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In this article, the local stabilization problem is investigated for a class of memristive neural networks (MNNs) with communication bandwidth constraints and actuator saturation. To overcome these challenges, a discontinuous event-trigger (DET) scheme, consisting of the rest interval and work interval, is proposed to cut down the triggering times and save the limited communication resources. Then, a novel relaxed piecewise functional is constructed for closed-loop MNNs. The main advantage of the designed functional consists in that it is positive definite only in the work intervals and the sampling instants but not necessarily inside the rest intervals. With the aid of extended reciprocally convex combination lemma, generalized sector condition, and some inequality techniques, two local stabilization criteria are established on the basis of both the discrete- and continuous-time Lyapunov methods. The proposed analysis technique fully takes advantage of the looped-functional and the event-trigger mechanism. Moreover, two optimization schemes are, respectively, established to design the control gain and enlarge the estimates of the admissible initial conditions (AICs) and the upper bound of rest intervals. Finally, some comparison results are given to validate the superiority of the proposed method.

PTSD is one of the most common conditions after people have experienced trauma. While previous studies have found a link between PTSD and non-suicidal self-injury, (NSSI), few studies have longitudinally explored this relationship and the underlying mechanisms.This study explored adolescent NSSI frequency after COVID-19 lockdown experiences, the relationship with early PTSD symptoms, and the mediating role of depression and sleep problems.A cohort of 1609 adolescents completed two surveys during and after the national lockdown in China; one month into the lockdown and six months later; which assessed demographic and pandemic-related exposure variables; PTSD, depression, sleep, and NSSI. Mediation analyses and hierarchical regression were employed to examine the relationships and the paths between these variables.The NSSI rate was found to be 31.9 % after the three-month lockdown, with 20.6 % of adolescent participants reporting sleeping disorders, and 33.9 % indicating probable depression. Adolescents who had earlier PTSD symptoms, often smoked and/or drank, and had current depression and sleep disorders reported greater NSSI. Early PTSD symptoms were found to predict later NSSI and were mediated by sleep problems and depressive symptoms. Specifically, PTSD avoidance and numbing symptoms were significantly associated with NSSI above and beyond the depressive symptoms, sleeping problems, and the other covariables.It is necessary to be vigilant about the increased risk of NSSI in adolescents who have experienced extended pandemic lockdowns. Preventing early adolescent PTSD symptoms, especially avoidance and numbness, and helping teenagers quit smoking and drinking could reduce the risk of sleep disorders, depression, and NSSI.

Background. Many studies have found that chromatin regulators (CRs) are correlated with tumorigenesis and disease prognosis. Here, we attempted to build a new CR-related gene model to predict breast cancer (BC) survival status. Methods. First, the CR-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened in normal and tumor breast tissues, and the potential mechanism of CR-related DEGs was determined by function analysis. Based on the prognostic DEGs, the Cox regression model was applied to build a signature for BC. Then, survival and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were performed to validate the signature’s efficacy and identify its independent prognostic value. The CIBERSORT and tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE) algorithms were used to assess the immune cells infiltration and immunotherapy efficacy for this signature, respectively. Additionally, a novel nomogram was also built for clinical decisions. Results. We identified 98 CR-related DEGs in breast tissues and constructed a novel 6 CR-related gene signature (ARID5A, ASCL1, IKZF3, KDM4B, PRDM11, and TFF1) to predict the outcome of BC patients. The prognostic value of this CR-related gene signature was validated with outstanding predictive performance. The TIDE analysis revealed that the high-risk group patients had a better response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy. Conclusion. A new CR-related gene signature was built, and this signature could provide the independent predictive capability of prognosis and immunotherapy efficacy for BC patients.

The association between betaine and hypertension risk remains uncertain. Few prospective studies were originally designed to investigate this association.

Standard protocols of chemical compositions, synthesis pathways, calcination conditions, electrode preparation, battery fabrication, and battery testing are recommended in researching lithium-rich layered cathode materials for Li-ion batteries.

Besides 2A′ and 4A′ PESs, O2 + N inelastic collisions also occur on the 6A′ PES. State-to-state rate coefficients increase by a factor of 2 to 6 when the contribution of the 6A′ PES is considered.

Lung transplantation is an ultimate lifesaving treatment for many patients with end-stage lung disease, whereas whether it is an optional intervention for the anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (anti-MDA5)-positive dermatomyositis (DM)-associated rapid progressive interstitial lung disease (RP-ILD) remain controversial. We report two patients diagnosed with anti-MDA5-positive DM-associated RP-ILD, who were both bridging to lung transplant with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) after failing to respond to extensive immunosuppressants. The first patient received full rehabilitation, but the second patient died of DM flare at the early-stage post-lung transplantation. Most of the clinical information was parallel in these two patients except the anti-MDA5 antibody level, which gradually decreased and became negative in the first patient but always hovering in high titers in the second patient, although both of the two patients received standard immunosuppressive regimen for prevention of rejection after lung transplantation. A total of 11 patients with anti-MDA5-positive DM-associated RP-ILD who underwent lung transplantation from the literature were identified. Most patients (10/11, 90.1%) were successfully discharged and without DM flare during the follow-up period post-lung transplantation. Nine of them were followed up more than 1 year, and anti-MDA-5 antibody was reported to be negative in four patients, whereas the others were unavailable. Combined with the case series in the literature, our limited experience suggests that lung transplantation is a promising therapeutic option for end-stage patients with anti-MDA5-positive DM-associated RP-ILD, with ECMO as a bridge to lung transplantation, if necessary. However, clearance or a downtrend of anti-MDA5 antibody may be required pre-transplant to avoid DM flare and recurrent RP-ILD post-transplantation.

In view of the high risks brought about by organic micropollutants (OMPs), nanofiltration (NF) processes have been playing a vital role in advanced water and wastewater treatment, owing to the high membrane performance in rejection of OMPs, permeation of water, and passage of mineral salts. Though numerous studies have been devoted to evaluating and technically enhancing membrane performance in removing various OMPs, the trade-off effect between water permeance and water/OMP selectivity for state-of-the-art membranes remains far from being understood. Knowledge of this effect is significant for comparing and guiding membrane development works toward cost-efficient OMP removal. In this work, we comprehensively assessed the performance of 88 NF membranes, commercialized or newly developed, based on their water permeance and OMP rejection data published in the literature. The effectiveness and underlying mechanisms of various modification methods in tailoring properties and in turn performance of the mainstream polyamide (PA) thin-film composite (TFC) membranes were quantitatively analyzed. The trade-off effect was demonstrated by the abundant data from both experimental measurements and machine learning-based prediction. On this basis, the advancement of novel membranes was benchmarked by the performance upper-bound revealed by commercial membranes and lab-made PA membranes. We also assessed the potentials of current NF membranes in selectively separating OMPs from inorganic salts and identified the future research perspectives to achieve further enhancement in OMP removal and salt/OMP selectivity of NF membranes.

Exercise, like daily walking, may improve overall health and impede progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD); however, no specific walking dose has been recommended for patients with CKD. We aimed to investigate the association between daily walking steps and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in adults with CKD.The walking steps of patients with CKD were extracted from the We Run mobile application. Their average daily walking steps were calculated and subdivided into the low-, middle-, and high-level groups. HRQOL was assessed using the physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) of the MOS 36 Short Form Health Survey (SF-36).A total of 558 adults (50.5%, men) with an average age of 40.2 (±13.8) years were enrolled. The median daily step count was 7,404 steps. The daily walking step count demonstrated an inverse U-shaped relationship with the SF-36 and subscale scores. Participants with daily walking steps between 7,000 and 12,000 have the highest PCS (68.1 ± 12.2) and MCS scores (70.0 ± 19.5). The multiple linear regression model showed that compared with patients with a daily step count of 7,000 to 12,000, patients with a daily step count12,000 had a significantly lower MCS score (P .001), while patients with a daily step count7,000 had significantly lower PCS (P .001) and MCS scores (P = .034). Moreover, the multivariable logistic regression model showed that patients with a daily step count12,000 had significantly lower mental health-related quality (odds ratio [OR], 2.188; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.079-1.439 for low MCS), while those with a daily step count7,000 had a significantly lower HRQOL than the 7,000 to 12,000 daily step count group (OR, 2.113; 95% CI, 1.203-3.711 for low PCS; OR, 2.099; 95% CI, 1.210-3.643 for low MCS).These findings suggest that daily walking steps between 7,000 and 12,000 are associated with high HRQOL in adults with CKD.

The association between blood eosinophil (EOS) counts and arterial/venous thrombosis is unclear. We aim to explore whether EOS count is a risk factor for thrombosis. We searched several databases and preprint platforms using core terms 'eosinophil', 'myocardial infarction', 'ischemic stroke', and 'venous thromboembolism' (VTE), among others. Studies comparing the odds ratios (ORs) or risk ratios (RRs) of EOSs with the abovementioned diseases were eligible. Overall, 22 studies were included. A high EOS count was associated with acute coronary artery thrombosis events (OR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.15-1.32), short-term cerebral infarction and mortality (RR: 2.87, 95% CI: 1.49-5.51). The short-term risk of VTE was more common in patients with EOS-related diseases (RR: 6.52, 95% CI: 2.42-17.54). For coronary artery disease, a high EOS count was a protective factor against 6-month to 1-year mortality (RR: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.45-0.69) but was associated with long-term mortality (RR: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.25-2.14). Therefore, we conclude that for coronary artery thrombosis, EOS count is not associated with AMI events in general population. It may be associated with NSTEMI and STEMI in CAD patients, but more studies are needed to confirm this. In addition, EOS count is associated with an increased risk of both short- and long-term mortality but is not predictive of the composite endpoints. For cerebral artery thrombosis, EOS count may be associated with cerebral infarction and could lead to an increased risk of poor short-term prognosis. For VTEs, EOS count was a risk factor for some patients, especially those with acute-phase EOS-related diseases.

Nanofiltration (NF), highly prospective for drinking water treatment, faces a challenge in simultaneously removing emerging contaminants while maintaining mineral salts, particularly divalent cations. To overcome this challenge, NF membranes possessing small pores concomitant with highly negatively charged surfaces were synthesized via a two-step fabrication strategy. The key is to generate a polyamide active layer having a loose and carboxyl group-abundant segment on top and a dense barrier segment underneath. This was achieved by restrained interfacial polymerization between trimesoyl chloride and partly protonated piperazine to form a highly depth-heterogeneous polyamide network, followed by second amidation in an organic environment to remove untethered polyamide fragments and associate malonyl chlorides with reserved amine groups to introduce more negative charges. Most importantly, on first-principle engineering the spatial architecture of the polyamide layer, amplifying asymmetric charge distribution was paired with the thinning of the vertical structure. The optimized membrane exhibits high salt/organic rejection selectivity and water permeance superior to most NF membranes reported previously. The rejections of eight emerging contaminants were in the range of 66.0-94.4%, much higher than the MgCl

Interfacial free energy is a quantitative basis for explaining and predicting interfacial behavior that is ubiquitous in nature. The contact angle (CA) method can determine the surface free energy (γ) as well as Lifshitz-van der Waals (γ

The male abnormal gene family 21 (imab21/i), was initially identified iniC. elegans/i. Since its identification, studies from different groups have shown that it regulates development of ocular tissues, brain, heart and liver. However, its functional mechanism remains largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that Mab21L1 promotes survival of lens epithelial cells. Mechanistically, Mab21L1 upregulates expression of αB-crystallin. Moreover, our results show that αB-crystallin prevents stress-induced phosphorylation of p53 at S-20 and S-37 through abrogating the activation of the upstream kinases, ATR and CHK1. As a result of suppressing p53 activity by αB-crystallin, Mab21L1 downregulates expression of Bak but upregulates Mcl-1 during stress insult. Taken together, our results demonstrate that Mab21L1 promotes survival of lens epithelial cells through upregulation of αB-crystallin to suppress ATR/CHK1/p53 pathway.

To enhance the use of nanofiltration in the production of quality drinking water, particularly through the efficient removal of micropollutants yet still preserving essential minerals, the targeted nanofiltration membranes (NFMs) are required to have small pore dimensions coupled with a high, net-negative charge density. Herein, after the formation of a separation layer using piperazine interfacially polymerized with trimesoyl chloride, the exploitation of residual amine groups was systematically investigated by different diacyl chlorides in an organic milieu, which caused the upper part of the final separation layer to be denser and highly negatively charged. Hence, this protocol offers a novel means to fabricate NFMs simultaneously endowed with a low molecular cutoff (MWCO) of 145-238 Da and a reduced rejection of MgCl

Traditional Chinese music has undergone trials and tribulations. To date, traditional music has been gradually improved, preserved, and passed down, both in terms of theoretical works and traditional music varieties. However, the current state of traditional music is still a cause for concern. Whether it is scholars engaged in the study of traditional music, universities, or local government agencies, there are still areas that need to be improved individually. The need to cultivate a future audience for traditional music and to make full use of new media such as the Internet is a priority at this stage. The emergence of any new technology is bound to have some impact on the existing social system, and the emergence of artificial intelligence is no exception. Due to the limitation of technology, only a small number of basic applications have been developed, and it is the future mission of research workers whether they can develop more advanced products for music lovers to experience on the basis of ensuring the basic maturity of these applications. In this paper, we introduce the convolutional deep belief network model based on the restricted Boltzmann machine and apply the convolutional deep belief network algorithm to the music melody recognition. Firstly, it was pretrained by an unsupervised greedy layer-by-layer algorithm. Then, the network parameters were fine-tuned by a supervised network training method, and the recognition ability of the model was improved by adjusting the network parameters. The experimental results show that the recognition effect of the system is more obvious under the condition that the length of music samples is 3 s, and the recognition effect is better when the number of model layers is 2 than that when the number of layers is 1.

Age-related degeneration of microvessels is known to occur in white matter, and exercise training can enhance brain function and promote cerebral blood flow. However, the effects of exercise training on microvessels in aged white matter are unknown. Forty-one middle-aged male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a sedentary group and an exercised group. The rats in the exercised group were made to run on treadmills for 4 months. The spatial learning capacities of all groups were then assessed with the Morris water maze. White matter and its microvessels were investigated using immunohistological techniques and stereological methods. In the exercised group, females but not males, showed improved performance over time in the Morris water maze. In females but not males, the exercised rats showed significantly increased white matter volume compared with that of sedentary rats. The total length of microvessels in the white matter in the exercised group was significantly increased compared with that in the sedentary group in both males and females, but the total volume and total surface area of microvessels in the white matter did not differ significantly between the sedentary and exercised rats. Regular treadmill exercise had protective effects on spatial learning capacity, white matter volume, and the total length of microvessels in the white matter in middle-aged female rats and on the total length of microvessels in the white matter in middle-aged male rats. The results obtained might increase our understanding of the mechanisms by which exercise delays brain aging.

The association between imaging features closely associated with symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic plaques and early-onset post-stroke depression (PSD) is currently unclear.76 ischemic stroke patients who underwent high-resolution vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging (HR-VWI) were divided into PSD and non-PSD groups according to their DSM-V diagnoses and HAMD-17 scores at 14 days after onset. Clinical data and the imaging features associated with symptomatic plaques (including the enhancement index (EI), remodeling index, and plaque surface irregularity) were compared between groups. Multifactorial logistic regression analysis was used to find independent predictors of early-onset PSD. Spearman rank correlation analysis explores the association between clinical data, symptomatic plaque imaging features, and HAMD-17 in patients.The sample comprised 36 patients with early-onset PSD. The symptomatic plaque EI and infarct volume were significantly higher in depressed patients than in patients without depression (P 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression showed that symptomatic plaque EI could be used as an independent predictor of early-onset PSD after correcting for the confounding factor of infarct volume (OR = 1.034, 95% CI:1.014-1.055, P = 0.001). In the total sample, symptomatic plaque EI, infarct volume, and HAMD-17 had a significant positive correlation with each other (P 0.05).This study focused only on the patients' symptomatic plaques and did not monitor patients' systemic inflammation levels at the time of HR-VWI.The degree of symptomatic plaque enhancement is an independent predictive imaging marker of early-onset PSD and can be used the early diagnosis of early-onset PSD.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major cause of unexpected and perioperative in-hospital deaths. It is characterized by high morbidity, high mortality, high misdiagnosis rate, and high missed diagnosis rates. VTE is a common postoperative complication in cancer patients. VTE is preventable, and early identification of risk factors leading to VTE and appropriate early preventive actions can reduce its occurrence and mortality. Presently, there is no uniform standard for the prevention and control of VTE in clinical practice, and hospitals in China lack mature and effective protocols for the assessment, prevention, and treatment of VTE.To explore whether an early warning program could influence the occurrence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) postoperatively.This is a comparative retrospective cohort study, which enrolled patients who underwent laparotomic or laparoscopic gastrointestinal tumor resection for gastrointestinal cancer between January 2016 and December 2019. Patients were divided into a control group and an early warning group depending on whether or not the early warning program was implemented. A venous thromboembolism prevention and control team was established. The outcomes included the occurrence of DVT, the correct rate of VTE assessment, the coagulation indicators, and the mastery of VTE knowledge by the nurses.A total of 264 patients were included in this study, with 128 patients in the control group and 136 patients in the early warning group. The occurrence rate of DVT in the early warning group was 6.6% (9/136), compared with 14.1% (18/128) in the control group (The early warning strategy was independently associated with the decreasing occurrence of VTE, and it might be suitable for protection from VTE in patients undergoing gastrointestinal cancer surgery.

To assess changes in myopic maculopathy based on the ATN classification system with optical coherence tomography angiography.This was a cross-sectional study. The macular choroidal thickness (MCT) and the choriocapillaris flow (CC) were measured with optical coherence tomography angiography. The relationship of MCT and CC with different chorioretinal atrophy (A), myopic foveoschisis (T), and myopic neovascularization (N) grades was investigated.One hundred and fifty-three participates (219 eyes) were included. MCT and CC had no significant correlation with different T grades (P0.05). Choriocapillaris flow had a significant decrease in eyes with lacquer cracks compared with those with no neovascular maculopathy (P0.05) and showed a significant increase in active choroidal neovascularization compared with those with lacquer cracks (P0.05). Macular choroidal thickness and CC had negative correlations with different A grades (P0.001). MCT showed the greatest decrease in the early stage of myopic atrophic maculopathy (P0.001), and CC showed the most significant reduction in the late stage (P0.001).Choroidal changes in the highly myopic patients were detected by optical coherence tomography angiography. Progressive ischemia in the macula may play an important role in the development of myopic atrophic maculopathy. Active choroidal neovascularization may have manifested as compensation for the decrease in MCT and CC. On the contrary, myopic traction maculopathy had little correlation with choroidal changes.

The potential therapeutic benefit of adjuvant radiotherapy for patients with stage I uterine sarcoma has not been clear. In this study, we aimed to develop a risk scoring model to select the subgroup of patients with stage I uterine sarcoma who might benefit from adjuvant radiotherapy.Patients with stage I uterine sarcoma from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program from 2010 to 2014 were retrospectively included in this analysis. Cox proportional hazards models were performed to identify risk factors.A total of 947 stage I uterine sarcoma patients were included. The 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) of the overall cohort was 75.81%. Multivariate analysis identified stage (p = 0.013), tumor grade (p 0.001) and histology (p = 0.043) as independent prognostic factors for DSS, and these factors were used to generate the risk scoring model. The low-risk group presented a better DSS than the high-risk group (95.51% vs. 49.88%, p 0.001). The addition of radiotherapy to surgery significantly increased the DSS in the high-risk group compared with surgery alone (78.06% vs. 46.88%, p = 0.022), but no significant survival benefit was observed in the low-risk group (98.36% vs. 100%, p = 0.766).Our risk scoring model based on stage, tumor grade, and histology predicted the outcome of patients with stage I uterine sarcoma cancer. This system may help to select stage I uterine sarcoma cancer patients who might benefit from adjuvant radiotherapy.

The variable geometry supersonic inlet tends to decrease the throat area to reduce the Mach number upstream of the terminal shock, so as to reduce the flow loss. However, excessive Internal Contraction Ratio (ICR) exposes the inlet to a greater risk of unstart, which inevitably results in a process of increasing the throat area to aid the inlet restart. In the above throat regulation process, the inlet undergoes the start, unstart, and restart states in turn. In order to reveal the flow structure and mechanism of this process, a two-dimensional unsteady numerical simulation combined with a dynamic mesh technique were employed. The shock-on-lip Mach number of the studied inlet is 4.0 and the flight angle of attack is + 6°. Analysis was focused on the state with a freestream Mach number of 3.0. The results clearly show that the flow response hysteresis appears, and restart is only realized when the throat area is obviously increased as compared to that of unstart due to the historical unstart flow structure. In addition, three typical flow fields were analyzed, and it is found that the separation ahead of the inlet was the key factor affecting the hysteresis. Finally, unstart and restart boundaries of the inlet were discussed, and the factors influencing its deviation from the typical boundaries of dual-solution area were analyzed. The newly predicted unstart and restart boundaries are much closer to the CFD results.