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Given that problematic smartphone use (PSU) has been researched for a long time, it becomes necessary to assess how the trends of PSU prevalence have evolved over time. In total, 106 articles from 2012 to 2022 with 109 studies covering 97,748 individuals were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. The estimation of the global pooled PSU prevalence was 37.1% (95% confidence interval, 33.5 − 40.8%) and the PSU prevalence is growing over time in total. Although the PSU prevalence exhibited wide variation between regions and measurement scales, the increasing trend remained. In addition, the regression slope of the PSU prevalence trend in males was higher than that in females. Males initially had a lower prevalence of PSU than females, but this steadily changed over time until it was greater in males than in females. Moreover, the prevalence of PSU showed an increasing trend across all age groups, with a faster growth rate in the older age group. Considering the aforementioned results, it's necessary to implement proper interventions to do with this phenomenon. In addition, considering the differences in prevalence brought by regions, and measurement scales, in practice and research, we should not only take into account the disparities of PSU between countries or cultures, but also to concern about establishing unified standard and measurement tools to confirm it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The autonomous vehicle consists of perception, decision-making, and control system. The study of path planning method has always been a core and difficult problem, especially in complex environment, due to the effect of dynamic environment, the safety, smoothness, and real-time requirement, and the nonholonomic constraints of vehicle. To address the problem of travelling in complex environments which consists of lots of obstacles, a two-layered path planning model is presented in this paper. This method includes a high-level model that produces a rough path and a low-level model that provides precise navigation. In the high-level model, the improved Bidirectional Rapidly-exploring Random Tree (Bi-RRT) based on the steering constraint is used to generate an obstacle-free path while satisfying the nonholonomic constraints of vehicle. In low-level model, a Vector Field Histogram- (VFH-) guided polynomial planning algorithm in Frenet coordinates is introduced. Based on the result of VFH, the aim point chosen from improved Bi-RRT path is moved to the most suitable location on the basis of evaluation function. By applying quintic polynomial in Frenet coordinates, a real-time local path that is safe and smooth is generated based on the improved Bi-RRT path. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed planning model, the real autonomous vehicle has been placed in several driving scenarios with different amounts of obstacles. The two-layered real-time planning model produces flexible, smooth, and safe paths that enable the vehicle to travel in complex environment., Author(s): Jiajia Chen [1]; Rui Zhang [1]; Wei Han [1]; Wuhua Jiang [1]; Jinfang Hu [1]; Xiaoshan Lu [1]; Xingtao Liu [1]; Pan Zhao (corresponding author) [2] 1. Introduction Nowadays, [...]

In this paper, a novel denoising method for electrocardiogram (ECG) signal is proposed to improve performance and availability under multiple noise cases. The method is based on the framework of conditional generative adversarial network (CGAN), and we improved the CGAN framework for ECG denoising. The proposed framework consists of two networks: a generator that is composed of the optimized convolutional auto-encoder (CAE) and a discriminator that is composed of four convolution layers and one full connection layer. As the convolutional layers of CAE can preserve spatial locality and the neighborhood relations in the latent higher-level feature representations of ECG signal, and the skip connection facilitates the gradient propagation in the denoising training process, the trained denoising model has good performance and generalization ability. The extensive experimental results on MIT-BIH databases show that for single noise and mixed noises, the average signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of denoised ECG signal is above 39 dB, and it is better than that of the state-of-the-art methods. Furthermore, the denoised classification results of four cardiac diseases show that the average accuracy increased above 32 $\%$ under multiple noises under SNR=0 dB. So, the proposed method can remove noise effectively as well as keep the details of the features of ECG signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an auto-decision making system, knowledge-based major choosing decision (KMCD), which helps remote students choose their majors. It is built within a first-order reasoning system with an uncertain reasoning function. The knowledge of both students who want to choose their majors and who have finished their studies are used in the decision making process of the system. KMCD provides personalized suggestions to those students who want to choose majors. Both the learning abilities of students and the career prospects of majors are carefully analyzed on the basis of the knowledge in database. As these analyzing results are well utilized in the decision making process of KMCD, it can be expected that the students who take the suggestions will have a better chance to get graduated smoothly and start their careers successfully after graduation. A detailed description of KMCD is given, which shows that the system is actually a reasonable decision making framework with a capability of expansion of other knowledge which is supposed to be useful for major choosing. An experimental study on data of real college students is devised to justify the effectiveness of KMCD. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A novel thermal storage solar air heater (TSSAH) is proposed in this study. This TSSAH is composed of a vacuum glass tube, flat micro-heat pipe arrays (FMHPA), and a thermal storage material (i.e., paraffin) with a phase change temperature of 58 °C. The FMHPA acts as the core heat transfer component. Considering the low heat conductivity coefficient of paraffin, louver fins are utilized to enhance heat transfer. Thermal performance is analyzed and discussed. During thermal collection, natural convection evidently contributes to enhancing heat transfer. Increasing solar radiation intensity can improve collection efficiency. Thermal collection efficiency increases from 70.22% to 77.28% when solar radiation is increased from 675 W/m2 to 835 W/m2 under an ambient temperature range of 20.8 °C–23.3 °C. A high ambient temperature results in high collection efficiency that can reach 80.59%. During thermal discharge, enhancing the air volumetric flow rate can evidently increase the amount of useful energy and shorten discharge time. From 80 m3/h to 170 m3/h, the amount of useful energy is increased from 335 W to 550 W, and discharge time is shortened from 309 min to 195 min under inlet temperatures ranging from 24.1 °C to 24.2 °C. A high inlet temperature generates a high outlet temperature but decreases the amount of useful energy. From 19.7 °C to 32.0 °C, outlet temperature is increased from 30.4 °C to 36.6 °C, and the amount of useful energy is reduced from 692 W to 287 W at an air volumetric flow rate of 200 m3/h. During thermal discharge, the average amount of useful energy can reach 692 W at an inlet temperature of 19.7 °C and an air volumetric flow rate of 200 m3/h, indicating that the proposed TSSAH can release heat quickly. In the experiment scale, the discharged heat is 6150–6450 kJ at a phase change material temperature scale of 85 °C–35 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has been used in the treatment of chronic heart failure (CHF) for a long time. Treatment based on syndrome differentiation and the main characteristic of TCM is the fundamental principle of TCM practice. In this study protocol, we have designed a trial to assess the efficacy and safety of CHM on CHF based on syndrome differentiation. Methods/Design. This is a three-stage trial of CHM in the treatment of CHF. The first stage is a literature review aiming to explore the common syndromes of CHF. The second is a multicentral, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CHM for the treatment of CHF. The third is a multicentral, randomized controlled clinical trial aiming to make cost-effectiveness analysis and evaluate the feasibility, compliance, and universality of CHM on CHF. Discussion. This trial will evaluate the efficacy, safety, feasibility, compliance, and universality of CHM on CHF. The expected outcome is to provide evidence-based recommendations for CHM on CHF and develop a prescription of CHM in the treatment of CHF. This trial is registered with NCT01939236 (Stage Two of the whole trial).

The proteins in royal jelly (RJ) play a pivotal role in the nutrition, immune defense, and cast determination of honeybee larvae and have a wide range of pharmacological and health-promoting functions for humans as well. Although the importance of post-translational modifications (PTMs) in protein function is known, investigation of protein phosphorylation of RJ proteins is still very limited. To this end, two complementary phosphopeptide enrichment materials (Ti(4+)-IMAC and TiO2) and high-sensitivity mass spectrometry were applied to establish a detailed phosphoproteome map and to qualitatively and quantitatively compare the phosphoproteomes of RJ produced by Apis mellifera ligustica (Aml) and Apis cerana cerana (Acc). In total, 16 phosphoproteins carrying 67 phosphorylation sites were identified in RJ derived from western bees, and nine proteins phosphorylated on 71 sites were found in RJ produced by eastern honeybees. Of which, eight phosphorylated proteins were common to both RJ samples, and the same motif ([S-x-E]) was extracted, suggesting that the function of major RJ proteins as nutrients and immune agents is evolutionary preserved in both of these honeybee species. All eight overlapping phosphoproteins showed significantly higher abundance in Acc-RJ than in Aml-RJ, and the phosphorylation of Jelleine-II (an antimicrobial peptide, TPFKLSLHL) at S(6) in Acc-RJ had stronger antimicrobial properties than that at T(1) in Aml-RJ even though the overall antimicrobial activity of Jelleine-II was found to decrease after phosphorylation. The differences in phosphosites, peptide abundance, and antimicrobial activity of the phosphorylated RJ proteins indicate that the two major honeybee species employ distinct phosphorylation strategies that align with their different biological characteristics shaped by evolution. The phosphorylation of RJ proteins are potentially driven by the activity of extracellular serine/threonine protein kinase FAM20C-like protein (FAM20C-like) through the [S-x-E] motif, which is supported by evidence that mRNA and protein expression of FAM20C-like protein kinase are both found in the highest level in the hypopharyngeal gland of nurse bees. Our data represent the first comprehensive RJ phosphorylation atlas, recording patterns of phosphorylated RJ protein abundance and antibacterial activity of some RJ proteins in two major managed honeybee species. These data constitute a firm basis for future research to better understand the biological roles of each RJ protein for honeybee biology and human health care.

Identifying proteome changes of honey bee embryogenesis is of prime importance for unraveling the molecular mechanisms that they underlie. However, many proteomic changes during the embryonic period are not well characterized. We analyzed the proteomic alterations over the complete time course of honey bee worker embryogenesis at 24, 48, and 72 h of age, using mass spectrometry-based proteomics, label-free quantitation, and bioinformatics. Of the 1460 proteins identified the embryo of all three ages, the core proteome (proteins shared by the embryos of all three ages, accounting for 40%) was mainly involved in protein synthesis, metabolic energy, development, and molecular transporter, which indicates their centrality in driving embryogenesis. However, embryos at different developmental stages have their own specific proteome and pathway signatures to coordinate and modulate developmental events. The young embryos (<24 h) stronger expression of proteins related to nutrition storage and nucleic acid metabolism may correlate with the cell proliferation occurring at this stage. The middle aged embryos (24-48 h) enhanced expression of proteins associated with cell cycle control, transporters, antioxidant activity, and the cytoskeleton suggest their roles to support rudimentary organogenesis. Among these proteins, the biological pathways of aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, β-alanine metabolism, and protein export are intensively activated in the embryos of middle age. The old embryos (48-72 h) elevated expression of proteins implicated in fatty acid metabolism and morphogenesis indicate their functionality for the formation and development of organs and dorsal closure, in which the biological pathways of fatty acid metabolism and RNA transport are highly activated. These findings add novel understanding to the molecular details of honey bee embryogenesis, in which the programmed activation of the proteome matches with the physiological transition observed during embryogenesis. The identified biological pathways and key node proteins allow for further functional analysis and genetic manipulation for both the honey bee embryos and other eusocial insects., (© 2014 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.)

Background: Royal jelly (RJ) is a proteinaceous secretion produced from the hypopharyngeal and mandibular glands of nurse bees. It plays vital roles in honeybee biology and in the improvement of human health. However, some proteins remain unknown in RJ, and mapping N-glycosylation modification sites on RJ proteins demands further investigation. We used two different liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry techniques, complementary N-glycopeptide enrichment strategies, and bioinformatic approaches to gain a better understanding of novel and glycosylated proteins in RJ., Results: A total of 25 N-glycosylated proteins, carrying 53 N-glycosylation sites, were identified in RJ proteins, of which 42 N-linked glycosylation sites were mapped as novel on RJ proteins. Most of the glycosylated proteins were related to metabolic activities and health improvement. The 13 newly identified proteins were also mainly associated with metabolic processes and health improvement activities., Conclusion: Our in-depth, large-scale mapping of novel glycosylation sites represents a crucial step toward systematically revealing the functionality of N-glycosylated RJ proteins, and is potentially useful for producing a protein with desirable pharmacokinetic and biological activity using a genetic engineering approach. The newly-identified proteins significantly extend the proteome coverage of RJ. These findings contribute vital and new knowledge to our understanding of the innate biochemical nature of RJ at both the proteome and glycoproteome levels.

Background: Honeybee venom is a complicated defensive toxin that has a wide range of pharmacologically active compounds. Some of these compounds are useful for human therapeutics. There are two major forms of honeybee venom used in pharmacological applications: manually (or reservoir disrupting) extracted glandular venom (GV), and venom extracted through the use of electrical stimulation (ESV). A proteome comparison of these two venom forms and an understanding of the phosphorylation status of ESV, are still very limited. Here, the proteomes of GV and ESV were compared using both gel-based and gel-free proteomics approaches and the phosphoproteome of ESV was determined through the use of TiO2 enrichment., Results: Of the 43 proteins identified in GV, < 40% were venom toxins, and >60% of the proteins were non-toxic proteins resulting from contamination by gland tissue damage during extraction and bee death. Of the 17 proteins identified in ESV, 14 proteins (>80%) were venom toxic proteins and most of them were found in higher abundance than in GV. Moreover, two novel proteins (dehydrogenase/reductase SDR family member 11-like and histone H2B.3-like) and three novel phosphorylation sites (icarapin (S43), phospholipase A-2 (T145), and apamin (T23)) were identified., Conclusions: Our data demonstrate that venom extracted manually is different from venom extracted using ESV, and these differences may be important in their use as pharmacological agents. ESV may be more efficient than GV as a potential pharmacological source because of its higher venom protein content, production efficiency, and without the need to kill honeybee. The three newly identified phosphorylated venom proteins in ESV may elicit a different immune response through the specific recognition of antigenic determinants. The two novel venom proteins extend our proteome coverage of honeybee venom.

Hemolymph is vital for the flow and transportation of nutrients, ions, and hormones in the honey bee and plays role in innate immune defense. The proteome of the hemolymph changes over the life of a honey bee, but many of these changes are not well characterized, including changes during the life cycle transition from the larval to pupal stages of workers. We used two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, bioinformatics, and Western blot to analyze the proteome changes of the honeybee hemolymph during the transition from newly hatched larvae to five-day-old pupae. Of the 49 nonredundant proteins that changed in abundance (identified by 80 protein spots), 29 (59.2%) and 20 (40.8%) were strongly expressed in the larvae and the pupae, respectively. The larval hemolymph had high expressions of major royal jelly proteins and proteins related to metabolism of carbohydrates and energy, folding activities, development, and the cytoskeleton and antioxidant systems. Proteins involved in food storage and the metabolism of fatty acids and amino acids were abundantly expressed during the late larval to pupal development stages. The proteins expressed by the young larvae are used to enhance their development process and as a temporal innate immune protection mechanism until they gain immunity with age development. The pupae use more energy storage related proteins as they prepare for their non-diet-driven pupation. Our data provide new evidence that changes in the hemolymph at the proteome level match the processes during life transitions in the honeybee.