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Memristor-type feedback provides a unique passage for chaos produced with easy control. In this work, a novel memristive map with amplitude control and coexisting hyperchaotic attractors is designed, in which two nonbifurcation parameters are extracted for partial amplitude control crossing the origin and total amplitude control. Attractor splitting and attractor merging are captured, which lead to five regimes of attractor self-reproducing. In this case, double-cavity attractors extend in the direction of 0 ∘ , 45 ∘ , 90 ∘ in negative x -axis, 90 ∘ in positive x -axis, 135 ∘ in x -axis forming a specific wall of self-reproduction. Furthermore, the FPGA-based hardware implementation is carried out showing consistent results with numerical simulation. Finally, a high-security chaotic encryption scheme is proposed for the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing transmission system, where the power division multiplexing technique and two-dimensional region joint encryption are effectively utilized. The security of the transmitted information is improved by the various coexisting attractors and nonbifurcation amplitude controllers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune cholangiopathy, characterized by the presence of some autoantibodies in the serum. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical significance of AMA‐M2, anti‐gp210 and anti‐sp100 antibody levels detected by multiplex bead‐based flow fluorescent immunoassay (MBFFI) in PBC. Methods: This study cohort included 238 PBC patients, 81 autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) patients, 62 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, and 118 healthy controls. Serum AMA‐M2, anti‐gp210 and anti‐sp100 antibody were detected by MBFFI and immunoblotting assay (IBT). The relationship between three antibody levels and cirrhosis, liver function, cholestasis markers and therapeutic effect to ursodesoxycholic acid (UDCA) was evaluated in PBC. Results: MBFFI were presented good coincidence rate (87.39%–95.38%) with IBT. The level of AMA‐M2, anti‐gp210 and anti‐sp100 antibodies in PBC patients were higher than other disease group and healthy controls (p ＜.01). When compared with the healthy controls group, the AUC of AMA‐M2, anti‐gp210 and anti‐sp100 antibodies were 0.9245, 0.7619, and 0.6789, respectively. In addition, gp210 antibody levels have diagnostic value in patients with liver cirrhosis (AUC: 0.7567). We found that when combine detect these three antibodies, the sensitivity was higher than individually detection. High level of serum anti‐gp210 antibody could be related to worse liver function and more severe cholestasis in PBC patients. Moreover, serum antibody levels may decrease or remained flat in patients who responded well to UDCA. Conclusion: The detection of AMA‐M2, anti‐gp210 and anti‐sp100 antibody levels by MBFFI showed good performance in the diagnosis of PBC. Serum anti‐gp210 antibody level is related to cirrhosis, poor liver function and severe cholestasis in PBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel wave energy harvester (WEH) that can recover energy in the direction of heave, sway, and surge is designed under the background of low recovery efficiency and complex installation of the existing wave energy harvester. The harvester consisted of four main components: energy input module, energy transfer module, energy conversion module, and energy store module. In the paper, to convert more wave energy into electrical energy and improve the energy conversion efficiency of WEH, the motion transfer module is divided into vertical and horizontal motion transfer modules, which are used to harvest vertical and horizontal wave energy, respectively. The vertical motion transfer module combined with the ball screw structure, planetary gear structure, and one-way gear units ensure the generator has high speed. The horizontal motion transfer module is mainly composed of three uniformly distributed one-way gear units, ensuring collect the wave energy in all horizontal directions. The dynamic model of the harvester is established, and the simulation experiment is carried out under wave conditions with periods of 2s, 2.5s, and 3s, respectively. The simulation results show that when the wave period is 2s, 2.5s, and 3s, the corresponding energy conversion efficiency of the WEH is 66.7%, 60.9%, and 57.1%, respectively. The proposed study provides a theoretical reference for modeling similar WEHs and can effectively balance energy supply and demand and further support the global agenda of UN-2030 for sustainable development, especially SDG-7. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human detection is the task of locating all instances of human beings present in an image, which has a wide range of applications across various fields, including search and rescue, surveillance, and autonomous driving. The rapid advancement of computer vision and deep learning technologies has brought significant improvements in human detection. However, for more advanced applications like healthcare, human–computer interaction, and scene understanding, it is crucial to obtain information beyond just the localization of humans. These applications require a deeper understanding of human behavior and state to enable effective and safe interactions with humans and the environment. This study presents a comprehensive benchmark, the Common Human Postures (CHP) dataset, aimed at promoting a more informative and more encouraging task beyond mere human detection. The benchmark dataset comprises a diverse collection of images, featuring individuals in different environments, clothing, and occlusions, performing a wide range of postures and activities. The benchmark aims to enhance research in this challenging task by designing novel and precise methods specifically for it. The CHP dataset consists of 5250 human images collected from different scenes, annotated with bounding boxes for seven common human poses. Using this well-annotated dataset, we have developed two baseline detectors, namely CHP-YOLOF and CHP-YOLOX, building upon two identity-preserved human posture detectors: IPH-YOLOF and IPH-YOLOX. We evaluate the performance of these baseline detectors through extensive experiments. The results demonstrate that these baseline detectors effectively detect human postures on the CHP dataset. By releasing the CHP dataset, we aim to facilitate further research on human pose estimation and to attract more researchers to focus on this challenging task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Observational studies have reported an inverse association of type 2 diabetes (T2D) with thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA). However, the causality of the association has not been established yet. The present study aims to clarify the causal relationship between T2D and TAA via a Mendelian randomization (MR) approach. Methods: Causality of associations were assessed using a two-sample MR framework. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics were obtained for T2D, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting glucose (FG) and fasting insulin (FI) as exposures, and TAA, ascending aortic diameter (AAoD) and descending aortic diameter (DAoD) as outcomes. Four different methods (inverse variance weighted [IVW], weight median, MR-Egger and MR-PRESSO) were used to calculate causal estimates. Heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy were assessed using Cochran Q test and MR-Egger regression intercept, respectively. Results: Genetically predicted T2D was inversely associated with the risk of TAA (OR: 0.931, 95% CI 0.870 to 0.997, p = 0.040, IVW method) and AAoD (Beta: -0.065, 95%CI −0.099 to − 0.031, p = 1.7e−04, IVW method), but not with DAoD (p > 0.05). Genetically predicted FG level was inversely associated with AAoD (Beta: −0.273, 95% CI −0.396 to –0.150, p = 1.41e−05, IVW method) and DAoD (Beta: −0.166, 95% CI −0.281 to −0.051, p = 0.005, IVW method), but not with TAA (p > 0.05). The effect of genetically predicted HbA1c and FI on TAA, AAoD and DAoD did not reach statistical significance (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Genetic predisposition to T2D decreases the risk of TAA. Genetically predicted T2D is inversely associated with AAoD, but not with DAoD. Genetically predicted FG level was inversely associated with AAoD and DAoD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, sinusoidal functions are introduced to a discrete map for hyperchaos generation and attractor self-reproduction. The constructed map shares a unique structure with controllable symmetry and conditional symmetry, which exhibits compound lattice dynamics, including 1-D and 2-D attractor growth. The direction of attractor growth can be controlled under polarity balance. STM32-based circuit realization verifies the results with numerical simulation and theoretical analysis. A pseudorandom number generator is built finally based on the newly proposed hyperchaotic map proving the high performance in application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Initial condition-dominated offset boosting provides a special channel for coexisting orbits. Due to the nonlinearity and inherent periodicity, sinusoidal function is often introduced into a dynamical system for multistability design. Typically, the distance between two attractors or two petals of an attractor is fixed. Moreover, any chaotic signal and sequence need to be modified with amplitude and offset for a real application. In this paper, an initially-controlled double-scroll hyperchaotic map is constructed based on two sine functions. Four patterns of the double-scroll hyperchaotic orbits are found as 0-degree, 90-degree, 45-degree and 135-degree. Consequently, different modes for attractor growing are demonstrated. In this case, all the coexisting attractors are arranged in phase space in a direction defined by the initial value and the distance between two petals of any double-scroll orbit is adjusted. Finally, hardware experiments based on STM32 are carried out to verify the theoretical analysis and numerical simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of rapid visual detection methods for heavy metal ions is significant for food safety and environmental protection. This work integrated copper nanoclusters and the organometallic framework ZrMOF into a nano detection system. The blue fluorescence of ZrMOF was used as a fluorescent internal standard. The visual and rapid detection of aluminum ions (Al3+) was achieved by Al3+ induced fluorescence enhancement of copper nanocluster aggregates. This nanoprobe has the advantages of high sensitivity, rapid response, and high visualization. The nanoprobe can detect Al3+ with a concentration of 0–60 μM (LOD was 139 nM) and can be used to detect Al3+ in environmental water samples. In addition, an instant detection platform for test paper and gel system based on the nanoprobe was constructed by using the smartphone's colorimetric acquisition and computational analysis application software (APP), which guides the application of multicolor fluorescent nanoprobes in the intelligent detection of fruit surfaces and flour additives. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epilepsy is a chronic neurologic disorder characterized by abnormal functioning of brain networks, making it a complex research topic. Recent advancements in neuroimaging technology offer an effective approach to unraveling the intricacies of the human brain. Within different types of epilepsy, there is growing recognition regarding ongoing changes in the default mode network (DMN). However, little is known about the shared and distinct alterations of static functional connectivity (sFC) and dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) in DMN among epileptic subtypes, especially in children with epilepsy. Here, 110 children with epilepsy at a single center, including idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE), frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE), temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), and parietal lobe epilepsy (PLE), as well as 84 healthy controls (HC) underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan. We investigated both sFC and dFC between groups of the DMN. Decreased static and dynamic connectivity within the DMN subsystem were shared by all subtypes. In each epilepsy subtype, children with epilepsy displayed significant and distinct patterns of DMN connectivity compared to the control group: the IGE group showed reduced interhemispheric connectivity, the FLE group consistently demonstrated disturbances in frontal region connectivity, the TLE group exhibited significant disruptions in hippocampal connectivity, and the PLE group displayed a notable decrease in parietal-temporal connectivity within the DMN. Some state-specific FC disruptions (decreased dFC) were observed in each epilepsy subtype that cannot detect by sFC. To determine their uniqueness within specific subtypes, bootstrapping methods were employed and found the significant results (IGE: between PCC and bilateral precuneus, FLE: between right middle frontal gyrus and bilateral middle temporal gyrus, TLE: between left Hippocampus and right fusiform, PLE: between left angular and cingulate cortex). Furthermore, only children with IGE exhibited dynamic features associated with clinical variables. Our findings highlight both shared and distinct FC alterations within the DMN in children with different types of epilepsy. Furthermore, our work provides a novel perspective on the functional alterations in the DMN of pediatric patients, suggesting that combined sFC and dFC analysis can provide valuable insights for deepening our understanding of the neuronal mechanism underlying epilepsy in children. • Decreased static and dynamic connectivity within the DMN subsystem were shared by all children with epilepsy • State-specific FC disruptions were observed in each patient group that were not detected by state FC • Epilepsy children in each subtype also showed unique connectivity patterns of the DMN that reflect their epilepsy types • The findings of static and dynamic functional abnormalities in DMN confirmed the essential role of DMN in children with epilepsy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Stroke is one of the leading causes of substantial disability worldwide. Previous studies have shown brain functional and structural alterations in adults with stroke. However, few studies have examined the longitudinal reorganization in whole-brain structural networks in stroke.Methods: Here, we applied graph theoretical analysis to investigate the longitudinal topological organization of white matter networks in 20 ischemic stroke patients with a one-month interval between two timepoints. Two sets of clinical scores, Fugl-Meyer motor assessment (FMA) and neurological deficit scores (NDS), were assessed for all patients on the day the image data were collected.Results: The stroke patients exhibited significant increases in FMA scores and significant reductions in DNS between the two timepoints. All groups exhibited small-world organization (σ  >  1) in the brain structural network, including a high clustering coefficient (γ  >  1) and a low normalized characteristic path length (λ ≈ 1). However, compared to healthy controls, stroke patients showed significant decrease in nodal characteristics at the first timepoint, primarily in the right supplementary motor area, right middle temporal gyrus, right inferior parietal lobe, right postcentral gyrus and left posterior cingulate gyrus. Longitudinal results demonstrated that altered nodal characteristics were partially restored one month later. Additionally, significant correlations between the nodal characteristics of the right supplementary motor area and the clinical scale scores (FMA and NDS) were observed in stroke patients. Similar behavioral-neuroimaging correlations were found in the right inferior parietal lobe.Conclusion: Altered topological properties may be an effect of stroke, which can be modulated during recovery. The longitudinal results and the neuroimaging-behavioral relationship may provide information for understanding brain recovery from stroke. Future studies should detect whether observed changes in structural topological properties can predict the recovery of daily cognitive function in stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A copper-doped BiSe x nanozyme with NIR-II absorption was constructed. • Cu-BiSe x nanozyme induces cell apoptosis through photothermal effect and augmented oxidative stress. • Cu-BiSe x induces Cu2+-mediated cuproptotic cell death. • Synergistic effect with α-PD-L1 boosts antitumor immune responses. Cuproptosis is a newly recognized copper-dependent nonapoptotic form of cell death, which stimulate studies exploring copper-based nanomaterials to treat cancer through distinct mechanistic action. However, it remains a challenge to completely eradicate tumors via monotherapy. Herein, a copper-doped BiSe x (CBS) nanozyme was developed to boost αPD-L1-mediated immune checkpoint blocking (ICB) via synergetic apoptosis/cuproptosis-induced immunogenic cell death (ICD). The defect-engineered CBS nanozyme exhibits strong peroxidase-mimicking activities and generates abundant reactive oxygen species (ROS) production causing cell apoptosis, which could be further augmented by NIR photoirradiation. Meanwhile, the CBS could cause mitochondrial lipoylated protein aggregation, leading to cell cuproptosis. The photothermal/catalytic/cuproprosis synergistic therapy triggered by CBS nanozyme combined with αPD-L1 antibody effectively inhibits the growth of primary tumors and distant tumors in prostate cancer model. Furthermore, CBS nanozyme exhibited significant germicidal effect in wound infection. Collectively, this work provides a new insight into cancer treatment of copper-based nanozyme based on cuproptosis/apoptosis-related combined therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Generalized tonic‐clonic seizure (GTCS) is a condition that is characterized by generalized spike‐wave discharge in bilateral cerebral hemispheres during the seizure. Although previous neuroimaging studies revealed functional abnormalities in the brain activities of children with GTCS, the topological alterations in whole‐brain networks remain poorly understood. Methods: The present study used graph theory to investigate the topological organization of functional networks in 13 GTCS children and 30 age‐matched healthy controls. Results: We found that both groups exhibited a small‐world topology of the functional network. However, children with GTCS showed a significant decrease in nodal local efficiency and clustering coefficient in some key nodes compared with the controls. The connections within the default mode network (DMN) were decreased significantly, and the internetwork connections were increased significantly. The altered topological properties may be an effect of chronic epilepsy. As a result, the optimal topological organization of the functional network was disrupted in the patient group. Notably, clustering coefficient and nodal local efficiency in the bilateral temporal pole of the middle temporal gyrus negatively correlated with the epilepsy duration. Conclusion: These results suggest that the bilateral temporal pole plays an important role in reflecting the effect of chronic epilepsy on the topological properties in GTCS children. The present study demonstrated a disrupted topological organization in children with GTCS. These findings provide new insight into our understanding of this disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a combination of cardiovascular risk-factors, including obesity, hypertension, hyperglycemia, and insulin resistance. MetS may induce senescence in mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC) and impact their micro-RNA (miRNA) content. We hypothesized that MetS also alters senescence-associated (SA) miRNAs in MSC-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs), and interferes with their function. Methods: EVs were collected from abdominal adipose tissue-derived MSCs from pigs with diet-induced MetS or Lean controls (n = 6 each), and from patients with MetS (n = 4) or age-matched Lean controls (n = 5). MiRNA sequencing was performed to identify dysregulated miRNAs in these EVs, and gene ontology to analyze their SA-genes targeted by dysregulated miRNAs. To test for EV function, MetS and Lean pig-EVs were co-incubated with renal tubular cells in-vitro or injected into pigs with renovascular disease (RVD, n = 6 each) in-vivo. SA-b-Galactosidase and trichrome staining evaluated cellular senescence and fibrosis, respectively. Results: Both humans and pigs with MetS showed obesity, hypertension, and hyperglycemia/insulin resistance. In MetS pigs, several upregulated and downregulated miRNAs targeted 5768 genes in MSC-EVs, 68 of which were SA. In MetS patients, downregulated and upregulated miRNAs targeted 131 SA-genes, 57 of which overlapped with pig-EVs miRNA targets. In-vitro, MetS-MSC-EVs induced greater senescence in renal tubular cells than Lean-MSC-EVs. In-vivo, Lean-MSC-EVs attenuated renal senescence, fibrosis, and dysfunction more effectively than MetS-MSC-EVs. Conclusions: MetS upregulates SA-miRNAs in swine MSC-EVs, which is conserved in human subjects, and attenuates their ability to blunt cellular senescence and repair injured target organs. These alterations need to be considered when designing therapeutic regenerative approaches. Video abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Echinoderms are an exceptional group of bilaterians that develop pentameral adult symmetry from a bilaterally symmetric larva. However, the genetic basis in evolution and development of this unique transformation remains to be clarified. Here we report newly sequenced genomes, developmental transcriptomes, and proteomes of diverse echinoderms including the green sea urchin (L. variegatus), a sea cucumber (A. japonicus), and with particular emphasis on a sister group of the earliest-diverged echinoderms, the feather star (A. japonica). We learned that the last common ancestor of echinoderms retained a well-organized Hox cluster reminiscent of the hemichordate, and had gene sets involved in endoskeleton development. Further, unlike in other animal groups, the most conserved developmental stages were not at the body plan establishing phase, and genes normally involved in bilaterality appear to function in pentameric axis development. These results enhance our understanding of the divergence of protostomes and deuterostomes almost 500 Mya. Li et al. investigate the evolution and genetic basis of the adult pentameral body plan in echinoderms using genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic data. They determine that the last common ancestor of echinoderms contained an organized Hox cluster and endoskeleton genes, and suggest that cooption of bilateral development genes was involved in evolution of the pentameric body plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring and imaging glutathione (GSH) in living systems is an essential tool to determine the key roles of GSH in biological pathways, but most fluorescent sensors can only be used in vitro because of their potential biotoxicity. Here, a peptide-based fluorescent sensor, FP, has been successfully designed and synthesized based on the biocompatibility of the peptide backbone and low toxicity. The design strategy of FP contains a specific spatial structure of the peptide sequence which selectively binds to Cu2+, triggering fluorescence quenching. Interestingly, the fluorescence of FP can be fully restored by GSH, due to the strong binding between Cu2+ and the GSH sulfhydryl groups. Finally, the sensor is highly sensitive and selective for imaging GSH both in vitro and in vivo with low toxicity. Thus, FP with its strong "on-off-on" fluorescence changes is a powerful way to image GSH both in cells and zebrafish larvae to study the GSH pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Huangjing contains no starch but rich in health-promoting compounds. The effects of Huangjing flour (HJF) on the physicochemical properties and quality of cookies were investigated by partially replacing wheat flour with HJF. The addition of HJF increased water solubility of the mixed flour and improved the crispness of cookies. The starch was lower approximately 69%, but obtained 8% higher protein and fat content than the control. The resistant starch increased from 23.74 to 41.37 g 100 g−1, which significantly reduced the in vitro digestibility of the cookies and resulted in a much lower estimated glycemic index (eGI) 53.67 (eGI<55) compared with 61.81 wheat flower control when 40% HJF was included. The microstructure of the products indicated that the exposure area of starch particles was greatly reduced by the addition of HJF. The onset temperature of gelatinization increased from 60.75 °C to 61.75 °C, and the enthalpy of gelatinization decreased from 1.68 to 0.88 J g−1 with the presence of 40% HJF, suggesting that the HJF could retard the gelatinization of the cookies. The above results demonstrate that inclusion of HJF into cookies improves the quality of cookies and also provides a strategy for the production of low-GI foods. • The addition of Huangjing flour improved the appearance and taste of the cookies. • The starch was entrapped by Huangjing flour resulting in lower exposure area. • The addition of Huangjing flour retarded the gelatinization of the starch. • The starch digestibility of cookies was reduced by Huangjing flour incorporation. • The eGI of the cookies was reduced below 55 with the present of 30% Huangjing flour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significance of neuronal discharge symmetry lies in its reflection of the stability and orderliness within the neuron's activity. This symmetry is correlated with various issues, including the biophysical properties within neurons, network structures, and synaptic transmission. Memristors are highly analogous to neuronal synapses due to their unique memory properties, allowing them to emulate biological neural synapses. In this work, a memristor is employed into the Hindmarsh‐Rose (HR) neuron as a synapse for the construction of a memristive HR neuron. Accompanied with the introducing of the absolute value and signum function, the derived neurons exhibit complex coexisting symmetric firing patterns. The phenomenon of symmetric firing can effectively simulate the depolarization and hyperpolarization processes of neurons, providing a new approach to study the diversity of the brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In clinical practice, the effectiveness of the rehabilitation therapy such as acupuncture combining conventional Western medicine (AG) on stroke people’s motor-related brain network and their behaviors has not been systematically studied. In the present study, seventeen adult ischemic patients were collected and divided into two groups: the conventional Western medicine treatment group (CG) and the AG. The neurological deficit scores (NDS) and resting-state functional MRI data were collected before and after treatment. Compared with the CG patients, AG patients exhibited a significant enhancement of the percent changes of NDS from pre- to posttreatment intervention. All patients showed significant changes of functional connectivity (FC) between the pair of cortical motor-related regions. After treatment, both patient groups showed a recovery of brain connectivity to the nearly normal level compared with the controls in these pairs. Moreover, a significant correlation between the percent changes of NDS and the pretreatment FC values of bilateral primary motor cortex (M1) in all patients was found. In conclusion, our results showed that AG therapy can be an effective means for ischemic stroke patients to recover their motor function ability. The FC strengths between bilateral M1 of stroke patients can predict stroke patients’ treatment outcome after rehabilitation therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fluorescence turn-on assay for alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity is developed through the controlled release of polyethyleneimine-capped copper nanoclusters (PEI-capped CuNCs) from the MnO nanosheets. In an aqueous solution, the positively charged PEI-capped CuNCs could be adsorbed onto the surface of the negatively charged MnO nanosheets. Such adsorption through favorable electrostatic interactions could efficiently quench the nanocluster fluorescence emission via resonance energy transfer from the PEI-capped CuNCs to the MnO nanosheets. 2-Phospho- l-ascorbic acid (AAP) could be hydrolyzed to l-ascorbic acid (AA) in the presence of ALP. AA could reduce MnO into Mn and trigger the disintegration of the MnO nanosheets. As a result, the CuNCs were released and the quenched fluorescence was recovered efficiently. The detection strategy is simple, inexpensive, sensitive, selective, with low toxicity, and has better biocompatibility. The newly fabricated biosensor for ALP activity will potentially make it a robust candidate for numerous biological and biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development and change in the other-race effect (ORE) in different age groups have always been a focus of researchers. Previous studies have mainly focused on the influence of maturity of life (from infancy to early adulthood) on the ORE, while few researchers have explored the ORE in older people. Therefore, this study used behavioral and eye movement techniques to explore the influence of age on the ORE and the visual scanning pattern of Han subjects recognizing own- and other-ethnicity faces. All participants were asked to complete a study-recognition task for faces, and the behavioral results showed that the ORE of elderly Han subjects was significantly lower than that of young Han subjects. The results of eye movement showed that there were significant differences in the visual scanning pattern of young subjects in recognizing the faces of individuals of their own ethnicity and other ethnicities, which were mainly reflected in the differences in looking at the nose and mouth, while the differences were reduced in the elderly subjects. The elderly subjects used similar scanning patterns to recognize the own- and other-ethnicity faces. This indicates that as age increases, the ORE of older people in recognizing faces of those from different ethnic groups becomes weaker, and elderly subjects have more similar visual scanning patterns in recognizing faces of their own and other ethnicities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Low expression of ESR1 is associated with ascending aortic dilation and AAAD. • Peripheral blood ESR1 expression may be a novel diagnostic biomarker of TAA. • ESR1 expression is positively correlated with ration of naive CD8 + T cells in AAAD. The common genetic signatures of ascending aortic dilation and acute type A aortic dissection (AAAD) remained unclear. This study aims to investigate the role of ESR1 in ascending aortic dilation and AAAD via a multi-omics approach combining transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) and mRNA expression profiles. The TWAS analysis was performed by integrating expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) data of aorta and the GWAS dataset of ascending aortic diameter using the FUSION software. Joint/Conditional Analysis was used to screen conditionally independent genes from TWAS significant regions. mRNA expression profiles were used to confirm the differential expression of ESR1 in ascending aortic dilation and AAAD. An independent mRNA expression profile dataset was used to validate the diagnostic efficiency of ESR1 expression on thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA). Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was utilized to explore the potential molecular function of ESR1 in mouse aorta. Immune infiltration analysis was performed to evaluate the association between ESR1 and immune infiltration in AAAD. ESR1 was among the top 10 most significant genes identified by TWAS of ascending aortic diameter (Z score = -7.3, P TWAS = 3.30 × 10-13). mRNA expression profiles confirmed the low expression of ESR1 both in ascending aortic dilation (P mRNA = 0.0361) and AAAD (P mRNA = 0.0142). The diagnostic efficiency of peripheral blood ESR1 expression on TAA was further validated by an independent mRNA expression profile dataset. GSEA showed that GO terms and KEGG pathways mainly involved in metabolism and oxidoreductase activity were enriched in aortic tissue of ERα knockout mice. The immune infiltration ration of naive CD8 + T cells was significantly lower in AAAD compared with normal aorta, and was positively correlated with ESR1 expression. Low expression of ESR1 is associated with ascending aortic dilation and AAAD. Peripheral blood ESR1 expression may be a novel diagnostic biomarker of TAA. ESR1 expression is positively correlated with immune infiltration ration of naive CD8 + T cells in AAAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorescence spectroscopy is widely used in basic research, disease diagnosis, environmental monitoring, and the development of novel bioanalytical techniques. We mainly focus on the changes in fluorescence signal originated from the controlled self-assembly of small molecule probes, including aggregation caused quenching, aggregation induced emission, controlled turn-on of probe monomer emission, and the tunable monomer–excimer transition. Recent developments in the related bioanalytical techniques have been reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human brain has an enormous capacity to adapt to a broad variety of environmental demands. Previous studies in the field of abacus training have shown that this training can induce specific changes in the brain. However, the neural mechanism underlying these changes remains elusive. Here, we reviewed the behavioral and imaging findings of comparisons between abacus experts and average control subjects and focused on changes in activation patterns and changes in brain structure. Finally, we noted the limitations and the future directions of this field. We concluded that although current studies have provided us with information about the mechanisms of abacus training, more research on abacus training is needed to understand its neural impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peroxidase-like metallo-nanozyme is developed based on multicomponent cooperative coordination among amino acid, metal ion and therapeutic agent, the metallo-nanozyme achieves synergetic chemo-catalytic therapy through depleting high-level glutathione in tumor cell and converting Fe3+ to Fe2+ for catalyzation of hydrogen peroxide into highly cytotoxic hydroxyl radical, as well as the specific activation of chemical drugs for enhanced chemotherapy. [Display omitted] • Peroxidase-like metallo-nanozymes are simply constructed by amino acid-based cooperative coordinated self-assembly. • The biomimetic nanozymes demonstrate tumor in-site activated catalytic-chemotherapy. • The metallo-nanozymes suppress remarkably tumor growth and without any systemic toxicity. Simple biomolecules-based supramolecular self-assembly hold great promise on the fabrication of nanozyme for mimicking natural enzyme, both structurally and functionally. However, it remains a formidable challenge to design of tumor-specific nanozyme with promoted therapeutic efficiencies starting from such small biological molecule combinations and their cooperative interactions. Inspired by the metalloenzyme in living systems, i.e., peroxidase, herein the construction of metallo-nanozyme through a facile multicomponent coordination self-assembly based on the combination of amino acid, chemotherapeutic motif and metal ions is reported. The resulting metallo-nanozyme possess uniform size distribution, well-defined spherical nanostructure and high chemical drugs contents. Most importantly, the metallo-nanozyme depletes specifically high-level glutathione (GSH) in tumor cell and converts Fe3+ to Fe2+ for subsequent transformation of overproduced hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) into highly cytotoxic hydroxyl radical (·OH) in peroxidase-like catalytic manner. Meanwhile, the metallo-nanozyme are also activated in situ to release the chemical drugs in tumor cell for enhanced chemotherapy. In vitro and in vivo evaluations demonstrate that the supramolecular metallo-nanozyme suppresses remarkably tumor growth via combined catalytic-chemotherapy and without any systemic toxicity. Therefore, this study demonstrates that the tumor-specific biomimetic nanozyme with advanced catalytic therapeutic efficacy could be achieved through cooperative coordination of small biomolecules or therapeutic drugs, opening up opportunities in the development of catalytic anticancer nanozyme for efficiently combat cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human neuroimaging studies and animal models have suggested that white matter damage from ischemic stroke leads to the functional and structural reorganization of perilesional and remote brain regions. However, the quantitative relationship between the transcallosal tract integrity and clinical motor performance score after stroke remains unexplored. The current study employed a tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) analysis on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate the relationship between white matter diffusivity changes and the clinical scores in stroke patients. Probabilistic fiber tracking was also used to identify structural connectivity patterns in the patients. Thirteen ischemic stroke patients and fifteen healthy control subjects participated in this study. TBSS analyses showed that the corpus callosum (CC) and bilateral corticospinal tracts (CST) in the stroke patients exhibited significantly decreased fractional anisotropy and increased axial and radial diffusivity compared with those of the controls. Correlation analyses revealed that the motor and neurological deficit scores in the stroke patients were associated with the value of diffusivity indices in the CC. Compared with the healthy control group, probabilistic fiber tracking analyses revealed that significant changes in the inter-hemispheric fiber connections between the left and right motor cortex in the stroke patients were primarily located in the genu and body of the CC, left anterior thalamic radiation and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, bilateral CST, anterior/superior corona radiate, cingulum and superior longitudinal fasciculus, strongly suggesting that ischemic induces inter-hemispheric network disturbances and disrupts the white matter fibers connecting motor regions. In conclusion, the results of the present study show that DTI-derived measures in the CC can be used to predict the severity of motor skill and neurological deficit in stroke patients. Changes in structural connectivity pattern tracking between the left and right motor areas, particularly in the body of the CC, might reflect functional reorganization and behavioral deficit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For deaf individuals with residual low-frequency acoustic hearing, combined use of a cochlear implant (CI) and hearing aid (HA) typically provides better speech understanding than with either device alone. Because of coarse spectral resolution, CIs do not provide fundamental frequency (F0) information that contributes to understanding of tonal languages such as Mandarin Chinese. The HA can provide good representation of F0 and, depending on the range of aided acoustic hearing, first and second formant (F1 and F2) information. In this study, Mandarin tone, vowel, and consonant recognition in quiet and noise was measured in 12 adult Mandarin-speaking bimodal listeners with the CI-only and with the CI+HA. Tone recognition was significantly better with the CI+HA in noise, but not in quiet. Vowel recognition was significantly better with the CI+HA in quiet, but not in noise. There was no significant difference in consonant recognition between the CI-only and the CI+HA in quiet or in noise. There was a wide range in bimodal benefit, with improvements often greater than 20 percentage points in some tests and conditions. The bimodal benefit was compared to CI subjects’ HA-aided pure-tone average (PTA) thresholds between 250 and 2000 Hz; subjects were divided into two groups: “better” PTA (<50 dB HL) or “poorer” PTA (>50 dB HL). The bimodal benefit differed significantly between groups only for consonant recognition. The bimodal benefit for tone recognition in quiet was significantly correlated with CI experience, suggesting that bimodal CI users learn to better combine low-frequency spectro-temporal information from acoustic hearing with temporal envelope information from electric hearing. Given the small number of subjects in this study (n = 12), further research with Chinese bimodal listeners may provide more information regarding the contribution of acoustic and electric hearing to tonal language perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Escherichia coli O157:H7 can cause life-threatening gastrointestinal diseases and has been a severe public health problem worldwide in recent years. A novel biosensor for the detection of E. coli O157:H7 is described here using a film composed of ferrocene–peptide conjugates, in which the antimicrobial peptide magainin I has been incorporated as the biorecognition element. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was employed to investigate the surface characteristics of the newly developed biosensor and to monitor the interactions between the peptide film and the pathogenic bacteria. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) were employed to confirm the immobilization of ferrocene-conjugate onto the gold surface. Non-pathogenic E. coli K12, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Bacillus subtilis were used in this study to evaluate the selectivity of the proposed biosensor. The results have shown the order of the preferential selectivity of the method is E. coli O157:H7>non-pathogenic E. coli>gram positive species. The detection of E. coli O157:H7 with a sensitivity of 103 cfu/mL is enabled by the biosensor. The experimental conditions have been optimized and the plot of changes of charge transfer resistance (ΔR CT ) and the logarithm of the cell concentration of E. coli O157:H7 shows a linear correlation in the range of 103–107 cfu/mL with a correlation coefficient of 0.983. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The offset as the average value of a variable plays an important role in signal processing and system design. Offset boosting can be realized by a non-bifurcation parameter or an initial condition. In this work, symmetric coexisting attractors with opposite polarity and a 2D hyperchaotic map with multiple modes of offset boosting are proposed, where the offset can be controlled both by the initial condition and system parameter, and as a result, multiple alternatives of offset boosting and offset competition show up. Consequently, the final offset is determined eventually by the balance of two factors. The theoretical findings are verified through the hardware experiment based on the STM32. Finally, a pseudo-random number generator (PRNG) is constructed based on the newly proposed hyperchaotic map, demonstrating its high performance in engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vehicle suspension system is considered to have tremendous potential in energy harvesting and to be applicable for improving the efficiency of energy use of the vehicle. A novel piezoelectric energy harvester (PEH) with noncontact magnetic force has the feature of low friction loss and is designed based on the vibration characteristic of the suspension system. The research comprises two main components: the motion conversion component and the energy conversion component. A screw‐nut mechanism that can convert linear vibration between the vehicle body and the wheel into rotational motion is used as the motion conversion component. The energy conversion component is a core component of the PEH; its function is to convert rotational energy into electrical energy through noncontact magnetic force and piezoelectric effect. The magnetic excitation model's credibility and the modeling method's feasibility are verified by experiment and simulation. Through vehicle field tests, the influence of the driving speed, road surface roughness, and cargo state on the harvested power is obtained. Driving on a random road, the maximum of the generated power is 24.28 W, at 60 km/h, under the laden state. Driving on a pulse road, the harvested power is 3346 W, at 30 km/h, under the unladen state. It is indicated that the PEH is a promising and practical option for harvesting energy for the vehicle's suspension system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients with truly chemosensitive disease still represent a minority among all TNBC patients. The aim of the present study is to identify microRNAs (miRNAs) that correlate with TNBC chemoresistance. Methods: In this study, we conducted miRNAs profile comparison between triple-negative breast cancer (TNBCs) and normal breast tissues by microRNA array. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was utilized to confirm the specific deregulated miRNAs change trend. We used starBase 2.1 and GOrilla to predict the potential targets of the specific miRNAs. Cells viability and apoptosis assays were employed to determine the effect of alteration of the specific miRNAs in TNBC cells on the chemosensitivity. Results: We identified 11 specific deregulated miRNAs, including 5 up-regulated miRNAs (miR-155-5p, miR-21-3p, miR-181a-5p, miR-181b-5p, and miR-183-5p) and 6 down-regulated miRNAs (miR-10b-5p, miR-451a, miR-125b-5p, miR-31-5p, miR-195-5p and miR-130a-3p). Thereafter, this result was confirmed by qRT-PCR. We predicted the potential targets of the candidate miRNAs and found that they are involved in cancer-associated pathways. For the first time, we found that miR-130a-3p and miR-451a were down-regulated in TNBC. 9 of the 11 specific deregulated miRNAs were found to be associated with chemoresistance. In vitro assays, we found that up-regulation of either miR-130a-3p or miR-451a in MDA-MB-231 cells significantly changed the cells sensitivity to doxorubicin. The results suggest that TNBC chemotherapy might be affected by a cluster of miRNAs. Conclusion: The abnormal expression miRNAs in TNBC are mainly chemoresistance related. This might be part of reason that TNBC likely to evade from chemotherapy resulting in early relapse and high risk of death. To alter their expression status might be a potential therapeutic strategy to improve the outcome of chemotherapy for TNBC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Ultrathin platinum-coated gold (Pt@Au) nanoparticles with core@shell structure have been developed by under-potential deposition (UPD) redox replacement technique. A single UPD Cu replacement with Pt2+ produced a uniform Pt monolayer on the surface of gold nanoparticles, which are immobilized on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface based on electrostatic interaction. The ultrathin Pt@Au nanoparticles were confirmed by cyclic voltammetry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Voltammetry and amperometric methodologies were used to evaluate the electrocatalytic activity of the Pt@Au nanoparticles modified electrode towards the reduction of hydrogen peroxide under the physiological condition. The present results show that ultrathin Pt coating greatly enhances the electrocatalytic activity towards the reduction of hydrogen peroxide, which can be utilized to fabricate the hydrogen peroxide sensor. Chronoamperometric experiments showed that at an applied potential of 0.08V (vs. Ag/AgCl), the current reduction of hydrogen peroxide was linear to its concentration in the range of 1–450μΜ, and the detection limit was found to be 0.18μM (signal-to-noise ratio, S/N=3). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The reaction of [Cp∗IrCl2]2 (Cp*= η 5 −C5Me5) with the tridentate 3-thiapentane-1,5-dithiolate ligand, S(CH2CH2S−)2 (tpdt), led to the formation of [Cp∗Ir(η 3 −tpdt)] (1) in 81% isolated yield. Subsequent reactions of 1 with [Cp∗IrCl2]2 in 2:1 and 1:1 molar equiv ratios resulted in the formation of [Cp∗Ir(μ − η 2:η 3 −tpdt)Cp∗IrCl][PF6] (2) and [Cp∗Irμ − η 2:η 3 −tpdt)Cp∗IrCl][Cp∗IrCl3] (3) in 86 and 79% yields, respectively, based on 1, whereas the reactions of 1 with [(COD)IrCl]2 (COD=1,5-cyclooctadiene) in 2:1 and 1:1 molar equiv ratios resulted in the formation of the homo-bimetallic derivatives Cp∗Ir(μ − η 1:η 3 −tpdt)(COD)IrCl (4) (92% yield) and [Cp∗Ir(μ − η 2:η 3 −tpdt)(COD)Ir] [(COD)IrCl2] (5) (82% yield). Reactions between 1 and [(COD)RhCl]2, yielded the hetero-bimetallic derivatives Cp∗Ir(μ − η 1:η 3 −tpdt)(COD)RhCl (6) and [Cp∗Ir(μ − η 2:η 3 −tpdt)(COD)Rh][(COD)RhCl2] (7), in 92 and 93% yields, respectively. The reaction of 1 with methyl iodide gave mono-methylated derivative [Cp∗Ir(η3-C4H8S3Me)]I (8) (93% yield). All these compounds have been comprehensively characterized. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This work reports the fabrication of hierarchical flowerlike platinum nanostructures (Pt nanoflowers, PtNFs) on a 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) monolayer and their electrocatalytic applications. The obtained PtNFs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and electrochemical methods. The growth mechanism of the PtNFs may be attributed to the inhomogeneous diffusion of PtCl6 2− ions on the surface of the electrode. Moreover, it has been found that the PtNFs modified electrodes exhibit excellent electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of methanol and the reduction of oxygen when compared to conventional Pt nanoparticle modified electrodes. The increased catalytic activity may be a result of the unique morphology of the PtNFs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Novel spindle-like polypyrrole hollow nanocapsules containing Pt nanoparticles (Pt NPs/PPy composite hollow nanospindles) were successfully prepared by using beta-akaganeite (β-Fe3+O(OH,Cl)) nanospindles as templates and methanoic acid as a reducing agent. The β-Fe3+O(OH,Cl) templates can be easily obtained in ethanol/water mixing solution in the presence of thiophene and FeCl3·6H2O, and after coating by PPy shell, they can be gradually and completely etched during the reduction of H2PtCl6 into Pt nanoparticles (Pt NPs) with the average size of 3.6nm on spindle-like polypyrrole hollow nanocapsules, which could still keep their integrality of morphologies with the thickness of PPy shell of 18–20nm. The investigation of Pt NPs/PPy composite hollow nanospindles modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for the application to detect nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) with cyclic voltammetry (CV) and amperometry indicated good linearity and sensitivity of responses in the certain range of NADH concentration. The influence of Pt NPs content to the NADH oxidation current was also studied. This new kind of unique spindle-like noble metal/conducting polymer hollow nanostructured complex can be acted as a good steady electrode material for electrocatalytic oxidation of NADH. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Selective synthesis of p-xylene by vapor phase alkylation of toluene with dimethyl carbonate, over MgO-modified MCM-22, was carried out to demonstrate the relationship between acidity and catalytic performance. Characterization results show that the number of Brønsted acid sites on MCM-22 decreased significantly after MgO modification, which resulted in a decrease in activity. Selectivity for p-xylene was improved greatly over MgO-modified MCM-22, which can be attributed to effective suppression of xylene isomerization by the reduction in external surface Brønsted acid sites. The additional Lewis acid sites generated after MgO modification had no apparent effect on the catalytic performance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Acidity adjustment of MCM-22 was carried out by hydrothermal treatment of parent MCM-22 with flowing pure steam at high temperature. XRD, SEM and N2 adsorption/desorption results indicated that the crystallinity and pore properties of MCM-22 were affected slightly by hydrothermal treatment at different temperatures. NH3-TPD and FT-IR with pyridine adsorption showed only a slight decrease in Brønsted acid sites, compared with parent MCM-22, with hydrothermal treatment temperature in the range 773–873K. The strength of Brønsted acid sites was reduced severely at hydrothermal treatment temperatures of 973 and 1073K. The Lewis acid sites were only slightly affected by hydrothermal treatment. A substantial improvement in ethylbenzene selectivity along with a slight decrease in benzene conversion was achieved in catalytic synthesis of ethylbenzene by alkylation of benzene with diethyl carbonate over MCM-22 hydrothermally treated at 873K. A sharp decrease in benzene conversion was detected over MCM-22 hydrothermally treated at 973K. The results indicate that alkylation of benzene with diethyl carbonate occurred mainly on Brønsted acid sites, and the effect of Lewis acid sites on the alkylation process is negligible. Reduction of Brønsted acid sites of the catalyst can suppress side reactions and improve selectivity for ethylbenzene. It was found that a particular acid strength of catalyst was required to maintain high benzene conversion and ethylbenzene selectivity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The catalytic synthesis of ethylbenzene by alkylation of benzene with diethyl carbonate was carried out over HZSM-5 with Si/Al ratios from 50 to 250. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, SEM, 29Si and 27Al MAS-NMR, NH3-TPD and pyridine IR techniques. HZSM-5 with a Si/Al ratio of 200 exhibited the best benzene conversion and ethylbenzene selectivity because of its ideal acid strength. Strongly acidic sites may lead to an excessive decomposition of diethyl carbonate. The effects of temperature, feed ratio, WHSV and time-on-stream on catalytic activity and product selectivity were studied, and a possible mechanism is presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The catalytic behavior of the mesoporous sieve supported potassium nitrate KNO3/MCM-48 for the synthesis of dipropyl carbonates (DPC) by transesterification of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) with propanol was investigated. The catalysts were characterized by the techniques of X-ray diffraction (XRD), CO2 temperature-programmed desorption (CO2-TPD), FT-IR spectroscopy, N2 adsorption and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The XRD results indicated that the structure of MCM-48 was gradually deformed with the increase in the KNO3 loading, whereas the framework of MCM-48 was basically retained until the loading of KNO3 was over 18%. IR spectra showed that KNO3 was gradually decomposed with increasing calcination temperature. The CO2-TPD showed two new types of basic site were generated, which have higher catalytic ability for the synthesis of DPC. Effects of the loading amount of active components, the calcinatory temperature, the catalyst dosage and the reaction conditions on the catalytic activity were investigated in detail and the optimized reaction conditions were acquired. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, the films of overoxidized polypyrrole (PPyox) directed single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have been electrochemically coated onto glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Electroactive monomer pyrrole was added into the solution containing sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and SWNTs. Then, electropolymerization was proceeded at the surface of GCE, and a novel kind of conducting polymer/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) composite film with the orientation of CNTs were obtained correspondingly. Finally, this obtained polypyrrole (PPy)/SWNTs film modified GCE was oxidized at a potential of +1.8V. It can be found that this proposed PPyox/SWNTs composite film modified GCE exhibited excellent electrocatalytic properties for some species such as nitrite, ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA), and could be used as a new sensor for practical applications. Compared with previous CNTs modified electrodes, SWNTs were oriented towards the outside of modified layer by PPyox and SDS, which made the film easily conductive. Moreover, this proposed film modified electrode was more stable, selective and applicable. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: On the top of a multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) modified glassy carbon electrode (MWNTs/GCE), Pt nanoclusters were electrochemically deposited, fabricating a Pt/MWNTs composite modified electrode, Pt/MWNTs/GCE. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscope were used for the surface characterization of the electrode, and demonstrated the formation and distribution of Pt clusters of Pt nanoparticles of 8.4nm in averaged size in the MWNTs matrix. The preliminary study found that this composite modified electrode has strong electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of estrogens involving estradiol, estrone and estriol. The voltammetric behavior of estrogens on this electrode was investigated by cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry and square-wave voltammetry. In comparison with the MWNTs/GCE or a Pt nanoparticles modified GCE prepared in the similar way, this composite modified electrode exhibited much higher current sensitivity and catalytic activity. This electrode is also stable. The linear range of square-wave voltammetric determination was 5.0×10−7–1.5×10−5 mol/L for estradiol, 2.0×10−6–5.0×10−5 mol/L for estrone, and 1.0×10−6–7.5×10−5 mol/L for estriol. Under an assumption that the concentration ratio of estradiol:estrone:estriol is 2:2:1, the real sample of blood serums was tested for the determination using this electrode. Satisfactory result was obtained with averaged recovery of 105%. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A series of organotin (IV) complexes with 6-amino-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-dithiol of the type [(R n SnCl4−n )2 (C3H2N4S2)] (n =3: R=Me 1, n-Bu 2, PhCH2 3, Ph 4; n =2: R=Me 5, n-Bu 6, PhCH2 7, Ph 8) have been synthesized. All the complexes 1–8 have been characterized by elemental analysis, IR, 1H and 13C NMR spectra. Among them complexes 1, 4, 5 and 8 have also been characterized by X-ray crystallography diffraction analyses, which revealed that the tin atoms of complexes 1, 4, 5 and 8 are all five-coordinated with distorted trigonal bipyramid geometries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Time‐based prospective memory (TBPM) is the ability to remember to do a planned task at the right time. In social interactions, people are often motivated to do things for others, which reflects an important factor that influences prospective memory, namely prosocial motivation. According to the motivational cognitive model, prosocial motivation promotes TBPM by paying more attention or adopting more effective strategies. This study explored the effect of prosocial motivation on TBPM under different time‐monitoring conditions within the motivational cognitive model framework. One hundred and thirty‐one university students participated in this experiment that adopted a 2 (groups: control, prosocial motivation) × 2 (viewing time conditions: limited, unlimited) between‐subjects design. The results revealed that the prosocial motivation group had better TBPM performance than the control group under both limited and unlimited viewing time conditions. At the same time, compared with the control group, the prosocial motivation group consumed more internal attention and utilized more strategies under both viewing time conditions, and their external attention was more effective. In addition, the external attention of the prosocial motivation group was higher only when time‐monitoring was unlimited. The results of this study further extend knowledge of the motivational cognitive model and expand its scope of application, which has theoretical significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The intricate etiology of autoimmune liver disease (AILD) involves genetic, environmental, and other factors that yet to be completely elucidated. This study comprehensively assessed the causal association between genetically predicted modifiable risk factors and AILD by employing Mendelian randomization. Methods: Genetic variants associated with 29 exposure factors were obtained from genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Genetic association data with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) were also obtained from publicly available GWAS. Univariate and multivariate Mendelian randomization analyses were performed to identify potential risk factors for AILD. Results: Genetically predicted rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (OR = 1.620, 95%CI 1.423–1.843, P = 2.506 × 10− 13) was significantly associated with an increased risk of AIH. Genetically predicted smoking initiation (OR = 1.637, 95%CI 1.055–2.540, P = 0.028), lower coffee intake (OR = 0.359, 95%CI 0.131–0.985, P = 0.047), cholelithiasis (OR = 1.134, 95%CI 1.023–1.257, P = 0.017) and higher C-reactive protein (CRP) (OR = 1.397, 95%CI 1.094–1.784, P = 0.007) were suggestively associated with an increased risk of AIH. Genetically predicted inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (OR = 1.212, 95%CI 1.127–1.303, P = 2.015 × 10− 7) and RA (OR = 1.417, 95%CI 1.193–1.683, P = 7.193 × 10− 5) were significantly associated with increased risk of PBC. Genetically predicted smoking initiation (OR = 1.167, 95%CI 1.005–1.355, P = 0.043), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (OR = 1.086, 95%CI 1.017–1.160, P = 0.014) and higher CRP (OR = 1.199, 95%CI 1.019–1.410, P = 0.028) were suggestively associated with an increased risk of PBC. Higher vitamin D3 (OR = 0.741, 95%CI 0.560–0.980, P = 0.036) and calcium (OR = 0.834, 95%CI 0.699–0.995, P = 0.044) levels were suggestive protective factors for PBC. Genetically predicted smoking initiation (OR = 0.630, 95%CI 0.462–0.860, P = 0.004) was suggestively associated with a decreased risk of PSC. Genetically predicted IBD (OR = 1.252, 95%CI 1.164–1.346, P = 1.394 × 10− 9), RA (OR = 1.543, 95%CI 1.279–1.861, P = 5.728 × 10− 6) and lower glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (OR = 0.268, 95%CI 0.141–0.510, P = 6.172 × 10− 5) were positively associated with an increased risk of PSC. Conclusions: Evidence on the causal relationship between 29 genetically predicted modifiable risk factors and the risk of AIH, PBC, and PSC is provided by this study. These findings provide fresh perspectives on the management and prevention strategies for AILD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autophagy, a conserved cellular recycling process, plays a crucial role in maintaining homeostasis under stress conditions. It also regulates the development and virulence of numerous filamentous fungi. In this study, we investigated the specific function of ATG8, a reliable autophagic marker, in the opportunistic pathogen Aspergillus flavus. To investigate the role of atg8 in A. flavus, the deletion and complemented mutants of atg8 were generated according to the homologous recombination principle. Deletion of atg8 showed a significant decrease in conidiation, spore germination, and sclerotia formation compared to the WT and atg8C strains. Additionally, aflatoxin production was found severely impaired in the ∆atg8 mutant. The stress assays demonstrated that ATG8 was important for A. flavus response to oxidative stress. The fluorescence microscopy showed increased levels of reactive oxygen species in the ∆atg8 mutant cells, and the transcriptional result also indicated that genes related to the antioxidant system were significantly reduced in the ∆atg8 mutant. We further found that ATG8 participated in regulating the pathogenicity of A. flavus on crop seeds. These results revealed the biological role of ATG8 in A. flavus, which might provide a potential target for the control of A. flavus and AFB1 biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-02005-4 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the variation in the effects of pertussis toxin on the muscarinic regulation of calcium and potassium ions in frog cardiac myocytes. Differences in the ability of acetylcholine (ACh) to inhibit beta-agonist stimulated calcium and potassium currents in frog atrial myocytes; Mediation by G protein of the activation of calcium current.

The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the mortality, amputation and complication rates in patients with peripheral lower limb arterial disease undergoing bypass surgery with or without a prior history of endovascular operation. A systematic literature screen was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines on four academic databases, Medline, Scopus, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Out of 1,072 records, six articles involving 11,420 patients (mean age, 68.1±2.0 years) met the inclusion criteria. The findings presented a 2b level of evidence (i.e. overall evidence represents data from individual cohort study or low quality randomized controlled trials) and suggested lower mortality, amputation and complication rates for patients undergoing bypass surgery without any history of endovascular operation, compared with those with a history of prior endovascular operation. Moreover, a random-effect meta-analysis suggested a small, positive reduction in mortality (Hedge's g=0.08), amputation (Hedge's g=0.18) and complication rates (Hedge's g=0.05) for patients undergoing bypass surgery without any history of endovascular operation. Nevertheless, owing to the scarcity of high-quality data, further studies and randomized clinical trials are needed to confirm these effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L.) is one of the seven major food crops grown worldwide. Cold stress often can cause protein expression pattern and substance contents variations for tuberous roots of sweetpotato during low-temperature storage. Recently, we developed proteometabolic profiles of the fresh sweetpotatoes (cv. Xinxiang) in an attempt to discern the cold stress-responsive mechanism of tuberous root crops during post-harvest storage. Results: For roots stored under 4 °C condition, the CI index, REC and MDA content in roots were significantly higher than them at control temperature (13 °C). The activities of SOD, CAT, APX, O2.- producing rate, proline and especially soluble sugar contents were also significantly increased. Most of the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were implicated in pathways related to metabolic pathway, especially phenylpropanoids and followed by starch and sucrose metabolism. L-ascorbate peroxidase 3 and catalase were down-regulated during low temperature storage. α-amylase, sucrose synthase and fructokinase were significantly up-regulated in starch and sucrose metabolism, while β-glucosidase, glucose-1-phosphate adenylyl-transferase and starch synthase were opposite. Furthermore, metabolome profiling revealed that glucosinolate biosynthesis, tropane, piperidine and pyridine alkaloid biosynthesis as well as protein digestion and absorption played a leading role in metabolic pathways of roots. Leucine, tryptophan, tyrosine, isoleucine and valine were all significantly up-regulated in glucosinolate biosynthesis. Conclusions: Our proteomic and metabolic profile analysis of sweetpotatoes stored at low temperature reveal that the antioxidant enzymes activities, proline and especially soluble sugar content were significantly increased. Most of the DEPs were implicated in phenylpropanoids and followed by starch and sucrose metabolism. The discrepancy between proteomic (L-ascorbate peroxidase 3 and catalase) and biochemical (CAT/APX activity) data may be explained by higher H2O2 levels and increased ascorbate redox states, which enhanced the CAT/APX activity indirectly. Glucosinolate biosynthesis played a leading role in metabolic pathways. Leucine, tryptophan, tyrosine, isoleucine and valine were all significantly up-regulated in glucosinolate biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]