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Although many organizations have adopted blockchain technology (BCT) for efficiency and automation and users' adoption of BCT is becoming crucial for the companies, few studies have focused on the factors affecting the adoption of BCT in real estate sector. This study aims to assess the factors affecting the adoption of BCT in real estate by the lens of an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Task-technology fit (TTF). This current study uses quantitative survey approach. Data were collected from 311 real sector buyers and sellers in China. Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used for data analysis. The study's findings indicate that attitude, perceived usefulness (PU) and data privacy and security (DPS) exerts highest influence in the proposed theoretical model. In addition, the findings also confirmed the significant impact of perceived ease of use (PEOU) on attitude, and TTF impact on PU and PEOU in adoption of BCT. Furthermore, the moderating impact of perceived compatibility (PC) on the relationship between TTF and PEOU was also confirmed. The study has useful practical implications for the real estate buyers and sellers that adoption of BCT improves efficiency, reduce transaction cost incur due to intermediaries, and enhance security system. Furthermore, the study suggests that automation achieved through BCT will facilitate customized agreements and improve process of title transfer.

BackgroundIn China’s coal mines, employees work in environments reaching depths of 650 m, with temperatures around 40°C and humidity levels as high as 90%, adversely affecting their health, safety capabilities, and cognitive functions, especially working memory. This study aims to explore different temperature and humidity conditions’ impact on neurocognitive mechanisms to enhance occupational health and safety.MethodsThis study, conducted between June and August 2023, with 100 coalmine workers from the Hongliulin Mining Group, utilized functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and short-term visual memory tasks to evaluate the effects of high temperatures and humidity on working memory by monitoring activity in the cerebral cortex. Behavioral data, and neurophysiological data were analyzed using Tukey’s HSD for significant differences and multiple regression to explore the impact of temperature and humidity. The β-values of Oxy-Hb for different regions of interest were calculated using General liner model (GLM), and the activation maps were plotted by NIRS_KIT.ResultsHigh temperature and humidity (Condition IV) significantly depressed reaction times and working memory compared to other conditions, with temperature having a more pronounced impact than humidity on these cognitive measures (p

Abstract As the depth of coal mining increases, the temperature and humidity of the underground environment also rise, which can negatively impact the physiological health of miners, and may even pose a threat to their safety and lives. However, studies on the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying the relationship between temperature, humidity, and miners’ alertness are scant. This study investigates several research objectives: (A) the differences in reaction time and error rate in different temperature and humidity conditions, which factor has a greater impact; (B) the differences in the levels of Oxy-Hb in different conditions and which factor has a greater impact; (C) the differences of activation degree between different regions of interest; and (D) the differences in the shape of Oxy-Hb time course between different conditions between different regions of interests. The fNIRS was used to measure the activity in 100 participants’ prefrontal cortex in this study. The results showed that both temperature and humidity would lead to decreased alertness of miners, which would not only prolong the reaction time, increase the error rate, and increase the Oxy-Hb concentration, but also lead to increased activation of the prefrontal cortex and greater activation of the right side than that of the left side, the Oxy-Hb time course was different on both sides, and temperature has a greater effect on alertness than humidity.

Abstract Objective Abundant neutrophils have been identified in both ruptured and unruptured intracranial aneurysm (IA) domes, with their function and clinical implication being poorly characterized. Materials and Methods We employed single‐cell RNA sequencing (scRNA‐Seq) datasets of both human and murine model, and external bulk mRNA sequencing datasets to thoroughly explore the features and functional heterogeneous of neutrophils infiltrating the IA dome. Results We found that both unruptured and ruptured IA dome contain a substantial population of neutrophils, characterized by FCGR3B, G0S2, CSF3R, and CXCR2. These cells exhibited heterogeneity in terms of function and differentiation. Despite similar transcriptional activation, neutrophils in IA dome expressed a repertoire of gene programs that mimicked transcriptomic alterations observed from bone marrow to peripheral blood, showing self‐similarity. In addition, the recruitment of neutrophils in unruptured IA was primarily mediated by monocytes/macrophages, and once ruptured, both neutrophils, and a specific subset of inflammatory smooth muscle cells (SMCs) were involved in the process. The receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC) analysis indicated that distinct neutrophil subclusters were associated with IA formation and rupture, respectively. By reviewing current studies, we found that neutrophils play a detrimental role to IA wall integrity through secreting specific ligands, ferroptosis driven by ALOX5AP and PTGS2, and the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) mediated by PADI4. Interpretation This study delineated the biology and potential clinical implications of neutrophils in IA dome and provided a reliable basis for future researches.

The development of information technology has created conducive conditions for the digital economy. The digital economy is regarded as a critical pathway for transforming traditional economic models. Green total factor productivity serves as an indicator for assessing the quality of economic development. During pivotal periods of economic transition, the digital economy and green total factor productivity have emerged as two prominent themes for achieving sustainable economic development. But the impact of digital economy on green total factor productivity is less discussed. Innovation environment refers to a confluence of conditions shaped by factors such as talent, funding, cultural atmosphere and government policies, all of which collectively support innovative activities within a region. The institutional environment encompasses the aggregate of economic, political, social, and legal rules. Currently, there is little discussion on bringing innovation environment and institutional environment into the impact of digital economy on green total factor productivity. To fill the research gap, this paper adopts the Slack based measure-Directional distance function model and Malmquist-Luenberger productivity index to measure green total factor productivity in each region based on the panel data collected from 30 provinces in China from 2004 to 2019. Generalized Method of Moments method is constructed to carry out an empirical study on the impact of digital economy on green total factor productivity. This paper constructs a panel threshold model with innovation environment and institutional environment as threshold variables. In further analysis, this paper employs panel quantile regression for the empirical analysis of the impact of the digital economy on green total factor productivity. Further analysis elucidates the evident disparities in the influence of the digital economy on green total factor productivity at various levels. The research results can provide a guide for discussing the green value of the digital economy and its role in fostering the development of a green economy.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and technological innovation (TI) are two fundamental driving forces for sustainable development. The importance of the CSR-TI relationship has grown in prominence over recent years. This study is motivated by two research questions: (1) What makes the CSR-TI relationship conclusions different? (2) Which emerging themes in the literature will likely set the stage for future work? Using VOSviewer for co-occurrence analysis, this research examines 67 scholarly works in related research fields from 1996 to 2023 in 36 leading journals to answer these questions. This paper is a systematic literature review of the CSR-TI relationship from different perspectives. Addressing these two research questions helps us clarify the internal logic of the existing research in the CSR-TI relationship, deepens the understanding of the relationship between CSR and TI, and provides a glimpse of the future.

Conclusions: Our study, for the first time, suggests that vitamin C supplement use or higher dietary vitamin C intake during preconception and early pregnancy could alleviate the risk of GDM associated with exposure to As and Hg. The results warrant further investigation.

• Purpose: Surgical site infection (SSI) is a rare and serious complication of total knee arthroplasty (TKA), which causes a poor prognosis for patients. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of intraosseous (IO) antibiotics in preventing infection and complications after TKA compared with intravenous (IV) antibiotics and to provide a certain theoretical basis for clinical treatment. • Methods: The review process was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We searched the PubMed, Embase, Ovid, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases about trials on IO antibiotics (into the proximal tibia before skin incision) to prevent infections in TKA from the respective inception dates to September 30, 2022. The infection occurred within 3 months after surgery. Both researchers individually screened the studies in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria, performed the literature quality evaluation and data extraction, and used Stata 17 software for data analysis. • Results: Five studies that enrolled 3801 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that IO antibiotics were effective in reducing the incidence of SSI (OR: 0.25, P = 0.001) and periprosthetic joint infections (OR: 0.16, P = 0.004) relative to IV. Moreover, the percentage of infection due to Gram-positive bacteria (OR: 0.18, P = 0.025) was reduced in the IO group compared with that in IV group, but Gram-negative bacteria levels were not significantly reduced (P = 0.14). There was no difference between the two groups for other systemic adverse effects of the drug. • Conclusions: IO antibiotics in TKA are safe and effective alternatives to IV antibiotics. Large randomized clinical studies comparing infection rates and related complications with IO and IV antibiotics are required.

Objective To explore the predictive value of the abdominal wall scar score for pelvic floor function rehabilitation, vaginal microecology and complications after cesarean section. Methods A total of 120 pregnant women who underwent cesarean section in our hospital from January to December 2022 were selected. The patients were divided into observation group (score ≥ 60, n = 52) and control group (score < 60, n = 68) according to the preoperative score of abdominal wall scar and whether the score exceeded 60. The pelvic floor function rehabilitation, vaginal microecology and complications were compared between the two groups, and the score of abdominal wall scar was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The predictive value of pelvic floor function rehabilitation, vaginal microecology and complications after cesarean section was evaluated. Results There were significant differences between the two groups in postpartum class I and class II muscle fiber strength and pelvic floor muscle potential (P < 0.05). ROC curve showed that the AUC of abdominal scar score in predicting pelvic floor function rehabilitation was 0.806 (95% CI [0.684–0.927]), the specificity was 80.17%, and the sensitivity was 79.76%. There was significant difference in the abnormal rate of leukocte estrase (LE) and Acetylaminoglucosidase (NAG) between the two groups (P < 0.05). ROC curve showed that the AUC of abdominal scar score in predicting vaginal microecology was 0.871 (95% CI [0.776–0.966]), the specificity was 85.09%, and the sensitivity was 82.36%. There was significant difference in the incidence of postpartum complications between the two groups (P < 0.05). ROC curve showed that the AUC of abdominal scar score in predicting complications was 0.844 (95% CI [0.735–0.953]), the specificity was 82.27%, and the sensitivity was 81.15%. Conclusion The abdominal scar score has a certain effect on predicting the recovery of pelvic floor function, vaginal microecology and complications after cesarean section. Therefore, it can help the medical staff to adjust the treatment measures in time, which can be used as a means of preoperative auxiliary examination.

Objective: To establish a rapid analysis method for the activity concentration of carbon-14 (14C) in urine, in order to estimate the internal dose of 14C exposure, and to protect the health of occupational population. Methods: Liquid scintillation counting(LSC) combined with the function of transformed spectral index of the external standard spectrum (tSIE) was used to measure the quenching level and counting rate, and the spiked urine samples with different shades of color were measured by LSC. After establishing the efficiency-quenching curve, the quenching correction and activity concentration analysis of the actual samples were carried out. Results: By LSC and the data fitting, the relationship between efficiency and quenching index could be represented using the equation y ​= ​0.0013x-0.0177 (R2 ​= ​0.978). Three actual spiked samples were tested to verify this method, with recoveries of 97%, 102%, and 89%, respectively. 14C activity concentration of 4 actual urine samples were 0.12, 0.11, 0.10 and 0.08 Bq/mL, respectively, while the corresponding extended relative uncertainties were 0.0652, 0.0929, 0.0893 and 0.1043, respectively. Conclusion: The direct analysis method of 14C activity concentration in urine samples was established using LSC. The recovery of 14C activity concentration in urine samples showed that the proposed method had relatively high accuracy. By studying on the source of uncertainty, the uncertainty of the analysis results mainly came from the statistical error of LSC, and the uncertainty component of counting efficiency.

Topography plays an important role in restricting the formation of and change in land use/land cover (LULC) patterns. To compare the LULC change and topographic gradient effects between mountains and flatlands, the geo-informatic atlas, terrain position index, distribution index and diversity index were used to analyze the LULC patterns in Yuxi from 2000 to 2020. The results were as follows: (1) the temporal–spatial variation in LULC was obviously different. From 2000 to 2020, land use change in the flatlands was more severe than that in the mountains. The transfer amount of forestland in the mountains was the largest, with the transfer-out and transfer-in accounting for 48.53% and 31.05%. However, in the flatlands, the biggest changes were found in the transfer-out of cultivated land and the transfer-in of build-up land, which were 46.91% and 38.20%, respectively. The LULC types in the mountains changed dramatically from 2000 to 2010, while those in the flatlands changed dramatically from 2010 to 2020. (2) There were obvious differences in the topographic gradient effects. The dominant distributions of land use types in the low-terrain area were the same, but the dominance of build-up land in the flatlands and that of wetland in the mountains were the largest. In the mountains, the dominant distribution of grassland was in the medium-terrain position, while that of forestland was in the high position, and the opposite was found in the flatlands. In addition, the variation trend of the diversity index in the mountains was relatively simple, but the variation range was large, ranging from 0 to 1.677, and high diversity was mainly found in the medium- and high-terrain positions. However, the variation trend in the flatlands was complex, but only ranged from 0.918 to 1.994, and high diversity was found in the low-terrain positions. The differences in the LULC change and terrain gradient effects between the mountains and flatlands were mainly caused by natural, socio-economic and policy factors, which can provide a certain reference for differentiated land use policies for regional coordinated and sustainable development.

Pommerman is a popular reinforcement learning environment because it imposes several challenges such as sparse and deceptive rewards and delayed action effects. In this paper, we propose an efficient reinforcement learning approach that uses a more efficient Monte Carlo tree search combined with action pruning and flexible imitation learning to accelerate the search performance, allowing the agent to avoid meaningless explorations and find some high-level strategies. Under the Pommerman benchmark, we evaluate the agent driven by the proposed approach against the heuristic and pure reinforcement learning baselines, and the results show that our method can yield a relatively high-level agent performance during combat, which demonstrates the efficiency of our method in this specific domain and its potential ability.

Tax payments stimulate business enterprises to choose tax management through tax avoidance activities, which is the legal practice to reduce the amount of tax payable. In developing economies, taxation is considered more critical for budget and revenues of a country. This paper investigates whether various business strategies influence corporate tax avoidance decisions of firms by adopting business strategies. Besides, it explores how gender diversity can ease this relationship. This study has chosen a sample of organizations from non-financial sector in Pakistan. The time frame is 5 years, including once a year. The present model employed a generalized moment method (GMM) and tested the proposed hypothesis to draw the results. The study has taken the size, leverage, and business profitability as control variables of firms. The study outcomes by using the GMM method demonstrate that the presence of female directors reduces tax avoidance behavior in prospector companies. This study provides insight into future research for stakeholders, government officials, tax authorities, and policymakers. The findings offer valuable recommendations and practical insights and implications. The findings provide future directions for research to test different frameworks to attain beneficial results to promote the responsibility of tax payment culture.

Plant invasion caused due to various human activities has become a serious problem affecting ecosystem diversity and imposes a burden on the economy. In recent years, there have been increasing studies on the application of biochar (BC) in the field of environmental protection. Invasive plants, which are considered as a kind of hazardous waste biomass, can be used as feedstocks to prepare BC. Consumption of invasive plants for BC preparation can achieve a win-win situation in ecology and resources. This can solve a series of ecological problems caused by invasive plants to a certain extent while also realizing the resource utilization of wastes and bringing considerable economic benefits. Based on previous studies, this paper summarizes the progress of preparing and using invasive plant biochar (IPB). This includes the production, modification, merit and demerit of IPB, its application in improving soil quality, the adsorption of pollutants, application in energy storage, and climate change mitigation potential. It provides a basis for further study of IPB based on the currently existing problems and proposes a direction for future development.

Global electricity consumption has increased dramatically in the past few decades, resulting in many countries considering energy efficiency as the only solution to tackle issues related to energy and pursue sustainable development goals. However, there is a shortage of studies at the household level on the propensity to use energy-efficient appliances (EEA), especially for developing countries, which have great potential for EEA adoption and usage. Besides, young consumers form an important part of developing countries’ population as well as the next generation of consumers. Yet studies examining their inclination toward more sustainable products such as EEA remain scarce. This study employs data gathered from a survey questionnaire among 240 young Pakistani consumers to explain EEA adoption by focusing on extended version of the theory of planned behavior (TPB), incorporating additional variables such as self-expressive benefits, utilitarian environmental benefits and moral obligations. The results show that utilitarian environmental benefits significantly influence attitudes, whereas self-expressive has an insignificant influence on attitude. Along with this study found moral obligation also has an insignificant impact on subjective norms. Finally, the study revealed the impact of purchase intention of EEAs on the purchase behavior of EEAs. Therefore, the results of this study present a novel understanding for Pakistani policymakers should pay more attention on shaping consumer attitudes, social values and perceived behavioral control, which will eventually drive energy-efficient appliance purchasing behavior.

This study departs from existing work on board gender diversity (BGD) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting by analyzing and explaining the mechanism by which gender-diverse boards in politically embedded firms (PEFs) affect firms’ CSR reporting choices in a unique institutional setting of Chinese listed firms from 2010 to 2018. The following main results are obtained. First, having female directors and executives with political connections (PCs) on corporate boards improves the CSR reporting of firms. Firms with PCs have a greater possibility to issue CSR reports than their non-connected counterparts. Second, firms that have both gender diversity and PCs on their boards of directors are more likely to engage in CSR reporting. There is an indication that the presence of PCs on boards can strengthen the effect of female directors on firms’ CSR reporting. Third, the presence of female directors on corporate boards has a stronger relationship with CSR reporting in PEFs than in non-PEFs. The study concludes that both BGD and PCs on corporate boards positively influence the diffusion of CSR-related practices in the Chinese business environment.

Impaired invasion of EVTs results in inadequate remodelling of arteries and poor placentation, leading to PE. TMBIM4 was found to promote the migration and invasion of human osteosarcoma U2-OS and breast cancer MCF7 cell lines. However, the effect of TMBIM4 on trophoblast biological behaviour and its relevance to PE pathophysiology remain unclear. In this study, we confirmed that TMBIM4 was highly expressed in cytotrophoblasts, syncytiotrophoblasts, and EVTs of the human placenta during early pregnancy. By comparing the expression levels of TMBIM4 in the placenta of women with normal-term pregnancy and PE, TMBIM4 was found to be significantly decreased in PE. Thereafter, we determined the expression of TMBIM4 in the LPS-treated first-trimester human trophoblast cell line HTR-8/SVneo (mimicking a PE-like cell model), and determined the effect of TMBIM4 on trophoblast function and its underlying mechanism. LPS treatment reduced the expression of TMBIM4 and induced NLRP3 inflammasome activity in HTR-8/SVneo cells. KO of TMBIM4 in the HTR-8/SVneo cell line impaired cell viability, migration, and invasion, which was more severe in the LPS/ATP-treated TMBIM4-KO cell line. Moreover, TMBIM4 deficiency enhanced NLRP3 inflammasome activity and promoted subsequent pyroptosis, with or without LPS/ATP treatment. The negative relationship between TMBIM4 expression and NLRP3 inflammatory activity was verified in PE placentas. Inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome with MCC950 in HTR-8/SVneo cells alleviated LPS/ATP-induced pyroptosis and damaged cell function in the TMBIM4-KO cell line. Overall, this study revealed a new PE-associated protein, TMBIM4, and its biological significance in trophoblast pyroptosis mediated by the NLRP3 inflammasome. TMBIM4 may serve as a potential target for the treatment of placental inflammation-associated PE.

This study focuses on the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on green technology innovation (GTI) of firms and the moderating influence of the chief executive officer (CEO) narcissism through the lens of stakeholder theory and upper echelons theory. This research deconstructs CSR into internal CSR and external CSR in order to reveal the effects of different types of CSR on GTI. Based on a sample of 1,745 firm-year observations from 349 Chinese-listed firms across sectors between 2014 and 2018, we find that the fulfillment of internal CSR has a significant positive impact on GTI. This relationship is strengthened when the CEOs are narcissistic. The external CSR has a significant negative impact on GTI and this relationship is strengthened by CEO narcissism. The major contribution of our study is that it provides a theoretical contribution to the existing literature by deconstructing CSR into internal and external CSRs and enriches the studies in the context of CSR from a point of view of the particular personality trait of a CEO.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with adverse perinatal and maternal outcomes. Epidemiological studies have reported that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and a high hemoglobin (Hb) concentration are risk factors for GDM in the middle trimester. However, no consistent conclusions have been reached, especially in Chinese pregnant women. A case-control study was conducted to better understand the associations between NAFLD and Hb concentration in the first trimester and the risk of GDM and their interactive effects. Multivariable logistic regression analysis and a cross-product term of Hb and steatosis were used to evaluate the associations between first trimester Hb concentration, steatosis, and GDM and their interactive effects. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using two-sided statistical tests at an alpha level of 0.05. For the study, 1,017 normal pregnant women, and 343 pregnant women diagnosed with GDM (25.22%) were recruited from the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Shanxi Province, China. NAFLD-associated steatosis was found to be independent risk factors for developing GDM compared with grade 0 steatosis, with ORs of 1.98 (95% CI: 1.35-2.89) and 2.27 (95% CI:1.29-3.96), respectively. Meanwhile, a high Hb concentration was found to be a risk factor for developing GDM compared with the normal Hb concentration (OR = 1.88; 95% CI:1.24-2.83). The risk of developing GDM was more pronounced among pregnant women who had both high-grade steatosis and higher Hb concentrations during their first trimester (OR = 6.24; 95% CI: 1.81-23.66). However, we found no significant interactions between Hb concentration and steatosis grade. In conclusion, our study confirmed that a high Hb concentration and NAFLD-associated steatosis during the first trimester play important roles in predicting the risk of GDM in Chinese women. Future studies are required to verify the interactive effects between NAFLD-associated steatosis and Hb concentration.

Background: Several studies with small sample size have reported inconsistent associations between single metal and preeclampsia (PE). Very few studies have investigated metal mixtures and PE. Methods: Blood concentrations of chromium (Cr), cadmium, mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), lead (Pb), nickel, cobalt, and antimony were measured using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry among 427 PE women and 427 matched controls from Taiyuan, China. Multivariate logistic regression models, weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression, and principal component analysis were employed to examine exposure to single metals and metal mixtures in relation to PE. Results: An increased prevalence of PE was associated with Cr (OR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.18, 2.62 and 1.90, 1.22, 2.93 for the middle and high vs. low), Hg (OR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.08, 2.38 for the high vs. low) and As (OR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.07, 2.52 for the middle vs. low). The WQS index, predominated by Cr, Hg, Pb, and As, was positively associated with PE. A principal component characterized by Cr and As also exhibited excessive association with PE. The highest PE prevalence was found among women who were overweight/obese before pregnancy and had high Cr levels compared to women who had pre-pregnancy normal body mass index (BMI) and low Cr levels. Conclusions: Our study provided evidence that exposure to multiple metals was associated with increased prevalence of PE, and the observed association with multiple metals was dominated by Cr, As. Our study also suggested that pre-pregnancy BMI might modify the association between Cr and PE.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a growing public health concern for many reasons, and its etiology remains unclear. Due to the similarity of its pathophysiology with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), we evaluated the relationship between published T2DM susceptibility genes and the risk of GDM. A total of 303 SNPs from genes including IRS1, IGF2BP2, CDKAL1, GCK, TCF7L2, KCNQ1, and KCNJ11 and the risk of GDM were examined in a nested case-control study with 321 GDM cases and 316 controls. The odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were estimated by unconditional logistical regression as a measure of the associations between genotypes and GDM in additive, recessive, dominant, and codominant models adjusting for maternal age, maternal BMI, parity, and family history of diabetes. At the gene level, CDKAL1 was associated with GDM risk. SNPs in the CDKAL1 gene including rs4712527, rs7748720, rs9350276, and rs6938256 were associated with reduced GDM risk. However, SNPs including rs9295478, rs6935599, and rs7747752 were associated with elevated GDM risk. After adjusting for multiple comparisons, rs9295478 and rs6935599 were still significant across the additive, recessive, and codominant models; rs7748720 and rs6938256 were significant in dominant and codominant models; and rs4712527 was only significant in the codominant model. Our study provides evidence for an association between the CDKAL1 gene and risk of GDM. However, its role in the GDM pathogenesis still needs to be verified by further studies.

Identification of modifiable dietary factors, which are involved in the development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), could inform strategies to prevent GDM. Therefore, we examined the dietary nutrient patterns and evaluated their relationship with GDM risk in a Chinese population using a case control study design. A total of 1,464 GDM cases and 8,092 non-GDM controls were included in the final analysis. Dietary intake was assessed using a 33-item food frequency questionnaire, and nutrients were estimated using the Chinese Standard Tables of Food Consumption. Dietary nutrient patterns were identified using factor analysis, and their associations with GDM risk were evaluated using unconditional logistic regression models adjusting for total energy intake, maternal age, high blood pressure, education, maternal body mass index (BMI), parity, and family history of diabetes. A “vitamin” nutrient pattern was characterized as the consumption of diet rich in vitamin A, carotene, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin C, dietary fiber, folate, calcium, and potassium. For every quartile increase in the vitamin factor score during one year prior to conception, the first trimester, and the second trimester of pregnancy, the GDM risk decreased by 9% (OR: 0.91, 95%CI: 0.86-0.96), 9% (OR: 0.91, 95%CI: 0.86-0.96), and 10% (OR: 0.90, 95%CI: 0.85-0.95), respectively. The significant reduced GDM risk was seen in women regardless of age and parity, and slightly stronger effect was found in women whose age≤30 and women who are nulliparous across the three time periods. The significant association was also found in women whose BMI≤24 with similar effect size across the three time periods. Our study suggests that the vitamin nutrient pattern diet is associated with decreased GDM risk. Additional studies are necessary to explore the underlying mechanism of this relationship.

Objective: Abundant neutrophils have been identified in both ruptured and unruptured intracranial aneurysm (IA) domes, with their function and clinical implication being poorly characterized. Materials and Methods: We employed single‐cell RNA sequencing (scRNA‐Seq) datasets of both human and murine model, and external bulk mRNA sequencing datasets to thoroughly explore the features and functional heterogeneous of neutrophils infiltrating the IA dome. Results: We found that both unruptured and ruptured IA dome contain a substantial population of neutrophils, characterized by FCGR3B, G0S2, CSF3R, and CXCR2. These cells exhibited heterogeneity in terms of function and differentiation. Despite similar transcriptional activation, neutrophils in IA dome expressed a repertoire of gene programs that mimicked transcriptomic alterations observed from bone marrow to peripheral blood, showing self‐similarity. In addition, the recruitment of neutrophils in unruptured IA was primarily mediated by monocytes/macrophages, and once ruptured, both neutrophils, and a specific subset of inflammatory smooth muscle cells (SMCs) were involved in the process. The receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC) analysis indicated that distinct neutrophil subclusters were associated with IA formation and rupture, respectively. By reviewing current studies, we found that neutrophils play a detrimental role to IA wall integrity through secreting specific ligands, ferroptosis driven by ALOX5AP and PTGS2, and the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) mediated by PADI4. Interpretation: This study delineated the biology and potential clinical implications of neutrophils in IA dome and provided a reliable basis for future researches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a goal-directed locomotion method for a snake-shaped robot in 3D complex environment based on path-integral reinforcement learning. This method uses a model-free online Q-learning algorithm to evaluate action strategies and optimize decision-making through repeated "exploration-learning-utilization" processes to complete snake-shaped robot goal-directed locomotion in 3D complex environment. The proper locomotion control parameters such as joint angles and screw-drive velocities can be learned by path-integral reinforcement learning, and the learned parameters were successfully transferred to the snake-shaped robot. Simulation results show that the planned path can avoid all obstacles and reach the destination smoothly and swiftly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Identification of modifiable dietary factors, which are involved in the development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), could inform strategies to prevent GDM. Methods: We examined the dietary patterns in a Chinese population and evaluated their relationship with GDM risk using a case-control study including 1,464 cases and 8,092 control subjects. Propensity score matching was used to reduce the imbalance of covariates between cases and controls. Dietary patterns were identified using factor analysis while their associations with GDM risk were evaluated using logistic regression models. Results: A "vegetable" dietary pattern was characterized as the consumption of green leafy vegetables (Chinese little greens and bean seedling), other vegetables (cabbages, carrots, tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes, mushrooms, peppers, bamboo shoots, agarics, and garlic), and bean products (soybean milk, tofu, kidney beans, and cowpea). For every quartile increase in the vegetables factor score during 1 year prior to conception, the first trimester, and the second trimester of pregnancy, the GDM risk lowered by 6% (odds ratio [OR], 0.94; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.89 to 0.99), 7% (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.88 to 0.99), and 9% (OR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.86 to 0.96). Conclusion: In conclusion, our study suggests that the vegetable dietary pattern is associated with lower GDM risk; however, the interpretation of the result should with caution due to the limitations in our study, and additional studies are necessary to explore the underlying mechanism of this relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preeclampsia (PE), a common obstetrical disorder, is characterized by impaired migration and invasion abilities of trophoblastic cells. MicroRNA-183-5p (miR-183) was reported to regulate cell migration and invasion in various types of human cancers; however, its role in the pathogenesis of PE remains elusive. Herein, we investigated the role of miR-183 in HTR-8/SVneo trophoblast cells invasion and migration and explored the underlying mechanism. Our results showed that miR-183 was significantly up-regulated in placental tissues from pregnant women compared with that in normal pregnant women. Overexpression of miR-183 inhibited proliferation, migration and invasion, as well as induced apoptosis in HTR-8/SVneo cells. Otherwise, down-regulation of miR-183 achieved the opposite effects. Bioinformatics prediction and luciferase reporter assay confirmed that matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is a target of miR-183. In addition, MMP-9 expression was significantly down-regulated, and inversely correlated with the miR-183 level in placental tissues from pregnant women with severe PE. Down-regulation of MMP-9 suppressed the trophoblast cell invasion and migration, whereas overexpression of MMP-9 promoted cell invasion and migration in HTR-8/SVneo cells. More importantly, up-regulation of MMP-9 reversed the inhibitory effects of miR-183 on cell invasion and migration in trophoblast cells. Collectively, our findings suggested that miR-183 may play critical roles in the pathogenesis of PE and serve as a potential biomarker for severe PE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acetaminophen (AAP) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) have been found to have anti-inflammatory effects via the TLR-NF-κB pathway in LPS-challenged piglets. However, the action mechanisms employed by AAP and NAC have yet to be completely understood. This study investigated the anti-inflammatory effects and mechanisms of AAP and NAC on LPS-induced inflammatory responses via the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway in piglet mononuclear phagocytes. The results show that mRNA expression levels of IL-1β, IL-18 and NLRP3, as well as the protein level of cleaved caspase-1, are significantly increased after LPS challenge in vitro. LPS stimulation did not change ASC and caspase-1 mRNA levels, which were components of NLRP3 inflammasome complex. AAP (0.5-1.0 mM) and NAC (0.5-1.0 mM) used individually or in combination could down-regulate protein expression of cleaved caspase-1 and mRNA expression of IL-1β, IL-18 and NLRP3. NAC could significantly enhance the above inhibition actions of AAP. The combined use of AAP plus NAC had better inhibition action on the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway. These results indicate that the anti-inflammatory effects of AAP and NAC occur via the regulation on mRNA expression of NLRP3 and activation of caspase-1. The anti-inflammatory activity of AAP and NAC could be related to the suppression of NLRP3 inflammasome pathway under LPS stimulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: There are many in vivo and in vitro studies suggested the involvement of apoptosis in neurodegenerative processes. There is considerable evidence that various complex events may contribute to neural cell death. The present study focuses on the underlined neurodegenerative mechanism and the preventive effect of necrostatin-1 (Nec-1) on neural cell death induced by aluminum (Al). Methods: Al-exposed primary cultures of newborn mice cortical cells were separately treated with 3-methylamphetamine (3-MA), benzyloxycarbonylvalyl-alanyl-aspartic acid (O-methyl)-fluoro-methylketone (zVAD-fmk), and Nec-1, the cell viability analysis was used to evaluate cell damage from apoptosis, necroptosis and autophagy. Morphology of neural cells treated with 2 mM Al, and 2 mM Al plus 60 μM Nec-1 were examined by fluorescent microscope, and the cell death rates were quantified by cytometry. For the in vivo experiments, male ICR mice were microinjected with normal saline, 2 mM Al, and 2 mM Al plus Nec-1 at the concentrations of 2 mM, 4 mM and 8 mM into the lateral cerebral ventricles. The Morris water maze task was performed in 20 days after intracerebroventricular injection, Nissl staining was used to demonstrate the loss of Nissl substance and the number of neural cells, and western blot was used to analyze the expressing of cell death and Alzheimer's disease related proteins. Results: The cell viabilities inhibited by Al could be enhanced by 3-MA, zVAD-fmk and Nec-1, of which Nec-1 improved the cell viability most significantly. Furthermore, the cell viability of neural cells treated with Nec-1 increased concentration-dependently, and the expressions of cell death-related proteins were decreased also in a concentration-dependent manner. The in vivo experiments indicated that administration of Nec-1 on Al-treated mice significantly improved learning and memory retention in the Morris water maze task, decreased the neural cells death and inhibited the expression of Alzheimer's disease related proteins in the mice brain. Conclusions: The present study provides the first direct evidence of a connection between necroptosis and neurodegeneration, which indicates that necroptosis is involved in neurodegenerative cell death. Furthermore, Nec-1 may be useful for the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the paper is to investigate the development of China's state-controlled firms in the consumer electronics sector, where we focus on the evolution of firm business strategy and ownership structure, two aspects of a firm's internal organization crucial for competitive advantage. The Chinese consumer electronics sector is used for the study, partly on the basis of its significance in national economy, but also because its growth experience is typical of many industries in the Chinese economy as a whole. This paper uses case studies to identify the specific characteristics of China's firms that operate in a transitional society undergoing social and economic transformation. It is argued in this paper that there exist different ways of development of China's state-controlled firms with different competitive position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]