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The persistence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related hospitalization severely threatens medical systems worldwide and has increased the need for reliable detection of acute status and prediction of mortality. We applied a systems biology approach to discover acute-stage biomarkers that could predict mortality. A total 247 plasma samples were collected from 103 COVID-19 (52 surviving COVID-19 patients and 51 COVID-19 patients with mortality), 51 patients with other infectious diseases (IDCs) and 41 healthy controls (HCs). Paired plasma samples were obtained from survival COVID-19 patients within 1 day after hospital admission and 1–3 days before discharge. There were clear differences between COVID-19 patients and controls, as well as substantial differences between the acute and recovery phases of COVID-19. Samples from patients in the acute phase showed suppressed immunity and decreased steroid hormone biosynthesis, as well as elevated inflammation and proteasome activation. These findings were validated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and metabolomic analyses in a larger cohort. Moreover, excessive proteasome activity was a prominent signature in the acute phase among patients with mortality, indicating that it may be a key cause of poor prognosis. Based on these features, we constructed a machine learning panel, including four proteins [C-reactive protein (CRP), proteasome subunit alpha type (PSMA)1, PSMA7, and proteasome subunit beta type (PSMB)1)] and one metabolite (urocortisone), to predict mortality among COVID-19 patients (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve: 0.976) on the first day of hospitalization. Our systematic analysis provides a novel method for the early prediction of mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Main Problem: Anhedonia is a critical diagnostic symptom of major depressive disorder (MDD), being associated with poor prognosis. Understanding the neural mechanisms underlying anhedonia is of great significance for individuals with MDD, and it encourages the search for objective indicators that can reliably identify anhedonia. Methods: A predictive model used connectome‐based predictive modeling (CPM) for anhedonia symptoms was developed by utilizing pre‐treatment functional connectivity (FC) data from 59 patients with MDD. Node‐based FC analysis was employed to compare differences in FC patterns between melancholic and non‐melancholic MDD patients. The support vector machines (SVM) method was then applied for classifying these two subtypes of MDD patients. Results: CPM could successfully predict anhedonia symptoms in MDD patients (positive network: r = 0.4719, p < 0.0020, mean squared error = 23.5125, 5000 iterations). Compared to non‐melancholic MDD patients, melancholic MDD patients showed decreased FC between the left cingulate gyrus and the right parahippocampus gyrus (p_bonferroni = 0.0303). This distinct FC pattern effectively discriminated between melancholic and non‐melancholic MDD patients, achieving a sensitivity of 93.54%, specificity of 67.86%, and an overall accuracy of 81.36% using the SVM method. Conclusions: This study successfully established a network model for predicting anhedonia symptoms in MDD based on FC, as well as a classification model to differentiate between melancholic and non‐melancholic MDD patients. These findings provide guidance for clinical treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure during pregnancy is linked to adverse birth outcomes, such as low birth weight and preterm birth. While questionnaires are commonly used to assess SHS exposure, their ability to capture true exposure can vary, making it difficult for researchers to harmonize SHS measures. This study aimed to compare self-reported SHS exposure with measurements of airborne SHS in personal samples of pregnant women. Methods SHS was measured on 48-hour integrated personal PM2.5 Teflon filters collected from 204 pregnant women, and self-reported SHS exposure measures were obtained via questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were calculated for airborne SHS measures, and analysis of variance tests assessed group differences in airborne SHS concentrations by self-reported SHS exposure. Results Participants were 81% Hispanic, with a mean (standard deviation [SD]) age of 28.2 (6.0) years. Geometric mean (SD) personal airborne SHS concentrations were 0.14 (9.41) µg/m3. Participants reporting lower education have significantly higher airborne SHS exposure (p  = .015). Mean airborne SHS concentrations were greater in those reporting longer duration with windows open in the home. There was no association between airborne SHS and self-reported SHS exposure; however, asking about the number of smokers nearby in the 48-hour monitoring period was most correlated with measured airborne SHS (Two + smokers: 0.30 µg/m3 vs. One: 0.12 µg/m3 and Zero: 0.15 µg/m3; p  = .230). Conclusions Self-reported SHS exposure was not associated with measured airborne SHS in personal PM2.5 samples. This suggests exposure misclassification using SHS questionnaires and the need for harmonized and validated questions to characterize this exposure in health studies. Implications This study adds to the growing body of evidence that measurement error is a major concern in pregnancy research, particularly in studies that rely on self-report questionnaires to measure SHS exposure. The study introduces an alternative method of SHS exposure assessment using objective optical measurements, which can help improve the accuracy of exposure assessment. The findings emphasize the importance of using harmonized and validated SHS questionnaires in pregnancy health research to avoid biased effect estimates. This study can inform future research, practice, and policy development to reduce SHS exposure and its adverse health effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When piglets are exposed to pathogens for a long period, the immune system organs, among them the spleen, play a major role in combating the stress caused by those pathogens. In the present study, the effect on splenocyte function was investigated in a model of weaned piglets in which stress was induced by multiple low doses of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Forty-eight 28-day-old piglets were divided into two groups: the LPS group and the control group. During the experimental period of thirteen days, the LPS group was intraperitoneally injected with LPS (100 μg/kg) once per day, and the control group was injected with the same volume of 0.9% sterile saline. On the 1st, 5th, 9th and 13th days, the piglets' spleens were collected for isolating splenocytes. The proliferation ability of splenocytes was evaluated by the cell-counting-kit 8 method. Flow cytometry was used to detect cell cycle stage and apoptosis, and the nitric oxide level of cell supernatant was also tested. In the experimental group, the proliferation ability of splenocytes was enhanced, the proportion of cells in the G0/G1 phase was smaller, and cells were promoted to the S and G2/M phases. Meanwhile, apoptosis was suppressed and nitric oxide release upregulated. The results were significantly different between the LPS group and the control group on the 5th and 9th days. The difference between the results of one group and those of the other suggest that after the 5th LPS injection, multiple low doses of LPS activated splenocytes and restored the number of splenocytes, which maintained and possibly enhanced the regulation of the immune function of the spleen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stained migration algorithms have the potential to enhance imaging results in specific geological structures, such as subsalt layers and steeply inclined layers, by incorporating the complex domain. However, conventional stained migration algorithms often require correct staining of the target geological body, which is challenging to achieve in practical applications, leading to inaccurate imaging results. To address this issue, we propose a novel regional staining algorithm that takes into account energy-constrained factors. First, we derive the discrete form of the complex domain wave equation and the imaging formula for the imaginary migration result. We then investigate the impact of stained region boundaries on seismic wave propagation when different migration velocities are used as input. By analyzing the energy difference between the reflected waves generated at the stained region boundary and those generated by the target geological body, we introduce positive and negative energy-constrained factors to control the interference waves caused by stained boundaries. The positive energy-constrained factor effectively filters out weak interference waves, while the negative energy-constrained factor eliminates strong interference waves. Numerical examples using a simple three-layer horizontal model and a complex salt model demonstrate that our new regional staining algorithm, based on energy-constrained factors, enhances the illumination of the target geological body and improves the imaging resolution of the target region, even when the stained areas are incorrect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the long‐term consequences of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) have not been defined, it is necessary to explore persistent symptoms, long‐term respiratory impairment, and impact on quality of life over time in COVID‐19 survivors. In this prospective cohort study, convalescent individuals diagnosed with COVID‐19 were followed‐up 2 and 3 years after discharge from hospital. Participants completed an in‐person interview to assess persistent symptoms and underwent blood tests, pulmonary function tests, chest high‐resolution computed tomography, and the 6‐min walking test. There were 762 patients at the 2‐year follow‐up and 613 patients at the 3‐year follow‐up. The mean age was 60 years and 415 (54.5%) were men. At 3 years, 39.80% of the participants had at least one symptom; most frequently, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, joint pain, shortness of breath, muscle aches, and cough. The participants experienced different degrees of pulmonary function impairment, with decreased carbon monoxide diffusion capacity being the main feature; results remained relatively stable over the 2–3 years. Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that female sex and smoking were independently associated with impaired diffusion capacity. A subgroup analysis based on disease severity was performed, indicating that there was no difference in other parameters of lung function except forced vital capacity at 3‐year follow‐up. Persistent radiographic abnormalities, most commonly fibrotic‐like changes, were observed at both timepoints. At 3 years, patients had a significantly improved Mental Component Score compared with that at 2 years, with a lower percentage with anxiety. Our study indicated that symptoms and pulmonary abnormalities persisted in COVID‐19 survivors at 3 years. Further studies are warranted to explore the long‐term effects of COVID‐19 and develop appropriate rehabilitation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the associations between social support and postpartum mental health in 137 U.S. and foreign-born Latinas in the MADRES pregnancy cohort. We also examined whether language, years in the U.S., and country of birth moderates these relationships. Participants were administered PROMIS support measures 1 month postpartum; the Perceived Stress and Postpartum Distress Measure 3, 6, and 12 months postpartum; and the CESD scale 12 months postpartum. Perceived stress was lower at 6 months postpartum for women reporting higher emotional (p = 0.01), informational (p = 0.03), and instrumental support (p < 0.001); and lower at 12 months postpartum for women reporting higher emotional support (p = 0.01). Distress at 6 months was lower in women reporting higher emotional support (p = 0.03). Interactions suggest that associations were stronger for mothers that speak Spanish, spent fewer years in the U.S., and were born in Central America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Severe community-acquired pneumonia (S-CAP) is a public health threat, making it essential to identify novel biomarkers and investigate the underlying mechanisms of disease severity. Methods: Here, we profiled host responses to S-CAP through proteomics analysis of plasma samples from a cohort of S-CAP patients, non-severe (NS)-CAP patients, diseases controls (DCs), and healthy controls (HCs). Then, typical differentially expressed proteins were then validated by ELISA in an independent cohort. Metabolomics analysis was further performed on both the cohort 1 and cohort 2. Then, the proteomic and metabolomic signatures were compared between the adult and child cohorts to explore the characteristics of severe pneumonia patients. Results: There were clear differences between CAP patients and controls, as well as substantial differences between the S-CAP and NS-CAP. Pathway analysis of changes revealed excessive inflammation, suppressed immunity, and lipid metabolic disorders in S-CAP cases. Interestingly, comparing these signatures between the adult and child cohorts confirmed that overactive inflammation and dysregulated lipid metabolism were common features of S-CAP patients, independent of age. The change proportion of glycerophospholipids, glycerolipids, and sphingolipids were obviously different in the adult and child S-CAP cases. Conclusion: The plasma multi-omics profiling revealed that excessive inflammation, suppressed humoral immunity, and disordered metabolism are involved in S-CAP pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Identifying the characteristic neurobiological changes of early psychosis is helpful for early clinical diagnosis. However, previous studies on the brain electrophysiology of children and adolescents with psychosis are rare. Methods: This study compared P300 amplitude at multiple electrodes between children and adolescents with first-episode schizophrenia (FES, n = 48), children and adolescents with psychosis risk syndrome (PRS, n = 24), and healthy controls (HC, n = 30). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to test the ability of P300 amplitude to distinguish FES, PRS and HC individuals. Results: The P300 amplitude in the FES group were significantly lower than those in the HC at the Cz, Pz, and Oz electrodes. The P300 amplitude was also significantly lower in the prodromal group than in the HC at the Pz and Oz electrodes. ROC curve analysis showed that at the Pz electrode, the P300 amplitude evoked by the target and standard stimulus showed high sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and area under the curve value for distinguishing FES from HC individuals. Conclusions: This study found early visual P300 deficits in children and adolescents with FES and PRS, with the exclusion of possible influence of medication and chronic medical conditions, suggesting the value of P300 amplitude for the identification of early psychosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver dysfunction during pregnancy can result in adverse pregnancy outcomes. (D) The cumulative abundance of liver-specific mRNA and miRNA genes was significantly increased in the HBV and ICP groups. (A) HBV genotypes determined by cfRNA in HBV-infected patients. These changes were distinct in patients with early- and late-diagnosed ICP, with the latter showing similar changes to HBV carriers, implicating different biological processes that drive the underlying pathophysiology of these subtypes of ICP. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Evidence suggests organophosphate esters (OPEs) are neurotoxic; however, the epidemiological literature remains scarce. We investigated whether prenatal exposures to OPEs were associated with child neurobehavior in the MADRES cohort. Methods: We measured nine OPE metabolites in 204 maternal urine samples (gestational age at collection: 31.4 ± 1.8 weeks). Neurobehavior problems were assessed among 36-month-old children using the Child Behavior Checklist's (CBCL) three composite scales [internalizing, externalizing, and total problems]. We examined associations between tertiles of prenatal OPE metabolites (> 50% detection) and detect/non-detect categories (< 50% detection) and CBCL composite scales using linear regression and generalized additive models. We also examined mixtures for widely detected OPEs (n = 5) using Bayesian kernel machine regression. Results: Maternal participants with detectable versus non-detectable levels of bis(2-methylphenyl) phosphate (BMPP) had children with 42% (95% CI: 4%, 96%) higher externalizing, 45% (-2%, 114%) higher internalizing, and 35% (3%, 78%) higher total problems. Participants in the second versus first tertile of bis(butoxethyl) phosphate (BBOEP) had children with 43% (-1%, 109%) higher externalizing scores. Bis(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BCIPP) and child sex had a statistically significant interaction in internalizing (p = 0.02) and total problems (p = 0.03) models, with 120% (23%, 295%) and 57% (6%, 134%) higher scores in the third versus first BCIPP tertile among males. Among females, detectable vs non-detectable levels of prenatal BMPP were associated with 69% higher externalizing scores (5%, 170%) while the third versus first tertile of prenatal BBOEP was associated with 45% lower total problems (-68%, -6%). Although the metabolite mixture and each CBCL outcome had null associations, we observed marginal associations between di-n-butyl phosphate and di-isobutyl phosphate (DNBP + DIBP) and higher internalizing scores (0.15; 95% CrI: -0.02, 0.32), holding other metabolites at their median. Conclusions: Our results generally suggest adverse and sex-specific effects of prenatal exposure to previously understudied OPEs on neurobehavioral outcomes in 36-month children, providing evidence of potential OPE neurotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest ecological security is an important guarantee for national security and the healthy development of forestry. Existing research has been limited to the comprehensive evaluation and obstruction factors of forest ecological security, and this study innovatively analyzes internal coordination of forest ecological security and its spatial influencing factors in order to enhance the internal coordination of the forest ecosystem and promote the coordinated improvement of regional forest ecological security. Firstly, the forest ecological security in China from 2006 to 2020 was evaluated. On this basis, the coupling coordination degree of forest ecological security (FESD) was calculated, and its influencing factors and spatial spillover effects were analyzed using the spatial econometric model. The results show that: (1) most of China's provincial forest ecological security is at a critical and relatively safe level, and shows a trend of gradual improvement; (2) FESD in 25 provinces, represented by Guangxi, is in the acceptable range and is constantly improving; and (3) annual mean temperature, urbanization rate, completed forestry investment, and forest pest control have been positive influences on FESD. Forest population density, per capita GDP, and investment in environmental governance have significant negative influences. In addition, completed forestry investment, annual mean temperature, urbanization rate, forest population density, and forest pest control have significant spillover effects on FESD. Therefore, in the process of forest ecological management, it is necessary to further strengthen investments in forestry and pest control, and to pay more attention to the interaction between regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, A–D–A type indacenodithiophene-based small conjugated molecule IDT-COOH and IDT-COOH/TiO2 photocatalysts with stable non-covalent bonding have been successfully synthesized via in situ electrostatic assembly. The self-assembled three-dimensional π-conjugation structure IDT-COOH with high crystallinity not only broadens the visible absorption to produce more photogenerated carriers but also provides directional charge-transfer channels to accelerate the charge mobility. Thus, 7 log inactivation of S. aureus in 2 h and 92.5% decomposition of TC in 4 h under visible light exposure are achieved for optimized 30% IDT-COOH/TiO2. The dynamic constants (k) of S. aureus disinfection and TC degradation for 30% IDT-COOH/TiO2 are 3.69 and 2.45 times compared to those of self-assembled IDT-COOH, respectively. The notable inactivation performance is among the best reported for conjugated semiconductor/TiO2 photocatalysts for photocatalytic sterilization. ˙O2−, e− and ˙OH are the primary reactive species in the photocatalytic process. The strong interfacial interaction between TiO2 and IDT-COOH is in favour of rapid charge transfer, which leads to enhanced photocatalytic performance. This work offers a feasible method to fabricate TiO2-based photocatalytic agents with a wide visible light response and improved exciton dissociation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Probiotic supplementation is a key therapeutic strategy for promoting gut health and maintaining gut homeostasis by modulating functional microbiota. In this study, we isolated two lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains, Pediococcus pentosaceus TCM-3 and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei TDM-2, from Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, and evaluated their probiotic properties and antioxidant bioactivity. In which, TDM-2 had higher T-AOC activity than either TCM-3 or LGG (4.10 μmol/mL vs. 3.68 and 3.53 μmol/mL, respectively, p < 0.05). These strains have shown high antioxidant activity compared to the LAB strains and were found to be acid and bile salt tolerant, confronting the safety issues of antibiotic resistance and the capability of surviving in simulated gastric and intestinal juices. In vitro fermentation experiments with human gut microbiota revealed significant differences in microbial community composition between samples supplemented with TCM-3 and TDM-2 and those without. The addition of these two strains resulted in an enrichment of beneficial taxa, such as the Pediococcus, Lactobacillus, and Clostridium_sensu_strictos at the genus level, and Firmicutes and Proteobacteria at the phylum level. Notably, the TCM-3 group exhibited higher short-chain fatty acid production than the TDM-2 group and untreated controls (acetic acid at 12 h: 4.54 mmol L−1 vs. 4.06 mmol L−1 and 4.00 mmol L−1; acetic acid at 24 h: 4.99 mmol L−1 vs. 4.90 mmol L−1 and 4.82 mmol L−1, p < 0.05). These findings demonstrate that LAB supplementation with high antioxidant capacity and probiotic properties can promote gut health by modulating functional microbiota and is enriching for beneficial taxa. Our study provides guidance for therapeutic strategies that use novel LAB strains to maintain gut homeostasis and functional microbiota modulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's increasingly competitive international environment, original technology innovation has become essential for enhancing enterprises' sustainability. As key innovation needs constant exploration rather than growing leaps and bounds, it is often ignored by managers who focus on short-term performance. Taking the data of publicly listed Chinese companies from 2010 to 2020 as a sample, this paper put forward the relation between managerial myopia and ambidextrous innovation investment on the basis of a empirical approach combining machine learning technology. Results revealed that managerial myopia has different effects on the ambidextrous innovation investment of enterprises. Specifically, the study finds a significant negative association between managerial myopia and exploratory innovation investment, while there is no significant relationship with regard to exploitative innovation investment. Further study showed that the negative influence is weakened by economic policy uncertainty and stronger in companies with more severe agency problems. By shedding light on the way that managerial myopia affects enterprises' ambidextrous innovation investment, this research contributes to the literature on the impact of managerial myopia, offering key insights into how to cultivate the core competitiveness of enterprises and ensure their sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preparation technology of sustained release is a significant value of fragrance microcapsules. This article used quaternary ammonium chitosan (HACC) with antibacterial properties as the shell material. To research the factors affecting the density, encapsulation ratio and sustained‐release of the shell material of the coated fragrance microcapsules. According to the in‐situ polymerization method, fragrance microcapsules were prepared with aldehyde fragrance 7328 as the core material, TiO2 modified HACC as the shell material and glutaraldehyde as the crosslinking agent. During preparation, the effects of emulsification speed, pH and core‐shell ratio on the encapsulation ratio were explored. The results showed that under the conditions of the core‐shell ratio of 3:1 and emulsification speed of 1000 rad/min, when the shell material is modified with TiO2 and kh550, the encapsulation ratio can be reached 71.74%, which was increased by 41.5% compared with the unmodified microcapsules. And the sustained‐release time can last as long as 29 days, which was 18 days higher than that of unmodified microcapsules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Pigs have been evaluated as good model animals for human physiological and pathological research. During the weaned period, piglets are vulnerable to pathogens due to the transformation from a liquid to a solid feed, environmental changes, and an immature autoimmune system. Intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has been widely applied to simulate liver injury in piglets, but there are still some puzzles and gaps in our understanding. Therefore, we explored the effects of continuous low-dose LPS induction on serum enzyme activity, antioxidant level, liver morphology, and mRNA expression related to liver injury in weaned piglets. The findings demonstrated that oxidative damage and liver injury occurred at the early stage with LPS induction, but the damage was gradually weakened at the later stage. This indicated that continuous LPS induction may cause endotoxin tolerance after a certain amount of time. Due to imperfections in their immune and digestive systems, weaned piglets are susceptible to invasions of the external environment and diseases, especially bacterial infections, which lead to slow growth, tissue damage, and even the death of piglets. Here, a model of weaned piglets induced by Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was established to explore the effects of continuous low-dose LPS induction on the mechanism of liver injury. A total of forty-eight healthy 28-day-old weaned piglets (weight = 6.65 ± 1.19 kg) were randomly divided into two groups: the CON group and LPS group. During the experimental period of thirteen days, the LPS group was injected intraperitoneally with LPS (100 μg/kg) once per day, and the CON group was treated with the same volume of 0.9% NaCl solution. On the 1st, 5th, 9th, and 13th days, the serum and liver of the piglets were collected for the determination of serum biochemical indexes, an antioxidant capacity evaluation, and histopathological examinations. In addition, the mRNA expression levels of the TLR4 pathway and inflammatory cytokines were detected. The results showed that the activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in the serum increased after LPS induction. The activities of total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the serum and liver homogenate of the LPS group were lower than those of the CON group, while the malondialdehyde (MDA) content in the serum and the activities of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the liver of the LPS group were higher than those in the CON group. At the same time, morphological impairment of the livers occurred, including hepatocyte caryolysis, hepatocyte vacuolization, karyopycnosis, and inflammatory cell infiltration, and the mRNA expression levels of TLR4, MyD88, NF-κB, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10 were upregulated in the livers after LPS induction. The above results were more obvious on the 1st and 5th days of LPS induction, while the trend during the later period was not significant. It was concluded that the oxidative stress and liver injury occurred at the early stage of LPS induction, while the liver damage weakened at the later stage. The weaned piglets probably gradually developed tolerance to the endotoxin after the continuous low-dose induction of LPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer is a multi-factor systemic malignant disease, which has seriously threatened human health and created a heavy burden on the world economy. Metabolic reprogramming, one of the important signs of malignant tumours, provides necessary nutrition for tumorigenesis and cancer development; thus, it has recently become a research hot spot, even though the metabolic mechanism is quite intricate. Circular RNA (circRNA) affects cancer cell metabolism through various molecular mechanisms, playing an important role in promoting or suppressing cancer. Because of the structure characteristics, circRNA is quite stable, and can be utilized as biomarkers. In this review, we analysed and summarized the characteristics and biological functions of circRNA and comprehensively reviewed and discussed the important role of circRNA in cancer metabolic reprogramming. This review will provide new ideas for developing new anti-cancer therapeutic targets, mining cancer diagnostic and prognostic markers, and will provide guidance for other researchers to design circRNA-related experiments and develop anti-tumour drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Studies examining diet and its links to birth outcomes among socioeconomically disadvantaged populations in the United States are scarce. Objectives We aimed to identify prenatal dietary patterns, examine their relationships with birth outcomes, and evaluate the variation of these associations by maternal diabetes status [no diabetes, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), preexisting diabetes]. Methods Women in the Maternal and Developmental Risks from Environmental and Social Stressors (MADRES) study (n  = 465)—an ongoing, prospective pregnancy cohort of predominantly low-income Hispanic/Latina women in Los Angeles—completed up to two 24-hour dietary recalls in the third trimester of pregnancy. We identified prenatal dietary patterns via factor analysis and evaluated their associations with infant birth weight and gestational age at birth (GA) z-scores, separately, using linear regression, as well as the associations of the dietary patterns with premature births, having an infant that was small for gestational age (SGA), and having an infant that was large for gestational age, using logistic regression and adjusting for relevant covariates. We additionally tested interaction terms between prenatal dietary patterns and maternal diabetes status in separate models. We adjusted for multiple comparisons using the false discovery rate. Results We identified 2 dietary patterns: 1) a dietary pattern of solid fats, refined grains, and cheese (SRC); and 2) a dietary pattern of vegetables, oils, and fruit (VOF). Comparing the highest to lowest quartiles, the VOF was significantly associated with a greater infant birth weight (β = 0.40; 95% CIs: 0.10, 0.70; P trend = 0.011), a greater GA (β = 0.32; 95% CIs: 0.03, 0.61; P trend = 0.036), lower odds of a premature birth (OR = 0.31; 95% CIs: 0.10, 0.95; P trend = 0.049), and lower odds of having an infant that was SGA (OR = 0.18; 95% CIs: 0.06, 0.58; Ptrend  = 0.028). Only among women with GDM, a 1-SD score increase in the prenatal SRC was significantly associated with a lower infant birth weight (β = −0.20; 95% CIs −0.39, −0.02; Pinteraction  = 0.040). Conclusions Among low-income Hispanic/Latina pregnant women, greater adherence to the prenatal VOF may lower the risk of a premature birth and having an infant that is SGA. Greater adherence to the SRC, however, may adversely affect newborn birth weight among mothers with GDM, but future research is needed to verify our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is well documented that persons of color experience disproportionate exposure to environmental contaminants, including air pollution, and have poorer pregnancy outcomes. This study assessed the critical windows of exposure to ambient air pollution on in utero fetal growth among structurally marginalized populations in urban Los Angeles.Methods: Participants (N = 281) from the larger ongoing MADRES pregnancy cohort study were included in this analysis. Fetal growth outcomes were measured on average at 32 [Formula: see text] 2 weeks of gestation by a certified sonographer and included estimated fetal weight, abdominal circumference, head circumference, biparietal diameter and femur length. Daily ambient air pollutant concentrations were estimated for four pollutants (particulate matter less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5) and less than 10 µm (PM10) in aerodynamic diameter, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and 8-h maximum ozone (O3)) at participant residences using inverse-distance squared spatial interpolation from ambient monitoring data. Weekly gestational averages were calculated from 12 weeks prior to conception to 32 weeks of gestation (44 total weeks), and their associations with growth outcomes were modeled using adjusted distributed lag models (DLMs).Results: Participants were on average 29 years [Formula: see text] 6 old and predominately Hispanic (82%). We identified a significant sensitive window of PM2.5 exposure (per IQR increase of 6 [Formula: see text]3) between gestational weeks 4-16 for lower estimated fetal weight [Formula: see text] averaged4-16 = -8.7 g; 95% CI -16.7, -0.8). Exposure to PM2.5 during gestational weeks 1-23 was also significantly associated with smaller fetal abdominal circumference ([Formula: see text] averaged1-23 = -0.6 mm; 95% CI -1.1, -0.2). Additionally, prenatal exposure to PM10 (per IQR increase of 13 [Formula: see text]3) between weeks 6-15 of pregnancy was significantly associated with smaller fetal abdominal circumference ([Formula: see text] averaged6-15 = -0.4 mm; 95% CI -0.8, -0.1).Discussion: These results suggest that exposure to particulate matter in early to mid-pregnancy, but not preconception or late pregnancy, may have critical implications on fetal growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) have attracted widespread attention in optoelectronic fields due to their excellent optical properties. However, their instability issue hampers their further development and practical application. Herein, CsPbBr3 PQDs embedded in mesoporous SiO2 microspheres (CsPbBr3 PQDs/MSs) are prepared by the high‐temperature solid‐phase melting method due to the confinement effect. The prepared CsPbBr3 PQDs/MSs are treated by saturated Na2SO4 to form PbSO4 precipitation to fulfill the mesoporous gap. And such treatment endows the QDs with excellent water, light irradiation, and heating stability. The prepared products can maintain over 80% of the original fluorescence intensity even when it is immersed in water for 2 weeks. The CsPbBr3 PQDs/MSs are utilized in the white light‐emitting diode device with Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage color coordinates of (0.3407, 0.3357) at 20 mA, and exhibit excellent photo stability at high power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rabbit coccidiosis is a major disease caused by various Eimeria species and causes enormous economic losses to the rabbit industry. Coccidia infection has a wide impact on the gut microbiota and intestinal biochemical equilibrium. In the present study, we established a model of Eimeria intestinalis infection in rabbits to evaluate the jejunal microbiota and fecal metabolite profiles. Methods: Rabbits in the infected group were orally inoculated with 3 × 103E. intestinalis oocysts. On the eighth day of infection, jejunal contents and feces were collected for 16S rRNA gene sequencing and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) analysis, respectively. Jejunum tissues were harvested for hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), periodic acid-Schiff (PAS), and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining. Results: Histopathological analysis showed that the whole jejunum was parasitized by E. intestinalis in a range of life cycle stages, and PAS staining showed that E. intestinalis infection caused extensive loss of goblet cells. IHC staining revealed that TNF-α expression was higher in the E. intestinalis infection group. Moreover, both the jejunal microbiota and metabolites significantly altered after E. intestinalis infection. At the genus level, the abundances of Escherichia and Enterococcus significantly increased in the infected group compared with the control group, while those of Oscillospira, Ruminococcus, Bacteroides, Akkermansia, Coprococcus, and Sarcina significantly decreased. In addition, 20 metabolites and two metabolic pathways were altered after E. intestinalis infection, and the major disrupted metabolic pathway was lipid metabolism. Conclusions: Eimeria intestinalis infection induced intestinal inflammation and destroyed the intestinal homeostasis at the parasitized sites, leading to significant changes in the gut microbiota and subsequent corresponding changes in metabolites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorescent bio/chemosensors are widely used in the field of biological research and medical diagnosis, with the advantages of non-invasiveness, high sensitivity, and good selectivity. In particular, luminescent bio/chemosensors, based on lanthanide nanocrystals (LnNCs) with a second near-infrared (NIR-II) emission, have attracted much attention, owing to greater penetration depth, aside from the merits of narrow emission band, abundant emission lines, and long lifetimes. In this review, NIR-II LnNCs-based bio/chemo sensors are summarized from the perspectives of the mechanisms of NIR-II luminescence, synthesis method of LnNCs, strategy of luminescence enhancement, sensing mechanism, and targeted bio/chemo category. Finally, the problems that exist in present LnNCs-based bio/chemosensors are discussed, and the future development trend is prospected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting public participation is a practical move to strengthen wildlife conservation. This study focuses on saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica), an endangered species which has received international concern. Based on an extended version of the Theory of Planned Behavior and a sample of 536 Chinese residents aged 16–40 collected through an online survey, we applied Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling to explore the predictors of the behavioral intention to participate in saiga antelope conservation. The results show that perceived behavioral control is the most influential predictor that contributes to the value of the behavioral intention, followed by injunctive norm, attitude to participation, knowledge of saiga antelope, experience of wildlife conservation, and attitude to saiga antelope, altogether explaining 48.4% of the variance of the behavioral intention. To promote public participation in saiga antelope conservation, strengthening science popularization and broadening the channels of participation are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the beginning of 2020, China has banned the consumption of wild animals to combat the spread of zoonoses. Most existing studies focus on the intention and behavior of wildlife consumption and their causes; however, few have looked at public willingness to resist wildlife consumption, as well as the cause and effects of such actions. In this study, a framework for an extended theory of planned behavior was constructed. Based on a 7-point Likert scale, a sample of 1194 respondents from eight provinces across China was obtained through an online survey. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze netizen behavioral intention to resist consuming wild animals and their causes to provide a reference for the implementation and optimization of relevant policies. The study model passed the goodness-of-fit test, confirming the robustness of the results. The results showed that Chinese netizens' intention to resist consuming wild animals was moderate, with 55.19% willing to participate in activities against it, i.e., it is important to resist eating wild animals as a standard. Attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and past experience of the Chinese netizen had significant positive effects on resistance intention, i.e., (1) netizens' current living area with severe outbreaks were more likely to resist wildlife consumption, (2) highly knowledge level netizens were more likely to resist wildlife consumption than less knowledgeable ones, and (3) lower income level had higher behavioral intentions of netizens. The findings suggest that the government must take a lead role in wildlife protection and strengthen its restrictions, laws, and regulations. The media should also be used to promote conservation and popularize a protective message in favor of wild animals. Public quality and assurance of wildlife protection should be culturally reinforced to effectively ban the illegal trade of wild animals and their products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Swimming monitoring based on acceleration sensor is an emerging research direction in the field of human motion recognition. As a public sport, swimming has a wide audience. The swimming monitoring system can facilitate people to monitor and record their own swimming data, so as to formulate a reasonable training plan. Aiming at the defects of single modal information representation ability, high contingency, and easy to be influenced by the outside world, this paper adopts the underwater posture training model of swimmers to perform multimodal information fusion. In this paper, a multimodal information fusion method based on evolutionary neural network is proposed, and an intelligent perception information processing model of the intelligent subject system is constructed. Aiming at the defect that the accuracy and speed of the underwater posture monitoring of swimmers cannot be guaranteed in a complex environment, an evolutionary neural network optimized by a multimodal adaptive genetic algorithm is constructed to perform multimodal information fusion to ensure the effectiveness of the system in the face of complex information. Regarding attitude detection, it mainly uses the three dimensions of the angle of movement, the influence of gravity, and the strength and speed of the movement to measure. The MPU6050 module processor has a wide range of applications and is a mold processing tool with high performance and level. It completes the data processing, data calculation, and data storage of the inspection system in this paper. This paper further studies the working principle, structure, and operation process of this module and adjusts the time error in the detection of carrier motion and attitude so that the processing function of this module can play an optimal state. Four kinds of swimming posture measurement experiments were carried out on the swimmers, and the experimental data were analyzed. The whole system is controlled by the host computer man-machine interaction software remotely and in real time through commands. The experimental results show that the system realizes the detection of the basic posture, meets the basic requirements of the system design, and provides a certain foundation for the follow-up research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An antibacterial PU coating with QAS was developed from polycarbonate diol (PCDL), 4,4'-Diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), 3-dimethylamino-1,2-propanediol (DMAPD) and 1-bromododecane. The structural composition and surface morphology of this PU coating were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Besides, the QAS-bearing PU showed markedly antimicrobial activity against both gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli). The samples were marked as PU-2, PU-3, PU-4, PU-5, PU-6 and PU-7 according to the different theoretical molar fraction of DMAPD in chain extenders, which were 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70%, respectively. Apparently, PU-4 coating showed the best antibacterial activity against S. aureus, whereas PU-5 against E. coli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent studies have reported changes in the electroencephalograms (EEG) of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, little research has explored EEG differences between adolescents with MDD and healthy controls, particularly EEG microstates differences. The aim of the current study was to characterize EEG microstate activity in adolescents with MDD and healthy controls (HCs). Methods: A total of 35 adolescents with MDD and 35 HCs were recruited in this study. The depressive symptoms were assessed by Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) and Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), and the anxiety symptoms were assessed by Chinese version of DSM-5 Level 2-Anxiety-Child scale. A 64-channel EEG was recorded for 5 min (eye closed, resting-state) and analyzed using microstate analysis. Microstate properties were compared between groups and correlated with patients' depression scores. Results: We found increased occurrence and contribution of microstate B in MDD patients compared to HCs, and decreased occurrence and contribution of microstate D in MDD patients compared to HCs. While no significant correlation between depression severity (HAMD score) and the microstate metrics (occurrence and contribution of microstate B and D) differing between MDD adolescents and HCs was found. Conclusions: Adolescents with MDD showed microstate B and microstate D changes. The obtained results may deepen our understanding of dynamic EEG changes among adolescents with MDD and provide some evidence of changes in brain development in adolescents with MDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study investigated an association between schizoid tendencies and aggressive behaviors in Chinese adolescents, and explored the underlying mechanism. Methods: The data of 3094 adolescents aged 12 to 16 years were collected from an epidemiological survey in China. All the subjects or their parents completed the Achenbach's Child Behavior Checklist, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form, and the Adolescent Self-rating Life Event Checklist (ASLEC). Results: Relative to the non-schizoid group, adolescents with schizoid tendencies (male or female) showed significantly higher scores for aggressive behaviors, emotional abuse, and ASLEC. Regarding females only, those with schizoid tendencies had significantly higher (lower) scores for physical abuse and emotional neglect (physical neglect). The aggressive behaviors score was predicted by scores for schizoid tendencies (βmale = 0.620, βfemale = 0.638, both P < 0.001) and ASLEC (βmale = 0.125, βfemale = 0.061, both P < 0.01), and by childhood trauma score (males: emotional neglect [β = 0.045, P = 0.021]; females: emotional abuse and sexual abuse [β = 0.118 and − 0.062, both P < 0.01]). The ASLEC and childhood trauma scores mediated the association between scores for schizoid tendencies and aggressive behaviors, specifically, emotional neglect (emotional abuse and sexual abuse) in males (females). In females, the interaction between scores for childhood trauma and ASLEC affected the aggressive behaviors score (P = 0.023). Conclusions: Schizoid tendencies are associated with aggressive behaviors among Chinese adolescents. Recent life events and childhood trauma mediated an association between schizoid tendencies and aggressive behaviors. The interaction between childhood trauma and recent life events affected aggressive behaviors in females. Aggressive behaviors in adolescents may be ameliorated by reducing childhood trauma and life events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major obstacle to clinical photodynamic therapy (PDT) is tissue hypoxia in a solid tumor, which substantially reduces therapeutic efficacy by insufficient oxygen supply. To tackle this issue, herein, we reported a type of facilely prepared multifunctional nanoparticles (NPs) for combined treatment of PDT and photothermal therapy (PTT). A novel dopamine‐modified epoxysilane (GSDA) was firstly synthesized from 3‐glycidoxypropyl(trimethoxy) silane and dopamine via ring‐opening reaction, which was subsequently incorporated into NPs along with zinc(II) phthalocyanine (ZnPc) via a reprecipitation‐encapsulation method. Interestingly, polydopamine (PDA) was found to be automatically developed inside NPs by oxidative polymerization of dopamine monomers. Owing to strong‐light‐absorption PDA and ZnPc, the resultant biocompatible NPs exhibited high photothermal conversion efficiency (η=46.4%) and a decent singlet oxygen quantum yield (ΦΔ=0.28), respectively, under the irradiation of 808 nm and 660 nm light. Synergetic treatment was then performed on tumor cells using the multifunctional NPs, i. e. PDT followed by PTT, and enhanced phototherapeutic efficacy was achieved, particularly in the case of hypoxia. This work demonstrates that (i) the newly‐synthesized GSDA might function as a bi‐functional coupling agent for silica and PDA coating, and (ii) the simply‐prepared NPs are very promising for synergetic PDT/PTT of solid tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rabbit can produce meat, fur and leather, and serves as an important biomedical animal model. Understanding the microbial community of rabbits helps to raise rabbits healthily and better support their application as animal models. Results: In this study, we selected 4 healthy Belgium gray rabbits to collect the microbial samples from 12 body sites, including skin, lung, uterus, mouth, stomach, duodenum, ileum, jejunum, colon, cecum, cecal appendix and rectum. The microbiota across rabbit whole body was investigated via 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. After quality control, 46 samples were retained, and 3,148 qualified ASVs were obtained, representing 23 phyla and 264 genera. Based on the weighted UniFrac distances, these samples were divided into the large intestine (Lin), stomach and small intestine (SSin), uterus (Uter), and skin, mouth and lung (SML) groups. The diversity of Lin microbiota was the highest, followed by those of the SSin, Uter and SML groups. In the whole body, Firmicutes (62.37%), Proteobacteria (13.44%) and Bacteroidota (11.84%) were the most predominant phyla. The relative abundance of Firmicutes in the intestinal tract was significantly higher than that in the non-intestinal site, while Proteobacteria was significantly higher in the non-intestinal site. Among the 264 genera, 35 were the core microbiota distributed in all body sites. Sixty-one genera were specific in the SML group, while 13, 8 and 1 were specifically found in the Lin, SSin and Uter groups, respectively. The Lin group had the most difference with other groups, there were average 72 differential genera between the Lin and other groups. The functional prediction analysis showed that microbial function within each group was similar, but there was a big difference between the intestinal tracts and the non-intestinal group. Notably, the function of microorganism in uterus and mouth were the most different from those in the gastrointestinal sites; rabbit's coprophagy of consuming soft feces possibly resulted in little differences of microbial function between stomach and large intestinal sites. Conclusion: Our findings improve the knowledge about rabbit microbial communities throughout whole body and give insights into the relationship of microbial communities among different body sites in health rabbits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work focuses on the universal applicability of microencapsulation on core materials. From this point, nine different fragrance oils were selected as core materials, and the corresponding melamine resin shell microcapsules were prepared by a uniform process. According to characterization results, the microencapsulation shows good universality for most core materials, but their encapsulation efficiency (E%, 17.28%‐88.26%), particle size distribution (D50, 9.65‐33.82 μm) and optical micro‐morphology are significantly different. By analysing the influence of the interfacial tension (F), relative dielectric constant (ε), viscosity (τ), density (ρ) and refractive index (n) of the core materials on encapsulation, it was found that the F determines whether the core material is suitable, and f ≥ 1 is the basic condition for the core material to have the value of microencapsulation. Besides, the ε and n both can be used as auxiliary criteria, τ and ρ also influence the microencapsulation process. Based on these data, a "Dimensionless encapsulation number" x=F0.25·ρn‐nH2O/ε0.25·τ0.5 was tentatively established, and the mathematical relation between it and corresponding E% was constructed, which could be applied as a semi‐empirical formula in practical work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methamphetamine (METH), a psychoactive-stimulant facilitates massive accumulation of autophagosomes and causes autophagy-associated neuronal death. However, the underlying mechanisms involving METH-induced auto-phagosome accumulation remain poorly understood. In the current study, autophagic flux was tracked by mRFP-GFP-LC3 adenovirus, 900 μM METH treatment was found to significantly disrupt autophagic flux, which was further validated by remarkable increase of co-localized of LC3 and SQSTM1/p62, enhancement of LC3-II and SQSTM1/p62 protein levels, and massive autophagosome puncta aggregation. With the cycloheximide (CHX) treatment, METH treatment was displayed a significant inhibition of SQSTM1/p62 degradation. Therefore, the mRNAs associated with vesicle degradation were screened, and syntaxin 17 (Stx17) and dynein-dynactin mRNA levels significantly decreased, an effect was proved in protein level as well. Intriguingly, METH induced autophagosome accumulation and autophagic flux disturbance was incredibly retarded by overexpression of Stx17, which was validated by the restoration of the fusion autophagosome–late endosome/lysosome fusion. Moreover, Stx17 overexpression obviously impeded the METH-induced decrease of co-localization of the retrograded motor protein dynein/dynactin and autophagosome-late endosome, though the dynein/dynactin proteins were not involved in autophagosome–late endosome/lysosome fusion. Collectively, our findings unravel the mechanism of METH-induced autophagosome accumulation involving autophagosome–late endosome/lysosome fusion deficiency and that autophagy-enhancing mechanisms such as the overexpression of Stx17 may be therapeutic strategies for the treatment of METH-induced neuronal damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prior research has found that attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) – particularly hyperactivity symptoms – is associated with various somatic complaints. The present study further tests the relationship between hyperactivity symptoms and somatic complaints in Chinese male adolescents and explores the underlying moderating and mediating mechanisms. Methods: Our sample included 1,586 males (age = 12–16) recruited as part of an epidemiological study of child and adolescent mental disorders from April to July, 2014. Hyperactivity symptoms and somatic complaints were assessed with Achenbach's Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire Short Form (CTQ-SF) and Adolescent Life Events Scale (ASLEC) were used to assess exposure to childhood trauma and recent life events. Results: Adolescents with hyperactivity symptoms experienced more emotional abuse, physical abuse, life events, and reported more somatic complaints symptoms (p < 0.0083 or p < 0.05). Linear regression analysis showed that hyperactivity, total childhood trauma score/emotional abuse and sexual abuse and ASLEC score significantly predicted somatic complaints (all p < 0.05). Emotional abuse and life events mediated the relationship between hyperactivity symptoms and somatic complaints. Furthermore, childhood trauma moderated the path between hyperactivity symptoms and ASLEC in the moderation mediation model for predicting somatic complaints (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Hyperactivity symptoms had a significant impact on somatic complaints among Chinese male adolescents. Furthermore, childhood trauma and life events affected the relationship between hyperactivity symptoms and somatic complaints. Interventions for somatic complaints in male adolescents with hyperactivity symptoms should thus consider history of childhood trauma and life events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mn‐doped 2D perovskites are emerging as good candidates for light‐emitting applications due to their excellent optical and electrical properties. Major synthetic routes, solid‐state grinding and high‐temperature solution synthesis, are extensively studied to prepare Mn‐doped 2D perovskites. However, complicated synthesis, small‐scale yields, and poor‐stability impede their widespread applications. Herein, a one‐step acid‐solution‐assisted method is exhibited for gram‐scale production of Mn‐doped 2D (C8H17NH2)2PbBr4 with a solid yield of 1.35 g products out of 3 mL solvent. After Mn‐doped 2D (C8H17NH2)2PbBr4 being stored in the air for 90 days, the photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield of powders has minor changes, showing good stability. Phosphor‐converted monochrome light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) are fabricated. After the LEDs work 6 h under a voltage of 3 V, their PL spectra have no obvious change, showing a great potential in optoelectronic devices. This study provides a new effective strategy for large‐scale synthesis of ultrastable Mn‐doped 2D perovskites, which is expected to provide inspiration for the industrial optoelectronic applications of perovskites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasingly close links between provinces and municipalities, the complexity and social connectivity of emergencies have gradually increased. How to realize the rapid and scientific dispatch of emergency resources based on the comprehensive transportation network has become a realistic need. However, due to barriers in management and communication between different administrative regions and different modes of transportation, emergency resource scheduling can only be carried out in the region, and the utilization of integrated traffic channels is insufficient to form a good multimodal transport system. The multi-agent system has strong self-organization ability, learning ability and reasoning ability, which solves problems in the fields of dynamic decision-making and micro-simulation and provides ideas for solving the problem of comprehensive traffic emergency dispatching across regions. In this paper, the multi-agent system is introduced into the research of the task assignment problem of trans-regional comprehensive traffic emergency materials dispatching, based on the traditional bidding rules, the emergency dispatch task assignment rules are proposed and multi-agent trans-regional comprehensive traffic emergency dispatching model based on improved bidding rules is established. The simulation results show that the proposed method can break the regional barrier and form a multimodal transport scheme for emergency materials from the reserve point to the demand point under the minimum generalized time cost, providing decision support for emergency dispatch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have revealed that global extrinsic noise arising from stochasticity in the intracellular biochemical environment plays a critical role in heterogeneous cell physiologies. However, it remains largely unclear how such extrinsic noise dynamically influences downstream reactions and whether it could be neutralized by cellular reactions. Here, using fluorescent protein (FP) maturation as a model biochemical reaction, we explored how cellular reactions might combat global extrinsic noise in mammalian cells. We developed a novel single‐cell assay to systematically quantify the maturation rate and the associated noise for over a dozen FPs. By exploiting the variation in the maturation rate for different FPs, we inferred that global extrinsic noise could be temporally filtered by maturation reactions, and as a result, the noise levels for slow‐maturing FPs are lower compared to fast‐maturing FPs. This mechanism is validated by directly perturbing the maturation rates of specific FPs and measuring the resulting noise levels. Together, our results revealed a potentially general principle governing extrinsic noise propagation, where timescale separation allows cellular reactions to cope with dynamic global extrinsic noise. Synopsis: This study measures fluorescent protein (FP) maturation rates in single mammalian cells, and applies stochastic simulations to reveal how cellular reactions mitigate global extrinsic noise arising from fluctuations in the biochemical environment. A novel assay is developed to quantify the maturation rates of 14 FPs at the single cell level.Single‐cell data reveals non‐genetic heterogeneity (i.e., noise) in protein maturation rates.The noise level in maturation reaction rates exhibits a rate‐dependent behavior, which can be explained by a time‐averaging mechanism that filters extrinsic noise.This model is supported by experiments that directly perturb the maturation rates of specific FPs and measure the resulting noise levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Anxiety is one of the most common psychiatric disorder and imposes a great burden on both the individual and the society. Previous studies indicate a high comorbidity of anxiety disorders and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, few studies have examined the comorbidity of anxiety and ADHD among medical college students in mainland China. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of anxiety and the associated risk factor of anxiety disorder as well as to explore the association between ADHD symptoms, depression, suicidal behaviors and anxiety. Methods: A cross-sectional design was employed among 4882 medical college students who were recruited and enrolled with convenience sampling. Self-reported demographic information and clinical characteristics were collected online on a computer or through a social media app named Wechat. Results: The prevalence of anxiety in this study was 19.9%. Students with anxiety were more likely to have a poor relationship with parents, be of Han nationality, have smoking or drinking habits, have an extensive physical disorder history and have engaged in suicidal behaviors. The independent risk factors for anxiety were: smoking, physical disorder history, suicidal ideations, suicide attempts, inattention and hyperactivity. Significant associations were observed between anxiety and depression, inattention, hyperactivity, suicide plans and suicide attempts. Conclusions: Nearly one in five medical students suffered from anxiety. The findings of this study indicate the importance of addressing both anxiety and ADHD symptoms in order to better promote mental health and the well-being of medical students as well as reduce suicidal behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Beijing, particulate matter (PM) in the atmosphere, especially PM2.5 and PM10, have attracted public attention because of its adverse effects. A series of studies have investigated the sources and spatial–temporal variation of PM. Wetland has been reported to own the capacity of resolving air problem. To examine the characteristics of the particulate matter in wetlands, the diurnal variation of PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations with respect to two heights (i.e. 1.5 and 10 m, respectively) and three meteorological factors (i.e. wind speed, temperature, and relative humidity, respectively) was monitored in the Cuihu National Wetland Park in Beijing, and the dry deposition velocity and flux were analysed using the above-mentioned data. Results indicated that (1) As for diurnal variation, the PM concentration constantly decreased at 07:00–16:00 and gradually increased at 16:00–18:00. The maximum instantaneous concentration was observed at 07:00–10:00, while the minimum instantaneous concentration was observed at 13:00–16:00. (2) The annual concentration variation of PM followed the order of dry period > wet period > normal period. (3) The particulate concentrations at 10 m were always greater than those at 1.5 m. (4) The PM concentration was positively correlated to the relative humidity and negatively correlated to the temperature. Wind speed exhibited a complex effect on PM concentration. (5) The regulation of dry deposition efficiency followed the order of spring > winter > summer. (6) Wind speed strongly and positively affected the dry deposition velocity of PM10. The effects of temperature and relative humidity on dry deposition were uncertain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spindle-like CaCO3 crystals with controllable sizes for papermaking were successfully prepared using CO2 (8% CO2/N2 mixture gas) and calcium carbide residue (CCR) waste, a by-product of acetylene gas and polyvinyl chloride production, as the raw materials by an atomization method at room temperature. The influences of solution concentration, reaction temperature, and gas/liquid flow rate ratios on the properties of the CaCO3 crystal were systematically investigated, and a possible atomization mechanism was proposed. The size of the as-prepared CaCO3 crystal with pure calcite phase was turned from 4.71×4.02 µm to 1.82×1.12 µm by adjusting the reaction conditions. The application of the as-prepared CaCO3 crystals from CCR waste as a filler for papermaking was explored. The R475 blue light whiteness of paper was increased from 77.3 to 80.6 with 11.4% CaCO3 crystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quercetin is a flavonoid compound that is widely present in food and drink. Quercetin-3-O-β-D-glucoside (Q3GA) is a major metabolite of quercetin. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of Q3GA on the pharmacokinetics of orally and intravenously administered cyclosporin A (CsA) in rats, and to assess the effect of Q3GA on drug-metabolizing enzymes (DMEs), drug transporters (DTs) and nuclear receptors (NRs). The pharmacokinetic parameters of CsA were measured following oral (10 mg/kg) and intravenous (2.5 mg/kg) administration of CsA in the presence or absence of Q3GA. The mRNA and protein expression levels of DMEs, DTs and NRs in the liver and small intestine were detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis. The results indicated that the intravenous administration of Q3GA (2.5, 5 or 10 mg/kg) for 7 consecutive days reduced the bioavailability of oral CsA. By contrast, the pharmacokinetics of the intravenous administration of CsA were not affected by Q3GA. However, the mRNA and protein expression levels of DMEs and DTs were inhibited by Q3GA. The activation of DMEs and DTs by NRs, and the interplay between DMEs and DTs, may explain these results. The present study identified a novel flavonoid-drug interaction, which may have implications for patients taking CsA and quercetin supplements or on a quercetin-containing diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quercetin is a flavonoid that is widely present in plant-derived food. Quercetin-3-O-β-D-glucoside (Q3GA) is a predominant metabolite of quercetin in animal and human plasma. The inhibitory effects of the UDP-glucuronosyl transferases (UGTs) caused by herbal components may be a key factor for the clinical assessment of herb-drug interactions (HDIs). The present study aimed to investigate the inhibitory profile of quercetin and Q3GA on recombinant UGT1A isoforms in vitro. The metabolism of the nonspecific substrate 4-methylumbelliferone (4-MU) by the UGT1A isoforms was assessed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Preliminary screening experiments indicated that quercetin exhibited stronger inhibitory effects on UGT1A1, UGT1A3, UGT1A6 and UGT1A9 enzymes than Q3GA. Kinetic experiments were performed to characterize the type of inhibition caused by quercetin and Q3GA towards these UGT isoforms. Quercetin exerted non-competitive inhibition on UGT1A1 and UGT1A6, with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 7.47 and 7.07 µM and inhibition kinetic parameter (Ki) values of 2.18 and 28.87 µM, respectively. Quercetin also exhibited competitive inhibition on UGT1A3 and UGT1A9, with IC50 values of 10.58 and 2.81 µM and Ki values of 1.60 and 0.51 µM, respectively. However, Q3GA displayed weak inhibition on UGT1A1, UGT1A3 and UGT1A6 enzymes with IC50 values of 45.21, 106.5 and 51.37 µM, respectively. In the present study, quercetin was a moderate inhibitor of UGT1A1 and UGT1A3, a weak inhibitor of UGT1A6, and a strong inhibitor on UGT1A9. The results of the present study suggested potential HDIs that may occur following quercetin co-administration with drugs that are mainly metabolized by UGT1A1, UGT1A3 and UGT1A9 enzymes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]