correlations between some of the brain changes and cognitive performance. tDCS modulated prefrontal activation at low working memory load or attention mode, but default mode network at higher working memory load. Changes in brain activation measured during the N-back task were correlated with some dimensions of cognitive function immediately after 10 tDCS sessions and at follow-up times. The results support tDCS could offer a potential novel approach for modulating cortical activity and its relation to cognitive function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the popularization of Middle Platform characterized by data aggregating and governance, the security protection of data is paying more and more attention, and the data desensitization technology is widely used. In order to solve the high threshold for use, high customization, and lack of stability caused by conventional data desensitization methods, a desensitization strategy configuration system based on desensitization intensity and desensitization algorithm weight was established. The methods of reidentification risk assessment and information security attribute assessment were used to classify and quantify configuration items, and then, an adaptive desensitization strategy configuration method was proposed which not only simplifies the configuration process but also provides reliable desensitization data flexibly and stably for application requirements. It is beneficial to the development of an intelligent automatic data desensitization system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metacognition refers to the ability to be aware of one's own cognition. Ample evidence indicates that metacognition in the human primate is highly dissociable from cognition, specialized across domains, and subserved by distinct neural substrates. However, these aspects remain relatively understudied in macaque monkeys. In the present study, we investigated the functionality of macaque metacognition by combining a confidence proxy, hierarchical Bayesian meta-d′ computational modelling, and a single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation technique. We found that Brodmann area 46d (BA46d) played a critical role in supporting metacognition independent of task performance; we also found that the critical role of this region in meta-calculation was time-sensitive. Additionally, we report that macaque metacognition is highly domain-specific with respect to memory and perception decisions. These findings carry implications for our understanding of metacognitive introspection within the primate lineage. Use of transcranial magnetic stimulation in macaques reveals a potential role for Brodmann area 46d (BA46d) in supporting metacognition, or the ability to be aware of one's own thoughts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seismo-electromagnetic (EM) method is an important geophysical method that plays a major role in the observation of seismic anomalies related to earthquake precursors. It is the most promising method for a breakthrough in short-term earthquake prediction. The digital transformation and network upgrading implemented in the "Ninth five-year plan" and "Tenth five-year plan" have optimized the original observation system, improved the quality of observed data, enriched the seismic-electromagnetic information, and enhanced the analysis capability and timeliness of seismic-electromagnetic anomalies. These improvements are of major importance for the research on seismo-electromagnetics as well as for the development of new technologies. Since the beginning of the 21st century, China has launched a satellite named CSES that was designed for the generation and study of seismo-electromagnetic data and built a high-power transmitting source and a new CSELF observation network that is used specifically for earthquake monitoring. This platform has promoted the full-time three-dimensional EM monitoring and the identification of earthquake anomalies. Based on the study of anomalies related to earthquake precursors, the physical and numerical simulations, and the study on generation mechanism of anomalies in China, we summarize the characteristics of earthquake EM anomalies and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different EM observation methods. Finally, considering the related questions of the seismo-electromagnetic prediction and implementing the recent developments both in China and abroad, we review the current status of seismo-electromagnetic research and propose strategies for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used eye-tracking to evaluate multiple facial context processing and event-related potential (ERP) to evaluate multiple facial recognition in individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis. In total, 173 subjects (83 CHRs and 90 healthy controls [HCs]) were included and their emotion perception performances were accessed. A total of 40 CHRs and 40 well-matched HCs completed an eye-tracking task where they viewed pictures depicting a person in the foreground, presented as context-free, context-compatible, and context-incompatible. During the two-year follow-up, 26 CHRs developed psychosis, including 17 individuals who developed first-episode schizophrenia (FES). Eighteen well-matched HCs were made to complete the face number detection ERP task with image stimuli of one, two, or three faces. Compared to the HC group, the CHR group showed reduced visual attention to contextual processing when viewing multiple faces. With the increasing complexity of contextual faces, the differences in eye-tracking characteristics also increased. In the ERP task, the N170 amplitude decreased with a higher face number in FES patients, while it increased with a higher face number in HCs. Individuals in the very early phase of psychosis showed facial processing deficits with supporting evidence of different scan paths during context processing and disruption of N170 during multiple facial recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Although existing guidelines have discouraged use of antipsychotics for general clinical high-risk (CHR) individuals, it is unclear if antipsychotics can prevent psychosis in higher-risk population. We aimed to study the comparative real-world effectiveness of antipsychotic treatments for preventing psychosis in higher-risk CHR individuals. Methods: A total of 300 CHR individuals were identified using the structured interview for prodromal syndromes (SIPS) and followed the participants for 3 years. In total, 228(76.0%) individuals completed baseline assessments using the NAPLS-2 risk calculator (NAPLS-2-RC), and 210(92.1%) completed the follow-up. The sample was further stratified according to risk level. "Higher-risk" was defined based on the NAPLS-2-RC risk score (≥ 20%) and SIPS positive symptom total scores (≥ 10). The main outcome was conversion to psychosis and poor functional outcomes, defined as a global assessment of function (GAF) score lower than 60 at follow-up. Results: In higher-risk CHR individuals, we found no significant difference in the rate of conversion to psychosis or poor functional outcomes between the antipsychotic and no-antipsychotic groups. Low-risk individuals treated with antipsychotic drugs were more likely exhibit poor functional outcomes compared with the no-antipsychotics group(NAPLS-2-RC estimated risk: χ2 = 8.330, p = 0.004; Positive symptom severity: χ2 = 12.997, p < 0.001). No significant effective factors were identified for prevention of the conversion to psychosis; conversely, CHR individuals who were treated with high dose antipsychotics (olanzapine, aripiprazole) showed a significantly increased risk of poor functional outcomes. Conclusions: In CHR individuals, antipsychotic treatment should be provided with caution because of the risk of poor functional outcomes. Further, antipsychotic treatment does not appear to prevent onset of psychosis in real‐world settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It was highly controversial whether fermented dairy foods protect against colorectal cancer (CRC) because of conflicting results from current human epidemiologic studies; we therefore conducted this meta-analysis based on the case–control and cohort studies to estimate the holistic analyses. Finally, a total of seven case–control studies and ten cohort studies comprising a total of >20,000 cases were incorporated in the quantitative synthesis. Specifically, statistical evidence of significantly decreasing CRC risk in case–control studies was found to be associated with cheese intake (OR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.82–0.97). In a subgroup analysis, cheese intake was correlated with lower colon cancer (OR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.79–1.00) and rectal cancer (OR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.74–1.00) risk in case–control studies. Furthermore, we also found that the higher intake of yogurt may lower the risk of rectal cancer (OR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.65–0.88) in cohort studies. The consumption of fermented dairy foods may be relevant to decrease CRC risk in this meta-analysis. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display%5frecord.php?ID=CRD42021269798 , CRD42021269798. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional visual communication design teaching courses only use books and courseware for teaching, which greatly limits students understanding and perception of visual communication design art courses. The visual communication design course is different from the teaching of other subjects; it requires students to have a deep understanding of the content of the video and the experience of emotion. Relying on courseware and book teaching methods will not only limit students' imagination, but also make students tired of learning psychological activities. The teaching of visual communication design technology is to transmit the images, colors, words, and emotions of artworks to students in the form of video, which is a relatively abstract course. With the development of big data technology, this brings new opportunities for the teaching of visual communication design technology courses. In this study, data mining technology will be used to evaluate the effect of visual communication design teaching. And CNN will be used to predict the content characteristics of visual communication design teaching, which is part of the visual communication design teaching system. The research results show that the big data method has better performance in the visual communication design technology course; both the classification and prediction errors are within the acceptable range for the artwork of the visual communication design course. Big data technology can well predict the relevant features in visual communication design; the largest prediction error is only 2.66%, and the smallest error is only 1.21%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender differences in the frequency and severity of psychotic symptoms have been widely reported. However, in the screening process for the detection of early psychosis, gender differences were largely overlooked in China. This study investigated gender differences in self-reported psychotic symptoms in a clinical population who initially visited a mental health service. In total, 1931 consecutive new patients were included in the current analysis, with a mean age of 25.3 years, including 852 (44.1%) men and 1079 (55.9%) women, of whom 388 (20.1%) had psychotic disorders and 1543 (79.9%) had non-psychotic disorders. Psychotic symptoms were assessed using the PRIME Screen–Revised (PS-R) questionnaire. The cohort was grouped according to gender, age (adolescents ≤ 21 years, adults > 21 years), and clinical diagnosis. Within the full sample, gender differences in psychotic symptoms were not significant, except that females appeared to have more severe symptoms of disorganized communication than males. However, gender differences began to appear at subgroup levels, after stratification by age and diagnosis. Female adolescents reported more severe psychotic symptoms than male adolescents, especially in the symptom of perceptual abnormalities, which refer to hallucinations. Different patterns and predictors were found to significantly discriminate between psychotic and non-psychotic disorders among age and gender groups. Our study highlights gender differences in the severity, frequency, and pattern of self-reported psychotic symptoms when screening in a first help-seeking population. Therefore, gender differences should be considered during psychotic symptoms screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis exhibit a reduced P300 oddball response, which indicates deficits in attention and working memory processes. Previous studies have mainly researched these responses in the temporal domain; hence, non-phase-locked or induced neural activities may have been ignored. Event-related potential (ERP) and time–frequency (TF) information, combined with clinical and cognitive profiles, may provide an insight into the pathophysiology and psychopathology of the CHR stage. The 104 CHR individuals who completed cognitive assessments and ERP tests were recruited and followed up between 2016 and 2018. Individuals with CHR were classified by three clinical subtypes demonstrated before, specifically 32 from Cluster-1 (characterized by extensive negative symptoms and cognitive deficits, at the highest risk for conversion to psychosis), 34 from Cluster-2 (characterized by thought and behavioral disorganization, with moderate cognitive impairment), and 38 from Cluster-3 (characterized by the mildest symptoms and cognitive deficits). Electroencephalograms were recorded during the auditory oddball paradigm. The P300 ERPs were analyzed in the temporal domain. The event-related spectral perturbation (ERSP) and inter-trial coherence (ITC) were acquired by TF analysis. A reduced P300 response to target tones was noted in Cluster-1 relative to the other two clusters. Moreover, the P300 amplitude of Cluster-1 was associated with speed of processing (SoP) scores. Furthermore, the P300 amplitude of Cluster-3 was significantly correlated with verbal and visual learning scores. In the TF analysis, decreased delta ERSP and ITC were observed in Cluster-1; delta ITC was associated with SoP scores in Cluster-3. The results indicate relatively disrupted oddball responses in a certain CHR subtype and a close affinity between these electrophysiological indexes and attention, working memory, and declarative memory within different CHR clusters. These findings suggest that the auditory oddball response is a potential neurophysiological marker for distinct clinical subtypes of CHR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Orthodontic treatment is a common clinical method of malocclusion. Studies have found that neurons in the sensorimotor cortex of the brain undergo adaptive remodeling in response to changes in oral behavior or occlusion. Objective: To explore whether orthodontic treatment could be sufficient to cause neuroplastic changes in the corticomotor excitability of the masseter muscle. Methods: Fifteen Angle Class II malocclusion patients who were receiving orthodontic treatment participated in the study. Cortical excitability was assessed by electromyographic activity changes evoked by transcranial magnetic stimulation. Four orthodontic time points were recorded, including baseline, day 1, day 7, and day 30. Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were recorded in the masseter muscle and the first dorsal interosseous muscle (FDI) serving as a control. The data were analysed by stimulus–response curves and corticomotor mapping. Statistical analyses involved repeated measures analysis of variance, two‐way ANOVA, and Tukey's post hoc tests. Results: Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) of the masseter muscle were significantly decreased during orthodontic treatment compared with those of the baseline (p <.001). MEPs of the masseter muscle were dependent on session and stimulus intensity (p <.001), whereas MEPs of FDI were only dependent on stimulus intensity (p =.091). Finally, Tukey's post hoc tests demonstrated that MEPs of the masseter muscle on days 1 and 7, with 70%–90% stimulus intensities, were higher than those of baseline values (p <.001). Conclusions: The present study suggested that orthodontic treatment can lead to neuroplastic changes in the corticomotor control of the masseter muscle, which may add to our understanding of the adaptive response of subjects to changes of oral environment during the orthodontic treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]