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Infectious diseases have been posing frequent and significant threats to us. However, research on how disease threat affects consumer behavior, especially sensory responses, is still limited. In this study, drawing on the theory of compensatory consumption, we show that consumers under disease threat are less willing to buy products presented in a dense display. This is because disease threat activates a high‐density avoidance mindset, which is carried over to the way in which products are placed. Moreover, this effect is mitigated when diseases are noninfectious or when disinfectant products are displayed. A set of four studies, which adopt lab and field settings, using different manipulations and measures, provide convergent evidence for these effects. Specifically, Study 1 examines the main effect of disease threat on product display. Study 2 tests the mediating role of high‐density avoidance mindset as well as the moderating role of disease infectiousness. Study 3 proceeds to explore product type as the other boundary condition. Finally, Study 4 provides real world evidence through a field experiment. Furthermore, in these studies, five alternative explanations were ruled out to further clarify the psychological process. These findings offer valuable insights for retailers regarding product display strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digitalization has promoted the development of the sharing economy by facilitating exchanges that provide consumers with temporary access to products. Hence, enhancing consumers' preference for access‐based products is critical for marketing practitioners and researchers. This study proposes an effective advertising strategy to enhance access‐based consumption based on the adoption of an appropriate visual perspective in advertising design. We demonstrate that advertisements that adopt a third‐person (first‐person) perspective increase (decrease) consumers' preference for access‐based products. Mental simulation and psychological ownership mediate this effect; in addition, this effect is moderated by advertising appeal. Five empirical studies provide convergent evidence in support of the study's proposed hypotheses. These findings contribute to research on access‐based products and visual perspective and suggest innovative visual strategies for marketing practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Numerous studies have demonstrated that brain metastases patients may benefit from intracranial radiotherapy combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). However, it is unclear whether this treatment is effective for patients with small cell lung cancer brain metastases (SCLC‐BMs). Methods: We conducted a retrospective study by analyzing medical records of patients with SCLC‐BMs from January 1, 2017 to June 1, 2022. Data related to median overall survival (mOS), median progression‐free survival (mPFS), and intracranial progression‐free survival (iPFS) were analyzed. Results: A total of 109 patients were enrolled, of which 60 received WBRT and 49 received WBRT‐ICI. Compared to the WBRT alone cohort, the WBRT‐ICI cohort showed longer mOS (20.4 months vs. 29.3 months, p = 0.021), mPFS (7.9 months vs. 15.1 months, p < 0.001), and iPFS (8.3 months vs. 16.5 months, p < 0.001). Furthermore, WBRT‐ICI cohort had a better response rate for both BMs. (p = 0.035) and extracranial diseases (p < 0.001) compared to those receiving WBRT alone. Notably, the use of WBRT before ICI was associated with longer mOS compared to the use of WBRT after ICI (23.3 months for the ICI‐WBRT group vs. 34.8 months for the WBRT‐ICI group, p = 0.020). Conclusion: Our results indicated that WBRT combined with immunotherapy improved survival in SCLC‐BMs patients compared to WBRT monotherapy. Administering WBRT prior to ICI treatment is associated with improved survival outcomes compared to WBRT following ICI treatment, for patients with SCLC‐BMs. These findings highlight the significance of conducting further prospective researches on combination strategies of intracranial radiotherapy and ICI in SCLC‐BMs patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: At present, there is a preliminary clinical consensus that prone position ventilation (PPV) is beneficial to the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and further research on the details of treatment and patients' benefits will help to assess its effectiveness and safety. Aim: To evaluate the timing, efficacy, and safety of different mechanical ventilation positions (MVP) in treating ARDS. Study Design: The results of clinical trials were directly or indirectly compared by network meta‐analysis to compare the effects of different MVP. Two authors independently searched the papers published in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Biomedical Discs (CBM), WanFang, and VIP database from January 2000 to August 2022. The outcome indicators were oxygenation index, mechanical ventilation time, ICU hospitalization time, in‐hospital mortality, and incidence of adverse events. Two authors independently screened the literature, evaluated the quality of the studies, and completed the data extraction. Stata 14.0 was used to conduct a network Meta‐analysis, and the intervention measures were ranked according to the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA). Funnel plots were drawn to evaluate publication bias. Results: According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 75 studies (including 6333 patient data) were finally included. According to the analysis results, PPV was the best for improving the oxygenation index. The SUCRA values of mechanical ventilation time, ICU hospitalization time, and in‐hospital mortality were ranked as PPV > lateral position ventilation (LPV) > supine position ventilation (SuPV) > semireclining position ventilation (SePV). The SUCRA values in the incidence of adverse events were ranked as LPV > PPV > SuPV > SePV. All outcome measures had good consistency and low statistical heterogeneity. Funnel plot analysis shows that papers reported within three days of mechanical ventilation time, over five days of mechanical ventilation time, and in‐hospital mortality were more likely to have publication bias. Conclusions: PPV has the best effect on improving the oxygenation index, reducing mechanical ventilation time, shortening ICU hospitalization time, and reducing in‐hospital mortality. Early and long‐term use of PPV to improve pulmonary ventilatory function will be the key to improving patients' survival and quality of life with ARDS. Relevance to clinical practice: PPV significantly affects patients with ARDS, which can shorten the treatment time and reduce hospital costs. During the treatment, nursing observation should be strengthened to prevent adverse events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid proliferation of COVID‐19 has dealt a heavy blow to many companies. Under these circumstances, employee‐sharing has become a valuable strategy to help enterprises resume work and production. Based on the event system theory, we explored the impact of employee‐sharing event strength on consumers' brand attitudes during the COVID‐19 pandemic through a corporate social responsibility (CSR) lens. Also, we verified that employee‐sharing event strength during the COVID‐19 pandemic positively affected consumers' internal (ICSR) and external (ECSR) perceptions of enterprises, improving consumers' brand attitudes and validating the positive moderating effect of customer‐company identification. Thus, this study provides theoretical insights and managerial implications for CSR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rubisco is assembled from large subunits (encoded by chloroplast gene rbcL) and small subunits (encoded by the nuclear rbcS multigene family), which are involved in the processes of carbon dioxide fixation in the Calvin cycle of photosynthesis. Although Rubisco has been studied in many plants, the evolutionary divergences among the different rbcS genes are still largely unknown. Here, using a rice closely related wild species, Oryza punctata Kotschy ex Steud, we investigated the differential properties of the rbcS genes in the species. We identified five rbcS genes (OprbcS1 through OprbcS5), OprbcS1 showed a different evolutionary pattern from the remaining four genes in terms of chromosome location, gene structure, and sequence homology. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that plant rbcS1 and other non‐rbcS1 genes originated from a common ancient duplication event that occurred at least in seed plants ancestor. RbcS1 was then retained in a few plant lineages, including Oryza, whereas non‐rbcS1 was mainly amplified in angiosperms. OprbcS1, OprbcS2–OprbcS4, and OprbcS5 were prominently expressed in stems and seeds, young leaves, and mature leaves, respectively. The yeast two‐hybrid assay detected a significant decrease in the interaction between OprbcS1 and OprbcL compared to the other four pairs of proteins (OprbcS2–OprbcS5 and OprbcL). We propose that OprbcS1 might be assigned a divergent function that was predominantly specific to nonphotosynthetic organs, whereas OprbcS2–OprbcS5, having different affinity in the assembly process of Rubisco, might be subfunctionalized in photosynthetic organs. This study not only deepens our understanding of the fine assembly of Rubisco, but also sheds some light on future de novo domestication of wild rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Evaluation of vestibular graviceptive pathway (VGP) in patients with unilateral peripheral vestibular dysfunction (UPVD) has received increasing attention from researchers. The study aimed to investigate the value of VGP evaluation in the diagnosis of UPVD. Methods: Ninety‐five UPVD patients were divided into attack and remission phase groups. VGP evaluation‐related indicators, including subjective visual vertical (SVV), subjective visual horizontal (SVH), head tilt, ocular torsion (OT), and skew deviation (SD), were measured, and their correlations with cochleovestibular function test results were analyzed. The possible etiologies of contralesional VGP (c‐VGP) were analyzed. Results: Positive rates of SVV, SVH, OT, and SD were significantly higher, and the degrees of SVV, SVH, and OT were significantly greater in the attack phase group than the remission phase group. The sides with abnormal VGP evaluation results were correlated with the sides with hearing loss, abnormal caloric, and video head impulse test (vHIT) results. A total of 14 patients showed c‐VGP, and possible etiologies included contralateral benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (n = 4), bilateral hearing loss (n = 8), bilateral vHIT gain reduction (n = 1), autoimmune diseases (n = 6), vascular risk factors (n = 6), lacunar infarction (n = 3), and endolymphatic hydrops (n = 3). Conclusions: Alterations in SVV, SVH, OT, and SD were noted in UPVD patients in different phases, which are presumed to be related to dynamic vestibular compensation; correlations between VGP evaluation results and cochleovestibular function test results indicate that VGP evaluation may be helpful for the diagnosis of the side affected in UPVD; the presence of c‐VGP may be related to bilateral labyrinth lesions or endolymphatic hydrops on the affected side; and the involvement of autoimmune mechanisms also deserves attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Wheat fixes CO2 by photosynthesis into kernels to nourish humankind. Improving the photosynthesis rate is a major driving force in assimilating atmospheric CO2 and guaranteeing food supply for human beings. Strategies for achieving the above goal need to be improved. Here, we report the cloning and mechanism of CO2ASSIMILATION RATE AND KERNEL‐ENHANCED 1 (CAKE1) from durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum). The cake1 mutant displayed a lower photosynthesis rate with smaller grains. Genetic studies identified CAKE1 as HSP90.2‐B, encoding cytosolic molecular chaperone folding nascent preproteins. The disturbance of HSP90.2 decreased leaf photosynthesis rate, kernel weight (KW) and yield. Nevertheless, HSP90.2 over‐expression increased KW. HSP90.2 recruited and was essential for the chloroplast localization of nuclear‐encoded photosynthesis units, for example PsbO. Actin microfilaments docked on the chloroplast surface interacted with HSP90.2 as a subcellular track towards chloroplasts. A natural variation in the hexaploid wheat HSP90.2‐B promoter increased its transcription activity, enhanced photosynthesis rate and improved KW and yield. Our study illustrated an HSP90.2–Actin complex sorting client preproteins towards chloroplasts to promote CO2 assimilation and crop production. The beneficial haplotype of Hsp90.2 is rare in modern varieties and could be an excellent molecular switch promoting photosynthesis rate to increase yield in future elite wheat varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a critical food crop feeding the world, but pathogens threaten its production. Wheat Heat Shock Protein 90.2 (HSP90.2) is a pathogen‐inducible molecular chaperone folding nascent preproteins. Here, we used wheat HSP90.2 to isolate clients regulated at the posttranslational level. Tetraploid wheat hsp90.2 knockout mutant was susceptible to powdery mildew, while the HSP90.2 overexpression line was resistant, suggesting that HSP90.2 was essential for wheat resistance against powdery mildew. We next isolated 1500 clients of HSP90.2, which contained a wide variety of clients with different biological classifications. We utilized 2Q2, a nucleotide‐binding leucine repeat‐rich protein, as a model to investigate the potential of HSP90.2 interactome in fungal resistance. The transgenic line co‐suppressing 2Q2 was more susceptible to powdery mildew, suggesting 2Q2 as a novel Pm‐resistant gene. The 2Q2 protein resided in chloroplasts, and HSP90.2 played a critical role in the accumulation of 2Q2 in thylakoids. Our data provided over 1500 HSP90.2 clients with a potential regulation at the protein folding process and contributed a nontypical approach to isolate pathogenesis‐related proteins. Summary Statement: This work revealed over 1500 clients of wheat Heat Shock Protein 90.2, a highly conserved pathogen molecular chaperone folding a wide range of signal transducers. 2Q2, a chloroplast‐localized nucleotide‐binding leucine repeat‐rich (NB‐LRR) protein, was discovered as a novel powdery mildew‐resistant protein, showing the potential of HSP90.2 chaperome in future plant fungal resistance study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Oogonial stem cells (OSCs) are germ cells that can sustain neo‐oogenesis to replenish the pool of primary follicles in adult ovaries. In lower vertebrates, fresh oocytes are produced by numerous OSCs through mitosis and meiosis during each reproduction cycle, but the OSCs in adult mammals are rare. The birds have retained many conserved features and developed unique features of ovarian physiology during evolution, and the presence of OSCs within avian species remain unknown. Materials and Methods: In this study, we investigated the existence and function of OSCs in adult chickens. The chicken OSCs were isolated and expanded in culture. We then used cell transplantation system to evaluate their potential for migration and differentiation in vivo. Results: DDX4/SSEA1‐positive OSCs were identified in both the cortex and medulla of the adult chicken ovary. These putative OSCs undergo meiosis in the reproductively active ovary. Furthermore, the isolated OSCs were expanded in vitro for months and found to express germline markers similar to those of primordial germ cells. When transplanted into the bloodstream of recipient embryos, these OSCs efficiently migrated into developing gonads, initiated meiosis, and then derived oocytes in postnatal ovaries. Conclusions: This study has confirmed the presence of functional OSCs in birds for the first time. The identification of chicken OSCs has great potential for improving egg laying and preserving endangered species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indentation pop‐in behavior of CoCrFeNiAl0.1, CoCrFeNiAl0.3, and CoCrFeNiAl0.6 high‐entropy alloys (HEAs) at different loading rates is investigated using instrumental nanoindentation. Experimental results show that the increase in either loading rate or the aluminum atomic content (Alx) of the alloy all have a reducing effect on the pop‐in behavior on the load–displacement curve. Meanwhile, both conditions exert a lagging effect on the triggered depth of the first pop‐in event and significantly affect the bursting width. The first pop‐in event is characterized using the previous phenomenological model and the effects of loading rate and Alx are quantitatively analyzed through combining the elastic deformation energy prior to the first pop‐in and the energy dissipation during the indentation process. In addition, the activation volumes for pop‐in event are evaluated to be about 4–13 Ω much higher than that in pure metal, revealing the multiatom‐coordinated migration process in HEAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the applications of a vertical electrokinetic system (V‐EK), which consists of multilayer electrodes positioned in shallow soil to form an 'electric sieve' to mitigate and prevent soil salinization caused by salts rising from saline groundwater in coastal areas. The experiments were conducted in column reactors in the laboratory. Compared to the control column, the level of ions in the surface soil was significantly reduced after the V‐EK treatment, particularly for the column with voltages at 10 V and 20 V. At a voltage of 20 V, Na+ was detected at a range of 0.06–0.08 mg g−1 in the surface soil; this is a >99% reduction compared to the controls. Similar efficacy was observed for Cl− in the V‐EK column. The concentrations of Cl− were detected with a range of 0.01–0.02 mg g−1 and 0.02–0.06 mg g−1 at the surface soil with a voltage of 20 V and 10 V, respectively, compared to the Cl− concentrations at 0.84–2.70 mg g−1 in the control. After the application of the vertical 'electric sieve', the total salt content of surface soil could be controlled at a low value (<0.25‰) at voltages of 10 V and 20 V, compared to that in the control column (4.86‰). Finally, rising of salts from the artificial saline groundwater was effectively mitigated under voltages of 10 V and 20 V. Results from this work have demonstrated that the 'electric sieve' can effectively mitigate and prevent salts from rising in shallow groundwater to surface soil and reduce soil salinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study demonstrates a visual phenomenon in online product presentation: product size perception is influenced by the depth of field of the presentation image. Depth of field refers to how blurry or sharp the background around the focused subject is a shallow depth‐of‐field image result in a clear focused subject and a blurry background, while in a deep depth‐of‐field image, both the subject and the background are clear. One eye‐tracking study, three behavioral experiments, and one field study show that a shallow (vs. deep) depth‐of‐field product presentation (i.e., a clear product with a blurry background) increases consumers' product size perceptions. This effect is mediated by the greater attention allocated to the product and is moderated by product familiarity. Specifically, when product familiarity is low, consumer attention mediates the significant effect of depth of field on product size perception. However, when product familiarity is high, the effects of depth of field and consumer attention decrease. The current research contributes to the previous research on product presentation and product size perception by investigating the effect of a novel factor, the depth of field, on consumers' estimations of product size. Overall, the findings encourage online retailers to carefully adapt the depth of field technique in their product presentation according to their objectives (e.g., attract consumers' interest vs. provide accurate information) and consumers' familiarity with their products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence (EDXRF) is a physical rapid detection method to analyze the types of elements through the energy characteristics of fluorescent X‐ray particles. When applied to the detection of food element content, it not only needs simple sample pretreatment but also the element measurement time generally does not exceed 10 min to have the accuracy of μg/g, which can greatly reduce the time and cost of detection. Due to the limitations of the EDXRF instrument and measurement mechanism, it has low sensitivity to light elements in food, and the detection sensitivity varies with elements in food element analysis. For example, the detection sensitivity of Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu and other elements concerned by people is not high when the content is low, and the measurement accuracy is extremely dependent on the detector resolution. However, with the improvement of detector performance and algorithm optimization of EDXRF, the detection limit of this technology can reach 0.1 μg/g, the detection of trace elements has also been improved, which has made a new breakthrough in the field of food element detection. Therefore, this paper reviews that in recent 20 years, in order to overcome the various difficulties of EDXRF in food detection, the hardware optimization of EDXRF (For example, the development of an analyzer without sample preparation can greatly reduce the time required for the detection of food elements, and a series of instruments combined with EDXRF and cluster capillary technology can greatly improve the excitation efficiency of lighter elements in food. The spectrometer with a high‐resolution detector can improve the detection accuracy of target elements with low content in food) and in order to solve the problem of spectrum resolution in food detection, (For example, the wavelet transform method which has good performance in spectrum smoothing, identifying weak peaks and maintaining peak shape is applied to EDXRF spectrum resolution, which can better solve the problem that the X‐ray characteristic peaks of elements with a low atomic number in food are submerged) the reform and innovation of spectrum resolution methods are introduced. This paper summarizes and analyzes the representative application examples of EDXRF in food safety detection, discusses the advantages and disadvantages of EDXRF compared with other rapid detection or food detection methods in different situations, concludes its application conditions, and discusses the application prospect of EDXRF technology in the field of food detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mosaicism in fragile X syndrome (FXS) refers to two different FMR1 allele variations: size mosaicism represents different numbers of CGG repeats between the two alleles, such that in addition to a full mutation allele there is an allele in the normal or premutation range of CGG repeats, while methylation mosaicism indicates whether a full‐mutation allele is fully or partially methylated. The present study explored the association between mosaicism type and cognitive and behavioral functioning in a large sample of males 3 years and older (n = 487) with FXS, participating in the Fragile X Online Registry with Accessible Research Database. Participants with methylation mosaicism were less severely cognitively affected as indicated by a less severe intellectual disability rating, higher intelligence quotient and adaptive behavior score, and lower social impairment score. In contrast, the presence of size mosaicism was not significantly associated with better cognitive and behavioral outcomes than full mutation. Our findings suggest that methylation mosaicism is associated with better cognitive functioning and adaptive behavior and less social impairment. Further research could assess to what extent these cognitive and behavioral differences depend on molecular diagnostic methods and the impact of mosaicism on prognosis of individuals with FXS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A differentiation switch of bone marrow mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (BMSCs) from osteoblasts to adipocytes contributes to age‐ and menopause‐associated bone loss and marrow adiposity. Here it is found that osteocytes, the most abundant bone cells, promote adipogenesis and inhibit osteogenesis of BMSCs by secreting neuropeptide Y (NPY), whose expression increases with aging and osteoporosis. Deletion of NPY in osteocytes generates a high bone mass phenotype, and attenuates aging‐ and ovariectomy (OVX)‐induced bone‐fat imbalance in mice. Osteocyte NPY production is under the control of autonomic nervous system (ANS) and osteocyte NPY deletion blocks the ANS‐induced regulation of BMSC fate and bone‐fat balance. γ‐Oryzanol, a clinically used ANS regulator, significantly increases bone formation and reverses aging‐ and OVX‐induced osteocyte NPY overproduction and marrow adiposity in control mice, but not in mice lacking osteocyte NPY. The study suggests a new mode of neuronal control of bone metabolism through the ANS‐induced regulation of osteocyte NPY. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers tend to be impatient during an online wait (e.g., waiting for webpages to download), which may decrease their satisfaction with online retailers. The current research addresses this important issue by identifying a simple and viable strategy to boost consumer patience: the presence of anthropomorphic cues on the download interface. In particular, we postulate a matching effect between anthropomorphic cues and shopping motivation on consumer patience, such that hedonic (vs. utilitarian) consumption benefits from exciting (vs. sincere) anthropomorphism, whereas utilitarian (vs. hedonic) consumption benefits from sincere (vs. exciting) anthropomorphism (Study 1). Notably, these effects are driven by a match between anthropomorphic cues and shopping motivation that creates perceptions of fluency, and the ensuing enjoyment experience yields enhanced patience (Study 2). In addition to having substantive theoretical implications for the anthropomorphism, patience, and persuasion literature, our findings offer novel insights regarding ways for marketers to effectively manage online wait. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sepsis and sepsis-induced skeletal muscle atrophy are common in patients in intensive care units with high mortality, while the mechanisms are controversial and complicated. In the present study, the atrophy of skeletal muscle was evaluated in sepsis mouse model as well as the apoptosis of muscle fibres. Sepsis induced atrophy of skeletal muscle and apoptosis of myofibres in vivo and in vitro. In cell-based in vitro experiments, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation also inhibited the proliferation of myoblasts. At the molecular level, the expression of polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) and phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-AKT) was decreased. Overexpression of PLK1 partly rescued LPS-induced apoptosis, proliferation suppression and atrophy in C2C12 cells. Furthermore, inhibiting the AKT pathway deteriorated LPS-induced atrophy in PLK1-overexpressing C2C12 myotubes. PLK1 was found to participate in regulating apoptosis and E3 ubiquitin ligase activity in C2C12 cells. Taken together, these results indicate that sepsis induces skeletal muscle atrophy by promoting apoptosis of muscle fibres and inhibiting proliferation of myoblasts via regulation of the PLK1-AKT pathway. These findings enhance understanding of the mechanism of sepsis-induced skeletal muscle atrophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoporosis is one of the most common metabolic bone diseases affecting millions of people. We previously found that harmine prevents bone loss in ovariectomized mice via increasing preosteoclast platelet‐derived growth factor‐BB (PDGF‐BB) production and type H vessel formation. However, the molecular mechanisms by which harmine promotes preosteoclast PDGF‐BB generation are still unclear. In this study, we revealed that inhibitor of DNA binding‐2 (Id2) and activator protein‐1 (AP‐1) were important factors implicated in harmine‐enhanced preosteoclast PDGF‐BB production. Exposure of RANKL‐induced Primary bone marrow macrophages (BMMs), isolated from tibiae and femora of mice, to harmine increased the protein levels of Id2 and AP‐1. Knockdown of Id2 by Id2‐siRNA reduced the number of preosteoclasts as well as secretion of PDGF‐BB in RANKL‐stimulated BMMs administrated with harmine. Inhibition of c‐Fos or c‐Jun (components of AP‐1) both reversed the stimulatory effect of harmine on preosteoclast PDGF‐BB production. Dual‐luciferase reporter assay analyses determined that PDGF‐BB was the direct target of AP‐1 which was up‐regulated by harmine treatment. In conclusion, our data demonstrated a novel mechanism involving in the production of PDGF‐BB increased by harmine, which may provide potential therapeutic targets for bone loss diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a three-dimensional (3D) software tool (smart planes) for displaying fetal brain planes, and the secondary purpose was to evaluate its accuracy in performing automatic measurements.Material and Methods: This prospective study included singleton fetuses with a gestational age (GA) greater than 18 weeks. Transabdominal two-dimensional ultrasound (2DUS) and 3D smart planes images were respectively used to obtain the basic planes of the fetal brain, with five parameters measured. The images, by either two-dimensional (2D) manual or 3D automatic operation, were reviewed by two experienced sonographers. The agreements between two measurements were analyzed.Results: A total of 226 cases were included. The rates of successful detection by automatic display were as high as 80%. There was substantial agreement between the measurements of the biparietal diameter, head circumference and transcerebellar diameter, but poor agreement between the measurements of cisterna magna and lateral ventricle width.Conclusions: Smart Planes might be valuable for the rapid evaluation of fetal brain, because it simplifies the evaluation process. However, the technology requires improvement. In addition, this technology cannot replace the conventional manual US scans; it can only be used as an additional approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Liver is one of the organs with a high incidence of tumors in the human body. Malignant liver tumors seriously threaten human life and health. The difficulties of liver tumor segmentation from computed tomography (CT) image are: (a) The contrast between the liver tumors and healthy tissues in CT images is low and the boundary is blurred; (b) The image of liver tumor is complex and diversified in size, shape, and location. Methods: To solve the above problems, this paper focused on the human liver and liver tumor segmentation algorithm based on convolutional neural network (CNN), and specially designed a three‐dimensional dual path multiscale convolutional neural network (TDP‐CNN). To balance the performance of segmentation and requirement of computational resources, the dual path was used in the network, then the feature maps from both paths were fused at the end of the paths. To refine the segmentation results, we used conditional random fields (CRF) to eliminate the false segmentation points in the segmentation results to improve the accuracy. Results: In the experiment, we used the public dataset liver tumor segmentation (LiTS) to analyze the segmentation results qualitatively and quantitatively. Ground truth segmentation of liver and liver tumor was manually labeled by an experienced radiologist. Quantitative metrics were Dice, Hausdorff distance, and average distance. For the segmentation results of liver tumor, Dice was 0.689, Hausdorff distance was 7.69, and the average distance was 1.07; for the segmentation results of the liver, Dice was 0.965, Hausdorff distance was 29.162, and the average distance was 0.197. Compared with other liver and liver tumor segmentation algorithms in Medical Image Computing and Intervention (MICCAI) 2017 competition, our method of liver segmentation ranked first, and liver tumor segmentation ranked second. Conclusions: The experimental results showed that the proposed algorithm had good performance in both liver and liver tumor segmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of our study was to compare the incidence of chromosomal abnormalities of fetuses with isolated fetal ventriculomegaly (VM) to that of fetuses with the sole risk factor of being born to mothers of advanced age. Method: This prospective study included two groups. Group 1 included fetuses with isolated VM and were further categorized according to maternal age, fetal gender, laterality of VM (unilateral or bilateral), evolution of VM (resolved or persistent or progressive), and the gestational age at the time of diagnosis (<28w or ≥28w). Group 2 were fetuses without any fetal structural abnormality, but maternal age was at or over 35 years. Result: Eighteen fetuses (18/231, 7.8%) with chromosomal abnormalities were identified for Group 1, and 13 fetuses (13/782, 1.7%) were identified for Group 2. When cases with mothers of advanced age were excluded from Group 1, the incidence of chromosomal abnormalities of isolated VM fetuses age was 7.2%, which is still higher than that of normal structural fetuses in mothers of advanced age (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The risk of chromosomal abnormalities for fetuses with isolated VM is high, especially when it is severe, bilateral, the first presence occurs in mid‐gestation and is not resolved. The purpose of our study was to compare the incidence of chromosomal abnormalities of fetuses with isolated fetal ventriculomegaly (VM) to that of fetuses with the sole risk factor of being born to mothers of advanced age. Our result indicated that the risk of chromosomal abnormalities for fetuses with isolated VM is high, especially when it is severe, bilateral, the first presence occurs in mid‐gestation and is not resolve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclist safety is increasingly becoming a societal problem in Europe, as shown by road safety statistics. Frequent stops for red traffic lights at intersections are experienced by cyclists as a major inconvenience. This study introduces a green wave concept for cyclists, with focus on the traffic management and control aspects under cooperative intelligent transport systems applications. It especially addresses increasing stability of the adaptive control system, to overcome the drawbacks of both actuated and traditional adaptive control (which are too unpredictable for a green wave speed advice). In addition, solutions for avoiding increased delays for other traffic are investigated, as generally result from a classic green wave approach (with only fixed-time control) and traditional adaptive control. This study introduces an adaptive control algorithm for a real-time model-predictive controller and implements a plan-deviation cost function to address stabilisation. Simulation results show that the developed method increases stability of the adaptive control system, limits extra delays for other traffic and yields a high success rate for the green wave concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Searching for materials with improved electrochemical behaviors is an important topic in portable energy storage devices. In this work a simple one‐step solvothermal process is developed to rationally synthesize nanocellular α‐MnSe and its applications in energy storage devices are studied. The MnSe faradic electrode shows a low internal resistance (0.37 Ω), high capacity (84.7 mAh g−1 at 10 mV s−1), good rate capability, and long cycle life. All‐solid‐state battery‐supercapacitor hybrid (BSH) devices are assembled using binder‐free nanocellular MnSe as the positive electrode and active carbon (AC) as the negative electrode. The MnSe//AC all‐solid‐state devices exhibit large energy and power densities (39.6 µWh cm−2 at 0.96 mW cm−2), extremely low internal resistance (only 1.34 Ω), fast charge process, outstanding cycle stability (119.79% retention after 8000 cycles), and flexibility with rather low bending loss. The wrist strap product by connecting three MnSe//AC all‐solid‐state devices in series can readily drive a green light‐emitting diode for 3 min after 5 s of charging process. This work demonstrates that MnSe is an ideal low‐resistance candidate of electrode materials for all‐solid‐state BSH devices, which is expected to facilitate the development in the portable and wearable energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Glycans anchored on cell‐surface receptors are active modulators of receptor signaling. A strategy is presented that enforces transient changes to cell‐surface glycosylation patterns to tune receptor signaling. This approach, termed in situ glycan editing, exploits recombinant glycosyltransferases to incorporate monosaccharides with linkage specificity onto receptors in situ. α2,3‐linked sialic acid or α1,3‐linked fucose added in situ suppresses signaling through epidermal growth factor receptor and fibroblast growth factor receptor. We also applied the same strategy to regulate the electrical signaling of a potassium ion channel–human ether‐à‐go‐go‐related gene channel. Compared to gene editing, no long‐term perturbations are introduced to the treated cells. In situ glycan editing therefore offers a promising approach for studying the dynamic role of specific glycans in membrane receptor signaling and ion channel functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Handwriting of children in early grades is studied from the viewpoint of quantitatively measuring the development of handwriting individuality. Handwriting samples of children, in grades 2-4, writing a paragraph of text in both handprinted and cursive, collected over a period of 3 years, were analyzed using two different approaches: (i) characteristics of the word 'and' and (ii) entire paragraphs using an automated system. In the first approach, word characteristics were analyzed using statistical measures. In the second approach, pairs of paragraphs were compared. Both types of analysis, single word and complete writing, led to the same conclusions: (i) handwriting of each child remains relatively similar when handwriting has been just learnt and becomes markedly different from grades 3 to 4 and (ii) handwriting of different children becomes progressively more different from grades 2 to 4. The results provide strong support that handwriting becomes more individualistic with child development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The changes in body composition and biomarker levels that occur during the aging process are complex and remain poorly understood. The present study aimed to evaluate changes in serum C-peptide levels and fat mass-tolean mass ratio (FM/LM ratio) with increasing age, and to explore the associations between serum C-peptide levels and FM/LM ratio. Methods: This was a population-based cross-sectional study that included 3912 participants aged 30-85 years. Body composition was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Analysis of covariance was used to evaluate how the serum C-peptide level and FM/LM ratio change with increasing age, as well as how the FM/LM ratio changes in line with increasing serum C-peptide level. A multiple linear regression analysis was carried out to determine the association between serum C-peptide level and FM/LM ratio. Results: Analysis of covariance showed that serum C-peptide levels, and most regional FM/LM ratios tended to increase in line with increasing age. Total fat mass, total lean mass, percentage total fat mass and total FM/LM ratio were significantly elevated, and percentage total lean mass decreased significantly with increasing serum C-peptide levels in both men and women. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that serum C-peptide level was strongly associated with the total FM/LM ratio. Conclusions: The findings showed that both serum C-peptide level and FM/LM ratio increased with increasing age, and the serum C-peptide level was closely associated with changes in the total FM/LM ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research aimed at understanding the specific role of glycosylation patterns in protein function would greatly benefit from additional approaches allowing direct access to homogeneous glycoproteins. Herein the development and application of an efficient approach for the synthesis of complex homogenously glycosylated peptides based on a multifunctional photocleavable auxiliary is described. The presence of a PEG polymer within the auxiliary enables sequential enzymatic glycosylation and straightforward isolation in excellent yields. The auxiliary-modified peptides can be directly used in native chemical ligations with peptide thioesters easily obtained by direct hydrazinolysis of the respective glycosylated peptidyl resins and subsequent oxidation. The ligated glycopeptides can be smoothly deprotected by UV irradiation. We apply this approach to the preparation of variants of the epithelial tumor marker MUC1 carrying one or more Tn, T, or sialyl-T antigens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Aim Serum C-peptide is an active peptide that has important physiological functions and characteristics in the elderly. The present study aimed to investigate the association between physical activity and serum C-peptide level independent of insulin level among the elderly. Methods The study included 1700 elderly participants aged ≥65 years. Stratified analysis of covariance was used to compare serum C-peptide levels in participants with different physical activity levels. Two separate multiple linear regression models were created to estimate the association between physical activity and serum C-peptide level. Results The results of analysis of covariance stratified by sex, body mass index and serum insulin level showed that those who engaged in vigorous physical activity had lower serum C-peptide levels than those who engaged in light or no physical activity. Separate multiple linear regression analysis showed that in those with low serum C-peptide levels (≤0.621 nmol/L), physical activity was significantly positively associated with the serum C-peptide level. In contrast, physical activity was negatively associated with the serum C-peptide level among those with serum C-peptide level >0.621 nmol/L. Conclusions The serum C-peptide level showed a significant two-way association with physical activity. The present findings suggest that physical activity modification is important for improving serum C-peptide levels among the elderly. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2014; 14: 647-653. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A game of tag: N‐Glycans on the surface of living cells were selectively tagged by exogenously administering recombinant ST6Gal I sialyltransferase and azide‐modified CMP‐Neu5Ac. This modification was followed by a strain‐promoted cycloaddition using a biotin‐modified dibenzylcyclooctynol (red star=biotin). The methodology will make it possible to dissect the mechanisms that underlie altered glycoconjugate recycling and storage in disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) addition may substantially alter the terrestrial N cycle. However, a comprehensive understanding of how the ecosystem N cycle responds to external N input remains elusive. • Here, we evaluated the central tendencies of the responses of 15 variables associated with the ecosystem N cycle to N addition, using data extracted from 206 peer-reviewed papers. • Our results showed that the largest changes in the ecosystem N cycle caused by N addition were increases in soil inorganic N leaching (461%), soil NO3- concentration (429%), nitrification (154%), nitrous oxide emission (134%), and denitrification (84%). N addition also substantially increased soil NH4+ concentration (47%), and the N content in belowground (53%) and aboveground (44%) plant pools, leaves (24%), litter (24%) and dissolved organic N (21%). Total N content in the organic horizon (6.1%) and mineral soil (6.2%) slightly increased in response to N addition. However, N addition induced a decrease in microbial biomass N by 5.8%. • The increases in N effluxes caused by N addition were much greater than those in plant and soil pools except soil NO3-, suggesting a leaky terrestrial N system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Nonviral ex vivo local gene therapy systems consisting of regulated gene expression vectors and cellular delivery platforms represent a novel strategy for tissue repair and regeneration. We introduced a hypoxia-regulated plasmid-based system into mouse neural stem cells (NSCs) as an efficient gene expression and delivery platform for rapid, robust and persistent hypoxic/ischemic-regulated gene expression in the spinal cord. Methods A synthetic hypoxia-responsive erythropoietin (Epo) enhancer, the SV40 minimal promoter and the luciferase (Luc) reporter gene were incorporated in a DsRed-expressing double-promoter plasmid for cell lipofection and Zeocin-selection to establish a hypoxia-regulated stable NSC line (NSC-Epo-SV-Luc). A nonhypoxia-regulated stable NSC line (NSC-SV-Luc) was also established as a control. Results Under the transcriptional regulation of the Epo enhancer, in vitro luciferase expression in NSC-Epo-SV-Luc, but not in NSC-SV-Luc, was sensitively augmented according to the strength and duration of the hypoxic stimulus and was quickly down-regulated to a low basal level after reoxygenation of the hypoxic cells. Furthermore, deoxygenation of the reoxygenated cells clearly enhanced the luciferase activity again. After transplantation into a rat spinal cord injury (SCI) model, only NSC-Epo-SV-Luc showed ischemic injury-specific luciferase expression Notably, the engineered NSC lines kept the neural differentiation potential and retained the hypoxia-regulated luciferase expression after differentiation. Conclusions We propose that NSCs engineered with the Epo-SV-therapeutic gene will be valuable for developing a controllable stem cell-mediated nonviral gene therapy for SCI or other central nervous system diseases accompanied with chronic or episodic hypoxic/ischemic stresses. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immortal bovine mammary epithelial cell lines are useful for providing an efficient indicator for transgene expression and for the technological improvement of genetic modification. The preparation of hTERT (human telomerase reverse transcriptase)-mediated immortalized MECs (mammary epithelial cells) requires a down-regulation of p16INK4a. Here, we report the establishment of two immortal bovine MEC lines by expression of hTERT gene alone under serum-containing culture conditions. This two cell lines maintain the general characteristics of MECs and have been stably passed more than 200 generations accompanying telomere extension, and were identified as non-malignant transformation. Investigation on transcriptional profile showed a similar down-regulation in both p16INK4a and p53. By comparing with non-immortal hTERT-positive MECs, we speculated that there are some spontaneous p16INK4a-reduced cells under normal culture conditions and the immortalization required for a co-ordinate repression of p53 and p16INK4a signalling pathways. Interestingly, two immortal cell lines showed a significant distinction in proliferation rate, implying that other mechanisms might be involved in proliferation control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical conditions and biotic interactions are believed to be the determinants of plant zonation in saltmarshes. However, in rapidly developing estuarine marshes, succession is regarded as the primary process responsible for plant zonation and it is controlled mainly by environmental factors. Salinity and inundation are two important factors responsible for the distribution pattern of dominant plants in coastal saltmarshes. Here we conducted a common garden experiment as well as a field transplanting to examine the responses of four dominant saltmarsh plants (native Scirpus mariqueter, Scirpus triqueter and Phragmites australis, and exotic Spartina alterniflora) in the Yangtze River estuary to environmental gradients, which may help us understand their current and potential zonation. The results showed that Scirpus adapted to freshwater and less inundated habitats, Phragmites performed well in brackish or freshwater environments with less inundation, and Spartina tolerated the highest salinity and deepest inundation. In the harshest environments (the highest salinity and water level), only Spartina performed well. In the mild environments, however, there were only minor differences in the performances among the four species. The potential ranges of Phragmites and Spartina were predicted to be larger than their current ones, and their lower boundaries might be set by tidal scour rather than edaphic factors. With the saltmarsh succession, invasive Spartina in the Yangtze River estuary might ultimately replace Scirpus, and alter the zonal patterns of native saltmarsh plants, which will lead to severe ecosystem consequences. Thus, proper management measures (e.g., repeated mowing) need to be implemented to control this invasive exotic plant, and restore the vulnerable ecosystems invaded by Spartina in the Yangtze River estuary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: The hepatitis B virus (HBV) reverse transcriptase (RT) plays an important role in viral replication. The aim of the present study was to characterize profiles of the RT region and to construct a database for further studies. Methods: Serum samples were obtained from 328 treatment naive patients chronically infected with HBV in five Chinese cities. Mutation status, genotypes and deep sequence analysis were carried out by amplifying and sequencing the RT region. Results: The base usage in the RT region differed at the mono- and dinucleotide level and thymidine dominated. The higher the variability of the strain was, the more it replicated. No significant clustering was found between our HBV RT sequences and those isolated 10 years ago (achieved from genebank). Nucleotide analogue resistance related mutants exist. The M204V/I mutation was found in 1.8% of the strains, 1.2% had L180M+ M204V/I, 0.6% had A181T/V, and only one had all three mutations. Minor strain mutants were found in 9.3% of the samples studied. The genotype B patients made up 36.6% (88.7% B2) and were mostly found in southern China, 63.4% (92.2% C2) were genotype C, and only one was genotype D. The average age of HBeAg positive genotype B patients was 29.5 ± 10.4 years, for genotype C it was 36.1 ± 10.9 ( P < 0.001). Conclusion: Primarily antiviral resistance related mutant strains do exist in treatment naïve patients. Without antiviral pressure, HBV strains evolved at a normal speed. In depth sequence analysis implied that viral replication might be correlated with its variability, which needs to be further investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An active site aspartate residue, Asp97, in the methionine aminopeptidase (MetAPs) from Escherichia coli ( EcMetAP-I) was mutated to alanine, glutamate, and asparagine. Asp97 is the lone carboxylate residue bound to the crystallographically determined second metal-binding site in EcMetAP-I. These mutant EcMetAP-I enzymes have been kinetically and spectroscopically characterized. Inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectroscopy analysis revealed that 1.0 ± 0.1 equivalents of cobalt were associated with each of the Asp97-mutated EcMetAP-Is. The effect on activity after altering Asp97 to alanine, glutamate or asparagine is, in general, due to a ∼ 9000-fold decrease in kca towards Met-Gly-Met-Met as compared to the wild-type enzyme. The Co(II) d– d spectra for wild-type, D97E and D97A EcMetAP-I exhibited very little difference in form, in each case, between the monocobalt(II) and dicobalt(II) EcMetAP-I, and only a doubling of intensity was observed upon addition of a second Co(II) ion. In contrast, the electronic absorption spectra of [Co_(D97N EcMetAP-I)] and [CoCo(D97N EcMetAP-I)] were distinct, as were the EPR spectra. On the basis of the observed molar absorptivities, the Co(II) ions binding to the D97E, D97A and D97N EcMetAP-I active sites are pentacoordinate. Combination of these data suggests that mutating the only nonbridging ligand in the second divalent metal-binding site in MetAPs to an alanine, which effectively removes the ability of the enzyme to form a dinuclear site, provides a MetAP enzyme that retains catalytic activity, albeit at extremely low levels. Although mononuclear MetAPs are active, the physiologically relevant form of the enzyme is probably dinuclear, given that the majority of the data reported to date are consistent with weak cooperative binding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reproducibility of biomacromolecular crystallization (tetragonal and orthorhombic lysozyme crystals) was studied by monitoring the evolution of protein concentration during the crystallization process using Mach-Zehnder interferometer. It was found that formation of both tetragonal and orthorhombic crystals exhibited poor reproducibility. When the crystallization occurred under isothermal conditions, the protein concentration in the solution varied differently in different experiments under identical conditions (for both types of crystals). Moreover, in the case of orthorhombic lysozyme crystallization (under either isothermal or thermal gradient conditions), it is clear that the crystals could not be always readily formed. When formation of tetragonal lysozyme crystals was conducted at a temperature gradient condition, however, the evolution of concentration was reproducible. The phenomena found in this study revealed that biomacromolecular crystallization can be uncertain, which is probably caused by the process of nucleation. Such uncertainties will be harmful for the efforts of screening crystallization conditions for biomacromolecules. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene of 16 Oedipodidae species were amplified and sequenced. All sequences were aligned and analyzed and the phylogenetic relationships were inferred. The properties of 16S gene in Oedipodidae showed typical patterns of many insects such as a high A+T content and variable distance-dependent transition/transversion ratios. The 0.2 weight for sites of loops may be advisable for phylogeny reconstruction using the maximum parsimony method. The phylogenetic analysis results do not support the current subfamily classification systems of Oedipodidae. Bryodemellinae and Bryodeminae are closely related and should be merged as one subfamily. The status of Oedipodinae and Locustinae is also problematic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SFT‐TFT module is one type of IPS mode. The low reflection is one of the most important parameters for LC display performance that the reflection of the SFT‐TFT module can be decreased by improving the top of the SFT surface ITO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]