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Abstract Background COVID-19 can cause cardiac complications and the latter are associated with poor prognosis and increased mortality. SARS-CoV-2 variants differ in their infectivity and pathogenicity, but how they affect cardiomyocytes (CMs) is unclear. Methods The effects of SARS-CoV-2 variants were investigated using human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived (hiPSC-) CMs in vitro and Golden Syrian hamsters in vivo. Results Different variants exhibited distinct tropism, mechanism of viral entry and pathology in the heart. Omicron BA.2 most efficiently infected and injured CMs in vitro and in vivo, and induced expression changes consistent with increased cardiac dysfunction, compared to other variants tested. Bioinformatics and upstream regulator analyses identified transcription factors and network predicted to control the unique transcriptome of Omicron BA.2 infected CMs. Increased infectivity of Omicron BA.2 is attributed to its ability to infect via endocytosis, independently of TMPRSS2, which is absent in CMs. Conclusions In this study, we reveal previously unknown differences in how different SARS-CoV-2 variants affect CMs. Omicron BA.2, which is generally thought to cause mild disease, can damage CMs in vitro and in vivo. Our study highlights the need for further investigations to define the pathogenesis of cardiac complications arising from different SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Abstract Aphidoletes aphidimyza is widely recognized as an effective predator of aphids in agricultural systems. However, there is limited understanding of its predation mechanisms. In this study, we generated a high-quality chromosome level of the A. aphidimyza genome by combining PacBio, Illumina, and Hi-C data. The genome has a size of 192.08 Mb, with a scaffold N50 size of 46.85 Mb, and 99.08% (190.35 Mb) of the assembly is located on four chromosomes. The BUSCO analysis of our assembly indicates a completeness of 97.8% (n = 1,367), including 1,307 (95.6%) single-copy BUSCOs and 30 (2.2%) duplicated BUSCOs. Additionally, we annotated a total of 13,073 protein-coding genes, 18.43% (35.40 Mb) repetitive elements, and 376 non-coding RNAs. Our study is the first time to report the chromosome-scale genome for the species of A. aphidimyza. It provides a valuable genomic resource for the molecular study of A. aphidimyza.

Abstract Single image super‐resolution (SISR) is a promising research direction in computer vision and image processing for improving the visual perception of low‐quality images. In recent years, deep learning algorithms have driven tremendous development in SR, and SR methods based on various network architectures have significantly improved the quality of reconstructed images. Although there has been a large amount of reviews focusing on SISR, few studies have focused specifically on network architectures for SISR. This paper aims to provide a systematic overview of the design ideas of SISR using multiple architectures, including Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN), Transformer, and Diffusion model. In addition, an experimental analysis and comparison of state‐of‐the‐art SR algorithms have been performed on publicly available quantitative and qualitative datasets. Finally, some future directions are discussed that may help other community researchers.

Abstract Background A higher Life's Essential 8 (LE8)-based cardiovascular health (CVH) has been reported to be associated with a lower risk of both all-cause mortality and cardio-cerebrovascular diseases (CCVDs) related mortality in adults in the United States. At the same time, multiple studies have shown a significant negative association of CVH with the risk of stroke and CCVDs. Since no research has investigated the applicability of the LE8 in stroke patients, this study aimed to explore the association of LE8 with all-cause mortality and cardio-cerebrovascular mortality in stroke patients. Methods Data of patients were extracted from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) database in 2007–2018 in this retrospective cohort study. Weighted univariate and multivariate COX regression analyses were utilized to investigate the associations of LE8 with all-cause mortality and cardio-cerebrovascular mortality. We further explored these relationships in subgroups of age, gender, body mass index (BMI), cancer, congestive heart failure (CHF), and coronary heart disease (CHD). The evaluation indexes were hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Among the eligible patients, 278 died from all-cause and 89 (8.38%) of them died due to CCVDs. After adjusting for covariates, patients with LE8 score ≥ 58.75 seemed to have both lower risk of all-cause mortality (HR = 0.46, 95%CI: 0.31–0.69) and cardio-cerebrovascular mortality (HR = 0.51, 95%CI: 0.26–0.98), comparing to those with LE8 score

Current analysis of fragile bronzes mainly relies on the research of two-dimensional aspects such as sample cross-sections and surfaces while typically utilizing optical and electronic microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF). As a fast and nondestructive testing method, computer tomography (CT) can be used to characterize and detect the internal structures, corrosion conditions, and corrosion distribution of bronzes. This study used the CT imaging results of fragile bronzes to analyze, locate, and measure corrosion in fragile bronzes quickly and accurately, thus providing strong support for corrosion evaluation and protection research of fragile bronzes. The results verified the value and application prospects of CT technology in the protection of cultural relics.

Abstract Background Patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP) have an oronasal communication differed from the closed state in healthy individuals, leading to a unique oral microbiome. This study aimed to determine if variances in the oral microbiota persist among CLP patients who have received treatments for the closure of these fistulas compared to the microbiota of healthy individuals. Methods Saliva samples were collected from a cohort comprising 28 CLP patients (CLP group) and 30 healthy controls (HC group). Utilizing 16S rRNA sequencing on the Illumina NovaSeq platform, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the diversity and composition of the oral microbiota. Results The analysis of the microbiota in the saliva samples revealed a total of 23 microbial phyla, 38 classes, 111 orders, 184 families, 327 genera and 612 species. The alpha diversity with microbial abundance and evenness indicated the significant difference between the CLP and HC groups. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and the ADONIS test further supported the presence of distinct microorganisms between the two groups. The CLP group displayed elevated abundances of Neisseria, Haemophilus, Porphyromonas, and Granulicatella, as indicated by LefSe analysis. Conversely, Rothia, Veillonella, and Pauljensenia exhibited significant reductions in abundance in the CLP group. The results of the PICRUSt analysis indicated significant differences in the relative abundance of 25 KEGG pathways within the CLP group. Through Spearman correlation analysis, strong associations between Rothia, Veillonella, and Pauljensenia and 25 functional pathways linked to CLP were identified. Conclusion Findings of this study offer a thorough comprehension of the microbiome profiles of CLP patients after the restoration of oronasal structure and are anticipated to present innovative concepts for the treatment of CLP.

Abstract Background Despite advancements in school scoliosis screening (SSS), there are still no effective indicators to estimate the severity of spinal curvature. We aim to investigate the association between incorrect postures and curve magnitude of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) among Chinese adolescents. Methods In this SSS program, we examined the incorrect posture, Adam’s forward bending test (FBT) results, and angle of trunk rotation (ATR) in adolescents. Those with suspected scoliosis were referred for a standing anteroposterior whole-spine radiography as outpatients. The radiographic data of 426 students with lateral Cobb angles were collected from 2016 to 2022 and the associations were studied using logistic regression (LR) models and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results Univariate LR revealed that female gender [odds ratio (OR) = 2.92, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.67–5.09, P

Abstract Ensemble learning has the potential to enhance the efficacy of feeble classifiers significantly and is increasingly being utilized in Twitter bot detection. Previous methods have utilized stacking techniques to train the primary classifiers, implementing cross-validation to mitigate overfitting and enhance predictive accuracy. However, cross-validation substantially amplifies the computation time associated with stacking. To overcome this challenge, this paper presents a novel approach, the Simplified Stacking Graph Neural Network (SStackGNN), specifically designed for the detection of social bots. Our methodology leverages the power of Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) as base classifiers, enabling effective capturing of inter-account interactions. In addition, a Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) serves as a secondary classifier, amalgamating the outcomes of the foundational classifiers to generate final predictions, thereby enhancing the predictive performance of the GNNs. Instead of relying on cross-validation and distinct base classifier structures, we employ node-level, edge-level, and feature-level graph data augmentation techniques to acquire diverse foundational classifiers. This approach significantly alleviates the computational complexity while achieving superior performance. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed SStackGNN outperforms other approaches.

Abstract Background Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a leading cause of vision loss in patients with diabetes. This study aimed to develop and evaluate an OCT-omics prediction model for assessing anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment response in patients with DME. Methods A retrospective analysis of 113 eyes from 82 patients with DME was conducted. Comprehensive feature engineering was applied to clinical and optical coherence tomography (OCT) data. Logistic regression, support vector machine (SVM), and backpropagation neural network (BPNN) classifiers were trained using a training set of 79 eyes, and evaluated on a test set of 34 eyes. Clinical implications of the OCT-omics prediction model were assessed by decision curve analysis. Performance metrics (sensitivity, specificity, F1 score, and AUC) were calculated. Results The logistic, SVM, and BPNN classifiers demonstrated robust discriminative abilities in both the training and test sets. In the training set, the logistic classifier achieved a sensitivity of 0.904, specificity of 0.741, F1 score of 0.887, and AUC of 0.910. The SVM classifier showed a sensitivity of 0.923, specificity of 0.667, F1 score of 0.881, and AUC of 0.897. The BPNN classifier exhibited a sensitivity of 0.962, specificity of 0.926, F1 score of 0.962, and AUC of 0.982. Similar discriminative capabilities were maintained in the test set. The OCT-omics scores were significantly higher in the non-persistent DME group than in the persistent DME group (p

Three new species of the leafhopper genus Arboridia Zachvatkin 1946, Arboridia (Arboridia) furcata Han, sp. nov., Arboridia (Arboridia) rubrovittata Han, sp. nov., and Arboridia (Arboridia) robustipenis Han, sp. nov., are described and illustrated from fruit trees in Southwest China. A key and checklist to known species from China are provided.

Abstract In recent years, the rapid advancement of digital technology has supported the growth of the digital economy. The transformation towards digitization in the public health sector serves as a key indicator of this economic shift. Understanding how the digital economy continuously improves the efficiency of public health services and its various pathways of influence has become increasingly important. It is essential to clarify the impact mechanism of the digital economy on public health services to optimize health expenditures and advance digital economic construction. This study investigates the impact of digital economic development on the efficiency of public health services from a novel perspective, considering social media usage and urban–rural healthcare disparities while constructing a comprehensive index of digital economic development. The findings indicate that the digital economy reduces the efficiency of public health services primarily through two transmission mechanisms: the promotion of social media usage and the widening urban–rural healthcare gap. Moreover, these impacts and transmission pathways exhibit spatial heterogeneity. This study unveils the intrinsic connection and mechanisms of interaction between digital economic development and the efficiency of public health services, providing a theoretical basis and reference for government policy formulation. However, it also prompts further considerations on achieving synergy and interaction between the digital economy and public health services.

Abstract We propose to utilize angularity distributions in Higgs boson decay to probe light quark Yukawa couplings at e + e − colliders. Angularities τ a are a class of 2-jet event shapes with variable and tunable sensitivity to the distribution of radiation in hadronic jets in the final state. Using soft-collinear effective theory (SCET), we present a prediction of angularity distributions from Higgs decaying to quark and gluon states at e + e − colliders to NNLL + 𝒪(α s ) accuracy. Due to the different color structures in quark and gluon jets, the angularity distributions from H → $$q\overline{q }$$ and H → gg show different behaviors and can be used to constrain the light quark Yukawa couplings. We show that the upper limit of light quark Yukawa couplings could be probed to the level of ~ 15% of the bottom quark Yukawa coupling in the Standard Model in a conservative analysis window far away from nonperturbative effects and other uncertainties; the limit can be pushed to ≲ 7 – 9% with better control of the nonperturbative effects especially on gluon angularity distributions and/or with multiple angularities.

IntroductionPhosphorus nutrition and hormone concentration both affect crop yield formation. Ascertaining the interaction of phosphorus and GA3 has a synergistic effect on the grain yield and phosphorus utilization efficiency of oilseed flax in dryland. It is extremely important for improving grain yield and phosphorus utilization efficiency.MethodsA field experiment was conducted in 2019 and 2020 at the Dingxi Oil Crops Test Station to investigated the effects of phosphorus, gibberellin (GA3), and their interaction on the grain yield and phosphorus-utilization efficiency of oilseed flax plants. Phosphorus fertilizer was applied at three levels (0, 67.5, 135 kg P2O5·ha-1) and GA3 was also sprayed at three concentrations (0, 15, and 30 mg·L-1).ResultsThe results showed that application of 67.5 kg P2O5·ha-1 reduced leaves acid phosphatase (ACPase) activity, but increased phosphorus accumulation throughout the growth period, the 1000-kernel weight (TKW), and the number of grains per capsule. Spraying GA3 significantly increased the leaves ACPase activity, phosphorus accumulation after anthesis and its contribution to grain, phosphorus-utilization efficiency, the number of capsules per plant, and TKW. The phosphorus accumulation at the anthesis, kernel, and maturity stages under the treatment of fertilizing 67.5 kg P2O5·ha-1 and spraying 30 mg·L-1 GA3 were increased by 56.06%, 73.51%, and 62.17%, respectively, compared with the control (no phosphorus, no GA3). And the phosphorus accumulation after anthesis and its contribution to grain also increased. 67.5 kg P2O5·ha-1 combined with 30 mg·L-1 GA3 and 135 kg P2O5·ha-1 combined with 15 mg·L-1 GA3 both significantly increased grain yield of oilseed flax, reaching 1696 kg·ha-1 and 1716 kg·ha-1 across two years, respectively. And there was no significant difference between them. However, the former treatment significant increased the apparent utilization rate, agronomic utilization rate, and partial productivity of phosphorus. The interaction between phosphorus and GA3 was significant for grain yield.ConclusionTherefore, the application of 67.5 kg P2O5·ha-1 in combination with 30 mg·L-1 GA3 is an effective fertilization approach for enhancing oilseed flax growth and grain yield in the experiment region and other similar areas.

Designing photocatalysts with p-n heterojunction structures is an effective way to boost the separation of photogenerated carriers and stimulate the photocatalytic degradation activity. Herein, an efficient visible-light responsive AgI/BiSI p-n heterojunction photocatalyst was successfully constructed. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and electrochemical measurements confirmed that the AgI/BiSI p-n heterojunction structure was beneficial to the separation and transfer of photogenerated carriers, promoting the generation of main active species (•O2− and h+). Furthermore, the photocatalytic degradation rate constants of Acid Red 1 (0.4699 min−1) and metronidazole (0.0730 min−1) over the optimal AgI/BiSI were about 8.4 and 3.0 times higher than those over pure AgI, respectively. This work provides a heterojunction engineering strategy to design high-efficient photocatalysts for the degradation of refractory organic pollutants.

Data augmentation is an important task of using existing data to expand data sets. Using generative countermeasure network technology to realize data augmentation has the advantages of high-quality generated samples, simple training, and fewer restrictions on the number of generated samples. However, in the field of transmission line insulator images, the freely synthesized samples are prone to produce fuzzy backgrounds and disordered samples of the main insulator features. To solve the above problems, this paper uses cycle generative adversarial network (Cycle-GAN) used for domain conversion in the generation countermeasure network as the initial framework and uses the self-attention mechanism and the channel attention mechanism to assist the conversion to realize the mutual conversion of different insulator samples. The attention module with prior knowledge is used to build the generation countermeasure network, and the GAN model with local controllable generation is built to realize the directional generation of insulator belt defect samples. The experimental results show that the samples obtained by this method are improved in a number of quality indicators, and the quality effect of the samples obtained is excellent, which has a reference value for the data expansion of insulator images.

IntroductionThe rapid spread of plasmid-mediated tet(X4) conferring high tigecycline resistance poses a significant threat to public health. Escherichia coli as the most common pathogen which carries tet(X4) has been widely disseminated in China. Thus, comprehensive investigations are required to understand the mechanism of transmission of tet(X4)-positive E. coli.MethodsIn this study, a total of 775 nonduplicate samples were collected in Guangdong, China from 2019 to 2020. We screened for tet(X4)-positive E. coli by PCR amplification and species identification. Furthermore, we analyzed the phylogenetics and genetic context of tet(X4)-positive E. coli through whole-genome sequencing and long-reads sequencing.ResultsOverall, 146 (18.84%) tet(X4)-positive E. coli were isolated, comprising 2 isolates from humans and 144 isolates from pigs. The majority of tet(X4)-positive E. coli exhibited resistance to multiple antibiotics but all of them were susceptible to amikacin and colistin. Phylogenetic analysis showed that ST877, ST871, and ST195 emerged as the predominant sequence types in tet(X4)-positive E. coli. Further analysis revealed various genetic environments associated with the horizontal transfer of tet(X4). Notably, a 100-kbp large fragment insertion was discovered downstream of tet(X4), containing a replicon and a 40-kbp gene cluster for the bacterial type IV secretion system.DiscussionThe high colonization rate of tet(X4)-positive E. coli in animals suggests that colonization as a key factor in its dissemination to humans. Diverse genetic context may contribute to the transfer of tet(X4). Our findings underline the urgent need for controlling the spread of plasmid-mediated tigecycline resistance.

Summary: Sorafenib, a first-line drug for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), unfortunately encounters resistance in most patients, leading to disease progression. Traditional approaches to counteract this resistance, particularly those targeting the RAF-MEK-ERK pathway, often face clinical feasibility limitations. Magnetic hyperthermia (MH), unlike conventional thermal therapies, emerges as a promising alternative. It uniquely combines magnetothermal effects with an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS). This study found the potential of intracellular MH enhanced the efficacy of sorafenib, increased cellular sensitivity to sorafenib, and reversed sorafenib resistance by inhibiting the RAF-MEK-ERK pathway in an ROS-dependent manner in a sorafenib-resistant HCC cell. Further, in a sorafenib-resistant HCC mouse model, MH significantly sensitized tumors to sorafenib therapy, resulting in inhibited tumor growth and improved survival rates. This presents a promising strategy to overcome sorafenib resistance in HCC, potentially enhancing therapeutic outcomes for patients with this challenging condition.

Osteoporosis is a systemic bone disease characterized by decreased bone mass that is tightly regulated by the coordinated actions of osteoclasts and osteoblasts. Apoptosis as a precise programmed cell death involves a cascade of gene expression events which are mechanistically linked to the regulation of bone metabolism. Nevertheless, the critical biomolecules involved in regulating cell apoptosis in osteoporosis remain unknown. To gain a deeper insight into the relationship between apoptosis and osteoporosis, this study integrated the sequencing results of human samples and using a machine learning workflow to overcome the limitations of a single study. Among all immune cell populations, we assessed the apoptotic level and portrayed the distinct subtypes and lineage differentiation of monocytic cells in osteoporotic tissues. Osteoclasts expressed a higher level of Spermidine/spermine-N1-Acetyltransferase1 (SAT1) during osteoclastogenesis which prevented osteoclasts apoptosis and facilitate osteoporosis progression. In addition, Berenil, one potent SAT1 inhibitor, increased osteoclast apoptosis and reversed the bone loss in the femurs of a murine ovariectomy model. In summary, Berenil promotes osteoclast apoptosis, inhibits the bone resorption and improves the abnormal bone structure in vitro and in vivo models by targeting SAT1, demonstrating its potential as a precise therapeutic strategy for clinical osteoporosis treatment.

Abstract Background Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), three-dimensional spine deformation, affects body motion. Previous research had indicated pathological gait patterns of AIS. However, the impact of the curve number on the walking mechanism has not been established. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the gait symmetry and kinematics in AIS patients with different curve numbers to healthy control. Results In the spinal region, double curves AIS patients demonstrated a smaller sagittal symmetry angle (SA) and larger sagittal convex ROM of the trunk and lower spine than the control group. In the lower extremities, the single curve patients showed a significantly reduced SA of the knee joint in the frontal plane, while the double curves patients showed a significantly reduced SA of the hip in the transverse plane. Conclusion The curve number indeed affects gait symmetry and kinematics in AIS patients. The double curves patients seemed to adopt a more "careful walking" strategy to compensate for the effect of spinal deformation on sensory integration deficits. This compensation mainly occurred in the sagittal plane. Compared to double curves patients, single curve patients unitized a similar walking strategy with healthy subjects.

The dikraneurine leafhopper genus Anaka is reviewed based on a comparative morphological study. Five new species, Anaka auricula sp. nov., Anaka cruciata sp. nov., Anaka curvata sp. nov., Anaka rosacea sp. nov., and Anaka spiralis sp. nov. from China are described and illustrated in detail. Additionally, a key to known Anaka species is provided along with a checklist of all species and their distributions.

Shield tunnel backfill grouting is vital to stabilize tunnel settlement at a later stage; however, most shield tunnel backfill grouting designs lack a complete theoretical reference, and numerical simulations of the grouting process are rarely conducted. This study presents the fundamental theories of grout diffusion and pressure variation for backfill grouting during shield construction. Moreover, the numerical simulation methods coupled with discrete element methods (DEM) and finite difference methods (FDM) are achieved to simulate the process of grout injection from the grouting hole into the shield tail gap and generate grout pressure on the surrounding rock. The diffusion state of the grout in the shield tail gap and the squeezing effect on the surrounding rock under two shield tail disengagement modes are analyzed, as well as the impact of various grouting pressure on the surface settlement. The results indicated that the grout diffusion in the shield tail gap can be divided into three stages: the stage of diffusion with each grouting hole as the starting point, the stage of interconnection and contact of the grout injected in each grouting hole, and the final gap filling stage. Each of the three stages can be described using the proposed equation. During the grouting process, the grout is injected into the shield tail gap at a certain pressure, but the grout diffuses slowly to both sides and upwards, which causes a rapid rise of the principal stresses in the soil around the tunnel. After grouting is complete, the grout pressure gradually dissipates and stabilizes, and the principal stress decreases. In addition, backfill grouting can reduce surface settlement, but it does not affect its distribution width.

Spectral computed tomography (spectral CT) is a promising medical imaging technology because of its ability to provide information on material characterization and quantification. However, the difficulty of decomposition increases due to the nonlinearity of the measurements and the text ill-condition of the problem, especially in the case of geometric inconsistency, which typically leads to low image qualities. Therefore, it is a crucial issue for inconsistent spectral CT imaging to improve the accuracy of material decomposition while suppressing noise. This paper proposes one-step multi-material algorithms based on a statistical reconstruction model with different priors. In these approaches, the gradient sparsity based and convolutional neural network based methods are designed for the case of the consistent numbers of material and energies. Furthermore, volume conservation constraint is developed while the two numbers are not equal. An efficient Newton descent method is adopted based on a simple surrogate function. For simulation experiments with different noise levels, the largest peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) obtained by the proposed method approximately increases by 20.924 dB and 18.283 dB compared with those of other algorithms. Magnified areas of real data also demonstrated that the proposed methods have a better ability to suppress noise. Numerical experiments verify that the proposed methods efficiently reconstruct the material maps and reduced noise compared with the state-of-the-art methods.

Spectral computed tomography (CT) has a wide range of applications in material discrimination, clinical diagnosis and tissue representation. However, the photon counting detector measurements are subject to serious quantum noise caused by photon starvation, photon accumulation, charge sharing, and other factors, which will lead to a decrease in the quality of the reconstructed image and make clinical diagnosis more difficult. To tackle with this problem, this paper proposes a spectral CT reconstruction technique that exploits the spatial sparsity of inter-channel images and the high correlation of images between different energy channels. Specifically, similar patches from spatial and spectral domains are extracted to form the low-rank tensors. Then the tensor-train rank, which is derived from a well-balanced matricization technique, is adopted to depict the high correlation among different energy channels. To capture the self-similarity of the low-rank tensors, the L0-norm of the image gradient is employed for image smoothing. An efficient algorithm is devised to solve the reconstruction model utilizing the Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers. For the sake of testing and verifying the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, numerical simulations and real data experiments are conducted. Qualitatively, the designed method demonstrates a clear advantage in image quality over the existing state-of-the-art algorithms. For instance, when taking the full energy bin image as an example, the proposed method reduces the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) by 52.07%, 38.69%, 35.13%, 12.67%, respectively, compared to the competing methods. Quantitative and qualitative assessment indices have revealed that the suggested method has excellent noise suppression, artifact elimination, and image detail preservation properties.

The Earth's induced magnetic field is a result of the electrical current that is generated by the space current system within the Earth's interior. By observing Earth's induced magnetic field, we can acquire information on the space current system and the electrical structure of the Earth's interior, which is an important physical parameter to study the mechanism of space weather events and seismic sphere coupling. The Meridian Project has set up several induction magnetometers in the shape of a "#" along the longitudes of 120° E and 100° E and latitudes of 30° N and 40° N in China's mainland and Antarctic regions, to carry out fixed, long-term, and continuous measurements of the Earth's induced magnetic field. The first phase of the Meridian Project is equipped with 14 LEMI-30 induction magnetometers produced by Ukraine, which have been in routine operation since 2009 and will be integrated with the grid of the second phase of the Meridian Project. Thirteen induction magnetometers will be installed in the second phase of the Meridian Project, which is scheduled to commence operation in 2023. Together with the equipment already installed in the first phase of the Meridian Project, a network of 27 induction magnetometers will be established. China is independently developing the induction magnetometer of the second phase of the Meridian Project. The magnetic core incorporates a new alloy material with high permeability. The multi-piece superposition technology was adopted to effectively gather the magnetic field, enhance the induction output signal, and improve the sensor's ability to pick up weak signals. The test results show that the frequency range of the induction magnetometer used in the second phase of the Meridian Project is wider, up to 0.001–30 Hz; its sensitivity is high, with a resolution of 10 pT; and its long-term operation is very stable.

Abstract Background Gait model consists of a marker set and a segment pose estimation algorithm. Plugin marker set and inverse kinematic algorithm (IK.) are prevalent in gait analysis, especially musculoskeletal motion analysis. Adding extra markers for the plugin marker set could increase the robustness to marker misplacement, motion artifacts, and even markers occlusion. However, how the different marker sets affect the gait analysis's kinematic output is unclear. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of marker sets on the kinematic output during level walking in different populations. Results In all three planes, there are significant differences (P

IntroductionMagnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided wire localization can be applied to assist to remove suspected breast lesions accurately. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical application value of this technique in Chinese women.MethodsA total of 126 patients (131 lesions) who had underwent such technique in our hospital from April 2017 to June 2023 were enrolled. 1.5T MRI system and a wire localization device were used. Image characteristics, clinical features and postoperative pathology were collected and analyzed.ResultsAll of 126 patients (131 lesions) were successfully localized by MRI and excised for biopsy. There were 39 malignant lesions (29.77%) and 92 benign lesions (70.23%). There was no significant correlation between the morphology of DCE-MRI and the ratio of malignant lesions (P=0.763), while there was a statistical correlation between the BPE, TIC curve and the malignancy rate (P

BackgroundType 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hearing loss (HL) constitute significant public health challenges worldwide. Recently, the association between T2DM and HL has aroused attention. However, possible residual confounding factors and other biases inherent to observational study designs make this association undetermined. In this study, we performed univariate and multivariable Mendelian Randomization (MR) analysis to elucidate the causal association between T2DM and common hearing disorders that lead to HL.MethodsOur study employed univariate and multivariable MR analyses, with the Inverse Variance Weighted method as the primary approach to assessing the potential causal association between T2DM and hearing disorders. We selected 164 and 9 genetic variants representing T2DM from the NHGRI-EBI and DIAGRAM consortium, respectively. Summary-level data for 10 hearing disorders were obtained from over 500,000 participants in the FinnGen consortium and MRC-IEU. Sensitivity analysis revealed no significant heterogeneity of instrumental variables or pleiotropy was detected.ResultsIn univariate MR analysis, genetically predicted T2DM from both sources was associated with an increased risk of acute suppurative otitis media (ASOM) (In NHGRI-EBI: OR = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.02-1.13, P = 0.012; In DIAGRAM: OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.02-1.26, P = 0.016). Multivariable MR analysis, adjusting for genetically predicted sleep duration, alcohol consumption, body mass index, and smoking, either individually or collectively, maintained these associations. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the results.ConclusionT2DM was associated with an increased risk of ASOM. Strict glycemic control is essential for the minimization of the effects of T2DM on ASOM.

More attention has been paid to environmental regulation of greenhouse gas emissions in the energy industry under the transformation of industrial structure. This paper takes microdata of Chinese energy enterprises from 1998 to 2012 as a sample to build a duty-sharing model, analyzes the effect of environmental regulations on the industrial chain, and explains the “double growth” phenomenon that occurred in China, which is nothing short of miraculous in terms of the environment and economy. In the industrial chain, the environmental obligations and responsibilities will be shared between upstream and downstream enterprises due to trade linkages. This paper finds that environmental responsibilities will move forward through the industrial chain when environmental regulations are strengthened. Downstream companies will loosen “relative” control constraints, thereby expanding output but increasing demand for upstream products. Different from the existing research, we claim that, since environmental regulation has a differential effect on the industrial chain, it will promote the growth of output in the entire chain, in contrast to the theory of “cost compliance”, which claims that environmental regulation will inevitably lead to the output. Based on this research, this paper puts forward some suggestions and insights on how the government implements environmental regulations.

IntroductionAn appropriate supply of ammonium (NH4+) in addition to nitrate (NO3−) can greatly improve plant growth and promote maize productivity. However, knowledge gaps exist regarding the mechanisms by which different nitrogen (N) fertilizer sources affect the enzymatic activity of nitrogen metabolism and non-structural carbohydrates during the post-anthesis period.MethodsA field experiment across 3-year was carried out to explore the effects of four nitrateammonium ratio (NO3−/NH4+ = 1:0 (N1), 1:1 (N2), 1:3 (N3), and 3:1 (N4)) on postanthesis dry matter (DM) and N accumulation, partitioning, transportation, and grain yield in maize.ResultsNO3-/NH4+ ratio with 3:1 improved the enzymatic activity of N metabolism and non-structural carbohydrate accumulation, which strongly promoted the transfer of DM and N in vegetative organs to reproductive organs and improved the pre-anthesis DM and nitrogen translocation efficiency. The enzymatic activities of nitrate reductase, nitrite reductase, glutamine synthetase, glutamine oxoglutarate aminotransferase, and non-structural carbohydrate accumulation under N4 treatment were increased by 9.30%–32.82%, 13.19%–37.94%, 4.11%–16.00%, 11.19%–30.82%, and 14.89%–31.71% compared with the other treatments. Mixed NO3−-N and NH4+-N increased the total DM accumulation at the anthesis and maturity stages, simultaneously decreasing the DM partitioning of stem, increasing total DM, DM translocation efficiency (DMtE), and contribution of pre-anthesis assimilates to the grain (CAPG) in 2015 and 2017, promoting the transfer of DM from stem to grain. Furthermore, the grain yield increased by 3.31%–9.94% (2015), 68.6%–26.30% (2016), and 8.292%–36.08% (2017) under the N4 treatment compared to the N1, N2, and N3 treatments.ConclusionThe study showed that a NO3−/NH4+ ratio of 3:1 is recommended for high-yield and sustainable maize management strategies in Northwestern China.

Abstract Element detection is a key step in non‐destructive testing of printed circuit board (PCB) based on computed tomography (CT). In recent years, some image segmentation methods based on deep learning have shown great potential in the element segmentation task of PCB CT images, and greatly improved the efficiency and accuracy. However, since image segmentation is based on pixel‐level classification, the annotation of training data is difficult and costly. Aiming at this problem, the authors proposed a new active learning method based on the integration of relevant information about segmentation tasks and data variance. In this method, the Result Quality Evaluation Module (RQEM) proposed by us is used to generate task‐related information, and an adversarial network is used to generate the difference information between samples and the initial labelled data. Finally, the two parts of information are fused and used as the standard of data selecting. In the PCB CT image element segmentation task, the authors only need to select 12.7% of the whole training set with their proposed method to make Mean Intersection Over Union (MIOU) reach 79.7, which has reached 95% of the optimal performance of 83.7. The in‐depth analysis also verifies the effectiveness and stability of the authors’ method.

Male infertility affects millions of men worldwide and is increasing in prevalence, with asthenozoospermia (AS) and oligoasthenozoospermia (OA) being the most frequent causes, and current treatments are limited. A previous research reported that Linggui Yangyuan paste (LGYY) enhanced sperm viability and motility, but there is a lack of multicenter, rigorous, randomized and controlled studies on its efficacy. Wuzi Yanzong oral solution (WZYZ), a traditional Chinese herbal formula, is one of the most important and first-line drugs for AS and OA in China. We designed a direct comparison of LGYY’s effectiveness and safety against WZYZ in treating male infertility, specifically AS and OA. We propose a multicenter, double-blind, double-dummy, randomized controlled trial, which is planned to recruit 162 participants with AS or OA from five centers and will randomize them into two groups, whereby the treatment group will receive intervention with LGYY and WZYZ mimetics, while the control group will receive intervention with WZYZ and LGYY mimetics. The medications will be administered twice daily for 12 weeks, followed by a 12-week follow-up. The primary outcome will be total progressive motile sperm count (TPMSC), and the secondary outcomes will be semen parameters, including semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count, progressive motility (PR), PR + nonprogressive motility (NP), Chinese Medicine Symptoms Score (CMSS), spouse pregnancy rate and time to pregnancy. The safety outcomes will be based on the results of routine blood and urine tests, liver and kidney function tests and electrocardiography. Overall, this study aims to provide valuable insights into the potential efficacy and safety of LGYY compared to WZYZ for male infertility (AS or OA), which could guide clinicians to an alternative drug approach to treat patients with AS or OA. This clinical trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.org under the identifier NCT05792813.

Abstract Background Red ginseng (RG) is a traditional herb commonly used in China, Korea, and other East Asian countries. Recently, it has demonstrated a better clinical value in men’s reproductive health (MRH). The present review aimed to examine the effects of RG treatment on MRH. Results Overall, 42 articles related to RG application in MRH were reviewed, of which 31 were animal experiments and 11 were clinical studies. Furthermore, this review analyzed the use of RG in some male reproductive diseases in clinical trials and determined the associated mechanisms of action. The mechanism of action of RG in MRH may be related to oxidative stress, regulation of sex hormones and spermatogenesis-related proteins, and anti-inflammation. Conclusions The application of RG for the treatment of male infertility, erectile dysfunction, and prostate diseases has the potential to contribute to MRH.

Abstract Aims Dissecting complex interactions among transcription factors (TFs), microRNAs (miRNAs) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are central for understanding heart development and function. Although computational approaches and platforms have been described to infer relationships among regulatory factors and genes, current approaches do not adequately account for how highly diverse, interacting regulators that include noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) control cardiac gene expression dynamics over time. Methods To overcome this limitation, we devised an integrated framework, cardiac gene regulatory modeling (CGRM) that integrates LogicTRN and regulatory component analysis bioinformatics modeling platforms to infer complex regulatory mechanisms. We then used CGRM to identify and compare the TF-ncRNA gene regulatory networks that govern early- and late-stage cardiomyocytes (CMs) generated by in vitro differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) and ventricular and atrial CMs isolated during in vivo human cardiac development. Results Comparisons of in vitro versus in vivo derived CMs revealed conserved regulatory networks among TFs and ncRNAs in early cells that significantly diverged in late staged cells. We report that cardiac genes (“heart targets”) expressed in early-stage hPSC-CMs are primarily regulated by MESP1, miR-1, miR-23, lncRNAs NEAT1 and MALAT1, while GATA6, HAND2, miR-200c, NEAT1 and MALAT1 are critical for late hPSC-CMs. The inferred TF-miRNA-lncRNA networks regulating heart development and contraction were similar among early-stage CMs, among individual hPSC-CM datasets and between in vitro and in vivo samples. However, genes related to apoptosis, cell cycle and proliferation, and transmembrane transport showed a high degree of divergence between in vitro and in vivo derived late-stage CMs. Overall, late-, but not early-stage CMs diverged greatly in the expression of “heart target” transcripts and their regulatory mechanisms. Conclusions In conclusion, we find that hPSC-CMs are regulated in a cell autonomous manner during early development that diverges significantly as a function of time when compared to in vivo derived CMs. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of using CGRM to reveal dynamic and complex transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulatory interactions that underlie cell directed versus environment-dependent CM development. These results with in vitro versus in vivo derived CMs thus establish this approach for detailed analyses of heart disease and for the analysis of cell regulatory systems in other biomedical fields.

Metro tunnels are often constructed between dense building foundations and underground pipelines, thus the spacing between adjacent tunnels is usually small. A decrease in the spacing can significantly increase the severity of tilting of adjacent piles or ground settlement on either side of the metro. In order to analyse the settlement response of the ground surface and adjacent buildings, as well as the movement of the building piles, field monitoring and numerical simulations were carried out for a section of three small-spacing tunnels. A three-stage analysis method was proposed for the calculation of the ground settlement curve induced by the excavation of the three-line tunnels. The results show that the construction of the three-line small-spacing tunnels caused significant tilting of neighboring piles. Furthermore, the excavation of a new tunnel near the completed tunnel extended the area of settlement, thus increasing the possibility of tunnel construction affecting the adjacent buildings and piles. The maximum axial stress increased as the excavation face approached the pile when the distance reached 4D (D is the diameter of the tunnel), then it stabilized when the excavation face passed a distance of 2.5D. As the excavation face approached the pile, the settlement of the pile top gradually increased and stabilized after passing a distance of 8D. The horizontal displacement of the pile bottom reached stability when the excavation face passed a distance of 2D.

Pineapple harvesting is a key step in pineapple field production. At present, pineapple fruits are usually picked manually. With decreasing labor resources and increasing production costs, machines have been used instead of manual picking approaches in the modern pineapple industry. This paper briefly describes the basic situation of pineapple planting worldwide. Based on the degree of automation of mechanized pineapple harvesting equipment, the main structural forms, core technologies, and operation modes of semi-automatic, automatic, and intelligent pineapple harvesting equipment are summarized. The research status and existing problems of key pineapple fruit picking robots, such as fruit recognition, maturity classification, positioning, and separation of pineapple fruits, are analyzed. Considering the problems of pineapple harvesting equipment, such as difficulty entering the ground, low harvesting efficiency, low picking success rate, and fruit damage, innovative future research directions for mechanized pineapple harvesting technology are proposed, such as combining agricultural machinery and agronomical principles, integrating mechanized, automated, and intelligent technology, and developing modular designs and generalized approaches.

Sugarcane is an important economic crop in tropical and subtropical regions. Presawing planting is an important method for achieving automated and precise planting with sugarcane planting machines. The sawing process is a key stage in planting management, affecting not only the germination and survival rates of sugarcane, but also reflecting the mechanical performance of sawing. To reduce the peak sawing force and enhance the sawing surface quality of sugarcane seedlings, this study utilized a central composite experimental design method. Single-factor and multi-factor experiments were conducted with a specially designed sugarcane stalk sawing experimental rig to investigate the impact of factors such as the stalk diameter feeding speed, and sawing speed on the peak sawing force and sawing surface quality. Upon being developed and validated, multivariate mathematical regression models elucidated the relationships among these factors. The experimental results showed that the order of influence of each factor on the peak sawing force was the stalk diameter, feed speed, and sawing speed, while for the sawing surface quality, the sequence was the sawing speed, stalk diameter, and feed speed. Correspondingly, the determination coefficients for the peak sawing force and sawing surface quality prediction models were 0.9708 and 0.9675. With a maximum error of 7.6% for the peak sawing force and an average relative error of 7.1%, and a maximum error of 3.5% for the sawing surface quality and an average relative error of 2.83%, the calculated results from the regression models were in good agreement with the experimental findings. This indicates that the models are capable of quickly and accurately predicting the peak sawing force and sawing surface quality of sugarcane stalks under different conditions. The research findings provide valuable insights for the development and optimization of sugarcane stalk presawing equipment and related experimental studies.

Unstable flow in a pump-turbine can cause pressure pulsation, and the resulting vibration deteriorates the stability and operating safety of the unit. This study conducted three-dimensional numerical calculations of the overall flow passage of a pump-turbine with splitter blades under the small guide vane opening, and the unsteady flow characteristics of the turbine were investigated. The results showed that the pressure fluctuation was more severe at lower head operating conditions with lower efficiency, especially in the vaneless area (the runner blade passages). Under the lower head condition, the proportion of 12 times the rotational frequency (12 f/fn) increased in the vaneless area, and the amplitude of 1 f/fn as well as 2 f/fn became larger in the runner blade channel, with more space occupied by vortices and reflux areas. A spiral vortex rope formed in the draft tube, increasing the proportion of 0.4 f/fn and 0.7 f/fn pressure pulses.

Core wall rockfill dams are susceptible to cracking at the dam’s crest, as well as collapse and settlement of the rockfill during storage and operation periods, particularly due to rapid fluctuations in the water level in pumped storage power stations. Most studies on the impact of fluctuations in the reservoir’s water level on dam deformation have considered fluctuations of less than 5 m/d, while pumped storage power stations experience much larger fluctuations. Additionally, the seepage and stress fields within the dam’s rock and soil interact and influence each other. Few studies have used the coupling theory of seepage and stress to analyze seepage and deformation in core wall rockfill dams. To address these issues, a finite element model using seepage–stress coupling theory was utilized to investigate the variations in the phreatic line, earth pressure, and deformation of a core wall rockfill dam due to rapid fluctuations in the reservoir’s water level. Additionally, the results of the finite element simulation were compared with and analyzed alongside safety monitoring data. The results indicated that, upon a sudden decrease in the reservoir’s water level, there was a lag in the decline of the phreatic line in Rockfill I, which created a large hydraulic gradient, resulting in a reverse seepage field on the dam’s slope surface and generating a drag force directed upstream. Consequently, a significant concentration of stress occurred on one-third of the upstream slope surface of the dam and the seepage curtain, and the increase in horizontal displacement was substantially greater than the increase in settlement from one-third of the rockfill’s height to the dam’s foundation. The deformation was more sensitive to the lowest water level of the reservoir rather than to the fastest rate of decline. Sudden rises in the reservoir’s water level result in decreased horizontal displacements and settlement of the dam. Amid rapid fluctuations of the reservoir’s water level, changes in the vertical earth pressure were more pronounced at the bottom of the core wall than in its midsection. Compared with the core wall, variations in the vertical earth pressure in the upstream and downstream filter layers were minor at similar elevations. A peak horizontal displacement of 6.5 mm was noted at one-third the height of Rockfill I, with the greatest increase in settlement of 3.5 mm at the dam’s crest. To ensure a project’s safety, it is crucial to control the elevation of the lowest point during a sudden drop in the reservoir’s level and to carefully monitor for cracks or voids within approximately one-third of the dam’s height in Rockfill I and at the dam crest. This study’s results provide a scientific basis for assessing core wall rockfill dams’ health and securing long-term safety at pumped storage power facilities.

Development of wound dressings with antimicrobial activity and promotion of sustained wound healing to reduce the use of antibiotics in infected wounds is important. In this study, we developed a thermosensitive ABA triblock copolymer poly {(N-isopropyl acrylamide)–co-[(6-((3-(6-amino-purin-9-yl)propanoyl)oxy)hexyl acrylates)]-b-PEO-b-Poly (N-isopropyl acrylamide)–co-{[(6-((3-(6-amino-purin-9-yl)propanoyl)oxy)hexyl acrylates)]} as matrix and participating nitric oxide (NO) donor (N,N'-dis-sec-butyl-N,N'-dinitroso-1,4-phenylenediamine, BNN6) loaded SiO2@PDA nanoparticles composed of hydrogel dressings (Gel-APB) for efficient antimicrobial and sustainable treatment of wounds. Thanks to the presence of poly (N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAM) and unique ABA triblock structure, the NAONA copolymer would self-assemble into temperature-sensitive injectable hydrogel with excellent dermal adaptation to dynamic wounds. Meanwhile, the biobase adenine endowed the hydrogel dressing with self-healing ability. Under 808 nm wavelength irradiation, the hydrogel was able to elevate to a mild temperature (∼48 °C) and release NO on demand, which efficiently kills E. coli and S. aureus, realizing highly efficient and mild photothermal antimicrobial therapy (PTAT). In addition, full-thickness skin wound modeling demonstrated that Gel-APB hydrogel dressing accelerated tissue regeneration, angiogenesis, and collagen deposition in S. aureus infected wounds in vivo, achieving rapid wound healing. Thus, Gel-APB is a multifunctional hydrogel dressing with excellent antimicrobial activity and has considerable potential for application in infected skin wound healing.

Chronic diabetic wounds seriously threaten human health due to their intractable nature in a complex pathological microenvironment that contains oxidative stress, persistent inflammatory status, hypoxia and bacterial infections, of which oxidative damage contributing the most. Applied materials that can mimic the natural intracellular antioxidant defense system are perceived to have huge therapeutic potential. Herein, we present a novel strategy to prepare a versatile nanocomposite hydrogel by incorporating the nanoenzyme (manganese dioxide (MnO2)) and nonenzymatic antioxidant components (polydopamine (PDA)) in a dynamic hydrogel network composed of thioctic acid and tannic acid (TA). The prepared hydrogel exhibited outstanding adhesive and injectable properties, making it adapt perfectly to wounds with different shapes and depths. More importantly, encapsulation of PDA@MnO2 nanoparticles (NPs) conferred the hydrogel with superior antioxidant performance to effectively scavenge multiple types of reactive nitrogen and oxygen species (RNOS) and reduce the inflammatory response by regulating macrophage polarization. Meanwhile, the hydrogel showed high-performance catalyzing ability to transfer hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into oxygen (O2), which could further alleviate hypoxic wound environment. Moreover, the nanocomposite hydrogel exhibited excellent near-infrared (NIR) photothermal antibacterial effect. Collectively, our findings indicate that the synthesized nanocomposite hydrogel shows potential for use in a clinical setting to treat diabetic wounds.

Cognitive load assessment plays a crucial role in monitoring safe production, resource allocation, and subjective initiative in human-computer interaction. Due to its high time resolution and convenient acquisition, Electroencephalography (EEG) is widely applied in brain monitoring and cognitive state assessment. In this study, a multi-scale Swin Transformer network (MST-Net) was proposed for cognitive load assessment, which extracts local features with different sensory fields using a multi-scale parallel convolution model and introduces the attention mechanism of the Swin Transformer to obtain the feature correlations among multi-scale local features. The performance of the proposed network was validated using the EEG signals collected during cognitive tasks and N-back tasks with three different load levels. Results show that the MST-Net network achieved the best classification accuracy on both local and public datasets, and was higher than the mainstream Swin Transformer and CNN. Furthermore, results of ablation experiments and feature visualization revealed that the proposed MST-Net could well characterize different cognitive loads, which not only provided novel and powerful tools for cognitive load assessment but also showed potential for broad application in brain-computer interface (BCI) systems.

The self-healing capability of a material refers to its ability to autonomously heal fractures or defects and restore its original structures and functionalities. Self-healing hydrogels, with enhanced lifespan and mechanical performances compared to traditional fragile hydrogels, can serve as ideal synthetic analogues of living tissues, holding great promise in a wide range of biomedical, electrical and environmental applications. Reversible interactions play crucial roles in the construction of self-healing hydrogel networks. A deep understanding of these bonds is critical for the rational design of hydrogels with desirable properties. In this short review, we first introduce the experimental tools for the direct measurements of reversible intermolecular interactions, followed by discussing the self-healing hydrogels via diverse noncovalent interactions (i.e., hydrogen bonding, ionic interaction, metal-ligand coordination, hydrophobic association and π-interactions) and dynamic covalent bonds (i.e., imines, boronic esters, hydrazones and disulfide bond). Challenges and our opinions on future development of self-healing hydrogels are also provided.

ObjectiveIntermittent energy restriction (IER) is an effective weight loss strategy. However, little is known about the dynamic effects of IER on the brain-gut-microbiome axis.MethodsIn this study, a total of 25 obese individuals successfully lost weight after a 2-month IER intervention. FMRI was used to determine the activity of brain regions. Metagenomic sequencing was performed to identify differentially abundant gut microbes and pathways in from fecal samples.ResultsOur results showed that IER longitudinally reduced the activity of obese-related brain regions at different timepoints, including the inferior frontal orbital gyrus in the cognitive control circuit, the putamen in the emotion and learning circuit, and the anterior cingulate cortex in the sensory circuit. IER longitudinally reduced E. coli abundance across multiple timepoints while elevating the abundance of obesity-related Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Parabacteroides distasonis, and Bacterokles uniformis. Correlation analysis revealed longitudinally correlations between gut bacteria abundance alterations and brain activity changes.ConclusionsThere was dynamical alteration of BGM axis (the communication of E. coli with specific brain regions) during the weight loss under the IER.

Anthraquinone is a redox mediator that can effectively catalyze the degradation of azo dyes by promoting the electron transfer. In this study, a mediator membrane with poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) as the membrane support and 1,8-dichloroanthraquinone (1,8-AQ) and graphene oxide (GO) as the additives was prepared and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and water contact angle. The introduction of GO increases the pure water flux of the membrane to 258.56±12.93 L/(m2·h). Its catalytic performances for the biodegradation of azo dyes were evaluated. Under the optimized conditions, the 1,8-AQ/GO/PVDF composite membrane is able to improve the dye degradation efficiency 2.2 times for reactive red X-3B and 1.1 times for acid red B, as compared with PVDF membrane. In addition, the mediator membrane maintains stable and high catalytic efficiency in the cyclic test and over 90 % dye degradation efficiency is still obtained after 5 cycles of decolorization. These results suggest the great application potentials of the 1,8-AQ/GO/PVDF membrane in the dye wastewater treatment.

Abstract Objective To compare 18 F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT, 18 F-FDG PET/CT and 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT in the diagnostic value of prostate cancer. Method The Chinese and foreign databases, such as Pubmed, Cochrane Library, Embase, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, etc., were systematically searched within the period from the establishment of the database to June 1, 2022. Clinical studies related to the diagnosis of prostate cancer by methods such as 18 F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT, 18 F-FDG PET/CTCT, 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT, were researched. Two (2) investigators independently screened literatures, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias when these data were included in the studies with the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2). Review Manager5.4, Stata 14.0, and Meta-disc 1.4 software were used for meta-analysis to compare the efficacy of different methods in the diagnose of prostate cancer. Results Twenty-seven (27) studies, including 2891 subjects were included in our study. Meta-analysis results showed that the pooled sensitivities of 18 F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT, 18 F-FDG PET/CT, and 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT were 0.912 (95%CI: 0.883–0.936), 0.748 (95%CI: 0.698–0.795), and 0.916 (95%CI: 0.896–0.934), respectively; the pooled specification were 0.878 (0.844–0.907), 0.639 (95%CI: 0.589–0.687), and 0.734 (95%CI: 0.685–0.779), respectively; the positive likelihood ratios were 6.335 (95%CI: 4.288–9.357), 2.282 (95%CI: 1.497–3.477), and 3.593 (95%CI: 2.986–4.323), respectively; the negative likelihood ratios were 0.878 (95%CI: 0.844–0.907), 0.374 (95%CI: 0.280–0.499), and 0.110 (95%CI: 0.083–0.144), respectively; the diagnostic odds ratios were 65.125 (95%CI: 34.059–124.53), 7.094 (95%CI: 4.091–12.301), and 29.722 (95%CI: 20.141–43.863), respectively; the positive posterior probability was 64%, 38%, and 62%, respectively; the area under the SPOC curve was 0.95 (95%CI: 0.93–0.97), 0.81 (95%CI: 0.78–0.84), and 0.96 (95%CI: 0.92–0.98), respectively. The funnel plots indicated that there was no significant publication bias in the included literatures. Conclusion The current evidences showed that 18 F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT and 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT had higher diagnostic efficacy of prostate cancer compared with 18 F-FDG PET/CT, among which 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT was slightly higher in the sensitivity of the diagnosis of prostate cancer, while 18 F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT may have higher efficacy in specificity and confirmed positive rate. Due to the limitations of the quality of the included samples and literatures, the above conclusions should be further validated by expanding the sample size and improving the quality.

In order to improve the coastal ecological environment of Lingao County, Hainan Province, enhance ecosystem service value of coastal zone and ensure ecological security of coastal zone, based on the field trips, literature review and data analysis, this paper summarized the typical ecological environment problems of Lingao coastal zone o, analyzed the main reasons of ecological degradation, and then some suggestions on protection and restoration of Lingao coastal zone were put forward. The results show that: the sandy coast, mangrove, coral reef and Pinctada maxima are faced with serious coastal erosion, ecological environment degradation and biological resource depletion in Lingao coastal zone. Sandy coastal erosion was mainly affected by natural factors such as sea level rise and storm surge, mangrove ecosystem was mainly affected by the sea aquaculture and environmental pollution, and coral reef and Pinctada maxima were mainly affected by human activities such as fishing and water pollution. Based on the analysis of the current situation of ecological degradation and their causes, this paper proposed beach feeding and ecological seawall construction in Wenlan Estuary and Baowu Harbor, mangrove restoration in Xinying Bay, Huanglong Bay and Jinpai Bay, and natural sealing for coral and Pinctada maxima conservation area.

Acupuncture is widely used in China for various conditions. Recently, due to the limitations of conventional treatment, many patients with psychogenic erectile dysfunction (ED) tend to choose acupuncture therapy, which is more commonly applied in countries such as China. The present clinical trial protocol aimed to initially verify the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of psychogenic ED. Our study is a prospective, randomized control trial (RCT). The protocol for this RCT is based on the standard protocol items: recommendations for interventional trials (SPIRIT) 2013 statement. After the participants who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria sign an informed consent form, the investigator will schedule them for the trial. Patients will be randomly divided into two groups (acupuncture and sham acupuncture). Both groups will receive 18 sessions of interventions for 6 continuous weeks and will be followed up for 10 weeks. At five time points (0, 2, 4, 6 and 10 weeks), We will measure the primary and secondary outcomes. Emerging evidence support acupuncture therapy for improving male sexual function and its application in andrology. However, its efficacy on patients diagnosed with psychogenic ED has not been extensively studied. With our study, we anticipate to fill the knowledge gap in acupuncture as treatment for psychogenic ED.

Abstract Recurrent heat stress and pathogen invasion seriously threaten crop production, and abiotic stress often antagonizes biotic stress response against pathogens. However, the molecular mechanisms of trade-offs between thermotolerance and defense remain obscure. Here, we identify a rice thermo-sensitive mutant that displays a defect in floret development under high temperature with a mutation in SUPPRESSOR OF GENE SILENCING 3a (OsSGS3a). OsSGS3a interacts with its homolog OsSGS3b and modulates the biogenesis of trans-acting small interfering RNA (tasiRNA) targeting AUXIN RESPONSE FACTORS (ARFs). We find that OsSGS3a/b positively, while OsARF3a/b and OsARF3la/lb negatively modulate thermotolerance. Moreover, OsSGS3a negatively, while OsARF3a/b and OsARF3la/lb positively regulate disease resistance to the bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) and the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae (M. oryzae). Taken together, our study uncovers a previously unknown trade-off mechanism that regulates distinct immunity and thermotolerance through the OsSGS3-tasiRNA-OsARF3 module, highlighting the regulation of abiotic-biotic stress response trade-off in plants.