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Parenting and family environment have significant impact on child development, including development of executive function, attention, and self-regulation, and may affect the risk of developmental disorders including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This paper examines the relationship of parenting and family environment factors with ADHD. A systematic review of the literature was conducted in 2014 and identified 52 longitudinal studies. A follow-up search in 2021 identified 7 additional articles, for a total of 59 studies that examined the association of parenting factors with ADHD outcomes: ADHD overall (diagnosis or symptoms), ADHD diagnosis specifically, or presence of the specific ADHD symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. For parenting factors that were present in three or more studies, pooled effect sizes were calculated separately for dichotomous or continuous ADHD outcomes, accounting for each study's conditional variance. Factors with sufficient information for analysis were parenting interaction quality (sensitivity/warmth, intrusiveness/reactivity, and negativity/harsh discipline), maltreatment (general maltreatment and physical abuse), parental relationship status (divorce, single parenting), parental incarceration, and child media exposure. All factors showed a significant direct association with ADHD outcomes, except sensitivity/warmth which had an inverse association. Parenting factors predicted diagnosis and overall symptoms as well as inattentive and hyperactive symptoms when measured, but multiple factors showed significant heterogeneity across studies. These findings support the possibility that parenting and family environment influences ADHD symptoms and may affect a child's likelihood of being diagnosed with ADHD. Prevention strategies that support parents, such as decreasing parenting challenges and increasing access to parent training in behavior management, may improve children's long-term developmental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to manufacturing error and wear, the profiles of bushing and pin in revolute clearance joints are usually non-circular, while traditional kinematic models for revolute clearance joints generally assume a circular profile for the pin or bushing, which may not be able to accurately capture the kinematic behavior of real revolute joints in multibody systems. To this end, a curvature center method was proposed for the kinematic modeling of revolute clearance joints with noncircular bushing and pin. In the proposed method, both the noncircular bushing and pin were discretized, and the curvature center and radius corresponding to each discrete point were then obtained to detect the point of contact between the bushing and pin based on their kinematic constraints. The number of discrete points was determined based on both accuracy and efficiency of the proposed curvature center method, which was then applied to model a revolute clearance joint between the slider and the link of a slider-crank mechanism. Via comparison to the traditional geometric center method and discrete point method, it was validated that the proposed method can achieve a comparable accuracy in modeling revolute joints with a circular pin. The unique advantage of the proposed curvature center method is its ability in modeling revolute joints with noncircular bushing and noncircular pin, which was also demonstrated via a series of simulations. Simulation results show a significant influence of noncircular bushing and noncircular pin on the dynamic response of the multibody system. This implies the promising value of the proposed method in studying the effect of manufacturing error or wear of both bushing and pin on the system's dynamic performance and/or service life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Product overlapping display is widely used in high-imagery ads, shopping websites, and retail displays. However, little is known about whether and how product overlapping display influences consumers' use of heuristics in their decisions. The research seeks to fill this gap by examining the link between product overlapping display and consumers' tendency to use price to judge product quality. Four experiments designed to address this question revealed that an overlapping product display increases consumers' tendency to make price–quality judgments, driven by their lower perceived uniqueness of products and higher perceived product entitativity. However, this effect is shown to be dismissed when the product is hedonic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) showing unusual expressions have been discovered in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD). However, the functions and underlying mechanisms of these circRNAs still remain largely unclear. Our current study discovered a notable increase in the expression of circRNA hsa_circ_0002395 (circ_0002395) in both PAAD tissues and cell lines. This up-regulation of circ_0002395 was found to be associated with larger tumor sizes and lymph node metastasis. Furthermore, our findings showed that circ_0002395 facilitated aerobic glycolysis and cell proliferation in PAAD cells by regulating the miR-548c-3p/PDK1 axis. Mechanistically, we identified circ_0002395 as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) that sponged miR-548c-3p, thereby promoting PDK1 expression and aerobic glycolysis, and ultimately resulting in the enhancement of cell proliferation. Our findings found that circ_0002395 promoted proliferation of PAAD cells by enhancing PDK1 expression and aerobic glycolysis by sponging miR-548c-3p. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silver nanowires (AgNWs) are a promising substitute for indium tin oxide (ITO) transparent conductive films (TCFs). However, AgNWs suffer the insufficiencies in contact resistance between the nanowires and light loss. Here, graphene oxide and moth-eye-like antireflection nanostructure have been introduced to physically "weld" the AgNWs junctions and modulate the AR properties, respectively. The sandwich structure AgNWs TCFs achieved resistance of 26.26 Ω sq−1 and transmittance of 98.67%, exhibiting promoted photoelectronic performance compared with the pure AgNWs films. The stability of sandwich structure AgNWs TCFs was improved, and their wettability was also discussed with water contact angle changed from 92.55° to 69.18°, switched from hydrophobic to hydrophilic. Though a simple solution process without mechanical or heat post-treatment, we proposed a stable sandwich structure to obviously improve the electrical and optical capabilities of AgNWs. The enhanced AgNWs TCFs with superior photoelectronic performance are believed to boost the practical applications and future development of AgNWs-based TCFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A linear fluorinated benzocyclobutene-type monomer (4F-bis-BCB) was facilely synthesized by a one-step copper-catalyzed etherification reaction and a simple precipitation post-purification method. Moreover, a series of BCB-based polymeric low-dielectric (low-k) materials were obtained by the thermal-induced ring-opening copolymerization of 4F-bis-BCB with divinyl tetramethyl disiloxane-bisbenzocyclobutene (DVS-BCB) monomer and further simple thermal curing at high temperature (200–300 °C). The resultant fully cured materials demonstrated excellent low dielectric properties at high frequency of 10 GHz (dielectric constant (Dk)<2.6, dielectric loss (Df)<1.57×10−2), great hydrophobicity (water contact angle >116°), ultra-low water absorption (<0.19% after soaked in water at room temperature for 60 h) and excellent planarization ability (surface roughness<0.56 nm of 3 µm-thick film). Overall, this new fluorinated BCB-type monomer provides us an alternative for the facile preparation of low-k polymeric materials and exhibits great potential for future applications in high-frequency communication and three-dimensional high-density packaging technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diabetic encephalopathy is manifested by cognitive dysfunction. Salidroside, a nature compound isolated from Rhodiola rosea L, has the effects of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, hypoglycemic and lipid-lowering, improving insulin resistance, inhibiting cell apoptosis, and protecting neurons. However, the mechanism by which salidroside alleviates neuronal degeneration and improves learning and memory impairment in diabetic mice remains unclear. Objective: To investigate the effects and mechanisms of salidroside on hippocampal neurons in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. Materials and methods: C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 4 groups to receive either sham (control group (CON)), diabetes mellitus (diabetes group (DM)), diabetes mellitus + salidroside (salidroside group (DM + SAL)), and diabetes mellitus + salidroside + phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor LY294002 (diabetes mellitus + salidroside + LY294002 group (DM + SAL + LY294002)). After 12 weeks of diabetes onset, the cognitive behaviors were tested using Morris water maze. The number of hippocampal neurons was detected by Nissl staining. The expressions of PI3K, p-PI3K, Akt, p-Akt, GSK-3β, p-GSK-3β, cleaved caspase-3, caspase-3, Bax, Bcl-2, MAP2, and SYN in the hippocampus were detected by Western blot. Moreover, the expression of MAP2 and SYN in the hippocampus was further confirmed by immunofluorescence staining. Results: Salidroside increased the time of diabetic mice in the platform quadrant and reduced the escape latency of diabetic mice. Salidroside also increased the expression of p-PI3K, p-Akt, p-GSK-3β, MAP2, SYN, Bcl-2, while suppressed the expression of cleaved caspase-3, caspase3, and Bax in the DM + SAL group compared with the DM group (P < 0.05). The Nissl staining showed that the number of hippocampus neurons in the DM + SAL group was increased with the intact, compact, and regular arrangement, compared with the DM groups (P < 0.05). Interestingly, the protective effects of salidroside on diabetic cognitive dysfunction, hippocampal morphological alterations, and protein expressions were abolished by inhibition of PI3K with LY294002. Conclusions: Salidroside exerts neuroprotective properties in diabetic cognitive dysfunction partly via activating the PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulating studies have raised concerns about gut dysbiosis associating autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and its related symptoms. However, the effect of gut microbiota modification on the Chinese ASD population and its underlying mechanism were still elusive. Herein, we enrolled 24 ASD children to perform the first course of fresh washed microbiota transplantation (WMT), 18 patients decided to participate the second course, 13 of which stayed to participate the third course, and there were 8 patients at the fourth course. Then we evaluated the effects of fresh WMT on these patients and their related symptoms. Our results found that the sleeping disorder symptom was positively interrelated to ASD, fresh WMT significantly alleviated ASD and its sleeping disorder and constipation symptoms. In addition, WMT stably and continuously downregulated Bacteroides/Flavonifractor/Parasutterella while upregulated Prevotella_9 to decrease toxic metabolic production and improve detoxification by regulating glycolysis/myo-inositol/D-glucuronide/D-glucarate degradation, L-1,2-propanediol degradation, fatty acid β-oxidation. Thus, our results suggested that fresh WMT moderated gut microbiome to improve the behavioral and sleeping disorder symptoms of ASD via decrease toxic metabolic production and improve detoxification. Which thus provides a promising gut ecological strategy for ASD children and its related symptoms treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil water stress (WS) affects the decomposition of soil organic carbon (SOC) and carbon (C) emissions. Glomalin, released by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi into soil that has been defined as glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP), is an important pool of SOC, with hydrophobic characteristics. We hypothesized that mycorrhizal fungi have a positive effect on SOC pools under soil WS for C sequestration in GRSP secreted by extraradical mycorrhizal hyphae. A microsystem was used to establish a root chamber (co-existence of roots and extraradical mycorrhizal hyphae) and a hyphal chamber (the presence of extraradical mycorrhizal hyphae) to study changes in plant growth, leaf water potential, soil aggregate stability, SOC, GRSP, C concentrations in GRSP (CGRSP), and the contribution of CGRSP to SOC after inoculating Rhizophagus intraradices with trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata) in the root chamber under adequate water (AW) and WS. Inoculation with R. intraradices alleviated negative effects on leaf water potential and plant growth after 7 weeks of WS. Soil WS decreased SOC and mean weight diameter (MWD), while AMF inoculation led to an increase in SOC and MWD in both chambers, with the most prominent increase in the hyphal chamber under WS. The C concentration in easily extractable GRSP (EE-GRSP) and difficultly extractable GRSP (DE-GRSP) was 7.32 − 12.57 and 24.90 − 32.60 mg C/g GRSP, respectively. WS reduced CGRSP, while AMF mitigated the reduction. Extraradical mycorrhizal hyphae increased GRSP production and CGRSP, along with a more prominent increase in DE-GRSP under WS than under AW. Extraradical mycorrhizal hyphae increased the contribution of CDE-GRSP to SOC only under WS. CEE-GRSP and CDE-GRSP were significantly positively correlated with SOC and MWD. It is concluded that extraradical mycorrhizal hyphae prominently promoted C sequestration of recalcitrant DE-GRSP under soil WS, thus contributing more organic C accumulation and preservation in aggregates and soil C pool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: CD4 + T helper (Th)22 cells play a regulatory role in autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes mellitus. The Th22-related cytokine interleukin (IL)-22, the expression of which is increased in diabetes mellitus (DM), can act as a neurotrophic factor to protect neurons from apoptosis. Paradoxically, neuronal apoptosis and learning and memory decline occur in DM. In this study, we investigated the relationship between IL-22 and its receptors IL-22Rα1 and IL-22 binding protein (IL-22BP, a soluble inhibitor of IL-22) in diabetic encephalopathy (DE) and the effects of IL-22 on hippocampal neurons, learning and memory. Methods: A C57BL/6 mouse model of diabetes was constructed by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. The mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: the control group, diabetes group, diabetes + recombinantIL-22 (rIL-22) group and diabetes + IL-22BP group. The Morris water maze test was used to evaluate learning and memory, the expression of IL-22 was measured by ELISA, and Evans Blue staining was used to evaluate blood–brain barrier permeability. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to measure the mRNA expression of IL-22 and IL-22Rα1 in the hippocampus. The morphology and number of hippocampal neurons were assessed by Nissl staining, and TUNEL staining was used to detect hippocampal neuronal apoptosis. Immunofluorescence was used to analyze IL-22Rα1 expression and localization in hippocampus, and Western blotting was used to evaluate the expression of IL-22, IL-22Rα1, IL-22BP, and the apoptosis related proteins Caspase-3 and C-caspase-3. Results: Compared with those in the control group, mice in the diabetes group showed cognitive decline; apoptosis of hippocampal neurons; increased expression of hippocampal Caspase-3, C-Caspase-3, IL-22, IL-22Rα1, and IL-22BP; and a decreased IL-22/IL-22BP ratio. Learning and memory were improved, neuronal apoptosis was attenuated, IL-22Rα1 expression and the IL-22/IL-22BP ratio were increased, and caspase-3 and C-caspase-3 expression was decreased in the rIL-22-treated group compared with the diabetes group. IL-22BP treatment aggravated diabetic cognitive dysfunction and pathological alterations in the hippocampus, decreased the IL-22/IL-22BP ratio, and increased the expression of caspase-3 and C-caspase-3 in mice with diabetes. Conclusion: A decrease in the IL-22/IL-22BP ratio plays an important role in diabetic cognitive dysfunction, and rIL-22 can effectively alleviate DE. Herein, we shed light on the interaction between IL-22 and IL-22BP as therapeutic targets for DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new-energy industry, which is a key area for coping with climate change, faces serious credit-financing difficulties. This study used a bilateral stochastic frontier model to measure the bargaining power of new-energy companies in China's credit-financing market. We then examined the main factors affecting the bargaining power of new-energy enterprises by comparing the results of the firms in different groups, including corporate-related factors, government policies, and financial development levels. The results showed that the bargaining power of both banks and enterprises had an important influence on the final financing price. In the bargaining process, new-energy companies were at a disadvantage, and financing prices were 17.2% higher than fair prices. The nature of state-owned enterprises hinders the improvement of the bargaining power of new-energy enterprises. Technology competence and relationships with banks are useful ways for new-energy enterprises to improve their bargaining power. In solving the financing difficulties in the credit market of new-energy enterprises, government subsidies are usually ineffective, while improving the financial development level is effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disease that contributes to 60–70% of dementia in elderly people and is currently incurable. Current treatments only relieve the symptoms of AD and slow its progression. Achieving effective neural regeneration to ameliorate cognitive impairment is a major challenge in the treatment of AD. For the first time, we alleviated symptoms of AD in APPswe/PS1dE9 mice (hereafter referred to as AD mice) by transplantation of olfactory mucosa mesenchymal stem cells (OM-MSCs). Our study demonstrated that OM-MSC transplantation promotes amyloid-β (Aβ) clearance, downregulates the inflammatory response, and increases the M2/M1 ratio; OM-MSCs promote the conversion of BV2 (microglia) from M1 to M2 and also Aβ clearance in SH-SY5YAPPswe (AD cell model). OM-MSC-transplanted AD mice show improved cognitive learning and locomotive behavior. Our study suggests that OM-MSC transplantation could alleviate the symptoms of AD and promote Aβ clearance through immunomodulation, thus demonstrating the great potential and social value of OM-MSC treatment for AD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Merrifield-Simmons index σ is the total number of independent vertex sets (including the empty set) of the graph G. The Wiener index W is the sum of distances in all unordered pairs of vertices of G. We construct some new graphs satisfying σ > W and W > σ, respectively. In particular, infinite graphs satisfying W > σ are invented with graphs with diameter 2 and infinite ones satisfying σ > W are discovered with so-called universally diametrical graphs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are the undifferentiated progenitors of the gametes. Unlike the poor maintenance of cultured mammalian PGCs, the avian PGCs can be expanded in vitro indefinitely while preserving pluripotency and germline competence. In mammals, the Oct4 is the master transcription factor that ensures the stemness of pluripotent cells such as PGCs, but the specific function of Oct4 in chicken PGCs remains unclear. As expected, the loss of Oct4 in chicken PGCs reduced the expression of key pluripotency factors and promoted the genes involved in endoderm and ectoderm differentiation. Furthermore, the global active chromatin was reduced as shown by the depletion of the H3K27ac upon Oct4 suppression. Interestingly, the de-activated chromatin caused the down-regulation of adjacent genes which are mostly known regulators of cell junction, chemotaxis and cell migration. Consequently, the Oct4-deficient PGCs show impaired cell migration and could not colonize the gonads when re-introduced into the bloodstream of the embryo. We propose that, in addition to maintaining pluripotency, the Oct4 mediated chromatin activation is dictating chicken PGC migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sign language recognition and translation can address the communication problem between hearing-impaired and general population, and can break the sign language boundariesy between different countries and different languages. Traditional sign language recognition and translation algorithms use Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to extract spatial features and Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) to extract temporal features. However, these methods cannot model the complex spatiotemporal features of sign language. Moreover, RNN and its variant algorithms find it difficult to learn long-term dependencies. This paper proposes a novel and effective network based on Transformer and Graph Convolutional Network (GCN), which can be divided into three parts: a multi-view spatiotemporal embedding network (MSTEN), a continuous sign language recognition network (CSLRN), and a sign language translation network (SLTN). MSTEN can extract the spatiotemporal features of RGB data and skeleton data. CSLRN can recognize sign language glosses and obtain intermediate features from multi-view input sign data. SLTN can translate intermediate features into spoken sentences. The entire network was designed as end-to-end. Our method was tested on three public sign language datasets (SLR-100, RWTH, and CSL-daily) and the results demonstrated that our method achieved excellent performance on these datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to investigate the co-adsorption and application of water stabilized Fe3O4@ZIF-8 composite with magnetic cubic crystal structure. This new material was successfully prepared by facile modification strategy and rational design, which was used for simultaneous adsorption of oxytetracycline (OTC) and Pb(II) in aqueous solution. The co-adsorption behavior and mechanism of the composite for OTC and Pb(II) were systematically investigated by characterization techniques and batch experiments, and its application potential was effectively evaluated. The results showed that the synthesized Fe3O4@ZIF-8 composite innovatively retained the cubic crystal structure of ZIF-8 and was successfully loaded on the surface of Fe3O4 particles with small particle size to form a core-shell structure. The Fe3O4@ZIF-8 composite possessed a large specific surface area (1722 m2/g), magnetic separation performance (13.4 emu/g), and rich functional groups. The co-adsorption of OTC and Pb(II) on Fe3O4@ZIF-8 had fast reaction kinetics (equilibrium within 90 min) and large adsorption capacity (310.29 mg/g and 276.06 mg/g respectively). The adsorption process for both contaminants followed pseudo-second order kinetics and Langmuir isotherm models and had synergistic and competitive effects at the same time. π-π stacking and electrostatic interaction were the main mechanisms of adsorption. Fe3O4@ZIF-8 had good adsorption performance after cyclic adsorption for 4 times and it performed well in the treatment of real waste water. This study provided a new sight for the control of combined pollution of OTC and Pb(II) and proved Fe3O4@ZIF-8 composites have great application potentials for complex wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Realizing real-time and robust crosswalk (zebra crossing) detection in complex scenarios and under limited computing power is one of the important difficulties of current intelligent traffic management systems (ITMS). Limited edge computing capabilities and real complex scenarios such as in cloudy, sunny, rainy, foggy and at night simultaneously challenge this task. In this study, the crosswalk detection network (CDNet) based on YOLOv5 is proposed to achieve fast and accurate crosswalk detection under the vision of the vehicle-mounted camera, and real-time detection is implemented on Jetson nano device. The powerful convolution neural network feature extractor is used to handle complex environments, the squeeze-and-excitation (SE) attention mechanism module is embedded into the network, the negative samples training (NST) method is used to improve the accuracy, the region of interest (ROI) algorithm is utilized to further improve the detection speed, and a novel slide receptive field short-term vector memory (SSVM) algorithm is proposed to improve vehicle-crossing behavior detection accuracy, the synthetic fog augmentation algorithm is used to allow the model adaptable to foggy scenario. Finally, with a detection speed of 33.1 FPS on Jetson nano, we obtained an average F1 score of 94.83% in the above complex scenarios. For better weather condition such as sunny and cloudy days, the F1 score exceeds 98%. This work provides a reference for the specific application of artificial neural network algorithm optimization methods on edge computing devices. The datasets, tutorials and source codes are available on GitHub. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With a quark level interaction, we give a unified description of the loosely bound molecular systems composed of the heavy flavor hadrons (D ¯ , D ¯ ∗) , (Λ c , Σ c , Σ c ∗) , and (Ξ c , Ξ c ′ , Ξ c ∗) . Using the P c states as inputs to fix the interaction strength of light quark-quark pairs, we reproduce the observed P cs and T cc + states and predict another narrow T cc ′ + state with quantum numbers [ D ∗ D ∗ ] J = 1 I = 0 . If we require a satisfactory description of the T cc + and P c states simultaneously, our framework prefers the assignments of the P c (4440) and P c (4457) as the [ Σ c D ¯ ∗ ] J = 1 / 2 I = 1 / 2 and [ Σ c D ¯ ∗ ] J = 3 / 2 I = 1 / 2 states, respectively. We propose the isospin criterion to explain naturally why the experimentally observed T cc , P c , and P cs molecular candidates prefer the lowest isospin numbers. We also predict the loosely bound states for the bottom di-hadrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To extract strong correlations between different energy loads and improve the interpretability and accuracy for load forecasting of a regional integrated energy system (RIES), an explainable framework for load forecasting of an RIES is proposed. This includes the load forecasting model of RIES and its interpretation. A coupled feature extracting strategy is adopted to construct coupled features between loads as the input variables of the model. It is designed based on multi-task learning (MTL) with a long short-term memory (LSTM) model as the sharing layer. Based on SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP), this explainable framework combines global and local interpretations to improve the interpretability of load forecasting of the RIES. In addition, an input variable selection strategy based on the global SHAP value is proposed to select input feature variables of the model. A case study is given to verify the effectiveness of the proposed model, constructed coupled features, and input variable selection strategy. The results show that the explainable framework intuitively improves the interpretability of the prediction model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing target tracking algorithms are mainly divided into two categories: (1) deep learning-based approaches that have high accuracy and low speed; (2) correlation filtering-based approaches that have high speed and low accuracy. In order to balance the real-time performance and accuracy, this paper improves the KCF algorithm. The main innovation lies in the development of an adaptive dual feature model: the main feature model uses shallow texture features (Histogram of Oriented Gradients, HOG), and the auxiliary feature model uses features from convolutional neural networks (CNNs) that contain deep semantic information. These work together in an optimal manner to produce a more stable correlation filter. In order to improve the speed of the algorithm, we use principal component analysis to reduce the dimensionality of the high-dimensional CNN features. In addition, this paper also improves the accuracy of the tracking algorithm by means of scale optimization and optimization of the solution method. Our algorithm is compared with current advanced tracking algorithms with real-time speed, such as SiamFC, MEEM, SAMF, DSST, KCF, Struck, and TLD. The OPE result using the public data set OTB-2013 shows that the algorithm in this paper ranks first in the distance precision rate. Compared with the KCF algorithm, the distance precision rate and overlap success rate are improved by 25.9% and 23.2%, respectively, and the average speed of the proposed algorithm can reach 38 FPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is a highly heterogeneous cancer with limited understanding of its classification and tumor microenvironment. Here, by performing single-cell RNA sequencing on 144,878 cells from 14 pairs of iCCA tumors and non-tumor liver tissues, we find that S100P and SPP1 are two markers for iCCA perihilar large duct type (iCCAphl) and peripheral small duct type (iCCApps). S100P + SPP1− iCCAphl has significantly reduced levels of infiltrating CD4+ T cells, CD56+ NK cells, and increased CCL18+ macrophages and PD1+CD8+ T cells compared to S100P-SPP1 + iCCApps. The transcription factor CREB3L1 is identified to regulate the S100P expression and promote tumor cell invasion. S100P-SPP1 + iCCApps has significantly more SPP1+ macrophage infiltration, less aggressiveness and better survival than S100P + SPP1− iCCAphl. Moreover, S100P-SPP1 + iCCApps harbors tumor cells at different status of differentiation, such as ALB + hepatocyte differentiation and ID3+ stemness. Our study extends the understanding of the diversity of tumor cells in iCCA. The molecular classification and tumour microenvironment in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) need further characterisation. Here, the authors perform single cell RNA-sequencing from 14 pairs of iCCA tumours and non-tumour liver tissues and propose S100P and SPP1 as markers for patient classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the exploration and resource utilization activities on the Moon, in situ resource utilization and in situ manufacturing are proposed to minimize the dependence on the ground transportation supplies. In this paper, a laser-assisted additive manufacturing process is developed to fabricate lunar regolith composites with PA12/SiO2 mixing powders. The process parameters and composite material compositions are optimized in an appropriate range through orthogonal experiments to establish the relationship of process—structure—property for lunar regolith composites. The optimal combination of composite material compositions and process parameters are mixing ratio of 50/50 in volume, laser power of 30 W, scanning speed of 3500 mm/s, and scanning hatch space of 0.2 mm. The maximum tensile strength of lunar regolith composites reaches 9.248 MPa, and the maximum depth of surface variation is 120.79 µm, which indicates poor powder fusion and sintering quality. Thereafter, the mechanical properties of laser-sintered lunar regolith composites are implemented to the topology optimization design of complex structures. The effectiveness and the feasibility of this laser-assisted process are potentially developed for future lightweight design and manufacturing of the solar panel installed on the lunar rover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study developed a moderated mediation model to investigate the effects of parental perfectionist expectations on online gaming addiction and its underlying mechanisms among Chinese undergraduates. 6403 Chinese undergraduates from Guangxi and Sichuan (51.0% males, mean age = 19.17 years) consented to take part in the study. The findings revealed that trait anxiety and perceived stress significantly mediated the relationship between parental perfectionist expectations and online gaming addiction. Moreover, flow experience moderated the effects of parental perfectionist expectations and trait anxiety on online gaming addiction, and this relationship was stronger with higher flow experience. These findings underscore the importance of a relatively comprehensive approach that takes into account both parental and individual factors when designing prevention and intervention strategies for online gaming addiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose an alternative approach to Lüscher's formula for extracting two-body scattering phase shifts from finite volume spectra with no reliance on the partial wave expansion. We use an effective-field-theory-based Hamiltonian method in the plane wave basis and decompose the corresponding matrix elements of operators into irreducible representations of the relevant point groups. The proposed approach allows one to benefit from the knowledge of the long-range interaction and avoids complications from partial wave mixing in a finite volume. We consider spin-singlet channels in the two-nucleon system and pion-pion scattering in the ρ-meson channel in the rest and moving frames to illustrate the method for non-relativistic and relativistic systems, respectively. For the two-nucleon system, the long-range interaction due to the one-pion exchange is found to make the single-channel Lüscher formula unreliable at the physical pion mass. For S-wave dominated states, the single-channel Lüscher method suffers from significant finite-volume artifacts for a L = 3 fm box, but it works well for boxes with L > 5 fm. However, for P-wave dominated states, significant partial wave mixing effects prevent the application of the single-channel Lüscher formula regardless of the box size (except for the near-threshold region). Using a toy model to generate synthetic data for finite-volume energies, we show that our effective-field-theory-based approach in the plane wave basis is capable of a reliable extraction of the phase shifts. For pion-pion scattering, we employ a phenomenological model to fit lattice QCD results at the physical pion mass. The extracted P-wave phase shifts are found to be in a good agreement with the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kidney cancer is the third most common malignancy of the urinary system, of which, kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) accounts for the vast majority. Runt-related transcription factors (RUNX) are involved in multiple cellular functions. However, the diverse expression patterns and prognostic values of RUNX genes in kidney cancer remained to be elucidated. In our study, we mined the DNA methylation, transcriptional and survival data of RUNX genes in patients with different kinds of kidney cancer through Oncomine, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis, UALCAN, Kaplan–Meier Plotter, cBioPortal and LinkedOmics. We found that RUNX1 and RUNX3 were upregulated in KIRC tissues compared with those in normal tissues. The survival analysis results indicated a high transcription level of RUNX1 was associated with poor overall survival (OS) in KIRC patients. Furthermore, KIRC tumor tissues had significantly lower levels of RUNX1 promoter methylation than that in paracancerous tissues, with decreased DNA methylation of RUNX1 notably associated with poor OS in KIRC. In conclusion, our results revealed that RUNX1 may be a potential therapeutic target for treating KIRC, and RUNX1 promoter methylation level shows promise as a novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker, which laid a foundation for further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diverse immune cells in the tumor microenvironment form a complex ecosystem, but our knowledge of their heterogeneity and dynamics within hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) still remains limited. To assess the plasticity and phenotypes of immune cells within HBV/HCV-related HCC microenvironment at single-cell level, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing on 41,698 immune cells from seven pairs of HBV/HCV-related HCC tumors and non-tumor liver tissues. We combined bio-informatic analyses, flow cytometry, and multiplex immunohistochemistry to assess the heterogeneity of different immune cell subsets in functional characteristics, transcriptional regulation, phenotypic switching, and interactions. We identified 29 immune cell subsets of myeloid cells, NK cells, and lymphocytes with unique transcriptomic profiles in HCC. A highly complex immunological network was shaped by diverse immune cell subsets that can transit among different states and mutually interact. Notably, we identified a subset of M2 macrophage with high expression of CCL18 and transcription factor CREM that was enriched in advanced HCC patients, and potentially participated in tumor progression. We also detected a new subset of activated CD8+ T cells highly expressing XCL1 that correlated with better patient survival rates. Meanwhile, distinct transcriptomic signatures, cytotoxic phenotypes, and evolution trajectory of effector CD8+ T cells from early-stage to advanced HCC were also identified. Our study provides insight into the immune microenvironment in HBV/HCV-related HCC and highlights novel macrophage and T-cell subsets that could be further exploited in future immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air density strongly constrains the characteristics of an airflow and the resulting flow of sand and therefore, it should not be neglected in sand transport models. Although the potential importance of air density is well known, most studies on threshold velocity, saltation trajectory, and dust emission have been conducted near sea level, at a "normal" atmospheric density. In this study, utilizing the observational data from 12 meteorological stations in the Tarim Basin (TB) from 2009 to 2018, we used air density as the basis to discuss the necessity of model parameter localization. It was found that there was a significant difference in the horizontal dust flux estimated using the normal and local air densities. Using the localized air density, we re-evaluated the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of the threshold velocity, horizontal dust flux, and wind erosion events in the TB and further quantified their distributions in all directions. The results demonstrated that the threshold velocity gradually increased from east to west and from north to south, with the maximum value occurring in the southwestern TB. The horizontal dust fluxes and wind erosion events could be classified into three types according to the seasonal variation characteristics; however, one of the main distribution characteristics was spring > summer > autumn > winter. Tazhong, Qiemo, and Ruoqiang are sand- and dust-incident frequent zones. Taking Minfeng when passing from Tazhong to Shaya as the line of demarcation, it was found that the horizontal dust fluxes and wind erosion events in the eastern region mostly occurred in the eastern direction, whereas those in the western region primarily occurred in the western direction. The results suggested that it was extremely important and necessary to localize the parameters in sand–dust models, which would also provide a more accurate climate background for the study of sand and dust in the TB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We systematically investigate the possible molecular states composed of (1) two spin- 3 2 doubly charmed baryons, and (2) a pair of spin- 3 2 and spin- 1 2 doubly charmed baryons. The one-boson-exchange (OBE) model is used to describe the potential between two baryons. The channel mixing effect is considered for the systems with the same quantum number (I (J P)) but different total spin (S) and orbital angular momenta (L). We also study the channel mixing effect among the systems composed of various doubly charmed baryons if they have the same quantum number. Many of the systems are good candidates of molecular states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Over the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert (TD), the diurnal and seasonal cycles of the air temperature (AT) and horizontal sand-dust flux (HSDF) were investigated, based on in situ data including sand saltation counts and meteorological parameters in the period 2008–2010. In particular, the relationship between AT and HSDF was determined. It was found that 74.7% of HSDF was observed between 10:00 and 20:00, and HSDF in spring and summer accounted for 92.3% of the annual flux. Further, the diurnal and annual cycles of HSDF and AT presented an exponential distribution, with correlation coefficients (R) of 0.97 and 0.93, respectively. Additionally, when AT was 0 °C or lower, the frequency of sand saltation was only 4.3%. The maximum sand saltation frequency was 70.1%, which occurred at 33–34 °C, while 67.6% of the total HSDF occurred at 24–34 °C. Finally, a Gauss equation was established over the TD: Q = 250.2 + 1368.5e−2 × [(T−30.8)/7.3]^2, with R = 0.90. Results revealed a strong correlation between HSDF and AT, indicating that AT should be noticeable in HSDF parameterization schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asthma is one of the most common chronic health conditions in children, and social determinants are thought to be important risk factors. We used Georgia data from the Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance Survey (BRFSS), and data from the Georgia hospital and emergency department survey for children with a diagnosis of asthma. All data were from the years 2011 to 2016. SAS and SUDAAN were used to calculate weighted prevalence estimates and to perform univariate and multivariate analysis of the association between social determinants, demographic characteristics, other potential risk factors, and asthma-related outcomes. The prevalence of asthma is higher in African-American children and when the parental income is less than $75,000 per year. A multivariate analysis adjusting for ethnicity, parental income, and sex found that the strongest independent predictor of asthma was African-American race (aOR 2.9, 95% CI 1.5–5.8). African-American and multiracial children also experienced extremely high burdens due to asthma related hospitalizations and emergency department visits, with rates two to five times higher than children in other groups. The secular trend for ED visits and hospitalizations is declining. African-American race is an independent predictor of asthma in children in Georgia, and African-American and multiracial children experience a greater burden of asthma than children of other races. Programmatic efforts at the state and national level to improve access, adherence, and knowledge about asthma are important if we are to continue to improve outcomes for these children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional saliency detection methods are designed only for a single salient object and cannot detect multiple salient objects in the image. This paper proposes a novel method for detecting multiple salient objects in the image, which is based on both objectness estimation method and superpixel segmentation method. The present study shows that the proposed method can correctly detect the salient regions for multiple objects and outperforms the other three state-of-the-art saliency detection methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed a facile one-step hydrothermal strategy to synthesize pyramid-like NiSe2 nanostructures, serving as electrode materials for battery-supercapacitor hybrid (BSH) devices. The NiSe2 nanopyramid electrode exhibits superior electrochemical performances, including a high specific capacity of 240.83 mAh g−1 at current density of 1 A g−1 and a low internal resistance of 0.85 Ω. The all-solid-state hybrid devices have been assembled with NiSe2 as the battery-type electrode and activated carbon as the capacitor-type electrode. The hybrid device exhibits a high energy density of 0.196 mWh cm−2 at power density of 1.60 mW cm−2. The internal resistance of 1.52 Ω further reveals the nature of low resistance and high conductivity for the hybrid devices. Connecting two hybrid devices in series is able to drive a red LED for more than 3 min after charging for 9 s. This work has demonstrated that the pyramid-like NiSe2 nanostructure is expected to be an ideal high specific capacity electrode for BSH devices, especially for all-solid-state energy storage devices and portable electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many aerial applications require unmanned aerial systems operate in safe zones because of the presence of obstacles or security regulations. It is a non-trivial task to generate a smooth trajectory satisfying both dynamic constraints and motion limits of the unmanned vehicles while being inside the safe zones. Then the task becomes even more challenging for real-time applications, for which computational efficiency is crucial. In this study, we present a safe flying corridor navigation method, which combines jerk limited trajectories with an efficient testing method to update the position setpoints in real time. Trajectories are generated online and incrementally with a cycle time smaller than 10 μs, which is exceptionally suitable for vehicles with limited onboard computational capability. Safe zones are represented with multiple interconnected bounding boxes which can be arbitrarily oriented. The jerk limited trajectory generation algorithm has been extended to cover the cases with asymmetrical motion limits. The proposed method has been successfully tested and verified in flight simulations and actual experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recovery of people with psychiatric disabilities requires high-quality nursing care. However, the existing research on the nursing competencies needed for caring for people with psychiatric disabilities have been based on a narrow competency framework. By adopting a broader competency framework, this study aimed to find the competencies needed for the nursing care of people with psychiatric disabilities in a hospital environment. Accordingly, a questionnaire will be developed to measure these competences. First, a literature review and interviews with psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, and people with psychiatric disabilities were conducted to develop the pool of competency items. Second, a pilot study was conducted to review the initial pool of items. Finally, a survey of 581 psychiatric nurses was used to conduct a series of principal component analyses to explore the structure of the questionnaire. The 17-item questionnaire included 5 factors, which accounted for 68.60% of the total variance: sense of responsibility, vocational identification, agreeableness, cooperation capacity, and carefulness; the Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were 0.85, 0.85, 0.74, 0.80, and 0.77, respectively. Most of the competencies belonged to attitudes, values, and traits, which were overlooked in previous studies. The questionnaire has satisfactory internal reliability and structural validity, and could contribute some to the selection of the psychiatric workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an estimate for the in-situ spalling strength around massive underground excavations to moderately jointed brittle rocks, crack initiation stress marks the initiation of rock micro fracturing. It is crucial to accurately identify crack initiation stress level by proper method. In this study, confined compression tests of sandstone samples are used to examine the validity/applicability of proposed axial strain stiffness method. The results show that by highlighting the minuscule changes in stress-strain curve, the axial strain stiffness curve provided further insight into rock failure process and revealed five stages: (a) irregular fluctuation, (b) nearly horizontal regular fluctuation, (c) irregular fluctuation gradually decreasing to zero, (d) extreme fluctuation, and (e) near zero, which mainly correspond to five stages of stress-strain curve. The ratio of crack-initiation stress to peak strength determined using this approach is 0.44-0.51, similar to the ranges previously reported by other researchers. In this method, the key is to accurately detect the end point of the stage (b), “nearly horizontal regular fluctuation” characterized by a sudden change in axial strain stiffness curve, and the sudden change signifies crack initiation in rock sample. Finally, the research indicates that the axial strain stiffness curve can provide a mean to identify the crack-initiation stress thresholds in brittle rocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toward the fast development of portable devices, the lightweight, flexible, and even wearable energy storage devices are very required. One effective device is the graphene-based fiber supercapacitors. Here we present the core–shell Co3O4/graphene hybrid fibers by hydrothermal method for the first time, where Co3O4 directly grows on the surface of graphene forming excellent hierarchical nanostructures. The combination of the Co3O4 shell and graphene core evidently improves the capacitive behaviors of the hybrid fibers. The Co3O4/graphene hybrid fibers are lightweight, flexible, and wearable, showing ultrahigh electrochemical performances such as large specific capacitance of 236.8 F g−1 (196.3 mF cm−2) at current density of 0.2 A g−1, outstanding rate capability, and excellent cycling stability (72.7% retention after 10000 cycles). The high electrochemical performances reveal the great potential of core–shell Co3O4/graphene hybrid fibers as electrodes in the energy storage system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cistanche deserticola has been found to exert protection against aging and age-related diseases, but mechanisms underlying its longevity effects remain largely unclear. Here, the multicellular model organism Caenorhabditis elegans was employed to identify lifespan extending and protective effects against β-amyloid (Aβ) induced toxicity by echinacoside (ECH), a phenylethanoid glycoside isolated from C. deserticola. Our results showed that ECH extends the mean lifespan of worms and increases their survival under oxidative stress. Levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species and fat accumulation were also significantly suppressed by ECH. Moreover, ECH-mediated lifespan extension was found to be dependent on mev- 1, eat- 2, daf- 2, and daf- 16, but not sir- 2.1 or hsf- 1 genes. Furthermore, ECH triggered DAF-16 nuclear localization and upregulated two of its downstream targets, sod- 3 and hsp- 16.2. In addition, ECH significantly improved the survival of CL4176 worms in response to proteotoxic stress induced by Aβ protein aggregation. Collectively, these findings suggested that reactive oxygen species scavenging, dietary restriction, and insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling pathways could be partly involved in ECH-mediated lifespan extension. Thus, ECH may target multiple longevity mechanisms to extend lifespan and have a potency to prevent Alzheimer's disease progression. Graphical Abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we investigate the chiral corrections to the magnetic moments of the spin- $$3\over 2$$ doubly charmed baryons systematically up to next-to-next-to-leading order with the heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory. The numerical results are given up to next-to-leading order: $$\mu _{\varXi ^{*++}_{cc}}=2.61\mu _{N}$$ , $$\mu _{\varXi ^{*+}_{cc}}=-0.18\mu _{N}$$ , $$\mu _{\varOmega ^{*+}_{cc}}=0.17\mu _{N}$$ . As a by-product, we have also calculated the magnetic moments of the spin- $$3\over 2$$ doubly bottom baryons and charmed bottom baryons: $$\mu _{\varXi ^{*0}_{bb}}=2.83\mu _{N}$$ , $$\mu _{\varXi ^{*-}_{bb}}=-1.33\mu _{N}$$ , $$\mu _{\varOmega ^{*-}_{bb}}=-1.54\mu _{N}$$ , $$\mu _{\varXi ^{*+}_{bc}}=3.22\mu _{N}$$ , $$\mu _{\varXi ^{*0}_{bc}}=-0.84\mu _{N}$$ , $$\mu _{\varOmega ^{*0}_{bc}}=-1.09\mu _{N}$$ . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High geothermal temperatures appear to be unfavorable for the construction of tunnels in slate rocks with high overburden. To investigate the mechanical characteristics of slates at various levels of geothermal temperature, conventional triaxial compression tests at different levels of confining stress were carried out at 4 different temperatures from 20°C to 120°C. The obtained results show high confining pressures weaken the thermal effects on rock mechanical characteristics while higher temperatures enhance the effect of confining pressure. At higher levels of confining stress the thermal effects on the rock strength characteristics decrease. The higher the temperature, the larger is the effect of confining pressure on the mechanical characteristics of the slate. Increase of temperature leads to a decrease of the peak strength but increases the deformability and ductility of the slate, the thermo effect on the peak strength and Poisson's ratio is larger than on the elastic modulus. Higher temperatures reduce the shear strength of slate, the decrease is mainly caused by a decrease of the cohesion. In general, the slate samples fail in shear failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid identification of commercially important squid species is essential to manage squid market and protect consumers' interests. In this study, two sets of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)-based assays were developed for identification of jumbo flying squid ( Dosidicus gigas). After analyzing the D. gigas mitochondrial genes reported in GenBank, the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I ( COI) gene was selected for designing species-specific primers. When incubated at 65 °C for 30 min, only D. gigas DNA can be detected by real-time fluorescence detection (RealAmp) or visual detection via SYBR Green® I staining (Visual-LAMP). The detection limits were 10 pg per reaction for purified D. gigas DNA, and 0.01 % w/ w D. gigas in homogenized cephalopod mixtures. These methods can be applied to all kinds of processed squid and squid-containing products. They also have potential in on-site detection for the advantages of high specificity, high sensitivity, time saving, and ease in operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]