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To establish a disease risk prediction model based on genetic susceptibility genes and environmental risk factors， which can target high-risk population as early as possible， and intervene in the environmental risk factors in this population. Moreover， accurate screening of genetically susceptible populations can enhance the efficiency of health system. In recent years， with the maturation and cost reduction of high-throughput gene testing， gene testing has been widely used in individual clinical decision-making and will play a more important role in medical and health decision-making. The correlation between genetic testing and disease risk prediction is increasing， making it a prominent research topic in this field. This review summarizes the approaches for establishing and evaluating risk prediction models and discusses potential future challenges and opportunities.

Endoscopic endonasal approach has been widely used for removing various sellae tumors including pituitary adenomas, meningiomas, etc. While, performing these surgeries in such a narrow space with different instruments remains a challenge for surgeons, due to the limited field of view, varying illumination, and occlusion of instruments during the operation. Thus, a proper surgical instrument detection method that can provide classification and location information of the operated surgical instrument is critical for surgeons to understand the surgical scenarios and enhance the safety of the clinical operation. To this end, we propose an anchor-free feature aggregation network (AFA-Net) to improve the detection precision of surgical instruments from the endoscopic operation view field. The proposed method utilizes the improved feature pyramid network (FPN) with the depthwise separable convolution and a weighted feature aggregation module to enhance the feature information of the operated surgical instruments. Based on the anchor-free method, a weighted heatmap aggregation module is used to detect surgical instruments. Experimental studies on a public dataset Cholec80 and an intraoperative dataset from a local hospital are conducted, and the detection performance is assessed by the mean precision (AP) and average recall (AR). From both datasets and comparisons, the proposed method achieves 74.1% AP, 67.0% AR and 73.6% AP, 66.7% AR, respectively, which show significant advantages over five mainstream methods in terms of detection performance.

Monkeypox， a zoonotic disease caused by monkeypox virus， can be transmitted among humans. The etiology and the clinical symptoms of monkeypox are analogous to smallpox. Before 2022， monkeypox was mainly reported in central and west Africa as an endemic. Since May 2022， the outbreak of monkeypox has been reported in many non-endemic countries and regions. Now， the number of new cases of monkeypox is increasing rapidly. The pattern of monkeypox transmission is significantly different from that in previous outbreaks， and many studies have proposed the possible influence of genetic evolution on the virulence and host range of monkeypox virus in the incident. Given its similarity to smallpox， the outbreaks of monkeypox have attracted wide international attention. In order to provide a scientific basis for the formulation of specific measures of prevention and control， we reviewed the characteristics of etiology and epidemiology of monkeypox， and made primary analysis of the global epidemic of monkeypox.

Bisphenol F (BPF), BPS and BPAF are gaining popularity as main substitutes to BPA, but there is no clear evidence that these compounds disrupt glycemic homeostasis in the same way. In this study, four bisphenols were administered to C57BL/6 J mice, and showed that the serum insulin was elevated in the BPA and BPS exposed mice, whereas BPF exposed mice exhibited lower serum insulin and higher blood glucose. BPF decreased oxidized glutathione/reduced glutathione ratio (GSSG/GSH) and N6–methyladenosine (m6A) levels, which was responsible for pancreatic apoptosis in mice. Additionally, the downregulation of Nrf2 and the aberrant regulation of the p53-lncRNA H19 signaling pathway further increased miR-200 family in the BPF-exposed pancreas. The miR-200 family directly suppressed Mettl14 and Xiap by targeting their 3' UTR, leading to islet apoptosis. Antioxidant treatment not only elevated m6A levels and insulin contents but also suppressed the miR-200 family in the pancreas, ultimately improving BPF-induced hyperglycemia. Taken together, miR-200 family could serve as a potential oxidative stress-responsive regulator in the pancreas. And moreover, we demonstrated a novel toxicological mechanism in that BPF disrupted the Keap1-Nrf2 redox system to upregulate miR-141/200b/c which controlled pancreatic insulin production and apoptosis via Mettl14 and Xiap, respectively. As the major surrogates of BPA in various applications, BPF was also diabetogenic, which warrants attention in future research.

Objective To analyze the research status of nursing sensitivity indicators in China, and identify possible problems, so as to provide reference for future related research. Methods bliometric analysis method was used to review the existing literature, and CNKI-CJFD, Wanfang Database and CBMdisc were used as data sources to search the related researches of nursing sensitive indicators, and analyze the publication date, region, author, fund support, journals and keywords. Results A total of 572 valid documents on nursing sensitive indicators were retrieved and published in 149 journals. The number of published documents showed an increasing trend, but the fund papers were low, the degree of interdisciplinary was poor, and the quality of documents needed to be improved. Conclusion The research on nursing sensitive indicators has gradually attracted the attention of researchers, and the research quality, breadth and depth, scientific systematicness and other aspects need to be further studied. (目的 分析我国护理敏感指标的研究现状, 明确可能存在的问题, 为今后相关研究进一步提供参考。方法 应用文献计量学分析方法回顾现有文献, 以中国期刊全文数据库、万方数据库和中国生物医学文献数据库为数据来源, 检索护理敏感指标相关研究的文献, 对文献年代、地区、作者、基金支持、期刊、关键词等方面进行分析。结果 检索获得572篇护理敏感指标有效文献, 发表在149种期刊上, 文献年发表量呈增长趋势, 但基金论文较低, 学科交叉程度欠佳、文献质量有待继续提高。结论 护理敏感指标相关研究逐渐受到研究人员的关注与重视, 在研究质量、广度与深度以及科学系统性等方面有待继续研究。)

To study the distribution characteristics of the overall electromagnetic environment in the main working areas of an underground utility tunnel, a set of process and monitoring methods for the electromagnetic environment layout of the underground utility tunnel was established by referring to relevant standards. The electromagnetic environment of five underground utility tunnels in Xiamen was monitored using the above-mentioned method from 2017 to 2019. The power frequency electric field intensity range is 0.084~4.995 V/m, and the power frequency magnetic induction intensity is 0.026~21.069 μT. The overall electromagnetic environment of the utility tunnels meets the national requirements and is much lower than the specified national limits of electromagnetic radiation exposure (a power frequency electric field strength at 50 Hz frequency is less than 4 000 V/m, and the power frequency magnetic induction strength is less than 100 μT). There is no significant difference between months in the overall electromagnetic environment of utility tunnel. However, in the underground utility tunnel of Jimei Avenue in Xiamen, where 110 kV transmission line is connected and the outer material is slightly damaged, the power frequency electromagnetic field intensity is significantly higher than that of the ordinary monitoring points, and there is no significant difference between the power frequency magnetic induction intensity and the ordinary monitoring points. The electromagnetic environment of underground utility tunnels in Xiamen is safe for employees. Compared with overhead 110 kV transmission lines, it has less impact on the surrounding electromagnetic environment.

Two pyrazol-4-carboxamides, 3-(difluoromethyl)-N-(mesitylcarbamoyl)-1-methyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxa-mide (7a) and 3-(difluoromethyl)-N-((3,5-dimethylphenyl) carbamoyl)-1-methyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxamide (7b) were synthesized and their structures were confirmed by the aid of 1H NMR and HRMS analyses. The structure of the pyrazole-4-carboxamide, 7a was also determined by X-ray diffraction. The preliminary activity results demonstrate that these two compounds exhibit good inhibitory activity against Botrytis cinerea. Further docking results indicated that the key active group is difluoromethyl pyrazole moiety.

Evaluating reservoirs by pore structure has been widely used in oil and gas development, but this method has not yet been used in the evaluation of potassium salt reservoirs. The pore throat type and structure, capillary pressure curve, and quantitative feature parameters of pore throat of the Paleocene-Cretaceous-rich potassium-rich brine reservoir in Jianghan basin are studied by using a large number of reservoir porosity and pore throat data obtained by Scanning Electron Microscopy and Mercury Intrusion. Combined with the discharge pressure and other experimental parameters, the pore structure is divided into Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ types. The results show that the sandstone reservoirs of the Paleocene Shashi Formation are dominated by type Ⅱ pore structure with the average displacement pressure of 2.72 MPa and the average porosity of 6.32%. The sandstone reservoirs of the Cretaceous Honghuatao Formation are dominated by Ⅰ and Ⅱ pore structure types. The displacement pressure of type Ⅰ is 0.28 MPa, the average porosity is 16.99%, and the permeability is 87.79×10-3 μm2. The average displacement pressure of type Ⅱ is 1.103 MPa, the average porosity is 10.02%, and the permeability is 18.83×10-3 μm2. The quality of the reservoir was evaluated by a comprehensive analysis of pore throat quantitative parameters such as maximum mercury saturation, maximum pore throat radius, median radius and mercury recovery efficiency. It is believed that the sandstone type of the Paleocene Shashi Formation is dominated by siltstone, and the quality of the reservoir is poor, which belongs to the low porosity and low permeability reservoir. The sandstone type of the Cretaceous Honghuatao Formation is mainly fine sandstone, and the reservoir is of good quality and belongs to low porosity and low permeability reservoir. This study provides a reliable geological basis for the evaluation of potassium-rich brine reservoirs and for further exploration and development.

Gantry crane girder structure testing systems can be measured with the deflection of main beam with different structures in the same test environment. At first,through the finite element analysis,the four-pillar tester couldn’t meet the requirements of the large span bending test,Thus,through the finite element simulation,two pillar tester can meet the test requirements,Besides,the use of reinforced concrete structures constitute a closed since the reaction force loading system with the load frame steel structure,instead of the traditional steel structure used in the large span bending test. Finally,compared with the selection of four column structure,the advantages of the two column structure with reinforced concrete structure are given in equipment costs,installation and debugging.

Numerical simulation was conducted to investigate the heat and mass transfer characteristics in a 12 t/d pilot-scale grate-type incinerator for municipal solid waste during the co-incineration of industrial solid waste, and the velocity field, temperature field, and the concentration field of pollutants including CO, NO_x, and SO_2 were analyzed during the incineration process. The results showed that the velocity field distribution in the incinerator was similar for incinerating municipal solid waste, industrial solid waste, or a mixture of both, with lower flow velocity in the upper part of the bed and uniform overall flow distribution. The main combustion zone occurred on the first grate, and the addition of industrial solid waste expanded and shifted the high-temperature area, significantly improving the heat transfer coefficient on the furnace wall. The co-incineration of industrial solid waste provided more opportunities for sulfur-containing volatile compounds to react with oxygen, leading to the generation of a large amount of SO_2 in the primary combustion chamber, while the emission concentration of NO_x did not change much. In addition, the results verified in the actual incinerator showed an increase in temperature after mixing industrial solid waste, incomplete combustion of materials in the vertical shaft, a slight increase in SO_2 concentration in the exhaust gas, and little change in NO_x concentration, which is consistent with the simulation results.

6,7-Bis(hexylthio)-2-[(2-hydroxyethyl)thio]-3-methylthio-tetrathiafulvalene (TTF-2) is coupled with thiophene-3-carboxylic acid and thiophene-3,4-dicarboxylic acid by Steglich esterification, respectively, to afford 2-((4′,5′-bis(hexylthio)-5-(methylthio)-[2,2′-bi(1,3-dithiolylidene)]-4-yl)thio)ethyl thiophene-3-carboxylate (TTF-Th) and bis(2-((4′,5′-bis(hexylthio)-5-(methylthio)-[2,2′-bi(1,3-dithiolylidene)]-4-yl)thio)ethyl)thiophene-3,4-di-carboxylate (DTTF-Th). Their structures were characterized by ESI-MS, 1H NMR, and elemental analysis. Electropolymerization of TTF-Th and DTTF-Th was conducted with 0.1 M n-Bu4NPF6. The results indicated that both assemblies could rapidly form polymers via electrochemical deposition. In addition, their electrochromic performances illustrated that the color of P(TTF-Th) could switch from orange-yellow to dark blue, while P(DTTF-Th) changed its color from orange in the neutral state to dark blue in the oxidation state. Moreover, the electrochromic performances of P(DTTF-Th) were better than P(TTF-Th) due to the introduction of one extra TTF unit.

For problems of high power consumption, large volume, close irradiation distance and poor concealment of existing auxiliary light source for low-illumination video acquisition, a design scheme of intrinsically safe laser auxiliary light source for low-illumination video acquisition was proposed. The semiconductor laser diode with 940 nm wavelength of light source is selected, and multi-mode fiber, smoothing glasses and lens are used to realize regular shape and uniform illumination intensity of beam outputted by the semiconductor laser diode. The intrinsically safe driving circuit adopts constant current driving mode with overvoltage, anti-reverse connection and anti-static protection. Working temperature of semiconductor laser diode is reduced through heat dissipation device, so that the laser auxiliary light source can work stably for a long time. The test results show that the laser auxiliary light source with irradiation distance is 20 m, power consumption is less than 3 W and continuous working temperature below 50 ℃.

In the deep repair process of aircraft wing endplates， spoiler and other parts， the efficient removal of foam adhesive without damaging the aluminum alloy has been paid much attention in the field of aviation repair.In this study，the cured products of foam adhesive were analyzed using infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis.Based on the swelling theory， dichloromethane was identified as the primary solvent for the adhesive remover.TiO2-modified SiO2 nanocapsules were introduced into dichloromethane as adsorbents and slow-release agents to reduce VOC emissions， extend the operating time of the adhesive remover， and improve its performance through mechanisms such as physical adsorption， physical isolation and slow release.Meanwhile， paraffin and polyethylene sheets were used as surface barriers， and Halox630 corrosion inhibitor was added to the formulation of the adhesive remover to effectively reduce the volatilization of the remover and the corrosion of the substrate.Results showed that the developed foam adhesive remover exhibited excellent degumming performance on residual foam adhesive on the surface of aluminum alloy， as well as outstanding softening and swelling effects on thermosetting adhesives.

A new type of automatic stair climbing wheelchair can helps the disabled walking up and down the stairs and the ground is designed.By adopting the leg structure and using the mechanical foot and wheel bearing alternately in the up and down the stairs equipment,the process of up and down the stairs is simulated.The fine-tune mechanism which can be used to adjust seat angle,keep the seats level all the time is set.The change of the gravity center in the process of up and down the stairs is analyzed,the results show that the design of wheelchair is reasonable,a disabled people can use it up and down the stairs instead of walking.

The aim of this study was to compare the accuracies of cognitive fusion-guided targeted biopsy (TB), systematic biopsy (SB), and combined TB+SB for the detection of prostate cancer (PCa) and clinically significant PCa (csPCa) in males with lesions detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We conducted a retrospective analysis of individuals who underwent prostate biopsy at Peking University People’s Hospital (Beijing, China), with an emphasis on patients with both transrectal TB and SB. The main objective was to determine the precisions of SB, TB, and TB+SB for diagnosing PCa and csPCa. We also evaluated the detection rates of TB, SB, TB+ipsilateral-SB (ipsi-SB), TB+contralateral-SB (contra-SB), and TB+SB for PCa and csPCa in patients with unilateral MRI lesions. We compared the diagnostic yields of the various biopsy schemes using the McNemar’s test. A total of 180 patients were enrolled. The rates of PCa detection using TB, SB, and TB+SB were 52.8%, 62.2%, and 66.7%, respectively, and the corresponding rates for csPCa were 46.1%, 56.7%, and 58.3%, respectively. Among patients with unilateral MRI lesions, the PCa detection rates for TB, SB, TB+ipsi-SB, TB+contra-SB, and TB+SB were 53.3%, 64.8%, 65.6%, 61.5%, and 68.0%, respectively. TB+ipsi-SB detected 96.4% of PCa and 95.9% of csPCa cases. These findings suggest that the combination of TB+SB has better diagnostic accuracy compared with SB or TB alone. For patients with unilateral MRI lesions, the combination of TB+ipsi-SB may be suitable in clinical settings.

Abstract Background Schistosomiasis is a serious global health problem that afflicts more than 230 million people in 77 countries. Long-term mass treatments with the only available drug, praziquantel, have caused growing concerns about drug resistance. PSD-95/Dlg/ZO-1 (PDZ) domain-containing proteins are recognized as potential targets for the next generation of drug development. However, the PDZ domain-containing protein family in parasites has largely been unexplored. Methods We present the molecular characteristics of a PDZ domain-containing protein, GIPC3, from Schistosoma japonicum (SjGIPC3) according to bioinformatics analysis and experimental approaches. The ligand binding specificity of the PDZ domain of SjGIPC3 was confirmed by screening an arbitrary peptide library in yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) assays. The native ligand candidates were predicted by Tailfit software based on the C-terminal binding specificity, and further validated by Y2H assays. Results SjGIPC3 is a single PDZ domain-containing protein comprised of 328 amino acid residues. Structural prediction revealed that a conserved PDZ domain was presented in the middle region of the protein. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that SjGIPC3 and other trematode orthologues clustered into a well-defined cluster but were distinguishable from those of other phyla. Transcriptional analysis by quantitative RT-PCR revealed that the SjGIPC3 gene was relatively highly expressed in the stages within the host, especially in male adult worms. By using Y2H assays to screen an arbitrary peptide library, we confirmed the C-terminal binding specificity of the SjGIPC3-PDZ domain, which could be deduced as a consensus sequence, -[SDEC]-[STIL]-[HSNQDE]-[VIL]*. Furthermore, six proteins were predicted to be native ligand candidates of SjGIPC3 based on the C-terminal binding properties and other biological information; four of these were confirmed to be potential ligands using the Y2H system. Conclusions In this study, we first characterized a PDZ domain-containing protein GIPC3 in S. japonicum. The SjGIPC3-PDZ domain is able to bind both type I and II ligand C-terminal motifs. The identification of native ligand will help reveal the potential biological function of SjGIPC3. These data will facilitate the identification of novel drug targets against S. japonicum infections.

Abstract Background Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular parasite with a significant impact on human health. Inside the mammalian and avian hosts, the parasite can undergo rapid development or remain inactive in the cysts. The mechanism that regulates parasite proliferation has not been fully understood. Small noncoding RNAs (sncRNA) such as microRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous regulatory factors that can modulate cell differentiation and development. It is anticipated that hundreds of miRNAs regulate the expression of thousands of genes in a single organism. SncRNAs have been identified in T. gondii, however the profiles of sncRNAs expression and their potential regulatory function in parasites of distinct genotypes has largely been unknown. Methods The transcription profiles of miRNAs in the two genetically distinct strains, RH and ME49, of T. gondii were investigated and compared by a high-through-put RNA sequencing technique and systematic bioinformatics analysis. The expression of some of the miRNAs was confirmed by Northern blot analysis. Results 1,083,320 unique sequences were obtained. Of which, 17 conserved miRNAs related to 2 metazoan miRNA families and 339 novel miRNAs were identified. A total of 175 miRNAs showed strain-specific expression, of which 155 miRNAs were up-regulated in RH strain and 20 miRNAs were up-regulated in ME49 strain. Strain-specific expression of miRNAs in T. gondii could be due to activation of specific genes at different genomic loci or due to arm-switching of the same pre-miRNA duplex. Conclusions Evidence for the differential expression of miRNAs in the two genetically distinct strains of T. gondii has been identified and defined. MiRNAs of T. gondii are more species-specific as compared to other organisms, which can be developed as diagnostic biomarkers for toxoplasmosis. The data also provide a framework for future studies on RNAi-dependent regulatory mechanisms in the zoonotic parasite.

Abstract Background Small endogenous non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) such as small interfering RNA (siRNA), microRNA and other small RNA transcripts are derived from distinct loci in the genome and play critical roles in RNA-mediated gene silencing mechanisms in plants and metazoa. They are approximately 22 nucleotides long; regulate mRNA stability through perfect or imperfect match to the targets. The biological activities of sncRNAs have been related to many biological events, from resistance to microbe infections to cellular differentiation. The development of the zoonotic parasite Schistosoma japonicum parasite includes multiple steps of morphological alterations and biological differentiations, which provide a unique model for studies on the functions of small RNAs. Characterization of the genome-wide transcription of the sncRNAs will be a major step in understanding of the parasite biology. The objective of this study is to investigate the transcriptional profile and potential function of the small non-coding RNAs in the development of S. japanicum. Results The endogenous siRNAs were found mainly derived from transposable elements (TE) or transposons and the natural antisense transcripts (NAT). In contrast to other organisms, the TE-derived siRNAs in S. japonicum were more predominant than other sncRNAs including microRNAs (miRNAs). Further, there were distinct length and 3'end variations in the sncRNAs, which were associated with the developmental differentiation of the parasite. Among the identified miRNA transcripts, there were 38 unique to S. japonicum and 16 that belonged to 13 miRNA families are common to other metazoan lineages. These miRNAs were either ubiquitously expressed, or they exhibited specific expression patterns related to the developmental stages or sex. Genes that encoded miRNAs are mainly located in clusters within the genome of S. japonicum. However, genes within one cluster could be differentially transcribed, which suggested that individual genes might be regulated by distinct mechanisms during parasite development. Conclusions Many miRNA and endogenous siRNA transcripts were identified in S. japonicum and the amount of siRNA was at least 4.4 and 1.6 times more than that of miRNA in both schistosomulum and adult worm stages respectively. SiRNAs are mainly derived from transposable elements (or transposons); while natural antisense transcripts (NAT)-derived siRNAs were much less. A majority of miRNA transcripts identified in the parasite were species-specific and the expression of certain miRNAs was found developmentally regulated. Both miRNA and siRNAs are potentially important regulators in the development of schistosomal parasites.

Abstract Background Plants worldwide are often stressed by low Fe availability around the world, especially in aerobic soils. Therefore, the plant growth, seed yield, and quality of crop species are severely inhibited under Fe deficiency. Fe metabolism in plants is controlled by a series of complex transport, storage, and regulatory mechanisms in cells. Allohexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a staple upland crop species that is highly sensitive to low Fe stresses. Although some studies have been previously conducted on the responses of wheat plants to Fe deficiency, the key mechanisms underlying adaptive responses are still unclear in wheat due to its large and complex genome. Results Transmission electron microscopy showed that the chloroplast structure was severely damaged under Fe deficiency. Paraffin sectioning revealed that the division rates of meristematic cells were reduced, and the sizes of elongated cells were diminished. ICP-MS-assisted ionmics analysis showed that low-Fe stress significantly limited the absorption of nutrients, including N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, and B nutrients. High-throughput transcriptome sequencing identified 378 and 2,619 genome-wide differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the shoots and roots between high-Fe and low-Fe conditions, respectively. These DEGs were mainly involved in the Fe chelator biosynthesis, ion transport, photosynthesis, amino acid metabolism, and protein synthesis. Gene coexpression network diagrams indicated that TaIRT1b-4A, TaNAS2-6D, TaNAS1a-6A, TaNAS1-6B, and TaNAAT1b-1D might function as key regulators in the adaptive responses of wheat plants to Fe deficiency. Conclusions These results might help us fully understand the morpho-physiological and molecular responses of wheat plants to low-Fe stress, and provide elite genetic resources for the genetic modification of efficient Fe use.

Abstract Background Oilseed rape (B. napus L.) has great potential for phytoremediation of cadmium (Cd)-polluted soils due to its large plant biomass production and strong metal accumulation. Soil properties and the presence of other soluble compounds or ions, cause a heterogeneous distribution of Cd. Results The aim of our study was to reveal the differential responses of B. napus to different Cd abundances. Herein, we found that high Cd (50 μM) severely inhibited the growth of B. napus, which was not repressed by low Cd (0.50 μM) under hydroponic culture system. ICP-MS assays showed that the Cd2+ concentrations in both shoots and roots under 50 μM Cd were over 10 times higher than those under 0.50 μM Cd. Under low Cd, the concentrations of only shoot Ca2+/Mn2+ and root Mn2+ were obviously changed (both reduced); under high Cd, the concentrations of most cations assayed were significantly altered in both shoots and roots except root Ca2+ and Mg2+. High-throughput transcriptomic profiling revealed a total of 18,021 and 1408 differentially expressed genes under high Cd and low Cd conditions, respectively. The biological categories related to the biosynthesis of plant cell wall components and response to external stimulus were over-accumulated under low Cd, whereas the terms involving photosynthesis, nitrogen transport and response, and cellular metal ion homeostasis were highly enriched under high Cd. Differential expression of the transporters responsible for Cd uptake (NRAMPs), transport (IRTs and ZIPs), sequestration (HMAs, ABCs, and CAXs), and detoxification (MTPs, PCR, MTs, and PCSs), and some other essential nutrient transporters were investigated, and gene co-expression network analysis revealed the core members of these Cd transporters. Some Cd transporter genes, especially NRAMPs and IRTs, showed opposite responsive patterns between high Cd and low Cd conditions. Conclusions Our findings would enrich our understanding of the interaction between essential nutrients and Cd, and might also provide suitable gene resources and important implications for the genetic improvement of plant Cd accumulation and resistance through molecular engineering of these core genes under varying Cd abundances in soils.

Abstract Background B-box (BBX) genes play important roles in plant growth regulation and responses to abiotic stresses. The plant growth and yield production of allotetraploid rapeseed is usually hindered by diverse nutrient stresses. However, no systematic analysis of Brassicaceae BBXs and the roles of BBXs in the regulation of nutrient stress responses have not been identified and characterized previously. Results In this study, a total of 536 BBXs were identified from nine brassicaceae species, including 32 AtBBXs, 66 BnaBBXs, 41 BoBBXs, 43 BrBBXs, 26 CrBBXs, 81 CsBBXs, 52 BnBBXs, 93 BjBBXs, and 102 BcBBXs. Syntenic analysis showed that great differences in the gene number of Brassicaceae BBXs might be caused by genome duplication. The BBXs were respectively divided into five subclasses according to their phylogenetic relationships and conserved domains, indicating their diversified functions. Promoter cis-element analysis showed that BBXs probably participated in diverse stress responses. Protein-protein interactions between BnaBBXs indicated their functions in flower induction. The expression profiles of BnaBBXs were investigated in rapeseed plants under boron deficiency, boron toxicity, nitrate limitation, phosphate shortage, potassium starvation, ammonium excess, cadmium toxicity, and salt stress conditions using RNA-seq data. The results showed that different BnaBBXs showed differential transcriptional responses to nutrient stresses, and some of them were simultaneously responsive to diverse nutrient stresses. Conclusions Taken together, the findings investigated in this study provided rich resources for studying Brassicaceae BBX gene family and enriched potential clues in the genetic improvement of crop stress resistance.

Abstract Background Nitrogen (N), referred to as a “life element”, is a macronutrient essential for optimal plant growth and yield production. Amino acid (AA) permease (AAP) genes play pivotal roles in root import, long-distance translocation, remobilization of organic amide-N from source organs to sinks, and other environmental stress responses. However, few systematic analyses of AAPs have been reported in Brassica napus so far. Results In this study, we identified a total of 34 full-length AAP genes representing eight subgroups (AAP1–8) from the allotetraploid rapeseed genome (AnAnCnCn, 2n = 4x = 38). Great differences in the homolog number among the BnaAAP subgroups might indicate their significant differential roles in the growth and development of rapeseed plants. The BnaAAPs were phylogenetically divided into three evolutionary clades, and the members in the same subgroups had similar physiochemical characteristics, gene/protein structures, and conserved AA transport motifs. Darwin’s evolutionary analysis suggested that BnaAAPs were subjected to strong purifying selection pressure. Cis-element analysis showed potential differential transcriptional regulation of AAPs between the model Arabidopsis and B. napus. Differential expression of BnaAAPs under nitrate limitation, ammonium excess, phosphate shortage, boron deficiency, cadmium toxicity, and salt stress conditions indicated their potential involvement in diverse nutrient stress responses. Conclusions The genome-wide identification of BnaAAPs will provide a comprehensive insight into their family evolution and AAP-mediated AA transport under diverse abiotic stresses. The molecular characterization of core AAPs can provide elite gene resources and contribute to the genetic improvement of crop stress resistance through the modulation of AA transport.

Plant defensins (PDFs), short peptides with strong antibacterial activity, play important roles in plant growth, development, and stress resistance. However, there are few systematic analyses on PDFs in Brassica napus. Here, bioinformatics methods were used to identify genome-wide PDFs in Brassica napus, and systematically analyze physicochemical properties, expansion pattern, phylogeny, and expression profiling of BnaPDFs under diverse nutrient stresses. A total of 37 full-length PDF homologs, divided into two subgroups (PDF1s and PDF2s), were identified in the rapeseed genome. A total of two distinct clades were identified in the BnaPDF phylogeny. Clade specific conserved motifs were identified within each clade respectively. Most BnaPDFs were proved to undergo powerful purified selection. The PDF members had enriched cis-elements related to growth and development, hormone response, environmental stress response in their promoter regions. GO annotations indicate that the functional pathways of BnaPDFs are mainly involved in cells killing and plant defense responses. In addition, bna-miRNA164 and bna-miRNA172 respectively regulate the expression of their targets BnaA2.PDF2.5 and BnaC7.PDF2.6. The expression patterns of BnaPDFs were analyzed in different tissues. BnaPDF1.2bs was mainly expressed in the roots, whereas BnaPDF2.2s and BnaPDF2.3s were both expressed in stamen, pericarp, silique, and stem. However, the other BnaPDF members showed low expression levels in various tissues. Differential expression of BnaPDFs under nitrate limitation, ammonium excess, phosphorus starvation, potassium deficiency, cadmium toxicity, and salt stress indicated that they might participate in different nutrient stress resistance. The genome-wide identification and characterization of BnaPDFs will enrich understanding of their molecular characteristics and provide elite gene resources for genetic improvement of rapeseed resistance to nutrient stresses.

Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKP) with a high mucus phenotype, can cause liver abscess and extrahepatic invasive infection. The morbidity of hvKP infections has increased recently. Here we describe a case report of septicemia caused by hvKP due to the term septic arthritis of right knee joint in a 29-year-old male. The patient was persistent fever with a peak temperature at 40.6 °C. However, based on the drug sensitivity, the treatment failed frequently. The patient did not improve clinically on susceptible monotherapy antimicrobial. Combination therapy with meropenem and rifampicin (RFP) lead to clinical improvement and discharge.

Rapid and correct estimation of driver lane change intention plays an important role in the advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), which could make the driver improve the reliability of the ADAS system and help to decrease driver workload. In this study, a method based on the long short-term memory network (LSTM) and Dempster–Shafer evidence theory is proposed. The model consists of a preliminary decision-making label and a final decision-making label. Driver visual information, head orientation, and vehicle dynamics are collected by preliminary decision-making label. Then, LSTM is used to calculate the initial probability of the driver lane change (left, right, and lane keeping) maneuver intention. The outputs of LSTM are normalized and assigned a basic probability by the Dempster–Shafer evidence theory. The final decision-making label analyzes the information and outputs the probability of each lane change intention and the decision is to identify the driver's current intention. The experimental results show that the accuracy of the model is 90.7% for the intention of changing left and 89.1% for the intention of changing right. The outcome of this work is an essential component for all levels of road vehicle automation.

Designing unconventional interactions between single phonons and spins is fascinating for its applications in quantum phononics. Here we propose a reliable scheme for coupling spins and phonons in phononic dimer and trimer lattices, with the combination of solid-state defects and diamond phononic (optomechanical) crystals. The dimer and trimer lattices used are an array of coupled phononic cavities with spatially modulated hopping rates. We predict a series of unconventional sound-matter interaction phenomena in this hybrid quantum system. In the dimer lattice we show the formation of chiral spin-phonon bound states and topology-dependent phononic collective radiation. While in the trimer lattice, chiral bound states still exist and the spin relaxation is sublattice dependent. The chiral bound states existing in both types of lattices are robust to a large amount of disorder, which can mediate chiral and robust spin-spin interactions. This work provides a promising platform for phonon-based quantum information processing and quantum simulation.

Among the potential non-food energy crops, the sugar-rich C4 grass sweet sorghum and the biomass-rich Miscanthus are increasingly considered as two leading candidates. Here, we outline the biological traits of these energy crops for large-scale production in China. We also review recent progress on understanding of plant cell wall composition and wall polymer features of both plant species from large populations that affect both biomass enzymatic digestibility and ethanol conversion rates under various pretreatment conditions. We finally propose genetic approaches to enhance biomass production, enzymatic digestibility and sugar-ethanol conversion efficiency of the energy crops.

Objective The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of cupric citrate (CuCit) on growth performance, antioxidant indices, serum lipid metabolites, serum immune indices, and tissue residues of copper (Cu), zinc, and iron in weaned pigs. Methods A total of 180 weaned pigs (Duroc×Landrace×Large White) with an average body weight of 8.98±1.21 kg were randomly assigned to a corn-soybean meal control ration, or 4 similar rations with 30, 60, 120, or 240 mg/kg Cu as CuCit. All diets contained 10 mg/kg Cu as cupric sulfate from the vitamin-mineral premix. The experiment was divided into two phases: 0 to 14 d (phase 1) and 15 to 28 d (phase 2). Results Average daily gain (ADG; linearly, p

Background: There has been no a specific scale to measure quality of life (QOL) for prostate cancer patients receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) to date. This study aimed to develop and initially validate the scale to evaluate QOL for prostate cancer patients receiving ADT. Methods: The scale was developed following international recommendations. Moreover, the items were all generated through literature review and referenced questionnaires. After being reviewed by expert panelists, the revised scale was formed and then completed by a convenience sample of 200 prostate cancer patients from our hospital. Explore factor analysis (EFA) was applied to test the construct validity, then split-half reliability, Cronbach's alpha, and test-retest reliability were applied to assess the reliability and stability of the scale. Results: The revised scale contained 22 items and a total of 200 participants had completed the scale. One hundred participants were randomly selected from the total 200 participants to perform EFA with varimax rotation on the revised scale, and “hot flashes” item was deleted for low factor loading. We selected only 3 items from each factor, then, the final scale was formed with 18-items. We selected another 100 participants to perform the EFA again on the final scale. It was demonstrated that the structure with 6 factors explained 72.5% of total variance and factor loading value was above 0.40 in all items of the factors. Moreover, the split-half reliability coefficient, Cronbach's alpha, and test-retest reliability coefficient were calculated to be 0.74, 0.63, and 0.89, respectively, exhibiting good reliability on the whole. Conclusions: The scale was identified to be a valid and reliable instrument to measure QOL for prostate cancer patients receiving ADT. Moreover, further research is needed to overcome the potential drawbacks.

Glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma protein B is a type 1 transmembrane protein that has been recently found to play a role in cancer cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and invasion. Due to its potential responsibility in cancer aggressiveness, the main objective of this work was to investigate its expression in bladder cancer and the biological functions in bladder cancer cells. Using immunohistochemistry, western blot, and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, we analyzed the expression of glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma protein B in bladder cancer tissues and bladder cancer cell lines. The effects of glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma protein B on proliferation, migration, and invasion were tested after knocking down the glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma protein B in bladder cancer cells with small interfering RNAs by CCK-8, Transwell, and Matrigel assays. Our results showed that glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma protein B protein was highly expressed in the bladder cancer tissues and cell lines. Downregulating glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma protein B could suppress the proliferation, migration, and invasion in bladder cancer cells. Glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma protein B expression was related to the poor differentiation and recurrence by immunohistochemistry analysis. The survival analysis also showed that glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma protein B was related to the patient prognosis. In conclusion, Glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma protein B protein was highly expressed in the bladder cancer, which was related to the poor prognosis in bladder cancer patients. Glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma protein B promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion in bladder cancer cells.

The environmentally-friendly procedure of oxygen treatment (O) and peroxide treatment with oxygen and anthraquinone as a catalyst (Po-AQ) was studied for isolation of cellulose from bagasse pith (BP) mainly consisting of parenchyma cells. The optimal conditions were: 20% alkali dosages with 12% BP consistency at 120 °C for 3 h under 0.6 MPa initial oxygen pressure for the O step; then 8% H2O2, 20% NaOH, and 0.3% AQ charges with 8% BP consistency at 120 °C for 6 h under the same oxygen pressure for the Po-AQ step. And the optimum process was: BP pretreated by cool-water extraction was firstly O-treated, and after finishing O treatment, intermediate pulp which was manually separated from effluent, was continuously processed by Po-AQ treatment. Based on the conditions above, this process can yield 37.1% of cellulose sample, containing 7.01% hemicelluloses and 0.57% lignin. The representative samples were characterized by gas chromatography (GC), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).