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BackgroundsRecent research suggests that uric acid, as a metabolite with antioxidant properties, may affect muscle function and health. However, the association between serum uric acid (SUA) and low muscle mass remains relatively obscure. This study focuses on the association between SUA and low muscle mass in a middle-aged and elderly population in the United States.MethodsUtilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a total of 12,106 patients aged ≥45 years, possessing complete analytical data, were incorporated. Low muscle mass in our study is defined as indices below 0.789 for males and 0.512 for females, according to the FNIH Biomarkers Consortium. Gender stratified analyses were conducted employing a multivariate weighted logistic regression model. When examining serum uric acid (SUA) levels, the SUA dataset was stratified into deciles, and odds ratios (ORs) were calculated across distinct subgroups of males and females. A restricted cubic spline (RCS) method was employed to investigate the potential nonlinear association between SUA levels and low muscle mass. A series of subgroup analyses stratified by demographic variables and clinical experience were conducted.ResultsA total of 2,185 participants (18.05%) were identified with low muscle mass, comprising 1,121 males and 1,064 females. Females with low muscle mass had higher SUA levels and an increased incidence of hyperuricemia compared to those without low muscle mass. In females, a fully adjusted multivariable weighted regression model revealed a positive association between hyperuricemia and low muscle mass (OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.92; P = 0.021). No significant association was observed in males. Additionally, RCS curves indicated a J-shaped relationship between increasing SUA levels and the risk of low muscle mass in females, and an inverse J-shaped relationship in males.ConclusionsThis study reveals a significant positive correlation between hyperuricemia and the risk of low muscle mass in middle-aged and older women in the United States, whereas the relationship between SUA levels and low muscle mass did not attain statistical significance. In the male cohort, neither SUA levels nor hyperuricemia demonstrated a significant association with low muscle mass.

IntroductionCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute respiratory infection caused by novel coronavirus 2019. Many individuals suffered psychological symptoms in the early stage when the epidemic was uncertain. We explored the perceived psychological stress and associated factors in the early stage of COVID-19 epidemic.MethodThe Perceived Stress Scale, Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire, Social Support Rating Scale and a general information questionnaire were integrated in an on-line survey conducted from February 1, 2020 until February 4, 2020. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to explore whether coping style, social support or other factors contributed to psychological stress.ResultsA total of 1638 participants were included, of whom 44.3% showed moderate psychological stress. Individuals who were younger, female, unmarried, spent more time on the disease, felt more concern about it, reported lower social support (Subjective Social support; Objective social support; Utilization social support), or showed a negative coping style were more likely to suffer higher psychological stress in the early stages of the COVID-19 epidemic.ConclusionPsychological interventions may be targeted to individuals with the risk characteristics identified in this study. It may be helpful to promote social support and positive coping style in the early stage of infectious disease epidemics. This initial evidence from the general Chinese population may be relevant to interventions in other countries for dealing with the COVID-19 and other epidemics.

As the epidemic outbreak of 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19), general population may experience psychological distress. Evidence has suggested that negative coping styles may be related to subsequent mental illness. Therefore, we investigate the general population's psychological distress and coping styles in the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak. A cross-sectional battery of surveys was conducted from February 1-4, 2020. The Kessler 6 psychological distress scale, the simplified coping style questionnaire and a general information questionnaire were administered on-line to a convenience sample of 1599 in China. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify the influence factors of psychological distress. General population's psychological distress were significant differences based on age, marriage, epidemic contact characteristics, concern with media reports, and perceived impacts of the epidemic outbreak (all p

AIMS:The objective of this study was to investigate the longitudinal trajectory of BMI in the Chinese population, and to assess whether the gender or other personal characteristics were related to BMI, and whether there was a change in trajectory over time. METHODS:Data were obtained from 3,574 Chinese (5 to 89 years of age) who participated in the 2000-2011 of the China Health and Nutrition Survey. Latent growth curve models were used to investigate the longitudinal trajectory of BMI, and to examine the effect of some personal characteristics on BMI trajectory. RESULTS:The linear model resulted in a mean initial BMI value of 22.90 and a significant mean slope (Ms = 0.19, t = 10.73, p

In China, medical staff of children's hospitals are commonly exposed to violence. However, few studies on medical violence are conducted in the settings of children's hospitals. The aim of this study is to assess the incidence, magnitude, consequences, and potential risk factors of workplace violence (WPV) against medical staff of children's hospitals.A retrospective cross-sectional design was used. A self-administered questionnaire was utilized to collect data on 12 children's hospitals. The questionnaires were distributed to a stratified proportional random sample of 2,400 medical staff; 1,932 valid questionnaires were collected. A chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analysis were conducted.A total of 68.6% of respondents had experienced at least one WPV incident involving non-physical and/or physical violence in the past year. The perpetrators were mainly family members of patients (94.9%). Most of the WPV occurred during the day shift (70.7%) and in wards (41.8%). Males were 1.979 times (95% CI, 1.378 to 2.841) more likely than females to experience physical violence. Emergency departments were more exposed to physical violence than other departments. Oncology was 2.733 times (95% CI, 1.126 to 6.633) more exposed to non-physical violence than the emergency department. As a result of WPV, victims felt aggrieved and angry, work enthusiasm declined, and work efficiency was reduced. However, only 5.6% of the victims received psychological counseling.Medical staff are at high risk of violence in China's children's hospitals. Hospital administrators and related departments should pay attention to the consequences of these incidents. There is a need for preventive measures to protect medical staff and provide a safer workplace environment. Our results can provide reference information for intervention strategies and safety measures.

OBJECTIVE:Epidermal stem cells (ESCs) play a critical role in wound healing, but the mechanism underlying ESC proliferation is not well defined. Here, we explore the effects of RhoA on ESC proliferation and the possible underlying mechanism. METHODS:Human ESCs were enriched by rapid adhesion to collagen IV. RhoA(+/+)(G14V), RhoA(-/-)(T19N) and pGFP control plasmids were transfected into human ESCs. The effect of RhoA on cell proliferation was detected by cell proliferation and DNA synthesis assays. Induction of PKN1 activity by RhoA was determined by immunoblot analysis, and the effects of PKN1 on RhoA in terms of inducing cell proliferation and cyclin D1 expression were detected using specific siRNA targeting PKN1. The effects of U-46619 (a RhoA agonist) and C3 transferase (a RhoA antagonist) on ESC proliferation were observed in vivo. RESULTS:RhoA had a positive effect on ESC proliferation, and PKN1 activity was up-regulated by the active RhoA mutant (G14V) and suppressed by RhoA T19N. Moreover, the ability of RhoA to promote ESC proliferation and DNA synthesis was interrupted by PKN1 siRNA. Additionally, cyclin D1 protein and mRNA expression levels were up-regulated by RhoA G14V, and these effects were inhibited by siRNA-mediated knock-down of PKN1. RhoA also promoted ESC proliferation via PKN in vivo. CONCLUSION:This study shows that the effect of RhoA on ESC proliferation is mediated by activation of the PKN1-cyclin D1 pathway in vitro, suggesting that RhoA may serve as a new therapeutic target for wound healing.

Various modeling techniques were used to understand fluidized bed granulation using a two-step approach. First, Plackett-Burman design (PBD) was used to identify the high-risk factors. Then, Box-Behnken design (BBD) was used to analyze and optimize those high-risk factors. The relationship between the high-risk input variables (inlet air temperature X1, binder solution rate X3, and binder-to-powder ratio X5) and quality attributes (flowability Y1, temperature Y2, moisture content Y3, aggregation index Y4, and compactability Y5) of the process was investigated using response surface model (RSM), partial least squares method (PLS) and artificial neural network of multilayer perceptron (MLP). The morphological study of the granules was also investigated using a scanning electron microscope. The results showed that X1, X3, and X5 significantly affected the properties of granule. The RSM, PLS and MLP models were found to be useful statistical analysis tools for a better mechanistic understanding of granulation. The statistical analysis results showed that the RSM model had a better ability to fit the quality attributes of granules compared to the PLS and MLP models. Understanding the effect of process parameters on granule properties provides the basis for modulating the granulation parameters and optimizing the product performance at the early development stage of pharmaceutical products.

Sprague-Dawley adult male rats (12-14 weeks old) were exposed to 14-day CUS and then subjected to partial hepatectomy 24 h after the last stress session. The rats were pretreated with an antagonist of the glucocorticoids (GCs) receptor RU486 (30 mg/kg, i.p.) 1 h prior to stress exposure. The behavioral changes were evaluated with open field test and elevated plus-maze test. The hippocampal cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 were measured on postoperative days 1, 3 and 7. Ionized calcium binding adaptor protein (Iba)-1, microglial M2 phenotype marker Arg1, brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and CD200 were also examined at each time point.CUS exacerbated surgery-induced sickness behavior. Exposure to CUS alone failed to alter the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the brain. However, CUS exaggerated surgery-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines expression (e.g. IL-1β and IL-6) and upregulated the levels of Iba-1 on postoperative days 1 and 3. An additional significant decreased BDNF, CD200 and a lower level of Arg1 were also observed in the stressed rats following surgical procedure. Pretreatment with RU486 blunted the potentiating effects of CUS on surgery-induced sickness behavior and neuroinflammatory responses.Chronic unpredictable stress enhanced surgery-induced sickness behavior and neuroinflammatory responses. Stress-induced GCs played a pivotal role in enhancing surgery-induced neuroinflammatory processes by modulation of microglia functions.

The doctor-patient relationship has been a major focus of society. Hospitals' efforts to improve the quality of their medical services have been to reduce the probability of doctor-patient conflicts. In this study, we aimed to determine the gap between expectations and perceptions of service quality according to patients to provide reference data for creating strategies to improve health care quality.Twenty-seven hospitals in 15 provinces (municipalities directly beneath the central government) were selected for our survey; we sent out 1,589 questionnaires, of which 1,520 were collected (response rate 95.65%) and 1,303 were valid (85.72% effective recovery rate). Paired t-tests were used to analyze whether there were significant differences between patients' expectations and perceived service quality. A binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine whether there were significant differences in the gap between expectation and perception of service quality according to patients' demographic characteristics.There was a significant difference between the expected and perceived service quality (p < 0.05) according to patients both before and after receiving medical services. Furthermore, the service quality gap of each service dimension was negative. Specifically, the gaps in service quality were as follows: economy, responsiveness, empathy, assurance, reliability, and tangibles. Overall, we can conclude that patients' perceptions of service quality are lower than their expectations.According to the study results, the quality of health care services as perceived by patients was lower than expected. Hospitals should make adjustments according to the actual situation and should strive to constantly improve the quality of medical services for patients.

Mutations in genes involved in glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor biosynthesis underlie a group of congenital syndromes characterized by severe neurodevelopmental defects. GPI anchored proteins have diverse roles in cell adhesion, signaling, metabolism and complement regulation. Over 30 enzymes are required for GPI anchor biosynthesis and PIGA is involved in the first step of this process. A hypomorphic mutation in the X-linked PIGA gene (c.1234C>T) causes multiple congenital anomalies hypotonia seizure syndrome 2 (MCAHS2), indicating that even partial reduction of GPI anchored proteins dramatically impairs central nervous system development, but the mechanism is unclear. Here, we established a human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) model containing the PIGAc.1234C>T mutation to study the effects of a hypomorphic allele of PIGA on neuronal development. Neuronal differentiation from neural progenitor cells generated by EB formation in PIGAc.1234C>T is significantly impaired with decreased proliferation, aberrant synapse formation and abnormal membrane depolarization. The results provide direct evidence for a critical role of GPI anchor proteins in early neurodevelopment. Furthermore, neural progenitors derived from PIGAc.1234C>T hiPSCs demonstrate increased susceptibility to complement-mediated cytotoxicity, suggesting that defective complement regulation may contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders.

OBJECTIVES:The primary objective of this pilot study was to investigate whether the therapeutic drug monitoring of imipenem could be performed with spent effluent instead of blood sampling collected from critically ill patients under continuous renal replacement therapy. METHODS:A prospective open-label study was conducted in a real clinical setting. Both blood and effluent samples were collected pairwise before imipenem administration and 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 h after imipenem administration. Plasma and effluent imipenem concentrations were determined by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters of blood and effluent samples were calculated. RESULTS:Eighty-three paired plasma and effluent samples were obtained from 10 patients. The Pearson correlation coefficient of the imipenem concentrations in plasma and effluent was 0.950 (P

The main goal of the present work is to test the hypothesis that small-scale turbulence affected physiological activities and the morphology of cyanobacteria in high turbulence environments. Using quantified turbulence in a stirring device, we conducted one set of experiments on cultures of two strains of cyanobacteria with different phenotypes; i.e., unicellular Microcystis flos-aquae and colonial Anabaena flos-aquae. The effect of small-scale turbulence examined varied from 0 to 8.01×10-2 m2s-3, covering the range of turbulence intensities experienced by cyanobacteria in the field. The results of photosynthesis activity and the cellular chlorophyll a in both strains did not change significantly among the turbulence levels, indicating that the potential indirect effects of a light regime under the gradient of turbulent mixing could be ignored. However, the experiments demonstrated that small-scale turbulence significantly modulated algal nutrient uptake and growth in comparison to the stagnant control. Cellular N and C of the two stains showed approximately the same responses, resulting in a similar pattern of C/N ratios. Moreover, the change in the phosphate uptake rate was similar to that of growth in two strains, which implied that growth characteristic responses to turbulence may be dependent on the P strategy, which was correlated with accumulation of polyphosphate. Additionally, our results also showed the filament length of A. flos-aquae decreased in response to high turbulence, which could favor enhancement of the nutrient uptake. These findings suggested that both M. flos-aquae and A. flos-aquae adjust their growth rates in response to turbulence levels in the ways of asynchronous cellular stoichiometry of C, N, and P, especially the phosphorus strategy, to improve the nutrient application efficiency. The fact that adaptation strategies of cyanobacteria diversely to turbulence depending on their physiological conditions presents a good example to understand the direct cause-effect relationship between hydrodynamic forces and algae.

Nutrition influences skin structure; however, a systematic investigation into how energy and macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate and fat) affects the skin has yet to be conducted. We evaluated the associations between macronutrients, energy intake and skin structure in mice fed 25 experimental diets and a control diet for 15 months using the Geometric Framework, a novel method of nutritional analysis. Skin structure was associated with the ratio of dietary macronutrients eaten, not energy intake, and the nature of the effect differed between the sexes. In males, skin structure was primarily associated with protein intake, whereas in females carbohydrate intake was the primary correlate. In both sexes, the dermis and subcutaneous fat thicknesses were inversely proportional. Subcutaneous fat thickness varied positively with fat intake, due to enlarged adipocytes rather than increased adipocyte number. We therefore demonstrated clear interactions between skin structure and macronutrient intakes, with the associations being sex-specific and dependent on dietary macronutrient balance.

Gene fusions involving ETS family transcription factors (mainly TMPRSS2-ERG and TMPRSS2-ETV1 fusions) have been found in ~50% of human prostate cancer cases. Although expression of TMPRSS2-ERG or TMPRSS2-ETV1 fusion alone is insufficient to initiate prostate tumorigenesis, they appear to sensitize prostate epithelial cells for cooperation with additional oncogenic mutations to drive frank prostate adenocarcinoma. To search for such ETS-cooperating oncogenic events, we focused on a well-studied prostate tumor suppressor NKX3.1, as loss of NKX3.1 is another common genetic alteration in human prostate cancer. Previous studies have shown that deletions at 8p21 (harboring NKX3.1) and 21q22 (resulting in TMPRSS2-ERG fusion) were both present in a subtype of prostate cancer cases, and that ERG can lead to epigenetic silencing of NKX3.1 in prostate cancer cells, whereas NKX3.1 can in turn negatively regulate TMPRSS2-ERG fusion expression via suppression of the TMPRSS2 promoter activity. We recently generated knockin mouse models for TMPRSS2-ERG and TMPRSS2-ETV1 fusions, utilizing the endogenous Tmprss2 promoter. We crossed these knockin models to an Nkx3.1 knockout mouse model. In Tmprss2-ERG;Nkx3.1+/- (or -/-) male mice, although we observed a slight but significant upregulation of Tmprss2-ERG fusion expression upon Nkx3.1 loss, we did not detect any significant cooperation between these two genetic events to enhance prostate tumorigenesis in vivo. Furthermore, retrospective analysis of a previously published human prostate cancer dataset revealed that within ERG-overexpressing prostate cancer cases, NKX3.1 loss or deletion did not predict biochemical relapse after radical prostatectomy. Collectively, these data suggest that although TMPRSS2-ERG fusion and loss of NKX3.1 are among the most common mutational events found in prostate cancer, and although each of them can sensitize prostate epithelial cells for cooperating with other oncogenic events, these two events themselves do not appear to cooperate at a significant level in vivo to enhance prostate tumorigenesis.

To determine the predictive value of the presence of maternal islet beta-cell autoantibodies with respect to neonatal outcomes.A total of 311 pregnant women with abnormal 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) results were enrolled in this study. Maternal glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibodies (GADA), islet cell autoantibodies (ICA) and insulin autoantibodies (IAA) were tested in fasting blood both on the day following the routine OGTT and before delivery. The birth weight, Apgar score, blood glucose and outcomes of each neonate were later evaluated and recorded.1. In this study, 33.9% of the pregnant women with gestational hyperglycemia had detectable levels of one or more types of anti-islet cell antibodies in the third trimester. The proportion of women who produced GADA and/or ICA was significantly higher in the group of women with gestational hyperglycemia than in the control group (P

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine the up-to-date prevalence of overweight and obesity, the distributions of body weight perception and weight loss practice in Beijing adults. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2011. A total of 2563 men and 4088 women aged 18-79 years from the general population were included. Data were obtained from questionnaire and physical examination. RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight (BMI 24-27.9 kg/m(2)) and obesity (BMI ≥ 28 kg/m(2)) was 42.1% and 20.3% in men and 35.6% and 17.1% in women, respectively. Age was inversely associated with overweight in both sexes, and obesity in women. Education level was negatively associated with overweight and obesity in women but not in men. Only 49.1% men and 58.3% women had a correct perception of their body weight. Underestimation of body weight was more common than overestimation, especially in men, the older people, and those with low education level. The percentage of taking action to lose weight was inversely associated with men and old age, and positively associated with higher education level, higher BMI, and self-perception as "fat" (OR = 3.78 in men, OR = 2.91 in women). Only 26.1% of overweight/obese individuals took action to lose weight. The top two weight loss practices were to reduce the amount of food intake and exercise. CONCLUSION: Overweight and obesity were highly prevalent with high incorrect body weight perceptions in the general adult population in Beijing. Weight loss practice was poor in overweight and obese individuals. Actions at multiple levels are needed to slow or control this overweight and obesity epidemic.

While individuals with insomnia consistently complain of cognitive impairment, previous studies on the effect of insomnia on objective measures of cognitive function have obtained ambiguous results. The relationship between daytime sleepiness and cognitive manifestations in insomnia patients is not clear.Thirty-six primary insomnia patients (PIPs) and 26 good sleep controls (GSCs) with age and gender matched manner were included in the study. Participants underwent an overnight polysomnography followed by a multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) and an examination of the attention network test (ANT). ANT reflected three attentional networks including alerting, orienting and executive control. According to whether accompanied with excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), the insomnia group were subdivided into PIPs with EDS (n = 12, score on MSLT

A similar immune response is implicated in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis and allergic disorders. We investigated the potential therapeutic efficacy and mechanism of rupatadine, a dual antagonist of histamine and platelet-activation factor (PAF), in bleomycin- (BLM-) and silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis. The indicated dosages of rupatadine were administered in rodents with bleomycin or silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis. The tissue injury, fibrosis, inflammatory cells and cytokines, and lung function were examined to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of rupatadine. The anti-fibrosis effect of rupatadine was compared with an H1 or PAF receptor antagonist, and efforts were made to reveal rupatadine's anti-fibrotic mechanism. Rupatadine promoted the resolution of pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis in a dose-dependent manner, as indicated by the reductions in inflammation score, collagen deposition and epithelial-mesenchymal transformation, and infiltration or expression of inflammatory cells or cytokines in the fibrotic lung tissue. Thus, rupatadine treatment improved the declined lung function and significantly decreased animal death. Moreover, rupatadine was able not only to attenuate silica-induced silicosis but also to produce a superior therapeutic efficacy compared to pirfenidone, histamine H1 antagonist loratadine, or PAF antagonist CV-3988. The anti-fibrotic action of rupatadine might relate to its attenuation of BLM- or PAF-induced premature senescence because rupatadine treatment protected against the in vivo and in vitro activation of the p53/p21-dependent senescence pathway. Our studies indicate that rupatadine promotes the resolution of pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis by attenuating the PAF-mediated senescence response. Rupatadine holds promise as a novel drug to treat the devastating disease of pulmonary fibrosis.

The human ether-à-go-go-1 (h-eag1) K(+) channel is expressed in a variety of cell lines derived from human malignant tumors and in clinical samples of several different cancers, but is otherwise absent in normal tissues. It was found to be necessary for cell cycle progression and tumorigenesis. Specific inhibition of h-eag1 expression leads to inhibition of tumor cell proliferation. We report here that h-eag1 expression is controlled by the p53-miR-34-E2F1 pathway through a negative feed-forward mechanism. We first established E2F1 as a transactivator of h-eag1 gene through characterizing its promoter region. We then revealed that miR-34, a known transcriptional target of p53, is an important negative regulator of h-eag1 through dual mechanisms by directly repressing h-eag1 at the post-transcriptional level and indirectly silencing h-eag1 at the transcriptional level via repressing E2F1. There is a strong inverse relationship between the expression levels of miR-34 and h-eag1 protein. H-eag1antisense antagonized the growth-stimulating effects and the upregulation of h-eag1 expression in SHSY5Y cells, induced by knockdown of miR-34, E2F1 overexpression, or inhibition of p53 activity. Therefore, p53 negatively regulates h-eag1 expression by a negative feed-forward mechanism through the p53-miR-34-E2F1 pathway. Inactivation of p53 activity, as is the case in many cancers, can thus cause oncogenic overexpression of h-eag1 by relieving the negative feed-forward regulation. These findings not only help us understand the molecular mechanisms for oncogenic overexpression of h-eag1 in tumorigenesis but also uncover the cell-cycle regulation through the p53-miR-34-E2F1-h-eag1 pathway. Moreover, these findings place h-eag1 in the p53-miR-34-E2F1-h-eag1 pathway with h-eag as a terminal effecter component and with miR-34 (and E2F1) as a linker between p53 and h-eag1. Our study therefore fills the gap between p53 pathway and its cellular function mediated by h-eag1.

In the field of Internet of Things (IoT), terminal security has always been an extremely important independent research topic. In the terminal security research, in addition to the security enhancement of terminal entities, the security status evaluation of terminal security has also become an independent subset of the security research in the IoT field. However, it should also be noted that the security attributes of IoT terminals can include many aspects, so judging the security of IoT terminals based on the overall security form is not enough for the security of terminal entities. This paper introduces the concept of volatility from the overall situation assessment to the meta attributes that constitute the overall security situation, and preliminarily realizes the construction of a concise model based on historical data to judge the meta attributes that may affect the overall security in the future. At the same time, a concise verification system is built based on the application scenario of the power IoT terminals currently under research to preliminarily realize trend prediction, further expand the trust evaluation of IoT terminals, and clarify the direction of further research.

In this paper, we propose a simple and elegant method to extract the thickness and the optical constants of various films from the reflectance and transmittance spectra in the wavelength range of 350 − 1000 nm. The underlying inverse problem is posed here as an optimization problem. To find unique solutions to this problem, we adopt an evolutionary optimization approach that drives a population of candidate solutions towards the global optimum. An ensemble of Tauc-Lorentz Oscillators (TLOs) and an ensemble of Gaussian Oscillators (GOs), are leveraged to compute the reflectance and transmittance spectra for different candidate thickness values and refractive index profiles. This model-based optimization is solved using two efficient evolutionary algorithms (EAs), namely genetic algorithm (GA) and covariance matrix adaptation evolution strategy (CMAES), such that the resulting spectra simultaneously fit all the given data points in the admissible wavelength range. Numerical results validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach in estimating the optical parameters of interest.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationships of food safety knowledge, attitude and eating behavior of consumers during national lockdowns in the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 157 respondents completed the online survey using a structured questionnaire worldwide. Overall, the respondents exhibited good attitude and good knowledge towards public health including food safety especially on the importance of social distancing, mask wearing, well-balanced diet, physical exercise and personal hygiene, such as hand washing during the pandemic lockdowns. A Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the relationships among food safety knowledge, attitude and behavior under the pandemic conditions. Results showed that attitude towards food safety under the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns positively affected the eating behavior of the respondents, which exhibited a high β (0.686) among the variables tested (p

Lack of precipitation and groundwater for irrigation limits crop production in semi-arid regions, such as the Southern High Plains (SHP). Advanced technologies, such as variable rate irrigation (VRI), can conserve water and improve water use efficiency for sustainable agriculture. However, the adoption of VRI is hindered by the lack of on-farm research focusing on the feasibility of VRI. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of irrigation rates on cotton yield as affected by soil physical properties and topography in the Southern High Plains. This study was conducted in two fields within a 194-ha commercially managed farm in Hale County, Texas, in 2017. An irrigation treatment with three rates was implemented in a randomized complete block design with two replications as separate blocks in each field. A total of 230 composite soil samples were collected from the farm in spring 2017 and analyzed for texture. Information on apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECa), elevation, and final yield were collected from the fields. A statistical model showed that the effect of irrigation rates on cotton yield depended on its interaction with soil physical properties and topography. For example, areas with slope >2% and sand content >50% had no significant response to higher irrigation rates. This model suggests that applying irrigation amounts based on the yield response can be a basis for VRI. This study provides valuable information for site-specific irrigation to optimize crop production in fields with significant variability in soil physical properties and topography.

The Internet of Things (IoT) technology is widely used and has been improved in research. However, due to the extensiveness of IoT technology, the heterogeneity and diversity of the device structure, the number of attacks against IoT has increased dramatically, so we need a method that can effectively and actively determine safety. Considering the diversity of the terminal structure of IoT, a security method for the IoT terminal based on structural balance, method objectivity, and reliability is currently a challenging task. This paper introduces the idea of rate of change in mathematics into trust analysis, and forms three attribute sets based on trust interval and rate of change: discrete interval, change range, and change frequency. By calculating the above attributes of the entity's trust value, the entity's trust situation is obtained, and an overall assessment of the terminal entity's trust situation is made from the three levels of completeness, accuracy and objectivity. Under the premise of reducing encryption and other means, the above method can evaluate the trust state of the IoT terminal from the perspective of the data, and this evaluation method can provide a basis for the judgment of the IoT terminal more objectively and accurately.

The human ether-à-go-go-1 (h-eag1) K+ channel is expressed in a variety of cell lines derived from human malignant tumors and in clinical samples of several different cancers, but is otherwise absent in normal tissues. It was found to be necessary for cell cycle progression and tumorigenesis. Specific inhibition of h-eag1 expression leads to inhibition of tumor cell proliferation. We report here that h-eag1 expression is controlled by the p53-miR-34-E2F1 pathway through a negative feed-forward mechanism. We first established E2F1 as a transactivator of h-eag1 gene through characterizing its promoter region. We then revealed that miR-34, a known transcriptional target of p53, is an important negative regulator of h-eag1 through dual mechanisms by directly repressing h-eag1 at the post-transcriptional level and indirectly silencing h-eag1 at the transcriptional level via repressing E2F1. There is a strong inverse relationship between the expression levels of miR-34 and h-eag1 protein. H-eag1antisense antagonized the growth-stimulating effects and the upregulation of h-eag1 expression in SHSY5Y cells, induced by knockdown of miR-34, E2F1 overexpression, or inhibition of p53 activity. Therefore, p53 negatively regulates h-eag1 expression by a negative feed-forward mechanism through the p53-miR-34-E2F1 pathway. Inactivation of p53 activity, as is the case in many cancers, can thus cause oncogenic overexpression of h-eag1 by relieving the negative feed-forward regulation. These findings not only help us understand the molecular mechanisms for oncogenic overexpression of h-eag1 in tumorigenesis but also uncover the cell-cycle regulation through the p53-miR-34-E2F1-h-eag1 pathway. Moreover, these findings place h-eag1 in the p53-miR-34-E2F1-h-eag1 pathway with h-eag as a terminal effecter component and with miR-34 (and E2F1) as a linker between p53 and h-eag1. Our study therefore fills the gap between p53 pathway and its cellular function mediated by h-eag1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundAs a pandemic, a most-common pattern resembled organizing pneumonia (OP) has been identified by CT findings in novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). We aimed to delineate the evolution of CT findings and outcome in OP of COVID-19.Materials and methods106 COVID-19 patients with OP based on CT findings were retrospectively included and categorized into non-severe (mild/common) and severe (severe/critical) groups. CT features including lobar distribution, presence of ground glass opacities (GGO), consolidation, linear opacities and total severity CT score were evaluated at three time intervals from symptom-onset to CT scan (day 0-7, day 8-14, day > 14). Discharge or adverse outcome (admission to ICU or death), and pulmonary sequelae (complete absorption or lesion residuals) on CT after discharge were analyzed based on the CT features at different time interval.Results79 (74.5%) patients were non-severe and 103 (97.2%) were discharged at median day 25 (range, day 8-50) after symptom-onset. Of 67 patients with revisit CT at 2-4 weeks after discharge, 20 (29.9%) had complete absorption of lesions at median day 38 (range, day 30-53) after symptom-onset. Significant differences between complete absorption and residuals groups were found in percentages of consolidation (1.5% vs. 13.8%, P = 0.010), number of involved lobe > 3 (40.0% vs. 72.5%, P = 0.030), CT score > 4 (20.0% vs. 65.0%, P = 0.010) at day 8-14.ConclusionMost OP cases had good prognosis. Approximately one-third of cases had complete absorption of lesions during 1-2 months after symptom-onset while those with increased frequency of consolidation, number of involved lobe > 3, and CT score > 4 at week 2 after symptom-onset may indicate lesion residuals on CT.

CD43 is a large transmembrane protein involved in T cell activation. Previous studies of CD43-/- mice in viral models have demonstrated a role for CD43 in Th1/Th2 skewing, activation of Foxp3+ Treg, and T cell apoptosis. However, the role of CD43 during sepsis has never been tested. Thus, we interrogated the role of CD43 during sepsis using a murine cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) model, and found that CD43-/- mice demonstrated significantly worsened mortality compared to B6 mice following CLP. Phenotypic analysis of splenocytes isolated 24 h after septic insult revealed significantly increased apoptosis of central memory cells in both CD4+ and CD8+ T cell compartments in CD43-/- septic mice compared to WT septic mice. Furthermore, CD43-/-septic mice exhibited a prominent Th2 skewing following sepsis relative to WT septic mice, as evidenced by a significant decrease in the frequency of IL-2+ CXCR3+ TH1 cells as a significant increase in the frequency of IL-4+ CCR4+ TH2 cells. Finally, septic CD43-/- animals contained significantly fewer CD25+ Foxp3+ TReg cells as compared to WT septic animals. Importantly, depleting CD25+ Treg eliminated the increased mortality observed in CD43-/- mice. Taken together, these data demonstrate an important role of CD43 in modulating immune dysregulation and mortality following sepsis.

Pastoralists on the Tibetan alpine rangeland suffered great economic loss in cold season, due to serious live-weight loss of domestic livestock under traditional grazing management. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of dietary types (crude protein levels) on feed intakes, growth performance and economic returns of local Tibetan sheep and yaks during cold season. Twenty-four yearling Tibetan sheep (25.29±3.95 kg LW) and twenty two-year-old yaks (100.62±4.55 kg LW) with familiar body conditions were randomly assigned to four groups, fed oats hay (OH), oats silage (OS), total mixed ration (TMR) and traditionally grazed on the local cool-season pasture (TG), respectively, over a 135-day experiment. Daily dry matter intake was determined; all animals were weighed at the beginning and every 15 days of the 135-day experiment. Then, the total live-weight gain, average daily live-weight gain, gain rate, feed efficiency and net economic benefit were calculated. Results indicated that feed and nutrient intakes (DMI, DMI/kg LW, DMI/kg LW0.75 and CPI) of TMR, OH and OS were higher than TG (P < 0.05). Grazing animals suffered serious live-weight loss, while TMR, OS and OH significantly (P < 0.05) improved total live-weight gain and gain rate in both Tibetan sheep and yaks during the entire experiment. TMR worked better in animal performance and feed efficiency, obtained the highest breeding profit in both Tibetan sheep and yaks among four treatments (P < 0.05). When expressed on net economic benefit, TMR shared the highest net economic benefit in Tibetan sheep, OH shared the highest net economic benefit in yaks, but, no significant difference of net economic benefit in yaks fed TMR and OH diets was determined (P > 0.05). Results indicated that TMR was a reasonable diet in promoting feed intakes, animal performance, feed efficiency and economic returns in domestic livestock, which should be considered by local herdsmen to increase their breeding profit during cold season.

Sepsis is the leading cause of death in intensive care units in the US, and it is known that chronic alcohol use is associated with higher incidence of sepsis, longer ICU stays, and higher mortality from sepsis. Both sepsis and chronic alcohol use are associated with immune deficits such as decreased lymphocyte numbers, impaired innate immunity, delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions, and susceptibility to infections; however, understanding of specific pathways of interaction or synergy between these two states of immune dysregulation is lacking. This study therefore sought to elucidate mechanisms underlying the immune dysregulation observed during sepsis in the setting of chronic alcohol exposure. Using a murine model of chronic ethanol ingestion followed by sepsis induction via cecal ligation and puncture, we determined that while CD4+ and CD8+ T cells isolated from alcohol fed mice eventually expressed the same cellular activation markers (CD44, CD69, and CD43) and effector molecules (IFN-γ, TNF) as their water fed counterparts, there was an overall delay in the acquisition of these phenotypes. This early lag in T cell activation was associated with significantly reduced IL-2 production at a later timepoint in both the CD4+ and CD8+ T cell compartments in alcohol sepsis, as well as with a reduced accumulation of CD8dim activated effectors. Taken together, these data suggest that delayed T cell activation may result in qualitative differences in the immune response to sepsis in the setting of chronic alcohol ingestion.

Cytochrome P450 93 family (CYP93) belonging to the cytochrome P450 superfamily plays important roles in diverse plant processes. However, no previous studies have investigated the evolution and expression of the members of this family. In this study, we performed comprehensive genome-wide analysis to identify CYP93 genes in 60 green plants. In all, 214 CYP93 proteins were identified; they were specifically found in flowering plants and could be classified into ten subfamilies-CYP93A-K, with the last two being identified first. CYP93A is the ancestor that was derived in flowering plants, and the remaining showed lineage-specific distribution-CYP93B and CYP93C are present in dicots; CYP93F is distributed only in Poaceae; CYP93G and CYP93J are monocot-specific; CYP93E is unique to legumes; CYP93H and CYP93K are only found in Aquilegia coerulea, and CYP93D is Brassicaceae-specific. Each subfamily generally has conserved gene numbers, structures, and characteristics, indicating functional conservation during evolution. Synonymous nucleotide substitution (dN/dS) analysis showed that CYP93 genes are under strong negative selection. Comparative expression analyses of CYP93 genes in dicots and monocots revealed that they are preferentially expressed in the roots and tend to be induced by biotic and/or abiotic stresses, in accordance with their well-known functions in plant secondary biosynthesis.