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In order to make the image copyright protection system can resist network attacks, and to solve the problems of unknown copyright owner, difficulty in data integrity verification and unauthorized redistribution, a digital image copyright protection method based on blockchain and zero trust mechanism was proposed. Firstly, after the copyright owner signs with the elliptic curve digital signature algorithm (ECDSA), the signature and copyright information are encrypted with the elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) algorithm, and the ciphertext and the generated image hashing are uploaded to the blockchain; Then, the smart contract is called to authenticate the copyright owner, the similarity of the hash value is used to detect the infringement of the verified image, the MD5 key generated by the image hashing value is used to encrypt the detected image, the ciphertext and encrypted image are uploaded to the interplanetary file system (IPFS), and the corresponding storage address is returned to the blockchain. Consumers can download ciphertext and encrypted images in IPFS as needed after completing asset evaluation and paying when calling the dual-smart contract to initiate copyright transaction. Experimental results show that the proposed method can not only authenticate the identity, but also realize double encryption of the image and copyright information. It can prevent the unauthorized use and redistribution of digital content, and improve the overall security of the image copyright protection system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the findings of a study on serum globulin levels in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The study identified two distinct trajectories of serum globulin levels and developed a predictive model for the elevated globulin level trajectory. The model included various blood test values and may be useful for monitoring and managing SLE. The study highlights the importance of monitoring globulin levels in SLE patients for disease progression. [Extracted from the article]

Fractional uncertain differential equations are used for forecast in this paper. It is crucial to provide an accurate estimation method since fractional uncertain differential equations hold memory effects and parameter estimation strongly depends on the accuracy of numerical schemes. A generalized moment estimation method is developed by the famous L 1 numerical scheme. Adam optimization algorithm is adopted in the minimum optimization problem and the obtained optimal parameters can pass the uncertain hypothesis test. Compared with the uncertain differential equations, the fractional one holds more parameter freedom degrees and captures long-term interactions of observed data. Finally, the applications to aftershock frequency and pharmacokinetics are provided as examples. It can be concluded that fractional uncertain differential equations lead to the higher forecast accuracy which also provides some potential works on "fractional deep learning" under uncertain environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transparent soil (TS) presents immense potential for root phenotyping due to its ability to facilitate high-resolution imaging. However, challenges related to transparency, mechanical properties, and cost hinder its development. Herein, we introduce super-transparent soil (s-TS) prepared via the droplet method using low acyl gellan gum and hydroxyethyl cellulose crosslinked with magnesium ions. The refractive index of the hydroxyethyl cellulose solution (1.345) closely aligns with that of water (1.333) and the low acyl gellan gum solution (1.340), thereby significantly enhancing the transmittance of hydrogel-based transparent soil. Optimal transmittance (98.45%) is achieved with polymer concentrations ranging from 0.8 to 1.6 wt.% and ion concentrations between 0.01 and 0.09 mol·L−1. After 60 days of plant cultivation, s-TS maintains a transmittance exceeding 89.5%, enabling the detailed visualization of root growth dynamics. Furthermore, s-TS exhibits remarkable mechanical properties, withstanding a maximum compressive stress of 477 kPa and supporting a maximum load-bearing depth of 186 cm. This innovative approach holds promising implications for advanced root phenotyping studies, fostering the investigation of root heterogeneity and the development of selective expression under controlled conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel type of titanium matrix composite (TMC) with a uniform network microstructure has been successfully fabricated by adjusting particle-size mismatch (Φ). This study can also improve the understanding of the effects of particle size on microstructure and mechanical properties, particularly in titanium matrix composites reinforced with graphite flakes (GNFs). Microstructural analysis reveals the absence of noticeable defects, and significant grain refinements have been realized. The experimental results indicate that the yield strength of the mismatched composite is improved by 24.75% compared to that of normal composites. The micro-hardness also exhibits a 10.3% increase. These enhancements can be attributed to the introduction of particle-size mismatch, the refinement of the microstructure, and the deflection of interface cracks. The presence of distorted GNF lattices in the interface micro-region of the composites primarily results from the appropriate sizing of different particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant columnar grains usually occur in the metallurgical microstructure of laser additive manufacturing, and plastic deformation introduced into additive manufacturing can significantly refine grain size. Due to the high deformation resistance and difficult deformation of titanium alloys, reducing the high-temperature deformation resistance of additive manufacturing titanium alloys is essential to facilitating the implementation of online rolling processes. High-temperature compression of titanium alloys was performed on a Gleeble-3800. It was found that the flow stress of the alloy decreased when the strain of the alloy decreased or the deformation temperature increased. The flow behavior of titanium alloys at high temperatures was investigated with the help of a Z-parameter flow model and multiple linear regression model. A positive correlation was found between the experimental and predicted values of the alloy under the multiple linear regression model, with a correlation coefficient of 0.98 and its error of 13.5%, which could better predict the flow stress values. In addition, hot processing maps were established, and the optimal deformation conditions were determined to provide some theoretical guidance for subsequent experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Adequate sleep is closely related to people's health. However, with increasing age, the quality of sleep worsens. At the same time, among elderly individuals, frailty is also a disturbing factor, which makes elderly individuals more vulnerable to negative factors. To explore the relationship between the two, we conducted this study. Methods: In this paper, independent genetic variations related to insomnia, sleep duration and daytime sleepiness were selected as IVs, and related genetic tools were used to search published genome-wide association studies for a two-sample Mendelian randomization (TSMR) analysis. The inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was used as the main Mendelian randomization analysis method. Cochran's Q test was used to test heterogeneity, MR‒Egger was used to test horizontal pleiotropy, and the MR-PRESSO test was used to remove outliers. Results: According to our research, insomnia (OR = 1.10, 95% CI 1.03–1.17, P = 2.59e−97), long sleep duration (OR = 0.66, 95% CI 0.37–1.17, P = 0.02), short sleep duration (OR = 1.30, 95% CI 1.22–1.38, P = 2.23e−17) and daytime sleepiness (OR = 1.49, 95% CI 1.25–1.77, P = 0.96e−4) had a bidirectional causal relationship with frailty. Conclusions: Our research showed that there is a causal relationship between sleep disturbances and frailty. This result was obtained by a TSMR analysis, which involves the use of genetic variation as an IV to determine causal relationships between exposure and outcome. Future TSMR studies should include a larger sample for analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: About 25% of pregnant women experience bleeding in the early stage, and half of them eventually progress to pregnancy loss. Progesterone serves as a useful biomarker to predict miscarriage in threatened miscarriage, yet its performance is still debated. Aim: To evaluate the performance of single serum progesterone predicting miscarriage in early pregnant patients with threatened miscarriage. Method: The online database was searched to yield the literature using the terms of 'Abortion', 'Miscarriage', and 'serum Progesterone', including PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane library, and China national knowledge infrastructure. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, likelihood ratio (LLR) and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were computed. Publication bias was assessed by the deeks funnel plot asymmetry test. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to the progesterone level (< 12 ng/mL), recruited location and region, progesterone measurement method, exogenous progesterone supplement and follow up. Results: In total, 12 studies were eligible to be included in this study, with sample sizes ranging from 76 to 1087. The included patients' gestational age was between 4 and 12 weeks. No significant publication bias was detected from all included studies. The threshold of progesterone reported ranged from 8 to 30 ng/ml. The synthesized area under the ROC curve (0.85, 95% CI 0.81 to 0.88), positive LLR (6.2, 4.0 to 9.7) and DOR (18, 12 to 27) of single progesterone measurement distinguishing miscarriage were relatively good in early pregnant patients with threatened miscarriage. When the threshold of < 12 ng/mL was adapted, the progesterone provided a higher area under the ROC curve (0.90 vs. 0.78), positive LLR (8.3 vs. 3.8) and DOR (22 vs.12) than its counterpart (12 to 30 ng/mL). Conclusion: Single progesterone measurement can act as a biomarker of miscarriage in early pregnant patients with threatened miscarriage, and it has a better performance when the concentration is <12 ng/mL. Trial registration: PROSPERO (CRD42021255382). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of frailty and pre-frailty in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients and thereby provide a scientific basis for effective avoidance of frailty in patients with CKD. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP, CBMdisc, and Wanfang databases were searched for relevant studies published till December 31, 2021. The summary results were described as odds ratios (ORs) or standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A meta-analysis was performed using StataSE12.0. Results: Fifteen published studies, which enrolled a total of 3294 CKD patients, met the inclusion criteria. The combined prevalence of frailty in CKD patients was 38.1% (95% CI 29.7–46.5%) and pre-frailty was 37.9% (95% CI 32.7–43.1%). The main factors influencing frailty in CKD patients were age (SMD 0.524, 95% CI 0.326–0.723), diastolic blood pressure (SMD − 0.294, 95% CI − 0.518 to − 0.071), body mass index (BMI) (SMD − 0.267, 95% CI − 0.471 to − 0.064), grip strength (SMD − 0.929, 95% CI − 1.233 to − 0.626), hemoglobin level (SMD − 0.346, 95% CI − 0.448 to − 0.243), serum albumin level (SMD − 0.533, 95% CI − 0.655 to − 0.411), Charlson Comorbidity Index (SMD 0.421, 95% CI 0.150–0.692), multiple medications (SMD 0.625, 95% CI 0.354–0.895), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score (SMD − 0.563, 95% CI − 0.846 to − 0.280), and female (OR 2.391, 95% CI 1.236–4.627). Conclusion: Frailty is common in CKD patients. The prevalence of frailty among CKD patients was related to age, diastolic blood pressure, BMI, grip strength, hemoglobin and serum albumin levels, Charlson Comorbidity Index, multiple medications, MMSE score, and female. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data-driven learning of the fractional discrete-time unified system is studied in this paper. A neural network method is suggested in the parameter estimation of fractional discrete-time chaotic systems. An optimization problem is obtained and the famous Adam algorithm is employed to train the neural network's weights and parameters. The parameter estimation result is compared with that of the stepwise response sensitivity approach (SRSA). This paper provides a high accuracy method for parameter inverse problems. The method also can be applied to data-driven learning of other fractional chaotic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Systemic inflammatory response is a hallmark of cancer and plays a significant role in the development and progression of various malignant tumors. This research aimed to estimate the prognostic function of the C-reactive protein-albumin ratio (CAR) in patients undergoing hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and compare it with other inflammation-based prognostic scores, including the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-lymphocyte ratio, monocyte-lymphocyte ratio, systemic immune inflammation index, prognostic index, Glasgow prognostic score, and modified Glasgow prognostic score. Methods: Retrospective analysis was conducted on data from 1039 HCC cases who underwent curative liver resection. The prognostic performance of CAR was compared with other scores using the area under the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (t-ROC) curve. Multivariable Cox regression analyses were performed to confirm independent predictors for disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: The area under the t-ROC curve for CAR in the evaluation of DFS and OS was significantly greater than that of other scores and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). Patients were stratified based on the optimal cut-off value of CAR, and the data revealed that both DFS and OS were remarkably worse in the high-CAR set compared to the low-CAR set. Multivariable Cox analysis demonstrated that CAR was an independent prognostic parameters for assessing DFS and OS. Regardless of AFP levels, all patients were subsequently divided into significantly different subgroups of DFS and OS based on CAR risk stratification. Similar results were observed when applying CAR risk stratification to other scoring systems. CAR also showed good clinical applicability in patients with different clinical features. Conclusion: CAR is a more effective inflammation-based prognostic marker than other scores and AFP in predicting DFS as well as OS among patients with HCC after curative hepatectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: The older people bears a severe burden of disease due to frailty and depressive symptoms, however, the results of association between the two in the older Chinese people have been conflicting. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the developmental trajectories and interactions of frailty and depressive symptoms in the Chinese middle-aged and older adults. Methods: The study used four waves of data from 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2018 in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) database, focused on middle-aged and older people ≥ 45 years of age, and analyzed using latent growth models and cross-lagged models. Results: The parallel latent growth model showed that the initial level of depressive symptoms had a significant positive predictive effect on the initial level of frailty. The rate of change in depressive symptoms significantly positively predicted the rate of change in frailty. The initial level of frailty had a significant positive predictive effect on the initial level of depressive symptoms, but a significant negative predictive effect on the rate of change in depressive symptoms. The rate of change in frailty had a significant positive predictive effect on the rate of change in depressive symptoms. The results of the cross-lagged analysis indicated a bidirectional causal association between frailty and depressive symptoms in the total sample population. Results for the total sample population grouped by age and gender were consistent with the total sample. Conclusions: This study recommends advancing the age of concern for frailty and depressive symptoms to middle-aged adults. Both men and women need early screening and intervention for frailty and depressive symptoms to promote healthy aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Bulimia nervosa (BN) is characterized by recurrent binge-eating episodes and inappropriate compensatory behaviors. This study investigated alterations in resting-state surface-based neural activity in BN patients and explored correlations between brain activity and eating behavior. Methods: A total of 26 BN patients and 28 healthy controls were enrolled. Indirect measurement of cerebral cortical activity and functional connectivity (FC) analyses were performed in Surfstat. A principal component analysis (PCA) model was used to capture the commonalities within the behavioral questionnaires from the BN group. Results: Compared with the healthy control group, the BN group showed decreased surface-based two-dimensional regional homogeneity in the right superior parietal lobule (SPL). Additionally, the BN group showed decreased FC between the right SPL and the bilateral lingual gyrus and increased FC between the right SPL and the left caudate nucleus and right putamen. In the FC–behavior association analysis, the second principal component (PC2) was negatively correlated with FC between the right SPL and the left caudate nucleus. The third principal component (PC3) was negatively correlated with FC between the right SPL and the left lingual gyrus and positively correlated with FC between the right SPL and the right lingual gyrus. Conclusion: We revealed that the right SPL undergoes reorganization with respect to specific brain regions at the whole-brain level in BN. In addition, our results suggest a correlation between brain reorganization and maladaptive eating behavior. These findings may provide useful information to better understand the neural mechanisms of BN. Level of evidence: V, descriptive study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cell migration and proliferation are conducive to wound healing; however, regulating cell proliferation remains challenging, and excessive proliferation is an important cause of scar hyperplasia. Here, we aimed to explore how a subvacuum environment promotes wound epithelisation without affecting scar hyperplasia. Human immortalized keratinocyte cells and human skin fibroblasts were cultured under subvacuum conditions (1/10 atmospheric pressure), and changes in cell proliferation and migration, target protein content, calcium influx, and cytoskeleton and membrane fluidity were observed. Mechanical calcium (Ca2+) channel blockers were used to prevent Ca2+ influx for reverse validation. A rat wound model was used to elucidate the mechanism of the subvacuum dressing in promoting healing. The subvacuum environment was observed to promote cell migration without affecting cell proliferation; intracellular Ca2+ concentrations and PI3K, p‐PI3K, AKT1, p‐AKT 1 levels increased significantly. The cytoskeleton was depolymerized, pseudopodia were reduced or absent, and membrane fluidity increased. The use of Ca2+ channel blockers weakened or eliminated these changes. Animal experiments confirmed these phenomena and demonstrated that subvacuum dressings can effectively promote wound epithelisation. Our study demonstrates that the use of subvacuum dressings can enhance cell migration without affecting cell proliferation, promote wound healing, and decrease the probability of scar hyperplasia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors with high mortality and poor prognosis in women. There is an urgent need to discover new therapeutic targets for breast cancer metastasis. Herein, we identified that Apolipoprotein C1 (APOC1) was up-regulated in primary tumor of breast cancer patient that recurrence and metastasis by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Kaplan-Meier Plotter database showed that high levels of APOC1 in breast cancer patients were strongly associated with worse overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS). Mechanistically, APOC1 silencing significantly inhibits MAPK/ERK kinase pathway and restrains the NF-κB to decrease the transcription of target genes related to growth and metastasis in vitro. Based on this regulatory mechanism, we developed these findings into potential therapeutic drugs, glutathione (GSH) responsive nano-particles (NPs) were used for systemic APOC1 siRNA delivery, NPs (siAPOC1) silenced APOC1 expression, and subsequently resulted in positive anti-tumor effects in orthotopic and liver metastasis models in vivo. Taken together, GSH responsive NP-mediated siAPOC1 delivery was proved to be effective in regulating growth and metastasis in multiple tumor models. These findings show that APOC1 could be a potential biomarker to predict the prognosis of breast cancer patients and NP-mediated APOC1 silencing could be new strategies for exploration of new treatments for breast cancer metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous neuroimaging studies have investigated brain morphology associated with internet addiction tendency (IAT) in healthy subjects. However, whether resting vagally‐mediated heart rate variability (HRV) exerting influences on the association of IAT and brain morphology remains unclear. This study used voxel‐based morphometry (VBM) and multiple regression analyses to assess the interaction effect of IAT and resting vagally‐mediated HRV on regional grey matter volumes in 82 healthy subjects. To further illustrate the observed interaction effect, the moderated hierarchical regression analysis was performed. The results showed that resting vagally‐mediated HRV moderated the relationship between IAT scores and grey matter volume (GMV) in the precuneus and cerebellum. Specifically, individuals with higher resting vagally‐mediated HRV showed a significant positive relationship between IAT scores and GMV in the precuneus, whereas individuals with lower resting vagally‐mediated HRV showed a significant negative relationship between IAT scores and GMV in the precuneus. In addition, IAT scores were negatively correlated with GMV in the cerebellum among individuals with lower resting vagally‐mediated HRV, but not among individuals with higher resting vagally‐mediated HRV. These findings have demonstrated a moderating role of resting vagally‐mediated HRV on the association of IAT and brain morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive Summary: With the continuous development of nanotechnology, single‐molecule nanopore detection has become a popular research topic. In this review, we summarize the application of biological nanopores for metal ions detection as well as overview the function of metal ions in the ion‐mediated nanopore detection of different analytes in recent decades. According to the previous reports, biological nanopores utilize two strategies to detect metal ions. First, the specific binding sites are engineered in the nanopore to slow down the translocation rate of metal ions, resulting in the diverse specific current blockage signals. Secondly, the external molecule probes are added in the detection system to interact with metal ions, leading to the characteristic changes in the signals. At the same time, the external addition of metal ions into the nanopore detection systems enhances the sensitivity and selectivity through the changes of pore charges, the coordination with analytes or indirect detection. This review provides a summary on the role of metal ions in the application of nanopore detection technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and global temperature increases both impact the environment, as seen through rising sea levels and the food crises. Emissions of carbon dioxide should be reduced to values as close to zero as possible by 2050. Manufacturers require large amounts of energy to produce electronic products. Flexible devices are some of the most popular electronic products. Advanced materials in the field of flexible devices are highly convenient. Electric and thermal conductivity are important properties for electronic devices. Low-temperature Sn52In is used in this study to effectively decrease the bonding temperature. The aim of this study is to investigate the reaction of eutectic Sn52In solder with Cu for low-temperature bonding and aging reactions. In addition, the storage time of In-based solder is extremely important because of the rapid reactions of Cu and In to form CuIn2 at room temperature. CuIn2 formation after room temperature storage possibly causes useless bonding. Failure joints occur due to In (solder) shortage time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triadimefon is a typical systemic fungicide that is widely used in the management of powdery mildew, rust disease, and southern blight. In this study, we measured fungicide residue to profile its absorption, translocation, and accumulation in three representative vegetable crops (Pak choi, cucumber, and pepper) after over-application. The fungicides were applied through entire-plant spraying (EPS), root-irrigation (RI), and middle-leaf-daubing (MLD). The half-life of triadimefon depends on the application method and plant species. In EPS, the half-life was 5.42 days (Pak choi), 6.86 days (cucumber), and 6.73 days (pepper), while in RI it was 4.39 days (Pak choi), 6.30 days (cucumber), and 5.98 days (pepper). In the EPS treatment, triadimefon is translocated both upward/outside and downward/inner-side from the daubed leaves in all the three vegetable crops. The transfer amount to each organ reached a peak on the 2nd day after fungicide application. The mesophyll of Pak choi exhibited a higher fungicide deposition compared to the petiole. In cucumber and pepper, the leaves demonstrated the highest accumulation of triadimefon (approximately 0.3–0.5 mg·kg−1), followed by stems. Roots and fruits displayed the lowest levels of triadimefon accumulation. Furthermore, triadimefon was found to have an impact on chlorophyll content, root activity, as well as the activity of superoxide dismutase and catalase in Pak choi, indicating its potential as a plant growth regulator. These aforementioned studies provide novel insights for the safe and efficient application of triadimefon in the production of Pak choi, cucumber, and pepper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predicting clinical response to repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in medication-resistant depression (MRD) has gained great importance in recent years. Mainly, the right subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC) functional connectivity has been put forward as biomarker in relation to rTMS clinical outcome. Even though the left and right sgACC may have different neurobiological functions, little is known about the possible lateralized predictive role of the sgACC in rTMS clinical outcome. In 43 right-handed antidepressant-free MRD patients, we applied a searchlight-based interregional covariance connectivity approach using the baseline 18FDG-PET scan—collected from two previous high-frequency (HF)-rTMS treatment studies delivering stimulation to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC)—and investigated whether unilateral or bilateral sgACC glucose metabolism at baseline would result in different predictive metabolic connectivity patterns. Regardless of sgACC lateralization, the weaker the sgACC seed-based baseline metabolic functional connections with the (left anterior) cerebellar areas, the significantly better the clinical outcome. However, the seed diameter seems to be crucial. Similar significant findings on sgACC metabolic connectivity with the left anterior cerebellum, also unrelated to sgACC lateralization, in relation to clinical outcome were observed when using the HCPex atlas. Although we could not substantiate that specifically right sgACC metabolic connectivity would predict HF-rTMS clinical outcome, our findings suggest considering the entire sgACC in functional connectivity predictions. Given that the interregional covariance connectivity results were significant only when using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and not with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), our sgACC metabolic connectivity observations also suggest the possible involvement of the (left) anterior cerebellum involved in higher-order cognitive processing as part of this predictive value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ketamine, a noncompetitive N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, is widely used in pediatric clinical practice. The neuroprotective and neurotoxic effects of ketamine on brain neurons during development remain controversial. The reason may be related to the different concentrations of ketamine used in practice and the small range of concentrations used in previous studies. In this study, cultured hippocampal neurons were treated with ketamine in a wide range of concentrations to comprehensively observe the effects of different concentrations of ketamine on neurons. We demonstrated that low concentrations of ketamine (10 μM, 100 μM and 1000 μM) promoted neuronal survival (p < 0.05) and reduced neuronal apoptosis (p < 0.05) compared with those of the control group. High concentrations of ketamine (2000 μM, 2500 μM and 3000 μM) reduced neuronal survival (p < 0.05) and promoted neuronal apoptosis (p < 0.05). The p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580 reduced neuronal apoptosis induced by high concentrations of ketamine (2500 μM) (p < 0.05). Our findings indicate that ketamine exerts a dual effect on the apoptosis of primary cultured fetal rat hippocampal neurons in vitro and that the neurotoxic effects of ketamine are related to activation of the p38 MAPK signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three Ni8-pyrazolate metal–organic frameworks, namely Ni8–NiL1, Ni8–CuL1 and Ni8–CuL2, were prepared using metallosalen-based ligands (NiL1, CuL1, and CuL2). The octanuclear cubic clusters [Ni8(OH)4(H2O)2] render these materials with sufficient robustness, enabling their reusability in water for the removal of methylene blue (MB) over three cycles. Because of π–π stacking interactions, these title materials can effectively adsorb MB and demonstrate an exceptional adsorption capacity (up to 1011.8 mg g−1 for Ni8–CuL2). Meanwhile, these materials show an adsorption preference for MB instead of methyl orange and eosin Y. The kinetic studies reveal that Ni8–NiL1 and Ni8–CuL1 conform to the pseudo second-order model, while Ni8–CuL2 fits to the pseudo first-order model. The adsorption isotherms of the three materials were also determined to obey the Langmuir model. These results indicate that these title materials are promising adsorbents for removing MB from water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the theory of Mie scattering, an optical sensor for a 1.0 cubic feet per minute laser particle counter is developed in this paper. First, an illumination optical path relying on aspherical lens and cylindrical lens for laser shaping was designed, and a narrow optical spot with the illumination in the vertical direction of the photosensitive area approximately distributed as a flat top was obtained. Second, the scattering light path was designed by using the theory of Mie scattering and geometric optics method. Then, the structure of the sampling air path was designed with reference to the principle of Laval nozzle, and the particle flow trajectory was verified by simulation using the fluid dynamics software Ansys Fluent. Finally, the performance of the optical sensor was measured with polystyrene latex (PSL) particles, and the results showed that the counting efficiency of the 0.3 μm particle size channel met the requirement of 50% ± 20% and the 0.5 μm particle size channel met the requirement of 100% ± 10%, which complied with the ISO 21501-4 standard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inverse or terminal value problems of fractional differential equations become popular recently. But memory effects or non-locality of fractional operators cause many difficulties for theoretical analysis. This study suggests a right fractional calculus method for inverse problem modelling and proposes a concept of inverse-time fractional chaotic maps. First, a simple right fractional linear differential equation's terminal value problem and the solutions are investigated. Then, some basics of the right discrete fractional calculus are introduced and the idea is extended to the discrete case. Right fractional sum equations are derived and numerical schemes are provided for dynamical analysis. Discrete chaos does exist in an inverse-time fractional logistic map and Hénon map, respectively. Their local stability conditions are given. It can be concluded that this right fractional calculus method is simpler but more efficient than the left one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulating evidence supports the hypothesis that white matter (WM) abnormalities are involved in the pathophysiology of bulimia nervosa (BN); however, findings from in vivo neuroimaging studies have been inconsistent. We aimed to investigate the possible brain WM alterations, including WM volume and microstructure, in patients with BN. We recruited 43 BN patients and 31 healthy controls (HCs). All participants underwent structural and diffusion tensor imaging. Differences in WM volume and microstructure were evaluated using voxel‐based morphometry, tract‐based spatial statistics, and automated fibre quantification analysis. Compared with HCs, BN patients showed significantly decreased fractional anisotropy in the middle part of the corpus callosum (nodes 31–32) and increased mean diffusivity in the right cranial nerve V (CN V) (nodes 27–33 and nodes 55–88) and vertical occipital fasciculus (VOF) (nodes 58–85). Moreover, we found decreased axial diffusivity in the right inferior fronto‐occipital fasciculus (node 67) and increased radial diffusivity in the CN V (nodes 22–34 and nodes 52–89) and left VOF (nodes 60–66 and nodes 81–85). Meanwhile, WM microstructural changes were correlated with patients' clinical manifestations. We did not find any significant differences in WM volume and the main WM fibre bundle properties between BN patients and HCs. Taken together, these findings provide that BN shows significant brain WM reorganization, but primarily in microstructure (part of WM fibre bundle), which is not sufficient to cause changes in WM volume. The automated fibre quantification analysis could be more sensitive to detect the subtle pathological changes in a point or segment of the WM fibre bundle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early detection in the development of a Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) could guide earlier clinical interventions. Although MDD can begin at a younger age, most people have their first episode in young adulthood. The underlying pathophysiological mechanisms relating to such an increased risk are not clear. The posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), exhibiting high levels of brain connectivity and metabolic activity, plays a pivotal role in the pathological mechanism underlying MDD. In the current study, we used the (F-18) fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) to measure metabolic covariance connectivity of the PCC and investigated its association with depression symptomatology evaluated by the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Inventory—Revised (CESD-R) among 27 healthy individuals aged between 18 and 23 years. A significant negative correlation has been observed between CESD-R scale scores and the PCC metabolic connectivity with the anterior cingulate, medial prefrontal cortex, inferior and middle frontal gyrus, as well as the insula. Overall, our findings suggest that the neural correlates of depressive symptomatology in healthy young adults without a formal diagnosis involve the metabolic connectivity of the PCC. Our findings may have potential implications for early identification and intervention in people at risk of developing depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors represented by sorafenib are the first‐line treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the low response rate of HCC patient has become a clinical pain‐point. Emerging evidences have revealed that metabolic reprogramming plays an important role in regulating the sensitivity of tumor cells to various chemotherapeutics including sorafenib. However, the underlying mechanisms are very complex and are not fully elucidated. By comparing the transcriptome sequencing data of sorafenib‐sensitive and ‐insensitive HCC patients, it is revealed that cofilin 1 (CFL1) is highly expressed in the tumor tissues of sorafenib‐insensitive HCC patients and closely correlated with their poor prognosis. Mechanically, CFL1 can promote phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase transcription and enhance serine synthesis and metabolism to accelerate the production of antioxidants for scavenging the excessive reactive oxygen species induced by sorafenib, thereby impairing the sorafenib sensitivity of HCC. To translate this finding and consider the severe side effects of sorafenib, a reduction‐responsive nanoplatform for systemic co‐delivery of CFL1 siRNA (siCFL1) and sorafenib is further developed, and its high efficacy in inhibiting HCC tumor growth without apparent toxicity is demonstrated. These results indicate that nanoparticles‐mediated co‐delivery of siCFL1 and sorafenib can be a new strategy for the treatment of advanced HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background cumulative evidence from cohort studies suggested that there were inconsistent conclusions as to whether there was a bidirectional association between depression and frailty. Therefore, this study used a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomisation (MR) study to investigate the causal relationship between depression and frailty. Methods we performed univariate and multivariate bidirectional MR analyses to assess the causal association between depression and frailty. Independent genetic variants associated with depression and frailty were selected as instrumental variables. Inverse variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger, weighted median and weighted mode were mainly used in univariate MR analysis. Multivariate MR (MVMR) analyses used multivariable inverse variance-weighted methods to individually and jointly adjust for three potential confounders, body mass index (BMI), age at menarche (AAM) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR, adjusted for BMI). Results univariate MR analysis showed a positive causal relationship between depression and risk of frailty (IVW, odds ratio (OR) = 1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.23–1.37, P  = 6.54E−22). Causal relationship between frailty and risk of depression (IVW, OR = 1.69, 95% CI = 1.33–2.16, P  = 2.09E−05). MVMR analysis revealed that the bidirectional causal association between depression and frailty remained after adjusting for three potential confounders, BMI, AAM and WHR (adjusted for BMI), individually and in combination. Conclusions our findings supported a causal relationship between genetically predicted depression and frailty in both directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sustained yet intractable immunosuppression is commonly observed in septic patients, resulting in aggravated clinical outcomes. However, due to the substantial heterogeneity within septic patients, precise indicators in deciphering clinical trajectories and immunological alterations for septic patients remain largely lacking. Methods: We adopted cross-species, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis based on two published datasets containing circulating immune cell profile of septic patients as well as immune cell atlas of murine model of sepsis. Flow cytometry, laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) imaging and Western blotting were applied to identify the presence of S100A9+ monocytes at protein level. To interrogate the immunosuppressive function of this subset, splenic monocytes isolated from septic wild-type or S100a9−/− mice were co-cultured with naïve CD4+ T cells, followed by proliferative assay. Pharmacological inhibition of S100A9 was implemented using Paquinimod via oral gavage. Results: ScRNA-seq analysis of human sepsis revealed substantial heterogeneity in monocyte compartments following the onset of sepsis, for which distinct monocyte subsets were enriched in disparate subclusters of septic patients. We identified a unique monocyte subset characterized by high expression of S100A family genes and low expression of human leukocyte antigen DR (HLA-DR), which were prominently enriched in septic patients and might exert immunosuppressive function. By combining single-cell transcriptomics of murine model of sepsis with in vivo experiments, we uncovered a similar subtype of monocyte significantly associated with late sepsis and immunocompromised status of septic mice, corresponding to HLA-DRlowS100Ahigh monocytes in human sepsis. Moreover, we found that S100A9+ monocytes exhibited profound immunosuppressive function on CD4+ T cell immune response and blockade of S100A9 using Paquinimod could partially reverse sepsis-induced immunosuppression. Conclusions: This study identifies HLA-DRlowS100Ahigh monocytes correlated with immunosuppressive state upon septic challenge, inhibition of which can markedly mitigate sepsis-induced immune depression, thereby providing a novel therapeutic strategy for the management of sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anxiety and fear are dysfunctional behaviors commonly observed in domesticated dogs. Although dogs and humans share psychopathological similarities, little is known about how dysfunctional fear behaviors are represented in brain networks in dogs diagnosed with anxiety disorders. A combination of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and graph theory was used to investigate the underlying structural connections of dysfunctional anxiety in anxious dogs and compared with healthy dogs with normal behavior. The degree of anxiety was assessed using the Canine Behavioral Assessment & Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ), a widely used, validated questionnaire for abnormal behaviors in dogs. Anxious dogs showed significantly decreased clustering coefficient ( C p ), decreased global efficiency ( E glob ), and increased small-worldness (σ) when compared with healthy dogs. The nodal parameters that differed between the anxious dogs and healthy dogs were mainly located in the posterior part of the brain, including the occipital lobe, posterior cingulate gyrus, hippocampus, mesencephalon, and cerebellum. Furthermore, the nodal degree ( K i ) of the left cerebellum was significantly negatively correlated with "excitability" in the C-BARQ of anxious dogs. These findings could contribute to the understanding of a disrupted brain structural connectome underlying the pathological mechanisms of anxiety-related disorders in dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interval-valued systems with the general fractional derivative are defined on closed intervals on the real line R . Function spaces of the fractional integrals and derivatives are discussed. Then some fundamental theorems of the Caputo and Riemann–Liouville derivatives are provided, respectively. Finally, the interval-valued Gronwall inequalities are presented as one application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor survival of seeds reduces the production efficiency of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus in pond culture. We investigated the effects of sea mud on the movement-related behaviors of A. japonicus with different body sizes. Mud significantly decreased crawling behavior and wall-reaching behavior in small seeds (~ 1 g of body weight), but not in the large ones (~ 2.5 g of body weight). These behaviors were significantly greater in the large seeds of A. japonicus than those in the small individuals when they were both on the mud. This clearly suggests that mud has negative effects on the movement-related behaviors of small seeds, but not on large individuals. We further assessed the effects of inevitable transport stress on the movement-related behaviors of A. japonicus on mud. Significantly poorer performances in crawling behavior, wall-reaching behavior and struggling behavior were observed in stressed A. japonicus (both sizes) than those in unstressed groups. These new findings indicate that transport stress further increases the adverse effects on the movement-related behaviors of A. japonicus on mud. Moreover, we investigated whether adverse effects can be reduced when individuals are directly seeded onto artificial reefs. Crawling behavior, wall-reaching behavior and struggling behavior in stressed A. japonicus (both sizes) seeded onto artificial reefs were significantly greater than those on mud, whereas artificial reefs did not significantly improve the crawling and struggling behaviors of unstressed small seeds. These results collectively indicate that mud and transport stress show negative impacts on the movement-related behaviors of sea cucumbers. Artificial reefs greatly reduce these adverse effects and probably contribute to improving the production efficiency of sea cucumbers in pond culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new class of fractional differential equations with exponential memory was recently defined in the space A C δ n [ a , b ] . In order to use the famous predictor–corrector method, a new quasi-linear interpolation with a non-equidistant partition is suggested in this study. New Euler and Adams–Moulton methods are proposed for the fractional integral equation. Error estimates of the generalized fractional integral and numerical solutions are provided. The predictor–corrector method for the new fractional differential equation is developed and numerical solutions of fractional nonlinear relaxation equation are given. It can be concluded that the non-equidistant partition is needed for non-standard fractional differential equations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adaptation of plants to strontium (Sr) stress requires a more systematic understanding. In the present study, the morphological and photosynthetic physiological characteristics of Vicia faba seedlings under Sr stress (88Sr, 0–1,000 mg·L−1) were analyzed in solution culture. The results showed that Sr treatment decreased the biomass and root activity of V. faba seedlings significantly, but fortunately, there was almost no root necrosis. In plant morphology, the taproot length, lateral root number, plant height, branching number and internodes number of V. faba were significantly inhibited, thus the apical dominance of taproot and terminal bud was more obvious. The accumulation of Sr resulted in the decrease of leaf area, dry weight, stomatal density and stomatal aperture, while the guard cell length increased, and the specific leaf weight (SLW) increased first and then decreased. These changes in stomatal morphology may be a positive regulation to reduce water loss. In addition, V. faba increased the non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) and the activities of peroxidase (POD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) to protect the photosynthetic structure. Low concentration of Sr (250 mg·L−1) promoted the photochemical efficiency and electron transfer of PSII (e.g., increased Fv/Fm, ΦPSII, qP and ETR). However, Sr (250–1,000 mg·L−1) inhibited the net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr) and stomatal conductance (Gs) in leaves. In general, the Pn was affected by both stomatal and non-stomatal factors. Since Sr did not cause significant damage to the PSII function, the non-stomatal factor may be the dark reaction in photosynthesis affected, but this needs to be proved by further studies. Recently, strontium (Sr) pollution has become a global environmental problem. There is still a lack of systematic understanding of plant morphological and physiological responses to Sr stress. Therefore, V. faba, a Sr-accumulation plant, was used as the experimental material to systematically understand the adaptation characteristics of plants to Sr stress, which provide reference for the application of plants in the remediation of Sr pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the trend of technology development and carbon reduction, reducing the process temperature to prevent greenhouse effects is of great urgency. The back-end process of semiconductors is increasingly important because of the limitation of Moore's Law. High-temperature bonding is serious for semiconductor packages, which induces high cost and device damage. One of the critical ways to reduce the process temperature is to adopt low-temperature solders. In this study, we utilize the low-temperature solder Sn58Bi to achieve energy savings and device protection. The interfacial reactions between Sn58Bi and Cu after reflow and aging reactions were investigated. The solubility of Bi in Sn influences the Bi segregation at the interface. Partial Bi segregation, microvoids, and uneven Cu3Sn were observed at the interface after aging. There is no doubt that the aforementioned structures are unfavorable for solder joint strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper suggests a multi-layer neural network for deep learning based on fractional differential equations, and parallel computing is used to search an optimal structure. First, the Caputo derivative is approximated by L 1 numerical scheme and an unconstrained discretization minimization problem is presented. Then, parameters are adjusted by use of the Adam algorithm. Analytical approximate solutions of two fractional logistic equations (FLEs) are obtained which demonstrate the method's efficiency. Furthermore, with real-life data, fractional order and other parameters of FLEs are estimated by the gradient descent algorithm meanwhile. The proposed optimal NN method is used in forecasting. Through the comparative study, FLEs have more parameter freedom degrees and perform better than the classical logistic model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease triggered by a cascading inflammatory response. Sigesbeckia Herba (SH) has long been utilized as a traditional remedy to alleviate symptoms associated with rheumatism. Our previous study found that leocarpinolide B (LB), a sesquiterpene lactone isolated from the whole plant of SH, possesses potent a anti-inflammatory effect on macrophages. This study was designed to evaluate the therapeutic effects of LB on RA, and further investigate the underlying mechanisms. In collagen type II-induced arthritic mice, LB was demonstrated to decrease the production of autoimmune antibodies in serum and inflammatory cytokines in the joint muscles and recover the decreased regulatory T lymphocytes in spleen. Moreover, LB significantly suppressed the inflammatory infiltration, formation of pannus and bone erosion in the paw joints. In vitro testing showed that LB inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion, and secretion of inflammatory cytokines in IL-1β-induced human synovial SW982 cells. Network pharmacology and molecular docking suggested NF-κB p65 could be the potential target of LB on RA treatment, subsequent experimental investigation confirmed that LB directly interacted with NF-κB p65 and reduced the DNA binding activity of NF-κB in synovial cells. In conclusion, LB significantly attenuated the collagen type II-induced arthritis, which was at least involved in the inhibition of DNA binding activity of NF-κB through a direct binding to NF-κB p65. These findings suggest that LB could be a valuable lead compound for developing anti-RA drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is usually essential to reveal the relationship between continuous-time systems and discrete-time ones. First, a discrete-time recurrent neural network is presented by the Euler scheme in this paper. Then, the time step size is set to a bifurcation parameter and frequency domain approach is adopted for Hopf bifurcation analysis. Moreover, the periodic solutions are obtained by the harmonic balance method; then the stability conditions are presented. The critical step size is determined with which the discrete-time recurrent neural network can inherit the stable state of the continuous-time one. Finally, one numerical example of the discrete-time recurrent neural network is given to support the theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]