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Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic metal that poses serious threats to human health. Rice is a major source of dietary Cd but how rice plants transport Cd to the grain is not fully understood. Here, we characterize the function of the ZIP (ZRT, IRT‐like protein) family protein, OsZIP2, in the root‐to‐shoot translocation of Cd and intervascular transfer of Cd in nodes. OsZIP2 is localized at the plasma membrane and exhibited Cd2+ transport activity when heterologously expressed in yeast. OsZIP2 is strongly expressed in xylem parenchyma cells in roots and in enlarged vascular bundles in nodes. Knockout of OsZIP2 significantly enhanced root‐to‐shoot translocation of Cd and alleviated the inhibition of root elongation by excess Cd stress; whereas overexpression of OsZIP2 decreased Cd translocation to shoots and resulted in Cd sensitivity. Knockout of OsZIP2 increased Cd allocation to the flag leaf but decreased Cd allocation to the panicle and grain. We further reveal that the variation of OsZIP2 expression level contributes to grain Cd concentration among rice germplasms. Our results demonstrate that OsZIP2 functions in root‐to‐shoot translocation of Cd in roots and intervascular transfer of Cd in nodes, which can be used for breeding low Cd rice varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unraveling uranium complexes has become a popular study topic in recent years to address the problem of spent fuel treatment. An important and promising investigation is the enantiomer separation of chiral organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) via uranyl‐containing receptors. Among them, malaoxon (MLX), as a chiral OP with high toxicity and good selectivity, is controversial because of the different toxicity differences caused by the R and S configurations to target and non‐target organisms. Therefore, it is crucial to explore effective methods for separating its enantiomers. In this work, a novel 2‐(9‐[1H‐pyrazole‐1‐carbonyl]‐1,10‐phenanthrolin‐2‐yl)‐1H‐inden‐1‐one (HPIDO) ligand, which combines with uranyl to form the chiral‐at‐uranium complex (Uranyl‐HPIDO receptor), was designed for the enantioseparation of R/S‐malaoxons (R/S‐MLXs). Based on density functional theory (DFT), we explored the potential coordination modes between the Uranyl‐HPIDO receptor and R/S‐MLXs at various sites. The analyses of bonding properties, orbital interactions, and weak interactions of intramolecular groups of the complexes, along with the study of thermodynamic properties, revealed that the Uranyl‐HPIDO receptor preferred to bind to the phosphoryl oxygen (O5) of R/S‐MLXs to form stable complexes. Good enantioseparations of the two enantiomers were achieved in various solvents (water, n‐Butanol, n‐Octanol, dichloromethane, propanoic acid, toluene, and cyclohexane); the separation factors (SFR/S) ranged 21–853, and the enantioselectivity coefficients (ESCR/S) were more than 95%. The findings could theoretically offer useful information and guidance for the separation of R/S‐MLXs, in addition to providing fresh concepts for the creation of novel uranyl receptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive RFD-FTC-DCA system is proposed for the hypersonic vehicle with saturation constraints to resist the control surface damage, actuator faults, disturbances and parameter perturbation. Firstly, the hypersonic vehicle fault model is established. Secondly, the robust fault detection (RFD) observer is designed to detect the control surface damage and actuator faults accurately under the influences of disturbances and parameter perturbation. Thirdly, the fault-tolerant control (FTC) law is designed to resist the control surface damage, actuator faults, disturbances and parameter perturbation simultaneously. Finally, a dynamic control allocation (DCA) algorithm is designed to reallocate the FTC law and limit the deflection angle and velocity within saturation constraint. The comparison simulation results are presented to demonstrate that the RFD observer can detect the faults accurately and reduce false alarm rates effectively, the FTC law can resist the control surface damage, actuator faults, disturbances and parameter perturbation simultaneously, and the tracing errors of attack angle, side-slip angle and roll angle are only $ \pm 0.7^\circ $ ± 0.7 ∘ , $ \pm 0.2^\circ $ ± 0.2 ∘ and $ \pm 1.5^\circ $ ± 1.5 ∘ , respectively, and the DCA algorithm can reallocate the FTC law and limit the deflection angle and velocity within saturation values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trichoderma is a widely recognized plant-growth-promoting fungus that has been extensively utilized in various agricultural applications. However, research on the economic production of Trichoderma spores and their effects on tea cuttings must be further advanced. In this study, T. guizhouense NJAU 4742 (NJAU 4742) emerged as a growth-promoting strain for tea cuttings, and the spore-production conditions of NJAU 4742 attained through solid-state fermentation (SSF) using tea residues were optimized. In a pot experiment, nursery substrates containing different concentrations of NJAU 4742 spores were tested for their influence on tea cutting growth and the rhizosphere fungal community. The optimal conditions for spore yield were determined as a 7:3 (w/w) ratio of tea residue to rice bran, a material thickness of 3 cm, an inoculum concentration of 15% (v/w), and an incubation time of 4 days, resulting in a spore count of 1.8 × 109 CFU/g. Applying NJAU 4742 spore products significantly increased the biomass of tea cuttings and influenced the fungal community composition. Moreover, higher concentrations of NJAU 4742 spores yielded better growth performance, and applying nursery substrate with 1.0 × 107 CFU/mL spores was the most economically viable option. Notably, among the top ten fungal genera with the highest relative abundance, Trichoderma showed a positive correlation with the fresh weight of tea cuttings, while the others exhibited a negative correlation. Overall, utilizing tea residue for SSF to produce NJAU 4742 was a feasible approach, and the application of NJAU 4742 spores enhanced the growth of tea cuttings by increasing the relative abundance of Trichoderma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the distributed resource allocation problem of a second-order multi-agent system with external disturbances. The global network resource equality constraint is considered. A distributed algorithm with an exponential convergence rate is proposed based on an internal model for a known bounded disturbance. By using the active disturbance approach to design a reduced-order extended state observer, the proposed algorithm is modified to reject an unknown external disturbance. Moreover, exponential convergence is achieved through the Lyapunov theory when the disturbance is constant. When the differential of the disturbance is bounded, by adjusting the control parameter of the observer, the proposed algorithm converges to an arbitrarily small neighbourhood of the optimal solution. Finally, our simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the coherent signal environments caused by multipath propagation, the interference suppression performance of the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) receivers decreases sharply. In this paper, a robust space-time adaptive processing (STAP) method for GNSS receivers is proposed to suppress interferences in coherent signal environments, by using the modified space-time two-dimensional iterative adaptive approach (ST2D-IAA) spectrum estimation. This method applies the IAA algorithm to the ST2D signal model of GNSS receivers, and further modifies the ST2D-IAA algorithm to accurately estimate the power spectrum and noise power simultaneously. The space-time interference-plus-noise covariance matrix (STINCM) is reconstructed by using the estimated power spectrum and noise power in the interference angle region. Based on the reconstructed STINCM, we construct the STAP beamforming optimization problem for the space-time steering vector (STSV) error vector, and further correct the STSV of GNSS signal. Finally, the weight vector of STAP beamforming is calculated by using the reconstructed STINCM and the corrected STSV of GNSS signal. Simulation results show that the proposed method can suppress interferences in coherent signal environments and outperforms the current methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Testing whether data are from a normal distribution is a traditional problem and is of great concern for data analyses. The normality is the premise of many statistical methods, such as t-test, Hotelling T2 test and ANOVA. There are numerous tests in the literature and the commonly used ones are Anderson-Darling test, Shapiro-Wilk test and Jarque-Bera test. Each test has its own advantageous points since they are developed for specific patterns and there is no method that consistently performs optimally in all situations. Since the data distribution of practical problems can be complex and diverse, we propose a Cauchy Combination Omnibus Test (CCOT) that is robust and valid in most data cases. We also give some theoretical results to analyze the good properties of CCOT. Two obvious advantages of CCOT are that not only does CCOT have a display expression for calculating statistical significance, but extensive simulation results show its robustness regardless of the shape of distribution the data comes from. Applications to South African Heart Disease and Neonatal Hearing Impairment data further illustrate its practicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc (Zn) ion batteries are attractive for next generation batteries with high safety, yet their applications are still hindered by the uncontrollable dendrite formation and side reactions on Zn anode. Here, a polyzwitterion protective layer (PZIL) was engineered by polymerizing 2‐methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) in carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS), which renders the following merits: the choline groups of MPC can preferentially adsorb onto Zn metal to avoid side reactions; the charged phosphate groups chelate with Zn2+ to regulate the solvation structure, further improving side reaction inhibition; the Hofmeister effect between ZnSO4 and CMCS can enhance the interfacial contact during electrochemical characterization. Consequently, the symmetrical Zn battery with PZIL can keep stable for more than 1000 hours under the ultra‐high current density of 40 mA cm−2. The PZIL confers the Zn/MnO2 full battery and Zn/active carbon (AC) capacitor with stable cycling performance under high current density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc (Zn) ion batteries are attractive for next generation batteries with high safety, yet their applications are still hindered by the uncontrollable dendrite formation and side reactions on Zn anode. Here, a polyzwitterion protective layer (PZIL) was engineered by polymerizing 2‐methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) in carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS), which renders the following merits: the choline groups of MPC can preferentially adsorb onto Zn metal to avoid side reactions; the charged phosphate groups chelate with Zn2+ to regulate the solvation structure, further improving side reaction inhibition; the Hofmeister effect between ZnSO4 and CMCS can enhance the interfacial contact during electrochemical characterization. Consequently, the symmetrical Zn battery with PZIL can keep stable for more than 1000 hours under the ultra‐high current density of 40 mA cm−2. The PZIL confers the Zn/MnO2 full battery and Zn/active carbon (AC) capacitor with stable cycling performance under high current density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cervical lymph nodal necrosis (CNN) was an independent risk factor for treatment sensitivity and prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). • Increasing the chemotherapy cycle can improve overall survival (OS) and distant metastasis‐free survival (DMFS) in patients with lower CNN ratio. • The treatment planning system (TPS) was used to delineate the volume of metastatic lymph nodes and the necrotic area of lymph nodes on magnetic resonance images (MRI), and calculate the corresponding necrotic proportion. • Our study not only carried out qualitative analysis but also quantitative analysis of CNN in NPC. Whether cervical lymph node necrosis (CNN) is an independent adverse prognostic factor in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has not been determined. In this study, the CNN ratio was graded quantitatively to explore the prognostic value in NPC. We retrospectively reviewed a total of 648 pathologically confirmed as NPC. We outlined metastatic lymph nodes and necrotic area of lymph nodes slice by slice on the magnetic resonance images (MRI) cross section, and calculated the corresponding CNN ratio. The median CNN ratio (17.37 %) was taken as the cut-off point, 256 (39.51 %) patients were divided into CNN1 group (<17.37 %, n = 128) and CNN2 group (≥17.37 %, n = 128), 392 (60.49 %) patients without lymph nodes necrosis were CNN0. Among the CNN0, CNN1 and CNN2 groups, five-year overall survival (OS) was 82.4 %, 76.6 % and 71.1 %, locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRRFS) was 91.3 %, 91.1 % and 90.5 %, distant metastasis‐free survival (DMFS) was 83.7 %, 78.5 % and 68.7 %, progression-free survival (PFS) was 78.3 %, 71.7 % and 61.6 % respectively. By multivariate analysis, CNN was an independent prognostic factor for OS (P = 0.003), DMFS (P = 0.019) and PFS (P = 0.007). More than 3 cycles of chemotherapy significantly increased OS (P = 0.024) and DMFS (P = 0.015) in the CNN1 group. This study indicated that CNN is one of the factors with the negative prognosis of NPC. The CNN ratio might be used as one of the reference factors in the formulation of individualized treatment plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widely linear beamforming is known to outperform the conventional adaptive beamforming by fully employing the non-circularity of non-circular signals. In this paper, a robust widely linear beamformer (WLB) is proposed to achieve satisfactory output and robustness in low computational complexity. The augmented signal-of-interest (SOI) covariance matrix is built by performing integration over SOI angular sector. The principal eigenvector of the augmented SOI covariance matrix is taken as the SOI extended steering vector. The received signal vector is projected into the interference-plus-noise subspace to remove the SOI component and derive the augmented interference covariance matrix. The augmented noise covariance matrix is added to the derived augmented interference covariance matrix so that the augmented interference-plus-noise covariance matrix can be reconstructed. The proposed WLB possesses lower computational complexity than the state-of-the-art WLBs due to the avoidance of convex optimization programming. Numerical simulations illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed WLB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) in water environments attracts more attention; however, the mechanisms involved in this process have not been clearly elucidated yet. In this study, the photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) by polydopamine modified Bi 2.15 WO 6 (PDA/BWO) under visible light was conducted. Kinetics results show that PDA apparently accelerates the reduction of Cr(VI). The quasi-first-order kinetic constant of Cr(VI) reduction by 5PDA/BWO is 70.0 times that of the original BWO, reaching 0.070 min−1. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Raman analyses confirm the formation of ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) complex [Bi(III) O C] between PDA and BWO. The formed Bi(III) O C complex enhances visible light response and narrows the bandgap of PDA/BWO. The photoelectrochemical and photoluminescent characterization further reveals that the formed Bi(III) O C complex inhibits the recombination of carriers, thus enhancing the photocatalytic reactivity of PDA/BWO. Electrons, are derived from three paths, including dye sensitization, LMCT and bandgap excitation, contribute to Cr(VI) reduction by PDA/BWO. This study provides new insights on the paths of Cr(VI) reduction by PDA/BWO under visible light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the critical issues in genetic association studies is to evaluate the risk of a disease associated with gene–gene or gene–environment interactions. The commonly employed procedures are derived by assigning a particular set of scores to genotypes. However, the underlying genetic models of inheritance are rarely known in practice. Misspecifying a genetic model may result in power loss. By using some potential genetic variables to separate the genotype coding and genetic model parameter, we construct a model‐embedded score test (MEST). Our test is free of assumption of gene–environment independence and allows for covariates in the model. An effective sequential optimization algorithm is developed. Extensive simulations show the proposed MEST is robust and powerful in most of scenarios. Finally, we apply the proposed method to rheumatoid arthritis data from the Genetic Analysis Workshop 16 to further investigate the potential interaction effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research has paid little attention to weakening of discontinuities with different joint wall material (DDJM) induced by wetting and drying cycles. Experimental investigations were conducted to examine the effects of wetting–drying cycles on weakening of three typical types of natural planar DDJM collected from a sliding-prone formation in the Three Gorges reservoir region of China. Deterioration of the corresponding four types of discontinuities with identical joint wall material (DIJM) were also been studied for comparison. The weakening laws of DDJM were revealed from macro- and microperspectives by testing on mineral compositions, microstructures and water absorption rate of joint walls as well as shear strength of discontinuities. The results indicate that the repeated wetting–drying cycles lead to obvious changes in microstructure and increases of macro water absorption rate for the studied joint walls with the changing degree closely related to their clay mineral contents; the peak shear strengths of DDJM gradually decreases with the wetting and drying cycles for a certain normal stress with the weakening rate between that of the DIJM with two joint wall materials of the DDJM, while closer to that of DIJM with the weak half materials of the DDJM; significant correlations have been found between the variation coefficient of rock microstructure of joint walls and the macrodeterioration coefficient of DDJM; the changing rates of multi-scale parameters before and after six wetting–drying cycles vary obviously, indicating the weakening is slowed down after six wetting–drying cycles for the studied discontinuities. Highlights: Effects of wetting-drying cycles on weakening discontinuities with different joint wall material were studied. Deterioration of the discontinuities with identical joint wall material were also been investigated for comparison. The weakening laws were revealed from macro and micro perspectives. Significant correlations have been found between the variation coefficient of microstructure of joint walls and the macro deterioration coefficient. The results could provide a basis to better understand the stability evolution of rock slopes with soft and hard rock interbedded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large number of work safety accidents have exposed that accident has Domino Effect or Avalanche Effect: the chain reaction in system will be triggered when one critical node in system is disturbed, which will finally have an impact on large parts of the system. Exploring the interrelationships of elements on accident chain is very essential for studying the blocked mechanism of the accident. An improved model of dynamic of accident spreading in networks is proposed after analysing Complex Network theory and STDP mechanism. The model has the ability of independent learning of network edge weight, and finally achieves the purpose of strengthening causality and weakening non-causality. We can abstract three kinds of ideal structure networks from a large number of realistic work safety accidents: the random networks, the scale-free networks and small-word networks. This model is simulated and analysed on the three networks, respectively. The process of time dynamic evolution of accident spreading and edge weight is analysed. The simulation results are consistent with the characteristic of actual work safety accident, which indicate that the model can effectively simulate the process of accident spreading dynamics of actual work safety accident and the process of edge weights evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Salt Effect Coupled Vacuum Distillation process is first proposed. • The concentration of recovered HCl reached 9.66 mol/L, with a recovery rate of 86 %. • The molecular mechanism of salt effect in HCl-H 2 O distillation is first revealed. • Mobility of As(V) can be <2 % and As-Ca interaction avoids pollution of reused HCl. The escalating challenge of recycling and treating spent hydrochloric acid (HCl) in various industries, driven by stringent environmental regulations, necessitates urgent solutions for the reuse of spent HCl in industrial processes. However, the concentration and reuse of spent HCl have been impeded by azeotropism. In this study, an innovative salt effect coupled vacuum distillation process was introduced to enable the rapid and convenient recovery of HCl. Salts and vacuum environment both can be found to break the azeotropism effectively, augment the disparity in the dissociation abilities of HCl and H 2 O in clusters, and enhance the evaporation rate. Specifically, MgCl 2 and CaCl 2 salt systems were selected, achieving recovered HCl concentrations of 9.66 and 9.85 mol/L, with corresponding recovery rates of 86.45 % and 80.65 %, respectively. For the reuse of spent HCl from chlorinated distillation for extracting germanium (Ge), the presence of As(V) poses a risk to Ge recovery and potential contamination of the Ge product. Excellent resistance to As(Ⅴ) mobilization (<2%) was obtained in the CaCl 2 system. To comprehensively understand the salt's role in breaking azeotropism, molecular simulations were employed. The Mg2+/Ca2+ ions were observed to bind with H 2 O molecules in the solution, weakening the force between H 2 O and HCl, decreasing the dissociation energy of HCl molecules by 35 times (from 102.82 to 2.94 kJ/mol), and increasing the dissociation energy of H 2 O molecules from 52.5 to 61.5 kJ/mol. The proposed process integrates high HCl recovery with an ultra-azeotropic concentrating effect, offering a novel approach for reusing spent HCl in industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Using IDL-DAPhen as a novel skeleton to design ligands, and study on Am(III)/Eu(III) separation with the ligands was carried out. • It was found that the coordination ability of carbonyl oxygen is stronger than that of pyridine nitrogen in the IDL-DAPhen ligands. • Discovering that IDL-DAPhen ligands modified with substituent groups lead to different coordination abilities and separation selectivity for Am (III)/Eu (III). • Reasonable use of a variety of novel qualitative and quantitative theoretical analysis methods (e.g.,IRI, IGMH and ETS-NOCV). There are the similar physical and chemical properties between the trivalent actinides (An(III)) and the lanthanides (Ln(III)), which makes the separation process very difficult for nuclear waste reprocessing. Designing efficient ligands with the strong ability to separate An(III)/Ln(III) is one of the ways to solve the problem, and various ligands with 1,10-Phenanthroline as the skeleton have become a hotspot in recent years. Herein we designed a series of novel ligands using (1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-diyl)bis(indolin-1-ylmethanones)(IDL-DAPhen) as a new skeleton. Using scalar relativistic density functional theory (DFT), we systematically unraveled the properties of four IDL-DAPhens modified with electron-donating groups (–CH 3 , –OCH 3) at different substitution sites, and explored the structures of the ligands L1, L2, L3 and L4, bonding properties and thermodynamic behaviors of their complexes coordinated with Am(III)/Eu(III). Molecular orbitals (MOs), IGMH, ETS-NOCV and other analyses showed that the selectivity of the four ligands to Am(III) was higher than that to Eu(III). The bond length, dihedral angle, WBI, QTAIM and thermodynamic results and other ones indicated that L3 and L4 with para -substituents have stronger coordination ability, while L1 and L3 with methyl-substituted exhibit better Am(III)/Eu(III) separation selectivity. The ΔΔ G values of L1 for Am(III)/Eu(III) reached −7.71, −7.77 and −11.57 kcal/mol in water, 1-octanol and aniline, respectively. This study provides theoretical guidance for the design of novel ligands for efficient separation of Am (III)/Eu (III), and could expand a new pathway for the design of ligands with better potential selectivity for An (III)/Ln (III) separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Level Ib-sparing IMRT is safe and feasible for NPC patients with level II rENE and/or MAD ≥2 cm. • Our study is the first to include patients with the involvement of the first echelon (FES, including the anterior half of the nasal and oral cavities) and/or the involvement of the submandibular gland (SMG) • Level Ib-sparing irradiation reduces acute mucositis and late dry mouth symptoms. To examine the feasibility of level Ib-sparing intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) who had high-risk factors classified based on the International Guideline (IG). We evaluated 961 non-metastatic NPC cases based on IG recommendations for prophylactic Ib irradiation. Four high-risk factors were used to categorise patients into three cohorts: A, B, and C. Propensity score matching was used to balance baseline characteristics in Cohort C, resulting in a matched Cohort C. Recurrence rates at level Ib and regional relapse-free survival (RRFS) rates were evaluated. Among patients with negative Ib lymph nodes (LNs), 18, 54, 420, and 444 exhibited involvement of structures that drain to level Ib as the first echelon (FES), involvement of the submandibular gland (SMG), level II LNs with radiologic extranodal extension (rENE), and level II nodes with a maximal axial diameter (MAD) ≥ 2 cm, respectively. The recurrence rate was highest in Cohort A (11.1 %). Cohort B had no level Ib recurrence. In matched Cohort C, recurrence rates were low in both groups (Ib-sparing group: 0.6 % vs. Ib-covering group: 0.6 %, P > 0.999). No significant differences were observed in 5-year RRFS rates between the two groups in cohort A (p = 0.208), cohort B (p = 0.905), and matched cohort C (p = 0.423). Level Ib-sparing IMRT could be performed safely for NPC patients with level II LNs who had rENE and/or MAD ≥ 2 cm. Further research should determine the necessity of level Ib prophylactic irradiation for patients with FES or SMG involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tetraploid fish are the key source of diploid gametes in polyploid breeding, and they can be induced by disrupting the first mitotic cell cleavage. In this study, the induction protocol of tetraploid by hydrostatic pressure shock and the viability of the tetraploid progenies were investigated in turbot, Scophthalmus maximus. Under water temperature of 14.5 ± 0.5 °C, fertilized diploid zygotes were treated by different combination of timing (65–90 min after fertilization, maf), pressure intensity (60–85 MPa), and duration (2–10 min), respectively. Ploidy level was determined by silver staining of NOR regions, karyotype analysis, and flow cytometry. The optimal protocol for the pressure shock induction was determined to be the combination of timing of 80 maf, 75 MPa of hydrostatic pressure, and 6 min of duration time. Two batches of tetraploid-induced progenies with a total of more than 73,000 morphologically normal larvae were produced. The hatching rates and tetraploidy rates of the two induction groups were 8.97% and 4.09% and 53.33% and 46.67% at 1 day after hatching (dah), respectively. At 150 dah, 1 out of 20 juveniles was identified as tetraploid by karyotype analysis. However, none of tetraploid juveniles was detected by the flow cytometry analysis among the 446 juveniles survived at 365 dah. This preliminary study provides the evidence supporting the large-scale production of tetraploid turbot progenies, thus encouraging further research on the subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a powerful method to compare two samples. The proposed method handles comparison of data by drawing inference from ROC curve model parameters. The method estimates parameters from a linear model framework on the empirical sensitivities and specificities. The consistent ROC parameters are then used to give a more powerful test than existing methods in several situations. In addition, we present a comprehensive statistic based on the Cauchy combination, which works well in all scenarios considered in this article. We also offer an efficient one‐layer wild permutation procedure to calculate the P‐value of our statistic. The method is particularly useful when the underlying continuous biomarker results are non‐normal. We illustrate the proposed methods in a neonatal audiology diagnostic example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a nonparametric Behrens-Fisher problem, a directional-sum test is proposed based on division-combination strategy. A one-layer wild bootstrap procedure is given to calculate its statistical significance. We conduct simulation studies with data generated from lognormal, t and Laplace distributions to show that the proposed test can control the type I error rates properly and is more powerful than the existing rank-sum and maximum-type tests under most of the considered scenarios. Applications to the dietary intervention trial further show the performance of the proposed test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The role of β-arrestin-1 in atherosclerosis was investigated. • Specific mechanisms related to autophagy were explored. • Theoretical basis of developing therapies for atherosclerosis was provided. Autophagy in atherosclerotic plaque macrophage contributes to the alleviation of atherosclerosis through the promotion of lipid metabolism. β-arrestins are multifunctional proteins participating various kinds of cellular signaling pathways. Here we aimed to determine the role of β-arrestin-1, an important member of β-arrestin family, in atherosclerosis, and whether autophagy was involved in this process. ApoE −/− β-arrestin-1 fl/flLysM-Cre mice were created through bone marrow transplantation for the atherosclerosis model with conditional myeloid knocking out β-arrestin-1. Bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) were used for the in vitro studies. Oil red O staining was used to detect the lesional area. F4/80, Masson trichrome and picro-Sirius red staining were applied for the determination of plaque stability. Real-time PCR was used for the detection of levels of lipid metabolism-related receptors. Electron microscopy and tandem fluorescent mRFP-GFP-LC3 plasmid was applied to test autophagy level. We found that β-arrestin-1 was highly increased in expression in plaque macrophage on the occurrence of atherosclerosis. Conditional myeloid knocking out β-arrestin-1 largely promotes plaque formation and vulnerability. In murine macrophage with lipid loading, knocking down β-arrestin-1 enhanced foam cell formation and levels of plasma and cellular cholesterol, while overexpressing β-arrestin-1 led to the opposite effects. The alleviative effects induced by macrophage β-arrestin-1 in atherosclerosis were involved in autophagy, based on the reduction of autophagy level with the knocking down of macrophage β-arrestin-1 and administration of autophagy inhibitors which largely attenuated the decreasing effect on foam cell formation. Our results demonstrated for the first time that macrophage β-arrestin-1 protected against atherosclerosis through the induction of autophagy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The clinical significance of the combination of neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) is unclear. This study investigated the predictive value of pretreatment NLR (pre-NLR) combined with pretreatment PLR (pre-PLR) for the survival and prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). A total of 765 patients with non-metastatic NPC from two hospitals were retrospectively analyzed. The pre-NLR-PLR groups were as follows: HRG, high pre-NLR and high pre-PLR. MRG, high pre-NLR and low pre-PLR or low pre-NLR and high pre-PLR. LRG, neither high pre-NLR nor high pre-PLR. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to identify the cutoff-value and discriminant performance of the model. We compared survival rates and factors affecting the prognosis among different groups. The 5-year overall survival (OS), local regional recurrence-free survival (LRRFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) of NPC patients in HRG were significantly poorer than those in MRG and LRG. The pre-NLR-PLR score was positively correlated with T stage, clinical stage, ECOG, and pathological classification. Multivariate cox regression analysis showed that pre-NLR-PLR scoring system, ECOG, pre-ALB, pre-CRP and pre-LMR were independent risk factors affecting 5-year OS, LRRFS and DMFS. The ROC curve showed that area under the curve (AUC) values of pre-NLR-PLR of 5-year OS, LRRFS and DMFS were higher than those of pre-NLR and pre-PLR. pre-NLR-PLR is an independent risk factor for the prognosis of NPC. The pre-NLR-PLR scoring system can be used as an individualized clinical assessment tool to predict the prognosis of patients with non-metastatic NPC more accurately and easily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrocatalysis plays a key role in the development of renewable energy technologies. Along with the design of electrocatalysts, the microenvironment around catalytic sites has received increasing attention because it affects the distribution and mass transport of reaction species and impacts the reaction kinetics. In this Concept article, we highlight some mechanistic insights into the effect of microenvironment on gas‐involving electrocatalytic reactions, including CO2 reduction, 2‐electron oxygen reduction, and hydrazine oxidation, demonstrating their sensitivity to the wetting properties of microenvironment. For reactions with a gaseous reactant, a moderately hydrophobic microenvironment can greatly enhance the mass transport of gaseous species to accelerate the reaction kinetics while improving the stability of gas‐diffusion electrodes. In contrast, for reactions with a liquid reactant and gaseous product, a hydrophilic microenvironment improves the exposure of catalytic sites to the reactant, while a hydrophobic microenvironment benefits the reaction on the other end by accelerating the diffusion and detachment of generated gas bubbles, which would otherwise block the catalytic sites from the reactant. These understandings and insights can provide important guidelines on the control and optimization of catalyst microenvironment for the development of efficient electrolyzers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying the existence and locations of change points has been a broadly encountered task in many statistical application areas. The existing change point detection methods may produce unsatisfactory results for high‐dimensional data since certain distributional assumptions are made on data, which are hard to verify in practice. Moreover, some parameters (such as the number of change points) need to be estimated beforehand for some methods, making their powers sensitive to these values. Here, we propose a kernel‐based U$$ U $$‐statistic to identify change points (KUCP) for high dimensional data, which is free of distributional assumptions and sup‐parameter estimations. Specifically, we employ a kernel function to describe similarities among the subjects and construct a U$$ U $$‐statistic to test the existence of change point for a given location. The asymptotic properties of the U$$ U $$‐statistic are deduced. We also develop a procedure to locate the change points sequentially via a dichotomy algorithm. Extensive simulations demonstrate that KUCP has higher sensitivity in identifying existence of change points and higher accuracy in locating these change points than its counterparts. We further illustrate its practical utility by analyzing a gene expression data of human brain to detect the time point when gene expression profiles begin to change, which has been reported to be closely related with aging brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the prosperity of the internet of things (IoTs), indoor organic photovoltaic (IOPV) devices with substantial merits (e.g., light weight, portability, flexibility, semitransparency, operational stability) are emerging as reliable indoor photon harvesters to drive low-power electronic devices. In such cases, the effective utilization of indoor photons is significant, as indoor light intensity is much weaker than the standard 1-Sun illumination. Considerable efforts have been devoted to improving the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of indoor solar cells and modules in past few years. So far, the efficiency of indoor light harvesters has surpassed 30%, sufficient to power quite a few indoor off-grid electronic devices. Given that the expected efficiency optimization has already realized through various approaches, a critical review is significant for the appropriate applications of IOPV devices. Herein, we provide a detailed review of the basic knowledge of IOPV devices, current fabrication strategies, and further illustrate their multifunctional applications. Possible challenges and prospects of IOPV systems are presented elaborately for further developments and applications. Owing to the prosperity of the internet of things (IoTs), indoor organic photovoltaic (IOPV) devices with substantial merits (e.g., light weight, portability, flexibility, semitransparency, operational stability) are emerging as reliable indoor photon harvesters to drive low-power electronic devices. In such cases, the effective utilization of indoor photons is significant, as indoor light intensity is much weaker than the standard 1-Sun illumination. Considerable efforts have been devoted to improving the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of indoor solar cells and modules in past few years. So far, the efficiency of indoor light harvesters has surpassed 30%, sufficient to power quite a few indoor off-grid electronic devices. Given that the expected efficiency optimization has already realized through various approaches, a critical review is significant for the appropriate applications of IOPV devices. Herein, we provide a detailed review of the basic knowledge of IOPV devices, current fabrication strategies, and further illustrate their multifunctional applications. Possible challenges and prospects of IOPV system are presented elaborately for further developments and applications. [Display omitted] • Achievements of IOPV devices from device performance to multifunctional applications are summarized. • A summary is provided on the different PCE optimization strategies from three aspects. • Physical mechanism and progress of flexible, semi-transparent IOPV devices are reviewed. • Underlying challenges and future opportunities are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extracranial solid tumor that affects developing nerve cells in the fetus, infants, and children. miR-124 is a microRNA (miRNA) enriched in neuronal tissues, and VAMP3 (vesicle-associated membrane protein 3) has been reported to be an miR-124 target, although the relationship between NB and miR-124 or VAMP3 is unknown. Our current work identified that miR-124 levels are high in NB cases and that elevated miR-124 correlates with worse NB outcomes. Conversely, depressed VAMP3 correlates with worse NB outcomes. To investigate the mechanisms by which miR-124 and VAMP3 regulate NB, we altered miR-124 or VAMP3 expression in human NB cells and observed that increased miR-124 and reduced VAMP3 stimulated cell proliferation and suppressed apoptosis, while increased VAMP3 had the opposite effects. Genome-wide mRNA expression analyses identified gene and pathway changes which might explain the NB cell phenotypes. Together, our studies suggest that miR-124 and VAMP3 could be potential new markers of NB and targets of NB treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the milling process, the wear area of the tool is often segmented using the traditional image processing method to quantify the tool wear value. However, these methods have the disadvantages of having weak anti-noise capabilities and low segmentation accuracy. Although the semantic segmentation network can achieve excellent segmentation accuracy, obtaining enough end mill wear images to support the semantic segmentation network's training is challenging due to the high acquisition cost of wear images. As a result, this paper suggests a small sample end mill wear area segmentation method based on transfer learning and generative adversarial networks to address the issue of insufficient samples of end mill wear images. In this paper, WGAN is used to generate wear images to expand the dataset with a few samples, and the transfer learning method is used to improve the generalization ability of the segmentation network and finally achieve small sample training. This approach increases mPA by 4.46% and mIOU by 8.97% when compared to merely using the semantic segmentation network for small sample training. According to experimental findings, this method not only has high stability and segmentation accuracy but also solves the problem of insufficient end mill wear image samples. The method proposed in this paper can be effectively applied to the intelligent detection of the tool wear state, improving the accuracy and stability of the measurement of the tool wear value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Five identical T -shaped walls were tested under uniaxial and biaxial loading. • Effects of loading path on the seismic behavior were quantitatively examined. • Coupling mechanism of T -shaped walls under varied biaxial loading was studied. • Vertical variation and intersection of hysteretic curves were observed. • Biaxial coupling effect was proportional to the area enclosed by loading path. T -shaped RC walls are commonly used to resist horizontal seismic excitations in multiple directions. The differences in the intensity and spectrum characteristics of two translational components of ground motion cause the wall to experience complex biaxial displacement trajectories, resulting in a different seismic response compared to the behavior derived from conventional uniaxial cyclic tests. Thus, to investigate the seismic behavior and coupling mechanism of T -shaped walls subjected to different magnitudes of loading in two orthogonal directions, this study examined five identical T -shaped walls under uniaxial loading along two principal axes and biaxial loading with three represented loading paths. The test results showed that the mechanical behavior in one direction was significantly affected by the loading in the orthogonal direction owing to internal force redistribution and additional stress caused by the biaxial coupling bending, resulting in vertical variation and intersection of their hysteretic curves. Further, the biaxial loading primarily aggravated the cracking and damage of the flange, which accelerated the performance degradation in the flange direction and reduced the effective flange width involved in resisting web direction load. In addition, the biaxial coupling effect was found to be proportional to the area enclosed by the loading path. Thus, the most severe damage and performance degradation were observed under a square path, followed by an eight-shaped path, with the cruciform path exhibiting the least effect. Consequently, based on the results, recommendations for the design of T -shaped walls subjected to biaxial earthquake actions were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Hetero-atom doped carbon materials were synthesized rapidly in 150 s by microwave approach. • Fe 3 O 4 nanoribbon loaded on carbon materials successfully. • The removal effect of Cr(Ⅵ) for carbon matrix with Fe 3 O 4 is remarkable. • The adsorbents have the best removal efficiency of Cr(Ⅵ) under weak acidic condition. Cr(VI) is recognized as a non-biodegradable and toxic pollutant, resulting from manufacturing and industrialization processes, which can trigger considerable environmental problems. Herein, a novel nitrogen, sulfur co-doped carbon with Fe 3 O 4 nanoribbons composite was synthesized by microwave method within 150 s and applied for Cr(Ⅵ) removal. The raw materials are ferrous sulfate heptahydrate, thiourea and glycerin. Among them, thiourea is served as the rich precursor of carbon nitrogen and sulfur elements and can be used to prepare carbon materials co-doped with N and S elements, while ferrous sulfate heptahydrate can provide iron element for catalyzing rapid preparation of carbon-based materials and self-generation of Fe 3 O 4 nanoribbons. Glycerol not only can be used as a solvent but also can efficiently absorb microwave radiation to make the original quickly heated. The result shows that the addition of Fe 3 O 4 nanoribbons would greatly improve the removal of hexavalent chromium. Meanwhile, the adsorption characteristics were investigated by analyzing by the effects of pH, adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherms. The result indicates that Fe 3 O 4 nanoribbons can be successfully loaded onto the carbon materials. The maximum adsorption capacity of synthesized material (nitrogen and sulfur co-modified carbon/Fe 3 O 4 (N,S-C/Fe 3 O 4 -1) composite) for Cr(Ⅵ) can be reached at pH = 5, probably due to the protonation of functional groups. The adsorption process follows the pseudo-second-order kinetics with the maximum adsorption capacity of 134 mg/g according to Langmuir isotherm model, manifesting that the Cr(Ⅵ) adsorption process is close to monolayer chemisorption. In this work, a new nitrogen and sulfur co-doped carbon/Fe 3 O 4 composite with high Cr(Ⅵ) removal capacity can be successfully prepared within three minutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stimulating glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secretion is an important approach for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Chemical investigation of Alpinia kwangsiensis rhizomes produced six dimeric styrylpyrones (1 – 6), including two new degraded ones (1 and 2). Compounds 1 – 4 were identified as four pairs of enantiomers and successfully prepared by chiral HPLC separation. These compounds incorporate the distinctive cyclobutane moiety via [2 + 2] cycloaddition, a key step in the biosynthetic pathway. The bioactivities of isolates in stimulating GLP-1 secretion in STC-1 cells were evaluated. Results showed that compounds (+)- 1 , (+)- 2 , (−)- 2 , (−)- 4 , 5 and 6 significantly increased GLP-1 secretion, and compound (+)- 1 exhibited the strongest activity with EC 50 value of 6.51 μM. In addition, compounds (+)- 2 , (−)- 4 and 5 promoted GLP-1 secretion by increasing intracellular calcium concentration dependent on the PKA pathway, which could provide a chemical basis for the development of diabetes drugs especially that directly promote GLP-1 secretion. [Display omitted] • Six dimeric styrylpyrones were obtained from Alpinia kwangsiensis rhizomes. • Alpingsins A and B were elucidated as rare new degraded dimeric styrylpyrones. • Plausible biosynthesis pathway for isolates was speculated. • (+)-Alpingsin A significantly increased GLP-1 secretion (EC 50 = 6.51 μM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, purine alkaloid analysis and transcriptome of Camellia gymnogyna Hung T. Chang (Theaceae) from Dayao Mountain were performed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and RNA-Seq, respectively. The results showed that the major purine alkaloids accumulated in Camellia gymnogyna Hung T. Chang (Theaceae) were theobromine together with a small amount of theacrine and caffeine. Through polymerase chain reaction (PCR), three types of cDNA encoding N -methyltransferases were isolated from the leaves of Camellia gymnogyna Hung T. Chang (Theaceae) and designated GCS1, GCS2, and GCS3. We subsequently expressed GCS1, GCS2, and GCS3 in Escherichia coli and incubated lysates of the bacterial cells with a variety of xanthine substrates in the presence of S -adenosyl-L-methionine as the methyl donor. We found that the recombinant GCS1 proteins catalyzed 1,3,7-trimethyluric acid to produce theacrine, the recombinant GCS3 proteins catalyzed 7-methylxanthine to produce theobromine, while the recombinant GCS2 proteins did not catalyze any xanthine derivatives. Simultaneous analysis of the expressions of GCS1 , GCS2 , GCS3 , and a caffeine synthase gene (TCS1) in Camellia gymnogyna Hung T. Chang (Theaceae) and other tea plants provided a reference for further research on the functions of these genes. The transcriptomes of Camellia gymnogyna Chang were analyzed by RNA-Seq. Through transcriptome analysis and PCR, three types of cDNA encoding N-methyltransferases were isolated from the leaves of Camellia gymnogyna Chang and designated GCS1, GCS2, and GCS3. The recombinant GCS1 protein catalyzed 1,3,7-trimethyluric acid to produce theacrine, recombinant GCS3 protein catalyzed 7-methylxanthine to produce theobromine, while recombinant GCS2 protein did no catalyze any xanthine derivatives. Simultaneous analysis of the expressions of GCS1 , GCS2 , GCS3 , and a caffeine synthase gene (TCS1) in Camellia gymnogyna Chang and other tea plants provided a reference for further research on the functions of these genes. N -methyltransferase gene expression patterns in different leaf positions of C. gymnogyna Chang and other tea plants. [Display omitted] • Discovery and Biochemical Characterization of N -methyltransferase Genes Involved in Purine Alkaloid Biosynthetic Pathway of Camellia gymnogyna Hung T. Chang (Theaceae) from Dayao Mountain. • Simultaneous analysis of the expression levels of GCS1 , GCS2 , GCS3 and TCS1 in Camellia gymnogyna Hung T. Chang (Theaceae) and other three tea plants provides a reference for further research on the functions of these genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The production of Russian sturgeon is expanding rapidly in China but it is necessary to adopt measures to extend the shelf life of sturgeon meat. Previous studies found that sous vide cooking (SVC) at 60 °C increased the protein and lipid oxidation. The addition of antioxidant substances reduced the acceptance of the product. The effect of combination SVC and ultrasound pretreatment was therefore investigated. RESULTS: Results showed that SVC at 50 °C combined with ultrasound effectively restrained the growth of total viable counts (TVC) in samples. Meanwhile, the main dominant genera changed from Pseudomonas to Carnobacterium and the number of microbial species decreased. The odor profile of Russian sturgeon meat was more stable and the lipoxygenase (LOX) activity decreased more rapidly after treating with SVC and ultrasound. Importantly, more stable protein aggregates were formed in samples treated by SVC 50 °C together with ultrasound pretreatment, so the protein and lipid oxidation were slowed during storage. Higher springiness values were obtained and the color of sturgeon meat was lighter under these conditions. CONCLUSION: The combination of SVC 50 °C and ultrasound pretreatment effectively inhibited the microbial growth of Russian sturgeon meat at lower oxidation levels. These findings theoretically support the preservation and development of sturgeon meat, and the application of SVC technology. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass-derived N-doped carbon as oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst has captured great attention, for its low-cost, environment-friendly and high-activity. However, most preparations of biomass-derived N-doped carbon expend a lot of fossil nitrogen compounds and corrosivity chemical activators. Herein, this paper proposes a green strategy using spermacoce latifolia leaf as precursor without any additive by direct pyrolyzing to N-doped porous carbon. The as-synthesized spermacoce latifolia -derived carbon (SL-C-800) make a feature of high specific surface area (274.12 m2 g−1), abundant mesoporous, and rich doped nitrogen. The optimal SL-C-800 exhibits high four-electron ORR selectivity with high half-wave potential of 0.75 V, and long-term stability in alkaline medium, which is same to N-doped carbon nanotube. The experiments indicate that graphitic-N is the main active sites, while abundant mesoporous facilitates the O 2 diffusion. Additionally, other porous carbons were synthesized by the same method, also exhibited excellent ORR performance. This work offers a new approach to design and synthesize carbon catalysts for ORR. [Display omitted] • N-doped porous carbons were prepared by direct pyrolyzing spermacoce latifolia. • The optimal SL-C-800 is featured by high surface area, abundant pores, rich doped-N. • The SL-C-800 exhibits a 4e- ORR route with long-term stability in alkaline medium. • Graphitic-N is the main active site, while abundant pores facilitate O 2 diffusion. • Other porous carbons were synthesized by the same method from other grass-blade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oresitrophe and Mukdenia (Saxifragaceae) are epilithic sister genera used in traditional Chinese medicine. The taxonomy of Mukdenia, especially of M. acanthifolia, has been controversial. To address this, we produced plastid and mitochondrial data using genome skimming for Mukdenia acanthifolia and Mukdenia rossii, including three individuals of each species. We assembled complete plastomes, mitochondrial CDS and nuclear ribosomal ETS/ITS sequences using these data. Comparative analysis shows that the plastomes of Mukdenia and Oresitrophe are relatively conservative in terms of genome size, structure, gene content, RNA editing sites and codon usage. Five plastid regions that represent hotspots of change (trnH‐psbA, psbC‐trnS, trnM‐atpE, petA‐psbJ and ccsA‐ndhD) are identified within Mukdenia, and six regions (trnH‐psbA, petN‐psbM, trnM‐atpE, rps16‐trnQ, ycf1 and ndhF) contain a higher number of species‐specific parsimony‐informative sites that may serve as potential DNA barcodes for species identification. To infer phylogenetic relationships between Mukdenia and Oresitrophe, we combined our data with published data based on three different datasets. The monophyly of each species (Oresitrophe rupifraga, M. acanthifolia and M. rossii) and the inferred topology ((M. rossii, M. acanthifolia), O. rupifraga) are well supported in trees reconstructed using the complete plastome sequences, but M. acanthifolia and M. rossii did not form a separate clade in the trees based on ETS + ITS data, while the mitochondrial CDS trees are not well‐resolved. We found low recovery of genes in the Angiosperms353 target enrichment panel from our unenriched genome skimming data. Hybridization or incomplete lineage sorting may be the cause of discordance between trees reconstructed from organellar and nuclear data. Considering its morphological distinctiveness and our molecular phylogenetic results, we strongly recommend that M. acanthifolia be treated as a distinct species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) provoked a pandemic of acute respiratory disease, namely coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Currently, effective drugs for this disease are urgently warranted. Anisodamine is a traditional Chinese medicine that is predicted as a potential therapeutic drug for the treatment of COVID-19. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate its antiviral activity and crucial targets in SARS-CoV-2 infection. SARS-CoV-2 and anisodamine were co-cultured in Vero E6 cells, and the antiviral activity of anisodamine was assessed by immunofluorescence assay. The antiviral activity of anisodamine was further measured by pseudovirus entry assay in HEK293/hACE2 cells. Finally, the predictions of crucial targets of anisodamine on SARS-CoV-2 were analyzed by molecular docking studies. We discovered that anisodamine suppressed SARS-CoV-2 infection in Vero E6 cells, and reduced the SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus entry to HEK293/hACE2 cells. Furthermore, molecular docking studies indicated that anisodamine may target SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) with the docking score of −6.63 kcal/mol and formed three H-bonds with Gly143, Cys145, and Cys44 amino acid residues at the predicted active site of Mpro. This study suggests that anisodamine is a potent antiviral agent for treating COVID-19. [Display omitted] • Anisodamine inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in Vero E6 cells. • Anisodamine inhibits SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus entry to HEK293/hACE2 cells. • Anisodamine targets SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) by molecular docking. • Anisodamine is a potent antiviral agent for treating COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Unregulated and potentially illegal sales of tobacco, nicotine, and cannabis products have been detected on various social media platforms, e-commerce sites, online retailers, and the dark web. New end-to-end encrypted messaging services are popular among online users and present opportunities for marketing, trading, and selling of these products. The purpose of this study was to identify and characterize tobacco, nicotine, and cannabis selling activity on the messaging platform Telegram. Methods The study was conducted in three phases: (1) identifying keywords related to tobacco, nicotine, and cannabis products for purposes of detecting Telegram groups and channel messages; (2) automated data collection from public Telegram groups; and (3) manual annotation and classification of messages engaged in marketing and selling products to consumers. Results Four keywords were identified ("Nicotine," "Vape," "Cannabis," and "Smoke") that yielded 20 Telegram groups with 262 506 active subscribers. Total volume of channel messages was 43 963 unique messages that included 3094 (7.04%) marketing/selling messages. The most commonly sold products in these groups were cannabis-derived products (83.25%, n  = 2576), followed by tobacco/nicotine-derived products (6.46%, n  = 200), and other illicit drugs (0.77%, n  = 24). A variety of marketing tactics and a mix of seller accounts were observed, though most appeared to be individual suppliers. Conclusions Telegram is an online messaging application that allows for custom group creation and global connectivity, but also includes unregulated activities associated with the sale of cannabis and nicotine delivery products. Greater attention is needed to conduct monitoring and enforcement on these emerging platforms for unregulated and potentially illegal cannabis and nicotine product sales direct-to-consumer. Implications Based on study results, Telegram represents an emerging platform that enables a robust cannabis and nicotine-selling marketplace. As local, state, and national tobacco control regulations continue to advance sales restrictions and bans at the retail level, easily accessible and unregulated Internet-based channels must be further assessed to ensure that they do not act as conduits for exposure and access to unregulated or illegal cannabis and nicotine products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed a triazatruxene-based hole transport material (HTM), 3Ka-DBT-3Ka, aiming to enhance band alignment and augment charge generation and collection in devices, as an alternative for 1,2-ethanedithiol (EDT). The PbS CQD solar cells employing 3Ka-DBT-3Ka as the HTM achieve a peak efficiency of 11.4%, surpassing devices employing the conventional PbS-EDT HTM (8.9%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complex profile broaches are widely used in the manufacture of complex parts of aero-engines, but the forces in the broaching process are difficult to predict and control. A new numerical model for broaching force with complex profile tools was presented, which considered the area and arc length of the curved shear zone boundary. The area and arc length were calculated by the curve function of the boundary, which is firstly predicted by FEM simulation. Then, an experimental device was set up to carry out the broaching experiment with straight profile tools and complex profile tools in accordance with the progressive depth of the cut. Based on the experiments, the traditional broaching model and the modified model with the complex profile tool have been established. Compared with the traditional force model, the accuracy of the modified model has been moderately improved. Furthermore, the modified main broaching force (Y direction) model and the normal force (Z direction) model show a significant improvement in accuracy of 4.8% and 9.7%, respectively, which suggests that the projection area of curved shear zone A1 and the projection arc length of curved shear zone l1 have a big impact on the broaching process. It is firmly believed that the modified model proposed in this paper can provide guidance for the design of complex profile tools and facilitate the efficient and high-precision machining of complex parts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secondary metabolites generated by marine fungi have relatively small molecular weights and excellent activities and have become an important source for developing drug lead compounds. The review summarizes the structures of novel small-molecule compounds derived from marine fungi in recent years; introduces representative monomers in antimicrobial, antitumor, anti-viral, and anti-neuritis aspects; and discusses their biological activities and molecular mechanisms. This review will act as a guide for further discovering marine-derived drugs with novel chemical structures and specific targeting mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple myeloma (MM) significantly increases the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) within 6 months of treatment initiation. The IMPEDE VTE score is a VTE risk prediction model which is recently incorporated into the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines, but it lacks validation among Asians, including Chinese MM patients. We performed a retrospective chart review of 405 Chinese with newly diagnosed MM who started therapy at Beijing Jishuitan Hospital between April 2013 to October 2022. The 6-month cumulative incidence of VTE was 3.8 % (95 % CI:1.6–7.6), 8.6 % (95 % CI: 5.3–21.9) and 40.5 % (95 % CI: 24.9–55.7) in the low-, intermediate- and high-risk groups (P < 0.001), respectively. The C-statistic of the IMPEDE VTE scores for predicting VTE within 6 months of treatment initiation was 0.74 (95 % CI: 0.65–0.83). Of note, in this single-center cohort study, we propose that the anticoagulant LMWH may be more effective than the antiplatelet aspirin in potentially preventing VTE in newly diagnosed MM patients. Our findings suggest that the IMPEDE VTE score is a valid evidence-based risk stratification tool in Chinese patients with newly diagnosed MM. • IMPEDE VTE score is a valid evidence-based risk stratification tool for Chinese patients with newly diagnosed MM. • The anticoagulant LMWH may be more effective than the antiplatelet aspirin in potentially preventing VTE in newly diagnosed MM patients. • Our limited data suggests that translocation t (14;16) is a potential risk factors for VTE in MM patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Refined lithology identification is an essential task, often constrained by the subjectivity and low efficiency of classical methods. Computer-aided automatic identification, while useful, has seldom been specifically geared toward refined lithology identification. In this study, we introduce Rock-ViT, an innovative machine learning approach. Its architecture, enhanced with supervised contrastive loss and rooted in visual Transformer principles, markedly improves accuracy in identifying complex lithological patterns. To this end, we have collected public datasets and implemented data augmentation, aiming to validate our method using sandstone as a focal point. The results demonstrate that Rock-ViT achieves superior accuracy and effectiveness in the refined lithology identification of sandstone. Rock-ViT presents a new perspective and a feasible approach for detailed lithological analysis, offering fresh insights and innovative solutions in geological analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Previous studies have indicated a correlation between perceived stress and cognitive decline. However, it remains unknown whether high levels of perceived stress can result in motoric cognitive risk (MCR) syndrome. This study investigated the relationship between perceived stress and MCR in a community-based population. Methods: The study cohort comprised 852 elderly individuals from the Rugao Longitudinal Aging Cohort. Perceived stress was assessed using the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), while MCR was defined as the coexistence of subjective memory complaints (SMCs) and slow gait speed. Results: The average age of the study participants is 79.84 ± 4.34 years. The mean score of PSS-10 among participants is 10.32 (range = 0–33; [SD] = 5.71), with a median score of 10.00 (6.00, 14.00). The prevalence of MCR is 9.3%. In the logistic regression analysis, for each 1-SD (5.71) increase in the global PSS-10 score, the risk of MCR increased by 40% (95% CI 1.09–1.80). Additionally, in the aspect of two components of MCR, with a 1-SD increase (5.71) in the global PSS-10 score, there was a 50% (95% CI 1.29–1.75) increase in the risk of SMCs and a 27% (95% CI 1.04–1.55) increase in the risk of slow gait speed. In terms of specific walking speed, there was a reverse correlation between the global PSS-10 score and walking speed (r = −0.14, p <0.001). Conclusions: This study provided preliminary evidence that high levels of perceived stress were associated with the risk of MCR in a community-dwelling population. Plain Language Summary: Previous studies have indicated a correlation between perceived stress and cognitive decline. However, it remains unknown whether high levels of perceived stress can result in motoric cognitive risk (MCR) syndrome. Perceived stress has been defined as the result of a series of environmental events and demands (stressors) perceived by an individual as exceeding their subjective capacity to cope. MCR syndrome is a novel pre-dementia syndrome consisting of subjective memory complaints (SMCs) and slow gait speed. MCR syndrome is a public health problem with a prevalence of 6.3–9.6% in community-dwelling elderly populations in different countries. It is important to identify and treat risk factors for MCR. This will help prevent MCR in order to prevent dementia at an early stage. This study investigated the relationship between perceived stress and MCR in a community-based population. The study cohort comprised 852 elderly individuals from the Rugao Longitudinal Aging Cohort. Perceived stress was assessed using the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), while MCR was defined as the coexistence of SMCs and slow gait speed. In conclusion, we discovered a significant association between high levels of perceived stress and an increased risk of MCR among individuals aged 70 and older in the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fat-forming solitary fibrous tumor is a rare and specific subtype of solitary fibrous tumor. In this case, a mass of 8.3 cm in diameter was found in a 59-year-old male patient's right retroperitoneum, as revealed by abdominal contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) images. The tumor exhibited a well-circumscribed nature and histological features characterized by a combination of hemangiopericytomatous vasculature and mature adipose tissue, comprising around 70% of the total tumor composition. Immunohistochemistry staining revealed diffuse positive expression of STAT6 and CD34 in the tumor cells. Based on these findings, the final diagnosis was determined to be a fat-forming solitary fibrous tumor located in the retroperitoneum. It is important to consider other potential differential diagnoses, including angiomyolipoma, dedifferentiated liposarcoma, spindle cell lipoma, and atypical lipomatous tumor/well-differentiated liposarcoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The role of macrophage β–arrestin–1 in colitis was investigated. • Interaction of macrophage β–arrestin–1 and NF–κB signaling in DSS–induced colitis and murine macrophages was explored. • Theoretical basis of new drugs taking advantage of β–arrestin–1 for colitis was provided. β-arrestin-1 has been demonstrated to participate in the regulation of inflammatory reactions in several diseases. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the role of macrophage β-arrestin-1 in the pathogenesis and progression of ulcerative colitis (UC). A myeloid β-arrestin-1 conditional knockout mouse model was generated to explore the role of macrophage β-arrestin-1. DSS was employed for the establishment of an ulcerative colitis mouse model, using TNF-α as an inflammatory stressor in vitro. The expression level of β-arrestin-1 was detected via western blot and immunofluorescence assays, whilst disease severity was evaluated by clinical score and H&E staining in the DSS-induced colitis model. In the in vitro experiments, the levels of inflammatory cytokines were examined using real-time PCR. NF-κB activation was detected through the double luciferase reporter system, western blot, and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). BAY11-7082 was used to inhibit NF-κB activation. Our results exposed that the level of β-arrestin-1 was increased in monocytes/macrophages derived from DSS-induced colitis mice or under the TNF-α challenge. Moreover, conditionally knocking out the expression of myeloid β-arrestin-1 alleviated disease severity, while knocking out the expression of β-arrestin-1 decreased the levels of inflammatory cytokines. Additionally, NF-κB was identified as a central regulatory element of β-arrestin-1 promoter, and using BAY11-7082 to inhibit NF-κB activation lowered the level of β-arrestin-1 under TNF-α challenge. β-arrestin-1 led to the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway by enhancing binding to IκBα and IKK under the TNF-α challenge. Taken together, our findings demonstrated macrophage β-arrestin-1 contributes to the deterioration of DSS-induced colitis through the interaction with NF-κB signaling, thus highlighting a novel target for the treatment of UC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to prepare spiky titanium dioxide nanoparticles-loaded Plantaginis Semen polysaccharide (SN-TiO 2 -PSP), and the structural characterization and immune response of infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) vaccine in Hetian chickens were investigated. The structural characterization of SN-TiO 2 -PSP was analyzed by FT-IR, TEM, and TGA analysis. And the immune organs indexes, lymphocytes proliferation, specific antibody levels, and ratios of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes were studied. Structural characterization results showed that SN-TiO 2 -PSP has a typical polysaccharide absorption peak and good stability. The SN-TiO 2 -PSP's shape was similar to sea urchin, and its zeta potential and particle size were 27.56 mV and 976.11 nm, respectively. In vivo results showed that SN-TiO 2 -PSP could enhance the proliferation of peripheral lymphocytes, specific antibody levels, CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes ratios, IL-4 and INF-γ levels in Hetian chickens vaccinated with ILT vaccine on D 7 , D 14 , D 21 , and D 28. In addition, SN-TiO 2 -PSP not only enhanced the indexes of immune organs but also promoted the development of immune organs. Therefore, SN-TiO 2 -PSP has immune adjuvant activity and may become a new potential immune adjuvant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to explore the indirect immunomodulatory activities and its mechanism of enzymatic hydrolysis of Hericium erinaceus polysaccharides (EHEP) in the MODE-K/DCs co-culture model. According to the TEER value, transmission of phenol red and AKP activity of MODE-K cells, single model was established in order to evaluate the eligibility of MODE-K cells monolayer. Then the MODE-K/DCs co-culture model was set up and HEP and EHEP were added into the apical chamber, DCs were obtained for the expression of key surface markers, the ability of phagocytosis, the morphology, the secretion of cytokines and the production of target proteins. We found that after 21 d of culture, the MODE-K cells monolayer became intact and dense, which can be used for the MODE-K/DCs co-culture model. Under the treatment of HEP and EHEP, immature DCs become into mature DCs with the high expression of CD86 and MHCII, the low antigens up-taking, the typical morphology, the more content of IL-12 and TNF-α and the high level of TLR4, MyD88 and NF-κB proteins. However, compared with HEP, EHEP showed the better immunomodulatory activities. These findings indicated that EHEP could indirectly affect the immune function of DCs in the MODE-K/DCs co-culture model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the utilization of CS-MWCNT as targeted drug carriers has attracted considerable attention. Hericium erinaceus polysaccharide (HEP) has been reported as an immunostimulant to improve immune responses. This study was focussed on developing CS-MWCNT encapsulating HEP (CS-MWCNT-HEP). Using in mice peritoneal macrophages, we found the immune response could be effectively regulated by CS-MWCNT-HEP, promoted the expression of the MHCII, CD86, F4/80 and gp38. Moreover, the mice immunized with CS-MWCNT-HEP nanoparticles significantly extended PCV 2 -specific IgG immune response and the levels of cytokines. The results demonstrated that CS-MWCNT-HEP may be a promising drug delivery system for immuno-enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]